ploring Barbary.

He accepted it without hesitation; hoping to have alfo an opportunity of obferving the approaching tranfit of Venus at Algiers. Without lofs of time, he furnished himself with the neceffary apparatus of inftruments, fet out for Italy, through France, and after vifiting Rome and Naples, embarked at Leghorn for Algiers.

Arrived at Algiers, he found that his undertaking would require a ftill greater variety of inftruments, and the co-operation of fome affiftants. He wrote accordingly to Italy, particularly for a fmaller camera obfcura than that which he had carried with him, and for fome young men acquainted with architecture and drawing. A native of Bologna, Luigi Balugani, was prevailed with to engage in his service. That young man's fkill in drawing was, however, very imperfect, although with Mr. Bruce's inftruction, he improved fo as to be of confiderable ufe to him.

His next object was to make himself mafter of the Arabic language. This he accomplished, by affiduous, ftudied, and frequent conversation with the natives, in about a year's refidence at Algiers.

When thus prepared, his journey into the interior parts of Africa was for fome time retarded by the duties of his office as conful. The interval he spent chiefly in gaining fome knowledge of medicine and furgery, from Mr. Ball, the king's furgeon at Algiers; knowing that the character of physician would recommend him better than any other to the barbarous nations among whom he was to travel. He had also availed himself of the leffons of a Greek priest, who taught him the pronunciation and accentuation of the Greek language, in which he was before as perfectly skilled as any perfon could poffibly be without the affiftance of fuch an inftructor. He found that the modern Greek spoken and written in the Archipelago differs not in purity from the Greek of Xenophon and Homer. It is only becaufe English scholars know not how to pronounce the ancient Greek, that they fancy it different from the modern*.

Our

This is perhaps one of the moft fingular and dubious facts which Mr. Bruce afferts.

Our traveller was at length at liberty to leave Algiers, and being furnished by the Dey with orders in his favour, to all the officers in that prince's own dominions who could be of use to him, and with recommendatory letters to the Beys of Tunis and Tripoli, ftates over which the circumstances of the times had given the Dey of Algiers confiderable influence; he set fail from that port, first to Mahon, and thence to Bona on the African coast.

Bona, the ancient Aphrodifium, ftands on an extensive plain, a part of which appears to have been once overflowed by the fea. In plentiful years, the traders of Bona, by the permiffion of the government of Algiers, export confiderable quantities of wheat. From Bona, proceeding along the coast, Mr. Bruce next paffed the small island of Tabarca, lately a fortification belonging to the Genoefe, but now in the hands of the regency of Tunis. The island is famous for a coral fishery. On the oppofite coast appear immense forefts of oaks, which, if the quality of the wood be equal to the fize and beauty of the tree, might fupply timber for the navies of all the maritime powers in the Levant.

From Tabarca, Our traveller failed to Bifcerta, the Hipozaritus of antiquity, where he went on fhore, and out of respect to the memory of Cato, travelled to vifit Utica. Of that celebrated city nothing but a heap of rubbish remains, but the trenches of the ancient befiegers ftill appear.

Continuing his voyage along the coaft, he next doubled the Cape Carthage, and anchored before Goletta, now no longer that almost impregnable förtrefs, which it was in the days of the Emperor Charles V. In the bay between the Cape and Goletta, he faw feveral buildings and columns, remains of ancient Carthage, under water. Tunis, at the diftance of twelve miles, is a large flourishing city; in a low, hot, and damp fituation, indeed, and deftitute of good water, but under a milder government, and inhabited by more civilized people, than Algiers.

Mr. Bruce delivering his letters to the Bey of Tunis, received permiffion to traverse the country in any direction. One of the Bey's ladies furnished him with a two-wheel'd covered

cart,

cart, in which he fecured his quadrant and telescope; the French conful recommended to him a renegado of that nation, named Osman; he hired ten fpahis, or dragoons, excellent horsemen, and not lefs confpicuous as cowards; he had befides ten fervants, two of them Irishnen, deferters from Spanifh regiments in Oran: And thus attended he fet out on his journey into the inland country, along the river Majerda, the Bagrada of antiquity.

Paffing at Bazil-bab, a triumphal arch in a bad tafle, he arrived next day, at Thugga or Dugga, a large scene of ruins : among the rest were the remains of one remarkable building, a large temple of Pirian marble, in the Corinthian order, the columns fluted, and the cornice ornamented in the very best ftyle of sculpture; on the tympanum was represented an eagle bearing to heaven a human figure. From the infcriptions, and the circumstance of the temple having been erected by the Emperor Adrian, it feems most probable that the figures on the tympanum were intended to reprefent the apotheofis of the Emperor Adrian. Mr. Bruce spent fifteen days in examining and making draughts of the architecture of this temple.*

