their fears. Great part of their time was accordingly taken up with proceffions and public fhews, and much of their substance, even to the whole annual produce of their herds, was occafionally expended in facrifices, or in the performance of public vows. The first officers of state, in their functions of the priesthood, performed the part of the cook and the butcher; and, while the fenate was deliberating on questions of great moment examined the entrails of a victim, in order to know what the gods had determined. "You must defiit," faid the conful Cornelius, entering the fenate with a countenance pale and marked with aftonifhment; I myself have vifited the boiler, and the head of the liver is confumed." "According to the opinions entertained in those times, forcery was a principal expedient employed by thofe who had fecret defigns on the life of their neighbour. It was fuppofed to make a part in the ftatutory crime of poifoning; and the fame imagination which admitted the charge of forcery as credible, was, in particular inftances, when any perfon was accufed, eafily convinced of his guilt infomuch that fome thoufands were at times convicted together of this imaginary crime. "The manners of the people of Italy were at times fubject to strange, diforders, or the magiftrate gave credit to wild and improbable reports. The story of the Bacchanals, dated the year of Rome five hundred and fixty-fix, or about twenty years before the conqueft of Macedonia, may be confidered as an instance of one or the other. A fociety, under the name of Bacchanals, had been inftituted, on the fuggeftion of a Greek pretender to divination. The defire of being admitted into this fociety prevailed through out Italy, and the fect became extremely numerous. As they commonly met in the night, they were faid at certain hours to extinguish their lights, and to indulge themieves in every practice of horror, rape, inceft and murder; crimes under which no fect or fraternity could poffibly fubfift, but which, in being im puted to numbers in this credulous age, gave occafion to a fevere inquifition, and proved fatal to many perfons at Rome, and throughout Italy. "The extreme fuperftition, how. ever, of thofe times, in fome of its effects, vied with genuine religion; and, by the regard it infpired, more efpecially for the obligation of oaths, became a principle of public order and of public duty, and in many inftances fuperfeded the use of penal or compulfory laws. "When the citizen fwore that he would obey the call of the magiftrate to enlift in the legions; when the foldier swore that he would not defert his colours, difobey his commander, or fly from his enemy; when a citizen, at the call of the cenfor, reported on oath the amount of his effects; the ftate, in all those instances, with perfect confidence relied on the good faith of her fubjects, and was not deceived. "In the period to which thefe obfervations refer, that is, in the fixth century of the Roman ftate, the first dawning of literature began to appear. It has been men tioned that a custom prevailed among the primitive Romans, as among other rude nations, at their feasts to fing or rehearse heroic ballads which recorded their own deeds or those of their ancestors. This practice had been fome time difcontinued, and the compofitions themselves were loft. They were fucceeded by pretended monuments of history equally Salacious fallacious, the orations which, having been pronounced at funerals, were like titles of honour, preferved in the archives of every noble houfe, but which were rather calculated to flatter the vanity of families, than to record the truth. "The Romans owed the earliest compilations of their history to the Greeks; and in their own firft attempts to relate their story employed the language of that people. Næ vius and Ennius, who were the first that wrote in the Latin tongue, compofed their relations in verfe. Livius Andronicus, and afterwards Plautus and Terence, tranflated the Greek fable, and exhibited in the streets of Rome, not the Roman, but Grecian manners. The two laft are faid to have been perfons of mean condition; the one to have fubfitted by turning a baker's mill, the other to have been a captive and to a flave. Both of them had proba bly poffeffed the Greek tongue as a vulgar dialect, which was yet fpoken in many parts of Italy, and from this circumftance, became acquainted with the elegant compofitions of Philemon and Menander. Their comedies were acted in the streets, without any feats or benches for the reception of an audience. But a nation fo little ftudious of ordinary conveniences, and contented borrow their literary models from neighbours, to whom, being mere imitators, they continued for ages inferior, were, however, in their political and military character, fu perior to all other nations whatever; and, at this date, had extended a dominion, which originally confifted of a poor village on the Tiber, to more empire and territory than is now enjoyed by any kingdom or ftate of Europe.' ACCOUNT of the MANNERS and CUSTOMS of the Inhabitants of the Ifland and Town of JOANNA, one of the COMORA ISLES. [From Major RoOKE's Travels to the Coast of Arabia Felix.] TH HOUGH this is not the largest yet it may be reckoned the principal of the Como ra Iflands: it claims fovereignty over and exacts tribute from all the others. Thefe pretenfions it is how ever fometimes obliged to affert by the fword, and at