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S

OMETIME ago, when Dr Thomfon published a Tranflation of the Hiftory of Great Britain, by Alexander Cunninghame, he was unable to afcertain whether the author was the fame with that Cunninghame who publifhed an edition of Horace with critical notes *. It is certain, that the editor of Horace was the perfon who propofed a new edition of the Corpus Juris. The Publifher has been furnifhed from a refpectable quarter with the original petition of Cunninghame to the Parliament of Scotland, intreating affiftance for carrying on that work, fubfcribed with his own hand. If this fignature could be afcerrained to be the fubfcription of the Hiftorian, all further doubt as to his identity with the critic would be at an end. For this purpose, the Proprietor of the document has obligingly confented to allow it to remain for three months in the cuftody of the Publisher, for the infpection of the curious.

Copy of the Petition.

Unto his Grace, his Majefties High Commiffioner, and the Right Honourble the Eftates of Parliament, Mr Alexander Cunninghame Humbly fheweth,

"THAT he has made fome progrefs in a Work upon the Civil Law in Four Volumes in Folio; in the f and 2d Volumes whereof, the Text fhall be far more correctly published, than it has yet been; and the Notes upon it fhall explain about Two Thoufand Paffages, which have not been Expounded at all, or which have not been Rightly Expounded, either in the Amfterdam Edition in Two Volumes in Folio, or in the Edition with the Glofs in Five Volumes in Folio.

"The 34 Volume fhall contain the Reconciliations of the oppofite Laws: And it fhall be written in fuch a method, that this part of the Study of

the Civil Law, will become Pleafant, Ufeful, and Neceffary.

"The 4th Volume fhall be a Syf tem of the Digefts, by way of Principles and Confequences: Which way of Writing (tho' not yet attempted) will mightily contribute to the enlarg ing of the Understanding; and it will likeways render the Study of the Civil Law much lefs burdenfome to the Memory.

"Now in regaird that the forefaid Four Volumes, will give a Truer and fuller view of the Civil Law, than all the Books yet Extant have done, and that they will fave the Students of it a great deal of Time and Money: Seeing with the help of these few Books, one may acquire a more perfect knowledge of it in three or four Years, than he could do in Ten Years with the perufal of all the other Books of Law. And in regaird that fo great a Work, which fhall be finished in the fpace of Six Years, will be very Chargeable to the Undertaker,

"May it therefore Pleafe Your

Grace, and Honourable Eftates of Parliament, To allow to Your Petitioner Two Hundred Pounds Sterling Yearly for Six Years, toward the carrying on of this Work; Which as he has judged it his Duty, to make an humble offer of it to his own Countrey, fo he Humbly prefumes to think, that it is not unworthy of the Patronage and Encouragement of fo Auguft an Affembly.

ALEX. CUNNINGHAME."

"Edin. 19 August 1698. " His Majefties high Coinmfhoner and the Estates of Parliament, having confidered this Petition, they remitt the confideration thereof to the com mittee for the fecuritie of the Kingdome.

(Signed) SEAFIELD J.P. D. P."

" Edina

"Edin. 26 Auguft 1698. "The Committee for fecuretie of the Kingdome, having confidered this Petition with the above remitt of Parliament, are of opinion, that his Majefties high Commiffioner and the Eftates of Parliament, burden the inpofition on the tonnadge of fhipping, with eighteen hundred pound (Scots) to be payed to the Petitioner yearly, as a yearly fee and falary, as Profeffor

of the Civil Law in this Kingdome. And that he be nominiat Profeffor for that effect; and that they remit to the Lords of his Majesties Privie Counfell, to allow the Petitioner to go abroad to qualifie himfelfe farther for carrieing on the whole within mentioned for fuch tyme as they shall think fitt.

(Signed) ANNANDALE P. J. P. C.

