Burke. It appears from internal evidence, and from the fecond advertisement to the edition before us, that the various interpolations it contains form nearly one half of the tract. Mr. Burke is an English claffic; fome prominent traits of the hiftory of the ftate in which we receive this pofthumous work of his, we have thought proper to give; but we shall not go further into the investigation than has appeared neceffary, to enable us to prefent a correct report upon this subject to the public. ART. III. The Oriental Collections, for April, May, and June, 1797. 4to. 12s. 6d. Harding, No. 98, Pall-Mall. 1797. IN N the infancy of fuch an undertaking, as the ingenious and learned editor of thefe Collections has engaged to conduct, at would be unfair to expect that all the pieces presented to the public eye, fhould be of equal merit and importance. The tudy of the Oriental Languages is by no means fo general and popular as it ought to be. This nation can boast of very few who have made any confiderable proficiency in that branch of learning, and a faftidious rejection of the attempts of young beginners, would defeat the object of the work, and damp, inftead of exciting the ardour of purfuit. It must however be acknowledged, that the infertion of dialogues in the vulgar Arabic of Morocco, and verses by a modern Hebrew Rabbi, can be juftified only by the fcarcity of other materials. The manufcript notes by Chardin are not, perhaps, of great importance; but, as far as they go, muft be interefting to the lovers of Perfian literature. The editor has judiciously fupplied in the Arabic character, thofe words which are given by Chardin only in the European. The vicious mode of applying the Roman letters to exprefs Oriental words, leads to perpetual error, and therefore cannot be too ftrongly condemned. It should be tolerated only, where the want of a proper Arabic type renders it unavoidable. The defcription of the Grotto of Camoens is pleafing; but we cannot approve Mr. Irwin's felection of poetry, nor pafs over his Sonnet without cenfure. No man who has an ear for verfe, can bear fuch elifions as "t'Amphion's Lyre,” or, fon'rous, for fonorous, and the four concluding lines of the quotation are abfolute nonfenfe. The Sonnet trefpaffes against all grammar; faw, in the third line, fhould be jawft: and the fentence beginning, "Not that the wreath which age," &c. has no conclufion. The literal verSon of a Perfian Song, by Major Oufeley, is interesting, and enables the reader to form fome idea of the ftyle and spirit of Ti 2 the the original. Not fo the tranflation of an Ode of Hafez, by a gentleman who affumes the name of Shirazi; which, in our opinion, is as void of all juft refemblance to the original, as the author is confcious it is deficient in poetical merit. cannot fay much more for the tranflation of the Ode of Khofroo; " departed breath imparting balm to love," is perfectly ridiculous. We The best pieces in this number are undoubtedly thofe by Major Oufeley, and Mr. Penn, who have both displayed confiderable learning and ingenuity. The anecdotes of Rafi'eddin are curious and entertaining, as well as his account of Cathmere. The obfervations upon a paffage in Nizami, are of more importance. We cannot, however, indulge any very fanguine hopes, as to the illuftrations of claffic authors, to be derived from the Perfian language. There seems no fufficient reafon to think that the modern Perfian has any confiderable affinity with the language Spoken by the fubjects of Cyrus and Darius. Some ingenious Orientalifts (D'Herbelot, if we are not mistaken, as well as Sir William Jones) have made out the names of Parifatis, Statira, and Roxana, to be pure Perfian of the prefent day; but the fallacy of their conjectures is put beyond a doubt by Strabo, who must have been much better qualified to judge upon fuch a point. He complains of the ftrange diftortion of foreign names by the Greeks, and gives Parifatis as an inftance, which he tells us, was by the Perfians themselves pronounced Phaofiris. Greece received colonies at a very early period, both from Egypt and Phoenicia. The intercourfe of that country with Perfia was continual, and the Afiatic Greeks, as well as many of the islands, were long fubject to that power. Many rites and customs, therefore, and many terms must