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are faid to be univerfally difbelieved, and thus give a check to practices which will certainly be continued as long as they are found to be effectual.

ART. II. Travels in Europe, Asia Minor, and Arabia. By J. Griffiths, M.D. Member of the Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh, and of feveral Foreign Litéráry Societies. 4to. pp. 396. London, 1805.

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HE extreme partiality of our countrymen for travelling, is a fubject which has often excited the furprife of foreigners. It would not be easy, perhaps, to explain the causes of this pro penfity; but there can be little doubt of the fact, that it exifts among the English in a greater degree than among any other people. At the close of every term, our univerfities fend forth their raw productions to be exported in abundance to the Continent; and no fooner is the feafon of fashionable gayety concluded in London, than the roads are covered with tourists and travellers, who iffue from the metropolis in every direction. Some, who are contented with the humbleft portion of itinerary fame, rea cord their delights and their dangers in an excurfion to the Ifle of Wight, or to the mountains of Wales: others, better directed, or more courageous, explore the wilds of our beloved Scotland, and risk their fafety on the fhores of the Hebrides; while others, ftill more ambitious, cross the tempeftuous channel, truft their perfons to Hibernian poft-chaifes, and wade for pleasure, or for glory, through the bogs of Ireland. Such are the ufual expeditions of our fummer travellers; but we wang not for numbers who have vifited the principal countries of the European continent, and who have related whatever they faw or heard, with fo much variety of ftyle, and with fo much minutenefs of detail, that they have fcarcely left any thing new, to be either faid or fung, from Petersburgh to Naples. Many have extended their refearches to the remoteft quarters of the globe; and if the renown of travellers were to be measured out according to the number of miles which they have trodden, we could justly boast of some who would be entitled to an extraordinary portion of reputation. It is to be obferved, however, that fince the cuftom of travelling over vast tracts of land has become more common, ingenious men have fallen upon various ingenious devices to attract the attention of the public to their own perigrinations. One gentleman has diftinguished himfelf by having walked over a confiderable portion of the habitable

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globe; another ftill boafts, that he advanced one verft farther into the deferts of Siberia, than has yet been achieved by any other traveller; a third excited fome curiofity in one of the hotteft countries of Europe, by the aid of a curious device on his card, which announced, that he had juft arrived from the borders of the frozen ocean; and a fourth with matchlefs rigidity of fibre, and heroic difregard of inconvenience, actually made the grand tour without once leaning back in his carriage during the whole journey. When travellers choose to publifh, however, we cannot, in honefty, encourage them to hope that fuch expedients as thefe will avail them much. He who firft points out any thing remarkable or characteristic, in the laws, manners, and opinions, even of a barbarous nation, not only adds to our stock of general information, but gives us views of human nature, in fituations in which we have not been accustomed to confider it. Should he defcribe men in civilized life, and instruct us in the proficiency of another country in the arts and fciences, in commerce and manufactures, we ought to thank him for, at leaft, collecting materials for the philofopher, the hiftorian, and the political economist. If he make important additions to our knowledge in natural hiftory, or correct material errors in our geography, or confirm by practical proofs the conclufions of fcience, his claims to notice will be readily allowed. Finally, the scholar and the antiquary will not refufe their tribute of applaufe to him who brings fresh and accurate tidings from thofe regions which the claffical genius of antiquity has rendered fo interesting to men of tafte and literature. But when a traveller excites attention in none of thefe ways, it will avail him little, that he has croffed the burning deferts of Syria and Arabia during the dog-days; that he points out the courfe of his extenfive wanderings by the help of a zig-zag line which traverses half the map of the world; or that he prefents to readers, who never heard of him before, a fmart portrait of himself, prefixed to a quarto volume.

Dr Griffiths, the author of the volume before us, relates in it the hiftory of his travels from England to Italy, thence to Conftantinople, thence to Smyrna, thence to Aleppo, and, finally, across the defert to Bafforah. Before we follow him in this extenfive career, we must ftop to take notice of fome information which he gives us in his preface. In the rapidity of purfuit,' fays he, I fear I have frequently overlooked those proofs which might have thrown a new and important light on fubject's already treated of, with more or lefs accuracy, by literary pens; and from a neceffitated adoption of the means and opportunities of proceeding towards the places of my deftination,

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I have as frequently been compelled to abandon, prematurely and unexamined, even thofe objects which had not escaped my notice.' This language cannot be confidered as very encouraging to thofe who might hope for much accuracy from Dr Griffiths. Let me be allowed to ftate,' he fays, that I travelled through great part of the Ottomaun dominions in the humble difguife of a poor Greek; not under the protection of janiffaries, the influence of ambaffadors, or the authority of a Firmaun.' It is obvious, however, that this very circumftance might have enabled him to acquire confiderable knowledge of the Turkish character, although in a manner fufficiently difagreeable; and it was, accordingly, chiefly in his difguife of a Greek flave, that Dr Griffiths collected the additional information concerning Turkey, which we have obtained from the perufal of his book,

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The author informs us, that he embarked at Gravefend in June 1785 for the Mediterranean. He relates various circumstances which took place during this voyage, and which, confidering the fubfequent adventures of his life, it may be creditable to his memory that he has not forgotten, though it be not quite fo much so to his judgment that he has chofen to record. He tells us with fomething of unneceffary minutenefs, of the altercations which took place between the captain and the pilots; how he croffed the Bay of Biscay, where watery mountains precluded all hopes of tranquillity; how, within the dividing thores of Europe and Africa, he amufed himfelf with fishing for bonito;' and how, • when successful, he feafted upon his prize; prudently pickling or falting fuch parts as were judged to be worth preferving. Some readers may not think, that this learned traveller has added much to their ftock of knowledge, when he proceeds to tell them, that, in the island of Alboran, he found birds' nefts with eggs in them.

