The patriarchal form of government has prevailed among the wandering Arabs from the remotest antiquity. The authority of a Shieck is that of a lather over his family, whose obedience is founded upon natural affec tion and the benevolence of the ruler. All the Schiecks, however, who belong to the same tribe, enter into an association for their common defence and security. They acknowledge a common chief, who may guide and direct them in their predatory warfare ; and in maintaining the honour and independence of their tribe against the at tacks of their neighbours. This chief is dignified with the title of Schieck of Schiecks, and is elected from a certain family in which this dignity is hereditary, by the inferior Schiecks, without any regard to seniority, lineal succession, or any other consideration, except superio rity of abilities. The power of the grand Schieck is limited by custom. He considers himself as absolute lord of his whole territories, and accordingly exacts the same duties upon merchandise passing through his do minions as are levied by other princes. He is obliged to treat the inferior Schiecks as associates rather than sub jects, and to share with them the sovereign authority. If dissatisfied with his government, they depose him, or depart with their flocks, and leave him at the mercy of a rival, or more powerful tribe. The lower classes are bound to their chiefs by the same tenure ; they can quit his service at pleasure ; their steps are unconfined, the desert is open, and the spirit of liberty, which animates the whole nation, renders them incapable of continued subjection. Thus the Bedouin, nursed in independence, and master of his actions, soon acquires a high sense of his own importance. This renders him proud, easily provoked, and impatient of controul. Ignorant of sub mission, he cannot brook the language of authority ; and his services are the effects of inclination rather than of constraint. His own arm is the guardian and aven ger of his honour ; and his nice sensibility weighs the insult rather than the injury. Every injury, therefore, he considers as a stain upon his honour, which requires the greatest sacrifices to efface—consequently forgive ness is with him an indelible reproach. Wherever a similar form of government prevails, there we find simi lar manners and dispositions. Among the Scottish clans, in their lawless and ferocious state, family quarrels were prosecuted with equal rancour and animosity. These quarrels familiarized them to blood and slaughter, and the death of an enemy, however effected, was always a matter of triumph.
In the milder climate of Yemen, and the more fertile districts, monarchies, more or less extensive, have exis ted from time immemorial. Such are the dominions of the Iman of Sana ; of the Iman of Oman ; of the Sherriffe of Mecca ; and of some princes in the province of Hadramaut. The power of the sovereign in these governments is almost absolute. Yet the nius and habits of the people compel them to exercise their authority with justice and mildness. The domains of many independent and refractory Schiecks are scattered throughout their territories, and with one or other of these they are continually at war. Many of these chief tains, attach themselves to the interests and fortunes of the reigning sovereign, and pay a trilling tribute by way of ti,be for the lands that are situated in their dominions. The Imams are the reputed succes sors of Mahomet, and are acknowledged as temporal and spiritual heads within their dominions. This title is considered as synonimous with Caliph and Enrir el Mounzeneen, " Prince of the faithful." The Sherriffes, or Sejeids, are another branch or the posterity of Maho met; and though those of Hedjas are esteemed the no blest of his descendants, having made fewer intermar riages with strangers, yet they have never attained the dignity of Caliph. They appear, however, to have al ways enjoyed the sovereignty over the principal cities of Hedjas. The title of Schieck is founded upon the cus toms of a pastoral people, who know no distinctions of rank, but that of the heads of families. It is the most ancient, and also the most common title in Arabia. Some of the illustrious Schiecks among the Bedouins deduce their origin from princes, who flourished long before the time of Mahomet ; and whose ancestors, from time im memorial, have enjoyed independence and sovereign power. The descendants of Mahomet hold the first rank among the Arabian nobility ; and, from the peculiar manner in which the honour of Sherriffe is transmitted, they have become so numerous, that in some places whole villages are peopled with the same family ; the son of a Sherriffe enjoys the title, and transmits it to all his posterity, so that the most extreme poverty, and the highest order of nobility, are sometimes joined in the same person. In the province of Hedjas, Sherriffes are treated with the greatest kindness and respect, the relation which they bear to the prophet procuring them greater veneration than what is received by their most illustrious chieftains. Next in honour are tire families descended from the tribe of Koreish, which have enjoyed considerable privileges since the days of Mahomet. Their chief office is the keepers of the keys of the Caaba, which Mahomet conferred upon the family of Othnzan F,bn Rha. Some of these families being often called upon to prove the genuineness of their extraction, in or der to maintain their envied privileges, have preserved a faithful genealogy of their descent for more than ten centuries. The She rriffes and Schiecks have contrived a more compendious method of proving the nobility of their origin, without rendering it less doubtful. They
select some illustrious character from whom they are universally allowed to be descended ; another great man is pointed out as his ancestor.; thus proceeding back wards to the founder of their family. Were the Arabs not to abbreviate their genealogy in this manner, it would be impossible for them to make out any regular tables of descent, as they have no public registers or historians. The Bedouin chiefs greatly pride themselves upon their nobility, as it cannot be forfeited by any misdemeanour, or conferred, as in other countries, by any priest or po tentate ; and they would not change the appellation of Shieck for that of Sultan or Caliph.
