darts, and with graceful leaps whirls round until she falls again. But wo to the male dancer who falls! All the girls gather round, pour water on him, pelt him with cocoa-peels, | laugh at him, and at last make a terrible noise on cow-horns; but, compelled by custom, he must submit with a good grace to all these insults. I was peculiarly interested by a female snake-charmer, who had a boa-constrictor twisted round her body, which seemed to understand every word of its mistress. The girl ordered it to pluck a rose, and the reptile plucked it, and handed it to her in the most caressing manner! The queen was likewise invited, but she did not come. Pomare avoids, as far as possible, all contact with the French, and particularly with the lady of the governor; it was on account of her, and not of the fluteplayer, that she left my concert so soon: so I was informed by the missionary who is her chaplain. ed. The governor sent me word that Queen Pomare had expressed a desire to hear me, and I had immediately to put myself in readiness. At three o'clock, P.M., just when the heat of the sun was most oppressive, I went forth, accompanied by the chaplain of the queen, through the streets of Tahiti. A half-naked islander carried my violin-box, whilst the missionary instructed me in the court-ceremonial of the queen. We reached the shore, embarked in a canoe, and were rowed to the isle Papitee, the residence of her majesty. It is impossible to imagine a more charming picture than this green island: on one shore, studded with houses and gardens; on the other, bordered by a steep coral-reef, on which the waves of the Pacific break in majestic succession. We reached the house of the queen by a path leading through a palm-grove, the outskirts of which are occupied by the buts of the natives. The royal residence resembles a European house, with large windows. and a balcony; a gilt crown on the top desig A guardsman, with musket and heavy sword, in handsome regimentals, but barefooted, was pacing to and fro before the door with military gravity. We gave him a piece of money, and he immediately became very serviceable, and opened the gate for us. The missionary proceeded direct to the queen, to announce my arrival, while I had to stop in the waiting-room on the ground-floor, where there was no other furniture than a long table, on which lay asleep a stout man in very primitive costume. Awakened by the noise I involuntarily made, he yawned, put on a green dress coat, and girded himself with a rusty sword, seemingly much astonished at the intrusion of a foreigner. From his diplomatic look, I could not doubt that the chamberlain, or perhaps one of the ministers of her majesty, stood before me. I bowed accordingly, but when he was about to enter into conversation with me, the missionary summoned me to the queen. I followed him, first through a long passage, decorated with arms and trophies; then through an apartment in which the ladies-in-waiting were dress The evening began already to spread its dark shadows over the mountains and flow-nates it as the dwelling of the brown queen. ery valleys of Tahiti, when I left the palace of the governor; the deep-blue sky of the tropics was studded with stars; a fragrant breeze gently moved the gloomy cypresses and stately palms, whose crowns of leaves waved gently in the air; the petals of the flowers, which had drooped towards the earth in the heat of the sun, rose once more refreshed by the evening dew; glow-worms glittered with trembling light in the darkgreen orange thickets; and the silvery light of the moon illumined the magic scene, the beauty of which could not be conceived even by the most powerful imagination. Plunged in thought, I pursued a path towards the heights, through blooming cactuses and aloes, and under gigantic palm-trees, when suddenly, on the slope of a palm-grove, I observed a large building, from which came the sound of the organ and singing. This was the Roman Catholic church, the first in Tahiti, formerly an idol-temple. Thirty-five large columns, stems of the breadfruit-tree, support the building, the nave of which was decorated with flower-wreaths. On the master-altar I saw a picture of the Madonna; a priest reading without heeding us. I had here to tune the mass; natives knelt on the steps of the altar; boys and girls, clad in white garments, sang to the sound of the melancholy organ. Soon after, the priest, an old man, began to preach in the Tahitian language; a native followed him, and spoke enthusiastically of the blessings of faith. The next day my ardent wish was fulfill my violin, and, armed with fiddle and bow, I was introduced into the next room, to the presence of the queen. Pomare sat on palm-mats, in an apartment adorned with chintz, but scantily furnished. A badly painted picture hung on the wall behind her; two ladies-in-waiting squatted at her side, and fanned her with ostrich-fea thers. Pomare, about thirty-six years old, is rather tall; her frame noble and well shaped; and her deportment not without majesty. Her features, full of expression, show traces of great beauty, though her thick lips and yellowish-brown complexion detract from the effect. Her rich dark hair was confined on the top of the head by a large comb, and her brow was adorned with a simple gold circle. Her muslin robe of light blue color, wide on the shoulders, and drawn close round her waist, reached scarcely beyond her knees; her arms and feet were bare, adorned with corals and shells; and her great-toe was dyed of a red hue, and encircled with gold rings. queen, at whose order the doors were thrown