On the iffuing this Firmaun, or decree, Col. Capper observes, very fenfibly, that it may, perhaps, be deemed expedient to abandon the trade, rather than involve ourselves in a dispute with the Grand Signior; but furely,' fays he, no perfon will think, that we ought also to give up the right of fending packets that way, to which neither the Grand Signior, nor even the Sherreef of Mecca himself, can offer the smallest reasonable objection.

Every man acquainted with India must know, that it is of the highest importance to individuals, to the Company, and to the nation at large, to have this channel of communication opened again. During the latter part of the lare war after the firmaun was iffued, the French regularly tranfmitted advices by Suez, to and from India, by which means they frequently anticipated us in intelligence, and thereby counteracted our operations. It is not neceffary to particularize every inftance of it, but it will doubtlefs be well remembered, that the news of the unfortunate defeat of Colonel Baillie came to England, through France, where it was known in February, time enough to enable them to fend out reinforcements to Hyder Ally, before the best feafon for paffing the Cape of Good Hope was elapfed; whilst we who were ignorant of that difafter until April, could not fend out any ships before the return of the enfuing feason, near fix months afterwards.

• Since then, nothing less than the existence of our fettlements in India, may fome time or other depend upon our poffeffing a right of paffing unmolested through Egypt; and the prohibitory firmaun was only intended to prevent the trade of Gedda from being transferred to Suez, furely no time fhould be loft in demanding another firmaun explanatory of the firft, and declaring that no perfons dependent on, or connected with, the Turkish government, fhall impede or moleft any British fubject in paffing up the Red Sea, or through Egypt, provided they have nothing but papers, and fuch baggage as travellers may be fuppofed to have occafion for on such a journey. The Sherreef of Mecca may probably at first oppose our enjoying this privilege, in which alfo it is likely he will be fecretly fupported by the French; but can it be thought prudent in us to fubmit to the controul of the one, or to be dupes of the fecret machinations of the other, efpecially when confiftently with juftice, we can eafily get the better of both ?'

Colonel Capper, having occafion to mention the behaviour of the English in India, has this curious anecdote of Oriental hif tory, which, he fays, accidentally came to his knowledge:

Surage ul Dowla was the grandfon of the great Alyverdi Khan, who had a favourite wife, a woman of extraordinary abilities, and great virtue. When Alyverdi was dying, knowing the flighty and

It is not intended to infinuate, that the French ever did, or ever would co-operate with the Sherreef in employing affaffins; but as our rivals in politics, it is very natural to fuppofe they will endeavour to prevail on the Grand Signior, not to revoke his prefent firmaun, which is not only a fevere national libel upon us, but also highly incompatible with our intereft,

tyrannical

tyrannical difpofition of his grandfon, whom he intended for his fucceffor, he advised him, on all important occafions, after his death, to confult the old Queen; whofe difcernment would enable her to forefee dangers, imperceptible to an impetuous and unexperienced youth like him. When Surage ul Dowla, inftigated by avarice, intended to attack Calcutta, he confulted this oracle, who advised him against it by the following prophetic words: "The English are a peaceable and induftrious people; like bees, if properly encouraged and protected, they will bring you honey, but beware of disturbing the hive: you may perhaps destroy a few of them; but in the end, believe me, they will fting you to death."

Speaking of the baths of Cairo, our Author fays:

It is to be wifhed that fome able phyfician would take the trouble of informing us what would be the probable effects of the ufe of the Turkish baths in England. If we were to judge by a comparison between the endemical diforders of Afia and Europe, we should fuppofe that the moderate ufe of the bath might render the gout and rheumatifm as uncommon in this part of the world, as they are in the other. Very few Afiatics are afflicted with thefe complaints, although they eat their meat very highly feafoned with fpices, and itewed in clarified butter; feldom take any exercife, and even many of them fecretly indulge in other exceffes, which with us are fuppofed to caufe the gout. Why then may we not allow fome degree of efficacy in warm baths, and shampoing, in throwing off those humours, which not being removed, occafion the gout and other chronical diforders amongst us? But my knowledge of thefe matters being very fuperficial, I only humbly fuggeft thefe ideas to the faculty for their confideration and opinion: thus much however I can pretend to fay from my own experience, that the warm bath is very refreshing after undergoing violent fatigue.'

