the thieves, they assert, was made to personate him.

Finally, the Mohammedan re. ligion recommends toleration; and all liberal Mohammedans insist that every man ought to worship God according to the law of his forefathers. "If it pleased God," say they," all men would believe; why then should a worm, a wretched mortal, be so foolish as to pretend to force other men to believe? The soul believes only by the will of God: these are the true principles of Mohammedans." It must, however, be observed, that the principles here laid down are not always the rule of action, any more than the sublime truths inculcated by the Christian reli. gion, are altogether acted upon by its professors.

Nature and Effects of a peculiar Species of Plague which depopulated West Barbary in 1799 and 1800. [From the same.]

FROM various circumstances and appearances, and from the character of the epidemical distemper which raged lately in the south of Spain, there is every reason to suppose it was similar to that dis. temper or plague which depopulated West Barbary; for whether we call it by the more reconcile. able appellation of the epidemy, or yellow fever, it was undoubt edly a plague, and a most destructive one, for wherever it prevailed, it invariably carried off, in a few months, one-half, or one-third, of the population.

It does not appear how the plague originated in Fas in the

year 1799. Some persons who were there at the time it broke out have confidently ascribed it to infected merchandize imported into that place from the cast; whilst others, of equal veracity and judgment, have not scrupled to ascribe it to the locusts which had infested West Barbary during the seven preceding years, the destruction of which was followed by the (jedrie) small-pox, which pervaded the country, and was gene. rally fatal. The jedrie is supposed to be the forerunner of this spe cies of epidemy, as appears by an ancient Arabic manuscript, which gives an account of the same disorder having carried off two-thirds of the inhabitauts of West Barbary about four centuries since. But however this destructive epidemy originated, its leading features were novel, and its consequences more dreadful, than the common plague of Turkey, or that of Syria or Egypt, as will appear by the following observa.

tions:

in the month of April, 1799, a plague of a most destructive nature manifested itself in the city of Old Faz, which soon after communicated itself to the new city, carrying off one or two the first day, three or four the second day, six or eight the third day, and increas ing progressively, until the mortality amounted to two in the hundred of the aggregate population, continuing, with unabated violence, ten, fifteen, or twenty days: being of longer duration in old than in new towns; then diminishing in a progressive proportion from one thousand a day to nine hundred, then to eight hundred, and so ou until it disappeared,

313

Whilst

Whilst it raged in the town of Mogodor, a small village (Diabet), situated about two miles south-east of that place, remained uninfected, although the communication was open between them: on the thirty. fourth day, however, after its first appearance at Mogodor, this village was discovered to be infected, and the disorder raged with great violence, making dreadful havoc among the human species for twen ty-one days, carrying off, during that period, one hundred persons out of one hundred and thirtythree, the original population of the village, before the plague visited it; none died after this, and those who were infected, recovered in course of a month or two, some ing an eye, or the use of

a leg or an arm.

Many similar circumstances might be here adduced relative to the numerous and populous villages dis. persed through the extensive Shelluh province of Ilaha, all which shared a similar or a worse fate. Travelling through this province, shortly after the plague had exhausted itself, I saw many unin habited ruins, which I had before witnessed as flourishing villages; on making inquiry concerning the population of these dismal remains, I was informed that in one village, which contained six hundred inha. bitants, four persons only had escaped the ravage. Other villages which had contained four or five hundred, had only seven or eight survivors left to relate the calamities they had suffered. Families which had retired to the country to avoid the infection, on return. ing to town, when all infection had apparently ceased, were generally attacked and died; a singu

lar instance of this kind happened at Mogodor, where, after the mor. tality had subsided, a corps of troops arrived from the city of Terodant, in the province of Suse, where the plague had been raging, and had subsided; these troops, after remaining three days at Mogodor, were attacked with the disease, and it raged exclusively among them for about a month, during which it carried off two. thirds of their original number, one hundred men; during this in. terval the other inhabitants of the town were exempt from the disor. der, though these troops were not confined to any particular quarter, many of them having had apart. ments in the houses of the inhabi tants of the town.

