ABSTRACT
Oliphant's slight acquaintance with the East, while it seems to contain in it his age's general religious and political interests in the Arab world, is yet unique; and unlike the experiences of Burton, Blunt, and Doughty, that acquaintance made no lasting or recurring impression on his sensibilities. It would be very difficult to find many Victorian writers who did not make some allusion to Eastern literature, and most frequent are the references such as these to Arabian Nights, used primarily in similes and metaphors fo purpose of illustration. The motives of travellers in the second half of nineteenth century were varied: missionary zeal, the love of adventure, the quest for romance, and scientific inquiry sent the Victorians all over the globe. England and France had supported Turkey in Crimean war in the belief that Turkey could control her Empire and live in harmony with the European powers. Thus Russia's threatening position with respect to India was made less ominous.
