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diff --git a/old/65413-0.txt b/old/65413-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 691f24c..0000000 --- a/old/65413-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10895 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Lives of Celebrated Travellers, Vol. II -(of 3), by James Augustus St. John - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Lives of Celebrated Travellers, Vol. II (of 3) - -Author: James Augustus St. John - -Release Date: May 22, 2021 [eBook #65413] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Turgut Dincer, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIVES OF CELEBRATED -TRAVELLERS, VOL. II (OF 3) *** - - - - - The Lives of Celebrated Travellers, Vol. II. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Harper’s Stereotype Edition. - - -------------------------------- - - - THE - - _LIVES_ - - OF - - CELEBRATED TRAVELLERS. - - - -------------------------------- - - - BY - - JAMES AUGUSTUS ST. JOHN. - - - ------------------------------------ - - Wand’ring from clime to clime, observant stray’d, - Their manners noted and their states survey’d. - POPE’S HOMER. - - ------------------------------------ - - - IN THREE VOLUMES. - - VOL. II. - - ══════════════ - - NEW-YORK: - - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY J. & J. HARPER, - - NO. 82 CLIFF-STREET, - - AND SOLD BY THE PRINCIPAL BOOKSELLERS THROUGHOUT - THE UNITED STATES. - - ----- - - 1832. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - _CONTENTS_. - - ------------------ - - - _JOSEPH PITTON DE TOURNEFORT_. - - Born 1656.—Died 1708. - - Born at Aix—Education—Early passion for 7 - botany—Philosophy of Descartes—Aversion for the study - of theology—Travels in France—Spain—The - Pyrenees—Taken for a robber—Publishes his first - work—Commanded to travel in the East—Candia—Mount - Ida—Constantinople—Black Sea—Erzeroom—Georgia—Returns - to Smyrna—France—Death - - - _DR. THOMAS SHAW_. - - Born 1692.—Died 1751. - - Born at Kendal—Educated at Oxford—Appointed chaplain of 19 - Algiers—Arrives in Africa—Environs of Algiers—Departs - for Egypt—Alexandria—Cairo—Site of Memphis—Origin and - destination of the Pyramids—Animals of Egypt—Dancing - Serpents—Cannibals—Visit to Mount Sinai—Hospitality - of the Arabs—Route of the Israelites—Is plundered by - the Arabs—Curiosities of the desert—Waters of - Marah—Returns to Egypt—Descends the Nile—Sails for - Syria—Is taken prisoner and ransomed—Extraordinary - ignis fatuus—Prodigious flights of - storks—Waterspouts—Returns to Algiers—Arabs of - Africa—Marries—Earthquakes—Visits the kingdom of - Tunis—Ruins of Carthage—Lake of Tunis—City of - Tunis—Roman ruins—Virgil’s Nympharum Domus—The Lesser - Syrtis—Lake of Marks—Yellow-haired Kabyli—Natural - history of Barbary—Locust clouds—Music—Eating of - lions—Complexion of the Moors—Superstition—Returns to - England—Dies - - - _FREDERIC HASSELQUIST_. - - Born 1722.—Died 1752. - - Born in Eastern Gothland—Studies at Upsal—Acquires the 52 - friendship of Linnæus—Conceives the design of - travelling in the East—Mode of raising travelling - funds—Studies the oriental languages—Embarks at - Stockholm—Arrives in the Grecian Archipelago—Harbour - of Milo—Strange costume of the women—Island of - Scio—State of medical science in the East—Smyrna—The - Frank carnival—Dances—Beginning of Spring—Beautiful - flowers and plants—Turkish cemetery—Excursion to - Magnesia—Impregnation of figs—Sails for Egypt—Gardens - of Alexandria—Asses of Egypt—Rosetta—Women hatching - eggs—Politeness of the Turks—Circumcision - feast—Voluptuousness—Serpent-charmers—The - Pyramids—Vegetation of the desert—The lion - ant—Impregnation of palm-trees—Soils of - Palestine—Jerusalem—The Dead Sea—Apples of Sodom—The - dudaim, or mandrakes—Silkworm—Cyprus—Dies at Smyrna - - - _LADY WORTLEY MONTAGUE_. - - Born 1690.—Died 1762. - - Born in Northamptonshire—Masculine education—Early 72 - life—Friendship with Mrs. Wortley—Marriage—Violent - love of fame—Accompanies her husband - abroad—Holland—Germany—Ratisbon—Absurd quarrels of - ambassadors—Descends the Danube—Vienna—Letters of - Pope—Coarseness of language—Extravagant costume of - the women—Beauty of the empress—Bohemia—Mountain - scenery—Dangerous pass—Dresden—New mode of making - love—Dwarfs—Taste of royalty for the deformed—Prince - Eugene—Hungary—Field of battle—Belgrade—Becomes - acquainted with a handsome bey—Servia—Visit to the - baths of Sophia—Exquisite female beauty—Ruins of - Justinian’s Church—Teeth-money—Adrianople—Pretended - intrigues of Lady Mary with the sultan—Beautiful - costume of the women—Intrigues—Homeric - antiquities—History of inoculation—Enthusiastic - admiration of beauty—lovely wife of the - kihaya—Dancing girls—Enters a mosque—Singular - dwelling—Constantinople—Village of - Belgrade—Elysium—Greek slaves—Cosmetics—Balm of - Mecca—The Dardanelles—Hero and Leander—Site of - Troy—Coast of Africa—Carthage—Arrival in - England—Pope—Love—Quarrels—Grows weary of - pleasures—Removes to Italy—Remains abroad twenty-two - years—Returns to England—Dies - - - _RICHARD POCOCKE_. - - Born 1704.—Died 1765. - - Born at Southampton—Education—Visits 101 - France—Italy—Returns—Departs for the East—Original - travellers—Ruins of Egypt—Alexandria—Egyptian - landscape—Mohammedan saints—Cairo—District of - Faioum—Lake Mœri—Origin of the fable of the Elysian - Fields—The Labyrinth—Ascends the Nile—The - Cataracts—Returns—Embarks for the Holy Land—Arab - harem—Jerusalem—The Dead Sea—Northern - Syria—Mesopotamia—Lebanon—Tripoli—Cyprus—Worship of - Venus—Paphos—Amathusia—Crete—White Mountains—Mount - Ida—Islands of the Archipelago—Asia - Minor—Constantinople—Mount Athos—Vale of Tempé—Field - of Pharsalia—Zeitoun—Tremendous - earthquake—Thermopylæ—The - Euripus—Bœotia—Attica—Returns to England—Dies - - - _JOHN BELL_. - - Born 1690.—Died 1780. - - Born at Antermony—Embarks for Petersburg—Sets out for 125 - Persia—Descends the Volga—The - Caspian—Falcons—Extraordinary incident— - Shamakia—Tabriz—Koom—Kashan—Scorpions—Ispahan—Returns - to Petersburg—Departs for China—Arrives at - Kazan—Beehives—Fogs and frosts of - Siberia—Asbestos—Tobolsk—Swedish - prisoners—Game—Singular manuscripts—Ancient tombs or - barrows—Curious antiquities—White hares—Sable - hunters—The Baikal Lake—Mongolia—Great wall of - China—Pekin—Character of the Chinese—Fine - arts—Population—Imperial hunt—Departs from - China—Returns to Petersburg—Journey to Derbend—And to - Constantinople—Returns to Scotland—Dies - - - _JOHN LEDYARD_. - - Born 1751.—Died 1788. - - Born at Groton in North America—Early studies—Intends 163 - becoming a missionary—Escapes from college to the - woods—Returns—Again leaves college—Sails down the - Connecticut alone in a canoe—Studies theology—Becomes - a common sailor—Sails for Gibraltar—Enlists as a - soldier—Is released—Returns to America—Sails for - England—Arrives at Plymouth—Begs his way to - London—Enters into the marine corps, and accompanies - Captain Cook on his last voyage—The - Cape—New-Holland—New-Zealand—Love - adventure—Watteeoo—Tongataboo—Simple manners—Quarrels - with the natives—Tahiti—Discovery of the Sandwich - Islands—Nootka Sound—Behring’s Straits—Adventure on - Onalaska—Return to the Sandwich Islands—Death of - Cook—Returns to England—Sails for America—Leaves the - English service—Sails for France—Stay at - Paris—Proceeds to London—Disappointments—Undertakes a - journey across Siberia—Sweden—Travels round the Gulf - of Finland—Petersburg—Sets out for - Siberia—Tobolsk—Irkutsk—Yakutsk—Is arrested—Returns - to Europe—Engages to travel for the African - Association—Sails to Egypt—Dies - - - _GEORGE FORSTER_. - - Born 1750.—Died 1791. - - Birth and parentage not exactly known—Enters the civil 198 - service of the East India - Company—Madras—Calcutta—Benares—Mythology of the - Hindoos—Assumes the Mohammedan character—Sails up the - Ganges—Crosses the southern ridge of the - Himalaya—Arrives in Kashmere—Richness and beauty of - the landscape—Lake—Gardens of the Shalimar Rose of - Kashmere—Shawl manufacture—Imitations—Wool—Number - manufactured—Departs from Kashmere—Crosses the - Indus—Sleeps in a mosque, where the moollah - endeavours to rob him—Afghan cavalry—Arrives at - Pashawer—Intense heat—Joins a kafilah—Travels by - night—Mountain torrent—Drowning of a lady—Kabul—Is - seized by a fever—Recovers—Reassumes his character of - Christian—Quickly repents this step—Insults and - difficulties—Ghizni—Mahmood—Kandahar—Proceeds to - Herat—Once more assumes the Mohammedan - character—Joins a caravan—Enters Khorasan—Tremendous - cold—Poetry supplies the place of food—A - conjurer—Host of pilgrims—Descendant of - Mohammed—Anecdote—Mazenderan—Caspian - Sea—Baku—Astrakhan—Petersburg—Arrives in - England—Returns to India—Dies - - - _JAMES BRUCE_. - - Born 1730.—Died 1794. - - Born at Kinnaird—Educated at Harrow—Wishes to become a 233 - clergyman—Returns to Scotland—Becomes a - sportsman—Studies the law—Marries—Loses his - wife—Visits Spain and Portugal—Returns through - Germany and Holland—Projects an expedition against - Spain—Is appointed consul of Algiers—Travels in - Italy—Arrives in Algiers—Disputes with the dey—Leaves - Algiers—Visits Tunis and Tripoli—Is shipwrecked, and - plundered by the Bedouins—Embarks at Bengazi for - Caramania—Sails for Syria—Visits Palmyra—Embarks for - Egypt—Cairo—Transactions with the - bey—Anecdote—Ascends the Nile—The Ababde Arabs—The - Tigrè chief—Assuan—Descends the Nile—Proceeds to - Kosseir—Adventure among the Arabs—Visits the - mountains of emeralds—Crosses the Red Sea to - Jidda—Anecdote—Surveys the Red Sea—Arrives at - Masuah—Is in extreme danger—Escapes, and enters - Abyssinia—Crosses Mount Taranta—Arrives at - Dixan—Slave trade—Rich scenery—Fair in the forest - Adowa—Palace of Ras Michael—Ruins of Axum—Beautiful - scenery—Live cow eating—Monks of Waldubba—Crosses - Mount Lamalmon—Arrives at Gondar—The book of the - prophet Enoch—Visits the queen-mother—Becomes a - physician, and excites the jealousy of the monks—Has - an interview with Ras Michael—Triumphal entry of the - Ras into Gondar—Beautiful wife of the Ras—Is promoted - to a high office at court—Shoots through a shield and - a table with a piece of candle—Profligate manners of - the Abyssinians—Is appointed governor of a - district—Visits the great cataract of the Nile—Sets - out to discover the source of the Nile—Is entertained - by a rebel chief—Placed under the protection of the - Gallas—Reaches the sources of the Nile—Returns to - Gondar—Leaves Abyssinia—Traverses the deserts of - Nubia—Reaches Assuan—Descends the Nile—Embarks for - Marseilles—Arrives in England—Publishes his - Travels—Dies - - - _JONAS HANWAY_. - - Born 1712.—Died 1786. - - Born at Portsmouth—Educated in London—Apprenticed to a 301 - merchant at Lisbon—Conceives an unsuccessful - passion—Renounces all ideas of marriage—Returns to - England—Visits St. Petersburg—Appointed agent of the - Russian company in Persia—Arrives at - Lanjaron—Proceeds to Astrabad—Burning forest—Persian - compliments—City of Astrabad taken and - plundered—Loses all his merchandise—Sets out in - company with a hajji and an escort—Deserted by his - guides, and left at a fisherman’s hut—Embarks in a - canoe—Arrives at Teschidezar—Presented with a horse - by the shah’s officers—Arrives at Balfroosh—Sets out - alone for the camp of Nadir Shah—Extraordinary - privation—Dangers and difficulties—Reaches - Lanjaron—Hospitably entertained by Captain - Elton—Desolating effects of the shah’s - tyranny—Arrives at the royal camp—His tent near the - royal standard—Narrowly escapes being burnt to - death—Petitions for restitution of his - merchandise—Nadir detested by his - followers—Magnificence of the imperial camp—Splendid - equipments of his numerous army—Hanway obtains an - order for restitution of his property—Sets out on his - return to Astrabad—Beautiful scenery—Orange groves, - &c.—Curse of despotism—Loses himself in a - forest—Attacked by an enormous wolf—Deserted by his - escort—Instances of ferocious cruelty—Receives an - offer of payment in female slaves—Refuses the - offer—Regains his property—Invests it in - silks—Arrives at Moscow—Succeeds to considerable - property in England—Settles at St. - Petersburg—Establishes himself as a merchant - there—Desire of visiting home awakened—Peter I.—Dry - dock of Cronstadt—Returns to England—Resides in - London—Compiles his travels—Visits the - Continent—Opposes the naturalization of the - Jews—Promotes the paving of the streets of - London—Absurdity of the French invasion—Founds the - Marine Society—Discourages tea-drinking—Founds the - Magdalen Hospital—Ridicules the custom of _vails - giving_—Ludicrous anecdotes of this subject—Prince - Eugene—Scheme for bettering the condition of - chimney-sweeps—Laughable story—Devil taking a - holyday—Ridiculous anecdote connected with Hanway’s - frontispieces—Death—Amiable character - - - _ANTONIO DE ULLOA_. - - Born 1716.—Died 1795. - - Born at Seville—Enters into the Spanish navy—Intrusted 320 - with the conduct of an expedition for measuring a - degree of the meridian near the equator—Sails from - Cadiz—Arrives at Porto Bello—Rapid river - Chagre—Magnificent landscape—Curious trees, fruits, - birds, insects, &c.—Monkeys crossing a river—Arrives - at Panama—Employs himself in making astronomical - observations—Sails for Guayaquil—Received with - distinguished politeness—Extraordinary sufferings - from mosquitoes—Arrives at the foot of the - Andes—Mamarumi, or “mother of stone”—Beautiful - cascade—Dexterity of mules in descending the mountain - slopes—Chimborazo—Arrives at Quito—Pillars of - sand—Their fatal effects—Enormous caves—Singular - effects of the moon on the waters within them—Ascends - Pichincha—Interesting description of his encampment - there—Extraordinary manner of living—Intense - cold—Delightful serenity of those lofty - regions—Storms and tempests beneath—Difficulty of - respiration—Danger of being blown down the - precipices—Fall of enormous fragments of - rock—Violence of the wind—Snow-storms—Effects of the - climate on the limbs—Conversation painful from the - state of their lips—Curious effect of intense cold on - ardent spirits—Deserted by his attendants—Becomes - reconciled to the hardships of his situation—Proceeds - with his astronomical observations—Recalled to - Lima—War between England and Spain—Commissioned to - put the city in a state of defence—Lord Anson the - English admiral—Returns to Quito—Resumes his - scientific pursuits—Recalled to the coast—Sack of - Payta by the English fleet—Honoured with the command - of a frigate—Arrival of reinforcements—Returns to - Quito—Comet of 1744—Impatient to revisit - Europe—Embarks at Callao—Attacked by two English - privateers—Escapes—Sails for North America—Arrives at - Louisburg—Compelled to surrender to the - English—Humanity and politeness of Commodore - Warren—Sails for England as a prisoner of war—Arrives - at Portsmouth—Courtesy and generosity of Captain - Brett—Pretender—Is received with distinguished - hospitality and politeness by the Duke of Bedford, - Lord Harrington, and the Commissioners for French and - Spanish prisoners—Obtains his papers—Martin Folkes—Is - elected a member of the Royal Society—Embarks for - Lisbon—Arrives at Madrid—Flattering reception—Travels - through Europe—Receives the command of the Indian - fleet—Appointed Governor of Louisiana—Returns to - Europe—Dies in the Island of Leon - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - _THE LIVES_ - - OF - - CELEBRATED TRAVELLERS. - - - ------------------------------------ - - - - - JOSEPH PITTON DE TOURNEFORT. - - Born 1656.—Died 1708. - - -TOURNEFORT was born at Aix, in Provence, on the 5th of June, 1656. He -received the first rudiments of his education at the Jesuits’ College of -that city; where manifestations of his passion for botany, to the -gratification of which he devoted the whole of his life, appeared at a -very early age. As soon as he beheld plants, says Fontenelle, he felt -himself a botanist. He desired to learn their names; he carefully -observed their differences, and sometimes absented himself from his -class in order to botanize in the country, preferring nature to the -language of the ancient Romans, which at that time was regarded as the -principal object of education. Like the majority of those who have -distinguished themselves in any department of science or art, he was his -own master, and in a very short time had made himself acquainted with -the plants found in the environs of his native city. - -For the philosophy then taught in the schools he had but little -predilection. Being in search of nature, which was almost wholly -banished from the prevailing systems, he considered himself fortunate in -discovering accidentally among his father’s books, the works of -Descartes, which appeared to contain the philosophy which he sought. He -was not, however, permitted to enjoy this gratification openly; but his -ardour and enthusiasm were apparently exactly proportioned to the -mystery by which it was attended. - -Tournefort, being designed by his father for the church, of course -included theology in his studies, and even went so far as to enter into -a seminary. But his natural inclinations prevailed. The fathers and the -doctors of the Sorbonne were less attractive than the plants of the -field; and when he should have been engaged with - - Councils, classics, fathers, wits, - -he stole away to the garden of an apothecary of Aix, who delighted in -the same studies, and there pursued in secret the course he had chosen -for himself. But the treasures of the apothecary’s garden were soon -exhausted. It therefore soon became necessary to discover a wider field; -and as botanists, like most other mortals, consider stolen joys the -sweetest, he occasionally penetrated into forbidden grounds, and exposed -himself to the suspicion of having less exalted views than those by -which he was really actuated. In fact, being one day discovered in a -garden by some peasants, he was taken for a robber, and narrowly escaped -the fate of St. Stephen. - -There is something in the circumstances under which the science of -botany is studied, which has a tendency to confer upon it a kind of -poetical charm. It is not a sedentary pursuit. It leads the student -abroad among the most magnificent and beautiful scenery of the earth, in -all seasons, but more particularly during those in which external nature -is loveliest. That botany should be pursued with passion is, therefore, -not at all surprising; but it is difficult to understand how the -imagination should become enamoured of anatomy, which, instead of -generating cheerful and enlivening images, dwells wholly upon decay and -dissolution. Tournefort, however, associated this gloomy science with -botany, and is said to have equally delighted in both. - -The death of his father, which took place in 1677, delivered him from -theology and the church. He was now entire master of his time; and, in -order the more completely to gratify his inclinations, made a tour -through the mountains of Dauphiny and Savoy, where he collected a great -number of fine plants, which formed the nucleus of his herbarium. This -journey increasing instead of gratifying his curiosity, and probably -adding fresh vigour to his naturally robust frame, while it at the same -time enhanced his gayety, was merely the prelude to others more -adventurous and extensive. In 1769 he set out from Aix for Montpellier, -where, besides improving himself in his anatomical and medical studies, -he enjoyed all the advantages which the rich botanical garden created by -Henry IV. could afford an enlightened botanist. - -At Montpellier Tournefort remained nearly two years. He then undertook -an excursion into Spain, where he made large accessions to his herbary; -and after wandering for some time among the mountains of Catalonia, -accompanied by several physicians and young medical students, he -directed his footsteps towards the Pyrenees. Fontenelle, in speaking of -this excursion of Tournefort, seems to be principally astonished at the -intrepidity with which our traveller encountered, not the dangers, but -the cookery of the Pyrenees, which, to the Rouen epicurean, appeared -more terrible than precipices or robbers. He was quite aware, says he, -that in these vast solitudes he should find no subsistence, except such -as the most austere anchorets might have partaken, and that the wretched -inhabitants from whom even this was to be obtained were not more -numerous than the robbers who might deprive him of it. In fact, he was -more than once attacked and plundered by Spanish outlaws; and the -contrivance by which he succeeded on such occasions in concealing a -small quantity of money is sufficiently ingenious. He thrust a number of -reals into the coarse black bread which he carried about with him as his -only food, and this the robbers considered so utterly worthless that, -although by no means fastidious, they invariably relinquished it to the -traveller with extreme contempt. - -Tournefort, having thus overreached the dull-headed banditti of Spain, -roamed about at leisure through the wild regions of the Pyrenees, -climbing the most abrupt and apparently inaccessible pinnacles. New -plants, however, were found at almost every step, and the pleasure -derived from this circumstance, which none but a discoverer can -conceive, amply compensated him for the fatigues and dangers he -underwent. One day during this tour he narrowly escaped with his life: a -miserable house, in which he had taken shelter, fell down upon him, and -for two hours he lay buried under the ruins, but was at length dug out -by the peasantry. - -Towards the end of the year 1681 he returned through Montpellier to Aix, -where he classed and arranged all the plants which he had collected in -Provence, Languedoc, Dauphiny, Catalonia, the Alps, and the Pyrenees; -and the pleasure afforded him by the sight of his collection was an -ample reward for all the fatigue and danger which he experienced in -procuring it. - -Tournefort’s reputation now began to diffuse itself. M. Fagon, principal -physician to the queen, a man who ardently desired to advance the -interests of botany, learning his extraordinary merit, invited him to -Paris in 1683; and on his arrival obtained for him the place of -botanical professor in the Jardin des Plantes. This appointment, -however, by no means restrained his passion for travelling; for, -although botany was perhaps his principal object, the delight arising -from visiting new scenes was strongly associated with the weaker and -more tranquil gratification afforded by science. He therefore once more -undertook a journey into Spain, and while in Andalusia, where the -palm-tree abounds, endeavoured to penetrate the mysterious loves of the -male and female of this celebrated tree, but his researches were -unsuccessful. He proceeded next into Portugal, from whence, when the -object of his journey had been accomplished, he returned to France. - -Shortly after this he visited England and Holland, in the latter of -which countries he was invited, and even tempted by the offer of a more -liberal salary than he enjoyed at home, to take up his residence as -botanical professor. The offer was flattering, but Tournefort, persuaded -that no worldly advantages are an equivalent for a permanent exile from -home, wisely declined it. His own country was not ungrateful. In 1691 he -was made a member of the Academy of Sciences; and his reputation, which -was now rapidly gaining ground, paved the way to other more solid -advantages. - -Tournefort, notwithstanding his enthusiasm for science and thirst of -reputation, was not in haste to appear before the public as an author. -However, in 1694, having meditated profoundly and long upon the subject, -he ventured to put forth his “Elemens de Botanique, ou Méthode pour -connoître les Plantes,” which, though attacked by Ray and others, was -highly esteemed by the greater number of naturalists. He now took his -degree of M.D., and, shortly afterward, in 1698, published his history -of the plants growing in the environs of Paris, with an account of their -uses in medicine. - -Such were his employments until the year 1700, when, to adopt the -language of the times, he was commanded by the king to undertake a -journey into Greece, Asia, and Africa, not merely for the purpose of -making scientific researches, but in order to study upon the spot the -manners, customs, and opinions of the inhabitants. This long and -somewhat hazardous journey he hesitated to commence alone; for, as he -justly observes, there is nothing so melancholy as to be ill in a -foreign country, surrounded by entire strangers, ignorant of medicine -yet daring to practise. However, he very quickly found two -companions—the one a physician, the other a painter—and having made -every necessary preparation, embarked at Marseilles on the 23d of April, -1700. - -On the 3d of May they arrived at Canea, the principal port of Candia; -and Tournefort, to whom the passage had appeared exceedingly tedious, -experienced peculiar pleasure in commencing his eastern travels with the -ancient kingdom of Minos. He found the environs of the city admirable, -plains covered with forests of olive, fields richly cultivated, gardens, -vineyards, and streams fringed with myrtle and rose laurel. One small -inconvenience was felt, however, in traversing these lovely scenes. The -Turks, as usual, had laid out their cemeteries along the highway, and -not having sunk the graves to a sufficient depth, the bodies, powerfully -acted on by the sun, exhaled an extremely fetid odour, which the wind -wafted over the country, engendering noisome diseases. To add to the -chagrin occasioned by this circumstance, they found, notwithstanding the -assertions of Galen and Pliny, which had in fact tempted them into the -island, that the plants of Crete were difficult to be met with even in -Crete itself, though in the sequel the plants of the “White Mountains” -amply made up for their first disappointments. - -Tournefort, though a scholar, was by no means a classical enthusiast, -and therefore his descriptions of celebrated places may generally be -depended upon. If any thing, he was too much disposed, from a not -uncommon species of affectation, to disparage the places on which the -ancients have thrown the noblest rays of glory. From this disposition he -caricatures the Cretan Ida, which he denominates “a great ugly ass’s -back,” where you find neither landscape, nor fountain, nor stream, nor -agreeable solitude; but, instead of all these, prodigious piles of -barren rocks, surrounded by all the circumstances of desolation. From -the summit he enjoyed, indeed, an extensive prospect, but he thought it -much too dearly purchased by the fatigue of climbing so difficult a -mountain; and, in order to put himself in good-humour with the scene, -set down in the lee of a rock and made a good bowl of sherbet. - -After visiting Retimo, Candia, and the other principal cities of the -island, they made an excursion to the famous labyrinth which is hewn in -the bowels of a hill near the ancient Gortyna. This singular excavation -is entered by a rustic cavern, and conducts you by numerous windings -entirely through the mountain. Tournefort regards it as a natural cavern -enlarged by human industry. Wherever he met with any Greeks during his -journeys in this island, their manners were distinguished by the most -remarkable simplicity, men, women, and children crowding round the -strangers, admiring their dresses, or demanding medicines. - -Having satisfied his scientific curiosity respecting Candia, he -proceeded to visit the various islands of the Archipelago, which he -examined with attention. On almost every rock on which he landed some -additions were made to his botanical or antiquarian treasures, and with -this mass of materials continually accumulating, he pushed on to -Constantinople. Being desirous of comprehending the barbarous but -complex machine of the Ottoman polity, he made a considerable stay in -this city, from whence, when he conceived his object to have been -accomplished, he continued his travels towards the east, and following -the footsteps of the Argonauts, whom the ancients, he tells us, regarded -as their most famous travellers, proceeded along the southern shores of -the Black Sea towards Colchos. Our traveller performed this part of his -route in the suite of the Pasha of Erzeroom. The whole party embarked in -feluccas, the pasha with his harem in one vessel, and the remainder of -his people, together with Tournefort and his attendants, distributed in -seven others. During the voyage they frequently landed on the coast, for -the purpose of passing the night more agreeably than could have been -done on board. Tents were pitched, and those of the ladies surrounded by -ditches, and guarded by black eunuchs, whose ugly visages and fearfully -rolling eyes struck a panic into the soul of our traveller, who seems to -have regarded them as so many devils commissioned to keep watch over the -houries of paradise. - -Indeed, Tournefort, if we may take him upon his word, was exceedingly -well calculated by nature for travelling securely in the suite of a -pasha accompanied by his harem; for when he was cautioned by the great -man’s lieutenant against approaching the female quarters too nearly, or -even ascending any eminence in the vicinity, from whence their tents -might be viewed, he remarked, with apparent sincerity, that he was too -much in love with plants to think of the ladies! This was a fortunate -circumstance. Plants are everywhere to be procured, for even in the East -it has never been thought necessary to place a guard of black eunuchs -over hellebore or nightshade; but had the smile of female lips, or the -sunshine of female eyes, been necessary to his happiness, he must have -languished in hopelessness, at least while in the train of a pasha. - -Notwithstanding the nature of the government and the state of manners in -the country through which he passed, he encountered but few -difficulties, and no real dangers. He settled the geographical position -of cities, he admired the landscapes, he described the plants; but being -fully persuaded that the better part of valour is discretion, he engaged -in no adventures, and therefore the current of his life ran on as -smoothly on the shores of the Black Sea as it could have done on the -banks of the Seine or Rhone. - -On arriving at Trebizond our traveller continued his route by land; and -here he began to experience something of danger. There was no proceeding -singly through the country. Every road was beset with robbers; and, in -order to protect their persons and property, men congregated together -into caravans, small moving polities, the members of which were -temporarily bound to each other by a sense of common danger. Every man -went armed, as in an enemy’s country. On this occasion Tournefort -remarks, that there would be less danger in traversing the wild parts of -America than such countries as Turkey: for that the savages, or those -independent tribes whom we persist in regarding as such, never fell upon -any but their enemies; while in civilized and semi-barbarous countries, -robbers make no distinctions of this kind, being the declared enemies of -every person possessing property. And as for the cannibal propensities -of the former, he does not imagine that they greatly alter the case; for -when a poor wretch has been murdered, he does not perceive how it can -make any great difference to him whether he be eaten by men, or left -naked in the fields to be devoured by birds or wild beasts. - -However, the caravan in which Tournefort travelled being commanded by -the pasha in person, the robbers fled from it with as much celerity as -they followed others, for every one who was caught had his head -instantly struck off without the least delay or ceremony. This salutary -rigour, which those who tasted of the tranquillity it produced were very -far from blaming, enabled the whole party to move on perfectly at their -ease; and as great men accompanied by their harems seldom move with any -great celerity, our Franks enjoyed ample leisure for observing the face -of the country, and collecting all such curious plants as nature had -sown in the vicinity of their route. Tournefort greatly admired the -spectacle presented by the caravan when in motion. Horses, camels, -mules, some laden with merchandise, others bestrode by the rude warriors -or merchants of the East, others bearing a species of cages said to -contain women, but which, says our traveller, with evident chagrin, -might as well have contained monkeys as reasonable creatures. - -In this style they proceeded to Erzeroom, where they arrived on the 15th -of June. Winter had not yet relinquished his dominion over the land, -for, notwithstanding that the sun was exceedingly hot during the greater -part of the day, the hills in the neighbourhood were covered with snow, -large showers of which had recently fallen. The cold, as might be -expected, is very rigorous here during the winter months, so that -several persons have been known to have lost their hands and feet from -the effects of it; and although coal might probably be easily obtained, -the inhabitants suffer the more severely, inasmuch as wood, the only -fuel used, is extremely scarce and dear. These inconveniences are -equally felt by natives and foreigners; but our traveller encountered -another misfortune, which, in all probability, was confined to himself -and his companions. This affliction, which he laments like a hero, was -caused by the absence of good wines and brandies, a deprivation which -appears to have weighed far more heavily on his heart than the absence -of houries. - -From this city he made several excursions into the mountains of Armenia, -which generally continue to be covered with snow until August; and -having discovered a monastery, the monks of which possessed some -excellent wine, his spirits revived, and he began to view the country -with a less gloomy eye. Near this city are the sources of the Euphrates, -springs remarkable for their extreme coldness, and, to be rendered fit -for drinking, requiring perhaps a mixture of that nectar which our -traveller obtained from the monks of Erzeroom. To add to this enjoyment, -some very fine trouts were caught in the stream of the Euphrates, and -being cooked immediately upon the spot, and eaten with a good appetite, -were found to be particularly excellent. However, all these pleasures -were not purchased without some expense of fear, for they were now in -the country of the Koords and Yezeedis, who, roaming about the plains in -dauntless independence, regardless of pashas and eager for plunder, -would have been but too happy to have lightened the burdens of the Frank -adventurers. - -From Erzeroom, the environs of which afford a rich treasure to the -botanist, they proceeded with a caravan for Teflis, the capital of -Georgia. The country upon which they now entered was flat and well -cultivated, artificial irrigation being required, however, to maintain -fertility, without which the corn would be roasted upon the stock. In -the islands of the Archipelago, on the other hand, where the heats, he -observes, are sufficient to calcine the earth, and where it rains only -in winter, the corn is the finest in the world. This renders it clear -that all kinds of soil do not possess the same nourishing juice. The -soil of the Archipelago, like the camel, imbibes sufficient water during -the winter to serve it for a long time to come; but that of Armenia -requires to be constantly refreshed by showers or by irrigation. - -On his arrival in Georgia, we find our worthy traveller, who, during his -sojourning in the camp of the Turkish pasha, preferred plants to pretty -women, suddenly adopting a different creed, and, in order to enjoy the -sight of a fair face, spreading out a quantity of toys upon the grass, -the reputation of which it was hoped would quickly attract the ladies to -the spot. In this expectation he was not disappointed. The young women -from all the neighbourhood gathered round the merchandise; but, although -they were in possession of robust health and good forms, their beauty -fell far short of his anticipations. This is not surprising. The -imagination invariably out-runs reality; and, moreover, the travellers -who confer or take away a reputation for beauty, besides being naturally -perhaps incorrect judges, are frequently influenced by considerations -which are far from appearing on the face of their narrative. - -Having made some short stay at Teflis, he proceeded on an excursion to -Mount Ararat, famous throughout all the East as the spot on which the -ark rested after the flood; after which he once more directed his -footsteps towards the west, returned to Erzeroom, and thence proceeded -by way of Tocat and Angora to Smyrna. From this city, after visiting -Ephesus, Scalanouva, and Samos, he sailed for Marseilles, where he -arrived on the 3d of June, 1702. - -It was originally intended that our traveller should have included a -large portion of Africa within the limits of his tour, but the plague -raging at that period in Egypt deterred him from proceeding into that -country. However, he was already, if we may believe M. Fontenelle, -loaded with the spoils of the East, and could afford to relinquish Egypt -to some future adventurer, for whom the plague might have fewer terrors. -The number of plants which he discovered was certainly very -considerable, amounting to not less than 1356 species, of which the far -greater number naturally arranged themselves under the 673 genera which -he had previously established, while for the remainder he created 25 new -genera, but no new class. The rest of Tournefort’s life was spent in -preparing the account of his travels for the press, but he did not live -to see their publication. A blow in the breast, which he accidentally -received, reduced him to a languishing and weak condition, and hastened -his death, which took place on the 28th of December, 1708. His travels, -printed at the Louvre, appeared shortly afterward in two volumes quarto, -and have always maintained a considerable reputation. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - DR. THOMAS SHAW. - - Born 1692—Died 1751. - - -THIS curious and learned traveller was the son of Mr. Gabriel Shaw, of -Kendal, in Westmoreland, where he was born in the year 1692. The first -rudiments of his education, which appears to have been carefully -conducted, he received at the grammar-school of his native town, from -whence, in 1711, he removed to Queen’s College, Oxford. Here he took the -degree of B.A. in 1716, and that of M.A. three years after. In the -course of the same year he went into orders, and was appointed chaplain -to the English factory at Algiers. As he has left no account of the mode -in which he reached the point of destination, it is uncertain whether he -proceeded to Africa wholly by sea, or performed a portion of the journey -by land; but as it is certain that he was in Italy, where, among other -places, he visited Rome, it is probable that it was upon this occasion -that he traversed the continent of Europe, taking ship at some port of -Italy for Algiers, where he arrived about the end of 1719, or early in -the beginning of the year following. This city, which has long been an -object of considerable curiosity to Europeans, I have already described, -at least as it existed in the sixteenth century, in the life of Leo -Africanus; and therefore shall merely observe upon the present occasion, -that at the period of Shaw’s residence it was a small though populous -city, not exceeding a mile and a half in circumference, but computed to -contain little less than one hundred and twenty thousand inhabitants. Of -antiquities, the peculiar objects of our traveller’s researches, it -could boast but few specimens, though his practised eye discerned upon -the tower of the great mosque several broken inscriptions, the letters -of which, however, were either so inverted or filled up with lime and -whitewash, that nothing could be made of them. - -The environs are remarkable for their beauty, consisting of a rapid -succession of hills and valleys, sprinkled with gardens and villas, to -which the more wealthy among the citizens retire during the heats of -summer. From these little white houses, perched in picturesque -situations among evergreen woods and groves of fruit-trees, the -inhabitants enjoy a gay and delightful prospect of the sea; while to -those who sail along the shore these woods, villas, and gardens present -a no less cheerful and animated scene. The springs which rise in these -hills, and confer beauty and fertility upon the whole landscape, -likewise furnish the city with an abundance of excellent water, which is -conveyed to the public fountains through a long course of pipes and -conduits. - -Having remained about a year at Algiers, in the exercise of his -professional duties, he was enabled, I know not how, to quit his post -for a time, in order to satisfy the desire he felt of visiting Egypt and -Syria. His voyage to Egypt, however, was ill-timed, for he arrived in -the midst of summer, when, for the most part, the heat is excessive, the -sands heated like the ashes of an oven, and the whole vegetation of the -country exceedingly parched and withered. In approaching the low and -level coast, no part of which could be seen from any considerable -distance at sea, the mariners, he observes, conjectured how far they -were from land by the depth of the water, the number of fathoms usually -answering to the same number of leagues. The portion of the shore lying -between Tineh, the ancient Pelusium, and Damietta, was so exceedingly -low and full of lakes and morasses, that, in his opinion, it answered -exactly to the etymology of its names; Tineh, from _tin_ (Heb. טִין), -_clay_ or _mud_, and Pelusium (Gr. πηλούσιον), from _pelus_ πηλός -^{TN}), a word of the same signification! With etymological conjectures -such as these our curious traveller amused himself on drawing near the -shores of Egypt. At length, however, he arrived at Alexandria, where, -regarding every thing modern as so many vain dreams unworthy the -attention of a learned traveller, he discovered nothing striking or -curious but the shattered walls, the cisterns, and other splendid -vestiges of antiquity. - -From Alexandria he sailed up the Nile to Cairo, and found travelling -upon this “moving road,” as Pascal beautifully terms a navigable river, -an extremely agreeable diversion. At every winding of the stream, says -he, such a variety of villages, gardens, and plantations present -themselves to our view, that from Rosetta to Cairo, and from thence all -the way down by the other branch, to Damietta, we see nothing but crowds -of people, or continued scenes of plenty and abundance. The many -turnings of the river make the distance from Cairo to each of those -cities near two hundred miles, though in a direct road it will scarce -amount to half that number. - -Grand Cairo, notwithstanding the magnificence of its name, he found much -inferior in extent to several European capitals, though as the -inhabitants lived in a close and crowded manner, it was exceedingly -populous. Its principal curiosities, in his estimation, were contained -within the castle situated on Mount Mocattem, and consisted of a -spacious hall, adorned with a double row of vast Thebaic columns, and a -wall about two hundred and sixty feet in depth, with a winding staircase -descending to the bottom, hewn out in the solid rock; both of which -works are attributed by the Mohammedans to the patriarch Joseph. At the -village of Ghizah, directly opposite Cairo, on the Libyan or western -bank of the Nile, he supposed himself to have discovered the site of -ancient Memphis, which Dr. Pococke, Bruce, and others place at -Metraheny, several miles farther southward. From the discussion of this -point, in which, whether right or wrong, our author displays a profusion -of learning and very considerable ingenuity, he proceeds, through a -series of equally learned dissertations, to the origin and destination -of the pyramids. The magnitude, structure, and aspect of these -prodigious edifices, which have withstood the united attacks of -barbarism and the elements through a period of unknown duration, have -frequently been described with picturesque and nervous eloquence, though -it is probable that the impression which the actual contemplation of -them produces upon the imagination is not susceptible of being -represented by language. Satirical or calculating writers have stood at -the foot of these ancient temples, for such, I think, they should be -considered, and laughed at the ambition or folly, as they term it, which -prompted their founders to rear them, because their names and purposes -are now become an enigma. Yet it is probable, that from the day on which -they were erected until the present, few persons have beheld them -towering above the plain of the desert, reflecting back the burning sun -of noon, or throwing their morning or evening shadows over the sand, -without being smitten with a sense of the sublime, and experiencing in -their hearts a secret pride at the boldness and elevation of their -founders’ conception. And this feeling will be heightened into something -of a religious character, if, rejecting, the vulgar notion of their -being nothing but royal tombs, we suppose, what might, I think, be all -but demonstrated, that they were originally temples dedicated to the -passive generative power of nature, the Bhavani of the Hindoos, the -Athor-Isis of the Egyptians, and the Aphrodite and Venus of the Greeks -and Romans. To Dr. Shaw, however, this theory did not present itself. He -was contented with the old idea, suggested by the etymology of the word, -that they might, perhaps, have been fire-temples; but he observes that -the mouth of the pyramids, as well as the end of the mystic chest in the -interior, points to the north, the original _Kiblah_, or -“praying-point,” of the whole human race. Other sacred edifices of -Egypt, as Herodotus observes, had their doors on the northern side; the -table of shew-bread was placed in the same situation in the tabernacle; -and in Hindostan the piety or the superstition of the people points in -the same direction. - -Of the animals of Egypt which, from the frequent mention made of them in -classical literature, are regarded as curiosities, the most remarkable, -as the hippopotamus, the crocodile, and the ibis, are now exceedingly -rare. Indeed, though the crocodile is sometimes found above the -cataracts, it is totally unknown to those who live lower down the river, -and the hippopotamus and the ibis, the latter of which was once so -plentiful, may be regarded as extinct in Egypt. To make some amends for -these losses, there is a great abundance of storks, which, as they are -every winter supposed to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, are, according to -Lady Montague, regarded as so many hajjîs by the Turks. When about to -migrate from the country, it is observed that they constantly assemble -together from the circumjacent regions in a vast plain, where, in the -opinion of the inhabitants, they daily hold a divan, or council, for -about a fortnight before their departure; after which they rise at once -upon the wing, marshal themselves into close compact bodies of -prodigious dimensions, and then, putting themselves in motion, float -away like dusky clouds of many miles in length upon the wind. The aspic, -one of which opened the voluptuous Cleopatra a way to the court of -Proserpine, is still very numerous in the sandy and mountainous -districts on both sides of the Nile. This reptile, now called the -cerastes, is capable of existing for an incredible length of time -without food; at least if we can rely upon the veracity of Gabrieli, an -Italian gentleman, who showed our traveller a couple of these vipers, -which he had kept, he said, five years in a large crystal vessel, -without any visible sustenance. “They were usually coiled up,” says the -doctor, “in some fine sand, which was placed in the bottom of the -vessel; and when I saw them they had just cast their skins, and were as -brisk and lively as if newly taken. The horns of this viper are white -and shining, in shape like to half a grain of barley, though scarce of -that bigness.” The warral, a gentle and docile species of lizard, which -appeared to be inspired with violent emotions of delight by the sounds -of music, he beheld keeping exact time and motion with the dervishes in -their rotatory dances, running over their heads and arms, turning when -they turned, and stopping when they stopped. These timid practitioners, -however, who thus charm or tame this small and apparently innoxious -creature, are mere children compared with those daring adepts of -Hindostan who, by the force of spells or skill, compel the cobra di -capello, the most deadly and terrible of reptiles, to rear himself in -spiry volumes, and dance, or rather wriggle, like a Nautch girl, for the -amusement of the crowd. But the Egyptian charmers did something better -with serpents and other reptiles than teaching them to dance; they -converted them into articles of food; and Dr. Shaw was assured that in -Cairo and its neighbourhood there were not less than forty thousand -persons who subsisted entirely upon serpents and lizards. Locusts are a -delicacy in Barbary; crickets, fried in sesamum oil, in Siam; and a dish -of human brains is an Apician morsel in New-Zealand. Nay, we are told -that certain Roman epicures, who were very far from regarding themselves -as cannibals, were in the habit of drowning slaves in their fish-ponds, -that by feeding upon their bodies the fish might acquire a superior -flavour and richness. The Abyssinians, who cut beefsteaks from a living -cow, belong to this family of gourmands; and those rebel janizaries of -Tunis who cut their bey into kabobs, and ate him for a relish, as Dr. -Shaw relates, may be said to have pushed this strange, irregular -appetite nearly as far as it can be carried. However, the serpent-eaters -of Cairo, besides the gratification of their preposterous fancy, have a -religious motive, as the being addicted to this curious diet entitles -them, among other religious privileges, to the honour of attending more -immediately upon the hanging of black silk which is annually sent to the -temple of Mecca. - -In reiterated endeavours to discern through the mists of three thousand -years the ancient condition of Egypt, physical and moral, our traveller -consumed the time between July and September, in which month he departed -from Cairo on his visit to Mount Sinai and the Red Sea. All travellers -who have journeyed through this wilderness speak with terror of the -dreary desolation and barrenness of the scene. Vegetation is here dead. -Even the dews and showers of heaven fall in vain. They drench the sands -without fertilizing them, and, sinking down into the earth, disappear, -leaving no trace behind. On the skirts of the desert, and upon a few -widely-scattered points, two or three hardy plants, stunted by the -drought, scorched during the day by the intense heat of the sun, and -shrivelled up with piercing cold by night, look like a few miserable -stragglers found in a country depopulated by war and famine. Upon -quitting the valley of the Nile, which is nowhere very broad, the -caravan with which Shaw travelled proceeded directly east through the -desert towards Suez, the atmosphere being perfectly clear and serene; a -fortunate circumstance, as the heavens were every night their only -covering, a carpet spread on the sand their bed, and a bundle of clothes -their pillow. In this situation they were nightly wet to the skin by the -copious dew, though, such is the salubrity of the climate, their health -was not in the least impaired by it. When they had arrived at their -halting-place, and were about to lie down to sleep, the camels were -caused to kneel down in a circle about their resting-place, with their -faces pointing outwards, and their load and saddle piled up behind them, -and being naturally so wakeful as to be roused from sleep by the least -noise, they served their masters instead of a guard. - -As in so wild and steril a country the purchasing of provisions as they -might be wanted on the way was of course out of the question, they were -obliged to furnish themselves in Egypt with a stock sufficient for their -consumption during the whole journey. In most countries nature supplies -man wherewith to quench his thirst, without his experiencing the -necessity of exercising his foresight or taxing his ingenuity, by -lavishly scattering about her refreshing springs over the earth, or by -suspending, as in the forests of Brazil, diminutive vegetable reservoirs -in the thicket, where he may always calculate upon finding the requisite -quantity of cool pure water. But in Arabia this rule does not hold. Our -traveller, therefore, upon commencing his journey, took care to provide -himself with a sufficient number of goat-skins, which were replenished -every four or five days, or oftener, if wells were met with. Wine, -likewise, and brandy, together with wheatflour, rice, biscuit, honey, -oil, vinegar, olives, lentils, potted flesh, and such other articles of -food as would keep sweet and wholesome during two months, were laid in; -as well as barley, with a few beans intermixed, which, with balls made -of the flour of the one or both of them, and a little water, constituted -the whole sustenance of the camels. Their kitchen furniture consisted of -a copper pot and wooden bowl, in the former of which they cooked, and -from the latter ate their food, or kneaded therein their unleavened -cakes. When the caravan halted for the purpose of cooking their -breakfast or dinner, the dung left by the camels of preceding travellers -was carefully gathered up, there being no wood; and this, when it had -been a few days exposed to the sun, took fire quickly, and burned like -charcoal. Their food being prepared, whether it was potted flesh boiled -with rice, a lentil-soup, or unleavened cakes, served up with oil or -honey, one of the Arabs belonging to the party, not, as the Scripture -says, “to eat his morsel alone,” placing himself upon the highest spot -of ground in the neighbourhood, called out thrice, with a loud voice to -all his brethren, “the Sons of the Faithful,” to come and partake of it; -though none of them, says the traveller, were in view or perhaps within -a hundred miles of them. The custom, however, is maintained as a mark of -benevolence, and, when an opportunity occurs, of their hospitality. - -Upon arriving at the fountain of Elim, two leagues to the west of Suez, -they found it brackish, and though there were several large troughs for -the convenience of watering cattle, it was not considered wholesome, and -the people of the neighbourhood preferred the waters of the Ain el -Mousa, or “Fountain of Moses,” two leagues east of the city, which are -lukewarm and sulphureous, and spout up like an artificial fountain from -the earth,—a circumstance which Dr. Shaw thinks is no other way to be -accounted for than by deducing their origin from the “great abyss!” The -distance between Cairo and Suez is about ninety Roman miles, which the -Israelites, according to Josephus, though the Scriptures are silent on -the subject, traversed in three days, which, considering that they were -encumbered with aged persons and children, Dr. Shaw thinks exceedingly -improbable. The time employed in his own traject he does not mention; -but observes that upon every little eminence on the road, as well as in -the mountains of Libya near Egypt, great quantities of echini, as well -as of bivalve and turbinated shells, were to be found, most of which -corresponded exactly with their respective families still preserved in -the Red Sea. The old walls of Suez, as well as the ruins of the village -of Ain el Mousa, are full of fossil shells, which, as Xenophon remarks -in the Anabasis, was the case with the walls of certain castles on the -confines of Curdistan. - -Having turned the point of the Red Sea at Suez, they proceeded towards -the south, having the sea on their right, and the broken plain of the -desert on the left. In the tongue of land improperly called the -“Peninsula of Mount Sinai,” lying between the Sea of Suez and the Gulf -of Akaba, over which they were now moving, the danger, while the whole -caravan kept together, was not great, as opportunities of plunder being -unfrequent, robbers had not sufficient motives for establishing -themselves there. The chances of danger being thus diminished, our -traveller became imboldened to overstep the limits of prudence, and -yielding to his passion for collecting plants and other curiosities, -lagged behind, or wandered from the caravan. Scarcely, however, had he -tasted the sweets of feeling himself alone in the boundless wilderness, -a pleasure more poignant and tumultuous than can be conceived by those -who have never experienced it, than he beheld three robbers start up, as -it were, from the sand, and rush upon him. Resistance was out of the -question. The ruffians immediately seized him, and tearing off his -clothes, mean and ragged as they were, two of them began to fight for -the possession of them. Meanwhile he stood by, naked, a spectator of the -fray, apprehensive that their natural ferocity being aggravated by -strife and contention, they might terminate their quarrel by plunging -their daggers in his heart. Providence, however, had otherwise -determined. The third robber, taking compassion upon his forlorn and -helpless condition, allowed him to escape; and after wandering about -among the naked rocks and burning sands for some time, he fortunately -overtook the caravan. - -For several days the sky, as I have already observed, was serene, and -the weather beautiful; but on their arriving at Wady Gharendel, a small -stream which flows into the Red Sea, a few leagues south of Suez, they -observed that the tops of the mountains, which now flanked their road on -both sides, were at intervals capped with clouds, which sometimes -remained stationary during the whole day. This disposition of the -atmosphere was soon after succeeded by a violent tempest. A canopy of -dark clouds extended itself over the earth—the lightning flashed -incessantly—the thunder rolled along the sky—and the rain descended -throughout the night with all the weight and fury of a tropical storm. -Such tempests, however, are exceedingly rare in that part of Arabia, -though they are not, as Burckhardt observes, at all uncommon in the -Hejaz; nor, according to Niebuhr, is Yemen much less liable to them. But -in the neighbourhood of Mount Sinai there is usually one uniform course -of weather throughout the year, the winds blowing briskly during the -day, and decreasing with the decrease of light. In the level parts of -the desert, where the plain was as unbroken as a calm sea, our traveller -observed that curious phenomenon called the _mirage_, or mimic lake, -every object within the circumference of which appeared to be magnified -in an extraordinary manner, so that a shrub might be taken for a tree, -and a flock of birds for a caravan of camels. This seeming collection of -waters always advanced about a quarter of a mile before the observers, -while the intermediate space was one continued glow, occasioned by the -quivering undulating motion of that quick succession of vapours and -exhalations which were extracted from the earth by the powerful -influence of the sun. The few real springs of water which occurred on -the road were all of them either brackish or sulphureous; yet the water -they afford is so extremely wholesome, and so provocative of appetite, -that few persons are ever afflicted with sickness in traversing these -wild inhospitable scenes. - -Among the curiosities which are scattered by the liberal hand of nature -even over these deserts may be enumerated certain beautiful flints and -pebbles, which are superior to Florentine marble, and, in many -instances, equal to the Mokha stone, in the variety of their figures and -representations. Locusts, hornets, and vipers were numerous; and the -lizards seem to have considerably amused the loitering members of the -caravan by their active movements and spotted skins. Of birds the only -ones seen by Shaw were the percnopterus and the dove, as the graceful -and beautiful antelope was the only animal; but the ostrich, which he -seems to consider neither a bird nor a beast, is the grand ranger, says -he, and ubiquitarian of the deserts, from the Atlantic Ocean to the very -utmost skirts of Arabia, and perhaps far beyond it to the east. Of the -white hares, like those found in the Alps and other cold regions, which -some travellers have observed in this peninsula, Dr. Shaw saw no -specimen; neither did he meet with any badgers, though, from the -frequent mention made of their skins in Exodus, this animal must -formerly have abounded here. Nothing, however, seems to have kindled up -a poetical fervour in the mind of our traveller like the ostrich, and -the magnificent description of its nature and peculiarities which occurs -in the book of Job. “When these birds,” he observes, “are surprised by -coming suddenly upon them, while they are feeding in some valley, or -behind some rocky or sandy eminence in the desert, they will not stay to -be curiously viewed and examined. They afford an opportunity only of -admiring at a distance the extraordinary agility and the stateliness -likewise of their motions, the richness of their plumage, and the great -propriety there was of ascribing to them ‘an expanded, quivering wing.’ -Nothing certainly can be more beautiful and entertaining than such a -sight! the wings, by their repeated though unwearied vibrations, equally -serving them for sails and oars; while their feet, no less assisting in -conveying them out of sight, are no less insensible of fatigue.” - -It was at Gharendel that he supposed the Israelites to have met with -those “bitter waters,” or “waters of Marah,” mentioned in Exodus; and he -observes that the little rill which is still found in that place has a -brackish taste, unless diluted by the dews and rains. Proceeding thirty -leagues southward from this place, without meeting with any thing -remarkable, they arrived at Elim, upon the northern skirts of the desert -of Sin, where, as the Scriptures relate, the Israelites found twelve -wells of water and seventy palm-trees. Of the wells our traveller could -discern nine only remaining, the other three having been filled up by -the sand; but the seventy palm-trees had multiplied to upwards of two -thousand, and under their shade was the “Hummum, or Bath of Moses,” -which the inhabitants of the neighbouring port of Tor held in great -veneration. Here they enjoyed the first view of Mount Sinai, rearing its -rugged summit above the plain, and overlooking the whole surrounding -country. The traject of the desert of Sin occupied nine hours, and they -were nearly twelve hours more in threading the winding and difficult -ways which divide that desert from the plain of Sinai. At length, -however, they reached the convent of St. Catherine, supposed to be built -over the place where Moses saw the angel of the Lord in the burning -bush, when he was guarding the flocks of Jethro. This convent, or rather -fortress, is nearly three hundred feet square, and upwards of forty in -height, constructed partly with stone, partly with earth and mortar. The -more immediate place of the Shekinah is marked by a little chapel, which -the monks, who are of the order of St. Basil, regard with so remarkable -a degree of veneration, that, in imitation of Moses, they take their -shoes from off their feet whenever they enter it. This, with many other -chapels dedicated to various saints, is included within what is called -the “Church of the Transfiguration,” a spacious and beautiful structure, -covered with lead, and supported by a double row of marble columns. - -The door of this convent is opened only when the archbishop, who -commonly resides at Cairo, comes to be installed; and therefore our -travellers, like all other pilgrims, were drawn up by a windlass to a -window, nearly thirty feet from the ground, where they were admitted by -some of the lay brothers. From a notion which prevails but too generally -among mankind, that holiness consists in thrusting aside, as it were, -the gifts which the hand of Providence holds out to us, the poor men who -immure themselves in this wild prison condemn their bodies to -extraordinary privations and hardships, not only abstaining, like -Brahmins, from animal food, but likewise from the less sinful -indulgences of butter, milk, and eggs. With an inconsistency, however, -from which even the Pythagoreans of Hindostan are not altogether free, -shellfish, crabs, and lobsters are not included within the pale of their -superstitious humanity; and of these they accordingly partake as often -as they can obtain a supply from their sister convent at Tor, or from -Menah el Dizahab. Their ordinary food consists of bread, or biscuit, -olives, dates, figs, parched pulse, salads, oil, vinegar, to which, on -stated days, half a pint of date brandy is added. - -From this convent to the top of Mount Sinai, a perpendicular height, -according to our traveller, of nearly seven thousand two hundred feet, -there was formerly a stone staircase, built by the Empress Helena; but -in many places the effects of her pious munificence have disappeared, -and the ascent of the mountain is now considered by the monks -sufficiently difficult to be imposed as a severe penance upon their -pilgrims and votaries. Dr. Shaw did not, when he had reached it, find -the summit very spacious, nor does he seem to have greatly enjoyed the -extensive view which it commands over scenes rendered profoundly -interesting and memorable by the wanderings of the children of Israel. -On descending into the desert of Rephidim, on the western side of the -mountain, he was shown the rock of Meribah, from which Moses caused -water to gush forth by the stroke of his wand. It was about six yards -square, lying tottering, as it were, and loose near the middle of the -valley, and seemed to have been formerly a part or cliff of Mount Sinai, -which hangs in a variety of precipices all over this plain. The waters -had now ceased to flow, but the channel they had once occupied remained, -incrustated, to borrow the doctor’s expression, like the inside of a -tea-kettle that has been long used, and covered with several mossy -productions, whose life and verdure were preserved by the dew. - -Having terminated his researches in these desert scenes, which seem to -have thrown new light upon numerous points of sacred geography, our -traveller returned to Cairo, descended the Nile, and proceeding by sea -to Syria, arrived in that country about the commencement of December, -1721. Here he seems, for he has left no exact account of his movements, -to have pursued nearly the same route with Maundrell, whose description -he regarded as so accurate in general, that he merely noticed such -places and things as had either been omitted or imperfectly represented -by that traveller. Though it was the middle of winter when he passed -through Syria and Phœnicia, the aspect of the country was verdant and -cheerful, particularly the woods, which chiefly consisted of the -gall-bearing oak, at the roots of which the turf was gemmed with -anemones, ranunculuses, colchicums, and the _dudaim_ or mandrakes. The -air here, as in Barbary, is temperate, and the climate healthy; and, in -like manner, westerly winds bring rain, while the east winds, blowing -over immeasurable tracts of land, are generally dry though hazy and -tempestuous. - -The excursions of our traveller in this country appear to have been few -and timid, and he remarks, apparently as an apology for this -circumstance, that it was necessary to be upon all occasions attended by -a numerous escort; for that numerous bands of Arabs, from fifty to five -hundred in number, scoured the plains in every direction in search of -booty. But even the presence of an escort was not always a safeguard; -for the caravan with which Dr. Shaw travelled to Jerusalem, consisting -of at least six thousand pilgrims, protected by three or four hundred -spahis and four bands of Turkish infantry, with the mutsellim, or -general, at their head, was attacked by one of the marauding parties, -and treated with the greatest insult and barbarity. Scarcely was there a -pilgrim out of so great a number who was not robbed of part of his -clothes or of his money; and those who had not much of either to lose -were beaten unmercifully with their pikes or javelins. Our traveller -himself was not allowed to remain a mere spectator of the scene, for -when the banditti had taken possession of the visible wealth of the -party, correctly judging that there still remained a considerable -portion which had been adroitly concealed, he was forcibly carried off -among the hostages, which they seized upon to ensure a ransom, to -Jeremiel or Anashoth. In this desperate position he remained all night, -exposed to barbarities and insults, and it is exceedingly probable that -his captivity would have been of much longer duration, had not the Aga -of Jerusalem, with a numerous body of troops, next morning attacked his -captors and set him at liberty. - -Having visited the several holy places in and about Jerusalem, -Bethlehem, Jericho, and the Jordan, he returned, in April, 1722, towards -the seacoast; and in journeying by night through the valleys of Mount -Ephraim, was attended for about an hour by an _ignis fatuus_, which -assumed a variety of extraordinary appearances. Sometimes, says the -traveller, it was globular, or else pointed, like the flame of a candle; -afterward it would spread itself, and involve their whole company in its -pale inoffensive light; then at once contract and suddenly disappear. -But in less than a minute it would begin again to exert itself as -before, running along from one place to another with great swiftness, -like a train of gunpowder set on fire; or else it would spread and -expand itself over two or three acres of the adjacent mountains, -discovering every shrub and tree which grew upon them. The atmosphere -from the beginning of the evening had been remarkably thick and hazy, -and the dew, as they felt upon their bridles, was unusually clammy and -unctuous. This curious meteor our traveller supposes to be of the same -nature with those luminous bodies which skip about the masts and yards -of ships at sea, and known among sailors by the name of _corpo santo_, -as they were by that of Castor and Pollux among the ancients. - -While the ship in which he had embarked was lying under Mount Carmel, -about the middle of April, he beheld three extraordinary flights of -storks, proceeding from Egypt towards the north-east, each of which took -up more than three hours in passing, while it was at the same time -upwards of half a mile in breadth![1] During cloudy weather, and when -the winds happen, as they frequently do, to blow from different quarters -at the same time, waterspouts are often seen upon the coast of Syria, -particularly in the neighbourhood of Capes Latikea, Grego, and Carmel. -Those which Dr. Shaw had an opportunity of observing seemed, he says, to -be so many cylinders of water falling down from the clouds, though by -the reflection, as he imagined, of the descending columns, as from the -actual dropping of the water contained in them, they sometimes -_appeared_, especially at a distance, to be sucked up from the sea. -Before we return with our traveller to Barbary, it may be worth the -while to notice a remark which he made upon the economy of silk-worms in -Syria: there being some danger that, owing to the heat of the climate in -the plains, the eggs should be hatched before nature has prepared their -proper food, the inhabitants regularly send them, as soon as they are -laid, to Conobine, or some other place on Mount Libanus, where their -hatching is delayed by the cold until the mulberry buds are ready for -them in the spring. In Europe, on the contrary, the mulberry leaves put -forth before the eggs of the silk-worm feel the influence of the sun; -and at Nice, where many silk-worms are bred, it is the custom, as Dr. -Smollet informs us, in order to hasten the process of hatching, to -enclose the eggs in small linen bags, which are worn by the women in -their bosoms until the worms begin to appear. - -Footnote 1: - - Catesby, in his account of Carolina, gives a no less extraordinary - description of the flights of pigeons:—“In Virginia I have seen the - pigeons of passage fly in such continued trains, three days - successively, that there was not the least interval in losing sight of - them, but that some where or other in the air they were to be seen - continuing their flight south. When they roost (which they do on one - another’s backs), they often break down the limbs of oaks by their - weight, and leave their dung some inches thick under the trees they - roost upon.”—P. 23. - -It should have been remarked, that previously to his visit to Syria he -had sailed to the island of Cyprus, where he seems to have visited -Limesol and the principal places on the coast; but of this part of his -travels no detailed account remains. Setting sail from Acra, he -traversed the Ægean, coasted along Peloponnesus, and passing between -Malta and Sicily, without touching at either, arrived safe at Bona, in -the kingdom of Algiers. - -Thenceforward his excursions were confined to the coast of Barbary, and -as these appear to have been undertaken at various intervals by way of -relaxation and amusement, to vary a course of life in itself remarkably -monotonous, he did not judge them worthy of being particularly -described. He observes, however, in general, that in all the maritime -towns of Africa and the Levant where there were British factories he was -received with distinguished hospitality, enjoying, not only the use of -the houses of the English residents, but likewise of their horses, -janizaries, and servants. In the interior of Barbary, where there were -no Europeans, the style of hospitality was different. Here there was a -house set apart for the reception of strangers, in which they were -lodged and entertained for one night at the public expense, having the -attendance and protection of an officer appointed for the purpose. -Occasionally, when neither towns nor villages appeared, they lodged more -romantically in a cavern, beneath the shelf of a rock, under the arches -of ancient cisterns, or in a grove of trees; and at other times threw -themselves upon the bare sand, and made the sky their mantle. When they -happened to fall in with an Arab encampment, or _douar_, as it is termed -in Barbary, they were almost invariably entertained with hospitality, -the master of the tent in which they lodged killing a kid or a goat, a -lamb or a sheep, according to the number of his guests, and causing the -half of it to be immediately seethed by his wife, while the remainder -was cut into _kabobs_, or small pieces, and roasted for the travellers -to take away with them next day. On these occasions, if his hosts were -particularly obliging, and entertained him with “savoury” viands, our -traveller would generally, he says, present the master of the tent with -a knife, a couple of flints, or a small quantity of English gunpowder, -and the _lallah_, or lady, with “a skein of thread, a large needle, or a -pair of scissors.” An ordinary silk handkerchief of two shillings value, -he adds, was a present for a princess. - -During his residence at Algiers, but in what year I have been unable to -discover, he seems to have married the widow of Mr. Edward Holden, -formerly consul of that place, who outlived him, and erected a monument -to his memory. In 1723, the year after his return from Syria, a violent -earthquake was felt at Algiers, which threw down a number of houses, and -stopped the course of several fountains; but in the year following a -still more violent shock was felt, which seems to have shaken the whole -coast, while the air was clear and temperate, and the quick-silver -standing at the greatest height. At such times the barometer, he -observes, was not affected with any sudden alterations, nor was there -any remarkable change in the air, which was neither more calm nor windy, -hazy, nor serene, than at other times. During the same year, while -sailing in an Algerine cruiser of fifty guns towards Cape Bona, he felt -an earthquake at sea, which produced so prodigious a concussion in the -ship, that at each shock a weight of twenty or thirty tons appeared to -have fallen from a vast height upon the ballast. At this time they were -five leagues to the south of the Seven Capes, and could not reach ground -with a line of two hundred fathoms. - -In the year 1727 he visited the kingdom of Tunis, which was not, he -observes, divided, like Algiers, into provinces, governed each by a -provincial bey, but was wholly under the immediate inspection of the -bey, who annually made the circuit of his dominions with a flying camp, -and collected the tribute. The seacoast, the Zeugitania of the ancients, -was more thickly inhabited, and exhibited more contentment, prosperity, -and other marks of good government than any portion of the neighbouring -kingdom. Upon arriving at Biserta, Utica, and the ruins of Carthage, Dr. -Shaw throws open the floodgates of his learning, in endeavouring to -determine the extent of the encroachments made by the mud of the Bagrada -upon the sea, the site of the little city which Cato rendered -illustrious by his death, and the circumference and topography of Dido’s -capital. Bochart, with a still greater luxuriance of quotation, had, by -comparing the testimony of the ancients, determined its circumference to -have been nearly forty-five miles; but according to Dr. Shaw, the -peninsula upon which it stood does not much exceed thirty miles in -circumference, and the city, he thinks, could never lay claim to above -half that extent. However, as at the beginning of the Punic war the -number of its inhabitants is said to have amounted to seven hundred -thousand, while it was pronounced by Suidas the largest and most -powerful city upon earth, I cannot believe it to have been no more than -fifteen miles in circumference, an extent not at all answerable to the -idea which the ancients have left us of its greatness. It seems -probable, therefore, that our traveller’s survey was hastily and -imperfectly performed. - -Quitting these renowned ruins, he proceeded towards Tunis, coasting -along the lake, formerly a deep and extensive port, which stretches out -before the capital, and communicates by a narrow channel with the sea. -The water in this large basin nowhere exceeds seven feet in depth, while -the bottom for nearly a mile round the whole sweep of the shore is -generally dry and noisome, the common sewers of Tunis discharging -themselves into this great receptacle. At a distance, however, the -prospect of the lake is not without beauty, its surface being frequently -enlivened by large flocks of the flamingo, or phœnicopterus, the bird to -which the Hindoo legislator compares a beautiful young woman. It is -likewise celebrated for the number and size of its mullets, which are -reckoned the sweetest in Barbary, and the roes of which, when pressed, -dried, and salted, are called _botargo_, and considered a great -delicacy. - -The city of Tunis, situated upon an acclivity on the western shore of -the lake, and commanding a fine view of the ruins of Carthage, and of -the circumambient sea, as Livy expresses it, as far as the island -Ægimurus, the modern Zembra, being surrounded by lakes and marshes, -would be exceedingly insalubrious were not the effects of the miasmata -in a great measure counteracted by the vast quantities of mastic, -myrtle, rosemary, and other gummy and aromatic plants which grow in the -neighbourhood, and being used as firewood to warm their baths and ovens, -communicate a sensible fragrance to the air. Tunis, however, is -absolutely destitute of water, having, as Leo Africanus observes, -neither rivulet, fountain, nor well; and the inhabitants are -consequently reduced to rely upon what they can catch in cisterns when -it rains, or upon what is brought into the city from a brackish well in -the vicinity in leathern bags, and sold about the streets as a precious -article of traffic. The Tunisians, our traveller observes, are the most -civilized people of Barbary, agreeable in their intercourse with -strangers, and coveting rather than shunning, like other Mohammedans, -all occasions of coming into contact with Christians. The population of -the city at this period was said to exceed three hundred thousand; no -doubt an extravagant exaggeration, as the circumference of the place did -not much exceed three miles. - -From this city our traveller continued his journey towards the east, and -passing by Rhodes, the ancient Ades, Solyman, and Masourah, arrived at -the sanctuary of Sidi Daoud, situated among the ruins of the ancient -Nishna. Here he was shown the tomb of the saint, which was found upon -examination to be nothing but a Roman prætorium, the pavement of which -was adorned with the most elegant mosaics in the world; the general -design being as bold and free as that of a picture, while the various -figures, which consisted of horses, birds, fishes, and trees, were -executed with the most delicate symmetry, and in a variety of brilliant -colours so judiciously intermingled and contrasted as to produce an -admirable effect. He next fixes at Lowhareah, the site of the ancient -Aquilaria, where, during the civil wars, the troops of Cairo were -landed, and cut to pieces by Sabura. The remaining ruins were -insignificant; but the immense quarries from whence, according to -Strabo, the materials for the building of Carthage, Utica, and other -neighbouring cities were obtained, still remain open, and are supposed -to have furnished Virgil with the original hint of his “Nympharum -Domus,” &c., in the first book of the Æneid, though Addison rather -supposes that the Bay of Naples is entitled to this honour. Be this as -it may, from the sea to the village of Lowhareah, a distance of about -half a mile, the interjacent mountain, from the level of the sea to the -height of twenty or thirty feet, according to the disposition of the -strata, is hollowed out, while enormous pillars are left standing at -regular distances to support the superincumbent mass, through which -small shafts or apertures were bored at intervals for the admission of -fresh air. However, that the reader may perceive the justness of the -doctor’s illustration, I will continue the description in his own words, -and then subjoin the passage of Virgil referred to: “Moreover, as this -mountain is shaded all over with trees, as the arches here described -(the openings to the quarry) lie open to the sea, having a large cliff -on each side, with the island Ægimurus placed over-against them; as -there are likewise some fountains perpetually draining from the rocks, -and seats very convenient for the weary labourer to rest upon: from such -a concurrence of circumstances, so exactly corresponding to the cave -which Virgil places somewhere in this gulf, we have little room to doubt -of the following description being literally true, notwithstanding some -commentators may have thought it fictitious, or applicable to another -place.” - - Est in secessu longo locus. Insula portum - Efficit objectu laterum, quibus omnis ab alto - Frangitur, inque sinus scindit sese unda reductos. - Hinc atque hinc vastæ rupes, geminique minantur - In Cœlum scopuli: quorum sub vertice latè - Æquora tuta silent. Tum sylvis scœna coruscis - Desuper, horrentique atrum nemus imminet umbra. - Fronte sub adversa scopulis pendentibus antrum: - Intus aquæ dulces; vivoque sedilia saxo; - Nympharum domus. Hic fessas non vincula naves - Ulla tenent: unco non adligat anchora morsa. - -From Cape Bon, the Promontorium Mercurii of the ancients, which projects -into the sea a little to the north of Aquilaria, the inhabitants assured -our traveller that they could, in clear weather, discern the mountains -of Sicily, more than sixty miles distant. Following the bend of the -shore, and passing by the sites or ruins of several ancient places, he -proceeded through a rugged road, delightfully shaded with olive trees, -to Hamamet, or the “City of Wild Pigeons,” so called from the prodigious -number of those birds which breed in the neighbouring cliffs. At -Seloome, a small hemispherical hill, he entered the ancient province of -Bizacium, once renowned for its fertility, probably erroneously, as the -soil is dry, sandy, and of no great depth, though admirably adapted to -the olive tree, which flourishes in great perfection all along the -coast. The interior is not at all more fertile. Our traveller’s whole -employment during this journey was determining the sites of ancient -cities, and illustrating other points of geography; but he observed -nothing very striking or picturesque until he reached the shores of the -Lesser Syrtis, all along which there runs a succession of small flat -islands, banks of sand, and oozy shallows, into which the inhabitants -wade out for a mile or two from the shore, fixing up numerous hurdles of -reeds in various windings and directions as they go, and thus taking -immense quantities of fish. Owing to the violent east wind which blew -during his whole journey along this coast, he was prevented from -observing the flux and reflux of the tide here, from which some authors -have derived its name—(“à σύρω ^{TN}, _traho_, quod in accessu et -recessu arenam et cœnum ad se trahit et congerit.”