bricks used to build the Pasha's palace and other edifices in Khartoum. The room which I occupied during my stay in Khartoum was paved with the same bricks. These remains are in curious contrast with the pyramids of Meroe and the temples of Mesowurat. The Christian and Egyptian Faiths, advancing towards each other, almost met on these far fields.

"The former kingdom of Sennaar included the country between the two Niles-except the territory of the Shillooks-as far south as latitude 12°. It is bounded by Abyssinia on the east, and by the mountains of the savage Galla tribes, on the south. The Djezeereh (Island) el Hoye, as the country between the rivers is called, is for the most part a plain of grass. Towards the south, there are some low ranges of hills, followed by other plains, which extend to the unknown mountain region, and abound with elephants and lions. The town of Sennaar, once the capital of this region and the residence of its Meks or Kings, is now of little importance. It was described to me as a collection of mud huts, resembling Shendy. The Egyptian rule extends ten days' journey further, to Fazogl, where the fine timber in the mountains and the gold-bearing sands of Kasan have given rise to the establishment of a military post. Sennaar, as well as Kordofan, Berber, and Dongoia, is governed by a Bey, appointed by the Pasha of Soudan. It is only two weeks journey thence to Gondar, the capital of Amhara, the principal Abysinian kingdom. was told that it is not difficult for merchants to visit the latter place, but that any one suspected of being a person of consequence is detained there and not allowed to leave again. I had a strong curiosity to see something of Abyssinia, and had I been quite sure that I should not be taken for a person of consequence, might have made the attempt to reach Gondar.

"Kordofan lies west of the White Nile, and consists entirely of great plains of grass and thorns, except in the southern part, where there is a mountain range called Djebel Dyer, inhabited by emigrants from Dongola. It is not more than two hundred miles in breadth, from east to west. Its capital. Obeid, lies in latitude 13° 12' north, and is a mere collection of mud huts. Mr. Peterick, the English Vice-Consul for Soudan, to whom I had letters from Mr. Murray, the English Consul-General in Cairo, had taken up his residence in Obeid. The soil of Kordofan is sterile, and the water is considered very unhealthy for foreigners. Capt. Peel gave me such a description of its endless thickets of thorns, its miserable population and its devastating fevers, that I lost all desire to visit it. The Governor, Abd-el-Kader Bey, was in Khartoum, and Dr. Reitz intended making a journey through the country in company with him. There is a caravan route of twenty days between Obeid and Dongola, through a wild region called the Beyooda, or Bedjuda. A few degrees further north, it would be a barren desert, but here it is an alternation of wadys, or valleys, with ranges of porphyry mountains, affording water, trees, and sufficient grass for the herds of the wandering Arabs. It is inhabited by two tribes-the Kababish and the Howoweet,-who differ strongly from the Arabs east of the Nile, in their appearance and

habits. The latter, by their superior intelligence and their remarkable personal beauty, still attest their descent from the tribes of Hedjaz and Yemen. The tribes in the western desert are more allied to the Tibboos, and other tenants of the Great Zahara. The caravans on this road are exposed to the danger of attacks from the negroes of Dar-Fur, who frequently waylay small parties, murder the individuals and carry off the camels and goods.

"The great kingdom of Dar-Fur offers a rich field for some future explorer. The extensive regions it incloses are supposed to furnish the key to the system of rivers and mountain chains of Central Africa. Through the fear and jealousy of its rulers, no stranger has been allowed to pass its borders, since the visit of Mr. Browne, half a century ago. Of late, however, the relations between the Egyptian rulers in Soudan and the Sultan of Dar-Fur have been quite amicable, and if nothing occurs to disturb this harmony, there is some hope that the ban will be removed. Lattif Pasha informed me that he had written to the Sultan on behalf of Capt. Peel, who wished to pass through Dar-Fur and reach Bornou. He had at that time received no answer, but it had been intimated, unofficially, that the Sultan would reply, giving Capt. Peel permission to enter the country and travel in it, but not to pass beyond it. There is an almost continual war between the Sultans of Bornou and Dar-Fur, and the Pasha was of the opinion that it would be impossible to traverse Africa from east to west, in the line of those states.