have been interchanged by thefe nations, and many muft have been common to them from the beginning; but all these records and monuments of ancient Perfia have perished. The people and the language were rooted out, and obliterated, before the mixed language now in ufe in that country began to be fpoken. It is, indeed, poffible, as the Perfians were long under the dominion of Alexander and his fucceffors, and almost all the neighbouring ftates were fubject to Grecian princes, that fome Grecian terms and cuftoms may have been brought down by tradition, even to our times, and therefore that fome affiftance may be derived to the study of Perfian, from a previous knowledge of the Greek; but as to the converfe of that propofition, that Greek may be illustrated by modern Perfian, it appears to us to be deftitute of all probability. We are not, however, fo bigotted to this opinion, as not to be impatient for the further light which Major Qufeley promifes to throw on the fubject. Every thing may be be expected from his talents and induftry; and a perfon fo eminently qualified for this difcuffion, muft have collected much information, and made many remarks which have efcaped the penetration of ordinary obfervers. Mr. Penn's differtation on the primitive fignification of the word Пp, is unfinished. We thall therefore referve our judgment upon it till we can fee it entire, and only remark briefly, that we agree in the conjecture, that the pyramidal form was originally confecrated to the Sun, from its refemblance to a flame of fire. The great pyramids were more probably temples, erected in honour of that luminary, than tombs of ancient kings. The third Fact, ftated in p. 148, as particularly deferving of attention, that the name of Pyre. was appropriated to the structure of the pile, antecedent to Ignition, is introduced for the purpose of fupporting the fubfequent etymology of the word pyramid, but furely without fufficient confideration. It is plain, that lupa was not used by the Greeks in that limited fenfe. We read in Homer, ̓Αεὶ δὲ πυραὶ νεκύων καίοντο and in the paffage cited from the Iliad, by Mr. Penn himself, it is faid of the winds, Παννύχιοι δ' ἄραὶ τοίγε πυρῆς ἄμυδις φλόγ ̓ ἔβαλλον. There is as little foundation for the diftinction made upon the authority of Servius, between Rogus and Pyra. The words of Servius are, " Pyra eft lignorum congeries, Rogus cum ardere cœperit." But we read in Quinctilian, "Refertur Rogus;" in Lucan, "Extruit illa Rogum ;" and in Ovid, Accenfa Pyra." We agree with Mr. Penn as to the derivation of us from y, and that it is not properly tranflated fimul, but we do not think it can be rendered acervatim. The natural force of the root my is not in acervum attollitur, but rather ftetit. It exprelles any thing stationary, or continued. άμυδις δὲ τε κῦμα κελαινὸν Κορεύεται. TE audis here expreffes the continued lifting up of the water by the wind. Kopular, the heaping together. The waves heaped upon each other, did not fubfide again, but were kept fufpended by the force continually acting upon them. Παννύχιοι δ' ἄρα τοίγε πυρῆς ἄμυδις φλογ ̓ ἔβαλλον. During the whole night they (Boreas and Zephyrus) continued throwing out flame from the fire." This interpretation is confirmed by a paffage in Genefis 29, 35, T2, which denotes denotes not merely that Leah defiit, ceffavit a pariendo, as it is tranflated by Caftell, which might relate only to the conclufion of her labour; but that having brought forth, ftetit, fhe continued in the state in which fhe was, and did not conceive again. We have hitherto omitted to notice the continuation of the extracts from a Journal, during a Tour, in the Country of the Nizam. It prefents an interesting picture of the manners of the inhabitants, but there is no authority for the division of the Mohammedan conquerors into four cafts or tribes. The titles and appellations enumerated by the author, with the exceptions of Mogul, Patan, and Mirza, are all Arabic and Perfian. Seid, or, (as it is written by this author, Syed) and Sheich, denote any perfot of eminent rank. Sherif is the proper defignation of the defcendants of Mohammed. In page 103, we find the word decadence, which certainly is not English. Upon the whole, it appears that thefe Collections are increafing in importance, and we hope it is not