addition to his former honours, had acquired a confiderable degree of reputation by his expedition into Egypt: but the Count afferts that, instead of fubduing the Beys there, he only entered into a temporary accommodation with them, which will not long fecure their obedience to the Porte; and that he diftinguished himself rather by his cruelty and rapacity, than by any valuable qualifications. His character is here reprefented in the most odious light: he is faid to know just enough of navigation to qualify him for piracy: but to be totally deficient in every thing requifite to conftitute an admiral. He used to be followed by a tame lion, which attended him wherever he went, and rendered his approach univerfally dreaded he attempted to accuftom a tyger to the fame office: but a narrow efcape from the fury of this animal, induced him to difmifs his formidable fatellites; to whofe favage difpofition, his own, according to the account before us, bears a very striking resemblance. His perfonal courage cannot be denied: but it is the courage of a brute, difplayed in difgraceful inftances of ferocity. and cruelty, and accompanied with the most infatiable rapacity.

On the Count's return from Conftantinople in 1788, he had an opportunity of feeing the army of the Turks, which was encamped near Sophia in Bulgaria. From his account, it appears that M. Peyfonel's partiality has led him to think too highly of their military character and difcipline, which latter is here faid to be extremely defective. Of the licentious rapacity and wanton cruelty of their foldiers, the country, through which they had paffed, afforded a melancholy proof; as the wretched inhabitants, pillaged of their all, and deftitute of the means of culture, had deferted their lands, and retired into the mountains of Macedonia. The confequence of this cruel and improvident conduct fell heavily on the perpetrators of it; as the army fuffered feverely from the famine, which naturally followed their barbarity in deftroying the cultivation, as well as confuming the produce, of fo confiderable a tract of country.

Of the Turkish infantry, the Janizaries are the principal. They conftitute a very numerous body, diftributed into a hundred and one legions: but they are not lefs formidable to their own government, than to the enemy. Their number is not limited, for the title of Janizary is hereditary; and most of the Turks enlift themselves in thefe legions, on account of the privileges they enjoy; the chief of which are to be exempt from the baftinado on the foles of the feet, and, when condemned to death, to die by the bowftring. In time of peace,

* See Rev. vol. lxxix. p. 606.

fome

fome of them enjoy a small pay: but, in actual fervice, this is granted to all; and they generally infift on its being advanced to them.

The young men, on their first entrance into this corps, are obliged to ferve as fcullions to their respective meffes, and to diftribute the daily allowance of provifion to their fellow foldiers this office, which they must perform till their mustaches are fufficiently grown, is of no fmall importance among the Janizaries, who are much lefs attached to their standards than to their camp kitchen: the lofs of the former they confider as easily repaired, but that of the latter as an irretrievable difgrace in this cafe, the legion is difbanded, and another formed and provided with new kitchen utenfils, of which, to prevent thefe accidents, they generally take care to have a double fet.

Though the janizaries are confidered as infantry, yet, as thofe of them who can afford to keep horfes, will not ferve without them, their legions are a confufed medly of horse and foot; a circumftance which occafions no fmall diforder in the operations of the army.

The Spahis conftitute the Turkish cavalry, and are divided. into fixteen legions; they poflefs lands as hereditary fiefs, which, in default of male children, devolve to their commander, who may difpofe of them as he pleafes: fome of them have very confiderable eftates, on account of which they are obliged to maintain a certain number of horfe- men, whom they must bring into the field. They feem to be better difciplined than the Janizaries, and have not their ridiculous attachment to their pots and kettles. Their attack is rapid and impetuous, but irregular.

The Afiatic troops, especially thofe from Syria and Mefopotamia, form an excellent body of light cavalry: their horfes are fleet and full of fire, and they generally have the advantage in fkirmishes but they are of little avail against the heavy and well difciplined horfe of the Germans.

The cannoniers are a very numerous body; fome of them, who have been trained by French officers, are tolerably expert in the management of field pieces: but the advantage which might be derived from thefe, is fruftrated by the ignorance of their commanders, and by the clumfinefs of their carriages, which require twenty horfes, or thirty buffalos, to draw them.

The bombardiers are a body feparate from the former, and have their own commander. Like the Spahis, they enjoy fiefs, which oblige them to fupply the corps with a certain number of men; their skill is not fufficient to do much mischief to the

enemy.

enemy. In general, it appears that all the pains which the French have taken to inftruct the Turks in fortification, gunnery, fhip-building, and tactics, have been defeated by the obftinate prejudices of this people.

The Ottomans never fortify their camps, which are formed around the quarters of their commander in chief, but without any regular order, as every one may pitch his tent where he pleafes. The Grand Vizir, with the troops immediately under his command, forms the main body; the Janizaries, with their commander, conftitute another encampment, at fome distance from the former; and between these, at an equal diftance from each, is the artillery. When the army approaches within a few days march of the enemy, the Grand Vizir appoints a lieutenant general, who, with a large detachment, advances to reconnoitre, or to engage. This divifion of their forces is highly difadvantageous; for the advanced guard, being too far from the main body to be fupported, muft, in cafe of a defeat, retire in diforder, and diffufe a panic among the Vizir's army: this has happened feveral times during the war; when the Vizir has been obliged to decamp with all poffible expedition, in order to fecure the facred ftandard, and to preferve the remainder of his forces.

