tempted to be tranfplanted there, its root will ever fail, and all the beauteous verdure, and "blufhing honours" of its head, fhrink and wither at the touch of that peftilential air, where never did, nor ever can fubfift, liberty, in any form, or under any

modification whatever. Thofe, therefore, who wish the fupport of Manometanifm again ft Chriftianity, with the triumph of Falfehood over Truth, of Bigotry over Liberality-of Barbarifm over Civilization, and of DESPOTISM Over LIberty.

may

TN order to give an adequate idea of 1 the extenfive circulation of Indian commodities by land carriage, it would be neceffary to trace the route, and to estimate the number of the various caravans by which they are conveyed.Could this be executed with accuracy, it would be a curious object of geographical research, as well as a vaJuable addition to commercial history. Though it is inconfiftent with the brevity which I have uniformly ftudied in conducting this difquifition, to enter into a detail of fo great length, it be proper here, for illuftrating this part of my fubject, to take such a view of two catayans which vifit Mecca, as may enable my readers to estimate more justly the magnitude of their commercial tranfactions. The first is the caravan which takes its departure from Cairo in Egypt, and the other frora Damafcus in Syria; and I felect thefe, both because they are the moft confiderable, and because they are defcribed by authors of undoubted credit, who had the best opportunities of receiving full information concerning them. The former is compofed, not only of pilgrims from every part of E gypt, but of thofe which arrive from all the fmall Mahomedan ftates on the African coaft of the Mediterranean, from the empire of Morocco and even from the Negroe kingdoms on the Atlantic. When affembled, the caravan D d VOL. XIV No. 81.

confifts at leaft of fifty thoufand perfons, and the number of camels employed in carrying water, provifions, and merchandize, is ftill greater. The journey, which, in going from Cairo and returning thither, is not completed in lefs than a hundred days, is performed wholly by land; and as the route lies moftly thro' fandy defarts, or barren uninhabited wilds, which feldom afford any fubfiftence, and where often no fources of water can be found, the pilgrims always undergo much fatigue, and fometimes mult endure incredible hardships. An early and good defcription of this caravan is publifhed by Hakluyt, vol. ii. p. 202, &c.. Maillet has entered into a minute and curious detail with regard to it; Defcript. de l'Egypte, part ii. p. 212, &c. Pocock has given a route, together. with the length of each day's march, which he received from a person who had been fourteen times at Mecca, vol. i. pp. 188, 261, &c.-The caravan from Damafcus, composed of pilgrims from almost every province of the Turkish empire, is little inferior to the former in number, and the commerce which it carries on is hardly lefs valuable. Voyage de Volney, tom. ii.. p. 251, &c. This pilgrimage was performed in the year 1741, by Khizeh Abduikurreem.

He gives the ufual route from Damafcus to Mecca, computed by hours,

the

the common mode of reckoning a journey in the Eaft through countries little frequented. According to the most moderate eftimate, the distance between the two cities, by his account, must be above a thousand miles; a great part of the journey is through a defart, and the pilgrims not only endure much fatigue, but are often expofed to great danger from the wild Arabs. Memoirs, p. 114, &c. It is a fingular proof of the predatory fpirit of the Arabs, that although all their independent tribes are zealous Mahomedans, yet they make no feruple of plundering the caravans of pilgrims, while engaged in performing one of the most indifpenfible duties of their religion. Great as thefe caravans are, we muft not fuppofe that all the pilgrims who vifit Mecca belong to them; fuch confiderable additions are received from the extenfive dominions of Perfia, from every province of Indoftan, and the countries to the Eaft of it, from Abyffinia, from various ftates on the Southern coast of Africa, and from all parts of Arabia, that, when the whole are affembled, they have been computed to amount to two hundred thousand. In fome years the number is farther increased by fmall bands of pilgrims from feveral interior provinces of Africa; the names and fituations of which are just beginning to be known in Europe. For this laft fact we are indebted to the Affociation for promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa, formed by fome British gentlemen, upon principles fo liberal, and with views fo public-fpirited, as do honour to themselves and to their country. Proceedings, &c. p. 174. In the Report of the Committee of the Privy Council on the Slave Trade other particulars are contained; and it appears that the commerce carried on by caravans in the interior parts of Africa, is not only widely extended, but of confiderable value. Befides the great caravan which proceeds to Cairo, and is joined by Mahomedan

