NEW BOOK S. Obfervations on the paffage to India, through Egypt, and across the great defert. By Fames Capper, Efq; Colonel in the fervice of the Eaft India Company. 4to. 7 s. 6d. THE defign of this work is to point out a more eafy and expeditious method of fending difpatches by land to the Eaft Indies than has hitherto been adopted. The ingenious author has himfelf tried the different paffages to Afia; and upon a computation of the delay, difficulty, and danger with which each is attended, he propofes what his own judgement and experience have taught him to be the best. The way which he recommends as moft expeditious and convenient is from Marseilles, Leghorn, or Venice, to Alexandria, from thence to Suez, down the Red Sea to Anjengo, Bombay, Madras, and Bengal. The time in which this expedition may be performed, Col. Capper calculates at a medium, will be fixtyeight days and a half. Left he should be fufpected of computing too minutely, he obferves, that a great part of the voyage is performed within the tropics, where the winds and weather are uniform and regular, and that even in the Mediterranean, where only the winds are liable to change, they are never known in fummer to blow long between the south and eaft, which is the only point of the compafs unfavourable to veffels bound from Italy and France to the Levant. If this time be compared with that which Col. Capper employed in going to India by the way of Leghorn, Latichea, Aleppo, and Baffora, which was five months and ten days, a powerful recommendation appears in favour of the road by Suez and the Red Sea. An account of the proper time, and moft agreeable manner of going from Europe to India by Suez, is prefixed to this publication, explaining firft the caufe of the prohibition lately iffued by the Turks, against any European veffels paffing that way, and fhewing that their objections against travellers going through Egypt may be easily removed. It appears, that in 1774 the Governor General of Bengal propofed to fome merchants in Calcutta to fend a fhip to the Red Sea, loaded with a proper affortment of goods for the Turkish markets, and instead of landing them as ufual at Gedda, a fea-port within fixty miles of Mecca, to proceed with them directly to Suez. By this means the Governor General expected to establish a new trade, equally beneficial to us and to the Turks, and alfo to open a new channel for tranfmitting intelligence backwards and forwards between India and Europe. The Sherreef or high-priest of Mecca, whose revenues would have been confiderably diminished by diverting the channel of commerce from Gedda, foon took the alarm, and used all his influence to oppofe the Governor General's plan. În his negotiation at the Porte for this purpofe, he was zealously affifted by a large body of Turkish merchants, who were apprehenfive of fuffering by the prices of India goods being lowered in their markets, which muft have ruined their old established trade of Baffora and Aleppo. In confequence of this powerful oppofition, a firmaun was obtained from the Grand Signior, expressly prohibiting the new commerce, under the penalty of confifcation of the cargo. No fooner was this edict procured, than some acts of violence were committed upon Chriftian merchants, at the instigation of the Sherreef of Mecca. "In these circumftances, Col. Capper obferves, it may perhaps be deemed expedient to abandon the Suez trade, rather than involve ourselves in a dispute with the Grand Signior; but he afferts we ought not to renounce alfo the convenience of fending packets that way, to which neither the Grand Signior, or even the Sherreef of Mecca, can offer the smalleft reasonable objection. Every man, fays he, 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 late 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 particularife every inftance of it, but it will doubtless be well remembered, that the news of the unfortunate defeat of Col. 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 season for paffing the Cape of Good Hope was elapsed; whilft we, who were ignorant of the the difafter until April, could not fend out any ships before the return of the enfuing season, near fix months afterwards. "Since then nothing less than the exiftence 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 should be loft in demanding another firmaun explanatory of the first, and declaring that no perfons dependent on, or connected with the Turkish government, fhall impede or moleft any British subjects 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 fuch a journey. The Sherreef of Mecca will probably at firft oppofe 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 submit to the controul of the one, or to be dupes to the fecret machinations of the other, efpecially when, confiftently with juftice, we can eafily get the better of both?" Col. Capper next confiders what is the best time for fetting out from England for the Eaft Indies, by the way of Suez. "The feafon for undertaking this journey commences early in April, and ends early in June; during which time a perfon accustomed to travel will eafily arrive at Alexandria from London in about