I have only now to observe, in conclusion, that whatever may be the weak parts of this hypothesis, it has at least the merit of leaving the sacred text inviolate, and of interpreting every single word and phrase in that text according to its ordinary acceptation.

APEMANTUS.

TURKISH MEMOIRS OF EWLIA EFENDI.

AMONG the most rare and valuable compositions in the Turkish language, may be classed the Memoirs of Ewlia Mohammed Efendi, a work comprised in four parts or volumes, and peculiarly interesting, as they contain the records of his travels through various regions during the space of five-and-twenty years; from 1041 of the Musulman era (corresponding to the year of Christ 1631) until 1066 (1656). We have just learned, with much satisfaction, that a gentleman in this country has lately received from Vienna an English translation of Ewlia's work, made from the original Turkish by that learned Orientalist and eminent linguist Mr. Hammer, so well known for the universality of his literary acquirements. It appears from a notice communicated by one of our foreign correspondents, that Mr. Hammer had long explored the book shops of Constantinople and of Cairo in hopes of discovering some Turkish manuscript that might illustrate the subject of Eastern geography, and more particularly assist him in his researches respecting the topography of Asia Minor, and such parts of Africa and of Europe as constituted the Ottoman empire. But his inquiries, however diligent, were attended with but little success until the year 1804, when he fortunately discovered in Constantinople, the fourth or last portion of Ewlia Efendi's memoirs, and procured it at the price of one hundred piastres. The perusal of this part most strongly excited his desire to possess the entire work; but a perfect copy, supposed to exist only in the Seraglio library, was therefore inaccessible. During ten years Mr. Hammer and his friends sought in vain the first, second, and third parts; at length they were obtained through the exertions of Mr. John Argyropolo, late Turkish minister at Berlin, who purchased for the library of Count Wenceslaus Rzewuski a complete copy,

filling two large folio volumes; from these Mr. Hammer has made his translation.

Ewlia Efendi lived in the reigns of Sultan Murad IV, Ibrahim, and Mohammed IV; and he travelled through the Turkish empire in Asia Minor, Africa, and Europe, and finished his journey with an expedition to Persia. The Bibliographer, Hadji Khalfa, mentions, in his history of Turkish literature, two writers named Ewlia (see Eichorn's Hist. of Lit. vol. 111. p. 1229. 1243); but it appears from a comparison of dates, that neither can have been our traveller; whence the rarity of his memoirs may be inferred, and the bad taste that noticed trifling works of poetry or dull Mohammedan theology, neglecting such a rich topographical treasure as the Travels of Ewlia:-thus a short and meagre account of Seid Ali Capitan's journey from the Red Sea to India, and thence to Constantinople, is celebrated, though for the greater part fiction, and extremely scanty in geographical information. But Ewlia abounds with topographical, historical, and philological notices; he gives specimens of different languages, the Curdish, Mongol, and Tartar dialects; also many statistical accounts of the various countries that he surveyed; biographical sketches of distinguished persons, not only his contemporaries, but those whose tombs had already been objects of pilgrimage and religious veneration. Most of his remarks, founded on actual inspection, are such as none but an intelligent and native Musulman could have made. This will appear on comparison of his travels with those published by several Europeans who have visited the same countries.

The first part of Ewlia's work contains an account of his birthplace, the city of Constantinople, its fortifications, gates, talismans, and ancient monuments; the various sieges which this great capital has suffered; its mosques, and other principal edifices; the old and new Seraglio; the neighbouring country; description of the Black Sea, and its communication with the White; soil and natural productions in the vicinity of Constantinople; statistical tables; public revenue; military forces of the empire under Sultan Murad IV; many curious anecdotes, and some hints on the probable relationship between the King of France and the Sultan through a Sultana; history of the Ottoman sovereigns, particularly of Sultan Murad IV, where the author, in a distinct chapter, relates his own introduction as page into the Harem, with many remarkable circumstances. Then follow the histories of Sultan Ibrahim and Mohammed, until the conquest of Candia, where Ewlia was present, in 1074 (A. D. 1633). He then describes the minor edifices of Constantinople, the religious

houses, fountains, tombs, barracks, &c. He enumerates the most celebrated poets from the time of Mohammed II, to that of Mohammed IV; and illustrates the topography of the Bosporus, the gardens, summer palaces, the markets, the castles situated on the Straits; the topography of Scutari; the order of Dervishes; the trades and manufactures minutely detailed.

