Letter from F. Scudamore to Lady Saville. the enemy had furprised it; and, certainly, had the Mogul been but a little better provided with an armed force to fecond his defign, he might easily have carried the place. 425 all the authority heaven had given her over her people, to raise up to the Mogul enemies yet more formidable. than Rana; and that the principal leaders of her army had fworn to lofe their lives, rather than furrender the Akebar was not ignorant of the firmnefs of the Rageputes in all their refolutions; he chofe, therefore, to raife the fiege, and endeavour to obtain the princefs by way of negocia tion. An ambaffador was fent to Padmani, loaded with rich prefents, and the most paffionate letters. Fame, which ever magnifies, brought to Padmani's ears the news of a fud-place. den irruption of the enemy, and that her husband was miffing in the tumult. The gallant princefs did not fuffer herfelf to be overwhelmed with this unexpected difafter; fhe immediately got on horfeback, and with her lance in her hand, appeared at the head of her troops, refolving to conquer or die. She did not learn the truth of Akebar's treachery, and the forcing away of Rana, till fhe came upon the very fpot: fhe perceived plainly enough that he had been the true caufe of his misfortune, but fhe thought fit to conceal that part." He is dead," fhe cried, that dearest husband is dead, whom my tenderness has undone. Let us think no more of recovering him by a difhonourable com Padmani, without fhedding a tear, though pierced with the fharpeit forrow, walked round the ramparts, gave all the neceflary orders, encouraged the foldiers, and animated the principal leaders. In fine, fhe fhewed herself as much fuperior to the men in prudence and courage, as the furpafled in beauty all thofe of her own fex. (To be continued.) A SERIES of LETTERS. (Continued from Page 120.) From F. SCUDAMORE to Lady SAVILLE. EFORE I proceed on my own I my dear Madam, another event that happened in Lord Melville's family; an event which was productive of the greatest happinefs to my friend, and which reflected new luftre upon the amiable character of her brother. He had, it feems, long fufpected an attachment between his friend Harry Nugent, and his fifter Ophelia, though the humility of the one, and the timid modefty of the other, had ever fealed their lips on the fubject; and Lord Melville, knowing the inflexibility of his father's temper, and that he would never confent to give his daughter to one fo much her inferior in fortune, beheld this attachment with pity to both; but now that this obftacle was removed, and that he found himself mafter of a noble estate, he determined to enjoy it, to enjoy it in the highest and most refined manner, by difpenfing Akebar had now flattered himfelf, that he fhould quickly become mafter of the fortrefs, and gave the befieged to understand, that if they did not deliver up the place, and the princefs, he would firft caufe Rana's head to be cut off, and conclude his revenge by facking the town, and putting the in habitants to the fword. The brave Amazon anfwered, that her husband having fallen into the hands of a per-happinefs, to the utmost of his power, jured man, he was no longer in doubt of his death; but ftill there remained Rageputes enough of his nation to revenge their fovereign: that for her part he would employ VOL. X. to all around him: it required, how- About About three months after his father's death, he received a letter from the Duke of Mertoa, informing him that his fon, Lord Edward St. George, had long entertained a paffion for Lady Ophelia, and intreating his and Lady Melville's intereft in favour of his fon. They both affured my friend that fhe was entirely her own miftrefs, in this and every other matter: upon which fhe without hesitation, declined Lord Edward's offer; another proof to Lord Melville that her heart owned tender fentiments in favour of another. Mr. Nugent was at this time on a vifit at the Caftle, and one morning Lord Melville took an opportunity of mentioning to him Lord Edward's offer to his fifter; adding, "Don't you think, Harry, I fhall difpofe of my fifter very happily!" "Enough,” cried Lord Melville; "I am fatisfied. Ophelia has reje&ted the propofals of Lord Edward; gain her's, and your father's confent, I will enfure you my mother's; and I here premife you mine, and you fhall be my brother. One thing I affure you, that I am ignorant as yourself of my fifter's fentiments: if the approves you, I fhall rejoice; if she rejects you, you are fill my friend, and your happinefs fhall be equally my care." You must imagine, my dear Madam, for I cannot defcribe, Harry Nugent's joy and gratitude to his noble friend; yet ftill it was imperfect : Lady Ophelia might not love him ; the might love another-What a thought!