Galland, in his French version, are now for the first time cloathed in an European dress.

The son of a powerful Sultan is falsely accused by a concubine, and his father orders him to be put to death. Each of the Viziers, of whom there are seven, relates a story, to prove the artfulness of women, in order to save the prince; while the concubine, as may be supposed, is at no loss to produce seven more tales, to illustrate the craft of man. The mind of the Sultan might have fluctuated between them to this day but a spell, which had imposed silence on the young prince, is broken, and he explains the imposture.-Such is the vehicle for this series of stories; of which "the merchant's wife and her suitors," and the "young merchant," are the two best: but we suspect that it will be found that M. Galland's selection from the Arabian work has been a judicious one.-In the tale of the officer and the merchant's wife, we recognize the story of the Gopi in Hetopadesa; and in that of the ten old men and the decayed rake, we see the foundation of Sir William Jones's poem of the seven fountains.

These tales are followed by anecdotes, a favourite style of composition in the East. The famous Gulistan and Bostan of Shaikh Sadi are collections of anecdotes in prose and verse; and innumerable are the productions of the same sort, by writers of less eminence. They at once diffuse the sublime sentiments of their popular heroes, illustrate particular characters, and convey a general idea of the manners of courts, and the rude jocularity of the vulgar. Feridun, celebrated for his mild beneficence; Nushirvan, for his inflexible justice; and Hatim Taï, for his unbounded generosity; are the usual heroes of these traditionary narratives. Captain Scott has selected those before us from the Tohfet al Mujalis, a work compiled in India about 25 years ago; the Hubbil al Sir has furnished him with some interesting anecdotes of the family of Barmecides, so renowned for their generosity and their misfortunes; while the bons mots of Abid supply him with others of a ludicrous nature. We insert a few specimens of Oriental repartee.

The tyrant Hijaj one day in hunting was separated from his attendants, and meeting with an Arab, addressed him, saying "What sort of a personage is your sovereign?" Cruel, treacherous, bloodthirsty, and adulterous," replied the man. "Dost thou know me?" said the tyrant. "No," rejoined the Arab. "I am Hijaj," answered he. "Dost thou know me ?" said the Arab. "No," was the reply. "Know then, said the Arab, that I am one of the landholders of this desart, and the members of our family are by fatality afflicted with insanity for three days every year; to day is one of them." The tyrant smiled, though hurt, and let the Arab escape, otwithstanding his freedom.'

• A person

A person was found in the streets carrying an empty wine jar. The officer of police commanded him to receive the number of stripes settled by the law to be inflicted on a drunkard. "What is my

fault?" said the man. "Thou hast with thee (replied the officer) the instrument of intoxication." "True, (rejoined the culprit) and I have likewise about me the instrument of adultery; inflict upon me also the punishment of that crime." The officer laughed and let the man go."

The celebrated physician Bezerchemehr used every morning to awaken Nushirvan, and descant much on the benefits of early rising. As he was once going to court, agreeably to custom, before day. light, a thief robbed him of his turban. The emperor enquired the reason of his being bare-headed, and being informed, jeeringly said, "Didst thou not tell me, that the benefits of early rising were numerous? See what has happened to thyself from being up so soon." "The thief (replied the physician) was up before me, and therefore enjoyed the advantage of my doctrine."

A poet wrote an ode in praise of a Turk, who was much pleased, and desired him to come to him on the morrow, when he would give him a certain quantity of grain. The poet, early the next morning, repaired to the house of his patron, with a porter and a large bag. "What dost thou want?" said the Turk. The grain you promised me," replied the poet. "Friend (answered the Turk) you tickled my ears yesterday with a few empty words, and I returned the favour with an empty promise."

A poetical critic said to the celebrated poet Jami, " I have written ninety-nine criticisms on the poems of Hafiz." "God have mercy upon thee, (said Jami) what answer will thou give to God at the last day." A taylor following the army was wounded in the head by an When the surgeon saw the wound, he told his patient, that as the weapon had not touched his brain, there was no doubt of his recovery. The taylor said "if I had possessed any brains, I should not have been there."

arrow.

'An unfortunate beggar went to a miser, and asked for a garment, saying that his object was to have something to remember him by. "My friend," said the miser, "as thy end is to remember me, I shall give thee nothing; for I am sure thou wilt remember a refusal much longer than a gift."

Subjoined to these anecdotes, we find translations of several letters from Aurungzebe to his father Shah Gehan, and to his accomplished sister, the princess Gehanara. We wish that the ingenious translator had published them in their chronological order. Some were written before Aurungzebe mounted the throne; others subsequently to the deposition of his father; and all display, in disgusting colours, the hypocritical pretensions to superior piety, in which that artful prince was accustomed to envelope his insidious designs. We suspect that Captain Scott mistakes in asserting that the degraded Rajahs of Calicut and Mysor are of the same family' with the antient monarchs of Vijanagar,

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Vijanagar. They were tributaries till the overthrow of that empire, but we have reason for doubting their consanguinity; we imagine that they are not even of the same cast.

Captain Scott's merit as a trauslator is too well known to require additional encomium; and we conceive that the nature of his present work will attract, and probably gratify, more than those who have a taste for Oriental literature.

ART. XVII. Letters from Paris, to the Citizens of the United States of America, on the System of Policy hitherto pursued by their Government, relative to their commercial Intercourse with England and France, &c. By Joel Barlow. 8vo. pp. 116. 38. Ridgway. 1800.

