of a Mediterranean climate ; and the whole together, viewed
under favourable impressions, gave to Tripoly an appearance of
much more interest and importance than it was afterwards found
to have deserved.
The reception which we experienced from Mr. Warrington, the
British Consul-General at Tripoly, was friendly and attentive in the
extreme ; and, on our landing, the consulate was assigned to us as a
residence, which he obligingly left at our disposal. The arrival of
our party was now signified officially to the Bashaw, who appointed
a day to receive us ; being at the time indisposed, on account of the
operation of burning, which he had undergone as a cure for the
rheumatism *. His Highness was provided with a skilful European
physician, who had been for some time attached to his person and
to the court ; but the prejudices of his country were too strong to
be overcome by reason, and the remedies of Dr. Dicheson gave way
to the popular superstition.
On the day appointed for the interview, we proceeded to the
palace of His Highness, accompanied by the Consul and Captain
Smyth. The streets through which we had to pass, on our way to
* ’ The practice of cautery is well known to be generally adopted, and confidently
depended upon, by the Arabs and Moors, as an effectual remedy for almost every disorder.
The custom may be traced to a very remote period, and is alluded to by
Herodotus, (Melpomene, 187',) as peculiar to the Libyan Nomades, the early inhabitants
of a considerable part of the coast of Northern Africa. The remedy is indeed too
indiscriminately applied, ,b,i»t is not, however, unfrecpiently productive of good effects.
We were assured by a man a t Bengazi, that he had been cured three times of the plague
by thé mere application of a hot iron -to the tumourB which attend the disease , and if
we might judge from the dreadful scars which remained, his attacks were by no means
slight ones.
the Castle, were by no means fit approaches to a regal abode ; they
were encumbered with the rubbish of houses fallen into ruin, and
with the superfluous produce of those which were yet standing;
while swarms of little naked and dirty children, and numerous
groups of hungry, half-starved dogs, almost blocked up the little
space which was left for our passage. The dust which was unavoidably
raised in our progress, together with the heat of the sun,
and the myriads of gnats and flies which assailed us in every direction,
were no grateful additions to these inconveniences; and we
were heartily glad to find ourselves before the gates of the Castle,
where a part, of the Bashaw’s guard was drawn' out in due form to
receive us. After paying our respects to the Kechia*, (who was
seated at the end of the skeefa, or entrance hall,) we were ushered
along a dark and narrow passage, so irregular and uneven under
foot, that we were in danger of falling at almost every step j", and
having passed at intervals several Tchaouses and soldiers,; who
were barely discernible through the gloom, we found ourselves at
length in a spacious apartment, where a motley crowd of Christians,
Turks, Arabs, and Jews, were assembled to wait His Highness’s
leisure.
We had not been long here before it was announced to us that the
Bashaw was prepared to receive us; and, on approaching the pre-
* This officer holds th e seeond place in- the Regency, and is invested with the
supreme power whenever His Highness is absent.
+ Tully observes, “ We entered, these gloomy passages, which alwayB seem as if they
led to some dreadful abode for the purpose of entombing the living.”
B S