THE ARABIAN RACE. 



235 



The Jews indeed, at the present day, are common to both divisions 

 of the race; being spread abroad like a net, throughout all the coun- 

 tries possessed by Whites; and even to a short distance beyond, in 

 the instances of Abyssinia and India. Their various adopted countries 

 having for ages exerted modifying influences, four classes may now 

 be distinguished in the Jewish family : the Syrian, Indian, Arabian, 

 and European Jews. 



I first saw Syrian Jews at Singapore; some ten or twelve indivi- 

 duals, who were robed and turbaned, and who in person appeared to 

 advantage among the surrounding population. The complexion was 

 fair; and in a different costume, they probably would not have been 

 distinguished from Europeans. One of them, who spoke English, in- 

 vited me into his shop; and stated in the course of conversation, that 

 " he came from Aleppo, when quite young ; travelling by land with 

 his father to India." He knew nothing of the Malabar Jews ; and in 

 respect to the origin of black Jews, he showed us one in his service, 

 who was of mixed Telingan descent. He was unwilling to acknow- 

 ledge the fellowship of European Jews, some of whom he had seen at 

 Calcutta; objecting, that they shaved the beard, and in various other 

 particulars he thought they had departed from the law. He spoke 

 of a European Jew then residing at Singapore; but said, that "he 

 should never think of questioning him on the subject of religion, 

 unless on the occasion of a proposal to marry a daughter." 



At Bombay, I saw a Jew, who, about twenty-five years previously, 

 came by land from Jerusalem. He stated in regard to his journey 

 through so many foreign countries, "that he found Jews along the 

 whole route, with whom he could communicate in the Hebrew lan- 

 guage." 



The agent of the English government at Muscat, a Jew probably 

 of the Syrian class, died a short time previous to my arrival at that 

 city. I saw there, however, a young Jew from Bagdad ; whose scanty 

 turban included the Egyptian ' turboosh,' and who wore a side-lock, 

 differing however in some respects, from that of the Arabian Jews. 

 He carried a rosary or string of prayer-beads, like the Catholics and 

 Muslims ; a custom of high antiquity. 



A Jew had resided for several years at Zanzibar; to which place 

 "he came in a dow," it is presumed, for purposes of commerce. I 

 did not learn his further history ; but from his allowing the whole of 



