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BIOGRAPHICAL

ANECDOTES AND CHARACTERS.

MEMOIRS OF THE EARL OF CHARLEMONT DURING HIS TRAVELS.

[FROM MR. HARDY'S LIFE OF THIS NOBLEMAN.]

"H Tuesday, October 27th,

IS lordship left Turin on

1748, on his way to Rome, by Bologna. He remained that winter at Rome and Naples, but in the subsequent April he, with Mr. Francis Pierpont Burton, Mr Scott, Mr. Dalton, and Mr. Murphy, sailed from Leghorn, on their voyage to Constanstantinople, and the East.-Mr. Pierpont Burton, afterwards Lord Conyngham, was, on his return to Ireland, member for the county of Clare. He was beloved by every one who knew him; and Lord Charle mont, by whom, in the course of their travels, he is always fimiliarly called, Frank Burton, having occasion to mention him particularly at Constantinople, says, that he was "endowed by nature with every endearing faculty which could render a friend amiable; with every "perfection of heart which consti"tutes the best, and surest founda"tion for friendship, and secures its "duration; the dear, and agreeable

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companion of his travels. His "countenance was benign, his figure tall, and remarkably large and cor"pulent. He was well known and "esteemed by men of rank, and let"ters too, in England, particularly "Sterne, who highly valued and "esteemed him."

"Mr. Dalton went with Lord Charlemont as his draughtsman. It has been stated to me, that as an artist he was miserable, but exact and faithful: and that his etchings of religious ceremonies, and customs of the Turks, with explanations, though indifferently executed, are remarkably clear and satisfactory. Murphy has been already mentioned. "On the oth of May, 1749," says Lord Charlemont, "we approached the city of Messina, having securely passed the poetical dangers of Scylla and Charybdis. We were exceedigy struck with the beauty and magnificence of this city, when viewed from the sea. The sun was newly rison, and richly illuminated

a splendid theatre of palaces, occupying the space of a full mile, which is regularly built round one-half of that beautiful, and extensive bason of clear and unruffled water, which forms a harbour at all times commodious and safe. Between the magnificent crescent, or semicircle, and the water, is a level space, at least one hundred feet in breadth, bounded, on one side by the buildings, and on the other, by a handsome parapet of hewn stone, opening regularly into several wharfs for the convenience of landing. The palaces are all exactly similar, and the governor's palace, a building of considerable extent and grandeur, stands alone at one extremity. The entrance into the city, which extends itself behind this superb quay, is through noble and spacious arches, placed at proper, and regular intervals, and forming a most striking part of the general plan. Opposite to the quay, and near the entrance into the port, stands the citadel, a fortress of considerable strength, and massive magnificence, which, with the castle of St. Salvadore, another strong fortification in view, adds greatly to the beauty of the prospect.

"A boat was now sent alongside of our ship to inform us, that till we had passed a proper examination by the officers of health, appointed for that purpose, we must not enter the city; and a naked and uninhabited part of the beach, at a considerable distance, was pointed out to us, where alone we could be permitted to land. In obedience to these directions, getting into our boat, we rowed on shore, and here we were detained above three hours, before any one came near us. At length the officers approached, keeping, however, a due distance, and examined us respecting the port from whence we had taken our departure, which being found to be

Leghorn, a place perfectly unsuspected of contagion, they began to be a little more familiar. Our bills of health were now produced, and found to be perfect, and we were desired to enter a sort of house, or square cottage, erected for the purpose of further examination. As soon as we had all crowded into this wretched inclosure, a bar of wood was put across the door, at about three feet in height from the floor, and we were ordered to show our health, and agility, by leaping over this bar, a feat which was ea ily, and merrily performed by all of us, Burton only excepted, whose corpulent unwieldiness was ill adapted to the exercise of leaping, and had well nigh prevented his getting pratick.-After several ineffectual trials, and some oa hs, his efforts were, at length attended with success, and we now proceeded to the last probation, being ordered to strike ourselves violently on our groins, and on the insertion of our shoulders, being the parts of the body which are liable to pestilential tumours. Here also my friend Burton was not a little embarrassed; for, though perfectly free from the plague, and, at that time, from any other disorder, his groin was by no means in a situation to bear any rough treatment."

