THE HISTORY OF THE WORKS of the LEARNED, FOR THE Year One Thousand Seven Hundred CONTAINING IMPARTIAL ACCOUNTS and ACCURATE INTERSPERS'D WITH DISSERTATIONS on feveral curious and enter- VOL. II. LONDON: Printed for JACOB ROBINSON, under the Inner THE HISTORY OF THE WORKS of the LEARNED. For JULY 1738. ARTICLE I. Travels or Obfervations relating to several Parts of Barbary and the Levant. By THOMAS SHAW, D.D. Fellow of Queen's-College in Oxford, and F. R. S. Oxford: Printed at the Theatre, 1738, Folio. N this Volume, as the Doctor tells the Nations. It is presented to the Reader, as an Effay towards reftoring the ancient Geography, and placing in a proper Light the natural Hiftory of thofe Countries, where the Writer has travelled. In pursuance of which Defign, the Geographical and Phyfical Obfervations are not blended and mixed together, as they chanced to fall in his Way; but are ranged under diftinct Heads, without repeating at every Turn, and upon every Occasion, the Time, B Place, Place, or Manner, wherein they were made. In putting together the Physical and Mifcellaneous Obfervations, he has endeavoured to use all the Brevity and Method which the Subject would allow; avoiding alfo, as much as poffible, the Repetition of what has been already taken notice of by former Authors. Several Differtations are occafionally interfperfed throughout the Work; and a Collection of valuable Papers fucceeds the Obfervations: These the Doctor fuppofes will not be disagreeable to any; fince they are all of them either fo many Branches themselves of the natural History of the Scenes of thefe Travels, or elfe ferve to illuftrate fome Part or other of his Account of them.- Much the fame may be faid in Behalf of the Variety of marginal Notes and Quotations that occur throughout the Performance; they confirm the Truth of, or reflect a confiderable Light on, the Matters here treated of. The Names of Places and Tribes are all of them wrote according to our English Pronunciation, and the Force of our own Alphabet. The Arabic Names alfo, as often as they could be obtained, are inferted in their proper Characters. Great Care has been taken as to the Correctness of every Part of this Work; each Sheet of it having been infpected by diverse learned Gentlemen of the Author's Acquaintance; fo that few if any Errors of Confequence are to be found in it. The Cuts which embellish it are in Number twenty-eight; whereof twelve are Geographical Plans; the reft exhibit the Icons of Plants, other natural Productions mentioned in the Book, Monuments of Antiquity, African Coins, &c. This may fuffice for a general Idea of this long expected Undertaking; the Fruit of many Dangers and Difficulties the Author underwent, and was expofed to, in furnishing the Materials of it: Thefe are fet forth in the following Paragraphs, extracted extracted from his Preface; which he would have us regard as the Diary-Part of his Travels. In the feveral maritime Towns of Barbary and the Levant, where the British Factories are eftablished, he was entertained, as he informs us, with extraordinary Marks of Generofity and Friendship; having the Ufe not only of their Houses, but their Horfes alfo, their Fanifaries and Servants. On this Account he pays his Acknowledgments to many worthy Gentlemen, by Name, not of the English only, but also of the French and Dutch Nations. In the Inland Towns and Villages of Barbary, there is, for the most part, a House fet apart for the Reception of Strangers, with a proper Officer to attend it. Here Perfons are lodged and entertained, one Night, in the beft Manner the Place will afford, at the Expence of the Community. Except at these, and the Places above-mentioned, our Author met with no Kkanns or Houfes of Entertainment throughout the whole Courfe of his Journeyings. For him and his Companions to have furnished themfelves with Tents, would have been, as he fays, both cumberfome and expenfive; befides the Sufpicion it might have raifed in the Arabs, that they were Perfons of Rank and Fortune, and confequently too rich and tempting a Booty to be fuffered to efcape. If therefore in the Courfe of their travelling they did not fall in with the Hovels of the Kabyles or the Encampments of the Arabs, they had nothing to protect them from the Inclemency either of the Heat of the Day, or the Cold of the Night, unless they met with fome accidental Grove of Trees, the Shelve of a Rock, or fometimes, by good Fortune, a Grotto. At thefe Times, which indeed did feldom happen, their Horfes were the greateft Sufferers; and as they were always their firft Care, they gathered for them Stubble, Grafs, Boughs of Trees, and fuch like B 2 Pro |