manner in which the loan had been contracted for.

8. His majesty fent a meffage to parliament, informing them that a government had at 1ngth been conftituted in France, capable of being treated with, whenever they fhould fhew a difpofition for that purpose.

An important victory gained by the French army in italy, and a check experienced by the Außrians on the Rhine, were announced to the French legiflative councils.

12. The outward-bound WeftIndia fleet difperfed in a gale of wind, fince which time numbers of the tranfports, and fome of the ships of war, have reached port.

15. The houfe of commons resolved to address his majesty to order the attorney general to profecute Mr. Reeves, as the author of a li bellous pamphlet reflecting on the conftitution of this country.

18. Two bills for the prefervation of his majefty's perfon, and the

prevention of feditious meetings, received the royal affent by commilton. Thefe bills caufed many very fpirited debates in both houses, and petitions from various parts of the country, both for and against them were presented.

11. The whig club refolved to inftitute affociations for the purpose of procuring the repeal of the above bills.

HE

E was fingular in many of the common habits of life; for inftance, he preferred damp fheets, linen and clothes to dry ones, and, both riding and going to bed, fwathed himself with coarfe towels dipped in the coldest water he could get; in that ftate he remained half an hour, and then threw them off, freshened and invigorated, as he faid, beyond me fure. He never put on a great coat in the coldest countries, nor had been a minute under or over the time, of an appointment, fo far as it depended on himfeif, for fix and twenty years. He never continued at a place, or with a perfon, a fingle day beyond the period prefixed for going, in his whole life.; and he had no, for the laft fixteen years of his existence, ate any fish, fleth, or fowl, nor fat down to his fimple fare of tea, milk, and rufks all that time. His journeys were continued from prifon to 24. Intelligence received that geprifon, from one groupe of wretchVOL. XXVII.

Advice was received of the, French having refufed to confent to a ceffation of hoftilities with the Germanic empire, which had been applied for by the emperor, through the court of Denmark, for the purpofe of entering into a negociation. -The British cavalry, and feveral emigrant corps, in the pay of Great Britain, arrived at Shields from the Elbe.

22. Weldon, a private foldier, found guilty of high treafon in Dublin.

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He immediatly drew his fahre, and with one troke took off a flice from the ftone, of the thickness of three palm-leaves taken together; he next bruifed it between his teeth, and fwallowed it.

What a fabre! what an arm! what teeth! (faid the reclufe to himielf;) my furniture is very folid, yet this man may eat all up at three or four meals. I must make a friend of him! Sir! (faid he,) I admire the dexterity of your arm. You are a man of very extraordinary powers; 1 defire your acquaintance, and hope you will not judge me unworthy of the honour.

Adventurers are commonly dif trufted, but to a man like you I cannot help revealing every circumftance in my fituation.

Follow me then to the back part of my grotto, I have there fome chefes of goats' milk and cakes, which I fhall readily fhare with you; come, we will there eat at our leifure, and converse freely

With all my heart, (replied Raggado:) I love people in your way of life; I have known more than one of you, who had not paffed their lives in dozing over books; and I shall willingly do penance with you for my paft crimes with the cup in my hand.

The rats have,good teeth (replied the dervife, without rifing or laying afide his book:) they have devoured all the nuts which the I have neither cups nor goblets, I charity of the faithful have bestow-ufe nothing but pitchers, (faid the ed on me, and have left me only the fhells. The only provifions I have remaining, is that bifcuit of the Nile, which you fee before my door.

At the fame time, he fhewed him a ftone fix feet long, and three feet high.

Do you eat of that? (replied Raggado;) you have certainly a goo ftomach! I know this paftry: the Egyptian pyramids are made of it, yet I care not if I eat with you. To other ftomachs than ours this would be indigeftible ftuff. Allow me to cut it.

dervise.)

And for my part, I had rather want the pitcher than the wine! (cried the reclufe.)

A dervife have wine !-You make the hairs of my head ftand for aftonishment! Confider that 1 have retired hither to lead a life of penitence: I drink nothing but pure water, mixed with a little honey, which makes a pleafant enough beverage.