—_Eustathius_)—though -he was informed that at the island of Jerby, the eastern boundary of the -Syrtis, the sea rises upwards of six feet above its usual height, a -circumstance which has likewise been observed in the Gulf of Venice. - -This was the boundary of his travels along the coast, from which he now -turned towards the interior, and arrived upon the shores of the Lake of -Marko, the Palus Tritonis of the ancients. This lake is about sixty -miles in length, and in some places about eighteen in breadth; but it is -not one unbroken sheet of water, being interspersed with numerous -islands, one of which, though uninhabitable, is large, and covered with -date trees. The inhabitants, who have a tradition for every thing, say -that the Egyptians, in one of their expeditions into this country, -encamped some time upon this island, and scattering about the stones of -the dates which they had eaten, thus sowed the palm groves, which at -present abound there; and hence, perhaps, the lake itself acquired the -name of the “Plains of Pharaoh.” To direct the marches of the caravans -across this shallow lake, a number of trunks of palm-trees are fixed up -at certain distances, without which travelling would be extremely -difficult and dangerous, as the opposite shores are nearly as level as -the sea, and even the date trees which grow upon them are too low to be -discovered at more than sixteen miles distance. At Tozer, on the western -bank, a great traffic in dates is carried on with the merchants of the -interior, who bring slaves from the banks of the Niger to be exchanged -for fruit. - -Proceeding to the west from the Lake of Marko, our traveller next -traversed a barren and dreary waste, the haunt of robbers and murderers; -and as he passed along he saw upon the ground the blood of a Turkish -gentleman, who, he afterward learned, had been murdered two days before. -Immediately after he had left this ominous spot, five of the assassins, -mounted upon black horses, and closely muffled in their burnooses, or -loose cloaks, suddenly made their appearance; but observing that his -companions were numerous and well armed, they met them peaceably, and -gave them the _salaam_. Continuing his journey westward, without meeting -with any further adventures, he returned to Algiers. - -Dr. Shaw seems, after this expedition into Tunis, to have remained quiet -for several years, occasionally making excursions into the interior, and -proceeding westward, in 1730, as far as the river Mulloviah. Having -already travelled over the whole of these provinces, from the sea to the -desert, when following the track of Leo Africanus, it will be -unnecessary to pursue the footsteps of Dr. Shaw. He remarked, however, -during his excursions among the ridges of Mount Atlas, an extraordinary -race of mountaineers, with light complexions and yellow hair, which -seems to have escaped the researches of Leo and all other travellers. -These people he with great probability supposes to be descended from the -Vandals, who, in the time of Procopius, were said to be dispersed among -the native tribes, though it is more probable that they took possession -of these fastnesses, of which the rude inhabitants were never able to -dispossess them. In the city of Kosantina he observed a second Tarpeian -rock, from which, since the foundation of the city, such criminals as -might be condemned to capital punishment have been precipitated into the -river Ampsaga, which dashes along at its base. - -In his inquiries into the natural history of these countries, our -traveller bestowed particular attention upon the palm and the -lotus-tree, the latter of which, though greatly celebrated in ancient -authors, is still comparatively little known. From the descriptions of -Herodotus, Theophrastus, and Pliny, he infers the identity of the lotus -of the ancients with the seedra of the Arabs, which is a shrub of common -occurrence in the Jereed, and other parts of Barbary; and has, he -observes, the leaves, prickles, flower, and fruit of the ziziphus or -jubeb; except that in the lotus the fruit is round, smaller, and more -luscious; while the branches, like those of the paliurus, are neither so -crooked nor so much jointed. The lotus fruit, which greatly resembles -gingerbread in taste, is still in great repute, and is sold in all the -markets of the southern provinces of Barbary. Among the beasts of burden -in use at Algiers is the _kumrah_, an animal produced between the ass -and the cow, and having the single hoof of the former, with the tail and -head of the latter, though without horns. - -The prodigious clouds of locusts which sometimes infest the southern -shores of the Mediterranean, and the tremendous devastations which they -commit, have been described by many travellers; but by no one, I think, -has a more vigorous picture of their movements and appearance been given -than by Dr. Shaw in the following passage:—“Those,” says he, “which I -saw in 1724 and 1725 were much bigger than our common grasshoppers, and -had brown spotted wings, with legs and bodies of a bright yellow. Their -first appearance was towards the latter end of March, the wind having -been for some time from the south. In the middle of April their numbers -were so vastly increased, that in the heat of the day they formed -themselves into large and numerous swarms, flew in the air like a -succession of clouds; and, as the prophet Joel expresses it, they -darkened the sun. When the wind blew briskly, so that these swarms were -crowded by others, or thrown one upon another, we had a lively idea of -that comparison of the Psalmist, of being tossed up and down as the -locust. In the month of May, when the ovaries of those insects were ripe -and turgid, each of these swarms began gradually to disappear, and -retired into the Metijiah and other adjacent plains, where they -deposited their eggs. These were no sooner hatched in June than each of -the broods collected itself into a compact body, of a furlong or more in -square; and, marching afterward directly forwards towards the sea, they -let nothing escape them, eating up every thing that was green and juicy; -not only the lesser kinds of vegetables, but the vine likewise, the -fig-tree, the pomegranate, the palm, and the apple-tree; even all the -trees of the field; in doing which they kept their ranks like men of -war, climbing over, as they advanced, every tree or wall that was in -their way; nay, they entered into our very houses and bed-chambers, like -so many thieves. The inhabitants, to stop their progress, made a variety -of pits and trenches all over their fields and gardens, which they -filled with water; or else they heaped up therein heath, stubble, and -such-like combustible matter, which were severally set on fire at the -approach of the locusts. But this was all to no purpose; for the -trenches were quickly filled up, and the fires extinguished by infinite -swarms succeeding one another; while the front was regardless of danger; -and the rear pressed on so close that a retreat was altogether -impossible. A day or two after one of these broods was in motion, others -were already hatched to march and glean after them, gnawing off the very -bark and the young branches of such trees as had before escaped with the -loss only of their fruit and foliage. So justly have they been compared -by the prophet Joel to a great army; who further observes, that ‘the -land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate -wilderness.’ - -“Having lived near a month in this manner, like a sword with ten -thousand edges, to which they have been compared, upon the ruin and -destruction of every vegetable substance that came in their way, they -arrived at their full growth, and threw off their nympha state by -casting their outward skin. To prepare themselves for this change, they -clung by their hinder feet to some bush, twig, or corner of a stone; and -immediately, by using an undulating motion, their heads would first -break out, and then the rest of their bodies. The whole transformation -was performed in seven or eight minutes; after which they lay for some -time in a torpid and seemingly in a languishing condition; but as soon -as the sun and the air had hardened their wings, by drying up the -moisture that remained upon them after casting their sloughs, they -reassumed their former voracity, with an addition both of strength and -agility. Yet they continued not long in this state before they were -entirely dispersed, as their parents were before, after they had laid -their eggs; and as the direction of the marches and flights of them both -was always to the northward, and not having strength, as they sometimes -had, to reach the opposite shores of Italy, France, or Spain, it is -probable they perished in the sea: a grave which, according to these -people, they have in common with other winged creatures. The locust, I -conjecture, was the noisome beast, or the pernicious destructive animal, -as the original words may be interpreted, which, with the sword, the -famine, and the pestilence, made the four sore judgments that were -threatened against Jerusalem. The Jews were allowed to eat them; and, -indeed, when sprinkled with salt and dried, they are not unlike in taste -to our fresh-water crayfish.” - -Among the fish on the coast of Barbary the most curious is the penna -marina, or sea-feather, which the fishermen sometimes find entangled in -the meshes of their nets; and which, during the night, is so remarkably -glowing and luminous as to enable the fishermen to discover by their -light the size and quantity of the other fish which may happen to be -enclosed within the same net. - -In his remarks upon the moral condition of the inhabitants of Tunis and -Algiers, he informs us that the sciences which were formerly so -assiduously cultivated by the Moors are now neglected or despised: but -they have still, as of old, a passion for poetry and music, and many a -wandering dervish, like the Αοιδοί ^{TN}, or chapsists of antiquity, -excites the admiration and generosity of the Moorish Arabs, by his -enthusiastic improvisatores, accompanied by the rude notes of the -_Arabelbah_, or bladder and string. Wild nations, whose feelings and -passions are allowed a freer play than ours, are far more susceptible -than we are of the delights which nervous poetry and simple melody are -calculated to produce; and the Moors, whose tunes our traveller -describes as merely “lively and pleasant,” are so deeply affected by -music, that, in the warmth of their imagination, they lend their own -sensations to inanimate objects, affirming seriously that the flowers of -mullein and mothwort will droop upon hearing the _mizmoune_ played. - -Provisions, in the time of Dr. Shaw, were exceedingly cheap, a large -piece of bread, a bundle of turnips, or a small basket of fruit, being -to be purchased for less than a quarter of a farthing. A fowl might be -bought for a penny or three halfpence; a sheep for three shillings and -sixpence; and a cow and a calf for a guinea. The usual price of a bushel -of the best wheat was fifteen pence. Bruce, whose fate it has been to -have his testimony upon several important points called in question by -ignorant conceited persons, has been ridiculed for asserting that the -flesh of lions is commonly eaten by a tribe of African Arabs. Our -traveller himself, who had been laughed at for making the assertion in -conversation, introduced it timidly into the appendix of his first -edition; but in the second it was restored to its place in the -narrative, where it is said that “the flesh of the lion is in _great -esteem_, having no small affinity with _veal_, both in colour, taste, -and flavour.” - -The majority of persons appear to believe, with Shakspeare, that the -Moors are a black, ill-favoured people; but, on the contrary, the -Moorish women would be considered beautiful even in England, and the -children have the finest complexions in the world. The men, from -constant exposure to the sun, are generally swarthy, but never black; -and the fine olive tinge they thus acquire only renders their -complexions the more agreeable to the eye, as Heber observes of the -Hindoos. In these countries, as in Southern Asia, women are nubile at a -very early age, being very frequently mothers at eleven, and -grandmothers at twenty-two. The circumstance which renders the seclusion -of women necessary in such countries is, that the age of puberty -precedes the age of discretion; for the passions reaching their maturity -long before the reason, they stand in need of being directed by the -reason of others until their own is ripened, and when it is they have -lost the habit of consulting it. The ancient custom of hiring old women, -who, as the prophet Amos expresses it, “are skilful in lamentation,” to -perform at funerals, still prevails in Barbary; and so powerful is the -effect of this scenical representation of sorrow, that when they are -ἀλαλάζοντας πολλά, or “wailing greatly,” expressing their mimic grief by -sound, gestures, and contortions of countenance, they seldom fail to -work up the bystanders to an ecstasy of sorrow, so that even the -English, who know it to be artificial, are deeply touched by it. - -The superstitious practices of the Mohammedans in general, and -particularly of those inhabiting Northern Africa, are strange and -numerous, many of them being apparently offshoots from pagan practices, -bequeathed to their ancestors by the Grecian or Roman colonists who -subdued and inhabited these coasts. They suspend upon the necks of their -children, as the Romans did their _bulla_, the figure of an open hand, -generally the right, which they likewise paint upon their ships and -houses, to avert the effects of the evil eye. At the same time the -number five is unlucky, and “five in your eyes,” meaning the five -fingers, is their proverb for cursing and defiance. Adults wear small -scrolls, as the Jews did their phylacteries, containing verses from the -Koran, as a charm against fascination, witchcraft, sickness, and -misfortune. In one particular they appear to differ from the -superstitious in Europe, who generally imagine that faith in the force -of the spell is necessary to its efficacy; for their horses and cattle, -which can be supposed to have but little faith in such matters, have -similar scrolls suspended round their necks, no doubt with equal -benefit. Their belief in _jenoune_, or genii, a class of beings between -angels and devils, and which, like the fairies of our ancestors, are -supposed to frequent shades and fountains, is deep-rooted and universal. -These equivocal beings assume, they imagine, the form of toads, worms, -lizards, and other small animals, which, being offensive to man, and -lying frequently in his way, are extremely liable to be injured or -destroyed. Therefore, when any person falls sick, fancying he may have -harmed one of the _jenoune_ lurking in some obscene shape, he -immediately consults with one of those cunning-women who, like the -_veneficæ_ of antiquity, are versed in all expiatory ceremonies of this -nature, and at the direction of the sorceress proceeds on a Wednesday -with frankincense and other perfumes to some neighbouring spring, where -a cock or a hen, a ram or a ewe, according to the sex or rank of the -patient, is sacrificed to these spirits. - -Dr. Shaw returned to England in the year 1733. In the course of the next -year he took his degree of doctor of divinity, and was shortly afterward -elected fellow of the Royal Society. Having employed five years in the -composition and correction of his travels, he at length, in 1731, -brought out the first edition, which was attacked by Dr. Pococke in his -Description of the East. The numerous coins, busts, and other -antiquities which he had collected in his travels he bestowed upon the -university. Upon the death of Dr. Felton in 1740, he was nominated by -his college principal of St. Edmund Hall, which he raised from a ruinous -state by his munificence. He was at the same time presented to the -vicarage of Bramley, in Hampshire, and likewise enjoyed during the -remainder of his life the honour of being regius professor of Greek at -Oxford. He died in 1751, in the sixtieth year of his age, and was buried -at Bramley, where a monument was erected to his memory by his widow. The -_Shawia_ in botany received its name in honour of Dr. Shaw. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - FREDERIC HASSELQUIST. - - Born 1722.—Died 1752. - - -HASSELQUIST was born on the 3d of January, 1722, at Isernvall, in -Eastern Gothland, in Sweden. His father, Andrew Hasselquist, who was the -clergyman of the place, died in great poverty while our traveller was -yet a youth; and to add still further to his misfortune, his mother -likewise was shortly afterward so extremely debilitated both in mind and -body as to be compelled to take refuge in the infirmary of Vastona. -Hasselquist would therefore in all probability have been condemned to a -life of obscurity and poverty had not M. Pontin, his maternal uncle, -undertaken the care of his education, and sent him with his own children -to the college of Linköping. But all the friends of Hasselquist seemed -destined to be short-lived. Not long after his entrance at college the -loss of this kind benefactor reduced him to the necessity of teaching -for a livelihood until he should be of the proper age to enter into the -university. - -In 1741 he entered a student at the university of Upsal; but poverty, -which when not overwhelming acts as a spur to genius, was still his -faithful companion, and compelled him for a subsistence to exercise his -talents in the way of all others best calculated to give them amplitude -and vigour. He became a tutor. At the same time, however, he enjoyed the -advantage of attending the lectures of the various professors; and the -knowledge thus acquired was immediately digested, examined, and -enlarged, to be transmitted in other lectures to his own humble pupils. - -Physic and natural history, for which, according to Linnæus, he had an -innate inclination, were his favourite studies. He had likewise, it is -said, a taste and some talents for poetry. An enthusiastic devotion to -the sciences, which, as the world goes, is often allowed to be, like -virtue, its own reward, is sometimes advantageous, however, when it -happens to be exhibited in the proper quarter. This was experienced by -our traveller. His ardent passion for knowledge, which neither poverty -nor a feeble constitution could subdue, at length, after a five years’ -struggle, attracted the attention of the university authorities, who in -1746 obtained him a pension from the king. And in the course of next -year he proved, by his “Dissertation on the Virtues of Plants,” that the -progress he had made in the sciences amply justified the favour which -had been shown him. - -It was in the same year that he first conceived the idea of travelling -in the East. Linnæus, in one of his botanical lectures, having -enumerated the countries, the natural history of which was known, as -well as those which were placed in the contrary predicament, happened to -make mention of Palestine among the latter; for at that period it was as -much a “terra incognita” to science as the most remote districts of -India. He expressed his astonishment that theologians and commentators, -whose business it is to understand the Scriptures, should have so long -neglected the natural history of the Holy Land, by which so much light -might be thrown upon them,—the more particularly as many divines had -made the botany of other countries their study. These remarks were not -lost upon Hasselquist. He immediately formed the design of repairing the -neglect of former ages, and had no sooner taken this resolution than he -communicated his intentions to Linnæus. The latter, who seems to have -regarded him with something approaching to paternal affection, -experienced considerable astonishment at his design, and made use of -many arguments to turn him from the prosecution of it; dwelt upon the -length of the way, the difficulties, the dangers, the expenses, and, -worst of all, his delicate state of health and consumptive habit. But -who was ever deterred by arguments from the prosecution of a favourite -scheme? Hasselquist’s mind had already tried the strength of all these -reasons, and found that, like the bands of flax round the limbs of -Samson, they had no force when opposed to the efforts of the will. His -health, he maintained, could be improved only by travelling and change -of climate,—dangers he appears, like a true traveller, to have classed -among imaginary obstacles; and as to the expense, why, rather than -relinquish the idea he would travel on foot. In short, says Linnæus, it -was clear that he was absolutely determined on travelling. - -Hasselquist was not ignorant, however, that whether on foot or on -horseback, moving from place to place is no easy matter without money. -Not being one of that erratic race “who had no stomach but to fight,” he -reflected that beefsteaks and plum-pudding, or some solid equivalents, -would be no less necessary in Palestine than in Sweden; and therefore -made an essay of his genius for overcoming difficulties by encountering -those which beset his first step. It would seem that in Sweden there are -many persons of distinction in whom the indolence sometimes superinduced -by the possession of wealth extinguishes a natural passion for -travelling, who, previous to entering upon that path which leads from -this world to the next, lay aside a small sum which they find too heavy -to take with them, for the benefit of those adventurous souls who have -but slight acquaintance with those pleasures which take a man by the -sleeve when he is about to put his foot in the stirrup, and smile away -his resolution. For some of these whimsical legacies Hasselquist made -application; but as they were not particularly burdensome to the persons -in whose hands they had been placed, he applied in vain. Among his -brethren of the faculty he was more successful; and in addition to the -funds with which they furnished him, he obtained from the professors of -civil law and theology certain small pensions which the king had placed -at their disposal. And although extremely moderate, considering the -object which he had in view, these resources seem to have appeared -sufficient in the eyes of our traveller. - -This first difficulty removed, he began to prepare himself for the -proper execution of the task he had undertaken, by the study of the -Arabic and other oriental languages; and that he might not interrupt his -academical studies, continued to be present at the public lectures, -underwent the usual examinations, and maintained the requisite theses; -so that, though absent, he might yet receive the honours to which his -merit entitled him. Having in the spring of 1749 acquired the degree of -licentiate, he proceeded to Stockholm, where he delivered a course of -lectures in botany, which procured him the patronage of all the lovers -of that science. The Levant Company, moreover, in consideration of his -extraordinary merit, offered him a free passage to Smyrna on board of -one of their ships. - -His project having succeeded thus far almost beyond his hopes, he -embarked on the 7th of August, 1749, at Stockholm, and sailed down the -Baltic, landing at various points on the coast of Sweden for the purpose -of examining the plants and other natural productions of the country. -The voyage down the Baltic was attended with storms; but the pleasure -imparted by the extraordinary features of the scenery, the sandy, -columnar mountains of Gothland, the dazzling peaks of Iceland, and the -gloomy beech forests of Malmo caused him to attend but little to the -inconvenience they occasioned. In traversing the German Ocean and the -English Channel, they approached so near our shores that the chalky -cliffs and hills which run along the coast were visible; and on entering -the Strait of Gibraltar, they discovered on the one hand the mountains -of Africa, bare of vegetation, and looking like prodigious heaps of -limestone, or moving sand; and on the other those of Spain, with -cloud-capped summits, and lighted up at night by numerous watchfires and -limekilns. The coasts of Sicily, of the Morea, of Candia were seen in -passing, and on the 15th of September they came to an anchor in the -harbour of Milo. - -Though Hasselquist was by no means destitute of a relish for the -beauties of nature, he was not precisely travelling in search of the -picturesque. His affections were fixed upon those “children of the -spring,” as flowers are termed by an old poet, which in the country -where he now was long survive their parent; and was exceedingly -delighted, on landing, to observe that numerous plants were still in -flower, though others had already been deprived of their beauty by -autumn. Among the former were the autumnal dandelion, the anemone -coronaria, both white and blue, and the oleander, with a species of -rhamnus with small white flowers. - -The harbour of Milo is almost wholly surrounded by high mountains, upon -one of which stand an ancient castle and village in a position -singularly picturesque. On arriving at the town, over a road formed of -flint and limestone, he was greatly struck by the air of poverty and -misery which everywhere appeared; the houses differed in nothing from -prisons, except that their inmates could go in and out when they -pleased; and all around were ruins of splendid edifices, which added to -their misery, by reminding them of the very different condition of their -ancestors. However, poor as they were, they continued to bring up -immense numbers of children, with which the whole town swarmed like a -beehive. The costume of the women was extraordinary. More cynical even -than the Spartan virgins, whose scanty tunic the reader may admire in -Mr. Hope’s Costume of the Ancients, the women of Milo went entirely -naked to the waist, from whence depended a short petticoat which was -very far from reaching the knee. The crown of the head was covered with -small pieces of linen, but the hair hung dishevelled to the girdle. - -From Milo they sailed for Scio, which Hasselquist regarded as the most -beautiful spot in the world; and, after narrowly escaping shipwreck in -the gulf, reached Smyrna on the 27th of September. Here he was received -and entertained with the utmost kindness and hospitality by M. Rydelius, -consul of Sweden, to whom he was nearly related, and who during his stay -exerted whatever influence he possessed in furtherance of his designs. -M. Peyssonel, likewise, the French consul, showed him very particular -attentions, and imparted to him much curious information respecting many -of the natural productions of the East. - -Among Hasselquist’s favourite researches was an inquiry into the state -of the medical science and profession in the countries he visited. In -ancient times, he had read that the professors of the healing art had -been regarded as the possessors of celestial knowledge; temples had been -erected and medals struck in gratitude for the benefits they had -conferred on mankind; but at the period of his visit to Smyrna things -had greatly changed for the worse. Some few sparks of their ancient -genius still burst forth occasionally among the Greeks; but in general -they had to struggle up through mountains of prejudice and ignorance; -and, indeed, were it not that the love of gain rather than of science -occasionally led a few adventurers into the civilized countries of -Europe, in which, however, each age despises the science of the one that -preceded it, scarcely a trace of medical knowledge would subsist in the -Levant. One of the results of his inquiry was, that of all countries -islands are the most fertile in illustrious physicians. Cos was the -birthplace of Hippocrates, and England of Mead and Sydenham. Scio, too, -was fertile in able physicians. He does not, however, pretend to assign -any reason for the fact. - -The Franks of Smyrna began their carnival with the year, during which a -long series of costly balls and suppers were given. Among the musicians -employed on these occasions it would be to little purpose, our traveller -remarks, to seek for an Orpheus or a Linus; but the favourite dance of -the Greek women, which surely could not be the Romaika, or “dull -roundabout,” of the tiresomeness of which Lord Byron complains, greatly -delighted our traveller. Fifteen young women arranged themselves in a -half-moon, and, skilfully keeping time with the sounds of the lute and -violin, performed a number of graceful movements, following their -leader, who directed their steps by the waving of a scarf which she held -in her hand, through various intricate figures, admirably imitating the -mazes of a labyrinth. The girls accompanied their movements with songs, -which Hasselquist, though a snake and beetle collector, seems to have -enjoyed exceedingly. Of the dress of the dancers, he merely observes -that it was in the ancient mode,—that is, if we may judge from vases and -bas-reliefs, a single tunic covering only one of the breasts, and open -at the sides from the girdle downwards. - -With the month of February commenced the spring; and Hasselquist, who -was really actuated by passion for the objects of his studies, willingly -quitted the city and its amusements to ramble abroad among the fields -and woods. Here the orange, the pomegranate, the fig-tree, the olive, -the palm, and the cypress intermingled their foliage; and it would, -perhaps, be necessary to have imbibed something of the tastes of a -naturalist to conceive the pleasure with which our traveller, to whom -most of them were new, beheld them put forth their blossoms, or -otherwise manifest their being under the influence of spring. One of the -greatest ornaments of the gardens in the environs of Smyrna, which are -enclosed by hedges of willows planted along the brink of a ditch, is a -species of ivy, which, when it finds a proper support, bends round into -arches, or hangs from tree to tree in festoons, in so rich and beautiful -a manner, that Hasselquist, who seems to have had a high notion of -royalty, thought it ought to have adorned the garden of a king. Nature, -however, is no respecter of persons. Kings or no kings, Turks, Jews, and -gentiles are all one to her. In fact, if we may judge of her political -opinions by facts, Nature abhors the foppery and rhodomontade of courts, -since, when she has any magnificent or sublime spectacle to exhibit to -mankind, she retires to scenes where palaces would be exceedingly out of -place, and piles her eternal snows, or pours down her cataracts, or puts -her terrible sand-columns in motion in barrenness and solitude. - -The spring once begun, every day disclosed some new beauty to the -naturalist. Wherever he turned his eyes, thickets of almond trees -covered with snow-white blossoms, or fields over which anemones and -tulips were sprinkled thick as daisies or buttercups in an English -meadow, met the view. The anemone, in particular, was everywhere -abundant, in all its varieties of purple, deep-red, and scarlet, with a -ring of white round the base of its leaves. One of Hasselquist’s -favourite walks of this season was the vast Turkish cemetery in the -neighbourhood of Smyrna. Here, amid cypresses and a profusion of -balsamic and aromatic trees and shrubs, he philosophized on the -generation and decay of plants, ignorant, poor fellow, that within the -small sweep of the horizon which bounded his view his own mortal remains -would soon be deposited, and that the seeds of the flowers before him -would shortly germinate upon his grave. - -Having sufficiently examined the environs of Smyrna, Hasselquist set out -on the 11th of March for Manisa, the ancient Magnesia, on a botanizing -excursion. The face of the country in this part of Anatolia was more -wild and savage than could be conceived by those who had never visited -the East. Mountains and valleys resembling the surface of a stormy sea -suddenly converted into solid ground, covered with mosses and wild -apple-trees, traversed by deep ravines, by chasms, by mountain torrents, -and beautified in various places by the pale flower of the oriental -saffron; such were the scenes which the roots and acclivities of the -ancient Sipylus presented to the view of our traveller. On arriving at -Manisa he was well received by the governor, an extremely young man, who -had sixteen women in his harem. Indeed, a physician is generally treated -with consideration by the Turks; and our youthful governor, who happened -just then to stand in need of his services, conducted himself with -distinguished politeness towards the _hakim_, or doctor. In return, -Hasselquist merely requested permission to botanize at his leisure in -the environs of the city, a favour which was very readily granted him. - -In a letter to Linnæus, within a few days after his return to Smyrna, he -observes: “I have been botanizing on the Mount Sipylus of the ancients, -which is one of the highest mountains in Asia, and covered all the year -round with snow. I have likewise collected several insects, which no -person ever disturbed before; among which I was surprised to observe -many which are described in the ‘Fauna Suesica.’ I send you a small fly -which I found yesterday in a fig. It was enclosed in the germ of a -female fig, which it had entirely devoured. I am ignorant whether this -be the insect that impregnates the fruit; but shall endeavour, before my -departure, to acquire all the information in my power respecting the -fig-tree insects. I have a chameleon and several turtle-doves in my -apartment, and I have for some time been employed in observing their -manners. It would give me great pleasure if I could send you a few of -those doves to adorn your gardens at Upsal; and as it is not difficult -to preserve them, I shall endeavour to fulfil my desire. I have -collected an abundance of the _cornucopiæ_,[2] that rare plant which you -so strongly recommended me to search for in the environs of Smyrna. I -have completed the description of it, and shall send you a few -specimens. When its seeds are ripened, I shall not fail to send you a -quantity of them for the garden of the Academy.” - -Footnote 2: - - A singular species of grass. - -Hasselquist sailed from Smyrna about the end of April, and on the 13th -of May arrived at Alexandria. His first care, of course, was to visit -the gardens of the city. The Egyptian Mussulmans, it is well known, -imagine that the horse is too noble an animal to be bestrode by any but -true believers; and therefore, those honest Mohammedans who cannot -afford to indulge that sublime contempt for all those who differ from -them in opinion, which is one of the principal luxuries of their -betters, pay great attention to the rearing and management of asses, the -only coursers which Franks can safely make use of in Egypt. In -consequence, the asses of the Delta surpass all other asses in beauty; -and many of them, according to the testimony of our traveller, who, -however, seems to have been somewhat partial to the race, are even -valued at a higher price than horses. It was necessary to make these -preliminary remarks upon asses before we could venture to exhibit our -physician parading the streets of Alexandria on such a charger, exposed -to the smiles of those Nilotic nymphs whose notes of rejoicing he -afterward in revenge compared to the croaking of the frogs in the -Rosetta canal. - -From Alexandria he ascended along the canal to Rosetta. The fields, then -under water, had been sown about a week previously with rice, but it was -already three inches high; the frogs, which lay in myriads at the bottom -of the canal, croaked most hideously; the mosquitoes stung; the -buffaloes, offended at his red garments, attempted to gore him. However, -by the aid of patience and a janizary, he at length reached Rosetta, -from whence he proceeded up the Nile to Cairo. Here, at the house of Mr. -Burton, the English consul, he saw a tamarind-tree, the leaves of which -closed up in the evening at sunset, and expanded again with the dawn. -Among the curious practices of Egypt he noticed, in this city, one of -the most extraordinary: that is, that the women sometimes hatch eggs by -keeping them perpetually under their armpits, until the desired effect -is produced. - -Though there are nations whose incivility is proof against the most -courteous behaviour, a traveller may almost always conjecture from the -character of his own manners the sort of reception he shall meet with in -whatever country he may visit. Hasselquist’s manners were gentle and -inoffensive, and accordingly he found even the Turks polite. Shortly -after his arrival at Cairo he was taken by the English consul to witness -a grand feast given by a Turkish gentleman on the occasion of his son’s -circumcision. It had already lasted thirty days, during all which time -he had kept open house, and accompanied his repasts by fireworks, -illuminations, concerts, and dances. The fireworks, though inferior to -those sometimes set off in Europe, were extremely fine; and the -illumination was brilliant and ingenious. However, the most curious part -of the spectacle, in the opinion of Hasselquist, were the spectators -themselves, who, seated in a ring on the ground, looked with invincible -gravity at the various efforts which were made to amuse them. The -Christian guests, immediately on their arrival, were presented with -coffee and carpets, and they sat down and imitated the silent manner of -the other guests. Hasselquist was assured that the expense of this feast -of thirty days would not amount to less than eight thousand ducats; but, -in return, the master of the house received presents of immense value on -the occasion, not less, it was reported, than thirty camel-loads. - -A few days after this circumcision-feast our _hakim_ enjoyed an -opportunity of observing one of the inconsistencies of Mohammedan -manners. A company of _almé_, or dancing girls, came to perform before -the window of the consul’s house, and, in a country where other women -never go out without a veil, exhibited themselves in a state bordering -upon that of nature. From the age of Herodotus down to the present day, -the Egyptians have always possessed the reputation of being among the -most lascivious nations upon earth, and their patronising the -performance of these dancing girls, who exhibit themselves with an -effrontery which our opera dancers have not hitherto ventured to -imitate, is a proof of it. These _almé_, whose ability is estimated by -the greater or less facility with which they inflame the passions of the -spectators, are generally country girls, and sometimes married women. -They are of a dark complexion. Their dress consists of a single tunic, -round the edges of which are suspended a number of small bells and -hollow pieces of silver, which, tinkling as they proceed through their -voluptuous movements, serve instead of music. - -Dr. Southey, a man of universal reading, laments that we have been less -curious respecting the modes by which the human body is rendered proof -against the poison of venomous serpents, than in learning from savages -the modes of preparing their destructive drugs. Hasselquist, who was -altogether of the same opinion, assiduously endeavoured, during his -residence in Egypt, to extract from the Psylli the secret of their -profession, a secret which has been religiously preserved during two -thousand years; but, as he could offer these serpent-charmers no -equivalent for the danger they would have incurred by imparting it, for -they must inevitably have provoked the enmity of their brethren, his -efforts were necessarily unsuccessful. It is customary with persons who -affect superior wisdom to make short work with all affairs of this kind, -by putting on an air of absolute incredulity, by which they would -intimate that they have fathomed the secrets of nature, and are -perfectly competent to prescribe the limits beyond which her operations -cannot pass. These sages, on the subject of the Psylli, at once cut the -Gordian knot by asserting that before they take any liberties with -venomous serpents, they carefully extract the tooth to which the poison -bag is attached, and thus, with all their boasted skill, perform nothing -more marvellous than those who handle live eels. This, however, is not -the fact. Hasselquist examined the serpents upon which they had exerted -the force of their charms, and found that the poison-tooth had not been -extracted. - -The most favourable time for observing the performances of these -singular people is in the month of July, when the violent heat of summer -hatches myriads of serpents, scorpions, lizards, and every abominable -reptile among the sands of Egypt, and sends them forth rejoicing in the -vigour of their youth and the potency of their virgin poisons. About the -beginning of this month a female serpent-charmer, understanding his -desire to possess specimens of some of the most deadly of the subjects, -went forth into the fields, accompanied by an Arab, and took up -specimens of four different species, that is, of the common viper, the -cerastes of Alpinus, the jaculus, and a kind of sea-serpent, which she -brought to our traveller. The French consul, and all the French in Cairo -who happened to be present on her arrival, were struck with terror; and -crowds of people immediately collected to behold this daring magician, -for as such she was regarded, handle with careless impunity reptiles -which no other person present would have touched for the wealth of the -universe. In thrusting them into a bottle she held them in her hand as -she would have held her stay-lace (if she had had one); and when they -crept out again, not admiring their close lodgings, and apparently -irritated at the attempt to imprison them, she still seized them with -the same coolness, and thrust them in as before. - -That these Psylli, for they are doubtless the same race with those who -exhibited the force of their spells over the serpent tribes in ancient -Rome, possess some important secret there seems to be no reasonable -ground for doubting, and it seems equally probable that it might be -extorted from them by the force of that golden spell which commands all -others; but all that Hasselquist was able to learn was, that the -serpent-charmers carefully avoided all other venomous reptiles, such as -scorpions, lizards, &c., while those whose profession it was to deal -with the latter kept aloof with equal solicitude from the contact of -serpents; that, previously to their going out in quest of their prey, -they never failed to devour a quantity of serpents’ flesh, both boiled -and roasted; and that, in addition to all this, they had a number of -superstitious practices, among which the most efficacious was the being -spitten upon by their sheikh; though Hasselquist seriously opines that -this last circumstance could be of no manner of utility! Perhaps, -however, the whole secret lies in the using of serpents, or whatever -other reptiles they profess to charm, for food; for by this practice -they communicate to their perspiration, and, in fact, to their whole -body, a snakish odour, which reconciles the reptiles to their touch, and -causes them to regard their charmers and destroyers as genuine members -of their body politic. - -Hasselquist could not, of course, omit while at Cairo to visit the -pyramids. The country about Gizeh, to which he proceeded by water, was -so fertile and so admirably cultivated, that it was an object of -perpetual admiration; and in winter the whole of this part of Egypt -appears, when contemplated from an eminence, to be nothing but one vast -sea of verdure, extending in every direction farther than the eye can -reach. On arriving in the neighbourhood of the pyramids, he was -hospitably entertained by an Arab sheikh, who was encamped there with -his tribe. Two kids were slain, and reduced to an admirable pilau; and -with a rough board for a table, a rush mat for a table-cloth, and their -fingers for spoons, the whole party made a frugal but wholesome supper. -It is necessary, says our traveller, that in such cases we should -accommodate ourselves to the ways of the people, which if we do, there -is no nation upon earth among whom we shall find so much friendship, -frankness, and benevolence as the Arabs. - -Having passed the night with these hospitable Bedouins, he pushed on to -the pyramids over a plain covered with villages, and was soon standing -in wonder and admiration at the base of the principal of these gigantic -temples of Venus. When the effervescence of his astonishment had -somewhat subsided, he entered with his Arab guides into the interior, -which, no less than the external appearance, he found greatly to exceed -the most exaggerated idea he had formed of their prodigious grandeur -from descriptions or designs. After groping about for an hour and a half -by torchlight through those mysterious chambers sacred to the generative -power of nature, of which beauty has always been one of the principal -symbols, from the sting which its appearance infixes in the human soul, -he issued forth filled with enthusiasm, under the influence of which he -attempted to climb up to the apex of the temple. The sun, however, had -rendered the granite steps burning hot, so that when he had ascended -about half-way he began to imagine he was treading on fire, and -relinquished his design. On another occasion, during the inundation, -when he made a second attempt, a violent wind arose, and swept with so -much fury round the pyramids, that Hasselquist began to fear it might -convert him into a bird, and whirl him off to the Red Sea or Nubia, and -finally gave up his undertaking. The fact is, his bodily strength failed -him in both cases. - -He had been assured at Cairo and elsewhere that in the burning sands -surrounding the pyramids no living thing, whether animal or vegetable, -was to be found. This account he did not altogether credit, believing -that Providence had condemned no spot on earth to utter sterility; and -on narrowly examining the sands, he found among them one plant, the -_chondrilla juncea_, a species of small lizard, and the _formica-leo_, -or lion-ant, which had formed considerable establishments in the -neighbourhood of the pyramids. These laborious little insects were -running by thousands over the sands, each having in his claws a small -bit of flint, a grain of sand, or a tiny morsel of wood, to be used in -the construction of their dwellings. Several of these Hasselquist -discovered. They were built in round holes in the loose soil, in a -globular form, about twice the size of a man’s fist, and were entered by -a cylindrical opening at the top not larger than the hollow of a -goose-quill. To prevent surprise, numerous small openings led to -subterraneous apartments below, through which, when their upper chamber -was demolished, they always retreated with safety. It was no small -compliment to the genius of these diminutive architects that their works -could attract attention in the vicinity of the most sublime among the -artificial wonders of the world, and appear, as they did to Hasselquist, -still more wonderful than those prodigious creations of man. - -Restrained in the indulgence of his curiosity by the extreme scantiness -of his finances, poor Hasselquist was for the most part compelled to -confine himself to the environs of Cairo. Had his means permitted him to -execute the designs he had formed, few travellers would have surpassed -him in curious or useful researches; though neither his tastes nor -physical powers inclined him to undertake those daring personal -adventures which in many travellers are almost the only things deserving -of notice. His entering at the risk of his life into a mosque at Old -Cairo proves, however, that he was courageous even to foolhardiness when -he had an object to gain. But this achievement rather disgusted him with -enterprises of that kind; for when he had put his head in jeopardy to -gratify his curiosity, he found absolutely nothing to reward his -hardihood. - -Having visited the mummy-pits, and studied with great care the natural -history of Cairo and its environs, he descended the Nile to Damietta. -The soil of this part of Egypt, even when the inundation fails, is -rendered extremely fertile by the heavy dews, for which it is indebted -to its vicinity to the sea, and by the rain which falls at intervals -during the whole winter and spring. It was about the middle of March -when he arrived in this city, and already the male-palm had begun to put -forth its blossoms. The female tree flowered a few days later. One of -the latter, a magnificent tree, equal in height to a Norway pine, grew -in a garden directly opposite his window. On the evening of the 20th of -March it had not yet put forth its blossoms; but when he rose next -morning before the sun, he found it had flowered during the night, and -saw the gardener climbing up to its summit with a handful of the male -flowers in his hand, which he scattered over those of the female tree. -This was done while the dew was yet falling; and our enthusiastic -naturalist regarded the sight as one of the most delightful in nature. - -He set sail from Damietta on the 1st of April, and in four days arrived -at Jaffa, in the Holy Land. Here he was entertained at a convent of -Catholic monks, the principal of whom, a Spaniard by nation, was greatly -scandalized at learning that motives foreign to devotion had directed -his steps to Palestine. Next day, however, he escaped from their -impertinent inquiries, and set out for Jerusalem. The country from Jaffa -to Rama consists of a succession of small hills alternating with narrow -valleys and wide plains, some cultivated, others barren. The soil was a -light reddish sand, and so filled with moles that there was scarcely a -yard of ground in which there was not a molehill. - -On arriving at Jerusalem he visited all the holy places usually shown to -strangers, and then set out with the other pilgrims for Jericho and the -Dead Sea. Descending along the banks of the Jordan, the waters of which -he found very inferior to those of the Nile, he arrived on the barren -shores of the Asphaltic Lake, consisting of a gray sandy clay, so -extremely soft that their horses often sunk in it up to their knees. The -whole plain was covered with salt like the soil of Egypt, and various -kinds of plants and flowers were found growing on it. The apples of -Sodom, those - - ——Dead Sea fruits that tempt the eye, - But turn to ashes on the lips,— - -were found in abundance near Jericho. This apple is the fruit of the -_solanum melongena_ of Linnæus, and is sometimes actually filled with -dust or ashes. But this happens when the fruit has been attacked by the -_tenthredo_ insect, which, absorbing all the moisture of the pulp, -converts the harder particles into dust, while the skin retains its form -and colours. - -Having returned with the pilgrims to Jerusalem, he proceeded to visit -the other sacred places celebrated in the New Testament,—Bethlehem, -Nazareth, Mount Tabor; on which last spot, he observes, he drank some -excellent goat’s milk. From thence he proceeded to the Lake of Tiberias, -where to his great surprise he found many of the fishes of the Nile. At -Japhia, or Jaffa, a village near Nazareth, he found great quantities of -the plant which he supposed to be the mandrake, or _dudaim_ of the -Scriptures. This plant was not then in flower, nor could he procure an -entire root for want of a mattock. It grows in great plenty throughout -Galilee, but is not found in Judea. The Arabs denominate it “devil’s -meat.” - -From thence he descended to the seacoast, visited the ruins of Tyre, and -proceeded by night to Sidon. Here he found various objects highly -interesting to a naturalist in the immense gardens of this city, from -whence prodigious quantities of fruit are annually exported. The -mulberry-tree is found in great abundance in this part of the country, -which has led the inhabitants to pay great attention to the rearing of -silk-worms, which here, as at Nice, are hatched in little bags which the -women wear in their bosoms by day, and at night place under their -pillows. In botanizing among the neighbouring hills he was invited by a -shepherd to share his dinner. It consisted of half-ripe ears of wheat -roasted over the fire, a sort of food mentioned in the Scriptures, and -warm milk. The practice of eating unripe corn in this manner likewise -prevails in Egypt, where Turkey wheat and millet are substituted for the -proper wheat. - -On the 23d of May, 1751, he sailed from Sidon in a small French ship -bound for Cyprus, and on the 28th cast anchor in the harbour of Larnaco. -Though he visited this island with no intention of travelling in it, -being once there he could not forbear making a few excursions into the -interior, of which the first was to the mountain of Santa Croce, the -loftiest in the country. In the rusty-coloured limestone rock which -forms the basis of this mountain are mines of lead, copper, and -rock-crystal; which last, of which some fine specimens are found near -the ancient Paphos, was at first mistaken for a diamond-mine by the -Turks. A few days after his return from Santa Croce he visited -Famagosta, once, when in possession of the Venetians, a splendid city; -but now a heap of miserable ruins. - -From Cyprus he sailed to Rhodes and Scio, and thence to Smyrna, carrying -along with him an incredible quantity of curiosities in the three -kingdoms of nature, which he had collected in Egypt and the Levant. His -sole desire now was to return by the first occasion which should present -itself to Sweden; but his strength had been so much impaired by the -fatigue of travelling and the heats of Palestine, that he was -constrained to defer his departure from Smyrna. His disorder, however, -which was a confirmed consumption, proceeded rapidly; and although, as -is usual with persons labouring under that disease, he continued to -preserve hope to the last, his struggles were soon over. His death -happened on the 9th of February, 1752, in a small country-house in the -neighbourhood of Smyrna. - -His friends in Sweden, by whom he was much beloved, were greatly -afflicted at the news of his death; and to add to their sorrow, they -learned at the same time, that having during his residence in the East -contracted a debt of one hundred and fifty pounds, his collections and -papers had been seized by his creditors, who refused to give them up -until the debt should be paid; and that thus his name and reputation -seemed likely to perish with his body. Neither Linnæus nor any other of -Hasselquist’s friends in Sweden were able to raise this small sum; when -the queen, being informed of the circumstance, generously advanced the -money from her own private purse; and therefore it is to the munificence -of this lady that we owe one of the most curious books of travels of its -kind that have ever appeared. In about a year after this the collections -and papers arrived at the palace of Drottningholm; and Linnæus, who was -no novice in these matters, declares that he was exceedingly surprised -at the number and variety of the curiosities, among which were the rarer -plants of Anatolia, Egypt, Palestine, and Cyprus; stones and earths from -the most remarkable places in Egypt and Palestine; the rarer fishes of -the Nile; the serpents of Egypt, together with its more curious insects, -drugs, mummies, Arabic manuscripts, &c. - -The editing of Hasselquist’s manuscripts was confided to Linnæus -himself, and unquestionably it could not have been intrusted to better -hands. The work, in fact, remains, and will remain, a lasting monument -of the superior talents of the traveller, and of the taste, munificence, -and affection of his friends. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - LADY WORTLEY MONTAGUE. - - Born 1690.—Died 1762. - - -THIS lady, whose claims to be ranked among distinguished travellers -none, I think, will be disposed to contest, was born in 1690 at -Thoresby, in Nottinghamshire. Her maiden name was Mary Pierre-pont, and -she was the eldest daughter of Evelyn, Duke of Kingston, and Lady Mary -Fielding, daughter of William Earl of Denbigh. Having had the misfortune -to lose her mother while yet only four years old, she was thrown at once -among the other sex, and thus acquired from her earliest years those -masculine tastes and habits which distinguished her during life, and -infused into her writings that coarse, unfeminine energy, that cynical -contempt of decorum, and bearded license, if I may so express myself, -which constitute her literary characteristics, and render her -compositions different from those of every other woman. It was not the -mere study of Latin, which the virtuous and judicious Fenelon considered -highly beneficial to women, and which at all events may be regarded as a -circumstance perfectly indifferent, that produced this undesirable -effect; but an improper or careless choice of authors, operating upon a -temperament peculiarly inflammable and inclining to voluptuousness. She -acquired, we are told, the elements of the Greek, Latin, and French -languages under the same preceptors as Viscount Newark, her brother; but -preceptors who might, perhaps, be safely intrusted with the direction of -a boy’s mind are not always adequate to the task of guiding that of a -young woman through the perilous mazes of ancient literature. In fact, -among her favourite classical authors Ovid seems to have been the chief -at a very early period of her life; for among her poems there is one -written in imitation of this author at twelve years of age, containing -passages which it has not been thought decent to publish. At a later -period her studies were directed by Bishop Burnet, who would seem to -have recommended to her the Manual of the ungracious and austere -Epictetus, a work which, although she laboured through a translation of -it, now included among her works, could have possessed but few charms -for her ardent, erratic fancy. - -During this early part of her career she lived wholly in retirement at -Thoresby or at Acton, near London, where she acquired what by a license -of speech may be termed the friendship of Mrs. Anne Wortley, the mother -of her future husband. With this lady she maintained an epistolary -correspondence, from the published portions of which we discover that -both the young lady and the matron were exceedingly addicted to -flattery, and that at nineteen the former had already begun to entertain -those unfavourable notions of her own sex which in a woman are so justly -regarded as ominous of evil. “I have never,” says she, “had any great -esteem for the generality of the fair sex; and my only consolation for -being of that gender has been the assurance it gave me of never being -married to any one among them.” - -Her friendship with Mrs. Wortley paved the way to an acquaintance with -that lady’s son, which, after much negotiation and many quarrels, the -causes of which are rather alluded to than explained in the published -correspondence, ended in a private marriage, which took place August 12, -1712. Lady Mary now resided chiefly at Wharncliffe Lodge, near -Sheffield, where her son Edward was born, while her husband was detained -by his parliamentary duties and political connexions in London. It would -appear from various circumstances that Mr. Wortley Montague was a quiet, -unambitious man, endowed with very moderate abilities; but his -philosophic indifference or timid mode of wooing honours by no means -answered the views of his wife, who was haunted in an incredible manner -by the desire of celebrity, and who, possessing a caustic wit, a -vivacious style, and splendid personal attractions, was conscious, that -if once fairly launched upon the tide of the great world she could not -fail of effecting her purpose. In the letters which emanated from her -solitude we discover, amid a world of affected indifference, her extreme -passion for exciting admiration. Now literary projects engross her -thoughts; and now she aims, by goading her husband up “the steep of -fame,” to open herself a wide field for the exhibition of her Circean -powers. - -In 1714 Mr. Montague was appointed one of the lords of the treasury; -upon which Lady Mary quitted her retirement and appeared at court, where -her beauty, her wit, and the ingenuous levity of her manners (a -commendable quality in those days) commanded universal admiration. Her -genius now moved in its proper sphere. Surrounded, flattered, caressed -by the most distinguished characters of the age, she tasted of all those -gratifications which the peculiarities of her temperament required; and -being in the very flower of her age, looked forward with well-founded -hopes to numerous years of the same kind of enjoyments. It was at this -period that her intimacy with Pope, who was just two years older than -herself, commenced; and as her latest biographer with a pardonable -partiality observes, both he and Addison “contemplated her _uncommon -genius_ at that time without envy!” From which one might infer that it -was literary jealousy, and not the rage of a neglected lover, that -afterward rendered Pope the inveterate enemy of Lady Mary. - -However this may be, upon Mr. Montague’s being appointed ambassador to -the Porte in 1716, our traveller, smitten with the desire of tasting the -pleasures of other lands, resolved to desert all her admirers, and visit -with her husband the shores of the Hellespont. They commenced their -journey in August; and having crossed the channel, proceeded by -Helvoetsluys and the Brill to Rotterdam, where she greatly admired the -thronged streets, neat pavements, and extreme cleanliness of the place, -which at present would scarcely strike a traveller arriving from London -as any thing extraordinary. In travelling from Holland, the whole -country appeared like a garden, while the roads were well paved, shaded -on both sides with rows of trees, and bordered with canals, through -which great numbers of boats were perpetually passing and repassing. The -eye, moreover, was every minute alighting upon some villa; while -numerous towns and villages, all remarkable for their neatness, dotted -the plains, and enlivened the mind of the traveller by exciting ideas of -plenty and prosperity. - -At Cologne, whither she had proceeded by way of the Hague and Nimeguen, -she was greatly amused at the Jesuits’ church by the free raillery of a -young Jesuit, who, not knowing, or pretending not to know, her rank, -allowed himself considerable liberties in his conversation. Our -traveller herself fell in love with St. Ursula’s pearl necklaces; and, -as the saint was of silver, her profane wishes would fain have converted -her into dressing-plate. These were the only relics of all that were -shown her for which she had any veneration; but she very shortly -afterward learned, that, at least as far as the pearls and other -precious stones were concerned, the holy fathers had been very much of -her opinion; for, judging that false jewels would satisfy a saint as -well as true ones, they sold the real pearls, &c., and supplied their -places with imitations. Our lady-traveller, though exceedingly -aristocratical in her notions, and possessed of but small respect for -mere untitled human beings, was compelled by her natural good sense to -remark, what other observers have frequently repeated since her time, -the extreme superiority of the free towns of Germany over those under -the government of absolute princes. “I cannot help fancying one,” she -says, “under the figure of a clean Dutch citizen’s wife, and the other -like a poor town lady of pleasure, painted and ribanded out in her -headdress, with tarnished silver-laced shoes, a ragged under-petticoat; -a miserable mixture of vice and poverty.” - -At Ratisbon the principal objects of curiosity were the envoys from -various states, who constituted the whole nobility of the place; and -having no taste for ordinary amusements, contrived to divert themselves -and their wives by keeping up eternal contests respecting precedents and -points of etiquette. Next to these the thing most worthy of notice, from -its extreme impiety, was a group of the Trinity, in which the Father was -represented as a decrepit old man, with a beard descending to his knees, -with the Son upon the cross in his arms, while the Holy Ghost, in the -form of a dove, hovered over his head. - -From Ratisbon she descended the Danube to Vienna, delighted, as the -vessel shot with incredible velocity down the stream, by the amazing -variety and rapid changes in the scenery, where rich cultivated plains, -vineyards, and populous cities alternated rapidly with landscapes of -savage magnificence; woods, mountains, precipices, and rocky pinnacles, -with castellated ruins perched upon their summits. In Vienna she was -disappointed. Its grandeur by no means came up to the ideas which she -had formed of it from the descriptions of others. Palaces crowded -together in narrow lanes; splendour on one hand, dirt and poverty on the -other, and vice everywhere: such, in few words, is the sum of her -account of the Austrian capital. The Faubourg, however, was truly -magnificent, consisting almost wholly of stately palaces. - -Here Pope’s first letter written during her residence abroad reached -her. It is marked by every effort which wit could imagine, being gay and -amusing; but betrays the fact, which, indeed, he did not wish to -conceal, that he was seriously in love, and deeply afflicted at her -absence. Conscious, however, of the criminality of his passion, he -labours to clothe it with an air of philosophical sentimentality, -feigning, but awkwardly and ineffectually, to be merely enamoured of her -soul. This circumstance compelled him to shadow forth his meaning -somewhat obscurely and quaintly for a lover, and deprived him of the -advantage of conveying his feelings from his own heart to hers through -those glowing trains of words which kindle the souls of the absent -almost as effectually as the corporeal presence of the persons beloved. -The reply of Lady Mary is conceived with consummate skill: pretending to -be in doubt whether she ought to understand him to have been in jest or -earnest, she nevertheless confesses, that in her present mood of mind -she is more inclined towards the latter interpretation; and then, -feeling that her footsteps were straying - - per ignes - Suppositos cineri doloso, - -she starts suddenly out of the dangerous track, and plunges into the -description of an opera and a German comedy. Here she is perfectly at -her ease; and the coarseness of the subject, which she affects to -condemn, so evidently delights her, that she describes in the broadest -terms an action the most outrageously gross, perhaps, that was ever -endured on the stage. - -It has often been remarked, that the interest of a book of travels -arises not so much from the newness and strangeness of the objects -described, as from the peculiar light which is reflected upon them from -the mind of the traveller. This fact is strikingly exemplified in the -case of Lady Mary, who, though journeying through places often visited, -throws so much of energy and vivacity, and frequently of novelty, into -her concise yet minute sketches, that we never pause to inquire whether -the objects delineated now come before us for the first time or not. -Besides, her sex and the advantages she enjoyed brought many -peculiarities both of costume and manners within the range of her -observation, of which ordinary travellers can know nothing, except from -hearsay, or from points of view too distant to admit of accurate -observation. Upon her being presented at court she was struck—as who -would not?