mifmanagement, or to fall a facrifice to the broils which anarchy produces. A Ruffian fleet appears in the Mediterranean, at a time when fuch an event was confidered as an impotiibility at Conftantinople. A war by fea is not to be dreaded in that quarter, faid the well informed Muffulman, there we are fafe, for there is no communication between. the Baltic and the Archipelago! The Turkish fleet is defroyed, terror and difmay pervade the capital, and the defpot trembles within the walls of his feraglio. In this critical fituation, Mr. de Tott has orders from the Grand Seignior to take upon himself the defence of the Dardanelles. He finds every thing there in the most defencelefs ftate, and when attacked by the Ruffians, all he has to oppofe to the fire of feven thips of the line is a fingle iron culverine. The enemy ignorant of the Turkish weaknefs, after fome unfuccefsful manoeuvres, which do not seem to have been conducted with much naval or military fkill, abandoned the attack, and retired from the coaft to carry on the fiege of Lemnos. This retreat impowered the Baron to put the bulwarks of the Turkith capital in a tolerable flate of defence, in spite of innumerable obftacles which, abfurd ignorance and envy conftantly oppofed to his exertions.. Of the difficulties he had to combat, and to conquer the public will judge from the following inftance. At the extremity of the gun-rammers, which Mr de Tott had got made, was a brush of hog's bristles: this the High Treafurer objected to, as contrary to the Turkish religion; and either foolishly, or maliciously ob jected to it in the prefence of a mob that had affembled to fee the new method of firing; which reduced our author either to the neceffity of giving up his brufh, or of being torn to pieces by the mob. In this dilemma, the Baron calls out, Is there any painter among you?" A painter ftepping forth, the following dialogue enfues.

The Baron. Have you ever painted the infide of any mofque.
The Painter. Of feveral; and thofe very confiderable ones.
The Baron. And what inftruments did you make use of?
The Painter.
The Baron.

Many different colours.

Remember you are a Mufulman, and fhould reverence the truth. Why do you prevaricate? Colours are nor the infiruments; they are means. You make ufe of brushes: of what

the

are the large ones made?

The Painter. They are of white hair; we buy them ready made, and never prepare them ourfelves.

The Baron. You know however from what animal the hair is procured; that is, what I wish to be told.

The Treafurer. Yes; you must declare the truth; it is of confequence it fhould be known.

The Painter, [raifing his voice]. In that cafe, I must fay, that all· our brushes are made of bristles.

The Baron. Very well; but this is not all. What becomes of the hair, after you have made ufe of your brushes, and the mofque is finished? What do you bring home?

The Painter. It is certain, that I only bring home the handles; the hair remains on the wall.

'The Baron. If then briftles do not defile your mofques, it cannot, furely, be improper to make use of them against your enemies.

'The exclamation, praise be to God! was the answer, which the people returned unanimoufly; and the High Treasurer, elated with joy, which was the more lively as it fucceeded to fear, immediately threw off his fuperb peliffe, furred with Martin-fkin, from Siberia, and feizing on one of the rammers and applying it to the mouth of the piece, come, my friends, cried he, let us make ufe of this new invention for the fatety and glory of the true-believers.

The ridiculous conclufion of this fcene was certainly worthy its origin. The Treafurer was fatisfied, and the people enraptured; but this proof of their common folly would have determined me to give them up, had not thefe difficulties been to me a kind of fpur, which I found it impoffible to refift.'

In the midft of a thousand obstacles of a fimilar nature, the Baron perfeveres in endeavouring to inftruct the Turks, in every thing that could tend to their improvement in the art of war. He conftructs pontoons, cafts and bores cannon, forms and difciplines a corps of artillery, and establishes a mathematical fchool. But we can eafily perceive from his narrative, that rooted habit, the nature of the government, univerfal corruption, fanaticifm and the pride of ignorance, will be eternal bars to an effectual or lafting improvement.