What Col. Capper fays of the " Arabian Nights Entertainments," which he advifes the traveller to read, before he fets out on his journey, bespeaks a mind fanciful and imaginative:

They are by many people erroneously fuppofed to be a fpurious production, and are therefore flighted in a manner they do not deferve. They were written, as I have already hinted, by an Arabian, and are univerfally read, and admired throughout Afia by all ranks of men, both old and young: confidered therefore as an original work, defcriptive, as they are, of the manners and cuftoms of the Eaft in general, and alfo of the genius and character of the Arabians in particular, they furely must be thought to merit the attention of the curious nor are they in my opinion entirely deftitute of merit in other refpects; for although the extravagance of fome of the ftories is carried too far, yet, on the whole, one cannot help admiring the fancy and invention of the author, in ftriking out fuch a variety of pleafing incidents: pleafing I call them, because they have frequently afforded me much amufement, nor do I envy any man his feelings, who is above being pleafed with them; but before any perfon decides upon the merit of these books, he should be eye witness of the effect they produce on those who beft understand them. I have more than once feen the Arabians on the Defert, fitting round a fire, lift

$ 4

ening

ening to these flories with fuch attention and pleasure, as totally to forget the fatigue and hardship with which an inftant before they were entirely overcome. In short, Sir, not to dwell any longer on this fubject, they are in the fame eftimation all over Afia, that the adventures of Don Quixote are in Spain; and I am perfuaded no man of any genius or tafte would think of making the tour of that country, without previously reading the works of Cervantes.'

Our Author contests the common opinion, that the Ægyptians were acquainted with arts and sciences, while most other nations were in a state of ignorance; and he contraverts the point with much acuteness of remark, and knowledge of hiftory. For what he fays on this fubject, we muft refer our Reader to his work.

He, next, gives an account of his own journey from England to India, by the way of the Great Defert of Arabia, and Baffora. This is done in the form of a journal, enlivened, however, with descriptions of the country through which he paffed; together with obfervations on the manners of the Arabians.

Many travellers,' fays he, give the Arabs an exceeding bad character, representing them as a faithlefs and rapacious people, in whom no confidence can be repofed.-They do not appear to me in that light; they certainly, like most men, endeavour to make the best bargain they can for themselves; but, for my own part, I never found them inclined to ask for more than was juftly their due.'

When Colonel Capper came to fettle accounts with the Sheick, the chief of the troop of Arabians who conducted him over the Great Defert, that chief behaved in a manner that would have done honour to the moft polished European :

I was (fays our Author) to give him five hundred dollars on the road, and eight hundred more on our arrival at Graine: the former fum therefore I kept ready to be paid to his order; but the latter I counted and fealed up in a bag to prevent any of them being loft or miflaid. When this bag was brought, as I was going to open it, the Sheick ftopped me, afking if it had been counted and fealed up in my prefence; and when I answered in the affirmative, with a careless unaffected air, bespeaking no merit from the action, he threw it over his fhoulder, and ordered his fervant to put it into his trunk. A man fhewing fuch confidence in another, could not be guilty of any basenefs himself; in which alfo he had the more merit from our fituation, for had I deceived him, he durft not have followed me to Baffora, to have demanded redrefs.'

Colonel Capper's account of the horrid fate of Mr. Borel de Bourg, a French officer, who was fent with dispatches to India, by M. Sartine, in the year 1778, is a very curious one, and told with great spirit and feeling; at the end of his Journal our Author fpeaks of it in the following manner:

It is hardly neceffary to observe, that more attention has been paid to the matter, than to the ftyle of this journal, particularly in that part of it which relates to the Defert. But the obfervations of each day were put down in the evening of the day on which they

were

were made, and with no other view than to ferve as memoranda; in which form they perhaps will be mofl acceptable to the generality of readers, as being the ideas of the country as they occurred on the fpot. It may perhaps be thought that too much has been faid of wind and weather, which are feldom much noticed in books of travels by land. Travelling in a clofs carriage, it certainly does not fignify what quarter the wind comes from, or whether it blows hot or cold; but this is not the cafe with a traveller expofed to the open air, with no other covering than the clothes he wears. A perfon going across the Defert will probably be glad to know, what weather he is likely to have during his journey, that he may guard against the inclemency of it, by purchafing fuch clothes as are beft fuited to the purpose.'

