THE

ANTI-JACOBIN

Review and Magazine;

&c. &c. &c.

For FEBRUARY, 1804.

And further by thefe, my Son, be admonished; of making many books there is no end, and much study is a wearinefs of the flesh.

Eccls. xii. 12.

ORIGINAL CRITICISM.

Travels in Turkey, Afia-Minor, Syria, and across the Defert into Egypt, during the years 1799, 1800, and 1801, in company with the Turkish Army, and the British Military Miffion. To which are annexed ObJervations on the Plague, and on the Difeafes prevalent in Turkey, and a Meteorological Journal. By William Wittman, M. D. of the Royal Artillery, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in London, and Surgeon to the British Military Miflion acting with the Army of the Grand Vizier. 4to. Pp. 595. 21. 12s. 6d. Phillips. 1803.

HE fituation of Dr. Wittman afforded him a better opportunity than most travellers enjoy of adding to the refult of perfonal obfervation, the information proceeding from his application to those intelligent natives who were beft able to give a fatisfactory account of any objects to which their attention might be directed. The high favour in which the English, at this period, were holden by the Porte; the confequence attached by the Turks to the affiftance of those officers and men who compofed the British Miffion; the fervices which, in his medical capacity, the Doctor was enabled to render to the principal perfons in the Turkish government; all combined to open to him every channel of intelligence, and to afford the happiest profpect of fuccefs to his investigations and enquiries. With fuch means in his power it would have been eafy, we fhould imagine, to collect a mafs of most important and ufeful materials, which might, at leifure, have been fo moulded into form, and duly methodized, as to form a valuable and interefting volume. We have no right, however, and certain y

NO. LXVIII. VOL. XVII.

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certainly no inclination, to quarrel with Dr. Wittman for not having purfued this mode, for not having adopted this arrangeme:... He was perfectly at liberty to chufe for himself, and, having fo chofen, it is for us only to give an account of his book, fuch as it is, without complaining that it is not fuch as we could with it to be. He has adopted the form and manner of a Journal, which requires little method, and affords great facility of compofition; while it enables him to record facts with more precifion, it fubjects him to the neceffity, almoft, of frequent repetition, which is extremely tiresome and tedious to the reader. From this volume, however, a more accurate notion of the countries through which the author paffed, may be collected than from the more methodical narratives of former travellers, or from the more polished pages of preceding hiftorians. The flow progress of the army, and the neceffity of halting frequently, fupplied him with better opportunities, than most travellers have poffeffed, for obferving the manners and customs of the natives, with the nature of the foil and its produce; and of examining objects of curiofity, which lay out of the line of march. Of these opportunities, it appears, he feldom failed to avail himself. While the army lay encamped at Jaffa, on its route to Egypt, Dr. W. took pains to investigate the atrocious fact of the cold-blooded murder of four thousand Turks, by the order of Buonaparté, in the vicinity of that city, recorded by Mr. Morier and Sir Robert Wilfon, and attefted by Sir Sidney Smith. As every thing which can tend to corroborate the statements which have been already publifhed of this horrible deed is of importance to the hiftory of thefe eventful times, we fhall extract out author's account of the bufinefs.

"It was probably owing to the obftinate defence made by the Turks, (at Jaffa) that the French commander in chief was induced to give orders for the horrid malfacre which fucceeded. Four thoufand of the wretched inhabitants, who had furrendered, and who had, in vain, implored the mercy of the conquerors, were, together with a part of the late Turkish garrison of ElArith (amounting, it has been faid, to five or fix hundred) dragged out in cold blood, four days after the French had obtained possession of Jaffa, to the fand hills, about a league diftant, in the way to Gaza, and there most inhumanly put to death. I have seen the skeletons of these unfortunate victims, which lie scattered over the hills, a modern Golgotha, which remains a lafting difgrace to a nation calling itself civilized. It would give pleasure to the author of this work, as well as to every liberal mind, to hear these facts contradicted on fubftantial evidence. Indeed, I am forry to add, that the charge of cruelty against the French general does not reft here. It having been reported that, previously to the retreat of the French army from Syria, their commander in chief had ordered all the French fick at Jaffa to be poifoned, I was led to make the enquiry to which every one who fhould have vifited the spot would naturally have been directed, refpecting an act of fuck fingular, and, it should seem, wanton inhumanity. It concerns me to have to fate, not only that fuch a circumftance was pofitively afferted to have happened; but that, while in Egypt, an individual was pointed out to us, as having been the executioner of these diabolical commands.

