14 



EXTRACTS FROM THE MEMORANDUM BOOK 

 OF A TRAVELLER. No. I. 



SIR, During the winter of 1831, 32, 1 sojourned 

 for some time at a town in that part of the world 

 which has been sometimes called West Barbary, 

 but why, I really could never satisfactorily discover. 

 The inhabitants, with whom I became acquainted, 

 were certainly as highly civilized as those of Ply- 

 mouth, in the South of England, and had not only 

 studied art, science and literature, in their own lan- 

 guage, but were well conversant in foreign tongues, 

 particularly British, which afforded them a medium 

 of access to the history of all my country's affairs. 

 The climate was very similar to that of Devon ; 

 storms were unfrequent, but even the angel-visits of 

 these were provided for by a stupendous marble is- 

 land which the inhabitants hud built across the en- 

 trance of their harbour ; this was truly a work worthy 

 the genius and patience of man, it wus constructed 

 of millions of blocks, which had been carried out in 

 boats from the main land with immense labour, and 

 rose at last from the bosom of the sea more beau- 

 tiful in its severe simplicity than any other of their 

 works, except a Pharos which they had erected on 

 a lonely rock, twelve miles from land. 



I made many enquiries to ascertain whether the 

 inhabitants were addicted to piracy, or were given to 

 murder cast-away sailors for the sake of plunder : 

 I found on the contrary that they had not a piratical 

 craft in their service, and so far from ill using unfor- 

 tunate mariners absolutely had apparatus and insti- 

 tutions for the recovery of those who were cast ashore 

 apparently drowned : these institutions were estab- 

 lished by the praiseworthy endeavours of one of their 

 public men much esteemed and beloved for the 

 services he had rendered the inhabitants by exercis- 

 ing for their advantage his knowledge of the doctrines 

 of Esculapius. 



