Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-06-02
Nep- York, Mau go.

A'o" 4 ", DAuy 90.
The Quarterly Review for april, 1921,
contains an interesting an entertaining ar
ticle on work recently published in Eng
land, entitled" Historical account of
Discoveries and 1raUels IN asia, from
the earliest periods to the present time.
By Hugh Murray; author Of Historical
account Of Historical account Of Discou-
cries In africa. Very few of the various
essays in this periodical work, have af-
forded more interesting information than
that on the former work of Mr.. Murray,
mentioned in the above title page. Many
of the attempts that have been made from
age to age, by intelligent and enterprising
travellers, to explore the interior Of the
African continent, previously to the re-
view of Mr.. Murray's book, were in a
great measure unknown in this country
the original publications from which he
obtained the materials Of his work being
rarely if ever found here. Indeed, even
his work has not, to our knowledge, been
republished in the United States, and
therefore has not obtained general circu-
lation amongst US. The truth is, the un-
fortunate tax upon foreign literature in
great degree prevents its importation, &
our countrymen are almost entirely cut
off from the benefits we might otherwise
derive from it, except in cases where the
booksellers find it expedient to furnish us
with an American edition.
In his present work, as in the former,
Mr.. Murray gives an account of the early
travellers into Asia, from number of
which the reviewers have furnished us
with extracts, which serve as samples of
the originals. Among the passages quo
ted, we find, as might be expected from
travellers of the periods in which they
journeyed, stories of all extravagent cha
racter, frequently fictitious, and strongly
indicative of the credulity of the times
but often conveying in kind of fabulous
style and manner good deal of valuable
information and many important matters
of fact AS a specimen of fiction, we Sc
lect the following passage with the precc-
ding remarks of the reviewers.
s.The next traveller, in point of time,
was FRIAR ODERICUS Of Friule, one
of the Fratres Minores, and usually called
Beatus Odericus. This good Friar set
out with unbounded zeal to convert the
Heathens of the East to Christianity. He
travelled over the same ground nearl as
the family of the Poll had done before him,
and though his narrative has now and
then sprinkling of the marvellous, and
shows the author to have received, with
too credulous an ear, the strange stories
related to him in the course cf his travels,
vet it contains many curious facts that
were not known to the western world be-
fore his return, and which he could have
learnt only in the countries where they
exist. He describes, for instance, the vast
resort of pilgrims to the great temple of
Juggernaut, the great procession of the
enormous Car, under the wheels of which
6 many pilgrims put themselves, to the
end that their false god may 60 over them
and all they over whom the chariot run
meth, are crushed to pieces and divided
asunder in the midst, and slaine" He al
SO describes, with great accuracy, the
Hindoo worship of the Cow, the consecra-
ton of virgins to the service of their idols,
the human sacrifices, the custom Of wives
burning themselves on the funeral pile of
their husbands, and many other heinous
and abominable villanies committed by
that british beastly people"
In Sumatra, he mentions the abundance
of gold, silver, and camphor. In Java, he
finds closes, nutness, and other spices, g.