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Selections: Letter From Judge Jay

Selections: Letter From Judge Jay image
Parent Issue
Day
3
Month
June
Year
1844
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Gizeu. Jan'y, L4, 1044. Mv Dgar Sir: Before leaving Iiodíbn! I piomised yon a lotier from the Pyramids. EigrlH or ten ure now in sigfht, and I nm yritir.g- iV,.ii tlieKiimmit ofthe largost. Around tboe stiipenduons nionunients of eupersition anrl of deepoiisrn strotchfs a hu, for íorty centjírjes cursed witi; síavery. Tlie wratli of God fias 'Beorí 1 pon red out íípón'.h'er. The famlsof iho ñeSert are buryingf fi'er inntruïfï cent ptnic'nrcí:: lior enorrric? íiavebocn crushpd by toreijrti rolers; and lier inluiblnuts v;is!cd by pe-stilencc. Fearfullyhiis bcon nccnniuÜshod tho prediction of he propliet. 'Eff.vpt t=liail be ílio basest oí Kinfrdoms.' Wiicn I wiLiicss the nrroírnuco of the 'i'urks, the S'.ifTcriníjñ of the s-lavcs, and tlio baso, avariciouy sycoplmncy of' líe Xrabf, I reinember pur Northern denrogogúés; ond while trombling for my country I here devote myself nnew f o the canse of American Abo'ition. Good bye, for the prespnt, Ï wíl] resume my pen, at a more conveniest time1 and pjace.Lv Quarasvtim Malta, Fibrvary Mh, 1344. I avnil mypclf of my present leisure, to continue my letter hegun between thc-IIeavéns and the E'nrtrï. I remember wriünrr to yoti, Ihat I ehould visir. Égyp't wilb l'ss apprehensión of persona! violenbe, than I could my ovvn slaveholdinnr countrymen. AJy unticipations on this poin Imve been fulJy realized. From all ihe informa.tion ( Imve obtnined, I am convinced, that chn'slian slavoholders nre far more cruel towards thoir bondmen dinn are the disciples oftho falso prophet, and farmore vindictive Jqwards tlio (dvocntrs of the rig-hts of rhnn, One renson iindoüGtèdfy is, that tlié Turks hnve iímong thém no Bishops and 'Clérg-y ciniming to be the privjleired urnbassadors of Heavt-n, teaching tbem, that slavery is a divine institution, nnd that ,civi! and reJigious rig-hts are founded not on the immutable principies of justice and mercy, but on the 'tincture of the skin.' A Mahommedian would be horrified at the idea ofstricting : the privileges of llie Mosgue toa favored casie, or of exeluding a trne believer from religious schools or religious councils, soiely on account of his complexión. A clergyman of the Chnrch of Engiand, longresident in Egypt, aesnred me thai the Coptic christbns yero fir more cruel to their slaves than the Turka. and he assinrned for this fnct the very sufficient reason that the Coptic clergy held slaves, and . justlfied the piactice from Rcripturc. I carried with me from London a quar.tily of Anti-Slayery Tracts in Arabic, the cjmmon language of Kgypt and.addressed to the Mahommedans. I distributed them in the streets, nt the Hotels, otihe public Turkish Coffeo House, in the Bazars, and tö thecr oí" the Slave Market! Wlmt vvould have become of your friend, hhd he, trusting to the proleciion of laws and constitutions, umi the influence of c.'tristianity, made a similar use of Anti-SIavery Tráete ja Ricljmond or New Or'eans? I liad intemled seeking an interview with the Paslm, meaning to give Ijim the Tracta and at the same lime an Anti-Slavery leciure - but my lime was too brief to purmit me to wnit for an intrqducUon,. The Pushn, you know, is supposed o be rnthor wolfishly irjclined; but thore nre certain hig-h-minded, chivalric gentlemen in America, w'ho would befar mo.e likely to rnurder me. on account of my ojiini ons ihan Mahommnd A!i. I have, ns you miiy swppose, nót been iiiattentivo !o the present state of Egypt, nnd the character "f its celoLrated Ruler. The result of my nfjuirtes ojicj observatjóna is, that Ëgypt s rapidjy progressing ín civiüzation, nnd that the Pasha is one of the ablest und most extramíinqry men of ihe present dny. lic is both vilified and ouloaised in hp mcasured terms. The fhet ie, diffl-rent people yulge him by different standards. Tesied by European civiü zution and clirislian moraliiy, heisa seJfish.-nnguinary tyrant. 