﻿i)Q REMARKS ON THE ISLAND 



' distinguished in the Gospel ; and the believers in 



* Muhammed, who expressly name him the Messiah, 

 ^■and pronounce him to have been born ot a virgin, 



* which alone might fully justify the phrase con- 



* demned by this author, are themselves condemn- 

 6 able for cavilling at words, when they cannot ob- 

 ' ject to the substance of our faiih consistently with 

 ' their own.' The Muselmans had nothing to say in 

 reply ; and the conversation was changed, 



I was astonished at the questions which Ahvl put 

 to me concerning the la:e peace and the independence 

 of America ; the several powers and resources of Bri- 

 and France, Spain and HoIJanu, the character 

 and supposed views of the Emperor, the compara- 

 tive strength of the Russian, Imperial, and Othnan 

 armies, and their respective modes of bringing their 

 forces to action. 1 answer him without reserve, ex- 

 cept on the state of our possessions in India ; nor 

 were my answers lost, for I observed, that all the 

 company were variously affected by them, generally 

 with amazement, often with concern, especially 

 when I described to them the great force and admi- 

 rable discipline of the Auftrum army, and the stupid 

 prejudices of the Turks, whom nothing can induce to 

 abandon their old Tartarian habits ; and exposed the 

 weakness of their empire in Africa, and even in the 

 more distant provinces of Asia. In return, he gave 

 me clear but general information concerning the go- 

 vernment and commerce of his island : " His coun- 

 ** try," he said, " was poor,, and produced few articles 

 <{ of trade ; but if they could get money, ivhich tiny 

 " now preferred to phiv-tuiu^s," those were his words, 

 4< they might easily," he added, " procure foreign 

 *' commodities and exchange them advantageously 

 " with their neighbours in the islands and on the 

 " continent. Thus with a little money," said he, 

 «* we purchase muskets, pow&r, balls, cutlasses, 



