VOYAGE TO BEYROOT. 21 inducement to their cupidity and injustice, I sat down, as if to take no further notice of them. They then objected to a sixpence, which I had given them, because of a small crack in it; so I gave them another for it, which when they obtained, they refused to give up the objectionable cracked sixpence, but kept both. They then rowed alongside of another boat, and took a man from off her, who assisted in getting my luggage out of the steamer; but in returning to the "Emegg," this fellow set at me for his pay, so I gave him a few coppers. They all looked at each other and smiled, and made observations in their own language which I did not understand; but which I suspected to be, "How well we managed this business!" This was the first specimen I had of Turkish fraud, and unfeeling cruelty. My friend, Mr. Bateson, told me that this was their character; and advised me never to do or give anything through their intimidation, but boldly to face them; for the moment, said he, that you show the least feeling of fear or alarm you are undone. VOYAGE TO BEYROOT. The number of passengers by the "Emegg was but eight:-four in the cabin, viz:-Mr. Bateson, Mr. Manning, Mr. Macgowan-an officer in the army and son of Dr. Macgowan of Jerusalem, and myself: the other four were deck passengers, viz:-Mr. Bateson's two servants (he having engaged an addittional one at Malta), and a Turk and his wife. 20th. After a sound night's sleep, I arose at daybreak, to enjoy the coolness of the morning air. We sailed across the seven mouths of the Nile. Mr. Bateson amused himself during the day in shooting at the sea birds and porpoises with his double-barrelled gun. He wounded one porpoise severely, which instantly dived under water, and we saw it no more. 21st. The breeze was this day rather fresh, which agitated the vessel a good deal. Though I had not been ill on board the "Great Liverpool," I now became very sick, just after the Captain had paid me the compliment, that he considered me to be a most excellent sailor. From the roughness of the sea, I felt completely overcome; and towards evening I said to the Captain, "I hope we shall have a calm to-morrow!" 22nd. When I arose this morning, it was a perfect calm, and the vessel actually stood still. The Captain told the other passengers that I had prayed for a calm the night before, and he thought I ought to be thrown overboard for bringing it upon them. My friend, Mr. Bateson, was particularly jocose, and plagued me much about my having wished for a calm. This day, as we were sailing by the place where Jonah had to cross to go to Nineveh from Jaffa, I took off my clothes for a bathe, as the weather was very warm. While swimming about, I did not observe the vessel leaving me, until a sailor called out, bidding me swim a-head: this I tried to do, but had at length to request him to throw me a rope, as I felt fatigued, which he did; and by laying hold of it, I was soon on deck. The Captain told me, that, though there was no great fish to swallow me up, yet as being the cause of the calm, he intended to leave me to my fate. This being the Sabbath, and there being no religious service, as on board the "Great Liverpool," I passed a good portion of the day in meditating upon God's great goodness in preserving me hitherto. I may here mention, that as I was about to embark at Southampton, my wife pressed me much to go in the first cabin; but to this I had a great objection, on account of the late hour for dining, and the manner of living generally which obtains among persons in the higher ranks, and to which I had not been at all accustomed. My decision in this was, I believe, of the Lord's ordering, as I trust I was of some use to the second cabin passengers, who were principally servants. At eight o'clock every evening they assembled in the TOTAL ABSTINENCE. 23 mess-room, and sat down, both male and female, to the number of sixteen or seventeen, to drink punch or spirits; most of them, not even excepting the female servants, filling their glasses twice or thrice over. I assailed the practice, exposed its evils, and urged them to a renunciation of such a foolish and injurious course. There was one servant who prided himself in being a good talker-and by the way he was a good drinker also-and he eloquently defended moderation. I dealt in matter-of-fact arguments; pointing out from several examples of servants who, though once in good places, had by their love of this insidious and destructive enemy brought themselves to disgrace and misery. My opponent found at last that I had the better of the argument, and then confessed that my views were right. The majority having decided in favour of teetotalism, many began to make a trial of it; and they soon