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For the Monthly Magazine, FACTS relative to the PRESENT STATE of the CITY of TRIPOLI; communicated in a LETTER from JONATHAN COWDERY, SURGEON of the late AMERICAN

FRIGATE PHILADELPHIA.

THA

Malta, July 10, 1805. HANKS to the activity of our navy, and to the efforts of General Eaton and his few but valiant men, who much aftonished every Muffulman in Tripoli, and put the whole regency on the point of a revolution, we were liberated on the Sd of June, for 60,000 dollars, as a balance of prifoners.

We left about 200 flaves, who were fubjects of the King of Naples, much regretting that they could not claim fo happy a country as ours, whofe fo vereignty had the fpirit to deliver its fubjects from flavery and mifery. I have fince vifited the once opulent and powerful, but now wretched, Syracufe. We arrived here yesterday, and find the people of Malta very civil, polite, and Commercial, and the immenfe fortifica tions filled with British troops.

The city of Tripoli ftands on the north coaft of Africa, in north latitude 320-54, and longitude east from London 139 11; and is built upon the ruins of the ancient Oca, on a fandy fuil. It contains about 40,000 Turks, 5,000 Jews, and 1,000 Roman Catholics and Greeks. It has eight mofques and one christian church; fome of the mosques are very large.

The baths are places of confiderable refort, on account of the injunctions of Mahomet, which direct the keeping the body clean: but I have feen many deviate from this, and rub their bodies with dry fand instead of water. This cuftom, I am informed, originated from the pilcoms and travellers not being able to find water while travelling over the defert. The Bedouins, a kind of fojourn ing Arabs, and people from the interior of Africa, often prefer this imperfect method of purification, even when water is at land.

Many of the buildings have the appearance of great antiquity, of which the Turks can give no account. Among them is a Roman palace and a triumphal arch. The castle ftands on the water's edge, in the north-easternmoft corner of the city. Its ramparts are of different heights on the land tide they are from 40 to 30, and on the water fide they are from 35 to 40 feet in height. Twenty-five pieces of brufs ordnance, of different fizes, are MOSTHLY MAC., No. 153.

mounted on different parts of the castle, to command the city, adjoining country, and harbour. Several of the apartments in the weft end of the cafile are large, commodious, and airy, ornamented with a variety of fine marble, mofaic and ftuc co work, and richly furnished in the Turkish ftyle.

Here the Bafhaw receives and holds audience with foreign ambaffadors and confuls; holds his divan, which he often imperiously over-rules; and gives his mandates, which are often enforced by the most cruel torture and death. Here are a great number of finaller apartments; a large open court and fpacious gallery, for the accommodation and refidence of the Badhaw, his wives, chil dren, and attendants: here is alfo a bomb-proof room, to which the Bathaw flies in times of danger. The apart ments in the caft end of the caftle are tables for the Bahaw's horfes, and pri fons where our officers and myself were confined, and where the Bafhaw confines

is hoftages and criminals; and in thẻ midt of which is the magazine of gunpowder. Thefe glooiny mantions of hori ror are in bad repair, full of vermin, and is the filthieft place in all Tripoli. 1 was taken out of this prifon fome months before our liberation, and put on a very limited parole, to attend the fick and lame of our crew.

The city, including the caftle, is three miles and a half in circumference. The country about Tripoli, nearly to the foot of Mount Atlas (which is two days' journey from Tripoli), is all, except the gar dens and orchards near the city, a fandy and barren defert. The houses, the ramparts and batteries which furround it, are built of the rains of the ancient cities of Oca, Leptis, and Sabrata, which are chiefly of marble and a variety of other calcareous ftones, and columns of granite, many of which are very large, put together with a cement of lime and land; but without the rogularity of square, plumb-line, or level. The walls are ge nerally white-wallied with new-flacked lime, at the commencement of the Hitmadan or Carnival. The tops of the holes are flat, and covered with a coinpotition chiefly of lime, which (when dry) forms a very firm terrace. To ward against the vengeance of their enemies, the whole city is fire-proof.

