Continental Monthly Volume 1 Issue 3 by Various

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'The mosque has seven minarets, one of which, according to the belief of
the inhabitants, shakes whenever the name of Ali, son of Abou Talib, is
invoked. I ascended to the terrace (roof) of this mosque, accompanied by
one of the men of Bassora. There I saw, at one of the corners, a piece
of wood nailed to the minaret, and resembling the handle of a mason's
trowel. He who was with me took hold of it, saying, "By the head of the
prince of believers, Ali, shake thyself!" Therewith he shook the handle,
and the minaret trembled. In turn, I placed my hand upon it, and I said
to the man, "And _I_ say, by the head of Abou Bekr, successor to the
Ambassador of God, shake thyself!" Therewith I shook the handle, and the
minaret trembled as before. The people were very much astonished.' The
amanuensis, Ibn Djozay, here interpolates the following remark: 'I have
seen, in a town in the valley of Almansura, in Spain,--which may God
defend!--a tower which shakes without the name of a caliph, or anybody
else, being mentioned.'

At the city of Idhedj, in Irak, then the capital of one of the many
Mongol sultans who at that time reigned in southern Persia, Ibn Batuta
gives another proof of his boldness. Calling upon the Sultan Afrasiab,
who was notorious for his drunken and dissolute habits, the traveler
found him seated upon a divan, with two covered vases--one of gold and
one of silver--before him. A green carpet was brought and placed near
him, upon which the traveler was invited to take his seat, after which
the sultan asked him many questions concerning his travels. 'It seemed
to me, however,' says Ibn Batuta, 'that he was quite intoxicated, for I
had been previously apprized of his habit of giving himself up to drink.
Finally, he said to me in Arabic, which he spoke with elegance. "Speak!"
I said to him, "If thou wouldst listen to me, I would say to thee--Thou
art one of the children of Sultan Ahmed, celebrated for his piety and
devotion; there is no cause of reproach to thee, in thy manner of life,
except _that_!" and I pointed with my finger to the two vases. These
words covered him with shame, and he was silent. I wished to withdraw,
but he ordered me to keep my seat, and said, "It is a mark of the Divine
mercy to meet with such as thou!" Afterwards, seeing that he swayed from
side to side, and desired to sleep, I left him. I had placed my sandals
at the door, and could not find them again. The Fakir Fadhill sought for
them in the hall, and at last brought them to me. His kindness
embarrassed me, and I made apologies. Thereupon he kissed my sandals,
placed them upon his head, in token of respect, and said to me, "May God
bless thee! What thou hast said to our sultan, nobody else would have
dared to say. I hope it will make an impression on him!"'

Continuing his journey to Ispahan and Shiraz, he gives us, as usual,
conscientious accounts of the mosques, priests, and holy men, but no
hint whatever as to his manner of travel, or the character of the
country through which he passed. This portion of his work, however,
contains many interesting historical fragments, relating to the reigns
of the Mongol sultans of Persia, and the dissensions between the two
Moslem sects. After a stay of some length at Shiraz, he returned through
Irak to the celebrated city of Cufa, and thence to Bagdad, which was
then the residence of a simple Mongol prince. Here he describes at
length the mosques, colleges, mausoleums and baths, while Ibn Djozay
takes occasion to introduce his favorite quotations from the poets. The
reader, we think, will find the following more picturesque than the
somewhat formal descriptions of Ibn Batuta:--

'Yea, Bagdad is a spacious place for him who's gold, to spend,
But for the poor it is the house of suffering without end:
I wander idly through its streets, as lost us if I were
A Koran in an atheist's house, which hath no welcome there.'
'A sigh, a sigh for Bagdad, a sigh for Irak's land!
For all its lovely peacocks, and the splendors they expand:
They walk beside the Tigris, and the looks they turn on me
Shine o'er the jeweled necklace, like moons above the sea!'

