fwereit for me Adela's letter!-Ah! | received the deadly wound!-let me this was the first fault which led me to fo many others!-The flep was mide; confidence was then unfeasonable and would have proved d structive to my own felf: love, effervef cence, an ill-placed fhame, all, all forced me to the crime! pre fee if- This is not the only monu. ment, barbarous man, which puts me in mind of thy perfidiousness; come, defcend with me into the gloomy fubterranean where I preferve the precious remains of my victims; come, but alone with me? -There i'll offer thee a facrifice to the manes of my fpoule and fon ! Let us go, I am prepared. Candor and Daverly laid hold of one another's hand, and forgetting to pull up the draw-bridge, they advance towards the door of the fubterranean temple ; Alexis and his friends at empt to flop them. — Let us alone! cried they !-divine You fee, dear enemy, that I tend not to juflify myself; I am guilty-Thy mifery and that of thy family has been caufed by me; I condemn myfelf; I have met with this youth, he related me his adventues, thy misfortune and thy with I am prepared to accomplish them. I I come to acquit thy vow, frike, I tell thee once more, frike, I would fcorn pity!-Pity! wilt thou, vil-justice must be fati fied. lain, fpeak of pity, ah, I pitied my fpoufe, the most innocent of women, after I had barbaroully thrust a dagger in her boom!-It was however the off Et of the black fufpicion which thou haft exiled in my heart?-Des Roches is the fole author, that de tettable termagant foflered my paffion for Adela, it is the who furnished with means of obtaining mutual interviews, it is the who excited me to betray thee-fle no fooner faw Adela's repentance and our feparation, than the forced me to glut a paffion which the faid, glowed in her breast for me. The tokens of indignation and contempt which manifeiled at this overture, kindled her rage, he was bent on my ruin, and would involve you and your fpoufe, into the gulf opened by her infernal vengeance. Having robbed me of let ers-fatal letters, which I fhould have a thousand times destroyed; she fent them to you, which was in New Carolina, wi h the most calum pious imputations. Poor Adela, terrified at a fecret information fe received of her enemy, imprudently feeks fafety in flight, you pursue he. -You fhudder!-Oh! it is for me to fhudder! It was my fatal paffion which guided your hand-Oh! let me fee that bloody tree where the Alexis, Dumont, John, even Germain himself, obflruct their paff ge; but fuddenly Sciocco calls them afide; they expect to get fome impost nt advice. Bel eve me, Curi Cavalieri, faid Carlo, let them go down alone into the cave :-If they are not to perith, they will not; but if it is decried for either Alexis, impatient of being thus detained, pushes him back, and joms the two furious old men: Dumont, John, Germain, and Sciocco follow them: fo all defcend into the subterranean, regardless of the intreaties of Dorance and Duverly. I thall not repeat what farther converfation past between the two enemies; their mutual reproaches and menaces are obvious to imagina tion. Fresh elucidations were given on both fides, and in fpite of Duverly's gentleness and contrition, whỏ kows how the matter would have been terminated, but for the most aftonishing event which curbed their rage, and put an end to their refent ment ? We fhall leave our actors in the temple, to return to Paris, where we fhall find Clara at the hotel of the marquis de Cortange. (To be continued.) On On WIT, MADNESS, and FOLLY. JUDG UDGMENT and difcretion are the limits of fenfe and genuine wit; below these is an endleis variety of monstrous and irregular minds. Through the deviations of nature in the formation of the head, thousands are incomplete for one that is brought to perfection. Hence fops, half-wits, pedauts and coxcombs are fubdivided into numberlets branches, all diverfified by their peculiar oddneffes and fpecific caprices, which arife, perhaps, only from an im. proper length, fize, or fituation of a fibre, from a difproportioned hu- CUSTOMS and OPINIONS of the mour, or an immoderate ferment in the compofition. MOORS. (From Voyages to the Coat of Africa. By Me. Saugaiers and Brifon.) HE Moors ferupulously obferve TH When the madman and the fool meet in the fame complexion, according as either prevails, the production is a coxcomb or a mere wit, which are multiplied into numerous and practife all the austerities kin's. From thefe proceed the fub- of their Lent. It confils in abfliordinate claffes of ambiguous ani- nence from food, from drinking, and mals, to which the rational and irra- from the use of tobacco, from the tional world pretend. Such are the rifing to the fetting of the fun. The -feveral tibes of the half-craz'd im- perton detected in the violation of pertinents, pedants, perpetual talk-thefe precepts is rigorously punished. ers, men of form, the affected, and If he has taken food, he receives the thole who affect to appear unat-baitinado, according to the fentence fected. If the madman is fuperior in the mixture, a progeny is produced of fhining fops, poctafie s, petulant laugher, and morofe talfe critics. It the fool prevails, you have a furprifing race of crafty blockheads. et of the chief: if he has drank water, A young gentleman in the court of France, in the reign of Henry III. was graceful in his perfon, humane, obliging, and beloved by all, but poflefled fo fill a fhare of fenfe. that his converfation was low and trifling. It happened that he grew distracted; and the ferments of the madman having agitated and exalted