pilgrims from every part of Africa, there are caravans which have no ob jet but commerce, which fet out from Fez, Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, and other ftates on the fea-coaft, and penetrate far into the interior country.— Some of them take no lefs than fifty days to reach the place of their deftination; and, as the medium of their rate of travelling may be eftimated at about eighteen miles a-day, the extent of their journey may be eafily computed. As both the time of their outfet and their route are known, they are met by the people of all the countries through which they travel who trade with them. Indian goods of every kind form a confiderable article in this traffic; in exchange for which the chief commodity they can give is Slaves. As the journeys of the caravans, which are purely com mercial, do not commence at ftated feafons, and their routes vary according to the convenience or fancy of the merchants of whom they are compofed, a defcription cannot be given of them with the fame degree of accuracy. But by attending to the accounts of fome authors, and the occafional hints of others, fufficient information may be gathered, to fatisfy us that the circulation of Eaftern goods by these caravans is very extenfive. The fame intercourfe which was anciently kept up by the provinces in the North-east of Afia with Indoftan and China, ftill fubfifts. Among all the numerous tribes of Tartars, even of those which retain their paftoral manners in greateft purity, the demand for the productions of thefe two countries is very confiderable. Voyages de Pallas, tom, i. p. 357, &c. tom. ii. p. 422. In order to fupply them with these, caravans fet out annually from Boghar, (Hackluyt, vol. i. p. 332.) Samarcand, Thibet, and several other places, and return with large cargoes of Indian and Chinese goods. But the trade carried on between Ruffia and China in this part of Afia is by far the most exten

five

five and befto publish where connection of this kep, it is probable, was kept up between them from the earliest period, but it increafed greatly after the interior parts of Ruffia were rendered more acceffible by the conquefts of Zingis Khan and Tamerlane. The commercial nations of Europe were fo well acquainted with the mode of caring on this trade, that foon after the Portuguefe had opened the communication with the East by the Cape of Good Hope, an attempt was made, in order to diminish the advantages which they derived from this difcovery, to prevail on the Raffians to convey India and Chinefe commodities through the whole extent of their empire, partly by land-carriage, and partly by means of navigable rivers, to fome port on the Baltic, from which they might be diftrbuted through every part of Europe. Ramufio, Raccolto da Viaggi, vol. i. p. 374. B.

This fcheme, too great for the monarch then on the throne of Ruffia to carry into execution, was rendered practicable by the conquefts of Ivan Bafilowitz, and the genius of Peter the Great. Though the capitals of the two empires were fituated at the immense diftance of fix thoufand three hundred and feventy-eight miles from each other, and the route lay for above four hundred miles through an uninhabited defart, (Bell's Travels, vol. ii. p. 167.) caravans travel. led from the one to the other. But though it had been ftipulated when this intercourse was established, that the number of perfons in each caravan fhould not exceed two hundred, and though they were shut up within the walls of a Caravanferai during the fhort time they remained in Pekin, and were allowed to deal only with a few merchants, to whom a monopoly of the trade with them had been granted; yet, notwithstanding all thefe restraints and precautions, the jealous vigilance with which the Chinefe government excludes foreigners from a free intercourfe with its fubjects

was alarmed, and the admiffion of the Ruffian caravans into the empire was foon prohibited. After various ne gociations, an expedient was at length devised, by which the advantages of mutual commerce were fecured, without infringing the cautious arrangements of Chinese policy. On the boundary of the two empires, two fmall towns were built almoft contiguous, the one inhabited by Ruffians, the other by Chinefe. To thefe all the marketable productions of their refpective countries are brought by the fubjects of each empire; and the furs, the linen and woollen cloth, the leather, the glafs, &c. of Ruffia, are exchanged for the filk, the cotton, the tea, the rice, the toys, &c. of China. By fome well-judged conceffions of the fovereign now feated on the throne of Ruffia, whofe enlarged mind is fuperior to the illiberal maxims of fome of her predeceffors, this trade is rendered fo flourishing, that its amount annually is not less than eight hundred thousand pounds Sterling; and it is the only trade with China carried on almost entirely by barter. Mr Coxe, in his account of the Ruffian difcoveries, has collected, with his ufual attention and difcernment, every thing relative to this branch of trade, the nature and extent of which were little known in Europe. Chap. ii. iii. iv. Nor is this the only place where Ruffia receives Chinefe and Indian commodities. A confiderable supply of both is brought by caravans of independent Tartars to Orenburg, on the river Jaik, Voyage de Pallas, tom. i. p. 355, &c. to Traitzkaia, on the river Oui, and to other places which I might mention. I have entered into this long detail concerning the mode in which the productions in India and China are circulated through Ruffia, as it affords the moft ftriking inftances I know, of the great extent to which valuable commodities may be conveyed by landcarriage.

