POSTSCRIPT.

Observations on the Critique upon Captain LYON's "Travels in Northern Africa," as published in The New Edinburgh Review for October, 1821.

CAPTAIN LYON's friend is rather hard on us, we think, notwithstanding his complimentary acknowledgments; but as we are as ready, we hope, to do justice to merit, as to play the critic, or parade our Arabic erudition, we do not scruple to give his letter entire. Hereafter we may find ourselves at liberty to re

ply to it.

SIR,

HAVING attentively perused the critique upon Captain Lyon's Travels in Africa, (contained in your Review for October last,) I cannot refrain from remarking, that although many of your Reviewer's observations are handsomely expressed, and just in their application, yet he has, in several instances, been too much biassed by his favourable and fixed opinion of the accuracy of other authors; forgetting that Captain Lyon had at least an equal opportunity with those to observe the customs he describes, and certainly an equal inducement and inclination to relate them with fidelity. With this predilection in favour of other authors, and with no disinclination whatever to shew the extent of his own erudition, your Reviewer, who appears to have been a traveller himself, has, in these his observations, occasionally travelled a little too far from the direct road of legitimate criticism; and has, I believe with others as well as myself, created a suspicion, that if he had been as indifferent to his own Arabic attainments, as these latter are irrelevant to the subject of his criticism, the public would have continued ignorant of all the useful knowledge contained in his brilliant dissertation on modern Arabic.

It is unlucky for your Reviewer, that Captain Lyon explicitly waves all claim to the distinction of an Arabic scholar; and before he joined the mission, he had no opportunity of becoming acquainted with the language. Had that gentleman at all read, or even looked at Captain Lyon's Preface, he must have been disarmed of all severity at the first glance; for in it he would neither have discovered any pretension or affectation as an author, or self-conceit as a man, so as in the smallest degree to lay the field open for the exercise of the pen even of the most lenient critic. Words and expressions, pronounced with local dialect, and orally received from rude and unlettered natives, were the only means which Captain Lyon ever had of acquiring any knowledge of the Arabic; a knowledge which, by the way, sufficiently enabled him to converse with them on all ordinary topics; and

which, it is apprehended, would not have been very materially benefited, even by an exchange for the more perfect and more polished language of your accomplished Reviewer.

It is readily admitted, that Captain Lyon's orthography might, indeed most probably would, be often found incorrect; especially when scrutinized by the very intelligent eye and superior knowledge of your learned Reviewer. But would he measure and judge the local words, dialect, or idioms of a Yorkshire, Lancashire, or Devonshire ploughman, by comparison with the well-studied and elegantly arranged language of a finished professor? Just so then with regard to Captain Lyon's Arabic-the sources whence he gathered it and the class of people among whom he practised it.

Leaving, then, your Reviewer in full and unchallenged possession of all his Arabic honours, I proceed to notice some facts as related by Captain Lyon, to the accuracy of which, it seems, the Revewer cannot or does not chuse to subscribe. He quotes with frequent and friendly complacency, as infallible, the authority of Mr. Jackson; and upon the subject of the Maherries, notices also the observations of Colonel Fitzclarence, who, as it happens, never chanced to be near the part of Africa whence Captain Lyon's information is derived, but returned from India by the banks of the Nile, and was for some days a visitor of Mr. Belzoni, when he was removing the bust of the young Memnon.

The Maherrie, or Maherries, in Morocco, as described by Mr. Jackson, may possibly be of a different description from those so often seen and mentioned by Captain Lyon, whose recollection must have strangely deserted him, if he could so very soon have forgotten an animal with whose appearance and services he was so perfectly familiar, which had so constantly carried him by day, and sheltered him from the sand winds of the desert by night. The name maherrie, was not here either of Captain Lyon's fabrication or fancied application, but was invariably so given and pronounced to him by all the natives in every part he visited, and by all the merchants he ever saw, as belonging solely and exclusively to the animal he describes. The common camels mentioned by him are considerably smaller, longer, and coarser in the hair, of a totally different and darker colour, of a moderate pace, and are easily distinguished from the maherrie, whose majestic height, short, fine, and rather curled coat, milk-white colour, and amazing and continuing speed, sufficiently attest its non-resemblance to them. Captain Lyon, it is believed, brought his own maherrie from Morzouk to this country, and presented it alive to his Majesty. With these observations, I would ask your Reviewer if he is quite satisfied of Mr. Jackson's infallibility, or if it is utterly impossible that Colonel Fitzclarence should be mistaken or misinformed? A Reviewer ought to be thoroughly master of his subject, certain and most scrupulously correct in his own knowledge, and perfectly confident in the accuracy and veracity of the several authors from whom he assists his judgment, before he ventures upon the arduous and dangerous task of a critic, where the character of the author whom he so brings into public consideration, is only shown by his partial opinion and decision.

The next point on which Captain Lyon's correctness is questioned, involves his botanical learning; and here, too, it may be remarked, that he never pretended to the least knowledge of botany. It is a study but rarely pursued by naval officers; and Captain Lyon entered the service at so early a period of his life, and has been so constantly employed in the various duties belonging to it, that little opportunity was offered, by which he might supply his deficiency. It appears, however, that in noticing Captain Lyon's mention of the Colocynthis or Coloquintida (the word Coloquinth, of the Reviewer, being of dubious origin) in p. 37, and many other plants; as also his calling El Handal, Khandal, the chance of mistake was equally natu

