BENGAZI. 
303 
they seem to think matters of course, has so blunted their kinder feel- 
ings in the discharge of this particular duty, that one might almost 
blush (on witnessing their conduct) at being classed in the same 
species with them *. The horrors of slave-ships are happily for the 
most part abolished, through the humanity and the influence of 
Englishmen ; and if the government of Malta were acquainted with 
the horrors of bullock-vessels, they would surely take means to pre- 
vent the recurrence of them. Eet us hope that some Martin may 
arise in the Mediterranean who will exert himself in bringing this 
about ; we will answer for it, he will never sit down to a piece of 
beef without feehngs of more than usual satisfaction. 
Among the persons to whom we were introduced by Shekh Ma- 
hommed, there were several whose good sense and good feeling 
would have done credit to a more civilized people ; and the time 
which we spent in their society was often very agreeably passed. 
They were able to afford us a good deal of information respecting 
the country to the eastward, and in the interior, which we afterwards 
found very useful ; but they were generally shy in giving an opinion 
upon affairs of a political nature. They would, however, talk freely 
of the exploits of Mahommed Bey, who was so instrumental in re- 
ducing the country to its present state of tranquillity; and whose san- 
guinary measures alone procured for Bengazi the security which it 
* It was curious to observe the singular mixture of feeling displayed by some of the 
crew of our vessel — after deliberately inflicting the most cruel treatment on some unfor- 
tunate, groaning animal, we often heard a man exclaim, when he had finished his task, 
“ Poverino ! so ben che tu patisci !” and he would then hurry on to inflict the same 
cruelties on some other wi'etched object of his care. 
