CONTAINING A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED WORKS OF LITERATURE FOR THE YEAR 1818.

HISTORY, VOYAGES, TRAVELS, &c.

A JOURNEY THROUGH ASIA MINOR, ARMENIA, AND KOORDISTAN.

A Journey through Asia Minor, Armenia, and Koordistan, in 1813 and 1814. By John Macdonald Kinneir, Captain in the Honourable East India Company's Service, &c. &c. 1 vol. 8vo. Murray.

account of Angora and Cesarea less his+ torical and pleasing; and the author's remarks on the marches of Alexander, &c. are scientific, convincing, and just; evine ing the care and attention with which Captain Kioneir has scanned the historic page, and also his statistical as well as literary knowledge.

His description of the island of Cyprus is given in a brief and agreeable style, and we seem to follow him from thence in his journey to Iconium. The description of Sert, and of the journey to Merdin, are among the best written parts of the work, The voyage down the Tigris is followed by remarks on the retreat of the ten thousand: the voyage from Bagdad to Busora, and of that to Bombay, give rise to some very interesting observations; and the work concludes with a dissertation on the invasion

of India.

"Craiova, which ranks among the chief towns of Wallachia, was partly burnt some years ago by Paswan Oglu, the rebellious Pasba of Widin, and is a large straggling village, built of wood, in the midst of a wilderness, a description applicable to the far greater portion of this unhappy province. It is governed by a Greek of a Constantinopolitau family, who, on the morning of my departure, presented me with several medals which had been dug up from the ruins of some ancient buildings at a place called Karaval, towards the Danube." "

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...WALLACHIA.!!

Though this work has in it much to be admired, and is evidently that of a learned man, a work, too, which may be of the utmost utility to those who may hereafter tread the ancient and classic ground that «We procured a lodging in the house of an Austrian officer, where, shortly after my Captain Kinnier has previously explored; arrival, the Russian Consul paid me a visit, yet we cannot forbear saying that we have accompanied by Mr. Gordon, an old friend read more amusing accounts of such places. whom I had encountered two years before in Captain Kinneir, too, has shewn us that a a similar manner, at a village near Magnesia, soldier may be a very literary character: || in Asia Minor. We dined with the Consul, then why adopt a plainness of language and in the evening accompanied him and his in some places, and which borders close on lady to the prado of Buckharest, a large and inelegance, while the next page teems open field, where I beheld a vast concourse with such truly erudite and scientific of grotesque figures alight from their carknowledge, that we feel almost inclined to riages, enveloped in volumes of dust, to drink believe they were not written by the same coffee, or to walk on the banks of a stagnast person: we make this remark because we poot of water. Some of the vehicles looked do not like to see defects in a work that more wretched than the worst of our backis, in many respects, almost faultless. Of and resemble the state equipages in the time ney coaches, whilst others were gilded all over, it real merit our readers will, however, be better able to judge by the following exof Louis XIV. The greater part of the Wallachian nobility who are, I am informed, tracts:degenerate and profligate race, seldom follow any profession, but live upon the revenues of their estates, some of which amount to upwards of a hundred thousand piastres a year. They detest the Russians, who deprived them of many privileges which the Turks permit them to enjoy, and consequently dress in the Greek costume, leaving their women to follow the fashions of the French. By the constitu tions of Wallachia they cannot be governed either by one of their own body or a Turk, and therefore the Prince, or Hospidar, is selected by the Grand Signor from the Greek families at Constantinople; this "governot,