I

Vienna. AM arrived here at laft, through a very beautiful country; but muft observe, that whoever wrote L. M-'s Letters (for fhe never wrote a line of them) mifreprefents things moft terfibly I do really believe, in moft things they wifhed to impofe upon the credulity of their readers, and laugh at themThe ftoves of this country, which the praifes fo much, are the moft horrid invention you can conceive? The country people in Germany feem to fear the cold very much; the cafements of their windows are double; and there being no chimney in the rooms, there is no vent for fumes of any fort-fo that the breath of the inhabitants of them refts in drops of fteam on all the tables, &c. and the ftink and fuffocating heat that affails the traveller's fenfes when he enters any room, particularly, where people are, cannot be conceived. I do not believe the German women, of the lower order, are very gentle tempers-for feveral of them flew into the most violent paffions, when I opened a door or window-and fhut them again immediately My only refource upon thefe cccafions was to go out into the yard. I cannot help obferving, that the queftions asked travellers by the guards at the frontier towns are most ridiculoas-Are you married or not?-Do

you travel for your pleafure or upor bufinefs-Your name and quality! -It put me in mind of a story told me by the Ruffian Minister at Venice, of a traveller who being asked his name, answered Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo

pray, Sir, fays the guard, how do you write that? That, Sir, replied the traveller, is your business, I have told you my name ;-it is impoffible, I think, to anfwer gravely to questions fo perfectly abfurd.

Nothing is more ftriking, I think, than the variety of the officers dreffes in the Emperor's antichamber---The Hungarian and Polish I think beautiful, and I now am ftrengthened in the opinion I always had, though probably I have never told it, even to you, that every nation ought to preferve the fafhion of their country-and that there is no neceffity for mankind to ape one another in drefs-

The Emperor gives a private audi ence for ladies that are prefented to him. There was only myself and the lady who accompanied me that went into his room together; we met a Princefs Efterhazi coming out-The Emperor was clofe to the door; and after bowing very civilly, he made us fit upon a fofa-and stood the whole time himfelf; I ftaid three quarters of an hour; there is no occafion to fear ftaying too long; for when he cannot fpare any more time for the audience,

or

or for any other reafon chooses to end it, he very civilly fays, he will detain you no longer; you then get up, and go to the door, which he opens himfelf-and thus ends the prefentation -I think much more agreeably than to answer any questions a Sove reign chooses to make before a hundred people that are within hearing in the circle of a drawing-room-who generally repeat what they hear, according to the folly or malice they poffefs and I should think it totally impoffible for a monarch to converfe with any fatisfaction furrounded by fo many ears, which have often no brains belonging to themThe Emperor is like the Queen of France, and the only thing that genéd me at all was his not being feated-He converfes politely and agreeably

There is one thing here that fhocks me, and that is, that every lower clafs of women paint white-and even girls of ten years old going of errands in the ftreet are painted-What their reafon for fo doing is I cannot guefs; for the Germans are generally fair.

Warfan.

When I arrived at Warsaw, I found my apartments had been warmed and ready two days before my arrival, the Comte de Stackelberg having bespoke them, by the defire of Prince Galitzin —and the Ruffian Minifter Cde Swaited on me-He is fenfible, and even witty-he prefented me to the King, the day after my arrival, in the evening-The King received us in his study; I was accompanied by the Grand Marechal's wife, who is one of the King's nieces You, Sir, do not fpeak better French and English than that amiable Sovereign -he told me he had been in England thirty years paft, and afked me if Mr Wftill living not only living I replied, Sir; but in good fpifits; for I have a charming letter in my pocket from him He faid, if there was nothing imprudent in his request, he would ask to see it. He

was

un

imagined Mr W's. ftile must be common; I gave him the letter-he put it into his pocket after reading it, and told me, as his fifter, the Princefs of Cracovia did not understand English, he should tranflate it into French for her; and if I would dine with him two days after, he would read me his tranflation, which indeed furprized me. He must be a very elegant writer in every language he chooses to profefs

-I wish I had dared to have asked him for a copy- Well, Sir, he is the fecond perfon I have seen, whom I wifhed were not fovereigns--for it is impoffible that the many difagreeable perfons and circumftances, that furround them, fhould not deprive them of the fociety of people who, facrificing only to the Mufes, are better company than those who only facrifice to ambition, when they give their time to fovereigns- We were only fourteen people at the King's dinner, and we converfed as chearfully and as rationally as if we had not been at a court

Karafbazar, in the Crimea.