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After an agreeable paffage of three weeks, our traveller landed at Nice.

As he had warned us, in his preface, that he meant to confine his remarks on Italy to a few pages, we must not complain of his brevity on that subject. He rejoined his veffel at Leghorn, and fet fail for Smyrna. The magnificent objects which prefented themselves to his view, as he paffed on to the Faro of Meflina, naturally made a strong impreflion on the mind of our traveller; and we can fcarcely wonder, that, in defcribing fo delightful a profpect, he fhould have permitted his profe to run a little wild. The bluff fhore of Italy," fays he, against which we seemed to proceed, uniting, as it were, to the bluffer promontory at the entrance of the Faro, obliterated all trace of its opening, until a near approach gradually expofed to our inquiring eyes the lovely paffage fo often mentioned by the claffic poets. '

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We do not find much novelty in the account which Dr Grif fiths has given of Smyrna. From that city he took his departure in a Turkish boat for Conftantinople. A gale of wind coming on compelled him to land near Temnos, where he had the opportunity of witneffing the funeral of a Muffulmaun. One part of the ceremony was fingular enough. As foon as the grave was filled up, each friend planted a fprig of cyprefs on the right, and another on the left hand of the deceafed. It was understood, it feems, that fhould the fprigs on the right hand grow, the deceased would enjoy the happiness promifed by Mahomet to all true believers; but should thofe on the oppofite fide flourish, he would for ever be excluded from tafting bliis in the arms of the Houris. If both fucceeded, he would be greatly favoured in the next world; and if both failed, he would be tormented by black angels, until he fhould be refcued from them by the mediation of the Prophet. These opinions of a ruftic,' fays Dr Griffiths, are not mentioned as thofe which generally prevail amongst Muffulmauns, but merely to show, that vulgar and local prejudices are not confined to the ignorant and fuperftitious of any particular country. Similar effects have been produced in all, by the fears, apprehenfions, and confufed notions which have been entertained of a future life.'

To fay any thing new in a defcription of Conftantinople, would not now be eafy; and after fo many able pens have been employed on the fubject, it might even be difficult to fay any thing well. Dr Griffiths, however, has not been deterred by thefe confiderations, from indulging his defire of retracing the various objects which prefented themselves to his enchanted fight.' We give him credit for the general accuracy of his account, and agree with him in fufpecting the truth of the defcriptions which have been fometimes given with fo much confidence of the interior of the Seraglio. Speaking of the frequent fires which take place at Conftantinople, he remarks, that the Sultaun is expected to attend, and that he is then expofed to hear various truths which could not eafily come to his knowledge without fuch opportunities. Our traveller further obferves, that fires have frequently their origin in the political difputes of parties, or the hopes of redrefs in cafes of peculiar grievance. It gives us no very elevated notion of Turkifh wifdom to learn, that when any body at Conftantinople is difcontented with the government, he feeks redrefs by burning down his houfe about his ears.

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Amongst the officers of artillery, Dr Griffiths was introduced to the Ghumbaragee Bafhee, whofe affumed name was Muftaphah, but who, we are delighted to find, was originally a Scotch gen tleman of the name of Campbell. He had been obliged, from

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fome unfortunate circumstances, to quit his native country, had entered into the Turkifh fervice, and had abjured the faith of his fathers. Let me not, however,' fays Dr Griffiths, attract the attention of my readers to his errors; let me rather dwell upon the amiableness of his difpofition, the urbanity of his manners, and the various accomplishments of his well-informed mind. It was in the fociety of this gentleman, that our author was prefent, when feveral officers of ftate were convened to examine a beautiful manufcript copy of the Koran, which General Morrison had brought from India to present to the Sultaun. After the most enthufiaftic encomiums had been beftowed upon the manufcript, an old Emeer clafped his hands in a fort of agony, and exclaimed, Alas! Alas! how unfortunate! This magnificent copy of the never-to-be-fufficiently admired law of our facred Prophet is not orthodox-it is the work of a Secretary of Ali!' This diftreffing circumftance, as might be fuppofed, filled the whole affembly with regret and confternation.

We fhall not enumerate the various topics which have been difcuffed by our author with refpect to the customs and manners of the inhabitants of Conftantinople. They are very nearly the fame as they were, when they were defcribed by Sandys two hundred years ago. There may be fomething lefs of pride, and fomething more of civilization; but a Turk is ftill a Turk.

Mr Griffiths profeffes to treat, in the ninth chapter of his work, of the commerce of the Turks, and of the political fituation of the Greeks. The fe fubjects required feparate chapters; and would have had them, we fuppofe, if the materials of the author had not been quite fo fcanty. He obferves, that a duty of three per cent. is exacted from foreigners at Smyrna, whilft the natives, a few articles only excepted, pay ten per cent. He justly remarks, that this custom is in direct oppofition to that eftablished in enlightened nations. He might have added, that, as it had its origin in a total ignorance of the nature and value of commerce, fo it has been continued, entirely through the imbecility of the Turkish government. That government, we believe, has made fome efforts to alter the tariffs at the different fcales, and has even remonstrated with fome other courts on the fubject. We have been informed, however, that the new regulations are as little favourable to the natives as the ancient ones. The author's obfervations on the political fituation of the Greeks are fufficiently meagre, and are contained in a couple of pages; yet this is a vaft field for inquiry and fpeculation. France,' fays Mr Griffiths, evidently means to extend her influence to the Morea, and, from the accomplishment of fo grand an object, will raise up an enemy to our commercial connexions in the

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