ftone in fome diftant country, which our author, from not knowing their language, could not diftinguish. They are very fond of fwine's flesh, and are not circumcifed. They are quiet and obedient, do not eat their meat raw, and procure their fire by the rude method of rubbing one ftick against another. They Occafionally eat the crocodile's flefh, which, Mr. Bruce tells us, looks like conger eel.

The adventures of our author at Sennaar were not of the most pleasing kind. The king was weak, timid, and irrefolute: sheck Adelan, at the head of an army in the neighbourhood, was an abfolute monarch; but he had not at that time interfered in the conduct of the king, who feemed to be wholly in his power. The army was employed in collecting the taxes, and this is one of the most important events arising from little causes.' We have mentioned that the fly infefts the richer and more luxuriant land, a little infect whose bite is teazing and dangerous to the camel, fo that the Arabs are obliged to go down to more defert lands nearer the river. At one of these paffes the army of Sennaar is encamped, and each Arab is obliged to pay a tax for his paffage, in proportion to his camels. and other property. The fly therefore is the fource of the riches of Sennaar. The king displayed the ufual avarice and harshness of thefe Africans: Mr. Bruce was fcarcely protected in the palace, and his own house was only fafe as it belonged to and was fuppofed to be under the care of Adelan. His interview with the ladies of Sennaar is not one of the most pleasing or delicate narratives; but our author may reply, that a traveller muft relate what he faw, not invent only what may please. The king feems to have chosen his ladies on account of their bulk.

Mr. Bruce next gives fome account of Sennaar, the establishment of the monarchy, &c. from which we shall select a few particulars of curiofity or importance. The people are fuppofed to be the Arabs of Nubia, united with the indigenous inhabitants the fhepherds, and the establishment of their monarchy and the regular collection of the taxes from the Arabs, migrating on account of the fly, are traced to the beginning of the fixteenth century. It is fingular that they pride themselves on being funge, flaves; but this may arife from our author not clearly understanding the language, or from the word having acquired, by concurrent circumftances, a lefs difgraceful meaning. Indeed the king is the greatest flave, for the power which modern demagogues contend is derived from the people, is at Sennaar admitted, and it is allowed that the king may be law

fully

fully put to death, if the council agree that his continuing to reign would be difadvantageous to the state. The master of the king's houshold is the regular executioner of the council's decree, and the inftrument of death can only be the fword. The officer is expected to be foon employed, and he had not above three years before killed the king's predeceffor, and three of his children. This licensed affaffin gave our author a lift of the kings of Sennaar, many of which had yielded to the ftroke of his predeceffor; but this lift, as Mr. Bruce allows, is not very confiftent with other hiftories, and we think he fails in his attempt to reconcile it with them. The royal family were originally negroes; but it is remarkable, in this country, that the colour of the child is always that of the father. In many of these relations we must refer to an axiom, formerly mentioned, that nothing is abfolutely incredible but what is impoffible.

Sennaar, though luxuriant in vegetation, is fatal to animals, for none can live there long, without occafionally migrating to a wholefomer spot they foon die after the firft rains. The rofe and the jafmin will not, however, flower in this neighboourhood. The town is in lat. 13° 4′ 36′′ north, and in longitude 33° 30′ 30′ eaft. It ftands but little higher than the river, and is populous on account of the acceffion of inhabitants from the neighbourhood, for it is fubject to dyfenteries, intermittent and bilious fevers, fchirrous livers, &c. The intermittents, our author thinks, are influenced by the moon, and the paroxyfms regularly return three days after the conjunction. The appearance of the country, foon after the rains ceafe, is faid to be beautiful, and the country, on the banks of the river, to refemble the moft pleafant parts of Holland; but, from the fervent fun, the earth is foon dried, the vegetables rot, and the most dreary uncomfortable appearance fucceeds. Millet is the chief food: it is almost the whole fupport of the common people, but the richer and better class eat beef, partly roasted and partly raw. The common meat fold in the market is camel's flesh; and the liver, as well as the fpare-rib, is always eaten raw. The thermometer rifes in the fhade to 119. After fome difficulties, and being obliged to fell the gold chain given by the king of Abyffinia, our traveller departs. We would willingly follow him; but his journey through the defert is fo curious and interefting, that we cannot include it at the end of an article already too far extended.

ས

(To be continued.)

The

The Garden; or, the Art of laying out Grounds. Tranflated from the French of the Abbé de Lille. 8vo. 4s. Boards. Cadell. THE abbé de Lille has been greatly and justly admired for

elegance of diction and poetic fpirit; no lefs than for boldly afferting the rights of nature against the tyrannous ufurpations of art. He profefies an antipathy to the fheers, the compafs, rule, and line, and all thofe Gothic or geometric fhackles, in which her free-born limbs have been fo long most cruelly cramped and mangled.

• Abhor the dulnefs of a meafur'd frame,
In taftélefs circles, or in fquares more tame,
Let not dull fymmetry your lawn confine;
'Tis liberty gives life to each defign.
There 'mid the fhades mysterious let it steal,
And in th' embracing woods its courfe conceal;
And here to meet the lawn, advance the groves;
Such are the fimple forms that Nature loves.'

De Lille is the first of the French poets who has pleaded her caufe with diftinguifhed fuccefs among his countrymen: but let it be remembered that from England he derived his tafte; and that his fentiments, and often his expreffions, though he condefcends but in a very few inftances to acknowledge it, are adopted from English authors. Milton is once mentioned with applaufe: but of Pope, Thomfon, Gray, and Mafon, to each of whom he is highly indebted, he has not taken the least notice. Temple, Addison, Walpole, Whately, and other profe-writers, eminent for knowledge and for tafte, have likewife, though unnoticed, been perused with advantage. It were endless. to enumerate all our authors from whom the abbé appears to have taken hints towards forming this pleafing compofition. Enough indeed ftill remains of his own to entitle him to just applause: yet we cannot but observe, that he would not have leffened his credit, had he been more open and explicit in avowing his obligations.