—by the extravagant appearance of the ladies, who stalked -about with fabrics of gauze and ribands a yard high upon their heads, -and whalebone petticoats, which with pleasant exaggeration she describes -as covering whole acres of ground. The reigning empress perfectly -enraptured her with her beauty; and her admiration supplies her with so -much eloquence, that a complete picture is wrought out. In other -respects the court of Vienna was very much like other contemporary -courts—that is, overflowing with every variety of moral turpitude, -except that the Viennais had not the hypocrisy to pretend to be -virtuous. - -From this city our traveller made an excursion into Bohemia, the most -desert part of Germany, where the characteristics of the villages were -filth and poverty, scarcely furnishing clean straw and pure water, and -where the inns were so wretched that she preferred travelling all night -in the month of November to the idea of encountering the many unsavoury -smells which they abounded with. In this country, however, she made but -a short stay, but proceeded across the Erz Gebirge mountains into -Saxony. This part of the journey was performed by night. The moonlight -was sufficiently brilliant to discover the nature of the frightful -precipices over which the road lay, and which in many places was so -narrow that she could not discover an inch of space between the wheel -and the precipice, while the waters of the Elbe rolled along among the -rocks at an immeasurable depth below. Mr. Wortley, who possessed none of -the restless sensibility or curiosity of his wife, and preferred a -comfortable doze to the pleasure of gazing at moonlit crags throwing -their giant shadows over fathomless abysses, or of discussing the -chances of their being hurled into some of these gulfs, composed himself -to sleep, and left our traveller to her reflections. For some time she -resisted all temptation to disturb him; but observing that the -postillions had begun to follow his example, while the horses were -proceeding at full gallop, she thought it high time to make the whole -party sensible of their danger, and by calling out to the drivers, -awakened her husband. He was now alarmed at their critical situation, -and assured her that he had five times crossed the Alps by different -routes, without having ever seen so dangerous a road; but perhaps he had -not been awakened by his companions. - -Escaping from the terrors of these mountain scenes, she was extremely -disposed to be pleased with even roads and the security of cities, and -in this mood of mind found Dresden, which is really an agreeable city, -wonderfully pleasing. She here picked up a story which, as it is -exceedingly illustrative of kingly notions of love, may be worth -repeating. The King of Poland (Elector of Saxony) having discovered that -the Count de Cozelle had a very beautiful wife, and understanding the -taste of his countrywomen, paid the lady a visit, “bringing in one hand -a bag of a hundred thousand crowns, and in the other a horse-shoe, which -he snapped asunder before her face, leaving her to draw the consequences -of such remarkable proofs of strength and liberality.” I know not, adds -our fair traveller, which charmed her most, but she consented to leave -her husband, and give herself up to him entirely. - -From Dresden she proceeded to Leipzig, to Brunswick, to Hanover,—where -the ladies, wearing artificial faces, were handsome to the hour of their -death,—and thence back again to Vienna. Here she observes that no women -were at that period permitted to act upon the stage, though certainly -the regulation did not emanate from motives of delicacy. To show their -sympathy for physical as well as moral deformity, the emperor and -empress had two dwarfs as ugly as devils, especially the female, but -loaded with diamonds, and privileged to stand at her majesty’s elbow at -all public places. All the other princes of Germany exhibited similar -proofs of a taste for the ugly, which was so far improved by the King of -Denmark that he made his dwarf his prime minister. “I can assign no -reason,” says Lady Montague, “for their fondness for these pieces of -deformity, but the opinion all the absolute princes have that it is -below them to converse with the rest of mankind; and not to be quite -alone, they are forced to seek their companions among the refuse of -human nature, these creatures being the only part of their court -privileged to talk freely with them.” - -Though it was now the depth of winter, Mr. Wortley, who apparently was -thoroughly tired of the stupid gayeties of Vienna, determined to escape -from them, notwithstanding that all the fashionable world, Prince Eugene -among the rest, endeavoured to divert him from his purpose by drawing -the most frightful picture of Hungary, the country through which their -road lay. The life led by Prince Eugene at the modern Sybaris seems to -have inspired our traveller with a generous regret, the only one perhaps -she ever felt for a stranger, and gave rise in her mind to that sort of -mortification which reflections upon the imperfections of human nature -are calculated to give birth to. - -The ambassador commenced his journey on the 15th of January, 1717; and -the snow lying deep upon the ground, their carriages were fixed upon -_traneaus_, which moved over the slippery surface with astonishing -rapidity. In two days they arrived at Raab, where the governor and the -Bishop of Temeswar, an old man of a noble family, with a flowing white -beard hanging down to his girdle, waited upon them with polite -attentions and invitations, which their desire to continue their journey -compelled them to reject. The plains lying between this city and Buda, -level as the sea, and of amazing natural fertility, but now through the -ravages of war deserted and uncultivated, presented nothing but one -unbroken sheet of snow to the eye; nor, excepting its curious hovels, -half above and half below the surface of the earth, forming the summer -and winter apartments of the inhabitants, did Buda afford any thing -worthy of observation. The scene which stretched itself out before them -upon leaving Buda was rude, woody, and solitary, but abounding in game -of various kinds, which appeared to be the undisturbed lords of the -soil. The peasants of Hungary at that period were scanty and poor, -dressed in a coat, cap, and boots of sheepskin, and subsisting entirely -upon the wild animals afforded by their plains and woods. - -On the 26th they crossed the frozen Danube, pushed on through woods -infested by wolves, and arrived in the evening at Essek. Three days more -brought them to Peterwaradin, whence, having remained there a few days -to refresh themselves after their long journey, they departed for -Belgrade. On their way to this city they passed over the fields of -Carlowitz, the scene of Prince Eugene’s last great victory over the -Turks, and beheld scattered around them on all sides the broken -fragments of those instruments with which heroes open themselves a path -to glory: sculls and carcasses of men, mingled and trodden together with -those of the horse and the camel, the noble, patient brutes which are -made to participate in their madness. - -During their pretty long stay at Belgrade, Lady Mary, whose free and -easy disposition admirably adapted her for a traveller, contracted an -acquaintance with Achmet Bey, a Turkish _effendi_, or literary man, whom -she understood to be an accomplished Arabic and Persian scholar, and -who, delighted with the novelty of the thing, undertook to initiate our -female _effendi_ in the mysteries of oriental poetry, judiciously -selecting such pieces as treated of love. In conversation with this -gentleman she learned with surprise that the Persian Tales, which at -that time were in Europe supposed to be forgeries, and consequently of -no authority or value, except as novels, were genuine oriental -compositions, like the Arabian Nights, and therefore to be regarded as -admirable illustrations of manners. - -Leaving Belgrade and the agreeable effendi, they proceeded through the -woody wilds of Servia, where the scanty peasantry were ground to the -earth by oppression, to Nissa, the ancient capital; and passing thence -into Bulgaria, our fair traveller was amused at Sophia with one of those -little incidents which, from her _naïve_ mode of describing them, -constitute the principal charm of her travels. This was a visit to the -baths. Arriving about ten o’clock in the morning, she found the place -already crowded with women, and having cast a glance or two at the form -and structure of the edifice, which consisted of fine apartments covered -with domes, floored with marble, and adorned with a low divan of the -same materials, she proceeded into the principal bathing-room, where -there were about two hundred ladies, in the state of nature, seated upon -cushions or rich carpets, with their slaves standing behind them, -equally unencumbered with dress. The behaviour of both mistresses and -maids, however, was characterized by equal modesty. But their beauty and -the exquisite symmetry of their forms, which, in the opinion of Lady -Mary, at least equalled the most perfect creations of Guido or Titian, -defied the powers of language, and compelled the astonished observer, in -default of accurate expressions, to have recourse to poetical -comparisons, and descriptions of the effects produced upon the mind. It -is well known that Homer, despairing of presenting his hearers or -readers with a complete picture of Helen’s beauty, has recourse to the -same artifice, representing the old statesman exclaiming, as she -approaches them veiled upon the ramparts, - - Oὐ νέμεσις Τρῶας καὶ ἐϋκνήμιδας Ἀχαιοὺς - Tοιῇδ᾽ ἀμφὶ γυναικὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἄλγεα πάσχειν· - Aἰνῶς ἀθανάτῃσι θεῇς εἰς ὦπα ἔοικεν. ^{TN} - -When, to cut the matter short, he tells us at once that she resembled -the immortal goddesses in beauty; and our traveller, with equal -felicity, observes, that they were as finely proportioned as any -goddess, and that most of their skins were “shiningly white, only -adorned with their beautiful hair divided into many tresses, hanging on -their shoulders, braided either with pearl or riband, _perfectly -representing the figures of the Graces_.” She was here thoroughly -convinced, she observes, of the correctness of an old theory of hers, -“that if it were the fashion to go naked, the face would be hardly -observed”—for, continues she, “I perceived that the ladies of the most -delicate skins and finest shapes had the greatest share of my -admiration, though their faces were sometimes less beautiful than those -of their companions.” The whole scene was highly picturesque. Some of -the ladies were engaged in conversation, some were working, some -drinking coffee or sherbet, and others, more languid and indolent, were -reclining negligently on their cushions, “while their slaves, generally -pretty girls of seventeen or eighteen, were employed in braiding their -hair in several pretty fancies.” - -This spectacle our traveller quitted for the purpose of examining the -ruins of Justinian’s church; but after the bath these appeared so -remarkably insipid, that, pronouncing them to be a heap of stones, which -may be predicated of most ruins, she returned to her apartments, and -prepared with regret to accompany her husband over the Balkan into -Roumelia. The road throughout a great proportion of this route lay -through woods so completely infested by banditti, that no persons but -such as could command the attendance of a numerous escort dared venture -themselves among them; and, in fact, the janizaries who accompanied -ambassadors and all public functionaries exercised towards the peasantry -a degree of oppression so intolerable, that, had the whole population -resorted to the profession of robbery for a livelihood, it would have by -no means been a matter of wonder. On the ambassador’s arrival at a -village, his attendant janizaries seized upon all the sheep and poultry -within their reach—“lambs just fallen, and geese and turkeys big with -egg”—and massacred them all without distinction, while the wretched -owners stood aloof, not daring to complain for fear of being beaten. -When the pashas travelled through those districts where perhaps the meat -and poultry were lean and tough, as in all probability the peasantry -treated them, as often as possible, to the grandsires of their flocks -and barn doors, the great men, in addition to the provision they -devoured, exacted what was expressly denominated “teeth-money,” as a -small compensation for their having worn out their teeth in the service -of the public. But though Mr. Wortley and Lady Mary seem to have been -ambitious of imitating these three-tailed personages in many respects, -they would appear throughout their journey to have eaten the poor -people’s fowls and mutton gratis. - -On arriving at Adrianople, where the sultan was at that time residing -with his court, Lady Mary suddenly found herself in a new world, but -extremely suited to her taste. Her principal companion was the French -ambassadress, an agreeable woman, but extravagantly fond of parade, with -whom she went about seeing such sights as the place afforded, which, -every object in the city, except her husband, being new, were -sufficiently numerous. The sultan, whom she saw for the first time going -in solemn procession to the mosque, was a fine, handsome man of about -forty, with full black eyes, and an expression of severity in his -countenance. This prince, Achmet III., has been said, upon I know not -what authority, to have afterward become enamoured of our fair -traveller. The report, in all probability, was unfounded; but the -reasons which have induced a contemporary biographer[3] to come to this -conclusion are particularly various: independently of Turkish -prejudices, which, according to his notion of things, would prevent an -emperor from conceiving _any such idea_, it was not at all probable, he -imagines, that a person possessing a Fatima with such “celestial charms” -(as Lady Mary describes), and so many other angelic creatures, should -have thought for a moment of an “English lady.” What prejudices the -sagacious author alludes to, it is difficult to discover; it would not -be those of religion, as the imperial harem, it is well known, is -constantly replenished with Circassians and Georgians, Christians and -Mohammedans, indiscriminately. This point, therefore, must remain -doubtful. With respect to Fatima, whatever may have been her charms, she -could have been no bar to the sultan’s admiration of Lady Mary, being -the wife, not of the sultan, but of the kihaya. The other “angelical -creatures” whose influence he rates so highly may very possibly have -restrained the affections of their master from wandering beyond the -walls of the seraglio; nevertheless, stranger things have happened than -that a prince in the flower of his age, neglecting the legitimate -objects of his attachment, should allow a greater scope to his desires -than either religion or the common rules of decorum would warrant. The -best reason for rejecting this piece of scandal is, not that Lady Mary -was an “English woman,” and therefore, as M. Duparc would insinuate, too -ugly to rival the slaves of the sultan, but that there is no good -authority for admitting it. - -Footnote 3: - - M. Duparc, in the “Biographie Universelle.” - -Leaving this point undetermined, however, for want of evidence, let us -proceed to the costume of the “angelical creatures” of whom we have been -speaking. But Lady Montague must here take the pen into her own hand; -for, in describing the mysteries of the toilet, she possesses a -felicitous, luxuriant eloquence, which it would be vain in any thing out -of petticoats to endeavour to rival. “The first part of my dress (she -had adopted the Turkish habit) is a pair of drawers, very full, that -reach to my shoes, and conceal the legs more modestly than your -petticoats. They are of a thin rose-coloured damask, brocaded with -silver flowers. My shoes are of white kid leather, embroidered with -gold. Over this hangs my smock, of a fine white silk gauze, edged with -embroidery. This smock has wide sleeves, hanging half-way down the arm, -and is closed at the neck with a diamond button; but the shape and -colour of the bosom are very well to be distinguished through it. The -antery is a waistcoat, made close to the shape, of white and gold -damask, with very long sleeves falling back, and fringed with deep gold -fringe, and should have diamond or pearl buttons. My caftan, of the same -stuff with my drawers, is a robe exactly fitted to my shape, and -reaching to my feet, with very long, straight falling sleeves. Over this -is my girdle, of about four fingers broad, which all that can afford it -have entirely of diamonds or other precious stones; those who will not -be at that expense have it of exquisite embroidery or satin; but it must -be fastened before with a clasp of diamonds. The curdee is a loose robe -they throw off or put on according to the weather, being of a rich -brocade (mine is green and gold), either lined with ermine or sables; -the sleeves reach very little below the shoulders. The headdress is -composed of a cap, called talpack, which is in winter of fine velvet, -embroidered with pearl or diamonds, and in summer of a light shining -silver stuff. This is fixed on one side of the head, hanging a little -way down, with a gold tassel, and bound on, either with a circle of -diamonds (as I have seen several), or a rich embroidered handkerchief. -On the other side of the head the hair is laid flat; and here the ladies -are at liberty to show their fancies, some putting flowers, others a -plume of herons’ feathers, and, in short, what they please; but the most -general fashion is a large bouquet of jewels, made like natural flowers; -that is, the buds of pearl, the roses of different-coloured rubies, the -jessamines of diamonds, the jonquils of topazes, &c., so well set and -enamelled, ’tis hard to imagine any thing of that kind so beautiful. The -hair hangs at its full length behind, divided into tresses braided with -pearl or riband, which is always in great quantity. I never saw in my -life so many fine heads of hair. In one lady’s I have counted a hundred -and ten of the tresses, all natural.” - -Our traveller, whose faith in the virtue of her sex was exceedingly -slender, informs us, however, that these beautiful creatures were -vehemently addicted to intrigue, which they were enabled to carry on -much more securely than our Christian ladies, from their fashion of -perpetually going abroad in masquerade, that is, thickly veiled, so that -no man could know his own wife in the street. This, with the Jews’ -shops, which were so many places of rendezvous, enabled the fair sinners -almost invariably to avoid detection; and when discovered, a sack and a -horse-pond, when the Bosphorus was not within a convenient distance, -terminated the affair in a few minutes. Still the risk was comparatively -small, and “you may easily imagine,” says Lady Mary—who seems to have -thought that women are never virtuous except when kept within the pale -of duty by the fear of imminent danger—“you may easily imagine the -number of faithful wives very small in a country where they have nothing -to fear from a lover’s indiscretion!” Had we met with so profligate an -article of faith in the creed of a male traveller, we should have -inferred that he had spent the greater part of his life in -gambling-houses and their appendages; but since it is a lady—an -ambassadress—an illustrious scion of a noble stock, who thus libels the -posterity of Eve, we place our finger upon our lips, and keep our -inferences to ourselves. - -Pope, in a letter to her at Adrianople, accompanying the third volume of -his translation of the Iliad, pretends, as a graceful piece of flattery, -to imagine that because she had resided some few weeks on the banks of -the Hebrus among Asiatic barbarians, and barbarized descendants of the -Greeks, she could doubtless throw peculiar light upon various passages -of Homer; and the lady, interpreting the joke seriously, replies, that -there was not one instrument of music among the Greek or Roman statues -which was not to be found in the hands of the Roumeliotes; that young -shepherd lads still diverted themselves with making garlands for their -favourite lambs; and that, in reality, she found “several little -passages” in Homer explained, which she “did not before entirely -comprehend the beauty of.” - -During her stay at Adrianople she discovered something better, however, -than Turkish illustrations of Homer, for it was here that she first -observed the practice of inoculation for the small-pox, which she had -the hardihood to try upon her own children, and was the first to -introduce it into England. Among the Turks, who, in all probability, -were not its inventors, it was termed _ingrafting_, and the whole -economy of the thing, according to the invariable policy of barbarians, -was intrusted to the management of old women. Upon the return of the -embassy to England, a Mr. Maitland, the ambassador’s physician, -endeavoured, under the patronage of Lady Montague, who ardently desired -its extension, to introduce the practice in London; and in 1721, the -public attention having been strongly directed to the subject, and the -curiosity of professional men awakened, an experiment, sanctioned by the -College of Physicians, and authorized by government, was made upon five -condemned criminals. With four of these the trial perfectly succeeded, -and the fifth, a woman, upon whom no effect was produced, afterward -confessed that she had had the small-pox while an infant. The merit of -this action of Lady Montague can scarcely be overrated, as, by exciting -curiosity and inquiry, it seems unquestionably to have led the way to -the discovery of vaccination, that great preservative of life and -beauty, and produced at the time immense positive good.[4] - -Footnote 4: - - A writer in the Annual Register for 1762, thus calculates the amount - of the benefit conferred on the British public by Lady Montague:—“If - one person in _seven_ die of the small-pox in the natural way, and one - in _three hundred and twelve_ by inoculation, as proved at the - small-pox hospital, then, as 1,000,000 divided by seven, gives - 142,857½, 1,000,000 divided by 312, gives 3,205 46-312. The lives - saved in 1,000,000 by inoculation must be 139,652 11-31. In Lord - Petre’s family, 18 individuals died of the small-pox in 27 years. The - present generation, who have enjoyed all the advantages of - inoculation, are adequate judges of the extremely fatal prevalence of - the original disease, and of their consequently great obligations to - Lady Mary Wortley Montague.”—Sir Richard Steele, in the Plain Dealer, - prefers the introduction of this practice to all “those wide - endowments and deep foundations of public charity which have made most - noise in the world.” - -To return, however, to Adrianople: among the most remarkable things -which our fair traveller beheld during her residence in the East was -Fatima, the wife of the kihaya, or vizier’s lieutenant, a woman “so -gloriously beautiful,” to borrow the expression of her panegyrist, that -all lovely things appeared to dwindle into insignificance in her -presence. The passage in which this lady is described, though in a -certain point of view it may be liable to objection, is in every other -respect the finest portion of Lady Mary’s travels; exhibiting a -remarkable power of affording the imagination of the reader glimpses of -corporeal beauties which language is never sufficiently rich and vivid -to paint exactly, and betraying at the same time so enthusiastic and -unreserved an admiration of another woman’s superior perfections, that -we with difficulty recognise in these hurried, ingenuous overflowings of -natural eloquence, the female Diogenes of 1740. The whole palace of the -kihaya appeared at the moment a fairy creation. Two black eunuchs, -meeting the traveller at the door, led her into the harem, between two -rows of beautiful female slaves, with their profuse and finely-plaited -hair hanging almost to their feet, and dressed in fine light damasks, -brocaded with silver. She next passed through a magnificent pavilion, -adorned with gilded sashes, now all thrown up to admit the air, and -opening into a garden, where there grew a number of large trees, with -jessamine and honey-suckles twisted round their trunks, and emitting an -exquisite perfume. A fountain of scented water was falling at the lower -end of the apartment into three or four basins of white marble, at the -same time diffusing an agreeable odour and a refreshing coolness through -the air. Over the ceiling the pencil had scattered flowers in gilded -baskets. But all these things were forgotten on beholding Fatima. When -Lady Mary entered she was sitting on a sofa raised three steps above the -floor, and leaning on cushions of white embroidered satin. Two young -girls, “lovely as angels,” sat at her feet clothed in the richest -costume of the East, and sparkling with jewels. They were her daughters. -The mother, however, was so transcendently beautiful, that, in the -opinion of Lady Mary, neither these girls, nor any thing that ever was -called lovely, either in England or Germany, were capable of exciting -the least admiration near her. There is truth in the old saying, that -beauty possesses a power which irresistibly subdues the soul. No one -ever looked for the first time upon a beautiful form without -experiencing a certain awe, or consciousness of being in the presence of -a superior nature, which the pagans imagined people felt when some deity -overawed them with its Shekinah. That an acquaintance with the -intellectual or moral imperfections which too frequently attend on -beauty very quickly dissipates this impression, we all know: but at the -outset most persons feel like our traveller, who says, “I was so struck -with admiration, that I could not for some time speak to her, being -wholly taken up in gazing. That surprising harmony of features! that -charming result of the whole! that exact proportion of body! that lovely -bloom of complexion unsullied by art! the unutterable enchantment of her -smile!—But her eyes!—large and black, with the soft languishment of the -blue! every turn of her face discovering some new grace.” - -Into the details of her dress, in the description of which Lady Mary -employs warm colouring, it is not necessary to enter. Fatima, on her -part, very quickly divined the taste and temperament of her guest, and -after a little conversation, carried on through the medium of a Greek -lady who accompanied the traveller, she made a sign to four of her -beautiful slaves to entertain the stranger with music and dancing. Those -who have read descriptions of the fandango of the Spanish ladies, the -chironomia of antiquity, or the performances of the Hindoo dancing -girls, or voluptuous _almé_ of Egypt, will perhaps be able to form a -just conception of the dance with which the ladies of the harem amuse -themselves and their female visiters. “This dance,” says Lady Montague, -“was very different from what I had seen before. The tunes so soft!—the -motions so languishing!—accompanied with pauses and dying eyes! half -falling back, and then recovering themselves in so artful a manner.” - -Before her departure from Adrianople, she went to visit the mosque of -Sultan Selim I., and being in a Turkish dress was admitted without -difficulty; though she supposes, no doubt rightly, that the doorkeepers -understood well enough whom they had allowed to enter. The walls were -inlaid with Japan china in the form of flowers, the marble pavement was -covered with rich Persian carpets, and the whole body of the edifice -free from those pews, forms, and chairs which encumber our churches, -both Protestant and Catholic, and give the latter, during week-days, the -appearance of a lumber-room. About two thousand lamps were suspended in -various parts of the building, which, when lighted at night, must show -off to great advantage the solemn splendour of the architecture. - -The road to Constantinople carried them through the richest meadows, -which, as it was then the month of May, were clothed with exceeding -beauty, and so thickly sprinkled with flowers and aromatic herbs, that -the wheels of the carriages, crushing them as they drove along, -literally perfumed the air. At Kutchuk Tchekmedje, where they lodged in -what had formerly been a monastery of dervishes, Lady Montague requested -the owner, a country schoolmaster, to show her his own apartments, and -was surprised, says she, to see him point to a tall cypress-tree in the -garden, on the top of which was a place for a bed for himself, and a -little lower one for his wife and two children, who slept there every -night. I was so much diverted with the fancy, I resolved to examine his -nest nearer; but, after going up fifty steps, I found I had still fifty -to go up, and then I must climb from branch to branch with some hazard -of my neck; I thought it, therefore, the best way to come down again. -Navigators in the South Sea have found whole nations who, like this -romantic Ottomite, lived perched upon trees, like eagles, descending -only when in lack of prey or recreation. - -The first objects which struck her on arriving at Constantinople were -the cemeteries, which upon the whole seemed to occupy more ground than -the city itself. These, however, with their tombs and chapels, have been -so frequently described by modern travellers, that it is unnecessary to -dwell upon them, curious as they are; though we may remark, in passing, -that their fancy of sculpturing a rose on the monuments of unmarried -women is a delicate allusion to the purity of the dead. In the month of -June they were driven by the heat of the weather to the village of -Belgrade, fourteen miles from Constantinople, on the shores of the Black -Sea, one of the usual retreats of the European embassies. Here our fair -traveller found an earthly representation of the Elysian Fields: - - Devenere locos lætos, et amœna vireta - Fortunatorum nemorum, sedesque beatas. - Largior hic campos, æther et lumine vestit - Purpureo. - -Their house, the site of which, nothing more remaining, is still visited -by European travellers, stood in the middle of a grove chiefly of -fruit-trees. The walks, carpeted with short soft grass, were shady and -cool; and on all sides a perpetual verdure was maintained by numerous -fountains of pure, beautiful water. From the house and various other -points views were obtained of the Black Sea, with its picturesque -verdant shores, while the fresh breezes which blew continually from that -quarter sufficiently tempered the heat of summer. The charms of such -scenes inspire gayety even in the oppressed. For here the Greeks, -forgetting for a moment the yoke of the Ottomite, assembled in great -numbers of both sexes every evening, to laugh and sing, and “dance away -their time.” - -From an absurd request which had been made to her by Lady Rich to -purchase her a Greek slave, Lady Montague, having observed that the -“Greeks were _subjects_, not _slaves_!” takes occasion to describe to -her friend the various kinds of female slaves which were to be found in -Turkey. And though brief, her account is not particularly incorrect. But -she eagerly seizes upon this opportunity to disparage the relations of -all former travellers, treating them collectively as a herd of low -people, who had never enjoyed the advantage of conversing with -barbarians of quality. She was therefore ignorant that Busbequius, -Pietro della Valle, Chardin, and others had lived upon most familiar -terms with Turks of the highest consideration in the empire; and that, -excepting in what relates to the harem, from which their sex excluded -them, they might have afforded her ladyship very important instruction -upon several particulars of Turkish manners. Upon cosmetics her -authority, of course, is paramount. Neither Della Valle nor Chardin ever -daubed their faces with balm of Mecca, and consequently could not -pretend to speak of its virtues with the same confidence as Lady Mary, -who, as she confesses with indignation, was rendered, by the indiscreet -application of it, a perfect monster for three days. Having been -presented with a small quantity of the best sort, “I with great joy,” -says she, “applied it to my face, expecting some wonderful effect to my -advantage. The next morning the change indeed was wonderful; my face was -swelled to a very extraordinary size, and all over as red as my Lady -H——’s. It remained in this lamentable state three days, during which, -you may be sure, I passed my time very ill. I believed it would never be -otherwise; and to add to my mortification, Mr. Wortley reproached my -indiscretion without ceasing. However, my face is since _in statu_ quo; -nay, I am told by the ladies here that it is much mended by the -operation, which I confess I cannot perceive in my looking-glass.” - -On the 6th of June, 1718, she left Constantinople with regret. And at -this I do not wonder, for there was in her character a coarse sensual -bent, closely approximating to the oriental cast of mind, which in a -wild unpoliced capital, where, according to her own account, women live -in a state of perpetual masquerade, might still more easily be yielded -to even than in London. Of study and the sciences she had by this time -grown tired. She regretted that her youth had been spent in the -acquisition of knowledge. The Turks, who consumed their lives “in music, -gardens, wine, and delicate eating,” appeared upon the whole much wiser -than the English, who tormented their brains with some scheme of -politics, I use her own words, or in studying some science to which they -could never attain. “Considering what short-lived weak animals men are,” -she adds, “is there any study so beneficial as the study of _present -pleasure?_” And lest any one should mistake her after all, she subjoins, -“but I allow you to laugh at me for my sensual declaration in saying -that I had rather be a rich _effendi_ with all his ignorance, than Sir -Isaac Newton with all his knowledge.” No doubt; and Lais, Cleopatra, or -Ninon would have said the same thing. - -Sailing down the Dardanelles, they cast anchor between the castles of -Sestos and Abydos, where, - - ————In the month of cold December, - Leander, daring boy, was wont,— - What maid will not the tale remember?— - To cross thy stream, broad Hellespont! - -Here she enjoyed a full view of Mount Ida, - - Where Juno once caressed her amorous Jove, - And the world’s master lay subdued by love. - -The quotation is Lady Montague’s. Descending a league farther down the -Hellespont, she landed at the promontory of Sigeum, and climbed up to -visit the barrow beneath which the heroic bones of Achilles repose. -Experiencing no enthusiasm at the sight of these Homeric scenes, she was -unquestionably right in not affecting what she did not feel; but who, -save herself, could have viewed the plains of Troy, the Simois, and the -Scamander without having any other ideas awakened in the mind than such -as the adventure of Æschines’s companion and the lewd tale of Lafontaine -had implanted there? However, to do her justice, though she gives her -favourite ideas the precedence, she afterward observes, “there is some -pleasure in seeing the valley where I imagined the famous duel of -Menelaus and Paris had been fought, and where the greatest city in the -world was situated.” Here, though she is mistaken about the magnitude of -the city, there is some sign of the only feeling which ever ought to -lead a traveller out of his way to behold such a scene; and she goes on -to say, “I spent several hours here in as agreeable cogitations as ever -Don Quixote had on Mount Montesinos;” in which cogitations let us be -charitable enough to suppose that “the tale of Troy divine” was not -forgotten. - -From the Hellespont they sailed between the islands of the Archipelago, -and passing by Sicily and Malta, where they landed, were driven by a -storm into Porta Farina, on the coast of Africa, near Tunis, where they -remained at the house of the British consul for some days. Being so near -the ruins of Carthage, her curiosity to behold so remarkable a spot was -not to be resisted; and accordingly she proceeded to the scene, through -groves of date, olive, and fig-trees; but the most extraordinary objects -she met with were the women of the country, who were so frightfully ugly -that her delicate imagination immediately suggested to her the -probability of some intermarriages having formerly taken place between -their ancestors and the baboons of the country. - -From Tunis they in a few days set sail for Genoa; whence after a little -repose they proceeded across the Alps, and through France, to England, -where they arrived on the 20th of October, 1718. - -Shortly after her return she was induced by the solicitations of Pope, -whom two years of reflection had not cured, to take up her residence at -Twickenham. But the poet must very soon have discovered that, in -comparison with the “rich _effendis_” and “three-tailed” pashas of the -East, his poor little, ailing person, in spite of his grotto and his -muse, had dwindled to nothing in the estimation of Lady Mary. Lord -Hervey, who, though he wrote verses, had not been “blasted with poetic -fire,” was considered, for reasons not given, more worthy of her -ladyship’s friendship. However, these changes were not immediately -apparent, and other affairs, which came still more home to her bosom -than friendship, in the interim occupied her attention; among the rest -the idea of realizing immense sums by embarking in the South Sea scheme. -She likewise allowed the poet, whom the original had captivated so long, -to employ the pencil of Sir Godfrey Kneller in copying her mature charms -to adorn his hermitage. She was drawn in the meretricious taste of the -times: and the physiognomy of the portrait answers exactly in expression -to the idea which we form of Lady Mary from her writings; that is, it -exhibits a mixture of intellectuality and voluptuousness, of calm, -confident, commanding complacency, bordering a little on defiance or -scorn. Pope received the finished picture with the delight of a lover, -and immediately expressed his conception of it in the following lines:— - - The playful smiles around the dimpled mouth, - That happy air of majesty and truth, - So would I draw (but oh! ’tis vain to try, - My narrow genius does the power deny), - The equal lustre of the heavenly mind, - Where every grace with every virtue’s joined, - Learning not vain, and wisdom not severe, - With greatness easy, and with wit sincere, - With just description show the soul divine, - And the whole princess in my work should shine. - -The verses are insipid enough, like most compliments; but they express -an opinion which circumstances very shortly afterward compelled him to -change, when the princess became transformed into a modern “Sappho” and, -thrown with Lord Fanny, Sporus, Atossa, and many others, into a group, -was “damned” by satire to “everlasting fame.” - -Lady Montague’s life, many years after her return from the East, was -spent like that of most other ladies of fashion, who mingle a taste for -literature and politics with gallantry. Her letters to her sister, who -now, through the attainder and exile of her husband, Erskine Earl of -Mar, resided abroad, abound with evidences that the pleasures which she -had heretofore regarded as the _summum bonum_ soon palled the appetite; -and that as the effervescence of animal spirits which, during her youth, -had given a keen relish to life subsided, a metamorphosis, the reverse -of that of the butterfly, took place, changing the gay fluttering summer -insect into a grub. A cynical contempt of all things human succeeded. -Into the grounds of her separation from her husband I shall not inquire. -Ill health was at the time the cause assigned. The triumph of the -political party to which she was opposed has since been absurdly put -forward to account for it: but she had, no doubt, other reasons, much -more powerful, for cutting herself off, during a period of twenty-two -years, from all personal intercourse with her family. - -Be this however as it may, in the month of July, 1739, she departed from -England, and bade an eternal adieu to Mr. Montague and the greater -number of her old friends. Her first place of residence on the Continent -was Venice, from whence she made an excursion to Rome and Naples, and, -returning to Brescia, took up her abode in one of the palaces of that -city. She likewise visited the south of France and Switzerland. The -summer months she usually spent at Louverre, on the lake of Isis, in the -territories of Venice, where gardening, silk-worms, and books appear to -have afforded her considerable amusement. In 1758 she removed to Venice, -and, her husband dying in 1761, she was prevailed upon by her daughter, -the Countess of Bute, to return to England. However, she survived Mr. -Montague but a single year; for, whether the sudden transition to a -northern climate was too violent a shock for her frame, or that a -gradual decay had been going on, and was now naturally approaching its -termination, she breathed her last on the 21st of August, 1762, in the -seventy-third year of her age. - -Her letters have been compared with those of Madame de Sevigné, but they -do not at all resemble them. The latter have a calm, quiet interest, a -sweetness, an ingenuous tenderness, a natural simplicity, which -powerfully recommend them to us in those moments when we ourselves are -calm or melancholy. Lady Montague’s have infinitely more nerve and -vigour, excite a far deeper interest, but of an equivocal and painful -cast, and while, in a certain sense, they amuse and gratify, inspire -aversion for their writer. On the other hand, Madame de Sevigné is a -person whom one would like to have known. She is garrulous, she -frequently repeats herself; but it is maternal love which causes the -error. In one word, we admire the talents of Lady Montague, but we love -the character of Madame de Sevigné. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - RICHARD POCOCKE. - - Born 1704—Died 1765. - - -THIS distinguished traveller was born at Southampton, in the year 1704. -The scope of his education, which, besides those classical acquirements -that usually constitute the learning of a gentleman, embraced an -extensive knowledge of the principal oriental languages, admirably -fitted him for travelling with advantage in the East. But previously to -undertaking that longer and more important journey upon the history of -which he was to rest all his hopes of fame, he resolved to visit some of -the more remarkable countries of Europe; and accordingly, on the 30th of -August, 1733, he departed from London, and proceeded by the usual route -to Paris. The curiosities of this accessible country, France, of which -we often remain in utter ignorance, because they are near, and may be -easily visited, appeared highly worthy of attention to Pococke. He -attentively examined the palaces and gardens of Versailles, St. Germain, -and Fontainebleau; the remains of antiquity at Avignon, Nismes, and -Arles; and the architectural and picturesque beauties of Montpellier, -Toulon, and Marseilles. - -From France he proceeded into Italy, by the way of Piedmont; and having -traversed the territories of Genoa, Tuscany, the territories of the -church, of Venice, and of Milan, he returned through Piedmont, Savoy, -and France, and arrived in London on the 1st of July, 1734. - -This tour only serving to increase his passion for travelling, he, on -the 20th of May, 1736, set out from London on his long-projected journey -into the East. He now directed his course through Flanders, Brabant, and -Holland, into Germany, which he traversed in all directions, from the -shores of the Baltic to Hungary and Illyria. He then passed into Italy, -and proceeding to Leghorn, embarked at that port, on the 7th of -September, 1737, for Alexandria in Egypt, where he arrived on the 29th -of the same month. - -It is a remark which I have frequently made during the composition of -these Lives, that when an original-minded traveller directs his course -through a well known but interesting country, we follow his track and -peruse his observations with perhaps still greater pleasure than we -should feel had he journeyed through an entirely new region. In the -former case we in some measure consider ourselves competent to decide -upon the accuracy of his descriptions and the justness of his views; -while in the latter, delivered up wholly to his guidance, and having no -other testimony to corroborate or oppose to his, we experience an -involuntary timidity, and hesitate to believe, lest our confidence -should lead us into error. Besides, in no country can the man of genius -fail to find matter for original remark. No man can forestall him, -because such a person discovers things literally invisible to others; -though, when once pointed out, they immediately cease to be so. His -acquirements, the peculiar frame of his mind, in one word, his -individuality, is to him as an additional sense, which no other person -does or can possess; and this circumstance, which is not one of the -least fortunate in the intellectual economy, delivers us from all -solicitude respecting that lack of materials for original composition -about which grovelling and barren speculators have in all ages -clamoured; while the consciousness of mental poverty has generated in -their imaginations an apprehension that every one who approached them -had a design upon their little pedler’s pack of ideas, and driven them -into anxious and unhappy solitude, that, like so many spiders, they -might preserve their flimsy originality from the rough collision of more -robust minds. - -The feeling which leads learned and scientific men one after another to -Egypt is the same with that which, after long years of absence, induces -us to visit the place of our birth. Philosophy, according to popular -tradition, had its birthplace on the banks of the Nile—though those of -the Ganges appear to possess a better claim to the honour; and it is to -examine the material traces of early footsteps, urged by some obscure -secret persuasion that momentous revelations respecting the history of -man might be made, could we, if I may hazard the expression, re-animate -the sacred language of the Egyptians, who, as Shelley phrases it, - - Hung their mute thoughts on the mute walls around, - -that traveller after traveller paces around the mysterious obelisks, -columns, and sarcophagi of Karnac and Edfu. Countries which have never, -so far as we know, been inhabited by any but savage tribes, however -magnificent may be their scenery, however fertile their soil, can never, -in the estimation of the philosophical traveller, possess equal -attractions with India, Persia, Egypt, or Greece: they resemble so many -theatrical scenes without actors; and after amusing the eye or the -imagination for a brief space of time, excite a mortal _ennui_ which -nothing can ward off. The world itself would be a dull panorama without -man. It is only as the scene of his actions, passions, sufferings, -glory, or shame, that its various regions possess any lasting interest -for us. Where great men have lived or died, there are poetry, -romance,—every thing that can excite the feelings or elevate the mind. -“Gray Marathon,” Thermopylæ, Troy, Mantinea, Agincourt, Waterloo, are -more sublime names than Mont Blanc or the Himalaya. On the former we are -lifted up by the remembrance of human energy; the latter present -themselves to us as prodigious masses of brute matter, sublime -undoubtedly, but linked by no glorious associations with the triumphs or -the fall of great or brave men. - -The above remarks appeared necessary to explain why we are never weary -of accompanying travellers through Egypt, Palestine, and the other -celebrated lands which border the Mediterranean: I now proceed with the -adventures and researches of Pococke. On arriving at Alexandria, a city -which, when taken by the Arabs, contained four thousand palaces, as many -baths, four hundred public places or squares, and forty thousand Jews -who paid tribute, he immediately exerted himself to gratify his -curiosity, and this so imprudently, that he led several soldiers into a -breach of duty, in showing him the ruins of the ancient Pharos without -permission, for which they were afterward punished. Several travellers -have pretended that the coffin of Alexander the Great is still preserved -in a Mohammedan mosque in this city, and we find Bruce, thirty years -after Pococke, making very diligent inquiry among the inhabitants -respecting it. It is certain that the remains of the Macedonian king -were deposited in a golden coffin in the royal tombs of Alexandria; but -in the age of Augustus his bones had already been transferred from their -gorgeous lodgings to humbler ones of glass, in which they were brought -forth from their narrow house for the inspection of the tyrant, who -threw flowers and placed a golden crown upon the coffin. However, when -we reflect that even in so peaceful a city as Caen, the remains of -William the Conqueror could not be preserved a few hundred years from -popular insult, it seems extremely improbable that those of Alexander -should have been suffered to escape for two thousand years in a place -which has experienced so many and such dreadful vicissitudes. - -From Alexandria he proceeded to Rosetta, in company with the English -consul; and on approaching within a few miles of the city, was surprised -to find a tent pitched, and an excellent collation laid out for them in -the desert, for which they were indebted to the politeness of the French -merchants, several of whom came out more than a league to meet them. -Horses, likewise, were sent for their use by the Turkish governor of the -city, whose opinions respecting the natural fitness of asses to be the -coursers of Franks seem to have been quite heterodox. To add to the -compliment, servants were sent whose business it was to run along by the -side of the equestrian travellers; and in this unusual style they -entered Rosetta. - -It was now the latter end of October, and Egypt, which goes annually -through as many changes as a butterfly, was already beginning to put on -its winter dress, in which alone, according to the opinion of -connoisseurs, it should be contemplated by the admirers of the -beautiful. Its landscapes, it is well known, are very peculiar. There -are no glaciers, toppling crags, or mountain torrents; but there are -gardens filled with palm, orange, and almond trees; fields of young rice -more green than the emerald; villages perched on little eminences, and -flanked by date groves; diminutive lakes with reeds on greensward -enamelled with flowers around their margin; and to crown all, one of the -mightiest rivers in the world rolling along its broad waters through -scenes of sunshine and plenty, and through ruins of such prodigious -magnificence, that they seem rather to be the remains of a former world -than the works of that race of pigmy stature which now inhabits it. A -large portion of the rich fields in the vicinity of Rosetta belongs to -Mecca; and the inhabitants have a tradition that a member of the -prophet’s family resided on a neighbouring spot, where a mosque was -afterward erected, to which, should the Holy City ever be wrested from -the faithful, all devout persons would go on pilgrimage. - -Locke, in combating the doctrine of innate ideas, and in order to show -that modesty, as well as all the other virtues, is an acquired habit, -cites from Baumgarten a description of the nudity and immoral practices -of the Mohammedan saints of Egypt, which in that country were not merely -tolerated, but vehemently approved of. Two of these naked saints Pococke -himself saw in the city of Rosetta. The one, he observes, was a -good-humoured old man; the other a youth of eighteen; and as the latter -walked along the streets the people kissed his hands. He was moreover -informed that on Fridays, when the women are accustomed to visit the -cemeteries, these holy men usually sat at the entrance, when the -visiters not only kissed their hands, but carried their religious -veneration so far as to practise the same ceremony with which the -ancients adored their Phallic divinity, and the modern Hindoos pay their -reverence to the Lingam. Something of this kind our traveller says he -witnessed at Cairo, but that the sight was too common to command the -least attention. - -Having seen the principal curiosities of this city, and visited the -Greek patriarch, who entertained him with a pipe, a spoonful of sweet -syrup, and coffee, he set out on the 4th of November for Cairo, sailing -in a large kanja up the Nile. Besides the constantly shifting scenes -presented by the shores of the river, which were of themselves -sufficient to render the voyage a pleasant one, the passengers were -amused by Arab story-tellers, and representations of rude farces, in -which the sailors themselves were the performers. The lakes of natron, a -little of which dissolved in vinegar is, according to Hasselquist, a -sovereign remedy for the toothache, Pococke did not visit; but he was -informed by some of the passengers that their environs abounded with -wild boars. On the 11th of November they arrived at Cairo. This city, -during his stay in Egypt, may be regarded as his home, from which his -excursions radiated in various directions. Though the principal object -of Pococke’s travels, perhaps, was the examination of antiquities, and -the illustration of ancient geography, he very wisely extended his -researches to the modern condition of the country, and the manners of -its actual inhabitants. He visited the convents of dervishes and monks, -the cells of hermits, the cemeteries of Turks, Jews, and Christians, and -observed with care the character and costume of every class of the -population, from the sovereign bey to the houseless courtesan, who, like -Tamar in the Bible, sat by the wayside to inveigle passengers. His -remarks upon ancient Memphis,—the site of which, as I have already -observed in the life of Shaw, he fixed at Metraheny,—and on the -pyramids, are still, notwithstanding all that has been since written, -highly worthy of attention. He was not, like Hasselquist, deterred from -ascending to their summit by the heat of the stones or by tempestuous -winds; he measured their dimensions; descended into the well; and -speculated on their use and origin. - -Shortly after his visit to the pyramids, he set out on an excursion to -the district of Faioum, and the Birket el Keroun, or Lake Mœris, with -the governor of the province, who happened to be just then returning -home from Cairo. His companion was a middle-aged Mussulman, of a lively, -cheerful temper, who made no scruple of associating with a Frank, or -even of eating with him, and drinking _liqueurs_, which are not -prohibited in the Koran, not having been invented when it was written. -It could not, however, be said that they fared too luxuriously on the -way; their meals, like those of Forster and his Ghilān Seid, consisted -for the most part of bread, cheese, and onions. After this frugal -supper, they reposed at night in a grove of palm-trees. - -Having traversed a succession of small desert plains, sprinkled with -Egyptian flints, they entered a valley bounded on both sides by hills, -composed entirely of oyster-shells, which rest on a bed of reddish clay. -Of these shells the uppermost remain in their original state, while -those which lie deeper, or are scattered over the plain, are petrified. -On arriving at Tamish, the most northern village of the district, the -kasheff, or governor, was met by several Arabs, who, observing him to be -accompanied by a stranger, immediately began to exhibit their skill in -horsemanship, and in the management of the lance. Here the quality of -their fare improved. The onions were replaced by pilaus, roast lamb, -fowl, soup, and sherbets; and in the morning they had for breakfast -bread and butter, poached eggs, honey, cheese, and olives. Faioum, in -fact, should be the land of good living. It is the Arsinoitic Nome of -the ancients, which, in Strabo’s opinion, was the finest spot in all -Egypt; and although it no longer, perhaps, deserves this character, it -still produces corn, wine, olives, vegetables,—in one word, whatever -they choose to sow or plant will thrive. The olive, which requires -cultivation in the gardens of Alexandria, grows spontaneously in this -district. The grapes, too, are of a superior quality, and so sweet that -a thick syrup made from them serves the Mohammedans instead of sugar. -But Pococke soon found that even wine was not an unknown blessing in the -Arsinoitic Nome; for, at a supper to which he invited the traveller, the -honest kasheff got a little tipsy, threw off his gravity, and behaved as -frivolously, says Pococke, as a European. - -It was in this canton, according to the ancients, that the Labyrinth of -the Twelve Kings was situated, and Pococke, perhaps erroneously, -imagined himself to have examined its ruins, from which he proceeded to -the shores of Lake Mœris. This lake, the Egyptian priests informed -Herodotus, was the creation of art; but observing its extraordinary -dimensions, it being no less than fifty miles in length by about ten in -breadth, our traveller supposes that the art consisted in the inventing -of the tale, and causing it to be believed, which in boldness and -ingenuity fell very little short of the actually scooping out of that -prodigious basin. But credulity often goes by the side of skepticism. -Having rejected as a fable the artificial origin of the lake, Pococke -supposes himself to have discovered in an extravagant tradition now -current among the Arabs, the basis of the ancient mythus of the Elysian -Fields, and the Infernal Ferryman. The common people, he observes, make -frequent mention of Charon, and describe him as a king who might have -loaded two hundred camels with the keys of his treasury! From this he -infers that the fable of Charon took its rise on this spot, and that the -person known under this name was the officer intrusted with the keys of -the Labyrinth and its three thousand apartments, who, when the corpse of -any prince or chief came thither to be interred, made inquiries -concerning the actions of his life, and, according as they were good or -bad, granted or refused the honours of the tomb. But as the Lake -Acherusia, or Acheron, was in the neighbourhood of Memphis, according to -Diodorus, he supposes that the same ceremonies were practised at both -places, though originating here. Guigniant, a contemporary French -writer, supposes that the ruins discovered by Pococke were not those of -the Labyrinth, which, in fact, have only recently been found and -described by his countrymen Bertre and Jomard. - -The original destination of the Labyrinth has not yet been -satisfactorily explained: some learned men suppose it to have been a -kind of senate-house, where the representatives of the various nomes -assembled for political deliberation; others regard it as a real -Pantheon, consecrated to the worship of all the gods of Egypt; while a -third class insist that, to whatever other uses it may have been -applied, its principal object was to afford an asylum to the mummies of -the kings who erected it. - - Non nostrum tantas componere lites. - -However this may be, it seems extremely probable that the idea of the -Elysian Fields did actually originate in Egypt, and migrate thence into -Greece. Those delicious habitations of the dead, as Creuzer observes -after Diodorus, which are spoken of by the Greeks, really existed on the -banks of a lake called Acheron, situated in the environs of Memphis, and -surrounded by beautiful meadows and cool lakes, and forests of lotus and -reeds. These were the waters which were yet to be traversed by the dead -who had passed the river, and who were journeying to their sepulchral -grottoes in the kingdom of Osiris or Pluto, the Ὅρμος ἀγαθῶν, “haven of -the good, the pious, the virtuous,” to which none were admitted whose -lives were incapable of sustaining the strictest scrutiny. The heaven of -the Egyptians, contrary to what might have been expected, was a place of -more complete happiness and enjoyment than that of the Greeks. The very -word Elysium, according to Jablonski, signified glory and splendour; but -before they could arrive at this region of joy, all human souls were -condemned to pass through a circle of transmigrations, greater or less, -according to their deeds. - -To return, however, to Pococke: From Faioum he returned by Dashone and -Saccara to Cairo, from whence he set sail on the 6th of December for -Upper Egypt. Having visited various important ruins by the way, he -arrived on the 9th of January, 1738, at Dendera, where he found the -ruins of the ancient edifices filled with ashes, and the remains of more -modern buildings. In fact, the Arabs had perched their miserable little -cabins upon the very summit of the temple of Athor-Aphrodite, or the -Egyptian Venus, in order to enjoy a cooler air in summer. - -From hence he continued to ascend the stream, visited the ruins of -Thebes, Elephantina, Philæ, and the Cataracts; whence he returned to -Cairo, where he arrived on the 27th of February. It was now his -intention to visit Mount Sinai, but finding upon inquiry that the monks -of that mountain were then at open war with the neighbouring Arabs, he -deferred the excursion, and proceeded down the eastern branch of the -Nile to Damietta, where he embarked for the Holy Land. - -Pococke arrived at Jaffa on the 14th of March, where, having delivered -up his money, according to custom, to the monks, lest he should be -robbed by the Arabs, he immediately departed by way of Rama for -Jerusalem. The country, at this time, was in a state of great confusion. -Feuds of the most desperate kind existed among the numerous Arab clans -encamped in this part of Palestine; and from whatever tribe the -traveller might take a guide, he necessarily exposed himself during the -journey to the hostility of every other horde. However, since the danger -was inevitable, and, perhaps, after his tame and secure movements in -Egypt, somewhat necessary to give a greater poignancy to his pleasures, -he put himself under the guidance of a respectable Arab horseman, -followed by a servant on foot, and departed on his way. The Arab, who -shared the risk, went a little out of the direct road to the place where -his tribe was encamped; and not being subject to that jealousy which -induces the Turk to keep his wife from the sight of strangers, he -introduced the traveller into his harem, and allowed him to sit down by -the fire with his wife and some other women. - -It being now evening, the women, having regaled him with bread and -coffee, showed him a carpet, on which they desired him to take a little -rest. He expected they were to set out in an hour or two in order to -reach Jerusalem before day; but lay down, and, falling asleep, remained -in that comfortable position until long after sunrise next morning. The -Arab now went out and left him in the harem, when the women, who are all -the world over generous and hospitable, exerted themselves to entertain -and regale him with fresh cakes, butter, and coffee. The mistress of the -tent never quitted him for a moment, and while he remained here he was -in safety, for the precincts of the harem are sacred in the East. At -length the Arab himself returned, and promising him that they should -depart in the evening, threw a striped mantle over his shoulders, and -went out to walk with him in the fields. Contrary to his expectations, -the Arab actually set out with him as soon as it was dark, and carefully -avoiding all villages, camps, and inhabited places, in every one of -which he anticipated danger, he arrived safely with him at Jerusalem two -hours before day. - -During his stay in this holy city Pococke visited and examined every -remarkable spot within its precincts and environs, and his researches -threw considerable light on numerous points of sacred topography. He -likewise made an excursion to Jericho and Jordan, and on his return from -this journey descended along the banks of the brook Kidron to the Dead -Sea. From the number of decayed trees and shrubs which he saw in the -water, he conjectured that this lake had recently overflowed its ancient -shores, and encroached upon the land. The country in these districts was -formerly liable to volcanic eruptions; abounds in warm springs of a -powerful odour, and in wells of bitumen, which ooze out of the rocks, -and is carried into the sea by the river. It having been asserted by -Pliny and others that animals and other heavy bodies floated -involuntarily in the water of this sea, Pococke undressed, and made the -experiment; and, strange to say, so powerful was the effect of prejudice -upon his mind, that he fancied he could not sink in it, and says that -when he attempted to dive his legs remained in the air, and having once -got the upper hand of his head, gave him considerable trouble to reduce -them to their natural subordinate position. However, though he was -persuaded, he says, that the result would have been still more striking, -his faith in Pliny was not sufficiently powerful to induce him to make -the experiment in deep water; which was fortunate, for as, apparently, -he could not swim, his travels, had he done so, would have terminated -there. On coming out of the sea he found his face covered with a crust -of salt, which, he observed, was likewise the case with the pebbles on -the shore. The pillar of salt into which Lot’s wife was changed was a -little farther south, and therefore he did not see it; but he was -assured by the Jews, who seem to have tasted it, that the salt of this -pillar is very unwholesome. On this point, however, Pococke merely -remarks that he will leave it to the reader to think as he pleases upon -the subject. - -Having visited all the most remarkable places in this part of Palestine, -he returned to Jaffa, where he embarked on the 22d of May on board of a -large boat bound for Acra. At this period the sea along the whole coast -of Syria was infested by Maltese pirates. By an agreement entered into -with the monks of Palestine, these corsairs engaged not to meddle with -any of these boats within eighty leagues of the Holy Land; but, in spite -of this arrangement, they frequently boarded them, seizing and carrying -off into slavery every Mohammedan passenger, and pillaging both Turks -and Christians with remarkable impartiality. The vessel in which Pococke -was embarked escaped the clutches of these vagabonds, and arrived safe -at Acra. From this part he made an excursion into the northern parts of -Palestine and Galilee; visited Mount Carmel, Cæsarea, Nazareth, Mount -Tabor, Cana, and the Lake of Tiberias; extended his researches to Mount -Hermon and the sources of the Jordan; and then, returning to the coast, -departed for Tyre, Sidon, and Mount Lebanon. - -The mountains in this part of Syria are inhabited by the Maronites and -Druzes, people whose manners and customs I shall have occasion to -describe in the life of Volney. Pococke’s stay among them was short, and -his occasions of observing them few, but the result of his limited -experience was favourable; for he pronounces the Maronites more simple -and less addicted to intrigue than the other Christians of the East, and -for courage and probity prefers the Druzes, who are neither Christians -nor Mohammedans, before every other oriental people. Nevertheless it is -conjectured that the latter are the descendants of the Christian armies -who were engaged in the crusades. They themselves profess, according to -our traveller, to be descended from the English; at other times they -claim a French origin; and the probability is that they know not who -were their ancestors. Like the Yezeedees of Mesopotamia, they are -sometimes compelled to dissemble their incredulity and frequent the -mosques; but Pococke learned that in their secret books they blasphemed -both Christ and Mohammed. This hypocrisy is not altogether consistent -with their character either for courage or probity. They had among them -a sort of monks called _akel_, who abstained from wine, and refused to -sit at their prince’s table lest they should participate in the guilt of -his extortions. These men Pococke regards rather as philosophers, -however, than as monks. Their religion, if they had any, consisted in -the worship of nature; and from their veneration for the calf, the -lingam, and the yoni, the figures of which they were said to preserve in -a small silver box, I should conjecture that both they and their -religion are an offshoot from the great Brahminical trunk; and the same -thing may with equal probability be said of the Yezeedees, the -Ismaelaah, and the Nessariah, whose doctrines had found their way into -the west, and caused the founding of altars to the yoni in Cyprus long -before the birth of history. - -Our traveller continued his researches among the rude tribes who inhabit -the fastnesses of Lebanon, visited the cedars, Baalbec (where he found -the body of a murdered man in the temple), Damascus, Horus, and Aleppo; -and having made an excursion across the Euphrates to Orfah, returned by -way of Antioch and Scanderoon to Tripoli, where he embarked on the 24th -of October for Cyprus. - -On approaching Limesol from the sea, its environs, consisting entirely -of vineyards, and gardens planted with mulberry-trees, and interspersed -with villas, present a charming landscape to the eye. The wines for -which the island is celebrated are all made here. In Cyprus what -principally interests the traveller are the footsteps of antiquity; he -seeks for little else. The temples and worship of Venus, hallowed, if -not spiritualized, by poetry, have diffused a glow over the soil which -neither time nor barbarism, potent as is their influence, has been able -to dissipate. The heart thrills and the pulse quickens at the very names -of Paphos and Amathus. A thousand pens have celebrated their beauty: -Love has waved his wings over them. Pococke seems, however, -notwithstanding his passion for beholding celebrated places, to have -visited these scenes with as much coolness as he would a turnip-field. - - Non equidem invideo: miror magis. - -He remarks, indeed, that it was from this city that Venus acquired the -epithet of _Amathusia_; that a temple was here erected in honour of her -and Adonis; and that the ruins of the city walls are fifteen feet thick. -But is this all? Wherefore are we not presented with a picture of the -landscape around the spot? Is it soft, is it beautiful, like the goddess -who was worshipped there? - -Tacitus informs us that the temple which stood here was erected by -Amathus, son of King Aërias; and Servius and Macrobius observe that the -statue of the goddess was double-natured and bearded, though clothed in -female garments. The sexes changed dresses on entering the fane; and -during the mysteries instituted by Cinyras, salt, money, and the symbol -of the productive power of nature were presented to the initiated. - -Proceeding eastward along the shore from Amathus, the traveller visited -Larnica, the ruins of Cittium, the birthplace of the philosopher Zeno; -Famagosta, the ruins of Salamis; and turning the eastern point of the -island, returned by Nicosia, Soli, and Arsinoe to Paphos. With the -traditions of this place one of the most remarkable fables of antiquity -is connected; for it was here that Venus, born among the foam of the -sea, was wafted on shore by the zephyrs,—“deamque ipsam, conceptam mari, -huc appulsam,” says Tacitus. However, modern mythologists have -maintained that it was not the Grecian but the Assyrian goddess, that -is, the celestial Venus, who was worshipped at Paphos. No effigies of -the goddess adorned this fane; but a cone or white pyramid, that mystic -emblem to which I have had frequent occasion to allude, was the object -of adoration. This emblematical manner of representing the gods was -common in remote antiquity, and Venus herself was thus symbolically -depicted on the coin of the Chalcidians. - -Pococke observes that the ladies of Cyprus still keep up in every sense -the worship of their ancient goddess, and even go at Whitsuntide in -procession along the seashore in commemoration of the time of her birth. -They wear no veils, and their dress, in his opinion, is exactly such as -priestesses of the Idalian goddess should be distinguished by. - -Having satisfied his curiosity respecting Cyprus, he returned to Egypt -for the purpose of visiting Mount Sinai, and tracing the track of the -Israelites through the wilderness; and when he had accomplished this -design, which he did with little difficulty or danger, he proceeded to -Alexandria, and embarked for Crete. Every person is aware of the -prodigious celebrity which this island enjoyed among the ancients. It -was the great stepping-stone which facilitated the passage of -civilization from Asia into Greece. Here Jupiter was cradled, and Minos, -the prototype of Lycurgus, legislated for a barbarous people whom he -endeavoured by extraordinary, and sometimes by terrible and criminal -regulations, to accustom and be fit to bear the yoke of government. - -Pococke disembarked at Sphakia; and in crossing the island to Canea, the -ancient Cydonia, traversed an extraordinary pass called _Ebros Farange_, -where the road is flanked on both sides by lofty rocks which spring up -perpendicularly, and are crowned at their summit by a profusion of -shrubs and trees, such as the cypress, the fig-tree, and the evergreen -oak. This pass is nearly six miles in length, and so difficult of ascent -that towards the inland extremity travellers are compelled to dismount -from their beasts and climb the acclivity on foot. A chain of mountains -which runs almost parallel with the shores occupies the centre of this -part of the island. They were known to the ancients under the name of -the “White Mountains.” On the summit of the northern branch there is a -small circular valley, in which the winter rains form a number of -diminutive lakes, which add exceedingly to the charms of the scene, and -where, according to the inhabitants, there grows a species of auriferous -plant that communicates a golden colour to the teeth of the sheep which -feed upon it. Among the smaller chains, which branch off from the main -ridge of mountains towards the north, there are several valleys of -remarkable beauty. - -After having remained a short time at Canea, Pococke set out to make the -tour of the island. His researches, though conducted with haste, throw -much light on the ancient geography of the land of Minos; but of all the -places which he visited none possess so powerful an interest as Mount -Ida, where, as he observes, it is exceedingly probable that Jupiter -passed his early youth in hunting and martial exercises. In the centre, -or somewhat to the south of a vast cluster of mountains, rises the -extremely lofty peak of Ida, composed of successive strata of gray -marble, and rendered peculiarly difficult of ascent by detached blocks -of stone scattered over its sides. Though considerably less elevated -than Mount Lebanon or the Alps, the snow lies all the year round -unmelted in several cavities near the summit, upon the very apex of -which a church has been erected. Here, in clear weather, the traveller -enjoys one of the most magnificent panoramic views in the world. Nearly -the whole island lies within the range of the eye; and looking across -the sea towards the north, he discovers in the distant horizon several -islands of the Archipelago rising beautifully out of the waves. - -From Candia he proceeded to Scio, Ipsara, Metelin, Tenedos, Lemnos, -Samos, and Patmos, and then passed over to the continent to Smyrna. Here -those traces of antiquity which formed the principal objects of his -inquiries surrounded him on all sides. Not an excursion could be made -without encountering the ruins or the site of some city renowned in -poetry or history. Every river, every stream had some glorious -association attached to it, from the Meles, on which Homer is sometimes -supposed to have been born, to the Cayster and Mæander, celebrated in -his poems. Pococke, it should be remarked, with all his admiration for -antiquity, had not suffered much of the spirit of Greek poetry to -penetrate into his soul; though he might as a man of the world avoid -alluding to trite and hackneyed fables, this will not in all cases -account for his omitting all mention of remarkable mythi. When encamped, -for example, at night round a large fire on the summit of Mount Latmus -in Caria, fearing an irruption of jackals and wild boars, he seems to -have thrown himself to sleep upon his huge block of granite without once -recalling to mind that it was on that wild spot Endymion was visited -nightly by the moon. He observes, however, that the shepherds who have -succeeded Endymion on this mountain have begun to cultivate a portion of -its summit, and to enclose their fields with large trunks of trees -disposed as pallisades. - -Following up the course of the Mæander he entered the Greater Phrygia, -proceeded thence to Galatia, and, turning to the north, took the road -through the ancient Paphlagonia and Bithynia towards Constantinople. -Here he entered into numerous inquiries respecting the religion and -manners of the Turks; and then, descending the Dardanelles, embarked at -Lemnos for Mount Athos in Macedonia. This mountain, it is well known, -has for ages served as a retreat to numerous monks and hermits, who -retire thither from the world to conceal their chagrin at being shut out -by more fortunate or more persevering individuals from the participation -of its more refined pleasures. There were at this period about forty -hermitages situated in a semicircular sweep of the mountain. Some of the -gloomy tenants of these cells were poor persons, who subsisted by their -own labour, or on the bread and cheese bestowed upon them by the -convents in the neighbourhood; and their amusement consisted in carving -images or making wooden spoons. Pococke found them employed in drying -figs, walnuts, and grapes, and learned that they made a little wine and -brandy for their own use, which, I hope, occasionally enabled them to -forget their cares. To complete their misery, no women were ever -permitted to enter their territories. - -Leaving this haunt of hypochondriacal drones, he proceeded along the -shores of the Gulf of Contessa, and took the road to Salonica. The road -along the northern shores of the Thermaic Gulf was beset with too many -dangers to be attempted, and he therefore embarked for Caritza in -Thessaly, and, arriving next day, took up his quarters for the night at -the foot of Mount Ossa. Next morning he proceeded to the banks of the -Peneus, which constitute the Vale of Tempé, celebrated by ancient poets -as the most beautiful spot in Greece; but either the valley had lost its -charms, or our traveller all taste for the picturesque, for he passes it -over with still greater coolness than the poetical scenes of Cyprus. -However, his mind was at this time so full of the battle of Pharsalia, -Cæsar, and Pompey, that it would have been wonderful indeed if he had -paused a moment to admire the pastoral scenes of Tempé. Having then -reached the blood-stained spot where the greater tyrant triumphed over -the lesser, and paved the way for the glorious Ides of March, our -traveller examined with attention the various positions said to have -been occupied by the contending armies. From thence he descended towards -the Maliac Bay through Phthiotis, the native country of Achilles, which -was situated in the Thessalian Thebes, the inhabitants of which, -according to Strabo, obtained the name of ants on account of their -industrious habits. - -On his arrival at Zeitoun, which appears to occupy the site of the -ancient Lamia, he took lodgings in a caravansary, where, in order to -enjoy a cooler air, and escape the vermin which usually abound in such -places, he spread out his carpet in an open gallery, and fell asleep. He -had not been long in the enjoyment of repose, however, before he was -awakened by a fearful noise; when, starting up, he saw by the light of -the moon that a large portion of the building had been overthrown, and -beheld the terrified horses bursting out of the stables and flying away -with the utmost rapidity. Amazed and confounded, he was at first unable -to comprehend what had happened; but his servant informed him it was an -earthquake, which doubly increased his consternation. They now began to -think of effecting their escape, but the building had been so shattered, -and such immense heaps of ruins choked up the passages, that although -they were apprehensive a second shock might follow and bury them beneath -the tottering walls, they were some time in making their way into the -street. Here they found that a poor Turk, who had thrown himself down -before the door to sleep, had been buried under the ruins; but by prompt -assistance he was dug out uninjured. Though there was a beautiful -moonlight, so thick a cloud of dust arose from the houses which had -fallen down, or were still falling all around, that it was impossible to -discern any object at the distance of ten paces; and from amid this -dense canopy, which hung suspended over the whole city, shrieks, groans, -and sobs, wild lamentations for the dead, the moans of the crushed and -wounded, yells of agony, and exclamations of terror were heard on all -sides. Humanity, however, in the midst of this awful scene was busy at -the work of salvation. Men, goaded on by the sting of affection, rushed -desperately in between the threatening ruins in search of the objects of -their love,—their wives, their parents, their children,—and returned, -some joyously with their living friends in their arms, others with livid -and ghastly looks bearing the corpses of those in whom all their earthly -happiness had centred. The earth still continued agitated, rocking and -heaving like the sea. Pococke caused his baggage to be transported to a -spot which was at a distance from all buildings, where in the course of -two hours he counted nearly twenty shocks, some of which were -exceedingly terrible. The whole scene was tremendous. A multitude of -human beings standing in darkness, fearful that the earth would open -beneath their feet and ingulf them; not daring to fly, lest they should -tumble into chasms already formed around them; incapable of aiding each -other; a prey to every terrible idea, to every horrible foreboding. But -at length the earth became still, and while the inhabitants were -preparing to bury their dead, our traveller obtained horses and fled -away from the city. - -Crossing the ancient Sperchius, the stream to which Achilles had vowed -his golden hair, and proceeding along the shore of the Maliac Gulf, he -soon discovered in the distance the famous pass of Thermopylæ,—a spot -which men will tread with a holy pride and triumph so long as a sympathy -for heroic valour and patriotism shall remain upon earth. Such are the -places to which men should go in pilgrimage,—places sanctified by the -dust of the glorious and the great, whose names are rendered eternal by -Providence, that even in the basest and most degenerate times mankind -might never be reduced to a disbelief of virtue. - -From Thermopylæ Pococke proceeded through the country of the Opuntian -Locrians to the Euripus, into which Aristotle is absurdly reported by -vulgar tradition to have thrown himself, from a despair of discovering -the cause of its manifold tides. The ancients relate that the tide here -ebbs and flows seven times in the day; but our traveller learned that -the motions of the Euripus are irregular, sometimes ebbing and flowing -as often as fourteen times in the day, and at others not more than -twice. He next directed his course to the shores of the Copaic Lake, the -eels of which Aristophanes seems to have so passionately longed for -during the Peloponnesian war, visited Thebes, and then crossed Mount -Pentelicus into Attica. The ruins of Athens were then far less imperfect -than they are at present, and he examined them with the eye of a learned -antiquary; but extensive as was his learning, he does not seem to have -possessed that sort of reading which would have enabled him thoroughly -to enjoy a tour through Greece. It is for those who have entered deeply -into the private history, literature, and philosophy of the Greeks that -Attica has real charms. He should be able to determine or imagine the -exact spot where Socrates sat under the plane-tree with Phædrus in order -to discuss the merits of Lysias’s style; he should be interested in -discovering where the house of Callias stood, to which the impatient -Hippocrates would have led Socrates before day, that he might lose no -time in being introduced to Protagoras; he should walk up and down the -banks of the Ilyssus, that he might be sure of having visited the spot -where Sophocles nestled all night among the reeds to enjoy the song of -the nightingale: this is the sort of traveller who should visit Greece. -Otherwise, with Strabo, Pausanias, and Vitruvius in hand, he may -determine the sites of cities and measure the height of columns to a -hair; our feelings go not along with him, and his researches become -tiresome in proportion as they are circumstantial and exact. - -From Athens Pococke proceeded westward, crossed the ancient territories -of Megara, visited Corinth, and continuing his journey along the -southern shores of the Gulf of Lepanto, arrived at Patras, where he -embarked for Sicily. He then crossed over into Italy, and hurried on -through Germany, Switzerland, and France, to England, and arrived in -London on the 30th of August, 1741, exactly eight years from the day of -his first departure for the Continent. - -Being now happily arrived in port, with a prodigious quantity of -materials, Pococke, anxious to enjoy the reputation to which he aspired, -immediately commenced the compilation of his travels, the first volume -of which appeared in 1743, under the title of “A Description of the -East,” &c. Two years afterward the second volume, divided into two -parts, was published; and shortly afterward he added to his travels a -large collection of Greek and Latin inscriptions, which are said by M. -St. Martin to be so exceedingly incorrect as to be almost -unintelligible. As Pococke can very well dispense with the credit -arising from “this kind of researches,” I have not thought it necessary -to examine whether the reproach of the Frenchman be well founded or not; -but I cannot help congratulating that writer upon the felicitous manner -in which he commences his account of our traveller, “the obscure and -insignificant particulars of whose life,” he tells us, “are scarcely -worth relating;” which is certainly a peculiarly ingenious application -of those rules of rhetoric that teach us how to vivify and adorn a -barren subject. The readers of the “Biographie Universelle” may perhaps -suspect, however, that M. St. Martin was deterred from seeking for the -“obscure and insignificant particulars” of Pococke’s life, by the vast -bulk of his volumes, through which they lie scattered at wide intervals; -but few who have perused those volumes, replete with interest and -information, will allow that their author deserved no more than one -little page in an unwieldy collection, where so many obscure scribblers, -whose very names are forgotten by the public, are commemorated at such -disproportionate length. - -Pococke, whose reputation was quickly diffused throughout Europe, having -taken orders, was promoted, in 1756, to the archdeaconry of Ossory, in -Ireland; and in 1765 was made bishop of Elphin. This honour he was not -destined long to enjoy, however, for in the month of September, of the -same year, he died of apoplexy, in the 61st year of his age. Besides his -travels, he was the author of several memoirs in the Philosophical -Transactions, and in the Archæologia; and there still remain a number of -his smaller pieces in manuscript at the British Museum. No popular or -well-conceived edition of his works has hitherto been published, though -few travellers are deserving of more credit, or were more competent to -describe the countries through which they journeyed. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - JOHN BELL. - - Born 1690.