and he can exert a great deal when a favourite hypothesis is to be defended, we ftill think the whole a fable, invented by Marcolini, and fwallowed by Ramufio.

XIII. The Voyage of Pietro Quirini, a Venetian nobleman, a merchant, and the mafter of a fhip; who failed from the ifland of Candia, in 1431, for Flanders, and was driven by a violent gale of wind, which blew from the fouth-weft, down St. George's Channel, and cross the German Ocean, and fhipwrecked him on one of the numerous islands bounding the western coaft of Norway. The diftrefs which they fuffered would almost have been incredible if we had not, in our own times, feen human nature fupport itself under fimilar hardships in the perfons of Captain Cheap, the late Admiral Byron, and their companions, on the weft coaft of South America, after they had been fhipwrecked in the Wager, one of Lord Anson's squadron, in 1741. Our blood ran cold while we were reading the hiftory of the accumulated diftreffes of thefe poor unhappy wretches. Out of 68 people, which compofed the crew of this veffel, only 11 returned to Venice, though all of them were landed alive on the island on which the ship was wrecked.

This chapter concludes with a general view of the ftate of affairs in Europe at the period when the voyages, treated of in it, were undertaken; and fome ftrictures, and remarks, I. On the Andanicum, or steel, mentioned by Macco Polo, in his account of the province of Chinchintalas. II. On the country where the rhubarb is found; and the methods of cultivating and preferving it. III. On fome remains of the Gothic people and language, faid to be yet exifting in the Crimea.

Having already extended this article to a confiderable length; and it appearing to us that we fhall have much to fay on the third book, which contains materials as ample as thofe of the two first; we shall defer the confideration of it to a future opportunity.

[To be continued.]

ART. XXI.

Appendix to the Memoirs of Baron de Tott; containing an Answer to the Remarks of M. de Peyffonnel, by M. Ruffin: An hiftorical Memoir concerning the Drufes, a People inhabiting Mount Lebanon; and a Catechifm and various Extracts from their facred Books; which together form a moft curious and interefting Accout of this extraordinary People. Tranflated from Drufcan Manufcripts by M. Venture de Paradis; and from the French by an English Gentleman at Paris. 8vo. 3s. fewed. Robinsons. 1786.

He is ftyled by Baron de Tott, in a letter addreffed to him on the fubject of the memoirs, Secretary Interpreter of the King of

France,

the service of the Porte, has here undertaken a vindication of that gentleman, and his writings, in answer to the strictures of Monfieur de Peyfonnel *.

This critic, according to M. Ruffin, has put a very wrong conftruction on feveral paffages in the Baron's work, particularly where he accufes him of having contradicted himfelf, becaufe he (M. de Tott) had afferted in one part of his performance, that "a knowledge of the Turkish language is acquired with difficulty by all perfons, and even by the Turks themfelves;" while in another part he confeffes, that "with the affiftance of a Perfian mafter, who was continually drunk with opium and brandy, he, in a little time, was able to hold a converfation in it without the aid of an interpreter." But this latter affertion, replies his defender, fhould by no means be confidered as a contradiction of the former, unless indeed the Baron had boafted that he had learned to read-whereas he has only faid, that he had fo far fucceeded as to make himself underftood in Speaking. Nothing (fays Mr. Ruffin) is more eafy than to converle in Turkifh. This language has only one gender, one declenfion, and one conjugation. Pure and unmixed with the Arabic and Perfic, it is by no means extenfive. Its fyntax is fhort; its rules are few, and invariable.'—' But reading,' continues he, is a very different matter. In all their writings the Turks endeavour to remedy the poverty of their language by the entire adoption of the Arabic and Perfic; and the contrivance of five alphabets, the choice of the different characters of which is neverthelefs left to the writer,' &c. This very fufficiently explains what we too had deemed an inconfiftency †, from our ignorance of the language in question. Not one Turk is to be found in our corps.

The Baron candidly acknowledges, that he has fallen into a miftake or two refpecting the genealogy of the Ottoman princes ; and our Author pertinently afks, where we are to look for the man who is infallible?

