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[With a VIEW of the CASTLE of Down, in Perthshire.]

CONTENT S.

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Regifter of the Weather for
July
Latest Account of the Cuftoms

and Character of the Perfians Particulars relative to the Nature of the Indians of North America

Account of the demolishing the Superftitious Pictures in Churches, &c,

Of the Lama of Tibet Remarks on the Knowledge of the Ancients refpecting Glafs Memoirs of the late John Stanley, Efq;

On the Impeachment of Mr Haftings Obfervations on the City of Tunis and the adjacent Country Concerning the liquid Bitumen called Naphtha, or the Eter nal Fire of the Perfians Translation from Ferdofi, a Perfian Poet

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Remarkable credulity of the fa

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Plan of the British Society for extending the Fisher is

476

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On the Variation of the Com

Some Account of the Sale of

pafs

477

the Portland Museum

47

When Volume fourth is completed, another leaf will be given in place of this,

which must then be cancelled.

A STATE of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's THERMOMETER, in the open air, taken between twelve and three o'clock afternoon, and the quantity of rainwater fallen, in inches and decimals, from the 29th of June 1786 to the 30th of July 1786, near the foot of Arthur's Seat.

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THE

EDINBURGH MAGAZINE,

O R

LITERARY MISCELLANY

Latest Account of the Cuftoms and Character of the Perfians; by S. G GMELIN.

Tranflated from the Hiftory of the Rufian Travels undertaken
at the command of the Emprefs of Ruffia.

THE Perfians affect to confider themselves as the politeft nation under the fun. They are very liberal in profeffions of friendship, and appear to be very hofpitable: but this conduct, far from being the effect of a noble and generous difpofition, is to be attributed to very different principles. They poffefs the art of flattery in a fuperior degree, and will overwhelm a ftranger with the most extravagant compliments, in the hope that he will return them with intereft. They will receive you very willingly into their houfes, which is the more acceptable, as there are no inns in the country, except inconvenient_caravanferas. But when they do you a favour, they expect either prefents or other favours in return, and are at no pains to conceal their interested views. Blinded by the most extravagant vanity, they look on most other nations, notwith ftanding their affected politenefs, with fovereign contempt; they believe themselves alone in poffeffion

of prudence and wisdom, and feek on every occafion to fet themselves off by bombaft expreffions and a high flown ftyle. He is esteemed the wifeft who can moft fuccefsfully deceive; who, with honied words, moft artfully difguifes a hypocritical heart. A Perfian can be obfequious even to meannefs when he has any thing to gain; but the moment he has obtained his defire, he forgets his benefactor, and will treat him with infupportable disdain. When he is most lavish of careffes and affurances of the greateft friendship and confidence, it is then he is moft to be fufpected; for he is then moft certainly plotting mischief, which will show itself on the firft opportunity.

The most extreme violence and rigorous cruelty are the detestable means which the great and confiderable among them employ to keep their dependents and inferiors in fubjection. These unhappy wretches are fo fleeced, that they have hardly as much left as is neceffary for their

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