northern latitudes, but belongs equally to all cold climates, whether they be North or South. The ftores of botany, too, have been increased; and, what is moft important of all, a poffibility has been difcovered of preferving health amongst a numerous fhip's company for a great length of time, amidst great varieties of climate, and continued hardships and fatigues.

Let us not forget another very important object of study, for which thefe voyages have afforded to the fpeculative philofopher ample materials: the ftudy of human nature in various fituations, as interefting as they are uncommon. The iflands which our enterprifing difcoverers vifited in the centre of the South Pacific Ocean, and which are, indeed, the principal fcenes of their operations, were untrodden ground. The inhabitants, as far as could be observed, were unmixed with any different tribe, by occafional intercourfe, fubsequent to their own original fettlement there; left intirely to their own powers for every art of life; and to their own remote traditions, for every political or religious cuftom or inftitution; uninformed by fcience: unimproved by education; in fhort, a fit foil from whence a careful obferver could collect facts for forming a judgment how far unaffifted human nature will be apt to degenerate; and in what refpects it can ever be able to excel. Who could have thought that the brutal ferocity of feeding upon human flesh, and the horrid fuperftition of offering human facrifices, fhould be found to exift amongst the natives lately difcovered in the Pacific Ocean, who, in other refpects, appear to be no ftrangers to the fine feelings of humanity, to have arrived at a certain ftage of focial life, and to be habituated to fubordination and government, which tend fo naturally to reprefs the ebullitions of wild paffion, and expand the latent powers of the understanding? Or, if we turn from this melancholy picture, can we observe without astonishment, to what a degree of perfection the fame tribe have carried their favourite amufements, the plaintive fongs of their women, their dramatic entertainments, their dances; the orations of their chiefs; the folemnity of their religious proceffions; their arts and manufactures; their contrivances to fupply the want of proper materials, and of effective tools and machines, and the wonderful productions of their perfevering labour under a complication of difadvantages; their cloth and their mats; their weapons; their fishing inftruments; their ornaments; their utenfils; which in defign and in execution may vie with whatever modern Europe, or claffical antiquity can exhibit?

ART. II. The prefent State of the Ottoman Empire. Containing a more accurate and interefting Account of the Religion, Government, Military Eftablishment, Manners, Cuftoms, and Amufements of the Turks than any yet extant. Including a particular Defcription of the Court and Seraglio of the Grand Signior. And interfperfed with many fingular and entertaining Anecdotes. Tranflated from the French Manufcript of Elias Habefci, many Years Resident at Conftantinople, in the Service of the Grand Signior. 8vo. boards. Baldwin.

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T is a common obfervation, that the affairs of Turkey are very imperfectly known; and the jealousy of the Porte is appealed to, as the caufe of the difficulty with which any informations of confequence with regard to it, are obtained. Accordingly, there have been few publications of any value concerning the Ottoman Empire; and the curiofity of the public is infinitely piqued to arrive at a knowledge, oppofed by obftacles which are understood to be nearly infurmountable.

The author of the prefent performance has uncommon pretenfions; and deferves, in fome degree, to be attended to. He declares, in the most folemn manner, that he is by birth a Greek. He affirms, that when an infant, he was carried to Conftantinople; and that he was brought up there by an uncle, who enjoyed a place of honour and confidence in the Seraglio. He ftates, that his perfonal attendance upon this relation was long, and not without inftruction; and that he was afterwards employed as Secretary to a Grand Vizier in the reign of the late Muftapha III. Thefe opportunities were too important to be neglected by him; and he avers, that in confequence of them, he acquired, a perfect knowledge of many curious particulars, which no traveller, however recommended, and no ambaffador, however artful, could poffibly attain.

Details of this kind are very flattering, and ferve to imprefs the reader with the most favourable hopes. No decifive vouchers, however, establish their authenticity; and it is impoffible to peruse them without a mixture of uncertainty and doubt.

It is proper, notwithstanding, to confefs, that this volume. holds out to obfervation, many inftructive and curious particulars in relation to the religion, the civil government, the military establishments, the manners, cuftoms, and amufements of the Turks.

