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doors and walls, in hopes that by such an act of devotion they may obtain favor of the patron saint. If during any illness they dream of a particular monastery, they hasten, when recovered, to carry thither offerings of incense, honey, wax, or other things: they do not hesitate to kiss the hands of a Christian patriarch or bishop, but they abstain from entering the Turkish Mosques.

The tomb of Sheikh Adi, which we have above mentioned, is situated in the jurisdiction of the Prince of Amadia, in Kurdistan. The Sheikh who guards this tomb is regarded as head of the Yezidi religion, and must be a descendant of Sheikh Yezid. In such veneration is he held, that he who can procure an old shirt of this spiritual chief to serve as a winding sheet, considers himself most fortunate, as by the possession of this treasure he insures to his soul an advantageous situation in the other world. For such a precious relic, in its entire state, some have given forty piastres, but many are obliged to content themselves with small fragments of it. The Sheikh sometimes condescends to bestow one of his shirts as a present, and to indemnify him for his kindness, the Yezidis secretly transmit to him a portion of their spoil taken in pillage.

The chief is always attended by a Kochek (petty Sheikh or laybrother): this personage is considered as an oracle, since he is favored with revelations immediately from the devil, and nothing is transacted without his approbation. If a Yezidi is embarrassed about any business of importance, he consults the Kochek, but must pay a little money for the good man's advice. This holy personage, before he delivers his opinion, extends himself at full length on the ground and appears to fall asleep; he then proclaims whatever had been revealed in his dream; sometimes he delays his answer for two or three nights. The following anecdote contains a proof of the influence which he possesses. 'Till about forty years ago, the Yezidi women (like the Arabian), being very economical in respect to soap, wore shifts dyed blue with indigo. One morning, most unexpectedly, the Kochek waited on his chief, and declared a revelation of the preceding night, by which he learned that blue was an inauspicious color and displeasing to the devil. An order was instantly dispatched to all the tribes, proscribing blue shifts or blue garments of any kind, and directing that white should be immediately substituted; the order was implicitly obeyed, and at this day if a Yezidi, lodging in the house of a Christian or a Turk, were to find on his bed a blue counterpane or quilt, he would rather endure the severest cold all night, than sleep beneath a covering of that prohibited color.

The Yezidis must not clip their whiskers; they are commanded to let them grow to their fullest natural extent. So that of several men amongst them, the mouths can scarcely be discovered.

Some few of this sect are known about Aleppo by the appellation of fakiran (poor men) or Karabash (black heads). They wear a black cap and cloak, but their under-dress is white; wherever they go, the people kiss their hands, and consider their visit as a presage of good fortune; they are requested to lay their hands on the neck and shoulders of sick persons, and are well rewarded for their trouble. They insure to one, who has lately died, a state of happiness in the other VOL. VAL NO. XIII. K

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world, by slightly touching the neck and shoulders of the naked corpse, which must be placed upright on its feet. They then strike it with the palm of the right hand, pronouncing at the same time these words in the Kurd dialect; " Ara behesht,” “Go thou to Paradise." For the performance of this ceremony their remuneration is considerable. The Yezidis believe in a future state of repose and felicity, proportionate to the merits of their deceased friends, and they imagine that souls or spirits sometimes appear in dreams to parents or others, and that on the day of judgment they are to enter paradise with arms in their hands.

Some of the Yezidi tribes dwell in the prince of Gioulemerk's territory, others in the prince of Jezireh's land. Some reside in hills belonging to the government of Diarbekre, and others live under the prince of Amadia. The most powerful tribe of this sect inhabits the mountain of Sinjar, between Mousul and the river Khaboor. This mountain abounds in various kinds of fruits, and is extremely difficult of access. The Yezidis, who occupy it, can send into the field six thousand fuzileers besides cavalry, armed with lances; they frequently plunder the rich caravans, and have had many engagements with troops sent against them by the Pashas of Mousul and of Bagdad, These mountain Yezidis are universally dreaded, for they are not content with pillaging; they kill all those who fall into their hands. Sherifs, descendants of Mohammed, and Mussulman doctors, they torture to death in the most cruel manner, esteeming this barbarity highly meritorious.

