majefty, came to pay his refpects to the ambaffador, who gave him a friendly reception, and kept him to dinner. He was a merry old man, near fourfcore, but fo vigorous, that he could mount a horfe with as much agility as many young men. He was accompanied with five fons, and many attendants, who treated him with equal refpect as a king; and even his fons would not fit down in his prefence, till he defired them. I confefs it gave me great pleafure to fee the decency with which they behaved. One of our company, a pretty fat man, afked the Tayfha what he would do in order to be as lean as he was. The old man replied in these few words, "Eat lefs, and work more" a faying worty of Hippocrates himself. In his youth he had been engaged in many battles with the Chinese, whom he held in great contempt. As he was a keen sportsman, the ambassador made an appointment with him for a grand hunting match. After which he and his retinue returned to their tents. The Tafha-Batyr arrived, in confequence of his appointment with the ambaffador, and brought along with him three hundred men, well mounted for the chace. This old gentleman had the appellation of Batyr; a title of great re. fpect among the Mongalls. It fig. nifies a hero; and is conferred only on those who have fignalized themfelves, by their courage and conduct, in the field of battle. Befides thefe Mongalls, we carried with us fifty of our Coffacks, and our tents, as we propofed to be abroad fome days. Early on the 6th, we took our way to the eastward, over high hills, and through tall woods, hav. ing almoft no underwood to incommode the horfes, or interrupt our view, which made it very pleasant. After riding a few miles, the Tayfha, being mafter of the chace, ordered his men to extend their lines. The Tayfha and we were in the centre; and often faw the game pafs us, purfued by the horfemen, at full fpeed, without the leaft noife, but the whiftling of arrows. The horfes, being accuftomed to this kind of fport, follow the game as a greyhound does a hare; fo that the riders lay the bridles on their necks, and attend to nothing but their bows and arrows. One may eafily imagine the exquifite entertainment, in feeing feveral of these horfemen in the purfuit of an elk or ftag through the valleys. When the animal is driven from the woods, it flies, for fafety, to the nearest rocks. Some of these creatures are nearly as large, and ftrong, as the horfes that hunt them. The ftags are of two kinds; one called zuber, the fame with the German crownhirfh, but fomewhat larger. The zuber is large and beautiful, and carries its head almoft upright as it runs; which prevents its horns being entangled with branches of trees. There are none of them in Ruffia, nor even in Siberia, except about the Baykall lake, and eastward from it; the places farther to the north being too cold for them. The elk is larger than the ftag, and ftronger made; having alfo long branchy horns, but a little flat. Tired with fport, we left the hills in the afternoon, and came down into a fine valley, where we pitched our tents, near a pure brook. The Tayfha then ordered all all the dead game to be brought before him, and ranged in proper order. We found, that, this day, we had killed no lefs than five large elks, four ftags, a dozen roebucks, feveral wolves and foxes, befides fawns and hares. The Tayfha caufed the game to be divided among the huntfmen; who began immediately to drefs it, fome of them by boiling, others by broiling, and eat it without either bread, or falt. The tails of the lags, which, by these people, are reckoned very delicate, fell to the Tayfha's fhare. He cut them into fices, and eat them raw, I eat a bit of one of them, and thought it very palatable. The tafte refembled nothing fo much as that of fresh caviare. After we had feasted on variety of excellent venifon, for we had no other provifions, we went to reft, well fatisfied with the diverfion of the day. Our author gives the following account of the custom amongst the Mongall Tartars, of Jetting the grafs on fire, in the vaft plains of their country. The grafs is rank and thick, and, as the feafon is very dry, would, with little labour, make excellent hay. The grafs is often fet on fire, by the Mongalls, in the fpring, during high winds. At fuch times it burns moft furiously, running like wild-fire, and spread, ing its flames to the diftance of perhaps ten or twenty miles, till its progrefs is interrupted by fome river or barren hill. The impetuofity of these flames, their smoke and crackling noife, cannot eafily be conceived by thofe who have not feen them. When any perfon finds himself to the leeward of them, the only method, by which he can fave himself from their