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DIVINE REVELATION.

nearly closed in by a peninsula, which stretches from east to west, leaving a channel into the anchorage, of a quarter of a mile wide, and nearly a mile long. Inside, it is like an immense bowl, and looks as if it were designed to receive all the rain of Asia Minor, which at certain seasons, is hurried down from the mountains, in torrents, rivers, and cataracts.

I have thus been permitted to record the leading events of the Pascha's history, and to illustrate by what extraordinary means he rose from obscurity to wealth and distinction. It must be obvious to all who reflect, that he has been a chosen vessel in the hands of Him who alone is "worthy to receive glory, and honour, and power, who hath created all things, and for whose pleasure they are, and were created." The ways of the Almighty are inscrutable to us; but they are just and merciful. We certainly do live in most eventful times. The truths of Divine Revelation are every day being developed; the "Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David hath prevailed;"—"the Lamb which was slain" hath unfolded to us the mystery of the Providence of God! Great things are even now coming to pass;-the sun and the moon may be darkened the floods and the winds may rage-the hail and the rain may descend, and divers plagues may come,―mountains may literally be removed, and cast into the depths of the sea, the thunders may roll, and the foundations of the earth may be shaken— the habitations of man may be thrown down, and the things in which he most delighted may be consumed like chaff in the furnace-false prophets may arisepersecutions and blasphemies may increase and "the spirits of devils may go forth to summon the rulers of

THE PREDICTIONS OF THE PROPHETS.

455

the earth to battle "we may hear of wars, and rumours of wars, and the kingdoms may be changed: -these and many other terrible things may happen in our generation; they have been foretold from the beginning but let us neither be cast down nor dismayed: the end is not yet; we may rest assured, that "the sickle will not be put in before the harvest is fully ripe," and the predictions of the Prophets have all been fulfilled! See the Revelations of St. John, especially chap. iv. to xviii.-See also St. Matthew's Gospel, chap. xxiv. and xxv.*

* FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY.-The following remarkable reference to the present state of the Ottoman Empire, as a signal fulfilment of prophecy, is extracted from a letter of a correspondent to the Standard:-" It is the opinion of the vast majority of commentators on prophecy, that we are now living under the 'Sixth Vial.' The Sixth Angel is now pouring out his vial upon the 'great river Euphrates,' by which the Ottoman Empire is symbolised; and the water thereof is drying up, that the way of the Kings of the East may be prepared.' (Rev. xvi. 12.) The drying up of a mighty river exactly describes the wasting away of the Turkish Empire in the present day. I believe that the Ottoman Empire will be annihilated in 1872, which is a time, times, and a half,' (Dan. xii. 7,) or 1260 years from 612, when the Mohammedan 'abomination of desolation' was publicly set up. 'The second,' or Turkish woe' will then terminate. (Rev. xi. 14.) I believe that the year 1844, which is only five years from the present time, will be a fatal year to Turkey. It is the 1260th year from the Hegira, according to Mohammedan calculation. It is remarkable that the 13th of June, 1844, is an hour, a day, a year,' (Rev. xi. 15,) or 391 years and 15 days from the 29th of May, 1453, when the Turks took Constantinople. This renders it probable that the 13th of June, 1844, will be a fatal day for Turkey. It appears that the downfall of the Ottoman Empire will be the signal for universal war, and will prepare the way for the return of the Jews to their own land."

APPENDIX.