The other criticisms of Monfieur de Peyfonnel are likewife. ably replied to; but our limits will not allow us to particularize them. We muft pafs to the memoir concerning the Drufes.

M. Venture de Paradis § has here prefented to the world an

France, for oriental languages, at the court and library of his Majefty Profeffor of the Turkish and Perfian languages, at the Royal College: late Drogman at the Porte; and Conful of the King refiding with the Khan of the Tartars."

*For the Strictures, &c. fee Review for Sept. laft, p. 234. + See Appendix, vol. xxiii. p. 533.

See his letter to M. Rufiin, prefixed to the prefent performance. Secretary Interpreter of oriental languages to his moll Chriftian Majesty, and many years his refident among the Drufes.'

APP. Rev. Vol. LXXVI,

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account

account of a people very little known, but whofe history is not uninteresting.

The Drufes refide on the mountains known by the names of Lebanon and Antilebanon. The country they poffefs is held in fief: one part from the government of Sidon, and the other from that of Damafcus. A prince to whom they give the title of Emir, occupies the firft ftation in quality of lord paramount, but his power is extremely limited and confined; it extends not to the making of new laws, or of overawing the people. He is refponfible, however, to the Porte for the miri*, or tribute of the mountain, and is therefore careful to exact the payment of it. This tribute is affeffed with equity on all the poffeffors of lands.

The Drufes derive their principal riches from their mulberry trees, which are every where cultivated with the greatest fuccefs, and for the purpofe of feeding the filk worm. The produce of filk is faid to be fufficient to pay the miri to the Grand Signior, to purchase rice and linens from Egypt, which are abfolute neceffaries; and to procure to the people the feveral articles of pleasure and convenience with which they are supplied by, the French.

"The Drufes hold in equal deteftation the principles of Mahometanifm and Chriftianity. The religion of this people (fays our Author) is an enigma difficult to explain; they keep their doctrines a mott profound fecret. Their facred books are preferved with the moft fcrupulous punctuality; they are even buried under ground; and the explication of their myfteries is known only to a fmall number of their wife men.' Like the Bramins, however, they believe in the metempfychofis. But according to their fyftem, the tranfmigration of the fouls of reasonable beings has no relation to thofe of animals, the fate of which is wholly diftinét. They are of opinion that the foul of a Drufe, who dies in ignorance and libertinifm, paffes into the body of a man deftined to live in indigence and humility; and that the foul of a perfevering fpiritualift, whom they hold in particular refpect, enters into that of an Emir, a Chick, or a rich husbandman, in expectation that the next and last appearance

* About eighteen thousand pounds fterling, for the district of Sidon only.

+ One hundred bales of white filk, of one hundred and fifty pounds weight each, are annually exported to France. Egypt takes two thousand bales; and the reft, which may be estimated at about one thousand two hundred, are employed in the manufactures of Damafcus and Aleppo. Every bale, one with the other, is worth at las fixty guineas.

In other particulars, fuch as their domeftic manners, drefs, &c. greatly refemble Turks.

of

of God and the Prophet will recompence him in a more glo

rious manner.

This people are remarkable for their love of liberty, and for the care they have taken to preferve it, though furrounded by tyranny and oppreffion. We fhall felect two or three paffages from Monfieur V. de P.'s book, which will bring our Readers acquainted, in fome degree, with the ancient as well as prefent ftate of Lebanon.