“Such was our whimsical probation, which, as may easily be imagined, afforded us no small entertainment. But our merriment was of short duration, giving way, as soon as we had entered the city, to ideas of a nature opposite indeed. Here every thing we saw induced us not only to excuse, but to applaud that caution, which had detained us so long, and given us so much trou ble. Every object too plainly indicated the miseries which had been lately felt. This noble city, not long since one of the finest in the world,

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and the pride of Sicily, was now the seat of ruin and desolation! Scarcely a passenger in the streets, where grass had covered the pavement; and the Jews, that were to be seen, wretches in whose pale countenances were clearly to be traced sickness, famine, despair, and, sometimes, guilt and violence; the shops shut up, and only here and there a miserable stall open for vending some necessary, but trifling commodities. The noble palaces, heretofore seats of triumph and festivity, were now involved in silence and desolation, stripped of their inhabitants, presenting to the saddened mind the shocking idea of the final wreck of mortal beauty, when the animating soul is fled." Thus did Messina appear, when Lord Charlement visited it; and such were the dreadful consequences of a plague, equal, perhaps, in horrors, to that of Athens, or Florence, as described by Thucydides, and Boccacio. It raged with violence for three months, during which time it swept away, in Messina alone, the population of which was estimated at sixty thousand inhabitants, not less than forty-seven thousand. This calculation Lord Charlemont took at a medium, and was certain that it was rather under, than above the truth. He must have been very accurate, as he consulted the best informed persons,-our consel, Mr. Chamberlayne, other gentlemen of the English factory, and the governor of Messina, the last of who entered particularly into the subject with him, and all were on the spot during the plague's melancholy continuance.

"A Genoese Tartar, under Neapolitan colours, laden with wool, bale goods, and corn, first introduced it. The plague had raged in the Morea, and this vessel came directly from Patras to Messina. But the captain

pretended that he had come from Brindisi, and counterfeited sound bills of health from that port; but his death in the Lazzaretto, (for he was ordered to perform quarantine) and that of some of his sailors, first awakened suspicion. The Messinese, however, were not sufficiently attentive, till it was too late; but the English factory happily took the alarm, shut themselves up in their houses, and, by absolutely declining all intercourse with the inhabitants, (fortunately their warehouses were well stored with flour, and various provisions) entirely and providentially escaped. Not one of that respectable body of merchants or their servants, caught the infection, except a Sicilian boy, who, tired of confinement, jumped out of a window, went into the city, and died the next day. It is remarkable, that the departure of this dreadful visitant was as sudden as its first invasion; but its horrible effects were felt for seve ral years afterwards. Lord Charle mont concludes his account of this memorable calamity with the following just observations." The chief, and real source of this evil, must be looked for in that cause, which has often been assigned, the absurd and wicked doctrine of predestination, which is strongly inculcated in the Coran, and firmly believed by the generality of Mahometans. Relying on this rooted opinion, they suffer the contagion to take its course, unchecked, unopposed, freely conversing with those who are infected, and never scrupling to inhabit the dwellings, and even to wear the clothes of those who have died of the disorder. A striking instance in proof of this incontrovertible maxim; that whatever may be the reason, why evil is necessary in the general system, and whatever ills may, in consequence of this mo

ral

ral necessity, be inflicted on mankind by an all-wise Providence, they are almost universally multiplied and ag. gravated by our own obstinate vice or folly."

"It may be concluded, that Lord Charlemont did not remain long at Messina. He arrived at Malta, the 20th of June following, which, as will appear shortly, he afterwards re-visited. In his voyage to Constantinople, he stopt at one or two of the Greek islands; Smyrna, the Dardanelles, Tenedos, which he examined carefully, and, (whilst a vestige of taste or sensibility remains on this earth) the ever-interesting Troade.

"LordCharlemont proceeded from Constantinople to Egypt. In his voyage thither, he visited Lesbos, Chios, Micone, Delos, and Paros, from which island he sailed to Alexandria. Having seen every thing that was worthy the curiosity of an enlightened traveller in Egypt, that land of wonders, as he termed it, on the 22d October, 1749, he left Alexandria, with an intention of visiting Cyprus, which he came in sight of; but continued contrary winds, and violent gales, forced him, after seven days voyage, to anchor in Rhodes. He sailed from thence for Athens. The wind not being fair on the day that he left Rhodes, he continued tacking between that place and the mountainous, rocky coast of Caria, now called Carimania. On the moraing of November 9th, being within about three miles of the point of the promontory of Doris, which forms the south-east side of the Sinus Ceramicus, now called the Gulf of Stanco, perceiving, as he came near land, considerable ruins on the declivity of the mountain, and the situation of the place agreeing with that of Cnidus, he, with his fellow travellers, took their boat, and rowed

