paffion. In fome perfons it seems to have been a hereditary disease, a fpecies of furious melancholy, which generally feized them in the evening. The following defcription of a Berferker occurs in another Saga. "Ke"till, from his childhood, was tract"able and taciturn, difplaying but little curiofity; but twice in the "month he was feized with a fit, "when his skin shuddered, his teeth gnashed, and his body was violent"ly agitated. This fhivering he "described as resembling the diffufion "of fome cold fubftance between his "fkin and his flesh. This cold was "fucceeded by violent fury, which "wrecked itself indifcriminately on "whatever object occurred, whether "animate or inanimate." The fupernatural ftrength which thefe mad men difplayed, the warriors of the north fometimes attempted to acquire by eating the flesh of bears, the hearts of wild beafts killed in hunting, and by drinking warm human blood. The Berferkers derived their name from their customary mode of fighting without armour, or in their bare fhirts, as the term literally fignifics. Trufting to the fupernatural influence of the fpirits which they worshipped, they were the moft zealous opponents of Christianity in Iceland, where it made confiderable progrefs. The Pagans often reviled Chrift, and the Chriftians fometimes retorted their invectives, till at laft Hiallt the fon of Skegg was banished for blafphem. ing the goddefs Freya. He built a barge, and failed to Norway, where be informed Olaf of the fuccefs of his miffion. As the Icelanders appeared to king Olaf unreafonably te nacious of their ancient opinious, he caufed all the Pagans who had viited h's court to be apprehended, and threatened with fevere punishments. His menaces amazingly facilitated their converfion, and another band of miffionaries failed to Iceland. On their arrival violent debates ensued in the affemblies of the people, during which a volcano, or earthfire, as it is termed, burit forth in Olfus; and, in order to avert the impending deftruction, the Pagans prepared to facrifice two men for every province. Hiallt and Giffur, the chiefs of the Chriftians, likewife affembled their people, as if to a facrifice, and thus addreffed them: "The heathens of"fer as victims to their gods the most "wicked men, whom they precipi ing infants, and eating horse flesh, "fhould continue as formerly; and that facrifices to the ancient gods "should not be performed publicly, under penalty of punishment." After this regulation, the practice of facrifice foon fell into defuetude. The Pagans complained of being de ceived in this convention, but submitted to baptifm, on condition that the rite fhould be performed in a warm bath. Thus was Iceland finally converted about the year 1000; and this mode of converfion easily accounts for the number of Gothic fuperditions retained by the common people of that country to a very late period. (The Critique on Kotzebuè continued in our next.) DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEW. BARNBOUGLE Cafle, the feat beautifully fituate on the fouthern of the Earl of Rofeberry, is fhore of the Frith of Forth, at the diflance distance of fomewhat more than jects which mark the bufy, crowded three miles north-weft from Edinburgh. The houfe is handfome and commodious. The park is beautiful, and confiderably extenfive. The adjacent grounds are fkilfully laid out, and ornamented. But it is from its fituation in a fort of nook upon the Frith, that this houfe derives its principal advantages of afpect and profpect. From certain points of view, its appearance is ftrikingly pic turefque. Nothing in landscape can be nobler, or more interefting, than the gradual opening of the Frith, into the unlimited expanfe of the Ocean; as it is feen from Barnbougle Houfe; the fhores winding beautifully on either fide; presenting, here broken, fcarry cliffs,-there green and cultured banks; there towns, groves of mafts, and thofe varied ob intercourfe of men, catching the eye; while, on the liquid expanfe, fhips of all forms and bulks, are continually feen to pafs and repafs, riding at anchor, or toffing before the wind. Barnbougle Castle, with its domains, were the ancient property of a branch of the illuftrious Norman family of Mowbray. In the beginning of the fixteenth century, they were acquired by Hamilton, Earl of Haddington. Soon after the reftoration of Charles the Second, Primrofe first Earl of Roseberry, who attained to nobility through the gradation of Juridical fervices and honours, purchased thefe poffeffions. They have been inherited by his family. The prefent poffeffor is Neil, third in fucceffion of the Earls of Roseberry: CAUSES OF OUR PRESENT DISTRESS FOR PROVISIONS. By William Brooke, F. S. A. WHEN the nation, about thirty years ago, began to turn its ferious attention to agriculture, as a fcience of the first importance, a very wrong bias took place in the mind of the public; whether by the contrivance of artful individuals, or by accident, I fhall not pretend to determine. The mistake was, that it would be more for the advantage of the nation, that the finall farms and cottages fhould be thrown into large farms; and upon this illufive idea, that the large farmer, by the means of his fuperior capital, would work the land which he occupied to greater advantage than the finall farmer. Unfortunately, experience, that never failing touchftone to truth, hath convinced us how much we were in the wrong. As the prefent period is not the moment to indulge in fpeculaive rea foning, it will be right to come o the effential points at