1805.] ESSAYS. 51 



As we walked along the streets of Tripoli, every gentleman who 

 had met my husband, would embrace him and kiss him upon each 

 cheek. I expected my turn would come next, but I found that 

 women were of no account whatever in this part of the world. 



Here the Mohammedan religion prevails. The Koran takes the 

 place of our Bible. Long pilgrimages are made to Mecca, the birth- 

 place of the prophet. Many die from the fatigue which they undergo 

 on the journey, and those who return wear a badge of distinction. 

 Before they start on the pilgx'image, they settle up their affairs in 

 case they do not return. We visited one of their houses of worship. 

 The vestibule was filled w'ith shoes ; long rows of worshippers were 

 bowing and prostrating themselves flat on the floor, all in perfect 

 unison, while the leader repeated the prayer aloud. There are no 

 seats of any kind. The floor is covered with mats or carpets. Some 

 of these mosques are very beautiful, and are very numerous in all 

 the large cities. The Orientals are devoted to their religion, and 

 pray several times each day, with their faces always towards Mecca. 



"We were invited to the consul's house to dine. He asked Mr. 

 Lowery what he could do to entertain us. He told him he thought a 

 variety of the native dishes of the country would be a novel feature 

 of the dinner. So we had all manner of mixtures set before us, 

 many of wliich one would have to acquire a liking for. We also had 

 an abundance of food which we could appreciate. The consul's 

 residence was some distance from the port, so I was obliged to ride 

 on a donkey, in the Turkish fashion ; but not having on the Turkish 

 dress, I presented a most ludicrous appearance. About half-way we 

 met a company of boys walking towards the port. They laughed 

 loud and long at my riding-dress. When we returned on board ship, 

 we found that the boys had been examining our floating home ; as 

 the American flag was rarely seen in that harbor, as the anchorage is 

 by no means safe, and the winds often tempestuous. We walked to 

 a beach and gathered some shells, which were a foot deep for a long 

 distance. We scooped up as many as we wished with our hands. 

 The surf rolled on the beach several feet high on a calm day. In a 

 sale it must have been somethino; awful to behold. Our merchant 

 invited me to call upon his wife. The room was furnished with mats 

 and divans. Thfe lady could not speak English and I was unable to 

 speak Arabic, so we gazed at each other and smiled, sadly lamenting 

 our inability to converse. She presented me with a sponge attached 

 to a rock, which had been brought up from the bottom of the Medi- 

 terranean by divers. 



