He fmall lakes, which communicate with the Black Sea. In these vallies the Tartars of Yedefan fix their tents, while their numerous herds of horfes, oxen, dromedaries, and sheep graze the plains. These herds are continually wandering from home in fummer, especially the larger kinds; and the chief employment of the Tartar is, to gallop about in queft of them. takes a quantity of roasted millet in a bag, mounts his horse, and rides till fun-fet. Then if he find not what he fought, he clogs his horse, and leaves it to graze; and as he is always at home, he fups, wraps himself in his cloak, and sleeps till morning, when he begins his fearch again. Having given this general account of the plains of Yedefan, Baron Tott fpeaks of his first day's journey over them. The conclufion of it was the nearest valley, at about ten leagues diftance. The fun was now setting; and after a long journey, “I still "faw nothing before me," fays he," but a vast melancholy plain, when I fuddenly felt my "carriage defcend, and looking out, I faw a range of tents, extending to the right and "left. We croffed a rivulet over a bad bridge, "and found three tents on the other fide out "of the line, one of which was intended for me, "It was a kind of large hen-coop, conftructed " in a circular form, with a fort of dome open"ing at the top, and was covered with a felt "of camels hair. The paling was connected "by flips of raw hides, and finished with great ftrength and delicacy 66 But of all the plains of which we meet with any account, those of the deferts of Arabia are the most forbidding. Perhaps no part of the globe, of equal circumference, is so totally deftitute of Nature's bounty, and of every kind of vegetable furniture: The whole A wild expanfe of lifelefs fand and sky. The Tartarean plains, juft defcribed, are bifected with streams and vallies, fuch as they are, covered with herbage. But the barrennefs of the Arabian plain in no part intermits. The tents, horfes, and camels of the caravan, to which the traveller is attached, are the only objects he fees. If he should fix one end of an immenfe cord at these tents, the other might be carried round, along the rim of a boundless horizon, without fweeping over any inequality. All this vaft circle is covered *See Memoirs of Baron de Tott, vol. i. p. 46. with with grey fand, like the ashes of a furnace. Over all hangs the canopy of heaven undiverfified by a fingle cloud to break the rays of a fcorching fun; while a breeze, if it can be called fuch, glowing with heat, often fills the air with clouds of overwhelming duft; or totally destroys its vital spring. Breathed hot From all the boundlefs furnace of the sky, Shot through his withered heart, the fiery blast. In the mean time a univerfal filence reigns over the whole vaft fcene. None of the chearful founds of nature are heard; neither of beast, nor of bird, nor even of humming infect. All is ftill as night. With fuch a country as this, Mofes threatens the people of Ifrael on their difobedience. The heaven that is over thy head fhall be brass, and the earth that is under thee fhall be iron. The Lord fhall make the rain of thy land powder and duft. From heaven shall it come down upon thee, till thou be deftroyed*. -There is, however, an appearance in these * Deut. xxviii. 23, 24. deferts, deferts, taken notice of by Sir John Chardin, which is rather picturesque. A splendor or vapour is sometimes formed by the repercuffion of the rays of the fun from the fand, which feems at a distance a vaft lake. But as the thirsty traveller approaches in hopes of finding water, it retires before him, or totally difappears Q. Curtius takes notice of the fame effect in one of the marches of Alexander. * Thus we see how differently Nature works up the fame modes of scenery; and there is great amusement in bringing these several scenes together, and in following her fteps through all her fimilar, but varied operations. * Sir J. Chardin's MSS. as quoted by Harmer. SECT. VIII. HAVING fatisfied our curiosity on Salif bury Plain, and performed the due rites at Stonehenge by pacing its dimenfions, and counting the ftones, we proceeded to Wilton. The point of Salisbury fpire, just emerging from the horizon, guided us across the open country; and as we got into the more cultivated part, we turned out of the Salisbury road, and fell down into Wilton, which lies in a vale on the edge of the plain. We cannot expect a very beautiful scene in the neighbourhood of fuch a waste. Nature's tranfitions are generally gradual. The true picturesque vale is rarely found in any country, but a mountainous one. Great plenty of wood and water however give an agreeable air to the vale of Wilton. Wilton was once the capital of all this country, to which it gave its name. But Salisbury drawing Old Sarum within its vortex, drew Wilton also. At present this village is chiefly remarkable for the fplendid palace of the Earls of Pembroke. Wilton |