The approach of the Persians, and the progress of the siege are here detailed. During his stay here the following remarkable phenomenon occurred:

a

"March the 15th. At four this afternoon, the sun then shining bright, a total darkness commenced in an instant, when dreadful consternation seized every person in the city, people running backward, and forward in the streets, tumbling over one another, quite distracted, while those in the houses ran out in amazement, doubting whether it were an eclipse, or the end of the world. Soon after the black cloud which had caused this total darkness approached near the city, preceded by as loud a noise as I ever heard in the greatest storm; this was succeeded by such a violent whirlwind, mixt with dust, that no man in the streets could stand upon his legs; happy were those who could find, or had already obtained, shelter, whilst those who were not so fortunate were obliged to throw themselves down on the spot, where they ran great risk of being suffocated, as the wind lasted full twenty minutes, and the total darkness half an hour. The dust was so subtile, and the hurricane so furious, that every room in the British factory was covered with it, notwithstanding we had the precaution to shut the doors and windows on the first ap pearance of the darkness, and to light candles. At half past five the cloud had passed the city, the sun instantly shone out, no wind was to be heard, nor dust felt, but all was quite serene and calm again, when all of us in the factory went on the terrace, and observed the cloud had intirely passed over the river, and was then in Persia, where it seemed to cover full thirty miles in breadth on the land, but how far in length could not be even guessed at; it flew along at an amazing rate, yet was half an hour in passing over the city. It came from the north-west, and went straight forward to the south-east. The officers of the company's cruizers came on shore as soon as the cloud had past their ships, and declared that the wind was so violent, and the dust so penetrating, that no man could stand upon the decks; and that after it was over, every place below, on

Chap. XIII. Voyage from Bombay to Suez.

Cairo-our author was fortunately Chap. XIV. Description of at Cairo at the time when the Nile was to be cut-the description of this ceremony is worth extraction. "August the 15th. At break of day I sent my Arab servant to hire two jackasses, which were with difficulty obtained, by paying double the usual price. In less than an hour we arrived on the banks of the Nile, quite close to the entrance of the canal which was to be cut (as they call it). I thought myself lucky in arriv ing before a crowd had gathered, and before any steps were made towards the intended ceremony.

"I was surprised to find that a bank of earth from eight to ten yards thick,. nearly forty yards across, and sixteen cubits in depth, was to be cut through without any apparent preparation. having been previously inade. A by-stander, who discovered that I was a stranger, observing my astonishment, kindly explained the manner in which it was performed. Observe, said he, that railing which goes across the canal close to the

river r; I answered, that I did, and that I had seen it before, as well as another fixed on the inner part of the dam, (which was no more,) both which I supposed were built across for the safety of psssengers: he said, I was right in my conjecture, as the inner railing had been removed at break of day this morning.

"On my asking how soon they would begin to cut the dam, considering its thickness, and the little time which remained to perform the work, he replied, with a smile, the whole will be done in a minute without any cutting: then desiring me to walk to the inner part of

the dam, he bid me take notice of the poles which were fixed, one end against the building and the other ends, some in the bottom of the canal, and others on each side; that the earth was quite loosened from the ends, and that ropes were fixed to those ends which were on the banks, which would soon be removed by pulling them up on the banks, while the others would be pulled up on the dam, and thence be brought to land. He then requested me to walk back and take notice of several ropes and pullies which were fixed to the remaining railing across the canal. Those ropes, he said, were, fastened to as many doors of the subterraneous canals, about midway between top and bottom, which, when the signal is given by firing a cannon from the castle, will be immediately pulled up, upon which the torrent of water rushing through each canal, the building of planks immediately falls in, and is swept away with the incumbent earth. This is what we call cutting the Nile. I thanked him for the information, and was resolved to stay where I then was to see the operation performed; but the crowd of people on the banks increased to that degree, that I was soon jostled by them from the banks, and so many men, taller than myself, obstructing my sight, I thought the wisest way was toretreat in time, lest the crowd should so increase as to prevent my passing.

"I retired about eight o'clock, and with my servant walked about a mile, when meeting a man with two asses, I mounted and rode home, comforting my self, that although I could not obtain a view, yet I had been minutely informed how the operation was to be performed, which, joined to what I had previously seen, gave me a very clear idea.

"I now placed myself at my window on the canal; the tops and windows of every house being crowded, and many buffoons below playing tricks to excite the spectators to give them money. At length the torrent was heard to approach, which made them scamper away and ascend the first steps they could reach; at a quarter past ten it appeared in such a manner as infinitely to surpass any idea I had formed of it: for, notwithstanding it had run a course of three miles, it

seemed a bank of liquified earth, above ten feet high and almost perpendicular, rushing along with such impetuosity as beggars all description; even those who had seen it often, beheld it in silent wonder. When it came against the pier of a bridge, about twenty yards below my situation, the obstruction was so great, that the two arches could not immediately give it vent; the consequence was that the water, acting as a lofty wave does when it strikes the broad side of a ship with great violence, rose so high, and beat against the houses on the bridge with such violence, that it broke through their windows, setting the spectators and every moveable swimming into the street, which not giving sufficient vent, instantly it rushed impetuous through the doors and rooms of the opposite houses on the bridge into the canal, with as little interruption as if there had been no bar whatever; luckily no lives were lost, but the men were not only greatly frightened, but their cloaths were as black as the mud of the Nile.