"A circumstance occurred lately, which may help to open Dar-Fur to Europeans. The Sitteh (Lady) Sowakin, the aunt of Sultan Adah, the present monarch of that kingdom, is a zealous Moslem, and lately determined to make a pilgrimage to the grave of the Prophet. She arrived in Khartoum in August, 1851, attended by a large retinue of officers, attendants and slaves, and after remaining a few days descended the Nile to El Mekheyref, crossed the Desert to Sowakin, on the Red Sea, and sailed thence for Djidda, the port of Mecca. During her stay Lattif Pasha was exceedingly courteous to her, introducing her to his wives, bestowing upon her handsome presents, and furnishing her with boats and camels for her journey. Dr. Reitz availed himself of the occasion to make the people of Dar-Fur better acquainted with Europeans. All the Frank residents assembled at his house, in Christian costume, and proceeded to the residence of the Lady Sowakin. They found her sitting in state, with two black slaves before her on their hands and knees, motionless as sphinxes. On each side stood her officers and interpreters. She was veiled, as well as her female attendants, and all exhibited the greatest surprise and curiosity at the appearance of the Franks. The gifts they laid before her silks, fine soaps, cosmetics, bon-bons, &c.-she examined with childish delight, and when the Consul informed her that the only object of the Europeans in wishing to enter Dar-Fur was to exchange such objects as these for gum and elephants' teeth, she promised to persuade Sultan Adah to open his kingdom to them.

"The next day her principal officers visited the Consul's house, and spent a long time examining its various wonders. The pictures,

books and furniture filled them with astonishment, and they went from one object to another, like children, uttering exclamations of surprise and delight. What most startled them was a box of lucifer matches, which was entirely beyond their comprehension. They regarded the match with superstitious awe, and seemed to consider that the fire was produced by some kind of magic. Their relation of what they saw so excited the curiosity of the Lady Sowakin, that she came on the following day, with her women. She was no less astonished than her attendants had been, but was most attracted by the Consul's large mirror. She and her women spent half an hour before it, making gestures, and unable to comprehend how they were mimicked by the reflected figures. As she was unacquainted with its properties, she threw back her veil to see whether the image would show her face. The Consul was standing behind her, and thus caught sight of her features; she was black, with a strongly marked but not unpleasant countenance, and about forty-five years of age. He had a breakfast prepared for the ladies, but on reaching the room the attendants all retired, and he was informed that the women of rank in Dar-Fur never eat in the presence of the men. After they had finished the repast, he observed that they had not only partaken heartily of the various European dishes, but had taken with them. what they could not eat, so that the table exhibited nothing but empty dishes. When they left, the Lady rciterated her promise, and added that if the Consul would visit Dar-Fur, the Sultan would certainly present him with many camel-loads of elephants' teeth, in consideration of his courtesy to her.

"To the westward of Dar-Fur, and between that country and Bornou, lies the large kingdom of Waday, which has never been visited by a European. I learned from some Kordofan merchants, who had visited the frontiers of Dar-Fur on their trading expeditions, that Sultan Adah had conquered a great part of Waday, and would probably soon become involved in war with the Sultan of Bornou. It is said that there is in the country of Waday a lake calted Fittre, which is a hundred and fifty miles in length, and receives several rivers. At the southwestern extremity of Dar-Fur, in lat. 6° N., there is a small country, called Fertit. I often heard it mentioned by the Ethiopian traders, one of whom showed me a snuff-box, which he had bought of a native of the country. It was made from the hard shell of a fruit about the size of an orange, with a stopper roughly wrought of silver. Almost the entire region south of lat. 10° N. and lying between the White Nile and the Gulf of Guinea, is unknown ground, and presents a rich field for future explorers.

"The difficulties and dangers which have hitherto attended the path of African discovery, are rapidly diminishing, and the time is not far distant when every mystery, hidden in the heart of that wonderful continent, will be made clear. Where a traveller has once penetrated, he smoothes the way for those who follow, and that superior intelligence which renders the brute creation unable to bear the gaze of a human eye, is the defence of the civilized man against the barbarian. Bruce, journeying from Abyssinia to Egypt, in the

year 1772, was beset by continual dangers, and even Burckhardt, in 1814, though successfully disguised as a Mussulman shekh, or saint, was obliged to keep his journal by stealth. At present, however, a Frank may travel in comparative safety, from Cairo to the borders of Dar-Fur and Abyssinia, while the White Nile and its tributaries afford avenues to the very heart of the unexplored regions beyond. The climate is the greatest obstacle in the way of discovery, and the traveller whose temperament is best adapted for the heats of the intertropical zone, possesses the best chance of success."