The destruction of the humas species in the province of Suse was considerably greater than else. where; Terodant, formerly the metropolis of a kingdom, but now that of Suse, lost, when the infection was at its height, about eight hundred each day; the ruined, but still extensive and popu. lous city of Marocco, lost one thousand each day; the populous cities of Old and New Fas dimi nished in population twelve or filteen hundred each day, insomuch that in these extensive cities, the mortality was so great, that the living having not time to bury the dead, the bodies were deposited or thrown altogether, into large holes which, when nearly full, were covered over with earth. Young, healthy, and robust persons of full stamina, were for the most part attacked first, then women and children, and lastly, thin, sickly, emaciated, and old people.

After this deadly calamity had

subsided,

teration in the fortunes and circumstances of men; we saw per. sons who, before the plague, were common labourers, now in pos. session of thousands, and keeping horses without knowing how to ride them, parties of this description were met wherever we went, and the men of family called them in derision (El wurata) the inheri tor. Provisions also became extremely cheap and abundant; the flocks and herds had been letin the fields, and there was now no one to own them; and the propensity to plunder, so notoriously at tached to the character of the Arab, as well as to the bellue and Moor, was superseded by a conscientious regard to justice, originating from a continual apprehension of disso. lution, and that the El khere, as the plane was now called, was a judgment of the Omnipotent on the disobedience of man, and that it behoved every individual to a mend his conduct, as a preparation to his departure for Paradise.

The expense of labour at the same time increased enormously, and never was equality in the hu. man species more conspicuous than at this time; when corn was to be ground, or bread baked, both were performed in the houses of the affluent, and prepared by themselves, for the very few people whom the plague had spared, were insufficient to administer to the wants of the rich and independant, and they were accordingly com. pelled to work for themselves, performing personally the mental offices of their respective families.

The country being now depopulated, and much of the territory without owners, vast tribes of

in the interior of Sahara, and took possession of the country conti guous to the river Draha, as well as many districts in Suse; and, in short, settling themselves, and pitching their tents wherever they found a fertile country with little or no population.

A Week in Paris By Lieut. Colonel Pinkney. [From the Universal Magazine.]

THERE is no place in the world, perhaps, more distinguished for literary eminence, in every part of art and science, than Paris. The literary institutions of Paris, therefore, were the objects of my first visit. Every capital has its theatres, public gardens, and palaces, but Paris alone has its public libraries on a scale of equal utility and magnificence. In Paris alone, science seems to be considered as an object of importance to man. kind, and therefore a suitable object for the protection of government. In Paris alone, to say all in a word, the poorest student, the most ragged philosopher, has all the treasures of princes at his command; the national library opens at his call, and the most expensive books are delivered for his use.

On the morning following my arrival, Mr. Younge accompanied me to the national library, On entering it, we ascended a most superb staircase painted by Pellegrine, by which we were led to the library on the first floor. It consists of a suit of spacious and magnificent apartments, extending round three sides of a quadrangle. 3 14

The

The books are ranged round the sides, according to the order of the respective subjects, and are said to amount to nearly half a million. Each division has an attending brarian, of whom every one may require the book he wishes, and which is immediately delivered to him. Being themselves gentlemen, there is no apprehension that they will accept any pecuniary remu. neration; but there is likewise a strict order that no money shall be given to any of the inferior atten. dants. There are tables and chairs in numbers, and nothing seemed neglected, which could conduce even to the comfort of the readers. The most complete department of the library is that of the mauuscripts. This collection amounts to nearly fifty thousand volumes, and amongst them innumerable letters, and even treatises, by the early kings of France. A manuscript is shewn as written by Louis the Fourteenth it is intitled, "Memoirs of his own Time, writ. ten by the King himself." I much doubt, however, the authenticity of this production. Louis the Four teenth had other more immediate concerns than writing the history of France. France is full of these literary forgeries. Every king of France, if the titles of the books may be received as a proof of their authenticity, has not only written his life, but written it like a philosopher and historian, candidly confessing his errors and abusing his ministers.