-Impatient as he was to throw himfelf at her feet, yet he forgot not his duty to a father, who was one of the beft of men. He fet off directly for his houfe, owned his at He attended particularly to the effect this would have on Mr. Nugent's countenance. He feemed in the great-tachment to him, and informed him eft agitation, his colour heightened, and he replied, in a tremulous voice, "that he had the highest opinion of Lord Edward; but that he did not think the man exifted who could deJerve Lady Ophelia." "I have," returned Lord Melville, 66 a very high idea of my filter's perfections, yet I think I know one who deferves her, good as fhe is, and it is he who has loved her fo truly, fo difinterefedly, as to conceal his paffion, becaufe confcious of an inferiority in point of fortune; a delicate inflance of humility, which exalts him in every other eye, and makes him fuperior to thofe who boaft the gifts of fortune. Know you not fuch a one, Nugent ?" (laying his hand on his fhoulder, and fixing his eyes ftedfaftly upon him.) of what had paffed at the Castle. Mr. Nugent was charmed at his relation, and at the noble behaviour of the Earl: he affured his fon that he would do all in his power towards making his income not abfolutely beneath La-. dy Ophelia's notice. But this was no part of the Earl's plan: he knew that Mr. Nugent had, befide his friend, two daughters and a fon to provide for: he had confidered 'every thing before he had attacked him on the fubject, and the evening after his ar rival at his father's, a pacquet was put into his hands, containing a deed of conveyance to him for an eftate of 1500l. per annum, which was Lord Melville's fhare of Mr. Spencer's legacy, the eftate fituated about thirty miles from Caftle Melville, with a very excellent houfe upon it. A note inclofed contained these words-" If you think yourfelf obliged to me for what I cannot mifs, as it has been but a few days in my poffeffion, you will more than acquit yourfelf of the obli Mr. Nugent paufed a minute, and then replied, "You have then difcovered, my lord, a fecret I have tried to hide from all the world. It is true I love Lady Ophelia, love her most fincerely; we cannot command our affections; but I have endeavoured. togation, by infilting on your father's reconceal mine. You have forced this confeffion from me, or I never fhould have had prefumption enough to have mentioned it." membring that he has other children befide yourfelf, and that (if he is fo good as to confent to your being my brother, and you are equally fuccefsful with my Defcription of Africa. fifter) your eftate, with Ophelia's portion, which is 20,cool. will enable you to live in a manner fuitable to your wifhes. If this wished alliance fhould not take place, you will fill be my brother, and I fhall hope to fee you happy with fome other woman." Here again, Madam, your feelings muft tell you thofe of Mr. Nugent, my pen is not equal to the task. I received a letter from my friend, filled with alarms at Harry Nugent's abrupt departure from the Caftle, and at her brother's filence upon it: fhe feared a rupture between them; the feared the difcovery of her affection for him; fhe was all terror and confufion: but before I could try to compofe her fpirits in a confolatory anfwer, another letter reached me. Harry Nugent was returned, had thrown himself at her feet, declared his love, and all that had paffed between her brother and him. Thus encouraged, fhe had owned her heart was his, and a fhort time was to unite them for ever. Ophelia would have delayed the ceremony till her mourning fhould be laid afide; but her mother and brother over-ruled her objections, and the knot was tied nine months after her father's death. 