tween the Euxine and the Cafpian feas. It appears' (continues Mr. E.), that there are in this diftrict of country at leaft seven diftinct nations, each speaking a feparate language *, viz. 1. The Tartars. 2. The Abkhas. 3. The Circaffians. 4. The Offi, or Offeti. 5. The Kifti. 6. The Lesguis, 7. The Georgians." As the Circaffians of the Cabardas, properly fo denominated, are held as principal among these nations, we will extract fome few particulars refpecting them for the information and entertainment of our Readers. The Cabardian Circaffians, though difunited from the rest of their countrymen, are ftill the moft powerful people of the northern fide of Caucafus, and this fuperiority has introduced among their neighbours fuch a general imitation of their manners, that from a defcription of these we fhall acquire a general idea of all the reft: befides which, the fingularity of many of their customs, and their refemblance to thofe of the most ancient inhabitants of these countries, renders them an object of particular curiosity. The Circaffians are divided into three claffes: 1. The Princes. 2. The Nobles (called Ufdens). And 3. The Vaffals, or people. A certain number of the people is allotted to each princely family.— No Prince can be a landholder: he has no other property than his arms, his horfes, his flaves, and the tribute he may be able to extort from the neighbouring nations. The perfon not only of the Chief, but of every prince, is facred; and this extraordinary privilege extends even to the princes of the Crimea. This is, however, the only diftinction of birth when unaccompanied by perfonal merit. The greatest honour a prince can acquire is that of being the first of the nation to charge the enemy. The prefent poffeffor of this privilege is faid to have acquired it by an action of strange temerity: he undertook, with three comrades, to cut his way through a Ruffian column, and fucceeded: his companions loft their lives in this brilliant but ufelefs enterprize. The princes are not to be distinguished in time of peace from the nobles, or even the peasants; their food and drefs are the fame, and their houses little better. The Ufdens, or nobles, are chofen by the princes from the inferior clafs. They are the officers of the prince, and executors of the laws, and are employed in the general affemblies of the nation to gain the affent of the people to the measures propofed by the princes. The people, as well as the Ufdens, are proprietors of lands. By an odd kind of contradiction, the princes claim, and fometimes attempt to exercise the right of feizing the whole property of their vaffals; but, at the fame time, the vaffal has a right of transferring his allegiance to any other prince, whenever he thinks himself aggrieved by this privilege the princes are compelled to gain the affections of their vaffals, on whose readinefs to follow them into the Rather dialects of one and the fame language. But this we hall briefly examine at the clofe of our article. field, Seld, all their hopes of greatnefs and wealth muft abfolutely depend. The Circaffians have few manufactures. The points of their arrows are the only articles of iron which they work up themfelves. They make, indeed, fome very fine cloths, and felt for cloaks, which is uncommonly light and durable; and to these we may add, a few articles of leather, embroidered housings for horfes, &c. Their coats of mail, which are very beautiful, are brought from Perfia, and their fire-arms from Kubefcha. Their agriculture produces barely what is fufficient for their own fubfiftence: fheep and horfes are the principal articles of their commerce, particularly the latter, which fell at a very high price; but notwithstanding this, the balance of trade would be confiderably against them, were it not for the flaves which they make in their predatory excurfions. The art of conducting thefe expeditions is therefore the most valuable talent of a Circaffian prince, and the great object of a long and painful education. At the birth of a prince, fome Ufden, or fometimes a prince of another family, is chofen by the father as his future preceptor. At a year old he is prefented, at the fame time, with fome playthings and arms: if he appears to prefer the latter, the event is celebrated in the family by great rejoicings. At feven (or, according to others, at twelve) years of age he leaves his father's houfe for that of his preceptor. By him he is taught to ride, to ufe his arms, and to steal, and conceal his thefts. The word thief is a term of the utmost reproach among them, because it implies detection. He is afterwards led to more confiderable and dangerous robberies, and does not return to his father's houfe, until his cunning, his addrefs, and his ftrength are fuppofed to be perfect. The preceptor is recompenfed for his trouble by nine-tenths of the booty made by his pupil while under his tuition. It is faid that this mode of education is perfevered