Yesterday I went to fee the fource of the river. I rode a white horse of the general's, a very quiet creature, but aukward, not being used to a fidefaddle

The old Coffack chief looked with the greatest astonishment at my riding, and when I jumped down from my horfe on returning home, he kiffed the edge of my petticoat, and said something in his language which I did not comprehend, but the general told me he had paid me the higheft compliment imaginable, viz. I was worthy of being a Coffack--

In the evening I went in a carriage with the governor and general to Karafbazar-and on the road faw a mock battle between the Coffacks

I was much entertained and plea ed-and defired the Coffack Chief might have my beft thanks-I arrived at the town, and was led to the Kadi's house, where his wife received

me,

me, and no male creature was fuffered to come into the room, except the interpreter and a young Ruffian noble man only twelve years of age. This woman had a kind of turban on, with fome indifferent diamonds and pearls upon it. Her nails were dyed fcarlet, her face painted white and red, the veins blue; the appeared to me to be a little fhrivelled woman of near fixty, but I was told fhe was not above fifty-She had a kind of robe and veft on, and her girdle was a handkerchief embroidered with gold and à variety of colours-She made me a fign to fit down; and my gloves feeming to excite much uneafinefs in her, I took them off-upon which fhe drew near, fmiled, took one of my hands between her's, and winked and nodded as a fign of approbation--but fhe felt my arm up beyond the elbow, half way up my fhoulder, winking and nodding-I began to wonder where this extraordinary examination would end-which it did there-Coffee was brought, and after that rofe-leaves made into fweatmeats both of which the interpreter obliged me to tafteThe fweetmeats are introduced laft, and among the Orientals they are a fignal that the vifit muft end Our converfation by the interpreter was not very entertainingShe asked if I had a child, and told me what I have been told fo often before, though I confefs not by women that would be unneceffary to repeat it A Tartar houfe is a very flight building of one (tory only-no chair, table, or piece of fur niture in wood to be feen-large cuhions are ranged round the room, on which we fat or reclined- but what is extremely convenient, I observed more than double the space of the room behind the wainscot, which drew back

*

2

in most places, fo that in a small room where it appears there is nothing but the cushions every neceffary is to be foundAs the vifit was at an end; I curtfied, and the bowed. In the court-yard there was a dancer, a wol man accompanied in her geftures by a boy, but it was impoffible to fee them either with pleasure or propriety: fhe never lifted her feet off the ground but once in four minutes, and then only one foot at a time, and every part of her perfon danced except her feet

I went to a Mofque, where feveral pious Muffulmen were going round in a circle in the midst of the building, groaning and flinging their heads almoft to the ground and then up again, a conftant motion which with the moving round one way foon puts them into a kind of torture, under which they fali to the ground; and then are dragged into receffes in the Mofque, made on purpofe to receive thefe holy men, who facrifice fo many hours, and their perfons to idle pain, in order to prove their devotion to Mahoment.

In

Batcheferai, April 8, 1786.

my way hither I dined at the Coffack Chief's poft-and my entertainment was truly Coffack-A long table for thirty people-at one end a half grown pig roafted whole-at the other a half-grown fheep, whole likewifein the middle of the table an immenfe turéen of curdled milk-there were feveral fide dishes made for me and the Ruffians, as well as the cook could imagine to our taste The old warrior would fain have made me taste above thirty forts of wine from his country, the borders of the Don but I contented myself with three or four, and fome were very good. Af ter dinner from the windows, I faw