After the death of Sultan Mustapha, our author, difgufted with the abfurdities and villainy of the minifter of the Porte, and feeing that all hopes of bringing his establishments to perfection were at an end, determines to leave Conftantinople. The parting with his pupils is thus described.

The veffel that was to convey me to Smyrna, where I was to go on board a French frigate, had already weighed anchor, and fet her fails, when feveral boats came about us, and I faw myself furrounded by all my pupils, with each a book or an inftrument in his hand. Before you leave us, faid they, with much emotion, give us, at least, a parting leffon; it will be more deeply impreffed on our memories than all the reft. One opened his book to explain the fquare of the Hypothenufe; another with a long white beard elevated his fextant to take an altitude; a third afked me questions concerning the ufe of the finical quadrant; and all accompanied me out to fea, for more than two leagues: where we took leave of each other, with a tenderness the more lively, as it was with the Turks unusual, and to me unexpected.'

On leaving the capital of the Turkish empire, the Baron had been intrufted with a commiffion empowering him to ENG. REV. SEPT. 1785.

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remedy

remedy the abuses that had crept into the French commerce in the Levant. The ufe he intends to make of this oppor tunity, is announced in the commencement of the fourth part.

Having obferved the character, manners, and government of the Turks, in the capital of their vast empire, it remained for me to visit the distant provinces, to examine the different nations which they contain, and difcover the variations which the distance of the despor neceffarily produces in defpoti'm.'

In his way to Alexandria, he touches at Candia, the ancient Crete, and gives a fhort account of its climate, productions, and government. Having landed at Alexandria, he proceeds up the Nile to Cairo, and finds that immenfe city a fcene of anarchy and murder. The Ottoman government eftablished in Egypt, originally tyrannical, has become more destructive by the feeblenefs of adminiftration, which gives rife to conftant revolutions and blood-fhed. Paffing lightly over this tumultuary war, our author proceeds to inform us concerning the government, population, manners, and commerce of the Egyptians, and at the fame time, gives a topographical defcription of the country. Having already extended this article to an uncommon length, we cannot indulge ourselves in following our author through this entertaining and inftructive detail. We have, however, to remark that he does not blindly follow the defcriptions and reflections of preceding travellers, but boldly and judiciously thinks for himfelf

The common opinion that the Delta has, in the courfe. of ages, been formed by the fediment of the Nile, is thus controverted.

It is proper to obferve, that Delta, more elevated than the rest of Egypt, is bounded towards the fea by a forest of palm-trees, called the forest of Berelos, the land of which is much higher than the highest rifing of the waters; and this topographical remark is fuffcient to deftroy the fyftem of the formation of Delta by fediment. A country which is higher than the greatest inundations, can never owe to them its origin.'

After having faid that the fources of the Nile are not known, he has the following note; which our countryman Mr. Bruce fhould not let pafs without a fatisfactory reply; efpecially as fome difagreeable doubts concerning his accounts of Abyffinia have fpread pretty generally in Europe.

Airaveller, named Bruce, it is faid, has pretended to have dif covered them. I faw, at Cairo, the fervant who was his guide and companion during the journey, who affured me, that he had no knowledge of any fuch discovery. It may, perhaps, be objected, that a learned man, like Mr. Bruce, was not obliged to give an account of his difcoveries to his valet; but, in a defart, the pride of celebrity vanishes,

vanishes. The mafter and fervant difappear, and become only two men néceffitated to affift their mutual wants; the only fuperiority is poffeffed by the strongest; and the fervant I have mentioned, born in the country, would certainly have corroborated Mr. Bruce's affertions, in a difcovery purely topographical.'

Confidering the wretched government under which Egypt. groans, the population and fruitfulness of the country are aftonishing; which can be accounted for only from the wonderful richness of the foil, the fine climate, and happy fituation, that naturally draws to it the commerce of both hemifpheres.