in with a view to prevent the bad effects of paternal indulgence. The custom is, I believe, peculiar to the Circaffians, but the object of education is the fame among all the mountaineers of Caucafus, who univerfally fubfift by robbery, for which reafon the accounts of their ferocity appear to have been greatly exaggerated. Wars have been frequently undertaken with no other view but that of plunder, by nations who call themselves highly civilized, and fuch wars have not been confidered as an impeachment of their humanity. In anfwer to the complaints of travellers, the princes of thefe little tribes might urge that the fecrecy of their retreats is to them highly im, portant; that they have, in common with all fovereigns, a right to punish fpies and enemies; that to pillage or enflave fuch merchants as travel through their country without their permiffion, is not more cruel than to condemn the contraband dealers to death or to the galleys; and while they receive with difinterested hofpitality and kindnefs fuch as court their protection, they might declaim in their turn against the methodical extortions of European cuftom-houses. The Circaffian women participate in the general character of the nation; they take pride in the courage of their husbands, and reproach them feverely when defeated, They polifh and take care of the armour of the men. Widows tear their hair, and disfigure themfelves with fcars, in teftimony of their grief. The men had formerly L 3 the graphy of ancient words is frequently arbitrary, we muft, in determining on the analogy of languages, be directed principally, if not entirely, by found: Father, Tad, or Tader, Celt. Day, Dæg, Sax. Deh, Circa. Earth, Ge, Greek. Ch, Circa Stella, Circa Nom, Circal We obferve that many of the Circaffian or Caucasian words are nearly the fame as thofe of the uncivilized inhabitants of America. To point them out in a particular manner, and by a neceffary deduction to account for the peopling of the weftern world, would lead us into a difquifition much too elaborate for our periodical pages. Such, however, is the fact; and they who incline to the opinion of Hornius, and others, who have maintained that America was originally peopled by colonies from Afia,--particularly from Scythia or Tartary, have here an additional argument in their favour. ART. IX. The Aggrandifement and national Perfection of Great Britain; an humble Propofal, comprehending, under one fimple and practical Undertaking, without laying additional Burdens on the Subject, the Means of paying off the Public Debt of Great Bri tain, within the Space of 30 Years; of perfecting the Police of the Kingdom; of promoting public and private Happiness; of accomplishing the national Improvements; of rendering Provifions plentiful; of bringing forward the great mental Powers and moral Difpofition of Man, fo as effectually to promote the public Welfare; and fecure the Stability of the Empire on a permanent, folid Bafis. Including the practical Art of ameliorating Land, to the greatest Advantage. By George Edwards, Efq. M. D. 4to. 2 Vols. 11. 5s. Boards. Debrett. 1787. R. Edwards appears to be a perfon of a truly patriotic and benevolent turn of mind, and to have been induced to lay this work before the Public, on the beft of motives,-the promotion of the most valuable interefts of the community to which he belongs. For his good intentions, therefore, he is juftly entitled to the thanks of his country: as every author is, who exerts his abilities on public-fpirited principles, rather than with a view, merely, to the private advantage which may accrue to himself, from the fale of a book. With regard to the Doctor's merit as a writer, we are forry to find ourselves obliged to be lefs liberal of our commendation. In juftice to the Public we muft remark, that his mode of compofition is fingular, defultory, and tedious; and that he 3 frequently frequently embarraffes his readers, by feeming to contradict himfelf, and even by retracting, in one part of his work, what he had advanced in another: fo that we are not always certain of being in poffeffion of his moft mature fentiments. Yet if his candour fometimes manifefts itself at the expence of his confiftency, he, nevertheless, merits commendation for his honefty; and he has an old proverb in bis favour, that fecond thoughts are best. But, notwithstanding any inftances of our Author's giving way to unfteadiness, or fluctuation in point of opinion, and notwithstanding a variety of feemingly wild ftarts of imagination †, he throws out many important hints, and useful observations, moral, political, agricultural, &c. and had he contented himself with giving us his thoughts on the feveral fubjects which his very extenfive plan [if plan it may be called] embraces, in a moderate compafs, like Greville's maxims ‡, without attempting a fyftematic arrangement, fuch a publication would, probably, have met with better acceptance, from the generality