yet too late to recommend to the learned world, as we do most earnestly, to encourage them not only by their patronage and fubfcriptions, but by contributing their exertions to fupply the editor with valuable and interefting communications. ART. IV. The Hiftory of the Reign of Shab- Aulum, the preJent Emperor of Hindoftuun; containing the Tranfactions of the Court of Delhi and the neighbouring States during a Period of thirty-fix Years, interfperfed with Geographical and Topogra phical Obfervations on feveral of the principal Cities of Hindeftaun: with an Appendix. By William Francklin, Captain in the Honourable Eaft-India Company's Service, Bengal Fftablishment; Member of the Afiatic Society, and Author of a Tour to Perfia. 4to. 280 pp. A Map and four Portraits. 1. is. Boards. Faulder, &c. 1798. IN our Review for April laft, we gave fome extracts from an article in the fourth volume of the Afiatic Researches, communicated by the ingenious author of the work now before us, which will prove acceptable not only to thofe immediately concerned in the affairs of India, but to all who intereft themfelves in the revolutions of empires, and all who can feel for the peculiar fufferings of a once mighty and ftill venerable though fallen monarch. The hiftory of Shah Aulum (a Perfian title fignifying "King of the World") commences with the tranfactions of the Court Court of Delhi (or as the Mahometans of India affect to call it Shah Jehanabad) in the year 1747, when Ahmud Shah, who claimed by inheritance from Nadir Shah invaded the province of Labor. Since that period the empire of the Moguls has been a prey to internal diffenfion, political intrigues, and civil wars, which have fo completely deprived the fovereign of his power, that the Timourian dynafty will probably clofe with the unfortunate Shah Aulum, who, of all the imperial attributes and diftin&tions retains fcarcely any but the name of king. We thall not follow Capt. Francklin with exact steps through the detail of hiftorical facts given in the ten chapters which compofe this work, but content ourselves with extracting fuch paffages as feem moft interefting. The emperor's character, which confpicuously betrays ittelf as we approach to the melancholy catastrophe, may be learned from the conclufion of the first chapter. "Surrounded by his most faithful fervants, in the bofom of his family, and under the generous fafeguard of the British nation, had Shah-Aulum properly appreciated his fituation, he might no doubt have paffed the remainder of his days in tranquillity and comfort. It would appear, however, that this prince's difpofition and capacity have been imperfectly underftood by his contemporaries. The early part of his life had been active and enterprifing, and his conduct in extricating himself from the violence of Gazddeen exhibited a fpirit of great gallantry and energy of mind. But weak, effeminate, and irrefolute he' fuffered himself, to be wholly ruled by the will of others. Though apparently fatisfied in his exterior behaviour Shah-Aulum, even from the moment of his fettlement at Allahabad fighed in fecret for the pleasures of the capital, and was ambitious of re-afcending the throne of his ancestors. Under this impreffion be unhappily fuffered himfelf to be buoyed up by the promifes of the Marhatta Chiefs, and by the unworthy advice of his own counfellors, who big with the hope of ruling with uncontrolled fway, urged their fovereign to throw off his dependance on the English, affert his own rights, and march to Delhi. Accordingly, after an unquiet refidence of five years at Allahabad, the emperor ventured on an ill-judged rafh experiment which proved a fource of incellant misfortune to himfelf and family, and which the woful experience of twenty-fix years of anxiety, forrow and trouble, has but too fatally demonftrated." P. 26. In the fourth chapter (p. 50) we are informed that the country inhabited by the Fauts, a formidable band of robbers, is fituated on both fides of the river Jumna, comprehending a tract of of 150 miles in length by about 60 in breadth, and containing many ftrong fortreffes. The Jauts first emigrated from a remote region on the banks of the Indus, and during the reign of Aurungzeeb, becoming numerous and bold, attacked and plundered the caravans on the Delhi road, and by |