TOWN OF CRAIOVA,

"I drove without ceremony to the house of the Governor of Craiova, where a room was immediately assigned to me, and coffee and biscuit served up as a refreshment by orders of his son, to whom I had brought a letter of introduction. This young gentleman, a Wallach an noble, had a handsome wife, of whom he was exceedingly jealous From such a host I could not expect much hospitality, and be accordingly treated me with such coldness and neglect, that I quitted

after a reign of a few years, is not unfre I arrived when the Delhi, accompanied by quently either heheaded or sent into banish- three or four of his friends, again entered the ment, The soil of Wallachia, part of the room, and sat down at some distance from mé Roman Dacia, is prolific, but the province is on the floor. The former remained quiet, thinly peopled, and altogether in calmost but his companions were continually urging deplorable condition: this state of things him to take possession of my seat, which was the natives attribute in a great measure to more elevated than the others. On his the contributions levied by the Russians; declining to do this, two of them, unable to and their complaints are, perhaps, not wholly control their rage, rose up, and, spitting on destitute of foundation. Buckharest, the the ground as a mark of contempt, mounted capital, is a large city, situated in an immense up, and pulling my carpet from under me, sat plain, and said to contain one hundred thou- down upon it without the smallest ceremony. sand inhabitants; the houses are built of My poor Tatar, afraid of interfering, advised wood and plaster, with a court or garden, me to quit the apartment, which fortunately according to the oriental custom; the streets || I did; bad I acted otherwise, the Dervish are laid with planks, like those in the towns might have irritated the whole town against of Russia. The inhabitants are composed of us, and in that case my temerity might have a mixture of all nations and religions, who been fatal to us both." have distinct places of worship, and under the government of the Sultan enjoy a degree of toleration unknown in many of the more civilized states of Europe."

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BEHAVIOUR OF THE DERVISHES.

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"He

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THE AGA OF SEVER HISSAR.

e was sitting in a small room on a red velvet cushion, embroidered with gold, and his dependants were placed on carpets around him; he gave me a seat next himself, ordered "Tired with walking I returned to my coffee e and pipes, and was in every respect lodgings, and had just sat down to breakfast, || uncommonly polite. He was a well dressed when I was alarmed by a loud knocking at young man, like the Turks very inquisitive, the court gate. It was immediately burst and anxious to know why I copied the old open, and one of and one of those Dervishes called || inscriptions, and whether they were talisDelhi, or madmen, eutered the apartment, mant, or only intended to point out the spot and in the most outrageous manner struck where treasure was concealed. He then me with the shaft of a long lance, which be asked me what he ought to eat and drink, in held in his hand, at the same time abusing order to be at all times free from sickness, to my people for having allowed an infidel to which I replied, that provided he lived sparenter the habitation of a holy man, since (asingly he would always be well. The Turks it afterwards turned out) the house belonged to him. I was so incensed at the conduct of this intruder, that I instantly seized one of my pistols, which were lying by my side, and should have shot him on the spot, regardless of the consequences, had I not been withheld by the Tatar and those around me. The Dervish was in a moment burled neck and heels out of the door, and I went in person to the Aga to complain of the outrage. I found him sitting in a loft or garret, a place somewhat dangerous to approach, on account of the rotten condition of the ladder which led to the only entrance. I ordered the Tatar to read the firmann, and, representing the circumstance, desired that the Delhi might be punished. He said that he would chastise him the moment I was gone; but as he was a holy man, and I an infidel, the inhabitants of the town would not at present allow him to be touched. Finding that there was no bope of redress, I returned to my lodgings, determined to depart as soon as the heat of the day would permit me. But scarcely bad

are excessively fond of entering into disquisi tions of this nature, and, as they have no good physicians among themselves, seem to think that all Europeans have instinctively a knowledge of medicine; to be, in short, a Frank, is esteemed a sufficient qualification to practise physic in the Asiatic provinces of Turkey. When coffee had been served, the Aga ordered one of his people to open a small cabinet, from which he produced eight or ten old silver watches, and two Dutch clocks, conceiving them to be precious treasures, although in truth they were not altogether worth fifty piastres."

