India as lie under the alternate operation of the fea and land breezes, where the morning is, in fact, ufually hotter than at noon. From this truth the abfurd inference was probably drawn, that the fun in thofe countries was vertical in the morn ing.

"As foon as they arrive at the spot, the Indians precipitately fill their bags with fand, and return as expeditioully as poflible. The Perfians fay that these ants know and purfue the Indians by their fmell, with inconceivable fwiftnefs. They affirm, that if the Indians did not make - confiderable progrefs while the ants were collecting themfelves together, it would be impoffible for any of them to escape. For this reafon, at different intervals, they feparate one of the male camels from the feinale, which is always fleeter than the males, and are at this time additionally incited by the remembrance of their young whom they had left. Thus, according to the Perfians, the Indians obtain their greateft quantity of gold; what they procure by digging is of much inferior importance." Herodotus.

The fabulous narrative above detailed, becomes interefting from its being connected with fome curious literary facts. Pliny gives the fame account of the Indian termites, whofe nefts are fo difproportioned to the fize of the infect, which Herodotus does; adding, that "in the temple of Hercules, at Erythræ, the horns of an Indian ant were to be feen, an aftonishing object." Demetrius Demetrius Triclinius mentions that there are in India winged animals, named ants, which dig up gold. But what is moft extraordinary is, that the refpectable hiftorian De Thau, tells us, that Shah Thamas, Sophi of Perfia, fent, in the year 1559, to Soliman, an ant like thefe here defcribed. The moft fingular circumfrance remains to be mentioned: Herodotus ftates that his information refpecting the manner in which gold was procured in India, was derived through the medium of the Perfions: now, whoever will take

the trouble to confult Khonde nir's geographic treatife, article "Hinduftan," will find the ftory related with all the above particulars; which proves that this tradition was current in Perfia from the time of He, rodotus to the beginning of the 16th century.

"Thus it appears that the extreme parts of the habitable world are diftinguished by the poffeffion of many beautful things, as Grecce is for its mild and temperate feafons. India, as I have already remarked, is the laft inhabited country towards the eaft, where every fpecies of birds and of quadrupeds, hores excepted, are much larger than in any other part of the world. Their holes are not fo large as the Nifean horfes of Media. They have also a great abundance of gold, which they procure partly by digging, partly from the rivers, but principally by the method above defcribed. They poflefs likewife a kind of plant, which, inftead of fruit, produces wool of a finer and better quality than that of fheep: of this the natives make their clothes." Herodotus.

Thus we find that the Indians were clothed in mulin dresses manufactured of cotton, in the time of Herodotus. Carpafus, one of the names by which the cotton plant was known to the ancients, is a corruption of the Sanferit word capas. It may eafily be inferred from the extreme population afcribed to India by the father of history, that the majority of its inhabitants were not difgraced by the favage manners which he imputes to them, though they may pollibly have been applicable to fome of the tribes inhabiting that vaft extent of country.

But it is time we fhould now return to Major Rennell, whom we would not have quitted fo long, had the fubject been lefs connected with the more immediate object of our publication,

The 14th fe&ion embraces an interefting difcuffion concerning the fite and remains of ancient Babylon. The space within the walls cannot be reduced under 72 fquare

miles; but our author, arguing from the vast extent of country neceffary to fupply with provifions a population fufficient to cover that area, concludes, that "the founder of Babylon extended, either through of tentation or ignorance, the walls of his city, fo as to include an area that could never be filled with habitations." In proof of this conjecture, Major Rennell ftates that

the prefent city of Baffora, according to the defcription of M. Niebuhr and others, is much to the point of our argument; and is alfo fituated in the very fame region with ancient Babylon. The circuit of its walls, according to M. Niebuhr, is about 7 British miles, (Mr. Irwin fays 19,) and may contain about 3 fquare miles; and yet M. Niebuhr reckoned, in 1766, only 40 to 50,000 inhabitants. The ground within the walls has both date-groves and corn-fields in it: and M. Niebuhr very aptly compares it with ancient Babylon in this refpect. By the plan, it feems as if less than one third was occupied by habitations, in the ufual Ayle of building in Afia."

The fite of Babel is determined by tradition, by notices in ancient authors, and by the defcription of its remains by modern travellers. The firft affign it a pofition in the vicinity of the town of Hella, on the Tigris; by the fecond its diftance is nearer afcertained from the

fountains of Bitumen at Is (Hit), as alfo its fituation with respect to Seleucia, which the Theodofian tables ftate at 44 Roman miles. Now the fite of Seleucia is determined by the remains of the flately palace of Nufhirvan, named Tac Kefri, which ftood in the city of Ctefiphon, on the oppofite bank of the Tigris. On the authority of Abulfeda, our author afferts that Ctefiphon was the Parthian or Perfian name of that city. The Perfian hiftorians are ignorant of this name, and mention Medaïn as the name it received at its foundation, from extending on both banks of the river. Of the remains of antiquity ftill fcattered over the plains adjacent to Hella, Major Rennell has collected an interefting account from various modern authorities, and the whole fec. tion will be found replete with curious and inftructive information.

