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MONTHLY MIRROR,

FOR

SEPTEMBER, 1805.

Embellished with

A PORTRAIT OF MRS. H. JOHNSTON, OF COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE, ENGRAVED BY RIDLEY, FROM A FINE PAINTING BY J. R. SMITH.

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PRINTED, FOR THE PROPRIETORS,

By J. Wright, No. 38, St. John's Square, Clerkenwell,

And published by Vernor and Hood, in the Poultry;

Sold, also, by all Booksellers in

the United Kingdom.

CORRESPONDENCE.

The Biographical Sketch of Mrs. H. JOHNSTON in our next.

MERCUTIO is informed that he may safely pursue the method he has hitherto adopted.

It is not our practice to revoke the criticism we have felt it our duty to pass on books noticed in the review. E. F. will observe that the editors of this work are not connected with the other publication he mentions.

The remarks on the History of Egypt, which did not reach us early enough for this number, shall certainly appear next month.

SABLE'S lines on the general mourning, are, as Scrub says, "very dolorous indeed."

The IDLER is an illegitimate offspring. There is not one of Dr. Johnson's gigantic features in the ricketty babe presented to us; and we shall therefore decline the honour of being its foster-father.

We do not question the veracity of our Canterbury correspondent, but we deny the position he has advanced respecting the monastery of St. Augustin. It is a mere Canterbury Tale.

The Goose for a low Comedian, by a FLINT, must be administered through another channel. The ODE which accompanies it has been cabbaged from a deceased poet. Though some pains have been taken to botch it up, it is after all only "a thing of shreds and patches."

CASTALIO, in some future number, may find that his hints have not been lost upon us.

P. L. R. is welcome to take the measures he has proposed.

If the Lines to the Forest Oak possessed any of the vigour and luxuriance which distinguish the subject he has chosen, we would readily have obliged MuSEUS by their insertion.

MONTHLY MIRROR,

FOR

SEPTEMBER, 1805.

COPY OF A LETTER FROM THE EMPEROR OF CHINA

ΤΟ

THE SULTAN SHAHROKH, THE SON OF TIMUR.

From the Annals of the Hidjerah, Year 822 (commencing 27 January, 1419.).

In the annals of the year 820 it was mentioned that Day-Ming Khan, Emperor of China, sent ambassadors that year to the court of his majesty at his capital of Herat, who dispatched Ardasher Tavadry with them when they went back to China. Ardasher at this time returned from thence, and gave his majesty an account of that country, and of the approach of a new embassy. About the end of Ramzan (October 1419) the ambassadors Bimachin aud Janmachin arrived at Herat, and presented to the king the presents and rarities they had brought, and a letter from the Emperor of China, a copy of which is here subjoined, written in their manner, which is this; they write the name of their monarch on the first line, and begin the others at some distance below, and when, in the course of the letter, they come to the name of God, they leave off and begin a new line with that, and they follow the same method in writing the name of a sovereign prince. The letter therefore, which was sent on the present occasion, is here inserted, having been copied word for word from the original, in the manner above described.

-The Most High

"The great Emperor Day-Ming sends this letter toSultan Shahroth. We conceive thathas made you knowing and wise, and perfect, that the kingdom of the Islamites may be well governed, and it is owing to this that the men of that kingdom are become prosperous.

"Your Majesty is of an enlightened mind, skilful, accomplished, and judicious, and superior to all the Islamites. You honour and obey the commands of -The Most High, and you reverence the things that relate to him, which is the way to enjoy his protection. “We, on a former occasion, sent Amir Seyra-Lido with others as our ambassadors, who arrived atYour Majesty's

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court, and you were pleased to receive them with much honour and ceremony, which Lido and the rest represented to us, so that it has all been made clear and manifest, and fully known to us. Your ambassadors Beg Buko and the others also arrived here with Lido and the rest, on their return, and delivered at this court all the presents of tigers, Arabian horses, lynxes, and other things which you sent to us. We viewed them all. You have on this occasion displayed the sincerity of your affection, and we are exceedingly sensible of your kindness. The western country, which is the seat of Islamism, has from old time been famous for producing wise and good men, but it is probable that none have been superior toYour Majesty. Well may we afford protection and encouragement to the men of that country, for we deem it consonant to the will of Heaven that we should do so. Indeed, how should not

your

-Your Ma

The Most High be well pleased with those men who practise mutual affection, where one heart reflects the sentiments of another, as mirror opposed to mirror, and that though at a distance! In the eye of friendship, generosity and civility are precious above all things, but even in these also there is somewhat more particularly so. We now send Uchangku and others, in with company ambassadors Beg-Buka and the rest, who will deliver tojesty our presents, consisting of seven Sungkurs, each of which we have flown with our own hands, and Kimkhas &c. Though Sungkurs are not produced in this our empire of China, they are constantly brought us as rarities from the sea-coasts, so that we have always enow; but in that country of yours, it seems they are scarce. We have sent you choice ones, such as might be deemed worthy the great soul of -Your Majesty. In themselves, to be sure, they are of little value, but as they are tokens of our affection, we trust they will be acceptable to-Your Majesty. Henceforth it is requisite that the sincerity of our friendship be increased, and that ambassadors and merchants be always passing and re-passing between us without interruption, to the end that our subjects may all live in plenty, ease, and security. We may then assuredly hope that-The Most High will make us experience

more of his goodness and mercy.

"This is what we have thought proper to write to you."

Each time that letters from the Emperor of China were thus brought to his majesty, there were three; and each was written in three different sorts of characters; that is to say, first, in the vulgar character in which we now write, and in the Persian language; se

condly, in the Mogul character, which is that of the Yegurs, and in the Turkish language; and thirdly in the Chinese character and language but the purport was exactly the same in all. There was another, which contained a particular account of the things sent, whether living creatures or other rarities, and was written in like manner in these three languages and characters. And there was likewise a letter to answer the purpose of a pass, which was written like the rest in these three languages and characters. The dates of months and years inserted in each, were those of the emperor's reign.

ANECDOTES OF CHURCHILL.

Extracted from Cook's entertaining Memoirs of FOOTE, recently published.

Or this poet,—who has flourished, and almost faded, in our day,— the following particulars are but very little known, and, I believe, never before published.

66

you

Soon after the publication of his Rosciad (a poem which, however meritorious in some particulars, contains many illiberal and partial criticisms), he was sitting one night at the Rose tavern, in company with the late Mat. Clarke, of Covent-Garden theatre: when Churchill, who was intoxicated with the applause given him by his flatterers, was repeating with great energy some parts of this poem. "Ah!" said Clarke, "this be sport to may you, but should consider it is death to a great many of my brother-performers.”—“ Pooh! pooh!" cried the other; "they are fair game for a satirist !"-" You may think so," said Clarke; "but if you mentioned me in the manner you have some of them, I would have shown you the difference."Why, what would you do?”—“Only knock you down,” said Clarke, 66 the very first place I saw you in." Here Churchill retired a few paces, and put himself into a pugilistic attitude; which Clarke perceiving, he snatched up a case-knife in one hand, and a corner of the cloth which was laid for supper in the other, and then exclaimed, "Come, come; none of your bullying tricks with me: if you have a mind to see what I can do, take that knife and the other end of the cloth, and let us fairly see who is the best man, the player or the libeller." Terrified at this fierce and very unexpected onset, Churchill paused for some time; then taking him by the hand, said, was a manly fellow, and the last person in the world to whom he would willingly give offence."

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