The space of country here traverfed and defcribed, though well known to the ancients, has certainly been, from various caufes, almoft inacceffible to modern travellers; and particularly from the jealoufy or ignorance of its Turkifh mafters.

As a work of entertainment, we have little fcruple in recommending it; but whoever expects to find any profound remark, critical elucidation, or great acceffion of knowledge, will probably be difappointed. We infert fhort fpecimens of different kinds, that the reader may determine for himself.

"LETTER XXV.

"From Mankoup, the Tabane of Ptolomy, and Kaftren Gothias of the Middle Ages.

"We defcended from the Jews' Citadel into the deer park of the Chan, furrounded by horrible precipices, which ferve for walls to confine game; and, on advancing to the edge of this terrible lovers' leap, whence it makes you giddy to look down on the valley below, we perceived the ruins of an antient building, more than a hundred fathoms below us, which we were told had once been an antient hunting feat of the Crimean Chans.

"On reaching the bottom of the second valley, which leads to an other hill, we faw among the high grafs fome remains of an antient city, which we were told was called Marianapol, but of which I find no mention in antient authors. Thefe marks of former population lay at the bottom of a mountain, on the fummit of which are still found the ruins of Mankoup or Manghoup, the Tabane of Ptolemy, and the Kaftron Gothias, or Goths' Citadel, of the Middle Ages; a city which bore the rank of capital of the principality of Gothia in the ninth century, and was erected in the mountainous part of the peninfula, when that people, together with the Alains, were driven from the lower grounds by a new race of conquerors, called Kozares, after being masters of the Taurida from the fecond century. Here it was that they took refuge; and the highland principality thus erected always exifted, though probably as a tributary ftate, through all the changes of Tartar fovereignty, till the Turkish Conqueft in the fixteenth century; which fhows them to have been a brave people, and well skilled in defending places in thofe days.

"There is a little monaftery cut out of the rocks in the fide of the mountain, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, probably by the Goths, who were Chriftians, and introduced their religion, churches, and bithops, into all the cities that they poffetfed, fome of which are still ftanding, and will be noticed hereafter.

"A little rough path conducted us from the bottom of the mountain to the foot of a flight of fteps, hewn out of the rock, which leads up to the monaftery, and which we mounted beneath the rays of a burning fun.

First, we came to a few little wooden cells, ftuck in a manner to the rocks, and fufpended in a frightful ftyle above the valley; probably intended to try the courage, and reduce the bodies, of pampered finners, before entering the cool receffes of the excavated rock; and

there was furely little danger of their carrying in much of their worldly plumpnefs with them, if they paled a fummer in thefe fweating boxes by way of ordeal, and did not break their necks during the noviciate; an efcape, however, which, in my opinion, would be no flight mark of their being in the number of the elect, and dettined for the service of the Virgin. One folitary monk now occupies them alone, who is certainly arrived at a face of body that might almoft gain him admisfion into a rabbit-hole.

A little farther up we met with two cells cut in the rock (probably the fecond stage of probation), furnished with fome rude utenfils; and, in mounting fill Figher, we came to a little veftibule that opens into the chapel, fituated in the very heart of the living rock, and only lighted by the feeble rays which pats through this anti-chamber, the lels wanted, however, as wax tapers are burning day and night in honour of the faint, and add much, in my opinion, to the religious awe infpired by the fanctuary.

This chapel offers very little to curiofity, independent of its fituation and construction, except a rude figure of the Virgin, and fome old coins hung about it, the offerings of her pious votaries; but what attracted much of our attention was, a fmall cradle hung on the wall, whofe hiftory makes it interesting. It is the grateful offering of a good woman, who, having been long condemned to barrennefs, came to obtain the Virgin's interceffion in her favour, and remained a few days in the facred place, to have the advantage of the prayers of the holy fathers; when lo, at the end of nine months (wonderful as it may appear) the pious chriftian was delivered of a fine rofy boy, and, on her recovery, came to offer the little cradle as a mark of her gratitude' and fatisfaction; and it is accordingly preferved with much care, as an encouragement to other fterile females to apply to the Virgin in the fame manner.

"The numbers, however, of thefe charitable fathers are fadly reduced in thefe ungodly times, as now only two remain out of 72, the antient complement; infomuch that the lower cells, to the scandal of religion, ferve at the prefent moment to lodge the neighbouring flocks, inftead of their own as formerly.