a month; that is, fuppofing he has previously determined what route to purfue to the Mediterranean, and alfo bas caufed a veffel to be prepared for him on his arrival at the place where he intends to embark. The northerly and wefterly winds prevail in the Mediterranean in May, June, and July, and therefore in thefe months the paffage from Marseilles, Leghorn, or Venice, to Alexandria, in a tolerable good-failing veffel, feldom exceeds eighteen days, and is often performed in ten or twelve; from Alexandria he will eafily get to Suez in eight days; and from thence to Anjengo is a voyage of twenty-five days; to Bom bay twenty-eight, to Madras thirty-five, and to Bengal forty; making the journey from England to India at the moit feventy-eight days, at the leaft fifty-nine, and at a medium fixty-eight and a half. This perhaps to fome people may appear too nice a calculation, confidering it as an undertaking dependent upon many accidents of wind and weather; but in anfwer to this objection it must be remembered, that great part of the voyage is performed within the tropic, where the winds and weather are as regular as any natural periodical revolution can be; and even in the Mediterranean, where only the winds are variable, they are never known in fummer to blow long between the S. and E. the only quarter of the compafs unfavourable to the veffels bound from the ports of Italy and France to the Levant." The manner of performing the principal part of the voyage is then fully explained. The Colonel fets out with obferving, that the principal objections he has heard mentioned againft a voyage from India to Europe, by the way of Suez, are the expence, the inconveniency, and the danger of it; but all these he thinks may, by prudent management, be rendered eafy. "The expence, fays he, would be trifling to a man of fortune, or when divided between two or three perfons, would be lefs to each of them than going round the Cape of Good Hope; the navigation of the Red Sea being now tolerably well known, can in a proper season no longer be deemed dangerous; and as to inconvenience, I know of none but what might be almoft entirely removed by means of a little money properly ap plied. In paffing from Suez to Alexandria, you may poffibly meet with fome difagreeable embarraffments, from which a man of rank and fortune is generally exempt in a more civilized country; but most of thefe are to be avoided, or at leaft greatly leffened, by giving prefents of no great value to the Beys and other leading men in Egypt. "In all Arabian and Turkish coun tries, efpecially in thofe near the city of Mecca, to avoid the infults of the lower clafs of people, an European fhould allow his beard and whiskers to grow, and always wear an Eaftern drefs; it is beftto make up a coarse one in the Arabian fashion for travelling, and another rather elegant in the Turkish fashion to wear at Cairo and Alexandria. If you perform the journey in winter, a pellis would be both useful and ornamental; but it may be proper to remark, that a Chriftian should not wear green clothes at any place in the Levant; for green is a colour Y colour deemed facred to those who have "Thofe who undertake long journies Among the various remarks and useful directions with which the Colonel favours his correfpondent, he recommends to him, on his arrival at Cairo, to repair to the bagnio, as well for health as for pleafure. The following is the defcription of a Turkish Baguio or Hummum given by the author. "The firft room is the undreffing chamber, which is lofty and fpacious, about twenty-five feet long and eighteen wide. Near the wall is a kind of bench raised about two feet from the floor, and about feven or eight feet wide, fo that after bathing a perfon may lie down upon it at full length. The windows are near the top of the room, as well that the wind may not blow upon the bathers when undreffed, as for decency's fake, After undreffing, a fervant gives you a napkin to wrap round you, and also a pair of flippers, and thus equipped you are conducted through a narrow paffage to the fteam-room or bath, which is a large round building of about twenty-five feet diameter, paved with marble, and in the center of it is a circular bench, where you are feated until you find yourself in a profufe perfpiration; then your guide or attendant immediately begins rubbing you with his hand, covered with a piece of coarfe ftuff, called keffey, and thereby peels off from the skin a kind of fcurf, which cannot be moved by washing only. When he has rubbed you a few minutes, he conducts you to a fmall room, where there is a hot bath, about four feet deep, and ten feet fquare, in which he will offer to wash you, having his hand cover ed with a smoother stuff than before; or you may have fome perfumed foap given you to wash yourself. After you have remained here as long as is agreeable, you are conducted into another little fideroom, where you find two cocks of water, the one hot, the other cold, which you may throw over you with a bafon; the water being tempered to any degree of warmth, or perfectly cold if you prefer it. This being the laft ablution, you are then covered with a