da, of which the juice is white. In some few soils another grape is raised, remarkably rich and sweet, from which is produced the celebrated Malmsey wine. Of this the average quantity made is said to approach five hundred pipes, and sells at about sixty pounds a pipe. Of the other wine, which, in contradistinction, is called hard or dry Madeira, the highest price charged, when new, to dealers in that article, seldom exceeds thirty-two pounds a pipe. From other persons, according to the custom in every branch of trade, a larger sum is always demanded. For old wine an addition of twenty shillings a pipe, or more, is made for every year it has been kept, as an equivalent for leakage, evaporation, and interest of the capital remaining unemployed. The average price on every kind of wine is fourteen pounds, or thereabouts; and reduces the whole export value considerably under two hundred thousand pounds; part of which serves to pay for manufactures from Great Britain, flour and salt-fish from America, and corn from the western isles, belonging, as well as Madeira to the crown of Portugal.

SIR G. STAUNTON.

SECT. CXXXIV.

LEARNED INSTITUTIONS, AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES of VIENNA.

WINTER had set in when I reached Vienna; and as I was there assured the difficulties the traveller had to encounter in Hungary, the next country I meant to visit, were, for the want of civilization, very great, I thought it prudent to wait here, till the return of fine weather should render the wants of the traveller fewer.

Though Vienna is not famed in the other parts of the Empire for its learned institutions or for being the seat of men of letters; yet a city like this, the capital of a government like that of the Austrian monarchy, cannot be without these institutions, its learned men and amateurs.

I must pass over its university, and college of surgery and medicine; its academies for the nobility, the clergy, and for the fine arts; the school for the deaf and dumb and even the Normal school, being too little acquainted with some of them, and finding nothing remarkable in the others. Only of the first I would observe, that it is on the old plan, where the students are not left to follow the course of study they or their friends may think proper, but one fixed by the university. Within these few years, most of the lectures are delivered in the German language, but those on pathology, therapeia, and materia medica, are still in Latin; and in this language the students are examined at the end of the week, on the subjects which have been lectured on during that time. But the Normal school is of too useful a nature not to say for what end it was established ; it is designed to form teachers or instructors for the provincial towns and villages; that is, teachers for the schools and gymnasia.

Here is no academy of sciences, and I believe there never was one. This is remarkable in so large a city as Vienna. A great deal has been said upon the advantages and disadvantages of learned societies. If it were left to be decided by the travelling literati, it would, notwithstanding the disadvantages arising from literary cabals and intrigues, which often happen in them, particularly where a seat leads to honours and emoluments, be decided in their favour. This deficiency of a place of rendezvous for men of letters was lately supplied by the public-spirited and hospitable Baron Born, who, besides being at all times, when not occupied in the business of his office, of easy access, particularly to strangers, had his public days. Since his death professor Jacquin has a tea party on the Wednesdays; but it is ill attended.

In collections Vienna is very rich. The Imperial library, besides containing 5 or 6000 volumes printed in the 15th century, rare manuscripts, and a very extensive and valuable collection of prints, is well furnished with useful modern books. It is open three or

four hours every morning to the public, and the librarian and inferior assistants are very attentive and obliging, The library of the university is open for two or three hours morning and afternoon; during which time the librarians always labour under a caros, a disease common to university librarians.

The richness of the Imperial cabinet of medals is well known.

DR. TOWNSON'S TRAVELS.

SECT. CXXXV.

ADMIRABLE DESCRIPTION OF A TARTAR, EMPLOYED BY A CELEBRATED TRAVELLER, TO CONDUCT HIM TO BAGDAD, WITH OTHER CURIOUS PARTICULARS.