once. The prefent method of fupporting the clergy; Too extenfive hop-grounds; I will boldly affert, that the fecondary cause of many of the mif chiefs we have experienced of mifery and almost famine, has been from an animal, which, although a noble animal, and of value in himself, has. proved to this country uncommonly pernicious; I mean the horse, not in himself, had he been bred in moderation; but from the extravagant numbers now in the land, and the doubly extravagant manner in which they are kept. In the first place, the high price of horfes of late years, has encouraged the monopolizers of many of our fuperior lands to occupy them in breeding and rearing these animals, which, in the early stage of life, can be looked after without much trouble. It appears by the minifter's report, there are near one million and an half of horses in this kingdom; those who know the great expense of keeping one only of thefe beatts in good order, on grafs, hay, and grain, will furely agree with me, that five human beings could live in great plenty on the produce of the fame quantity of land needful to fupport one horse. It is therefore evident, the horses in England devour not only a very large proportion of the grain raised in it, but alfo occupy the beft pakures in the kingdom; paftures which ought to be employed for the fupport of much more useful animals. As every poffible proof on fo weighty a subject ought to be brought forward to fupport bare affertion, "I fhall adjoin the actual state of the conftant tillage-land in England, as taken from an account published by authority. It contits of ten millions and one half of acres (Wales excluded,) of which there are only yearly in wheat 2,100,000 acres there confequently remain 8,400,00o acres employed in raifing barley, oats, rye, beans, peas, &c. or fallow: admitting that 3,400,000 are fown with barley and rye, there yet remain 5,000,000 unaccounted for; and it is but fair to affirm that 2,500,000 acres are fown with oats, beans, and peas, the remaining two millions and a half being fallow; and for argument fake we will allow that the produce of 250,000 acres fown with oats is eaten by the people, and 150,000 acres ufed for fattening fwine. It appears clear, if this ftatement is correct, that as much land at least is fown for the fupport of horfes as is for the people: a very melancholy reflection, when the poor have fo feverely fuffered. In times of peace let any person look over the bills of entry of London only, and he cannot but notice the many hundred thousand quarters of oats imported from Holland and Flanders, and be fenfibly ftruck with the heavy expence horfes are to this country. 1 fhall be asked, on the other hand, how is the ploughing, the drawing, and all kinds of team-work, to be performed without horfes? I anfwer, By oxen, bulls, or mules. The preference is due to the firft animal, on account of his increasing fize; and alfo for the value and quality of his carcafe.. That the ox or bull is capable of performing all the bufinefs of heavy draft, not only as well as the horse, but even better, is proved beyond contradiction by the use of them in Flanders, Germany, Spain, Turkey, and all the Eaft, where they plough, &c. with no other animals; they are also generally employed in the northern ftates of America, and even in fome few places in England. In the five New England ftates, all farming business, such as ploughing, harrowing, weeding among corn, &c.; alfo all the waggons, carts, fledges, dragging timber of the largeft fize, clearing land, &c. all is done by oxen; and they not only execute the work I have specified, but go very long journies of many hundred miles, in as fhort a time as can commonly be done by horfes: as one ftriking inftance, a gentleman with whom I was well acquainted, removed his family from the eastern part of Massa chufetts chufetts to Kentucky, a diftance of or even the eighth of an inch, but upwards of one thousand miles, which journey he performed in forty-three days, with only two yoke of large oxen, that drew the weight of two tons, the waggon included. I mention this circumftance, to contradict as much as poffible the mistaken prejudice which prevails in this country, that oxen cannot travel; and if they could, it is faid they are tediously flow: whereas it is a well-known fact, that oxen will without difficulty, and with heavier loads than an equal number of horses can draw, travel two miles and one half in the hour; a pace quite as quick as our heavy ftage waggons ufually go; and befides, this labour is executed with requiring little more than half the food neceffary for horfes. But if a creature with a quicker ftep is wanted, the breed of the buffalo might be introduced; this beaft will go fix or feven miles per hour, and the meat is very good. The ox and bull have alfo this great advantage over the horfe, that they eat their food much fafter, and are fooner refreshed. It is a well-known fact, that all fish of tranfit, fuch as the falmon, return yearly to the fame river they were fpawned in; and it is generally allowed the increase of fize of this fifh, when it returns from the fea, is thirteen inches and upwards; indeed many actual experiments have proved he fact. If, therefore, at one or two periods of the year the river fisheries were forbid altogether, or at moit allowed to be fished two days in the week, we fhould have all our falmon rivers in lefs than five years full of that delicious animal. And the river Severn alone, which breeds the very beft quality, and is now almoft empty, would produce