MEMOIR OF BURCKHARDT. 31 



all intercourse -with the Moors and natives of Bar- 

 bary ; merely giving them the " Salaam Aleikum" 

 (peace be witli you) when passing them in the 

 street. There happened to be a Swiss regiment in 

 the English service stationed in garrison there, to 

 many of the officers of which he was personally 

 known, but he had the satisfaction to find that his 

 object and destination had not transpired. 



From Malta our traveller next proceeded to 

 Aleppo as an Indian Mahommedan merchant, the 

 supposed bearer of despatches to Mr. Barker, British 

 consul there, and agent to the East India Company. 

 The assumption of this character he thought would 

 be an excuse for his singularity in speech and 

 nianners, besides being a protection on the road, 

 and enabling him to escape the exactions of the 

 custom-house officers. 



The person to whom Mr. Burckhardt was recom- 

 mended was a Greek, acting as British consul at 

 Cyprus; and accordingly, about the middle of June, 

 he took his passage on board of a ship bound for 

 that island ; but as the owner afterwards changed 

 his mind as to his destination, our traA'eller pro- 

 ceeded in another vessel bound for Acre, and un- 

 certain whether he should touch at Cyprus. Ano- 

 ther letter of recommendation was procured to a 

 merchant at Acre, w-ith a second for the Pasha, 

 should it be required. Scarcely, however, had the 

 ship quitted Malta, when Burckhardt was informed 

 that his real destination was the coast of Caramania, 

 in Asia Minor; that if grain could be purchased 