It is to be regretted that Dr. Wittman has not publifhed the name of this monfter, who ought to be holden up to the execration of the world. But to proceed,

"I made an excurfion, in the evening, to the fand hills (fituated near the fea-fide, and about three miles diftant from the encampment), the scene of the horrid malfacre of the captured Turks and Chriftians, by the order of the French commander in chief, Bonaparte, fome days after he had taken poffeffion of Jaffa. I have already touched on this act, fo inglorious to its perpetrator, in the account I have given of that place: and I fhall add here, that the distance of time which elapfed after these poor wretches had furrendered, and which furnished a fit opportunity for cool reflection, and the distance of the spot to which they were led, at least a league from the place of their captivity, manifest a spirit of diabolical revenge, of atrocious tyranny, which, for the honour of human nature, it is to be trufted will never recur on any future occafion, among civilized and enlightened nations, to blacken the page of hiftory, and to fully the military character. The furface of the ground had been fome time before thickly covered with the skeletons of the victims; but at the time of my vifit they were much reduced in number, the Grand Vizier having ordered a large hole to be dug, into which as many as could be well collected were thrown. Skulls, bones, remnants of clothing, &c. &c. were ftill, notwithstanding, fcattered over every part of the hillocks."

From the camp at Jaffa Dr. Wittman made an excursion to Jerufalem, of which he gives a clear though fuccinct defcription. He here recites an anecdote of Buonaparte, which we recommend to the particular notice of thofe profligate prelates and priests; who have blafphemously hailed their Ufurper as the Chrift of Providence.

"We were told by the priests of an extraordinary threat made by Bonaparte, (Buonaparte), namely, that fhould he ever obtain poffeffion of Jerufalem, he would plant the Tree of Liberty on the spot on which the Crofs of Jefus ftood; and would bury the first French grenadier who should fall in the attack, in the tomb of our Saviour."

The thought and the threat are alike worthy of the man! We have accompanied Dr. Wittman, with great fatisfaction, not unmixed with religious reverence and awe, over the pious relics of this holy city. If to tread on claffic ground afford much pleasure to the fcholar and the antiquarian; what fenfations muft the Chriftian experience in treading that holy ground which was felected by his God for the fcene of his redemption! We fhall extract the account, which our author received from the fathers of the Latin Convent at Jerufalem, of the most interesting places and objects still to be seen in the Holy Land, which cannot fail to be interefting to our readers.

A true Description of the Holy Places in Jerusalem, and of those which are likewise usually visited by the devout Pilgrims in Judea, Galilee, Esc.

IN JERUSALEM.

"On entering the church of the holy fepulchre, likewise called Saint Helen's church, from having been built by the Emprefs Helen; the ftone of

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unction

unction presents itself, where our Saviour was embalmed and anointed by Jofeph and Nicodemus; to the right of which is the afcent to Mount Cavalry, by twelve fteps, where is feen the hole in which the cross was placed, and near it a cleft in the mountain, occafioned by the earthquake after our Saviour's death; likewise the place of crucifixion. This laft belongs to the Catholics. The schismatic Greeks robbed us of the hole of the crois by means of money.

"From Mount Cavalry you defcend to the holy fepulchre of our Lord, where forty-four lamps are burning, fourteen of which are ours, the rest belong to the Greeks, Armenians, and Copts, but these have no dominion whatever over the fepulchre itfelf. Its length is nine fpans, its breadth four, and its height about three and a half. Before the entrance to it is the Angel's Chapel, a little larger than the fepulchre. In the middle of it is a ftone, little more than a fpan high, and about nine spans in circumference. On this stone fat the angel who, after the refurrection of our Lord, appeared to the holy women, faying to them" Do you feek Jefus who has been crucified? He is not here, but is rifen." On leaving this chapel, at the diftance of a few paces, is feen the place where the Lord, after being rifen, was feen by Mary Magdalen, in the drefs of a gardener; and, a few paces further, the fpot where that penitent flood. You then enter our church, where our Saviour made his first appearance to his holy mbther, after the refurrection. On the right of the great altar (in which our Lord is preserved under the sacramental form) is a hollow place, fastened up with an iron grat ing, within which is part of the column to which he was bound and fcourged. On the left is part of the holy crofs, thut up in the fame manner. At the foot of the altar is feen the place where one of the three croffes was miraculoufly difcovered by St. Helen, perhaps the cross of the Saviour. Leaving our church, you vifit the prifon where our Saviour was bound before he fuffered the death of the crofs: this place belongs to the Greeks. A few steps from it is the chapel of St. Longinus, the foldier who, after having pierced the facred fide of our Saviour, wept on account of his fins in this place, which likewife belongs to the Greeks. A few steps further is the place where the foldiers went to divide the garments of the Redeemer, and which belongs to the Armenians. A few steps from this is the pillar of reproaches, belonging to the Greeks. From thence you defcend twenty-nine fteps, and you fee the chapel of St. Helen, and the place where the flood when they dug for the holy crofs. Then defcending thir teen other steps, you fee the place where the cross was found. This place belongs to us, but the chapel of St. Helen was, as well as the other places, ftolen from us by the Armenians. St. Helen lived eighty years: the was buried in one of the churches of Rome.