fury, is to kindle immediately the grafs where he ftands, and follow his own fire. For this purpofe, every perfon is provided with flints, fteel, and tinder. The reason why the Mongalls fet fire to the grafs is to procure early pafture for their cattle. The afhes, left upon the ground, fink into the earth at the melting of the fnow, and prove an excellent manure; fo that the grafs, in the fpring, rifes on the lands, which have been prepared in this manner, as thick as a field of wheat. Caravans, travellers with merchandife, but especially armies, never encamp upon this rank grafs. And there are feveral inftances of confiderable bodies of men being put in confufion, and even defeated, by the enemy's fetting fire to the grafs, a Character of the Duke of Shrewf bury: From book entitled, Thoughts, Efays, and Maxims, chiefly Religious and Political. By Charles Howard, Efq. of Greyftock, in Cumberland, bury, was a great man, firft earl in England, of a most ancient family, and either a lineal or a collateral defcendant from the renowned Talbot, who made fo confpicuous a figure in France, in the wars between England and France in the reigns of Henry V. and VI, He was not brought up to the military art, but had great talents and abilities as a minifter and ftatefman, and the real and true politeness of a nobleman. He Harles Talbot, duke of Shrewf paffed paffed through most of the great offices of ftate; he was knight of the garter, ambaffador in France, lord-lieutenant in Ireland, and, I believe, once fecretary of ftate; in all which stations he had the happinefs to pleafe, and give fatisfaction. He is very well fpoken of in France and Ireland, though this latter country was at that time the most difficult to govern and content, from the rage of party and faction which then prevailed in the remnants of Jacobitifm, fo rooted in that people's understanding; it being immediately or foon after the revolu. tion, when king William gained the crown of Great Britain with. out the lofs of one man's life: but as he established himself in Ireland by victory, courage, and military kill fuperior to his opponent, this of courfe left more rancour in that people's mind, from the natural confequences of the humiliating confideration of being beaten; and a lively people, as the Irish are, were more particularly affected by it. This fpirit of remembrance was artfully kept up by all the principles of religion, and the most violent jealoufy; and perhaps encouraged by foreign powers, as well as all the interest and influence of the Stuart family, who then refided at St. Germain in France, and who ever lived in the flattering hopes of a restoration; for which reafon it is the writer's opinion, that unhappy Stuart family has done more harm to Irish Roman Catholics, than many of the penal laws, as they were fundamentally the occafion of their being made. At this time, and under these circumtances, this nobleman gave con tent and fatisfaction to a people who are not eafily pleafed, from the above reafons; which is a very ftrong proof of the folidity of his understanding, juftnefs of thinking, difinterested and upright behaviour, and more particularly fo in him, as he had to ftruggle with! the odium of having changed his religion among a nation who, at that time, were five to one Roman Catholics, and were, from re. ligious and political principles, very zealous and furious to those they looked upon or regarded as apoftates. The duke of Norfolk and himself conformed to the Protestant religion in Charles II's reign, at the time of Oates's plot; but as he had no iffue by the Italian lady he married (Poaloty,) the family continue Roman Ca. tholics, and is very refpectably reprefented in the moral and truly religious earl of Shrewsbury. His attachment to his family was noble, just, and praife worthy; for though he difliked his fucceffor, he left him all his eflate, free and unencumbered, with this faying, Though I diflike George Talbot, I leave my eftate to the earl of Shrewsbury." In James II's reign, he went over to Holland, to young Naffau, prince of Orange, and landed with him in England, and was very inftrumental in the revolution, Perhaps he might be induced to take this ftep, from the Letters of Coleman, who was fecretary to the duke of York, and which were published at the time of Oates's plot: by thefe it plainly appears, that the meafures purfued by that unhappy monarch could anfwer no end but to defeat his own intentions, ruin and dethrone himself, and and hurt his own friends and adherents. He could have no motive in his junction with the prince of Orange but a fincere conviction (in the writer's opinion), that in doing of it he was ferving his country: for he was made