The princes of Kurdistan encourage the Yezidis, whom they find to be excellent soldiers both as infantry and cavalry, and particularly useful in nocturnal attacks, and plundering of villages. The Mussulmans believe that any man, who perishes by the hand of a Yezidi, dies a martyr; and the prince of Amadia has one of this sect constantly with him as executioner of those Turks whom he condemns to death. The Yezidis entertain the same opinion respecting the Turks; and in killing one of these, they perform an act very pleasing to their Great Sheikh, the devil. An executioner, whose hands have been sanctified by the blood of many Turks, is received with veneration wherever he goes among the Yezidis.

Persians, and all Mussulmans attached to the sect of Ali, hold the Yezidis in abhorrence, and do not suffer them to live within their territories. The Turks are permitted to keep for their own use as slaves, or to sell, the women and children whom they take in war from the Yezidis. But these sectaries not having the same privilege put to death all whom they take from the Turks.

If a Yezidi wishes to adopt the Turkish faith, he is only required to curse the devil, and at his leisure to instruct himself in the forms of prayer. The Kurd language is used by all Yezidis, and some of them speak a little Turkish and Arabic.

There are, no doubt, among these extraordinary tribes, other customs and superstitions; but as they have not any written laws nor records, it is extremely difficult to obtain much information on those subjects. Many circumstances, also, change from time to time, according to the pretended revelations of their Kocheks, which throws an additional impediment in the way of an inquisitive stranger.

ON THE TYRIAN INSCRIPTION

Found in the Island of Malta.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE CLASSICAL JOURNAL.

You will doubtless admit, that to decypher inscriptions of ancient monuments is commonly attended with extreme difficulty, especially, when it is considered how many circumstances may concur to increase the difficulty. Ancient characters, hardly to be traced, and the language of an ancient and remote nation, whose history and literature are lost, confirm the remark; and hence several essays are made ere we can obtain any satisfactory solution: a reference to your Classical Journal, and the exertions of your literary correspondents on the present article, may apologise for the intrusion of my paper on the subject.

From the face of the inscription, as represented in Hebrew characters in the tenth Number, pag. 400. it appears to relate to the establishment of certain ecclesiastical missionaries from Tyre, the mart of Phoenicia, to Malta, with commendatory letters from the Governor of Tyre and his colleagues, to the Metropolitan of the Island. In order to a clear statement, let the inscription stand corrected in Hebrew characters as follows, together with its interpretation, as the same appears to me.

The Inscription in Hebrew characters.

לאדנו למלי קרת בעל צר אמנדד

עבדו עבדאסר ואחיאסר שמר שני בני אסר שנור בני עבדאסר כשמע קלם יברכם

DOMINO SVO METROPOLITANO GVBERNATOR TYRI
AMANDAD SERVUS SVUS HEBEDESSAR ET ACHIESSAR
CVSTODI DVOS FILIOS ESSARI
CVSTODI FILIOS HEBEDESSARI
CVM AUDIET VOCEM EORUM
BENEDICAT ILLIS.

TO HIS WORSHIP THE METROPOLITAN: THE GOVERNOR
OF TYRE, AMANDAD, HIS HVMBLE SERVANT HEBEDESSAR
AND ACHIESSAR: PROTECT THE TWO SONS OF ESSAR ;
PROTECT THE SONS OF HEBEDESSAR:

WHEN HE HEARETH THEIR VOICE

MAY HE BLESS THEM.

In the above manifestly appear several proper names of Syrian and Phoenician origin, Zur the name of the famous city Tyre, Amandad, Hebedessar, Achiessar, and Essar, or a name of office: hence the Turkish, and Arabic Mulley, Molla a priest.

