always composed of more camels than men. Each camel is loaded according to his strength; the larger ones carrying from a thousand to twelve hundred pounds weight, and the smaller, from six to seven hundred. Burckhardt states that a camel can never be

stopped while its companions are moving on. The Arabs are therefore highly pleased with a traveller who jumps off his beast, and remounts without stopping it, as the act of kneeling down is troublesome and fatiguing to the loaded camel, and before it can rise again, the caravan is considerably ahead. He also affirms it to be an erroneous opinion, that the camel delights in sandy ground. It is true, he remarks, that he crosses it with less difficulty than any other animal, but wherever the sands are deep, the weight of himself and his load makes his feet sink into the sand at every step, and he groans and often sinks under his burden. Hence, this traveller states it to be, that camels' skeletons are found in great numbers where the sands are deepest. It is the hard gravelly ground of the desert which is most agreeable to this animal.

The Bactrian camel is distinguished from the Arabian camel or dromedary, by having two bunches on his back. It is not so nu

merous as the other, and is chiefly confined to some parts of Asia. Unlike the dromedary, whose movement, as we have seen, is remarkably swift, the Bactrian camel proceeds at a slow and solemn pace.

From the account now furnished of this animal, we may see the propriety and beauty of several passages of scripture, in which it is mentioned or alluded to.

Reviewing his own passing days, and properly estimating the shortness of human life, Job exclaims

O! swifter than a courier are my days:
They flee away-they see no good.
As SWELLING SHIPS they sweep on;
As an eagle swooping on its prey.`

This passage has sadly perplexed commentators. The original of the third line, literally rendered, is 'ships of Abeh;' or, if Abeh be taken for swiftness, 'ships of swiftness.'

For the purpose of ascertaining what might probably be the intention of the sacred writer, Mr. Taylor thus analyses the import of the words; My days pass faster than a running messenger, who exerts his speed when sent on important business; they even fly, like a fugitive who escapes for his life from an enemy; they do not look around them to see for anything good; they are passed as ships of swiftness; as a vulture flying hastily to the newly fallen prey. By marking the climax, we find the messenger swift, the fugitive more swift, the ships swifter than the fugitive, and the vulture swiftest of all.

In support of this ingenious conjecture, Mr. Taylor cites the following passage from 'honest Sandys.'

"The whole caravan being now assembled, consisted of a thousand horses, mules, and asses; and of five hundred CAMELS. THESE ARE THE SHIPS OF ARABIA; THEIR SEAS ARE THE DESERTS, a creature created for burthen,' &c. It does not clearly appear in this extract, however, though it might be gathered from it, that the camel has the name of the 'Ship of Arabia;' But Mr. Bruce comes in to our assistance, by saying, 'What enables the shepherd to perform the long and toilsome journies across Africa, is the CAMEL, EMPHATICALLY CALLED, BY THE ARABS, THE SHIP OF THE DESERT! he seems to have been created for this very trade,' &c. The idea thus thrown out, and in a great measure confirmed by Sandys and Bruce, is further supported by an account of the swiftness of these metaphorical ships,' furnished in Morgan's History of Algiers.' This writer states, that the dromedary, in Barbary called Aashare, will, in one night, and through a level country, traverse as much ground as any single horse can perform in ten. The Arabs affirm, that it makes nothing of holding its rapid pace, which is a most violent hard trot, for four-and-twenty hours on a stretch, without showing the least signs of weariness, or inclination to bait; and that, having swallowed a ball or two of a sort of paste, made up of barley-meal and a little powder of dry dates, with a bowl of water, or camel's milk, the indefatigable animal will seem as fresh as at first setting out, and ready to continue running at the same scarcely credible rate, for as many hours longer, and so on from one extremity of the African desert to the other, provided its rider could hold out without sleep, and other refreshments. During his stay in Algiers, Mr. Morgan was once a party in a diversion in which

one of these Aâshari ran against some of the swiftest Barbs in the whole Neja, which is famed for having good ones, of the true Libyan breed, shaped like greyhounds, and which will sometimes run down an ostrich. The reader will not, we apprehend, be displeased at our transferring his account to these pages.

'We all started like racers, and for the first spurt, most of the best mounted among us, kept pace pretty well; but our grass-fed horses soon flagged: several of the Libyan and Numidian runners held pace, till we, who still followed upon a good round hand gallop, could no longer discern them, and then gave out; as we were told after their return. When the dromedary had been out of sight about half an hour, we again espied it, flying towards us with an amazing velocity, and in a very few moments was amongst us, and seemingly nothing concerned; while the horses and mares were all on a foam, and scarcely able to breathe, as was likewise a tall fleet greyhound dog, of the young princess, who had followed and kept pace the whole time, and was no sooner got back to us, but lay down panting as if ready to expire.'

This account shows, also, with what propriety the prophet calls this animal the 'swift dromedary,' (Jer. iii. 23,) as well as the wisdom of Esther's messengers, in choosing it to carry their despatches to the distant provinces of the Persian empire, Esth. viii. 10.

The writer just quoted, informs us, that the Arabs guide their dromedaries by means of a thong of leather, which is passed through a hole purposely made in the creature's nose. Will not this illustrate the expression in 2 Kings, xix. 28: 'I will put my hook in thy nose, and ny bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest?" This denotes, no doubt, the depth of the Assyrian's humiliation, and the swiftness of his re

treat.

Another passage which Mr. Taylor thinks may be illustrated by the application of the term Aâshare to a swift dromedary, is Prov. vi. 10, 11:

A little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the arms to sleep;

So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth,
And thy want as an armed man.

