BEDSTRAW—-BEDUINS. 
  
  
  
  
as those of G. tinctorium, a species abundant in low 
marshy grounds in Canada ; and those of G. sepien- 
trionale, another North American species, used by 
some of the Indian tribes. Like madder, they 
possess the property of imparting a red colour to 
the bones and milk of animals which feed upon 
them. Medicinal virtues have been ascribed to some 
of the species, as G. rigidum and G. Mollugo, which 
have been extolled as useful in epilepsy.—The roasted 
seeds of some, as G. Aparine, the troublesome Goose- 
grass, or Cleavers, of our hedges—remarkable for the 
hooked prickles of its stem, leaves, and fruit—have 
been recommended as a substitute for coffee; but 
it does not appear that they contain any principle 
analogous to caffeine. This plant is a native of the 
northern parts equally of Europe, Asia, and America. 
Its expressed juice is in some countries a popular 
remedy for cutaneous disorders.—The roots of G. 
tuberoswm are farinaceous, and it is cultivated in 
China for food.—The name B. is supposed to be 
derived from the ancient employment of some of the 
species, the herbage of which is soft and fine, for 
strewing beds. 
} BE'DUINS (Arabic, Bedaw:, i. e., ¢ dwellers in 
the desert’) are Arabs who lead a nomadic life, and 
are generally regarded, according to tradition, as 
the descendants of Ishmael, and the aborigines of 
Arabia. The most ancient notices found in Scripture 
agree, in their descriptions of the manners and cus- 
toms of the B., with the facts of the present time. 
As nomads, the Beduin Arabs have no united history, 
but only a collection of genealogies. They have but 
seldom appeared as a united people, taking a pro- 
minent part in the world’s politics, and have never 
been entirely held in subjection by any foreign 
power. The desert of Arabia, especially the platean 
of Nedjid, is their central place of abode; but, even 
in ancient times, they had spread themselves over 
the deserts of Egypt and Syria; and in later times, 
after the decay of ancient civilisation, they entered 
Syria, Mesopotamia, and Chaldea. The conquest 
of Northern Africa, in the 7th c., opened up to them 
still vaster tracts, and they soon extended them- 
selves over the Great Desert to the shores of the 
Atlantic Ocean. At present, they are to be found 
scattered over an immense breadth of territory—viz., 
  
  
Beduins stripping a traveller. 
from the western boundary of Persia to the Atlantic, 
and from the mountains of Kurdistan to the negro 
countries of Sudan. In the cultivated lands of 
Mesopotamia, Chalda, the Syrian confines, Barbary, 
Nubia, and the north of Sudan, the Arabs are found 
intermingled with other nations; but in the deserts 
they have maintained their distinct character and 
independence. The characteristics of the B., as 
herdsmen and robbers in the desert, are intimately 
connected with the nature of their habitation. Their 
abstinent, precarious, and often solitary mode of life, 
makes them disposed to exercise mutual hospitality ; 
but their independence, love of liberty, and other 
good qualities, are associated with violent passions 
and an infamous love of plunder, which is utterly 
reckless of the rights of property. They are gener- 
ally well-made men, lean, sinewy, and active; but, 
on account of frequent hardships and privations, are 
commonly below middle stature. Their senses, espe- 
cially sight, are keen, and their carriage is free and 
independent. The nose is commonly aquiline, the 
face rather lengthened, and the eyes are well shaped 
  
and expressive of both daring and cunning. In 
796 
complexion, they have various shades of brown. With 
the exception of certain tribes in Syria, all the B. are 
professedly Mohammedans, but by no means strict 
in the observance of their religious rites and duties. 
Their Marabouts (q.v.)—a class of ascetics—take 
the place of priests, and exercise considerable influ- 
ence in all social and public affairs. As the Arabs 
have no settled government or policy, religious tra- 
ditions and customs form the only bond of order 
and union among them. Though their intellectual 
powers are naturally good, they are miserably desti- 
tute of solid knowledge. Their endless tales 
and poetical effusions shew a wonderful activity of 
imagination and an oriental love of hyperbole. The 
relation of the sexes to each other is less constrained 
than among the settled peoples of the East, and a 
substitute for polygamy is found in a frequent inter- 
change of wives. Their favourite pastimes are the 
chase, ball-play, dancing, songs, stories, and the dolce 
Sfar niente (pleasant laziness) of drinking coffee and 
smoking narghiles. Their diet is principally derived 
from their herds, but includes a few vegetables, and 
even locusts and lizards. Honey is also a principal