napkin, and from thence again conducted into the undreffing room, and placed upon the before-mentioned bench, with a carpet under you, and being extended upon it at full length, your attendant again offers to rub you dry with napkins. Some people have their nails cut, and alfo are fhampoed; the Turks generally smoke after bathing and the operation of shampoing; and in about an hour, a few minutes more or lefs, they commonly drefs and go home." This work is interspersed with many moral and political reflections. In recounting the difficulties which he met with in paffing through Egypt, Col. Capper takes an opportunity of defcribing the Egyptian form of government, which comprehends one circumftance of so curious and fingular a nature, that we shall tranfcribe what he has written up that subject. "Egypt is divided into twenty-four provinces, each of which is governed by a Sangiack or Bey: the major part of these twenty-four Beys refide at Cairo, where always once a week, and fometimes oftener, they fit in council, called by them the Divan: the Sheick Belled is the prefident of the council, and executive member of the government; his office is fomewhat fimilar to that of the Doge of Venice, with rather more authority; but that indeed depends upon Shampoing is variously performed in different countries. The moft ufual manner is fimply preffing the hands and fingers upon the body and limbs, particularly near the extremities, lo as to comprefs, but not to Pinch them. This is the general manner the barbers and the guides at the baths make practifed by the fervants of the Afiatics; but alfo the joints, and even the vertebræ of the back, crack by a fudden jerk, which to people unaccustomed to it in their youth, is rather a painful fenfation. The Chinese and Malay barbers particularly excel in this art, which however is very well known and generally practifed all over Alia, being by them thought a neceffary substitute for exer cife during the hot weather. a variety of circumstances, fuch as, whe ther he is a man of great abilities and firmness himself; whether he is fupport ed by a large party amongst his colleagues; and whether or not he is in good terms with the Bashaw. When I was at Cairo, the Sheick Belled was rather a weak man, and owed his fafety to the mutual jea loufy of two rival Beys nearly of equal power, who both afpired to his place. The Bafhaw is fent from the Porte as Viceroy on the part of the Grand Sig. nior; if he can contrive to fow fedition among the Beys, and fecretly attach himself to the strongest party, whilft he feems to obferve a strict neutrality, he fometimes acquires more influence than even the Scheik Belled himself; but then he muft act with great care and circumspection; for should his intrigues be difcovered, and the adverse party to his prevail, he certainly will be obliged to quit the country. The manner of his dismission is characteristic of the gloomy and arbitrary proceedings of this oriental republic. The Beys having come to a refolution of fending him away, dispatch a Carracoulouck from the Divan or council to his house, who approaches the place where the Bafhaw is feated, and having filently turned up the corner of the carpet, abruptly goes away; he is however obliged to carry an order with him, which he puts into his bofom, leaving out a corner of it fo as to be plainly perceived. The name Carracoulouk fignifies a black meffenger; for he is dreffed in black, with a fort of bonnet on his head of the fame colour. The Bashaw never pretends to oppofe this mandate, or rather hint, from the Divan, knowing that resistance would very probably coft him his life. He therefore, as foon as poffible, retires quietly to Boulako, fituated about two miles and a half to the westward of Cairo, or when he fuspects a violent degree of resentment against him, he proceeds to Rofetta, and from thence by the first conveyance to Cyprus, where he remains until he hears from Conftantinople. The Divan or council of the Beys, to keep up appearances with the Porte, dispatch a special meffenger to Conftantinople, complaining of the misconduct of the Bafhaw; but the Grand Signior, conícious of his inability to fupport his officer, takes no other notice of his dif. miffion than in fending another Bafhaw VOL. XLVI. to Cairo, and often impoting a fine on the one who has been difgraced. Such, Sir, is the general outline of this government; and as it is impoffible for you, during your fhort ftay in Egypt, to discover the fecret intrigues of the ftate, so as to judge which party predominates, you perhaps will think it most prudent to be equally attentive to both. On a future occafion, when poffeffed of full information, and more leifure, I fhall probably trouble you with fome further obfervations on this extraordinary government; but I fhall conclude the prefent account with a curious trait of their policy, which has no precedent that I know of in any other country whatever. The children of the Beys cannot inherit either the rank or the property of their fathers, nor even be appointed to any office which it is deemed proper for a Bey to hold. It is true the Divan, after the death of a