Our traveler, also, was the forerunner of Layard. In visiting Mosul, he
writes: 'Near this place one sees the hill of Jonah, upon whom be
blessing! and a mile distant from it the fountain which bears his name.
It is said that he commanded the people to purify themselves there; that
afterwards they ascended the aforesaid hill; that he prayed, and they
also, in such manner that God turned the chastisement from their heads.
In the neighborhood is a great ruin, and the people pretend that it is
the remains of the city known under the name of Nineveh, the city of
Jonah. One perceives the vestiges of the wall which surrounded it, as
well as the situation of its gates. On the hill stands a large edifice,
and a monastery, which contains numerous cells, apartments, places of
purification, and fountains, all closed by a single gate. In the middle
of the monastery one sees a cell with a silken curtain, and a door
encrusted with gold and precious stones. This, they say, is the spot
where Jonah dwelt; and they add that the choir of the mosque attached to
the monastery covers the cell in which he prayed to God.'

Returning to Bagdad, Ibn Batuta crossed the Arabian Desert a second
time, and took up his residence in Mecca for the space of three years.
His account of the voyage along the eastern coast of Africa, as far
south as Quiloa, is brief and uninteresting; but on his return he
visited Oman, of which province he gives us the first authentic account.
From the Pearl Islands in the Persian Gulf, he bent his way once more
across Arabia to Mecca, whence he crossed the Red Sea to the Nubian
coast, and descended the Nile to Cairo. I shall omit his subsequent
journeys through Syria and Asia Minor, although they contain many
amusing and picturesque incidents, and turn, instead, to his adventures
in Kipchak (Southern Russia), which was then governed by a sultan
descended in a direct line from Genghis Khan. Embarking at Sinope, he
crossed the Black Sea to Caffa, in the Crimea, which was at that time a
Genoese city. Here a singular circumstance occurred:--

'We lodged in the mosque of the Mussulmans. After we had been resting
there about an hour, we suddenly heard the sound of bells resounding on
all sides. I had then never heard such a sound; I was extremely
terrified, and ordered my companions to ascend the minaret, read the
Koran, praise God, and recite the call to prayer,--which they did. We
now perceived a man who had approached us: he was armed, and wore a
cuirass. He saluted us, and we begged him to inform us who he was. He
gave us to understand that he was the Kadi of the Mussulmans of the
place, and added: "When I heard the reading of the Koran and the call to
prayers, I trembled for your safety, and therefore came to seek you."
Then he departed; but, nevertheless, we received nothing but good
treatment.'

From Caffa, Ibn Eatuta traveled in a chariot to Azof, near which place
he found the camp of the Sultan Mohammed Uzbek Khan, of whose court he
gives a very circumstantial description. He also devotes considerable
space to an account of their manner of keeping the fast of Ramadan. The
favorite wife of the sultan was a daughter of the Greek emperor, who at
the time of the traveler's visit was preparing to set out for
Constantinople, in order that her expected child might be born in the
palace of her fathers. 'I prayed the sultan,' says Ibn Batuta, 'to
permit me to journey in company with the princess, in order that I might
behold Constantinople the Great. He at first refused, out of fear for my
safety, but I solicited him, saying, "I will not enter Constantinople
except under thy protection and thy patronage, and therefore I will fear
no one." He then gave me permission to depart, making me a present of
fifteen hundred ducats, a robe of honor, and a great number of horses.'

The journey to Constantinople was made entirely by land, and consumed
more than two months. It is rather difficult to locate the precise route
traversed by the caravan, except that it must have skirted the shore of
the Black Sea; for I find mention of three great canals, which must
refer to the three arms of the Danube. At the frontier of the Greek
empire, they were received by the brothers of the princess, with a
mounted guard. Ibn Batuta's chronology is a little confused, and we can
only guess that the reigning emperor at that time was Andronicus H.
Palaeologus. The description of the entry into Constantinople, and the
interview with the emperor, are among the most curious and interesting
passages in the work.

'We encamped at the distance of ten miles from Constantinople, and on
the following morning the population of the city came forth--men, women,
and children, on foot and on horseback, in their most beautiful costumes
and most magnificent vestments. From daybreak the cymbals, clarions, and
trumpets sounded; the soldiers mounted their horses, and the emperor,
with his wife, the mother of the princess, the great men of the empire,
and the courtiers, issued from the city. Over the head of the emperor
there was a canopy, carried by a certain number of cavaliers and
foot-soldiers, holding in their hands long staves, terminated at the top
by a sort of leather ball, with which they upheld the canopy. In the
centre thereof was a dais, supported on staves by the cavaliers. When
the emperor had advanced, the troops mixed together, and the noise
became great. I was not able to penetrate into the middle of the crowd,
and remained near the baggage of the princess and her companions,
fearing for my safety. It was related to me that when the princess
approached her parents, she alighted and kissed the ground before them;
then she kissed their shoes, and her principal officers did the same.
Our entry into Constantinople the Great took place towards noon, or a
little after. Meanwhile the inhabitants caused the bells to sound, in
such measure that the heavens were shattered with the mixed uproar of
their noise.