of readers, than the two quarto volumes before us feem likely to obtain, in their present form. We have hinted at some appearances of self-contradiction, or inconfiftency, in this writer; and we fhall here briefly notice one inftance, of this kind, which, at first reading, ftruck us as a very remarkable one: the extract will likewife ferve as a specimen of his manner of expreffing his conceptions: France has, in the ftrongeft manner, ftrengthened with Spain, by having granted this [that] nation, on the termination of the laft war, the ampleft spoils of the poffeffions taken from the kingdom of Great Britain. It was intended Spain should have had a still greater booty: With refpect to his ftrictures on the prefent practice of the law, in this kingdom, he has, moft unrefervedly, retracted them, in his prefatory advertisement. +Such, for inftance, as the following Antigallican fally: France, of late, has made John Bull roar not a little, by difpoffeffing him of his Thirteen Colonies. He has therefore began to be afraid of his old enemy, not without good reason, for fhe has brought a great load of mifery and debt upon him; befide having robbed him the last war, of an infinite number of pastures over fea, where he was wont to feed his cattle. He has at laft entered into a commercial treaty with France, to prevent any future bickerings; and has agreed to buy her cambrics, wines, filks, and whatever the can fpare, even her frogs; and in return to let her have any of the commodities of Britain, fuch as his best oak wood, nay, his favourite beef and beer.'-Surely, Sir! we have no occafion to purchase frogs of our neighbours: indeed, we have not heard of their being yet introduced, in this country, to the tables of even the warmest admirers of French dishes, and foreign cookery. See Review, vol. xiv. p. 488, Jamaica, Jamaica, if it had fallen before the combined fleets in the Weft Indies, as well as Gibraltar, were to be ceded to Spain; and they are ftill promifed. Fortunately for this nation, neither of them were wrefted from it; and perhaps Providence more particularly interfered to preferve Gibraltar, for the future fafety of the empire.' Vol. i. p. 14. What is precifely our Author's idea with refpect to the future fafety of our empire, is not to us quite clear; but the manner in which he has expreffed himself, does not seem to correfpond, perfectly, with the following paffage, in another part of the fame volume: We do not hear of any attempts made by Government, to prevent or diffolve the confederacy, that at this time actually exifts, or is certain in a fhort time to take place between France, Spain, the United Provinces of Holland, and the United States of America. They may be right to poftpone at this time fuch attempts; it may be wife and politic, not to interpofe at prefent, until the ardours of their mutual regards, and friendships, have fomewhat abated. However, the utility, and real neceffity of weakening, or anihilating, fo formidable a combination, must be admitted by all men; and that a friendly connexion with any one of them, converted into a durable attachment, would be of the firft importance to the kingdom. In my opinion, at a proper time, Spain fhould, before the others, be courted to form so desirable an alliance; with Spain, a confederacy would be most advantageous to this country. The means of forming it, are fortunately in our hands; by Gibraltar being ours, which, on proper conditions, we should by all means cede to Spain, for this purpofe. The main queftion to be agitated on this fubject, is that of the utility of this fortrefs to Great Britain. I apprehend it is of no utility, that can ftand in competition with that, which would enfue, from ceding it to Spain; at least I cannot find (and I have enquired much) what the ufe of Gibraltar is to this nation, which ought in any degree to bar fuch ceffion. For the common ufes affigned, I regard as too nugatory to mention. I think it a fortunate circumftance that Gibraltar is fo unneceffary and coftly an appendage of the empire; for, in my opinion, it should be relinquifhed almoft at any rate, to feparate Spain from her confederacy with France; and put it out of the power of France to keep this kingdom fo conftantly embroiled in a fucceffion of wars. While this impregnable fortrefs remains in our hands, Spain must be a perpetual inveterate enemy.' In tranfcribing this paffage, we think we have happily dif covered our Author's meaning in the first paragraph, where he fpeaks of the importance of Gibraltar to this nation, and of the interpofition of Providence' in our favour, by preferving that fortress to us, for the future fafety of the empire.' He does not, now, to us, appear fo plainly to have contradicted himself, if he only meant to intimate the importance of our retaining the poffeffion of Gibraltar, till a favourable opportunity fhould offer, of our relinquishing that place, for a proper equivalent. Nor do we |