13iu ,vhen y'oii recollecr, thn he was bronght up, almost a. savnge, and tlmt he was foity years oíd before he could wrile his ñamo, - and when you compare bitn with other Tnrkish governors, you are astoiiishcd at the extent of his views, the liberalky of his opinión?, and ihe energy of Ijie iíovernment. Frotn time immemoria], t has been the prerog-ative of' Turkish governors to squeeze as much weiitli as possible out of CHeír peoplo; ana certainly tlie present Pasha conducís the sijeezing process with great vigor: but he has attempted wliat never cntered t!ie l.eads of his piedecessor?, the creadon, as wel! os the abstrae! iotí of weahh ; henee the introduction of the cotton ciiltivation, Míe eytnblishment of nuuicrons ínanufactorief?, nrid the encotirngement of commerce. nnd the pal roñare of Europeans. De has moreover founded eeveral schools and hospita!i, and there is now at Cajró, alunatic nsylum, beller cunducted proöably than any in Eirope, 40 year.s S'nce. I wus nstonished at ihe prodigious number of vcssels on the Jtjlfi]often reminding me of our own Hudon. - Alexandria is rapidíy increasing, and the best part of it has been laid out and buÚt by the Pasba nnd his family, wilhin the Jast ton years. The 'fmprovemeptf?,'' now going on Bt Cairo, for magnitude and expense, wotild not díscreriit the New York Corporation. Rplendid Avenues Iined with trees, and on ex tensivo park, the soii of wliicli is raised 3 or Ín ("fot nbove the natural levl, and plauled with tree., now adorn the en pito]. Near Cairo are tlifi Pasha's Gardens, very far ex ceeding in size, mngiúftcence and taste any Jhiiior of the kind to be feéen Wo'üV-own conntry. I was struck wii.h the Jiberaüíy with which the palaces, gardens and instimtions are tbrown opeD to the mlic. I visited them.and even the mint, without for any orders of admisión. A nev.paper is pubii-shed at Alexandria, and I could not Jeurn tlmt there is any fortiia] censorship. Bul the Pusha lo encournge the undertakino-, subscribes for i thousánd copies, and ] taWíor Cfiontcd ;hy Edifoi ib carcfu! how he cffends. Me is pro!ably as independent, as a Norliicrn Editor vvitli a list of Southern subscrihers. As faras I r.ould jndg-e tlien; socnis üttleor no restmint n the expiession of opinión. [ henrd tiie Pniïha's condnct freely and publicjy discuásed,. and censured, and iippnrontljwithout any upprehension of the cuiisoquence?. Beyond all doubt, there is more freedotn of opinión in Kgypt thau in our slave States.l'erhaps tbe most rcmnrknble feature in the government of 'Egypt is the security it has given ro persons nnrl proporty. Lyncli ]av is unknown in the Nilotic valley. Nota negro is humt ilive in obeclience 1o "public sentiment, "' not in nbolitionist hung; and I mny iilniost sny nut a mnn is robbefl. In. sober earnestneás,-fnnn all I enn )e:irn, a stranjer rnny travel f rom one cxtrcmiïy of Eypt to the other with as nnich seftty as in a New England villagejCairo has a pnpnlation of belwcen two and thrce hundred thonsnude, and yet it is one of the most qiiiet and nppnrcntly ordeilv eities I have been in. I atn persoaded, ihat for every miirder committed in Egypt. Ulereare, atjeast, a hundred n onr slave States. It is melanclioj to be forcnd to make stich compa.risone beíwoen such a country a"? Egypt, and a portion of my native Jnnd. Bnt wliile domagogucsdeal n lies and flatteries, ít is ihe duty of a patriot to expose, and by .jxpo6nr, findoovor til correct the faults of liis country[f elavery continue in the United States we slinll become the basest of natious, even more base tban Egvpt herself. You mil be g!ad to learn thnt my hoallh baa g-reatly improved. I whs failing fast, when I left New York. A littie bmüly or mental exertion ratigueq me. -Exercise .and relaxalion nove set me up ngain, and í feel ten years yonrger. 1 trust I shall return throiiffh the Blèlsirtg of God, svith strength to mingle once more in the mighty host which is now battling in the cause of human right,s. American Abolition is ncver absent frora mv Uiougbts. It is engraven on my heart.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News