be informed of our intentions, and, taking with me a sword, went to
visit him with some anxiety.

We found the Sultan, in company with half-a-dozen people; he received us
in a very friendly manner, and really seemed on this occasion to be what
he professes to be, the friend and Consul of the English. I explained to
him, that we certainly had this treaty ready for him, and intended to
have presented it to him on our arrival; but on account of our
sufferings and the robberies committed on us, and seeing the country in
a state of revolution, I had no heart to present to his highness
anything from the Queen of England. However, now that things were more
settled, and as I saw there was authority in the country, I had much
pleasure in proposing for his signature a treaty from my Government. At
the same moment, as an incentive, I presented the sword (a small naval
officer's sword, with a good deal of polished brass and gilding about
it, of the value, at most, of five pounds). To my great satisfaction,
his highness accepted both treaty and present with ardent manifestations
of pleasure. He made me read the document in English, to hear the sound
of our language; and he also desired me to leave with him an English
copy. This we did, with some explanation of the contents in an Arabic
letter on the back. We then took our copy in Arabic. The sword pleased
him greatly, on account of its lightness, for he is an old man, not very
strong; and because it glittered with gold. We wrote the maker's name in
Arabic, and gave directions to have it well preserved. He inquired after
Drs. Barth and Overweg, and seemed to take great interest in our
welfare.

In the midst of our conversation a lady, one of the Sultan's female
relations, came, moved no doubt by curiosity, into the room. She was
evidently a fine dame, a person of fashion in this Saharan capital. Her
countenance, in due obedience to the requirements of _ton_, was not
"_rouged_ up to the eyes," but "_yellowed_ up to the eyes!" There cannot
be a more appalling custom. Imagine a young lady, of brown-black
complexion, daubed with brilliant yellow ochre! The paint covers the
whole face, from the roots of the hair to the lower jaw, forming two
semicircles with the upper lips. Between the eyes are three black
beauty-spots, descending perpendicularly on the bridge of the nose. The
eyebrows are blackened, and joined, so as to form one immense arch
across the face, under the yellow brow. Is i