Star.
London, England, 1818-08-03 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

• " Colonel Johnson's Overland Journey through
Persia, Russia, Ire. front lndia to En;i4nd.--Qtlarto,
LONGMAN and Co.
Among the multitude of Tours which the peace
has produced, and which may be called its fruits, if
not its blessings, the present Narrative claims an emi-
nent place, both by its novelty and by the variety of
its contents. Extendiag far beyond the beaten track,
it describes a range of territory from the Persian
Gulf to the Mouth of the Elbe, inhabited by nations
differing in language, religion, manners, and cos-
tume; yet all, at this auspicious period, in a state of
tranquillity, and cultivating pacific relations with
each other. An overland journey, performed at such
a favourable time, must- have afforded peculiar op-
portunities for observation both of men and things ;
and it is gratifying to find that Colonel Johnson 'and
his fellow-traveller were enabled to avail themselves
of these opportunities in their full extent, by the hos-
pitable attention they met ,xith throughout the whole
route, merely in their quality of British Officers, and
without express letters of recommendation.
Independently of its lively descriptions and charac-
teristic aneodotes, the Work is valuable for the im-
portant and useful information it convZys to figure
travellers, as well as for the memorable proof which
it affords, that a journey formerly so arduous and
appalliag, may now be performed with comparative
ease, safety, and expedition.
It were to be wished that this friendly intercourse
anion,'o nations ,might be perpetual; but from the
testimony of this intelligent traveller, we are con-
cerned to observe that its duration, particularly in
regari to Persia, is very precarious. We select, on'
this'subject, the following passage, which will also
serve as a specimen of the general tone and spirit of
the Work :
0, ft might seem that as fear generally begets cruelty, the
severest measures would be exercised by the C avernment on all
who betrayed any feeling of discontent or di..iffection. Yet the
utn- -•st freedom is used among the people in their emversations
‘,.•::••,:ritim; the policy of the stete, and the poorest of than will
inten address, or rather reply, to the Sovereign or Prince with
. the mint fcarlens insolence. A few days ago his Majesty was
gning ua horseback through the liazara, when a sh ipkeeper
c.nse out nod this addressed 'Sour Naivety little knows
the in,Ytnlngs of the poor at this moment; while you are enjoy-
ir i profusion, we cannot get bread to eat ; all the grain, the rno-
r tin it arrives irons the country, is bought up br monied men,'
and 017, unfortunately far us, are men of consequer.ce : it is
th,:n locked up asd served out far sale only by small and most
tpootts.:as at greatly enhanced prices. In the !VDU
Of Goo attend to our exits, andrelieve your subj•cts, who are
3:greing.' Tate King listened to his complaint, and giving some
wis:Afsfactory answer, rode on, followed LT many of his princi-
ple. people, aut.:mg who:n was his son, Prince Mussein Ally
Di erza Tht. shopkeepa in despair, called out, Gan send that
the nu/biers may make themselves masters of this country for
the relief of the poor.' The Prince, who Is Commander of the
for,itied town of Jelaraur, heard the man, and as he passed,
looked at him long and steadfastly, as if to scrutinize his counte-
nance and remember it ; but no farther notice was taken of the
*Nag. Civil wu, that greatest and most fatal scourge of poll-
tiettl society, still hovers over this abused and devoted country,
Where no sectuity taints either of person or property; where
tla apparent naccuillity, or rather silence of the public mind,
vises, nut fruro contentment, hut from mutual distrust ; where
the consciousness of dissimulation In 01111 individual inspires him
rids the dread of it in another; where oppression graduates
FIND rank to rank, and tack nian becomes a stave of those above
hit, and a des; it to those briow him ; and where so fishness,
estirguishilg all public spirit, augments the c!...solsting evils of
yenury and famine. The peepla, ocrgreg net: in towns by a
citetrounion of wretchedness, are abandoned to it without re.
nonce or mitigation ; nut a tree, much lees a forest, offers its
retreat or shelter among the parched and end wastes around
them. Thus circumstanced, it cease, to be a raatt;:r of surprise
On they should be allowed io utter their repining' with impu-
nity, or that they should contemplate invasion as an evil more
tolereble than their acted state • wherefore, if the instance here
adduced be symptomatic of their general temper. they are
hastening to the very crisis of aturehy."

" LADY NIMIGAN is at present in London, superin-
tending the printing of a ne.v Work, entitled Flo-
rence Macarthy: It is another National Tale, be-
longing, it is said, to present times anal manners."—
LITERARY GALEI-TE.
The account of the disease, its cause, treatment,
and probable termination, under which a certain I
great Personage labonrs, will di appears in the Thirty-
secend Number of The Muallrly Gazette of Ifealtti,
published on Friday, will be read with great interest,
coming, as itevideraly does, from an authentic source.
The-Narrative of a a isit to the Hospitals, and seve-
ral eminent Medical Characters in Paris, with a com-
parative View of the hospital Practices of England
god France, and the advantages resulting to Pupils
and Patients. we recommend to the perusal of the
Subscribers, Medical Men, and the Pupils of the
London Hospitals. Among the late discovei ies ate -
remedies for Consumption, (the -incounoque by Mr.
SAsetni); for Dropsy, the Eyro/a utulrlata ; for In-
digestion, general Debility, &c. by Dr. i I tri cm t srsox,
&e. which with a biographical memoir of Dr. &toss,
specification of the composition of Solander's Sana-
tive Tea, a philosophical dissertation on Love and its
effects, an accr-unt of some late ingenious proceed-
ings of a Vaccine Institution in granting honorary
diplomas to raise the wind ; a new mode of preparing
vinegar, &c. &c. render the present number of this
very useful popular work highly interesting. •
The rains, which have lately• fallen in Worcester-
shire, have materially improved the appearance of the
hops, which are now in a clean and healthy state.
About nine o'clock on Wednesday morning a large
stack of hay, belonging to Tirosias JONES, Esq. of
Sudbury, took fire from over4reating, and was en-
tirely consumed.
‘Vednesday, at noon, as the ship Emanuel, Cap-
tain Siourototz, -bound to Elsinore, was sailing by
tie llunfleet Beacon, in the Swin, (about 16 miles
from land) the vessel was suddenly visited by mil-
lions of wasps; and although the crew kept sweep-
ing them from the deck and gun -wale, as they fell,
they were assailed with successive swarms for full
four hours, before they entirely got rid of their trou-
blesome guests.
The Agricultural Society of Quebec is rivalling
the institutions of a similar kind existing is this coun-
try. The Quebec Gazette of the lBth of June con-
tains a list of Prizes to be adjudged in the month of
October next, and which arc extremely numerous.—
The principal objects or the Society appear to be to
introduce the most perfect method of rearing live
stock, and to encourage the invention of machines
for diminishing the quantity of labour. Agrica-
tural produce also occupies a distinguished place,
and that great stimulus to rural enterprise, a plough-
ing match, has not been forgotten. There are no
less than 52 classes of these prizes, and their amount
swim from two to 50 dollars.