in his hand, and the afhes falling out of it looking-and looking-then rubbing his eyes and looking again, with twice the good nature that ever Gallileo looked for a Ipot in the fun. -In vain! for by all the powers which animate the organ-Widow Wadman's left eye fhines this moment as lucid as her right there is neither mote, or fand, or duft, or chaff, or fpeck, or particle of opake matter floating in it—there is nothing, my dear paternal uncle! but one lambent delicious fire, furtively fhooting out from every part of it, in all directions into thine If thou lookeft, uncle Toby, in search of this mote one moment longer-thou art undone. I proteft, Madam, faid my uncle Toby, I can fee nothing whatever in your eye. It is not in the white, faid Mrs. Wadman: my uncle Toby looked with might and main into the pupil Now of all the eyes which ever were created-from your own, Madam, up to thofe of Venus herself, which certainly were as venereal a pair of eyes as ever ftood in a head --there never was an eye of them all fo fitted to rob my uncle Toby of his repole, as the very eye, at which he was looking. it was not, Madam, a rolling eye-a romping or a wanton one-nor was it an eye fparkling-petulant or imperious-of high claims and terrifying exactions, which would have curdled at once that milk of human nature, of which my uncle Toby was made up -but 'twas an eye full of gentle falutations→ and foft refponfes-fpeaking-not like the trumpet ftop of fome ill-made organ, in which many an eye I talk to, holds coarfe converfe-but whispering foft-like the laft low accents of an expiring faint-"How can you live comfortless, Captain Shandy, and alone, without a bofom to lean your head "on-or truft your cares to?" It was an eye was ficceeded in his command by his lieute- Such is the rooted love we bear mankind, Thomfon's Agamemnon. The Cinque Ports was run on fhore a few months afterwards; the captain and crew, to fave their lives, furrendered themselves prifoners to the Spaniards, who treated them fo harshly, that they were in a much worse situ ation than Selkirk, and continued in it a longer time. Some months after Selkirk left the South Sea in the Duke privateer, Captain Stradling was fent a prifoner to Europe on -But I fhall be in love with it myself, if I board a French fhip, and by that means got fay another word about it. It did my uncle Toby's business. Authentic Anecdotes of Alexander Selkirk. LEXANDER SELKIRK was born at to England. Thus left fole monarch of the A Largo, in the county of Fife, about languid, and melancholy, he the year 1676, and was bred a feaman, He went from England in 1703, in the capacity of failing mafter of a finall veffel called The Cinque Ports Galley, Charles Pickering, captain, burthen about go tons, with 16 guns, and 63 men; and in September the fame year failed from Cork, in company with another fhip, of 26 guns and 120 men, called the St. George, commanded by that famous navigator William Dampier, intending to cruize on the Spaniards in the South Sea. On the coaft of Brazil, Pickering died, and as to be fcarce able to refrain from doing vio- trou 1 troublesome. When his cloaths were worn out, he made others of goats skins, but could not fucceed in making fhoes, which, however, habit, in time, enabled him to difpenfe with the use of. His only liquor was water. He computed that he had caught one thou fand goats during his abode there; of whom he had let go five hundred, after marking them by flitting their ears. Commodore Anfon's people, who were there about thirty years after, found the first goat, which they fhot upon landing, was thus marked, and as it appeared to be very old, concluded that it had been under the power of Selkirk; but it appears by Capt. Carteret's account of his voyage in the Swallow floop, that other perfons practifed this mode of marking, as he found a goat with his ears thus flit on the neighbouring island of Mas-a-fuera, where Selkirk never was. He made companions of his tame goats and cats, often finging and dancing with them. Though he conftantly performed his devotions at stated hours, and read aloud, yet, when he was taken off the ifland, his language, from difufe of converfation, was become fcarcely intelligible. In this folitude he continued four years and four months, during which time only two incidents happened which he thought worth relating, the occurrences of every day being in his circumftances nearly fimilar. The one was, that pursuing a goat eagerly, he caught it juft on the edge of a precipice, which was covered with bufhes, fo that he did not perceive it, and he fell over to the bottom, where he lay (according to Capt. Rogers's account) twenty-four hours fenfelefs; but, as he related to Sir R. Steele, he computed, by the alteration of the moon, that he had lain three days. When he came to himself, he found the goat lying under him