HISTORICAL INFORMATION RELATIVE TO
ANCYRA

"When Manlius had defeated the Gauls, he advanced into their country and laid siege to Angora, which afterwards assumed the name of Sebaste, in honour of Augustus, who raised the city to the rank of metropolis of the province, and adorned it with many stately edifices. The inhabitants were so

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grateful for the favours of this Prince, that they paid him divine honours, and erected a marble temple to his memory. After the death of its patron, Ancyra still continued to flourish; it consecrated temples to many of the Emperors, and when the apostate Julian passed into the east the priests of Aneyra came to meet him with their idols. It was here that St. Paul preached to the Galatians, and when the Christian religion had spread itself over the Roman world it was advanced to the diguity of an apostolic see. In the reign of Heraclius the city was taken by the Generals of Chosroes Purviz, and afterwards by the renowned Haroun ul Raschid; it was finally lost to the empire during the invasion of the princes of the house of Seljuck; besieged and taken by the Count of Toulouse in 1102, and seized by Amurath I. in 1359."

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of audience. It stands on the top of one of the small hills on which the city is situ ated."

CHAPWAN OGLU.

"Chapwan Oglu, at the period I visited bis capital, was the most powerful chief in Asia Minor, and in every respect independent of the Grand Signor, who, jealous of his autho rity, had in vain endeavoured to crush bim. He was descended from a Turkman family, and his grandfather, father, and elder brothers had successively been governors of the territory around Ooscat Being a person of great talents and enlightened understanding, all his schemes and enterprizes were attended with success; and in the course of a few years he established his independence and greatly increased his territories, which he improved by encouraging agriculture, and carefully avoiding those oppressive measures which have scattered desolation and ruin throughout the Asiatic provinces of Turkey. He became respected by his enemies and adored by his followers, who, aware of the comparative security and happiness which they enjoyed under his rule, were always prepared to defend his interests to the last extremity. The dominions of this prince, at the time I mention, extended on the west, as far as the Halys, and even beyond that river, as they included the town and rich district of Changery (the ancient Gangra); 'on the N. E. they embraced the districts of Tosia, Zeli, and the large and wealthy city of Tocat. To the east they were bounded by the pashalics of Malatia, Cesarea, and the river Sehown; and to the south by the Mediterranean, including in this quarter the towns of Askeroi, Erekli, Tarsus, and Selefkeh. His revenue, which was almost entirely derived from a tax on the grain produced on his estates, amount

VISIT TO THE TEMPLE OF AUGUSTUS, "This ancient edifice is built entirely of white marble, and consists of a vestibule, a large oblong hall, and a small apartment, or rather alcove, behind. On the right and left side of the wall of the vestibule as you enter, is a magnificent inscription, recording the principal actions in the life of Augustus Cæsar; but part of it has been intentionally effaced, and even pieces of the marble, forcibly removed. I was upwards of seven days in copying this inscription, but as I have since.discovered that it is already known to the world, I do not conceive it necessary to insert it here. The gate, leading from the vestibule into the saloon is a masterly piece of work manship, about twenty-five feet in height, by nine in breadth; the supporters of the lintel are beautifully decorated, as well as the whole of the moulding and entablature: like the rest of the building it is formed of ponderous blocks of white marble, and, considering its great antiquity, is in a wonderful state of pre-ed, on an average, to ninety thousand purses servation. The saloon is twenty-nine paces in length and twelve in breadth; the roof has fallen in, but the walls I should guess to be still about forty-five feet in height, and exhibit the remains of a beautiful cornice. This interesting monument of antiquity is so much concealed on one side by a mosque, and on the others by old houses, which rest against the walls, that it is impossible to form any idea of its exterior appearance. It is generally believed to have been a temple erected in honour of Augustus, but to me it seemed rather intended as a Basilica, or public hall

• The inscription is said to have been copied from the brazen tablets placed before the tomb of Augustus at Rome.

a year, twenty thousand of which it is said were set aside to bribe the ministers of the Sultan. His wealth in jewels was generally believed to be immense and it is said that he could muster, in the course of a month or six weeks, an army of forty thousand med. He lived in great splendour; his haram was filled with the most beautiful Georgian slaves, and food for three hundred people was daily prepared in his kitchen. I was received by him with politeness and dignity, in a magnificent apartment surrounded with sofas made of crimson velvet, fringed with gold, and opening into a garden of orange trees orna mented with a marble basin, and jet d'eas. His countenance was benevolent, and his