open, and all the court assembled around me. The royal consort, a gigantic islander, appeared barefooted, like all the rest of the courtiers, and began to touch my hands, my bow, my fiddle, so that I could scarce continue to play. I was at length so much squeezed by the crowd, that I began to have serious apprehensions for the safety of my instrument; but Pomare soon dismissed her court, and remained alone with me. She wished to examine my violin, touched the strings, and then returned the instrument. I now played a Tahitian melody, which seemed to please her much. She asked whether Not to infringe upon Tahitian etiquette, II came from France; and when I told her I bowed as low as possible, and then began the concert with a few simple melodies; but Pomare did not listen, carrying on a loud conversation with her ladies. I was much disappointed, and thought soon I had better go; but to try my luck, I struck up variations on Yankee Doodle. She seemed to know it-nodded -and was soon so charmed, that she sent for her two children, who became, indeed, a most satisfactory audience. The prince-royal, a little fellow, began to clap his hands; and the princess, about thirteen years old, danced to the music, much to the delight of the was not a Frenchman, she shook my hand, and whispered: "I do not like those fellows." Of course she has reason enough not to like them, since they have deprived her of her power, and reduced her to mere nominal royalty. She now untied a small gold cross from her necklace of corals, and handed it to me, with the words: "Take this as a keepsake from Pomare." I bowed once more to her majesty; and, accompanied by the missionary, left the royal residence and the island Papitee. I shall never forget my visit to Tahiti. To-morrow, I sail for Australia. From the Revue des Deux Mondes. THE ZOUAVES. "WHAT are the Zouaves?" is a question frequently asked when the name of the three brave regiments occurs in the accounts from the Crimea. An answer to this inquiry appears in a late number of the Revue des Deux Mondes, in the shape of a history of these remarkable warriors. We present our readers with some extracts translated from it, which we think will prove interesting. In the month of August, 1830, General Chausel took the command of the French army in Africa, the mission with which he was charged not being very easy of fulfilment, nor even very clearly defined. He He found himself at the head of a reduced army, without precise instructions; surrounded by intrigues and various difficulties; having before him an unknown country, scarcely described by a few forgotten travellers, with a population savage and warlike, but accustomed to receive its laws from Algiers, and now plunged into anarchy by the fall of the Dey. All the Turks had been expelled, and this completed his embarrassment; for they who, for ages, had been suspected and obeyed by the Arabs, would have been ready and willing to submit themselves to their conquerors. This expulsion of the Turks has been severely condemned: its ultimate results, however, have been most fortunate; for the government of the Arabs being conducted directly by Europeans, has promoted a degree of order, civilization, and progress, which could never have been hoped for from the Mussulman domination. At the close of 1830, however, the inconve niences alone of the measure were felt; and General Chausel, in order to remedy them in part, and also to increase the number of his effective troops, organized corps of native infantry and cavalry. By a royal order, dated the 21st March, 1831, two battalions were formed, which received the name of Zouaves-in Arabic, Zouaoua. The Zouaoua are a tribe, or rather a confederation of the Kabyle tribes, who inhabit the most remote gorges of the Jurjura; a race of proud, intrepid, industrious men, whose submission to the Turks was never more than nominal, but who were very well known in Algiers. Thither they frequently repaired, in order to exchange their oil and the products of their coarse industry, for the commodities which were not to be had in their poor mountains. As they had the reputation of being excellent warriors, and as their military services had been occasionally hired by the princes of Barbary, their name was bestowed on the new militia. A mixed multitude it was, however, receiving into its ranks, without distinction of origin, all the natives, mountaineers and men of the plains, town workmen and country laborers, Kabyles, Arabs, and Coulouglis. Chiefs, however, were necessarythese were chosen from amongst the French officers-and in order to leaven the mass of natives with the European element, a number of volunteers, chiefly from the lowest rank of the Parisian populace, were enrolled. Six weeks had scarcely elapsed since its formation, when the new corps received its baptism of fire on the mountain of Mouzaia; and from that time, during the whole African campaign, the Zouaves distinguished themselves by their courage and fidelity. This corps was remarkable both for the virtues and vices of irregular troops; and when, in 1841, Marshal Bugeaud took the command of the troops in Algeria, he very soon appreciated their peculiar fitness for the service in which they were engaged. See them at the bivouac; some men come out of the ranks, and run to the nearest spring to fill their canteens, before the water has been made muddy by the trampling of the horses and mules. Presently, their little tents-formed by ripping their baggage-sacks, fastening them together with packthread, and propping them up with sticks are ready; fires are lighted, as if