importance to individuals, to the company, and to the nation at large, to have this channel of communication opened again. During the latter part of the late war, after the firmaun was iffued, the French regularly tranfmitted advices by Suez, to and from India; by which means they frequently anticipated us in intelligence, and thereby counteracted our operations. It is not neceffary to particularize every inflance of it; but it will doubtless be well remembered, that the news of the unfortunate defeat of Colonel Baillie came to England through France; where it was kaown in February, time enough to enable them to send out reinforcements to Hyder Ally, before the best season for paffing the Cape of Good Hope was elapfed: whilft we, who were ignorant of that difafter until April, could not fend out any fhips before the return of the enfuing feafon, near fix months afterwards.

Since, then, nothing less than the exiftence of our fettlements in India may fome time or other depend upon our poffeffing a right of paffing unmolefted through Egypt, and the prohibitory firmaun was only intended to prevent the trade of Gedda from being transferred to Suez, furely no time fhould be loft in demanding another firmaun explanatory of the firit, and declaring that no perfon dependent on, or connected with, the Turkish government, fhall impede or moleft any British fubject in paffing up the Red Sea, or through Egypt, provided they have nothing but papers, and fuch baggage as travellers may be fuppofed to have occafion for on fuch a journey. The Sherreef of Mecca may probably at first oppofe our enjoying this privilege; in which also it is likely he will be fecretly fupported by the French: but can it be thought prudent in us to fubmit to the controul of the one, or to be dupes of the fecret machinations of the other, especially when, confiftently with justice, we can easily get the better of both.

The tenor of the firmaun effentially affects our intereft, and the language of it is extremely infulting: nor fhould

it be forgotten that it was iffued in the hour of our deepeft diftrefs. Happily the fcene is now reverfed; of which, if we are too generous to take advantage, ftill however it is to be hoped we fhall at leaft oblige the Turks to admit our claims, if not apologize for their infolence and injuftice.

The feafon for undertaking this journey commences carly in April, and ends early in June; during which time a perfon accustomed to travel will eafily arrive at Alexandria from London in about a month; that is, fuppofing he has previously determi ned what route to purfue to the Mediterranean, and alfo has caused a veffel to be prepared for him on his arrival at the place where he intends to embark. The northerly and westerly winds prevail in the Mediterranean in May, June, and July; and therefore in these months the paffage from Marfeilles, Leghorn, or Venice, to Alexandria, in a tolerable good failing veffel, feldom exceeds eighteen days, and is often performed in ten or twelve: from Alexandria he will eafily get to Suez in eight days; and from thence to Anjengo is a voyage of twenty-five days, to Bombay twenty-eight, to Madras thirty-five, and to Bengal forty; making the journey from England to India, at the moft, feventy-eight days, at the leaft fifty-nine, and at a medium fixty-eight and an half."

The way to India by Baffora, Colonel Capper obferves, is fatiguing, and rather dangerous; but, as fome of the company's fervants may be obliged to pafs over the Great Defart on public bufinefs, he has furnished them with fufficient information to enable them to execute the orders of their employers with fafety and difpatch, by giv ing them the copy of a Journal he himfelf kept when going that route, judiciously interfperfed with amusing and useful anecdotes.

By the feveral ways of the Cape of Good Hope, Suez, and Baffora, we fhall be able to fend dispatches to and from India at all feasons; but being excluded from any one of them,

there

he could feel no fracture or contufion in the skull, he began to hope his wounds were not mortal: this however was only a tranfient gleam of hope, for it immediately occurred to him, that without cloaths, or even food, he was likely to fuffer a much more painful death. The first objects that fruck him, when he began to look about him, were those who had been killed on both fides in the action; but, at the diftance of a few hundred yards, he foon afterwards perceived a great number of Arabs feated round a large fire: thefe he naturally fuppofed were his enemies; he nevertheless determined to go to them, in hopes either to prevail on them to fave his life, or elfe to provoke them to put an immediate end to his miferies. Whilft he was thinking in what manner, without the affiftance of language, he should be able to excite their compaffion, and to foften their refentment against him for the death of their companions, which thefe people he had heard feldom forgive, it occurred to him, that they paid great respect to age, and alfo that they feldom destroy thofe who fupplicate mercy; from whence he concluded, that if he could throw himself under the protection of the oldest perfon amongst them, he might probably be faved. In order to approach them unperceived, he crept towards them upon his hands and knees; and when arrived within a few paces of their circle, having fingled out one who had the moft venerable appearance, he rufhed forwards, and, fpringing over the head of one of the circle, he threw himfelf into the arms of him whom he selected for a protector. The whole party were at firft extremely aftonished, not having the leaft notion of his being alive; but when their furprizé fubfided, a debate arofe whether or not they fhould allow him to live. One of them, who had probably loft a friend or relation, drew his fword in a great rage, and was going to put him to death; but his protector ftood up with great zeal in his defence, and would not fuffer him to be injured: in confequence of

which, his adverfary immediately mounted his camel, and, with a few followers, went away. When this conteft was over, the Sheick, for fo he happened to be, perceiving Monfieur Borel entirely without cloaths, prefented him with his abba or outer cloak,invited him to approach the fire, and gave him coffee and a pipe, which an Arab, when he is not on the march, has always prepared. The people, finding Monfieur Borel did not underftand Arabic, enquired for his interpreter, who was found afleep, and flightly wounded.