מלי קרח

a priest of a city, or metropolitan: and that this title was addressed to an ecclesiastic of rank, is sufficiently apparent from the concluding sentence, "When he heareth their voice may he bless them."ya Baal Zur may well be interpreted "Governor of Tyre" as explained above; and thus the inscription represents the governor of Tyre, by name Amandad, and his two colleagues, named Hebedessar, and Achiessar, intreating the favorable reception of the missionaries by the Muley of the city, whose benediction he and his colleagues implore upon them, and recommend them to protection.

It should be observed, that the island of Malta, anciently called Melita, was famous for the shipwreck and escape of St. Paul and his companions, Acts ch. xxvii. 1. and there can be little doubt, that in memory of their signál deliverance, a Christian church was soon planted in that island, and, as occasion required, those Islanders might have had priests from Tyre; in memory of which, the inscription in question appears to record no small testimony.

T. Y.

NOTICE OF

The First Rudiments of General Grammar, applicable to all Languages. By D. St. Quentin, M. A. Longman and Co. 1812. Pr. 2s. 6d.

An Introduction to French Grammar. Third Edition. By the Same. Longman and Co. 1812. Pr. 2s. 6d.

A New Grammar of the French Language. Second Edition. By the same. Longman and Co. 1812. Pr. 4s. 6d.

ALL the world, that is to say, all the world in England, learned bishops, rich nobles, and richer commoners, are still disputing on the fruitful subject of national education. Some wear "the red rose" of Lancaster; others will follow no badge but the sacerdotal rose of Dr. Bell; whilst all co-operate with almost equal success in the promotion of the great cause, by emulously endeavouring to diffuse useful knowledge at the least possible expense of time and labor. At a time when the poor derive so much benefit from the effect of these simple and regular systems, we hail, with peculiar pleasure, a writer who aims at freeing the children of the rich from some of the most troublesome incumbrances of learning; who wages war against confusion and obscurity; who seeks to

relieve all well-dressed masters and misses from groping their way through the "darkness visible" of half a dozen contradictory grammars, huddling rule upon rule, exception upon exception, and dialogue upon dialogue, with the most hopeless and incredible perseverance; and actually engages to place the aforesaid unfortu nates on a level with those happy ragged urchins who, learning nothing'de trop,' are never ordered to forget, and being taught to understand as well as to repeat, seldom find it difficult to remember.

These observations are perhaps only applicable to young ladies. The established Latin grammars give a secure ground-work to our sons; but our daughters, while they are taught to draw like artists and to play like professors, are left to pick up grammatical knowledge as they can. And yet female education is undoubtedly the most fashionable topic of the day : never was there a time in which so much was talked and written "about it, Goddess, and about it." We can scarcely take up a novel without encountering some philosophical plan to render all the descendants of Eve as charming as Milton has made their first mother; all and every one of them "wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best." The fact is that our writers on education deal more in theory than in instruction; they tell us what ought to be taught, but not how to teach it; and the finest superstructures are in danger of falling because the architect will not condescend to the necessary drudgery of laying a solid foundation. We see instances of this every day. One mamma admires (who indeed does not admire?) the beautiful theory of Miss Edgeworth; another prefers the system of Mrs. Hamilton; every one admits their merit and their ingenuity; and every one finds their plans difficult at home, and almost impossible at school: so that after a few weeks' trial the poor child is sent again to her governess and her vocabulary, to catch her English from the nursery-maid and her French from the barbarous jargon of some provincial bonne. Mr. St. Quentin has done his best to remove these evils by supplying our schools and governesses with elemen tary books so simple, clear, and instructive, that not only the docile pupil, but the less tractable teacher, cannot well avoid learning from them. Clearness and simplicity are the only merits to which he pretends. He does not overlay the memory; he rather, like a skilful gardener, loosens the surrounding clay, and gives the roots of thought room to fix and expand.

We extract from his preface part of his first lesson, adapted to the capacity of children of six years old.

Suppose three or four of them to be seated round a table, with a master at the head: let him first endeavour to inspire them with confidence and good humor, after which he may address them in the following manner:"My dear children, you are now come to an

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