in the morning till near fun-fet. Winter, if it may be fo called, continues only from the middle of December to the tenth or twelfth of January; the heavy rains at that feafon rendering the air chilly and

raw.

Sometimes in the months of July and Auguft, the wind from the Sahara, or Defart, begins to blow, bringing with it clouds of fine fand, which darken the air, and penetrates into the moft fecret receffes. The effects of this burning wind, which may be juftly compared to the heat iffuing from the mouth of an oven, are truly diftressful. The ufual remedy is to fhut the windows and doors, and to fprinkle the floors with vinegar and water. I had the misfortune to experience it during four days. Was it to laft much longer, nature muft fink under this calamity. I expofed a roll of hard pomatum to the air, which, in the courfe of two hours, melted down as if held before a firé.

This is the Sirocco defcribed by Mr Brydone in his tour to Sicily and Malta I have felt it in Palermo and feveral parts of Italy; but not to be compared with the fame fiery wind on the continent, as it lefes confiderably of its heat and fuffocating quality in paffing the fea. The Arabs are aware of its approach by a fulphureous fmell, and from the rednefs of the air in the point it blows from; they ufually throw themselves on the ground when they perceive it coming, to preferve them from the first blaft, which they reckon moft noxious; faying, Nature has taught

the brutes to keep their heads clofe to the earth when they feel its approach: it is often mortal when fuch precaution is not taken; and many inftances have happened where great numbers in a caravan have perished. It is faid to have no ill effect until two feet above the ground..

The Arabs recount many marvellous ftories concerning this wind; but as they are remarkable for the wonderful and fabulous, little faith is to be given to their narratives.

An useful horfe may be had from three to fix or feven pounds Sterling; but the preference for riding is given to mules, thofe of this country having fine delicate limbs, and going at a great rate with motion particularly easy; a recommendation of the first importance in a warm climate. When you wish to travel fafter, the cuftom is to pull the bridle, and they go off on a pace with amazing fpeed.

The Tunifeans have alfo a' breed of affes much larger and more fpirited than most in Europe, many of them fourteen hands high. Horses and mules are dear or cheap in proportion to the barley-harveft, as they are fed only with barley and its ftraw, no oats growing there.

To conclude, the whole coaft of Barbary, from the entrance of the ftraits of Gibraltar to the confines of Tripoly, is one of the finest and most fertile countries in the world, abounding with every neceffary of life, and if in the hands of proper cultivators, capable of being made a granary for Europe.

THE peninfula of Apfcheron near

Baku in Perfia, is an inexhaustible fource of the Naphtha or Neph

tha, as it is called in the language of the country. It announces itself to the traveller long before he arrive

as

at it by its smell. Upon approach ing it, there is seen a place of indeterminate extent, for it changes in a courfe of years. The foil is of fuch

a nature that it kindles when expofed to a burning coal or any combustible substance. The flame burns inceffantly except it is intentionally extinguished, either by fuffocating it with earth or throwing on it a fufficient quantity of water. The earth it arifes from is argillaceous, or ra ther a coarse marl; for it effervefces violently with acids, hardens in the fire, and is ductile in water; it is rough to the touch, being mixed with a small proportion of fand. Its colour is whitish, more or lefs inclining to grey, with a tinge of yellow. It is entirely penetrated with the matter of the naphtha; which is evident not only from entire pieces of it becoming black like a coal, but by diftillation, which produces from it a water of a very difagree able fmell, exhibiting its qualities upon mixture with the vitriolic acid. When any part of the furface of this earth, for two or three inches deep, is touched with a burning body, it immediately takes fire; the flame is of a bluish yellow colour: in calm weather it rifes feveral feet from the ground, and never goes out of itself. The fmoke it emits is exceedingly difagreeable, and to thofe whofe lungs are diseased, is altogether infupportable. The places which are in a state of actual inflammation are of various forms, sometimes exhibiting the figure of a circle, or ramifying, or running obliquely. These burning places vary alfo in extent, and the flame rifes with various degrees of violence; for fometimes it if fues with fuch impetuofity as to feem as if excited with a bellows: yet it never burns the earth, but only heats it; fo much, however, that the hand cannot be held near the places that are inflamed. Mr Gmelin, having dug two feet below the furface,

35

found no appearance of pumice or calcined ftone; but the marl was softer to the touch, and contained no fand.

This perpetual fire is of great fer vice to the inhabitants of Baku in the making of lime. They take off the furface from a fpot of ground of the fize they have occafion for ; on this fpot they pile up the limeftone, of which foffil almost the whole neighbourhood of Baku is compofed; then throwing over the heap the earth they had taken off, the lime is made in three or four days. The inhabitants of the village of Srogann come hither to drefs their victuals; and in general the flame of the naphtha may be used for the fame purpo fes as other fire

Some Indian pilgrims, having chofen this fpot as the place of their a bode, have contributed much to its celebrity. These are the defcendants of the ancient Guebres; and the name of Dervifchi, or Dervifes, which the common people give them, does by no means apply to them. These In, dians confider this perpetual fire as uncommonly facred, and as a pal. pable fign of the presence of the Deity, who cannot be manifested to mor tal eyes under a purer or more perfect form than that of fire and light. They make pilgrimages to this place from their native country in the bofom of India, and pay their devo, tions to the Eternal Being in a man, ner fo affecting, that those who see them do not confider them in the light of heathens. They have erec. ted little temples of stone round the fite of the perpetual fire. At prefent only one of thefe temples is employed, in which they have conftructed a funnel two feet deep, from which is fues a fine blue flame mixed with red, unaccompanied with any difagreeable smell. This funnel is contracted at top, fo that pots may be placed upon it for the purpose of dreffing victuals. Whenever lighted E 2