The firft demand the Arabs made, was for his money and jewels, which, they obferved, Europeans always have in great abundance, but which are concealed in private drawers, that none excepting themfelves can difcover. He affured them these opinions were erroneous with respect to him, for that he was not a rich merchant, but only a young foldier of fortune, employed to carry orders from his government in Europe to their fettlements in India; but that if they would convey him to Graine, a place near Baffora, on the fea-coast, on their arrival there, and on the receipt of his papers, he would engage to pay them two hundred chequins, about one hundred pounds fterling. After a few minutes confultation with each other, they acceeded to his propofals, returned him his oldeft Arabian drefs, and, during the rest of his journey, treated him with tolerable kindness and attention.

After Mr. Borel's arrival at Graine, he eafily prevailed on an Armenian to advance him the money to fulfil his engagements with the Arabs, and alfo to fend the French refident at Baffora an account of what had befallen him on the Defart, defiring to be fupplied with money and other neceffaries to enable him to proceed to Pondicherry. His letter, very fortunately for us, fell into the hands of the English refident at Baffora; who, having heard of our rupture with France, inftantly determined to arreft him, being convinced he muft be

charged

charged with public difpatches of confequence. Every generous mind muft lament the neceffity there was of adding to the diftreffes of this fpirited and unfortunate youth; but the lives of thoufands, and perhaps the fafety of our fettlements in India, depended upon his being intercepted; but to prevent his being treated with any rigour, or fuffering any indigty, Mr. Abraham, the second in council of the factory, was employed to feize him.

'The town of Graine is about feventy miles from Baflora, and is governed by an Arab Sheick, who is very much attached to us; but Mr. Abraham knew it would be very difficult to prevail on him to violate the rights of hofpitality to a stranger; and without the Sheick's connivance, the execution of the project would have been abfolutely impracticable. The better to conceal his defign, Mr. Abraham, at night, went to Graine in a country-boat, accompanied by the captain of one of our fhips then lying at Baffora, and immediately proceeded to the Sheick's houfe, to whom he immediately communicated his bufinefs. The Arab at first violently oppofed the measure; but being mollified by prefents, and alfo affured that Mr. Borel should not receive any perfonal injury, he at laft tacitly confented. When Mr. Abraham knocked at the door, Mr. Borel was retired to reft; but he inftantly got up to admit him, thinking he was a perfon fent from the French ref dent with an answer to his letter: as foon' as he discovered his mistake he attempted to defend himself; but he was inftantly overpowered, and conveyed to the fea-fide, where he was put on board the ship that had been fent from Baffora, and was just then come to an anchor off the place. He had two pacquets, one for Pondicherry, and another for Mauritius, which were found; but Monfieur Borel obferved to me that they miffed the key of the cypher in which the difpatches were written, by neglecting to fearch the lining of his cloaths. It was perhaps a fortunate circumstance VOL. III.

for Monfieur Borel that he was taken prifoner by us; for his wound, through unkilful management, and the want of proper remedies, was grown extremely bad; nor is it improbable, if he had attempted to proceed in a countryboat, the only conveyance he could have got at Graine, that his wound would have occafioned his death long before the boat could have arrived at any French fettlement in India. I made ufe of thefe arguments to confole him for his misfortunes; but the zeal for his country, the natural enthufiafm of his difpofition, and the hopes which had been given him of promotion had he executed his commiffion, made him deaf to every thing I could fay to afford him confolation: difappointed, but not difcouraged, by his former fufferings, he was then on his way to Baffora, to proceed over the Great Defart a second time; which, I was afterwards informed, he paffed with every affiftance he could receive from the gentlemen of our factory.'

ART. III. Occafional Epiftles, written during a Journey from London to Buf rab, in the Gulf of Perfia, in the Years 1780 and 1781, to William Hayley, Efq. By Eyles Irwin, Efq. 4to. 3s. Dodfley.