dead. It was with great difficulty that he could crawl to his habitation, whence he was unable to fir for ten days, and did not recover of his bruises for a long time. The other event was, the arrival of a fhip, which he at firft fuppofed to be French: and fuch is the natural love of fociety in the human mind, that he was cager to abandon his folitary felicity, and furrender himself to them, although enemies; but upon their landing, approaching them, he found them to be Spaniards, of whom he had too great a dread to truft himself in their hands. They were by this time fo near, that it required all his agility to efcape, which he effected by climbing into a thick tree, being fhot at feveral times as he ran off. Fortunately, the Spaniards did not difcover him, though they itayed fome time under the tree where he was hid, and killed fome goats juft by. In this folitude Selkirk remained until the 2d of February, 1709, when he saw two fhips come into the bay, and knew them to Englifh. He immediately lighted a fire as a fignal, and, on their coming on shore, found they were the Duke, Capt. Rogers, and the Dutche Capt. Courtney, two privateers from Bristol. He gave them the best entertainment he could afford; and, as they had been a long time at sea without fresh provifions, the goats which he caught were highly acceptable. His habitation, confifting of two. huts, one to fleep in, the other to dress his food in, was fo obfcurely fituated, and so difficult of access, that only one of the fhip's officers would accompany him to it. Dampier, who was pilot on board the Duke, and knew Selkirk very well, informed Captain Rogers, that when on board the Cinque Ports, he was the best seaman on board that fel; upon which Capt. Rogers appointed him mafter's mate of the Duke. After a fortnight's ftay at Juan Fernandez, the fhips proceeded on their cruize against the Spaniards; plundered a town on the coaft of Peru; took à Manilla fhip off California; and returned by way of the Eaft Indies to England, where they arrived the 1ft of October, 1711; Selkirk having been abfent eight years, more than half of which time he had spent alone on the island. The public curiosity being excited respecting him, he was induced to put his papers into the hands of Defoe, to arrange and form them into a regular narrative. These papers must have been drawn up after he left Juan Fernandes, as he had no means of recording his tranfactions there. Capt. Cooke remarks, as an extraordinary circumftance, that he had contrived to keep an account of the days of the week and month; but this might be done, as Defoe makes Robinfon Crufoe do, by cutting notches in a poft, or many other methods. From this account of Selkirk, Defoe took the idea of writing a more extenfive work, the romance of Robinson Crufoe, and very difhoneftly defrauded the original proprietor of his fhare of the profits. Prefent fituation of the City of Jerufalem.+ WO days journey to the South of Nablous, the capital of the ancient Samaria, following the courfe of the mountains, which, at every step, become more barren and rocky, we arrive at a town which prefents a ftriking example of the viciffitude of human affairs. When we behold its walls levelled, its ditches filled up, and all its buildings embarraffed with ruins, we scarcely can believe we view that celebrated metropolis, which formerly with flood the efforts of the most powerful empires, and, for a time, refifted the arms of Rome herfelf; though, by a whimsical change of fortune, its ruins now receive her homage and reverence; in a word, we with difficulty recognize JerufaN T E. Volney's Travels in Egypt and Syria, lem.. lem. Still more are we aftonished at its ancient greatness, when we confider its fituation, amid a rugged foil, deftitute of water, and furrounded by dry channels of torrents, and fteep heights. Remote from every great road, it seems neither to have been calculated for a confiderable mart of commerce, nor the centre of a great confumption. It overcame, however, every obftacle, and may be adduced as a proof of what popular opinions may effect in the hands of an able Legislature, or when favoured by happy circumftances. The fame opinions ftill preserve to this city its feeble exiftence. The renown of its miracles perpetuated in the Eaft, invites and retains a certain number of inhabitants within its walls. Mahometans, Chriftians, Jews, without diftinction of fects, all make it a point of honour to fee, or to have feen, what they denominate the noble and holy city. To judge from the refpect the inhabitants profefs for the facred places it contains, we fhould be ready to imagine there is not in the world a more devout people; but this has not prevented them from acquiring, and well deferving, the reputation of the vileft people in Syria, without excepting even thofe of Damafcus. Their number is