210

Eays on the Manners of various foreign Animals. various rivulets of a limpid water, that rife in the fame places, which are styptic, acrimonious, and intolerably bitter.

Two other remarks concur to throw farther light on this matter, and indicate the qualities of the vapours with which these fiphons are charged. It is obferved, that those which are

formed and directed in their courfe, by winds blowing from oppofite points in traverfing the defarts, carry off faline and fulphureous particles, which are dangerous only to the fight; and if they have occafionally been mortal to perfons of delicate conftitutions, it was only by fuffocation.

Again, the natives have found that when most dangerous fiphons have, for any length of time, followed the track of a river or a lake, and efpecially if they have been carried out to fea, they are prefently deprived of their poifonous qualities, which are attracted and abforbed by the water. At certain feafons of the year, fiphons are often feen upon the gulph of Perfia; the proximity of the fhores permit the natives to ob ferve, that thofe formed upon the gulph itself, by the oppofite currents of air that come from the mountains of Perfia and

Arabia, are filled with water only; but that, on the contrary, those which ftill remain near land inclofe, in part, duft- and fmall leaves, which indicate their origin to have been on the earth.

fea,

But fince thefe, as they proceed farther to acquire a greater quantity of watery particles, I have no doubt, but in following the courfe of the gulph, they become totally. acqueous.

The manners of different animals, though apparently the chief object of the work, are, in our opinion, of less importance than the obfervations which we have tranfcribed; we have therefore preferred them for our extract. On that subject many common circumstances are repeated; but, as they are the result of experience, tend to confirm our former accounts. Many things are new and curious, and all are related with ease, freedom, and vivacity. We fufpect that too much intelligence and reflection is still bestowed on the half reafoning' elephant; but, in our author's language, as we cannot oppose his obfervations by any of our own, we can only mention our fufpicions.' The 'Ourang Outang, which M.. D'Obfonville is willing to raise to human dignity, is, from his own accounts, of the monkey race.

'Simia quam fimilis turpiffima bestia nobis !'

The translation of this entertaining performance is certainly accurate, as it is faid to have been reviewed by the author but we ought alfo to add, that it is eafy, clear, and fufficiently elegant. The author hints at a future publication of obfervations; and, this fpecimen leads us to expect confiderable fatisfaction from them.

Italian

Effays on the Manners of various foreign Animals.

209

but their picturefque and extravagant expreffions are a kind of Imaginary

coin,

to

know

the

true

value

of

which

requires.

fome practice.

I have twice had an opportunity of confidering the effect of these fiphons with fome attention. I fhall relate fimply what I have feen in the cafe of a merchant and two travellers, who were ftruck during their fleep, and died on the spot. I ran to fee if it were poffible to afford them any fuccour, but they were already dead, the victims of an interior fuffocating fire. There were apparent figns of the diffolution of their

from

the

noftrils,

mouth,

fluids; a kind of ferous matter iffued and ears, and in fomething more than an hour the whole body

according

was in the fame ftate. However, as they were diligent to pay them the laft duties of

to

ufual in that country.

cannot affirm that the putrefaction was more or lefs rapid than

As to the meteor amined with impunity, at the distance of three or four fa thoms; and the country people only are afraid of being furprized by it when they fleep: neither are fueh accidents very common, for these fiphons are only feen during two or three months of the year; and, as their approach is felt, the campguards, and the people awake, are always very careful to roufe thofe who fleep, who alfo have a general habit of covering their faces with their mantles.

The fiphons have a double motion, one a ftrong rotation within themselves, the other a progreffive movement, more or lefs accelerated, according to the force of the upper winds by which they are carried, for their head is in the clouds; and thence they may be feen to receive both their impulfe and firft existence. I have observed, by the motion of the clouds, that when two violent currents of wind meet, are fuftained, and agitate the atmosphere to a confiderable height, we have fcarcely on earth felt a breath of air. Thus thefe currents meeting, and acting in a contrary direction, form a whirlwind, which takes a medium courfe; that is to fay, if the currents happen, one to come from the north and the other from the fouth, the fiphon will be carried either eaft or west; I mean nearly, for its progreffive motion is often irregular and difturbed, and not in a direct line; and this feems to be the refult of the afcendency, which, by a fudden guft, one wind may obtain over,another.

• Thefe dangerous air columns only occasionally inclofe morẻ tality in their bofoms; those that I have feen appeared to come from the chain of mountains, which is continued through Diarbekir, Curdistan, and the adjacent countries. It is probable, that they detach, collect, and carry off bituminous, fulphureous, vitriolic, and arfenical vapours. I cannot, from experiments, affert this, but I know that these fabftances are found in various cantons among thofe mountains, and that they conftitute a branch of commerce; that likewise there are VOL. LVIII. Sept. 1784.

208 Elays on the Manners of various foreign Animals. ferving him under the command of their own officers and it was undoubtedly his intereft to have faved the place. At prefent he opposes the English with all his power; but it is their own wild ambition that has armed him; he is valiant and en. terprizing; he is provoked, and he had tried his ftrength

against them. In 1768, although abandoned by a finall corps of European deferters, who were bought off, he obliged them to defray part of the expences of an unjust attack, and cede to him the diftrict of Karour.'

Monf. d'Obfonville apologizes for the conduct of the wandering Arab, and gives a confiftent and, we believe, a juft description of this peculiar nation. Often vanquished, but never fubdued, they look on their native deserts as their own poffeffions; and it would be difficult for European sophistry to prove the contrary. If it be fo, with little additional reafoning they might evince a right to fome tribute from thofe, whofe avocations lead them to travel through their territories; and, when their moderate requests are complied with, they become generous and useful friends. In all this account there is nothing abfurd, unjust, or oppreffive; and we think it is confirmed by Mr. Irwin, and all the other travellers who have occafionally met them. Those who have fuffered from a conteft, have fometimes been the unfortunate victims of others depredations, or of their own imprudent violence. We think it would be highly advantageous to adopt our author's opinions, and endeavour to bribe thofe whofe demands are moderate, and with whom it is impoffible to contend.