ashore. The first object that struck them on landing, was a most noble theatre, all of white marble; the breadth in front 190, and the depth 150 feet. They counted thirty-six steps, or seats, all entire, and joined with the most perfect accuracy. Above the theatre were the beautiful remains of a magnificent temple, of the whitest marble, perhaps Parion, from its purity and grain;—this, Lord Charlemont presumed, was the temple of the Cnidian Venus, which Praxiteles enriched with the famous statue of that goddess, the perfection of his art, in the estimation of the ancient world of taste. The architecture being Corinthian, which order, with the Ionic, was usually appropriated to the temples of goddesses, Minerva excepted, as the Doric was to the gods and heroes, induced him the more to indulge this conjecture. Altogether, he was delighted with what he saw here, and blessed the contrary winds that afforded him that pleasure.-He then visited Stanco, the ancient Cos, or Coos. "It contains," he says, "little worthy a traveller's notice." He then crossed over to the conti nent, and came to a place called Bodromi, nearly opposite to the island of Stanco. Bodromi is wretched, but it presented such noble ruins, marbles, and every remains of a great city, that, with the scite, confirmed him in the opinion of its being the famous Halicarnassus, the capital of Caria. "It enriched us," says. Lord Charlemont, "with drawings of the finest basso relievos, the most precious remains of ancient Greek taste and workmanship, that our travels have, as yet, afforded us."

"Cynthus, now Thermia, was then visited by him; and, on the 23d of November, he was opposite to Egina. Soon after, he and his companions entered the Piræus, where they staid

one

one night, waiting for the return of their druggerman, whom they had sent with their firman, to be laid before the Governor of Attica, and the next morn proceeded to that city, which must ever surpass all other cities in renown, Athens.

At this place, the very mention of which must, I think, fill a refined mind with delight, Lord Charlemont remained, as we may suppose, for some time. As he came near Athens, he was particularly struck with the temple of Theseus, "Which," says he," alone merits a voyage to Greece." The Morea was visited by him; Thebes, Corinth, and the ancient Eubo; of the last-mentioned places his lordship has given a most accurate, and pleasing account. It is alike replete with erudition, and with taste. To abridge, would be to injure it, and it is far too extended for these memoirs.

He returned to Athens on the 14th of December, 1749, from the harbour of Aulis, that renowned haven, which the mighty genius of Homer, and the pathetic, moral muse of Euripides, have clothed with a portion of their never-dying fame!--He had visited almost every island in the Egean; some of them on his way from italy to Constantinople, or from that city to Egypt. In his voyage from Alexandria to Athens he touched at Rhodes, as I have already stated; but it appears that he was there a second time. What his exact course was, I am not able to ascertain; however, this is certain, that on his way from Rhodes to Malta, Lord Charlemont, with his companions, encountered a storm of the most terrific kind, which he has well described. "After a few days of tolerable, though dark, and threatening weather, we were overtaken, on the 20th of January, by one of the most violent hurricanes that ever was

Tho storm,

known in those seas.
which was at south east, the most
dangerous of all winds in the Medi-
terranean, dreaded by sailors under
the name of Levanter, began about
noon, and continued all day, gra-
dually increasing. Whilst we had
day-light to assist, and to comfort
us, we put ourselves before the wind,
and bore away with what little sail
we could carry. Night came on,
and the storm redoubled. Ignorant
in what part of the sea we then were,
for the darkness of the weather had
for some days past prevented us from
taking any observation, we guessed,
as in cases of this kind we are always
prompt to guess the worst, that we
were driven up the Adriatic, the sea
of all others most feared by mari-
ners and, therefore, dreading the
consequences of a lee-shore, destitute
of harbours, and afraid any longer
to leave ourselves at the disposal of
the wind, we put the helm about,
and lay to, under our courses, dou-
ble re fed. Now was but the be-
ginning of horror.. The tempest
raged with tenfold fury. The gloom
of

The

night was unnaturally horrid. The scudding clouds at times divided, affording faint and transient gleams of brassy light, far more dreadful than the deepest darkness. waves rose mountain high; and to me, who, supported in the gangway, stood gazing at the magnificent ruin, the whole ocean appeared in flames, through which the vessel ploughed her desperate way. Sometimes perched on the giddy brow of the stupendous accumulation, and again plungin precipitate into the flaming abyss. The motion was now grown so violent, that I could no longer support it, and I was unwillingly preparing to go down into the cabin, when a squall of wind, to the fury of which the settled tempest became calm, laid the ship down al

most

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