EASTERN LETTERS, SIGNATURES, AND SEALS.*

ORIENTAL epistles are sometimes very curious productions: they are plain or ornamented, long or short, according to the rank of the individual to whom they are written, and the object of the address; but they are always complimentary. It is usual to leave a broad margin, and not to begin for at least two-thirds of the paper. We are informed that in the thirteenth century, some of the Tartar Princes of Asia, relations of the Eastern Monarchs, wrote letters which were from two to nine feet in length; and that Tamerlan, wishing to shew a great compliment to one of the Egyptian Sultans, sent him a letter which was seventy feet long! It is moreover recorded, that the letters addressed by the Kings of Persia to Louis XIV. measured three feet. In Turkey, the Authorities use on State occasions, paper which is much larger; and the letters which the Sultan and the Grand Vizier have at different times dispatched to the Crowned Heads of Europe, were sometimes seven feet long. It must not be supposed that these diplomatic documents were so verbose as to cover the paper, although always couched in adulatory terms: but the most punctilious observance is invariably paid to titles, and these are distinguished by particular colours; the name is put in the most conspicuous place, and it is considered a very marked compliment to emblazon it forth in gold letters. The signature of the Sultan is called "Togra," and it is the same as we see upon the coin of the Empire. The Orientals use no locks, but seals. We learn from history that the ancients sealed every thing which appertained to the State, as well as to wealth: (see Esther, chap. iii.) and to "give up the seal," was to give up all power:-it was the custom of the Doges of Venice, when they commenced their reign, to "wed the Adriatic" by means of a ring-and in the present day, to "lose a ring," more especially a signet-ring, is considered a very bad omen.

* Vide Vol. I. p. 322, and Vol. II. p. 5.

458

APPENDIX.

AN ACCOUNT OF MOHAMMED ALI'S DOMESTIC CIRCLE.*

Mohammed Ali, born in 1769, at Cavala, brought with him from his native place one wife, Amina Kh'anum; † she bore him four children, of whom two, viz., Toussoun Pascha and Ismael, are dead; and two living, viz., Ibrahim Pascha, aged 52 years, and Nazly Kh'anum, aged 46, widow of the Defterdar, Mohammed Bey, who has no children. Amina Kh'anum, now dead, is described as having been a most amiable woman, to whose good temper and invariable kindness Mohammed Ali owes much. As the Mohammedan law allows four wives, and numerous concubines, Mohammed Ali, at various periods, married three other wives, now living, viz., 2. Shan Shafa Kh'anum, a Georgian slave, who bore him four children, all dead; 3. Nourac Kh'anum, also a Georgian, but no children; and 4. Selwy Kh'alfa‡ Kh'anum, a Georgian slave, mother of Zenab Kh'anum, now sixteen years old. Mohammed Ali has several children by Shan Pezent Kh'alfa, from Abassa, near Georgia; he is father of Said Bey, now 20 years old; by Manthas Kh’alfa, a Russian slave, he has Hussein Bey, fifteen years old; by Shan Shacher Kh'alfa, a Circassian slave, a boy of twelve years called Aly Bey; by Zeeha Kh'alfa, a Georgian, he has Halim Bey, eleven years old; by Zelpha Kh'alfa, lately raised to the rank of fourth wife, and who resides at Alexandria, he is the father of Iskander (Alexander in Turkish), so called from the city of his birth; by a Georgian slave named Zipha Kh'alfa he had a son called Mohammed Ali, born in 1836, during his visit to Candia, and he is said to have other slaves pregnant. His Harem is arranged on the most magnificent, yet most orderly style; there are between 90 and 100 of the most beautiful slaves to be found in the East, and twelve musicians and twelve dancers, all girls under 15 years of age, who are taught, the former to play on every sort of instrument, and the latter to dress in the costume of every nation, and to dance according to the costume. There are at least 300 females in this building, which adjoins his palace, besides between forty and fifty eunuchs, and various Arab menial slaves. When he quits the Divan and enters the Harem, one of the young slaves with a silver wand is in waiting to receive him, and upon his appearance, announces his arrival to the Assembly. He then marches through a double row to his seat, where he is complimented and fêted; a female secretary, taught to write well and to keep secrets, attends him to write his dispatches; and occasionally, others read translations of the most remarkable articles from the London and Paris papers. At night, while he sleeps, half of the fair slaves are in continual waiting, and three are stationed at his feet and three at his head, to keep away the mosquitoes + Kh'anum signifies Lady.

* See Vol. I. p. 404, et. seq.

Kh'alfa means Mistress or Superior Slave.