The second floor of the building contains the genealogies of the French families. They are deposited in boxes, which are labelled with the several family names. They are considered as public re

cords, and are only producible in courts of justice, in order to de. termine the titles to real property. No one is allowed to copy them, except by the most special per. mission, which is never granted but to histriographers of established name and reputation.-The cabinet of antiques is stated to be very rich, and, to judge by appearances, is not inferior to its reputation. The collection was made by Caylus, It chiefly consists of vases, busts, and articles of domestic use amongst the Romans. The greater part of them have been already copied as models, in the ornamenting of fur. niture, by the Parisian artists. This fashion indeed is carried al most to a mania.-Every thing must be Greek and Roman, without any reference to nature or pro. priety. For example, what could be so absurd as the natural reali zation of some of these capricious ornaments? What lady would choose to sleep in a bed, up the pillars of which serpents were crawling? Yet is such a realization the only criterion of taste and pro. priety.

The cabinet of engravings detained us nearly two hours. The portfeuilles containing the prints are distributed into twelve classes. Some of these divisions invited us to a minute inspection. Such was the class containing the French fashions from the age of Clovis to Louis the Sixtecuth. In another class was the costume of every na. tion in the world; in a third, por. traits of eminent persons of all ages and nations, and in a fourth, a collection of prints relating to pub. lic festivals, cavalcades, tourna ments, coronations, royal funerals, &c. France is the only kingdom

in the world which possesses a treasure like this, and which knows how to estimate it at its proper value.

From the national library we drove to the Athenée, a library and lecture institution, supported by voluntary subscription. It is much of the same nature as an institution of a similar kind in Lon. don, termed the British Institute; but the French Athenæum has infinitely the advantage. The sub. scription is cheaper, being about four louis annually, and the lectures are more elegant, if not more scientific. There are usually three lectures daily; the first on sciences, and the other two on belles lettres. The lecture on science is considered as very able, but those on the belles lettres were merely suited, as I understood, to French frivo. lity. The rooms were so full as to render our stay unpleasant, and we thereby lost an anatomy lecture, which was about to com*mence. I should not forget to mention, that all the Parisian jour. nals and magazines, and many of the German periodical works, were lying on the tables, anb the library scemed altogether as complete as it was comfortable. The subscribers are numerous, and the institution itself in fashion. How long it will so last, no one will venture to pre. dict.

The library of the Pantheon and that of the Institute finished our morning's occupation. They are both on the same scale and nearly on the same general plan as the national library. The library of the Institute, however, is only open to foreigners and the members of the Institute. The Institute holds its sitting every month, and,

3

according to all report, is then frivolous enough. I had not au opportunity of being present at one of these sittings, but, from what I heard, I did not much regret my disappointment.

We returned home to dress for dinner. Mr. Younge informed me, that he expected a very large party in the evening, chiefly French; and as his lady herself was a French woman, and had arranged her do mestic establishment accordingly, I felt some curiosity.

About eight, or nearer nine, Mr. Younge and myself, with two or three other of the dinner company, were summened up to the drawing-room. The summons it. self had something peculiar. The doors of the parlour, which were folding, were thrown open, and two female attendants, dressed like vestals, and holding torches of white wax, summoned us by a low curtsey, and preceded us up the great staircase to the doors of the anti.chamber, where they made another salutation, and took their station on each side. The antichamber was filled with servants, who were seated on benches fixed to the wall, but who did not rise on our entry. Some of them were even playing at cards, others at dominos, and all of them seemed perfectly at their ease. The antichamber opened by an arched door. way into an handsome room, lighted by a chandelier of the most brilliant cut glass; the pannels of the room were very tastily painted, and the glasses on each side very large, and in magnificent frames. The further extremity of this room opened by folding doors into the principal drawing-room, where the company were collected. It was

brilliantly