he has examined, and given directions concerning his patient, he requefts leave to retire, but is feldom allowed to efcape without hearing the incurable complaints of as many valetudinary vifitants as happen to be prefent, who either fit ready veiled, or talk from behind a curtain occafionally fufpended in the chamber. Thefe ladies always confider themselves entitled to verbal advice, or at leaft to an opinion of fuch remedies, as have been recommended by others; and a principal part of the medical art, among the native practitioners, cor fits in being able to acquit themfelves dexterously in fuch incidental confultations. In families which the European phyfician has been accustomed to attend, and when his patient is on the recovery, he is fometimes induced to protract the vifit, and to gratify the curic fity of the ladies, who afk numberlefs queftions concerning his country. They are particularly inquifitive about the Frank women, their drefs, employments, marriages, treatment of children, and amufements. In return, they are ingenuoufly communicative, and difplay talents, which being little indebted to artificial cultivation, appear, as it were, to expand naturally under a clear fky, and the influence of a delicious climate. Their queftions are generally pertinent, and the remarks they occafionally make on manners differing fo widely from their own, are often fprightly and judicious. When the vifit is at length concluded, notice being given to clear the way, the phyfician fets out, preceded as before by the flave. But it rarely happens that he is not more than once flopped, to give advice to fome of the demetics, who wait his return; for however flightly they may be indifpofed, the tempration of telling theircomplaints to a doctor is irrefittble. Thele damfels feld i have any other veil than a handkerchief thrown over the head, one corner of which is held in the mouth; but in order to avoid even that rouble, they frequently place themfelves behind a door, or a window-fhutter half open, in which fituation thrufting out one arm, they in fift on having the pulfe examined. It fometimes happens, in the great harems, that another obftacle must be encountered before regaining the gate. This arifes from fome of the younger ladies, or flaves, who are at work in the court, refuling peremptorily either to veil or retire; which is done merely in fport, to vex the conductrefs, who is obliged of courfe to make a halt. In vain fhe bawls dirb! and makes ufe by turns of entreaty, threat, and reproach; till finding all in vain, the gives fair warning, and has recourfe to a never-failing fratagem., She marches on, and bids the doctor. A complete rout enfues; the damfels fcamper different ways, catch hold of whatever offers firit, by way of veil, or attempt to conceal themselves behind one another. It is caly when none of the men are in the harem, that this fcene of romping 'can take place. When the physician is conducted by the aga himself, every thing paffes in orderly filence, and, in the chamber of the fick, none belide the elderly or married relations offer to join in the converfation: but it is feldom that the aga himself takes the trouble, after the fow first vifits, except the doctor be a ftranger to the family. Women of diftin&tion pafs much of their time at home. They have a bath for ordinary occafions, within the harem the purchafe of houfehold neceffaries does not lie within their province; and mercery, drapery, and trinkets are either fent from the shops to be cholen, or are brought in by the female pedlars formerly mentioned. They are not Bowever ale within doors; the A perintendance of domeftic affairs, | the care of their children, with their needle and embroidery, furnish ample employment. Tacy are taught when young, to read, and fometimes to write the Arabic, but are very apt, when taken from school, to neglect both; fo that reading ought not to be reckoned a common female amufement, and is never a study. I have known however fome exceptions to this. A daughter of the late grand vizir, Rizab Bafhaw, had made (as he affured me) a furprifing progrefs in Arabic literature, and he fhewed me a manufcript very beautifully written with her own hand. Devotion does not appear to take up much of their time; they never go to mofque; and, except the elderly ladies, and those who have, they are not fo punctual in their prayers at home as the men. innumerable errors and mifreprefentations relating to them, which are to be found in the works of travellers in other refpects of good credit. Their ufual games are mankala, tabuduk, draughts, and fometimes chefs; but, as was before remarked of the men, they play merely for amufement. in the winter evenings, while the men are engaged in the outer apartment, the ladies often pafs the time in attending to Arabian tales, which are recited, but more commonly read, by a perfon who has a clear, diftinct voice, and occafionally fings the ftanzas interwoven with the flory. It has been already mentioned, that the Arabian Nights Entertainments, known in England, were hardly to be found in Aleppo. A manufcript containing two hundred and eight nights, was the only one I met with, and, as a particular favour, procured liberty to have a copy taken from it. This copy was circulated fuccefsful and I was affured by some of the ullama, whom the women had fometimes induced to be of the audience, that till then they were ignorant that fuch a book exifted. This is afferted only as it appeared to me. On the public days, the women may often be feen praying in the gardens, but it is only a fmallly to more than a fcore of harems; number out of a crowd. In the harem, there is not the fame opporiunity of feeing them at prayer as there is in refpect to