On the subject of the Turkish feraglio, the author exhibits feveral articles of information, which while they are new, bear the femblance of truth. Upon the government and policy of the Ottoman empire, he is full and circum

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ftantial. Its civil and military forms and ufages are describe ed by him with an interesting minutenefs. He affords many obfervations concerning its commerce; and there are interfperfed through his performance a variety of anecdotes. The sketch, however, which he gives of the Turkish History is moft imperfect.

Of the Author it cannot be affirmed, that his abilities are of the highest order. He is evidently unequal to the task he has undertaken; and the opportunities he enjoyed of making acquifitions, were greater than he could improve. It is generally to be regretted, that fo few men of genius have been feized with the paffion for travel. For common obfervers, carrying no penetrating eye, perceive not the objects of the greatest curiofity and usefulness.

In his work, the author not unfrequently betrays a propenfity for wonder and admiration, which is the undoubted characteristic of a limited and uncultivated understanding. He is alfo deficient in precifion; and if a writer of greater talents were to build upon his information, he would find his facts to be indiftinct. His manner too is defultory; and we difcern not in his book that order and difpofition of parts which illuftrate the writings of fuperior men.

This volume, however, is not without utility; and till a more perfect performance, on its fubject, fhall make its appearance, it deferves to be read. As a fpecimen from which to judge of its merit, we fhall fubmit to our readers, the account it exhibits of the Ottoman marine force, and of its departments.

Every part of the military establishment of the Ottoman empire at this hour announces its decline, but none fo evidently as the weak ftate of its Marine; not only with refpect to the want of a proper number of fhips of war, but likewife of good feamen, and valiant officers. In former times, the Turkish fleets were almost innumerable; but, fince the war of Candia, against the republic of Venice, which lafted twenty-one years, no formidable fleet has been fent to fea by the Porte. The very great and continual loffes the Turks fuftained during that war, give birth to a faying familiar in the mouths of Ottoman fubjects: " that God made the land for them, and the "fea for the Chriftians."

'But the total destruction of the marine force of the empire was not accomplished till the laft war against the Ruffians. It was referved for the brave Vice-Admiral Elphinstone (a native of England) who commanded a small Ruffian fquadron in the Archipelago, to put a finishing hand to the small remains of power the Turks poffeffed at fea. After having driven their fuperior fleet entirely out of the Archipelago, he purfued them, till he forced them to take shelter in the bay of Cefmi, oppofite the Isle of Scios; there, by his skill and bravery, he obliged them to run their fhips on fhore, and, not withstand the fire of the fort, he burnt aud destroyed the greatest part

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part of the fleet. This action rendered his name fo tremendous to the Turks in thofe parts, that I have heard them quiet their children, by telling them that Elphinstone was coming. It is true, that, after the peace, the indefatigable Haffen Bachi, the prefent High Admiral of the empire, exerted himfelf in a fignal manner to reftore their Marine; and in three years he had forty fail of the line at Conftantinople, fit for immediate fervice, befides feveral others in different ports of the empire; but, for want of experienced officers, many of these were wrecked in the Black Sea; fo that at this time they have not half the number of fhips requifite to guard the feas coafts, maritime provinces, and iflands belonging to their extenfive empire.

The principal officers who have the command of a fleet are perfons who have no fkill in marine affairs. The High Admiral, whom we have just named, is one of the most respectable perfonages in the empire; he is a native of Algiers, and has had great experience in the building and equipping of fleets, but his office goes no farther than a general inspection and deftination of all the fleets of the empire. The command of them at fea is put into other hands, and by what I have feen in the last war, they could not have fallen into worfe; almost all their officers on board their fhips being indolent, cowardly, or fottifh; in fhort, they dreaded the fight of a Ruffian cock-boat, and made ufe of every trifling excufe to avoid bringing their fhips to action: when they were forced into engagements, by the impoffibility of getting away, a running fight was all that they maintained, and with the firft opportunity, they were fure to crowd all their fail, and make the best of their way for fome port.

Each fhip has a captain commanding her, and two principal of ficers under him, the mafter and fub-master; befides thefe, there are fome fubalterns, including the pilots.