In order to accomplish my design, it was necessary that I should submit to the disguise of a Tartar, and put myself entirely and implicitly under his direction, who, as a reward for his success, was to receive one hundred pounds, with a further promise of an additional twenty pounds on our arrival at Bagdad.-He was one of those striking character figures that a painter would like to take a sketch of; and methought Tartar was written legibly in every lineament of his countenance and person. He was tall, muscular and bony; his figure bespoke great hardihood, strength, and activity; nor could the trowsers which he wore conceal the Herculean texture of his limbs; his shoulders were expanded to an enormous breadth; he was unincumbered with flesh, or indeed rather extremely lean; his forehead, though partly concealed beneath his turban, was very high; his nose large, hooked, sharp, and prominent; a pair of small, fierce, black, penetrating eyes, barely separated by the nose, and a formidable pair of mustachios, which he carefully sleeked with pomatum into a point resembling an awl-blade, and which moved like the whiskers of a purring cat with every word he spoke, gave a whimsical ferocity to the countenance, beyond the reach of description, and rendered him altogether as discouraging a con

fidential friend as ever a Christian trusted his life to since Mahomet first set up the trade of a prophet. He surveyed me with great attention; opened his mouth two or three times like a gasping pike, as if to speak; stroked his whiskers as often; and at last pronounced that he would undertake to conduct me; adding, in allusion to my black hair and dark complexion, that I looked more like a native than any Frank he had ever seen. He ordered me to cut my hair quite short, to provide myself with a Tartar dress and cap, in the fashion of his own, and saying he would call on me in proper time, departed.

Thus equipped, we set out, not without great pain and regret on my part; pain at leaving a most beautiful young woman, whom I pitied and esteemed, subject to the resentment of a husband, at once jealous from nature, peevish from habit, and enraged from her open and unequivocal demonstrations of hatred; and regret at having been betrayed by situation into such a very serious dilemma.

I must add, that previous to my departure the consul did every thing that was possible for him to do, conducive to my safety and accommodation on the road, which, as we were obliged to go to the city of Diarbeker, a great length out of our way, he observed would be long, dreary, fatiguing, and hazardous; he procured me from others, and gave me himself, a number of letters, and at parting desired me to comfort myself with the reflection, that when I arrived. at my journey's end, I should have to boast, that I went to India by a route never travelled by any European before.

Our route from Aleppo was through Diarbeker, Mosul, and Bagdad, and from thence to Bassora. The condition of the female part of the species in these regions may be easily conjectured from the following fact.

One morning I was awakened before day-break with a bustle in the caravansera where we lodged. I conjectured that the Tartar was preparing to get forward,

and rose in order to lose no time. I was so far right in my conjectures: the horses were ready, and I came out to mount, and was very much surprised to perceive several horses before me loaded with something which stood erect from their backs, and which I had barely light to discern were not men. I concluded that they were bales of merchandize packed in a particular form, and asked no questions till full day-light disclosed to me that they were human creatures tied up in sacks, and fastened astride on the horses' backs. There was a strange union of horror and oddity in the conception, that struck me at once with a mixed emotion of indignation, pity, and mirth. The former, however, got the better, and I asked my servant with some warmth what it meant ? He said, that the sacks contained some young women whom the Tartar had bought "Good God!" said I, "is it possible that he can have bought wretched females to treat them with so little tenderness ?" "He has bought them," returned my servant, "in the way of traffic, not for pleasure."

On the eighteenth day from my departure from Aleppo, we arrived at the famous city of Bagdad. The Armenian, with whom I resided, did every thing in his power to render the place agreeable to me; and I shall always retain a lively sense of his goodness and hospitality; he was not only generous and polite, but well informed, and pleasing in conversation. I took occasion to express to him the disappointment I felt at finding Bagdad so very different from what I expected; and told him that I had, when a youth learned to think highly of it, or rather romantically, from reading Eastern tales. This led to a conversation on the Arabian Nights Entertainments, a copy of which he had in the Arabic, and produced it: he then shewed me, with great triumph, a French translation of them, printed at Paris, which he had read, and declared that the translation was nothing at all in comparison with the original. I believe he was well qualified to judge, for he was a perfect master of the French language.