The second part relates Ewlia's journey to Brusa, and a full description of that first capital of the Ottomans; an account of Olympus, and the famous warm baths of Brusa; his journey through Nicæa and Nicomedia to Amasia, Sinope and Samsan; with an account of the intermediate places; of the Lesghis of Georgia and Mingrelia; the towns and people of those countries described, and specimens of the Abasi language. In the year 1643 Ewlia was engaged in the campaign against Azoff, and passed through the Crimea, of which he describes the chief places. He then resumes his account of Asia Minor, noticing particularly the Lake of Sabanja, and the project of uniting it with the Black Sea (here the reader will recollect the canal of Pliny); a journey to Boli, Tussia; specimens of the language of wandering Turcomans; Amasia, Erzerum; the river Euphrates. He assists in the campaign of Erzerum; describes the castles and towns on the road; makes a journey into Persia; visits Nachjew an, Tebriz, and Ardebil; wandering tribes; specimens of Katayian language; account of Mount Caucasus. He returns through Baku to Georgia, Teflis, Mingrelia; a specimen of the Mingrelian language; arrives at Constantinople. He then describes Angora, and the route from that place to Constantinople, introducing anecdotes of Sultan Ibrahim; and the accession of Sultan Mohammed IV. concludes the second volume. In the third we find our author undertaking the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1038 (A. D. 1648), through Asia Minor and Syria; but he was not able to accomplish this design. In the following year he accompanied the Basha sent against the Prince of the Druses (Faccardin) to Libanus and Anti-Libanus: here he notices various tombs of prophets in Syria; the Druses and their dialect; Akka and its environs; Jews; Jaffa; the Dead Sea; Ramla; Haleb or Aleppo, which is minutely described. Specimens of the dialects of different wandering tribes, Cesarea, Armenians, Divregi, Charbut, Laghman; statistical accounts and historical digressions, Ewlia follows the deposed vizier Melek Ahmed Pasha to Oczakow, through Rumelia. From Constantinople his route led to Selivri, Tschululu, Burgas, Paravadi, Schumna, Hesargrad, Rustschuk, Giurgire, Sistou, Nicopolis, Silistria, Hadji Ogli Bazari, Baltschik, Kavama, Mankalia, through the Dombrowsky

Tartary; specimens of different dialects; he describes Kustendchi, Karu, Chirmlu, Babataghi, Sagra Yenichehri, Filibe, Sofia, and lastly Adrianople, the old metropolis of the Ottomans in Europe. All these are circumstantially, topographically, and statistically described; so that this portion of Ewlia's manuscript furnishes a more copious and authentic account of Rumelia than any work hitherto published, not excepting even Hadji Khalfa's description of Rumelia and Bosnia, which appeared at Vienna in 1812.

When Melek Ahmed Pasha was appointed (A. H. 1065, A. D. 1654) to the government of Van, our author attended him as imam, or reader; and their journey is related in the fourth volume, of which the completion seems to have been prevented by his death. He describes the route and stations to Van by way of Diarbekir; specimens of Turkish dialects; account of mosques, schools, and other public edifices, and various institutions at Teflis; journey to Erivan; digressions and anecdotes; description of Malatia, Shat-al-arab, Mardin, the supposed throne of Alexander, at Derbeud; language of the Curds, and their peculiar forms of expression; an excursion to Persia, Tabriz, Hamadan, Baghdad; ruins of the royal palace of the Cosroes or Sassanidan kings of Persia; Basrah; journey from Hosu Keif to Diarbekir, Mosul, Hamadan, and Tabriz, with accounts of various other places on the road; lastly, a description of Tekrit, and the produc tions of Irak, the province which included the ancient Assyria, Chaldea, Mesopotamia, &c.

However inadequate to the merits and extent of Ewlia's original work, the sketch here given will show its importance as serving to illustrate history, geography, and philology; while from the miscellaneous anecdotes profusely scattered throughout its pages, the lover of less serious studies may expect to derive an ample harvest of entertainment. We sincerely hope that so rich a literary treat as Mr. Hammer's translation of Ewlia's Memoirs will not be much longer withholden from the public.

365

FLORILEGIUM HIBERNICUM.

"These are thy gods, O Israel!"

A LEARNED correspondent in No. XLVI. p. 224, has communicated an extract from the late Mrs. Piozzi, of which he observes, that "few authors now living, and fewer authoresses, are capable of a similar display of erudition in so small a compass." The observation is prudently and properly limited. We met lately with one of Lady Morgan's novels, and curiosity tempted us to a cursory perusal. We had heard of this lady, as the greatest dealer in what (for want of a politer word) we are obliged to call blunders, at present existing; but we confess, that the specimens we met with, in number at least, exceeded our expectation. We have been induced to select a few of the most striking, which are here subjoined.

Introduction. "He who agonised on the bed of Procrostus." "Amandatus est ad disciplinum in Hibernia." Vol. 1. "I can support this wretched state of nonexistence, this articula mortis, no longer.' "Torquatto Tasso." "The dusky horison of life." Sylphid elegance of spheral beauty."For once the wish of Romeo appeared no hyperbola. "The vivida vis anima of native genius." "She possesses that lumine purpureo, which," &c. "Caiphas.' ." "The cithera (harp) of the Greeks." "The most sensient of all created beings." "St. Augustus," for Augustine.

99

St.

Vol. 2. "Canæ," for Cannæ. "The seeds of dependence sown irradically (ineradicably) in his mind." Crysostom." "The temple of Solyman." "Nor indeed does the Roman floralia differ," &c. "The Attila (Atala) of Chateaubriand." "The same votive gifts as Pausanius tells us obscured the statue of Hygeia in Secyonia." "Like the assymtotes of an hyperbola, we are gradually approximating closer and closer towards each other." "Weisland," for Wieland.

"It (Ireland) was "The complaints "Breviare," for

Vol. 3. "Garcilorsso de la Vega." the Nido paterno' of Western literature." of the mother of Euriales in the Eneid." breviaire, passim. "Darkened by a previous excess of lumination." "Their lightened hearts shall again throb with the cheery pulse of national exility."

ZOILUS.

The fair writer perhaps meant this as Italian.-ED.