fuppofed to amount to twelve or fourteen thousand. Jerufalem has from time to time had governors of its own, with the title of Pachas; but it is in general, as at this day, a dependency of Damafcus, from which it receives a Mótfaliam, or deputy governor. This Motfallam farms it, and receives the revenues arifing from the miri, the cuffoms, and efpecially from the follies of the Chriftian inhabitants. To conceive the nature of this laft article, it must be understood, that the different communions of schifmatic and catholic Greeks, Armenians, Copts, Abyffinians, and Franks, mutually envying each other, the poffeffion of the holy places, are continually endeavouring to outbid one another in the price they offer for them to the Turkish governors They are conftantly aiming to obtain fome privilege for themfelves, or to take it from their rivals: and each fect is perpetually informing againft the other for irregularities. Has a church been clandeftinely repaired, or a proceffion extended beyond the ufual limits; has a pilgrim entered by a different gate from that cuftomary; all these are fubjects of accufat on to the government, which never fails to NOTE. The Orientals never call Jerufalem by any other name than El-Kods, the Hol. Sometimes adding the epithet El Sherif, the Noble. This word El Kods feems to me the etymology of all the Cafius of antiquity, which, like Jerufalem, were high places, and ad Temples, or Holy-places erected on them. profit by them, by fines and extortions. Hence thofe hatreds, and that eternal jangling, which prevail between the different convents, and the adherents of each communion. The Turks, to whom every dif pute produces money, are, as we imagine, far from wifhing to put an end to them. They all, in whatever ftation, derive fome advantage from thefe quarrels: fome fell their protection, others their intereft. Hence a fpirit of intrigue and cabal, which has diffufed venality through every clafs; and hence perquifites for the Motfallam, which annually amount to upwards of one hundred thousand piafters. Every pilgrim pays him an entrance fee of ten piaft rs, and another for an escort for the journey to the Jordan, without reckoning the fines imposed in confequence of the imprudencies committed by thefe ftrangers during their ftay. Each convent pays him fo mnch for the privilege of proceffions, and fo much for all repairs they undertake, befides prefents on the acceffion of a new fuperior, or a new Motfallam; not to speak of private gratifications to obtain fecret trifles they folicit; all which is carried to a great length among the Turks, who are as well "erfed in the art of fqueezing money as the moft able law practitioners in Europe. Befides all this, the Motfallam collects duties on the exportation of certain fingular commodities from Jerusalem, I mean beads, relics, fanétuaries, croffes, paffions, agnus-dei's, feapularies, &c. of which near three hundred chefts are sent off annually. The fabrication of these utenfils of piety, procures fubfiftence for the greateft part of the Chriftian and Mahometan families of Jerufalem and its neighbourhood; men, women and children, are employed in carving, and turning wood and coral, and in embroidering in filk, with pearls, and gold and filver thread. The convent of the Holy land alone, lays out annually to the amount of fifty thoufand piafters in thefe wares; and thofe of the Greeks, Armenians, and Copts, taken together, pay a ftill larger fum. This fort of commerce is the more advantageous to the manufacturers, as their goods coft them little belide their labour; and the more lucrative for the fellers, as the price is enhanced by fuperftition. The commodities, exported to Turkey, Italy, Portugal, and more elpecially to Spain, produce a return of confiderable fums, either in the forin of alins or payments. To this the convent joins another not lefs important article of traffic, the vifits of the pilgrims. It is well known that at all times the devout curiofity of vifiting the holy places, has conducted Chriftians of every country to Jerufalem. There was even a time when the the minifters of religion taught it was indifpenfably neceffary to falvation; and this pious zeal pervading all Europe, gave rife to the Crufades. Since their unfortunate iffue, the zeal of the Europeans cooling every day, the number of pilgrims has diminished; and is now reduced to a few Italian, Spanish, and German monks, but the cafe is different with Orientals. Faithful to the fpirit of paft times, they continue to confider the journey to Jerufalem as a work of the greatest merit. They are even fcandalized at the relaxation of the Franks in this respect, and fay, they have all become heretics or infidels. Their priests and monks, who find their advantage in this fervour, do not ceafe to promote it. The Greeks, efpecially, declare, that the pilgrimage