The Turks are by no means deficient in perfonal bravery, and their impetuofity makes them formidable in their first attack: but if this be repelled with firmness, their confufion renders their total defeat almost inevitable, as they have no idea of an orderly retreat, or of rallying their forces, and as their camp affords them no refuge from the purfuit of a victorious foe. In fhort, every thing relative to their military operations, is attended with diforder and improvidence; confequently, their armies are a moft deftructive fcourge to the countries through which they pafs, are frequently expofed to the diftreffes of famine, and become an eafy prey to a regular and well difciplined enemy.

Among troops, which, from their total want of order and difcipline, may be confidered rather as an armed rabble, than as an army, the commanders are frequently expofed to the utmoft danger, from the capricious licentioufnefs of their own men. In the campaign of 1788, the Grand Vizir was very near falling a victim to their fury, because he attempted to draw up and exercife his infantry in the European manner : to this they had relunctantly fubmitted for a few hours, in hopes of receiving a pecuniary gratification: but, on their finding themfelves difappointed in this expectation, a general infurrection took place, and the Janizaries rushed into the

Vizir's

Vizir's tent with a defign to maffacre him: but having the good fortune to escape in difguife, he ordered about fixty thoufand pounds to be diftributed among the foldiers, who, appeafed by this liberality, fuffered him once more to appear at their head.

The Turks treat their prifoners of war with the most fhocking barbarity. This author, who, in confequence of fome treachery toward him, was fent back in chains from the camp to Conftantinople, along with a number of Auftrian foldiers, gives an affecting account of the treatment which they experienced. Among other circumftances, he tells us that two of them being wounded and unable to travel on horse-back, were murdered by their guards, who beheaded them, falted the heads, and put them into a fack, in which they had collected a confiderable number; among thefe, one of the unhappy prifoners had the misfortune to recognize the head of his brother, and another of them, that of his fon. To cruelty, the Turks add great impolicy; for they treat deferters from the enemy in the fame manner as their prifoners.

The account of the Turkish army, from which we have collected the above particulars, is, by far, the most interefting part of thefe volumes; the remainder of which contains. an account of Georgia, Circaffia, Armenia, Perfia, Syria, Egypt, and the Grecian iflands: but as a writer of travels, we cannot fay much in commendation of the prefent author. His memoirs comprehend various and extenfive countries: but they are, for the most part, as barren of entertainment as the regions which he vifits: his defcriptions are hafty and fuperficial; his obfervations are trite and unimportant; and his ftyle is unpleasant and often confused.

Sow.

ART. VI. Le dernier Coup porté aux Prejugés et à la Superftition. i. e. A fatal Blow to Superftition and Prejudice. 8vo. 410 Pages. Paris, (though, in the Title-page, faid to be printed in London.) 1789.

N°

No where is Deifm more frequent, and no where has the Deift more to plead in his excufe, than in Roman catholic countries. When, to the miraculous facts of the gospel history, a number of legendary wonders are added as of equal authority, and the whole adduced in fupport of a fyftem of abfurd myfteries, of fuperftitious practices, of intolerant bigotry, and of facerdotal tyranny, we cannot wonder that generous and humane fpirits, abhorring what is fo inconfiftent with reafon, fo difhonourable to God, and fo unfriendly to man, fhould feek refuge in the general and milder doctrines of natural re

ligion;

ligion; which, in its prefent improved ftate, is infinitely more eligible to a man of fenfe and reflection, than the corrupt medly of mystery, fuperftition, and bigotry, that, in many parts of the world, is impofed on mankind as the religion of Chrift.

Reflections of this kind naturally occur on perufing the work before us; in which, among fome things that we cannot but blame, we find much to commend and to admire: in point of compofition, it has great merit; and, though the author is an unbeliever with refpect to the hiftorical facts of revelation, his fentiments concerning the Deity, and the obligations to piety and virtue founded on the divine attributes, and on the certainty of a future ftate, are fuch as every rational chriftian will approve. He feems to have read the New Teftament with attention: but without a candid and judicious guide to remove the difficulties which muft occur to a mind prejudiced against the text, by the abfurd commentaries that have been forced on it. In this refpect, he appears the pupil of Rouffeau; for while he admires the character and precepts of Jefus, he rejects miracles as improbable; and he confiders those afcribed to the faviour and his apoftles, as pious frauds, invented to promote the propagation, not fo much of their tenets, as of others which the clergy afterward added, and in the belief of which, their interests were peculiarly concerned. The abfurdity of this idea has been fo often, and fo ably fhewn, that we shall not detain our readers with any attempt to refute it.

The first part of this work is employed in difplaying the fuperftitious abfurdity of monaftic inftitutions; a fubject which affords an ample field for the author's reprehenfions, and on which he expatiates with much judicious argument, enforced by a moft animated and elegant style. The inconfiftency of the monaftic vow with every property of human nature; the cruel arts and infamous intrigues, by which the young and thoughtlefs are feduced into it; the pangs of unavailing defpair, which muft rend the heart, when, no longer elevated by the tranfient ardour of enthusiasm, the wretched victims have leifure to reflect, and feel the weight of thofe indiffoluble fetters, which perfuafion has forged and impofed on inexperience,-by which the most innocent defires and moft reasonable hopes are for ever fruftrated; in fhort, all the diftreffes, the paffions, and the vices, that deepen the gloom of a cloifter, are here depicted in juft and ftriking colours. He then traces thefe, and

other corruptions and perverfions of chriftianity, to their fource, by giving a fhort view of thofe ecclefiaftical councils, in which arrogant priefts prefumed to dictate to mankind the terms of falvation, and to fix the ftandard of univerfal belief: