the thieves, they assert, was made to personate him.

Finally, the Mohammedan religion recommends toleration; and all liberalMohammedans insist that every man ought to worship God according to the law of his forefathers. If it pleased God," say they, "all men would believe; why then should a worm, a wretched mortal, be so foolish as to pretend to force other men to believe? The soul believes only by the will of God; these are the true principles of Mohammedans.

It must, however, be observed, that the pinciples here laid down are not always the rule of action, any more than the sublime truths inculcated by the Christian religion, are altogether acted upon by its professors.

Nature and Effects of a peculiar species of Plague which depopulated West Barbary in 1799 and 1800. [From the same.}

From various circumstances and appearances, and from the character of the epidemical distemper, which raged lately in the south of Spain, there is every reason to suppose it was similar to that distemper or plague which depopulated West Barbary; for whether we call it by the more reconcileable apellation of the epidemy, or yellow fever, it was undoubtedly a plague, and a most destructive one, for wherever it prevailed, it invariably carried off, in a few months, one-half, or one-third, of the population.

It does not appear how the plague originated in Fas in the year

1799. Some persons who were there at the time it broke out have confidently ascribed it to infected merchandize imported into that place from the east; whilst others. of equal veracity and judgment, have not scrupled to ascribe it to the locusts which had infested West Barbary during the seven preceding years, the destruction of which was followed by the (jedrie) smallpox, which pervaded the country, and was generally fatal. The jedrie is supposed to be the fore-runner of this species of epidemy, as appears by an ancient Arabic manuscript, which gives an account of the same disorder having carried off two-thirds of the inhabitants of West Barbary about four centuries since. But however this destructive epidemy originated, its leading features were novel, and its consequences more dreadful, than the common plague of Turkey, or that of Syria or Egypt, as will appear by the following observations:

In the month of April, 1799, a plague of a most destructive nature manifested itself in the city of Old Faz, which soon after communicated itself to the new city, carrying off one or two the first day, three or four the second day, six or eight the third day, and increasing progressively until the mortality amounted to two in the hundred of the aggregate population, continuing, with unabated violence, ten, fifteen, or twenty days: being of longer duration in old than in new towns; then diminishing in a progressive proportion from one thousand a day to nine hundred, then to eight hundred, and so on, until it disappeared.

subsided, we beheld a general alteration in the fortunes and circumstances of men; we saw persons who, before the plague, were common labourers, now in possession of thousands, and keeping horses without knowing how to ride them, parties of this description were met wherever we went, and the men of family called them in derision (el wurata) the inheritors. Provisions also became extremely cheap and abundant; the flocks and herds had been left in the fields, and there was now no one to own them; and the propensity to plunder so notoriously attached to the character of the Arab, as well as to the Shellue and Moor, was superseded by a conscientious regard to justice, originating from a continual apprehension of dissolution, and that the El khere, as the plague was now called was a judgment of the Omnipotent on the disobedience of man, and that it behoved every individual to amend his conduct, as a preparation to his departure for Paradise.

The expense of labour at the same time increased enormously, and never was equality in the human species more conspicuous than at this time; when corn was to be ground, or bread baked, both were performed in the houses of the affluent, and prepared by themselves, for the very few people whom the plague had spared, were insufficient to administer to the wants of the rich and independent, and they were accordingly compelled to work for themselves, performing personally the menial offices of their respective families.

The country being now depopulated, and much of the territory

without owners, vast tribes of Arabs emigrated from their abodes in the interior of Sahara, and took possession of the country contiguous to the river Draha, as well as many districts in Suse; and, in short, settling themselves, and pitching their tents wherever they found a fertile country with little or no population.

A Week in Paris. By Lieut. Col. Pinkney. [From the Universal Magazine.]

There is no place in the world, perhaps, more distinguished for literary eminence, in every part of art and science, than Paris. The lite rary institutions of Paris, therefore, were the objects of my first visit. Every capital has its theatres, public gardens, and palaces; but Paris alone has its public libraries on a scale of equal utility and magnificence. In Paris alone, science seems to be considered as an object of importance to mankind, and therefore as a suitable object for the protection of government. In Paris alone, to say all in a word, the poorest student, the most ragged philosopher, has all the treasures of princes at his command; the national library opens at his call, and the most expensive books are delivered for his use.

On the morning following my arrival, Mr. Younge accompanied me to the national library. On entering it, we ascended a most superb staircase painted by Pellegrine, by which we were led to the library on the first floor. It consists of a suit of spacious and magnificent apartments, extending round three sides of a quadrangle. The books are

ranged

ranged round the sides, according to the order of the respective subjects, and are said to amount to nearly half a million. Each division has an attending librarian, of whom every one may require the book he wishes, and which is immediately delivered to him. Being themselves gentlemen, there is no apprehension that they will accept any pecuniary remuneration; but there is likewise a strict order that no money shall be given to any of the inferior attendants. There are tables and chairs in numbers, and nothing seemed neglected, which could conduce even to the comfort of the readers.