the men. My opinion was formed from being fo feldom obliged, on vifiting at noon, or fun-fet, to wait till prayers, were over; and, on going into the harem immediately before the times of prayer, from finding fo few prepared by ablution; for when they have once performed the wodou (a kind of ablution) they cannot permit a chriftian to touch their pulfe, without being obliged to wash over again. Indeed allowance fhould be made for a circumflance peculiar 19 the fex, which difqualifies them periodically from acts of devotion. Sun-fet feemed to be the time when the women chiefly prayed. It does not leem neceffary to enter upon the argument concerning the exclufion of the Mohammedan women from paradife, with other The toilet confits of a divan cufhion reverfed, upon which a fall mirror is placed. They do not employ much time at it; for the attire of the head may be taken off, and preferv entire, and the braiding of the hair, which is rather a tedious operation, is always performed in the hummam. They drefs neatly for the day, early in the morning, except on days when they go abroad on ceremony, or to the public bath, and then the alteration made in dress does not require much time. They are fond of flowers and cdoriferous plants, which are fometimes cultivated under their own care, but for the most part purchiled of thofe who raife" them for al. They prelive them in chi D 2 na or glafs flower-pots arranged on wooden pyramids placed in the middle of the divan, and form them prefenting it, as if the rejected threads were improper. Lady Mary Wortley Montague, in when required into elegant nofegays.her 40th letter, has given a fpecimen. When the ladies, fend a congratulatory meffage, or a ceremonious invitation, it is ufually accompanied with a nofegay wrapt up in an embroidered handkerchief. The meffage is ve bal, and often delivered in the first perfon-" Thus fays my miftrefs, I will have no excufe-and, do not tell me--did you not promise me? &c." This however is not the conftant practice, but it is always delivered precifely in the words in which it is given. The perfon receiving the meffage takes out the flower with her own hand, and carefully folding up the handkerchief, returns it by the meffenger. They preferve deciduous flowers in the fummer, by wrapping them in a mufin handkerchief fprinkled with water, which is laid in a metal bafon, and placed in a cool cellar. The flowers of the orange, the Arabian jaf. rine, and the mufk rofe, are in this manner kept fresh for many hours. The young ladies amufe themfelves by tying their nofegays with filk threads of certain colours, which, in the fame manner as the affortment of particular flowers, are fuppofed to convey fome emblematical allufion. But thefe are by the women fo generally understood, that -the artifice feems to be unfit for the purpose of fecret correfpondence; and a proof that the colours are for the molt part regarded as indifferent, is the practice of the men, who receiving nofegays from their ladies, cither of their own making, or fuch as have been fent to them from other harems, give them away, or interchange them with their visitors. It may be remarked, however, that, for the most part, the men interchange fingle flowers, or two or three talks untied, and that the ladies fometimes make an alteration in the binding of a nofegay, before of this mode of gallantry. "There is no colour, no weed, no flower, no fruit, herb, or feather, that has not a verfe belonging to it; and you may quarrel, reproach, or fend letters of paffion, friendship, or civility, or even of news, without ever inking your fingers." The ladies at Aleppo are not fuch proficients as her ladyship defcribes thofe at Conftantinople; but the verfes and allufions are much the fame, expreffed only in the Arabic inftead of the Turkish language, The colour of the filk thread denotes fear, doubt, jealoufy, impatience, or defpair. Amid domeftic occupations, ferious or amusing, the ladies find them= felves fully employed, and feldom complain of time hanging heavy. But various occafions call them abroad. They vifit near relations feveral times in the year, as alfo when in childbed or in fickne's; they afflift at nuptial and funeral ceremonies; and, at established hours, go to confult their phyfician at his houfe, when the cafe does not require his attendance at the harem, Thus women above a certain rank are, in proportion to the extent of their connections, more or less engaged, while thofe of the lower clafs are often obliged to go out to market, and conftantly to the bagnio: the laft indeed, brings all the women abroad; for even those who have baths at home, are, in cafes of ceremonial invitation, obliged to repair to the public baths, Mondays and Thurfdays are the women's licensed days, for vifiting the tombs, and, with their children and flaves, for taking the air in the fields or gardens. The flaves carry carpets, pipes, coffee equipage, and provifions: the the garden iupplies lettuces, cucumbers, or fuch fruits as are in feafon. Some take poffef- | return at fun-fet. A numerous train of flaves or fervants avail themfelves of the opportunity to make merry, and the day is confidered as one of licenfed frolic. Muficians, dancers, and buffoons, are among the female attendants, and their music and ziraleet may be heard at the diftance of a mile. The gardener, in the mean while, has little reafon to wish for parties of this kind, being by no means adequately recompenfed for the mifchief done his fruit-trees, the branches in bloffom being broken without mercy, and the fruit gathered before it is half ripe. fion of the garden or fummer-houles, others place themfelves under the fhade of trees, and all pafs the day in high fellivity. In the fpring