The fresh watered in Tripoli (exa cept in time of fcarcity, or the fear of a fiege, when it is brought from the wells in the Defert on mules, affes, and chrifB

tian

tian flaves) is rain-water caught in winter, the only time of rain in this country: it runs from the terraces, through well conftructed earthen tubes into large vaulted refervoirs, which are built of ftone and lime, and well coated with lime, and are in the earth below the influence of the fun; where it is preferved from filth, and when drawn for ufe it is remarkably clear, cool, and pleasant. The wells in and about Tripoli, for about two miles from the fea-fhore, produce brackifh water, which is used for fcrubbing and drenching the finks, neceffaries, fewers, &c. and for watering the gardens and orchards during the dry feafon. Sinks lead from the houfes through the bottoms of the neceffaries into very large common fewers, which lead into the fea, all of which are built of stone and lime. The feamen and marines of the late frigate Philadelphia can atteft the valt quantity of lime used in Tripoli; a number of whom were driven, by unfeeling barbarians, to work in it for nineteen months.

The streets not being paved, are naturally very dufty; but every thing of the nature of manure is diligently fought for, gathered into large baskets, flung upon camels, mules, and affes, and carried to the gardens and orchards, to raise the foil from its natural, ftate of barrennefs. Thefe little plantations are each enclosed with high walls; they contain from two to fix acres each; feveral of them are cultivated by European gardeners, and are made to produce all the ufeful roots, plants, and fruits that are natural to the torrid and temperate zones.. Thefe en clofures are about 2000 in number, all interfperfed with tall date trees, and are laid out in fuch a manner, that collectively they form a femicircle, which extends from fhore to fhore, at a little distance from the city. This ever-green half zone, the fandy defert which it lies upon, and the proud Atlas which bor ders the profpect, when viewed from the top of the cattle-gate of the city, or the hipping on the coaft, prefents a beautiful profpect.

The winds from the north, north-east, and north-west, are generally very falubrious; those from the fouth, fouth-west, and fouth-east, come over the parched continent, and are generally very oppreffive: they are called the Sirocco, and Sometimes rife to that degree of heat and violence, that thofe who are not able to find theiter in houtes, tents, &c. often perish it fometimes lafts three days, but

generally not longer than the first twelve of the twenty-four hours. The want of proper apparatus rendered me unable to learn the different degrees of the temperature of the climate. The nights and mornings are fometimes cool after rain; but I never, while in Tripoli, faw any froft or fnow.

The principal market is held every Tucfday, on the fandy beach, about one mile easterly of the city, where a variety of articles are fold, and the butchers kill and fell their meat, chiefly to Chrif tians, Jews, and the higher order of Turks. Very little meat is killed in the city. The common clafs of people, and the Bafhaw's troops and feamen, eat but little ineat; their diet is chicfly dates, olives, oil of olives, bread, and a variety of vegetables, which they cook in oil. The Turks are, with a few exceptions, trangers to luxury and diffipation."

The prevailing diforders among the natives of Tripoli were, ophthalmia in fummer, and catarrh and flight pneumonic affections in winter. The former. I attributed to a remarkably ferene and brilliant fky, and the scorching winds from the continent; the latter to the want or neglect of proper clothing. The dead, except thofe of the Bathaw's fas mily, and a high order of marabuts, or priests, are buried out of the city. On the beach, one cable length caft of the cattle, and half a cable length above high water mark, myself, with our boatfwain and twelve of our crew, did lafl fummer (through the defire or Captain Bainbridge and permillion of the Ba fliaw) bury our brave officers' and fea. men, who were killed in the explotions and in the engagements of Tripoli, and who floated on there. In dieging the graves, our men hove up vait quantities of human bones. The Turks informed me, that they were the bones of the people who died of the plague many years ago; they collected them into baikets, and carried them away as faft as pollible, muttering and faving that they fhould not be polluted with chriftian bones.

The calcareous fubftances of which Tripoli is chiefly built, the well-conftructed drains, the killing the meat and bu rying the dead at a distance from the city, the removing the offal and filth to the gardens for manure, and the temperate manner in which the Turks and Arabs live, have without doubt been the caufe of the late remarkable continuance of health in Tripoli.

J. C.

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In the former of thefe years, the average heat encreafed from month to month till Auguft; but in the latter there was no increase of heat after June: for that and the two following months, the mean heat was 629. It mouft indeed be in the recollection of all your readers, that the hottest days in the whole year were in June; and it now appears to have, been fo much the cafe, as to equal the higher temperature that is ufually experienced in the months of July and Auguft. With regard to the whole year, the average of 1805 was rather lower than ufual, and that of 1806 has been higher than that of common years. The mean height of the barometer for the year is equal to 29.815, which is not quite th of an inch lower than it was for the preceding year; though the quantity of rain for 1806 has been equal to 42 inches in depth, while that for 1805 was only 25 inches: this is a frell proof of what in the course of our monthly reports we have frequently referred to, that the quantity of rain is in all cafes in proportion to the high temperature of the atmosphere.

