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The following note, at the conclufion, is by the Prefident:

covery.

"This account of the Afghans may lead to a very interesting disWe learn from ESDRAS, that the Ten Tribes, after a wandering journey, came to a country called Arfareth; where, we may fuppofe, they fettled: now the Afghans are faid by the best Perfian hiftorians to be defcended from the Jews; they have traditions among themselves of fuch a defcent; and it is even afferted, that their families are diftinguifhed by the names of Jewish tribes, although, fince their converfion to the flám, they ftudiously conceal their origin; the Pushto language, of which I have feen a dictionary, has a manifeft refemblance to the Chaldaick; and a confiderable diftrict under their dominion is called Hazáreh, or Hazáret, which might eafily have been changed into the word ufed by ESDRAS. I ftrongly recommend an inquiry into the literature and hiftory of the Afghans."

Art. V. Contains remarks on the island of Hinzuan, or Johanna, by the Prefident. This interesting and entertaining paper defcribes a place well known to all who have vifited the Eaft; we need, therefore, do no more than infert the following anecdote, with which it concludes:

"ALwI affured me, that, when he heard of the accident, [a wreck, &c.] he hastened to the prince, fell postrate before him, and by tears and importunity prevailed on him to give the Europeans their liberty; that he fupported them at his own expenfe, enabled them to build another veffel, in which they failed to Hinzuàn, and departed thence for Europe or India: he fhowed me the Captain's promiffory notes for fums, which to an African trader must be a confiderable object, but which were no price for liberty, fafety, and, perhaps, life, which his good, though difinterested offices had procured. I lamented, that, in my fituation, it was wholly out of my power to affift ALWI in obtaining juftice; but he urged me to deliver an Arabic letter from him, enclosing the notes, to the Governor General, who, as he faid, knew him well; and I complied with his requeft. Since it is pofible, that a fubftantial defence may be made by the person thus accused of injuftice, I will not name either him or the veffel, which he had commanded; but, if he be living, and if this paper fhould fall into his hands, he may be induced to reflect how highly it imports our national honour, that a people, whom we call favage, but who adminifter to our convenience, may have no just cause to reproach us with a violation of our contracts."

Art. VI. Gives an account of the Baya, or Indian GrofsBeak, and is by Athar Ali Khan, of Dehli. The docility of this bird is really wonderful: it is ftated as a well-attested fact, that if a ring be dropped into a deep well, and a fignal given to him, he will fly down with amazing celerity, catch the ring before it touches the water, and bring it up to his master with

apparent

apparent exultation. Other inftances of its fagacity are also related.

Art. VII. On the Chronology of the Hindus, by the President. Sir W. Jones, in this account of Indian chronology, intimates a doubt, whether it is not in fact the fame, with our own, but embellished and obfcured by the fancy of their poets, and the riddles of their philofophers. This is certainly deferving of the most serious investigation, as a confirmation of the Mofaic hiftory, from the chronological accounts of India, and the periods of Hindu aftronomy, would yet further extend and ftrengthen the base on which our hopes and faith are depofited. If, indeed, according to the ingenious fuggeftion of Mr. Paterfon, a day and night of mortals was confidered by the ancient Hindus as a month of the lower world, the four million three hundred and twenty thousand years, of which the four Indian ages are fuppofed to confift, mean only years of twelve days, the calculations of the philofophers of India will be found to approach nearer to probability, from the reafon of the thing itfelf, as well as more confonant to the chronology of Scripture history.

In the current of the four ages, the Hindus, according to Sir W. Jones, reckon ten principal Avataras; all of which are described in the following Ode of Jayadeva, the great Lyrick Poet of India:

1. "Thou recovereft the Véda in the water of the ocean of deftruction, placing it joyfully in the bofom of an ark fabricated by thee; O CESAVA, affuming the body of a fish: be victorious, O HERI, lord of the Univerfe!

2." The earth ftands firm on thy immenfely broad back, which grows larger from the callus occafioned by bearing that vaft burden, O CESAVA, affuming the body of a tortoife: be victorious, O HERI, lord of the Universe!