EULOGY OF REV. EDWARD W. BLYDEN, ON THE REV. JOHN DAY, Monrovia, 1859.

This Eulogy was delivered in the Providence Baptist Church, Monrovia, and gave great satisfaction, which was expressed by a vote of thanks and a request for its publication.. It is full of interesting facts, and just sentiments, honorable to the intellect and heart of Mr. Blyden, who has given a true and striking portrait of a patriotic citizen, an ardent philanthropist, and eminently faithful minister of Christ.

Mr. Day was born in North Carolina in 1797. Among the descendants of the great men of those times, he caught the flame of liberty and independence. He sighed for a land where his brethren could find deliverance from thraldom and degradation. When, as a skillful cabinet-maker, he had acquired a competency, says Mr. Blyden,

"It pleased the Great Head of the Church, by that mysterious influence whose operation is like the wind, blowing where it listeth, to transform his moral nature, and make him a child of God. He found himself, to use his own words when relating the wonderful transition, in a new world. He found himself with new feelings and new desires-new predilections and new antipathies. He must now, therefore, form new plans. He looked abroad upon the world, and his enlarged heart took in all mankind. He felt that he had a work to do. He felt that it was his duty, as he esteemed it his privilege, to exhort others to flee from that impending wrath from which, as a brand from the everlasting burnings, he had been plucked. He was strongly impressed with the conviction that he should devote himself to the important business of preaching the Gospel. Having enjoyed the advantages of a good English education, he entered through the recommendation of some friend, a theological class, whose reading was directed by Rev. Mr. Clopton, a Baptist minister of profound learning, skillful in the languages and an adept in metaphysi

cal science. Standing foremost in the ranks of Baptist ministers at that time, Mr. Clopton was eminently fitted for the duties of preparing young men for the ministry; Rev. Dr. J. B. Jeter, of Richmond, Virginia, then quite a young man, also frequented Mr. Clopton's study. Mr. Clopton had paid close attention to the laws of the mind, and had great facility in explaining difficulties in religious experience, which at that time frequently troubled Mr. Day. "While pursuing his studies under Mr. Clopton, the Colony of Liberia, as an asylum for free persons of color, began to attract attention in that part of the country where he resided. No sooner had he heard of the place, than he at once made up his mind to cast in his lot with the people who, on these far-off shores, and in this insalubrious clime, were endeavoring to establish a home for themselves and their children. Coincident with the desire for a land of liberty, there was now a burning zeal to preach the gospel to the thousands of degraded Africans who roam these forests. He diligently applied himself to the work of preparation for the gospel ministry.

* *

"Having sacrificed his property, he embarked in December of the year 1830, with a most amiable wife and four interesting children, for this land, which was so soon to be the grave of the affectionate group. He arrived in Liberia, and entered at once upon his sacred duties; pursuing the business of cabinet-making for his support, and preaching as often as opportunity offered. He had not been long in the land, before he saw his lovely companion stricken down by the relentless hand of death—a companion to whose charms and loveliness he was most keenly alive, and around whom the most ardent affections of his soul were so firmly entwined that the great depths of his heart seemed upheaved by the severance. Then, one after another, he saw his beloved offspring wrapped in the chilling embraces of the grim monster, and conveyed to the house appointed for all living; until his whole family melted away from him, and none were left to remind him of the scenes and associations of the past. There he stood all alone, in a new country, amid new scenes and associations, there he stood, like some solitary oak in the dead of winter, stripped of its foliage, and exposed, dry and defenceless, to all the beatings of the northern storms. Finding himself in this grievous solitude, and entirely at a loss how to dispose of the sad and weary hours that hang so oppressively upon him, he abandoned himself to gloomy abstractions and melancholy reveries. This led to the supposition that there was some unhingement of his mental organization. But notwithstanding his deep afflictions he never murmured; was never disposed to abandon the field which he had chosen for the labors of his life. He had numerous inducements to return to the land of his birth. His relatives, in comfortable and respectable circumstances, urged him again and again to return. Several wealthy friends anxiously waited to welcome him. But he had put his hand to the plough, and he would not look back.

*

*

*

*

*

*

Here we see true Christian benevolence-the constraining love of Christ-the new, living, and all controlling principle implanted in every regenerate heart, rising superior to all