During the year there have been 141 days very brilliant; 119 in which there has been rain; on 17 there has fallen now or hail; the remaining 88 days may be nearly equally divided into fair and cloudy days: among the latter must

be reckoned about 10 days in which fogs have prevailed the greater part of the day.

The state of the wind has been as follows: N. 16, S. 19, W. 84, E. 27, N.E. 48, S.E. 26, N.W. 76, S. 69.

The month of January was remarkable for ftorms and heavy rains, that occurred ufually in the night. February was noted for its great variableness, both in the preffure and temperature of the atmosphere. March, for its fevere frofts and heavy fnows. April, for its north and north-easterly winds. May, for its eafterly winds, which were attended with much mifchief to the gardens, particularly to the fruit trees. June was noted for the great heat of fome of its days, though on others the northerly and easterly winds were fevere; in some parts of the country there were torms, attended with thunder, lightning, and hail: this was a remarkably dry month. But the following month was uncommonly wet, and the heavy rains were accompa→ nied with fome tremendous forms. Auguft was alfo marked by the ftorminefs of many of its days; but on the whole it was favourable to the harveft. In September and October the weather was mild, and very fuitable to the season and climate of the country. The months of November and December were remarkable for their high temperature, and for the great quantity of rain which fell. It may be obferved, that there have been fewer fogs in thefe months than ufual.

For the Monthly Magazine. CONTRIBUTIONS to ENGLISH SYNONYMY. One. Only. Alone. Lonely. Lonefome.

NITY is the common idea which

U pervades all there words. That is

one, of which there are any. That is only, of which there are no more. That is alone, which is actually unaccompanied. That is lonely, or lonefome, which is hibitually unaccompanied. One child. An only child. A child alone. A lonely child.

According to the Gentiles, Jupiter was one god, and Neptune another; according to the Jews, Jehovah was the only god: if god means an object of human worthip, the Gentiles were right, and the Jews were wrong; but if god means the Supreme Being, there can be but

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one

one by the terms of the definition. In
the fenfe of the Gentiles, Chrift is un-
deniably God; in the fenfe of the Jews,
Chritt is undeniably not God.
Alone, for other creature in this place,
Living or lifelefs, to be found was nonę.

I go alone,

dom feen.

Milton.

Like to a lonely dragon, that his fen
Makes fear'd and talk'd of, though but fel-
Shakipeare.
For the adjective lonesome authorities
can be adduced; but it is impurely
formed: the fyllable fome being the im-
perative mood of famnian, to gather,
can only unite with fubftantive etymons,
as in portfome, irkime, healfome, length
fome, buxome, floutjome, jeljome, ligjome,
toiljome, lightjome, tirejime, gamejome,
&c.; here it occurs in union with the
adjective lone, and forms an infignificaut
compound, like the words with-alone.

To ftudy. To learn.

Studere, to study, appears to be a privative of the imperfonal verb tadere, to grow weary: he ftudies who does not tire of application.

Leornan and laeran, to learn, arc ety mologically connected with words fignifying to borrow: he learns who borrows from his matter intellectual stores.

To study implies uniform application in purfuit of knowledge; to learn im plies fuccefsful application. We ftudy to learn; we learn by dint of study.

Lively men ftudy with difficulty, but learn with cafe.

The more we learn the more we know. There are thofe who the more they ftudy the lefs they know. He has ftudied well who has learned to doubt.

There are many things we learn with out ftudy; there are others we study without learning.

Thofe are not the wifeft who have ftudied moit, but who have learned

moft.

Youth is the time for ftudy, but manhood is the time for learning.

To remark. To obferve.

To remark, is to mark again for the purpofe of remembering: to obferve, is to watch over, as a fhepherd does his theep. To remark, implies only attention; to obferve, implies drift, or purpofe: hence we call the statement of an individual fact, a remark; and the tate ment of an inference, an observation

A traveller remarks the most striking objects he fees.'-Blair.

Remember that as thine eye obferves others, fo art thou obferved by angels and by men.-Jeremy Taylor.

