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six or eight inches high , with embroidered ties , and prettily inlaid with mother of pearl ; and , these when she took her place on the sofa , whAJtft she sat in the Oriental manner , were left on the floor . This is the usual mode of dress among the liivantine Christians but that of the ladies in Turkish hareems is in a totally different style /—Ibid , vol , u p . 103 .
Dr . Hogg traversed that part of Mount Lebanon inhabited by the Druses , and visited the castle of their chief , the * Emeer Besheer . He found these people distinguished by superior civilization and courteous manners . Their territory is highly cultivated , varied by pasture and arable land , plantations of mulberry trees , and cheerful villagers . Their origin , it appears ^ is not known , and has given rise to controversy ; some supposing them to be descended from fugitive Franks at the time of the Crusades . Dr . Hogg , judging from their language ,, believes them to be of pure Arabian descent . They are remarkable as having among them no form of worship , and they conform to any , whether Christian or Mohammedan , when thrown into circumstances which require it of them . They have , however , vague notions of a Messiah who has come , and is expected to come again , and there is a bond of
union among the higher classes resembling the Masonic institution , which is apparently of a religious character . The Emeer and his family are Christians . The Druses are tolerant of all creeds , and hospitable to strangers . They were subdued by the Turks in the sixteenth century , and have been since tributary to the Porte , but their civil rights have not been interfered with .
They are governed by their own scheicks , and all the men are admitted to the council of the nation . They are said to amount in number to 200 , 000 ; their capital contains 8 , 000 or 9 , 000 . They are fond of the chase , always carry arms , and are al- » ways ready to obey the war-cry of their chief . Two extracts , one describing the residence of the Emeer , the other the costume of the people , may be found interesting .
' Our road lay through a succession of beautiful valleys , amidst de * tached cottages , and scattered hamlets , embowered in mulberry groves , or shaded with clusters of vines and fig-trees . A brilliant sunshine threw an air of cheerfulness around , cultivation and care were every * where visible ; the dissonant creak of the silk wheel was frequently heard .
and we joyfully hailed the exhilarating indications of ease and industry , JVear the domain of the prince , the sloping sides of the valleys to their very summits were cut into a series * of terraces , rich with luxuriant vegetation ; water was everywhere conveyed in channels for irrigation 5 and the habitations , though small , exhibited an appearance of neatness and comfort , to which , in our recent wanderings , we had long beem
rangers . ' Pursuing a winding course , we now caught the first view eft th * mansion , crowning , like a huge forties * , a bold * circular projection of the mountain . Picturesque buildings of great * K ** ttt , end it vari # ttf | ihttfes and * lemth * ii » , t with \ ft # t * tools fanning \ m % and wife Jimp ** ,
Untitled Article
Travel * in UuE < at . WrT
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1835, page 787, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2652/page/31/
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