enfures plenary indulgence, not only for the paf, but even for the future; and that it abfolves not only from murder, inceft, and pederaf ty; but even from the neglect of fafting and the non-obfervance of feftivals, which are far more beinous offences. Such great encouragements are not without their effect; and every year a crowd of pilgrims, of both fexes and all ages, fet out from the Morea, the Archipelago, Conftantinople, Anatolia, Armenia, Egypt, and Syria, the number of whom, in 1784, amounted to two thousand. The monks, who find by their regifters, that formerly ten or twelve thoufand annually made this pil. grimage, never ceafe exclaiming, that religion rapidly decays; and that the zeal of the faithful is nearly extinguished. It muft be confeffed, however, that this zeal is rather expensive, fince the moft moderate pilgrimage never cofts less than four thoufand livres, (one hundred and fixty-fix pounds), and fome of them, by means of offerings, amount to fifty or fixty thousand, (twenty five hundred pounds). Yafa is the port where the pilgrims difembark. They arrive in November, and repair without delay to Jerufalem, where One year thousand fix hundred and eighty-foven pounds; about one half of which is laid out in the expences of the efcort, and the fums demanded by the Arabs. The reader muft confult particular relations of this pilgrimage, to form an idea of the tumultuous march of this frantic multitude int the plain of Jericho; the indecent and fuperftitious zeal with which they throw themselves, men, women, and children, naked into the Jordan; the fatigue they undergo before they reach the borders of the Dead-fea; the melancholy inspired by the fight of the gloomy rocks of that country, the most favage in nature; their return and visitation of the holy places; and the ceremony of the new fire, which defcends from heaven on the boly Saturday, brought by an angel. The Orientals fill believe in this miracle, though the Franks acknowledge that the priests retire into the Sacrifty, and effect what is done by very natural means. Eafter over, each returns to his own country, proud of being able to rival the Mahometan in the title of Pilgrim ; nay, many of them, in order to diftinguish themfelves as fuch, imprint on their hands, wrifts, or arms, figures of the cross, or fpear, with the cyphers of Jefus and Mary. This painful, and sometimes dangerous operation + is performed with needles, and the perforations filled with gunpowder, or powder of antimony, and is never to be effaced. The Mahometans have the fame practice, which is alfo to be found among the Indians and other favages, as it was likewife among feveral ancient nations with whom it had a connection with religion, which it still retains wherever it prevails. So much devotion does not, however, exempt these pilgrims from the proverbial cenfure thrown upon the Hadjes; fince the Chriftians fay likewife: beware of the Pilgrims of Jerusalem. Anecdote of the Great Frederick, Wealthy few, who was tired of living A to N O T E S. The difference between them is, that thofe of Mecca are called Hadjes, and thofe of Jerufalem Mokodji, a name formed from that of the city, El-Kods. I have feen a pilgrim who had loft an in the operation. arm by it, the cubital nerve being wounded The The Political Hiftory of Europe for 1784 and 1785. THE (Continued from page 152.) "HE rude peasants, inhabiting the mountai nous and woody countries which form the borders between Transylvania and the Auftrian Wallachia, blind to confequences, and equally ignorant of their own force and condition for war, as they were of that which they were to encounter, broke out into an open, and, until its extent could be known, alarming rebellion, towards the clofe of the year 1784. It does not appear clearly, whether this revolt proceeded from their aver fion to the new military.confcription, in confequence of which they had been lately inrolled, and arms placed in their hands, or whether it was occafioned by the oppreffion of their lords. It is probable that the operation of both caufes concurred in the event; but however that was, their fury fell indifcriminately upon the nobility and public officers. Their numbers amounted to fourteen or fifteen thousand; and fo totally ig norant were they of public affairs, and of all the circumstances of their situation, that they ventured to elect one of their chiefs, and a peasant like themselves, named Horiah, to be their king; and this extraordinary reprefentative of majelty had a feal actually made, with the reprefentation of a spear piercing a heart, and the motto of Horiah, Rex Dacia, infcribed on it. Thefe favages and infatuated peafants commit ted the most horrible cruelties. They attacked the nobility feparately in their caftles, which they every where deftroyed, and massacred whole families, without distinction of age or