impatient for action, breathing nothing but war and blood; yet though fiery, perfectly obedient to their prince; MEN, who, unlike the dainty Moslems, could banquet on any kind of food, wolves, bears, and dogs; MEN able to brave the ris gours of every climate, and soundly slumber on a bed of flint. Mohammed, without terror, heard from his scouts the details of their number and ferocity. He considered these savage hordes as utterly destitute of all true military science, and as unable to stand before the veteran conquerors of Persia, who had triumphed over the bravest nations of Asia, and who themselves amounted to four hundred thousand fighting men, being the flower of the warlike regions dispersed over the domains of this mighty prince, in Iran, Transoxiana, Chorasan, and all the vast frontier of Western India. The terrible concussion of two such immense armies can be better conceived than described. It took place, according to Le Croix, at KARAKU, near Otrar, north of the river Jaxartes, in A. H. 615, or A. D. 1218, a memorable epoch in eastern annals, being the date of the first grand irruption of the Moguls and Tartars into Southern Asia, and with such intense fury did the battle last, that the darkness of the night alone separated the contending armies. The ensuing morn discovered a sight horrible to humanity, one hundred and sixty thousand Charazıians, and a still more numerous body of Moguls, weltering in an ocean of human blood. A dreadful pause ensued; the Charazmian army retired within its lines, where for some days it remained strongly intrenched, to avoid the hazard of surprise from the Moguls, and at length a retreat before so potent and still numerous an enemy was resolved upon, and effected. All the considerable cities and strong holds of Charazm and Transoxiana were powerfully reinforced with fresh troops; and the sultan hoped to retard, at least, if not to weary out, the Mogul emperors, by the length of tedious sieges, and the desultory harassing attacks of a large flying army of horse, of one part of which he took himself the command, and gave the other to his brave son, Gelaleddin, who had gloriously distinguished himself during the late severe engagement. But Gengis had four sons, lions in courage like himself, and these were placed at the head of armies vast in numbers, and ever supplied with fresh recruits from the still overflowing tribes of the north. Opposition from a routed and dispirited army was utterly fruitless. Otrar, though it had been recently strengthened with a body of no less than sixty thousand troops, after a desperate resistance of five months, fell beneath the vigorous assaults of his sons Octai and Zagathai. The subjugation of the other great cities lying on or near the Jaxartes, particularly the celebrated and well fortified city of Cogende, situated in about the latitude of 41 deg. 25 min. was committed to his eldest son Tushi; and it must be owned, that if the besiegers shewed invincible courage in assailing, the besieged, in every snstance, resisted with an ardor and an obstinacy that evinced equal loyalty to their prince, and love of their country. But the due reward of unsuc cessful valour was not allotted to the unfortunate Charazoians by the ungenerous Moguls. After being despoiled of their property, they were generally led forth to be butchered in cold blood, without distinction of either age or sex, by their savage conquerors, who, under the pretext of avenging the outrage and murder at Otrar, seemed to delight in shedding torrents of Mohammedan blood; unconscious of pity, and callous to all remorse." P. 372. The above passage will prove to our readers that the wing of Mr. Maurice's historic muse, for he has more than one that occasion ally attends upon him, does not flag in its progress towards the completion of this arduous undertaking. We repeat our earnest wishes for its success, as it must be a work of heavy expence, as well as great literary toil. There are also interspersed throughout it several plea sant anecdotes, illustrative of Indian habits and manners; and though in general Mr. M. delights in the more dignified style of narration, yet he can occasionally descend to that unadorned and easy language which anecdote requires. The following curious method of liberating an incarcerated father, will not fail to impress the reader with an idea of the ingenuity and spririt of an Indian princess. "The prince of Chitor, who had been prisoner since the emperor took that place, found in the mean time means to make his escape, in a very extraordinary manner. Alla, having heard extravagant things in praise of the beauty and accomplishments of one of the rajah's daughters, told him that if he would send her, he should, upon her account, be released. The rajah, who was very ill treated in his confinement, consented, and sent for his daughter, with a manifest design to prostitute her to the king. The prince's