The Terfkana-Amini, or Lieutenant to the High Admiral, genėrally commands the fleet upon any expedition, or when it puts to sea to defend the coafts.

The captains of galleys are called Beys; they are all very rich, belong to the best families, and are generally Bafhaws with two Tails, to whom are affigned the revenues of certain land for their falaries, and the maintenance of their veffels; or, in lieu thereof, the Sultan gives them the government of fome maritime place, fuch as Mitelene, Rhodes, Scios, &c. He likewife provides the hull of the galley, and adds a certain fum to arm her: the equipment, provisions, and men must be found by the Bey.

They have likewife galliots, and other fmall veffels, which they call Cungiabai, almoft like brigantines, that are very useful in the navigation of the Black-Sea, because they are light, and draw but little water. All these smaller veffels are under the direction of the Menexi-Bey, or general of the galleys, who has for his falary the revenues of fome of the valuable iflands in the Archipelago. And it very remarkable that the commanders of thefe inferior claffes of their Marine have the precedence, and are more refpected than those who command their firft rate fhips, and their great fleets: if the reafon of this is demanded, the Muffulmen reply, that it is founded on the antiquity of their galleys, or fome fuch fable.

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• Three

Three different rates of fhips compofe the Turkish armaments. Thofe of three decks are the first. The length of these is 60 ells, and the ell of the Arfenal of Conftantinople contains two geometrical feet and a half. Each of thefe fhips carries 106 pieces of brass can> non and, in order to render fuch an unwieldy machine a little manageable, the mafts and the fails are of an enormous fize. The equipage of these fhips amounts to 1200 men, called Levants, befides 100 Greek failors to manage the rigging. The wages of the Levants are 60 piaftres for fix months, and for the winter months they are discharged, receiving no wages during their absence; but they ferve in expectation of penfions for life, if they fignalize themfelves.

The fecond rates are called Sultanas; they are 34 ells long, carry 66 guns, Soo Levants, and 100 Greek failors. The third rates are called Caravalles; they measure 40 ells, are built like frigates, and mount from 36 to 45 pieces of cannon; their equipage confift of 200 Levants, and 30 Greek failors.

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'The Ottoman flips are almost all built by Greeks from the Archipelago, and though they are totally deficient in theory, being ignorant any rules but thofe of practice, they are fo well built, and their beauty and proportion is fo furprising, that they are not furpaffed by any of the thips of the most polifhed nations in Europe. All the hull of the fhip that is under water is built of oak; but the upper works are of fir, which makes them lighter, and alfo lefs dangerous to the crews in time of action, for the fir does not fly off in fplinters like the oak. The external parts are joined to the internal by pegs of hard wood. Such are the fixed orders for the construction of Turkifh fhips of war; but the avarice and perfidy of the builders makes them violate all orders: fuperftition likewife is at the bottom; for the Greeks, knowing that thefe fhips are to be employed by Mahometans against Chriftians, take care to introduce rotten wood and broken planks in the most concealed parts, and the contractors make a confiderable profit, by fubftituting wooden pegs where they fhould ufe large iron nails. Befides thefe frauds, the following circumstances contribute to render their fhips lefs durable than thofe of other nations. The mafts are made of feveral pieces of wood, joined one above another, and fecured with iron. The fails are made with cotton; they take the wind better, and are more manageable than linen, but they foon tear and wear out. The cordage is wretched, and will neither last half the time, nor bear half the ftrefs of other ropes. The quantity of tallow they put about the cordage, to fpare their labour, is incredible, and what they confume upon the hull of the flip is in the proportion of fifty pounds, to one used on board the fhips of other countries; confequently, this article alone is an enormous charge in the equipment of their fleets.

The Marine Arsenal of Conftantinople is fituated upon the Porte, in that part of it oppofite the city, where it begins to widen. One part of this Arfenal is fet apart for building large fhips, and the other for fmall veffels. A very large dome was built, to fecure them while on the flocks, from the injuries of the weather; but whether it be from custom, or for convenience, the large fhips are always built in

the