427 and fpend my laft breath in befceching Your unfortunate hulband, You shall shortly hear further of me, We hope that our very good friend SOPHIA will not impute the delay in the publication of the above to neglect or inadvertence, but to the indifpofition of the compiler, who has been dangerously ill, but is now recovered. Concife Defeription of AFRICA, as A FRICA is the third part of the known and inhabited world. It was the rank which antient geographers, both Greek and Latin, gave it, as being the most remote and leaft known to them, and which it doth ftill retain fince the difcovery of America, though much inferior to it, either for extent, wealth, or healthinefs. The far greater part continues ftill unknown to us, as cur knowledge of it extends little farther than the regions along the coafts, especially thofe along the Mediterranean. As to the midland parts, as they were for a long while believed inacceffible and uninhabited, by reafon of their intolerable heat, they I felt more joy at this event than I had experienced for a very long period. It was now nearly a twelvemonth fince I had lived in a ftate of widowhood, when before I was rifen one morning, Lucy brought me a letter, which came by an exprefs, and the direction was traced in a character, which my eyes and heart directly owned to be that of my long loft hufband. I broke the feal precipitately, and, in fpite of the perturba-lying moftly under the torrid zone; tion and emotions I underwent, read thefe lines they have on that account, as well as the favagenefs of its inhabitants, and the difficulty of travelling over its wide fandy deferts, been little vifited by frangers. Even the fouthern parts of it, which lie under a more temperate climate, and are much ealier of accefs, are found inhabited by fuch barbarous people, and fo fhy of all intercourfe with foreign nations, that we are as much in the dark about them, as a "If I was not convinced that I am now ftretched on my death bed, I fhould not prefume to afk my injured - Fanny to cait a thought on me; but death will cancel all the wrongs I have inflicted on her. On thefe confiderations I afk (and afk in the full hope of being complied with) that I may once more fee you, my dear Fanny, confefs to you my faults and my misfortunes,bout the midland. 3 I 2 Its Its fituation for commerce is certainly beyond either of the other quarters of the world. It ftands, as it were, in the center between the other three, and has thereby a readier communication with Europe, Afia, and America, than any other quarter has. It is furnished with the moft conve nient and navigable rivers, which are of the firft magnitude. The country populous beyond credibility, the foil fruitful, the feason, for the greatest part,,-mild and clement, and the air falubrious. mus or neck of land, which cuts off the communication between these two feas, and is commonly known by the name of Suez. On the east and weft it is furrounded with the main ocean, fo that it may be properly ftyled a vaft overgrown peninfula, joined only to the continent of Afia by the ifthmus abovementioned, which if cut off, would make it by far the largest island in the world. It extends itfelf a vaft way, not only on each side of the equinox, but of the two tropics likewife, the fouthern verge of it reach There is no country, fays Leo Afri-ing quite to the 35th degree of fouthcanus, more rich in gold and filver.The king of Guinea has a mafs of gold of thirty pounds weight, as it was naturally produced in the mines. The copper is the next valuable ore, the quantity of which is exceedingly great. Their corn, on the northern coafts, though badly cultivated, yields an hundred fold increase. ern, and the northern almost to the 37th of northern latitude, so that its utmost extent from north to fouth is almost 72 degrees, or about 4320 miles. From east to west it reaches ftill farther, viz. from 17 weft to 60 eaft, or 77 degrees of longitude, that is 4620 miles. The antients indeed were far enough from knowing its utmost extent, but we cannot spare room to give inflances. Africa Proper, or the territory of Carthage, is by Mela and Ptolemy allowed to have contained all the countries fituate between the river Ampfaga and the borders of Cyrenaica, which Pliny tells us were inhabited by twenty-fix different nations. But this gives it too great an extent. Its true limits feem to have been the river Tufca on the western fide of Numidia; the Mediterranean or African Sea on the north; the frontiers of the Garamantes, and Deferts of Lybia Interior on the fouth; and the Mediterranean, with the Leffer Syrtis, on the caft. It was divided into two provinces, the Regio Zeugitana, and Byzacium, with which the kingdom of Tunis, under its divifion into the fummer and winter circuits at prefent nearly correfponds. We must not omit obferving, that the first divifion of the