The most complete department of the library is that of the manuscripts. This collection amounts to nearly fifty thousand volumes. and amongst them innumerable letters, and even treatises, by the early kings of France. A manuscript is shown as written by Louis the Fourteenth; it is intitled, "Memoirs of his own Time, written by the King himself." I much doubt, however, the authenticity of this production. Louis the Fourteenth had other more immediate concerns than writing the history of France. France is full of these literary forgeries. Every king of France, if the titles of the books may be received as a proof of their authenticity, has not only written his life, but written it like a philosopher and historian, candidly confessing his errors and abusing his ministers,

The second floor of the building contains the genealogies of the French families. They are deposited in boxes, which are labelled with the several family names. They are considered as public re

cords, and are only producible in courts of justice, in order to determine the titles to real property. No one is allowed to copy them, except by the most special permission, which is never granted but to historiographers of established name and reputation. The cabinet of antiques is stated to be very rich, and, to judge by appearances, is not inferior to its reputation. The collection was made by Caylus. It chiefly consists of vases, busts, and articles of domestic use amongst the Romans. The greater part of them have been already copied as models, in the ornamenting of furniture, by the Parisian artists. This fashion indeed is carried almost to a mania. Every thing must be Greek and Roman, without any reference to nature or propriety. For example, what could be so absurd as the natural realization of some of these capricious ornaments? What lady would choose to sleep in a bed, up the pillars of which serpents were crawling? Yet is such a realization the only criterion of taste and propriety.

The cabinet of engravings detained us nearly two hours. The portfeuilles containing the prints are distributed into twelve classes. Some of these divisions invited us to a minute inspection. Such was the class containing the French fashions from the age of Clovis to Louis the Sixteenth. In another class was the costume of every nation in the world; in a third, portraits of eminent persons of all ages and nations, and in a fourth, a collection of prints relating to pub lic festivals, cavalcades, tournaments, coronations, royal funerals, &c. France is the only kingdom

in the world which possesses a treasure like this, and which knows how to estimate it at its proper value.

From the national library we drove to the Athenée, a library and lecture institution, supported by voluntary subscription. It is much of the same nature as an institution of a similar kind in London, termed the British Institute; but the French Athenæum has infinitely the advantage. The subscription is cheaper, being about four Louis annually, and the lectures are more elegant, if not more scientific. There are usually three lectures daily; the first on sciences, and the other two on belles lettres. The lecture on science is considered as very able, but those on the belles lettres were merely suited, as I understood, to French frivolity. The rooms were so full as to render our stay unpleasant, and we thereby lost an anatomy lecture, which was about to commence. I should not forget to mention, that all the Parisian journals and magazines, and many of the German periodical works, were lying on the tables, and the library seemed altogether as completed as it was comfortable. The subscribers are numerous, and the institution itself in fashion. How long it will so last, no one will venture to predict.

The library of the Pantheon and that of the Institute finished our morning's occupation. They are both on the same scale and nearly on the same general plan as the national library. The library of the Institute, however, is only open to foreigners and the members of the Institute. The Institute holds its sitting every month, and, according to all report, is then fri

volous enough. I had not an opportunity of being present at one of these sittings, but, from what I heard, I did not much regret my disappointment.

We returned home to dress for dinner. Mr. Younge informed me, that he expected a very large party in the evening, chiefly French; and as his lady herself was a French woman, and had arranged her domestic establishment accordingly, I felt some curiosity.

About eight, or nearer nine, Mr. Younge and myself, with two or three other of the dinner company, were summoned up to the drawingroom. The summons itself had something peculiar. The doors of the parlour, which were folding, were thrown open, and two female attendants, dressed like vestals, and holding torches of white wax, summoned usby a low curtsey, and preceded us up the great staircase to the doors of the antichamber, where they made another salutation, and took their station on each side. The antichamber was filled with servants, who were seated on benches fixed to the wall, but who did not rise on our entry. Some of them were even playing at cards, others at dominos, and all of them seemed perfectly at their ease. The anti-chamber opened by an arched door-way into an handsome room, lighted by a chandelier of the most brilliant cut glass; the pannels of the room were very tastily painted, and the glasses on cach side very large, and in magnificent frames. The further extremity of this room opened by folding doors, into the principal drawing-room, where the company were collected. It was brilliantly lighted, as well

by