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Attended by one of thefe people, after paffing the gate of the Harem, which is always locked, and under the care of a gard of eunuchs, we entered a narrow and dark paffage, which foon brought us to the court, into which the women's chambers open. We here faw numbers of both black and white women and children; fome concubines, fome flaves, and others hired domestics.

Upon their obferving the unufual figure of an European, the whole multitude in a body furrounded me, and expreffed the urmoil aftonishment at my drefs and appearance. fome flood motionless, with their hands lifted up, their eyes fixed, and their mouths open, in the ufual attirade of wonder and furprife. Some bartt into immoderate fits of laughter; while others again came up and with uncommon attention, eyed me from head to foot. The parts of my drefs which feemed most to attract their notice were my buckles, buttons, and flockings; for Gaither men nor women in this country wear any thing of the kind. With refpect to the club of my hair, they feemed utterly at a lofs in what view to confider it; but the powder which I wore they conceived to be employed for the purpose of deftroying vermin. Moft of the children, when they faw me, run away in the most perfect confternation; and on the whole I appeared as fingular an animal, and I dare fay had the hoFour of exciting as much curiofity and attention, as a lion or a man-tiger juft imported from abroad, and introduced into a country town in England on a narket-day. Every time I vifited the Haren I was furrounded and laughed at by this curious mob, who, on my entering the gate, followed me clofe to the very chamber to which I was proceeding, and on my return univerfally escorted me out. The greateft part of the women were Encommonly fat and unwieldy; had black and full eyes, round faces, with fmall nofes. They were of different complexions; fome very fair, fome fallow, and others again perfect negroes.

One of my new patients being ready to receive me, I was defired to walk in to her room; where, to my great fur

prife, I faw nothing but a curtain drawn quite across the apartment, fimilar to that of a theatre which feparates the ftage from the audience. A female domeftic brought a very low ftool, placed it near the curtain, and told me I was to fit down there and feel her mistress's pulfe.

The lady, who had by this time fummoned up courage to fpeak, introduced her hand from the bottom of the curtain, and defired me to inform her of all her complaints, which the conceived I might perfectly perceive by merely feeling the pulfe. It was in vain to afk her where her pain was feated, whether in her stomach, head, or back; the only answer I could procure, was to feel the pulfe of the other hand, and then point out the feat of the disease, and the nature of the pain.

Having neither fatisfied my curiofity by exhibiting her face, nor made me acquainted with the nature of her complaint, I was under the neceffity of informing her in pofitive terms, that to understand the disease it was abfolutely neceffary to fee the tongue, as well as to feel the pulfe; and that without it I could do nothing for her. My eloquence or rather that of my Jewish interpreter, was, however, for a long time exerted in vain ; and I am perfuaded fhe would have difmiffed me without any further enquiry, had not her invention fupplied her with a happy expedient to remove her embarraffment. She contrived at last to cut a hole through the curtain, through which the extruded her tongue, and thus complied with my injunction as far as it was neceflary in a medical view, but most eff. ctually difappointed my curiofity.

I was afterwards ordered to look at another of the prince's wives, who was affected with a fcrofulous fwelling in her neck. This lady was, in the fame manner as the other, at firft excluded from my fight; but as fhe was obliged to fhew me her complaint, I had an opportunity of fecing her face, and obferved it to be very handfome. I was informed that the had been at one period the favourite of the prince, but owing to this defect he had in a great measure deferted her; and this circumftance accounts for the extreme

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anxiety

anxiety which fhe feemed to exprefs to get rid of this difagreeable difeafe.

As foon as I had examined her neck, she took off from her dress the whole of her golden trinkets, which were very numerous, and of confiderable value, put them into my hand, and defired me to cure her; promifing a ftill greater reward if I fucceeded. Confcious of the uncertainty of rendering her any material fervice, I immediately returned the prefent, and affured her that she might depend on my giving all proper remedies a fair trial, but that I could not be anfwerable for their fuccefs. There is nothing more unpleasant than the inability of giving reafonable ground for hope, when it promifes to be productive of fo much happiness to a fellow-creature. It was with pain I obferved that this poor lady, though fomewhat cheered, was yet diffatisfied with my reply; fhe could not refrain from fhewing evident marks of difappointment, and even displeasure, at my hesitation, by faying, fhe always underflood that a Chriftian phyfician could cure every difeafe.