world was into two parts only, viz. Afia and Europe, or the Eastern and Western parts, Europe comprehending both the continent now going under that name, and Afri ca alfo; which divifion ftill prevails amongst many of the Orientals. This may not only be inferred from a variety of authors, but likewife from the words Europe and Afia themselves, the former importing occidental or veern, and the latter half. But when that valt region, now called Africa, was first confidered as a diftin&t part of the world, we cannot take upon us to determine; nor whether Europe and Africa were ever joined together by an isthmus, uniting Spain and Mauritania, as fome authors fuggeft; nor, laftly, (if this fhould be admitted) when, or by what means fuch an ifth-cording to Dio, this region was likemus came to be deftroyed. Ac wife called the Old Province, and NuAfrica, in its largeft fenfe, lies fouth midia the New one. Ptolemy has 'of Europe, and weft of Afia, and is placed Carthage, and all the neighbounded on the north by the Mediter- bouring cities, four degrees too fouthranean, which parts it from the for- erly, which is not to be wondered at, mer, and on the eaft by the Red Sea, confidering the inaccuracy of that geowhich feparates it from the latter, to grapher in afcertaining the latitudes of which it only joins by that small ifth-places. If we admit the pofition of The Female Reformer. 429 that is plain, as in the prefent cafe." "And is it really fo indeed?-Is Belinda ruined? that fenfible and lovely charmer gone aftray?" "Indeed it is the whinings and pinings, the oaths and proteftations of Africa Proper to have been nearly the fame with that of the kingdom of Tunis, as there is great reafon to believe, it must have taken up almoft four de grees of north latitude, viz. from thirty-three degrees, thirty minutes north, to thirty-feven degrees, twelve mi-a Captain Phillips have abfolutely onutes north, and longitude above three vercome her feelings, and debilitated degrees, fince Shekkah, the molt ad- her reputation. Poor foolish girl !— vanced city of the kingdom of Tunis ruined for want of knowing or thinkto the weitward, is in eight, and Cly-ing on her danger!-Well, it must be bea, the fartheft to the eaft, in eleven fo! Girls will be fools fometimes, in degrees, twenty minutes ealt longitude spite of all endeavours to prevent it!" from Losion. The fpot of ground "And what of all this?" exclaims on which Carthage flood, is, accord- a lively fair one. ing to the lateft obfervations, about ten degrees, forty minutes eat of Lon-pity, when young ladies are fore-warned, don, and in north latitude thirty-ux that they do not prove themselves fuf'degrees, forty minutes. The difficul- ficiently fore-armed. However the noty of travelling over the wide fandy ble lords of creation may think prodeferts of Africa is great: it is hoped per to fay ten thousand tender things the reader will accept the fine defcrip- to the unfufpecting female, let the lattion of the danger attending it, as ter be affured it is beft to fufpend givgiven us by Mr. Addifon, in the per- ing credit to them, till they are fuffon of Syphax, in his celebrated tra- ficiently confirmed at the altar of Hygedy of Cato: ແ So where our wide Numidian waftes extend, The helpless traveller, with wild furprize, The FEMALE、 REFORMER. By BOB SHORT, Jun. NUMBER XXV. Each kind expreffion, every tender thought, A POMFRET. men. Nothing, but fo much more the It is one of the cafieft things in the world to make fair promifes, and vow eternal conitancy, but it is not fo eafy to be certain they are the dictates of fincerity and truth; and however fome men may be believed, I would feldom, if ever, advife a young woman (in this cafe) to take any man on his word. All is not gold that glitters; be admonished then, ye amiable females, to look well and often before you leap once, efpecially for life. BOB SHORT. (To be continued.) A SERIES of LETTERS. Mrs. PERCY to Mifs WILLIS. Percy Place. LACK and a well-a-day! fo Belinda is an additional proof of the credulity and compliance of the unguarded fair!" exclaimed an anti-should have anfwered my dear Har quated old maid, on the verge of fifty. Indeed it is too true!However fcandal may often ftretch beyond the bounds of truth, fhe does not always, riet's letter before now, but as captain Percy and myfelf have been fo much engaged in fettling affairs at our new habitation, that I have not had a leifure minute till to day. (It is a de |