ral; though it has so much shocked the delicate and well practised ear of the Reviewer; and who, of course, at once sets the point at rest. Captain Lyon, however, pronounced the word as he caught its sound from the natives, and wrote it accordingly. The letter H, in the word Handal, is expressed by a strong guttural exertion, in which the sound of the letter K is not supposititiously conveyed; and, if your Reviewer will take the trouble attentively to articulate this important word, he will find the foregoing explanation tolerably confirmed. Besides, have we not, in our own country, different names, variously pronounced, that indicate the same thing? With this compromise of Captain Lyon's botanical acquirements, it will not be deemed very surprising that he did not know the truffle or terfass. May I take the liberty of asking your Reviewer, if he has ever seen one in its natural state? their growth being local or rare, and only in a light soil where beech woods abound. If he has, I congratulate him on the felicity and extent of his botanical experience; believing, that there are many thousands in this country, who envy him the knowledge he has attained, as well as the very judicious application of it. It is this, and similar observations upon such trifles, that make it appear, as if your Reviewer, in order to act the critic, only wanted (as they say in Scotland) a hair to make a tether of," to drag his own great knowledge in Arabic into public view.

66

In p. 41 of the Travels, the covering of the Arab tents are said to be of woollen; but no, says the Reviewer, for "other travellers report them to "be of hair;" here, I rather suspect that all parties are in the right; for, as the woollen cloth is made and named from the fleece of the sheep, and as that animal, in that part of Africa, has a long coat, more resembling hair than wool, the cloth might certainly have the appearance as described by other travellers; therefore, to satisfy the critic, let us read, "The Arab tents are made of the hair-like wool of the African sheep"! which concession will probably meet his approbation.

sou.

I now come to a point, in which the Reviewer seems to have felt as deeply anxious to perfect himself as he was to accomplish the valuable attainment of his pure and classic Arabic, viz. the study of the African culinary art, and, particularly, in the knowledge of the component parts of CuscaHere, indeed, he almost calls Captain Lyon's veracity in question; who, after a year's probation in Morzouk, and abundant opportunity to witness the preparation of this diet, might, rather reasonably be supposed to know something about it. Might not the Reviewer's favourite Shabeeny be a little mistaken? Is he the African "Cook's Oracle ?" or, might not food of the same name and ingredients be prepared in different ways at different places? Unless your Reviewer, in his erudite researches, may have met with à "Gazette de Gourmands" settling the Cuscasou ingredients, and their due proportion upon the dicta of professed and learned epicures, he will, at least, allow the Cuscasou, as described by Captain Lyon, might be strictly orthodox at Morzouk, although heretic in Morocco; and I beg also to inform your Reviewer, that this dish is stirred in the making, in Senegal, Goree, Sierra Leone, &c. &c.

With regard to Captain Lyon's description of Tombuctoo, it rests upon much the same authority as the reports of other travellers. He never intended to vouch for its authenticity; his information being merely oral, but collected from various persons of different nations, at different times, and received and compared with caution. That all his informants were interested in giving him untrue accounts is not very probable; unless, indeed, it resulted from a rule strictly laid down, and invariably adhered to, by every native merchant or traveller; and it may be recollected, that Captain Lyon had one or two real friends in the country, whose information upon this interesting subject, coincided precisely with that which he had obtained

through every other channel. The accounts of Tombuctoo, as of all remote towns in the interior of Africa, are likely to be very indistinctly given by the natives, and the importance assigned to these places perhaps more exaggerated from ignorance than from intention. It was with this opinion that Captain Lyon was induced to make a liberal allowance for the accounts he received, and to offer his conjectures on the subject with diffidence and with doubt.

To return to the maherries, it is evident, that Captain Lyon, in the hurry of forwarding his book for the press, has, in p. 49, committed a mistake, in mentioning the arrival of Sidi Aleiwa and the Ghrazzie at Gatrone, with between 2000 and 3000 maherries; for, in the next page 250, he states, that above 1000 camels had died on the journey. Here, therefore, he undoubtedly meant between 2000 and 3000 camels instead of maherries; as the chiefs only used the latter, or had a few for sale. This mistake is easily understood, naturally accounted for, and not worthy of criticism.

The mention of the maherrie, which Captain Lyon describes as having been purchased for six shillings and eight-pence, and distributed as food, I beg to remind your Reviewer, was not intended to shew that these animals were so plenty, or so cheap as that gentleman is pleased to infer; he, however, saw in the book, had he found it convenient to remember, that the maherrie in question refused to eat the only food (dates) which the others had to live upon, and there were no other means of obtaining subsistence for it; consequently, it was better and more natural for the owner to realize even the smallest sum, than lose every thing by the positive certainty of its dying by starvation; thus, being entirely useless for any other purpose, it afforded a seasonable and most acceptable meal to the suffering and hungry travellers. These reasons, however, are cautiously suppressed by your Reviewer, and seem purposely omitted by him, in order to give more force and effect to this judicious piece of criticism.

Now, Sir, I will no longer trespass upon the patience of your readers; and although these, my comments, are so plainly expressed upon the several points of your Reviewer's remarks, it affords me, at the same time, pleasure in acknowledging, that the descriptive passages which he has inserted in your Review, are such as appear to have been selected with the handsomest consideration towards Captain Lyon, and with the intention of giving him the credit so universally awarded him ; and his observations are, in general, kind, approving, and satisfactory.

But, after all, let me fairly put this one question to your Reviewer, viz. "If he had not so very brilliant a knowledge of the Arabic language, and no disinclination that the world should be made fully sensible of it, WOULD HE, OF WOULD HE NOT, have taken the trouble to publish or even to write, make, or think any critique whatever upon these African Travels? I think he would not !!!

I have the honour to remain,

Sir, your obedient servant, and, in the absence of
CAPTAIN LYON in the Arctic Seas,
HIS FRIEND.

To the Editor of the

NEW EDINBURGH REVIEW,

December 1, 1821.

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