Sea Nile

my own languages, and added to them Hebrew. I entered college in the beginning of 1842, and I left it at the end of 1849 owing to sickness. I was unwilling to return home for several reasons, and I determined to come to England to try and teach Oriental languages, such as Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic, and also Latin and Italian. I came from Malta to Marseilles, and to Paris, where I arrived without any letters of recommendation; and thence got to London. Though I had no means I never lost courage, but I repeated to myself, "Be thou faithful to God, and he will help thee in thy ways." And so it was, for I hardly arrived in London when I met with virtuous and charitable persons who took great interest in me, especially Mr. D. Braggiotti, and Mr. P. Hava, my countryman, who is of an ancient and distinguished Maronite family, highly respected for its learning and extreme charity. Two months after I began to give lessons in Arabic and Latin, and shortly after in Italian and Hebrew. Amongst my Arabic scholars was Captain W. Peel, R. N., who, by daily lessons for three months, made great progress. In September, 1850, he proposed to take me with him to Egypt as his teacher in Arabic, and to go up the Nile to Uadi Halfe, to Suez, Mount Sinai, Arabia, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Syria. I had some difficulty in consenting to this project, as I was unwilling to break off the lessons I was giving to other pupils; but finally I promised to go with him, and we left Southampton on the 20th of October, 1850, and after a prosperous journey through the places above named, we returned on the 20th of February, 1851. I will not give you a detailed account of the virtues of Captain Peel, lest I should offend him; but I must say that, besides his talent and excellent

vi

memory, he is very charitable towards the poor, and he has not those prejudices so common to the young men of his station.

On my return I got back my scholars, and even fresh ones, and I thought no more of travelling. In the month of June, Captain Peel proposed another most interesting journey-to the centre of Africa from Cairo, to Darfor, Bargu, Barnu, and to the Niger, towards the Cape of Good Hope. After a long delay I consented, and we left England on the 20th of August, 1851, by the steamer Pottinger. The passengers knew nought of our destination, though they all tried to find it out. On our arrival at Cairo we hired a boat, and went up the Nile to Corosco, in Nubia; and then we crossed the Desert, suffering intensely from the heat.

We passed through Nubia, and got to Kartum, the capital of a province of Upper Nubia and of Sudan. Here we crossed the White Nile, and went to Lobaied, the capital of the eastern part of Cordofan, where we hoped to penetrate into Darfor; but our hopes were vain, and our firm resolution and courage were broken through by sickness. After having suffered from twentyfive days of intermittent fever, we were obliged to turn back ad pellem salvandam. We returned to Kartum by another road on the western side; and this was useful, as we went through all the villages of Cordofan. I got information on all sorts of points about these villages, and on agriculture, &c.

It only now remains, in order to conclude this introduction, to ask the gentle reader to peruse attentively these Travels. It is very difficult for a writer to combine in his description the truth with beauty-the simple with the sublime-the interest with delight; but he ought to do so according to the best of his

ability, and not lose courage in the task. I beg you, therefore, not to regard any defects of mine, but to pass them over, knowing what the Latin poet recommends—

"Eximia est virtus præstare silentia rebus."

I am greatly obliged to a kind friend for the great assistance and interest which he has taken in the publication of these Travels, and desire to return him here my best thanks for such kindness. I am also indebted to Mr. H. Bannister for having had the kindness to correct the notes, to whom I express my sincere acknowledgments.

NOTICE. The second note on page 140, and the third on page 141, belong to Chapter xxi. The second note goes after the second period of the second paragraph, and the third at the end of it. Also the note in page 185 belongs to page 187-after the name "Lobaied," eleventh line.