It is evident that the writer means to denote the speed and rapidity of the approaches of penury; therefore, instead of, 'one that travelleth,' we may read a post, or quick messenger,' an express. But our présent business is with the 'armed man.' Now, the words thus translated, are no where used to denote an armed man, or ‘a man of a shield,' as some would render them literally; but the Chaldee paraphrast translates them thus, 'swift like an Aashare,' or, mounted on an Aashare, i. e. an Aashare-rider, to answer to the post or express, in the former line. Thus we shall have an increase of swiftness suggested here, as the passage evidently demands. The sentiment, on the principles above suggested, would stand thus:

So shall thy poverty advance as rapidly as an express,

And thy penury as a strong and swift antagonist or [Aashare-rider.]

In that sublime prediction, where the prophet foretels the great increase and flourishing state of Messiah's kingdoms, by the conversion and accession of the Gentile nations, he compares the happy and glorious concourse to a vast assemblage of camels: "The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah.' That people, rather than irrational animals are intended, is evident from these words; All they from Sheba shall come; they shall show forth the praises of the Lord.' Isa. lx. 6. In adopting this figure, the prophet might, perhaps, have his eye on the hieroglyphical writing of the Egyptians, in which the figure of a camel represented a man; and if so, besides its strict conformity to the genius of Hebrew poetry, we can discern a propriety in its introduction into this illustrious prediction. Some interpreters piously refer the prophecy to Christ himself; and imagine it began to receive its accomplishment when the magi, proceeding from the very places mentioned by the prophet, worshipped the new-born Saviour, 'and presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.' But Midian, and the other places mentioned by the prophet, lay to the south of Judea; while the evangelist expressly says the magi came from the east; which, as well as their name, magi, or wise men, clearly proves that Persia was their native country, and the place of their abode.

To pass a camel through the eye of a needle, was a proverbial expression among the nations of high antiquity, denoting a difficulty which neither the art nor the power of man could surmount. Our Lord condescends to employ it in his discourse to the disciples, to show how extremely difficult it is for a rich man to forsake all, for the cause of God and truth, and obtain the blessings of salvation: 'I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven,' Matthew, xix. 24. Many expositors are of opinion, that the allusion is not to the camel, but to the cable by which an anchor is made fast to the ship; and for camel they read camil, from which our word cable is supposed to be derived. It is not, perhaps, easy to determine, which of these ought to be preferred; and some interpreters of considerable note, have accordingly adopted both views. Others have asserted, that there was near Jurusalem a low gate, called the Needle's Eye, under which a camel could not pass without being unloaded.

However though the exact proverbial expression, which was doubtless well understood, by those to whom it was addressed, may be to us unintelligible, the instruction conveyed is obvious, Riches are a snare and often a hindrance in the way to heaven; and the heart that is supremely set upon them, can never be brought to a cordial surrender of itself to the meek, lowly, and self-denying Jesus, without which, it is impossible to enter into his kingdom. But the

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things that are impossible with men, are possible with God. Divine Grace can do away the impossibility by bringing the heart, to a willing compliance with the requirements of the Gospel.

In Matthew, xxiii. 24, is another proverbial expression: 'Ye strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.' Dr. Adam Clarke has proved, that there is an error of the press, in the English translation, by which at has been substituted for out. The passage as it now stands, conveys no sense: it should be, Ye strain out the gnat, and swallow down the camel.' The allusion is to the custom which prevailed among both Gentiles and Jews, of straining the liquor which they drank, for the purpose of ejecting those insects which so swarm in some southern countries, and hence, easily fall into wine-vessels. Some of the commentators have wished to get rid of the camel in this passage, from an idea that our Lord could not have united so huge an animal with so small an insect. They, therefore, propose to understand a larger species of fly. This conjectural emendation, however, cannot be admitted, as it is unsupported by all the ancient versions. The expression must be taken hyperbolically. To make the antithesis as strong as may be, two things are selected as opposite as possible; the smallest insect, and the largest animal. And this very antithesis was used by the Jewish and Greek writers, as appears from Wetstein.

The expression has generally been understood by English readers as implying an effort to swallow, but rejecting something very small and inconsiderable, yet receiving without hesitation something much larger and more important: but the fact is, it alludes to a custom the Jews had of straining or filtering their wine, for fear of swallowing any forbidden insect. Now, as it would be ridiculous to strain liquor for the sake of clearing it from insects, and then eating the largest of those insects; so the conduct of those is not only ridiculous, but highly criminal, who are superstitiously anxious in avoiding small faults, yet scruple not to commit the greatest sins. Camels are spoken of in scripture,

1. As an article of wealth and state, Gen. xii. 16. xxx. 43, 2 Kings vii. 9. 1 Chron. xxvii. 30. Ezra, ii. 67. Neh. vii. 69. Job i. 2,

2. As used for travelling, Gen. xxiv. 64. xxxi. 34. 1 Ķings x. 2. 3. As an important means of traffic, Gen. xxxvii. 25. 1 Chron. xii. 40. Isa. xxx. 6.

4. As used in war, Judges vi. 5. vii. 12. 1 Sam. xxx. 17. Jer. xlix. 29.

5. As a spoil in war, Judges viii. 21. 1 Sam. xxvii. 9. 1 Chron. v. 21. Job i. 17. Jer. xlix. 32.

6. As sufferers in the plagues brought upon the brute creation for the sin of man, Exod. ix. 3. 1 Sam. xv. 3.

7. As furnishing an article of clothing, Matt. iii. 4. Zech. xiv. 15. 8. Connected with these animals, we have a pleasing instance of industry, humility, and courtesy in a young woman of rank and fortune. Rebekah was seen at the well, condescending by personal labor to supply the wants of the camels of Abraham's servant;