'When we had arrived at the outer gate of the palace, we there found
about a hundred men, accompanied by their chief, who was stationed on a
platform. I heard them saying, "The Saracens, the Saracens"--a term by
which they designate the Mussulmans,--and they prevented us from
entering. The companions of the princess said to them. "These people
belong to our suite;" but they answered, "They shall not enter here
without permission." We therefore waited at the gate, and one of the
officers sent some one to inform her of this incident. She was then with
her father, to whom she spoke concerning us. The emperor ordered us to
be admitted, and assigned us a house near that of the princess.
Furthermore, he wrote, in our favor, an order prohibiting any one from
interrupting us in whatever part of the city we might go, and this was
proclaimed in the markets. We remained three days in our residence,
whither they sent us provisions, namely, flour, bread, sheep, fowls,
butter, fish and fruits, also money and carpets.

'On the fourth day after our arrival at Constantinople the princess sent
to me the eunuch Sunbul, the Indian, who took me by the hand and
conducted me into the palace. We passed four gates, near each one of
which were benches, with armed men, the captain occupying a raised
platform covered with carpets. When we had reached the fifth gate, the
eunuch Sunbul left me and entered; then he returned, accompanied by four
Greek eunuchs. These latter searched me, for fear lest I might have a
knife about me. The chief said to me, "Such is their custom; we can not
dispense with a minute examination of whoever approaches the emperor,
whether a high personage or one of the people, a stranger or a native."
This is also the custom in India.

'After I had submitted to this examination, the guardian of the gate
arose, took my hand, and opened. Four individuals surrounded me, two of
whom took hold of my sleeves, while the other two held me from behind.
They conducted me into a grand audience-hall, the walls of which were in
mosaic; the figures of natural productions, whether animal or mineral,
were there represented. In the middle of the hall there was a brook,
both banks of which were bordered with trees; men stood on the right and
on the left, but no one spoke. In the centre of the hall of reception
stood three other men, to whom my four conductors confided me, and who
took me by the garments as the first had done. Another individual having
made a sign to them, they advanced with me. One of them, who was a Jew,
said to me in Arabic, "Fear not; it is their custom to act thus towards
strangers. I am the interpreter, and am a native of Syria." I demanded
of him what salutation I ought to make, and he replied, "Say--May
blessing be upon you!"

'I arrived, finally, at the grand dais, where I beheld the emperor
seated on his throne, having before him his wife, the mother of the
princess. The latter, with her brothers, were stationed at the foot of
the throne. At the right of the sovereign there were six men, four at
his left, and as many behind him; all were armed. Before allowing me to
salute him, or to approach nearer to him, he made me a sign that I
should sit down for a moment, in order to recover from my fear. I did
so, after which I advanced nearer, and saluted him. He invited me, by a
gesture, to sit, but I did not comply. Then he questioned me on the
subject of Jerusalem, the blessed rock (of Jacob), the holy sepulchre,
and the cradle of Jesus, Bethlehem and Hebron, Damascus and Cairo, Irak
and Asia Minor. I replied to all his demands, the Jew performing the
office of interpreter between us. My words pleased him, and he said to
his children, "Treat this man with consideration, and protect him!" Then
he caused me to be clothed with a robe of honor, and assigned to me a
horse, saddled and bridled, as well as an umbrella from among those
which were carried over his own head--which was a mark of protection. I
prayed him to designate some one who should ride with me each day
through the city, in order that I might behold its rarities and marvels,
and speak of them in my own country. He granted my desire. One of the
customs of this people is, that the individual who receives a robe of
honor from the emperor, and mounts a horse from his stables, must be
conducted through the squares of the city, to the sound of trumpets,
clarions and cymbals, so that the population may behold him. This is
oftenest done with those Turks who come from the dominions of the Uzbek
sultan, in order that they may suffer no annoyance. I was conducted
through the markets in the same manner.'

