228 
tucky of about the third rate, but fuperior 
to the greater part of the Jand weftward of 
the ridge. ‘The country, however, is ren- 
dered lefs beautiful where cleared, by the 
fences being of rails inftead of live hedges. 
A large proportion of the inhabitants are 
Germans and their defcendants, and people 
from the North of Ireland. “Fhe Germans 
teach the German language to their chil- 
dren, and have in every town a church or 
two, where the fervice is performed in their 
roother tongue. However, they can ufu- 
ally fpeak Englith. The generality of the 
other inbabitants are Prefbyterians, main- 
taining ail the rigour of the Prefbyterian 
government ; but the Epifcopalians are in 
general vety liberal: and, I have no doubt, 
but that a fmall congregation might be 
fermed either in Winchefter or Carlifle, 
upon liberal principles, by any perfon ot 
abilities, who had other means than his 
profeffion for his fupport. I have offici- 
ated poth in the Epifcopal and in the Pref{- 
‘byterian churches ; and Mr. Belmain made 
2 point of my ufing fuch prayers as I ap- 
proved. There is a college here fupported 
by government ; but. it is in faét only a 
fchool, in which fomething of philofophy, 
however, 1s introduced. 
E came hither with the defign of pro- 
ceeding to Philadelphia, New York, and 
Botton; but fuch alarming accounts have 
come ef the putrid fever, now raging at 
Philadelphia, that Edo not think it pru- 
dent to proceed: and, as I fhould not like 
to go to New York without going to Phi- 
ladelphia, I fhall put.of both for the pre-: 
fent, efpecially as I do not think New. 
York out ci danger. Fifteen thoufand 
perions are laid to have left Philadelphia. 
Young W. Prieftley is at Lancafter, where 
Eexpe& to fee him’ on Wednefday. I 
fhall then proceed, probably, to Baltimore, 
Alexandria, and back to Winchefter ; after 
which, I propofe proceeding to Kentucky, 
whither great numbers are going; for 
the accounts which I receive from every 
one of that country are fo favourable, that 
I fhould not be juftified in paffing it by. 
Will you, inform Mr. that many 
perfons of Winchefter have no doubt but 
that a mufic-malier would meet with the 
greateft encouragcment there. Living is 
cheaper, and the climate and difpofitions 
of the people much better than at Norfolk. 
‘The neareft ports are Frederickfburg, 
Alexandria, and Baltimore. All kinds of 
cloth, Delft-ware, knives, &c. are dear. 
‘There is at prefent no profpect of the 
Americans engaging in the war. 
Carlifle in Pennfylvania, 119 miles weft 
of Philadelphia. Sept. 235 1793+ 

Defeription of Turkifh ALES. brought from Egypt. [April 1. 
+ For the Monthly Magazine. 
ACCOUNT OF THE TURKISH MANU- 
SCRIPTS BROUGHT FROM EGYPT BY 
BONAPARTE. 
PR ONAPARTE has prefented, by the 
JL) hands of C. Monge, three magnificent 
oriental manufcripts to the National-Libra- 
ry at Paris. Ofthefe manufcripts Langles 
gave adefcription in the Mag. Encyclop. 
tom.iv: anv. p.124.: and as from thence 
fome hopes had been conceived of finding 
therein fome aftronomical obfervations, the 
‘celebrated aftronomer M. BurcKHaRDT 
took the trouble to re-examine them, with 
the view to difcover whether thefe hopes 
were well founded.—Here follows a tranf- 
lation of Langle’s Defcriptien, with re- 
marks by M. Burckhardt. 
*¢ The title of the Turkith manufcriptis, — 
Methlaa él-faadeh oué yanab’e él-_fyadeh fy 
lmal-thalacem. (The beginning forient} 
of fortune and the fource of fublimity in 
the fcience of talifmans) by Sydy Mod- 
hammed ben émyr EHhagan elfa oudy. It is 
a colleétion of aftronomical, aftrological, 
geographical, real or imaginary monu- 
ments, with as ftrange explanations as are 
the figures themfelves. It is eafier to give 
a detcription than an analyfis of 1t.—A 
vignette, which is neatly executed, repre- 
fents the Sultan. He fits in the mid- 
dle of a large hall, which is ornamented 
with a fountain ; and has before him open 
books, an ink-ftand, and a clock: in the 
fore-ground are two Ifchoghlaus and twa- 
dwarfs, The twelve figns of the zodiac, 
with their thirty fix decams, form the fub- _ 
je of the twelve following vignettes ; 
thefe figns are all perfonified,”——[On . 
the fifth even, for here there is only one 
hth, fits a Turk with his legs crofied 
under him. Inftead of the Virgin we here 
find a Reaper in the act of cutting with a 
fickie three ears of corn. The Scorpion 
is here double. A warrior holds one of 
them by the tail in his hand. His drawn 
fword feems to threaten the fetond. The 
Sagittary is half man, like the Centaur, and 
half beaft: the tail of the beaft has more- 
over a dragon’s head. Aquarius draws 
water with a bucket from a quadrangu- 
lar veffel or well. The circumftance that 
all the figns of the Zodiac are accompanied 
by a perfonification, feems fufficiently to 
account for the wide-{pread prevalency of 
aftrology. It has everbeen difficult for 
me to conceive, how uncultivated nations 
could hit ppon the idea that objeéts which 
fo little affeét the fenfes as the ftars fhould. 
have fo great an influence on the fate of 
men. But they afcribe this influence not 
to the ftars themfelyes, but to the Beings 
: whoa 