The captain fhook his head; he was obliged to yield to circumftances. He affifted his hoft to fet upon a broad ftone, as their table, a quantity

There was as much as would have ferved other eight perfons; yet this was not much for the pair, who now fat down to it. They were feated on fofas of the fame ftuff as the table; each was furnished with a large pitcher of hydromel, and the repast began.

a quantity of cheese and cakes. | that at ten draughts, I drank up two hundred and fixty pints, the whole produce of the vintage. My hoft came in upon me, and reproached me as a drunkard; I felt the reproach and killed him In remorte for this crime, I affumed the habit of a dervile, and confined myself to drink hydromel. Having in confequence of that refolution, wandered from one recefs to another, ftill in fearch of the moft fequestered and remote, I have at laft taken up my abode here, where I employ my leifure, in gathering fimples, and confulting the ftars."

The dervife after eating one cheese, without leaving even a crumb of the cruft, faid, " brother, let us drink," took up a pitcher, and fwallowed the contents at a draught." Here's to you," faid he to aggado, who viewed him with furprise.

You must have been very thirsty indeed, to empty this whole pitcher at a breath-were your ftomach paved with ftones like mine, it might run out of you like a river.

Alas! brother, (faid the dervife,) I am at prefent greatly corrected; it was in confequence of having drank too much, that I reduced myfelf to this life of penitence. However, I ftill quench my thirst, but no longer indulge in drinking to excefs. You furprifed me by cut. ting, and eating up fo great a piece of my bifcuit:- fhall furprife you equally by a recital of my ftory. "I'am called Bailayah, or (ready to drink.). If I had not found water too infipid, while I lived in the world, I might have dried up rivers. It would at any rate have been a dangerous experiment, to give me the fea to drink, for its tafte might have tempted me to drink it dry.

My good faint, (replied Raggado,) fince from a drunkard you are become an aftrologer, I muft inform you of my quarrel with the ftars. I fhould be glad to be along fide of mine, that I might give her a few blows with the broad fide of my fabre, and the fame to one of her comrades, in return for their capricious behaviour to me.

My name is Raggado, I was born in the capital of Circaffia. By the account of an aftrologer who was one of my father's good friends, two fters were travelling together, with a good provifion of propitious and malignant influences. She of the two who had the smallest cargo proceeded foremost. Three women had been delivered on the fame day, each of a male child. They lived in three of the principal houfes, which formed one of the angles of the street leading to the king's pa"One day when was in Geor- lace. Let us make hafte thither, gia, in the houfe of a man, who faid the obliging ftars), and dif had generously received me, the pofe of our cargoes in behalf of vintage was finished, and he had thefe new comers. As they adftored up the produce of his. My vanced, the foremoft happened to bed happened unluckily to ftand touch on my mother's houfe, at the too near the precious store All of very moment when I was coming a fudden, I was awakened by anto the world ;-the acccident fragrance fo agreeable, that I could not refift the temptation, but went up to the cafks which were working. I ventured to tafte the liquor, and found it fo delicious,ped it

made her ftop a little. can go no further (faid fhe) my burden has become too heavy-I must let it fall here and with this fhe dropstraight upon me. I can

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not

How! (faid Ballayah) had you exterminated the women too?

By Mahomet, (replied the captain,) I am vaftly fond of women; but when they faw me they cried out as if they had been flayed, ran away, threw ftones upon me from the roofs of the houfes, encouraged their hufbands, and let loose their

and buckler broken in ten different places, and the fleshy part of my arm torn away by a mafliff; I love the women, but not when they are tranfported with rage; for then whether young or old, ugly or handfome, I cut in pieces as many of them as come in, my way, without fparing one who makes the

not well tell you what it was the bestowed with fuch good will; but certainly it was a burden which L fometimes bear very impatiently myself, and which has often proved troublesome to others; it has made me the strongest but the most impatient of mankind; I am always in want; I live by rapine; nothing but the mere weaknefs of the fear-dogs against me: I had my cafque ful and timid man refifts my fabre, -him therefore I attack with my fifts, which are not the lighteft, you fee. Thefe, good dervise, are the gifts which fell upon my cradle. The ftar which followed mine, was obliged to halt with lading, which was furely intended for me, over a neighbouring palace; and what, think you, did the drop upon it ?-fmalleft refiftance. A crown: fo you fee, and I may without vanity fay that I was within a door of the throne; the aftrologer told my father that it was fate; I, for my part, think it was rather caprice; my bright protectrefs might have carried her favours one door farther. Do you know my good faint, that I am devilishly angry with her, and have tried more means than one to give the lie to my horoscope.

