The World of Waters, Or, A Peaceful Progress O'er the Unpathed SeaOsborne, David, Mrs. (Fanny)
General
The World of Waters, Or, A Peaceful Progress O'er the Unpathed Sea
Osborne, David, Mrs. (Fanny)
Geography -- Juvenile literature; Voyages and travels -- Juvenile literature
Behold her! mounted on a bullock whose back is covered with blue and
white cloths. She is followed by four female slaves, laden with
straw baskets, wooden bowls, and earthen pots; after them appear two
other bullocks carrying the remainder of the _fair_ bride's dowry.
She is attended by her mother, and five or six young ladies, who act
as bridesmaids. According to their mode of salutation, we must
gallop up to them repeatedly. See! the ladies cover their faces, and
scream their thanks; and as it is extremely indelicate to gaze upon
the bride, we must cast our eyes on the ground, wheel our horses
round, and gallop back again. You will ask, 'Is that all; and where
is the bridegroom?' Ah! poor fellow! he has been parading the
streets all the day, with a crowd after him, dressed in all the
finery he could buy or borrow, while the people blew horns, beat
drums, and cried, 'May you live forever!' 'God prosper you!' 'Gray
hairs to you!' There is no further ceremony. The bride is handed
over to her husband in the evening by her mother, and henceforth
they are man and wife."
GEORGE. "Oh! what very odd things are done in strange lands! I am so
sorry our examinations are over, and I wish we could begin them all
again. What religion are the people of Bornou?"
MR. STANLEY. "They are Mohammedans; and very superstitious, trusting
greatly to their medicine men."
GRANDY. "I have really enjoyed these meetings as much as the young
folks, for I think there is no study more delightful, nor more
useful, than that which makes us acquainted with the world and its
inhabitants. As our business has been mostly on the waters, I
consider that we ought not to close the subject without calling to
mind the period when 'the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the
earth,' and 'all that was in the dry land died.' Beware, my dear
children, that you forget not the awful catastrophe from which the
family of faithful Noah alone escaped; nor that the cause of it was
the iniquity of men!"
GEORGE. "I never see a rainbow, but I think of the Deluge, because
you taught me the texts concerning God's covenant, dear Grandy, and
the promise that the earth should no more be destroyed by a flood:
but I have often wondered what could be the size of the ark to
contain so many living creatures."
MR. WILTON. "I believe I can inform you somewhat on that head. A
scriptural cubit measures twenty-one inches, and it has been
calculated according to the dimensions given in the 6th chapter of
Genesis, that the ark must have been of the enormous burden of
19,530 tons!"
CHARLES. "Enormous! why our first-rate men-of-war are scarcely 3000
tons, and yet how large they look. How long was it in building?"
MRS. WILTON. "Many authors agree in stating it to have been one
hundred and twenty years in building."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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