From Dugga Mr. Bruce proceeded to Keff, formerly Sicca Venerea; and thence to Hydra, the Thunodrunum of the ancients, on the frontiers between the kingdoms of Algiers and Tunis. Hydria is inhabited by a tribe of Arabs, called Welled Side Boogannim,, who are immensely rich, and pay no tribute to either Algiers or Tunis. Thefe Arabs form a fort of religious or military order; and their chief is a faint. By their inftitutions they are obliged to eat lion's flesh for their daily food. To procure this food, they need to be bold and expert hunters. The fervices which they perform to the neighbourhood,

* Mr. Bruce concludes his account of Thugga, with faying, that Dr. Shaw has given the fituation of the place, without faying one word about any thing curious it contains.' But the doctor is almoft as particular with respect to its curiofities as Mr. Bruce himfelf. Thugga, or Tugga, fays he, by a fimilitude in the name, and the great variety of ruins, might be very well taken for the ancient Tucca, provided we had not found it called Thugga in the following inscriptions. It is fituated upon the extremity of a small chain of hills about two miles to the fouthward of Tuberfoke, having been formerly fupplied with water by an aqueduct, Here are feveral tombs, Maufolea, and the portico of a temple, very beautifully adorn ed with fluted columns, On the pediment of this fructure there is the figure of an eagle finely displayed, &c.

neighbourhood, by deftroying the lion's with which it is infested, and their character for intrepid courage, have toge ther gained them that exemption from tribute which they enjoy. Mr. Bruce had himself an opportunity of feasting on lion's flesh, with the Welled Side Boogannim, of a he lion. The flesh was lean, tough, finelled ftrongly of mufk, and tafted, as he imagines the flesh of an old horfe would tafte. The flesh of a she lion was fatter, and fomewhat lefs difagreeable: that of a whelp, fix or feven months old, tafted worse than that of either the lionefs or the old lion*.

From Hydra Mr. Bruce paffed to the ancient Tipasa, an extenfive scene of ruins. Draughts which he took of a temple, and a four-faced triumphal arch of the Corinthian order among those ruins, are now in the king's collection.

Croffing the river Myskianah, he proceeded from Tipafa, through a beautiful and well cultivated country, into the eastern province of Algiers, now called Conftantina. Its capital Conftantina is the ancient Cir: it ftands on a high, gloomy and tremendous precipice: part of the ancient aqueduct still remaining, now pours the water with which it once supplied the city from the top of a cliff into a chafm four hundred feet below.

Mr. Bruce, after refreshing himself in the Bey's palace in Constantina, joined him in his camp, near Seteef, the Sitif of antiquity; where he was with an army of twelve thoufand men, and four pieces of cannon, making war with the Haneishah, the most powerful tribe of Arabs in that province.

Leaving the Bey, with letters of recommendation from that prince, he proceeded next to Taggou-zaina, anciently Diana Veteranorum, as appears from an infcription on a triumphal arch still remaining there.

Medrashem, the burying place of the ancient kings of Numidia, was the next place that attracted his notice. He made a drawing of that fuperb pile of building, which he still retains in his collection. From Medrafhem he continued his journey

* Dr. Shaw fays lion's flesh is efteemed very delicate eating by the Arabs, and has the tafte and flavour of veal.

journey fouth-east to Jibbel Aurez, the Mons Aurafius of the middle age. It is an affemblage of craggy cliffs.

In this tract of country our traveller was much furprised to find a tribe with red hair and blue eyes, who, though not fair like the English, were of a shade lighter than the inhabitants of any country to the fouthward of Britain. They are a favage independent race; and though Mr. Bruce approach. ed in safety, they are generally hoftile to all around them. They are called Neardie. They have among the mountains huts of mud and straw; and may perhaps be a remnant of Vandals. They acknowledged their ancestors to have been Christians, and feemed proud of the circumftance.

In this neighbourhood is fituated the Lambefa of Ptolemy, now called Terzoutei. It exhibits extenfive ruins: feven of the city-gates are still standing, and large maffes of the walls of fquare mafonry without lime: the other buildings are of different ages. A building which feemed to have been intended for fome military purpose, was fupported by columns of the Corinthian order.

At Caffareen, the ancient Colonia Scillitana, Mr. Bruce fuffered both from hunger and fear. The country was rugged, barren and thinly inhabited; the inhabitants were a re. bellious tribe of Moors, who had renounced their allegiance, and declared for the rebel Henneishah.

He could not fulfil his intention of vifiting Feriana, the Thala of the ancients, because the country was in a state of war. He therefore journeyed eastward to Spaitla, anciently Suffetula, ftill diftinguished by many infcriptions, and very extensive and elegant remains of ancient architecture. He made cut draughts of three temples among those remains, two of the Corinthian, and one of the Compofite order. The Welled Omran, a lawless tribe, disturbed our traveller, while studying the ruins of Spaitla. It was, he tells us pleasantly, a fair match between coward and coward. He, with his party were inclosed within the square in which the temples ftood. The plunderers durft not break in upon them, for fear of their fire-arms. And they durft not face their horfe in the plain. When our traveller and his company were almoft