ls of its prosperity remain; no ruined
temples or broken columns attest the magnificence or the taste of an
earlier generation. Its only hope of opulence must be dated from its
first possession by the British. But the barrenness of the soil forbids
substantial wealth; and though the native merchants, relying on the
honour of British laws and the security of British arms, are flocking
into it by hundreds, and will soon flock into it by thousands, it must
be at best but a warehouse and a fortress, though both will, in all
probability, be of the most magnificent description. The population is
of the miscellaneous order which is to be found in all the Eastern
ports. The Parsees, the handsome and industrious race who are to be seen
every where in India; the Jews, keen and indefatigable, who are to be
seen in every part of the world; and the Arabs, whose glance and gesture
seem to despise both, are already crowding this half camp, half
capital. From eighty to a hundred camels, every morning, supply the
markets of Aden. They bring in baskets of fine fruit, grapes, melons,
dates, and peaches. The greater number bring also poultry, grass, and
straw. Troops of donkeys carry water in skins to every part of the town;
and there is no want of the necessaries of life, though of course they
are dear. Aden is excessively hot, but regarded as healthy. The air is
pure, dry, and elastic. The engineers are building works on the
different commanding positions; and Aden, within a few years, will
probably be the strongest fortification, as it is already one of the
finest ports, east of the Mediterranean. But we look to nobler
prospects; the inland country is perhaps one of the finest regions in
the world. Almost within view of Aden lies a country as picturesque as
Switzerland, and as fertile as the valleys of the tropics. It is
singularly salubrious; and, in point of extent, may be regarded as
unlimited. We see no possible reason why Aden should not, in the course
of a few years, be made the capital of a great Arabian colony. Conquest
must not be the means, but purchase might not be difficult; and
civilization and Christianity might be spread together through immense
territories, formed in the bounty of nature, and only waiting to be
filled with a free and vigorous population. It is only the centre and
north of Arabia that is desert. The coast, and especially the southern
extremity, are fertile. Without the ambition of empire, or the desire of