Star.
London, England, 1829-07-20 00:00:00

MONDAY EVENING, JULY 20, 1829.

DR. BLONIFIRLD'S THUCYDIDES.
We have read with great pleasure and interest a trans-
lation of Thucydides by Doctor Blomfield, of Sidney
College, Cambridge, with very learned and numerous
notes. The translation renders quite intelligible the must
obscure passages of the difficult author, and at the same
time preserves his peculiarities and energy of style. The
translator is particularly felicitous in the description of the
factions at Athens, the departure of the fleet for Sicily,
and the naval combat in the harbour of Syracuse. Alto-
gether we consider the publication to be one which reflects
the greatest credit on the laborious assiduity and profound
learning of the Rev. writer ; and we think he has added emi-
nently to the treasures of scientific and useful literature.
The dedication is addressed to the Duke of Wellington,
very appropriately, and the following passage will prove
the enlightenetaiind and patriotism of the learned Divine:

" In this 4 overisetiag pasessins: as it is termed by the historian,
are depicted in glowing cologne en the one hand, the manifold evils
of rash innovation and reckless precipitation is legislation and go-
vernment ; and es the other the scarcely less formidable perils of
starring political inuiturions, however originally dressed sod fitted

to t►e t►ee dreamiest', of t►e country, to aver aud rod our,
wit►out gndvally adopting arc► necessary ..rd well weighed re-

- - -
pairs sad improvements as tile times anti mamas may require."

CAPTAIN FRANKLAND'S TRAVELS.
CoLoom!. Loudon.

In noticing this interesting book a few days ago, we
confined our extracts to the description given of the theatre
of war, without expressing an opinion on the talents
the author. We are now desirous of making our readers
acquiainted with Captain FRANK LA tc u ; and in doing
this, we shall show how he feels in the desert :—" The
charm," says Captain F. " of the vagrant kind of life
which I led fur some weeks in Syria, is inconceivable ; its
constant variety, its perfect independence, the excitement
of difficulty, the apprehension of danger, were so many
powerful but agreeable stimulants. My wants were but
Iher, and easily supplied ; my bed was the ground, my
cowering a cloak, and my canopy the heavens; in such a
climate, I could desire no better. Yet I sometimes felt
that solitude was painful. It is so agreeable, says a witty
Frenchman, to be able to say to one's companion, • Voila
um beau chateau !' Pleasure is heightened by participa-
tion, and at time. I own I did regret that I had no friend
of similar habits and ideas, to partake of my delight in
behold 4 lovely scenery, and to share nay anxiety in the
time of &tab' and difficulty." There is what we consider
a great deal of good feeliug in the passage we have quoted;
and it must go a great way to impress one with respect for
the writer. He then proceeds :—•• Nevertheless I gained
one advantage from my solitude, namely, that of perfect,
liberty tualidepeudence. I halted when and where I
chose, and set off again as my fancy dictated. I could
live upon a morsel of Arab bread, uud could content
myself with a draught of water and I could sit
upon the back of my horse, from au hour before day
until nightfall, without feeling fatigued. 1 loved to
wander amid the beauties of nature, and was fond
of investigating the habits and character of man•
in all his varieties?' These certainly are admirable
qualities in a traveller; and the gallant Captain having
taken credit for them, we cheerfully admit them. "Of
civilization," adds he, " I had seen enough. In all the
capitals of Europe, the manners of the world only differ
by slight, and almost imperceptible del-reef. He that has
seen London, Paris, and Vienna, Rome, Naples, and Pe-
tersburgh, will find that in all these cities man is nearly
the same creature of art, and living under the same com-
mon rule of the European compact." And hence it fol-
lows that we find Captain Fraukland much more delight-
ful company in the desert than iu the crowded saloon.
In our present brief notice of Captain Frankland's nar-
retire we shall confine ourselves to the light matter which
we find scattered, here and there, among his pages ; but,
before proceeding to.this, we may touch upon his advice
to all future travellers on some very essential particulars.
He is mill in Syria, observe ,while linking these comments:
" Of one thing I am firmly convinced, that the less baggage the
traveller has, and the smaller his cortege, the better—for he then
is unembarrassed in his movements, and does not become the ob-
ject of cupidity to the ill-dispoged, er to the predatory tribes. He
should likewise, as much as possible, show a perfect confident* in
the people among whom his fortune ha• thrown bim. and carefully
avoid giving them any offence by word or deed. Let him always
be km in resisting attempts upon his poesy. or upon his property
of every sort ; and above all things, itt kiss wirer k presaikd as to
pay before hand for any article whatever. •• • He should also take
great care wed to speak is public to the fannies, nor to appear curious
about them, nor intrusive in his observations upon theta ; the
Orientals never forgive offences of this nature; nee are tAr wawa at
an Altered ey that marts ganetatites is 'milk, which they sight
Mom very hjgWy MINI/ate—for such demonstrations imply but
little opinion of their chastity—a virtue most highly prized to
the Fast."