family, hearing this dishonourable proposal, concerted means of poisoning the rajah, to save their own reputation. But the daughter, being a girl of invention, proposed a stratagem to release her father, and at the same time to preserve her own honour. She accordingly wrote to her father, to give notice, that she was coming, with all her attendants, and would be at Delhi upon a certain day, acquainting him with the part she intended to act. Her contrivance was this: She selected a number of enterprising fellows, who, in complete armour, concealed themselves in doolies, or close chairs, in which the women are always carried; she provided for them a chosen retinue of horse and foot, as customary to guard ladies of rank. She herself, by this time, had, by her father's means, received the imperial passport, and the whole cavalcade proceeded to Delhi, and were admitted without interruption. It was now night, and, by the king's order, they were permitted to see the rajah. The chairs being carried into the prison, and the attendants having taken their stations without; the armed men started out of their chairs, and putting all to the sword within the courts, carried the rajah out, and, having horses prepared for him, he mounted, and, with his attendants, rushed out of the city before any opposition could be made, and fed to his own country, Page 460. After these, and our former extracts, we think we may conscientiously say, that the historian of modern India has not wanted whatsoever might be in our power to propagate his just fame, and promote his excellent work. We particularly recommend his map of modern India, as one of the best executed by that most accurate geographer ARROWSMITH, and we will not permit ourselves to doubt that abilities thus strenuously exerted by two persons of such distinguished attainments, will secure at once the highest credit to themselves, and eventual emolument. An Essay on Abstinence from Animal Food, as a moral Duty. By Joseph Ritson. pp. 236. 1802. HOWEVER much opposed the doctrine of any teacher may be to the long-established custom and prevailing opinion of his countrymen, yet when we find him not only supporting his proposition with arguments full of weight and persuasion, but actually practising himself what he preaches to others, we are in justice bound to confess that he deserves a candid hearing, and, as far as it is possible on such a subject as the present, an unprejudiced consideration. That the author of this essay, and its publisher also, have long confined themselves to a vegetable diet, we have the authority of Mr. Ritson to affirm, who, at p. 201, thus expresses himself: "Mister Richard Phillips, the publisher of this compilation, a lusty, healthy, active, and wel-looking man, has desisted from animal food for upward of twenty years: and the compileër himself, induce'd to serious reflection by the perusal of Mandeville's Fable of the Bees, in the year 1772, being the nineteenth year of his age, has ever since, to the reviseal, of this sheet, firmly adhere'd to a milk and vegetable diet, haveing at least never tasted, dureing the whole course of those thirty years, a morsel of flesh, fish, or fowl, or any thing, to his knowlege, prepare'd in or with those substancëës, or any extract thereof, unless, on one occasion, when tempted, by wet, cold, and hunger, in the south of Scotland, he venture'd to eat a few potatos, dress'd under the roast; nothing, less repugnant to his feelings, being to be had; or except by ignorance or imposition; unless, it may be, in eating egs, which, however, deprives no animal of life, though it may prevent some from comeing into the world, to be murder'd and devour'd by others." In the conduct of this Essay, Mr. R. has given proof of very extensive and various reading and research. His different postulata are upheld by numerous experience, both ancient and modern. Voyages and travels, of all descriptions, and every work tending to elucidate or confirm, have been consulted and ransacked-from Aristotle and Porphyry to the "Secret History of the Green Room," and the "Children's Friend." We have room for but few extracts; however, we cannot refrain from making one or two, from this very ingenious compilation. "I ask'd the Bramin," says a Danish misfionary, "if he thought it unlaw. ful to eat fish or flesh. He replied that nature has plentifully provideëd us with other food, so that we have no need of eating our fellow creatures; and 'tis writen in our law, that these very creatures, if devoured by men in this, will be their tormentors in the next world, biteing and tearing them with their teeth, or trampleing them underfoot: and because you Europeans drink strong liquors, and kil and eat your fellow creatures, enduced with five sensees as wel as your selves, i confess we have an inbred aversion for you, and all that belongs. to you," p. 213. We have afterwards, at p. 220-1, some pointed remarks from