Ejufdem Hiftoria Africa et Occidentis. Hiftoria de Regibus Beni Zian, ex Familiâ Edriffitarum, Auc tore Muhammed-Abdal-Giali. Ahmed-Ben-Muhammed-el Mogrebi Hifloria Hifpania, prime partis, volumen fecundum. Ebu-cl-Kautir, De redactis in Arabum Poteftatem Hifpanis. Hifteria Lenazzedini Viziri ultimorum Granata Regum, ex Familia el Ahmar. Hifloria Univerfalis Chehabbeddin-Ahmed-Al-Mokri-Al-Fafli. Hiftoria Compendium, Auctore Ibn-Khaldouh. Luna refplendentes Marocci, Autore Abdalla-Ebn-Batata. Hifloria Califarum ac Regum Arabum in Hifpania ufque ad Annum Hegira 765, Auctore Ben-Abdallah-el-Khateb-el-Muful man-ni-el- Kortoubi. Hiftoria Univerfalis Abou-Djaferi-Muhammed-Ben-Harir-elTabari. Roderici Toletani Epifcopi Hiftoria. Joannis Marianæ Hifpani e Societate Jefu, Hiftoria de Rebus Hifpanis. Leonis Africani Defcriptio Africa. Bibliotheque Orientale de D'Herbelot. There is fcarcely a more interefting event in the European hiftory, than that of the celebrated victory which Charles Martel obtained over Abdoulrahman Elgafiki the ambitious governor of Spain: yet our Hiftorian has not given us fo ample or fo fatisfactory an account of it as the importance of the fubject required; he feems, however, to have been very fenfible of that importance, and, poffibly, he collected all the lights that his refources would afford him. Abdoulrahman was appointed governor of Spain in the year of the Hegira 113, A. D. 730.-He had been trained to arms from his infancy; war was his delight; and he profecuted it with the greater eagernefs, as it was the only means of gratifying his unbounded ambition. He no fooner found himself at the head of the Spanish forces, than he projected the conqueft of France, and nothing but the confummate fkill and valour of Charles Martel could have prevented its fuccefs. After having tafted the fweets of conqueft in fubduing the pride of a rival Arab, he croffed the Pyrenees, and laid fiege to Arles. Eudes Earl of Aquitaine came to the relief of that town, but was met by Abdoulrahman and put to flight. This victory inflamed the courage and ambition of the Arab, and he propofed to himself nothing less than the reduction of France. He therefore marched to the right, and traverfing great part of Gaul, he paffed into Aquitaine, and poffeffed himself of Bourdeaux. The earl, who had levied fresh forces, in vain endeavoured to oppose nt; he fuffered a second defeat; and this new.fuccefs Lerved only to confirm Abdoulrahman in the pursuit of his project. He paffed through Perigord, Saintonge, and Poitou, with fire and fword, deftroying every town in his way, and pillaging and burning churches. At length he arrived at Tours, which was threatened with the fame fate, when the twice-defeated earl implored the fuccours of Charles Martel. That prince, having just reason to be alarmed at the common danger, marched against the Arabs with a large army. He paffed the Loire, and encamped on the banks of that river, for fear of being furrounded by the enemy. The two armies, after fome days of obfervation on either party, came to battle. Both fides fought with equal fury. The reward of victory to the Arabs was the conqueft of France; and, if Charles were conquered, every ambitious project he had formed would vanish at once. Victory was a long time in fufpence, but at last declared in favour of the French. Three hundred and fixty-five thoufand Arabs, if any credit may be given to cotemporary hiftorians, were left dead upon the field. Abdoulrahman himself was in the number of the flain, and mankind was fet free from the fatal effects of his ambition. The Earl of Acquitaine contributed not a little to the victory, while with his light troops he harraffed the enemy in the rear, and threw their ranks into confufion. The camp of the Arabs was given up to plunder, and immenfe riches, the fpoils of the provinces through which they had paffed, became the property of the conquerors. Such of the fugitives as efcaped the fword retired into Narbonese Gaul. The caliph, chagrined at the lofs of his governor and the defeat of his people, commanded fucceeding go⚫vernors to retrieve the honour of the Arabic arms. But they were ftill defeated by the valour of Charles; and foon after their own inteftine broils left the Chriftians at reft. It is impoffible to read without horror the accounts of thofe innumerable battles that were fought between the Arabs and their provincials on the continent of