Along the coafts of the Mediterranean, in Egypt, Bildulgerid, and Zaara, the people are of a tawny complexion, and drefs like the Turks; but in the other parts of this quarter the inhabitants are quite black. The better fort of negroes wear thin vests and white caps, but the poor go almost naked, having only a fmall piece of fkin, or coarfe ftuff, wrapped about their waifts: the poor Hottentots, daubed over with greafe and foot, and having their arms, legs, and neck wrapped round with the raw guts of beafts, make a moft defpicable and nafty appearance.

Through Barbary, Nubia, and Egypt, the commodities are rice, figs, raifins, oranges, lemons, citrons, almonds, pomegranates, olives, fenna, dates, leather, civet, fugar, and indigo. In Negroland and Guinea, oftrich feathers, gold duft, elephants' teeth, pepper, and flaves, which are chiefly purchased by the English, and tranfported to America. The inland countries are faid to be full of lions, tigers, monkeys, thinocerofes, and crocodiles} the natives are little known; for travellers have been feldom able to extend their en quiries fo far. To the fouth, along the coaft, the traffic is ambergris, mufk, civet, lemons, millet, pearls, gold duft, &c. chiefly carried on by the Dutch and Portuguese; the former

of which had a large fettlement at the Cape of Good Hope, but which was conquered in 1795 by the English, ceded to the Dutch at the peace of Amiens, and re-conquered in the present war: the Portuguese have other fettlements on the eastern and western fides of the continent.

The chief islands in this quarter are, Madagafcar, the largeft, called alfo St. Lawrence; the inhabitants are black, wild, favage, naked, and under no particular governor the fmall iflands. of Cape Verd; the Canary siflands; the Madeiras, noted for excellent wine; the Guinea ifles, and the ifles Afcenfion and St. Helena, with others of leffer note in the Ethiopian fea.

The principal, mountains here are the Lybian Mount, between Zaara and Egypt; Mount Atlas, between Barbary and Bildulgerid, fuppofed by the ancients to be the highest in the world, whence came the fable of Atlas, a giant, bearing the heavens upon his fhoulders. It now gives a name to the neighbour ing ocean, called the Atlantic Ocean; the mountains of the Moon, in Ethiopia, always covered with, fnow and ice; and the exceedingly high hill, or peak, in Teneriffe, one of the Canary ifles, in form of a fugar-loaf, which may be feen at the diftance of one hundred and twenty miles.

The remarkable rivers in Africa are the Nile, in Nubia and Egypt; the river Senegal, anciently called Niger, running through all Negroland into the Atlantic Ocean, on which the English have fome, fettlements. The Gambia is only a branch of the Niger. In confequence of the periodical rains, these rivers overflow their banks annually from June to September, by which means they fertilize the country, and leave behind them, in canals prepared for the purpose, a fufficient quantity of water for the rest of the year.

The principal curiofities in Africa are, the vaft pyramids in Egypt, four leagues west of Cairo, fuppofed to be built by the children of Ifrael, when in bondage, as fepulchres for the Egyptian kings; alfo the mummy pits near the pyramids, in which are found the bodies of the people, embalmed, and buried 3000 years ago, but still perfect and distinct.

Among the most celebrated men whom Africa has produced, are Tertullian, Cyprian, Julius Africanus, Arnobius, Lactantius, Victor Uticenfis, and St. Auftin, all bishops of the church. The warriors of greatest fame were Hamilcar and his three fons, Hannibal, Afdrubal, and Mago; and Terence and Apuleius, the only poets whofe names have defcended to pofterity with undisputed applause. I am, &c.

Questions formed for the Exercife of the Pupil.

HOW is Africa joined to Afia?

Into how many ftates is it divided?

What difference is there in the inhabitants ?
What are the chief products of Africa ?

Which is the largest island in this quarter?

What are the other iflands near the coast of Africa? Which are the principal mountains?

From what does the Atlantic Ocean derive its name? Where are the Mountains of the Moon?.

Where is Mount Teneriffe, and at what diftanee it be feen ?

may

Which are the principal rivers in Africa?

What are the most remarkable curiofities in Africa?

LETTER XXIII.

London,

BARBARY, ARBARY, or the coaft of Barbary, all along the mountains of Atlas, quite to Egypt, confifts of two forts of people, namely, the Moors, under the Emperor of Morocco, whofe metropolis is Fez; and those people under the republics, or rather kingdoms of Algiers, Tripoli, Tunis,* and Barca. The whole country produces fine horfes, wax, oil, hides, hemp, flax, fugar, honey, dates, and almonds, and is the moft confiderable, and beft peopled part of Africa. Their religion is Mahometan, and their government abfolute.

Zaara, the ancient Numidia, is fituated fouth of mount Atlas, between the coast of Barbary north, and Negroland fouth. Here are the most extenfive deferts in the world, fubject almoft wholly to the dominion of ferocious wild beafts. The inhabitants of thefe deferts are rambling Arabs. Their religion is Mahometan, as thofe northward; whereas Negroland, Guinea, and all fouthward, are Pagans.

Algiers and Tripoli are tributary, and, in fome. measure, subject to the Ottoman court, and Tunis is fubject to the Emperor of Morocco.