the phlegmatic fool, he became an ingenious and pleafant companion. The court was mightily pleafed, and The fick are indulged with difpenengaged the king's phyficians to un-fations; but as foon as they are redertake his cure. The gentleman ford to health, ate required to re deem deem the indu'gence, by doing what the news with forrow. He made they fould have done before. Du-known his une finefs to the emperor, ring this holy feafou the priests are occupied almost the entire day and part of the night in reading the Ko. ran, and the commentators of the Mahometan law. who endeavoured to reconcile him to this feparation, affuring him that the first perfon who fhould prefume to accuse him hold be punished with death. He fubmitted then to his deftin tion, but not without re gret; and acquitted himself irreproachably of all the duties of his employment. The whole province applauded the mildness of his adminiftration, and the neighbouring The Moors believe in the immortality of the foul of thofe men who are zealous obfervers of the law, while thofe who live in violation of its precepts are condemned to fuffer for a falon, and afterwards to be annibil ted. They reject eternal tor-ones, envving the happiness of thofe ments; this dreadful doctrine feems to them contrary to the goodrets of the Divinity. who lived under his fway, folicited, by their deputies, to be governed by fuch rulers. This blameless conduct proved his ruin. His enemies, taking the advantage of the revolt of the neighbouring provinces, which had refused to pay tribute to their governors, perfuaded the emperor popular favour, had the defign of making himself independent. This charge fufficed for his condemnation. He was recalled from his govern With respect to the women, the fouls of those whofe conjugal fidelity has been inviolate, are alone immortal. A'ter death, they become celeftial beauries; annihilation attends the reft. According to their princi-that his old friend, elated with the p'es, man is not a free agent; every thing is ordained from eier ity; and hence it is that a perfon who commits a crime is not the lefs eftecmed by his countrymen. When a Moorment, and without hearing or feeing fails under adverfity, he fupports it with heroic firmness; he is never heard to murmur, but fubmits entirely to the divine will; nor does he make the least effort to emerge from his distress. him, the emperor confined him in a corn magazine, and to be fed only once a day. In this confinement, where he had fcarcely room to breathe, he languished unheard of for fifteen years. The emperor imagined he had been long dead; when the fon of this unhappy man, having diftinguished himself in a revolt, in which he received feveral wounds to fave the emperor, ventured to ask, as the only reward of his fervices, permiffion to deliver his father from prifon. This request awaled the affection of the emperor, w›, aftonifhed to find his friend was still live, inftantly ordered that he should be The prefent emperor had an intimate friend, who had been bred up with him from his infancy. When the prince came to the throne, this man was his only confidant. His enemies (for fuch diftinguifaed fayour never fails to excite ill-will) perfuaded the emperor to remove him from his perfon, by giving him a government, under the fpecious pretex, that the favourite, by the mildnets and equity of his admini-releafed from his painful abode, fration, would foon reflore peace and tranquillity to the country. The prince liftened to the infidious coun fel, and mentioned it to h's friend, who, fully fatisfied with the mediocrity of his fortune, and happy in the frienthip of his fovereign, heard 2 placed him again near his perfon, and reftored him to his former confidence and friendship. Daring fo long a pace of time, the old man was never once heard to give utterance to a ingle complaint. He had often enjoined his fou, whom he tenderly loved, loved, to b ware of incurring the displeasure of the prince, by daring to fcak in his behalf. He affirmed that he fhould one day be released, and heard the news of his deliverence with as little emotion as he had done that of his unjust condemna ion. It is mot probable that the reigning prince is of the nation of the Monfelemines: for his domineering paffion is avarice, the inherent vice of that people. The inhabitants of Cape Non affirm that his mother Was of their country; and this is very probable, notwiflanding the contrary affection of the Moors.. father, who left his people in the poffeffion of no arms, the prefent emperor leaves them no money, but he allows them to be a med and all the Moors are now fo, as well as thofe of Bilidulgerid. From this that of difpenfing with regular troops. If he wishes to make war, he orders a whole province to march, and the province instantly aflembles her fwarms of warriors. They are led to the field by the hopes of plunder, never think of the future, and are infatuated enough not to perceive that they themflves will, fooner or later, become victims to the blind fubmillion which they pay to the orders of the emperor. When the emperor of Morocco is informed that a province is grow-D.fering in every refpe&t from his ing rich, in confquence of a long continuance of peace, he impofes more than the ordinary taxes, which does not fail to excite the murmurs of the inhabitants; and this is the very object he has in view. The people, who'e taxes are thus aug-policy he obtains another advantage, mented, affemble to deliberate, and on fuch occafiors the hot-headed are fure to run to arms. At first the emperor temporizes, affects