found that they were much the better by abandoning spirits altogether, for their morning head-aches began sensibly to diminish. But, alas! before we got to Malta they all had taken to drinking again, excepting two, of whom I had great hopes. I gave them my address, and they promised that, should they like abstinence from all intoxicating drinks as well at the end of six months as they did then, they would write to let me know. These proceedings, I have no doubt, were known and talked about in the chief cabin, for I frequently saw the Doctor and others draw near to listen to our discussions I observed many of the others eyeing me when I was on the deck, probably wondering whether I was Father Mathew or not. One day, as I was riding with Mr. Manning, in Alexandria, I was stopped by a gentleman, who had come in the chief cabin. He said to me, "Now sir, there is plenty of work for you here, before you can get all the inhabitants converted to teetotalism." I barely remarked that I might fairly despair of doing that, and then rode on. I explained to my friend, Mr. Manning, the subject of this gentleman's allusion. and But to return; I could not but feel truly thankful to 24 MEDITATION-TOTAL ABSTINENCE. Divine Providence, for having ordered my way so gra- Strength of my life! what arm shall dare The calm still continued, and my fellow passengers and the Captain wanted me to wish for wind. In the evening we fell into a conversation upon teetotalism. I had no one to stand by me, as all strenuously advocated moderation, and argued that a little wine or spirit is good at certain times, and for various purposes-that the Scriptures nowhere forbid the use of liquor in moderation, and so on. My position was this: that as we are commanded to love our neighbour as ourselves, it was every man's duty to place himself in that position which was most likely to affect his neighbour, for his good. And that the best way to benefit the drunkard, was to set before him the example of total abstinence, by first abstaining from liquor ourselves. I endeavoured also to hold up to view, the melancholy extent, to which drunkenness, as a national sin, had proceeded, and I urged that love of country, as well as love to God, ought to lead them to renounce a practice, which only encourages the drunkard to persevere in his career. To these remarks no objections were made, but still the boat's crew continued to drink as before, and my fellow passengers did not diminish their daily quantum of porter and wine. The calm continued until about midnight, when a breeze sprung up. 23rd. The breeze continued this morning, and we went at the rate of four miles an hour. Though all on APPROACH BEYROOT-LEBANON. 25 board were anxiously looking out for the first view of the mountains of Lebanon, I was the first to descry their tops, at ten o'clock. We were then about fifty miles from Beyroot; but the atmosphere was so clear, that a person accustomed to judge of distances through another atmosphere, could not form an accurate idea of distances here, by his perception of objects far off. Up to this time, I had seen no rain since leaving Cumberland, and though the sun's heat was very powerful during the previous fortnight, yet my health continued good. 24th. At six this morning we cast anchor before Beyroot. The mail was sent on shore, with instructions to have a house provided for four cabin passengers, to perform quarantine; which, we were told, would not be less than seven days. The view of Beyroot, from where the vessel lay, was indeed pleasing; it appeared to rise gently from the sea, and to be composed principally of white houses, intermixed with well-kept gardens, consisting of fruit trees, &c. while the bold mountains of Lebanon, towering in the rear, added greatly to the effect of the entire picture. There was one English frigate lying near to us; besides which, were several smaller vessels. Having but a short supply of food on board, and finding the vessel in many other respects uncomfortable; and knowing that it was employed by the English Government to carry the mail from Alexandria to Beyroot, we thought it our duty to draw up a petition to Parliment, praying for the removal of these evils. In this we were encouraged both by the Captain and Lieutenant, who said that the vessel had been long complained of, but that, hitherto, no one had undertaken to represent the matter to the English Government. Mr. Bateson, being a member of Parliament, kindly undertook to draw up the petition, to which we appended our names. By this time a fresh supply of food having arrived from the town, with plenty of milk, which we had not seen since leaving Alexandria, we made a hearty breakfast; after which, two boats from shore made their appearance, |