his visit, and if he pay his respects to the father or mother of the girl, he walks backwards into the house. Polygamy universally prevails, and when past child-bearing, the Tartars take other wives.

ARABIA.

THE Arabs in Egypt, Judea, and even Barbary, appear rather of a tall stature, well-made, and active. The women are rather taller in proportion than the men; their carriage is dignified, and by the regularity of their features, the beauty of their figures, and the dispositions of their veils, they remind one of the ancient sybils on the statues of the Muses. M. Chateaubriand, however, from their copper tints, squallid appearance, and ragged habiliments, says these elegant forms have the best effect at a distance. An Arab divides his affection between his horse and his wife, and regards the purity of blood in the first as much as in his offspring.

At Jidda, Lord Valencia was admitted to the Vizier's house; on the first floor was a curtain, through an opening of which could be seen the range of latticed windows, belonging to his Zenana, or Harem. Several ladies were looking through the holes, but at length they lifted up the window, and smiled as they caught stolen glances at the English guests. They were as fair as Europeans, had black hair, and beautiful vermilion lips.

Polygamy is certainly allowed among the Arabs;

but it is only the rich voluptuaries, whose characters are little admired, that practice it in its full extent. They even think it, in general, a privilege more troublesome than agreeable. Divorces are less common than are generally believed; and they are seldom for very slight causes. The Arabian women enjoy a great deal of liberty, and often much power in their families. Though the dress of the Arabs is of the simplest kind, yet the aid of ornament is called in as indications of rank or personal vanity; the turban, particularly all through the East. is characteristic of the degree in life of the wearer, down to the footman and mechanic.-The conjugal laws are regulated by the Koran.-At Jerim, a small town, Mr. Niebuhr in his travels saw a bridegroom proceeding to the bath in ceremony. Two boys preceded him, dancing to the music of a timbrel: a crowd followed, firing pistols in the air, while the new married man and his friends closed the procession.

Most of the Arabs wear a tunic fastened round the waist, with a girdle; sometimes they take one arm out of the sleeve, and then they are habited in the antique style; sometimes they put on a white woolen covering, which serves for a toga, a mantle, or a veil accordingly as they wrap it round, suspend it from their shoulders, or throw it round their heads. They go barefoot, and are armed with a large pike and a long firelock,

ISLANDS OF ASIA.

SUMATRA. THAT children should kill and eat their parents, it is difficult to believe; and yet this is a custom said to exist here. The cannibalism of these Anthropophagi, Mr. Marsden deemed confined to prisoners of war, or to condemned criminals: but a later writer explains it differently. Dr. Leyden, in his Dissertation on the Language and Literature of the Indo-Chinese nations, relates that, "When a man becomes infirm and weary of the world, he invites his own children to eat him. Accordingly, in the season when salt and limes are cheapest, he ascends a tree, around which his offspring and friends assemble, and, shaking the tree, they join in a dirge, the burden of which is this- The season is come, the fruit is ripe, and it must descend.' The victim then descends; and those that are nearest and dearest to him deprive him of life, and devour his remains at a solemn banquet."

CEYLON. THE Chingulays are a finer race than the Bengalays; the females cover their loins with a fold of linen, and certain castes wear a chemise, closed before, and extending to the hips.-Concubinage with a white man is reckoned no disgrace to a native female, as she goes by his name among

her own people, and is respected for the property she brings; if a Catholic, she easily obtains absolution from the priest.

In Ceylon the marriage ceremonies of the Chingulays are somewhat similar to those of many of the Tartar tribes. The man first sends to her whom he wishes to become his wife, to purchase her clothes, which she freely sells for a stipulated sum. In the evening he carries them to her, sleeps with her all night, and in the morning they appoint the day of marriage, on which he provides two courses, one for the friends of each party. The feast is held at the bride's dwelling, where the couple eat out of the same dish; their thumbs are tied together, and they sleep together that night; on the following morning they go to the bridegroom's house, which concludes the ceremony. Afterwards the husband eats alone, the wife all the time waiting upon him; and, when he is done, then she is allowed to sit down, and her children with her, to partake of what is left.

The reason of their purchasing the bride's clothes is that she and her relations may be satisfred with respect to the man's circumstances, as she always asks as much as she thinks requisite for them to begin the world with.

They are permitted to part from each other whenever they please, and so frequently do they avail themselves of this privilege, that they often

change a dozen times before their inclinations are entirely suited. If a woman is heard to mention the name of the King, her tongue is immediately cut out. The manner in which the female salutes is by clapping her hands together, and bringing them close to her head.

The following portrait of a Chingulays beauty is given as related by Mr. Davy in his "Ceylon." They have written rules on the subject, and a Candayan courtier, well versed in the subject, says, "Her hair should be voluminous, like the tail of the peacock; long, reaching to the knees, and terminating in graceful curls; her eye-brows should resemble the rainbow; her eyes, the blue sapphire and the petals of the blue manilla-flower. Her nose should be like the bill of the hawk; her lips should be bright and red, like the coral on the young leaf of the iron-tree. Her teeth should be small, regular, and closely set, and like jessamine buds. Her neck should be large and round, resembling the berrigodea. Her chest should be capacious; her breasts firm and conical, like the yellow cocoa-nut, and her waist small-almost small enough to be clasped by the hand. Her hips should be wide; her limbs tapering; the soles of her feet without any hollow, and the surface of her body, in general, soft, delicate, smooth, and rounded, without the asperities of projecting bones and sinews."