to vield to the just representations of his fubje&is and taking care to inform himself of the number of the revolters, their names and wealth, reduces the taxes to their ordinary amount, and public tranquillity is inflantly re-established. This calm, however, is more dangerous to the province than the tempet itself; for, by the removal of Commerce commands his attenthe chiefs, either by alluring them tion, on account of the great fums to his court, or charging them with it brings to the treafury. He perfome honourable commillion, he n-mits all nations to establh factories ceffitates their abfence from their in his territories; exacts the twelfth province. He then takes vengeance, of the cargo for his cuftoms; and by o dering the adjacent ones to at- frequently forces the merchan's to tack it, under the pretence of rebel-pay him confiderable fums for pertion, and comes in for one half of inition to carry on their traffic withthe plunder. The people, taken by out moleftation. Affairs of comfarp:ize, attacked on all fides, and merce are in this country carried on deprived of their leaders, are easily with much tardiness: this is occaovercome they fubmit and pay; fioned by no bufineis being done on and the emperor then puts a ficp to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, any havoc and depredation. It often more than on the Chriftian holidays. happens that, under the pretence of Sunday is a day of most profound having exceeded their orders,the pro- repofe; for on that day the Chrif vinces that had affitted in executing tians, who carry on the much his vengeance, are in their turn fub-grea er part of the traffic, fhut up jected to the fentence which they had their war houfes. inflicted on their reighbours. By this barbarous fpecies of policy, the prince contrives to get into his hands all the riches of the empire. The Jews, to whom he grants the free exercife of their religion. through the whole extent of his do minions, furnish him with immen'c fums, fuths of money; the induftry of this wandering race of men being a neverceafing fource of wealth. He facilitates their commerce, and even furnishes them with a capital, but he knows how to recover it with ufury. The Jew is the flave of the nation; and hence it is, that if a Moor or a Christian kill a Jew, he is condemned to pay a penalty of one hundred dollars; but if a Moor should kill a Christian, money cannot fave his life, for the emperor would fear to lofe the commerce of the Europeans, if the murder remain unpunished. The Christian, on the other hand, may commit this crime with impunity; for the emperor would never be made to believe, that in his dominions a Chriftian would dare, except in felf-defence, to kill a Moor. Though every citizen, as I have already obferved, is obliged to ferve the emperor, he notwithstanding alway's keeps on foot a body of regular troops, compofed of Moors. His father left him an army of well difciplined negroes, under the command of a black Pacha; but the prefent emperor having contrived to gain the refpect of the people, by whom bis father was detefted, has changed all the establishments of the preceding reign. He rid himfelf almost entirely of this negro army, by expofing it in the defiles of Mount Atlas against the Monfelemines. He flood much in fear of thefe foreign foldiers, who formed a body of forty thousand men; for he had often been a witness to their spirit of mutiny. His beft difciplined troops, and thofe on whom he most depends on all critical occafions, are a band of two hundred and fifty French renegadoes, commanded by an alcaide of the fame nation. This chief, in the year 1784, was the fen of a hat-maker at Paris, of the name of Boiffelin. The band is compofed of Frenchmen who have deforted from Spain. VOL. XXIV. They are well paid, feldom employed, and in time of peace are ftationed at Mogador. The alcaide of the renegadoes is the fole judge of all their difputes or delinquencies; he is not bound to render any account of his conduct except to the emperor himfelf. Although the renegadoes are permitted to have feveral wives, they are generally fatisfied with one; the greater part even difpenfe with them altogether. There are alfo eight hundred other renegades of the Spanish and Portuguele nations; but they form no diftinct body, are diftributed in the different parts of the empire, and are fubject to the orders of the governors of provinces. The reafon that the emperor's orders are not put in force at a distance from the feat of empire, is, because he promifes and never pays; he knows how to make himfelt matter of money, but is unacquainted with the art of bestowing it when he wants to purchafe flaves, the Jews are charged with this commiffion. The Jews temporize, in concert with the governors, fometimes under one pretext, fometimes under another, till the emperor, tired with their delay, fends other Jews on the fame errand, who with the certainty of never being paid, are as little folicitous as the firit to fulfil their commiffion. The independent Arabs, who know his character, will not deliver up their captives on his bare promife; and for this reafon it is that the Chriftians have no hope of deliverance from their captivity, except through the means of the merchants, who are spread over the empire. Thefe merchants would haften their relief; but they are obliged to have recourfe to ftratagems, in order to get the emperor's permiflion to redeem the captives, Scarcely have the natives of Bilidulgerid the word of the merchants. When they give up their flaves they are under no appreD henion |