TH

"HE voice of this revolutionary Apostle has not been heard for some time; and his pen also seems to have been long at rest. When the present pamphlet appeared, therefore, we were curious to remark what impressions the scenes which he had witnessed in France had made on his mind. We perceive that he still adheres to his cause, and is still the advocate of pure democracy: but the glowing enthusiasm, the bold predictions of the downfall of regal and feudal institutions, and the confident anticipations of republican ascendancy, which marked his earlier labours, appear not in this production. That he feels despondency, we have no doubt: but that he should disclose so many indications of it, was not perhaps to be expected.

In his first letter, he inveighs against the funding system of America, and the military marine recently forming there. He contends that the Americans, in order to have maintained their rights on the capture of their vessels by England, should have confiscated all English property, whether invested in the American funds, or remaining in the hands of individuals. this sort of reprisal, commercial men judge better than speculative writers; and we believe that they are unanimous in considering it as more destructive, than that which is at present established.

Of

The following passage seems to throw some light on the subject of the late rupture between France and America, and to disclose a curious fact with respect to the former country:

I make no exception in the argument on account of the present deplorable rupture with France, because this rupture never would have happened, if we had not first resigned our armour to England; and because the necessary energies and violent convulsions of the revolution have concentrated for a moment all possible powers within the walls of Paris; so that the voice of the commercial towns, the colonies, and the true interests of the nation, are not heard.'

The

The author's second and last letter is dated since the formation of the consulate: but we find him silent on this extraordinary event. He bestows the most liberal praise on the constitution of the American states. According to him, it is a model for nations; and nothing ever matched in wisdom the federal and provincial distributions of political power, which it ordains. Provincial government, it is said, best accomplishes the ends of internal administration, and the federal gives strength with respect to foreign relations. Our readers will recollect how much this doctrine was, at one period, cried down in France, and that it was laid to the charge of the Brissotins as a capital offence, an article of treason. Let us hear what Mr. Barlow says on this subject, when speaking of that country ·

It seems then that the tendency of civilization is to diminish the number of nations, and to increase their size and prosperity. But this kind of progression, as applied to independent nations, is limited by the nature of things. The few men, to whom the government of a state must be confided, cannot extend their knowledge nor multiply their attentions to such a degree as the affairs of a great people would require. France, in her present limits, presents a mass of population and territory sufficient for at least twenty integral and well constituted states. Her legislative body is representative; it is twice as numerous as any legislative body ought to be; and yet it is not the fifth part so numerous as a proper representation of the people would require. It is incumbered with much more business than it can treat with that attention which the business deserves; and yet not half the affairs which are necessary to the people are ever brought up for its deliberation. This republic, for the purposes of interior or local legislation and police, should be organized into about twenty subordinate republics; while, for the purposes of general legislation, ex-, terior relations, defence, commerce, canals, roads, and every common concern, they should remain concentrated in one great union, or community, with a national legislative and executive, restricted in their powers to the simple objects of great national interest; which objects should be defined with the utmost precision in their general constitution.'

This beneficent system of federalizing appears to be the only resource that nature has offered us, at least in the present state of political science, for avoiding at once the two dangerous extremes of having the republic too great for an equitable administration within, or too small for security without. On this principle, if wisely pursued, no confederated republic will be too great, and no member of it too small; as all subjects of jealousy will be done away by the nature of the association. The new republics of Europe must resort to this principle, if they mean to hold the ground they have gained, in changing their feudal for their representative constitutions. Could we flatter ourselves that they would resort to it at the end of the present war, then we might hope to see the moral force of nations take place of their physical force, the civilization of states keep pace with that of individuals,

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individuals, and their commercial relations established on the principles of peace.'

Whether this be one of the constitutions which lie in the "Pigeon holes of the Abbé Sieyes," and of which France will make the trial; or whether it possesses all the advantages which the author ascribes to it; are points on which we shall hazard no conjectures."

The writer states, under six heads, the means by which America is to secure her interior liberty:

1. The public debt must be extinguished.

2. Congress should remove without delay to the federal city; which would have better answered its destination, had it been placed a hundred miles higher on the Potowmac.

3. All possible land and water communications should be opened between the central and the frontier states.

4. A republican direction should be given to the elementary articles of public instruction.

5. The government should so conduct itself, as to induce the gigantic colonies west of the Mississippi, when the time comes at which they shall shake off the dominion of the parent states, to join the American union, on the principle of selfinterest.

6. Never to tolerate a standing army.

The remarks under the fifth head deserve the politician's notice we shall quote a part of them:

It is essential that we should so conduct our own affairs, as to set them such an example of rational liberty and public happiness, as they cannot fail to admire, and must therefore wish to partake.

Our frontier states, which border on theirs, must necessarily entertain an intimate and extensive intercourse with them. Reciprocal migrations and intermarriages will be numerous between them; their commerce will be active; their manners, language, and modes of education will be the same on both sides. The probability is, that if we do not induce them to join themselves to us, they will induce some of our extensive districts to quit us and join with them.

But if at that day the United States should be clear of debt, and should exhibit the singular phenomenon of a wise, impartial, and energetic government, reserving so much power to individual states as shall enable the people to regulate the great mass of their most interesting concerns at home, where they are best understood, and yet continuing a sufficient force in the federal head to ensure at all times the means of giving protection and obtaining respect, there can be no insuperable objection, and there may be a powerful inducement, for those new nations to form their state governments after the model of ours, and to join our confederation.

I am aware of the inconvenience that might arise from the mag nitude of this projected empire; as the colonies in question are spreading

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