fex. About 200 of the nobility were butchered in this manner, before they had time either to escape or to make any effectual preparation for defence. The numbers and fierceness of the rebels fupply ing the want of difcipline and military kill, they for fome time repeatedly defeated fuch fmall de tachments of troops as could be haftily collected to oppose their ravages. Though this fate of things could not be lafting, yer, through the nature and difficulties of their rude country, as well as the diftance of the royal forces, the rebellion fubfifted for three or four months before it could be finally fuppreffed, The infurgents had, however, the courage or rafhnel's to venture a general action with the Auftrian forces, in which they dearly purchafed a full knowledge of their infufficiency to fupport fuch a contention, they being routed without difficulty, and a confiderable flaughter made, with little lofs to the victors. The mock king, Horiah, with their two other principal leaders, having been betrayed by their own followers, as Pugatcheff had, in a fimilar enter prife, fome years before in Ruffia, were furprized, and taken alive in a cave. One of thefe found means to hang himself with a very narrow undiscovered girdle, which he wore next to his fkin, poffibly for that purpose. Horiah, and the other, were fent about as a public spectacle, to undergo different parts of their allotted punish ment, in the scenes of their greatett enormities, and in the fight of their deluded followers. A fixed number of the inhabitants from each of the rebellious districts were at length obliged to atGeat. Mag. April 1788. tend at the place of execution, in order to behold their miferable exit upon the wheel, The tragedy did not entirely end here; for the prifons being entirely overcrowded by the great number of prisoners taken, they soon generated a pesti. lential diftemper, which was not only fatal to these unhappy people, but did much mischief in the country; fo that, inflead of thinking of farther punishment, befides throwing the prifon doors open, the recovery of the infected, and the means of preventing the contagion from spreading farther, became the only objects of atten tion. In the mean time, the ever vigilant monarch of Pruflia was taking the most efficacious measures for preventing the exchange of Bavaria, for protecting in all respects the rights, and for preferv. ing from violation thofe family conventions, by which the different branches of the Palatine line were mutually bound to each other and to the empire. For these purposes, and to counteract the effect of that dangerous union, and of that vaft power which might be combined against himfelf fingly, he found it neceffary to form an alli. ance and confederation with those neighbouring princes, who were equally interested in preferving entire the Germanic fyftem and the conftitution of the empire, and whofe joint power might be fufficient to give effect to their union. Nothing could be more vexatiously alarming to the court of Vienna, nor any thing more fub. verfive, in various refpects, of its views. The manner in which it was felt, and the refentment which it infpired, were fufficiently obvious, from the bitterness which was expreffed against ita great framer, who was defcribed as little less than being the common disturber of mankind, as well as of Germany; while not only the prefent alarm, but all the evils which might in confequence of it diftra&t the empire, and poffibly involve it in blood and ruin, were imputed to the inordinate ambition and finister designs of that monarch, The king bore these personal cenfures and imputations to all appearance with the most perfect indifference. He juftified his conduct upon the grounds of reason, juftice, and policy: no warmth of reply, no cenfure, no feverity of retort, ap peared in any of his publications. A report which was fpread at that time, if the fact should hereafter be established, would ferve highly to exalt that monarch's character, and to fhed much additional luftre upon his paft and present conduct in the business of the Palatinate. It was reported, that two rich, extenfive, and fovereign bishopricks (one of them vying in power and greatness with the ecclefiaftic electorates) were held out to him in perpetuity, as a temptation for not oppofing the defigned scheme of barter; and that he rejected the proposal (or, as he is faid himself to have termed it, the bribe) with the strongeft marks of indignation. The court of Vienna had shifted its ground, fo far as its communications to the public went, with respect to the affair of Bavaria. At first ig was generally difavowed; the report declared to be totally unfounded, and strong infinuations thrown out, that it originated in a certain quar ter, where an infidious difpofition to perplex the affairs, and to difturb the peace of the empire Сс W |