"About an hour after there seemed to be an equality in the height of the water in the cana! between the two bridges, as viewed from my window; and excepting under those bridges, where it was a black foam, the water glided smoothly yet swiftly on, at the rate of above five miles an hour at the least.

"I observed, on the stairs belonging to every house on the canal, one or more women with young children in their arms, which they frequently dipped in the water; on asking the reason, I was informed that it was deemed a specific in the cure of the rickets, incident to very young children. Other women took up water in jars and pails, the mud of which, when settled, was applied, by way of poultice, to such children as had scald heads, for which it is said to be a certain cure.

"To this succeeded a most glorious sight indeed. First came a boat with six oars, in the bow of which was a man with a pair of kettle drums, and in the stern eight men with flutes, mandolins, and other musical instruments, playing the most lively tunes, and about ten or twelve yards behind appeared a most elegant barge with twenty oars, the rowers in their shirts and turbans, which

were as white as snow. In the stern was an elegant room, with carving, painting, and gilding, resembling the barges belonging to the livery companies in London: in this apartment were about twenty Turkish gentlemen, richly habited. Next came a barge with six oars, filled with pages and other servants, be longing to the gentlemen; then another with music, and so on alternately, until more than forty barges had past, with this difference only, that many of the barges had only ten, twelve, or sixteen oars. Upon the whole there were more than one hundred boats, and the whole procession was not finished in less than two hours: a continual silence prevailed the whole time. This, with the regularity of distance between the barges and boats, the various kinds of music, the neat appearance of the rowers and steersmen, and the rich habits of the gentlemen, made it a most splendid sight, far exceeding my expectation.

"Proclamation was daily continued of the increase of the Nile, and barges and boats were passing through the canal at all hours of the night and day; many of the nocturnal passengers were noisy and riotous. In the day-time many elegant barges were filled with ladies of distinction with their female attendants, but

not a face to be seen, as they were not only veiled, but the rooms (both the windows and doors of the apartments) were latticed, so as to admit the fresh air and allow them to see without being seen.

"Some of these barges were preceded by others with four and six oars, without either room or awning, filled with women, genteely dressed, some with, others without their husbands or other male relations attending. Upon the whole there is such decorum observed, that no man, not even a husband, is ever seen to sit with, or mix in company with the wo men, nor indeed is it ever seen that a man either walks or rides in a woman's company, either in Turkey or Egypt."

We here arrive at the conclusion Mr. Parsons, was of this volume. a man of good sense and clear ob. servation. Much of his information is more than commonly valuable, because it was the produce of a longer residence in the places which he describes than travellers usually enjoy. The volume is amusing, because the places and people which Mr. Parsons visited and described are some of the most interesting on the globe.

IT is impossible not to acknowledge the well-founded diffidence with which these volumes are presented to the public, for their claim to its notice is certainly not very strong. Mr. Macgill, however, is by no means to be ranked with the ordinary herd of bookmakers: any one of this gentry who had passed a fourth part of the time which he did in travelling through Turkey, Italy, and Russia, instead of confining his remarks within the modest limits of two small duodecimos would have expanded them by the help of his own digressions and the digressions of preceding travellers, through twice as many bulky quartos. This

author has at any rate the merit of honesty; he does not fill his own phial from another's bottle, and if the essence is not high-odoured, it is at least the pure product of his own alembic.

Mr. Macgill is not a man of science or of learning, but he has the rare merit of not pretending to be either the one or the other; accordingly we have no pedantry to disgust us; but few attempts at fine writing, and but little of the slang of sentimentality. He tells his readers very plainly, that being engaged almost constantly in the pursuits of commerce he has had little, in fact no leisure for those of literature. Far be it from us to

depreciate the character of a commercial traveller, or the value of his remarks; one man goes abroad with a view to study the natural history of a country, a second to investigate its antiquities, a third to explore its mineral treasures, a fourth to admire its scenery, and so on. But the commercial traveller is, from the very nature of his pursuits, thrown more into real life than any of the others; he mingles more intimately with men, and sees a greater variety of character. Mr. Macgill has certainly not written a book which indicates a very inquisitive turn of mind or a habit of close observation: his remarks are desultory, his reflections oftentimes insipid, and he relates many very silly anecdotes. His book, however, is not without its value: commercial men will gain information from it, and it derives an interest as the most recent account we have of a people whose empire seems to be in the last con

vulsions of existence.