Africa. The latter, when oppreffed by the iniquity of the caliph's viceroys, frequently threw off the yoke, and their reduction to their former fervitude was always attended with the moft dreadful carnage. Yet had not the ever-warring and reftlefs genius of the Arabs been occupied by civil diffentions and mutinies within their original and acquired dominions, they would have enflaved the whole Chriftian world; and would not by any means have wanted a reasonable pretence for it; while the Chriftians were fo indifcreet as to take advantage of their civil commotions, in order to harrass their out lying territories, and to difpoffefs them of what they had obtained by conqueft, not of Chriftians, but of other barbarous nations. Hence the fhameful havoc of what were profanely called the Holy Wars, and that prodigious ef Kk 3 fufion fufion of blood, on principles that were excited by avarice, and abetted by fuperftition Of the eaftern caliphs that governed in Spain, none was more diftinguished for valour, policy and magnificence, than Abdoul rahman III. Though he was continually involved in war, the fumptuous fplendour of his court and his edifices was fuperior to any thing the world had feen before. He built a new city at the diftance of about three miles from Corduba, which he called Zehra, the name of a favourite female-flave. Here likewife he erected a palace, the grandeur and beauty of which could hardly be equalled. It was built by one of the most skilful architects in Conftantinople, which city was at that time (about the middle of the tenth century) the feat of the fciences and the fine arts. In this palace were a thousand and fourteen columns of Spanish and African marble, nineteen of Italian marble, and an hundred and twenty, fent by the Greek emperor, of extraordinary beauty. The faloon, called the caliph's faloon, was rich beyond expreffion. The walls were of the finest marble, and the ornaments of pure gold. In the middle of the faloon was a marble bafon, furrounded with various figures of birds and beafts that threw up the water. All thefe figures were of gold, and adorned with pearls and all kinds of precious ftones. The bafon itfelf was made at Conftantinople, and the figures executed by the ableft artifts there. Above it hung the famous pearl which the Emperor Lco fent to Abdoulrahman. The other apartments of this palace were proportionably fuperb, and equally expreffed the taste and magnificence of their mafter. In the middle of the royal gardens ftood a grand pavilion, where the caliph fed to repofe after the fatigues of hunting. It was fupported by pillars of the whiteft marble. The ceiling fparkled with the united fplendours of gold, polifhed fteel, and precious ftones; but the most extraordinary thing about it was a bafon, filled with waves of quickfilver inftead of water, which, when the fun fhone upon it, produced fuch a brightnefs as the eye could not bear to look upon. Yet notwithstanding this profufion of beauty and magnificence, Abdoulrahman was far from being happy, as will appear from the following curious memorial, which was written by himfelf, and found after his death: From the first moment of my reign to the prefent time, I have kept an exact account of thofe days in which I enjoyed true and unmixed pleafure; and I find that the number does not exceed 14;-mortals! confider what this world is, and what value one should set upon the pleasures that it offers.Nothing feemed to be wanting to v felicity; I had wealth, honours, and, to fay all in one 1. fovereign power.-Feared and respected by cotemporary 5 princes princes, who envied my happinefs, were jealous of my glory, and courted my friendship. Fifty years have paffed fince I afcended the throne, and in that long fpace of time, it is with difficulty I can make out fourteen days, whofe courfe was uninterrupted by any infelicity.' Several of the caliphs were men of great capacity as well as valour, and teftified the most confummate skill in the conduct of their affairs. Amongst thefe may be reckoned Mohammed Emir, who fupported himself on his throne against innumerable difficulties. When this prince was walking one day in his gardens with one of his courtiers, the latter, looking around him, faid, What a charming world is this! how happy fhould one be could one but efcape death !-Death, faid the caliph, is one of our best friends; fhould I have been here, if he had not removed my predeceffor?