During the courfe of my attendance in the Harem, I had an opportunity of feeing most of the prince's women, who exclufive of the four wives allowed him by his religion, were about twenty in number, and who did not, like his wives, discover that invincible reluctance to the difplay of their beauty. They at first proved very troublesome patients; for upon my not telling them all their complaints immediately upon feeling the pulfe, they confidered me as an ignorant empiric, who knew nothing of my profeffion. Befides this, I found that each of them flattered themselves with almost an inftantaneous cure. In fhort, after many fruitless efforts to teach thofe to reafon who had hitherto never made the fmalleft ufe of their understandings, `I was at laft obliged to adapt my deportment to the capacities of my patients, and foon acquired among them as much undeferved commendation as I had incurred unmerited reproach.

Moft of the women in the Harem were under thirty years of age, of a corpulent habit, and of a very aukward gait. Their knowledge of courfe, from having led a

life of total feclufion from the world, was entirely confined to the occurrences in their harem; where, as they were allowed a free accefs to each other, they converfed upon fuch fubjects as their uninformed understandings served to furnish them with. They are never fuffered to go out, but by an exprefs order from the prince; and then only when removing from one place of refidence to another. I in general found them extremely ignorant, proud, and vain of their perfons, even to a degree which bordered upon childishnefs. Among many ridiculous questions, they afked my interpreter, if I could read and write; upon being anfwered in the affirmative, they expreffed the utmoft furprise and admiration at the abilities of the Chriftians. There was not one among them that could do either; these rudiments of learning are indeed only the lot of a few of their men, who on that account are named Talbs, or explainers of the Mahometan law.

Among the concubines of the prince there were fix female flaves of the age of fifteen, who were prefented to him by a Moor of diftinction. One of these was defcended from an English renegado, another from a Spanish, and the other four were of Moorish extraction.

Where the more folid and ufeful accomplishments are least cultivated, a taste is often found to prevail for those which are purely ornamental and frivolous. Thefe devoted victims of libidinous pleafure received a daily leffon of mufic, by order of the prince, from a Moor who had paffed fome little time in London and Italy, where he had acquired a flight knowledge of that fcience. I had an opportunity of being prefent at one of thefe performances, but cannot fay I received much amufement, in a mafical view, from my vifit. It was a concert, vocal and inftrumental: the inftruments ufed upon this occafion were the mandoline, a kind of violin with only two ftrings, and a tabor. The principal object in their performance feemed to be noife; it was without the least attention to melody, variety, or talte, and was merely drawing out a wild and melancholy ftrain.

Con

Converfation, however, forms the a quantity fufficient for depriving thofe principal entertainment in thefe gloomy fluids of all their mucilaginous, cafeous, retirements. When I vifited the Ha- and oily parts, for which effect those rem, I never found the women enga- fluids must be diluted with a prodigious ged in any other employment than that quantity of water. of converfing on the ground in circles. In fact, as all the needle-work is performed by Jeweffes, and their cookery and the management of their chambers by their flaves and domeftics, of which they have a proportionable number, according to the favour they are in with the prince, it is not eafy for them to find means of occupying their time, and particularly fince none of them are able to read or write.

It is impoffible, indeed, to reflect on the fituation of thefe unfortunate women without the most lively fentiments of compaffion. Excluded from the enjoyment of fresh air and exercife, fo neceffary for the fupport of health and life; deprived of all fociety but that of their fellow fufferers, a fociety to which most of them would prefer folitude itfelf; they are coly to be confidered as the most abject of flaves-flaves to the vices and caprice of a licentious tyrant, who exacts even from his wives themselves a degree of fubmiffion and refpect which borders upon idolatry, and which God and nature never meant to be paid to mortal.

By William Lempriere.

ON THE PROPERTIES OF
CHARCOAL.

THE experiments of M. LowITZ on charcoal, point out its application to fuch a variety of œconomical purposes, as well as illustrate its mode of action in thofe operations, in which, from experience or chance, it has been already employed, that we hope to gratify our philofophical readers, by prefenting them with fome extracts relative to that fub ject, from a work not in very general circulation.