Tryon : "Consider," says he, " how unpleaseing it would be to most people, to be hold the dead carcasees of beasts cut into pieces, and mangle'd, and all bloody? and how nauseous and frightful a thing it would be to think of puting those begore'd gobbets into our mouths, and feeding ourselves thereon, did not continual use and custom make it familiar." "Is there any comparison to be made between a herb-market and a fleshmarket? In one a thousand pieceës of the dead carcaseës of various creatures lye stinking, the chanels runing with blood, and all the placeës ful of excrements, ordure, garbage, grease, and filthiness, sending forth dismal, poisonous scents, enough to corrupt the very air. In the other, you have delicate fruits, of most excellent tastes, wholesome medicinal herbs, savoury grains, and most beautiful fragrant flowers, whose various scents, colour, &c. make at once a banquet to all the sensees, and refresh the very souls of such as pass through them, and perfume all the circumambient air with redolent exhalations. This was. the place and food ordained for mankind in the begining." This volume will, we have no doubt, be often taken up with a smile of ridicule, yet we should not be surprised to hear that many, after the perusal of it, were found in the situation of him who came to mock, but stayed to pray. We know that, according to the old Greek proverb, "the belly has no ears;" but though it can find none for the complaints of humanity, or the sufferings of brute ani mals, it may perhaps discover some sufficiently quick to hear the warnings arising from a little reflection, that relate to the misery likely to be produced in another animal, called man, by an indul gence in that kind of food, which so frequently occasions indiges tion, with all its horrible train of torture and disease. The reader must, in our citations, have noticed some of Mr. R.'s singular spelling, which, though he may be able to defend, we cannot approve. If use is the norma loquendi, we can see no reason why it should not also be the norma scribendi. But Mr. R. is not content with playing these "fantastic tricks" with his own composition alone, but he must needs make his spelling book a bed of Procrustes, on which he places all the words of strangers, stretching or lopping off, until they square with his rule. Surely, as Sir Hugh would justly observe, "this is all affectations." The Essay before us acquires strength from being principally a compilation; inasmuch as a compilation of facts, upon a subject like this, deserves more regard and cool deliberation than any work of imagination, however plausible and beautiful. To have been a compiler, therefore, in this instance, is, in our opinion, no disgrace, but a most especial merit. 3- L. XIV. I We may now say of this publication, which has afforded us much pleasure, and some serious thought, that, whether it be read either for the purpose of conviction or of amusement, it will be found equally to possess the power of satisfaction. RHYME and REASON; short and original Poems. pp. 152. 12mo. 1803. He hopes that his FAMILIAR style, May (with decorum) raise a smile : AND, if our opinion be worth any thing, he will not hope in vain. On reading the title of this little work, we indeed thought (to use a vulgar saying) that the news was too good to be true; but we were very agreeably deceived, by finding not only " Rhyme and Reason" marching hand in hand, but marching in the amiable company of sportive Humour and inoffensive Satire. We understand the poet's name to be the Rev. P. Smyth, of Oxford, to whom, as he has afforded us pleasure, we feel bound to make some return; and have, therefore, according to his desire, given “ a ver dict in a crack." Translations of German Poems, extracted from the Musical Publica tions of the Author of the German Erato, Berlin. pp. 199. 12mo. 1801. THESE translations, printed collaterally with the originals, are intended by the author as vehicles to some of the best German melodies, which he imagined might not prove an unacceptable present to the lovers of music in his own country. The versions are in ge neral correct, and possess often a considerable share of spirit. The nature of a German Muse bat poorly accords with name, Mr. Frölich, and considering it as a misnomer, we should much like, for the sake of consistency, to transfer it of Rhyme and Reason, who might, with great justice and be called The Rev. Mr Frölich. our translator's the author propriety, ractical Mr. P. A. F. C. Kollmann's Vindication of a Passage in his P AleWE have seen and heard much of this quarrel between Twee dum and Tweedle-dee, which strongly reminds us of Voltaire's d pute between the Indian and the Arabian, about the manner in which the world was supported. The Indian contended that it was borne by an elephant, which greatly enraged the Arabian, who, after calling his opponent a fool and a blockhead, swore that it was |