3. The earth, placed on the point of thy tufk, remains fixed. like the figure of a black antelope on the moon, O CESAVA, affuming the form of a boar: be victorious, O HERI, lord of the Univerfe!

4. The claw with a ftupendous point, on the exquifite lotos of thy lion's paw, is the black bee, that itung the body of the embowelled HIRANYACASIPU, O CESAVA, affuming the form of a manlion: be victorious, O HERI, lord of the Universe !

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5. By thy power thou beguileft BALI, O thou miraculous dwarf, thou purifier of men with the water (of Ganga) fpringing from thy feet, O CESAVA, affuming the form of a dwarf: be victorious, O HERI, lord of the Universe !

6. Thou batheft in pure water, confifting of the blood of Chatriya's, the world, whofe offences are removed, and who are relieved from the pain of other births, O CESAVA, affuming the form of PARASU-RAMA: be victorious, O HERI, lord of the Universe!

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7. "With ease to thyself, with delight to the Genii of the eight regions, thou scattereft on all fides in the plain of combat the demon with ten heads, O CESAVA, affuming the form of RAMA-CHANDRA: be victorious, O HERI, lord of the Universe!

8. Thou weareft on thy bright body a mantle fhining like a blue cloud, or like the water of Yamunà tripping toward thee through fear of thy furrowing plough-fhare, O CESAVA, affuming the form of BALA-RAMA: be victorious, O HERI, lord of the Universe !

9. "Thou blameft, (oh, wonderful!) the whole Véda, when thou feeft, O kind-hearted, the flaughter of cattle prescribed for facrifice, O CESAVA, affuming the body of BUDDHA: be victorious, O HERI, lord of the Universe !

10. "For the destruction of all the impure thou draweft thy cimeter like a blazing comet, (how tremendous!) O CESAVA, affuming the body of CALCI: be victorious, O HERI, lord of the Univerfe!"

The pofterity of Menu, from whom the whole race of men are faid to be descended, are divided into two great branches— the children of the fun and the children of the moon. The lineal male defcendants, in both these families, are supposed to have reigned in the cities of Ayodhya, or Audh, and Pratishthana, or Vitora, till the thousandth year of the prefent age. These are exhibited in two columns, with fuch care and accuracy as must be of infinite ufe to those who fhall hereafter make this complicated and perplexing fubject their purfuit. The prefident, after giving a concife, but comprehenfive sketch of Indian hiftory, through the longest period which can reasonably be allowed, concludes, that the Brahmans, from motives of vanity, have purposely raised their antiquity beyond the truth: "Nor can," to ufe his own words, "a fyftem of Indian chronology be hoped for, to which no objection can be made, unless the aftronomical books in Sanfcrit fhall clearly "afcertain the places of colures in fome precife years of the "hiftorical age, by fuch evidence as our own aftronomers and fcholars fhall allow to be unexceptionable,"

Art. VIII. On the cure of the Elephantiafis, by Athar Ali Khan, of Dehli. This is a disease which is hardly known in Europe; being in a manner peculiar to hot climates. The father of the writer of this article was phyfician to Nadir Shah, and accompanied him from Perfia to Delhi. He obferves, that the malady is very common at Calcutta, and its cure is a preparation of arfenic and pepper.

Art. IX. On the Indian Game of Chefs, by the Prefident. This game has been known immemorially in India by the name of Chaturanga; by a natural corruption the old Perfians changed it into Chatrang; the Arabs further altered it into Shatranj; and thus a fignificant word in the facred language of the

Brahman,

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Of the Disease produced by the Bite of a Mad Dog. Brahman, has been transformed, by fucceffive changes, into axedrez, fcacchi, echecs, chefs, has given birth to the English word check, and a name to the Exchequer of Great Britain.

Whoever reads this account of a moft ingenious game, will not be displeased at our referring him to a beautiful poem on the fame fubject, by the fame gentleman, called Caiffa, or the Game at Chefs, written in 1769. The idea of which was fuggested by the poem of Vida, called Scacchia Ludus.