"I gathered armies, was a good commander, and yet a better fighter, but my foldiers were poltrons: there were always enough to eat, but never any to fight. One day I entered a town without, obferving that I was not followed by my men; I cut in pieces all who oppofed me, purfued and hacked down all who attempted to flee, carried fire before me where the fword could not penetrate; and in fhort facked the town; my army imagined me to be loft, and fled in a panic of terror. What happened then? As I had wasted the country, had given no quarter, and my army was fled, now that I faw myself a king, by the force of my own arm, and the edge of my own fabre, I had not a foul to reign over.",

You are rather hot-blooded captain, you fhould like me, drink nothing but hydromel.

By Mahomet, your hydromel reduces me to a jelly, instead of quenching my thirft: my malignant ftar would triumph, did the fee to what I am now reduced; let us if poffible contrive how to correct her influence. If I could but get up to the fkies, I fhould bring her to reafon. But cannot you who are an aftrologer, help me to right my felf by means of your machines?

You may play your ftar a different trick, (faid Ballayah); treat. her as I have treated mine. Had not the determined that I should be an idle ftroller, a vagabond? had not the condemned me to drink like a fifh? You fee how I have outwitted her; I have thrown myfelf into this retirement, where I drink hydromel in a reasonable way; and in fpite of her I am still good for fomething. You a man of war, fhould follow a different plan; to avoid all the inconveniences which attend all your exploits, you should ftrive to be a general without an army, and fhould endeavour to mafter a strong town without walls, gates, or trench

es,

es, in order that the trouble you take in furmounting obftacles may not tranfport you to fuch a degree of fury as fhall prompt you to cut down all before you.

Softly, my dear little faint, (faid Raggado), knoweft thou, that, with thy propafals, thou wouldst put me in a way to lofe my head? Is this the fartheft length thy fagacity ean go? Who can be a general without an army? Where are ftrong towns to be found without trenches or walls?

A general without an army! (replied Ballayah) that captain Raggado may be to-morrow at the lateft; he has neither foldiers nor baggage, and has only to travel ten leagues through the country, and attack the town of Kallacahabalaba, a very strong place, although without any artificial means of defence. And how is my army to be made up?

You fhall fee them to-morrow, faid the dervife; they fhall exhibit proofs of their abilities in your prefence. They want only your counfel to direct their efforts, for they are chiefly deficient in underftanding. They need a leader to command them with authority, and fet them an example :-you shall be the man.

By Mahomet, (cried the captain, turning his eyes upward) I anı tempted to pardon my bitch of a ftar the dance fhe has led me, fince fhe raises me at laft to command my equals !But let us converfe a little concerning the place we are going to attack;-who is captain of it?What fhall we make of him?.

Hardly any. I am, however, circumcifed.

It is fubject to a tyrant called Big-. ftaf. Him you fhall drive away;. one tyrant fhall fucceed another: thus fhall you belie your star; for you fhall reign like any other perfon, and perhaps better, as you are Of eight generals, each of whom a ftranger to all but your own plea is able, in his own way, to over-fure. Have you any religion? turn an empire; and to give you an idea of their character, I my felf am the weakeft of the whole; yet if I fhould undertake to make myself mafter of Damafcus, the enterprife could not fail through any fault of mine; it is a well-watered city; but in eight day's time, there fhould not be water enough about it to quench the thirst of an hen.

My good dervife! your name I find is expreffive of your character; I now know your abilities, and think you a very fober man ;-a moft extraordinary talent this of yours; you might ruin all Egypt if you chofe.

Oh! in order to that, (replied Ballayah) I should be obliged to drink up the Nile to its head; and the journey is too far

But the other companions you fpeak of (refumed Raggado), are they fuch extraordinary characters as yourself? I am extremely impatient to fee them.

That is perfectly enough.

My dear Ballayah, you are a faint of very accommodating principles, and this is what I like you for; I fhould wish to accuftom myfelf to your hydromel, that I might get drunk with you. However, before I lie down to reft, I fhould. like to have a more distinct idea of the town of Kallacahabalaba; for I form my plan of affault in my bed.

Kallacahabalaba, (replied the dervife) is fituated on a lofty infulated mountain, which rifes perpendicularly on all fides, to the height of fixty feet. No animal but a fňail can climb up it.

And how do the inabitants come down?

They are let down in baskets, fixed to iron chains, which are moved upon pullies. Thofe bafkets are fo arranged that a hundred

of