Notes of a Residence in the Canary Islands, the South of Spain and Algiers, Ilustrative of the State of Religion in Those Countries (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1851. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XXIV. DEPARTURE FROM GIBRALTAR SCOTCH SECTARIANISM THE FRENCH STEAMER " ECLAIREUR"--ESTIMATED SIZE OF ALGERIA--MERS-EL-KEBER FIRST APPEARANCE OF ORAN NOTICE OF ITS HISTORY--THE MOSQUE WITH THE FRENCH SIGILLUM SINGULAR APPEARANCE OF THE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OF THE ARAB LADS--STATE OF RELIGION FORTUNE OF THE MOHAMMEDAN EMPIRE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN ABD-EL-KADIR AND GENERAL PELISSIER--MESERGUIN--HOT-SPRINGS NEAR ORAN--DEPARTURE. Like the virtues of the dying, the charms of a place we are leaving for good, strike us more forcibly than they do at other times. It was so with the Bay of Gibraltar, as we sailed out of it for Oran, on board the " Eclaireur," one of the seven steamers of war, which the French employ to carry letters, and occasionally passengers, between the different ports of northern Africa. There is not a more delightful spot in the Mediterranean, than the Alameda at Gibraltar; British industry, and southern climate, combine to make it all that a garden should be; yet I was not sorry that I was about to forget sectarian discord in the contemplation of a country in which I had no personal stake. I was favoured with a visit from the " Free Church" minister, the night previous to my departure, which only confirmed the opinion I already entertained, that as Knox was the personation of sectarianism, the Scotch in general, notwithstanding their cleverness, and even superiority in many things, are almost incapable of understanding what is implied in the word Catholicity. It would be hard to exaggerate the tone of severity, in which I found many of these abroad speaking of the Roman Catholics. It seemed as if it would have been an unwelcome discovery on their parts, to have found that after all there did exist a real appreciation of the doctrine o...