Bey, appropriates a part of his property to the maintenance of his family; but the remainder goes to his Cafheef or Lieutenant, who general ly fucceeds both to his office and eftate. Thefe Cafheefs are Georgian or Circaffian flaves, whom the Bey has bought and adopted when young, and of course educated with great care and tenderness, with a view of leaving them grateful guardians to their orphan-children. This law was doubtless fuggefted to them by their diflike to monarchy, and predilection for a republic; but furely it firft took place during the administration of fome childless perfon, or the voice of nature would have fuppreffed the dic tates of policy. [To be continued.] The Hiftory of the Flagellants: otherwise, of Religious Flagellations among different Nations, and especially among Christians. Being a Paraphrafe and Commentary on the Hiftoria Flagellantium of the Abbé Boileau, Doctor of the Sorbonne, Canon of the Holy Chapel, &c. By One who is not a Doctor of the Sorbonne. "Honi foit qui mal y penfe." The Second Edition. 8vo. 6 s. Robinfon. THE Abbé Boileau, who was elder brother to the celebrated poet of the fame name, was feveral years Dean of the Metropolitical church of Sens, and afterwards one of the canons of the Holy Chapel in Paris, a high dignity in the Gallican church. The work from which this is taken was published in the year 1700% 34 1700, and is intitled, Hiftoria Flagellan tium, de recto et perverfo flagrantium ufu Waving the offence apud Chriftianos. given by this original to the theologians of that time, particularly the Jefuits of Trevoux, who criticifed it in their periodical Journal, we fhall confine ourselves to the prefent Hiftory, which is far from a tranflation, but, by the facts and quotations furnished by the Abbé, is wrought up into a new work, of which the former fupplies little more than fome of the drape ry and the outline. This the writer calls a Paraphrafe; to which he has added an ample Commentary, confifting of facts collected from his own memory and other authors, which have fwelled the original duodecimo into a large octavo. In this performance, entertainment, it must be owned, is more confulted than improvement; yet though it has not much usefulness, it is certainly not deftitute of information; and as the ftage has its farces, pantomimes, and dances, as well as deep tragedies and dirges, the literary world feems alfo to require books on all fubjects, the mirthful and amufing, as well as the ferious and fublime.-The prefent historian, we understand, is M. de Lolme, that free-born citizen of Geneva, who has fo ably difcuffed the conftitution of England, and is fo well acquainted with our language, that this book would hardly be thought the compofition of a foreigner. The Abbé first treats of voluntary flagellations, which he fuppofes to have been no very ancient practice, it not being mentioned in the Jaw of Mofes, nor known to the firft Chriftians, though flagellations were a common mode of punishment among the ancient Heathens. But the practice of felf-fcourging was unknown to the first fathers of the church, and also to the first anchorites or hermits; nor was it prefcribed in the first monafleries, though corrections of a flagellatory kind were ufed, in very early times, for the punithment of offences, and impofed by bishops and the heads of monafteries. So far the Abbé; what follows is M. de Lolme's. The strictnefs in flagellating of certain fuperiors of convents, and the abuse of that power by many of them. The fame wholefome difciplines for novices and candidates for orders, and the power of inflicting them established in nunneries, and lodged with the abeffes and prioreffes. Voluntary flagellations among Chriftians (which next fucceed) feem not to have been univerfally admitted before "If (fays this writer) we turn our eyes to remote nations, we find that, among the Turks, a verberation on the part we fpeak of is the common punifhment that is inflicted either on the Janiffaries or Spahis, I do not remember which of the two. Among the Perfians, punishments of the fame kind are also eftablished; and we find, in Chardin, an inftance of a captain of the outward gate of the King's feraglio, who was ferved with it for having fuffered a stranger to top before that gate and look through it. And the Chinese also use a like method of chastisement, and inflict it, as travellers inform us, with a wooden inftrument, shaped like a large folid rounded fpoon. Among the Arabians, the part here alluded to is likewife confidered as a fit mark for blows and flaps. We find an inftance of this in one of the Arabian Tales, called The One Thousand and One Nights, an original book, and which contains true pictures of the manners of that nation. The ftory I mean, which is well worth reminding the reader of, is that of a certain cobler, whofe name, if I miftake not, was Shak-Abak.-This cobler, having fallen in love with a beautiful lady belonging to fome wealthy man, or man of power, of whom he had had a glance through the window of her house, would afterwards keep, for whole hours, every day, ftaring at that window. The lady, who propofed to make game of him, one day |