The abbé with all his urbanity and affected candour towards a rival nation, often speaks more like a Frenchman than a citizen of the world. In the opening of the third book he thus wanders from his fubject to compliment his heroic countrymen on their taking arms in defence of the Americans; and fheds the courtly dew of adulation on his illuftrious monarch for breaking their bonds of fervitude.

The woods, the meads, and gardens grac'd my firain,
When thund'ring o'er the vast Atlantic main,
Thrice hath Bellona rung her loud alarms;
Fir'd by the found, our warriors feize their arms,

Vol. LXX. Oa. 1790.

Ff

They

They mount the deck o'er wide-ftretch'd feas to rove,
And Mars in hafte deferts the Cyprian grove.
Ye rural gods! bid all your terrors ceale,

Louis will not destroy your much-lov'd peace;
O'er other words he'll fpread your happy reign,
His friends no more fhall drag oppreffion's chain;
Their wish'd increafe the peaceful plains fhall yield
To the fame hand that fow'd the furrow'd field.
Ye warriors, whom another world adores,
In vain with you to York's far-distant shoes,
To fly across the billowy main I burn,
My gardens fair I'll deck for your return.
I bid the flow'rs arife to crown your heads,
For you its wreathes the verdant myrtle fpreads,
For you the rills in gentle murmurs flow,
And bow'rs o'er-arch the mofly couch below.
; Where as reclin'd you tell your deeds of yore,
Your fons fhall start at dangers then no more,
While hope and fear alternate fhall prevail,

And on their minds flamp deep the glorious tale.'

This is very fine and very grand! The French, as Triftram obferves, have a gay way in treating of great things: and no doubt Louis, and every Gallic Mars, reftored again‹ Aux bofquets de Venus,' fenfibly feel the glorious effects of their interference, and have mutual caufe for joy and exultation!

Though to follow nature' is the first and grand pofition which the author inculcates and illuftrates; yet he does not abfolutely fubfcribe to what is commonly styled, the English mode of laying out grounds.

Nor Kent's nor yet Le Notre's plans expel,
It is not mine to tell you whofe excel.
For various laws their various charms refine;
This 'mid the great and kings was born to shine;
Of kings' magnificence is ftill the fate;
From them we ask for pomp and gorgeous
They fhould intoxicate our wond'ring eyes
With art's immenfe and proudest prodigies.
Art then the rebel Nature may fubdue,

But the to grandeur muft her triumph ove.

state:

This paffage is not quoted as affording a favourable fpecimen of the tranflator's abilities, but as exhibiting an inftance of a mind poffeffing naturally a taste correct and elegant, warped by national prejudice, and dazzled by falfe brilliancy. The predilection for fhew and fplendour, which prevailed firft in the gaudy court of Louis XIV. has rooted itself in general (though we believe they are not very willing to confefs it) fo deeply into our neighbours' hearts, that it cannot be extirpated but with

the

the utmost difficulty. If a garden is underflood to be an imitation of nature, or nature embellished (and fo the abbé in other places reprefents. it), thofe of Verfailles, which were planned by Le Notre, have no pretenfions to that character. The abfurd and incongruous figures with which they are peopled, muít furėly difguft every genuine admirer of nature and fimplicity, and be confidered as monuments of perverted taste and ill-directed munificence. In the lines which follow, and in different places, the author very properly laughs at the prim parterres, green pyramids, fraternal alleys, and amorous fhepherds fmirking in box or yew.' His humour, however, fcarcely equals that of Pope's, in the 175th No. of the Guardian, whence it appears to have been derived. He then burfts forth in the following animated ftyle.

Far from fuch puny wonders, mean delight!
Thence to the land of glories fpeed your flight;
To finiling Marly, proud Verfailles away,

Art, Nature, Louis, there their pomp difplay:
There all is great, art knows no abject fear,
But magic pow'rs Armida's palace rear,
Alcina's gardens, or fome hero's feat,
Nobly-obfcure, and in retirement great;
Who yet with joy each obstacle fubdues,
And in each walk bold-rifing wonders views.
Lo! where in turn compell'd to own his fway,
The earth, the ftreams, the woods his voice obey!
Lo! twelve majestic ftructures proudly blaze,
While round the verdant architecture frays!
The ftatues live; fufpended from the steep,
Down to the dale, the dafhing torrents fweep;
There flow in long canals, or fpreading fair,
Form the smooth lake, or hurl'd aloft in air,
And gilt by purple fun-beams down they pour
Gold, em'rald, azure, in a glitt'ning fhow'r.
And if I wander thro' the darkling fhade,
Sylvans and Fauns trip light from ev'ry glade.
Dian and Venus haunt the blefs'd abode,
Each bow'r's a temple, and each bust a god.
There, tir'd of conqueft, mighty Louis refts,
And all Olympus feem to crowd his feasts.
To fuch effects let regal art afpire,

But wonder foon the aching mind will tire.
I praise the orator, whofe thoughts divine
Flowing in polifh'd periods richly fhine;
Yet is my pleasure fhort; from him I part,
To lift the voice that moves my anfw'ring heart!
From all the glare of fplendid luxury,

From marble and from brafs the wearied eye

Ffz

Turns,