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have plenty of arms, good Damascus blades, I use no guns, and while I have an arm to wield a hanjar, these barren rocks shall have a banquet of slaughter before "my face looks black” in the presence of my enemies, and two hundred years hence, the Bedouins of the Desert shall talk of the Sittee Inglis, how she sat her Arab steed, and fell like an Arab chief, when the star of her glory had set for ever!"

It is impossible to give an idea of her animation when she spoke on these subjects, and though I have given her language word for word, as I endeavoured to impress it on my memory at the time, still to understand its energy, one must have heard her, and one must have been accustomed to have heard people speaking of the influence of the stars (for it is the common topic of oriental conversation) to listen with gravity and even with interest to such observations as fell from her Ladyship. The only two persons whom she inquired after, and in whose health and happiness she appeared to be interested, were Lady G. En and Mr. B-m. After remaining some days with her Ladyship, I took my

LADY H. S

-E.

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leave, highly gratified with the society of a person whose originality, or eccentricity (if it deserves that name), is a far less prominent feature in her character, than her extensive information, her intrepidity of spirit, her courteous manners, and her unbounded benevolence.

I am, my dear Sir,

Your very

obedient Servant,

R. R. M.

LETTER XXXVI.

TO DR. HAMILTON.

MY DEAR SIR,

Tyre, Sept. 20, 1827.

THE belief in magic is so general in Syria and in Egypt, that a traveller who has been long in these countries, becomes familiarised with the name, and at length begins to listen with curiosity to that which at first only excited his contempt. Such I confess was the case with me, I never doubted but that those who believed in it laboured under a delusion, but it surprised me not a little to find people of good education and even of sound intellect impressed with an idea that the occult sciences of the Egyptians and Chaldeans, were still cultivated by the descendants of both these people. I resolved to banish, as far as lay in my power, every preconceived opinion on the subject, and to converse with

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every magician of repute both Syrian and Egyptian.

I commenced with a gentleman well known in Egypt as an antiquarian, whose researches in the Pyramids made some noise in the Quarterly Reveiw some few years ago. Captain C—— first broached his abstruse opinions in a periodical paper, published at Cairo very lately. He stated that his secret studies enabled him to throw a new light on the Scriptures, and that he had found not only the two lost letters of the Hebrew alphabet, but that he had also collected the scattered members of Osiris, which was a figurative way of expressing his discovery of many hidden mysteries of morality. He stated the result of his researches to be this, that the Scriptures were originally written in three dif ferent senses, and that the metaphorical one was that which had been erroneously rendered as the plain and obvious one. The intelligence of this new doctrine of Captain C got to Rome, and both he and his coadjutor, a Frank, were excommunicated by the Pope, and the anathema was extended to all persons who read his publications; the consequence was, no more was heard

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about "the scattered members of Osiris," and Captain C and his "two lost letters" furnished amusement for for some months to the Europeans of Cairo and Alexandria. As we both inhabited Mr. S-'s house in Alexandria for some months, I had a favourable opportunity of learning his opinions respecting magic. found his professed belief was in what he called Chaldean science, which consisted in the knowledge of certain cabalistical characters, which contained the rudiments of astrology. In these he gave me to understand he was a proficient; and likewise in animal magnetism. He spoke in mystery always, but he acknowledged he was versed in magic; and whenever I hinted how desirable it would be to enrich himself, he always gave me an abstruse reply, which was above my humble comprehension. The Captain was, I verily believe, of a sane mind, and was esteemed by Mr. Salt, as a well informed and honest meaning person. I frequently sat up with him long after midnight, endeavouring to get information on this subject, but I was always foiled; sometimes he would tell me not to be impatient, that there were various degrees of initiation to go

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