If the remarker would but once try to outline the author, by writing a better book on the same subject, he would foon be convinced of his own infufliciency.'-Watts.

He reads much;
He is a great obferver; and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men.'-Shakspeare.
To aknowlege. To confefs. To avow,

To aknowlege, is to make known; to confefs, is to make known by peaking with another; to avow, is to make known by declaration before the gods (ad and overe). Simple expofure, private participation, and public promulgation, are the ideas refpectively suggested.

We aknowlege our faults to one another; we confess them to the priest; we avow them in public worship. To aknowlege defire; to confefs illicit intercourfe; to avow marriage. A gentleman aknow. leges his mistakes. A prifoner confeffes his crimes. A patriot avows his oppofition.

Dr. Johnfon characterizes to aknowlege as a hybrid word, produced between Latin and English: it is of wholly Eng lif genealogy, and formed by the fame rule of analogy as to accompany, to accouple, to accustom, to affront.

Difficulty, Obftacle.

A difficulty renders our progrefs uneafy (dis and facilis), an obftacle withfunds it (ob and ftare): we furmount the one; we remove the other. The first defcribes impediment arifing from the nature and circumftances of the af fair; the fecond defcribes hinderance from a foreign caufe. Philip found a difficulty in managing the Athenians, from the nature of their difpofitions; be found an obitacle in the eloquence of Demofthenes.

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Success is the mark which conduct has to hit: the prudent take a fafe and a right direction, but commonly underfhoot their aim; the rath iling tidewards, or fly beyond, they commonly overthoot their aim; the wife choofe fitly, both their direction and their effort. The prudent excel in collineation, the rafh tend to hyperbole; bat every unforeseen contingency effectually difappoints the prudent, and may bring the rafh to the precife goal. It is wiler to truft in the prudent than in the rath, if you value the means; wifer to truft the rafh than the prudent, if you value the end.

Profufion. Extravagance. Ile is profufe, who pours forth his whole fupply; he is extravagant, who anders from his right direction.

The profufe man errs by the quantity, the extravagant man by the quality of his expenditure. He, who praifes exceflive ly, is profufe; he, who praifes inappropriately, is extravagant, in his flattery. The writer who flicks too long to his to pic, is profufe; he who quits it too often, is extravagant.

Prefuming. Prefumed. Prefumptuous.

Prefumptive.

He is prefuming, who takes rank before it is allotted him. That is prefumed, which is taken for granted before it is proved. To prefume, is to take beforeband. The prefumption of good faine is a motive for authorship.

the word. Enow of reafons;" why not alfo' enow of argument? In other gothic dialects, to enow is the verb for to fatisfy. Nog is ftrong beer; probably enough defcribed originally the fatisfac tion which precedes intoxication. The French affez, feated, alfo defcribes an after-dinner feeling.

Sufficient is contracted from fatis faciens; and fatis means filled with food, not with liquor. It defcribes therefore a calmer comfort, mere contentment. He has futlicient, who has just what he wants; he has enough, who has any thing less than too much. The covetous man never has enough, although he has more than a fufficiency. If my hoft is helping me to wine: that is fufficient, permits him to ftop; that is enough,' forbids him to proceed.

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Peace. Calm. Tranquillity.

Peace, being derived from the fame root as panje, means a ceffation of trou ble. From the Italian calare, to fink, to abate, comes the fubftantive calamento, declenfion, defcent, decay; and hence probably the verb calmare to caufe to abate, and the substantive calma, calm. Tranquillity means fmoothness, and does not, like peace and calm, imply previous perturbation. Peace is oppofed to war; calm to ftorm; and tranquillity to agitation.

Whole. Entire. Complete. Finished.

Whole derives from the fame root as

:

Participial adjectives bear to partici- to heal, and was at firft fynonymous with ples the relation of habituality to actu- healthy fo the German ganz coines ality. Prefumptuous is habitually pre-in Latin integer, means covered in, and from the fame root as gefund. Entire, faming; prefumptive is habitually pre

farned.

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defcribes that fort of health which con

fifts in a whole fkin. To be free from wounds, from fores, from inutilations, constitutes the primary idea of wholenefs, entirely, or integrity. Whole and entire are both oppofed to parted and to deficient; and in their metaphorical application are identical: but whole is fometimes ufed for healthy, whereas en

tire is not.

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