—Died about 1780. - - -BELL seems to have been born about the year 1690, at Antermony, in -Scotland. He was possessed, even from his earliest years, by a strong -passion for travel; but his passion, together with a large portion of -shrewdness and sagacity, constituting the better part of his -inheritance, he judiciously applied himself to the study of medicine and -surgery, a knowledge of which, in all semi-barbarous countries, is -frequently of more avail to the traveller even than wealth. It does not -appear whether Bell was directed in the choice of his scene by -preference or by chance. However, as all Europe was at that period -filled with admiration of the projects of Peter the First, whose -reputation for munificence drew crowds of adventurers by a species of -magnetic attraction towards the north, it is probable that a desire of -personal aggrandizement united with a thirst of knowledge in urging our -traveller in the direction of Petersburg. But be this as it may, having -obtained from several respectable persons recommendatory letters to Dr. -Areskine, chief physician and privy counsellor to the czar Peter the -First, he embarked at London in July, 1714, for St. Petersburg. On his -arrival he was received in a very friendly manner by Dr. Areskine, to -whom he communicated his intentions of availing himself of the first -opportunity which should offer of visiting some portions of Asia. The -desired occasion soon presented itself. The czar, preparing at this -period to send an embassy into Persia, appointed Aremy Petrovich -Valensky, a captain of the guards, to conduct the mission; and this -gentleman applying to Dr. Areskine to recommend him a medical attendant, -Bell was immediately brought forward by his countryman, and received, on -his favourable testimony, into the ambassador’s suite. Through the same -interest, he was likewise at once formally introduced into the service -of the czar. - -Bell set out from Petersburg on the 15th of July, 1715, accompanied by a -part of the ambassador’s suite, and for some time directing his course -along the western bank of the Neva, encamped in the evening on a small -stream which falls into that river, and passed the night in a wagon. -Next day they embarked on the Volchovu, the banks of which were covered -with villages and fruitful cornfields, interspersed with woods, and -continued their journey by water until they approached Novogorod, where -they quitted their “moving road,” as Pascal terms a river, and proceeded -on horseback. At Iver, Bell beheld the mighty stream of the Volga, the -navigation of which from this town to the Caspian Sea is interrupted by -no cataract, and whose waters abound with an extraordinary variety of -the finest fish in the world. - -From this place they proceeded towards the ancient capital of the -empire, through a plain but agreeable country, covered with rich -harvests, which infallibly produce a pleasing effect upon the mind, and -dotted with small tufted groves, the verdure of which contrasted -admirably with the yellow grain waving at their feet. On reaching the -village from which the first view of Moscow was obtained, Bell observes, -that “at this distance few cities in the world make a finer appearance, -for it stands on a rising ground, and contains many stately churches and -monasteries, whose steeples and cupolas are generally covered either -with copper gilt or tin plates, which shine like gold and silver in the -sun.” - -The Kremlin, to which Bishop Heber was fond of comparing some of the old -Mohammedan edifices of Hindostan, appears to have excited no very -particular admiration in Bell, who merely observes that it was -compounded of a number of buildings added to one another at different -times, and that some of the apartments were remarkably spacious. Here -they embarked on the Moskwa, and dropping slowly down the stream, -entered the Volga a little below Nishna. The river at this place is of -very great breadth, and, the wind blowing from the north, they were -driven along with prodigious velocity. Signs of the approach of winter -now began to appear, for it was the latter end of October; the Volga was -suddenly filled with floating ice, which, united with its powerful -current, and the force of the wind, rendered their position exceedingly -dangerous. They, however, continued their voyage, and arrived on the 3d -of November at Zabackzar, a considerable town on the right bank of the -river, a little above Kazan. - -In this part of Russia, according to Bell, the best and largest falcons -in the world are caught, which being highly valued for their strength -and beauty, particularly by the Turks and Persians, are sold to those -nations at extravagant prices. They are not, as might have been -expected, taken from the nest; but after they are full grown, when their -natural instincts have been developed by exercise, and their physical -powers have acquired, by struggling with storms and tempests, their -utmost maturity and vigour. They are then taught to fly at swans, geese, -herons, hares, and even antelopes; and our traveller saw one of them -take a wild duck out of the water when nothing but her bill, which she -had put up for air, could be perceived. Many of these falcons are as -white as doves. Bell afterward saw in Kûdistan the beautiful species of -hawk called _cherkh_, which the Persians and Arabs train for antelope -hunting. This is done by stuffing the skin of one of these animals, and -placing the food of the hawk between its horns, which afterward, when -the bird comes to be employed in the chase, induces it to pounce upon -the head of the antelope, and either strike it to the ground, or retard -its movements until the greyhounds come up. Sir John Malcolm, who -witnessed this singular sport at Abusheher, observes that “the huntsmen -proceed to a large plain, or rather desert, near the seaside; they have -hawks and greyhounds, the former carried in the usual manner on the hand -of the huntsman, the latter led in a leash by a horseman, generally the -same who carries the hawk. When the antelope is seen they endeavour to -get as near as possible; but the animal, the moment it observes them, -goes off at a rate that seems swifter than the wind; the horses are -instantly at full speed, having slipped the dogs. If it is a single deer -they at the same time fly the hawks; but if a herd, they wait till the -dogs have fixed upon a particular antelope. The hawks, skimming along -near the ground, soon reach the deer, at whose head they pounce in -succession, and sometimes with a violence that knocks it over.” - -The Persian style of hare hunting, which few travellers have noticed, is -scarcely less interesting, and is thus described by Sir John Malcolm. -“When at Shirez the elchee (ambassador) had received a present of a very -fine shâh-bâz, or royal falcon. Before going out I had been amused at -seeing Nuttee Beg, our head falconer, a man of great experience in his -department, put upon this bird a pair of leathers, which he fitted to -its thighs with as much care as if he had been the tailor of a -fashionable horseman. I inquired the reason of so unusual a proceeding. -‘You will learn that,’ said the consequential master of the hawks, ‘when -you see our sport;’ and I was convinced, at the period he predicted, of -the old fellow’s knowledge of his business. The first hare seized by the -falcon was very strong, and the ground rough. While the bird kept the -claws of one foot fastened in the back of its prey, the other was -dragged along the ground, till it had an opportunity to lay hold of a -tuft of grass, by which it was enabled to stop the course of the hare, -whose efforts to escape, I do think, would have torn the hawk asunder, -if it had not been provided with the leathern defences which have been -mentioned. The next time the falcon was flown gave us proof of that -extraordinary courage which its whole appearance, and particularly its -eye, denoted. It had stopped and quite disabled the second hare by the -first pounce, when two greyhounds, which had been slipped by mistake, -came up, and endeavoured to seize it. They were, however, repulsed by -the falcon, whose boldness and celerity in attacking the dogs, and -securing its prey, excited our admiration and astonishment.” Bell was -informed of a circumstance, while travelling in Kûrdistan, which raises -still higher our admiration of the falcon’s courage; for it is trained -by the Tartars to fly at foxes and even wolves. - -But to return to the Volga: On arriving on the 5th of November at Kazan, -they found that the winter had set in, that the Volga was filled with -floating ice, and that, therefore, since the nations inhabiting both -banks of the river were hostile to Russia, or extremely barbarous in -their manners, it would be necessary to defer the prosecution of their -journey until the following spring. This afforded Bell ample leisure for -the conducting of his researches into the manners, character, and -religion of the neighbouring tribes. Here he found two Swedish generals, -Hamilton and Rosen, taken prisoners at the battle of Pultowa, and exiled -by the barbarous policy of the czar to these remote regions; but, -excepting that they were exiles, they had no great reason to complain of -their treatment, for they were allowed to share in whatever amusements -and pleasures the place afforded, and were by no means subjected to a -rigorous confinement. - -It was not until the beginning of June that they were enabled to -continue their voyage. They then began once more to descend the stream, -which they did with great velocity; and making a short stay at Samara -and Astrakhan, proceeded on their voyage, entered the Caspian, and on -the 30th of August arrived at Niezabad, where, there being neither -harbour nor creek, they hauled up their flat-bottomed vessels on the -beach. Here an accident occurred to one of Bell’s companions, which -strikingly illustrates the facility with which the imagination, when -strongly excited, overthrows the other faculties of the mind. The ship -in which the secretary of the embassy was embarked did not arrive until -several hours after the others had been drawn on shore, by which time -the wind had begun to blow with great violence, while the sea broke -tremendously upon the beach. Not being able, under such circumstances, -to reach the land, they at first cast anchor in the open road; but the -gale increasing, even this position was considered dangerous, so that -they quickly slipped their cable and put out to sea. The secretary and -the other gentlemen on board, however, not greatly admiring their -situation, and willing, from their extreme impatience to be once more on -terra firma, to run even a considerable risk in endeavouring to effect -their purpose, ordered the master of the ship, a Dutchman in the service -of the czar, to run her ashore at all hazards, engaging themselves to be -accountable for the consequences. But when the ship had approached -within a certain distance of the land, the sea ran so high that no boat -could be hoisted out. The secretary’s fear of the sea increasing with -the obstacles to his landing, he at length prevailed upon a sailor, at -the peril of his life, to carry him ashore on his back, which, in spite -of all difficulties, the man actually performed; “but his clothes being -drenched with salt water, and the road lying through deep sands, he was -soon fatigued, and therefore retired nearer to the woods, in hopes of -finding a more smooth and easy path. He discovered what he sought; but -instead of leading him to the ships, it carried him away from the shore -and the right course, into thick encumbered wood; and in these -circumstances night overtook him, utterly ignorant of the dismal and -dangerous wild into which he had wandered. Thus destitute of all -assistance, he climbed a tree to save himself from the wild beasts with -which these woods abound; and in this situation continued all the night, -and till noon next day; for the people in his own ship never doubted of -his having safely reached our tents; while we, on the contrary, had not -the least suspicion of his having come on shore. At last, however, about -noon, his servant came, inquiring for his master, who, he told us, left -the ship the night before. This account filled us all with anxiety and -apprehension; as we certainly concluded he would be torn to pieces by -the wild beasts, or murdered by the savages who inhabit this coast. -Immediate order was given for all our people to repair to the woods in -search of him. He was at last found wandering from path to path, without -knowing one direction from another. When he came to the tents he looked -ghastly and wild, and related many strange stories of what he had heard -in the night. All possible care was taken to alleviate his distress. -During his sleep, which was very discomposed, he often started, groaned, -and spoke; and even after he awaked, he persisted in affirming that -there were numbers of people round the tree in the night, talking -different languages. The imagination, no doubt, will naturally have a -strong effect on any man in such uncommon circumstances; for, though the -secretary was a man of penetration and sound judgment, in vain did we -endeavour to undeceive him, by representing that it was nothing but the -jackals which made the noise he had heard.” In fact, he never recovered -his former sagacity and soundness of mind: and the accident may even be -supposed to have hastened his death, which took place not long -afterward. - -From Niezabad they proceeded to Shamakia, where the inhabitants, to whom -the Muscovites were novelties at that time, crowded the tops of their -houses to behold them. The time of their stay was spent in the way usual -with ambassadors; that is, in attempts of politeness, affecting state, -and in disputes with the Khan of Shamakia. At length, however, all these -were ended, and they departed. The suite of the ambassador was numerous; -for in the East a man’s dignity is estimated by the camel-loads of -people at his heels: one hundred and sixty camels, nearly two hundred -horses and mules, which, if common sense were constituted judge of the -matter, would be thought amply sufficient to bear the czar’s compliments -and a letter to the shah. - -On entering Kûrdistan, Bell, from whose mind the “rugged Russian bears,” -jackals, and other nuisances, had not chased away all classical -reminiscences, seems to have experienced some pleasure at the idea of -traversing, though in a contrary direction, the same track which was -pursued by Xenophon and the Ten Thousand in their retreat from -Babylonia.[5] The Kûrds, the ancient Karduchi, were still, he says, -reckoned a brave people; and, in fact, would be extremely disposed, if -any thing were to be gained by it, to harass any body of men, whether -small or great, who passed through their country. On the day before they -arrived at Tabriz they crossed a ridge of mountains, from which, as he -was informed by an Armenian, the snowy peaks of Ararat, or Agri Dag, -might be seen in clear weather. - -Footnote 5: - - This must be understood _cum grano_. The Greeks never approached quite - so near the Caspian as Bell’s route. See the _Anabasis_. - -From Tabriz they set out in the heart of winter, the country being -covered with deep snow, and the roads, in consequence, almost -impassable. The bright reflection of the sunbeams from the snow produced -an extraordinary effect upon the Russians. Their faces swelled, and many -of them were afflicted with ophthalmia. But the Persians themselves are -liable to the latter inconvenience, and, in order to guard against it, -wear a network fillet of black horsehair over the eyes; which Bell -found, upon trial, to be an effectual preventive. This contrivance, I -imagine, might be made use of with equal success in traversing the sands -of Egypt or Arabia. - -As they proceeded southward they quickly escaped from the regions of -snow, and on reaching Sarva, a small town a little to the north of Koom, -found the pomegranate-trees already in blossom on the 22d of February. -The Persians, at least that part of them who make any claim to -civilization, are a pleasant people to travel among. For if, in classic -lands, - - Not a mountain reared its head unsung, - -no mountain, no, nor valley neither, rears or lowers its head without -having some particular legend attached to it. Near Koom you are shown a -hill from which no one who has been mad enough to reach the top ever -descended; and are told a lamentable story of a young page sent up with -a lighted torch in his hand by Shah Abbas, who, of course, never -returned, but may yet perhaps come down with his torch unconsumed, upon -the re-advent of the Twelfth Imam. At Kashan your imagination is excited -by being placed in apartments, the floors of which are almost paved with -scorpions, the sting of every one of which is more deadly than the sword -of Rûstam, or the lance of Afrasiab. But these reptiles, like the spear -of Achilles, undo, as it were, with one hand what they perform with the -other; for when they have darted their poison into the frame, they -yield, on being caught and fried, though not alive, I hope, an oil which -the Persians reckon an infallible antidote to their venom. The only -advantage which seems to be derived from this energetic little reptile -is, that it enriches the Persian language with a new variety of that -rhetorical figure of speech called commination, or cursing; for when any -person is desirous of concentrating his wrath in a single imprecation, -instead of having recourse to that convenient but vulgar demon who takes -our enemies off our hands in Europe, he arms his wishes with the sting -of a Kashan scorpion, and flings that at the head of his adversaries. - -The embassy arrived at Ispahan on the 14th of March; and the shah’s -court immediately put itself in training for a grand theatrical -exhibition, in order to impress the barbarians with a favourable idea of -the greatness of the Asylum of the Universe. While the stage decorations -were preparing, our traveller, who entertained a reasonable respect for -royal pomp and magnificence, employed himself in observing the city and -its environs; and when the important day came, accompanied the -ambassador into the presence of the shah. Every thing passed off in the -usual style. Exhibitions of elephants caparisoned with gold and silver -stuffs; lions led in massive chains of gold; twenty horses superbly -caparisoned, having all their saddles and bridles ornamented with gold -and silver, and set with sapphires, emeralds, and other precious stones, -while the stakes by which they were fastened, and the mallets with which -those stakes were driven into the earth, were of solid gold: such were -the sights beheld within the precincts of the palace. On the outside, -however, poverty, ignorance, and starvation exhibited their gaunt, -phantom visages among the crowd, scaring the eyeballs of those who were -not too much dazzled by the gorgeous apparatus of tyranny, to discover -the real nature of the materials out of which they were forged. - -When the ambassador was presented to the shah, he made a speech to him -in Russian; the “Asylum of the Universe” replied in Persian; and since -neither of them understood one word of what was said to him by the -other, their speeches must have been exceedingly interesting. However, a -third person, “doctus utriusque linguæ,” clothed the shah’s ideas in -Russian for the benefit of the ambassador, while he presented the -thoughts of the latter, or at least something like them, to the shah, in -the mellifluous language of Persia. All this while music, which the -traveller did not find inharmonious, was played in the audience-chamber, -and the mufti was reading aloud various portions of the Koran. Whether -this was intended to show how indifferent, respecting all secular -concerns, the holy men of Persia were, or to throw an air of religion -over the transaction, or, finally, to exorcise all such devils as might -be supposed to accompany such a rabble of Franks, Bell did not inquire; -which, I think, was a great oversight. An entertainment, which all -parties thought more agreeable than the speeches, followed next. The -shah himself, according to ancient usage, was served before his guests; -but the ambassador had the honour of being next attended to. Every -article of the feast was served up in large gold or china dishes, but, -according to the custom of the East, fingers were substituted for knives -and forks, and these, as among the ancient Greeks, were wiped with large -thin cakes of bread, instead of napkins. - -The dinner to which they were shortly after invited by the keeper of the -great seal was more magnificent than that given them by the shah. “Soon -after we entered,” says Bell, “there were served up a great variety of -sweetmeats, and all kinds of fruit that the climate afforded. Coffee and -sherbet were carried about by turns. We were placed cross-legged on the -carpets, except the ambassador, who had a seat. During this part of the -feast we were entertained with vocal and instrumental music, dancing -boys, tumblers, puppets, and jugglers. All the performers executed their -parts with great dexterity. Two of them counterfeited a quarrel, one -beat off the other’s turban with his foot, out of which dropped about -fifteen or twenty large serpents, which ran or crawled about the room. -One of them came towards me with great speed, which soon obliged me to -quit my place. On seeing us alarmed, they told us the creatures were -altogether inoffensive, as their teeth had been all drawn out. The -fellow went about the room, and gathered them again into his turban, -like so many eels. The victuals were now served in a neat and elegant -manner. Every thing was well dressed in the Persian fashion. Our host -was very cheerful, and contributed every thing in his power to please -his guests. He excused himself handsomely enough for not having wine, as -it was not then used at court.” - -Two days after this the ambassador received intimation, that the -business of the embassy being concluded, he might depart when he -pleased; but the Russ, who seems to have relished the pilaus of Ispahan, -would have been better pleased to have remained where he was the whole -year. However, it being clear that the disciples of Ali by no means -participated in his feelings, he unwillingly prepared to encounter once -more his native fogs and snows. They left Ispahan on the 1st of -September, and proceeded through Kasbin and Ghilān towards Shamakia. At -Kasbin many of the ambassador’s suite, and Bell among the number, were -attacked by a pestilential fever, which appears to have been the plague; -but they all, excepting one person, recovered. They, however, lost -twenty-two of their number before they finally quitted the Persian -dominions. - -It being the depth of winter when the ambassador arrived at Shamakia, he -resolved to remain there until the following summer, time, in his -opinion, being of little value. Accordingly it was not until the 26th of -June that they embarked on the Caspian. Their journey homewards was long -and tedious; but they at length reached Petersburg on the 30th of -December, 1718; having consumed nearly three years and a half in going -to and returning from Ispahan. - -Bell observes that Peter, who was in the capital when they arrived, was -said to be well satisfied with the conduct of his ambassador, whose -principal business was to cultivate and cement amity and a good -understanding between the two crowns of Russia and Persia. The city, -notwithstanding the Swedish war, which had lasted nearly twenty years, -had been greatly improved and adorned during his short absence; and its -appearance had been so greatly changed, that he could scarcely imagine -himself, he says, in the same place. Other changes had likewise taken -place in that short interval. His friend Dr. Areskine was, he found, no -more, having died about six weeks previous to his arrival. However, he -was kindly received by his other friends, as well Russian as English; -and he mentions it as a circumstance worthy of remark, that he met among -the former with many persons of much worth and honour. - -Captain Valensky, the Persian ambassador, having contracted a friendship -for him during their journey, continued to regard him with the same -feelings after their return; and when, on hearing that the czar was -about to despatch an embassy to China, Bell expressed an ardent desire -to accompany it, recommended him in such a manner to the ambassador, -Captain Ismailoff, as not only procured his reception into the suite of -the mission, but the friendship of that worthy man for the remainder of -his life. - -Our traveller set out from Petersburg on his way to China on the 14th of -July, 1719, and proceeded through Moscow to Kazan, where he awaited the -setting in of winter, the journey through Siberia being to be performed -in sledges. The poor Swedish generals who had been taken prisoners at -Pultowa were still here, regretting, naturally enough, but unavailingly, -their long detention from their native land. On the 24th of November, -the snow having fallen sufficiently to smooth the roads, Bell and a -portion of the ambassador’s suite departed from Kazan. Their road lay -through a fertile country, producing abundance of cattle, corn, and -honey, and covered, in many places, by vast woods of tall oaks, fir, and -birch. The beehives used here were of a remarkable form. The -inhabitants, says Bell, take the trunk of a lime-tree, aspen, or any -soft wood, of about five or six feet long; having scooped it hollow, -they make a large aperture in one side, about a foot in length and four -inches broad; they then fix cross rods within the trunk for the bees to -build upon, and having done this, close up the place carefully with a -board, leaving small notches for the bees to go in and out. These hives -are planted in proper places at the side of a wood, and tied to a tree -with strong withes, to prevent their being destroyed by the bears, who -are great devourers of honey. Bell learned, moreover, that the peasantry -in these parts had a method of extracting the honey without destroying -the bees; but the persons who gave him the information described the -process so indistinctly that he could not understand it. - -Their road now lay for many days through dark woods, interspersed at -wide intervals with villages and cornfields. The cold daily became more -and more intense; thick fogs hung upon the ground; the frost penetrated -everywhere. The fingers and toes of those most exposed were frozen, and -could only be restored to animation by being rubbed with snow. At -length, on the 9th of December, they arrived at Solekampsky, famous for -its great salt-works, which, if necessary, could not only have furnished -all Russia, but several other countries also, with salt. Vast strata of -salt-rocks seem here to extend on all sides at a certain distance from -the surface. Pits are sunk to these rocks, and are quickly filled with -water, which, being drawn off and boiled in large caldrons, the salt is -deposited at the bottom. The vein of salt-rock sometimes runs under the -river Kama, in which case it is reached by sinking wooden towers in the -stream, as they do when building the piers of a bridge, and piercing -through these to the necessary depth. The salt water then springs up, -fills the wooden tower, and is pumped off as before. Prodigious strata -of this kind of rock traversing the bed of the ocean, may, perhaps, be -the cause of the saltness of its waters. - -There are extensive mines of excellent iron-ore in the same -neighbourhood; where is likewise found the asbestos fossil, from which -the incombustible linen is manufactured. The value of this laniferous -stone is said to have been discovered by a sportsman, who, happening one -day to be in want of wadding in the woods, and observing the threadlike -fibres of this fossil, plucked some of them off for that use; and -finding that the gunpowder had no effect upon them, communicated the -fact to others, which led to those inquiries and experiments by which -its extraordinary properties were discovered. - -From Solekampsky they proceeded to the Oural Mountains, which divide -Russia from Siberia. These are covered in all directions by vast -forests, excepting in a few valleys where they have been felled by man, -where our traveller found the landscape beautiful even in the depth of -winter. On descending their eastern slope into the plains, a milder -prospect, woods, villages, cornfields, and meadows, met the eye; but -winter still reigned over all, binding up the streams, whirling his -snow-drifts over the plain, or clothing the forests with frost and -icicles. The fogs, however, had disappeared; and as far as the eye could -reach, all was snow below and sunshine above. On the 16th of December -the gilded crosses and cupolas of Tobolsk were discovered, rising in the -distance above the snowy plain; and in the evening of the same day they -found themselves agreeably lodged within its walls. - -Here, as well as in most of the towns through which they had passed, -they found a number of Swedish officers of distinction; among the rest -Dittmar, secretary to Charles XII.; and Bell observes that they were -permitted to enjoy a considerable share of liberty. They could walk -about where they pleased, hunt in the woods, and even make long journeys -to visit their countrymen at distant places. He, in fact, so indulgent -to tyranny had his residence in Russia rendered him, thought “his -majesty” was showing them an especial favour by cantoning them in those -parts where they could live well at a small expense, and enjoy all the -liberty which persons in their circumstances could expect. - -Whatever may be our opinion of the conduct of Peter, whom the childish -folly of some writers has denominated _the Great_, it must be confessed, -that as far as his own interests were concerned, the exiling of these -officers into Siberia was a judicious step, as it tended powerfully to -civilize, that is, to render more taxable, the wild and ignorant -inhabitants of that vast country. Several of the Swedish exiles were -persons who had received a superior education. Not being able quickly to -conform to the gross tastes of those who surrounded them, they therefore -laboured by every means in their power to diffuse a relish for their own -more liberal preferences; and as they very fortunately reckoned painting -and music,—arts which, addressing themselves partly to the senses, -possess a certain charm even for savages,—among their accomplishments, -they succeeded by their pictures and concerts in subduing the ferocity -of their masters. Still further to extend their influence, they -sometimes amused themselves with teaching a select portion of the youth -of both sexes the French and German languages; and as ingenuous youth -has all the world over a reverence for those who introduce it into the -paths of knowledge, the purpose of the Swedes was amply accomplished, -and they enjoyed the affection of powerful and honourable friends. - -To a sportsman the neighbourhood of Tobolsk affords endless amusement. -Here are found every species of game compatible with the nature of the -climate: the urhan, the heathcock, the partridge, which in winter turns -white as a dove, woodcocks, snipes, and a prodigious variety of -water-fowl. Vast flights of snowbirds, which are about the size of a -lark, come to Siberia in autumn, and disappear in spring. In colour many -of these birds are as white as snow, while others are speckled or brown. -Bears, wolves, lynxes, several kinds of foxes, squirrels, ermines, -sables, and martens, abound in the woods. The ermines generally burrow -in the open field, where they are caught in traps baited with a morsel -of flesh. These animals are caught only in winter, when their fur is -white and most valuable. They turn brown in summer. The hares, likewise, -and the foxes of these northern regions, imitate the changes of mother -earth; and in winter are clad in furs resembling in colour the snows -over which they run. - -During his stay at Tobolsk, Bell made numerous inquiries respecting the -religion and manners of the Tartars inhabiting the region lying between -the Caspian and Mongolia; and learned, among other particulars, that in -an ancient palace, the construction of which some attributed to Timour, -others to Genghis Khan, there were preserved numerous scrolls of glazed -paper, fairly written in many instances in gilt characters. Some of -these scrolls were said to be black, though the far greater number were -white. They were written in the Kalmuck language. While our traveller -was busy in these inquiries, a soldier suddenly presented himself before -him in the street with a bundle of these scrolls in his hand; which, as -the man offered them for a small sum, he purchased, and brought home to -England. They were here distributed among our traveller’s learned -friends; and as Sir Hans Sloane was reckoned among the number, they will -eventually find their way, I presume, to the British Museum. But whether -or not any of them have as yet been translated, I have not been able to -discover. Two similar scrolls, sent by Peter I. to Paris, were -immediately turned into French by the _savans_ of that capital, to whom -no language comes amiss, from that of the ancient Egyptians and Parsees -to that of modern sparrows, and were said to be merely a commission to a -lama, or priest, and a form of prayer. Whether this interpretation may -be depended on, says Bell, I shall not determine. - -On the 9th of January, 1720, they set out from Tobolsk. Their road now -led them through numerous Tartar villages, where the houses were -constructed with wood and moss, with thin pieces of ice fixed in holes -in the walls instead of windows. The whole country, as far as the eye -could reach, consisted of level marshy grounds, sprinkled with lakes, -and overgrown with tall woods of aspen, alder, willows, and other -aquatic trees, among which our traveller remarked a species of large -birch, with a bark as smooth and white as paper. - -Pursuing their journey with the utmost rapidity, they arrived on the 4th -of February at Tomsk, where Bell, as usual, immediately set on foot the -most active inquiries respecting the neighbouring regions and their -inhabitants. From the citadel of Tomsk, which is situated on an -eminence, a chain of hills is discovered towards the south, beyond -which, our traveller was informed, in a vast plain, many tombs and -burying-places were found. His information throws much interesting light -on a passage of Herodotus. This great historian relates, in his fourth -book, that when the ancient Scythians interred their king, they were -accustomed to strangle upon his body his favourite concubines, his -cupbearer, his cook, and other favourite personages; and we learn from -other authors, that together with the bones of these, cups, vases, and -other vessels of gold were deposited with the royal corpse in the tomb. -Rites not greatly dissimilar took place in the heroic ages among the -Greeks; for we find men and horses sacrificed upon the funeral pile of -Patroclus in the Iliad, and Achilles placing the white bones of his -friend in a χρυσέη φιάλη, or golden vase, to be afterward deposited with -his own in the same mound. - -The tombs discovered in the great plains south of Tomsk in all -probability were those of ancient Scythian chiefs and kings; but if so, -the spot must have been regarded as the common cemetery of the race, to -which the bodies of all persons above a certain rank were to be borne, -for the number of barrows formed there was immense. Numerous individuals -annually resorted hither from Tomsk and other places to search for -treasure among these ancient graves, and they constantly found among the -ashes of the dead large quantities of gold, silver, brass, and -occasionally precious stones; hilts of swords, armour, saddle-ornaments, -bits, and horse-trappings, together with the bones of horses and -elephants, were sometimes met with. From which Bell infers, that when -any general or person of distinction was interred, it was customary to -bury all his arms, his favourite horse, and servant with him in the same -grave; and this practice prevails to this day, he adds, among the -Kalmucks and other Tartars. He was shown several pieces of armour and -other curiosities which were dug out of these tombs, particularly a -small equestrian statue of brass or bronze of no mean design or -workmanship; together with figures of deer cast in pure gold, which were -divided in the middle, and pierced by small holes, as if intended to be -used as ornaments to a quiver, or to the furniture of a horse. - -In the woods of this part of Siberia there is a species of wild ass, -strikingly resembling the African zebra, having their hair waved white -and brown, like that of a tiger. Bell saw several of their skins. -Numerous wild horses of a fine chestnut colour were likewise found, but -could not, he says, be tamed, even if taken when foals. The Kalmucks, -however, continued to make some use of them: for, not being able to -ride, they killed and ate them, and used their skins as couches to sleep -upon. - -Proceeding eastward from Tomsk they arrived in about a fortnight on the -banks of the river Tongusta, where the country on both sides being -covered with impenetrable woods, it was necessary to make their way -along the frozen stream, while the biting winds continued to whirl and -drift about the snow in their path. Occasionally single houses or small -villages were found upon the banks. One day, during their progress along -this river, they met a prodigious flock of hares, all as white as the -snow on which they walked, slowly descending the stream; and Bell was -informed that these animals are frequently seen travelling south in much -greater numbers. - -They were now in the country of the Tongusy, a people who have no fixed -dwellings, but roam at pleasure through the woods, erecting where they -make any stay a few spars, inclining to each other above, and covering -them with pieces of birchen bark sewed together, with a small hole at -the top. The men, however, are brave, and the women virtuous. They -practise tattooing. Their religion consists in the worship of the sun -and moon. Their dress is of fur. Their arms, the bow and arrow, the -lance, and a species of hatchet. In winter they travel over the frozen -snow with shoes, the soles of which are of wood, and about five feet in -length, and five or six inches broad, inclining to a point before and -square behind. The feet are slipped into a thong fastened in the middle; -and with these they can move over the deepest snow without sinking. But -as these are suited only to the plains, they have a different kind for -ascending the hills, with the skins of seals glued to the boards, having -the hair inclining backwards, which prevents the sliding of the shoes. -With these they climb hills with the greatest facility, and having -reached the summit, dart down the opposite slope with astonishing -rapidity. - -Such are the great sable hunters of Siberia, who feed indifferently on -the bear, the fox, and the wolf. The sables, says Bell, are not caught -in the same manner as other animals. The fur is so tender, that the -least mark of an arrow, or ruffling of the hair, spoils the sale of the -skin. In hunting them they only use a little dog and a net. When a -hunter discovers the track of a sable upon the snow, he follows it -sometimes for several days unintermittingly, until the poor animal, -quite tired, takes refuge in some tall tree, for it can climb like a -cat. The hunter then spreads his net round the tree, and kindles a fire, -when the sable, unable to endure the smoke, immediately descends, and is -caught in the net. These hunters, when hard pressed by hunger, have -recourse to a practice analogous to that of many South Sea islanders -under similar circumstances: taking two thin pieces of board, they place -one on the pit of the stomach, the other on the back, and gradually -drawing together the extremities, allay in some degree the cravings of -appetite. The winters here are long, and the cold so intense that the -earth never thaws, even in summer, beyond two feet and a half below the -surface. When they dig to the depth of three feet for the purpose of -burying their dead, they find the earth frozen; and in these graves the -bodies remain unconsumed, and will do so, says the traveller, to the day -of judgment. - -On the 17th of March, the weather, as they began to approach the Baikal -lake, changed so suddenly from winter to spring that they almost -imagined themselves dropped imperceptibly into another climate. They -therefore abandoned their sledges, which, as the snow was gone, were now -become useless, and proceeded on horseback. Next day they arrived at -Irkutsk on the river Angara. Here they remained until the 15th of May, -waiting for the melting of the ice on the lake; and amusing themselves -in the meanwhile with hunting, and observing the country and its -inhabitants. - -When the season was thought to be sufficiently far advanced, they -proceeded up the banks of the river, until they discovered the lake -bursting out between two high rocks, and tumbling down over enormous -stones which lie quite across the channel of the river, which is here a -mile in breadth. The sublimity of the scene, which is magnificent beyond -description, is heightened exceedingly by the dashing and roaring of the -waters, which impress the beholder with ideas of the irresistible power -and grandeur of nature, the privilege to contemplate which elevates and -ennobles him in his own estimation. And this, in reality, is the -principal source of the pleasure we derive from the view of stupendous -mountains, the tempestuous ocean, cataracts, volcanoes, or -conflagrations. - -They now embarked on the Baikal, which, as Gibbon facetiously observes, -disdains the modest appellation of a lake, and on receding from the land -enjoyed a full prospect of its western shores, rising abruptly into -rocky pinnacles capped with snow, and towering far above every thing -around them. These stretched away immeasurably towards the north, until -they were lost in the distance. On the south the view was bounded by -hills of gentler elevation, whose tops, for the most part, were covered -with wood. Their passage was tedious, for on approaching the mouth of -the Selinga they found the whole shore skirted by long reefs of floating -icebergs, between which they forced their way with considerable -difficulty. However, they at length entered the Selinga, and ascending -partly in their boats and partly on horseback along its banks, arrived -safely at Selinguisky on the 29th of May. - -At this town, which, like the ancient Chalcedony on the Bosphorus, may -be termed the “City of the Blind,” being built upon an inconvenient spot -in the neighbourhood of an excellent one, they were to remain until the -court of Pekin, which had been informed of their approach, should send -an officer to conduct them over the frontiers. In the mean time every -person amused himself according to his taste. Our honest and intelligent -traveller, as he is very properly denominated by Gibbon, whose chief -pleasure consisted in observing the manners of mankind, had here an -ample field before him, in a variety of characters affording the most -striking moral contrasts, from the Hindoo Yoghee, who bought live fishes -on the banks of a stream in order to enjoy the pleasure of setting them -swimming again, to the fierce, tough-nerved Mongol, who could view -death, whether inflicted on man or beast, without exhibiting the least -horror or emotion. With one of the chiefs of this warlike nation, who, -by temperance and exercise, had contrived to reach his eightieth year -with much of the vigour and energy of youth about him, they had a -splendid hunting-match, which, as conducted by the Tartars, may justly, -as our great historian remarks, be considered as the image and the -school of war. - -The Chinese, who are as dilatory in their movements as the ancient -Spartans, allowed them ample time to amuse themselves, for it was not -until the 24th of August that their conductor arrived. On the 8th of -September they departed, and arriving in a few days on the banks of the -Saratzyn, the small rivulet which divides the Russian empire from -Chinese Mongolia, - - But these between a silver streamlet glides, - And scarce a name distinguisheth the brook, - Though rival kingdoms press its verdant sides, - -they crossed over, and found themselves in the “Celestial Empire!” -Previously, however, a little incident occurred perfectly characteristic -of the Chinese. Their conductor, observing some women walking in the -fields, and fearing, apparently, that their petticoats would set all -Pekin on fire, inquired with alarm to whom they belonged, and whither -they were travelling. “To China,” replied the ambassador. At this the -worshipper of Fo’s terrors were increased: he replied that they had -women enough in Pekin already, and that, as there never had been a -European woman in China, he would not, without a special order from the -emperor, be answerable for introducing the first; but that, if his -excellency desired it, he would despatch a courier to learn the -emperor’s pleasure. As this would have retarded their movements another -six weeks, the ambassador, who had not the wit to disguise the ladies in -men’s apparel, sent them back to Selinguisky, and continued his journey -without them. - -They now entered upon that vast table-land which was found by the -Jesuits to be three thousand geometrical paces above the level of the -sea, from which the mountains forming its southern boundary serve but as -steps by which the traveller may descend to the low plains of China. The -small undulations or eminences which break the uniformity of these vast -steppes are covered with the rhubarb plant, which grows there -spontaneously, and is propagated more rapidly by the aid of the marmot, -which, burrowing in prodigious numbers at its roots, loosens the mould, -and prepares it for the reception of the seeds. The roots are dug up for -exportation by the Mongols, who carelessly bore holes through them, and -hang them about their tents or on the horns of their sheep to dry. - -After passing the Tula, no river again occurred north of the Great Wall. -The mode of travelling here resembles, in some degree, that which -prevails in the deserts of Arabia and Africa, except that the walls are -more frequent, and the danger from marauders little or none. Their food, -after the first few days, consisted of mutton only; but as this was of -an excellent quality, the circumstance was not considered as a great -hardship. In the course of their journey they traversed a large plain, -thickly strewed with transparent red and yellow pebbles, which glittered -beautifully in the sun, and were said to be cornelians and yellow -sapphires, being hard, and taking a fine polish. The few Mongols whom -they found wandering with their flocks and herds over the waste, -appeared more contented and happy than the possessors of the most -fertile soil; and this being the primitive, the freest, and perhaps the -most natural condition of man, the circumstance ought not to excite our -astonishment. The mere act of locomotion is pleasant to man, and in -pastoral tribes, accustomed to wandering from their infancy, it becomes -a passion, the gratification of which is happiness. - -“On the 2d of November, about noon,” says Bell, “we could perceive the -famous wall, running along the tops of the mountains, towards the -north-east. One of our people cried out ‘land!’ as if we had been all -this while at sea. It was now, as nearly as I can compute, about forty -English miles from us, and appeared white at this distance.” The nearer -they approached the mountains, the more were they astonished at the -grandeur of this wall, which, as Voltaire very justly observes, makes no -inconsiderable figure even upon the map of the world. “The appearance of -it,” says our traveller, “running from one high rock to another, with -square towers at certain intervals, even at this distance, is most -magnificent.” In two days they arrived at the foot of this mighty -barrier, and entered through a great gate into China. Here a thousand -men were perpetually on guard, by the officers commanding whom they were -received with much politeness, and invited to tea. - -“The long, or endless wall, as it is commonly called,” says our -traveller, who has given the best account I have yet met with of this -prodigious undertaking, “encompasses all the north and west parts of -China. It was built about six hundred years ago by one of the emperors, -to prevent the frequent incursions of the Mongols, and other western -Tartars, who made a practice of assembling numerous troops of horse, and -invading the country in different places. The Chinese frontiers were too -extensive to be guarded against such bold and numerous enemies, who, -after plundering and destroying a wealthy country, returned to their own -loaded with spoils. - -“The Chinese, finding all precautions ineffectual to put a stop to the -inroads of such barbarians, at last resolved to build this famous wall. -It begins in the province of Leotong, at the bottom of the bay of -Nankin, and proceeds across rivers and over the tops of the highest -mountains without interruption, keeping nearly along the circular ridge -of barren rocks that surround the country to the north and west; and -after running southward about twelve hundred English miles, ends in -impassable mountains and sandy deserts. - -“The foundation consists of large blocks of square stones laid in -mortar; but the rest of the wall is built of brick. The whole is so -strong and well built as to need almost no repair, and in such a dry -climate may remain in this condition for many ages. Its height and -breadth are not equal in every place; nor, indeed, is it necessary they -should. When carried over steep rocks, where no horse can pass, it is -about fifteen or twenty feet high, and broad in proportion; but when -running through a valley, or crossing a river, there you see a strong -wall, about thirty feet high, with square towers at the distance of a -bowshot from one another, and embrasures at equal distances. The top of -the wall is flat, and paved with broad freestones; and where it rises -over a rock, or any eminence, you ascend by a fine easy stone stair. The -bridges over rivers and torrents are exceedingly neat, being both well -contrived and executed. They have two stories of arches, one above -another, to afford sufficient passage for the waters on sudden rains and -floods.”[6] - -Footnote 6: - - Authors are not at all agreed respecting the period at which this wall - was erected. Gibbon, relying apparently on the testimony of Duhalde - (Description de la China, tom. ii. p. 45) and Deguignes (Hist. des - Huns, tom. ii. p. 59), gives the third century before the Christian - era as the date of its construction, and assigns it a length of - fifteen hundred miles.—(History, vol. iv. p. 361.) Du Pauw, an - ingenious but conceited and coxcombical writer, makes no objection to - the antiquity of the work, but reduces its length to about four - hundred and fifty miles; and this without citing any authority, or - even stating his reasons, except that he does not choose to consider - the western branch, which, he tells us, is built of earth, worthy the - name of a wall.—(Recherch. Phil. sur les Egypt. et Chin. tom. ii. p. - 77-79.) For my own part, I am inclined to agree with those writers who - think it an entirely modern work, erected since the thirteenth - century; for the silence of Marco Polo appears to me absolutely - decisive. Du Pauw’s supposition that he could have entered China from - Mongolia, that is, passed through the wall, and lived eighteen years - in the country, which he traversed in every direction, without once - hearing of its existence, is too absurd even for refutation. That he - abstained from describing it, lest he should excite a suspicion of the - truth of his narrative, though somewhat more probable perhaps, does - not upon the whole seem credible. If it existed in his time, I can - account for his silence, or rather for the absence of all mention of - it in his travels, as they at present exist, only by supposing that - the passage in which this extraordinary work was alluded to, was, like - many other passages, omitted from ignorant incredulity by - transcribers, and so lost. Thus, too, we may account for no mention of - tea being found in his travels. - -Bell was, moreover, informed by the Chinese that this wall was completed -within the space of five years, every sixth man in the empire having -been compelled to work at it or find a substitute. But if the date of -its erection is altogether uncertain, we may very well be permitted to -indulge our skepticism respecting such circumstances as tend to increase -the marvellousness of the undertaking. It is far more probable that it -is the work of ages, and that numerous and long interruptions occurred -in the prosecution of the design. With respect to its utility, I -likewise dissent altogether from the opinion of our traveller, who, in -comparing it with the pyramids, styles the latter “a work of vanity.” -Had Bell believed, as I do, that the pyramids were temples, he would, -however, have been the last man in the world to have thus characterized -them; but with respect to the long wall, it may be proved to have been -not only useless, but pernicious, since the imaginary security it -afforded encouraged those unwarlike habits to which the Chinese are -naturally addicted; and thus, when the Tartars overleaped this -contemptible obstacle to valour, and challenged them to defend their -empire by arms, they discovered that soldiers are the only wall which a -wise people should oppose to its enemies, all other defences being found -upon trial to be utterly vain. No country, no, not even Hindostan -itself, has been more frequently conquered than China; nor has any -region of the earth been more frequently desolated and drenched with -blood by civil wars and rebellions; and if ever circumstances should -render it necessary for us to extend our conquests in Asia beyond the -Burrampooter on the north-east, it would be seen with what ease the -Hindoo Sipahees, who subdued Tippoo Sultan, the Rohillas, Rajpoots, -Patans, and Burmese, would rout and subdue the feeble and inefficient -troops of China. - -But to proceed with our traveller. All the way to Pekin they observed -terrible marks of the destructive power of earthquakes in these -countries; many of the towns having been half-destroyed by one which had -happened the preceding year,[7] when great numbers of people were buried -beneath the ruins. The country appeared to be well cultivated, and the -towns and villages numerous, but not in any remarkable degree. They -reached Pekin on the 18th of November. - -Footnote 7: - - Du Pauw shows by his use of this passage how little his accuracy is to - be depended on. Bell says, “above one-half being thereby laid in - ruins;” which our sophist thus translates into French:—“Il ne reste - _point une habitation sur pied!_” and then audaciously refers to his - authority, which he styles “Antermony Journal.” - -Bell had now reached the goal of his wishes, and upon the whole was not -disappointed. Long accustomed to the sight of savages immersed in -ignorance and barbarism, he found the Chinese, by comparison, highly -civilized. They drank tea, cultivated fine fruits, manufactured -excellent silks, paper, and porcelain, and accumulated considerable -wealth; but, before they were taught by the Jesuits, scarcely understood -sufficient astronomy to enable them to calculate an eclipse, were -ignorant of the art of founding cannon, of building chimneys, of making -clocks and watches; and, what was infinitely worse than all this, they -were under so little moral restraint that men incapable of maintaining a -family married several wives with the execrable design of exposing or -murdering their offspring. The existence of foundling hospitals in -civilized countries proves that there everywhere exist individuals to -whom the offshoots of their own being are objects of no solicitude; -ancient nations, too, sometimes exposed weak or deformed children; but -no people, as far as I have been able to discover, ever arrived at that -pitch of depravity which distinguishes the Chinese, “among whom,” says -Sir George Staunton, “habit seems to have familiarized a notion that -life only becomes truly precious, and inattention to it criminal, after -it has continued long enough to be endowed with a mind and sentiment; -but that mere dawning existence may be suffered to be lost without -scruple, though it cannot without reluctance.” - -In the fine arts the Chinese have made but little progress, having no -knowledge of sculpture, and very little of painting. Their literature, -it is very clear, contains none of those splendid creations of genius -which we might expect to find among a people partly civilized during so -many ages, and which actually exist in the languages of Persia and -Hindostan. Their popular religion is the grossest and most corrupt form -of Buddhism; and even this, as well as their philosophy and arts, such -as they are, they originally borrowed from Hindostan, which seems in -antiquity to have been the great workshop where all the fantastic -systems, religious and philosophical, which were current among the -heathen were fabricated. - -Captain Ismailoff seems, like Lord Amherst, to have felt a peculiar -antipathy to the practice of bowing nine times before the Chinese -emperor; but at length, after many struggles with their prejudices, -consented to conform to ancient usage. The first audience was granted -him at one of the emperor’s country palaces, where, when he arrived, -though the morning was cold and frosty, he found all the ministers of -state and officers belonging to the court seated cross-legged upon their -fur cushions in the open air,—an exhibition probably intended to serve -as a reproof to the insolent barbarian who could object to bow nine -times before a prince at whose door the greatest men in the Celestial -Empire were contented to sit cross-legged in the frost! Nothing of that -magnificence which Marco Polo found at the court of Kublai Khan was -discoverable in that of Kamhi, where, on the contrary, the only -circumstances truly remarkable were the extreme plainness of every thing -and the affability and calm good sense of the aged monarch, who, in -insisting on the observance of ancient forms and ceremonies, was -actuated, it was clear, by no motives of paltry vanity. - -Though Gibbon, with all his disposition to skepticism, allowed to Pekin -a population of two millions, it would appear from Bell’s account, who -says he rode round it at an easy trot in four hours, to be inferior to -London in size; and no one who is acquainted with the form of Chinese -houses, which are never more than one story high, and who reflects upon -the extent of the imperial gardens, together with all the other gardens -included within the walls, will doubt for a moment that it is vastly -less populous. Upon the accounts of the Chinese themselves no reliance -whatever can be placed. They are greater proficients in lying than the -ancient Cretans; and on the subject of population have deluded European -travellers with fables so monstrous, that there is nothing in Gulliver -more repugnant to common sense. To maintain the one-half of the -population to which their empire makes pretensions would demand a -progress in civilization and the arts of life of which hitherto they -have not even dreamed; but a paper population costs nothing. Three -hundred and thirty-three millions are as easily written as one hundred -and nineteen millions. But if we reflect for a moment on the vast -deserts, the barren mountains, the impenetrable woods which the Jesuits, -when scattered and terrified into their senses by persecution, found in -almost every part of this richly-cultivated country, and were enabled to -conceal themselves in for months, we shall perhaps be disposed to -conclude, that in proportion to its extent China is less populous than -Hindostan, which yet does not, in all probability, contain one-fourth of -the population it might be made to support if properly cultivated. - -The object of the mission, which indeed seems to have been of little -importance, having been accomplished, the ambassador prepared to depart. -The aged emperor, however, who appears to have possessed a thoroughly -benevolent and polished mind, was desirous of presenting them before -they took their leave with the splendid spectacle of a Mongol hunt, of -such a one at least as could be represented in a park of two or three -days’ journey in extent. On the 21st of February, therefore, the day -appointed for the hunt, horses were brought them at one o’clock in the -morning, the Chinese resolving that no time should be lost. They reached -the royal park about daybreak, where, in a summer-house erected in the -forest, they found the emperor, who had risen long before their arrival. -Here they breakfasted. Before the south front of the summer-house there -was a large canal, with several fish-ponds filled with clear water, -which greatly beautified the scene; and all around, at convenient -distances, stood a thousand tents in which the courtiers had slept. - -“The signal was then given,” says Bell, “that the emperor was coming; -upon which all the great men drew up in lines, from the bottom of the -stairs to the road leading to the forest, all on foot, dressed in their -hunting-habits, the same with those used by the officers and cavalry of -the army when in the field, and armed with bows and arrows. We had a -proper place assigned us, and made our bows to his majesty, who returned -a gracious smile, with signs to follow him. He was seated cross-legged -in an open machine carried by four men with long poles rested on their -shoulders. Before him lay a fowling-piece, a bow, and a sheaf of arrows. -This has been his hunting equipage for some years, since he left off -riding.... As soon as the emperor had passed, the company mounted and -followed him at some distance till we came into the open forest, where -all formed into a semicircle, in the centre of which was the emperor, -having on his left-hand (the place of honour in China) about eight or -ten of his sons and grandsons, and the ambassador on his right, about -fifty paces distant. Close by him were the master of the chase with some -greyhounds and the grand falconer with his hawks. I could not but admire -the beauty of these fine birds. Many of them were as white as doves, -having one or two black feathers in their wings or tails. They are -brought from Siberia, or places to the north of the river Amoor. - -“Our wings being extended, there were many hares started, which the -company endeavoured to drive towards the emperor, who killed many of -them with arrows as they passed; those he missed he made a sign to some -of the princes to pursue, who also killed several of them with arrows; -but no other person was permitted to draw a bow or stir from the line. - -“From the open field we continued our route westward to a place among -thickets and tall reeds, where we sprung a number of pheasants, -partridges, and quails. His majesty then laid aside his bow and arrows, -and carried a hawk on his hand, which he flew as occasion offered. The -hawks generally raked in the pheasants while flying; but if they took to -the reeds or bushes they soon caught them. - -“After proceeding about two or three miles farther into the forest we -came to a tall wood, where we found several sorts of deer. The young men -went in and beat the woods, while the rest of the company remained -without. We saw much game pass us, but nobody drew a bow until the -emperor had killed a stag, which he did very dexterously with a -broad-headed arrow; after which the princes had leave to kill several -bucks, among which was one of that species that bears the musk, called -_kaberda_ in Siberia. - -“We had now been six hours on horseback, and I reckon had travelled -about fifteen English miles, but no end of the forest yet appeared. We -turned short from this wood southward, till coming to some marshes -overgrown with tall reeds we roused a great many wild boars; but as it -was not the season for killing them they all escaped. The hunting of -these fierce animals is reckoned the most dangerous of all kinds of -sport except the chase of lions and tigers. Every one endeavoured to -avoid them, and several of them ran furiously through the thickest -troops of horse. The emperor was so cautious as to have a company of men -armed with lances to guard his machine. - -“We continued the sport till about four o’clock, when we came to a high -artificial mount of a square figure, raised in the middle of a plain, on -the top of which were pitched about ten or twelve tents for the imperial -family. This mount had several winding paths leading to the top, planted -on each side with rows of trees in imitation of nature. To the south was -a large basin of water with a boat upon it, from whence, I suppose, the -earth has been taken that formed this mount. At some distance from the -mount tents were erected for the people of distinction and officers of -the court. About two hundred yards from it _we were lodged in some clean -huts covered with reeds_.”—[No mark that Kamhi held the czar’s -ambassador in very high estimation.]—“The emperor, from his situation, -had a view of all the tents and a great way farther into the forest. The -whole scene made a very pretty appearance.” - -When they had dined and been interrogated respecting the degree of -admiration with which they had beheld the feats of the emperor and his -sons, which was of course superlative, the ambassador was informed that -he was to be entertained with a tiger-hunt, or rather “baiting,” as our -traveller terms it; three animals of that species having been kept for -some time in a cage for that purpose. “The hill where the emperor’s tent -stood was surrounded with several ranks of guards armed with long -spears. A guard also was placed before the ambassador’s and the rest of -the tents, to secure the whole encampment from the fury of these fierce -animals. The first was let out by a person mounted on a fleet horse, who -opened the door of the coop by means of a rope tied to it. The tiger -immediately left his cage, and seemed much pleased to find himself at -liberty. The horseman rode off at full speed, while the tiger (poor -fellow!) was rolling himself upon the grass. At last he rose, growled, -and walked about. The emperor fired twice at him with bullets, but the -distance being considerable missed him, though the pieces were well -pointed. Upon which his majesty sent to the ambassador to try his piece -upon him; which being charged with a single ball, he walked towards the -animal, accompanied by ten men armed with spears, in case of accidents, -till, being at a convenient distance, he took his aim and killed him on -the spot.” - -The second and third tigers were despatched in a short time; and the -sportsmen, pluming themselves upon their magnificent achievements, sat -down in great good-humour to supper, as men always do when they have -performed any glorious action. The skin of the tiger slain by the -ambassador was sent him by the emperor, who observed, that by the laws -of hunting he had a right to it. The sport of the next day differed very -little from the preceding. They continued, however, advancing through -the forest without discovering any end to it, and passed the night in a -temple near another imperial summer-house. The extent of this immense -park, which was all enclosed by a high wall, may enable us to form some -idea of the quantity of useless land in China; for besides the number of -similar enclosures belonging to the imperial family, we may be sure -that, as far as possible, all the rich and great imitate the example of -the sovereign. - -The ambassador now received his audience of leave, and, after making -several visits of ceremony, and receiving the curious but not valuable -presents intended for the czar, departed from Pekin. Their route from -the capital to the Great Wall, and thence across the deserts of Mongolia -to Selinguisky, though not precisely the same as that by which they had -come, afforded but few new objects, and was rendered interesting by no -striking incidents. The Baikal Lake being still frozen when they reached -it, they traversed it on light sledges upon the ice. They then embarked -upon the Angara, and descended by water to Yeniseisk. Proceeding thence -by land, they soon arrived upon the banks of the river Ket, where they -again took to their boats; and sailing down this melancholy stream, -bordered on both sides by the most gloomy forests, immerged into the -mighty stream of the Obe. They now sailed down this river to its -confluence with the Irtish, another noble stream, against the current of -which they made their way with much difficulty to Tobolsk. Here they -quitted their boats, and continued their journey on sledges. Winter was -rapidly invading the country. Snow, cold winds, frost, and short days -conspired to render their movements irksome; but they still pushed on -rapidly, and on the 5th of January, 1722, arrived at Moscow, where they -found the czar and all his court, who had recently removed thither from -Petersburg. - -Peter, surrounded by his courtiers, the general officers, and the -nobility and gentry from all parts of the empire, was making great -preparations for the celebration of the festivals appointed to be -solemnized in commemoration of the peace concluded at Aland in 1721, -between Russia and Sweden, after a war of more than twenty years, when -our traveller arrived; and as he appears greatly to have admired the -policy of Peter on most occasions, he was particularly gratified at the -present exhibition. He observes that Peter, even in his amusements and -times of diversion, made use of all possible means of inspiring his -people with a love of what was useful; and as the Russians had a -peculiar aversion to shipping, his principal aim in the shows exhibited -at Moscow was to dispel that prejudice, by impressing upon their minds -that it was owing to his naval power that the peace had been obtained. - -“The triumphant entry,” says Bell, “was made from a village about seven -miles from Moscow, called Seswedsky. The first of the cavalcade was a -galley finely carved and gilt, in which the rowers plied their oars as -on the water. The galley was commanded by the high-admiral of Russia. -Then came a frigate of sixteen small brass guns, with three masts, -completely rigged, manned with twelve or fourteen youths habited like -Dutch skippers, in black velvet, who trimmed the sails, and performed -all the manœuvres of a ship at sea. Then came most richly-decorated -barges, wherein sat the empress and the ladies of the court. There were -also pilot-boats heaving the lead, and above thirty other vessels, -pinnaces, wherries, &c., each filled with masqueraders in the dresses of -different nations. It was in the month of February, at which time all -the ground was covered with snow, and all the rivers frozen. All these -machines were placed on sledges, and were drawn by horses through all -the principal streets of Moscow. The ship required above forty horses to -draw it. In order to its passing under the gates the topmasts were -struck, and, when passed, set up again; besides which, the gateway was -dug as low as was necessary for admitting it to pass.” - -As soon as these festivals were concluded, Peter, who had been invited -into Persia with an army by the shah, who required his aid against the -rebellious Afghans, prepared to march southward; and Bell, who was -thought to understand something of Persian manners, having spent some -time in the country, was engaged by the czar’s chief physician to -accompany the expedition. Accordingly, the troops having been embarked -on the Moskwa, they descended by water to the Caspian Sea, and made for -the shores of Daghestan, where they landed and encamped. They then -proceeded along the seashore to Derbend, where the fleet containing the -provisions, stores, &c. for the army was wrecked upon the beach. This -gave Peter a plausible excuse for returning home without affording the -shah the desired aid. Indeed, the whole expedition appears to have been -a mere piece of treachery got up for the purpose of obtaining possession -of Derbend; for “the emperor determined,” says Bell, “to leave things in -the state they were in, and to return again to Astrakhan by the same way -we came, _leaving a garrison at Derbend sufficient to secure the -advantage he had gained_.” - -We now lose sight of our traveller for fifteen years, the whole of -which, however, he spent in Russia. In 1737 the war with Turkey, which -had begun in 1734, began to grow disagreeable to the Russian court, the -Ottomites, in spite of their barbarism, being more obstinate in the -field than their polished enemies of the north had anticipated. Under -these circumstances, it was thought advisable to negotiate a peace; but -as the Turks made no proposals, and as in time of war no subject of -Russia, or Germany, the ally of Russia, was admitted into the dominions -of the sultan, Bell, who appears to have been greatly respected both for -his character and abilities, was prevailed upon, “at the earnest desires -of Count Osterman, the chancellor of Russia, and of Mr. Rondeau, his -Britannic majesty’s minister at the court of Russia,” to undertake the -journey. He departed from Petersburg on the 6th of December, 1737, and -arrived at Constantinople on the 29th of the next month. With respect to -his commission, he merely observes that he punctually conformed to the -terms of his instructions. His negotiations did not detain him long. He -left Constantinople on the 8th of April, and on the 17th of May arrived -at Petersburg. Here he concludes his account of himself and his travels. -In the decline of his life he returned to Scotland, where he resided at -Antermony, his native place; and it was there that, surrounded -apparently by affluence, and enjoying the most ample leisure, he wrote -his excellent and interesting account of his travels, the first edition -of which appeared in 1762. His death took place in 1780. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - JOHN LEDYARD. - - Born 1751.