not only fufficient for the towns on its banks, but amply fupply the London market. It would be well alfo to enlarge the mesh of the acts by an act of Parliament, if only one quarter of an inch, enforce the law with the utmost rigour. From the fize of fome falmon brought to London and openly fold, it is evident the acts are grofsly evaded, and therefore every fishmonger who bought a falmon under a certain weight fhould be liable to a heavy fine, and the fisherman a fevere punishment; for the cupidity and obftinacy of the fisherman not only materially injures the country, but his own permanent intereft; for he might, with a little patience, get ten times the weight he now does. When the prefent price of two fhillings per pound is now paid in London for falmon, and not likely to be plentiful and cheap again, without parliamentary interference, no doubt it will fhortly be attended to with zeal and complete effect. But is it not a fhame to the internal regulation of the metropolis of the empire, that Paris, diftant one hundred and forty miles from the fea, and no tide navigation, fhould be, not only more plentifully fupplied with fea fish, than London, but commonly at half the price? As to fresh-water fish, there is no comparifon in the fupply of the two cities, Paris having conftantly abundance, and London next to none. There is alfo a glaring abfurdity and mifmanagement to be noticed at Billinggate, where we obferve conftantly in time of peace a number of Dutch boats, loaded with turbot, plaice, flounders, eels, &c. ; but what increases the furprife is, the Dutch fishermen buy the lamprey fish, the beft bait for the turbot, in our own rivers. ly this matter merits the attention of the lord mayor and aldermen, that fome effective plan may be adopted to fupply London ourselves, without being obliged to pay a tribute in cash of 60,000l. and upwards yearly, to our more induftrious neighbours and rivals, and for what may be faid to belong to us. Sure ACCOUNT ACCOUNT OF THE QUADELIM AND LABDESSEBA ARABS-CHARACTER OF BRISSON. 9 From a Historical and Philofophical Sketch of the Discoveries and Settlements of the Europeans in Northern and Western Africa, &c. M. DE BRISSON, after having made The Arabs, into whofe hands he had feveral voyages to Africa, was wrecked a little to the north of Cape Blanc, and fell into the hands of the Labdeffeba Arabs. After efcaping the fhoals, his companions and he af cended the rocks on the thore, from the fummits of which they law the country expand in an immenfe plain, covered with white fand, over which were thinly scattered a few creeping plants refembling branches of coral. The feed of thefe plants was fimilar in form to that of mustard but ex tremely small. The Arabs, who collect it to form an edible pafte, term it avezoud. The diftant hills, covered with wild fern, prefented the appearance of an extenfive toret Proceeding towards fome camels which they obferved, they were dif covered by fome children tending the goats, and the alarm was foon fpread to the tents of the Arabs, who quickly advanced to meet them with fright ful bricks and gefticulations. Terror feized the companions of M. de Briffon as the Arabs advanced; and the polished feel of their weapons reflected the fun beams; they difperfed themselves in confufion; and were quickly overpowered, ftripped, and plundered. Briffon and eleven others furrendered themfelves to the Talbe, or priest, who was unarmed, and were conducted to a wretched hut, covered with mofs, at the dillance of a league from the fhere. Here, during the abfence of Sidi Mahomet, the priest, who was of the tribe of Labdeffeba, they were attacked and maltreated by a party of the Ouadelims, and, during the butle which enfued, Brif fon had almoft loft his life. Inftead of compaffionating his forlorn fitua tion, the women threw fand into his eyes, as they faid to dry his eye-lids. .Ed. Mag. Jan. 1800. fallen, had only come down to the fea coaft to gather wild grain, three days before the shipwreck; and to preferve their booty, they im nediately retreated to the in erior part of the defert A guide preceded the horde, to place at intervals fmall pyramids of itone, to direct their course, at a distance from every hottile tribe. After paffing fome very high mountains, wholly covered with fmall greyish pebbles, as fharp as flints. they defcended into a fandy plain overfpread with thorns and thistles. When Briffon was unable to walk, on account of the bleeding of his feet, he was mounted on a camel, the briftly hair and hard trot of which foon excoriated him fo much, that the blood run copiously down its flanks. By thr wing heated ftones into a wooden vessel, filled with barley meal, diluted with water procured on the fea-fhore, preferved in a goatskin, and mixed with pitch to prevent putrefaction, the Arab prepared a kind of foup, which they kneaded with their hands, and ate unchewed. They roasted a goat in heated fand, ate its fat raw, and, after having devoured the flesh, gnawed the bones, and fcraped them with their nails, threw them to Biffon and his companions, defiring them to eat quickly, and load the camels, that the journey might not be in peded Proceeding eastward, they croffed a vaft plain, covered with fmall tones, white as fnow, round and flat as a lentil, where not a fingle plant was produced. The earth beneath their feet refounded dull and hollow, and the small stones pricked them like fparks of fire. The reflection of the rays of the fun from the fand was fcorching; the atmof. phere was loaded with a red vapour, B and |