1. Common vinegar, on being boiled in a matress with charcoal powder, became perfectly limped like water,

2. Beer, milk, or lemon-juice, mixed with charcoal powder, remain of a turbid black colour, until the latter is added in

3. All forts of veffels, and other utenfils, may be purified from long-retained fmells of every kind, in the eafieft and moft perfect manner, by rinfing them out well with charcoal powder, after their groffer impurities have been fcoured off with fand and potash.

4. In the purification of common ardent fpirits, by means of charcoal, without the help of diftilation, if too little charcoal powder be added, the fpirits will always retain a blackish turbid appearance. But this black matter may be inftantly and entirely feparated from the fpirits by the addition of falt of tartar, in fuch a quantity as is fufficient for it to form with the water, which it attracts from the fpirits, a diftinct fluid.

It is remarkable, that ardent fpirits which have been completely purified by means of charcoal, give out a fine odour exactly refembling that of peaches.

5. Spirits diftilled from malt or other grain, fhew by the fmell evidently that their ftrength is much increased by purification with charcoal, without the help of diftilation; infomuch that perfons who are not informed of the manner in which the purification was effected, have taken fuch fpirits for rectified fpirit of wine.

6. People whofe breath smells ftrong from a fcorbutic difpofition of the gums, may at any time get perfectly rid of this bad fmell, by rubbing and washing out the mouth, and teeth, thoroughly with fine charcoal powder. I was led to this difcovery by the effects of charcoal on putrid fefh. By means of this very fimple application, the teeth are at the fame time rendered beautifully white.

7. Brown, putrid, and ftinking water, was not only immediately deprived of its offenfive fmell, by means of charcoal powder, but was alfo rendered tranfparent. Hence it would probably be of ufe for preferving fresh water fweet during fea voyages, to add about

five pounds of coarse charcoal powder to every cafk of water; efpecially as the charcoal might easily be feparated by filtering, whenever wanted, through a linen bag. We have laid the above interefting and curious experiments before our readers, because it is probable, that when offered to a variety of minds, fome of them may be applied to purposes of more extenfive utility, and made to increase the comforts or the happiness of life.

To fucceed in any of the proceffes just mentioned, it is neceffary to be obferved, that the charcoal fhould be made red-hot in a furnace, and thofe pieces which cease to give any fmoke, must be taken out with tongs, and be laid to cool upon clean bricks.

ON THE BAYA, OR INDIAN

GROSS-BEAK.

THE little bird called Bayà in Hindi, Barbera in Sanferit, Bábuï in the dialect of Bengal, Cibù in Perfian, and Tenawwit in Arabic, from his remarkable pendent neft, is rather larger than a fparrow, with yellow brown plumage, a yellowish head and feet, a light coloured breaft, and a conic beak, very thick in proportion to its body. This bird is exceedingly common in Hindoftan: He is aftonishingly fenfible, faithful, and docile, never voluntarily deferting the place where his young were hatched, but not averfe, like moft other birds, to the fociety of mankind, and eafily taught to perch on the hand of his mafter. In a state of nature he generally builds his neft on the highest tree that he can find, especially on the palmyra, or on the Indian fig-tree, and he prefers that which happens to overhang a well or a rivulet: he makes it of grafs, which he weaves like cloth, and fhapes like a large bottle, fufpending it firmly on the branches, but fo as to rock with the wind, and placing it with its entrance downwards to fecure it from birds of prey. His neft ufually confifts of two or three chambers; and it is the popular belief, that he lights them with fire-flies, which he catches alive at night,

and confines them with moift clay, or with cow-dung; that fuch flies are often found in his neft, where pieces of cowdung are alfo ftuck, is indubitable; but it feems probable that he only feeds on as their light could be of little ufe to him

them.

fetch a piece of He may be taught, with cafe, to fetch a piece of paper, or any finall thing that his mafter points out to him; it is an attelled fact, that if a ring be dropped into a deep well, and a fignal givea to him, he will fly down with amazing celerity, catch the ring before it touches the water, and bring it up to his master with apparent exultation; and it is confidently afferted, that if a house or any other place be fhewn to him once or twice, he will carry a note thither immediately on a proper fignal being made.