"But it is time to defcend from this wonderful mountain, to procure fomething more folid than the sharp air that we breathe here, which has given an excellent appetite to Yours, &c." P. 86

"LETTER XLIX.

"The fair Circaffians," fays Mr. Kelman, " of whom three were offered me for fale in 1708, were brought from their own chamber into mine (as we all lodged in the fame inn) one after another, by the Ar-, menian merchant who had to difpofe of them. The first was very well dreffed, and had her face covered in the Oriental ftile. She kiffed my hand by order of her mafter, and then walked backward and forward in the room, to fhew me her fine fhape, her pretty fmall foot, and her elegant carriage. She next lifted up her veil, and abfolutely furprifed me by her extreme beauty. Her hair was fair, with fine large blue eyes; her nofe a little aquiline, with pouting red lips. Her features were regular, her complexion fair and delicate, and her cheeks

covered

covered with a fine natural vermillion, of which she took care to con.. vince me by rubbing them hard with a cloth. Her neck I thought a little too long; but, to make amends, the finest bofom and teeth in the world fet off the other charms of this beautiful flave, for whom the Armenian asked 4000 Turkish piaftres, but permitted me to feel her pulfe, to convince myfelf that the was in perfect health; after which fhe was ordered away, when the merchant affured me thar fhe was a pure virgin of 18 years of age."

"He next offered him two others, older, and lefs handfome, at 3000 piaftres for the two; but these I shall not follow Mr. Keelman in defcribing, as I am pretty fure that you would not have been a purchafer any more than the honeft German; who, however, feems to have fet a proper value on the youth and beauty of the firft, although her neck was a little too long" for his tafte.

"I was more furprised, probably, than I ought to have been (as common ufage renders every thing familiar) at the perfect indifference with which the inhabitants of Caffa behold this traffic in beauty that bad fhocked me fo much, and at their affuring me, when I feemed affected at the practice, that it was the only method which parents had of bettering the ftate of their handfome daughters, defined at all events to the baram; for that the rich Afiatic gentleman who pays 4000 piaftres for a beautiful miftrefs treats and prizes her as an earthly houri, in perfect conviction that his fuccefs with the houries of Paradife entirely depends on his behaviour to the fifterhood on earth, who will bear teftimony against him in cafe of ill ufage; in fhort, that, by being difpofed of to rich muffelmen, they were fure to live in affluence and ease the rest of their days, and in a state by no means degrading in Mahometan countries, where their Prophet has permitted the feraglio. But that, on the contrary, if they fell into the hands of their own feudal lords, the barbarous inhabitants of their own native. mountains, which it is very difficult for beauty to escape, their lot was comparatively wretched, as thofe rude chieftains have very little of either refpect or generofity toward the fair fex. Such is the opinion of the Crim Tartars on this curious fubject; who, being Mahometans, have harams themselves, and treat their women as refpectfully as any

nation in Afia.

However, notwithstanding all this fine Mahometan reafoning, which feems to put both Turk and Tartar confciences perfectly at eafe, how much are we inhabitants of the polifhed countries of Europe fhocked at the horrible practice of parents felling their own children! though I am afraid it was once but too common every where, and that it is attached to a certain ftate of civil fociety, which does not abandon it till it arrives at a confiderable degree of civilization. I think that you will allow my remark to be well founded, when you confider, that fo late as the year 1015, you made an exprefs law in England to prevent parents felling their own children.

"But that this practice was of very high antiquity, we have many proofs; and it muft have been widely fpread among different nations, as we read of Solomon's haram being filled with the daughters of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites, &c. to the amount of 300, certainly all purchafed, and moft probably from their

parents;

parents; as you have proved, in your "Ruffian Antiquities,” that even wives were bought in remote antiquity, before the modern practice' was introduced of giving a dowry with a pretty daughter to get her off your hands.

"If it was the ufage in the time of Solomon to purchase wives as well as concubines how very extenfive muft the cuftoin of parents felling their children have been, only judging from the 700 fpoufes of that fame monarch, who must, like his concubines, have come from various countries, if the accufation of Ezra the Jewish extractor be well founded, who lays to the charge of his pagan wives, their having engaged the King to worthip Ahtoreth, Milcom, Chemosh, and Molech, probably idols of different nations!