These are what we call orthodox opinions, both as re-
gards the money matters and the ladies; and with such
advice and qualifications in our heads and pockets, we
care not in what quarter of the world we may be doomed
to travel. One anecdote by Captain Frankland illustrates
the friendly interconununion of the English with the
Turf better than all we have hitherto fallen in with on
the same subject : " The Englishman will find the Turks
generally well-disposed towards his nation ; for, in de-
spite of the ambiguous nature of our proceedings towards
them, they cannot forget past services rendered in the
tine of their necessity. He had better always make his
attendants announce him as el Inglis,' in preference to
ej Frevi,' which is the general appellation of the Eu-
ropean nations, with none of whom, excepting the Mus-
covites, are they so well acquainted as with ourselves.
Our countrymen have contrived likewise to establish a sort
of prescriptive right to do as they please in Turkey, as, in-
deed, every where else ; and Pasba Abdallah of Acre's
reply to an observation of his Kehays, relative to a certain
English traveller, who had the presumption to wear yel-
low boots and a white turban—' Dost thou not know that
El Inglis has a right to do as he pleases in the dominions
of the Sultan, as well as in Frangistan ? if he wear his
yellow boots upon his head, and his white turban upon
his heels, what is that to thee ?'—is strongly indicative of
the glisposition of the Turk to yield as much of his pre-
judices in our favour as he can."
Captain Frankland visits Lady Hester Stanhope at
Djouni. Any notice of this singularly-minded pereseoge

PRICI

is highly interesting. From her Ladyship Ike r
many kind and polite marks of attention. She a 'at ow,
of her servants to conduct him to her dwelling at Djottn.,
which is thus described—" It is seated upon a conicak
surrounded by mountains and deep dells. Her Lady-
iship has built a wall all around it, to keep out the jackals,
hyenas, and bears. I was ushered by her janissari.es
and chioux into a pretty little pavilion in the gardeni,
where I found all sorts of English comforts and luxuries,
from which I had been Dow so long estranged, that I folt
quite delighted on beholding them." Of her LAdyship
we gather a curious fact, which will, doubtless, astonish
many of our English Ladies—she dines &fore one
o'clock ! " About five o'clock I was conducted to her

Ladyship's presence : she was dressed a f Arahe, and is
a very imposing and noble-looking personao, of Breit
height and dignified manners. She received me very
graciously, and we soon became acquainted with each
other. I dined alone, she never eating after one o'clock.
After dinner I again returned to her Ladyship, and r,,-
mained t(te a tote with ber until midniclit, much 14k:er-
tained and instructed by her conversation, which is
lively and interesting—extraordinary and impressive by
turns." Here Capt.. Frankland feasted for the space of
six days, during which time another very extraordinary
fact is brought to light in illustration of her Ladyship's
peculiarities:—" I am not the only guest at Eljouni.
Lady Hester informs me that she has at this moment two
great Mahomedan visitors under her roof, although I
never see them by any accident. One of these is a Mul-
lah, learned in the law of the Prophet ; and the other is a
Metooali chief, from the Bakaa, near Baalbeck. These
men are aware that I am here, and asked her Ladyshi.l
about me ; but she; wishing to evade the subject, said I
was a Georgian." We are desirous of speaking at grouter
length respecting these " two great Mahomedan visitors,"
as well as of Lady Hester Stanhope, and of an interest-
ing anecdote she gives to Captain Frankland about the
two greatest men of which the East can boast, namely,
Sultan Mahmoud and Mehmet Ali ; but finding that tl:e
space which we must necessarily allot to noticesof this •
kind is very limited, we dare not trespass eitheil cab the
patience of the reader, or the valuable contend': of the
volume before us.

We cannot conclude, however, without noticing the
observations which Frankland has mule on Malts—the

renowned Malt*,—one of the chief causes of the late
Bonapartews war,—iu truth the " bone of. oaten' iati,"—
and the key of our commercial consequence and strength
in the Meditdranean ;;—;and on the subject of Malts, we
think that Captain Frankland has not said so much as he
ought to have said. Here, indeed, he was , differently .
placed f ore That he hea` been in the desert ; fur bt:t*een
the officers Of die rifle brigade and otters, his stay, Tul'he '
tells us, " was very well disposed at dinners, yie-nir
balls, &c. &c." And he concludes his chapter by in-
forming us that " Malta is so well known as a ft.rkess t f
the first order, and as one of the best ports of tl-e
that I have not presumed to give any account of it le', g
well aware that I have nothing new to say about it. KA
before I take my leave of Valetta, I must observe that it
ie one of the neat agreeable cities I was ever in. The
Maltese are an industrious, sober, orderly, and active
people, and the English residents form the most respect-
able and agreeable society which I have ever met with in
the Colonies." And the whole is wound up by observing
that " the metropolitan church of St. John is a perfect bi-
' jou, encrusted with rich mosaic, and ornamented with the
splendid tombs of the Knights of Malta. Here are like-
wise preserved the keys of the fortress of Rhodes." Ore
is apt to imagine that, here, Captain Frankland had au
opportunity of giving us some interesting particulars of
the venerable Order of the Knights of St. John of Jeru-
salem, otherwise the Knights of Rhodes and of Malta,
Order of greater renown and importance than any that ever
figured on the face of the earth ; and which, at this hour,
possesses all the powers of a sovereign State, in conferrir
titles and commissions, contracting loans, and, if it Fleases,
unfurling its flag in the Archipelago, for the protection of
the commerce of all the nations of which the KniFitts are
composed ; and it is not, perhaps, too much to say that,
in this respect, we believe, were the Knights to gather,
and acquit themselves as they were wont to do, we sheu.d
hear less of outrages and piracies in the Metliter, :mean,
on our own and other shipping, than we have, of Lite, been
annoyed with. But Captain Frank!and has not, in tre
whole course of his narrative, troubled himself or 1.14
readers with much speculation of this kind ; end we have
no right to expect that in Malta he was to have
exe..ption in the general tenour of his obeervations. V e
are thankful fur the information and amusement he La
afforded us ; and trust that, as he anticipabss, he will re-
visit the countries he has spoken of, when, says Le, " I
shall go better prepared and provided, and shall hope to
profit more by my next journey than I have done by toe
' last."