The Arabians are of a middle stature, thin, and of a swarthy complexion, with black hair, black eyes, and black beard. Their dress is suitable to the general fash ion of the east, except that they have more variety than the neighbouring nations. Arabians of distinction, in Yemen, have wide drawers of cotton cloth, over which they wear a shirt ; and a vest with strait sleeves is co vered with a flowing gown. A girdle of embroidered leather encircles the loins, at which is suspended a kind of crooked cutlass, called a janzbea. They wear, by way of ornament, a piece of line linen cloth hanging over their shoulders. They use no stockings, and have only a sort of half-boots or slippers upon their feet. Their head-dress consists of from 10 to 15 bonnets of linen or cotton, the outmost richly embroidered with gold, round which is wrapt a sort of muslin, with silk or gulden fringes flowing loose upon the shoulders. This cumbersome covering is to secure their heads from what is called strokes of the sun ; and in tnose hot countries, labourers will strip themselves naked, and place their clothes upon their nead. Some have drawers and a shirt, but the -greatest number nave only a piece of linen about the loins, a large girdle with the jambea, and a piece of cloth about the shoulders. Some of the independent tribes have only a cloth upon the loins, and a piece of cord about the head to confine the hair. Large drawers, a flowing shirt, and a veil, is the general dress of the females. Their faces are disfigured with black spots, by way of beauty, impressed into the skin. Tneir eye-urows are artificially blackened; their feet and hands stained brown, and their nails red. They wear a great pro fusion of rings, with bracelets and nccklaces of false pearls. The subjects of the Imam of Sana shave their heads ; but in use other districts the hair is preserved and knotted up behind in a handkerchief. Their mustachoes are, in general, kept very short, but all wear the beard its natural length. Conformable with their dress is their manner of sitting. They squat themselves upon the ground, with the legs crossed under the body, a posture very convenient and refreshing to those who wear loose garments. In the presence of a superior, an Arab sets with his knees close together, and the weight of his body resting upon the heels. In this posture they usually place themselves at table, as it occupies least room ; but it is very uneasy to those who are not accustomed to it. Instead of chairs, which are unknown in the east, the rooms of the higher classes are laid round with cushions, and their floors with rich carpets. The Arabs are in general abstemious and temperate. Animal food is thought very unwholesome in hot cli mates ; and, except among the Bedouins in the desert, very little is used in Arabia. Their principal food con sists of rice, pulse, and milk ; the common people live chiefly upon durra made into cakes, with camel's milk or butter. Their manner of eating, however, is most repulsive to Europeans. They have neither knives nor forks, but make a dexterous use of their fingers, and eat with amazing quickness. No sooner is a dish set upon the table, than all hands are thrust into it, and it is instantly emptied of its contents. Another imme diately supplies its place, is as quickly dispatch ed; and the service is repeated until the whole company are satisfied. Before they sit down to table they repeat a short prayer, "in the name of the most merciful God ;" and every one, when done, rises without waiting for the rest, and pronounces, " God be praised." Their fa vourite drink is kischer, which is prepared from the husks of coffee beans, slightly roasted and pounded It tastes like tea, and is thought very refreshing. Though the use of intoxicating liquors is prohibited in the Ko zan, yet some of them indulge in private, but never ap pear drunk in company or in the streets. The rich sub stitute tobacco in their place, smoking it mixed with a kind of odoriferous wood, which communicates to it a very agreeable taste ; the lower people smoke haschich, the dried leaves of a sort of hemp, which exalts their courage, and raises their spirits to a state of tion. Their chief places of amusement are the public coffee-houses, which are very much frequented. There they are served with pipes and coffee, and entertained with music, songs, and orations. Tne orators are gen erally poor scholars, who frequent these places to earn a scanty subsistence. They recite tales anti tables of their own invention, or repeat passages from 'some fa vourite authors. As all games of chance are forbidaen by the Koran, their principal sedentary aniusements are chess and draughts, of which they are so fond, that they will sometimes sit a whole day without interrup tion.