"This long inquiry into the customs of antiquity, before the chrif tian religion had made fuch practices criminal, you will eafily per ceive is to enable us to judge with candour of ufages that we find in our travels, still exifting among men, probably much in the same state of civil fociety as when they were practifed of old, even by the Jews, the most learned and polifhed nation of early times; and to show that, although we fhudder with horror in all the pride of our fuperior lights and cultivated feelings, at ufages fo repugnant to our own fentiments and ways of thinking, ftill we should not too harshly condemn those who practife them, without entering into the different points of view in which they may be seen by the inhabitants of the Taurida, Turkey, or any other country where men are led by many concurring caufes to think differently from ourselves.

"In taking leave of this once flourishing city, I cannot help remarking, that its ruined buildings may once more resume their antient fplendour, if the original caufe that erected them fhould again operate in its favour; and I by no means think it impoffible that Ruffia, which brings goods by land from China, inay one day rettore the India trade by the antient channels, the Cafpian and Phafis, mere efpecially fince its victorious banners are now waving in the very country through which the rich merchandize ufed to pafs, and may probably render the route fate in future by a friendly treaty with the natives.

"What miracles has not the India commerce performed in all ages? Is it poffible to touch on this fubject without recollecting the fplendid Palmyra (whofe ruins till attonith travellers) raifed as if by magic on a green inland, in the midst of a burning defert, and from being merely the refting-place of the caravans, on their way to the Welt with the riches of the Eaft; yet it cloathed in imperial purple its queen Zenobia (as it had before done her husband the valiant Odenathus) who difputed with Rome the empire of the East, and placed under her fceptre Egypt, Syria, and Mefopotamia!

After fuch an example, can we be surprised at the antient fplendour of this city, while it was the Euxine emporium for India goods? Or can we believe it impoffible that the re-opening of their ancient channel may rebuild, its fallen walls, even in fpite of the paffage by the Cape of Good Hope, when we fee the old land trade to China profitably carried on by Ruffia fo long after that important difcovery.

"The importation into Caffa at the time of Mr. Keelman's vifit Thall finish this long letter, and the fubject at prefent, till it shall again

occur

occur in my general sketch of the Euxine commerce. The principal articles are, peltry; woollen cloth; velvet; filk; fatin; damalk; gold and filver ftuffs; linen; muflin; worked and block copper; dying drugs, more especially indigo; cochineal; alum; Brazil, and logwood. Alfo, gum lac; rice; fugar; coffee; and tobacco (now exported from the fame city); aloes' wood; cotton, and cotton thread; anifeed; fulphur; opium; maftic; farfaparilla; perfumes; paper; dried fruits; fpices; tin; iron (now exported); fteel; and Nurembourg toys.

"After writing fuch a lift, and so much out of my ufual train of fcribbling, I think I may fately reft my hand, and bid you good night;. but remember, that this coloffal ferawl is to make up for feveral pigmy epiftles on my lazy days. So adieu." P. 153.

A Map of the Tour is prefixed, compofed from the latest and beft Ruffian charts, and in which the ancient, middle age, and modern names of places, are diflinguithed. Afketch alfo is given from D'Anville's ancient Geography of the Southern Coaft of the Euxine; but we have the fatisfaction to learn, that Major Rennel is in poffeffion of a Map of the entire Coaft of the Euxine, made from actual menfuration, of which we truft the public will, ere long, have the benefit. Many engravings are interfperfed through the work, of ancient coins, medals, monuments, infcriptions, and other objects of curiofity; we nevertheless doubt, whether it will ever become fufficiently popular to defray the trouble and expences of tranflation.

ART. XII, A Syftem of Chemistry. In Four Volumes, &c. (Concluded from p. 115.)

IT has been often obferved, that the language of metaphyfics is neceffarily metaphorical, because the terms employed are transferred from fenfible objects to the phænomena of the mind. It is not lefs true, nor lefs worthy of obfervation, that fome of the terms employed in phyfical fcience are transferred from mind to matter. This is certainly the cafe with refpect to the word power, Were we not confcious of the exertion of our own powers, it seems not conceivable that we could ever have acquired any notion of power at all; for power is not an object of fenfe, nor, except when in exertion, is it an object of consciousness. A mere feries of events, however conftantly conjoined, could never have fuggefted the notion of power; for day has as conftantly fucceeded to night, as motion has refulted from impulfe ar preffure. Were we not affured by experience,