The last ten fections of this im. portant publication refer to the con tinent of Africa, and, in confequence of the recent difcoveries in that quarter, are more diftinguished by novelty than the beginning of the work. Perhaps no book extant conveys more authentic information refpecting ancient geography; yet, owing (as we think) to an inherent defect in the original plan, it has dilated into a bulk by no means requifite for the elucidation of the fubject.

Štri&ures

MR. PLAYFAIR is a gentleman already known to the public by his commercial tables; by his developement of the caufes which led to the revolution in France; and by the work alluded to in the above title-page. In the publication now before us, many important innovations are recommended and announced, in the ftate of intercourfe which has hitherto fubfifted between Great Britain and her Indian poffeffions. As we have the misfortune to view the fubject in a light very materially different from that in which it has been confidered by the ingenious writer; perhaps the most candid mode of criticifin will be, to exhibit an analyfis of his publication, which may include the facts and inferences which conftitute the bafis of the new fyftem; and to conclude each portion with a brief expofition of the arguments which prevent us from admitting the accuracy of his deductions.

In a dedication to the Lords and Commons of Great Britain, our author reprefents himself as altogether difinterested in the difcuffion he has undertaken. "If my information or knowledge," fays he, "is not equal to that of fome writers on the fame fubject, at least none ever wrote on it that had lefs intereft to mislead others or he himself milled." In his preface we find the object of his work

VOL. 2.

thus ftated: "It is necessary in this place to obferve, that feveral great queftions mult foon be agitated:-of thefe the free trade is one; the annual fum to be paid to Government is another; befides those which a general peace muft neceffarily occafion. It is our wish to anticipate thefe great queftions, and to point out the best means of difcuffing and refolving them. Another object is to unite the profperity of this country with the views and interefts of commercial men;" (are they at va riance?) "to promote the public revenue; to extend navigation, by drawing to British ports, in British bottoms, the furplus trade of India; and to prevent, as much as poffible, with due regard to found policy and justice, the interference of foreign nations in our eaftern commerce. For while there remains British capital to be employed, it ought to be employed at home, and in that commerce which is moft likely to enrich the ftate as well as the indi. vidual. It is alfo to be obferved, that instead of fo great a proportion of this valuable branch of trade being, from exclusive restrictions, diverted into other channels, it is for the intereft of the Eaft India Company, as it is befde the wish of Government, that the whole of the produce and manufactures of our Afiatic dependencies fhould, as the

grand emporium, centre in Great Britain. Impreffed with thefe fentiments, the writer does not he fitate to fubmit his work to the Proprie. tors of India Stock, to commercial men of every defcription, and to all thofe who are in any fhape concerned in Eaft India affairs, or who may wish to attain a knowledge of

them."

Introduction. In times of remote antiquity, the Indian commerce proved a copious fource of wealth to the intermediate nations, by whom it was cultivated; nor were the advantages refulting from it of a cafual nature, but permanent as the commerce itfelf; being founded on the univerfal demand which, in all ages, has obtained for the productions of that country. Enervation and envy, the ufual concomitants of affluence, were generally, the caufes which produced the decline of thofe commercial states; and England, now at the acme of commercial profperity, has reafon to apprehend a fimilar reverfe. At fuch a crifis, the chairman of the Eaft-India Company, by his denunciation of illicit trade, difcovered his intention of destroying all competition by foreign nations; private inerchants faw the poffibility of their reputation fuffering from the fame caufe; and the impreffion thus imprudently made, must be removed by the actions and conduct of the Company."

We flatter ourfelves that Mr. Playfair will admit, that in the courfe of our analyfis, we have exhibited an impartial and candid ftatement of his principal arguments. How far they are ftrictly logical, and how far they are at all applicable, it is the province of our readers to determine; with them alfo it will remain to confider, whether it were neceflary to intro

duce Babylon and Tyre, Alexandria and Palmyra, in order to demonstrate that Mr. Bonfanquet has acted injudicioufly in that part of his conduet which has excited our author's difapprobation.

Chap. 1. "The charter of the Eaft-India Company contains many exclufive claufes, but is not in itself exclufive. Thofe claufes originated in financial views, and were calculated for the prevention of fmuggling; but the magnitude of their capital, could it be fufficiently extended, would give it in fact very nearly a complete monopoly. Every monopoly implies conditions both with regard to the public and the government; the former is entitled to expect a full fupply of Indian commodities at a reafonable price; and in this expectation they are not difappointed. The Government is entitled to expect that the Company will contribute towards the expences of the State; but the annual fum of 500,000l. which is now fixed by written compact, having been fettled without due inveftigation of the Company's ability, is fuffered to run into arrears thus they contribute nothing; the arrears have accumu lated to a fum which it were ruinous to exact, and the claims of the government remain undifcharged."

The obfervations of our author on the above topics are equally pertinent and important; they deferve very ferious confideration, both from the members of the legillature, and the proprietors of India stock.

Chap. 2. Treats of the rife and progrefs of the East-India Company as a commercial body. The concluding reflection alone is recommended by novelty. "Commerce is founded on industry, and ought to be free from the ambition of conqueft. While the Eaft-India Company continued in the line of mer