But the autumn night is closing in, and we must shut up the volume. We
can not, to-day, follow the brave old traveler through all the
vicissitudes of his long pilgrimage. He allows us to perceive much that
he does not tell us outright, and it is a satisfaction to learn, from
his pages, that if society were less ordered, secure, and externally
proper five hundred years ago, individual generosity and magnanimity
were more marked, and the good in the human race, as now, overbalanced
the evil. One more story Ibn Batuta must tell us, before we take leave
of him,--one story, which must warm every heart which can appreciate
that rarest of virtues, tolerance. The father of the Greek emperor was
still living, having abdicated the crown in favor of his son Andronicus,
and become a monk. The Moslem traveler thus describes his interview with
the old Christian monarch:--

'I was one day in company with the Greek who was appointed to ride with
me through the city, when we suddenly encountered the old emperor,
walking on foot, clothed in hair garments, and with a felt cap on his
head. He had a long white beard and a noble face, which presented traces
of the pious practices whereto his life was devoted. Before and behind
him walked a troop of monks. He held a staff in his hand, and had a
rosary about his neck. When the Greek beheld him, he alighted, and said
to me, "Dismount; it is the father of the emperor." When the Greek had
saluted him, he demanded who I was, then stopped, and summoned me to
him. I approached; he took my hand, and said to the Greek, who knew the
Arabic language,--"Say to this Saracen (that is to say, Mussulman), that
I press the hand which has entered Jerusalem, and the foot which has
walked by the Holy Rock, and the Holy Sepulchre, and in Bethlehem,"
Having spoken, he placed his hand on my feet, and then passed it over
his own face. I was amazed at the respect which these people exhibit
towards an individual of another religion than their own, who has
visited the holy places. The old emperor then took me by the hand, and I
walked along with him. He questioned me on the subject of Jerusalem and
the Christians who dwell there. In his company I entered the consecrated
ground belonging to the church. As he approached the principal gate, a
crowd of priests and monks issued to salute him, for he was now one of
their chiefs. When he saw them, he let go of my hand, and I said to him,
"I desire to enter the church with thee." He said to the interpreter,
"Inform him that whoever enters is absolutely obliged to prostrate
himself before the principal crucifix. It is a thing prescribed by the
Fathers, and can not be transgressed." I then left him, he entered
alone, and I never saw him again.'

* * * * *

THE LATE LORD CHANCELLOR CAMPBELL.

It is worthy of note that the English statesmen of the present century
have mostly originated in two totally distinct ranks of society. They
have either been the scions of noble and powerful families; or they have
arisen, in spite of circumstance, from humble parents, by the sole
recommendation of personal worth. Of the great middle class, the class
which is certainly the most respectable of the English community, and
which is at present the controlling power in the state, but few have
recently attained great eminence. That the titled and wealthy should
advance to power and influence in a government peculiarly influenced by
such recommendations, is not strange. Any son of a great English house,
who has ambition, and a reasonable share of brains, may attain, with
comparative ease, eminence in the state. An apt example is Lord Russell,
who, with but little genius, with no oratorical force, and hardly more
than medium capacity as a statesman, has become the leader of the
predominant party, by dint of shrewdness, a persevering spirit, and
ambition, backed by the powerful influence of the noble house of
Bedford. And that the master-spirits born in poverty should shake off
the incubus of humble birth, and advance to a level with the noblest, is
not so unnatural or improbable but that the history of every nation
affords us abundant examples of such men; while the middle class, who
are neither stimulated by the calls of penury, nor pushed forward by
hereditary interest, naturally retain a contented mediocrity of renown
and honor.

If any of our readers have visited the House of Lords within the past
two years, they doubtless had their attention directed to the venerable
statesman who for that period has occupied, with eminent dignity and
grace, the office of chairman to that body, and whose recent decease has
been noticed with such profound regret in British journals. On inquiry,
they doubtless learned that this was Lord Chancellor Campbell. He had
risen from the lowest drudgery to the highest eminence of the legal
profession. By the prolific arts of perseverance and industry, he had
scaled each successive round in the ladder of promotion, until now, in
his declining years, with accumulated honor and respect, he had thus
reached the summit, taking precedence after the Archbishop of
Canterbury, holding the great seal, and presiding over the peers of the
realm.