"Under the holy Mount Calvary is the Chapel of Adam, where, as anthors lay, the head of Adam was buried by Shem, the fon of Noah, after the deluge. This belongs to the Greeks. At a little distance from it, is the place where the holy women ftood whilft our Saviour was crucified, and likewife the place where they fat down. Behind the holy fepulchre is the monument of Jofeph of Arimathea, who earnestly requested of Pilate the holy body of Jefus: this belongs to the Armenians.

"Near the door of the church you afcend eleven steps, and come to the chapel of St. Mary of Calvary, where the bleffed Virgin food with St. John the Evangelift, when the Jews crucified our Saviour, and where we perform mafs every day. In the road leading to the garden of Gethfemane,

called

called the Mournful Way, are feen the place where the Lord fell under the weight of the crofs, which he carried on his fhoulders; the palace of Pilate, within which is the tribunal, where the Saviour was fcourged, and given into the hands of the Jews to be crucified; and alfo the place where they bound him to the column, and crowned him with a crown of thorns, faying to him, "Hail! King of the Jews." Without is likewife the place where he was fcourged; together with the arch where Pilate thewed him to the people, faying, "Behold the man." In the court-yard of the palace is the place where the foldiers fpoiled him of the purple, and drelled him again in his own garments, giving him the crofs to carry.

"At a thort distance from the arch before-mentioned, is the place where the Virgin Mary met her fon. Purfuing the road to Gethlemane, you meet with a mofque near the gate of St. Stephen, where the Virgin Mary was born. Without the gate is the place where St. Stephen was ftoned by the Jews, and, near to it, the ciftern, into which they fay his body was thrown. The church of the Virgin Mary is next feen. Having defcended forty-eight steps, you view the altar, or fepulchre, whence he was taken up into heaven by the angels. About ninety years ago this was taken away from us by the Greeks. Within the church are the tombs of St. Ann, Saint Jofeph, and Saint James. At a fhort diftance from the church is the grotto, in which our Saviour sweated blood. Near the grotto is the garden in which he was taken. In this garden are eight olive-trees, which, according to tradition, were there in the time of our Saviour; they bear fruit, and are wonderfully preferved. At the bottom of a fmall mount is the place where our Saviour parted from the eight apoftles to pray, and near it the place where he left the other three, viz. Peter, James, and John his brother. A few fteps farther is the place where the Virgin Mary prayed for St. Stephen, whilft the Jews ftoned him.

Leaving the garden, you go to the torrent of Cedron, near which our Saviour fell when he was bound by the Jews. Moving onward, you see the tomb of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, curiously excavated in a rock, and alfo the tomb of Abfalom, fon of David, which he himself caused to be excavated, in order that he might be buried there, and which is made in the form of a tower. Afcending a little, you fee the place where Saint James the Lefs hid himself after our Saviour was taken: likewife the tomb of Zachariah the prophet and martyr, flain by the Jews. All thefe places are on the left of the torrent of Cedron. Not far off is the town, or village, commonly called Silöe; and, about a mile from it, a fountain, called Mary's fountain, because it is known from tradition, that the holy Virgin wathed in it the clothes of her child. Near this is a wall of the ancient church of the pool of Siloe, in which our Saviour put the blind man, in order that he might wash himself, and recover his fight. Not far from this is a tree where the prophet Ifaiah was fevered in two parts: likewile the well of Nehemiah, in which, by God's permiffion, the holy fire remained hidden for feventy years, that is, during the time when the Ifraelites were carried into Perfia, in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar king of the Perfians. At the expiration of the feventy years, the priest Nehemiah caused a search to be made for the holy fire, and found in place of it water, which, however, by divine power, was reconverted into fire.

"On the holy Mount of Olives, where our Saviour afcended into heaven, are feen the impreffions of his feet. The church built there by St. Helen is now a mofque. A mile from this is the place called Men of Galilee,

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