prefent meditates an expedition against Mayotta which is in a state of rebellion. The natives on being asked the caufe of their war with that people, reply "Mayotta like America." They get their fupplies of arms and ammunition from fhips that touch here, and the arrival of fo large a fleet as 1783. the prefent will prove very seasonable to them, as it is customary for all to make prefents of arms and powder to the prince when he pays a vifit on board, which he does to every one: a falute is the compli ment due on that occafion. "The king lives at a town about twelve miles off on the eaft fide of the island: two princes of the blood refide here. On going their round of vifits they fail not to afk for every thing they fee which strikes their fancy; and of course the honour of making a prefent to a prince, induces one at first readily to grant E what what they request: but no fooner is that done than they make fresh applications, till we are reduced to the rude neceffity of putting the negative on most of them. Thefe great perfonages are very richly dreffed, and attended by a numerous fuite of flaves, who like their princely maters are much ftruck with the objects they fee, but ufe lefs ceremony in their manner of obtaining them. Thefe black princes (for that is the complexion of them and all the inhabitants) have by fome means or other obtained the titles of prince of Wales and prince Will.: the former has, I fuppofe, been jocofely called fo by fome Englishmen as being the heir apparent; and the natives have adopted the term, not the only one they borrow from us. They have an officer ftiled Purfer Jack, who feems to be at the head of the finance-department: of dukes they have a prodigious number, who entertain us at their hotels for a dollar per day, and give us for dinner very good rice and curry. Thefe noblemen, together with a numerous tribe of others of all ranks, make the earliest application to every one to folicit the honour of his company and cuftom. Even before the hip has let go its anchor they come along tide in their canoes, and produce written certificates of their honefty and abilities from thofe who have been here before; the purport of which is to inform you that the bearer has given them good cheer, washed their linen well, and fupplied their fhip punctually with all forts of refrefhments. The effect is ftriking and fingular on entering the road to fee a vast number of canoes, which are made of trunks of trees hollowed out, with three or four black fellows in each, their faces turned towards the front of the canoe, with paddles formed like a fpade, digging away in the water and moving with no fmall velocity. To keep thefe cockle-fhells fteady and prevent them from over-fetting, they have what is termed an out-rigger: it is compofed of two poles laid acrofs the upper part of the canoe, and extending feveral feet beyond the edges thereof on each fide, joined at the extremities by two flat pieces of wood, fo that it appears like a fquare frame laid across the canoe: they are very long, but fo narrow that one perfon only can fit breadthways. The price of every article here is regulated, and each fhip has is contractor who engages to fupply it with neceffaries at the established rate; but I believe it is in many cases exeeeded by the great demand, and the eagerness of half-starved people to obtain fresh stock. "We find no other animals for our fea provifions but bullocks, goats, and fowls. The feafon for oranges is paft, but we get most other tropical fruits: and whatever we want, have only to give in a lift to a duke and he provides us therewith. This, you will fay, is a new character for a duke to appear in, and fuch it feems to be: but it is in fact only owing to the mode. They are their own ftewards, and difpofe of the produce of their eftates themselves, which noblemen of other countries do by the intermediate aid of an agent. They at least act confiftently with their characters, by an urbani ty of manners which one is furpriz ed to meet with in a people inhabit ing a fmall fpot fecluded from the rest of the civilized world. They have a regular form of government and exercife the Mahometan religi on: both were introduced by Arabians who paffed over from the con tinent and fubdued the country. The original Joanna natives are by no means thoroughly reconciled to this ufurpation, and ftill look upon their conquerors with an evil eye. Like their fentiments, fo are the colours of these two races of men very different. The Arabs have not fo deep a tinge as the others, being of a yellowith copper complexion, with better features and a more animated countenance. They confider a black streak under the eyes, and black teeth, as ornamental: the former they make every day at their toilettes with a painting brufh dipt in a kind of ointment: the latter is principally caufed by the chewing of the betel nut. This custom, which prevails in all Eastern countries, answers to the fashion of smoking tobacco or taking fnuff with us, except that with them it is more general. No one is without a purfe or bag of betel, and it is looked on as a piece of civility to offer it to your friend when you meet him or take leave. It is a fmall nut of the fize of a filberd that grows on a creeping plant like a vine: together with the betel nut are chewed the leaves of the areca (a kind of palm tree); and a fmall quantity of chinam or lime, made of calcined fhells, is added. "Their