walk and gather flowers. At this time being very fuddenly attacked with the pains of childbirth, the laid hold on the trees for fupport, which declined their bows at the inflant, for the purpofe of concealing her perfon, whilft the was delivered of the child; at which junction Brahma himfelf attended with a golden veffel in his hand, on which he laid the child and delivered it to Judra, by whom it was given to the charge of a female attend ant; upon which the child alighting from her arms walked feven paces, whereon it was taken up by Máhámáya and carried to her houfe; and on the following morning news was circulated of a child being born in the Rajah's family. At this time Tapafni Muni, who, refiding in the wood devoting his time to the worthip of the deity, learned by infpiration that Booddha was come to life in the Rajah's palace, he flew through the air to the Ra jah's refidence, where, fitting on throne, he faid, "I have repaired hither for the purpofe of visiting the child.”

a

Booddha was accordingly brought into his prefence; the Muni obferved two feet on his head, and, divining fomething both of good and bad in part, began to weep and to laugh alternately. The Rajah then quetioned him with regard to his prefent impulfe; to whom he answered, I muti not refide in the fame place when he fhall arrive at the rank of Avatar; this is the caufe of my prefent affliction: but I am even now affected with gladnefs by his prefence, as I am hereby abfolved from all my tranfgreflions" the Muni then departed. And after five days had elapfed he affembled four Pandits, for the purpofe of calculating the deftiny of the child, three of whom divined, that as he had marks on his hands refembling a wheel, he would at length become a Rajah Chacraverti; another divined that he would arrive at the dignity of Avatar.

The boy was now named Sacya, and had attained the age of fixteen years; at which period it happened that the Raja Chuhidar had a daughter named Vajutara, whom he had engaged not to give in marriage to any one, until fuch time as a fuitor fhould be found who could brace a certain bow in his poffeffion, which hitherto many Rajahs had attempted to accomplish without effect. Sacya now fucceeded in the attempt, and accordingly obtained

the Raja's daughter in marriage, with whom he repaired to his own palace.

One day as certain myfieries were revealed to him, he formed the defign of relinquithing his dominion,' at which time a fon was born in his house whofe name was Raghu. Sacya then left his palace with only one fervant and a horfe, and having crolled the river Ganga, arrived at Balucali, where, having directed his fervant to leave him and carry away his horfe, he laid afide his armour.

When the world was created, there appeared five flowers, which Brahma depofited in a place of fafety; three of which were afterwards delivered to the three Thacurs, and one was prefented to Sacya, who difcovered that it contained fome pieces of wearing apparel, in which he cloathed himself, and adopted the manners and life of a mendicant. A traveller one day palled by him with eight bundles of grats on his fhoulder, and addrefling him, faying, "A long period of time has elapfed fince I have feen the Thacur; but now fince I have the happiness to meet him, I beg to prefent him an offering confifting of the bundles of grats. Sacya accordingly accepted of the grafs, and repofed upon it. At that time there fuddenly appeared a golden temple containing a chair of wrought gold, and the height of the temple was thirty cubits; upon which Brahma alighted, and held a canopy over the head of Sacya; at the fame time Judra defcended with a large jar in his hand, and Naga, the Rajah of ferpents, with fhoes in his hands, together with the four tutelar deities of the four corners of the Univerfe, who all attended to do him fervice and reverence. At this time, likewife, the chief of Afurs with his forces arrived riding on an Elephant, to give battle to Sacya; upon which Brahma, Judra, and the other deities, deferted him and vanished. Sacya, obferving that he was left alone, invoked the affiftance of the earth; who attended at his fummous, and brought an inundation over all the ground, whereby the Afur and his forces were vanquished and compelled to retire.

At this time five holy Scriptures defcended from above, and Sacva was dignified with the title of BooddhaAvatar.

The Scriptures confer powers of knowledge and retrofpection, the abi

they never fail to offer in payment; and they are fo well hidden, that they are often obliged to be undrelled before reftitution can be obtained.

"The Gitanos affect externally a great attachment to the Catholic religion; and, if one was to judge from the number of reliques they carry about them, one would believe them extremely devout: but all, who have well obferved them, affure they are as ignorant as hypocritical, and that they practife fecretly a religion of their own. It is not rare to fee their women, who have been lately brought-to-bed, have their children baptized feveral times in different places, in order to obtain money from perfons at their eafe, whom they choofe for godfathers. Every thing announces among them that moral degradation which muft neceflarily attach to a miferable infulated caft, a tiranger to fociety, which only fuffers it through an excels of contempt.

"The Gitanos are difguftingly filthy, and almoft all covered with rags. They have neither tables, chairs, nor beds, but fit and eat on the ground. They are crowded in huts pell-mell on firaw; and this neglect of the decorums of fociety, fo dangerous to morals, muft have the most melancholy confequences on wretched vagabonds abandoned to themfelves. They, confequently, are accused of giving theinfelves up to every diforder of the most infamous debauchery, and to relpect neither the ties of blood nor the protecting laws of the virtues of families.

They feed on rotten poultry and fifh, dogs, and finking cats, which they feek for with a idity; and, when this refource fails them, they live on the entrails of animals, or other aliments of the lowett price. They leave their meat but a very few minutes on the fire; and the place where they cook it exhales an infectious finell.

They fpeak the Catalonian dialect; but they have befides a language to themfelves unintelligible to the natives of the country, from whom they are very careful to hide the knowledge

of it.