He was one of those rare examples of unconquerable pluck, who have
mastered the prejudice of wealth and power, and to whom has been yielded
a position envied by the most worthy descendants of the most illustrious
nobles. In America, where public distinction is within the reach of all,
it is difficult to conceive of the restraints which beset the humble
aspirant in the old country. But notwithstanding such obstacles, the
examples of such men as Eldon, Stowell, Truro, St. Leonards, Ashburton,
Canning, and Campbell exhibit the gratifying fact, that hereditary power
or wealth can not bide the dignity of great genius; that greatness will
thrust aside the lesser privilege of worldly circumstance, whether it be
born in a palace or a cottage; and that you can no more control the
operation of a superior mind by the vanities of title and lucre, than
you can subordinate truth to error, or eternity to time. The glittering
train of peers and nabobs who followed in the path of the great
Elizabeth lie forgotten under the stately arches of the old cathedrals;
while the poverty-stricken player, William Shakspeare, has adorned every
library with his name, and reigns in every appreciative heart, as a
perfect master of nature and lofty thought. The names of the brilliant
court which welcomed George the Third to the throne of the Plantagenets
no longer linger on the lips of men; while every household boasts its
'Rasselas,' and the civilized world holds sacred the memory of the
illustrious 'Rambler.'

John Campbell was born in 1781, and was the son of an obscure Scotch
clergyman. His father destined him for the clergy; in consequence of
which he was sent to the University of St. Andrews, where he met the
great Dr. Chalmers, then a student like himself. But young Campbell
became averse to the profession which had been chosen for him, and soon
turned his attention to the law. Soon after graduation, he betook
himself to London, where he studied with great zeal, meanwhile supplying
his wants by acting as the theatrical critic of the '_Morning
Chronicle_.' There, seated in an obscure corner of the pit or upper
gallery, we may imagine the Chancellor in embryo, jotting down the petty
excellences and failings of the players, to pamper the taste of the
frivolous on the morrow; while below him, in the decorated boxes and
circles, lolled the vain crowd of coroneted simpletons and courtly
beauties, now long forgotten, while he is honored as the benefactor of
his country's laws. He was called to the bar by the Society of Lincoln's
Inn, and then commenced a long life, replete with arduous study, with
untiring interest in duty, and stubborn perseverance. He early espoused
the liberal doctrines of Fox and Grey; and inasmuch as for many years
after the Tories monopolized the power, his politics were an effectual
bar to his professional preferment. He remained, however, through his
whole life, an earnest and consistent advocate of his early convictions.
Owing to the prejudice which Lord Chancellor Eldon entertained against
the Whigs, he did not obtain the silk gown of King's Counsel till the
venerable Jacobite gave place, in 1827, to the more courteous and
liberal Lyndhurst.

He entered the House of Commons in the year 1830, and was soon
recognized as one of the leading members of the British bar. The period
of his debut in public life is one of peculiar significance in the party
history of England. The long dominion of the statesmen of the Pitt, and
Liverpool school was at last overthrown. The political dogmas which had
resisted Catholic toleration, which had sustained the continental powers
in their persecution of the French Emperor, which had resisted the right
of a neighboring people to choose their own rulers, which had held in
imprisonment the first genius of the century, which had opposed the
abolition of the test act, which had sustained the most licentious and
most obstinate sovereign of modern times, now yielded to the more
enlightened views of such statesmen as Russell and Lansdowne, Brougham
and Grey. Several causes operated to bring about this auspicious change.
George the Fourth, whose partiality for the Tories was only surpassed by
his animosity against the Whigs, had given place to a liberal and
enlightened prince, renowned for his zealous attachment to the popular
weal. Again, Canning's influence in moderating the maxims of Tory
theorists was greatly felt among the gentry. Finally, the rapid growth
of general intelligence, developments in the history of nations, and
juster conceptions of the true relations of sovereign and people,
prepared the public mind for extensive reforms in the constitution. Earl
Grey, a statesman eminent no less for his eloquence and sagacity than
for the worth of his private character, succeeded to the premiership in
1830, being the first Whig who held that office since the cabinet of
'all the talents,' in 1806.

It was at such a juncture that Campbell entered the House of Commons.
The sanguine dreams of his youth were dawning into reality; and he was
gratified to see his cherished principles fully adopted by the country,
and to know that he was a participant in the glories of the great
reform.

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