religion licenfes a plura lity of wives, and likewife concubines: they are extremely jealous of them, and never allow any man to fee the women; but female ftrangers are admitted into the harem, and fome English ladies, whofe curiofity has led them there, make favourable reports of their beauty and richnefs of apparel, difplayed in a profufion of ornaments of gold, filver, and beads, in form of necklaces, bracelets, and ear-rings: they wear half a dozen or more of each, through holes bored all along the outer rim of the ear. "The men feem not to look with an eye of indifference on our fair countrywomen, notwithstanding they are of fo different a complexion. One of the firft rank among them being much fmitten with an Englifh young lady, wifhed to make a purchase of her at the price of five thousand dollars; but on being informed that the lady would fetch at leaft twenty times that fum in India, he lamented that her value was fo far fuperior to what he could afford to give." "These people are very temperate and abftemious, wine being forbidden them by the law of Mahomet: but that prophet feems to have had lefs compaffion on his followers when he enjoined them the faft of Ramazan, lafting for a month, during which they never taste of any thing from fun-rife to fun-fet: it is now about half over, and with furprize we fee them every day toiling in the heat of the fun; nor will the greatest thirft they can fuffer justify the bare wetting the lips. They are frequent in prayer, attending their molques three or four times a day: we are allowed to enter them on condition of taking off our fhoes Thefe buildings are regular but quite plain: in prayer they proftrate themfelves on the ground, frequently kiffing it and expreffing very fervent devotion. "The town from whence I date this is clofe to the fea, fituated at the foot of a very high hill, and about a mile and a half in circuit. The houfes are inclofed either with high ftone walls, or paling made with a kind of reed, and the streets are little narrow alleys extremely intricate and forming a perfect labyrinth. The better kind of houfes are built of ftone within a courtyard, have a portico to fhield them from the fun, and one long and lofty room where they receive guests. The other apartments are facred to E 1 the the women. The fides of their tooms are covered with a number of fmall mirrors, bits of china ware, and other little ornaments that they procure from ships which come here to refresh: the most fuperb of them are furnished with cane fophas, covered with chintz and fattin mattraffes. Most of the people fpeak a little English: they profefs a parti cular regard for our nation, and are very fond of repeating to you that Joanna-man and English-man all "brothers," and never fail to afk "how King George do?" In general they appear to be a cour teous and well-difpofed people, and very fair and honeft in their deal ings, though there are among ft them, as in all other nations, fome viciously inclined; and theft is much practifed by the lower clafs, notwithstanding the punishment of it is very exemplary, being amputation of both hands of the delinquent. The inhabitants of this ifland, like thofe of moft hot and tropical countries, are indolent, and do not improve by their labour the richnefs of that foil with which nature has bleft them. Climate here favours vegetation to fuch a degree as requires little toil to the hufbandman; but that little is denied; fo that beyond oranges, bananas, pineapples, cocoa nuts, yams and purflain, (all growing fpontaneouily,) few vegetables are met with; nor are the natural beauties of the ifland inferior to its other advantages of plenty and fertility: the face of the country is very picturefque and pleafing; its fcenes are drawn by the bold ftrokes of nature's mafterly pencil: lofty mountains cloathed to their very fummits; deep and rug ged vallies adorned by frequent cataracts and cafcades; woods, rocks and rivulets intermixed in "gay "theatric pride," form the landfcape: groves are feen extending over the plains, to the very edge of the fea, formed principally by cocoanut trees, whofe long and naked stems leave a clear uninterrupted paffage beneath, while their tufted and overfpreading tops form a thick fhade above, and keep off the scorching rays of the fun. In these we pitch our tents, and enjoy a fhort relief from the ennui of a tedious voyage. In the interior part of the ifland, furrounded by mountains of a prodigious height, and about fifteen. miles from this town, is fituated a facred lake half a mile in circumference. The adjacent hills covered. with lofty trees, and the unfrequented folitude of the place, seem more calculated to infpire religious awe in thofe who vifit this fequeftered spot, than any fanctity that is to be difcovered in a parcel of wild ducks inhabiting it, which are deified and worthipped by the original natives, who confult them as their oracles on all important affairs, and facrifice to them. Being extremely averfe to conduct ftrangers there, they ftipulate that all guns fhall be left at a place five miles from the lake. The worthip paid to thefe birds enfures their fafety and tranquillity, and rendering them of courte perfectly tame, they fearleffly approach any one who goes there. The Arabian part of the iflanders hold this barbarious fuperftition in the utmost deteftation, but dare not forbid the practice of it, fo bigotted to it ase the others. |