Art. X. Two Infcriptions from the Vindhya Mountains, tranflated from the Sanfcrit by Charles Wilkins, Efq. This is the gentleman who has favoured the world with the celebrated Bhagvat-Geeta, from the Sanfcrit; and whofe fkill in that abftrufe language, and various accomplishments, give us reason to expect much future gratification from that almost unexplored fource.

[ To be continued. ]

ART. II. An Essay on the Difeafe produced by the Bite of a Mad Dog, or other Rabid Animals. By James Meafe, M. D. of Philadelphia. With a Preface and Appendix by J. C. Lettfom, M. D. F. R. S. &c. 8vo. 39. 6d. Dilly, London.

THE effects produced by the bite of a mad dog, or of other

animals to which the disease has been previously communicated, are so alarming and fatal, that we cannot wonder to find they have excited the attention of fome of the most eminent physicians in all ages, to investigate the caufe, and to find out a remedy for fo dreadful an evil. Celfus, copying after the Greek phyficians, prefcribes a method, both for preventing and curing the disease, that seems adapted to the greatnefs of the complaint; and which is faid to have been used with fuccefs in fome cafes even after evident appearances of infection. He advises the part bitten to be cut out as foon as poffible after the accident; or, if that cannot be complied with, first cupping glaffes to be applied over the wound, to occafion a flow of blood, and to extract the virus; then the part to be burnt with a cautery, or confumed by efcarotics. Some perfons;" he fays, "put their patients into a warm bath, to excite perfpira"tion; and confine them in the bath as long as their strength "will permit; when they were taken out, and recruited with plenty of wine, which the ancients confidered as an antidote "to every fpecies of poifon." This procefs was directed to be repeated three fucceeding days, when the patient was thought to be free from danger; but if these precautions had been

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omitted, or the hydrophobia, notwithstanding their use, came on, the patient was to be thrown fuddenly into a pond, and his head, from time to time, held under the water; to compel him to fwallow fome portion of fluid: "By which means," he says, fimul et fitis et aquæ metus tollitur." Lib. v. cap. 27. In fome cafes he directs a bath of warm oil. This method feems to have been abandoned, rather on account of its harfhnefs than its infufficiency. What deters from having recourse to such rough means of prevention is, the uncertainty whether the disease will come on, even after proof of the party's having been bitten by an animal indubitably mad; as of ten perfons fo bitten, not above one, two, or three, will probably ever fuffer from the difeafe. This uncertainty has contributed to establish the character of certain fpecifics: and Dr. Mead's Pulvis Antilyffus, the Tonquin, and Örmfkirk medicines, have acquired their reputation from the exemption from hydrophobia of fome perfons, who had taken one or other of thefe compofitions, after having been bitten by fome dog, or other rabid animal. But the number of instances of perfons having followed every prophylactic method hitherto prescribed, who have afterwards fallen victims to the difeafe, are proofs that no infallible specific is yet known.

The author before us has fuggefted a method of treatment confifting of the most powerful tonic and bracing medicines: "The wounds are to be enlarged," he fays, "or the part "bitten to be cut out, while bark, fteel, and other invigorating medicines are to be given to fortify the constitution "against the attacks of the disease: by this means, fuch a "degree of vigour will be given to the fyftem, as will prevent "the action of the virus from taking place; or if this should

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actually come on, it must be evident that they will be flight." P. 107. This is very comfortable doctrine; but as the Doctor acknowledges he has had no opportunity of experiencing the effects of his regulations, however we may commend his zeal, we cannot be fo fanguine as to hope for all the fuccefs from them which he promises.

The editor has added, in an Appendix, an account of a proccfs lately recommended to the public by Doctors Haygarth and Percival. This confifts in plentifully washing the wounded part with cold, and afterwards with warm water, prior to exfection, or the use of efcarotics: in bathing the wound with faliva, or the gastric juice of a healthy young animal just killed; in ligatures, when the part wounded is a limb, for the purpose of benumbing the nerves, and rendering them lefs fufceptible of impreffion from the poifon, in an invigorating cordial diet and medicines, cold bathing, &c. Dr. Shadwell, of Brentwood, upon the recommendation of Dr. James Sims, advifes the internal

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