Alfred Campbell, the Young Pilgrim; Containing Travels in Egypt and the Holy Land

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1825 Excerpt: ... CHAP. IV. Rosetta--Funerals--Schools--Voyage up the Nile--Grand Cairo--Joseph's Well--Palace--Bazars--Diseased Children--Slaves--Mosques, &c. &c. At length to their great joy Rosetta appeared in view, and as it is for the most part flat-roofed, and there are plants growing on the tops of the houses, and also many gardens surrounding the town, its appearance was extremely gratifying, and promised those comforts which our travellers greatly needed. But alas! this promise to the eye was not realized on their arrival, for the same wretchedness and the same plague of insects were found. On entering the town they observed a dead body, which being washed and arrayed in all its best clothes, they were proceeding to bury it without any further cover ing. On inquiring it was found that scarcely two hours had elapsed since the death of the party, and it was seen that they laid it in the earth without any other ceremony than the observation of perfect silence, as a mark of resignation to the will of heaven. The extreme heat of the climate accounts for the haste they observe, and probably for their dispensing with all funeral rites which require the aid of strangers. In passing the streets, Alfred was much struck by seeing a group of ragged children in a circle, whom he soon became aware were learning something. The master sat crosslegged on a board, rocking his body to and fro, and holding a stick over the head of that pupil who appeared to be repeating his lesson, and who also rocked his body in sympathy, and looked as if he were in a state of idiotism. Afterwards a board was brought covered with white sand, on which each boy wrote, from which it appeared that they here practised the method first introduced from the East by Dr. Bell, and since then so generally adopte...