Mr. Macgill departs from Venice, touches at Triest, Zia, the beautiful, the fertile, and well-peopled island of Scio, and proceeds to Smyrna by land. The city stands at the head of an extensive gulph bearing the same name: it is the first port for trade in the Turkish dominions. This bay is extensive and fine, and the water so deep that ships of considerable burden may anchor close by the wharf. The city itself can boast of no public buildings of any note; the hou ses are of the most wretched kind, built after the Turkish manner of wood and unburnt brick; in their architecture they are inelegant and inconvenient. The streets are narrow and badly paved, except. that in which the Franks live, whose houses also are much superior to any others. The commerce of this city, which was formerly confined

to the Mediterranean and the northern ports of Europe, now extends to America and the East Indies: it is very seldom that there are in the roads fewer than from fifteen to eighteen ships loading for different countries under various colours.

"In one year, beginning the first of September, and ending the thirty-first of August, sixty vessels arrived in Smyrna with rich cargoes from the following ports, viz. from London seven, from Triest eighteen, from Venice four, from Leghorn fifteen, from Holland three, five; besides an immense number from from Marseilles eight, and from America different ports in Turkey, of which no regular account is taken, and several also from the Russian ports in the Black Sea, which are not mentioned in the list shewn to me. I will at some future opportunity give you an account of the cargoes of the sixty vessels. In the same year, ninety-three ships were loaded with the produce of the country for different parts of Europe and America. Twelve were for London, forty-one for Venice, seven for Holland, eighteen for Triest, seven for Leghorn, five for

Marseilles, and three for America: the last three carried little but specie and opium, and it is believed went first to Canton, and from thence by Cape Horn to America. Many cargoes of fruit, wine and drugs are annually shipped for the Black Sea, which like the imports from that quarter are not enumerated; several of Valonea, and grain, are likewise sent on account of the Smyrna merchants which go from Smyrna in order to bring from other ports on the coast, by ships them: from the small port of Scala Nuova alone, upwards of twenty ship's load of beans are sent annually by these gentlemen to Spain, Malta, and Egypt. When I can get the list of imports finished, I will also give you a list of the exports."

The population of Smyrna is about 130,000 souls; of these 70,000 are Turks, 30,000 Greeks, 15,000 Armenians, 10,000 Jews, and 5,000 Strangers and Franks. The government is vested in a Musalim, who manages the civil

concerns of the city, subject in criminal cases to the Mollah or Cadi. The Musalim pays a large sum for the situation he holds, and plunders at pleasure to reimburse himself: his annual income is estimated at 300,000 piastres, or about 17,000l. sterling. The ainusements in a place of such extensive commerce, and where the influx of strangers is very large, must of course, be numerous and splendid. The Casino is under excellent regulations; Chess, billiards, cards, music, and dancing, diversify the scene, and almost seduce the stranger into a belief that he is beyond

the leaden influence of the Turkish sceptre. The Society of Smyrna is unreserved and agreeable; hospitality prevails.

Our traveller says that the spring of 1804 afforded the first instance he had ever known of a Turk using any precaution against the plague. It broke out at Smyrna in the harem of the Musalim; his mother and some of his wives died, and he immediately removed the other inhabitants of the harem to Catarash, his country house, and employed proper methods to resist the infection. Mr. Macgill attributes to the predestinarian tenets of the Turks, their refusal to employ any means for preventing this disorder, or for recovering those whom it has seized

on.

"The precautions used against the plague by Christians are simple and effectual; their houses, that is to say, the best houses in Frank-street, are for many reasons built like little fortresses, and in general extend from the street down to the water side; at each of them there is a strong gate, mostly of iron, to prevent their being set fire to, and within that one toward the street, at the distance of ten feet from it and each other, are two more formed of spars. When the pestilence rages violently, both the outer and inner gates are kept constantly locked, and the master, or some confidential person has the keys. When any one rings at the

gate, the door is opened by a cord, and the person is admitted to the first spar gate, through which he communicates the intention of his errand; if he brings provisions, within the middle gate stands a large tub of water, into which they are thrown from a little door, and are not taken out again until the outer gate is shut: if bread is brought, it must be hot, at which time it cannot communicate infection. Letters and other papers are conveyed on the end of a piece of wood or cane, with a slit in it, and are fumigated with nitre and brimstone. By these means it is almost impossible that the plague should find entrance into the houses, where the inhabitants keep themselves closely confined till its rage is

spent."

Constantinople. There is nothing to delay us in our traveller's overland journey from Smyrna hither; he pays a visit to the famed temple of Diana at Ephesus, which, as every body knew before, he says, is in ruins. The city too, formerly so celebrated, we are told "has now no other boast than that of being one of the most miserable of Turkish villages." What an odd phrase! Osman Öglu, a prince who governs an immense tract of Asia Minor, was at this time on a shooting party, and sent one of his chief men to reconnoitre the strangers. Mr. Macgill returned the visit without delay; the prince is about twenty years of age, has an intelligent countenance, a manly appearance He sat on and a haughty manner. a sofa in a mud-walled room: on his right hand was perched a falcon, on his left lay a young pointer, and before him were stretched five Spartan grey-hounds. The favourite, who had paid a visit to Mr. Macgill, sat in his presence, but no other of his attendants enjoyed that honor. When our traveller and his party were introduced, the Prince, according to the Turkish custom, neither got up nor saluted his visi tors, but continued cross-legged to receive their homage. Coffee and