When harmony and concord reign in thefe mountains, the Drufes are in a condition to make them felves refpected. They have often refifted, with vigour, the united forces of the Pachas of Damafcus, of Tripoli, and of Sidon, leagued against them by command of the Porte. They had, about one hundred and fifty years fince, an emir named Fakreddin, who rendered himself famous by the wars in which he engaged against the Ottoman empire. The poffeflions of the Drufes under his reign were more extenfive than they are at prefent. This Emir had the addrefs to obtain from the Porte the government of all the maritime coaft, extending from Latichea to Joppa; and perhaps he would have accomplished his defign of throwing off the Ottoman yoke, and rendering himself independent, had he put lefs confidence in the auxiliary troops in his pay, and taken care to improve the valour and warlike fpirit of his own people. Defertion and treafon made him lofe by degrees all the low country, and reduced his dominions to their present limits. The Drufian people, fubjugated by these foreign troops, without energy, and without vigour, declined to the most abject condition; and Fakreddin, without refource to repair his misfortunes, purfued by his victorious enemies, was obliged to take shelter in a cave, and at laft was betrayed and delivered to the Turks, who beheaded him at Conftantinople, in the reign of Amurath the Fourth. It was this Emir who, during the long quarrels with the Porte, deftroyed all the fea-ports of Syria, to prevent the Turkish gallies from landing there.

The Emir Juffef has held the fovereignty of the mountain for about ten years. He is forty years of age, and had raised the higheft expectations before the death of his uncle Man four, who having only two children, idiots, incapable of reigning, lodged in his hands the fovereign power. But he has not fuftained the idea which had been conceived of his courage and talents. During his reign, the Drufes have loft much of that confideration they enjoyed in Syria; and fuffering the Pacha of Sidon to feize the government of Baruth, which was become the appanage of the reigning prince, he is loaded with fhame and ignominy."

For about forty years the Emir at the head of the nation had farmed, of the Pacha of Sidon, for one hundred and fifty purses * a-year, the customs and government of Baruth, which is the only harbour of Lebanon. It was, in fact, his own property, and not included in the general farm of the mountain. The weakness or cowardice of the prefent Emir, about three years fince, deprived him

* Eight thousand pounds fterling,

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of

of this fine government. The Pacha feized it, and established a diftinct governor there, with the title of Maffellem. The fear of his tyranny has obliged all the rich merchants who dwelt there to retire to the mountains of Kefroan and Lebanon, where they live fecure from his oppreffions, waiting fome favourable revolution which may permit them to return to their abandoned habitations, and restore their commerce to its former activity.'

The ftrength of this nation is confiderable, as will be seen by the following extract:

The Drufes are a very numerous people; the tranquillity which they enjoy, joined to the beauty and temperature of their climate, attract in crowds the Chriftians of Syria, who fly from the tyranny of the Pachas. This nation can with ease raise fifty thoufand men, tolerably capable of undertaking the defence of their mountains and defiles. But this militia, affembled in hafte, and without difcipline, never atchieved any thing glorious when they left their mountains to defcend into the plains, where the little order they obferve gives too great an advantage to the cavalry of their enemies.

These armies are never any expence to the Emir; either the hope of pillage engages them to follow their leaders, or critical circumftances, fuch as the danger of the ftate, induce them to take up arms for the defence of their country. They then convoke the general affembly of the ftate: every Chick, whether Drufe or Chriftian, is obliged to repair to the rendezvous, at the head of the young men of their respective villages. The chiefs only are on horseback. Every one comes armed with a mufket, a battle-axe, a fabre, and a pair of piftols; and it is understood that he is to furnish himself with powder, ball, and provifions. They encamp in the defiles, through which the enemy may penetrate, and have a great advantage by the agility with which they climb the mountains, and their knowledge of the paths and remote paffes. Their provifions are but little incumbrance; they confift of bread and cheese only, which every foldier carries in a fmall leather bag hung to his fide.'

The proclamation iffued by them on the approach of an enemy, breathes much of the ancient Roman fpirit and valour. Heralds are fent to all the villages, in which they cry,-" Honour calls you. He who haftens not at the found of his voice is a man without honour." At this, all the women in the village aflemble in the market-place; and to encourage the young men

Their origin is not certainly known. Monfieur Puget de St. Pierre, who published in 1763 a book intitled, The History of the Drufes, a people of Mount Lebanon,' fuppofes that they are defcended from the first French troops which Godfrey of Bouillon carried with him to the conqueft of the Holy Land; and that they derive their name from the Count of Dreux. This idea is combated by Monfieur V. de P. though he has very little to offer in fupport of a contrary opinion.

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