Letter

I

from every part of

MADAM,

Was ashamed to thank you for the honour of your letter, till I could affure you that I had executed your commands; and though my bookfeller fent me word yesterday that thofe, then ordered, were gone from London, I would have deferred giving notice till another poft, rather than have written in fo great a hurry, unless my Lord had laid his pofitive com. mands on me to let you know this very evening, that he is extremely uneafy at not having heard from you for the last month. I beg you, there. fore, Madam, to look on this as a letter from his Secretary, and expect that I pay the great debt of civility which I owe you, in a more careful and refpectful manner, which I fhall most certainly do very foon. But how great foever the hurry is in which I write, I cannot omit telling you the late accident at court, which is now the fubject of all converfation. You have read, to be fure, the Beggar's opera: the fuccefs of it encouraged the poet to write a fequel to it, in which Macheath the highwayman is reprefented as advanced to be the treasurer of a gang of pirates, makes fashionable use of his truft, and is at lalt pulled to pieces: it is writ with fpirit and fatire, the wit is new, the humour gay, and the reflections pointed at high life. This alarmed the men in power; it was thought a reflection, or, if not defigned, the party people would apply it; and therefore

March, 1718-19.

it was difcreetly forbid being acted I fay difcreetly, for who can fupport the laugh against them? You will know that the Clouds' of Ariftophanes occafioned the death of Socrates by its ridicule; and as much an advocate as I am for minifters, I cannot flatter them so much as to fay, they have more innocence and virtue than that martyr for the religion of nature. This, to be fure, quite irritated the town; they would have their diverfion, come what would of it; and tried every way to get the refufal recalled, but in vain. At the head of thofe folicitors appeared the Dutchefs of Queensbury; the fummoned all her beauty to her aid to fupport her favourite author Gay, a good-natured harmless creature, who meant no mortal injury, no not a statefman, though others might use, perhaps, his name to publish their own fmartnefs in diguife. Her patronage was in vain; the play was not ever to be performed. But if not acted, they were refolved to print it; and try by fubfcriptions to make up his lofs of a third day. The fame lady, with charms that never before could beg in vain, entreats every toupee, and every patriot or politician, for the encouragement of a guinea; and her fuccefs was beyond her hope. She solicited the people at court with all the infolence of a fine face, and folicited not only in the court, but the very King and Queen themselves, to

contribute

contribute to publish what they had before condemned. This was rightly refented; and the vice-chamberlain commanded to forbid her the court. He went with unwilling obedience, and performed, with the utmost civility, the uneafy duty, and with fuch good-breeding foftened the meffage as to please and oblige, whilft he gave the offence. The lady, in all the haughtinefs of conscious beauty, returned an answer; but, left it fhould be mis-interpreted, delivered it in writing. She was furprised, but pleased at the meffage to her; he never came to the court for her own pleasure, but to pay civility to the King and Queen; and fhe doubted not but fuch unprecedented a proceeding would foon make the court as thin as their Majefties feemed to with it. If none were to appear there but those who would deceive and impofe on them, and it was to be judged a crime to protect merit and innocence, the was not difpleafed at being forbid-it was to this effect. The next morning the Duke went and refigned his poft of Lord High Admiral of Scotland; and the Dutchefs had near feven hundred of the first quality that day to comfort her in this difgrace at her levee.

The

town takes part in this affair; the poets appear for their patronefs, and wit is every day drawn in defence of the fair one. I have only just time to tell you the fact; you can, better than I, judge of the prudence of him who advised the King, and fet his wit againft a woman. The highest crime that could be committed lefs than treafon, they fay, could not have been punished feverer; and others add, that fupporting a fatire on a Prime Minifter, is the greatest that can be committed next to treafon. I have writ this in fo much hafte, that I fear you will not be able to read it; but if you will pardon this fault, then I fear it will only encourage me to be guilty in the fame way more frequently; but the oftener I offend, the oftener you will have an opportunity of exercifing your good nefs; and if I cannot give you pleasure from what I write, I fhall by that; for no perfon ever prac tifed a virtue but was happy when he did it.

I am, MADAM,
Your
Moft obliged,

Moft obedient, moft humble fervant, T. RUNDLE.'

and it may also of the Welch hills, on which oak would never grow to any fize. How many hills in Sur rey, Hampshire, Wiltshire, are too fteep for the plough, and fo dry in the fummer as fcarcely to afford a

fcanty