The fyphons or whirlwinds called Samiel, are alfo the ob jects of our author's attention. He tells us that horfes, when they perceive their approach, if they cannot avoid them, turn their faces with the wind and fix their noftrils in the earth: by this precaution they are rendered harmless.

Some enlightened travellers have feriously written, that every individual who falls a victim to this infection, is immediately reduced to ashes, though apparently only afleep; and that when taken hold of, to be awoke by paffengers, the limbs part from the body, and remain in the hand. Such travellers would evidently not have taken thefe tales on hearfay, if they had paid a proper attention to other facts, which they likewife either did or ought to have heard. Daily experience proves, that animals, by turning themselves and preffing their noftrils to the earth, as has been faid, and men, by covering their heads in their mantles, have nothing to fear from thele meteors. This demonftrates the impoffibility that a poison, which can only penetrate the moft delicate parts of the brain or lungs, fhould calcine the skin, flesh, nerves, and bones. acknowlege these accounts are had from the Arabs themselves; but

I

perfidy.

of

Ejays on the Manners various foreign Animals.20 by Kanfaeb was fevere. It was to this Indian, who, from a common feapoy, became commandant of Madura, that I made the voyage during the last war, of which I have spoken in a preceding article. He made himself independent, and, after oppofing the whole force of the English in the Carnatic, till they began to defpair of fuccefs, fell at laft by the cowardly hand of There are other circumstances which will contribute to Spread the principles of tactics, and the military resources of Europe among the Indians: ten or twelve thoufand French deferters, scattered through Indoftan, will help to produce this effect. Hence a plan was propofed in France to shake the power of the English: it was imagined, that all the princes of the peninfula might be stirred against the common enemy, and the means of recruiting their fmall parties have been voluntarily, though indirectly, given them: their chiefs have been encouraged by brevets, military diftinctions, and even by rank as fuperior officers.

I confefs this project, approved of by perfons whofe abilities I refpect, and at firft alfo by many of my best friends, has always appeared to me not only illufory, but dangerous to all future military power of the French in thefe countries. I may be deceived, but this confideration has induced me to infert, in this place, a few circumstances I have formerly had occafion to write on this fubject.

The prefence of the French deferters in India is certainly disagreeable to the English; but the queftion is, whether the hope of a general confederacy among princes of a new date, each folely occupied in establishing individual power, be well founded? or, fuppofing it fo to be, would it originate in the political influence and combination of a hundred French commanders, each living at three, four, and five hundred leagues distance from the other? The Indians, who, by rewards, have drawn them to their service, have not done it to receive their commands, but to profit by their talents, in order to fubjugate their neighbours. But facts are more convincing than differtations.

Every one, who has the leaft knowlege of Indian affairs, knows that the late Salabetzingu, viceroy of Dekan, has almost always had a corps of French troops about his perfon, fent him by the government of Pondicherry: yet M. Buffy, who commanded thofe troops, could never bring him or his counsel to a determination to lead his forces into Bengal or the Carnatic, either directly, or as auxiliaries to the French against the English.

Pondicherry, when attacked at the beginning of the prefent war, would have been faved by the leaft movement of Hyder Ali, and he fuffered it to fall; yet, during the first years of his reign, he received great affiftance from about four hundred French, lent him by government, and devoted to, and

ferving

[ 206 ]

Philofophic Effays on the Manners of various foreign Animals; with Obfervations on the Larus and Customs of feveral eaftern Nations. Written in French by M. Foucher D'Obfonville, and tranflated into English by Thomas Holcroft. 8-v0.

Johnson.

OUR

550

UR author feems to have been both an attentive and an intelligent obferver; fo that, though thefe Effays are

knowlege

often light and defultory, though his of the principles of philosophy, or the fyftems of natural history, is by no means either correct or extenfive, yet we find both inftruction and entertainment from the facts which he has collected. In a military capacity, he has frequently traverfed the peninfula of India, the deferts of Arabia, and other parts of that continent; his philofophical obfervations are therefore frequently mixed with political ones, and defcriptions of the customs of the inhabitants. It is impoffible, nor indeed would it be candid, to try our author's merit by ftatutes with which he was unacquainted; and on this account we fhall not enter on many disputed phyfiological difcuffions, which thefe Effays occafionally fuggeft. The facts were generally observed by himself, or reported on good authority; but there are some of the latter class which we wish had been confirmed by his own observation, as he feems to poffefs both candour and fidelity.

We should have felected his inveftigation of the national character of the Arab, and the influence of cuftom and political changes on it. But the account is by no means exact or difcriminated, and would rather exceed our limits: the following is, in that refpect, lefs exceptionable and more interefting.

6

The English poffeffions in India are, out of measure, be yond their national ftrength. It is not neceffary to examine, if in confining their conquefts to certain limits, the government would have acted more rationally, would have had fewer expences, and greater gains; the ambitious and the defigning muft exercise their talents on vaft furfaces. To acquire and preferve their poffeffions, they have been obliged to maintain and discipline large bodies of feapoys; and hence their fuccefs.

The colour, manners, language, and religion of thefe men, are different; and as their masters have not taken any of thofe precautions which an intelligent forefight would indicate, it be faid, that by opening a new road to abufe and depredation, they have engendered in their bofoms thofe feeds of deftruction which, fooner or later, muft come to maturity. They have already had fome leffons on this head; that given

may

by