by magic; and cooking begins. The evening soup is quickly made, consisting, as it does, of onions, lard, and bread; or, if these ingredients be wanting, some liquid coffee is filled with pounded biscuit, and transformed into a sort of paste, which might not, perhaps, please a fastidious palate, but which is both tonic and nourishing. The meat is kept slowly stewing during the night, in order to furnish the morning repast; but sometimes the sportsmen of the division may enrich the larder with a bare, a tortoise, or some fish, not to speak of an occasional hen, kid, or lamb, brought in with a certain degree of mystery, and most probably not procured after a very orthodox fashion. Supper is eaten, the last pipe smoked, and while one party sleep, the remainder change their place in silence, lest their position should be known by the enemy. Follow the officer on duty in his rounds, and despite of the obscurity, he will show you, on the declivity of the hill, a Zouave lying flat on his face and hands beneath the shadow of the summit, his eye on the watch, and his finger on the trigger of his gun. A fire is kindled in the middle of a path which crosses a wood, and which a party of soldiers occupied during the day, but they are no longer there. However, the marauding enemy who may happen to approach the camp in order to attempt a robbery or a surprise, carefully avoids this fire, round which he thinks the French are encamped. He throws himself into the wood, and there falls beneath the bayonets of the ambushed Zouaves, who strike noiselessly, in order not to spoil the trap, by signifying their presence to the comrades of their victim. One night-it was a singular instancetheir vigilance was at fault, and the troops of the Emir, gliding into the midst of their encampment, opened on them a murderous fire. The attack was so sudden, that for a moment the soldiers hesitated to rise, until their officers set them the example. Marshal Bugeaud was the first to arrive: two men instantly fell dead beneath his vigorous arm. Speedily the attack was repulsed by the Zouaves, and the enemy routed. When the fighting was over, and order re-established, the marshal observed, by the light of the bivouac-fires, that the soldiers smiled as they looked at him. He put his hand to his head, and found that his head-dress was identical with that of Beranger's Roi d'Yvetot-viz., a white cotton night-cap! He immediately called for his helmet, and a thousand voices shouted: "The marshal's helmet! the marshal's helmet!" This became a sort of byword in the army; and the next day, when the trumpets were sounding the march, the Zouaves sang in chorus, by way of an accompaniment: Hast thou seen the helmet, The helmet, the helmet? Hast thou seen the brave helmet From that time the trumpet-march was known as "the helmet ;" and the hero of the anecdote himself used to laugh good-humoredly, and say: "Sound the helmet." too. It happened one day that the marshal, after one of the first razzias, or forays, executed by his orders, examined with considerable satisfaction a fine flock of sheep, which had been brought in for the commissariat. He went into his tent, and lay down to sleep, but was suddenly aroused by certain significant bleatings. He hastens out, he sees his Zouaves and his muttons all mingled together, and ready to vanish, despite the efforts of the guards. Full of fury, the marshal in his shirt, and sword in hand, rushes into the thickest of the fray. The Zouaves disappear in double-quick time, and so do the sheep Subsequent researches made in their bivouac are attended with no satisfactory result no one was absent at the roll-call; no one had seen such a thing as a sheep. Marshal Bugeaud had nothing for it but to laugh. Another day, the Zouaves formed the rearguard; the column they belonged to brought into the Tell an immense population, who had been captured, after having for a long time followed the fortunes of Abd-el-Kader. The advanced-guard had set out at four o'clock in the morning; and although they were on a plain, at seven o'clock the last families had not yet left the bivouac. They had to journey eleven leagues before they came to water. On that day, the Zouaves were more like charitable women than mercenary soldiers, sharing their biscuit with the poor people whom fatigue and heat overcame; and when the goat-skins were emptied, holding down a sheep or a goat in order to bring its teats near the parched lips of some poor de serted child. At nightfall, when they encamped, their sacks contained neither fowls nor tortoises, but they brought back women, children, and old men whose lives they had saved. Such men are as good as they are brave; but they require, in those who rule them, a mixture of firmness and kindness, a strict but not severe discipline, in order to repress their evil instincts, and develop their generous feeelings. The Zouaves did good service in Algeria, when, in 1845, a general insurrection broke out. In the month of April of the following year, after six months of perpetual marching and fighting, the first battalion of Zouaves entered Blidah, covered with glorious rags. It happened that the Grand-duke Constantine, son of the Emperor Nicholas, had just landed at Algiers, and testified a desire to see these troops, whose renown had reached even St. Petersburg. That night the Zouaves received their new uniform; and at nine o'clock the next morning they were at Boufarik, awaiting the young prince. When he, descending from his carriage, beheld them drawn up in battle array in a green meadow, flanked by two squadrons of spahis, he could not conceal his surprise; for he learned that this band, of an aspect so original, and yet so compact and so thoroughly well drilled, had returned only the evening before, had marched six leagues that morning, and during the last six months had known no other bed than the earth, and no other roof than the sky. The Grand-duke Constantine, we fancy, brought away with him, from that review, impressions which subsequent events in the Crimea have by no means tended to efface. In the month of March, 1854, the Zouaves, filled with enthusiasm, quitted Algeria to join the army of the East. They were about to face that enemy who had so hotly disputed with Frenchmen the fields of Eylau and Moskva; they were about to fight side by side with that English infantry whose immovable solidity Frenchmen had so often experienced to their cost. Well have the brave bands of Africa fulfilled the expectations formed of their prowess. What Frenchman can read without joy and pride the accounts given of them in the English correspondence, whether they are described as "climbing like cats up the heights of the Alma," or "bounding like panthers through the thickets of Inkermann !" With what shouts were they hailed by the Queen's Guards when that heroic brigade, exhausted by its magnificent defence, saw appearing through the fog "the well-known garment of the Algerine troops!" Scarcely were they seen, before they were in the very middle of the Russian column. May we not hope that the banner of the Zouaves, which floated the first on the breach of Constantine, of Zaatcha, and of Laghouat, will erelong wave in triumph over the walls of Sebastopol? From Bentley's Miscellany. PROSINGS ABOUT THE ESSAYISTS AND REVIEWERS. III.-LEIGH HUNT. TEMPORA mutantur; few men (hardly even the constant subscribers to the inconstant though invaluable Times) can have felt this more vividly than Mr. Leigh Hunt, without, meanwhile, a like sense of the sequel, nos et mutamur in illis. His subjective experiences of change have kept no sort of pace with his objective, his ab intrà development of life and character with his ab extra position in relation to the age. He continues in his writings very much the same, in all elementary and essential qualities, that he was when bullied, badgered, baited, without ruth, nearly a half century ago; but he is now treated with politeness; and more, respect; and more still, cordiality; in many quarters where his mere name used to be the signal for crying Havoc! and letting slip against Cockneydom, and its facile princeps, the dogs of war-from the big bay-hounds whose bite some Cockneys found mortal, to the little dogs and all, of Tray, Blanche, and Sweetheart breed, which barked at him; and including in the hostile corps every degree of deep-mouthed and of yelping utterance, whether Mastiff, greyhound, mongrel grim, as Poor Tom catalogues them; and with Poor Tom we may now add, " Dogs leap the hatch, and all are fled-see, see, see!" We are improving in the courtesy of polemics; are learning to make allowances, to give credit for sincerity in our opponents, and to act out more and more, as we get farther and farther from the golden age, the golden rule, of doing as we would be done by, and tolerating all we can, lest we become intolerable altogether. To this state of things Mr. Leigh Hunt's own example and precepts have largely and sensibly contributed. Dif fer we never so much from his creed, this at least we are fain to own. And pleasant it is to mark the change in the world's tone towards him and treatment of him; to turn from his imprisonment by Georgius Rex to his pension grant by Victoria Regina. Mr. A rare thing it is, and a beautiful, to see in hoary eld a virgin-heart kept unspotted from the world--the world's polutions, defilements, and sins. Rare too it is, and refreshing, to see a veteran, a "battered senior," with a boyish heart, unwithered by the world,-the world's scorching summer blasts and wintry chills. Rare and refreshing it is to meet with an actual impersonation of that familiar appellative, an OLD BOY. Leigh Hunt, in his writings, is very near the mark. Like Friscobaldo, in the play, age hath not command of his blood-for all Time's sickle hath gone over to him, he is Leigh Hunt still; his resolve being, that his "heart shall never have a wrinkle in it while he can cry Hem! with a clear voice."* As it has been said of one of old time, "on se le figure ayant toujours gardé quelque chose de jeune, de riant,-u -un de ces visages qui sont tout étonnés d'avoir des cheveux blancs." Alluding in one of his essays to (strangely assorted couple!) Jean Jacques and Mr. Wordsworth, our essayist says of himself: * HIPPOLITO. I see, Friscobaldo, age hath not command of your blood; for all Time's sickle hath gone over you, you are Orlando still. ORLANDO. Why, my Lord, are not the fields mown and cut down again, and stript bare, and yet wear they not pied coats again Though my head be like a leek, white, may not my heart be like the blade, green! HIP. Scarce can I read the stories on your brow, Which age hath writ there; you look youthful still. ORL. I eat snakes, my Lord, I eat snakes. My heart shall never have a wrinkle in it so long as I can cry Hem! with a clear voice.. .... HIP. You are the happier man, sir. Of this old boy Hazlitt says, "Old honest Decker's Signior Orlando Friscobaldo I shall never forget! I became only of late acquainted with" him; "but the bargain between us is, I trust, for life. We sometimes regret that we had not sooner met with characters like these, that seem to raise, revive, and give a new zest to our being." &c. |