T

HESE Epiftles are three in

number: the firft is dated from Venice; the fecond from Laodicea; and the third from Coorna, on the conflux of the Tigris and Euphrates. The ftile is animated and correct, the verfification is fmooth and harmonious, and the fentiments are expreffive of that patriotifm which will ever be felt with most energy in those fituations which all travellers must frequently experience. The reflections on empires, ftates, and cities, which Mr. Irwin either vifited or paffed in his journey, are in general beautifully juft; at once evincing the very confiderable claffical knowledge of the writer, and his intimate acquaintance with the present ftate of literature and politics in the countries he defcribes. 3 B

The

The refpectable name of Hayley in the title-page, by no means appears to be used merely as a paffport to fame, or a bait to attract notice. The author addreffes that gentleman in the glowing language of genuine friendship, and with no fmall portion of kindred genius.

Fix'd in this maxim be my Hayley found,
To pay due homage to his native ground.
Abroad for fubjects fhould the Druid røve,
Who draws the mufes to his haunted grove?
Can fabled charms allure, who boafts a fair,
The foul of grace, and Virtue's darling heir?
Bleft in his hopes, he views with pitying eye
The fweet delufions of a mi'der sky:
Nature herself fubmits to chaften'd tafte,
And Eartham blooms, while Tempe lies a wafte.
Mute are the lyres that charm'd th' gean main,
While Eartham's fhades refound with Freedom's
ftrain.

O! oft entreated, be that strain renew'd,
By fancy fofter'd, and by praise pursu'd.
Since Britain glows with liberty divine,
To rival claffic poefy be thine:

So fhall thy portion of the fpoils of Greece
Tranfcend the value of her golden fleece;
As far as wit refpect o'er wealth can claim,
Or Homer foars beyond Atrides' fame!'

But that we may do full juftice to our poetical traveller, we fhall fubmit the conclufion of the third letter, as a fpecimen of his ftile, and manner; which we truft will justify the encomiums we have already paid to Mr. Irwin's abilities.

Devotion's ray her tranquil bofom chears;
To Pagan Bagh a temple fair fhe rears;
Where grateful vows arofe from Tigris' wave,
Whofe name a title to the valley gave.

"With changing years had chang'd the temple's lot,

The idol broken, and the maid forgot:

Nor yet it's zealous fectaries decline,
And Mahomet adopts the Pagan shrine.
An aged hermit to the cell fucceeds,
Whofe hand recounts no treasure, but his beads:
Amid his gifts who prophecy can fum,
A mortal-conscious of events to come!
The barren court him, and the fruitful blefs,
Nor envious rumour leffens his fuccefs.

'Soon as Almanfor near the temple drew,
The feer his perfon and his purpose knew.-
Hail, lord, (he cried) whofe fame the holy found,
Be all thy projects, like the present, crown'd.
Fate's hidden volume offers to mine eyes
The favour'd fpot, where Tigris' pride shall rife.
Here thall thy hand the Moflem Mufnud fix,
Dreaded and potent as the throne of Styx!
Here fhall thy tafte the sculptor's chiffel guide,
And wit and learning blend their living tide:
Than Eden's bowers thy laurels greener twine
And heavenly Houris be excell'd by thine!-
He faid, Almanfor bows to the command,
And Bagdad's turrets awe the fubject land.

'As Sol's bright empire is a tranfient day,
Which dawns, matures, and quickly fades away,
The caliph's orb revolv'd its deftined race,
'Then veil'd in night the fplendors of its face.
It breaks again-but, ah! portentous fight!
In raylefs majesty, and ficken'd light.
Beneath the Othman banner Glory dies;
Tafte rends her veil, and Industry his ties:
No voice of trade or labour chears the plains,
Or none but poefy, that fings in chains.
The only veftige of declining arts,
Some lafting tokens that the Mufe imparts;
Now in the moral turn of Pilpay's ftile,
In Hafez now, on whom the Graces fmile:
Or in Ferdufi, on whofe epic ground
The lofty Homer of the East is found.

But fong avails not-nor its magic fway
In defolation can allure my stay.
For climes of induftry I fpread the fail,
And Bagdad leave to deck a fairy-tale;
Leave her ftill miftrefs of untuneful shades,
Unletter'd pachas, and fecluded maids:
Unlike the fortune which her Tigris knows,
Who fcatters hope and plenty where he flows.

Not that her image can the pangs renew,
From Britain's borders when thy friend withdrew.
Could man perfift when trembled beauty's frame?
Could love endure what lovers weep to name?"
Ah! nought that love or beauty could inspire,
Fond fear, wild doubt, and eloquent defire,
In reafon's courfe could duty's call delay,
That tore an exile from his home away.
To friendship, too, his feelings ow'd a part,
And Hayley's image rufh'd upon his heart;
Led by the Mufe who wit and tafte beguiles,
And but lefs winning than Eliza's fmiles.
Nor dumb the patriot paffion in his breast,
To leave the land fo humbled and diftreft:

Her