One inftance of his docility I can myfelf mention with confidence, having of ten been an eye witnefs of. The young Hindu women at Banares, and other places, wear very thin plates of gold called tica's, flightly fixed by way of ornament between their eye brows, and when they pafs through the streets, it is not uncommon for the youthful libertines, who amufe themfelves with training Bayàs, to give them a fignal, which they underftand, and fend them to pluck the pieces of gold from the foreheads of their miftreffes, which they bring in triumph to their lovers. The Baya feeds naturally on grafs-hoppers and other infects, but will fubfift, when tame, on pulfe macerated in water: his flesh is warm and drying, of eafy digestion, and recommended in medical books, as a folvent of ftone in the bladder or kidneys; but of that virtue there is no sufficient proof. The female lays many beautiful eggs refembling large pearls, the white of them, when they are boiled, is tranfparent, and the flavour of them is exquifitely delicate.

When many Bayàs are affembled on a high tree, they make a lively din, but it is rather chirping than finging: their want of mufical talents is, however, amply fupplied by their wonderful fagacity, in which they are not excelled by any feathered inhabitants of the foreft.

Afiatic Refearches.

THE

THE STUDY

OF

POLITE LITERATURE DEFENDED.

[From M. de Rofentien's Oration, delivered before the Swedith Academy.]

"FROM the four following fources are derived thofe arguments, the grounds of which I venture to deny : The examples recorded in hiftory; a comparifon between thofe periods in which polite learning has flourished, and in which it was unknown; the very nature of clegant learning; and the difpofitions and conduct of thofe who are devoted to its purfuits.

"Examples deduced from history I mention first, well perfuaded that they have long and powerfully fupported the canfe of error. There is not any thing, of which mankind have been more ignorant, than of the fcience of focial life. The imperfections incident to every form of government I do not arraign. How indeed could perfection be attained, without mature confideration; and who can expect mature confideration in works produced by the fortuitous courfe of events, by the tyranny of circumstances? Among the ancient flates, Sparta alone could boast a legiflation connected in all its parts; yet, by militating against the ftrongest propenfities of human nature, the Spartan laws excited a perpetual conflict, that ended in the deftruction of that country. The governments at prefent fubfifting may aptly be compared to Gothic edifices improved by the hand of taste.

"It may be observed, that a prudent extent of territory, a comprehenfive experience, and an induftrious purfuit of happiness, have contributed more to the public and private advantage of mankind, than the moft admired laws of the ancient legiflators. There ftill, however, fubfift fo many fundamental defects and errors, fo much oppofition between different parts of the fame fyftem, that no modern form of government can be confidered as a juft model for imitation. Venice will perhaps be pointed out as an exception; a republic of which the con

ftitution has furvived its greatnefs, and a material change in the fentiments of the people. But what a conftitution! Equally unfhaken, Oriental defpotifm has a higher claim to antiquity.

"Nevertheless, hiftory has long been confidered as affording examples for the conftruction of forms of government. Athens, Carthage, and Rome, are objects of enquiry in France, England, and Sweden. Elevating their voice, philofophers have at length ventured to afk, if France be Athens, England Carthage, or Sweden Rome? Is it not, however, often afferted, that after having loft her fimplicity, frugality, and poverty, Sparta was no more; that Athens, by encouraging public fpectacles, ceafed to conquer; inftead of a Miltiades, an Aristides, a Themiftocles, the had a Menander, a Plato, a Demofthenes? Charmed with the eloquence of Cicero, the poetry of Virgil, and Horace, the Romans fupinely neglected their country's freedom. Alarming examples thefe! alarming, indeed, for governments like thefe! But other caufes fufficiently account for the destruction of liberty.

"By the frantic rage of conqueft, every fmall community must fall a victim to its own weakness, every extensive monarchy a prey to its own grandeur. The love of peace will not fhield the former from the attacks of an ambitious neighbour; unavoidable neceflity compels them to combat, to conquer, or to perish. A political truth this, which will throw fome light on the ruins of ancient go

vernments.

"The Lacedemonians, defigned by Lycurgus to be protected by valour, from equality and poverty to derive peace and contentment, to poffefs independence by ruling only over themselves; the fe people loft their ftrength, when, inftead of preferving a fyftem of felf-defence, they committed hoftilities upon others; engaged in war with a fuperior force, they foon ceafed to be independent; their happiness was alike destroyed by the confequences of victory or of adverfe fortune.. Athens found it impoffible to fupport, undiminished, that vigour of

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