feafon, the gardens in the neigh bourhood are crowded with women, and, towards evening, the feveral avenues of the town are filled with them, returning home. Some parties of the better clafs are preceded by a band of finging women, the ladies themselves walking behind with a flow and ftately ftep; but the lower people are lefs formal; they advance in groups, finging as they walk along, and with the tympanum, and the ziraleet make the air refound on all hands. Ladies of diftinction on thefe occafions drefs in the plaineft manner, and wear the ordinary ftriped veil instead of the white furragi; but most of the others dress in their gayeft apparel, and when at a little dittance from town, being more careless of the veil, they give accidental opportunity of feeing more of their faces, than at any other time. As men on thefe public days are not excluded from the garden's, numbers are of course found ftrolling in the walks, which obliges the women to be more on their guard, and to remain muffled up. But there are felect parties, on other days, exempt from that difagreeable reftraint, and in all refpects more From what has been faid, it would appear that the Turkish ladies are not in fact fo rigorously confined as is generally imagined; it may be added, that habit, and the idea of decorum annexed to their reftraints, render them lefs irkfome. Their ignorance of the female privileges enjoyed in many parts of Europe, precludes any mortifying comparifon, and when told of thofe privileges, they do not appear very defirous of a liberty which in many infances they regard as inconfiftent with their notion of female honour and delicacy. THOUGHTS on Docs. elegant. Thefe are compofed of (By the late Governor Livingston, of the ladies belonging to two or three I New Jerjey.) Impafta fugiftis aves rabidamque canum vim." STATIUS. HAVE, I muft own, no fmail veneration for the memory of Argus, a favourite dog of Ulyffes, that, upon the teftimony of Homer recoguifed his matter after twenty years abfence--an affectionate dog, who by wagging his tail, and giving every other token of joy that a dog can give, welcomed that celebrated berg's made very free with the property of others, while very tenacious of his own. He protefted, that the chancellor of Great Britain had authorifed him to hang any man in America without trial by jury: he hero's return to Ithaca, and then inftantly expired. But I do not like all dogs; and pray, who ever admired the fnarling cur Cerberus? 1 have, in particular, an averfion to lap-dogs. I wish I could cure it; because they are fo often the fond-played with his lap-dog; and he aclings of the ladies: and who would cumulated an immenfe fortune," chufe to be an enemy to any living which might all have been faved by thing, that is honoured with their the British nation, had they but affection? For fuch enmity, there- thought of appointing for the comfore, it is incumbent upon me publicly mander in chief of that army, that to account. I will cheerfully do it. very fame identical pretty little lapIn a certain war between France dog, inftead of his lordship, which and Great Britain, the latter fent would have done juft as much toto America my lord L, as wards the reduction of Quebec, generaliffimo of her army, to take without cofting the crown any more Quebec. My lord had a lap-dog. than its board at Mr. Wet's. My. 1 do not remember its name; but I lord did not conquer Canada. This dare fay it was at least as fweet as glory was referved for general Wolf, that of Dulcinca. It was a very who never played with lap-dogs. great favourite of his lordship. The little dog in queftion, or at Whether or no he used to kiss it, I leaft his lordship's unfeasonable will not depofe: but he hugged it, fondnefs for it, thus proving the and he Aroked it, and he fed it in fatal occafion of a moft fucceflefs the morning with chocolate fweeten-campaign, at a time, gentle reader, ed with loaf fugar. Either conceiving from his own fund of knowledge, or being fo advised by the moteminent physicians, that the air, of New Jer ley would prove more falutary to the health of this charming tiny creature, than that of New York, the noble general fent it to Mr. Weft's, As to hounds, it is a delicate at Elizabethtown Point, to be there point to fay any thing to their preboarded during the fummer featon.judice. They are dogs of fport; Full as folicitous about proper fup-and who would with to fpoil another plies and accommodations for this beautiful little play-thing, as for thofe of his troops, he fent with it a careful affiduous nurfe to attend it, with particular directions refpecting its det. Upon this, I asked my-portant purpofe of kiling one, fox! felf (for my lord, in the plenitude Peradventure, too, instead of a fox, of his power, from his arbitrary as I have actually known it to hapdifpofition, was that kind of man, pen, to dig out of a hole to which that I could not, without runring the well-fcented hounds had led the the risk of being hanged, have eager hunters, a miferable opofalked the queftion of another), willium! O the wonderful utility of a general, who is fo extremely at-hounds! when you and I, and all of us, loved Great Britain, though fhe did not love us, hath to this moment (aking the pardon of the ladies, and all the lilies male of the land) given me an averion to all the canine breed of that diminutive fpecies. man's fport? But twenty men, and twenty horfes, and twenty dogs, in twenty hours chace, and trefpaffing on twenty times twenty of their neighbours' inclofures, for the im tentive to a lap-dor, ever conquer Respecting puppies, I will not fay Canada? My lord did not conquer a word againft thent. They are veCanada. What did he? Why, he ry numerous; and no prudent man |