-There was, certainly, a great deal of right philofophy in this anfwer ;-why, it implied, fhould we be unwilling to quit the scene and to make way for the fucceeding generation, when our ancestors have done the fame for us? It would be impoffible for the race of men to fubfift upon the earth on other conditions, and death was a neceffary part of the oeconomy of that benevolent Providence, which determined that a variety of beings should taste the bleffings of life. A curious method of obtaining juftice from one of the caliphs is recorded in the first volume of this hiftory. Hakkam, the fon and fucceffor of Abdoulrahman III, wanting to enlarge his palace, propofed to purchase of a poor woman a piece of ground that lay contiguous to it. However, fhe could not be prevailed upon to part with the inheritance of her ancestors, and Hakkam's officers took by force what they could not otherwise obtain. The poor woman applied to Ibn-bechir, the chief magiftrate of Corduba, for juftice. The cafe was delicate and dangerous. Bechir concluded that the ordinary methods of proceeding would be ineffectual, if not fatal. He mounted his ass, and taking a large fack with him, rode to the palace of the caliph. The prince happened to be fitting in a pavilion that had been erected in the poor woman's garden. Bechir, with his fack in his hand, advanced towards him, and, after proftrating himfelf, defired the caliph would permit him to fill his fack with earth in that garden.-Hakkam fhewed fome furprize at his appearance and requeft, but allowed him to fill his fack. When this was done, the magiftrate intreated the prince to affist him in laying the burden on his afs.-This extraordinary request furprifed Hakkam ftill more; but he only told the judge that it was too heavy; he could not bear it. Yet this fack, replied Bechir with a noble affsurance, this fack, which you think too heavy to bear, contains but a small portion of that ground which you took by the right owner. How then will you be Kk4 able able at the day of judgment to fupport the weight of the whole! The remonftrance was effectual, and Hakkam without delay, reftored the ground, with the buildings upon it, to the former proprietor. From thefe fcattered extracts and obfervations, the Reader may be enabled to form fome judgment of the entertainment and information he may expect from this hiftory, which we recommend as very curious and worthy of perusal. Elementa Phyfiologia Corporis Humani. Auctore Alberto Haller. Tom. 8us & ultimus. 4to. Ludg. Bat. Haak. Elements of the Phyfiology of the Human Body; Vol. VIII. By Albert Haller, &c. TH HE fureft and most solid foundation of phyfic, as well as philofophy, is experiment and obfervation; but more especially in that branch termed phyfiology, or the ufe of the parts, on which the practice of the healing art, when rationally conducted, always depends, and without which it is only groping in the dark, or following an ignis fatuus, a creature of The brain, which hath fent many a poor patient to an untimely grave. The medical world is indebted for improvements in this Icience to none more than the illuftrious Baron Haller, the chief part of whofe life hath been spent in labours tending to elucidate its most effential parts. The volume now before us concludes this great work, which he modeftly calls elements, but which is truly as compleat a fyftem of phyfiology as the imperfect ftate of human knowledge will admit. This valuable work is the refult of no less than thirty years labour; for which the indefatigable author deferves the fincere thanks of every lover and promoter of science: nevertheless, in his preface he complains much of illiberal treatment from a numerous tribe of opponents. It is indeed wonderful that a writer of fuch acknowJedged candour and impartiality, who never offers his own opi nion but with the greateft modefty, and who always corrects the errours of others in the moft gentleman-like manner, fhould have been fo undefervedly abufed by authors of a much inferior clafs, particularly by Albinus. Part the firft, of this volume, treats of generation and conception. Here the reader is prefented with a view of the moft confiderable fyftems, particularly those of Buffon and Lewen hoek, together with the arguments for and against each. Thofe who have not leifure to confult Mr. Buffon's voluminous Hif toire Naturelle, will likewife find in this part a very judicious abftract |