—Died 1780. - - -THIS traveller, who for enterprise and courage has seldom been -surpassed, was born in the year 1751, at Groton, a small village on the -river Thames, in Connecticut, in the United States. He had, at a very -early age, the misfortune to be deprived of his father; and although his -mother, a woman of remarkable piety and benevolence, discharged with -exemplary affection her duties towards him and her other children, -notwithstanding a second marriage, this circumstance cut him off from -all those advantages which the moral education received in a -well-regulated family under the paternal roof confers. Owing in a great -measure to the political condition of the country, but principally, -perhaps, to the restlessness of his own character, his youthful studies -were irregular and ill-directed. He frequently changed his inclinations -in the choice of a profession. At one time the law, at another the -career of a missionary among the Indians, captivated his fancy. When -both these schemes of life had been, one after the other, abandoned, his -imagination appears to have dwelt with complacency for a moment on the -peaceful studies and noiseless, though important, avocations of a -country clergyman. - -The completion of the slender education which he received was effected -at Dartmouth College, an institution established by the Rev. Dr. -Wheelock, in the back woods, with the benevolent design of scattering -the seeds of religion and civilization among the Indian nations. Here -Ledyard, whose mind was as impatient of the salutary restraints of -discipline as that of any savage upon earth, exhibited unequivocal -tokens of those locomotive propensities which afterward goaded him into -rather than directed him in his romantic but almost aimless wanderings -over the greater part of the habitable world. For ordinary studies he -had evidently no aptitude. He read, indeed, but it was such reading as -beguiled away the time, and nourished the fantastic vagaries of his -imagination, without much enlarging his mind, or knitting his character -into firmness or consistency. In many respects he scarcely yielded to -the knight of La Mancha. What does the reader think he carried with him -to college, whither he was proceeding for the purpose of fitting himself -for spreading the light of Christianity, and with it the blessings of -social life, among the Indians? Histories of former missions, from the -failure or success of which he might derive light for his own guidance; -or books which, by unfolding the genuine character of savages, might -instruct him in the art of captivating their affections and moulding -their passions into manageable forms? Nothing of the kind. But instead -of these, he drove across the woods to college in a sulkey, containing a -choice collection of plays, with calico curtains, and various other -materials for scenic representations! - -When he had been some time at Dartmouth, toiling at studies which were -wholly incompatible with his tastes, he suddenly disappeared, and no one -could conjecture whither he had betaken himself. He was absent upwards -of a quarter of a year; and it afterward appeared that during all this -time he was wandering among the savages, reconnoitring, as his American -biographer conjectures, the strong places of ignorance and prejudice -against which, as a missionary, his future attacks were to be directed. -It is more probable, however, that the excursion was undertaken merely -to escape from the discipline of the college, than which nothing, it is -clear, could be more irksome to him. After roaming as far as the borders -of Canada, picking up as he went along a knowledge of the character and -language of the savages, which was of essential service to him in his -subsequent wanderings, he returned to Dartmouth, and resumed his -studies. - -Nevertheless, a secret predilection, which operated like destiny, -already began to shape his course towards its proper goal. An appetite -for violent excitement gradually discovered itself in his character. -Action of some kind or other became necessary. To satisfy this longing -he climbed mountains in winter, and slept in the snow; but this sobering -couch, which we are told brought St. Anthony to reason, failed to -produce so favourable an effect upon Ledyard. He descended the mountain -apparently pleased to have discovered that slight hardships, at least, -would not kill him, and fully resolved, as soon as opportunity should -present itself, to put the force of his constitution to still further -trial. Accident not furnishing him with an occasion for exhibiting his -prowess in this way, he took the matter into his own hands. - -Robinson Crusoe was evidently Ledyard’s _beau idéal_ of a hero. To the -young mind which makes companions of its own dream, solitude is sweet, -as it favours their growth, and throws a gorgeous mantle over their -deformities. Our young traveller seems to have early conceived the -design of achieving a reputation, and in the mean while, until he should -have made the first step, and acquired the right to exact some degree of -consideration among mankind, the dim forest, or the lonely river, was a -more agreeable associate in his mind than any of those two-legged -animals with which a residence at college daily brought him into -contact. He therefore at once resolved to put an end to so mawkish a way -of life. Selecting from the majestic forest which clothed the margin of -the Connecticut River a tree large enough to form a canoe, he contrived, -with the aid of some of his fellow-students, to fell and convey it to -the stream, which runs near the college. Here it was hollowed out, and -fashioned in the requisite shape, and when completed measured fifty feet -in length by three in breadth. His young college companions enabled him -to lay in the necessary store of provisions. He had a bear-skin for a -covering; a Greek Testament and Ovid to amuse him on the way; and thus -equipped, he pushed off into the current, bade adieu to his youthful -friends, turned his back upon Dartmouth, and floated leisurely down the -stream. Hartford, the place of his destination, was one hundred and -forty miles distant. The country, during much of the way, was a -wilderness, and the river, of the navigation of which he was totally -ignorant, exhibited in many places dangerous falls and rapids. However, -youth and ignorance are generally bold. He was, besides, too well -pleased at escaping from the irksomeness of regular study, and, indeed, -too much enamoured of danger itself to have been terrified, even had he -fully understood the character of the river. - -The canoe being carried along with sufficient rapidity by the force of -the current, he had but little occasion for using his paddles, and -filled up the intervals of reflection with reading. He was thus employed -when the canoe approached Bellows Falls. The noise of the waters rushing -with impetuous velocity through their narrow channel between the rocks, -roused him to a sense of his danger, fortunately, in time to enable him -by the strenuous use of his paddles to reach the shore. His canoe was -dragged round the fall by the kindness of the good people of the -neighbourhood, who were amazed at the boldness and novelty of his -enterprise, and again safely launched upon the waters below. No further -account is given of this singular voyage. He arrived safely at Hartford -about daybreak one fine morning in spring, and astonished his friends by -the strangeness of his appearance, and the no less strange relation of -his adventures. - -Whether or not any efforts were made on this occasion to induce Ledyard -to resume his missionary studies is not known; but if there were it was -without success. His inclinations, as I have already observed, had now -taken another direction. He was desirous of becoming a regular -clergyman, and exerted himself, unfit as he was, to obtain a preacher’s -license. Inferior claims have sometimes been urged with effect; but -Ledyard’s were rejected; and in that reckless state of mind produced by -disappointment and disgust, which none but those who have been buffeted -by adverse fortune can properly conceive, he threw himself into the -first gap which he saw open, and determined to combat with the ills of -life in the humble condition of a common sailor. In this capacity he -sailed for Gibraltar, in the ship of a Captain Deshon, who had been a -friend of his father. Though this gentleman, we are told, regarded him -more in the light of a companion than as one of his crew, Ledyard seems -to have conceived no very favourable idea of a seafaring life from his -voyage across the Atlantic, and on his landing at Gibraltar, determined -to avoid a repetition of the experiment by enlisting in the army. By the -solicitations of Captain Deshon, however, who at the same time strongly -remonstrated with him on the impropriety of his conduct, he was -released, and returned with his liberator to New-London. This voyage put -to flight his romantic ideas respecting the life of a mariner; and he -once more saw himself dependent on his friends, without profession or -prospect. - -From the conversation of some of the older members of his family, he had -learned that in England he possessed many wealthy relations; and the -idea now occurred to him, that could he but make himself known to these, -he should be received with open arms, and lifted up at once to a -respectable position in society. With him to resolve and to act were the -same thing. He immediately proceeded to New-York, where, finding a -vessel bound for England, he obtained a birth, probably on condition of -his working as a sailor. On landing at Plymouth, he found himself -penniless, and without a friend, in a strange country; but his courage, -sustained by the golden hopes with which he amused his imagination, was -proof against misfortune. His calamities, he flattered himself, were -soon to have an end. He was now within a few days’ journey of his -wealthy relations; and provided he kept, as the vulgar say, body and -soul together, what did it signify how he passed the brief interval -which separated him from his island of Barataria? Accordingly, relying -upon that principle in our nature by which compassion is kindled, and -the hand stretched forth to relieve, as often as real honest distress -presents itself, he set out for London. On the way his good genius -brought him acquainted with an Irishman, whose pockets were as guiltless -of coin as his own; and as it is a comfort not to be “alone unhappy” in -this “wide and universal theatre,” these two moneyless friends were a -great consolation to each other. In fact, it is often among the poor and -unfortunate that fellowship is most sweet. The sight of another’s -sufferings excites our magnanimity. We scorn to sink under what we see -by another man’s experience can be borne, perhaps, without repining. And -thus two poor devils without a penny may be of use to each other, by -reciprocally affording an example of fortitude and patience. Ledyard and -his Hibernian companion begged by turns, and in this way reached London, -where they separated, each to cherish his poverty in a different nook. - -Hunger, which has a kind of predilection for great cities, seems to -sharpen the sight as well as the wits of men; for, amid the vast throng -of equipages which jostle and almost hide each other in the streets of -London, Ledyard’s eye caught the family name upon a carriage; and he -learned from the coachman the profession and address of the owner, who -was a rich merchant. El Dorado was before him. He hastened to the house, -and although the master himself was absent, he found the son, who, at -all events, listened to his story. When he had heard him out, however, -he very coolly informed our sanguine traveller that he wholly -disbelieved his representations, never having heard of any relations in -America; but that from the East Indies, he added, they expected a member -of the family, whom Ledyard greatly resembled; and that if in reality he -was the person, he would be received with open arms. - -This reception, so different from that which he had anticipated, yet so -extremely natural under the circumstances of the case, was more than -Ledyard’s philosophy, which had not yet been sufficiently disciplined by -poverty, could digest; and he quitted the house of his cautious relative -with avowed disgust. How he now continued to subsist is not known. It -appears, however, that in spite of his distress he succeeded in making -the acquaintance of several respectable individuals, to whom he related -his story, and who, taking an interest in his fate, exerted themselves -to effect a reconciliation between him and his wealthy friends, but -without success; for distrust on the one part, and haughtiness on the -other, intervened, and shipwrecked their good intentions. - -While our traveller’s affairs were in this precarious or rather -desperate state, an account of the preparations which were making for -Captain Cook’s third voyage round the world reached him in his -obscurity. Ambition, which for some time seems to have been almost -stifled in his mind by his distresses, now again awoke. He longed to -form a part of the glorious enterprise, and to behold, at least, if he -could not share in the achievements of the illustrious navigator. As a -preliminary step he enlisted in the marine service; and having procured -an interview with Captain Cook, his energy and enthusiasm so strongly -recommended him, that the great discoverer immediately took him into his -service, and promoted him to be a corporal of marines. - -The expedition sailed from England on the 12th of July, 1776. It -consisted of two ships, the Resolution, commanded by Captain Cook, and -the Discovery, by Captain Clerke. After touching at Teneriffe, and the -Cape of Good Hope, where they laid in a large stock of provisions, and -live animals, designed to be left at the various islands on which they -did not exist, they sailed towards the southern extremity of -New-Holland. In twenty-five days they arrived at Kerguelen’s Island, -then recently discovered. It was barren, and totally without -inhabitants. There was, however, a scanty supply of grass, and a species -of wild cabbage, which they cut for their cattle. Fresh water was found -in abundance; for it rained profusely, so that torrents came tumbling -down from the hills, and enabled them to replenish their empty casks. -Seals and sea-dogs covered the shore; and vast flocks of birds hovered -around. Never having experienced in their lonely island the danger of -approaching man, they did not fly from their visiters, but suffered -themselves, and more particularly the penguin, to be knocked down with -clubs. Here they celebrated Christmas, and then proceeded to Van -Dieman’s Land. - -Within less than two months after leaving the Cape of Good Hope they -cast anchor in Adventure Bay, in this island, which was then supposed to -form a part of New-Holland. At first no inhabitants appeared, though, in -sailing along the coast, they had observed columns of smoke ascending -between the trees; but in a few days the natives, men, women, and -children, came down to the beach, exhibiting in their persons the -extreme of human wretchedness. They were black, with negro features, and -woolly hair, besmeared with red ochre and grease, and went completely -naked. Bread and fish, which were given them, they threw away; but of -the flesh of birds they appeared fond. Their only weapon was a rude -stick about three feet long, and sharpened at one end. They had no -canoes, no houses, and appeared to be, to a great degree, destitute of -curiosity. - -Having laid in a sufficient stock of wood and water, the expedition -proceeded to New-Zealand, where they remained a whole month, employed in -laying in provisions, and in making observations on the character of the -country and its inhabitants. They found the New-Zealanders a race -differing in many respects from the natives of all the surrounding -islands. Cannibalism of the most revolting kind flourished here in all -its glory. The first thought of a man on beholding the face of a -fellow-creature, like Fontenelle’s on seeing a flock of sheep in a -meadow, was what nice eating he would make; and if they abstained from -devouring their neighbours as well as their enemies, it was merely from -fear of reprisals. Yet, united with propensities which, if found to be -ineradicable, would justify their extermination, these people are said -to possess a vehement affection for their friends, constancy in their -attachments, and a strong disposition to love. It is very possible that -both their good and bad qualities may have been misrepresented. The -views and feelings of savages are not easily comprehended, and it is -seldom that those who enjoy opportunities of observing them possess the -genius to divine, from a few flitting and often constrained -manifestations of them, the secret temper of the soul. - -During their stay at this island one of the mariners formed an -attachment for a young female cannibal; and, in order to wind himself -the more effectually into her affections, he secretly caused himself to -be tattooed, resolving, when the ships should sail, to make his escape, -and relapse into the savage state with his mistress. I say relapse, -because from that state we rose, and, whenever we can slip through the -artificial scaffolding upon which we have been placed by philosophy and -civil government, to that state we inevitably return. These two lovers, -though deprived of the aids which language affords in the communication -of thought and sentiments, contrived thoroughly to understand each -other. When the time for the departure of the ships arrived, the sailor, -tattooed, and dressed like a savage, was suffered to escape among the -crowds of natives who were hurrying on shore; but when the roll was -called to ascertain whether all hands were on board, his absence was -discovered. A guard of marines, despatched in search of him by the -command of Cook, dragged him from the arms of his savage mistress, who -exhibited every token of anguish and inconsolable grief, and leaving her -in loneliness and bitter disappointment on the beach, hurried the -culprit on board to take his trial for desertion. In consideration of -the motive, however, the commander humanely remitted the punishment of -the offence; but it is extremely probable that his vigilance defrauded a -party of New-Zealanders of a feast, for as soon as the ships should have -been out of sight, these honest people would no doubt have consigned the -sailor to their subterranean ovens. - -Though desirous of making direct for _Tahiti_, or Otaheite, contrary -winds and boisterous weather forced them out of their course, and as -they now began to be in want of grass and water for the cattle, as well -as fresh provisions for the men, it was judged advisable to sail away -for the Friendly Islands. Many new islands were discovered during this -voyage, upon one of which, named Watteeoo, they landed. Here, to his -great astonishment, Omai, the native of Tahiti whom Cook had taken with -him to England, found three of his countrymen, who, having been -overtaken by a storm at sea, had been driven in their canoe to this -island, a distance of more than fifteen hundred miles. During the -thirteen days that they had been hurried before the gale, without water -or provisions, most of their companions had perished of hunger, or, -stung to phrensy by their sufferings, had jumped into the sea. The -survivors were now settled at Watteeoo, and refused his invitation to -revisit their native country, the sight of which could only renew their -grief for the loss of their dearest friends. This fact suffices to -explain how islands extremely distant from the great hives of mankind -have been peopled, and exhibit in their population resemblances to races -from which they would appear to be separated by insurmountable barriers. - -From hence they sailed to Tongataboo, an island exceedingly fertile and -covered with forests, where they remained twenty-six days collecting -provisions. The natives, who, having ingrafted the vices of civilized -nations upon their own, have since exhibited themselves under a -different aspect, now appeared to be a simple and inoffensive race. Much -of their leisure, of which they appeared to have but too-great plenty, -was occupied in curious religious ceremonies, which, as among many -civilized nations, were regarded something in the light of amusements. -Their king, Poulaho, conducted himself with marked suavity and respect -towards his strange guests. Few civilized individuals, indeed, coming -suddenly into contact with a new race of men, could have shown more ease -and self-possession than this savage chief. However, he declined Cook’s -invitation to go on board the day after their arrival; but entertained -Ledyard, whose duty it was to remain on shore that night, in a kind and -hospitable manner. - -“It was just dusk,” says our traveller, “when they parted, and as I had -been present during a part of this first interview, and was detained on -shore, I was glad he did not go off, and asked him to my tent; but -Poulaho chose rather to have me go with him to his house, where we went -and sat down together without the entrance. We had been here but a few -minutes before one of the natives advanced through the grove to the -skirts of the green, and there halted. Poulaho observed him, and told me -he wanted him; upon which I beckoned to the Indian, and he came to us. -When he approached Poulaho, he squatted down upon his hams, and put his -forehead to the sole of Poulaho’s foot, and then received some -directions from him, and went away; and returned again very soon with -some baked yams and fish rolled up in fresh plantain-leaves, and a large -cocoanut-shell full of clean fresh water, and a smaller one of salt -water. These he set down, and went and fetched a mess of the same kind, -and set it down by me. Poulaho then desired I would eat; but preferring -salt which I had in the tent to the sea-water which they used, I called -one of the guard, and had some of that brought me to eat with my fish, -which was really most delightfully dressed, and of which I ate very -heartily. - -“Their animal and vegetable food is dressed in the same manner here as -at the southern and northern tropical islands throughout these seas, -being all baked among hot stones laid in a hole, and covered over, first -with leaves, and then with mould. Poulaho was fed by the chief who -waited upon him, both with victuals and drink. After he had finished, -the remains were carried away by the chief in waiting, who returned soon -after with two large separate rolls of cloth and two little low wooden -stools. The cloth was for a covering while asleep, and the stools to -raise and rest the head on, as we do on a pillow. These were left within -the house, or rather under the roof, one side being open. The floor -within was composed of dry grass, leaves, and flowers, over which were -spread large well-wrought mats. On this Poulaho and I removed and sat -down, while the chief unrolled and spread out the cloth, after which he -retired; and in a few minutes there appeared a fine young girl about -seventeen years of age, who, approaching Poulaho, stooped and kissed his -great toe, and then retired, and sat down in an opposite part of the -house. It was now about nine o’clock, and a bright moonshine; the sky -was serene, and the wind hushed. Suddenly I heard a number of their -flutes, beginning nearly at the same time, burst from every quarter of -the surrounding grove; and whether this was meant as an exhilarating -serenade, or a soothing soporific to the great Poulaho, I cannot tell. -Immediately on hearing the music he took me by the hand, intimating that -he was going to sleep, and, showing me the other cloth, which was spread -nearly beside him, and the pillow, invited me to use it.” - -The manners of the people whom Ledyard had now an opportunity of -contemplating indicated a character nearly the reverse of that of the -New-Zealanders. In what circumstances those extraordinary differences -originated it is foreign to the present purpose to inquire. To account -for them, as some writers have done, by the influence of climate, is -wilfully to sport with facts and experience. Within the same degrees of -latitude, pursuing our researches round the globe, we have black men and -white; cannibals, and races remarkable for humanity; men so gross in -their intellects that they retain nothing of man but the shape, and -others with a character and genius so admirably adapted to receive the -impressions of laws and civilization, that they turn every natural or -accidental advantage of their position to the greatest account, and run -on in the career of improvement with gigantic strides. This was not -Ledyard’s theory. He seemed everywhere to discover proofs of the vast -influence of climate in rendering men what they are, morally as well as -physically; though he could not be ignorant that while the climate of -Greece and Italy remains what it was in old times, the physiognomy of -the inhabitants has undergone an entire change, while their moral -condition is, if possible, deteriorated still more than their features. -The mind of man seems, in fact, after having borne an extraordinary crop -of virtues, knowledge, and heroic deeds, to require, like the earth, to -lie fallow for a season. It cannot be made to yield fruit beyond a -certain point, upon which, when it has once touched, no power under -heaven can prevent its relapsing into barrenness. - -The population scattered over the innumerable islands of the Pacific -have been in a remarkably peculiar position from the time in which they -were discovered up to the present moment. Civilization has, in a manner, -been forced upon them. Their idols have been thrown down; the bloody or -absurd rites of their religion have, in many instances, been exchanged -for the blessings and the light of Christianity; and although silly or -affected persons may lament for the disappearance of what they term a -“picturesque superstition,” every real friend of humanity will rejoice -at seeing a church occupying the site of a morai; and men, who once -delighted to feed upon the limbs of an enemy, employing themselves in -deriving subsistence from their own industry and ingenuity. - -The people of Tongataboo, at the period of Ledyard’s visit, though -neither cruel nor ferocious, were partial to athletic exercises, and not -averse to war. It seems to have yielded them great satisfaction to be -allowed to display in the presence of their visiters their vigour and -dexterity, which were by no means despicable. Their performances, which -chiefly consisted of wrestling and boxing, always took place upon the -greensward, in the open air; and in order to prevent what was only meant -for amusement from degenerating into angry contests, a certain number of -elderly men presided over and regulated the exercises; and when either -of the combatants appeared to be fairly worsted, they mildly signified -the fact, and this was considered a sufficient compliment to the victor. -Like the boxers of antiquity, they wore upon the hand a kind of glove -composed of cords or thongs, designed to prevent their grappling each -other, and at the same time to preserve them from dislocations of the -joints, particularly of that of the thumb. Sometimes, however, they -engaged each other with clubs, in which cases the performances were -highly dangerous. Our traveller witnessed one of these contests, which, -as the persons engaged were renowned for their superior skill, was -protracted considerably, though they are in general of brief duration. -At length, however, the affair was decided by a fortuitous blow on the -head. The vanquished champion was carried off the ground by his friends, -while the conqueror was greeted with enthusiastic shouts of praise from -the spectators; and “when these shouts ended, the young women round the -circle rose, and sang, and danced a short kind of interlude in -celebration of the hero.” - -With the brilliant exhibition of fireworks, which, in return for their -hospitality and politeness, Cook got up for their amusement, both -Poulaho and his people were greatly astonished and delighted. The -animals, likewise, which were new to them, excited their wonder. Goats -and sheep they regarded as a species of birds; but in the horse, the -cow, the cat, and the rabbit they could perceive no analogy with the dog -or the hog, the only animals with which they had till then been -conversant. - -The ideas of these people respecting property were either very vague, or -very different from those of their visiters. Whatever they saw pleasing -to the eye in the possession of the white men, without considering -whether or not it was intended for them, they immediately appropriated -to themselves; probably from the belief that these munificent strangers, -who bestowed upon them so many wonderful things, were a kind of good -genii, who, in their own case, stood in no need of such articles. Cook -did not understand this simplicity. He attached the idea of a thief to -every person who touched what did not belong to him, and punished these -ignorant savages with the same rigid justice, if we may so apply the -term, which he would have shown towards a hardened offender at the Old -Bailey. In one instance even the justice of his conduct may be -questioned. One of the chiefs stole some peacocks from the ships, and -Cook arrested, not the offender, but the king, whom he kept in custody -until the culprit came forward engaging to restore the birds. This was -an absurd exercise of power, which could not fail considerably to abate -the respect of the natives for the civilized portion of mankind. - -From Tongataboo the expedition sailed to Tahiti, where they arrived on -the 14th of August. Here Ledyard employed his leisure, which appears to -have been considerable, in studying the character and manners of the -inhabitants; and upon these points his opinions generally agree with the -received notions respecting those people. In sailing northward from this -group they discovered the Sandwich Islands, where they remained ten -days; and then, steering still towards the north, arrived without -accident in Nootka Sound, where they cast anchor in nearly five hundred -fathoms of water. Ledyard was now on his native continent, and, though -more than three thousand miles from the place of his birth, experienced -on landing something like a feeling of home. The inhabitants he found to -be of the same race with those on the shores of the Atlantic. In stature -they are above the middle size, athletic in their make, and of a copper -colour. Their long black hair they wear tied up in a roll on the top of -the head, and, by way of ornament, smear it over with oil and paint, in -which they stick a quantity of the down of birds. They paint their faces -red, blue, and white, but refused to reveal the nature of their -cosmetics, or the country whence they obtained them. Their clothing -principally consists of skins, besides which, however, they have two -other kinds of garments, of which one is manufactured from the inner -bark of trees, and resembles our coarser cloths; the other made chiefly -from the hair of white dogs, and wrought over with designs representing -their mode of catching the whale, which our traveller considered the -most ingenious piece of workmanship he anywhere saw executed by a -savage. All their garments, like those of the Hindoos, are worn like -mantles, and are invariably fringed, or ornamented in some fashion or -another at the edges. This species of border ornament, denominated -_wampum_ on the opposite side of the continent, was found, not only all -along this coast, but also on the eastern shores of Asia. On the feet -they wear no covering; and if they occasionally cover their heads, it is -with a species of basket resembling that which is sometimes worn by the -Chinese and Tartars. In character they were cunning, bold, ferocious, -and, like the inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands, addicted to -cannibalism. - -From thence they sailed along the coast of America to Behring’s Straits, -in passing through which they observed that both continents were visible -at the same time. The expedition having in vain traversed the polar seas -in search of a north-west passage, returned towards the south. Before -issuing through the belt of the Aleeootskian Islands into the Pacific, -Captain Cook remained some days at Onalaska, where Ledyard was engaged -in an adventure highly characteristic of his intrepid and chivalrous -disposition. Even on their first landing, many peculiarities in the -appearance and costume, no less than in the moveable possessions of the -people, strongly excited their curiosity; for it was at once perceived -that there existed two races of men upon the island, of which one might -be supposed to be aboriginal, while the other might be presumed to be -adscititious; an offshoot, in all probability, from the great Asiatic -stock. They were in possession of tobacco, and in many instances wore -blue linen shirts and drawers. The circumstance, however, which excited -most surprise was the appearance of a young chief, bearing with him a -cake of rye-meal newly baked, and containing a piece of salmon seasoned -with pepper and salt, as a present to Captain Cook. He informed them, by -signs, that there were white strangers in the country, who had come, -like them, over the great waters in a large ship. - -This information excited in Cook a desire to explore the island. It was -difficult, however, to determine in what manner the object was to be -effected. An armed body would proceed slowly, and might, perhaps, be cut -off,—an irreparable loss to the expedition. The risk of a single -individual would be imminent, but his movements would be more rapid; and -if he should fall, the loss to the public would not be great. Yet, as -the commander did not think himself justified in ordering any person to -undertake so perilous an enterprise, a volunteer was sought for; and -Ledyard presented himself. The great navigator was highly pleased with -this example of intrepidity, for the brave always sympathize with the -brave; and after giving the traveller instructions how to proceed, “he -wished me well,” says Ledyard, “and desired I would not be longer absent -than a week, if possible; at the expiration of which he should expect me -to return. If I did not return by that time, he should wait another week -for me, and no longer.” - -The young chief who brought Cook the rye-cake and the salmon, with two -persons who attended him, were to serve as guides on the occasion. Being -furnished with a small quantity of bread and some brandy in bottles, -intended for presents to the Indians, our traveller departed with his -Indian guides, and during the first day advanced about fifteen miles -into the interior. About nightfall they arrived at a small village -consisting of about thirty huts, some of which were large and spacious, -though not very lofty. These huts were composed of a slight frame -erected over a square hole sunk about four feet into the ground. Below -the frame was covered with turf, which served as a wall, and above it -was thatched with grass. Though the whole village, men, women, and -children, crowded to see him, it was not with the intense curiosity -which their behaviour would have exhibited had they never before beheld -a white man. Here they passed the night. - -Their course had hitherto lain towards the north, but they next morning -turned round towards the south-west. About three hours before night they -reached the edge of a large bay, where the chief entered into a canoe, -with all their baggage, and intimating to Ledyard that he was to follow -his other companions, left him abruptly, and paddled across the bay. -Although rendered somewhat uneasy at this movement, he proceeded along -the shore with his guides, and in about two hours observed a canoe -making towards them across the bay. Upon this they ran down to the -water’s edge, and, by shouting and waving bushes to and fro in the air, -attracted the attention of the savages in the canoe. “It was beginning -to be dark,” says he, “when the canoe came to us. It was a skin canoe, -after the Esquimaux plan, with two holes to accommodate two sitters. The -Indians that came in the canoe talked a little with my two guides, and -then came to me, and desired I would get into the canoe. This I did not -very readily agree to, however, as there was no place for me but to be -thrust into the space between the holes, extended at length upon my -back, and wholly excluded from seeing the way I went, or the power of -extricating myself upon an emergency. But as there was no alternative, I -submitted thus to be stowed away in bulk, and went head foremost very -swift through the water about an hour, when I felt the canoe strike a -beach, and afterward lifted up and carried some distance, and then set -down again; after which I was drawn out by the shoulders by three or -four men; for it was now so dark that I could not tell who they were, -though I was conscious I heard a language that was new. I was conducted -by two of these persons, who appeared to be strangers, about forty rods, -when I saw lights and a number of huts like those I left in the morning. -As we approached one of them, a door opened and discovered a lamp, by -which, to my great joy, I discovered that the two men who held me by -each arm were Europeans, fair and comely, and concluded from their -appearance they were Russians, which I soon after found to be true.” - -By these Russians, who had established themselves in Onalaska for the -purpose of collecting furs for the markets of Moscow and Petersburg, -Ledyard was received and entertained in a most hospitable manner; and -when he returned to the ships was accompanied by three of the principal -persons among them, and several inferior attendants. “The satisfaction -this discovery gave Cook,” says he, “and the honour that redounded to -me, may be easily imagined; and the several conjectures respecting the -appearance of a foreign intercourse were rectified and confirmed.” - -From Onalaska the expedition sailed southward for the Sandwich Islands, -and in two months arrived at Hawaii. On entering a commodious bay -discovered on the southern coast of the island, they observed on each -hand a town of considerable size, from which crowds of people, to whom -the appearance offered by the ships was totally new, crowded down to the -beach to receive the strangers. Their number was prodigious. No less -than three thousand canoes, containing at least fifteen thousand men, -women, and children, were crowded in the bay; and, besides these, -numbers sustained themselves on floats, or swam about in the water. “The -beach, the surrounding rocks, the tops of houses, the branches of trees, -and the adjacent hills were all covered; and the shouts of joy and -admiration proceeding from the sonorous voices of the men, confused with -the shriller exclamations of the women, dancing and clapping their -hands, the oversetting of canoes, cries of the children, goods afloat, -and hogs that were brought to market squeaking, formed one of the most -curious prospects that can be imagined.” Yet, amid all this vast -multitude, no signs of hostility, no disposition to insult or annoy the -strangers appeared. Both parties were very far at that moment from -anticipating that tragical event which shortly afterward died their -shores with blood, and rendered the name of Hawaii memorable in the -history of discovery. - -However, for the first few days extraordinary harmony prevailed. Visits -were made and returned; fireworks were exhibited by the English; -wrestling, boxing, and various other kinds of athletic exercises by the -savages. During this continuance of good-humour Ledyard obtained -permission to make a tour in the interior of the island, for the purpose -of examining the nature of the country, and of ascending, if possible, -the peak of _Mouna Roa_, which, though situated in an island not -exceeding ninety miles in diameter, is regarded as one of the loftiest -in the world. He was accompanied by the botanist and gunner of the -Resolution, and by a number of natives, some as guides, others to carry -the baggage. Admonished by the snows which glittered in dazzling -pinnacles on the summit of Mouna Roa, they provided themselves with -additional clothing to guard against the effects of a sudden transition -from the heat of a tropical sun to intense cold. Their road during the -first part of the journey lay through enclosed plantations of sweet -potatoes, with a soil of lava, tilled in some places with difficulty. -Here and there, in moist situations, were small patches of sugar-cane; -and these, as they proceeded, were followed by open plantations of -bread-fruit trees. The land now began to ascend abruptly, and was -thickly covered with wild fern. About sunset they arrived on the skirts -of the woods, which stretched round the mountain like a belt, at the -uniform distance of four or five miles from the shore. Here they found -an uninhabited hut, in which they passed the night. - -Next morning, on entering the forests, they found there had been heavy -rain during the night, though none of it had reached them at the -distance of about two hundred yards. They traversed the woods by a -compass, keeping in a direct line for the peak; and, finding a beaten -track nearly in their course, were enabled on the second day to advance -about fifteen miles. At night they rested under the shelter of a fallen -tree, and early next morning recommenced their journey. It was soon -discovered, however, that the difficulties they had hitherto encountered -were ease itself compared with those against which they were now to -contend. To persons unaccustomed as they were to walk, a journey of so -great a length would, under any circumstances, have been a grievous -task. But they were impeded in their movements by heavy burdens; their -path was steep, broken, and rugged; and the farther they proceeded the -more dense and impenetrable did the thickets become. At length, it -became evident that the enterprise must be abandoned; and with those -unpleasant feelings which accompany baffled ambition, they returned by -the way they had gone to the ships. - -In less than a fortnight after their arrival at Hawaii, the discoverers, -by their impolitic, or rather insolent behaviour, had contrived to -irritate the savage natives almost to desperation. They saw themselves -and, what perhaps was more galling, their gods treated with silent -contempt or open scorn; while their wives and daughters were -contaminated by the brutal lusts of the sailors. How far these -circumstances were within the control of Captain Cook, or, in other -words, to what degree of blame he is liable for what took place, it is -not our present business to inquire. But assuredly, unless we choose -wholly to reject the testimony of Ledyard, our great navigator seems, -during the last few days of his life, to have been urged by a kind of -fatality into the commission of actions highly despotic and -unjustifiable in themselves, and, under the circumstances in which they -were performed, little short of insane. The mere idea of converting the -fence and idols of the morai—objects sacred to them, however -contemptible in our eyes—into firewood, argues a reprehensible disregard -of the feelings of the natives. His offer of two hatchets to the priest -in payment reminds one of Captain Clapperton’s promise of a couple of -guns, a few flasks of powder, and some rockets to Sultan Bello, as the -price of his _putting down_ the slave trade. But when the priest refused -the proffered payment, not so much on account of its preposterous -inadequacy,—of which, however, savage as he was, he must have been fully -sensible,—because in his eyes no price was an equivalent for articles to -destroy which would be sacrilege, to proceed with a strong hand in the -work of destruction, profaning the spot which contained the ashes of -their ancestors, and throwing down and bearing away the images of their -gods;—this was an outrage which the tamest and most enslaved race would -have found it difficult to endure. - -However, force was triumphant; but from that moment the souls of the -natives were on fire, and revenge was determined on. A relation of the -various incidents and small events by which the tragic action moved -onwards to its completion would be incompatible with my present design. -Captain Cook, accompanied by an armed force, in which Ledyard was -included, went on shore for the purpose of making the king a prisoner, -and of keeping him in confinement on board, until certain articles -stolen by his subjects should be restored. The savages, with a boldness -worthy of admiration, opposed his designs, and compelled him to retreat -towards his boats. Here, as the marines were endeavouring to embark, a -contest took place; stones were thrown by the natives; the English flew -to their firearms; and a chief, rushing on with an iron dagger in his -hand, stabbed Cook through the body. His guards, likewise, were all cut -off excepting two, who escaped by swimming. The cannon of the Resolution -were now fired at the crowd, and this produced an almost instantaneous -retreat; though the savages, mindful even in the midst of danger of the -gratification of their appetite, took care to carry along with them the -bodies of their fallen enemies, in order, by feasting upon them at their -leisure, to derive some trifling comfort from their disaster. - -The business now was to retire as quickly as possible from the island, -which they did; and having again entered Behring’s Strait, and sailed -about for some time among the ices of the Polar Sea, they returned by -way of China and the Cape of Good Hope to England, after an absence of -four years and three months. - -In 1782 Ledyard sailed on board an English man-of-war for America, not -with a design to serve against his country, but determined on seizing -the first occasion of escape which should offer itself. An opportunity -soon occurred. On arriving at Long Island, then in the possession of the -English, he obtained permission of seven days’ absence from the ship, -for the purpose of seeing his mother, who then kept a boarding-house at -Southold, occupied chiefly by British officers. “He rode up to the door, -alighted, went in, and asked if he could be accommodated in her house as -a lodger. She replied that he could, and showed him a room into which -his baggage was conveyed. After having adjusted his dress he came out, -and took a seat by the fire, in company with several other officers, -without making himself known to his mother, or entering into -conversation with any person. She frequently passed and repassed through -the room, and her eye was observed to be attracted towards him with more -than usual attention. He still remained silent. At last, after looking -at him steadily for some minutes, she deliberately put on her -spectacles, approached nearer to him, begging his pardon for her -rudeness, and telling him that he so much resembled a son of hers who -had been absent eight years, that she could not resist her inclination -to view him more closely. The scene that followed may be imagined, but -not described; for Ledyard had a tender heart, and affection for his -mother was among its deepest and most constant emotions.” - -He now visited his old friends and many of the places which youthful -recollections rendered dear to him. He was everywhere well received, and -employed the leisure which he now enjoyed for several months in writing -an account of his voyage round the world with Captain Cook. But when -this was done, many motives, among which want of money was not the -least, urged him to enter upon some new plan of life. His favourite -project at this time, and indeed throughout the remainder of his life, -was a voyage of commerce and discovery to the north-western coast of -America; and during the remainder of his stay in his native country he -made numerous efforts to obtain wealthy co-operators in his design. -Being constantly disappointed, however, he once more turned his thoughts -towards Europe, where the spirit of speculation was bolder and more -liberal, and proceeded to France. Here his projects were eagerly -patronised, and as easily abandoned; and during a long stay both at -L’Orient and Paris he subsisted by shifts and expedients, associating by -turns with every variety of character, from Jefferson down to Paul -Jones. - -How he existed at all, unless upon the bounty of his friends, is -altogether inexplicable. He was now reduced to the character of a mere -adventurer, and his life during this period affords no incidents worthy -of being described. An Englishman, who had given him fifteen guineas at -St. Germain, shortly afterward invited him to London, and procured him a -passage in a ship bound for the Pacific Ocean, with a promise from the -captain that he would set him on shore upon any point of the north-west -coast which he might choose. He now once more appeared to be verging -towards the accomplishment of his dearest wishes. He embarked; the -vessel sailed down the Thames, and put out to sea; but before they were -out of sight of land the ship was brought back by an order from the -government, and the voyage was finally abandoned. - -Ledyard’s enthusiasm, however, in the prosecution of his designs, though -it is probable that few could perceive the advantages to be derived from -their accomplishment, procured him many friends in London; and it is -said that a subscription was set on foot by Sir Joseph Banks, Dr. -Hunter, Sir James Hall, and Colonel Smith. From the result of this -measure we must inevitably infer one of two things,—either that the -liberality of those gentlemen was exceedingly scanty, or that their -opinion of Ledyard’s prudence was very low. From several circumstances -which afterward took place the latter is the more probable inference. Be -this as it may, we find him, on his arrival at Hamburgh, with no more -than ten guineas in his pocket; and these, with reckless and -unpardonable absurdity, he bestowed upon a Major Langhorn, an eccentric -vagabond, who, after accepting his money and reducing him to beggary, -coolly refused to bear him company on his journey to Petersburg, -alleging as his excuse that he could travel _in the way he did_ with no -man upon earth. What his mode of travelling was I have no means of -ascertaining; but from his conduct in this transaction it may be -inferred, without any great stretch of uncharitableness, that Ledyard -was fortunate in getting rid of such a companion at the expense of all -he was worth in the world. The man who is insensible of a generous -action could be no desirable companion in any circumstances of life; but -to be linked with such an individual in traversing a foreign land would -have been a curse which few who have not experienced a similar calamity -can conceive. - -Having at the same time bade adieu to his money and the graceless major, -he began to experience the effects of his folly; for had he not, by -singular good fortune, found a merchant who consented to accept a bill -on a friend in London, and pay him the amount, his travels must have -terminated where he was. This supply, however, enabled him to pursue his -route. - -On arriving at Stockholm, Ledyard found that the Gulf of Bothnia was -neither sufficiently frozen to enable him to cross it upon the ice, nor -yet free enough from ice to be navigable. Under these circumstances he -formed the daring resolution of travelling round the gulf, a distance of -twelve hundred miles, “over trackless snows, in regions thinly peopled, -where the nights are long, and the cold intense,—and all this to gain no -more than fifty miles.” Accordingly, he set out for Tornea, in the depth -of winter, on foot, with little money in his pocket, and no friends to -whom he could apply when his small stock should be exhausted. Of this -part of his travels no account remains. Other travellers who have -visited Tornea in winter, under the most favourable circumstances, -describe in tremendous colours the horrors of the place. “The place,” -says Maupertuis, “on our arrival on the 30th of December, had really a -most frightful aspect. Its little houses were buried to the tops in -snow, which, if there had been any daylight, must have effectually shut -it out. But the snow continually falling, or ready to fall, for the most -part hid the sun the few moments that he might have showed himself at -midday. In the month of January the cold was increased to the extremity, -that Reaumur’s mercurial thermometers, which in Paris, in the great -frost of 1709, it was thought strange to see fall to fourteen degrees -below the freezing point, were now down to thirty-seven. The spirit of -wine in the others was frozen. If we opened the door of a warm room, the -external air instantly converted all the air in it into snow, whirling -it round in white vortices. If we went abroad, we felt as if the air -were tearing our breasts to pieces.” - -Such was the country through which Ledyard made his way to Petersburg, -which he reached on the 20th of March, that is, within seven weeks from -his leaving Stockholm, making the distance travelled over about two -hundred miles per week upon an average. Here he was well received by -Professor Pallas and other scientific men; and through the interest of -Count Segur, the French ambassador, obtained the empress’s permission to -traverse her vast dominions. As he was compelled to wait several months, -however, for this indispensable document, and was destitute on his -arrival at Petersburg of money, and almost of clothes, he drew a bill of -twenty guineas on Sir Joseph Banks, which he was fortunate enough to get -some one to discount. This enabled him to await the leisure of -Catharine, who was too deeply plunged in her schemes of debauchery and -ambition to afford a thought on a poor houseless wanderer like Ledyard. -But at length the passport was granted; and a Dr. Brown happening at -that moment to be proceeding with a quantity of stores to Yakutsk for -the use of Mr. Billings, who was then employed by the empress in -exploring the remoter parts of Siberia and Kamtschatka, our traveller -obtained permission to accompany him. - -They left Petersburg on the 1st of June, and in six days arrived at -Moscow. Here they hired a kibitka, and proceeded at the same rapid rate -towards Kazan, on the Volga, where they remained a week; and then set -off on the full gallop for Tobolsk. It should be remarked, that -Ledyard’s object in this journey was not to see the country, but to -reach the north-west coast of America, where he hoped to make some -useful discoveries, as quickly as possible; otherwise it would have been -far wiser to have “made his legs his compasses,” at the risk of -consuming years in the journey. In the vast plain which stretches from -Moscow to the Ural Mountains there was, it is true, very little of the -picturesque, and not much of the moral, to captivate the eye or interest -the mind of a traveller; but there is no country the careful examination -of which may not be made to yield both amusement and instruction. -Ledyard, however, was not answerable for the rapidity of his movements; -he accounted himself but too happy in being allowed to share Dr. Brown’s -kibitka; and had it been in the empress’s power to have darted him -across Siberia upon an iceberg, or astride upon a cloud, he would not -have objected to the conveyance. - -From Tobolsk they proceeded to Bernaoul, the capital of the province of -Kolyvan, where Dr. Brown’s journey terminated. At this place Ledyard -remained a whole week, and was entertained in a very hospitable manner -by the treasurer of the mines. He observes, that the immense plain he -had traversed in reaching this city was in many places dotted with large -mounds of earth, which very much resembled those supposed monumental -piles found among various tribes of North America, and the barrows or -heroic tombs of ancient Europe. In the people the Tartar features began -to appear before they reached Kazan. But there existed great variety in -the population; the same village containing every variety of mankind, -from those with fair skin, light hair, and white eyes, to those of olive -complexion, and jet-black eyes and hair. Poverty, as may be supposed, -was no stranger in these villages; for they had not, like the Chremylus -of Aristophanes, discovered the secret of restoring sight to Plutus; but -this did not discourage the fair moieties of the peasants from painting -their faces, like a discontented English beauty, both with red and -white. As these damsels are not niggardly of their kisses, it would be -useless for them to adopt the custom which prevailed among the ancient -Greek ladies, of painting the lips; but this, it would seem, is the sole -consideration which opposes the introduction of the custom. “The Tartar, -however situated,” says Ledyard, “is a voluptuary; and it is an original -and striking trait in their character, from the grand seignior to him -who pitches his tent on the wild frontiers of Russia and China, that -they are more addicted to real sensual pleasure than any other people.” -This is a judicious remark, and corroborates the testimony of the -ancient historian, who tells us that the Scythian ladies were accustomed -to put out the eyes of their male slaves, that they might be ignorant of -the name and quality of the mistresses to whose wantonness they were -made subservient. - -From Barnaoul he proceeded with an imperial courier to Tomsk, -discovering as he rode along marks of the tremendous winds which -sometimes devastate Siberia. The trees of the forest were uprooted, and -whole fields of grain were beaten into the earth. Hurrying onward in the -same rapid manner, he crossed the Yeïusei at Krasnojarsk, and entered a -rough mountainous country covered with thick forests, which continued -all the way to Irkutsk, where he arrived in ten days after leaving -Tomsk. - -During his stay in this town he made an excursion, in company with a -German colonel, to the Lake Baikal, which, in the Kalmuck language, -signifies the “North Sea.” Arriving on the shores of the lake, they -found a galliot, which in summer plies as a packet across the “North -Sea.” In this galliot they went out with line and lead to take -soundings; but having only fifty fathoms of line, which at one hundred -feet from the shore was wholly taken up, they quickly abandoned their -soundings, and returned through the rain in the galliot’s boat to -Irkutsk. - -On the 26th of August he quitted Irkutsk, and proceeded towards the -point where he was to embark on the river Lena for Yakutsk. The country -in this part was well cultivated, and therefore cheerful; but the forest -trees had already begun to drop their foliage, and put on the garb of -autumn. Having proceeded one hundred and fifty miles in his kibitka, he -embarked with Lieutenant Laxman, a Swede, in a boat on the Lena, and -commenced a voyage of fourteen hundred miles. Their boat was carried -along at the rate of eighty or a hundred miles per day, “the river -gradually increasing in size, and the mountain scenery putting on an -infinite variety of forms, alternately sublime and picturesque, bold and -fantastic, with craggy rocks and jutting headlands, bearing on their -brows the verdure of pines, larches, and other evergreens, and alpine -shrubs.” All the way to Yakutsk the river was studded with islands, -which, recurring at short intervals, added to the romantic effect of the -scenery; but the weather was growing cold, and heavy fogs hung over the -river until a late hour in the morning. The mountains flanking the river -were said to abound with wolves and bears; and there was an abundance of -wild fowl, of which our travellers shot as many as they pleased. -Salmon-trout was plentiful in the river; and the inhabitants fished with -seines, and also with spears, like the natives of Tahiti, by torchlight. - -On the 18th of September he arrived at Yakutsk, where he immediately -waited on the commandant with his letters of recommendation, and -explained his desire of proceeding with all possible celerity to Okotsk, -before winter should shut in and cut off his progress. The commandant, -however, had received secret orders to detain him; and under pretence -that the season was already too far advanced, informed him that he must -pass the winter at Yakutsk. Though nothing could exceed the rage and -vexation of Ledyard at this unexpected disappointment, he was sensible -that it was necessary to submit; the determination of the despots around -him being as irresistible as destiny. He therefore bent his attention to -the consideration of the objects within his reach; and in these -compulsory studies awaited the return of spring. - -Of the Russians in general Ledyard’s experience led him to think -unfavourably; but “I have observed,” says he, “among all nations, that -the women ornament themselves more than the men; that, wherever found, -they are the same kind, civil, obliging, humane, tender beings; that -they are ever inclined to be gay and cheerful, timorous and modest. They -do not hesitate, like man, to perform a hospitable or generous action; -not haughty, nor arrogant, nor supercilious, but full of courtesy, and -fond of society; industrious, economical, ingenious; more liable in -general to err than man, but in general also more virtuous, and -performing more good actions than he. I never addressed myself in the -language of decency and friendship to a woman, whether civilized or -savage, without receiving a decent and friendly answer. With man it has -often been otherwise. In wandering over the barren plains of -inhospitable Denmark, through honest Sweden, frozen Lapland, rude and -churlish Finland, unprincipled Russia, and the wide-spread regions of -the wandering Tartar, if hungry, dry, cold, wet, or sick, woman has ever -been friendly to me, and uniformly so; and to add to this virtue, so -worthy of the appellation of benevolence, these actions have been -performed in so free and so kind a manner, that if I was dry I drank the -sweet draught, and if hungry ate the coarse morsel, with a double -relish.” These remarks, to the correctness of which every man worthy of -the name will bear testimony, do honour to the heart no less than to the -ability of our traveller; for many who have been no less indebted, -perhaps, than he to the inexhaustible benevolence of women have repaid -the obligation with satire against the whole sex. - -During the winter, Captain Billings, who had formerly been -assistant-astronomer in Cook’s expedition, but was now in the Russian -service, arrived at Yakutsk. He was surprised to meet Ledyard in the -heart of Siberia; but having a disinclination to connect himself with -any person not favoured by fortune, evinced no disposition to be of the -least service to him. It has even been suspected, and not altogether -without probability, that Billings had some share in bringing about the -unfortunate catastrophe which terminated Ledyard’s travels in Siberia. -However, previous to this event, he invited his old shipmate to -accompany him to Irkutsk, whither they proceeded up the frozen Lena upon -sledges. Here, soon after their arrival, Ledyard was arrested as a -French spy, placed in a kibitka with two hussars, and hurried back with -incredible speed to the frontiers of Poland, where he was dismissed, -with the strictest injunctions never again to enter the dominions of -Russia. It would now be idle to inquire into the motives which urged the -old profligate she-despot into the commission of this act of flagrant -injustice. She had no doubt been told (Dr. Clarke suspects by Billings) -that his success might be some way or another detrimental to the -interests of her commerce; and, without consideration or inquiry, -perhaps in some furious fit of rage or drunkenness, she issued the order -for his recall, which was executed with no less barbarity than it was -issued. - -How the poor victim found his way from Poland to London Heaven only -knows. His sufferings, he says, were too great to be disclosed. However, -he had scarcely reached London before a proposal was made to him to -travel for the African Association, which, wretched as he was, he was -but too happy to accept. The object of his mission, like that of many -other brave and adventurous men who have perished in the same track, was -to explore the centre of Africa from Sennaar westward, “in the latitude -and supposed direction of the Niger.” For this purpose he proceeded to -Egypt; but having ascended the Nile to Cairo, and made every necessary -preparation for travelling with a caravan to Sennaar, he was suddenly -attacked by a bilious disorder, and was poisoned by the vitriolic acid -which he took as a remedy, in the month of November, 1788. - -Mr. Beaufoy, secretary to the African Association, who had several -opportunities of conversing with Ledyard while he was in London -preparing for his travels in Africa, has drawn the following character -of him, which, to those who consider the scantiness of his means and the -boldness of his designs, will not appear exaggerated:—“To those who have -never seen Mr. Ledyard, it may not, perhaps,” says he, “be uninteresting -to know, that his person, though scarcely exceeding the middle size, was -remarkably expressive of activity and strength; and that his manners, -though unpolished, were neither uncivil nor unpleasing. Little attentive -to difference of rank, he seemed to consider all men as his equals, and -as such he respected them. His genius, though uncultivated and -irregular, was original and comprehensive. Ardent in his wishes, yet -calm in his deliberations; daring in his purposes, but guarded in his -measures; impatient of control, yet capable of strong endurance; -adventurous beyond the conception of ordinary men, yet wary, and -considerate, and attentive to all precautions;—he appeared to be formed -by nature for achievements of hardihood and peril.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - GEORGE FORSTER. - - Born about 1750.—Died 1791. - - -IT is greatly to be regretted that of the life of this able and -adventurous traveller little is known, excepting that portion which was -spent in acquiring his reputation. He seems to have been born about the -year 1750. At the usual age he entered into the civil service of the -East India Company, and was appointed to fill the office of writer at -the Madras presidency. Here he gradually rose in the usual manner to -offices of trust and emolument until the year 1782, when he obtained -permission to visit his friends in England. Instead of adopting the -usual mode of returning by sea, he formed the hazardous design of -proceeding through the upper provinces of India, Afghanistân, and -Persia, into the Russian empire, and thence by sea to England. - -Fully aware of the difficulties and dangers of the route, he made every -necessary preparation which could be effected in India, obtained bills -upon merchants in various cities on his road, and, still further to -ensure his safety, determined to adopt the Mohammedan character as soon -as he should quit the British territories. With these views he proceeded -to Calcutta in the spring of 1782, and, having remained some time at -that city, set out on the 23d of May on his journey up the country. His -mind was naturally full of those recent and memorable events which -established the British power in India; and he visited with peculiar -interest several of those fields where our countrymen had won their -bloody laurels, and shattered to pieces the mighty fabric of the Mogul -empire. - -Having visited Burhampore, Moorshedabad, and other places celebrated in -the history of India, he on the 25th of June embarked in a boat on the -main branch of the Ganges. The river in this place was four miles broad, -and, being agitated by a strong wind, which threw the water into short -breaking waves, resembled an arm of the sea. The same evening he arrived -at Rajmahal. This place, which had lately been the principal city and -favourite residence of a powerful and opulent chief, was now reduced to -the condition of an insignificant town, which, but for its historical -importance, and the mounds of ruins interspersed among the modern -buildings, would have possessed but few claims to the attention of the -traveller. Forster, who, though by no means of a gloomy disposition, was -rather given to moralizing upon the wrecks of ancient grandeur,—a habit -which in a country like Hindostan may be easily indulged,—sauntered out -in the twilight among the ruined buildings upon the banks of the river, -where he found an old man employed in digging. With this remnant of the -past age, who happened to be more intelligent and communicative than -ordinary, he entered into conversation, and from him learned many -particulars of the history of Rajmahal. This spot, he observed, which he -was then cultivating, was the site of the _Nobet Ghah_, or music-hall, -of the old palace; and that within his recollection a capacious garden -had extended in front of his little enclosure, which the Ganges had now -swept away. - -From Rajmahal he proceeded to Monghee, and from thence to Patna, where -he arrived on the 5th of July. This city, which, according to the -opinion of several modern geographers, occupies the site of the ancient -Palibothra, is still a spacious and populous place, enriched by its -opium and saltpetre manufactories. Being here, he could not resist the -desire to visit the spot on which a number of English prisoners were -massacred in 1763, by order of Cassim Ali, then retreating before our -army. The sanguinary command was executed by Sumroo, a German. A -monument, but without any inscription, has been erected on the place. - -On the 26th of July he arrived at Benares, a city which, for its wealth, -costly buildings, and the number of its inhabitants, was considered the -first then remaining in the possession of the Hindoos. Hither the -professors of the confused and intricate, but frequently sublime, -theology of Brahma had retired from all parts of Hindostan as the most -holy spot on earth. Being conversant with the language necessary for the -conducting of such researches, Forster devoted the time spent at Benares -in endeavouring to penetrate, as far as a stranger was permitted, into -the mysteries of Brahminism. This subject, after all the researches -which have been made by Europeans, is still enveloped in much obscurity. -It is not known whether, commencing in the grossest polytheism, the -sages of Hindostan gradually elevated their minds to the knowledge of -one supreme and invisible God, or, commencing with this simple and -sublime truth, degenerated into polytheism and idolatry. The latter is -the prevalent theory. It is thought more rational to imagine, that while -in every other department of knowledge mankind proceeded from the less -to the greater, and by constant exercise improved their mind, the only -instrument which man possesses for measuring the universe, their -progress in theology, if I may so express myself, has in general been -retrograde, at least in Hindostan. Forster was of this opinion. “There -is reason,” he says, “to believe, that in the more early periods of -time, before the priests of the Hindoos had found it expedient, for the -firmer establishment of their sway over the minds of the people, to -raise a huge superstructure of emblematical worship, the temples erected -to the Supreme Being were plain and void of personification. The remains -of one of these are now to be seen on the summit of a hill near the city -of Kashmere, which, according to tradition, had been dedicated to the -Creator of the world. In this the prayers of those who entered were -addressed to the Deity, without supplicating the intercession of any -intermediate agent, nor had any image or symbol of the Divine Power a -place.” He was likewise informed that at Chillambram, about twenty miles -southward of Cuddalore, there was another Hindoo religious edifice, -plain, and without any interior figure, which was devoted to the worship -of the “Invisible God,” and was never approached but with tokens of -profound awe and reverence. - -The foundation upon which this theory, which is totally at variance with -the history of human nature, has been erected, it is not difficult to -discover. In the most remote and barbarous ages of the world, as in all -other times, some few men of superior intellect and genius arose, to -whom profound meditation and an ardent desire of truth revealed the -unity of the Divine nature. These men, perhaps, uniting eloquence with -the enthusiasm of virtue, became the nucleus of a small sect of pure -worshippers, erected temples to the true God, and laboured to transmit -the light of truth to posterity. But these could never have been more in -those times than feeble points of light in the thick moral darkness -which brooded over the globe; and although their temples and the -tradition of their creed may in some instances have been preserved, it -would be an abuse of common sense to infer from their enlightenment a -general diffusion of knowledge in their times, in opposition to -innumerable monuments attesting their extreme ignorance and debasement. - -It is not my intention, however, to follow Mr. Forster in his inquiries, -which are curious and liberal, into the mythology and philosophy of the -Hindoos. The subject has been discussed by others, whose advantages and -acquirements I am very far from possessing; and although I am not on all -occasions satisfied with the explanations of Sir William Jones or Mr. -Colebrook, I should, even with the aid of our ingenious traveller, -despair of carrying light into the works which they have left in -obscurity. - -Having spent three months in conversing with the Brahmins, and -endeavouring to see his way through the obscure mazes of their religious -system, Forster set out on the 3d of November on an excursion to -Bijjighur, a place rendered famous, he observes, in the Bengal annals, -from a large amount of plunder acquired there by the English. His first -day’s journey brought him to Luttufghur, about eighteen miles south of -Benares. The fort, situated in the centre of a circular range of hills, -and approached on all sides through a dense and lofty forest, was now -deserted, and the passages leading to it were nearly choked up with -trees. The circulation of the air being greatly impeded by the hills and -woods, the atmosphere had acquired a malignant quality, which, exerting -its influence on all animal bodies, produced what in India is termed the -hill-fever. In all places of this kind, as, for example, at the southern -foot of the Gurwal and Kemaoon mountains, the water partakes of the -baneful quality of the air, by which in part it seems to be impregnated -with its pestiferous properties, which may, however, be aggravated by -the continual falling of branches and leaves into the rivulets and -reservoirs. - -In this desolate and deserted spot, where the elements array themselves -in properties so hostile to life, our traveller found a Mohammedan -fakeer, who had taken up his lonely residence at the gate of the fort. -He was meager, wan, and nearly consumed by the effects of fever and -ague; but when he was advised to leave so melancholy a situation, and go -to some other place where he might recover his health, he replied, that -he preferred an existence where he was, though under a load of misery, -to the chance of starving in districts where he should be wholly -unknown. - -The view from the fort of Bijjighur, where he arrived next day, is -highly diversified and magnificent; but when you throw the eye on the -deep and rugged precipice beneath, the prospect is infinitely grand, -though not divested of that horror which naturally affects the mind when -contemplating objects from so abrupt a height. The rising and setting -sun here exhibits a magnificent scene, and excites a train of ideas -strongly impressed with a grateful admiration of the First Cause of -nature. The view of the setting sun takes in the river Saone, which is -seen winding its stream, brightened by the rays of the western light, -through a long tract of diversified country. A fort also appears on the -side of a distant hill, which is only brought out in the evening -prospect. - -Returning from thence to Benares, he assumed for his greater safety the -name of a Georgian, and on the 12th of December set out for Allahabad. -On this road, and indeed on almost every other in India, the traveller -seldom fails meeting with a public lodging or a reservoir of water, -where he may perform his ablutions and quench his thirst. In every -respectable village there is a caravansary, of which the stationary -tenants are frequently women, some of whom are very pretty. These -approach the traveller on his entrance, and in alluring language -describe the various excellences of their several lodgings; and when the -choice is made, which, says Forster, is often perplexing, so many are -the inducements thrown out on all sides, a bed is laid out for his -repose, a smoking-pipe is brought, and the utensils are cleansed for -preparing his repast. - -From Allahabad he went on to Lucknow, the capital of the kingdom of -Oude, a large but irregular and filthy city, which contains little -worthy the notice of a traveller. Here he remained some time, however, -and then proceeded through the Delhi province to Rampoor, near the foot -of the Kemaoon hills. On setting out from this town he enjoyed a -complete view of the Himalaya mountains, covered with eternal snows, and -forming the boundary between Hindostan and Tibet. - -On arriving at Najebabad, a town built by Najeb ud Dowlah to facilitate -the commerce of Kashmere, he found that the only caravansary in the -place was occupied, and thought himself fortunate in being admitted into -a cook’s shop, where kabobs and beefsteaks were dressed in savoury taste -for the public. A better place for observing the manners of the people -he could scarcely have chosen. It was what a coffee-house is in London, -the resort of all the newsmongers, idlers, politicians, and disbanded -soldiers of the district. Here, while he was eating his dinner, he saw a -boy enter, who inquired whether there were any travellers going to -Kashmere or Jummoo, as the kafilah would depart next day. Upon inquiry, -he found that this kafilah consisted of about one hundred mules laden -with raw silk, cotton cloths, and ordinary calicoes for the Jummoo -markets. By a banker, to whom he had been furnished with a letter, he -was introduced to the merchants of the kafilah, who readily received him -into their company. He now dropped the character of a Georgian, and -represented himself as a Turkish merchant going into Kashmere to -purchase shawls. To accompany him in this journey he hired a Kashmerian -servant, “a fellow of infinite jest,” whose memory was stored with a -thousand stories, every one of which he embellished in the telling of -it. He was otherwise an active and excellent servant. - -With this kafilah he left Najebabad on the 14th of February, 1783, and -on the 15th arrived at Lolldong, where the province of Delhi is -separated from that of Serinagur, or Gurwal, by a small rivulet. On the -north of this rivulet the kafilah now encamped, and each of its members -was soon busily engaged in preparing for their journey through the -forest, which it was computed would occupy three days. The extreme heat -of the weather rendering a tent or some substitute for one absolutely -necessary, Forster purchased a large black kummul or blanket, which, -being slantingly extended over a slight bamboo frame, composed of a -ridge-pole upheld by two supporters, and fastened below by small pins, -formed a commodious and portable lodging. His baggage, consisting of a -thin mattress, a quilt, a canvass portmanteau containing a few changes -of linen, which served for a pillow, together with the kummul, was -stowed behind him upon his horse. The Kashmerian followed on foot. - -Leaving Lolldong on the 22d, they began to ascend the mountains. Next -day, as they continued their march through the forest, Forster, overcome -by fatigue, sat down under a tree to enjoy his pipe; but while he was -thus engaged, having apparently sunk into that dreaming state which -smoking sometimes induces, the kafilah moved on and disappeared. The -ground being thickly covered with leaves, no trace of a road was -discernible; and when he mounted to proceed, his horse, either terrified -by the effluvia of wild beasts lurking among the trees, or perceiving -the embarrassment of their situation, could with difficulty be made to -proceed in any direction. However, he was at length forcibly put in -motion; but after traversing the forest in various directions, without -perceiving either road or habitation, or the vestige of any creature, -except great quantities of elephants’ dung, he discovered a narrow path -leading through a wilderness to a small valley, whose inhabitants kindly -conducted him to the halting-place of the kafilah. - -In two days they arrived on the banks of the Ganges, twelve miles above -Hardwar. It was here about two hundred yards broad, from ten to fifteen -feet deep, and rolled along rapidly through gloomy forests or barren -flats. The woods in these parts abounded with wild peacocks. On the 6th -of March he crossed the Jumma, which here equalled the Ganges in -breadth; both, however, were at their lowest ebb. The scenery all the -way from Lolldong to the Ganges is woody, mountainous, and picturesque; -and the principal game are wild elephants, which are hunted merely for -their tusks. Before them, to the north, was the vast snowy range of the -Himalaya, among the inaccessible pinnacles of which the Hindoo has -placed the heaven of India. Among the roots of this Indian Olympus, -which stretch out their rough huge masses far into the plains below, -affording safe haunts for tigers and banditti, the kafilah toiled along, -continually ascending, towards Kashmere. - -On the 20th of March they arrived at Bellaspoor, on the frontiers of the -Punjâb, or country of the five rivers. Here they remained three days, -when, growing weary of attending the slow motions of the caravan, our -traveller, with his servant and another Kashmerian, pushed forward, -crossed the Sutlej, and on the 25th arrived at the camp of the Rannee of -Bellaspoor, then engaged in war with the chief of Kangrah. The -encampment of these rude soldiers was a curious spectacle. Eight -thousand foot and three hundred horse, armed with matchlocks, swords, -spears, and clubs, were huddled together in extreme confusion on two -sides of a hill, under small sheds composed of the boughs of trees. Four -ordinary tents, the only ones in the camp, afforded shelter to the -general and the principal officers. - -Forster now learned that his progress towards the enemy’s army, unless -accompanied by an escort, would be attended with much danger; and he -accordingly applied for the necessary protection to the -commander-in-chief, whom he found sitting under a banyan-tree, -surrounded by a number of naked officers, and reviewing some new levies -who had just come in from the woods. These wild recruits, hitherto -accustomed to a life of licentious freedom, appeared to be so many -members of the fawn and satyr family, so fierce were their looks, so -rude their costume. On explaining his desires to the general, he -obtained a promise to be allowed to accompany the first messenger who -should be despatched to the Kangrah camp. - -However, our traveller was shortly afterward delivered from the -necessity of depending on the protection of this uncouth mountaineer by -the arrival of a drove of asses laden with iron, which was pursuing the -route to Kashmere. To this party he now joined himself, and, bidding -adieu to the rannee’s army, he proceeded towards that of the Kangrah -chief, which, after plundering the ironmongers of a considerable sum, -and putting the whole body in great terror, affected to treat them with -civility. In this army there was a large detachment of Sikh horsemen, -and it was them that Forster, who well understood their licentious -manners and habits of plundering, principally dreaded. At this moment, -therefore, he would willingly have sacrificed the moiety of his property -to ensure the remainder. But there was no retreating; they were already -in sight; so, assuming to the best of his ability an air of confidence -and ease, he boldly advanced into the midst of these formidable -marauders. “Imagining our approach,” says he, “to be that of the enemy, -the Sikhs were preparing for the fight, to which they loudly exclaimed, -in the tone of religious ejaculation, that their prophet had summoned -them. In token of respect I had dismounted, and was leading my horse, -when a Sikh, a smart fellow, mounted on an active mare, touched me in -passing. The high-mettled animal, whether in contempt of me or my horse, -perhaps of both, attacked us fiercely from the rear, and in the assault, -which was violent, the Sikh fell to the ground. The action having -commenced on the top of a hill, he rolled with great rapidity to the -bottom of it, and in his way down left behind him his matchlock, sword, -and turban. So complete a derangement I feared would have irritated the -whole Sikh body; but on evincing the show of much sorrow for the -disaster, and having assiduously assisted in investing the fallen -horseman with his scattered appurtenances, I received general thanks.” - -It was about the middle of April when Forster arrived at Jummoo, where, -being supposed to be a merchant from whom some advantage might be -derived, he was received by a Kashmerian with truly oriental expressions -of welcome. Upon a banker in this city he had a bill for a considerable -amount; but on examining it he found, that having been frequently soaked -by the rain, and by his having fallen into a river on the way, the folds -adhered together as if they had been pasted. However, the banker -contrived, by steeping it in water, to decipher its import, and at once -paid the money; though its shattered condition might have afforded him a -sufficient pretext for delay. Being thus furnished with cash, our -traveller began to think of enjoying the pleasures of Jummoo. - -The trade and consequent wealth of this city arose from the insecurity -of the road through Lahore, occasioned by the invasion of the Sikhs, -which caused merchants to prefer this tedious and difficult but secure -route. All articles of merchandise constituting the trade between -Kashmere and Jummoo are transported by men, principally Kashmerians, who -carry their extremely heavy burdens, two of which are considered a load -for a strong mule, upon their back, as a soldier does his knapsack. When -he desires to rest, the porter places under his pack a kind of short -crutch, which he uses in walking. “The shawls, when exported from -Kashmere, are packed in an oblong bale containing a certain weight or -quantity, which in the language of the country is termed a _biddery_, -the outward covering of which is a buffalo or ox’s hide, strongly sewed -with leather thongs. As these packages are supposed to amount, with -little variation, to a value long since ascertained, they are seldom -opened until conveyed to the destined market.” - -On the 17th of April he set out on foot from Jummoo, accompanied by a -Kashmerian servant. The roads were steep and rocky; and not having been -much accustomed to travelling on foot, he soon found that it would be -necessary to proceed more slowly. His feet, in fact, like Bruce’s in the -desert of Nubia, were so severely bruised and excoriated, that he walked -with extreme pain and difficulty; though, somewhat to assuage his -sufferings, he had carefully wrapped them round with bandages steeped in -oil. However, the cool bracing air of the mountains, united with a -feeling of security, and the certainty of finding commodious lodgings -and a good supper at night, prevented his spirits from sinking; and -still further to invigorate his resolution, fancy ever and anon placed -before his mind the rich smiling landscapes and sparkling streams of -Kashmere. - -After a tedious and harassing journey of ten days, they reached on the -26th the summit of a lofty mountain, from whence he enjoyed the first -glimpse of Kashmere. He now travelled in the suite of a Mohammedan rhan, -with whom he had fallen in on the road; and this gentleman being a -native of the country, and held everywhere in the highest esteem, he -enjoyed the rare privilege of passing the custom-house untaxed and -unmolested. He therefore entered with an unsoured temper into the -paradise of Hindostan, where the face of nature exhibited all those -features whose tendency it is to call up in the mind images of -cheerfulness and pleasure. “The road from Vere Nang,” says Forster, -“leads through a country exhibiting that store of luxuriant imagery -which is produced by a happy disposition of hill, dale, wood, and water; -and that these rare excellences of nature might be displayed in their -full glory, it was the season of spring, when the trees, the apple, the -pear, the peach, the apricot, the cherry, and mulberry, bore a -variegated load of blossom. The clusters also of the red and white rose, -with an infinite class of flowering shrubs, presented a view so gayly -decked, that no extraordinary warmth of imagination was required to -fancy that I stood at least on a province of fairy land.” - -It is in such regions as these, and not in our northern climates, that -the month of May is a season of beauty. The plains, dotted with numerous -villages, and intersected by small rivers, were already waving with a -rich harvest; while every copse and woody knoll gave shelter to -innumerable singing-birds, whose notes made the whole atmosphere appear -alive with music. Having reached Pamper, our traveller embarked in a -boat on the Jylum, and proceeded by water to the city of Serinagur, -which, with its houses covered with parterres of beautiful flowers, -possesses at a distance a splendid and imposing aspect, answering in -some degree to the idea which the historians of the flourishing days of -India have given of it. But on entering the streets the illusion is -quickly dissipated. Slaves are invariably filthy in their habits, and -the people of Kashmere are now the slaves of the Afghans. - -One of the principal beauties of this magnificent valley is its lake, a -sheet of water five or six miles in circumference, interspersed with -numerous small islands, and surrounded in its whole extent by shores -singularly picturesque and romantic. We have already given, in the life -of Bernier, some account of Serinagur and its environs; but it may be -interesting to add here the picture of the Shalimar, which our traveller -drew upon the spot nearly one hundred and fifty years after, when the -power of the Moguls had passed away, and their palaces become the haunts -of tenants more destructive than the owls and serpents of Babylon. “In -the centre of the plain,” says he, “as it approaches the lake, one of -the Delhi emperors constructed a spacious garden called the Shalimar, -which is abundantly stored with fruit-trees and flowering shrubs. Some -of the rivulets which intersect the plain are led into a canal at the -back of the garden, and, flowing through its centre, or occasionally -thrown into a variety of water-works, compose the chief beauty of the -Shalimar. To decorate this spot the Mogul princes of India have -displayed equal magnificence and taste, especially Jehangheer, who, with -the enchanting Moormahal, made Kashmere his usual residence during the -summer months, and largely contributed to improve its natural -advantages. On arches thrown over the canal are erected, at equal -distances, four or five suites of apartments, each consisting of a -saloon, with four rooms at the angles, where the followers of the court -attend, and the servants prepare sherbets, coffee, and the hookah. The -frame of the doors of the principal saloon is composed of pieces of -stone of a black colour, streaked with yellow lines, and of a closer -grain and higher polish than porphyry. They were taken, it is said, from -a Hindoo temple by one of the Mogul princes, and are esteemed of great -value. The canal of the Shalimar is constructed of