We have perufed our Author's book with pleasure. It is a work which not only promifes to be of ufe to perfons going to India, but it is so replete with information and research, that it cannot fail to gratify a curious and inquifitive mind. The language is pleafing and natural, and the reader's attention is well kept up throughout, by fprightlinefs of narrative and variety of incident. It appears that Colonel Capper has a larger work in reserve on fome of the fubjects treated of in this journal. From the fpecimens he has here given us of his manner of writing, and acuteness of obfervation, we may reafonably expect to receive much pleasure and information from it.

To the book now under confideration, Colonel Capper has prefixed two maps; the one, a sketch of Ægypt, with the different routes both ancient and modern, from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean; the other, a fketch of the route across the Great Defert, from Latichea, by Aleppo, to Baffora.

ART. III. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS, Vol. LXXIII. Part I. For the Year 1783, concluded. See our Review for February, p. 103.

ASTRONOMY and OPTICS.

Art. 1. A Letter from William Herschel, Esq. F. R. S.

MR.

R. Herfchel fays, by the obfervations of the moft eminent aftronomers in Europe, it appears, that the new star, which I bad the honour of pointing out to them in March 1781, is a primary planet of our folar lyftem. A body fo nearly related to us by its fimilar condition and fituation, in the unbounded expanfe of the ftarry heavens, muft often be the fubject of converfation, not only of aftronomers, but of every lover of fcience in general. This confideration makes it neceffary to give it a name, whereby it may be diftinguished from the rest of the planets and fixed ftars.

As a philofopher the name of GEORGIUM SIDUS prefents itself to me, as an appellation that will conveniently convey the information

6

Information of the time and country where and when it was brought to view. But as a fubject of the beft of Kings, who is the liberal protector of every art and science; as a native of the country from whence this illuftrious family was called to the British throne; as a member of that fociety which flourishes by the diftinguished liberality of its Royal Patron; and, last of all, as a perfon now more immediately under the protection of this excellent monarch, and owing every thing to his unlimited bounty; I cannot but wish to take this opportunity of expreffing my fenfe of gratitude by giving the name Georgium Sidus.'

Notwithstanding this, we cannot but think it an uncouth appellation. Why not Georgii Sidus, or barely Georgius*, according to the nomenclature of the other planets?

Art. 2. On the Diameter and Magnitude of the Georgium Sidus, with a Defcription of the dark and lucid Disk and periphery Micrometers. By the fame.

The general knowledge to be obtained from this article is, that the Georgium Sidus is feldom to be seen, very plainly, by the naked eye; that it is nearly of the colour of Jupiter, or fomewhat paler and more faint, and its apparent diameter about four feconds. By the calculations of M. De la Lande, we are told, that its diftance (from the fun, we fuppofe) is ftated at 18.913, that of the earth being unity; that is, it is nearly 19 times farther from the fun than the earth is: and its real diameter about 4.454 times that of the earth.

Art. 5. A Defcription of a new Construction of Eye-glaffes for fuch Telescopes as may be applied to Mathematical Inftruments t. By

Mr. Ramfden.

The conftruction here given, is that of two plano-convex Jenfes, both of them placed between the eye and the observed image formed by the object-glafs of the inftrument, and thereby correcting not only the aberration arifing from the spherical figure of the lenfes, but also that arifing from the different refrangibility of light. The hint, we are told, was taken from

* Why not HERSCHEL? There could have been no objection to this name, on any pretence of impropriety, or inadequacy. The dif coverer of the new planet hath, no doubt, behaved very handsomely, in complimenting his royal patron' on this occafion; but the cultivators of science (in which moft refpectable body the learned of all nations are comprehended) will probably interpofe, on this occafion, and wreft the matter out of Mr. Herfchel's hands.

+ An account of this Paper appeared in our Number for last month; but the view of it which follows (by another of our affociates, who knew not of the former abstract) being more circumftantial, we give it to our Readers; judging the remarks it contains too valuable to be omitted.

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