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BACON de biftoria literaria confcribenda.

VOL. XII.

FROM JANUARY TO APRIL, INCLUSIVE, 1792.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR J. JOHNSON, N°. 72, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH-YARD.

M DCC XCII.

ANALYTICAL REVIEW,

For JANUARY, 1792.

ART. I. A Tour from Gibraltar to Tangier, Sallee, Mogodore, Santa Cruz, Tarudant, and thence over Mount Atias to Morocco: including a particular Account of the Royal Harem, &c. By William Lempriere, Surgeon. 8vo. 464 p. pr. 7s. in boards. Walter, 1791.

If there be any truth in the notion, that the human race is perpetually advancing towards perfection, thofe by whom it is maintained will not attempt to fupport it by facts drawn from the hiftory of Africa. It is impoffible to compare modern with ancient Egypt, or even the present state of the coaft of Barbary, with the condition of the fame country in the days when Carthage contefted the palm of glory with Rome, without being convinced, that at leaft in this part of the globe, the progress of civilization has not kept pace with the lapfe of time. Every new vifit which curiofity pays to these inhofpitable regions, furnishes new proofs of the ignorance or ferocity which still prevails in them; and the intelligent traveller, whose work now comes under our notice, adds many facts to the fame purpose.

Mr. Lempriere, a furgeon in the navy, being at Gibraltar, in the year 1789, undertook the tour which produced the prefent work, in confequence of an application from Muley Abfulem, the late emperor of Morocco's favourite fon, made through Mr. Matra, the British conful at Tangier, to his excellency, general O'Hara, at Gibraltar, requesting him to fend a medical gentleman from the garrifon to attend the prince. Upon encouraging and fplendid promifes of protection, refpect, and reward, and with the hope of obtaining the release of certain chriftian captives, who were at that period detained in flavery, Mr. L. accepted the propofal. During his refidence in Barbary, he was an attentive obferver of whatever paffed under his infpection; the nature of his undertaking was favourable to his enquiries, and it appears from the narrative, that he well knew how to turn to the beft account his opportunities of information. A great part of the volume is indeed occupied with the narration of the author's own adventures; but they are fo novel in VOL. XII. N° 1. them

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themfelves, fo agreeably related, and interfperfed with so many judicious remarks, that they cannot fail to intereft his readers. The relation, befides, never fails to caft light upon the manners of the people he has undertaken to defcribe.

At the time when Mr. Lempriere landed at Tangiers, his intended patient was, by his father's command, at the head of an army, in the mountains between Morocco and Tarudant, the places of the prince's ftated refidence. This obliged him to remain at Tangier, till he received intelligence of the prince's return thither. After a brief account of this place, he relates the particulars of his journey to Tarudant, defcribes the principal places through which he paffed, and gives an amusing defcription of the manners of the people.

At Mogodore, Mr. L. had an opportunity of informing himfelf, from the European merchants at that place, of the general ftate of the empire of Morocco. The refult of this information he relates in a distinct chapter, in which, fpeaking of the animals of the county, Mr. L. relates the following particulars, concerning the cameleon.

P. 93. During my refidence in the country, I had frequent opportunities of examining that molt fingular of the animal productions, the cameleon. Though it is hardly neceffary to adduce any proof to the philofophers of the prefent day against the vulgar error, that it feeds only upon air, yet it may afford fome fatisfaction to my reader, to be told, that I had an opportunity of fecing a complete refutation of this opinion at Mogodore. A gentleman of my acquaintance there, had in his poffeflion a cameIcon, the dexterity of which in procuring its food I had ample means of obferving. The fact is, its principal fupport is flies, which it catches by darting out at them an exceedingly long tongue, covered with a matter fo very glutinous, that if it but touches an infect it is impotible for it to efcape. The most fingular part of its conformation, however, (if, perhaps, we except the power of varying its colours) is the eye, the mufcles of which are fo conftructed, that it can move the ball quite round; and I believe it exifts the only known inftance in all animated nature, of a creature which is able to direct its vifion to two different objects at the fame time, however thofe objects may be fituated. Except in the act of darting out its tongue to procure fubfiftence, its motions are remarkably flow.'

At Mr. L.'s arrival at Tarudant, he was introduced to the prince, and the particulars of this introduction, and fubfequent converfation, form a very interefting part of the narrative, for which, however, on account of its length, we muft refer the

reader to the work.

In vifiting the prince's harem, or the apartments of the women, Mr. L. was confulted by a great number, who all expected him to discover their complaints by feeling their pulfe. Among others, he met with the following fingular incident.

P. 132. One of my new patients being ready to receive me, I was defired to walk into her room; where, to my great furprise, I faw nothing but a curtain drawn quite across the apartment, fimilar to that of a theatre which feparates the flage from the audience. A female domeftic brought a very low tool, placed it near the curtain, and told me I was to fit down there, and feel her miftrefs's pulfe.

"The lady, who had by this time fummoned up courage to speak, introduced her hand from the bottom of the curtain, and defired me to inform her of all her complaints, which the conceived I might perfectly perceive by merely feeling the pulfe. It was in vain to afk her where her pain was feated, whether in her ftomach, head, or back; the only anfwer I could procure, was a requeft to feel the pulfe of the other hand, and then point out the feat of the disease, and the nature of the pain.

Having neither fatisfied my curiofity by exhibiting her face, nor made me acquainted with the nature of her complaint, I was under the neceffity of informing her in pofitive terms, that to understand the difeafe it was abfolutely neceffary to fee the tongue, as well as to feel the pulfe; and that without it I could do nothing for her. My eloquence, or rather that of my jewish interpreter, was, however, for a long time exerted in vain; and I am perfuaded fhe would have difiniffed me without any further enquiry, had not her invention fupplied her with a happy expedient to remove her embarrassment. She contrived at last to cut a hole through the curtain, through which fhe extruded her tongue, and thus complied with my injunction as far as it was neceffary in a medical view, but most effectually disappointed my curiofity.'

Concerning thefe women, who were about twenty in number, the following particulars are related.

P. 136. Most of the women in the harem, were under thirty years of age, of a corpulent habit, and of very awkward gait. Their knowledge of courfe, from having led a life of total feclufion from the world, was entirely confined to the occurrences in their harem; where, as they were allowed a free accefs to each other, they converfed upon fuch fubjects as their uninformed understandings ferved to furnish them with. They are never fuffered to go out, but by an exprefs order from the prince; and then only when removing from one place of refidence to another. I in general found them extremely ignorant, proud, and vain of their perfons, even to a degree which bordered upon childiflinefs. Among many ridiculous queftions, they alked my interpreter if I could read and write; upon being anfwered in the affirmative, they expreffed the utmoft furprife and admiration at the abilities of the chriftians. There was not one among them who could do either; thefe rudiments of learning are indeed only the lot of a few of their men, who on that account are named taibs, or explainers of the Mahometan law.

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Among the concubines of the prince there were fix female flaves of the age of fifteen, who were prefented to him by a moor of diftinction. One of thefe was defcended from an English