masonry as far as the -lower pavilion, from whence the stream is conveyed through a bed of -earth, in the centre of an avenue of spreading trees, to the lake, -which, with other streams of less note, it supplies and refreshes.” - -The environs of the city are adorned with private gardens. Here, and -throughout the whole valley, the oriental plane-tree is carefully -cultivated, and arrives at greater perfection than in any other country. -It commonly attains the size of an oak, and, with its straight taper -stem, silver bark, and pale-green leaf resembling an expanded hand, is, -when in full foliage, a splendid and beautiful tree, and affords a -grateful and refreshing shade. But the chief glory of Kashmere is its -rose, of all the vegetable world the most exquisite production, -unrivalled for its brilliancy and delicacy of odour, and yielding an -essential oil, or attar, in comparison with which all other perfumes are -as dross. The season when the rose first opens into blossom is -celebrated as a festival by the inhabitants of the valley, who, -repairing in crowds to the surrounding gardens, give loose to their -passions, and riot in every species of licentious rejoicing. - -But the wealth and fame of Kashmere have been chiefly derived from the -manufacture of shawls, unrivalled for their fineness and beauty. The -wool, or rather down, from which they are fabricated is not the growth -of the country, but brought from districts of the high table-land of -Tibet, a month’s journey to the north-east, where alone the shawl-goat -will properly thrive. Various attempts have been made by the emperors of -Hindostan and the kings of Persia to introduce this species of goat into -their dominions; but the wool has always been found to be of an inferior -quality. The French have lately imitated the examples of the Mogul and -Persian sovereigns, and they may no doubt succeed in procuring a coarse -kind of wool from which very useful shawls may be manufactured; but it -may without much rashness be predicted, that in the attempt to rival the -shawls of Kashmere they will inevitably fail, since no part of France is -sufficiently analogous to the lofty plains of Tibet to afford the -shawl-goat an exactly similar position with respect to climate, water, -and food. Of all imitations that of the Persians, from the wool of -Kerman, is said to approach most nearly to the shawl of Kashmere. - -The wool, when imported, is of a dark-gray colour, and is bleached in -Kashmere by means of a certain preparation of rice-flour. The whitest -down, which is said to be brought from Rodank, is reckoned the best, and -sells in the valley from ten to twenty rupees the turruk, about twelve -pounds. No exact estimate of the number of shawls manufactured in the -year can be made. There are said to be about sixteen thousand looms, -each occupying three men, employed; and supposing, with a contemporary -author, that five shawls on an average are made annually to each loom, -the total number would amount to eighty thousand. The shop of the -weavers consists of a kind of framework, at which the workmen sit on a -wooden bench. Two persons are employed on the plainest shawls, and the -number is sometimes doubled. The shuttle made use of is long, narrow, -and heavy. When the pattern of the shawl is variegated, the flowers of -figures are worked with wooden needles, there being a separate one for -every different-coloured thread; and in such cases the operation is -exceedingly slow. - -“The _oostand_, or head-workman,” says Hamilton, “superintends, while -his journeymen are employed near him, under his directions. If they have -any new pattern in hand, or one with which they are not familiar, he -describes to them the figure, colour, and threads that are to be used, -while he keeps before him the pattern on which they happen to be -employed drawn on paper. During the operation the rough side of the -shawl is uppermost on the frame, notwithstanding which the head-workman -never mistakes the regularity of the most finished patterns. A shop may -be occupied with one shawl above a year, provided it be a remarkably -fine one, while other shops make six or eight in the course of that -time. Of the best and most noted sorts not so much as a quarter of an -inch is completed in one day by three persons, which is the usual number -employed. Shawls containing much work are made in separate pieces at -different shops; and it may be observed, that it very rarely happens, -when the pieces are completed, that they correspond in size.” - -Forster was much disappointed in the women of Kashmere. They were -handsome brunettes, but by no means endowed with that extreme beauty or -elegance of form which has been attributed to them by other travellers. -It is probable, however, that since the period of the Afghan invasion, -which introduced into the country a rabble of adventurers from Kabul and -the neighbouring regions, the race may have been deteriorated by a -mixture with these ill-favoured foreigners; and that poverty, compelling -them to have recourse to inferior food, and inducing habits of filth and -a general squalidness, may have considerably aided in producing this -result. In fertility they have by no means degenerated. Their families -are numerous, whether poor or rich,—a circumstance which our traveller, -who participated in Montesquieu’s opinion respecting the fecundity of -all ichthyophagi, partly attributes to the great abundance of fish in -their lakes and rivers. - -During his stay in this country he was much alarmed at the suspicions of -a Georgian, who, on observing the form of his head, which he averred was -too flat at the top to be that of a Mohammedan, declared him at once to -be a Christian. Forster, understanding that this man possessed an estate -at Benares, in order to check his indiscretion or impertinence, -disclosed to him his true story, informing him at the same time, -however, that should any evil arise from his treachery or want of -discretion, his estate would be confiscated, and the person of his -commercial partner residing in the British territories exposed to -punishment. - -This circumstance, together with an increasing disgust at the character -of the people, induced Forster to hasten as much as possible his -departure from Kashmere. But this was a measure not easily effected. No -person could leave the province without a passport from the governor, -who, when this document was applied for, observed, that the Turks were -good soldiers, and that as he just then happened to be in want of men, -he would employ the traveller in his army. Forster now began to perceive -that his Turkish character, which had hitherto procured him respect, was -likely to advance him to a post of honour which he had very little -ambition to occupy. One agent after another was employed to obtain the -passport from the governor, a ferocious and sanguinary Afghan, who, like -Charles IX. of France, shot men for his amusement; and at length, by -dint of unremitted perseverance and a trifling bribe, the selfsame -Georgian who had conjectured his religion from the form of his scull, -with a sagacity which would have done honour to Dr. Gall himself, -contrived to deliver him from the honour intended him by Azad Khan, and -obtain the tyrant’s permission for his leaving the country. - -Fearful lest the khan should alter his determination, and transform him, -whether he would or not, into a trooper, he took into his service a -Persian boy, hired a horse of a native of Peshawer, who was returning to -that city, and on the 11th of June set out from Kashmere. His evil -genius, in the form of vanity, had suggested to him the propriety of -adorning his person with a gaudy red coat, in the pocket of which he -deposited his passport. This showy garment, which no doubt excited the -envy of many an Afghan beau, on the second day of his journey was -snatched by a thief from his bed just as he was awaking, who, in spite -of every obstacle, succeeded in bearing off his plunder. Not having -passed the frontiers, he began to apprehend that a return to the capital -might be necessary; but found, upon trial, that his Indian gold was -considered every whit as good as Azad Khan’s written permission. - -The scenery through which his road now lay was of a magnificent -description, mountainous, rocky, savage, gloomy; forests below, snowy -pinnacles above, with here and there a torrent bursting and dashing -through rocky chasms with the noise of thunder. The path, impassable to -horses, which were sent by another route, wound round the projections of -the mountains, and sometimes consisted of a floor of planks laid over -beams which were driven into the cliff. The rivers were crossed in -baskets slung upon ropes, or on sheep’s or dogs’ skins inflated, and -placed under the breast, while the traveller impelled himself forward by -the motion of his feet. In other places a sort of bridge was formed in -the following manner:—A stout rope, fastened to wooden posts on either -shore sustained a number of carved pieces of wood resembling oxen-yokes, -with forks placed vertically. The sides of these yokes being embraced by -smaller ropes afforded a hold to the passengers. - -On the 10th of July they crossed the Indus, about twenty miles above the -town of Attock. “The stream,” says Forster, “though not agitated by -wind, was rapid, with a rough undulating motion, and about -three-quarters of a mile or a mile in breadth where it was not -interrupted by islands, and having, as nearly as I could judge, a -west-and-by-south course. The water was much discoloured by a fine black -sand, which, when put into a vessel, quickly subsided. It was so cold -from, I apprehend, a large mixture of snow then thawed by the summer -heats, that in drinking it my teeth suffered a violent pain. In our boat -were embarked seventy persons, with much merchandise and some horses. -This unwieldy lading, the high swell of the current, and the confusion -of the frightened passengers made the passage dangerous and very -tedious.” - -Next day, having crossed the Attock or Kabul river, they arrived at -Akora, where Forster entered a spacious cool mosque to escape the -intense heat of the sun, spread his bed, and laid himself down quite at -his ease. Here he remained until the time of evening prayer, when he was -summoned by the moollah, or priest, to prepare himself for the ceremony. -Persons who adopt a fictitious character commonly overact their part, -and thus frequently render themselves liable to suspicion; but Forster’s -error lay on the other side, which was perhaps the safer; for, although -it drew upon him the charge of negligence, it by no means disposed his -associates to regard him as an infidel, their own practice too generally -corresponding with his own. In the present case, upon his excusing -himself from performing the accustomed prayer on account of the -debilitated state of his body, the moollah replied, with extreme -contempt, that it was the more necessary to pray, in order to obtain -better health. The honest Mohammedan, however, like the priests of -Æsculapius in Aristophanes, used, it seems, to make the tour of the -mosque at midnight, and compel his miserly brethren to perform an act of -charity in their sleep, by disposing of a part of their substance for -the benefit of the establishment. From our traveller the contribution -attempted to be levied was his turban; but happening unluckily to be -awake, he caught the holy marauder by the arm, and demanded who was -there. The poor man, utterly disconcerted at this unseasonable -wakefulness, replied, in a faltering voice, that he was the moollah of -the mosque,—the same man, apparently, who had so rudely reprehended the -stranger for his neglect of prayer. - -On the morrow a body of Afghan cavalry encamped in the environs of -Akora. This event spread no less terror and consternation through the -country than if a hostile army had suddenly made an incursion into it; -for the licentious soldiery, devouring and destroying like a swarm of -locusts wherever they appeared, conducted themselves with insufferable -insolence towards the inhabitants. It must be observed, however, in -mitigation of the enormity of their transactions, that they are in a -measure compelled to subsist themselves and their horses in this manner; -for their ignorant and unreflecting sovereign, in need of their service, -but unwilling to reward them, suffers them in peaceful times to be -reduced to such distress, that they are frequently constrained to sell -their horses, arms, and even apparel, to purchase a morsel of bread. - -In three days from this they arrived at Peshawer, a large, populous, and -opulent city, founded by the great Akbar. Of all the places visited by -our traveller in Northern India, none appeared to suffer so intense a -heat as this city; but by skirting round the northern limits of the -Punjâb he avoided Lahore, where he would probably have found an -atmosphere equally heated with that of Peshawer. Other cities, he -observes, may be afflicted with a too-great warmth; hot winds blowing -over tracts of sand may drive their inhabitants under the shelter of a -wetted screen; but here the air, during the middle of summer, becomes -almost inflammable. Yet, notwithstanding this burning atmosphere, the -inhabitants enjoy exceedingly good health, and are but little liable to -epidemical disorders. This fact may easily be accounted for. The air of -Peshawer, like that of the deserts of Arabia, in which the finest -Damascus blades may be exposed all night without contracting the -slightest rust, is extremely dry; and it would appear that heat, however -intense, is not, when free from humidity, at all subversive of health. -Another circumstance greatly tended to increase the salubrity of this -city; provisions were excellent and abundant, especially the mutton, the -flesh of the large-tailed sheep, said to have been first discovered in -South America. - -There being no caravansary at Peshawer, Forster took up his residence in -an old mosque, where he continued several days, melting in perpetual -perspiration. While at Kashmere he had converted a part of his property -into a bill of five hundred rupees on Kabul, which, in order to secure -it from rain and other accidents, he enclosed in a canvass belt which he -wore as a girdle. On examining the condition of this bill some days -after his arrival in this city, he found that the writing had been so -entirely obliterated by perspiration that no one could read, or even -conjecture its subject, as from beginning to end it was literally black. -The discovery much disquieted his mind, as he began to be apprehensive -he might be reduced to want money on his journey. But his temperament -was sanguine; and in order to afford melancholy as slender an opening as -possible, he flew into society and laughed away his cares. - -Still, the apprehension of a diminution in his finances rendered him -anxious to proceed; and meeting with a man with whom he had travelled -during the early part of his journey, it was agreed they should move on -together, unite their means, and protect each other. On inquiring into -the state of his companion’s finances, it appeared that he possessed in -cash one rupee, on which himself, a boy, and a horse were to be -subsisted until his arrival at Kabul, a journey of twelve or fourteen -days. As it seemed clear that when this extraordinary fund should be -expended the Mohammedan would apply to Forster, the latter, aware of the -inconvenience and danger to which a disclosure of the real amount of his -property might expose him, pretended to be but little richer, and -producing three rupees, the whole was considered common stock; and his -companion, with a face brightened by faith and zeal, exhorted him to be -of good cheer, for that true believers were never deserted in the hour -of need. - -In company with this cheerful Islamite he departed from Peshawer, and, -uniting themselves to a kafilah proceeding in the same direction, they -pushed forward towards the west. During the second day’s march he -discovered that rashness is not always a mark of valour; for, advancing -before the kafilah with about thirty horsemen, who all appeared by their -whiskers to be men of desperate courage, they were met and plundered by -a small body of Afghans, who seemed no way disturbed when the larger -body of the kafilah appeared in sight, but slowly retreated with their -booty. - -During this part of the journey it was for many reasons judged expedient -by the leaders of the kafilah to travel by night. But if they by this -means diminished the danger of falling a prey to the plundering Afghans, -they found in return that they had other perils to encounter; for, -boisterous weather having come on, and the rain descending in torrents, -every hollow of the mountains became the bed of a torrent, which, -rushing down impetuously through its steep channel, rolled along stones -of a vast size with a noise which, in the stillness of night, resembled -thunder. The sky, meanwhile, was overcast with black clouds; and the -roaring of the torrents heard on all sides created in the mind of the -traveller a certain horror mingled with awe, and disposed him -involuntarily to consider this grand scene of nature with sentiments of -profound reverence. - -On approaching one of these mountain streams, which had been greatly -swelled by the recent rains, the commander of the kafilah escort, who -was accompanied by one of his favourite women, placed her on a powerful -horse, and, that she might not be incommoded by the crowd, attempted to -convey her over first; but she had no sooner entered the water than she -was carried off among the black whirling eddies of the current, and -drowned. The Mohammedan, thus suddenly deprived of his mistress, at once -forgot all thoughts of resignation to the decrees of fate, and, throwing -himself upon the ground in the bitterness of his affliction, lamented -his loss like a giaour. This melancholy event occasioned the immediate -halt of the whole kafilah, the tragical fate of the lady having -impressed their minds with a salutary terror. Next morning, on searching -along the margin of the torrent, the body was found covered with mud, -and was interred upon the spot with such ceremonies as time and place -permitted. The kafilah then crossed the stream, and continued its march. - -The road now lay through a black and desolate track, scooped into -hollows by torrents, or yawning with natural chasms. It next entered a -wide plain well watered and interspersed with walled villages, in the -midst of which stands Kabul, the capital of the Afghan empire, where -they arrived safely on the evening of the 2d of August. Here Forster -took up his abode with a Georgian named Bagdasir, to whom he had brought -a letter of introduction from his countryman in Kashmere. To this man, -as to the person most likely to render him aid in such an affair, he -showed his bill for five hundred rupees; but when it was found that not -one single letter in it was legible, the man shook his head, as well he -might, and predicted that no one would be found to discount it. However, -after application had in vain been made in every other quarter, Bagdasir -himself purchased the bill for half its real amount, which, its -extraordinary condition being considered, was fully as much as it was -worth. - -Not many days after his arrival at Kabul our traveller was seized by a -malignant fever, which for several days menaced him with a much longer -journey than the one he had undertaken. Hot and cold fits succeeded each -other with singular violence; he was tormented by insatiable thirst, -and, as he endeavoured to quench this by the constant drinking of cold -water, a most profuse perspiration was maintained, which probably saved -his life. His whole body was covered with spots of a very bright colour, -shaded between purple and crimson, which he should have beheld, he says, -with pleasure, supposing that such an eruption would diminish the force -of the disease, but that some of his neighbours regarded them as signs -of the plague. This created a general alarm, and they were about to -exclude him from their quarter, when he confidently asserted that the -fever of the plague always produced its crisis in three days, whereas -his had now continued seven; which, together with the conduct of -Bagdasir, who never deserted him, somewhat assuaged their terrors, and -induced them to suffer his presence. His disorder continued three weeks, -and at length, when it disappeared, left him so weak that he could with -difficulty crawl about the streets. - -The religious toleration which prevailed at Kabul, where Turk, Jew, and -Christian lived equally unmolested, induced him in an evil hour to throw -off his Mohammedan disguise and profess himself a Christian; not -considering, that however tolerant the Afghans of this capital might be, -the remainder of his road, until he should reach the Caspian, lay among -bigots of the most desperate stamp, who regarded the professors of all -heterodox religions with abhorrence, and reckoned it a merit to revile -and persecute them. - -Having remained a full month at Kabul, he hired one side of a camel, on -which a pannier was suspended for his accommodation, and on the 1st of -September joined a party proceeding to Kandahar. The mode of travelling -which he had now adopted is peculiar to that part of the world, and -deserves to be particularly described. The camel appropriated to the -service of passengers, he observes, carries two persons, who are lodged -in a kind of pannier laid loosely on the back of the animal. The -pannier, in Persian _kidjahwah_, is a wooden frame, with the sides and -bottom of netted cords, of about three feet long and two broad. The -depth likewise is generally about two feet. The provisions of the -passengers are conveyed in the kidjahwah, and, the journey being -commonly performed in the night, this swinging nest becomes his only -place of rest; for on the kafilah’s arrival at its station he must -immediately exert himself in procuring provisions, water, and fuel, as -well as in keeping an eye over his property. - -Forster soon found reason to regret his ill-timed abjuration of the -prophet. The camel upon which he was stowed like a bale of merchandise -was the worst conditioned of the whole drove; and to comfort him during -his ride, a shrill-tongued old woman and a crying child took up their -quarters in the opposite pannier, and contrived, the one by shrieking, -the other by scolding, effectually to chase away his dreams. An old -Afghan lady, with a very handsome daughter and two grandchildren, -occupied the panniers of another camel. The rest were loaded with -merchandise. This old dame soon began a contest with Dowran, the -conductor of the kafilah, respecting the mode in which the movements of -the caravan should be regulated; and after some desperate skirmishes, in -which the force of her lungs and the piercing shrillness of her voice -stood her in good stead, victory declared on her side, and the party -fell under petticoat government. - -Being now a declared infidel, and regarded by every person as an unclean -beast, whom it would be pollution to touch, and worse than adultery to -oblige by any kind offices, our traveller enjoyed many of the -preliminaries of martyrdom, was hourly abused, laughed at, mocked, and -derided; and still further to enhance the contempt which every person -already entertained for him, Dowran maliciously insinuated that he was -not even a Christian, but a Jew. When the party arrived at their -halting-place no one could be tempted to assist him, not even for money; -imagining, I presume, that the gold which had lurked beneath his “Jewish -gaberdine,” like that derived by Vespasian from a tax on urinaries, -which his son Titus jocosely smelled in order to discover its scent, -must be accompanied by an unsavoury odour, which might cleave to a true -believer, and exclude him after death from the arms of the houries. He -was therefore daily compelled to go himself in search of water and dried -camels’ dung to boil his tea-kettle, and, what was much worse, to endure -the smoke which it emitted when first lighted, which entered his eyes, -and made him think that some Mohammedan devil had transformed himself -into smoke for the purpose of tormenting him. - -In the midst of this _gehannum_, which gave him the more pain from its -being of his own creating, he received some consolation from the -protection of the Afghan lady, whose good-will he had won by fondling -the children and giving them sugar. Thus fortified, he began by degrees -to laugh at Dowran’s beard; and if he did not return him the compliment -of being of the race of Abraham, it was more from want of reflection -than from apprehension of danger. - -On the 26th of September they arrived at Ghizni, the residence of the -munificent and magnanimous Mahmood, the patron of Firdoosi, and one of -the splendid princes whose actions adorn the annals of the East. But -“the cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples” of -Ghizni had long been trodden under foot by time; and, save some -scattered masses of misshapen ruins, not a trace was to be seen of its -former grandeur. The tomb of Mahmood, however, still remains in the -neighbourhood of the city; and to this resting-place of genius numerous -pilgrims resort from distant lands to say their prayers. The surrounding -country is interspersed with low hills, and, excepting in some few -cultivated spots, produces little else than a prickly aromatic weed, -which, with balls of unsifted barley-paste, constitutes the common food -of the camel. - -The kafilah arrived on the 5th of October at Kandahar, a flourishing and -populous city, where he remained three days, and then departed for -Herat. His camel companion now was a noisy, disputatious theologian, who -not only regaled him on the road with menaces and arguments, but -deterred a poor half-starved Arab tailor, whose services Forster had -engaged, from eating the bread of an infidel, though he saw clearly the -poor man had no other to eat. - -In this agreeable position he continued until the 2d of November, when -they arrived at Herat, where he determined once more to invest himself, -if possible, with the cloak of Mohammedanism. At the caravansary, where -he had been deposited by the kafilah, with an ample tradition of his -faith and practice, so desirable a disguise was impracticable; but he no -sooner quitted the purlieus of his lodgings than he became a grave -hypocritical Mussulman, and partook of the enjoyment of all his -privileges. Nor did he entertain any great fear of detection, it being -easy, in so motley a population as that of Herat, to maintain -successfully the most extraordinary disguise. He daily frequented the -eating-houses, where all the talk of the day was circulated, and chiefly -fabricated, in conjunction with the barbers’ shops, which in Herat have -a neat appearance. In the centre of it stands a small stone pillar, on -the top of which is placed a cup of water in readiness for operation, -while the sides of the shop are decorated with looking-glasses, razors, -and beard-combs. In one great source of amusement Herat was at this time -deficient,—there were no dancing girls. However, notwithstanding this -remarkable desideratum, our traveller, who was an accommodating person, -and contentedly put up with the blessings within his reach, contrived to -pass his time agreeably enough when absent from the caravansary. - -Learning at length that a kafilah was about to proceed to Tursheez, a -town of Khorasan, lying in the direction of Mazenderan, he entered into -an agreement with the director for a conveyance, but with a confidential -stipulation that he was to be received in a Mohammedan character, as an -Arab. The kafilah departed from Herat on the 22d of November; and as it -had been agreed that he was to form one of the family of the leader, he -joined the party at the appointed place, and took his station on a -camel, with a bag of rice on the opposite pannier. The advantages of his -new character were soon visible. Having represented himself as a pilgrim -going to the shrine of Meshed, he was treated with the greatest possible -consideration by every passenger in the kafilah, all of whom courted his -society, as if holiness, like the plague, were infectious. Our hajjî now -rejoiced and stroked his beard, to the ample dimensions of which he owed -a large portion of the veneration which was shown him; and as he moved -along, caressed and admired by all who beheld him, he must have felt no -small gratitude towards Mohammed for the sanctity which his religion had -thrown round the person of a pilgrim. This extraordinary degree of -respect exciting the kafilah conductor, who considered that at this rate -he might possibly dwindle into nobody, even in the eyes of his own -camels and mules, he whispered about that Forster in reality was no -hajjî, nay, not so much as a member of the church at all. His -information, however, was received with utter incredulity, and -attributed to his envious disposition; so that no evil arose to the -Meshed pilgrim. - -It was now December, and the north wind, sweeping with irresistible -violence over the plains of Khorasan from the frozen mountains of -Tartary, brought along with it a deluge of snow, which in a few hours -clothed the whole country in white. On arriving at the village of -Ashkara, the snow fell in such great quantities that the roads were -blocked up, while the winds, hurling it along in tremendous drifts, -seemed to threaten the village itself with destruction. The whole party -was admitted, after many earnest entreaties, into a small dark room in -the fort, where they were furnished with an abundance of fuel; but when -they began to make inquiries respecting provisions, they found with -dismay that not a single article of food was on any terms to be -procured. Yet, says the traveller, such cordial pleasures are inherent -in society, that though pent up in a dark hovel, which afforded but a -flimsy shelter against the mounds of snow furiously hurled against it, -our good-humour with each other and an ample supply of firing produced -cheerfulness and content. A Persian of more than ordinary education, and -who possessed a taste for poetry, amused them with reading Jami’s story -of Yousuf and Zuleikha, which, for its scenes of wondrously pathetic -adventure, and the luxuriant genius of the poet, is admirably calculated -to soften the rigour of a winter’s day. - -At this village they remained four days, during which, though the fact -is not stated, they must have found something more substantial to -subsist on than Jami’s poetry; when, the storm having abated, they -pushed forward in the direction of Tursheez. On arriving at this town, -he found that every apartment in the caravansary was already occupied; -but a small piece of money bestowed upon the gatekeeper introduced him -to a small chamber, in which, by submitting to receive a partner in -housekeeping, he might reside comfortably enough during his stay. Our -traveller, on his part, regarded the companion with still greater -satisfaction than the chamber, and it soon appeared that the feeling was -mutual; for the stranger, accosting him with evident tokens of joy, -observed, that the solitary life he had hitherto passed at Tursheez was -exceedingly tiresome, and that he now anticipated a cordial relief by -his company. It was immediately agreed that a joint board should be -kept; that the stranger, being yet weak from a recent sickness, should -conduct the culinary operations, while Forster was to furnish water; a -laborious task, there being none that was good at a nearer distance than -a mile. This man, a gloomy, mysterious person, soon departed for Herat; -and the traveller, together with a new companion, contrived likewise to -find a better apartment. This second associate was a moollah, whose -profession it was to vend certain spells, which were powerfully -efficacious in conferring every species of worldly happiness, and in -excluding all evils. But - - Nolint: atqui licet esse beatis. - -The Persians of these parts had no taste for happiness; so that this -modern Thermander was, when Forster met him, so thoroughly disgusted -with his attempts at banishing all misery from among his countrymen, -that he was willing, he said, to shut up his book should any other -prospect of a maintenance be held out to him. When our traveller offered -him a participation of his fare, he therefore joyfully quitted his -profession as a wholesale dealer in happiness, and consented to -superintend the labours of the kitchen, in which, by long practice, he -had attained a remarkable proficiency. “The excellent services of my -companion,” says Forster, “now left me at liberty to walk about the -town, collect information, and frequent the public baths. In the evening -we were always at home; when the moollah, at the conclusion of our meal, -either read the story of Yousuf and Zuleikha, which he did but lamely, -or, opening his book of spells, he would expound the virtues of his -nostrums, which embraced so wide a compass that few diseases of mind or -body could resist their force. They extended from recalling to the paths -of virtue the steps of a frail wife, and silencing the tongue of a -scolding one, to curing chilblains and destroying worms.” - -While Forster and the moollah were enjoying this peaceful and pleasant -life, a large body of pilgrims from the shrine of Meshed suddenly -inundated every apartment of the caravansary; and as this motley group -of vagabonds were proceeding towards Mazenderan, directly in his route, -he was tempted to join them and continue his journey, leaving his poor -companion to subsist once more upon the virtue of his spells. - -Accordingly, with this holy kafilah he departed from Tursheez on the -28th of December; and being, as the reader will have perceived, of an -exceedingly sociable disposition, he very quickly found a substitute for -the moollah in the person of a seid, or descendant of Mohammed, who has -doubtless more descendants than any other man ever had. This -green-turbaned personage was a native of Ghilān, and, take him for all -in all, his conduct did more honour to his great ancestor than any other -member of his family commemorated by European travellers. With this -honest man Forster very quickly entered into partnership; but the seid -being old and infirm, the laborious portion of their operations -necessarily fell on the traveller. One little incident among many will -serve to show the terms upon which they lived together. The kafilah -having halted in a desert on the 3d of January, 1784, at a small stream, -“the Ghilān seid and I,” says Forster, “had filled our bottle for mutual -use; and the bread, cheese, and onions which supplied our evening meal -giving me a violent thirst, I made frequent applications to our water -stock. The seid, seeing that I had taken more than a just portion, -required that the residue should be reserved for his ceremonial -ablutions. While the seid retired to pray I went in search of fuel, and, -returning first to our quarter, I hastily drank off the remaining water, -and again betook myself to wood-cutting, that I might not be discovered -near the empty vessel by my associate, who had naturally an irascible -temper. When I supposed he had returned from his prayer, I brought in a -large load of wood, which I threw on the ground with an air of great -fatigue, and of having done a meritorious service ‘Ay,’ says he, ‘while -I, like a true believer, have been performing my duty to God, and you -toiling to procure us firing for this cold night, some hardened kaufir, -who I wish may never drink again in this world, has plundered the -pittance of water which was set apart for my ablutions.’ He then made -strict search among our neighbours for the perpetrator of this robbery, -as he termed it; but receiving no satisfactory information, he -deliberately delivered him or them to the charge of every devil in the -infernal catalogue, and went grumbling to sleep.” - -In this way they proceeded until, having escaped from the deserts of -Khorasan, they entered the mountainous, woody, and more thickly-peopled -province of Mazenderan, the inhabitants of which Forster found more -civilized and humane than the Khorasans. On the night of the 24th of -January, while pushing on through the forests, most of the passengers -beheld a star with an illuminated tail, which, from its form and quick -motion, our traveller supposed to be a comet. In several of the woods -through which their road now lay, no vestige of a habitation or signs of -culture appeared, excepting a few narrow slips of land at the bases of -the hills. But as they proceeded the valleys soon “opened, and exhibited -a pleasing picture of plenty and rural quiet. The village all open and -neatly built, the verdant hills and dales, encircled by streams of -delicious water, presented a scene that gave the mind ineffable delight. -The air, though in winter, was mild, and had the temperature of an -English climate in the month of April.” Frazer, the able author of the -Kuzzilbash, has given in his travels a no less favourable idea of the -rich scenery of Mazenderan. - -In a few days he arrived at Mushed Sir, on the Caspian Sea, where he was -hospitably received and entertained by the Russian merchants established -there. At this city he embarked for Baku, where he shaved his beard, -forswore Mohammed, and again embarked in a Russian frigate for -Astrakhan, where he arrived on the evening of the 28th of April. From -this place, where he remained some time in order to recruit his -strength, he proceeded through Moscow to Petersburg, which he reached on -the 25th of May. Here his stay was but short, for he had now become -impatient to visit England; and therefore, embarking about the middle of -June in a trading vessel, he arrived in England in the latter end of -July, 1784. - -Forster seems to have occupied himself immediately on his arrival in -throwing into form a portion of the literary materials which he had -collected during one of the most hazardous and adventurous journeys that -ever were performed; for in 1786 he published in London his “Sketches of -the Mythology and Manners of the Hindoos,” which was received with -extraordinary favour by the public. How long he remained in England -after the publication of this work I have not been able to discover; but -we find him in 1790 at Calcutta, where he published the first volume of -his “Journey from Bengal to England,” and prepared the second volume for -the press. However, before the completion of his work, the political -troubles which at that period shook the whole empire of Hindostan -involved him in their vortex. He was despatched by the governor-general, -whose personal friendship he would appear to have enjoyed, on an embassy -to Nagpoor, in Gundwarra, the capital of the Bhoonsla Mahratta dynasty, -where he died about eight months after his arrival, in the month of -February, in 1791. His papers were conveyed to England. Here, six years -after his death, a complete edition of his travels appeared, in two -volumes quarto; but the person who undertook the task of editor, with a -degree of negligence which cannot be sufficiently admired, not only -omitted to give the public any account of the author, but, which is more -unpardonable, did not even condescend to inform them when, how, and from -whom the manuscript was obtained. However, the extraordinary merit of -the work, and the lively, laughing style in which it is written, quickly -recommended it sufficiently to the literary world. The celebrated -Meiners, professor of philosophy in the university of Göttingen, -translated it into German; and Langlès, the well-known orientalist, -published in 1802 a French translation, with copious notes, a -chronological notice on the khans of the Krimea, and a map of Kashmere. - -In English there has not, I believe, appeared any new edition,—none, at -least, which has acquired any reputation; though there are extremely few -books of travels which better deserve to be known, or which, if properly -edited, are calculated to become more extensively popular. Forster was a -man of very superior abilities; and his acquirements—whatever M. -Langlès, a person ill calculated to judge, may have imagined—were -various and extensive. He possessed an intimate knowledge of the -Persian, and the popular language of Hindostan; and appears to have made -a considerable progress even in Sanscrit. Neither was he slightly -conversant with modern literature; and although it may be conjectured -from various parts of his work that the history of ancient philosophy -and literature had occupied less of his attention, he may yet be -regarded as one of the most accomplished and judicious of modern -travellers. This being the case, it is difficult to explain why he -should now be less read than many other travellers, whose works are -extremely inferior in value, and incomparably less amusing. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - JAMES BRUCE. - - Born 1730.—Died 1794. - - -JAMES BRUCE, one of the most illustrious travellers whom any age or -country has produced, was born on the 14th of December, 1730, at -Kinnaird, in the county of Stirling, in Scotland. His mother, who died -of consumption when he was only three years old, seemed to have -bequeathed to him the same fatal disorder; for during childhood his -health was bad, and his constitution, which afterward acquired an iron -firmness, appeared to be particularly feeble. His father, who had -married a second wife, by whom he had a large family, sent James at the -age of eight years to London, where he remained under the care of his -uncle, counsellor Hamilton, until 1742, when he was placed at Harrow -school. Here he remained four years, during which he made considerable -progress in his classical studies; and while he commanded the -enthusiastic approbation of his teachers (one of whom observed, that for -his years he had never seen his fellow), he laid the foundations of many -valuable friendships which endured through life. - -On leaving school at the early age of sixteen, Bruce, who at that time -could of course understand nothing of his own character, imagined -himself admirably adapted for the study of divinity and the tranquil -life of a clergyman; but his inclination not receiving the approbation -of his father, he necessarily abandoned it, and prepared, in obedience -to paternal authority, to study for the Scottish bar. He returned to -Scotland in 1747, and, having spent the autumn of that year in -destroying wild fowl and other game, for which noble and rational -species of recreation he always, we are told, retained a peculiar -predilection, he resumed his studies, which, as they now led him through -the dusty mazes of ancient and modern law, seem to have possessed much -fewer charms for our future traveller than shooting grouse upon the -mountains. Two years, however, were uselessly consumed in this study. At -the termination of this period it was discovered that it was not as a -lawyer that Bruce was destined to excel; and therefore, abandoning all -thoughts of a career for which he had himself never entertained the -least partiality, he returned in a considerably impaired state of health -to his favourite field sports in Stirlingshire. - -Here he lived about four years, undetermined what course of life he -should pursue; but at length, having resolved to repair as a free trader -to Hindostan, he proceeded to London in 1753 for the purpose of -soliciting permission from the directors. An event now occurred, -however, which promised to determine for ever the current of his hopes -and pursuits. Conceiving an attachment for the daughter of an eminent -wine-merchant, who, on dying, had bequeathed considerable wealth and a -thriving business to his widow and child, Bruce relinquished his scheme -of pushing his fortunes in the East, married, and became himself a -wine-merchant. But Providence had otherwise disposed of his days. In a -few months after his marriage, consumption, that genuine pestilence of -our moist climates, deprived him of his amiable wife at Paris, whither -he had proceeded on his way to the south of France. For some time after -this event he continued in the wine trade, the interests of which -requiring that he should visit Spain and Portugal, he applied himself -during two years to the study of the languages of those countries, of -which he is said to have possessed a very competent knowledge. - -This preliminary step having been made, he may be said to have commenced -his travels with a voyage to the Peninsula. Landing on the northern -coast of Spain, he traversed Gallicia, spent four months in Portugal, -and then, re-entering Spain, made the tour of a large portion of -Andalusia and New Castile, and then proceeded to Madrid. His enthusiasm -and romantic character, which had probably a new accession of ardour -from the wild scenes still redolent of ancient chivalry which he had -just visited, recommended him strongly to the Spanish minister, who used -many arguments to induce him to enter the service of his Catholic -majesty. This by no means, however, coincided with Bruce’s views. That -restlessness which the man who has once conceived the idea of travelling -ever after feels, unfitted him in reality for all quiet employment. He -felt himself goaded on by the desire of fame; to be in motion seemed to -be on the way to acquire it. He therefore proceeded across the Pyrenees -into France, and thence, through Germany and Holland, to England, where -he arrived in July, 1758. - -He had learned at Rotterdam the death of his father, by which he -succeeded to the family estate at Kinnaird. He likewise continued during -another three years to derive profit from his business as a -wine-merchant; but at the termination of that period the partnership was -dissolved. All this while, however, his leisure had been devoted to the -acquisition of the Arabic and other eastern languages, among the rest -the Ethiopic, which probably first directed his attention to Abyssinia. -In the mean while, an idea which he had conceived while at Ferrol in -Gallicia was the means of bringing him into communication with the -English ministry; this was, that in case of a rupture with Spain, Ferrol -would be the most desirable point on the Spanish coast for a descent. -Should the scheme be adopted, he was ready to volunteer his services in -aiding in its execution. The plans appeared feasible to Lord Chatham, -with whom Bruce had the honour of conversing on the subject. But this -great man going out of office before any thing definitive had been -concluded on, Bruce began to imagine that the plan had been abandoned; -but was for some time longer amused with hopes by the ministers, until -the affair was finally dropped at the earnest solicitation of the -Portuguese ambassador. - -He now retired in apparent disgust to his estate in Scotland; but -shortly afterward, Lord Halifax, who seems to have penetrated into -Bruce’s character, recalled him to London, and proposed to him, as an -object of ambition, the examination of the architectural curiosities of -Northern Africa, and the discovery of the sources of the Nile. This -latter achievement, however, was spoken of in an equivocal manner, and -as if, while he mentioned it, his lordship had entertained doubts of -Bruce’s capacity for successfully conducting so difficult and dangerous -an enterprise. Such a mode of proceeding was well calculated, and was -probably meant, to pique the vanity of Bruce, and urge him, without -seeming to do so, into the undertaking of what with great reason -appeared to be an herculean labour. But whatever may have been Lord -Halifax’s intentions, which is now a matter of no importance, the hint -thus casually or designedly thrown out was not lost. Bruce’s imagination -was at once kindled by the prospect of achieving what, as far as he then -knew, no man had up to that moment been able to perform; and secretly -conceiving that he had been marked out by Providence for the fulfilment -of this design, he eagerly seized upon the idea, and treasured it in his -heart. - -Fortune, moreover, appeared favourable to his views. The consulship of -Algiers, the possession of which would greatly facilitate his -proceedings in the early part of the scheme proposed, becoming vacant at -an opportune moment, he was induced to accept of it; and, having been -appointed, he immediately furnished himself with astronomical -instruments and all other necessaries, and set out through France and -Italy for the point of destination. - -During a short stay in Italy, spent in the assiduous study of -antiquities, he engaged Luigi Balugani, a young Bolognese architect, to -accompany him as an assistant on his travels; and, having received his -final instructions from England, he embarked at Leghorn, and arrived at -Algiers in the spring of 1763. - -The leisure which Bruce now enjoyed, interrupted occasionally by -business or altercations with the dey, was devoted to the earnest study -of the Arabic, in which his progress was so rapid, that in the course of -a year he considered himself fully competent to dispense with the aid of -an interpreter. In the Ethiopic want of books alone prevented his making -equal progress; for with him the acquiring of a language was a task of -no great difficulty. He was now, having thus qualified himself for -penetrating into the interior with advantage, peculiarly desirous of -commencing his travels; for to continue longer at Algiers would, he -rightly considered, be uselessly to sacrifice his time; and he -repeatedly requested from Lord Halifax permission to resign his -consulship. For a considerable time, however, his desires were not -complied with. The critical position of the British in that regency -required a firm, intelligent consul; and until a dispute which had just -then arisen with the dey respecting passports should be settled, it was -not judged expedient to recall Bruce, whose intrepidity, which was thus -tacitly acknowledged, admirably adapted him to negotiate with -barbarians. The dispute arose out of the following circumstances:—On the -taking of Minorca by the French, a number of blank Mediterranean -passports fell into their hands. These, in the hope of embroiling the -English and Algiers, they filled up and sold to the Spaniards and other -nations inimical to the Barbary powers. The effect desired was actually -produced. Ships were taken bearing these forged passports; and although, -upon examination, the fraud was immediately detected by the British -consul, Bruce’s predecessor, it was not easy to calm the violent -suspicions which had thus been excited in the mind of the dey, that the -English were selling their protection to his enemies. In fact, the -conduct of the governor of Mahon and Gibraltar, who, as a temporary -expedient, granted what were termed _passavants_ to ships entering the -Mediterranean, strongly corroborated this suspicion; for these -ill-contrived, irregular passports appeared to be purposely framed for -embarrassing or deluding the pirates. Bruce endeavoured, with all -imaginable firmness and coolness, to explain to the dey that the first -inconvenience originated in accident, and that the second was merely a -temporary expedient; but it is probable that had not the regular -admiralty passports arrived at the critical moment, he might have lost -his life in this ignoble quarrel. - -This disagreeable affair being terminated, he with double earnestness -renewed his preparations for departure. Aware that a knowledge of -medicine and surgery, independently of all considerations of his own -health, might be of incalculable advantage to him among the barbarous -nations whose countries he designed to traverse, he had, during the -whole of his residence at Algiers, devoted a portion of his time to the -study of this science, under the direction of Mr. Ball, the consular -surgeon; and this knowledge he afterward increased by the aid of Dr. -Russel at Aleppo. - -The chaplain of the factory being absent, to avoid the necessity of -taking the duties of burying, marrying, and baptizing upon himself, he -took into his house as his private chaplain an aged Greek priest, whose -name was Father Christopher, who not only performed the necessary -clerical duties, but likewise read Greek with our traveller, and enabled -him, by constant practice, to converse in the modern idiom. The -friendship of this man, which he acquired by kindness and affability, -was afterward of the most essential service to him, and contributed -more, perhaps, than any other circumstance to preserve his life and -forward his views in Abyssinia. - -At length, in the month of August, 1765, Bruce departed from Algiers, -furnished by the dey with ample permission to visit every part of his -own dominions, and recommendatory letters to the beys of Tunis and -Tripoli. He first sailed to Port Mahon, and then, returning to the -African shore, landed at Bona. He then coasted along close to the shore, -passed the little island of Tabarca, famous for its coral fishery, and -observed upon the mainland prodigious forests of beautiful oak. Biserta, -Utica, Carthage were successively visited; and of the ruins of the last, -he remarks, that a large portion are overflowed by the sea, which may -account, in some measure, for the discrepancy between the ancient and -modern accounts of the dimensions of the peninsula on which it stood. - -At Tunis he delivered his letters, and obtained the bey’s permission to -make whatever researches he pleased in any part of his territories. He -accordingly proceeded with an escort into the interior, visited many of -the ruins described or mentioned by Dr. Shaw, feasted upon lion’s flesh, -which he found exceedingly tough and strongly scented with musk, among -the Welled Sidi Booganim, and then entered the Algerine province of -Kosantina. Here, he observes, he was greatly astonished to find among -the mountains a tribe of Kabyles, with blue eyes, fair complexions, and -red hair. But he ought not to have been astonished; for Dr. Shaw had met -with and described the same people, and supposed, as Bruce does, that -they were descendants of the Vandals who anciently possessed this part -of Africa. - -Having visited and made drawings of numerous ruins, the greater number -of which had previously been described more or less accurately by Dr. -Shaw, he returned to Tunis, and, after another short excursion in the -same direction, proceeded eastward by Feriana, Gaffon, and the Lake of -Marks, to the shores of the Lesser Syrtis. Here he passed over to the -island of Gerba, the Lotophagitis Insula of the ancients, where, he -observes, Dr. Shaw was mistaken or misinformed in imagining that its -coasts abounded with the _seedra_, or lotus-tree. He must have spoken of -the doctor’s account from memory; for it is of the coasts of the -continent, not of the island, that Dr. Shaw speaks in the passage -alluded to. - -In travelling along the shore towards Tripoli Bruce overtook the -Muggrabine caravan, which was proceeding from the shores of the Atlantic -to Mecca,[8] and his armed escort, though but fifteen in number, coming -up with them in the gray of the morning, put the whole body, consisting -of at least three thousand men, in great bodily terror, until the real -character of the strangers was known. The English consul at Tripoli -received and entertained our traveller with distinguished kindness and -hospitality. From hence he despatched an English servant with his books, -drawings, and supernumerary instruments to Smyrna, and then crossed the -Gulf of Sidra, or Greater Syrtis, to Bengazi, the ancient Berenice. - -Footnote 8: - - Bruce says, “From the Western Ocean to the _western banks_ of the Red - Sea, _in the kingdom of Sennaar_.” His recent biographer omits the - “kingdom of Sennaar,” but still places Mecca on the “western banks of - the Red Sea.” For “western,” however, we must read “eastern” in both - cases. - -Here a tremendous famine, which had prevailed for upwards of a year, was -rapidly cutting off the inhabitants, many of whom had, it was reported, -endeavoured to sustain life by feeding upon the bodies of their departed -neighbours, ten or twelve of whom were every night found dead in the -streets. Horror-stricken at the bare idea of such “Thyestœan feasts,” he -very quickly quitted the town, and proceeded to examine the ruins of the -Pentapolis and the petrifactions of Rao Sam, concerning which so many -extraordinary falsehoods had been propagated in Europe. From thence he -returned to Dolmetta (Ptolemata), where he embarked in a small junk for -the island of Lampedosa, near Crete. The vessel was crowded with people -flying from the famine. They set sail in the beginning of September, -with fine weather and a favourable wind; but a storm coming on, and it -being discovered that there were not provisions for one day on board, -Bruce hoped to persuade the captain, an ignorant landsman, to put into -Bengazi, and would no doubt have succeeded; but as they were making for -the cape which protects the entrance into that harbour, the vessel -struck upon a sunken rock, upon which it seemed to be fixed. They were -at no great distance from the shore, and as the wind had suddenly -ceased, though the swell of the sea continued, Bruce, with a portion of -his servants and a number of the passengers, lowered the largest boat, -and, jumping into it, pushed off for the shore. “The rest, more wise,” -he observes, “remained on board.” - -They had not rowed twice the length of the boat from the vessel before a -wave nearly filled the boat, at which its crew, conscious of their -helplessness, uttered a howl of despair. “I saw,” says Bruce, “the fate -of all was to be decided by the very next wave that was rolling in; and -apprehensive that some woman, child, or helpless man would lay hold of -me, and entangle my arms or legs, and weigh me down, I cried to my -servants, both in Arabic and English, ‘We are all lost; if you can swim, -follow me.’ I then let myself down in the face of the wave. Whether that -or the next filled the boat I know not, as I went to leeward, to make my -distance as great as possible. I was a good, strong, practised swimmer, -in the flower of life, full of health, trained to exercise and fatigue -of every kind. All this, however, which might have availed much in deep -water, was not sufficient when I came to the surf. I received a violent -blow upon my breast from the eddy wave and reflux, which seemed as given -by a large branch of a tree, thick cord, or some elastic weapon. It -threw me upon my back, made me swallow a considerable quantity of water, -and had then almost suffocated me. - -“I avoided the next wave, by dipping my head and letting it pass over; -but found myself breathless, and exceedingly weary and exhausted. The -land, however, was before me, and close at hand. A large wave floated me -up. I had the prospect of escape still nearer, and endeavoured to -prevent myself from going back into the surf. My heart was strong, but -strength was apparently failing, by being involuntarily twisted about, -and struck on the face and breast by the violence of the ebbing wave. It -now seemed as if nothing remained but to give up the struggle and resign -to my destiny. Before I did this I sunk to sound if I could touch the -ground, and found that I reached the sand with my feet, though the water -was still rather deeper than my mouth. The success of this experiment -infused into me the strength of ten men, and I strove manfully, taking -advantage of floating only with the influx of the wave, and preserving -my strength for the struggle against the ebb, which, by sinking and -touching the ground, I now made more easy. At last, finding my hands and -knees upon the sands, I fixed my nails into it, and obstinately resisted -being carried back at all, crawling a few feet when the sea had retired. -I had perfectly lost my recollection and understanding, and, after -creeping so far as to be out of the reach of the sea, I suppose I -fainted, for from that time I was totally insensible of any thing that -passed around me.” - -In giving the history of this remarkable escape of Bruce, I have made -use of his own words, as no others could bring the event so vividly -before the mind of the reader. He seems, in fact, to rival in this -passage the energetic simplicity and minute painting of Defoe. The Arabs -of the neighbourhood, who, like the inhabitants of Cornwall, regard a -shipwreck as a piece of extraordinary good fortune, soon came down to -the shore in search of plunder; and observing Bruce lying upon the -beach, supposed him to be drowned, and proceeded at once to strip his -body. A blow accidentally given him on the back of the neck restored him -to his senses; but the wreckers, who from his costume concluded him to -be a Turk, nevertheless proceeded, with many blows, kicks, and curses, -to rifle him of his few garments, for he had divested himself of all but -a waistcoat, sash, and drawers in the ship, and then left him, to -perform the same tender offices for others. - -He now crawled away as well as his weakness would permit, and sat down, -to conceal himself as much as possible among the white sandy hillocks -which rose upon the coast. Fear of a severer chastisement prevented him -from approaching the tents, for the women of the tribe were there, and -he was entirely naked. The terror and confusion of the moment had caused -him to forget that he could speak to them in their own language, which -would certainly have saved him from being plundered. When he had -remained some time among the hillocks several Arabs came up to him, whom -he addressed with the _salaam alaikum_! or “Peace be with you!” which is -a species of shibboleth in all Mohammedan countries. The question was -now put to him whether he was not a Turk, and, if so, what he had to do -there. He replied, in a low, despairing tone, that he was no Turk, but a -poor Christian physician, a dervish, who went about the world seeking to -do good for God’s sake, and was then flying from famine, and going to -Greece to get bread. Other questions followed, and the Arabs being at -length satisfied that he was not one of their mortal enemies, a ragged -garment was thrown over him, and he was conducted to the sheikh’s tent. -Here he was hospitably received, and, together with his servants, who -had all escaped, entertained with a plentiful supper. Medical -consultations then followed; and he remained with the sheikh two days, -during which every exertion was made on the part of the Arabs to recover -his astronomical instruments, but in vain. Every thing which had been -taken from them was then restored, and they proceeded on camels -furnished by the Arabs to Bengazi. - -At this port he embarked on board of a small French sloop, the master of -which had formerly received some small favours from Bruce at Algiers, -which he now gratefully remembered, and sailed for Canea, in Crete; from -whence he proceeded to Rhodes, where he found his books, to Casttrosso, -on the coast of Caramania, and thence to Cyprus and Sidon. His -excursions in Syria were numerous, and extended as far as Palmyra; but I -omit to detail them, as of minor importance, and hasten to follow him -into Egypt and Abyssinia. - -On Saturday, the 15th of June, 1768, he set sail from Sidon, and -touching by the way at Cyprus, his imagination, which was on fire with -the ardour of enterprise, beheld on the high white clouds which floated -northward above the opposite current of the Etesian winds messengers, as -it were, from the mountains of Abyssinia, come to hail him to their -summits. Early in the morning of the fifth day he had a distant prospect -of Alexandria rising from the sea; and, upon landing, one of the first -objects of his search was the tomb of Alexander, which Marmol pretended -to have seen in 1546; but although his inquiries were numerous, they -were perfectly fruitless. - -From this city he proceeded by land to Rosetta, and thence up the Nile -to Cairo. Here he was hospitably received by the house of Julian and -Bertran, to whom he had been recommended; and he likewise received from -the principal bey and his officers, men of infamous and odious -characters, very extraordinary marks of consideration, his cases of -instruments being allowed to pass unexamined and free of duty through -the custom-house, while presents were given instead of being exacted -from him by the bey. These polite attentions he owed to the opinion -created by the sight of his astronomical apparatus that he was a great -astrologer,—a character universally esteemed in the East, and held in -peculiar reverence by the secretary of the bey then in office, from his -having himself some pretensions to its honours. - -This man, whose name was Risk, in whom credulity and wickedness kept an -equal pace, desired to discover, through Bruce’s intimate knowledge of -the language of the stars, the issue of the war then pending between the -Ottoman empire and Russia, together with the general fortunes and -ultimate destiny of the bey. Our traveller had no predilection for the -art of fortune-telling, particularly among a people where the bastinado -or impaling-stake might be the consequence of a mistaken prediction; but -the eulogies which his kind host bestowed upon the laudable credulity of -the people, and perhaps the vanity of pretending to superior science, -overcame his reluctance, and he consented to reveal to the anxious -inquirer the fate of empires. In the mean while he was directed to fix -his residence at the convent of St. George, about three miles from -Cairo. Here he was visited by his old friend Father Christopher, with -whom he had studied modern Greek at Algiers, and who informed him that -he was now established at Cairo, where he had risen to the second -dignity in his church. Understanding Bruce’s intention of proceeding to -Abyssinia, he observed that there were a great number of Greeks in that -country, many of whom were high in office. To all of these he undertook -to procure letters to be addressed by the patriarch, whose commands they -regarded with no less veneration than holy writ, enjoining them as a -penance, upon which a kind of jubilee was to follow, says Bruce, “that -laying aside their pride and vanity, great sins with which he knew them -much _infected_, and, instead of pretending to put themselves on a -footing with me when I should arrive at the court of Abyssinia, they -should concur heart and hand in serving me; and that before it could be -supposed they had received instructions from _me_, they should make a -declaration before the king that they were not in condition equal to me; -that I was a free citizen of a _powerful nation_, and servant of a great -king; that they were born slaves of the Turk, and at best ranked but as -would my servants; and that, in fact, one of their countrymen was in -that station then with me.”[9] - -Footnote 9: - - In the biography of Bruce recently published there are a few mistakes - in the account of this transaction, which, simple as it may appear, - was precisely that upon which Bruce’s whole success in Abyssinia - depended. Major Head says, that Father Christopher was the patriarch, - that he accosted Bruce upon his arrival at the convent, and that it - was he who addressed the letters to Abyssinia. Bruce, on the contrary, - says that he was _Archimandrites_; and that it was “at his - solicitation that Risk had desired _the patriarch_ to furnish” him - with an apartment in the convent of St. George. Nor was he at the - convent to accost Bruce on his arrival. “The next day after my - arrival,” says the traveller, “I was surprised by the visit of my old - friend Father Christopher.” He goes on to say, that between them they - digested the plan of the letters, and that Father Christopher - undertook to manage the affair,—that is, to procure the patriarch to - write and forward the letters.—_Bruce’s Travels_, vol. 1. p. 34, 35, - 4to. _Edin._ 1790. - -Our traveller was soon called upon to perform in the character of an -astrologer. It was late in the evening when he one night received a -summons to appear before the bey, whom he found to be a much younger man -than he had expected. He was sitting upon a large sofa covered with -crimson cloth of gold; his turban, his girdle, and the head of his -dagger all thickly covered with fine brilliants; and there was one in -his turban serving to support a sprig of diamonds, which was among the -largest Bruce ever saw. Abruptly entering upon the object of their -meeting, he demanded of the astrologer whether he had ever calculated -the consequences of the war then raging between the Turks and Russians? -“The Turks,” replied Bruce, “will be beaten by sea and land wherever -they present themselves.” The bey continued, “And will Constantinople be -burned or taken?”—“Neither,” said the traveller; “but peace will be made -after much bloodshed, with little advantage to either party.” At hearing -this the bey clapped his hands together, and, having sworn an oath in -Turkish, turned to Risk, who stood before him, and said, “That will be -sad indeed! but truth is truth, and God is merciful.” - -This wonderful prophecy procured our traveller a promise of protection -from the bey, to whom a few nights afterward he was again sent for near -midnight. At the door he met the janizary aga, who, when on horseback, -had absolute power of life and death, without appeal, all over Cairo; -and, not knowing him, brushed by without ceremony. The aga, however, -stopped him just at the threshold, and inquired of one of the bey’s -people who he was. Upon their replying “It is the _hakim Inglese_” -(English physician), he politely asked Bruce in Turkish “if he would go -and see him, for he was not well;” to which the latter replied in -Arabic, “that he would visit him whenever he pleased, but could not then -stay, as he had just received a message that the bey was waiting.”—“No, -no; go, for God’s sake go,” said the aga; “any time will do for me!” - -Upon entering the bey’s apartment, he found him alone, sitting, -leaning forward, with a wax taper in one hand, and in the other a -small slip of paper, which he was reading, and held close to his eyes, -as if the light were dim or his sight weak. He did not, or affected -not, to observe Bruce until he was close to him, and started when he -uttered the “salām.” He appeared at first to have forgotten why he had -sent for the physician, but presently explained the nature of his -indisposition; upon which, among other questions, Bruce inquired -whether he had not been guilty of some excess before dinner. The bey -now turned round to Risk, who had by this time entered, and exclaimed, -“Afrite! Afrite!”—(He is a devil! he is a devil!) Bruce now prescribed -warm water, or a weak infusion of green tea, as an emetic, and added, -that having taken a little strong coffee, or a glass of spirits, he -should go to bed. At this the bey exclaimed, “Spirits! do you know I -am a Mussulman?”[10]—“But I,” replied the traveller, “am none. I tell -you what is good for your body, and have nothing to do with your -religion or your soul.” The bey was amused at his bluntness, and said, -“He speaks like a man!” The traveller then retired. - -Footnote 10: - - Major Head, in his account of this laughable consultation, by omitting - all mention of the spirits, makes it appear that the bey meant to - insinuate that vomiting, or drinking green tea, was contrary to the - Mohammedan religion. But, although the Koran commands its followers to - abstain from wine, under which denomination rigid Islamites include - all kinds of spirits, it is by no means so unreasonable as to prohibit - vomiting, or the drinking of warm water, or weak green tea. - -Our traveller now prepared to depart; and having obtained the necessary -letters and despatches both from the patriarch and the bey, commenced -his movements with a visit to the Pyramids. He then embarked in a kanja, -and proceeded up the river, having on the right-hand a fine view of the -pyramids of Gizeh and Saccara, with a prodigious number of others built -of white clay, which appeared to stretch away in an interminable line -into the desert. On reaching Metraheny, which Dr. Pococke had fixed upon -as the site of Memphis, Bruce discovered what he thought sufficient -grounds for concurring in opinion with that traveller in opposition to -Dr. Shaw, who contends in favour of the claims of Gizeh. The Serapium, -the Temple of Vulcan, the Circus, and the Temple of Venus, the ruins of -which should be found on the site of Memphis, are nowhere discoverable -either at Metraheny or Gizeh, and are not improbably supposed by Bruce -to be buried for ever beneath the loose sands of the desert. A man’s -heart fails him, he says, in looking to the south and south-west of -Metraheny. He is lost in the immense expanse of desert which he sees -full of pyramids before him. Struck with terror from the unusual scene -of vastness opened all at once upon leaving the palm-trees, he becomes -dispirited from the effect of sultry climates, shrinks from attempting -any discovery in the moving sands of the Saccara, and embraces in safety -and in quiet the reports of others, who, he thinks, may have been more -inquisitive and more adventurous than himself. - -Continuing to stem the current of the Nile, admiring as they moved along -the extraordinary scenery which its banks presented, they arrived at the -village of Nizelet ul Arab, where the first plantations of sugar-cane -which Bruce had met with in Egypt occurred. A narrow strip of green -wheat bordered the stream during the greater part of its course, while -immediately behind a range of white mountains appeared, square and flat -like tables on the summit, and seeming rather to be laid upon the earth -than to spring out of and form a part of it. The villages on the shore -were poor, but intermingled with large verdant groves of palm-trees, -contrasting singularly with the arid and barren aspect of the rocky -ridges behind them; and presenting many features of novelty, they were -not without their interest. - -On arriving at Achmim he landed his quadrant and instruments for the -purpose of observing an eclipse of the moon; but the heavens soon after -her rising became so obscured by clouds and mist, that not a star of any -size was to be seen. Malaria here produced extraordinary effects upon -the inhabitants, or rather on the female portion of them; for while the -men were vigorous and active, from their constant motion and change of -air, the women, who remained more at home, were of a corpse-like colour, -and looked more aged at sixteen than many Englishwomen at sixty. They -were nubile, however, at ten years old; and Bruce saw several who had -not yet attained the age of eleven who were about to become mothers. - -In the afternoon of December 24th they arrived in the vicinity of -Dendera, which they visited next morning, and found it in the midst of a -thick grove of palm-trees. Having examined its gigantic temples, -sculptures, and hieroglyphics, he returned to his station on the river. -It was in this neighbourhood that he first saw the crocodiles. They were -lying in hundreds, like large flocks of cattle, upon every island, yet -inspired little or no terror in the inhabitants, who suffered their -beasts of every kind to stand in the water for hours; while the women -and girls who came to fetch water in jars waded up to their knees in the -stream. - -They arrived, January 7, 1769, at El Gourni, which in Bruce’s opinion -formed a part of ancient Thebes. The stupendous character of the ruins, -the temples, the palaces, the sepulchres, the sarcophagi, the antique -paintings,—every thing appeared equally to deserve attention; but his -time was short, and he employed it in copying a curious fresco executed -in brilliant colours on the wall of a tomb. He would have remained -longer, but his guides, pretending apprehension of danger from the -robbers of the neighbouring mountain, refused to continue their aid, -and, dashing their torches against the walls, retreated, leaving him and -his people in the dark. He then visited Saxor and Karnac, where he -observed two beautiful obelisks and two vast rows of mutilated sphinxes, -which, with similar lines of dog-headed figures, probably formed the -avenue of some magnificent structure. - -From thence they proceeded to Sheikh Ammor, the encampment of the Ababdé -Arabs. Bruce had met with Ibrahim, the sheikh’s son, at Furshoot; and -now, upon his arrival, this young man came forth with twelve armed -followers to meet him, and, conducting him into a tent, presented him to -his father, Sheikh Nimmer, or the “Tiger Chief.” The old man was ill, -and Bruce’s medical knowledge now enabled him, by allaying the -sufferings of the sheikh, to acquire a powerful and a grateful friend. -Observing the hospitable and friendly manner of Nimmer, our traveller -said, “Now tell me, sheikh, and tell me truly upon the faith of an -Arab,—would your people, if they met me in the desert, do me any wrong?” - -The old man upon this rose from his carpet and sat upright, and a more -ghastly and more horrid figure, says Bruce, I never saw. “No,” he -replied; “cursed be those of my people or others that ever shall lift up -their hands against you, either in the deserts or the _tell_ (the -uncultivated land). As long as you are in this country, or between this -and Kosseir, my son shall serve you with heart and hand. One night of -pain from which your medicines have relieved me would not be repaid were -I to follow you on foot to _Misr_” (Cairo). - -They then discussed together the means of facilitating Bruce’s entrance -into Abyssinia, and, after much consideration, it was agreed that the -most practicable route was by way of Kosseir and Jidda. The principal -persons of the tribe then bound themselves by an oath not to molest or -injure the traveller; but, on the contrary, in case he should ever -require it, to protect him at the hazard of their lives. They would have -extended their liberality still further, intending to present him with -seven sheep, but these, as he was going among Turks who were obliged to -maintain him, he requested they would keep for him until his return. -They then parted. - -At Assuan, which he next day reached, he was very politely entertained -by the Turkish aga, who had received instructions from the bey to behave -respectfully towards the stranger. From thence he proceeded, on beasts -furnished by the aga, to the cataracts. On leaving the town they passed -over a small sandy plain, where there were numerous tombs with Arabic -inscriptions in the Kufic character; and after riding about five miles -farther, arrived at the cataracts. The fall of the waters is here so -inconsiderable that vessels are able to pass up and down; but the bed of -the river, which may perhaps be about half a mile in breadth, is divided -into numerous small channels by enormous blocks of granite, from thirty -to forty feet in height. Against these the river, running over a sloping -bottom, through a channel of insufficient breadth, dashes with extreme -noise and violence, and is thrown back in foam and a thousand whirling -eddies, which, eternally mingling with each other, produce a disturbed -and chaotic appearance which fills the mind with confusion. - -On the 26th of January, after much altercation with his host, he -embarked in his kanja, and began to descend the river. Having reached -Badjoura, he employed himself until the departure of the caravan, with -which he was to cross the desert to Kosseir, in examining the -observations he had made, and in preparing his journal for publication; -in order that, should he perish, the labours he had already achieved -might not be lost. This done, he forwarded them to his friends at Cairo -till he should return, or news should arrive that he was otherwise -disposed of. - -On the 16th of February the caravan set out from Ghena (the Cæne -Emporium of antiquity), and proceeded over plains of inconceivable -sterility towards the Red Sea. “The sun,” says Bruce, “was burning hot, -and, upon rubbing two sticks together, in half a minute they both took -fire and flamed; a mark how near the country was reduced to a general -conflagration!” - -It was whispered about in the caravan that the Atouni Arabs were lying -in wait for them somewhere on the road; and on their arrival at the -wells of El Egheita, therefore, they halted to wait for the coming up of -the caravans of Cus, Esneh, and Ebanout, in order to oppose as -formidable a number as possible to the enemy. While they were at this -place, Abd el Gin, or the “Slave of the Genii,” an Arab whom Bruce had -received into his kanja on the Nile, and treated with much kindness, -came up to him, and requested that he would take charge of his money, -which amounted to nineteen sequins and a half. “What, Mohammed!” said -Bruce, “are you never safe among your countrymen, neither by sea nor -land?”—“Oh, no,” replied Mohammed; “the difference when we were on board -the boat was, we had three thieves only; but when assembled here, we -shall have above three thousand. But I have a piece of advice to give -you.”—“And my ears, Mohammed,” said the traveller, “are always open to -advice, especially in strange countries.”—“These people,” continued -Mohammed, “are all afraid of the Atouni Arabs, and, when attacked, they -will run away and leave you in the hands of these Atouni, who will carry -off your baggage. Therefore, as you have nothing to do with their corn, -do not kill any of the Atouni if they come, for that will be a bad -affair, but go aside, and let me manage. I will answer with my life, -that though all the caravan should be stripped stark naked, and you -loaded with gold, not one article belonging to you shall be touched.” -And upon putting numerous questions to the man, Bruce was so well -satisfied with his replies that he determined to conform in every -respect to his advice. - -While the minds of all present were busied in calculating the extent of -their dangers, and the probabilities of escape, twenty Turks from -Caramania, mounted on camels, and well armed, arrived at the camp, and -learning that the principal tent belonged to an Englishman, entered it -without ceremony. They informed our traveller they were hajjis, going on -pilgrimage to Mecca, and had been robbed upon the Nile by those swimming -banditti, who, like the Decoits of the Ganges, are indescribably -dexterous in entering vessels by night, and plundering in silence. By -the people of the country they had, in fact, been ill-treated, they -said, ever since their landing at Alexandria; but that having now found -an Englishman, whom they regarded as their countryman, since the -English, according to their historical hypothesis, came originally from -Caz Dangli in Asia Minor, they hoped, by uniting themselves with him, to -be able to protect themselves against their enemies. This preference was -flattering, and “I cannot conceal,” says Bruce, “the secret pleasure I -had in finding the character so firmly established among nations so -distant, enemies to our religion, and strangers to our government. Turks -from Mount Taurus, and Arabs from the desert of Libya, thought -themselves unsafe among their own countrymen, but trusted their lives -and their little fortunes implicitly to the direction and word of an -Englishman whom they had never before seen!” - -On the 19th they continued their journey over the desert between -mountains of granite, porphyry, marble, and jasper, and pitched their -tents at _Mesag el Terfowy_, in the neighbourhood of the Arab -encampment. This, under most circumstances, is a position of -considerable danger; for, as there are generally thieves in all -caravans, as well as in all camps, marauders from one side or the other -commonly endeavour to exercise their profession in the night, and -embroil their companions. Such was the case on the present occasion. The -thieves from the Arab camp crept unseen into Bruce’s tent, where they -were detected, endeavouring to steal a portmanteau. One of them escaped; -but the other, less nimble, or less fortunate, was taken, and beaten so -severely, that he shortly afterward died. At this moment Bruce was -absent; but on his return, a messenger from Sidi Hassan, chief of the -caravan, summoned him to appear before him. It being late, our traveller -refused. Other messengers followed—the camp was kept in unintermitted -anxiety all night—and after much altercation and gasconading on both -sides, fear of the Atouni Arabs at length induced them to calm their -passions and consult their interest. - -Proceeding in their course, however, without encountering an enemy of -any kind, they arrived on the morning of the 21st in sight of the Red -Sea, and in little more than an hour after entered Kosseir. Here he -established himself in a house, and amused himself with observing the -manners of the motley crowds assembled in the town. Next morning, being -in a fishing-dress on the beach, seeking for shells, a servant came -running in great haste to inform him that the Ababdé Arabs, to the -number of four hundred, had arrived, and that having met with Mohammed -Abd el Gin, whom they discovered to be an Atouni, had hurried him away -with intent to cut his throat, there being blood between his tribe and -theirs. - -Together with this news the servant had brought a horse, and Bruce, -without a moment’s reflection, sprang upon his back, and driving through -the town in the direction which had been pointed out, quickly arrived at -the Ababdé encampment. Upon his drawing near a number of them surrounded -him on horseback, and began to speak together in their own language. The -traveller now began to think he had advanced a step too far. They had -lances in their hands, one thrust of which would have stretched him upon -the earth; and by their looks he did not think they were greatly averse -to using them. However, there was no retreating, so he inquired whether -they were Ababdé, from Sheikh Ammor, and if so, how was the Nimmer, and -where was Ibrahim. Upon their acknowledging that they were Ababdé, he -gave them the _salaam_; but, without returning it, one of them demanded -who he was. “Tell me first,” replied Bruce, “who is this you have before -you?”—“He is an Arab, our enemy,” said they, “guilty of our blood.”—“He -is my servant,” replied the traveller; “a Howadat, whose tribe lives in -peace at the gates of Cairo!—but where is Ibrahim, your sheikh’s -son?”—“Ibrahim is at our head, he commands us here; but who are -you?”—“Come with me, and show me Ibrahim, and you shall see!” replied -Bruce. - -They had already thrown a rope about the neck of their prisoner, who, -though nearly strangled, conjured Bruce not to leave him; but the -latter, observing a spear thrust up through the cloth of one of the -tents, the mark of sovereignty, hastened towards it, and saw Ibrahim and -one of his brothers at the door. He had scarcely descended, and taken -hold of the pillar of the tent, exclaiming _Fiar duc_, “I am under your -protection,” when they both recognised him, and said, “What, are you -Yagoube, our physician and friend?”—“Let me ask you,” replied Bruce, “if -you are the Ababdé of Sheikh Ammor, who cursed yourselves and your -children if ever you lifted a hand against me or mine, in the desert or -in the ploughed field? If you have repented of that oath, or sworn -falsely on purpose to deceive me, here I am come to you in the -desert.”—“What is the matter?” said Ibrahim; “we _are_ the Ababdé of -Sheikh Ammor—there are no other—and we still say, ‘Cursed be he, whether -our father or children, who lifts his hand against you, in the desert or -in the ploughed field!’”—“Then,” replied Bruce, “you are all accursed, -for a number of your people are going to murder my servant.”—“Whew,” -said Ibrahim, with a kind of whistle, “that is downright nonsense. Who -are those of my people who have authority to murder and take prisoners -while I am here! Here, one of you, get upon Yagoube’s horse, and bring -that man to me.” Then turning to Bruce, he desired him to go into the -tent and sit down; “for God renounce me and mine,” said he, “if it is as -you say, and one of them hath touched the hair of his head, if ever he -drinks of the Nile again!” - -Upon inquiry it was discovered that Sidi Hassan,[11] the captain of the -caravan, had been the cause of this attempt at murder; having, in -revenge for Ab del Gin’s discovering the robber in Bruce’s tent, -denounced him to the Ababdé as an Atouni spy. - -Footnote 11: - - Upon parting with Ibrahim, Bruce, enraged at the baseness and - treachery of Sidi Hassan, entreated the young chief to revenge his - wrongs upon this man, which was solemnly promised. Upon coolly - considering the action, when he came to write his travels, he says, “I - cannot help here accusing myself of what, doubtless, may be well - reputed a very great sin.” Major Head, relating this transaction, - quotes the following addition to the above sentence: “the more so, - that I cannot say I have yet heartily repented of it.” This would have - argued extreme cold-heartedness, to say the least of it; but the words - are not found in the original quarto edition, whatever they may be in - others of comparatively no authority. - -While waiting for a ship bound for Tor, he undertook a short voyage to -the Mountains of Emeralds, or Jibbel Zumrud, where he found the ancient -pits, and many fragments of a green crystalline mineral substance, -veiny, clouded, but not so hard as rock-crystal. This he supposed was -the _smaragdus_ of the Romans, and the _siberget_ and _bilur_ of the -Ethiopians, but by no means identical with the genuine emerald, which is -equal in hardness to the ruby. Returning to Kosseir, he forthwith -commenced his survey of the Red Sea. Having visited the northern portion -of the gulf, he arrived, almost overcome with fatigue, and suffering -much from ague, at Jidda, where there were a great number of Englishmen, -from whom he very naturally expected a hospitable reception. - -It must be acknowledged, however, that on this occasion, as on many -others, Bruce’s conduct bordered strongly upon the absurd. His dress and -whole appearance were those of a common Turkish sailor, which as long as -he remained on board might be very prudent; but when he came to present -himself before his countrymen, from whom he expected the treatment due -to a gentleman, it would have been decorous either to have improved his -costume, or have given two or three words of explanation. He did -neither, but desired the servant of the _Emir el Bahr_, or -“harbour-master,” who had run over the names of all the English captains -then in port, to conduct him to a relation of his own, who, when they -arrived, was accidentally leaning over the rail of the staircase leading -up to his own apartment. Bruce saluted him by his name, but without -announcing his own; and the captain, no less hasty than himself, fell -into a violent rage, called him “villain, thief, cheat,” and “renegado -rascal,” declaring that if he attempted to proceed a step farther, he -would throw him over the stairs. The traveller went away without reply, -followed by the curses and abuse of his polite relative. - -“Never fear,” said the servant, shrugging up his shoulders, “I will -carry you to the best of them all.” He was now conducted to the -apartment of Captain Thornhill, but having entered the room, “I was -not,” says Bruce, “desirous of advancing much farther, for fear of the -salutation of being thrown down stairs again. He looked very steadily, -but not sternly, at me; and desired the servant to go away and shut the -door. ‘Sir,’ says he, ‘are you an Englishman? You surely are sick, you -should be in your bed: have you been long sick?’ I said, ‘Long, sir,’ -and bowed. ‘Are you wanting a passage to India?’ I again bowed. ‘Well,’ -says he, ‘you look to be a man in distress; if you have a secret I shall -respect it till you please to tell it me, but if you want a passage to -India, apply to no one but Thornhill of the Bengal Merchant. Perhaps you -are afraid of somebody, if so, ask for Mr. Greig, my lieutenant, he will -carry you on board my ship directly, where you will be safe.’ ‘Sir,’ -said I, ‘I hope you will find me an honest man: I have no enemy that I -know, either in Jidda or elsewhere, nor do I owe any man any thing.’ ‘I -am sure,’ says he, ‘I am doing wrong in keeping a poor man standing who -ought to be in his bed. Here! Philip, Philip!’ Philip appeared. ‘Boy,’ -says he, in Portuguese, which, as I imagine, he supposed I did not -understand, ‘here is a poor Englishman that should be either in his bed -or his grave; carry him to the cook, tell him to give him as much broth -and mutton as he can eat. The _fellow_ seems to have been starved—but I -would rather have the feeding of ten to India, than the burying of one -at Jidda.’” - -Bruce kept up the farce some time longer; despatched the mutton and the -broth; and then threw himself at full length upon the mat in the -courtyard, and fell asleep. The arrival of the Vizier of Jidda, who, in -the traveller’s absence, had opened his trunks, and been terrified at -the sight of the grand seignior’s firman, now disclosed Bruce’s rank and -consequence to the English factory, and his acting the poor man was -laughed at and excused. - -His countrymen, when his objects and purposes were explained, did -whatever was in their power for the furtherance of his views. Letters to -the governor of Masuah, the King of Abyssinia, Ras Michael, and the King -of Sennaar, were procured from Metical Aga and other influential -persons, and a person who required a few weeks to prepare for the -journey was appointed to accompany him. The time which must elapse -before this man could be ready, Bruce employed in completing his survey -of the Red Sea. - -Having been joined at Loheia by Mohammed Gibberti, the person -commissioned by the authorities of Jidda to accompany him to Masuah, he -sailed from that part of Yemen on the 3d of September, 1769, and on the -19th cast anchor in the harbour of Masuah. This is a small island, lying -directly opposite the town of Arkeeko, on the Abyssinian shore; and at -the time of Bruce’s visit was under the authority of a governor holding -his title by firman from the Ottoman Porte, under condition of paying an -annual tribute. The Turkish power having greatly decayed in the Red Sea, -this governor, or naybe, had gradually assumed the independent authority -of a sovereign; though, in order to command a sufficient supply of -provisions from Abyssinia, he had agreed to share with the sovereign of -that country the customs of the port. Observing, however, the disorderly -state of the government, he had lately withheld from the Abyssinian -monarch his portion of the revenue, which had so far irritated Ras -Michael, then at the head of the government, that he had caused it to be -signified to the naybe “that, in the next campaign, he would lay waste -Arkeeko and Masuah, until they should be as desert as the wilds of -Samhar!” - -While affairs were in this position, the naybe received intelligence -that an English prince was about to arrive at Masuah on his way to -Abyssinia; and it was forthwith debated by him and his counsellors in -full divan, whether he should be hospitably received or murdered -immediately upon his arrival. Through the influence of Achmet, the -nephew and heir-apparent of the governor, pacific measures were resolved -upon. - -Being desirous of enjoying one night’s repose to prepare him for the -toilsome contentions which he foresaw would arise, Bruce did not land -until the next day; but Mohammed Gibberti went immediately on shore, and -contrived to despatch letters to the court of Abyssinia, announcing -Bruce’s arrival, and requesting that some one might be sent to protect -him from the well-known rapacity and cruelty of the governor. He then -waited upon this petty despot and his nephew, and artfully endeavoured -to inspire them with very exalted notions of our traveller’s rank and -consequence. The way being thus skilfully paved, Bruce himself landed -next morning. He was received in a friendly manner by Achmet, who, when -they had seated themselves, after the usual salutation, commanded coffee -to be brought in, as a sign to the traveller that his life was not in -danger. He then observed, with a somewhat serious air, “We have expected -you here some time, but thought you had changed your mind, and were gone -to India.”—“Since sailing from Jidda,” replied Bruce, “I have been in -Arabia Felix, the Gulf of Mokha, and crossed last from Loheia.”—“Are you -not afraid,” said he, “so thinly attended, to venture upon these long -and dangerous voyages?”—“The countries where I have been,” Bruce -replied, “are either subject to the Emperor of Constantinople, whose -firman I have now the honour to present you, or to the Regency of Cairo, -and Port of Janizaries—here are their letters—or to the Sheriff of -Mecca. To you, sir, I present the sheriff’s letters; and, besides these, -one from Metical Aga, your friend, who depending on your character, -assured me this alone would be sufficient to preserve me from ill-usage, -so long as I did no wrong. As for the danger of the road from banditti -and lawless persons, my servants are indeed few, but they are veteran -soldiers, tried and exercised from their infancy in arms, and I value -not the superior numbers of cowardly and disorderly persons.” - -To this Achmet made no reply, but returning him the letters, said, “You -will give these to the naybe to-morrow. I will keep Metical’s letter, as -it is to me, and will read it at home.” He put it accordingly in his -bosom; and on Bruce’s rising to take his leave, he was wet to the skin -by a deluge of orange-flower water, poured upon him from silver bottles -by his attendants. He was now conducted to a very decent house, which -had been assigned him, whither his baggage was all sent unopened. - -Late in the evening he was surprised by a visit from Achmet, who came -alone, unarmed, and half-naked. Bruce expressed his acknowledgments for -the civility which had been shown him in sending his baggage unopened; -but Achmet, more solicitous to do good than listen to compliments, at -once turned the discourse into another channel; and, after several -questions respecting his rank and motives for travelling, advised him by -no means to enter Abyssinia, and let fall some few hints respecting the -character of the people of Masuah. To express his gratitude, and secure -a continuance of his good offices, Bruce begged his acceptance of a pair -of pistols. - -“Let the pistols remain with you,” says Achmet, “till I send you a man -to whom you may say any thing; and he shall go between you and me, for -there is in this place a number of devils, not men. But, _Ullah kerim_! -(God is merciful.) The person that brings you dry dates in an Indian -handkerchief, and an earthen bottle to drink your water out of, give him -the pistols. You may send by him to me any thing you choose. In the mean -time sleep sound, and fear no evil; but never be persuaded to trust -yourself to the Kafro of Habesh at Masuah.” - -Next morning the governor returned from Arkeeko, attended by three or -four servants miserably mounted, and about forty naked savages on foot, -armed with short lances and crooked knives. Before him was beaten a -drum, formed of an earthen jar, such as they send butter in to Arabia, -covered over at the mouth with a skin, like a jar of pickles. Bruce’s -reception by this ferocious despot was inauspicious. On his presenting -to him the firman of the grand seignior, upon seeing which the greatest -pacha in the Turkish empire would have risen, kissed it, and lifted it -to his forehead; he pushed it back contemptuously, and said, “Do you -read it all to me, word for word.” Bruce replied that it was written in -the Turkish language, of which he comprehended not a word. “Nor I -neither,” said the naybe, “and I believe I never shall.” - -The traveller then gave him his letters of recommendation, which he laid -down unopened beside him, and said, “You should have brought a moollah -along with you. Do you think I shall read all these letters? Why, it -would take me a month!” And while he spoke he glared upon his guest with -his mouth open, so extremely like an idiot, that it was with the utmost -difficulty Bruce kept his gravity. However, he replied, “Just as you -please—you know best.” - -After a short conversation in Arabic, which the naybe at first affected -not to understand, our traveller brought forward his present, which the -naybe understood without the assistance of a moollah, and shortly -afterward took his leave. - -The inhabitants of Masuah were at this time dying so rapidly of the -small-pox, that there was some reason to fear the living would not -suffice to bury the dead. The whole island was filled with shrieks and -lamentations both day and night; and they at last began to throw the -bodies into the sea, which deprived Bruce and his servants of the -support they had derived from fish, of which some of the species caught -there were excellent. - -On the 15th of October, the naybe, having despatched the vessel in which -Bruce had arrived, began to put out his true colours, and, under various -pretences, demanded an enormous present. Bruce, of course, refused -compliance. He then sent for him to his house, and after venting his -fury in a storm of abuse, concluded by saying, in a peremptory tone, -that unless our traveller were ready in a few days to pay him three -ounces of gold, he would confine him in a dungeon, without light, air, -or food, until his bones should come through his skin for want. To -aggravate the affair, an uncle of his, then present, added, that -whatever the naybe might determine respecting his own demands, he could -in nowise abate a jot from those of the janizaries; which, however, in -consideration of the letter he had brought from the port of the -janizaries at Cairo, were moderate—only forty ounces of gold. - -To all this Bruce replied firmly, “Since you have broken your faith with -the grand seignior, the government of Cairo, the pasha at Jidda, and -Metical Aga, you will no doubt do as you please with me; but you may -expect to see the English man-of-war the Lion before Arkeeko some -morning by daybreak.” - -“I should be glad,” said the naybe, “to see that man at Arkeeko or -Masuah who would carry as much writing from you to Jidda as would lie -upon my thumb-nail. I would strip his shirt off first, and then his -skin, and hang him up before your door to teach you more wisdom.” - -“But my wisdom,” replied Bruce, “has taught me to prevent all this. My -letter has already gone to Jidda; and if in twenty days from this -another letter from me does not follow it, you will see what will -arrive. In the mean time, I here announce to you that I have letters -from Metical Aga and the Sheriff of Mecca, to Michael Suhul, governor of -Tigrè, and the King of Abyssinia. I therefore would wish that you would -leave off these unmanly altercations, which serve no sort of purpose, -and let me continue my journey.” - -The naybe now muttered in a low voice to himself, “What, Michael too! -then go your journey, and think of the ill that’s before you!” Upon -which the traveller left him. - -Other altercations, still more violent, ensued, and attempts were made -by the creatures of the naybe to break into his house and murder him in -the night; but these were constantly defeated by the courage and -fidelity of his servants. Achmet, too, the nephew of the naybe, exerted -whatever influence he possessed in behalf of the traveller; who, in -return, was, under Providence, the means of preserving his life; for -Achmet at this time falling ill of an intermittent fever, Bruce -assiduously attended and prescribed for him, and in the course of a few -days had the satisfaction of pronouncing him out of danger. - -On the morning of the 6th of November, while at breakfast, Bruce -received the agreeable intelligence that three servants had arrived from -Tigrè; one from Jamai, the Greek, the other two from Ras Michael, both -wearing the royal livery. Ras Michael’s letters to the naybe were short. -He said the king’s health was bad, and that he wondered the physician -sent to him by Metical Aga from Arabia had not been instantly forwarded -to him at Gondar, as he had heard of his having been some time at -Masuah. He therefore commanded the naybe to despatch the physician -without loss of time, and to furnish him with all necessaries. - -To these peremptory orders the naybe felt himself compelled to yield -obedience; and accordingly Bruce was at length suffered to depart. In -order, however, to make one attempt more at murdering the stranger, for -which the old man appeared to have acquired a kind of passion, he -furnished him with a guide and several attendants, who, it was suspected -by the nephew, had received secret orders to cut him off upon the road. -To counteract the designs of this worthy old relative, Achmet removed -these attendants, and replaced them by servants of his own; and -prevailing upon Bruce to proceed by a different route from that -recommended by the naybe, for which purpose he supplied him with another -guide, he took his leave, saying, “He that is your enemy is mine. You -shall hear from me by Mohammed Gibberti.” - -Bruce now proceeded over a plain partly covered with groves of -acacia-trees, in full flower, towards the mountains, upon the ascent to -which he met with considerable numbers of the wild mountain shepherds, -descending with their families and flocks to the seashore, drawn thither -by the fresh grass which springs up in October and November all along -the coast. Their path, from the time they had reached the acclivity, lay -over a broken, stony road, along the bed of a mountain torrent; but -having reached a small green hill at some distance from the stream, they -pitched their tent; and, it being near evening, prepared to pass the -night there. The weather, which had hitherto been fine, now seemed to -threaten rain. The loftier mountains, and a great portion of the lower -ones, were quite hidden by thick clouds; the lightning was very -frequent, broad, and deeply tinged with blue; and long peals of thunder -were heard at a distance. “The river,” says Bruce, “scarcely ran at our -passing it. All on a sudden, however, we heard a noise on the mountains -above, louder than the loudest thunder. Our guides upon this flew to the -baggage, and removed it to the top of the green hill; which was no -sooner done than we saw the river coming down in a stream about the -height of a man, and breadth of the whole bed it used to occupy. The -water was thickly tinged with red earth, and ran in the form of a deep -river, and swelled a little above its banks, but did not reach our -station on the hill.” - -During this day’s march he first saw the dung of elephants, full of -thick pieces of undigested branches; and observed in the tracks through -which they had passed several trees thrown down or broken in the middle, -while the ground was strewed with half-eaten branches. The wild tribes -who inhabited these mountains were a small, active, copper-coloured -race, who lived in caves, or cages covered with an ox’s hide, and large -enough to hold two persons. Though possessed of numerous herds of -cattle, they abstained, like the Brahmins, from animal food, and -subsisted entirely upon milk. - -For some time after leaving this station their road lay through groves -of acacia-trees, the prickly branches of which striking against their -faces and hands quickly covered them with blood. They then proceeded -through grassy valleys, and over mountains, bleak, bare, and desolate, -until they arrived at a place called Tubbo, a picturesque and agreeable -station, where they pitched their tent, and remained several hours. The -mountains were here very steep, and broken abruptly into cliffs and -precipices. The trees were thick, in full leaf, and planted so closely -together that they seemed to have been intended for arbours, and -afforded abundance of dark cool shade. Their boughs were filled with -immense numbers of birds, variegated with an infinity of colours, but -destitute of song; others, of a more homely and more European -appearance, diverted the travellers with a variety of wild notes, in a -style of music still distinct and peculiar to Africa; as different, says -Bruce, in the composition from that of our linnet and goldfinch as our -English language is from that of Abyssinia. Yet, from frequent and -attentive observation, he found that the skylark at Masuah sang the same -notes as in England. - -The whole country between this and Mount Taranta abounded in game, and -more particularly in partridges and antelopes, the latter of which, -without exhibiting any signs of fear, moved out of the way to let them -pass; or stood still and gazed at them. When they arrived at the foot of -the mountain, the difficulties which presented themselves were -appalling. The road, if it deserved the name, was of incredible -steepness, and intersected almost at every step by large hollows and -gullies formed by the torrents, and by vast fragments of rock, which, -loosened from the cliffs above by the rains, had rolled down into the -chasm through which their path lay. To carry Bruce’s telescopes, -timekeeper, and quadrant through such a path as this was by the majority -of the party declared to be impossible; and the bearers of the quadrant -now proposed to drag it along in a way which would have quickly -shattered it to pieces. To prevent so undesirable a catastrophe Bruce -himself, assisted by a Moor named Yasine, who, being on his way to -Abyssinia, had attached himself to our traveller’s party, undertook the -task, and after extraordinary exertions, during which their clothes were -torn to pieces, and their hands and knees cut in a shocking manner, they -succeeded in placing the instrument in safety, far above the stony parts -of the mountain. By this means their companions were shamed into -exertion, and every one now striving to surpass the rest, all the -instruments and other baggage were quickly got up the steep. - -Having accomplished their laborious task, they found themselves too much -fatigued to attempt the pitching of their tents; though, had it been -otherwise, the scantiness of the soil, which was too shallow to hold a -tent-pin, would have prevented them; they therefore betook themselves to -the caves which they discovered in the rocks, and there passed the -night. Next morning they proceeded to encounter the remaining half of -the mountain, which, though steeper, was upon the whole less difficult -than the part they had already passed; and in two days came in sight of -Dixan, a city built on the summit of a hill, perfectly in the form of a -sugar-loaf, surrounded on all sides by a deep valley like a trench, and -approached by a road which winds spirally up the hill till it ends among -the houses. - -The inhabitants of this place enjoyed throughout the country the -reputation of superior wickedness, and appeared fully to deserve it; -for, whether Christians or Moors, the only traffic in which they were -engaged was in children. These were stolen in Abyssinia, frequently by -the priests; and being brought to Dixan, were there delivered over to -the Moors, who conveyed them to Masuah, from whence they were -transported to Arabia or India. Bernier found this trade in active -operation in his time; and it has probably subsisted from the earliest -ages, since Abyssinian girls have always been in request among the -Arabs, while the boys are more valued farther eastward, where they are -generally converted into eunuchs. - -From Dixan they set forward November 25, and encamped at night under a -tree. They had now been joined by about twenty loaded asses and two -loaded bulls driven by Moors, who, in consideration of the protection -they expected from our traveller, bound themselves by an oath to obey -him punctually during the journey, and in case of attack to stand by him -to the last. Next morning they proceeded over a plain covered with wheat -and Indian corn, and on looking back towards Taranta, beheld its summit -capped with black clouds, which emitted vivid streams of lightning, and -frequent peals of thunder. Towards noon they encamped at the foot of a -mountain, on the top of which was a village, the residence of an -Abyssinian nobleman, called the Baharnagash, who, with a very ragged -retinue, visited Bruce in his tent. Among the horses of his attendants -there was a black one which Bruce desired to possess. When the chief had -returned to his village he therefore despatched two persons to him to -commence negotiations. The bargain, however, was soon concluded, and the -money, about 12_l._, paid in merchandise; but by the time he had reached -the encampment, the black horse had been converted into a brown one, -which, if he wanted an eye, had the recommendation of great age and -experience. This ancient charger was returned, and, after considerable -shuffling and equivocation, the genuine black horse, sixteen and a -half-hands high, and of the Dongola breed, was obtained. The noble -animal, which had been half-starved by the Baharnagash, was named Mirza, -and intrusted to the care of an Arab from the neighbourhood of Medina, a -man well versed in all equestrian affairs. “Indeed,” observes Bruce, “I -might say I acquired that day a companion that contributed always to my -pleasure, and more than once to my safety; and was no slender means of -acquiring me the first attention of the king.” - -Their road now lying through a country into which the Shangalla, whom -Bruce terms the ancient Cushites, were in the habit of making -incursions, the whole party carefully examined the state of their -firearms, and cleaned and charged them anew. In this day’s journey they -passed through a wood of acacia-trees in flower, with which was -intermingled another species of tree with large white flowers, yielding -a scent like that of the honeysuckle; and afterward another wood, so -overgrown with wild oats that, like the jungle grass of Bengal, it -covered the men and their horses. This plain was perhaps the most -fertile in Abyssinia, but, owing to the inveterate feuds of the -villages, had long been suffered to lie waste, or, if a small portion -were cultivated, the labours of sowing-time and harvest were performed -by the peasantry in arms, who rarely completed their task without -bloodshed. - -Having crossed this plain, they entered a close country covered with -brushwood, wild oats, and high grass, rough with rocks, and traversed by -narrow difficult passes. At one of these, called the pass of Kella, they -were detained three days by the farmers of the customs, who demanded -more than they thought proper to pay. During this delay a kind of fair -or bazaar was opened in the caravan, to which hundreds of young women -from the neighbouring villages repaired, to purchase beads and other -articles of African finery; and so eager were they to get possession of -these toys, that they could be restrained from stealing them only by -being beaten unmercifully with whips and sticks. Of chastity these -Abyssinian beauties had no conception, and abandoned themselves to the -desires of strangers without so much as requiring a reward. - -The next day, after leaving Kella, they discovered in the distance the -mountains of Adowa, which in no respect resemble those of Europe, or of -any other country. “Their sides were all perpendicular, high, like -steeples or obelisks, and broken into a thousand different forms.” On -the 6th of December they arrived at Adowa, having travelled for three -hours over a very pleasant road, between hedgerows of jessamine, -honeysuckle, and many other kinds of flowering shrubs. This town, which -was made the capital of Tigrè by Ras Michael, consisted of about three -hundred houses, but each house being surrounded by a fence or screen of -trees and shrubs, like the small picturesque homesteads which skirt the -Ghauts on the coast of Malabar, the extent of ground covered was very -considerable, and from a distance the whole place had the appearance of -a beautiful grove. Within, however, were crime and wretchedness. The -palace of the governor, which was now occupied by his deputy, stood upon -the top of the hill, and resembled a huge prison. Upwards of three -hundred persons were there confined in irons, some of whom had been -imprisoned more than twenty years, solely, in most instances, for the -purpose of extorting money from them; but when they had complied with -their captor’s demands, their deliverance by no means followed. Most of -them were kept in cages like wild beasts, and treated with equal -inhumanity. - -Here he was received in the most hospitable manner by Janni, the Greek -officer of the customs, to whom he had been recommended by the patriarch -of Cairo. In this town there was a valuable manufacture of coarse cotton -cloth, which circulated instead of silver money throughout Abyssinia. -The houses were built with rough stone, cemented with mud instead of -mortar—which was used only at Gondar,—and had high conical roofs, -thatched with a reedy sort of grass, rather thicker than wheat straw. - -From this place he proceeded on the 10th of January, 1770, to visit the -ruins of the Jesuits’ convent at Fremona, two miles to the north-east of -the town. It resembled a vast fortress, being at least a mile in -circumference, and surrounded by a wall, the remains of which were -twenty-five feet high, with towers in the flanks and angles, and pierced -on all sides with holes for muskets. - -Leaving Adowa on the 17th, they arrived next morning at the ruins of -Axum, which, extensive as they were, consisted entirely of public -buildings. Huge granite obelisks, rudely carved, strewed the ground, -having been overthrown by earthquakes or by barbarians, one only -remaining erect. Colossal statues of the _latrator anubis_, or dog-star, -were discovered among the ruins, evidently of Egyptian workmanship; -together with magnificent flights of granite steps, and numerous -pedestals whereon the figures of sphinxes were formerly placed. Axum was -watered by a small stream, which flowed all the year, and was received -into a magnificent basin of one hundred and fifty feet square, whence it -was artificially conveyed into the neighbouring gardens. - -Continuing their journey through a beautiful country, diversified with -hill and dale, and covered so thickly with flowering shrubs that the -odours exhaling from their blossoms strongly perfumed the air, they -overtook three men driving a cow, and Bruce had an opportunity of -witnessing an operation which, on the publication of his travels, was -almost universally treated as a fiction. On arriving on the banks of a -river, where it was supposed they were to encamp, the three men, who -from their lances and shields appeared to be soldiers, tripped up the -cow; and as soon as she had fallen, one of them got across her neck, -holding down her head by the horns, another twisted the halter about her -fore-feet, while the third, who held a knife in his hand, instead of -striking at the animal’s throat, to Bruce’s very great surprise got -astride upon her belly, and gave her a very deep wound in the upper part -of her buttock. He now of course expected that the cow was to be killed, -but, upon inquiring whether they would sell a portion of her, was -informed that the beast was not wholly theirs, and that therefore they -could not sell her. “This,” says the traveller, “awakened my curiosity. -I let my people go forward and staid myself, till I saw, with the utmost -astonishment, two pieces, thicker and longer than our ordinary -beefsteaks, cut out of the higher part of the buttock of the beast. How -it was done I cannot positively say; because, judging the cow was to be -killed from the moment I saw the knife drawn, I was not anxious to view -that catastrophe, which was by no means an object of curiosity: whatever -way it was done, it surely was adroitly, and the two pieces were spread -on the outside of their shields.” - -After this, the skin which covered the wounded part was drawn together, -and fastened by small skewers or pins. A cataplasm of clay was then -placed over all, and the poor beast, having been forced to rise, was -driven on as before. This mode of cutting beefsteaks from a living -animal is no doubt extraordinary, but I can see nothing in it that -should render it incredible, particularly to persons who make no -difficulty in believing that men eat each other, or fasten their own -bodies on swings, by hooks driven into the muscles of their backs, and -thus suspended, whirl round in indescribable agony for the amusement of -the bystanders. Yet this is indubitably done every day in Hindostan. The -scorn with which Bruce met the incredulity of his critics was natural -and just. But the skepticism of the public has now ceased. In fact, to -avow it would be to plead guilty of a degree of ignorance of which few -persons in the present day would care to be suspected. - -Proceeding on his journey, Bruce learned at Siré that Ras Michael had -defeated the rebel Fasil, who had long made head against the royal -troops, with the loss of ten thousand men; and this intelligence struck -terror into the numerous disaffected persons who were found throughout -the country. - -On the 26th they crossed the Tacazzè, one of the pleasantest rivers in -the world, shaded with fine lofty trees, its banks covered with bushes, -inferior in fragrance to no garden in the universe; its waters limpid, -excellent, and full of fish, while the coverts on its banks abound with -game. It was about two hundred yards broad, and about three feet deep; -and in the middle of the ford they met a deserter from Ras Michael’s -army, with his firelock on his shoulder, driving before him two -miserable girls about ten years old, stark naked, and almost famished to -death, the part of the booty which had fallen to his share after the -battle. From this wretch, however, they could gain no intelligence. - -The country through which they now passed was covered with ruined -villages, “the marks,” says Bruce, “of Michael’s cruelty or justice, for -perhaps the inhabitants had deserved the chastisement they had met -with.” The scenery on all sides was now highly picturesque and -beautiful. At Addergey, where they encamped near the small river -Mai-Lumi, or the “River of Limes,” in a small plain, they were -surrounded by a thick wood in form of an amphitheatre, behind which -arose a sweep of bare, rugged, and barren mountains. Midway in the cliff -was a miserable village, which seemed rather to hang than to stand -there, scarcely a yard of level ground being between it and the edge of -the precipice. The wood was full of lemons and wild citrons, from which -circumstance it derived its name. Before them, towards the west, the -plain terminated in a tremendous precipice. - -After a series of disputes with the chief of this village, a malignant, -avaricious barbarian, who seems to have designed to cut them off, they -proceeded towards Mount Lamalmon, one of the highest points of -Abyssinia. On the way they discovered on their right the mountains of -Waldubba, inhabited by monks and great men in disgrace. The monks are -held in great veneration, being by many supposed to enjoy the gift of -prophecy and the power of working miracles. To strengthen their virtue, -and encourage them in their austere way of life, they are frequently -visited by certain young women, who may be called nuns, and who live -upon a very familiar footing with these prophets and workers of -miracles. Nay, many of these, says Bruce, thinking that the living in -community with this holy fraternity has not in it perfection enough to -satisfy their devotion, retire, one of each sex, a hermit and a nun, -sequestering themselves for months, to eat herbs together in private -upon the top of the mountains. - -On the 7th of February they began to ascend the mountains which skirt -the base of Lamalmon; and on the next day commenced the climbing of that -mountain itself. Their path was scarcely two feet wide in any part, and -wound in a most tortuous direction up the mountain, perpetually on the -brink of a precipice. Torrents of water, which in the rainy season roll -huge stones and fragments of rock down the steep, had broken up the path -in many places, and opened to the travellers a view of the tremendous -abyss below, which few persons could look upon without giddiness. Here -they were compelled to unload their baggage, and by slow degrees crawl -up the hill, carrying it a little at a time on their shoulders round -those chasms which intersected the road. The acclivity became steeper, -the paths narrower, and the breaches more frequent as they ascended. -Scarcely were their mules, though unloaded, able to scramble up, and -fell perpetually. To enhance their difficulty and danger, large droves -of cattle were descending, which, as they came crowding down the -mountain, threatened to push their whole party into the gulf. However, -after vast toil they at length succeeded in reaching the small plain -near the summit, where both man and beast halted simultaneously, -perfectly exhausted with fatigue. - -The air on Lamalmon was pleasant and temperate, and their appetite, -spirits, and cheerfulness, which the sultry poisonous atmosphere of the -Red Sea coasts had put to flight, returned. Next morning they ascended -the remainder of the mountain, which was less steep and difficult than -the preceding portion, and found that the top, which seemed pointed from -below, spread into a large plain, part in pasture, but more bearing -grain. It is full of springs, and seems, says Bruce, “to be the great -reservoir from whence arise most of the rivers that water this part of -Abyssinia. A multitude of streams issue from the very summit in all -directions; the springs boil out from the earth in large quantities, -capable of turning a mill. They plough, sow, and reap here at all -seasons; and the husbandman must blame his own indolence, and not the -soil, if he has not three harvests. We saw in one place people busy -cutting down wheat; immediately next to it others at the plough, and the -adjoining field had green corn in the ear. A little farther it was not -an inch above the ground.” - -On the 15th of February he arrived at Gondar, when, to his extreme -vexation, he found that not only the king and Ras Michael, but almost -every other person for whom he had letters, was absent with the army. -Petros, the brother of Janni, his Greek friend at Adowa, to whom he had -been in an especial manner recommended, had at the news of his coming -been terrified by the priests, and fled to Ras Michael for instructions. -A friend, however, of one of the Moors, whom Janni had interested in his -favour, received him kindly, and conducted him to a house in the Moorish -town, where he might, he said, remain safe from the molestations of the -priests, until he should receive the protection of the government. - -Late in the evening while our traveller was sitting quietly in his -apartment reading the book of the prophet Enoch, Ayto Aylo, the queen’s -chamberlain, who probably had never before been in the Moorish town, -came, accompanied by a number of armed attendants, to visit him. This -man, a zealous protector of strangers, and who was desirous, as he said, -to end his days in pious seclusion either at Jerusalem or Rome, after a -long contest of civilities and a protracted conversation, informed Bruce -that the queen-mother, who had heard of his abilities as a physician, -was desirous he should undertake the treatment of a young prince then -lying ill of the small-pox at the palace of Koscam. On proceeding -thither next morning, however, he learned that the patient had been -placed under the care of a saint from Waldubba, who had undertaken to -cure him by writing certain mystical characters upon a tin-plate with -common ink, and then, having washed them off with a medicinal -preparation, giving them to the sick man to drink. Upon Bruce’s second -visit to the palace he was presented to the queen-mother, who, after -some rambling conversation respecting Jerusalem, the Holy Sepulchre, -Mount Calvary, &c., demanded of him bluntly whether he were not a Frank, -by which they mean a Catholic. The traveller, in reply, swore to her by -all the truths in the Bible, which she had then on a table before her, -that his religion was more different from that of the Roman Catholics -than her own. The old lady appeared to be convinced by his -asseverations, and he shortly afterward took his leave. That same -evening the prince, as well as his daughter, who had likewise been -seized by the contagion, died of the small-pox in spite of the saints of -Waldubba; and Bruce had to congratulate himself that these honest -jugglers had taken the weight of the odium from his shoulders upon their -own, for the patients would very probably have died whether they had -been under the care of the monks or of the physician. - -However, this natural event was the death-blow to the reputation of the -saints. Bruce was required to repair immediately to the palace, and the -various members of the royal family, as well as of the family of the -Ras, who now fell sick, were placed with unbounded confidence under his -care. Policy, as well as humanity, rendered his attentions to his -numerous patients incessant; and very fortunately for him only one out -of the whole number died. Ozoro Esther, the young and beautiful wife of -Ras Michael, both of whose children, the one by a former and the other -by her present husband, survived, was unbounded in her gratitude to the -man whom she regarded as their preserver; and her friendship, which -never knew diminution, may be regarded as one of the most valuable -acquisitions our traveller ever made in Abyssinia. As a reward for his -services he received a neat and convenient house in the immediate -vicinity of the palace. - -On the 8th or 9th of March Bruce met Ras Michael at Azazo. The old man -was dressed in a coarse dirty cloth, wrapped about him like a blanket, -while another like a tablecloth was folded about his head. He was lean, -old, and apparently much fatigued. When he had alighted from the mule on -which he had been riding, a Greek priest went forward and announced -Bruce, who then came up and kissed his hand. “How do you do?” said the -Ras; “I hope you are well.” He then pointed to a place where the -traveller was to sit down, while a thousand complaints, a thousand -orders, came before him from a thousand mouths. The king now passed, and -shortly after the traveller and his companions returned to Koscam, very -little pleased with the reception they had met with. - -Next day the army marched into the town in triumph, the Ras being at the -head of the troops of Tigrè. He was bare-headed. Over his shoulder hung -a cloak of black velvet ornamented with silver fringe. A boy with a -silver wand about five feet and a half in length walked close to his -stirrup on his right-hand; and behind him in a body marched all those -soldiers who had slain and spoiled an enemy in battle, bearing upon -their lances and firelocks small shreds of scarlet cloth, one for every -enemy slain. - -Behind these came the governors of Amhara and Begunder, wearing, as well -as the other governors of provinces, one of the strangest headdresses in -the world: a broad fillet bound upon the forehead and tied behind, in -the middle of which was a horn, or conical piece of silver, about four -inches long and richly gilt. Then followed the king, wearing upon his -forehead a fillet of white muslin about four inches broad, which, like -that of the provincial governors, was tied behind in a large double -knot, and hung down about two feet over his back. Immediately around him -were the great officers of state, with such of the young nobility as -were without command. The household troops followed. And after these -came the military executioners, with a man bearing upon a pole the -stuffed skin of a man who had been flayed alive a short time before. -This was suspended as a tasteful ornament upon a tree directly opposite -the palace, for the solace and amusement of his majesty. - -For some days after this triumphal entry, Bruce, though he daily visited -his patients at the palace, was utterly neglected, not only by the Ras, -but by Ozoro Esther herself, and every person in Gondar, except the -Moors, who were never weary of expressing their gratitude for his -successful attention to their children. On the 14th, however, he was -once more brought into the presence of Ras Michael, at Koscam. Upon -entering he saw the old man sitting upon a sofa, with his white hair -dressed in many short curls. His face was lean, his eyes quick and -vivid. Bruce thought he greatly resembled Buffon in face and person. His -great capacity was clearly discernible in his countenance. Every look -conveyed a sentiment, and he seemed to have no occasion for other -language, and indeed spoke little. He shook the traveller by the hand, -and, after a few moments’ pause, occasioned by the entrance of a -messenger from the king, said, gravely, “Yagoube, I think that is your -name, hear what I say to you, and mark what I recommend to you. You are -a man, I am told, who make it your business to wander in the fields in -search after trees and grass in solitary places, and to sit up all night -alone looking at the stars of the heavens. Other countries are not like -this, though this was never so bad as it is now. These wretches here are -enemies to strangers. If they saw you alone in your own parlour, their -first thought would be how to murder you; though they knew they were to -get nothing by it, they would murder you for mere mischief. Therefore,” -says the Ras, “after a long conversation with your friend Aylo, whose -advice I hear you happily take, as indeed we all do, I have thought that -situation best which leaves you at liberty to follow your own designs, -at the same time that it puts your person in safety; that you will not -be troubled with monks about their religious matters, or in danger from -those rascals that might seek to murder you for money.” - -He then informed him that the king had appointed him Baalomaal, and -commander of the Korcob horse; and desired him to go and kiss the ground -before him on his appointment. Bruce now expressed his acknowledgments, -and brought forward his present, which the Ras scarcely looked at; but -shortly after observing him standing alone, commanded the door to be -shut, and then said to him, in a low voice, “Have you any thing private -to say?”—“I see you are busy, sir,” said Bruce, “but I will speak to -Ozoro Esther.” His anxious countenance brightened up in a moment. “That -is true,” said he; “Yagoube, it will require a long day to settle that -account with you. Will the boy live?”—“The life of man is in the hand of -God,” replied Bruce; “but I should hope the worst is over.” Upon which -he said to one of his servants, “Carry Yagoube to Ozoro Esther.” - -After an interview with this lady, towards whom he conducted himself -with a degree of familiarity which in any other country would have been -fatal to him, he presented himself before the king, who, after various -childish questions, and detaining him until a very late hour, dismissed -him for the night. He then proceeded, with several other officers of the -palace, to the house of a nobleman, where they had that evening been -invited to supper. Here a quarrel took place between Bruce and a nephew -of Ras Michael, originating in the gasconading character of both -parties, the Abyssinian conducting himself like a vain barbarian, and -Bruce like a man no less vain, but possessing the advantage of superior -knowledge. The only person who appears to any advantage in this affair -is Ras Michael, who, quelling his natural feelings, and magnanimously -taking upon himself the protection of the weaker party, acted in a -manner truly noble, and, whatever may have been his crimes, stood on -this occasion superior to all around him. - -This storm having blown over, Bruce assiduously attended to the duties -of his office, and by the exercise of considerable prudence, raised -himself gradually in the estimation of the court. He had boasted, in his -quarrel with the Ras’s nephew, that through his superior skill in the -use of firearms, he could do more execution with a candle’s end than his -antagonist with an iron ball; and one day, long after that event, he was -suddenly asked by the king whether he was not drunk when he made this -gasconade. He replied that he was perfectly sober; and offered to -perform the experiment at once in presence of the monarch. This, in -fact, he did; and having shot through three shields and a sycamore table -with a piece of candle, his reputation as a magician,—for, with the -exception of the king and the Ras, they all seem to have accounted for -the fact by supernatural reasons,—was more firmly established than ever. - -About this time he lost his companion Balugani, who had been attacked in -Arabia Felix by a dysentery, which put a period to his life at Gondar. -Of this young man Bruce has said but little in his travels; but he -regretted his death, which threw him for a time into a state of -depression and despondency. From this, however, he was roused by the -general festivity and rejoicing which took place in Gondar upon the -marriage of Ozoro Esther’s sister with the governor of Bergunder. The -traveller dined daily, by particular invitation, with the Ras. Feasting, -in Abyssinia, includes the gratification of every sensual appetite. All -ideas of decency are set aside; the ladies drink to excess; and the -orgies which succeed surpass in wantonness and lack of shame whatever -has been related of the cynics of antiquity. - -Among the patients whom Bruce had attended on his first arrival at -Gondar was Ayto Confu, the son of Ozoro Esther by a former husband. The -gratitude of this young man for the kind attention of his physician, -which had been manifested on numerous occasions, at length procured -Bruce to be nominated governor of Ras el Feel, a small unwholesome -district on the confines of Sennaar. To this government our traveller -never designed to attend in person; but it enabled him to oblige his old -friend Yasine, the Moor, whom he appointed to govern the district as his -deputy. - -Into the details of the civil dissensions which at this period convulsed -this barbarous country it is altogether unnecessary to enter. Revolts, -conspiracies, rebellions, succeeded each other in the natural course of -things, and Bruce’s position compelled him to take a more or less active -part in them all. In the spring of 1770, Fasil, the rival of Ras -Michael, being once more in motion, the royal army left Gondar, to -proceed in search of the rebels, and on entering the enemy’s territory -exercised all kinds of barbarities and excesses. - -From the king’s army he proceeded in May to visit the cataract of Alata -on the Nile. The river, where he first came up with it, was found to run -in a deep narrow channel, between two rocks, with great roaring and -impetuous velocity. Its banks were shaded by beautiful trees and bushes; -and there was no danger from crocodiles, as that animal does not ascend -the stream so high. “The cataract itself,” says Bruce, “was the most -magnificent sight that I ever beheld. The height has been rather -exaggerated. The missionaries say the fall is about sixteen ells, or -fifty feet. The measuring is, indeed, very difficult; but by the -position of long sticks, and poles of different lengths, at different -heights of the rocks, from the water’s edge, I may venture to say it is -nearer forty feet than any other measure. The river had been -considerably increased by rains, and fell in one sheet of water, without -any interval, above half an English mile in breadth, with a force and -noise that was truly terrible, and which stunned and made me for a time -perfectly dizzy. A thick fume or haze covered the fall all round, and -hung over the course of the stream both above and below, marking its -track, though the water was not seen. The river, though swelled with -rain, preserved its natural clearness, and fell, as far as I could -discern, into a deep pool or basin in the solid rock, which was full, -and in twenty different eddies to the very foot of the precipice, the -stream, when it fell, seeming part of it to run back with great fury -upon the rock, as well as forward in the line of its course, raising a -wave, or violent ebullition, by chafing against each other.” - -After contending that the assertion of Jerome Lobo, that he had sat -under the curve made by the projectile force of the water rushing over -the precipice, could not be true, he adds,—“It was a most magnificent -sight, that ages, added to the greatest length of human life, would not -efface or eradicate from my memory.” “It seemed to me as if one element -had broke loose from, and become superior to, all laws of subordination; -that the fountains of the great deep were extraordinarily opened, and -the destruction of a world was again begun by the agency of water.” - -His curiosity on this point having now been satisfied, he returned to -the army, which shortly after, at Limjour, fought a desperate battle -with the rebels, in which the latter were defeated. After this, Fasil, -their commander, upon making his submission, was received into favour, -and appointed governor of Damot and Maitsha. During these transactions, -many of the servants of Fasil visited the royal camp, and Bruce, -reflecting that the sources of the Nile lay in their master’s -government, endeavoured to conciliate their good wishes by his -attentions and presents. He likewise in their hearing spoke highly of -Fasil, and on their departure gave them, not only a present for their -master, but also for themselves. These men, moreover, requested him to -prescribe something for a cancer on the lip, with which Welleta Yasous, -Fasil’s principal general, was afflicted. - -In return for this service, which they rated very high, saying in the -presence of the king that Fasil would be more pleased with the cure of -this man than with the magnificent appointments which the king’s -goodness had bestowed upon him, Bruce only demanded that the village of -Geesh, and the source of the Nile, should be given him; and that Fasil, -as soon as it might be in his power, should be bound by the king to -conduct him to the sources without fee or reward. This request was -granted; and Fasil’s servants swore, in the name of their master, that -the village and the fountains should belong to Yagoube and his posterity -for ever. - -On the 28th of October, 1770, Bruce and his party set out from Gondar to -explore the sources of the Nile. Having passed by the lake of Tzana, he -came up at Bamba with Fasil’s army, which was now once more in motion. -Here he had an interview with this rebel chieftain, who was as insolent -to strangers as he was undutiful to his sovereign. However, after much -blustering and many exhibitions of vanity, in which Bruce, who was never -at a loss on such occasions, was fully his equal, he seemed to relapse -into what was probably his natural disposition, and promised to afford -his guest the most ample protection. He then introduced him to seven -chiefs of the Gallas, ferocious savages, who appeared in the eyes of -Bruce to be so many thieves; and having informed him that he might pass -in the utmost safety through their country, and that, in fact, he would -very soon be related to them all, as it was their custom, when visited -by any stranger of distinction, to give him the privilege of sleeping -with their sisters and daughters. Upon this he put a question to the -savages in the Galla language, probably asking them whether it were not -so; and they all answered, says Bruce, by the wildest howl I ever heard, -and struck themselves upon the breast, apparently assenting. - -Fasil, who was fond of hearing the sound of his own voice, now made -another long speech, and then turned to the Galla, who now got upon -their feet; and the whole party standing round in a circle, and raising -the palms of their hands, Fasil and the seven chiefs repeated a prayer -about a minute long, the latter apparently with great devotion. “Now,” -says Fasil, “go in peace; you are a Galla. This is a curse upon them and -their children, their corn, grass, and cattle, if ever they lift their -hands against you or yours, or do not defend you to the utmost, if -attacked by others, or endeavour to defeat any design they may hear is -intended against you.” He then took the traveller to the door of the -tent, where there stood a handsome gray horse bridled and saddled, and -said, “Take this horse; but do not mount it yourself. Drive it before -you, saddled and bridled as it is; no man of Maitsha will touch you when -he sees that horse.” - -A guide was now given him by Fasil, and he took his leave. The horse was -driven before him, and he proceeded towards the mysterious fountains of -the Nile, surrounded on all sides by a people ignorant, brutal, and -treacherous, and bearing a stronger resemblance in character than any -other race of men to the profligate Mingrelians described by Chardin. - -On the 3d of November he came in sight of a triple ridge of mountains, -disposed one range behind another, nearly in form of three concentric -circles, which he supposed to be the Mountains of the Moon, the “Montes -Lunæ” of the ancients, near which the Nile was said to rise; and on the -4th, about three quarters after one o’clock, “we arrived,” says Bruce, -“on the top of a mountain, whence we had a distinct view of all the -remaining territory of Saccala, the mountain Geesh, and church of St. -Michael Geesh, about a mile and a half distant from St. Michael Saccala, -where we then were. We saw immediately below us the Nile itself -strangely diminished in size, and now only a brook that had scarce water -enough to turn a mill. I could not satiate myself with the sight, -revolving in my mind all those classical prophecies that had given the -Nile up to perpetual obscurity and concealment. The lines of the poet -came immediately into my mind, and I enjoyed here, for the first time, -the triumph which already, by the protection of Providence and my own -intrepidity, I had gained over all that were powerful and all that were -learned since the remotest antiquity. - - Arcanum natura caput non prodidit ulli, - Nec licuit populis parvum te, Nile, videre; - Amovitque sinus, et gentes maluit ortus - Mirari, quam nôsse tuos.’”[12] - -Footnote 12: - - Lucan, Phars. x. 295. - -His guide, who, having formerly committed a murder in the village of -Geesh, was afraid to enter it, made a number of lame excuses for not -accompanying him to the fountains, and at length confessed the truth. -His apprehensions, however, were not proof against his vanity and -avarice. He had long been desirous of possessing a rich sash which Bruce -wore about his waist, and was bribed by this article of finery to -approach somewhat nearer to the scene of his past villany. After leading -the traveller round to the south of the church, beyond the grove of -trees which surrounded it, “This,” says he, “is the hill which, when you -were on the other side of it, was between you and the fountains of the -Nile. There is no other. Look at that hillock of green sod in the middle -of that watery spot; it is in that the two fountains of the Nile are to -be found. Geesh is on the face of the rock where yon green trees are. If -you go the length of the fountain, pull off your shoes as you did the -other day; for these people are pagans, and believe in nothing that you -believe, but only in this river, to which they pray every day, as if it -were God; but this, perhaps, you may do likewise.” - -“Half-undressed as I was,” says Bruce, “by the loss of my sash, and -throwing off my shoes, I ran down the hill towards the little island of -green sods, which was about two hundred yards distant. The whole side of -the hill was thick grown over with flowers, the large bulbous roots of -which appearing above the surface of the ground, and their skins coming -off on treading upon them, occasioned two very severe falls before I -reached the brink of the marsh. I after this came to the island of green -turf, which was in form of an altar, apparently the work of art, and I -stood in rapture over the principal fountain which rises in the middle -of it. - -“It is easier to guess than to describe the situation of my mind at that -moment, standing in that spot which had baffled the genius, industry, -and inquiry of both ancients and moderns for the course of near three -thousand years. Kings had attempted this discovery at the head of -armies, and each expedition was distinguished from the last only by the -difference of the numbers which had perished, and agreed alone in the -disappointment which had uniformly and without exception followed them -all.... Though a mere private Briton, I triumphed here in my own mind -over kings and their armies; and every comparison was leading nearer and -nearer to presumption, when the place itself where I stood, the object -of my vainglory, suggested what depressed my short-lived triumph. I was -but a few minutes arrived at the sources of the Nile, through numberless -dangers and sufferings, the least of which would have overwhelmed me but -for the continual goodness and protection of Providence; I was, however, -but then half through my journey, and all those dangers which I had -already passed awaited me again on my return. I found a despondency -gaining ground fast upon me, and blasting the crown of laurels I had too -rashly woven for myself.” - -This was extremely natural. He had proposed to himself an object in -itself rather curious than useful, and in all probability had in his -imagination invested these fountains themselves with a magnificent or -mysterious character which the realities were found not to possess, and -that depression of spirit which is occasioned by disappointment ensued. -Besides, he could scarcely seriously disbelieve the fact that Paez had -visited the spot before him; and, therefore, that however great his -pleasure might be, as “a private Briton,” triumphing in his own mind -over kings and their armies, he was not really the first European who -had approached these fountains; that is, was not the discoverer of them. -The talking of kings at the head of armies having made the discovery of -the sources of the Nile their object, and failed, is a mere rhetorical -figure of speech. When Ptolemy Euergetes was at Auxum, what was there to -hinder his proceeding to Geesh? Bruce’s mode of describing his own -achievements is pompous and vain; but he had purchased the right to be a -little vain at so dear a rate that we readily forgive him. - -Having by numerous observations discovered that the fountains of the -Nile are situated in latitude 10° 59´ 25´´ N., and in longitude 36° 55´ -30´´ E., Bruce, after a stay of six days, prepared to return to Gondar. -While he remained at Geesh, he contrived with his usual address to -acquire the confidence of the inhabitants, with whom he lived in great -familiarity and harmony. These people, as his guide had informed him, -really worship the Nile. Annually, on the first appearance of the -dog-star, or eleven days afterward according to others, the servant, or -priest, of the river assembles the heads of the clans around the -principal fountain and altar. Having sacrificed a black heifer which has -never borne a calf, they plunge the head of the beast into the fountain, -and then draw it out, and wrap it up in the hide, previously sprinkled -on both sides with the water of the river, so as that it may never more -be seen by mortal. The body of the heifer is then divided into two -parts, carefully cleansed, and placed upon the hillock, where it is -washed with water brought in the hollow of the hand, for no dish must be -used by the elders or principal persons of the tribes. The flesh is then -cut into pieces, one for each clan, and eaten raw. They then quench -their thirst with the sacred waters of the Nile, and burn the bones to -ashes on the spot where they have been sitting. When this part of the -ceremony is over, the head is carried into a cavern, which, they assert, -extends under the fountains, and there certain mysterious rites, the -nature of which has never been revealed, are performed. What becomes of -the head is unknown. The Abyssinians, in hatred of their pagan subjects, -assert that the powers of hell unite with the river worshippers in -devouring it; but, however they may dispose of it, they certainly pray -to the spirit residing in the river, whom they address as the -Everlasting God, Light of the World, Eye of the World, God of Peace, the -Saviour, and Father of the Universe. - -Relics of serpent-worship, which has in all ages extensively prevailed -in the East, were likewise observed among the Agows, who use them, as -the Romans did their sacred chickens, for purposes of divination. - -On the 10th of November Bruce took his leave of the fountains of the -Nile, and returned to Gondar. Here, as the civil war still raged with -unexampled fury, he was during a whole year witness of all those -atrocities which ferocious barbarians exercise towards each other when -excited by ambition or revenge. At the termination of this period, -however, notwithstanding that old law of Abyssinia forbidding strangers -to quit the country, which had a thousand times been broken, he obtained -the king’s permission to depart, though not before he had taken a solemn -oath, which he never intended to fulfil, that, after having visited his -home and friends, he would return. - -Leaving Gondar on the 26th of December, 1771, with a numerous suite of -attendants, he proceeded through the northern provinces of Abyssinia, -the country of the Shangalla, and crossing the rivers Rabad, Dender, and -Nile, arrived on the 29th of April, 1772, at Sennaar, the capital of -Nubia. The next morning after his arrival he was summoned into the -presence of the king, whom he found in a small apartment in his vast -clay-built palace, dressed very meanly, and reposing on a mattress -covered with a Persian carpet. He was a “fellow of no mark or -likelihood,” with a “very plebeian countenance;” but he received the -stranger civilly, asked him numerous questions, and furnished him with a -very comfortable dinner of camel’s flesh. The crowds in the streets, -however, were exceedingly insolent; and while they affronted and hooted -at him as he passed, he called to mind with horror that, but a few years -before, this same mob had murdered a French ambassador with all his -attendants. - -At this city he was detained by various circumstances until the 8th of -September, and during this period was enabled to make numerous inquiries -into the history of the country, civil and natural, together with the -manners, customs, religions, and character of its inhabitants. But when -the day of departure arrived, he proceeded with indescribable pleasure -on his journey, having the Nile on his right-hand, and the -Bahr-el-Abiad, or White River, which he never approached, on the left. -On the 21st he again crossed the Nile, and after travelling along its -banks for several days, took a long leave of its stream, and plunged -into the vast desert of Nubia. The soil here consisted of fixed gravel, -of a very disagreeable whitish colour, mixed with small pieces of white -marble and pebbles like alabaster, and wholly bare of trees. As they -proceeded, indeed, a few patches of coarse grass, with small groves of -acacia, met and refreshed the eye. On the 14th of November they halted -in a small hollow, called Waadi-el-Halboub, and “were here at once -surprised and terrified,” says Bruce, “by a sight surely one of the most -magnificent in the world. In that vast expanse of desert, from west and -to north-west of us we saw a number of prodigious pillars of sand, at -different distances, at times moving with great celerity, at others -stalking on with a majestic slowness. At intervals we thought they were -coming in a very few minutes to overwhelm us, and small quantities of -sand did actually more than once reach us. Again they would retreat, so -as to be almost out of sight, their tops reaching to the very clouds. -There the tops often separated from the bodies; and these, once -disjoined, dispersed in the air, and did not appear more. Sometimes they -were broken near the middle, as if struck with a large cannon-shot. -About noon they began to advance with considerable swiftness upon us, -the wind being very strong at north. Eleven of them ranged alongside of -us about the distance of three miles. The greatest diameter of the -largest appeared to me at that distance as if it would measure ten feet. -They retired from us with a wind at S.E., leaving an impression upon my -mind to which I can give no name, though surely one ingredient in it was -fear, with a considerable deal of wonder and astonishment. It was in -vain to think of flying: the swiftest horse or fastest sailing ship -could be of no use to carry us out of this danger, and the full -persuasion of this riveted me as if to the spot where I stood.” - -The appearance of these phantoms of the plain, as Bruce terms them, sent -their guide to his prayers, and together with the danger which they were -now in of perishing of thirst, produced in the whole party nothing but -murmuring, discontent, and insubordination. Next day the moving -sand-pillars again appeared. The sublimity of the scene,—a boundless -desert, level as the sea, condemned to eternal desolation, without -sounds or signs of life, animal or vegetable; the arid soil, drained of -every particle of moisture, reduced by perpetual attrition to almost -impalpable atoms, and raised aloft by whirlwinds into prodigious -columns, which, as if instinct with life, glided along with -preternatural rapidity,—all this, I say, no language, however -magnificent, or exalted by metaphor and poetical fervour, could ever -present in its proper terrors to the mind. These pillars on their second -appearance were more numerous, but of inferior dimensions to those seen -at Waadi Halboub. They had probably been careering over the waste in the -darkness and silence of night; as, immediately after sunrise, they were -observed, like a thick wood, reaching to the clouds, and almost -darkening the sun, whose slanting rays, shining through them as they -moved along, like enormous shadows, before the wind, gave them the -appearance of pillars of fire. Our traveller’s attendants now became -desperate: the Greeks shrieked out that the day of judgment was come; -Ismael, a Turk, said it was hell; and the Africans exclaimed that the -world was on fire. Bruce now demanded of their guide whether he had ever -before witnessed such a sight. “Frequently,” replied the man, “but I -have never seen a worse.” He added, however, that from the redness of -the air, he dreaded the approach of something much more terrible than -these fiery columns,—the _simoom_, which almost invariably ensued upon -such a disposition of the atmosphere. This information greatly increased -the apprehensions of the traveller; but he entreated the man to conceal -his suspicions from their companions. - -In the forenoon of the next day, being in sight of the rock of Chiggre, -where they expected to refresh themselves with plenty of excellent -water, and were therefore in high spirits, the guide cried out with a -loud voice, “Fall upon your faces, for here is the simoom!” Bruce -looked, he says, towards the south-east, and saw “a haze come in colour -like the purple part of the rainbow, but not so compressed or thick. It -did not occupy twenty yards in breadth, and was about twelve feet high -from the ground. It was a kind of blush upon the air, and it moved very -rapidly; for I scarce could turn to fall upon the ground with my head to -the northward, when I felt the heat of its current plainly upon my face. -We all lay flat on the ground, as if dead, till Idris (the guide) told -us it was blown over. The meteor, or purple haze, which I saw, was -indeed passed, but the light air that still blew, was of a heat to -threaten suffocation. For my part, I found distinctly in my breast that -I had imbibed a part of it; nor was I free of an asthmatic sensation -till I had been some months in Italy, at the baths of Poretta, near two -years afterward.” - -The effect of this state of the atmosphere upon his companions was -sudden and extraordinary. They were all seized with an unusual -despondency, ceased to speak to each other, or if they spoke it was in -whispers; from which Bruce conjectured, perhaps without reason, that -some plot was forming against him. He therefore called them together, -reprimanded them for their fears, exhorted them to take courage, -reminded them, that whatever might be their sufferings, his own were not -less than theirs; desired them to look at his swollen face, his neck -blistered by the sun, his feet torn and bleeding, and to observe his -voice nearly lost by the simoom. With respect to the scantiness of -water, of which they had complained, he was so well persuaded that they -had nothing to apprehend on this score, that he would allow each man an -additional gourd-full from their present stock. In fact, if they lifted -up their eyes, they would perceive in the distance, the bare, black, and -sharp point of the rock Chiggre, where there was an abundance of water. -The only point, therefore, was to hasten on in good spirits to this -spot, where all their fears of perishing from thirst in the desert would -immediately vanish. This speech restored the courage of the whole party, -and they continued their march with something like energy. That same -evening they reached Chiggre. - -On the 17th of November they left the wells, and resumed their march -through the desert. Having journeyed on during the greater part of the -day, amused rather than terrified by the moving sand-columns, with which -they were now become familiar, they halted late in the afternoon in a -vast plain, “bounded on all sides by low sandy hills, which seemed to -have been transported thither lately. These hillocks were from seven to -thirteen feet high, drawn into perfect cones, with very sharp points, -and well-proportioned bases. The sand was of an inconceivable fineness, -having been the sport of hot winds for thousands of years.” These cones, -in fact, were nothing more or less than the relics of a group of sandy -pillars, which had been perhaps on the previous day in motion; and had -they then advanced so far, might have overwhelmed them in their fall. -Marks of the whirling motion of the pillars were distinctly seen in -every heap. - -In the course of the next day they passed by the spot where, but a few -years before, one of the largest caravans that ever came out of Egypt, -amounting to some thousands of camels, and conducted by the Ababdé and -Bishareen Arabs, had been overwhelmed by a sand-storm; and the heaps -which probably had collected over their bodies had somewhat raised the -level of the desert in that place. Here numbers of gray granite rocks -were scattered over the plain. A little beyond this they came to a wood -of dwarf acacia-trees, which furnished a little browsing to their -camels. - -In the night of the 19th, while they were encamped at a well, an attempt -was made by a single robber to steal one of their camels. From this -circumstance, which informed them they were come into the neighbourhood -of man, they began to fear that they had approached the camp of some of -those wandering Arabs who extract a scanty subsistence out of these -torrid plains, and dwell all their lives amid simooms and pillars of -moving sand, which form the terror of all other men. In the morning, -however, no Arabs appeared; all was still; but, in diligently -scrutinizing the appearance of the sand, they discovered the track of a -man, by following which they soon came in sight of two ragged, old, -dirty tents, pitched with grass cords. Two of Bruce’s attendants found, -on entering the smaller tent, a naked woman; and our traveller himself, -and Ismael the Turk, saw, on entering the larger one, “a man and a -woman, both perfectly naked; frightful emaciated figures, not like the -inhabitants of this world. The man was partly sitting on his hams; a -child, seeming of the age to suck, was on a rag at the corner, and the -woman looked as if she wished to hide herself.” Upon these miserable -wretches they all immediately rushed like wild beasts, threatening to -murder them; and, in fact, brought them all bound to their encampment, -with the intention, at least on the part of all but Bruce, to put them -to death. However, after terrifying them greatly, and learning from them -some particulars respecting the movements of the tribe to which they -belonged, it was resolved that the man should accompany them in chains, -as a guide; and the women, after their camels had been lamed, left where -they were until the return of their husband. If the man led them into -danger he was to be put to death without mercy; if he served them -faithfully Bruce engaged to clothe both him and his women, to present -him with a camel, and a load of dora for them all. - -On the 22d one of the African attendants was seized with a kind of -phrensy, and, their anxiety for their own preservation having -extinguished their humanity, was left to perish among the burning sands. -Their camels were now dropping off one by one; their bread grew scanty; -and the water they found in the wells was so brackish that it scarcely -served to quench their thirst. Languor and inactivity seized upon them -all; all the weighty baggage and curiosities, such as shells, fossils, -minerals, the counter-canes of the quadrant, telescopes, &c., were -abandoned, and inevitable death appeared to stare them in the face. - -Their Bishareen prisoner, however, seemed not to be affected in the -least, either by fatigue or the hot winds, and by his ingenuity in -contriving a bandage for Bruce’s feet probably saved the traveller’s -life. Here and there upon the sands, the bodies of men who had been -murdered, and of camels which had perished for want, met their eyes; and -suggested the thought that their own carcasses might shortly increase -the number. Two of their camels, which kneeled down and refused to rise, -they killed, preserving their flesh for food, and taking the water out -of their stomachs, as a precious addition to their stock. One of the -party had lost an eye, and others, more fortunate, perhaps, dropped down -dead by the brink of the well where they had been quenching their -thirst. Still they pushed forward, and at length Bruce announced to his -followers that they were approaching Assuan. “A cry of joy,” says he, -“followed this annunciation. Christians, Moors, and Turks, all burst -into floods of tears, kissing and embracing one another, and thanking -God for his mercy in this deliverance; and unanimously, in token of -their gratitude and acknowledgments of my constant attention to them in -the whole of this long journey, saluting me with the name of Abou Ferege -(Father Foresight), the only reward it was in their power to give.” - -About nine o’clock next morning they beheld the palm-trees of Assuan, -and shortly afterward arrived in a small grove in the environs of the -city. The waters of the Nile being now before them, no consideration of -prudence, no fears of the consequences which might possibly ensue, could -check Bruce’s companions from running at once to the stream to drink. -The traveller himself sat down among the trees, and fell asleep, -overcome by heat and fatigue. However, when his arrival was made known -to the Aga of Assuan, he was received and entertained with distinguished -hospitality, and furnished with dromedaries to go in search of the -baggage which he had been compelled to abandon in the desert. He then -paid and discharged his guide; and to the Bishareen, who had faithfully -served him from the day in which he took him prisoner, and was now -become particularly attached to his person, he gave the privilege of -choosing the best of his camels; and having, as he had promised, clothed -him completely, and presented him with dresses for his wives, and a -camel-load of dora, dismissed him. The Arab, whom almost unexampled -misery had reduced to a robber, was so far overcome by his generous -treatment, that he expressed his desires, with tears in his eyes, to -enter Bruce’s service, and follow him over the world, having first -returned into the desert, and provided for the subsistence of his -family. This, however, could not be, and they parted, the Arab to his -desert, and Bruce to his home. - -From Syene, or Assuan, Bruce descended the Nile to Cairo, whence, after -a short stay, he proceeded to Alexandria, and took ship for Marseilles. -He remained some time on the Continent, where he was universally -received in the most flattering manner, before he returned to his native -land, which he did not reach until the middle of the summer of 1774, -after an absence of twelve years. In 1776 he married a second time: by -this wife he had two children, a son and a daughter; but he was not -fortunate in his marriages, for in 1785 he again became a widower. - -Various causes, among which the principal one appears to have been -disgust at observing that his statements were in many instances thought -unworthy of belief, retarded the composition and publication of his -travels. At length, however, in 1790, seventeen years after his return -to Europe, the result of his labours and adventures was laid before the -world, and prejudice and ignorance united their efforts to diminish, at -least, if they could not destroy, his chance of fame, the only reward -which he coveted for all the hardships and dangers which he had -encountered. - -On the 27th of April, 1794, as he was conducting an aged lady from his -drawing-room to her carriage, down the great staircase of his house at -Kinnaird, his foot slipped, and falling with great force down several of -the steps, he pitched upon his head, and was killed. He was buried in -the churchyard of Larbert, in a tomb which he had erected for his wife. - -I have carefully avoided interrupting the course of the narrative by -entering into any discussions respecting those points on which Bruce’s -veracity has been called in question. His detractors, without any -exception of which I am aware, consist of men whose authority, in -matters of this nature is no longer respected, or who never, except from -their numbers, possessed any. No man of competent understanding and -knowledge of mankind can read Bruce’s Travels without a thorough -conviction that the writer was a person of the strictest honour and -veracity, who, though as in the case of Paez, he might be hurried by -wounded pride and indignation into the commission of injustice, was -wholly incapable of deliberate falsehood. That the name of Dr. Johnson -is found among those of Bruce’s enemies, is to be regretted on Dr. -Johnson’s own account. But the circumstance can excite no surprise in -any one who recollects that the doctor likewise distinguished himself -among the calumniators of Milton—a name which has long since ranked -among the first which history records, and is the representative, as it -were, of every thing that is most sacred in genius, and most unsullied -in virtue. The other cavillers at Bruce demand no ceremony. Their absurd -rancour has been stimulated by a secret conviction of their own -inferiority in talent and enterprise; and, despairing of raising -themselves to his level, they have endeavoured to bring him down to -their own. Swift explains in two lines the whole philosophy of this -proceeding:— - - I have no title to aspire: - Yet, if you sink, _I seem the higher!_ - -It will be remembered that Marco Polo met with very nearly the same fate -with Bruce, being not only disbelieved during his lifetime, but having -to endure, even on his death-bed, the monstrous incredulity of his -nearest relations, who, pressing around him, conjured him for the love -of Christ, and the salvation of his soul, to retract the fictions which -they imagined he had advanced in his writings. With the noble -intrepidity which Bruce, I doubt not, would have shown under similar -circumstances, he refused to abate a jot of his assertions, which, he -solemnly averred, fell far short of the truth. The persecution of Marco -Polo, however, arose wholly from the ignorance of his contemporaries; -but Bruce had a foible, abundantly visible in his writings, from which -the great Italian traveller was altogether exempt—I mean an arrogant and -intolerable vanity. Even the most charitable of readers must frequently, -in perusing Bruce’s writings, be angered, if not disgusted, at its -perpetual recurrence in the coarsest and most undisguised forms; but -when we reflect, that notwithstanding this foible, or partly, perhaps, -in consequence of it, he was one of the most enterprising, adventurous, -and indefatigable of travellers, we readily consent to overlook this -defect in consideration of the many excellences which accompany it. As a -writer he is slovenly and immethodical, and destitute to a remarkable -degree of the graces of style; but, on the other hand, he is always so -much in earnest, and so natural, in spite of all that has been said to -the contrary, that it would argue nothing short of actual stupidity to -doubt of the truth of what he relates. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - JONAS HANWAY. - - Born 1712.—Died 1786. - - -JONAS HANWAY, equally celebrated as a traveller and a philanthropist, -was born on the 12th of August, 1712, at Portsmouth, in Hampshire. His -father dying while he was yet a child, he was removed with the other -members of the family to London, where he received an education suited -to the course of life he was intended to pursue, and at the age of -seventeen was placed as an apprentice in a mercantile house at Lisbon. -Here Hanway conceived a passion for a lady then renowned for her beauty -and accomplishments; but being unsuccessful in his love, he for ever -renounced all idea of marriage, though he continued to the latest hour -of his life an ardent advocate and admirer of womankind. Shortly after -the expiration of his apprenticeship he returned to London. - -Nothing remarkable occurred in the life of Hanway until the year 1743, -when he entered as a partner into the house of Mr. Dingley, a merchant -at Petersburg, for which city he embarked in the month of June of the -same year. His character for integrity and perseverance was soon -established in Russia. In the September of 1743, a few months after his -arrival, he was appointed agent of the Russia Company in Persia, and -intrusted with the management of the whole Caspian trade. He very -quickly set out on his mission. His suite consisted of an interpreter, a -clerk, a Russian servant, a Tartar boy, and a guard; and he was -intrusted with twenty carriage-loads of English cloth. With this train -he proceeded through Moscow to the banks of the Volga, where he embarked -in a vessel for Astrakhan, from whence, after a short stay, he sailed -down to Yerkie. Here he procured a passage to Persia, and traversing the -whole length of the Caspian from north to south, arrived on the 3d of -December at Lanjaron, in Persia. Here he was well received by Mr. Elton, -a captain in the service of Nadir Shah, and formerly agent of the Russia -merchants. With this gentleman he remained seven days, and then -continued his voyage. As they steered towards the east the sky grew -brighter, and the air, which had hitherto been raw and cold, became -gradually warmer. The lofty peak of Mount Demawund, thirty leagues -inland, was visible during four days. They reached Astrabad on the 18th -of December, and their vessel, which resembled those of the Russian -pirates, who usually committed great depredations on that coast, caused -so much terror in the inhabitants, that they for some time refused to -hold any communication with them. - -While they were lying on the shore awaiting the reply of the governor of -Astrabad to Hanway’s application for protection, they beheld the forests -on the neighbouring mountains on fire, and the wind blowing with -violence prodigiously increased the force of the flames, which, blazing -aloft in the darkness of the night, exhibited a magnificent but terrific -appearance. Permission being obtained, our traveller proceeded to -Astrabad, where he immediately waited on the governor, Nazir Aga, who, -in the oriental style of compliment, assured him that the city of -Astrabad was his to do what he pleased with it. Hanway, however, though -unused to Persian politeness, was satisfied at a much cheaper rate, and -merely requested the Aga’s protection as far as Meshed, which was -readily granted. He now despatched the greater portion of his -merchandise on camels towards Meshed, and was patiently waiting for the -escort promised by the Aga, when news was brought to the city that the -people of the neighbouring districts had broken out into rebellion, and -being commanded by a powerful leader, who had taken a body of Turcomans -into his pay, designed to sack the city, for the purpose of seizing on -the royal treasury then deposited there, as well as on the European -merchandise. - -Hanway was now in a position of extreme danger. The inhabitants, who -considered his presence in the city with so much wealth as one of the -principal incitements to the present insurrection, were by no means -disposed to incur any peril on his account, and cursed him openly. On -the other hand, the rebels looked upon his property as a desirable prey; -and as men when in the act of sacking a city are in an ill mood for -hearing remonstrance, it was probable that, should the least opposition -be shown, they would silence it by striking off his head. He was -therefore advised to make his escape, disguised in a Persian dress. But -he wisely repelled the idea, knowing well that if there was danger -within the city, there was far more danger without. The governor, -however, whose case was exceedingly different, had already fled, -disguised as a peasant; and the terrible moment was most anxiously -expected when the assault should be given and the place carried by -storm. On the approach of night Hanway made the necessary preparations -for receiving the invaders, whom it would have been impossible to -resist, and retired to his chamber, where, having performed his -devotions, he delivered himself up to sleep. A smart but irregular fire -of musketry awakened him at four o’clock in the morning. This was -followed by a short silence; and a few minutes after, shouts, wild -merriment, and the loud beating of drums announced the triumph of the -insurgents, and the fall of the city. - -It was not long before two of the rebel chiefs at the head of a party of -men arrived at the house of our traveller, demanding his merchandise, -and informing him that the forty bales which he had despatched towards -Meshed were already in their hands. They engaged, however, as soon as -their government should be established, to pay for whatever they now -seized upon, and only required, they said, a short credit. Hanway, like -the ancient sophist, was thoroughly persuaded that there was no -disputing with a man who commanded forty legions, and therefore, without -vain opposition, suffered them to appropriate to themselves whatever -they thought proper, excepting one hundred and sixty gold crowns, which -he succeeded in concealing about his person. The Persians appeared -exceedingly well satisfied when they had, as they supposed, gained -possession of all his property; for they are well-bred thieves, who rob, -as it were, with a kind of honorable regret and a humane sympathy for -the sufferers; but their soldier-like allies, the Turcomans, looked upon -the matter as merely begun, and casting a longing eye upon our traveller -and his companions, as if they felt a strong inclination to eat them, -observed to Zadoc, the rebel governor, “You give us the merchandise of -the Russians—will you not give us the Russians also? They will do well -to tend our sheep!” - -Notwithstanding the disturbed state of public affairs, the breed of -honest men had not become wholly extinct. Many inhabitants of Astrabad -regretted to behold the distress of the stranger, and being desirous of -placing him beyond the reach of the capricious insults of the rebels, -not only gave him information, but aided, as far as possible, in -enabling him to escape. While this design secretly occupied his mind, he -obtained from one of the new chiefs a bill for the amount of his goods, -and, upon further application, an engagement to provide ten armed men to -escort him to Ghilān, in the vicinity of which Nadir Shah was said to be -encamped with his army. The necessary precautionary measures being -taken, he departed from Astrabad under convoy of hajjî, his brother, and -two sons, with about twenty armed villagers. This holy man appeared to -have discovered, during his pilgrimage to Mecca, the full value of -earthly as well as of heavenly possessions, and thought that, while -waiting for the latter, the being master of the former would be no -inconvenience. He therefore exerted all his wits, which had no doubt -been much sharpened by travelling, in the concoction of schemes for -compelling Hanway to do an act of sublime charity, by reducing himself -to destitution for the benefit of a pilgrim. Having it in his power to -accelerate or impede, as he pleased, the movements of our traveller, he -in a great measure succeeded; after which they continued their journey. -The roads through northern Persia are at no time very safe, more -particularly for an infidel: but now that the shah’s tyranny had goaded -the wretched peasants into rebellion, the danger was infinitely -augmented. Accordingly, the hajjî, who understood the character of his -countrymen, conducted their little kafilah through pathless woods, over -deep ravines and mountains, sedulously avoiding all frequented roads, -and causing them to encamp at night in the open fields. During this -journey they passed by the ruins of the palace of Ferhabad, once famous -as the residence of the Persian kings. - -Hanway’s conductors, understanding that Nadir’s general was levying -forces at Balfroosh, the capital of Mazenderan, now expressed their -determination to proceed no further; but observed that, as he was near -the coast, he might perform the remaining distance by sea. “Accordingly, -they conducted him and his attendants to a fisherman’s hut on the -seacoast: the poor man had only an open boat, like a canoe, very leaky, -and barely large enough to admit six persons; besides, it could be -navigated only with oars or paddles near the shore, where the surf then -ran very high; and the sandbanks, forming breakers, made the sea still -more dangerous. He therefore again implored the carriers to furnish -horses according to their engagement, but they treated his request with -contempt. He threatened to use force; whereupon two of them, being armed -with matchlocks, lighted their matches; two others had bows and arrows, -and all of them, being six in number, had sabres. Hanway collected his -company, among whom were four muskets, a blunderbuss, and a pair of -pistols; but as he could not depend on more than two of his servants, -after a short parley he submitted to run the risk of being drowned, -rather than engage in a fray, where no other advantage could be gained -than a precarious use of horses, through a country utterly unknown to -him; and, if he should fall, the cause in which he embarked must fall -with him.” - -Embarking, therefore, in the fisherman’s canoe, they coasted along the -shore to Teschidezar, where they landed. Hanway here applied for -protection to the principal of the shah’s officers, who sent him a horse -richly caparisoned for his own use, and four mules for his servants, -with which he pushed on with all possible speed to Balfroosh. On his -arrival at this city he was somewhat comforted by the assurance of the -Persian merchants, that the shah would certainly make good his loss. But -to reach the shah was the difficulty. No beasts, or any other mode of -conveyance, could be obtained. The general, unable to oppose the rebels, -was preparing for flight; and fortune appeared once more disposed to -expose him to the danger of becoming a Turcoman shepherd. At length, -however, the governor of the city munificently provided him with a -horse, which, though “galled and spavined,” was still alive, and capable -of conveying him several miles before he died. Upon this animal, -therefore, miserable as he was, our traveller mounted; and, taking leave -of all his attendants, with whom he left the rebels’ passport and what -money he could spare, set out on his desperate journey alone. His -departure was well timed, for the Turcomans were entering the city at -the eastern gate, while he was escaping through the western one. “After -some time,” says Pugh, “he fell in with a party who conducted the -baggage of the admiral, and himself soon followed; but it was not -possible for him to keep pace with them. The poor tartar boy, attached -to him with more sincerity than his other servants, had followed him on -foot; and when he fainted, Mr. Hanway took him up behind him; but before -they had rode six miles, the horse’s hind quarters gave way, and they -were both obliged to dismount.” - -His situation was now deplorable. Knowing very little of the language, -and without a guide, it was with extreme difficulty that he once more -explored his way to the coast. His miserable appearance, for his clothes -were worn out and in tatters, was his only protection. This excited the -pity of the inhabitants; and when he arrived at any great river, he was, -on pleading poverty, ferried over gratis; for he did not venture to show -the money which he had concealed about his person at Astrabad. He at -length overtook the troops of the person whom he calls the admiral, who -was flying, like himself, before the Turcomans, and among whose -followers he found his own clerk and servant. During this rapid flight -he ate nothing for nearly forty hours excepting a few parched peas which -he found by chance in his pocket. In the night the admiral decamped, -intending to abandon Hanway to his fate; but the latter, rendered doubly -energetic by despair, and highly incensed at his baseness, immediately -followed at his heels. The night was dark and tempestuous; but, by -pushing vigorously forward, he once more overtook the fugitive; and -having by extraordinary exertions kept pace with him for some time, -finding himself quite spent, and urged by despair, he seized the bridle -of the horse on which the admiral was mounted, and in a loud, determined -tone pronounced the word _shah_. The idea of Nadir brought thus suddenly -to his mind seemed to have awakened the Persian from a dream. He halted, -and, commanding his vizier to take up the traveller behind him, while -another of the company had compassion on the poor Tartar boy, they again -renewed their flight, which was continued without intermission from -seven o’clock in the evening until next day, in the midst of continual -tempest and rain. - -Rapidly as they fled, however, rumour still kept up with them, and -peopled all the woods and fastnesses around with Turcomans. A detachment -of these ferocious soldiers were said to be posted in a wood in advance -of the party; the admiral gave orders to fire upon them; and when Hanway -came up to the spot he found five Afghan recruits, who had come so far -on their way to join the shah’s army, weltering in their blood. They -now, without at all relaxing in their movements, descended to the shore -of the Caspian, which, broken and ploughed up alternately by mountain -torrents and by the sea, was traversed with the utmost difficulty; while -the surge at intervals dashed the horsemen from their steeds, and -endangered their lives. At length, after a journey of twenty-three days, -during which he had not enjoyed one hour of security or unbroken sleep, -he arrived at Lanjaron, where he was most hospitably received and -entertained by Captain Elton. - -Here he remained several days, until, having slightly recovered his -strength and refreshed his weary spirits, he departed for Reshed, where, -in an interview with the governor, he learned that Nadir was shortly -expected to be on the borders of Turkey. He therefore hired horses, -provided his attendants with clothes, tents, firearms, and sabres, and -set out in search of the shah. On the 2d of March he arrived, almost -blind with the reflection of the snow, at Casbin, where he remained nine -days, until the influence of spring, exceedingly rapid in those -countries, began to dissolve the snow. He then joined a party of -soldiers who were proceeding to the camp of the shah, who was reported -to be marching upon Hamadan; and all the way as he went along he -observed in the extreme distress of the inhabitants the terrible effects -of Nadir’s tyranny. An air of silence and desolation prevailed over the -whole country; for the people, taking them to be robbers or soldiers, -which was the same thing, fled to the mountains, and left them to -provide how they could for themselves. - -On arriving at the shah’s camp, Hanway pitched his tent near the royal -standard; and here, after having escaped so many perils by land and sea, -he narrowly escaped perishing by a common accident. One of his muskets -went off, and, discharging its contents in the roof of the tent over his -head, set the canvass on fire. Without loss of time he presented his -petition to the shah, praying to be reimbursed the value of the goods -forcibly seized by the rebels at Astrabad; and while waiting for Nadir’s -reply, enjoyed an ample opportunity, which he usefully turned to -account, of observing the aspect and character of this motley, -extraordinary scene. He saw the despot hemmed round by a circle of evils -of his own creating, which was every moment narrowing, and threatening -that terrible catastrophe which shortly afterward consummated the -tyrant’s fate. Every heart was bursting with indignation, and curses -were struggling to every tongue for vent, against the common enemy. And -could he have looked into the heart of this imperial miscreant, he would -there have beheld the vulture of which that of Typhœus was but the type -and shadow, feeding upon apprehensions and horrors the most fearful and -odious of all earthly things. - -Externally, however, the monster appeared to be the _beau idéal_ of -imperial splendour. A harem of sixty women, selected for their -resplendent beauty; palaces of barbaric grandeur; horses covered with -trappings set with pearls, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds of prodigious -size; and an army of two hundred thousand men, to maintain which his -country had been ruined, and India despoiled, according to the most -moderate computation, of one hundred and seventy millions sterling. Such -was his condition. Not long after his arrival Hanway obtained a decree -of the shah “that the particulars of his loss should be delivered to -Behbud Khan, the shah’s general, now at Astrabad, who was to return such -parts of the goods as could be recovered, and make up the deficiency out -of the sequestered estates of the rebels.” - -Having obtained this decree, with which, as it took him back to -Astrabad, he was not altogether satisfied, Hanway quitted the camp of -Nadir on the 27th of March. The spring in those southern regions being -already advanced, the bright pure blue of the sky, “the falls of water -from the rocks, the stupendous mountains, far higher than any he had -seen in Europe, rising gradually one above another, some with their -summits covered with snow, and others concealing their heads in the -clouds, formed a delightful scene. The vines were full of foliage, the -orange groves perfumed the air with their fragrance, and the gardens -were in full blossom.” The beauty of the landscape, however, was almost -entirely the work of nature; for the husbandman, not knowing who might -reap the fruits of his industry, had ceased to cultivate the earth, or -cultivated it with a sparing and unwilling hand. The curse of despotism, -the bane of genius and energy, submission to which is the severest evil -humanity can suffer, was deeply felt throughout the land, where, -however, symptoms of a most salutary and just revenge, the sacred duty -of the oppressed, were beginning to manifest themselves in a very -striking manner. - -Hanway reached Lanjaron on the 5th of April, where, being exceedingly -fatigued both in body and mind, he remained with Captain Elton until the -1st of May. He then set forward with six well-armed companions for -Astrabad. Their way, during the first part of their journey, lay through -a forest, where they lost their path and were benighted on the very -evening of their departure; but at length, guided by a light which they -discovered among the trees, they found their way to a house which was -barricaded with trees. The owner of this lonely mansion, with an -inhospitable terror which was fully justified by the circumstances of -the times, refused them admittance; upon which, like true Persians, they -broke into his house, and, binding a rope about one of his arms, -compelled him to serve them for a guide until they had regained their -path, when our traveller took care to reward him for his trouble. -Shortly after this two of his muleteers deserted; and in the evening, -while their beasts were at pasture, a wolf of very extraordinary size, -of which there were great numbers in the mountains of Mazenderan, made -his appearance, but was driven off by the guard, though not before he -had killed a cow. Pallas observes that the wolf is exceedingly timid in -summer; but an instance of its courage during the warm months, not -unlike the above, occurred to that traveller in Siberia; and the wolves -of Burgundy and the Vosges have the reputation, I believe, of being -sufficiently ferocious throughout the year. Next morning they overtook a -small detachment of soldiers, whose commanding officer, observing that -they were pursuing the same route, politely offered his service as a -convoy; which being readily accepted, they pursued their journey -together. - -In this way they proceeded for some time; but the officer being at -length compelled to take a different direction, granted Hanway at -parting a guard of ten men, who, however, very soon deserted him. -Nevertheless he succeeded, after much fatigue and difficulty, in -reaching Astrabad, whence the rebels had recently been dislodged. The -fate of the insurgent chief excited his compassion. Upon the news of the -defeat of his party he had been seized by the demoniacal slaves who now -gained the ascendant, who, having cut holes in his flesh, in which they -set lighted candles, thus paraded him naked through the market-place, -until he dropped down dead through loss of blood. Our traveller, -immediately upon his arrival, presented to Behbud Khan, the new -governor, the decree which he had obtained of the shah, and received a -promise that it should be fulfilled to the letter. This man appeared to -have been designed by nature for executing the designs of such a master -as Nadir. Seated in his tent, half-surrounded by soldiers, “judging and -executing in a very summary way the rebels who were brought before him, -one or two at a time. After a short repast, a prisoner was brought who -had two large logs of wood riveted to the small of his legs, and a heavy -triangular collar of wood about his neck; one of the angles being longer -than the others served as a handcuff to his left wrist, so that if he -attempted to rest his arm it must press on his neck. After being -questioned for sometime about the caravan of European cloths, of which -it appeared he knew very little, the general ordered him to be beaten -with sticks, which was immediately performed by the executioners with -the utmost severity, as if it was intended to kill him; and the scene -was closed with an order to cut out his eyes. Sadoc Aga was then -produced. In the hour of his short-lived prosperity, while he was a -general of the rebel troops, he had treated Hanway with an unbecoming -insolence. But how changed was his appearance! When Mr. Hanway saw him -last he was a youth of uncommon vivacity, richly dressed, and full of -mirth; but now his garb was mean, his voice sunk, and his eyes cut out -of their sockets. He expressed his inability to make any restitution of -the property, ‘for he had been deprived of every thing.’ This answer the -general returned by an order to strike him on the mouth, which was done -with such violence that the blood gushed out.” - -This scene was very ill calculated to entertain such a man as Hanway, -and might, perhaps, have touched even the breast of Shylock with -compassion. He therefore retired in silence, leaving the bloody-minded -representative of the shah to glut his ferocious appetite for slaughter -at his leisure. Meanwhile, the payment for the lost merchandise being -made very slowly, Hanway once more appealed to the justice of the -governor, who now confessed that a part of the money had been -appropriated to the shah’s own use, and, in default of other means, -offered in part of payment a number of female prisoners, who might, he -said, be sold for slaves. This Hanway refused; and having obtained the -greater portion of his demand, he repaired to the seashore, and once -more embarked on the Caspian. Proceeding along the southern shore, he -disembarked at Lanjaron, and continued his journey by land to Reshed, -where, immediately after his arrival, he was attacked by a dangerous -disorder, which detained him in that city during nearly two months; -after which he invested his money in raw silk, and, setting sail on the -13th of September, arrived safely at Yerkie on the mouth of the Volga. -Here, as the Russian authorities feigned to believe that the plague was -raging in Northern Persia, he was compelled to perform quarantine during -six weeks; at the expiration of which he proceeded by land along the -western bank of the Volga to Zarytzin, and thence to Moscow, where he -arrived on the 22d of December. Here he received letters from England, -informing him that by the death of a relation he had succeeded to a sum -of money far exceeding any advantages he could expect to derive from the -conducting of the Caspian trade. “Providence was thus indulgent to me,” -says he, “as if it meant to reward me for the sincerity of my -endeavours.” - -Hanway reached Petersburg on the 1st of January, 1745. Here he remained -nearly five years engaged in commerce; but at length, the love of gain -yielding to the love of home, he quitted the Russian capital; visited -the dry dock constructed by Peter I. at Cronstadt; and, passing rapidly -through Prussia, Germany, and Holland, embarked in a yacht at -Helvoetsluys, and landed at Harwich, after an absence of nearly eight -years. - -On the arrival of our traveller in London, he went to reside in the -Strand, at the house of his sister, Mrs. Townsend. Here, having now -entirely abandoned all mercantile pursuits, he lived as a private -gentleman, employed in compiling the history of his travels, and in -constant acts of benevolence. The application to sedentary employment, -which was so little in unison with the former tenor of his life, and -which the exercise of his charity was not sufficient to diversify, very -quickly injured his health; so that he was compelled for relaxation to -travel once more, though his excursion was confined to France and the -Netherlands. About this period the question respecting the expediency of -naturalizing the Jews was agitated in most of the countries of Europe; -and Hanway, on most other occasions just and philanthropic, yielded in -this instance to the force of narrow and inhuman prejudices; and argued -in a pamphlet, now very properly condemned to oblivion, in favour of the -absurd laws by which this portion of our fellow-creatures have been in -so many countries excluded from the enjoyment of the rights of man. His -other works were devoted to better purposes; he promoted, as far as was -in his power, the paving of the streets of London; he laboured to -convince the English people of the futility of the fears they seemed to -entertain of a French invasion, than which nothing could be more absurd -or impracticable; he founded the Marine Society, intended to encourage -the breed of seamen; he endeavoured benevolently, but ridiculously, to -discourage the habit of tea-drinking; he laboured to improve the -Foundling Hospital institution; was the principal means of founding the -Magdalen Hospital, or asylum for repentant public women; advocated the -cause of the orphan poor; and, by reasoning and ridicule, exposed the -practice of _vails giving_, as it was termed, by which a man who was -invited to the table of the great was made to pay threefold for his -dinner. According to Mr. Pugh, he was incited to the exposure of this -abuse by Sir Timothy Waldo. “Sir Timothy,” says he, “had dined with the -duke (of Newcastle), and, on his leaving the house, was contributing to -the support and insolence of a train of servants who lined the hall, and -at last put a crown into the hands of the cook, who returned it, saying, -‘Sir, I do not take silver.’—‘Don’t you, indeed?’ said the worthy -knight, putting it in his pocket, ‘then I do not give gold.’” Among the -ludicrous circumstances mentioned in Mr. Hanway’s letter is one which -happened to himself. He was paying the servants of a respectable friend -for a dinner which their master had invited him to, one by one, as they -appeared. “Sir, your great-coat;” _a shilling_; “Your hat;” _a -shilling_; “Stick;” _a shilling_; “Umbrella;” _a shilling_; “Sir, your -gloves.”—“Why, friend, you may keep the gloves: they are not worth a -shilling.” - -In 1762 he was appointed one of the commissioners for victualling the -navy; upon which, finding that an increase of expenditure was authorized -by the augmentation of his income, he took a house in Red Lion Square, -the principal rooms of which, says his biographer, he furnished and -decorated with paintings and emblematical devices in a style peculiar to -himself. “I found,” said he, “that my countrymen and women were not _au -fait_ in the art of conversation; I have therefore presented them with -objects the most attractive that I could imagine, and such as cannot -easily be imagined without exciting amusing and instructive discourse; -and when that fails there are the cards.” Prince Eugene, who, I suppose, -found his companions in much the same predicament, was used to have -music during dinner, and, upon being questioned respecting his reasons, -replied, “It saves you the trouble of talking.” - -Among numerous other benevolent schemes of our worthy traveller was one -which had for its object the bettering the condition of young -chimney-sweepers, who, besides the distresses which are open to general -observation, such as the contortion of their limbs and the stunting of -their growth, are liable to a disease peculiar to their occupation, -known by the name of the “chimney-sweepers’ cancer.” The extent of the -benefit conferred on these wretched beings—the very _Pariahs_ of English -society—by the exertions of Hanway cannot be exactly estimated; but they -certainly were considerable, and serve to show that genuine benevolence -can condescend to commiserate the miserable in whatever position they -may be placed. During his labours in behalf of these little “fathers of -soot,” as an Arab would term them, he addressed a little urchin who had -just been sweeping his own chimney:—“Suppose, now, I give you a -shilling?”—“God Almighty bless your honour, and thank you!”—“And what if -I give you a fine tie-wig to wear on May-day, which is just at -hand?”—“Ah! bless your honour; my master won’t let me go out on -May-day.”—“No! why not?”—“_He says it’s low life!_” The idea of a young -chimney-sweeper, black as if just issued from Pandemonium, in “a fine -tie-wig,” could never have suggested itself to any but a man of original -genius. - -Pugh, the honest and intelligent author of Hanway’s life, tells us an -anecdote connected with our traveller’s history, which I will relate in -his words:—“To one of his books written for the use of the poor he -prefixed a description of the frontispiece, in which he says to the -gentle reader, ‘Here you see the grass grow and the sheep feed.’ The -reviewers fastened on this unfortunate sentence. ‘We remember,’ said -they (I quote from memory after a lapse of several years), ‘a miller, -who quitted his trade to take a public-house, and sent for a painter to -paint him the sign of the _mill_. “I must have the miller looking out of -the window.”—“It shall be done,” said the painter. “But I was never seen -to be idle; you must make him pop his head in if any one looks at him.” -This also the artist promised, and brought home the sign. “’Tis all -well; but where’s the miller?”—“Sir, he popped his head in when you -looked.” Even so,’ said the reviewers, ‘when we look on the benevolent -author’s frontispiece, the grass ceases to _grow_, and the sheep leave -off _feeding_.’” - -Hanway died on the 5th of September, 1786. His last moments were those -of a Christian and a philosopher, calm and tranquil, indicating the -firmest reliance on the mercy and goodness of God, and a consciousness -of a life honestly and usefully spent. It might not be difficult to -collect from the history of his life materials for forming a correct -notion of his character; but in addition to the information to be -derived from this source, Pugh enjoyed the advantage of having lived -with him in the same house on terms of considerable familiarity. For -this reason, I prefer the adopting of the character which he has drawn, -and which appears to be sufficiently impartial, to the maintaining of an -appearance of originality, by conveying the same idea in different -words:—“Mr. Hanway in his person was of the middle size, of a thin spare -habit, but well shaped; his limbs were fashioned with the nicest -symmetry. In the latter years of his life he stooped very much, and, -when he walked, found it conduce to his ease to let his head incline -towards one side; but when he went first to Russia, at the age of -thirty, his face was full and comely, and his person altogether such as -obtained for him the appellation of the ‘handsome Englishman.’ His -features were small, but without the insignificance which commonly -attends small features. His countenance was interesting, sensible, and -calculated to inspire reverence. His blue eyes had never been brilliant, -but they expressed the utmost humanity and benevolence; and when he -spoke, the animation of his countenance and the tone of his voice were -such as seemed to carry conviction with them even to the mind of a -stranger. When he endeavoured to sooth distress, or point out to any -wretch who had strayed the comforts of a virtuous life, he was -peculiarly impressive; and every thing that he said had an air of -consideration and sincerity. In his transactions with the world he was -always open, candid, and sincere; whatever he said might be depended on -with implicit confidence. He adhered to the strict truth, even in the -manner of his relation, and no brilliancy of thought could induce him to -vary from the fact. But although so frank in his own proceedings, he had -seen too much of life to be easily deceived by others; and he did not -often place a confidence that was betrayed. He did not, however, think -the world so degenerate as is commonly imagined; ‘and if I did,’ he used -to say, ‘I would not let it appear; for nothing can tend so effectually -to make a man wicked, or to keep him so, as a marked suspicion.’ He knew -well how much the happiness of mankind is dependent on honest industry, -and received a pleasure but faintly described in words when any of the -objects of his charity, cleanly apparelled, and with cheerful and -contented countenances, came to pay their respects to him. He treated -them as his acquaintance, entered into their concerns with a paternal -affection, and let them know that on any real emergency they might apply -with confidence to him. It was this rather than the largeness of his -gifts that endeared him so much to the common people. He never walked -out but he was followed by the good wishes, silent or expressed, of some -to whom he had afforded relief. To meet the eye of the person he had -served was to him the highest luxury; and no man enjoyed it oftener. His -own misfortunes, I believe, never caused him to shed tears; and if the -miseries of others had that effect, which was very rare indeed, he was -particularly careful to conceal it. Yet the sight of a regiment of -soldiers under exercise, of the charity-children in their annual -assembly at Saint Paul’s, the Marine Society’s boys marching to join -their ships, or in procession, were objects which he could not resist.” - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ANTONIO DE ULLOA. - - Born 1716—Died 1795. - - -THIS great traveller, as Andiffret and Viguier observe, was one of those -men, who, in the course of the eighteenth century, reflected the -greatest honour upon Spain. He was born at Seville on the 12th of -January, 1716. His family, already distinguished in the navy, began to -prepare him from his earliest years for following the same career. His -education was conducted with extraordinary care. In 1733 he entered the -service, and his progress very quickly exceeded the most sanguine hopes -which the first manifestations of his character had given birth to. The -first commission with which he was intrusted was the scientific -expedition concerted between the ministers of France and Spain, for the -purpose of measuring a degree of the meridian near the equator, while -another expedition was despatched to measure other degrees under the -polar circle, in order to form a judgment of the different parts of the -earth’s circumference, by their equality or inequality, and from thence -to determine its magnitude and figure. - -The province of Quito, in Peru, appearing to offer the most favourable -equatorial position for performing this enterprise, which seemed likely -to be long and laborious, the ministers of Louis XV. made application to -Philip V. of Spain, for permission to send a certain number of French -academicians into Peru, in order to make there the necessary -observations. Philip referred the matter to the Council of the Indies, -and, on their favourable report, the license was granted, with all the -necessary recommendations and assurances of the royal protection to the -travellers. He moreover appointed two officers of his navy, says Ulloa, -well skilled in mathematics, to join in the observations which were to -be made, in order to give them a greater dignity, and a more extensive -advantage; and that the Spaniards might owe only to themselves the -fruits and improvements expected from them. - -The two officers appointed for this service by Philip were Don George -Juan, and Don Antonio de Ulloa. Previous to their departure, these two -gentlemen were promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the royal navy. -Having received their instructions, they set sail in separate ships from -Cadiz Bay, May 26th, 1735, and on the 9th of July arrived in the bay of -Carthagena. Here they found on landing that the French academicians had -not yet reached the port, and as they had been instructed to await their -arrival at this city, they determined to employ the interval in making -nautical and astronomical observations. They were allowed ample leisure -by the delay of the French travellers, who did hot join them until the -15th of November, when they all proceeded together, by the way of Porto -Bello, Panama, and Guayaquil, to their ultimate destination. - -The party set sail on the 24th of November, and reached Porto Bello on -the 29th. From thence they proceeded in small vessels up the river -Chagre, the current of which was so rapid, that their oars became -useless, and they were compelled to push the vessels along with poles. -This river was formerly named Lagartos, from the great number of caymans -or alligators which were found in it. Its banks, rendered impassable by -woods and thickets, exhibited a series of the richest and most -magnificent landscapes:—the groves which shade the plains, and extend -their branches to the river, the various dimensions of the trees which -cover the eminences; the texture of their leaves; the figure of their -fruits, and the various colours they exhibit, form a delightful scene, -which is greatly heightened by the infinite variety of creatures with -which it is diversified. The different species of monkeys, skipping from -tree to tree, hanging from the branches; and in other places, six, -eight, or more of them linked together in order to pass a river, and the -dams with their young on their shoulders, throwing themselves into odd -postures, making a thousand grimaces; will perhaps appear fictitious to -those who have not actually seen it. But if the birds are considered, -our reason for admiration will be considerably augmented. - -At Panama, on the Pacific, where they arrived on the 29th of December, -their stay was considerably prolonged by various preparations -indispensable for the prosecution of their journey. This interval was -usefully employed by Ulloa: he made numerous astronomical observations, -took a plan of the city and the adjacent coast, and observed with -minuteness and accuracy the surrounding country and its inhabitants. -Their arrangements being completed, they embarked on the Pacific, and -sailed for Guayaquil, which they reached on the 25th of March. Here they -were received with distinguished politeness by the corregidor, who -immediately apprized the corregidor of Guaranda of their arrival, that -he might order carriages to the port of Caracol for conveying them to -the mountains. - -All things being thus prepared, they departed from Guayaquil, and -embarked on the river on the 3d of May, 1736. The extreme velocity and -strength of the current, and several unfortunate accidents, so greatly -retarded their progress, that they did not reach Caracol before the -11th. “The tortures we received on the river, from the mosquitoes,” says -Ulloa, “were beyond imagination. We had provided ourselves with quetres -and mosquito-cloths; but to very little purpose: the whole day we were -in continual motion to keep them off; but at night our torments were -excessive. Our gloves were indeed some defence to our hands, but our -faces were entirely exposed; nor were our clothes a sufficient defence -for the rest of our bodies, for their stings penetrating through the -cloth, caused a very painful and fiery itching. The most dismal night we -spent on this passage, was when we came to an anchor near a large and -handsome house, but uninhabited; for we had no sooner seated ourselves -in it, than we were attacked on all sides with innumerable swarms of -mosquitoes, so that we were so far from having any rest there, that it -was impossible for a person susceptible of feeling to be one moment -quiet. Those who had covered themselves with their mosquito-cloths, -after taking care that none of these malignant insects were contained in -them, found themselves in a moment so attacked on all sides that they -were obliged soon to return to the place they had quitted. Those who -were in the house, hoping that they should find some relief in the open -fields, ventured out, though in danger of suffering in a more terrible -manner from the serpents; but were soon convinced of their mistake, it -being impossible to determine which was the more desirable place, within -the mosquito-cloth, without it, or in the open fields. In short no -expedient was of any use against their numbers. The smoke of the trees -we burnt to disperse these infernal insects, besides almost choking us, -seemed rather to augment than diminish their numbers. At daybreak we -could not without concern look at each other.” - -At Caracol they quitted the river, and continued their journey on the -backs of mules, through thick forests, along the course of the river -Ojibar. When, as frequently happened, they found no habitation near -their halting-place, the inconvenience was soon remedied by the -remarkable dexterity of their Indians, who running into the woods, -quickly returned with branches of trees and vijahna leaves, with which, -in less than an hour, they erected several huts large enough to contain -the whole party, and so well contrived that the rain, which fell in -torrents, could not penetrate them. They now began to ascend the distant -roots of the mountains, and felt an increasing coldness in the air. At a -place called Mamarumi, or the “Mother of Stone,” they beheld an -indescribably beautiful cascade. - -“The rock,” says Ulloa, “from which the water precipitates itself is -nearly perpendicular, and fifty toises in height, and on both sides -bordered with lofty and spreading trees. The clearness of the water -dazzles the sight, which is however charmed with its lustre as it falls -from the precipice; after which it continues its course in a bed along a -small descent, and is crossed by the road.” - -The roads by degrees assumed an Alpine character; in some places the -declivity was so great, that the mules could scarcely keep their -footing, while in others the acclivity was equally difficult. -Occasionally the road grew so narrow that there was scarcely room for -the mules to pass, while it lay at other times along the edge of -tremendous precipices, where, had they made one false step, they must -have inevitably toppled over and perished. The extraordinary dexterity -of the mules in descending the fearful slopes of these mountains is one -of the most surprising things related of the sagacity of animals. The -mules themselves are sensible of the caution requisite in these -descents; for coming at the top of an eminence they stop, and having -placed their fore-feet close together, as in a posture of stopping -themselves, they put their hind-feet together, but a little forwards, as -if going to lie down. In this attitude, having taken a survey of the -road, they slide down with the swiftness of a meteor. All the rider has -to do is to keep himself fast on the saddle without checking the beast; -for the least motion is sufficient to disorder the equilibrium of the -mule; in which case they both unavoidably perish. The address of these -creatures is here truly wonderful; for in this rapid motion, when they -seem to have lost all government of themselves, they follow exactly the -different windings of the road, as if they had before accurately -reconnoitred, and previously settled in their minds the route they were -to follow, and taken every precaution for their safety among so many -irregularities. There would indeed otherwise be no possibility of -travelling over such places, where the safety of the rider depends on -the experience and address of his beast. - -But the longest habit of travelling these roads cannot entirely free -them from a kind of dread or horror, which appears when they arrive at -the top of a steep declivity; for they stop without being checked by the -rider; and, if he inadvertently endeavours to spur them on, they -continue immoveable, nor will they stir from the place till they have -put themselves in the above-mentioned posture. Now it is that they seem -to be actuated by reason; for they not only attentively view the road, -but tremble and snort at the danger which, if the rider be not -accustomed to these emotions, cannot fail of filling him with terrible -ideas. - -On the 18th they crossed the summit of the mountain, and descended into -the province of Chimbo, where they were met by the corregidor, the -provincial alcalde, and the principal persons of the town; and on their -nearer approach a number of Dominican monks, with a large portion of the -inhabitants, came out with a troop of Indian dancing and singing boys to -welcome them. Here they remained three days to refresh themselves after -their fatiguing passage across the mountains; and then, continuing their -journey, entered the desert of Chimborazo, keeping the mountain of the -same name on the left, and travelling, over different eminences and -heights, most of which were of sand, the snow for a great, distance -forming, as it were, the sides of the mountain. During their journey -across this desert they suffered greatly from the cold, the severity of -which was much increased by the violence of the wind. They lodged at -night in caverns in the rock; and on emerging from the more dreary part -of the waste, passed the ruins of a palace of the ancient incas of Peru. - -On their arrival at Quito, they were received with splendid hospitality -by Don Dioneso de Alzedo y Herrera, who provided them with apartments in -the palace of the Andencia, while the clergy and the principal -inhabitants vied with each other in their attention and civilities. -Among the many remarkable natural curiosities observed by our traveller -during his journey is a species of cane, from thirty-five to fifty feet -in height, and about six inches in diameter. “From the time of their -first appearance till they attain their full perfection, when they are -cut down or begin to dry, most of the tubes contain a quantity of water; -but with this remarkable difference, that at full moon they are entirely -or very nearly full, and with the decrease of the moon the water ebbs, -till at the conjunction little or none is found. I have myself cut them -at all seasons, so that I here advance nothing but what I know to be -true from experience. I have also observed that the water during the -decrease appears turbid; but about the time of the full moon it is as -clear as crystal.” - -The travellers had spent one whole year in reaching Quito, and the first -few days after their arrival were necessarily devoted to rest and an -exchange of civilities with the inhabitants. They then commenced their -operations with measuring a piece of ground, which was to be the base of -the whole work, and in this the remainder of the year 1736 was consumed. -The plain of Yaruqui, selected for this purpose, is situated one -thousand four hundred and ninety-four feet lower than Quito, and is four -leagues to the north-east of that city. “The quality, disposition, and -lower situation, all contribute to render it less cold than Quito. -Eastward it is defended by the lofty cordillera of Guamani and -Pambamarca, and westward by that of Pichincha. The soil is entirely -sand; so that besides the heat naturally resulting from the direct rays -of the sun, it is increased by the rays being reverberated by the two -cordilleras: hence it is also exposed to violent tempests of thunder, -lightning, and rain. But being quite open towards the north and south, -such dreadful whirlwinds form here that the whole interval is filled -with columns of sand, carried up by the rapidity and gyrations of -violent eddy winds, which sometimes produce fatal consequences; one -melancholy instance happened while we were there—an Indian, being caught -in one of these blasts, died on the spot. It is not indeed at all -strange that the quantity of sand in one of these columns should totally -stop all respiration in any living creature who has the misfortune of -being involved in it.” - -The daily labour of the whole party was measuring the length of this -plain in a horizontal direction, while the inequalities of the ground -were at the same time corrected by means of a level. They commenced -their task early in the morning, and, unless when interrupted by bad -weather, or the too intense heat of the sun at noon, continued actively -employed until the evening. The plain of Cazambe had first been made -choice of; but after a short trial, during which M. Couplet, one of the -French academicians, died suddenly, this position was abandoned. It was -now determined, therefore, to continue the series of triangles to the -south of Quito, and the whole company dividing itself into two parties, -the one to which Don George Juan was attached proceeded to the mountain -of Pambamarca, while Ulloa, La Condamine, and Bouguer climbed up to the -highest summit of Pichincha. “Our first scheme,” says Ulloa, “for -shelter and lodging in these uncomfortable regions, was to pitch a -field-tent for each company; but on Pichincha this could not be done, -from the narrowness of the summit, and we were obliged to be contented -with a hut, so small that we could hardly all creep into it. Nor will -this appear strange if the reader considers the bad disposition and -smallness of the place, it being one of the loftiest crags of a rocky -mountain, one hundred toises above the highest part of the desert of -Pichincha. Such was the situation of our mansion, which, like all the -other adjacent parts, soon became covered with ice and snow. The ascent -up this stupendous rock, from the base, or the place where the mules -could come to our habitation, was so craggy as only to be climbed on -foot, and to perform it cost us four hours’ continual labour and pain, -from the violent efforts of the body, and the subtilty of the air—the -latter being such as to render respiration difficult. It was my -misfortune, when I climbed something above half-way, to be so overcome -that I fell down, and remained a long time without sense or motion, and, -I was told, with all the appearances of death in my face. Nor was I able -to proceed after coming to myself, but was obliged to return to the foot -of the rock, where our servants and instruments remained. The next day I -renewed the attempt of climbing the rock, though probably I should have -had no better success than before, had not some Indians assisted me in -the most steep and difficult places.” - -The picture which Ulloa has given of their extraordinary manner of -living would lose so much of its interest by being transferred into any -other language than his own, that I cannot resist the temptation to -continue the narrative in his words: “We generally kept within one hut,” -says he; “indeed, we were obliged to do this, both on account of the -intenseness of the cold, the violence of the wind, and our being -continually involved in so thick a fog that an object at six or eight -paces was hardly discernible. When the fog cleared up, the clouds, by -their gravity, moved nearer to the surface of the earth, and on all -sides surrounded the mountain to a vast distance; representing the sea, -with our rock like an island in the centre of it. When this happened, we -heard the horrid noises of the tempests, which then discharged -themselves on Quito and the neighbouring country. We saw the lightning -issue from the clouds, and heard the thunders roll far beneath us; and -while the lower parts were involved in tempests of thunder and rain, we -enjoyed a delightful serenity; the wind was abated, the sky clear, and -the enlivening rays of the sun moderated the severity of the cold. But -our circumstances were very different when the clouds arose; their -thickness rendered respiration difficult; the snow and hail fell -continually; and the wind returned with all its violence; so that it was -impossible entirely to overcome the fears of being, together with our -hut, blown down the precipice on whose edge it was built, or of being -buried under it by the daily accumulation of ice and snow. - -“The wind was often so violent in these regions, that its velocity -dazzled the sight, while our fears were increased by the dreadful -concussions of the precipice, and by the fall of enormous fragments of -rocks. These crashes were the more alarming, as no other noises are -heard in these deserts; and during the night our rest, which we so -greatly wanted, was frequently disturbed by such sudden sounds. When the -weather was any thing fair with us, and the clouds gathered about some -of the other mountains which had a connexion with our observations, so -that we could not make all the use we desired of this interval of good -weather, we left our huts to exercise ourselves, in order to keep us -warm. Sometimes we descended to some small distance; and at other times -amused ourselves with rolling large fragments of rocks down the -precipices, and these many times required the joint strength of us all, -though we oftentimes saw the same performed by the mere force of the -wind. But we always took care in our excursions not to go so far but -that, on the least appearance of the clouds gathering about our cottage, -which often happened very suddenly, we could regain our shelter. The -door of our hut was fastened with thongs of leather, and on the inside -not the smallest crevice was left unstopped; besides which it was very -compactly covered with straw. But notwithstanding all our care, the wind -penetrated through. The days were often little better than the nights, -and all the light we enjoyed was that of a lamp or two, which we kept -burning that we might distinguish one another, and improve our time as -much as possible in reading. Though our hut was small and crowded with -inhabitants, besides the heat of the lamps, yet the intenseness of the -cold was such, that every one of us was obliged to have a chafing-dish -of coals. These precautions would have rendered the rigour of the -climate supportable, had not the imminent danger of perishing by being -blown down the precipices roused us, every time it snowed, to encounter -the severity of the outward air, and sally out with shovels to free the -roof of the hut from the masses of snow that were gathering on it. Nor -would it, without this precaution, have been able to support the weight. -We were not indeed without servants and Indians, but they were so -benumbed with cold, that it was with great difficulty we could get them -out of a small tent, where they kept a continual fire; so that all we -could obtain from them was to take their turns in this labour,—and even -then they went very unwillingly about it, and consequently performed it -slowly. - -“It may easily be conceived what we suffered from the asperity of such a -climate. Our feet were swelled, and so tender that we could not even -bear the heat, and walking was attended with great pain. Our hands were -covered with chilblains, our lips swelled and chopped, so that every -motion, speaking and the like, drew blood; consequently we were obliged -to observe a strict taciturnity, and were but little disposed to -laugh—an extension of the lips producing fissures, very painful for two -or three days together. - -“Our common food in this inhospitable region was a little boiled rice, -with some flesh or fowl, which we procured from Quito; and instead of -fluid water, our pot was filled with ice; we had the same resource with -regard to what we drank; and while we were eating every one was obliged -to keep his plate over a chafing-dish of coals, to prevent his -provisions from freezing. The same was done with regard to the water. At -first we imagined that drinking strong liquors would diffuse a heat -through the body, and consequently render it less sensible of the -painful sharpness of the cold; but, to our surprise, we found no manner -of strength in them, nor were they any greater preservative against the -cold than common water. For this reason, together with the apprehension -that they might prove detrimental to our health, besides the danger of -contracting an ill habit, we discontinued their use; having recourse to -them but very seldom, and then sparingly. We frequently gave a small -quantity to our Indians, together with part of the provisions which were -continually sent us from Quito, besides a daily salary four times as -much as they usually earn. - -“But notwithstanding all these encouragements, we found it impossible to -keep the Indians together. On their first feeling the rigours of the -climate, their thoughts were immediately turned on deserting us. The -first instance we had of this kind was so unexpected, that had not one -of a better disposition than the rest staid with us, and acquainted us -with their design, it might have proved of very bad consequence. The -affair was this:—There being upon the top of the rock no room for -pitching a tent for them, they used every evening to retire to a cave at -the foot of the mountain, where, besides a natural diminution of the -cold, they could keep a continual fire, and consequently enjoyed more -comfortable quarters than their masters. Before they withdrew at night -they fastened on the outside the door of our hut, which was so low that -it was impossible to go in or out without stooping; and as every night -the hail and snow which had fallen formed a wall against the door, it -was the business of one or two to come up early and remove this -obstruction, that when we pleased we might open the door. For though our -negro servants were lodged in a little tent, their hands and feet were -so covered with chilblains that they would rather have suffered -themselves to be killed than move. The Indians, therefore, came -constantly up to despatch this work between nine and ten in the morning; -but we had not been there above four or five days when we were not a -little alarmed to see ten, eleven, and twelve o’clock come without any -news of our labourers; when we were relieved by the honest servant -mentioned above, who had withstood the seduction of his countrymen, and -informed us of the desertion of the four others. After great difficulty -he opened a way for us to come out, when we all fell to clearing our -habitation from the masses of snow. We then sent the Indian to the -corregidor of Quito with advice of our condition, who, with equal -despatch, sent others, threatening to chastise them severely if they -were wanting in their duty.” - -The fear of punishment, however, was insufficient to reconcile the -Indians to the rigours of a mountain life, and it was found necessary to -have recourse to milder regulations. On this wild rock they continued -twenty-three days, without being able to complete their observations; -for when one of the points on which the signals which formed the -triangles for measuring the degrees of the meridian enjoyed fine -weather, the others were generally hid in clouds. But at length, in the -month of December, the observations on Pichincha were completed, and -they proceeded to other points, where the same fatigues and privations -were encountered. Only the hut was now exchanged for a field-tent, -which, although in some respects more troublesome, was less inconvenient -than their Pichincha hut. Nevertheless, as the tents were necessarily -placed in exposed situations to serve as signals, they were frequently -overthrown by the violence of the wind, which rose in those wild paramos -to a pitch altogether indescribable. - -Such was their manner of life from the beginning of August, 1737, to the -end of July, 1739, during which space of time one of the parties -occupied thirty-five deserts, and the other thirty-two. But by degrees -their bodies became inured to the hardships which they endured. Habit -began to reconcile them to the fearful scenery in which they existed, -and every little unaccustomed comfort which accident threw in their way -was magnified by their imaginations into splendid luxuries. “The -diminutive cabins of the Indians,” observes Ulloa, “and the small -cattle-stalls, scattered at intervals on the skirts of the mountains, -where we used to lodge in our passage from one desert to another, were -to us spacious palaces; mean villages appeared like magnificent cities; -and the conversation of a priest and two or three of his companions -charmed us like the banquet of Xenophon.” - -About the end of September, 1740, while they were still busily engaged -in making astronomical observations at one of the extremities of the -arch of the meridian, which had been measured, Ulloa and Don George Juan -were suddenly called to Lima by an order of the viceroy. War had just -been declared between England and Spain, and the expedition under Lord -Anson menaced the seacoasts of the Spanish possessions in South America. -Ulloa and Juan were therefore commissioned to put the principal points -in the neighbourhood of Lima in a state of defence; after which they -obtained permission to return to Quito, to resume their scientific -observations. But scarcely had they traversed the mountains, and arrived -at the scene of their labours, when they were recalled to the coast, the -sack of Payta by the English fleet having spread a universal panic -through the country. This visit of Ulloa to Guayaquil was brief; but he -had no sooner returned to Quito than he was once more ordered to repair, -with George Juan, who had been detained in Guayaquil, to Lima. Here they -were honoured with the command of two frigates, with orders to cruise -along the coasts of Chili and the island of Juan Fernandez. The arrival -of certain Spanish reinforcements at Lima at length rendered it -practicable for them to return to their scientific occupations at Quito, -from whence all the French academicians had departed, except Godin, in -conjunction with whom they observed the comet of 1744. - -They were now become impatient to revisit Europe, with the results of -their labours, and embarked at Callao, on board of two French ships, -which were about to sail by the way of Cape Horn, for Brest. The two -ships were separated by tempests. The one in which Ulloa was embarked -shortly after this fell in with two other French ships, in company with -which it was attacked by two English privateers, when it with difficulty -escaped, leaving its companions, with three millions of piastres, in -their hands. To avoid a similar fate, they now directed their course -towards the coast of North America. But on reaching the port of -Louisburg, at Cape Breton, while the crew were congratulating themselves -on their escape from so many dangers, they were compelled, without -firing a gun, to strike to the English, who had just rendered themselves -masters of that city. - -Ulloa was received with distinguished humanity and politeness by -Commodore Warren, the commander of the English fleet, who invited him to -his table, and on his departure for England recommended him to the kind -treatment of the captain of the ship in which he was to sail, with -special directions that his papers should be carefully preserved. The -voyage to England was long and tedious. They arrived at Portsmouth -December 29, 1744. From the ship our traveller was conducted to Fareham, -a pleasant village, he observes, at the extremity of Portsmouth harbour, -which was appointed to be the place of his captivity, as well as of all -those who had been included in the capitulation of Louisburg. Ulloa -dwells with particular pleasure on the courtesy and generosity of -Captain Butt, of the Sunderland (the ship in which he was conveyed to -England), to all the prisoners of any rank; “whom,” says Ulloa, “he not -only admitted to his table during the voyage, but prevailed on all the -other officers to imitate his good example, and who seemed to vie in -civilities towards us, and humanity towards the inferior sort, sparing -nothing to alleviate our misfortunes. And let this remain a monument of -my gratitude to such a generous set of gentlemen.” - -He then proceeds to relate, that the troubled state of the country, -occasioned by the wicked and insane expedition of the Pretender, -together with the bad conduct of some prisoners, who, contrary to the -rules of honour, abused the indulgence shown them, and violated their -parole, caused the prisoners to be deprived of several privileges, and -to be confined with greater strictness. He observes, however, that for -his own part he was treated by the commissioners, both for French and -Spanish prisoners, with such extraordinary humanity, and received so -many favours, accompanied with such politeness and cordiality, that he -became entirely easy under his misfortunes, the reflections on which -grew every day less and less painful. “The commissary of the Spanish -prisoners,” says Ulloa, “was Mr. William Rickman, under whose care, -consequently, I should have been, without the circumstance of having -been taken in a French ship. Yet, my being a Spaniard recommended me to -his kindness, which, I with gratitude own, he carried to a very great -height; and I had a large share of those acts of goodness by which he -had deserved the universal acknowledgment of the Spanish nation. For, -from the beginning of the war, and the taking of the Princessa, he -exerted all possible care for the comfort of the prisoners: and the -chief officers he even lodged at his own seat, and many others at an -adjacent farm-house, called Perbrook, about a quarter of a league from -Tichfield, on the London road, and about three miles from Fareham. He -made public and private solicitations in their behalf: he treated all -with affability, and used the greatest despatch in their several -affairs; he raised charitable contributions, which were chiefly laid out -in apparel for those of the lower class; and the officers he in the most -genteel manner furnished with money, that they might live in tolerable -decency.” - -Both Mr. Brookes, commissary for the French prisoners, to which Ulloa, -as taken in a French ship, belonged, and Mr. Rickman, offered to unite -their interests in procuring him his papers to be returned. For this -purpose a petition was addressed to the Duke of Bedford, first -commissioner of the Admiralty; and “the answer,” says Ulloa, “was -entirely becoming the generosity of the nation among which the chance of -war had brought me.” The Duke of Bedford, and the other lords of the -Admiralty, “unanimously, and with pleasure, granted the contents of my -memorial; nobly adding, that they were not at war with the arts and -sciences, or their professors; that the English nation cultivated them; -and that it was the glory of its ministers and great men to protect and -encourage them.” - -Upon making application Ulloa readily obtained permission to repair to -London, where, “on my first attendance,” says he, “at the office for -prisoners of war, an order was shown me from my Lord Harrington, -secretary of state, for bringing me to his house. This nobleman, having -been ambassador for some years in Spain, among his other eminent -qualifications had a great affection for the Spaniards, which he was -pleased to extend to me in a most obliging reception, and assurances -that nothing should be wanting in him to procure me my papers, or do me -any other good offices.” - -Martin Folkes, president of the Royal Society of London, now likewise -interested himself in his behalf, and his papers were in consequence -restored to him. By his kindness Ulloa was introduced to many -distinguished literary men and other persons of rank and consideration, -as well as elected a member of the Royal Society. “Actions like these,” -says our traveller, “convinced me of the sincerity of the English, their -candour, their benevolence, and disinterested complaisance. I observed -the tempers, inclinations, particular customs, government, constitution, -and policy of this praiseworthy nation, which in its economical conduct -and social virtues may be a pattern to those who boast of superior -talents to all the rest of mankind.” - -Shortly after this Ulloa embarked for Lisbon, and arrived at Madrid in -1746, in the beginning of the reign of Ferdinand VI., eleven years and -two months after his embarkation at Cadiz. He was received in the most -flattering manner at court, and appointed captain of a frigate and -commander of the order of St. Jago. The arrangement and composition of -his travels occupied his whole attention during the two following years; -and in 1748 his great work on South America, by which he will be -advantageously known to posterity, was published by the order and at the -expense of the government. When this was accomplished, he travelled by -order of the king over a considerable portion of Europe, collecting -during his journey knowledge useful both to the state and to the nation. -As a reward for his services, he was appointed superintendent of the -mercury mine at Guancavelica in Peru; but this did not altogether answer -his expectations. In the reign of Charles III. he was promoted to the -rank of commodore of a squadron, and was intrusted with the command of -the fleet of the Indies. In 1762 Ulloa was commissioned to take -possession of Louisiana, which had been recently ceded to Spain, and was -at the same time appointed governor; but met with so much resistance on -the part of the colonists, who disliked the change, that he was -compelled to re-embark. The remainder of his life was spent in -honourable offices and in literary and scientific labours, by which he -acquired a high degree of well-merited reputation. He died in the Isle -of Leon, on the 3d of July, 1795, in the eightieth year of his age. - - - END OF VOL. II. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ● Transcriber’s Notes: - ○ On page 23 the Hebrew word for “clay” was corrected and verified - by a native Hebrew speaker. - ○ On the following pages the Greek transcriptions were corrected and - verified by a native Greek speaker: 21, 43, 48 and 84. - ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected. - ○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only - when a predominant form was found in this book. - ○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIVES OF CELEBRATED TRAVELLERS, -VOL. 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