traw

ftraw is applied to it, the flame in tantly mounts, through the funnel; and when they wish to extinguish it, they throw over it a piece of coarfe linned. The Indians that approach this funnel or any other, for they have made many, all adjoining to the temple, obferving a profound and religious filence, which is only in terrupted by fighs of devotion. Sometimes they are feated, or fold their hands over their head. In this pofture one of them lived twenty years fucceffively without ever changing it, being fed by others, and never either eat or drank but from extreme neceffity. Some keep one arm continually extended; and one of these having perfevered in this painful attitude for feven years, contracted a total rigidity. No object whatever is capable of diverting them from their devotion; but it is difficult to imagine in what this confifts, unless we fuppofe that thefe fatiguing attitudes, and the ferious and contemplative air of their countenance, are confidered by them as the highest marks of reverence they can pay to the Supreme Being. As the worshippers of fire are held by the Perfians to be the most abominable of all idolators, there are very few of them in these parts: Mr Gmelin found only three, who were entertained by another Indian for whom they offered up their prayers: they do not al ways make thefe pilgrimages for themselves, but fometimes for others. They have the whole head, and go quite naked, except in thofe places which decency requires fhould be covered. Their food confifts merely of roots and fruit, and they appear like skeletons covered with a black fkin.

The well or pit from which they draw the white naphtha is at a little diftance from the perpetual fire, at the bottom of a little hill It is a bout thirty feet deep, and two in

diameter; at the bottom of it the bitumen diftils drop by drop, and is preferved there till it is taken up; which is done by a perfon appointed by the Khan to whom it be longs.

It must not be fuppofed that the white naphtha has got this name because it is of a white colour. It is fo called merely because it is tranfparent and yellowish, by which it is diftinguished from the black naphtha.

Its flame is purer and more fubtile, and the vapour arifing from it is far from being fo disagreeable as that of the other: but it burns more quickly, and is inflamed before contact with the fire much fooner than the black.

It is only after diftillation that this fubftance affumes a white colour; and if the operation is once or twice repeated, it is very highly concentrated, and is taken in Perfia as a

powerful refolutive medicine in rheumatifms and palfies. With the Turks and Armenians it is in common ufe, and they rank it in the number of their most approved domeftic remedies.

It is not at the peninfula of Apfcheron alone that naphtha is found, but in feveral other places of this country. At the peninfula of Bael Mr Gmelin reckoned seventy of these pits or wells, all of them of a cylindrical form about twelve fathoms deep. The largest of them ferves as a refervoir, into which the naphtha of the others is conducted. But this is not of fo good a quality as that of Apfcheron: it is confiderably attenuated by the water of the fea, and confequently does not burn fo well.

The black naphtha only is ufed for burning, and makes a confiderable article of commerce. This, as well as the white, is generally, tranfported in leathern bags; in wooden veffels it foon lofes part of its weight;

carthen

SHOULD not have told you while he was living, my dear Marquis, but fince M. de R✶✶ has already acquainted you with feveral of his peculiarities, and you feem inclined to believe I know more of them than any other person, I cannot but confefs that our late much-esteemed Marivaux, notwithstanding all his wit and found philofophy, in which perhaps no one ever excelled him, was, with regard to certain fubjects, credulous to a moft furprifing degree. You may judge from the following anecdote.

One winter evening, when a dangerous cold obliged me to keep my chamber, he called to fee me as he came from the academy, almost dead with cold, and coughing more violently and frequently than I did myfelf; which appeared to me the more extraordinary, as I knew how very careful he always was of his health.

You must not be too fevere on me, faid he, defirous to prevent my farcaftic remarks. Every thing muft have an end; indeed I am quite tired of fo much reftraint and regimen, which, instead of removing my catarrhous complaint, feem only to increase it. Befides, notwithstanding the danger to which I may feem expofed, by going out in fuch weather as the prefent, I have fecret, and in my own opinion perfectly fatisfactory, reasons why I fhould not apprehend any ill confequences.

This declaration appears fo extravagant, faid I, looking full at him, that, had it proceeded from any one befide yourself, I fhould have thought him deftitute of common sense.

I fuppofe you would, my good friend, replied he; but let the matter reft, and make no mention of what you have heard.

How, Sir! Suffer me to fay, my

3

curiofity, after what I have heard, is not less than my anxiety. If you can doubt this, I am not worthy the friendship with which you have hitherto honoured me.

After a moment's filence on both fides, I am to blame, cried he. Your serious air fhows me how much I have excited your furprise, and I think it my duty to expiate my imprudence, by relating an adventure at which you will probably laugh, but which I can no longer refuse to the friendly attention and concern you at prefent feel. Let us therefore be left alone,-and now liften to my recital.

Born at Paris, of a refpectable family, my father, who formerly was fuperintendant of the coinage at Riom, having left me fome property, the ardor of youth, together with the hope of increafing my fortune, caufed me to become the dupe of the fchemes of the Rue Quinquampoix when, after fome brilliant fucceffes, finding myfelf undeceived and ruined like many others, and awakened from my agreeable dream, I had recourfe to writing for the theatre.

My first performances, however, having procured me more fame than profit, I yielded to the folicitations of an old female relation, who was fuppofed to be very rich, and set out for Lyons; where I foon found myfelf not a little difgufted at my fitua tion, as the lady was fickly and peevifh, and far from being fo rich as had been reported.

During my continuance in this way of life, extremely unfuitable to fo active a spirit as mine, going one day into one of the most frequented coffee-houses of the city, I was ftruck by the appearance of a little old man, who seemed as ancient as Time himself is commonly reprefented, but

whose