"The Gitanos are tanned like the Mulattoes, of a fize above mediocrity, well formed, active, robuft, fupporting all the change of feafous, and fleeping in the open fields whenever their intereft requires it. Their features are irregular, and fhew them to belong to a tranfplanted race. They have the

mouth very wide, thick lips, and high cheek-bones.

“As the diftruft they infpire caufes them to be carefully watched, it is not always poffible for them to live by ftealing; they then have recourse to indultry, and a trifling trade which feems to have been abandoned to them: they fhew animals, and attend the fairs and markets to fell or exchange mules and afles, which they know how to procure at a cheap rate. They are commonly caft-off animals, which they have the art to dress up, and are fatisfied in appearance with a moderate profit; which, however, is always more than is fuppofed, because they feed thefe animals at the expence of the farmers. They ramble all night in order to freal fodder; and, whatever precautions may have been taken againft them, it is not poffible to be always guarded against their addrefs.

"The mode of life of the Gitanos puts them out of reach of the laws, which is a fcandal to juftice and mora lity, who equally blame the govern ment. Let them ftill follow the religion of their ancestors if they are attached to it; but why are they fuffered to wander, without checks or regulations, in the midft of fociety, which they difhonour by the infamy of their conduct, and corrupt by their example? The contempt they deferve is not motive ftrong enough for the very great indifference which is fhewn to their condition: there is no attention paid to verify their birth, their marriage, nor their death; they are abandoned to their own bafenefs and perverfity.

Such is the abject ftate to which are reduced the defcendants of thole proud Arabians, fo valiant and fo brilliant! of thofe Arabians who threat ened all Europe with conqueft, and who even advanced into the heart of France, and established themselves in Spain on the ruins of the monarchies founded by the barbarians of the North. Happily the Gitanos are not murderers. It would without doubt be important to examine if it is to the natural good nefs of their difpofition, to their frugality and the few wants they feel in their ftate of half favage, that is to be attributed the fentiment that repels them from great crimes; or if this dif pofition arifes from their habitual state of alarm, or from that want of courage which must be a neceflary confequence of the infamy in which they are plunged.

"An

S there are many varieties in the

fuch as the marvellous tunnel under the river, the new road, the Rochefte canal, and fo forth. The old conveyance of the tilt-boat from Darkhoufelane, by which the better fort of people paffed at one time to and from London, when poft-roads were little known and worfe kept up, was agreed on; and in our way to the Queen's head, Billingf gate, we anticipated an improvenient of our own great town, and were forry to be put right. One corner of each of the two Eaicheaps, Great and Little,

ings that have hitherto efcaped particular obfervation, fo there are alfo fome in the fuperior order denominated human. The Southern Faunift has given you an account of a foreign clafs of Nomades that have now existed in our jland nearly 400 years, and are yet in the condition of a diftinct people. He has adduced ground for fuppofing that thefe Egyptian Nomades firit landed in the Eastern part of our kingdom; and he has hewn, that they have extended their peregrinations into the Southern, Wettern, and middle districts; but whether they have made their way into the Northern counties he pretends not to determine; and it is a queftion which I am alfo myfeli incapable of refolving. However, I can inform you, that the wilds of Northumberland and Cumberland are traverfed by an uncivilized race of native Nomades, who in many points refemble Giplies, but are deemed aborigines of England or Scotland. They are termed Faas, an appellation that from the outline of their may, character, be fufpected to be derived from the obfolete word fuitour, or perhaps from fuller. The antiquity of their origin, and the fingularity of their manners, reader the Faas objects of fome curiosity; and fuch of your readers as are fond of comparing the different diftinctions in human life, would find philofophical entertainment in perufing a hiftory and defeription of them. Be fo good therefore, Mr. Urban, as to infer, this letter for the purpofe of requeting one of your correfpondents, refident in the North of England, to fayour you with one. GIGEBERT.

Mr. URBAN, Gravefend, Aug. 9. OME days ago we left London, with intent to mule ourfelves at and nea: Cravefend my party confified orly of myteif and two fons), to fee the much-talked-of improvements there;

years ago; but it appears there is ftill too little carriage-way from Gracechurch-ftreet into these two streets. Do but obferve this fpot on a bufy day, or on any day, at certain hours; there is a perfect obftruction by times, with great danger to the giddy or the infirm. Now, Mr. Urban, as they were only repairing an old houfe on the Weft corner, facing Mr. Flint's, I prefumed to hope they were pulling it down. Would it not be advisable for the right hon. the Lord-mayor and his council to take it into their deliberation to purchase both thefe old houfes, and remove this public injury where fo much traffick is carried on? In the opinion of fome perfons, it is comparatively of as much importance as Temple-bar or Snowhill. If what I am told be true, there is never a year that ten or a dozen per fons have not here had their legs and arms broken; for fuch is the flurry of fome minds, when they ftrive to keep clear of danger they fall quicker into it.

Our first movenient was to cross the river, and view Tilbury. The width of the Thames here I have been taught to confider fomething lefs than 1300 yards; and by a late measurement it feems, that from Gravefend church to the ferry-house on the opposite shore is one ftatute mile, or 1760 yards. At low-water, the foundings of the river here are in places 10 fathoms, or 60 feet; and at high-water (as it rifes on the fpring-tide 3 fathoms, or 18 fect) the depth is near 78 feet.

Tilbury-fort flands on the wall of the river, on a level which extends two miles North and feveral miles to the Weft and to the Eaft. It is in the parifh of Weft Tilbury, which lies two miles North beyond the level on a rifing ground. The fituation being thus low, and interfected with ditches on all points, and moreover furrounded with a double foffe or tank of a confiderable

furface,