Our author, having finished his business in Egypt, re-embarks at Alexandria, pays a vifit to Cyprus, and touches at most of the ports on the fouthern fhore of the Mediterranean, from Alexandria to Tunis. From Lattaka, the ancient Laodicea, he goes by land to Aleppo, and from thence, to Alexandretta. In the courfe of this journey, he has an opportunity of examining the manners of the Drufes and Mutualis, fo different in many refpects from those of the other inhabitants. The Drufes in particular, have many fingularities, among which their mysterious religion is not the leaft fingular. But they carefully avoid every explanation on this head, and indifcriminately frequent both churches and mofques. They appear to be divided into a variety of fects, which mutually hate each other, and only agree in detefting the Mahometans. There is a fect among them, the author calls, Gynaecolifts, adorers of women, whofe worship is of the fame kind, though lefs myfterious than that which the Chinese pay to the Lingham. It is worth remarking here that this fpecies of worship has prevailed in almost every quarter of the globe, and may be traced up to the most remote antiquity: it was an emblematical object of adoration, reprefentative of the great fource of generation and existence. Among other fingular opinions, the Drufes maintain that they thall be the heirs of the Turks, when thefe latter are de ftroyed by the Chriftians.

With the following account of the extraordinary manners of the inhabitants of Martavan, a village in Syria, we shall conclude our review of thefe memoirs.

Our fmall company lodged the following evening at Martavan. The fingular manner of the inhabitants of this village are fo remarkable, that I cannot refrain mentioning the celebrity which it has acquired in Syria. I have been affured that another near it, is governed on the fame principles, but has not the advantage of being on the road, and its name is hardly known.

• These two villages belong to a rich individual of Aleppo, who receives their quit-rent, and poffeffes the right of nominating a magiurate to their civil jurifdiction. There is no appearance, at Mar

M 2.

tavan,

tavan, of any religion whatever. The men are wholly employed in agriculture, and the women, who are generally handfome, feem only intended to welcome travellers. The day when any arrives is with them a festival, as it is with the Pefeving-Bachi, whofe office is that of Bailiff, but his bufinefs is more complaifant, though it cannot be explained. He is to take orders from the new guests, to fupply each with what he prefers, and to reckon with his villagers concerning the profits. Thefe cafual profits, and the right to receive them, I have been affured have been fold for ten puries.

เ It is very difficult to discover the origin of a fociety founded on fuch extraordinary principles; in the midft of the rigorous laws of jealousy, Martavan preferves a legal licentioufnefs, fo reduced to conftant practice, that it feems the only falfe prejudice of this fmall community.'

Upon the whole, we have feldom met with more amusement or inftruction from any book of travels. The object of the author appears evidently to be, not to furprize, but to inform his readers. His obfervations are acute, his good fenfe every where apparent, while the philofopher and politician may both profit by his reflexions. Some readers may perhaps accufe him of egotifm; but it is to be confidered, that the appearance of this weakness is hardly to be avoided, when a perfon muft neceffarily speak often of himself.

ART. V. The Inercafe of Manufactures, Commerce and Finance, with the extenfion of Civil Liberty, propofed in Regulations for the intereft of Money. 4to. boards. 6s. 6d. Robinfon, 1785.

D peculiar characters.

IFFERENT ages, like different nations, have their characters. When we look back on the everchanging state of modern Europe, we find a time when nations fought for fettlements in the fertile dominions of effeminate neighbours; a time when they went to war from the point of honour, ever jealous and quick in quarrel; a time when they fought for the establishment or fubverfion of religious doctrines; and a time when armies were brought into the field for the purpose of domination and extended empire. The paffion of the prefent age is Commercial Advantage. For this, councils protract the night in debate, for this armies are raised, and fleets equipped at an expence, which no commercial advantage can indemnify. In fuch an age, it is not a wonder that treatises on the advancement of trade should as much abound, as treatifes on controverted points of theology in the last century. Among the various hints fuggefted and plans propofed by legions of writers for the improvement of our political economy, many are worthy of ferious attention, and fome of their hints are almoft annually adopted by government; but these are such as take

money