duke by him afterwards in 1694. He might, in all probability, have received the fame honours from James II. He wanted no acquifition of fortune, having a very good one, and he always lived within compafs; but then he did not trim, or ftand fhilly-fhally, but manly, and nobleman-like, purfued the meafures he thought right: he took a fide, and on that fide was firm and ftrong. Whatever faults he might have (and who is without them?) they were only perfonal, and did not concern the public: the writer has therefore no bufinefs to meddle with them. In a word, he feems to have been very deferving of the character one of the greateft of the English poets, Pope, gave him: and was a worthy defcendant of his renowned anceftor, fo well characterized by the immortal towering genius Shakespear, in the picture he gives of the father and fon, in his Henry VI. where the fon is brought in dead before his father. Come, come, and lay him in his father's arms; My fpirit can no longer bear thefe harms. Soldiers, adieu! I have what I N. B. The writer would not be thought or understood not to regard or look upon Oates's plot to be one of the most vile forgeries and perjuries that ever dif graced the annals of English hiftory; or to fuppofe that the vifcount Stafford, who was executed for the fame, was not the reverse of the character and difpofitions he was charged with by thofe perjured wretches Bedloe and Oates; the latter of whom was convicted of perjury in the fhort reign of James II. and publicly whipt at a cart's tail through the streets of London; and king William, after the revolution, never attempted to reverfe his attainder. Though he changed his religion. himfelf, he, unlike many converts, did not think himself obliged to behave with more violence than others against his old friends, weakly to fhew the fincerity of his conviction; on the contrary, he ever behaved with the greatest moderation, candour, and civility, to the Roman Catholics. His leaving his eftate, as mentioned, is one proof; and his fupporting Savage, earl of Rivers, à Roman Catholic prieft and nobleman, in a family difpute in which he had been fo ill ufed, that in heat and refentment he conformed to the Proteftant religion, against his own conviction. The duke told him, My lord, what you have done in a private fort of manner before a juftice of peace, do publicly in the houfe of lords, and take your feat, and you will be fupported according to the juftnefs of your pretenfions." Upon his replying, My lord, I have through paffion and refentment gone too far already;" the duke's anfwer was worthy of himfelf: My lord, I never will prefs a 66 "tender "tender confcience;" and lord Rivers made what terms he could with his antagonist, and retired into Flanders, and lived many years afterwards, much refpected, canon of Liege, where he died, about thirty years fince. Such was the uprightnefs, and force of friendship, in the duke of Shrewfbury in fupporting what appeared to himfelf juft and honeft, without being guided by thofe little narrow party-notions of fearing confequences, or what the world would fay. bites, though they had fewer Ro man Catholics among them than in either of the two other kingdoms, England or Ireland; and, perhaps, for that reafon more openly determined and daringly profeffed being acting friends to the Stuart family. In direct oppofition to him, or that part of the army he commanded, at the head of all his Campbells was placed Campbell earl of Breadalbin, of the fame family and kindred, by fome fatal error that ever misguided and mifled that unhappy family of the Stuarts, and all its adherents. Character of John Duke of Argyle. What was the confequence? Both From the fame. fets of Campbells, from family affection, refufed to ftrike a ftroke, HIS nobleman was a Scotch- and retired out of the field of bat THIS was a S of the the. He never was firft minifter, ancient and numerous family of the name of Campbell in Scotland. He was duke and peer of Scotland, and the fame in England, by the title of Greenwich, which he acquired himself before the union of the two kingdoms; and, perhaps he may allude to this by the motto he then took, Vix illa noftra voco quæ non fecimus ipfi. He was brought up to the profeffion of arms, and behaved well, and in a foldier-like and gallant manner; witnefs his conduct under the duke of Marlborough, and his behaviour at Sherif-Moor, where he commanded in chief, and was the principal means and caufe of the total extinction, at that time, of the rebellion in Scotland, without much bloodfhed. He had then a very difficult part to act as a Scotchman; for at that period three parts out of four of that kingdom were naturally and affectionately Jaco but was a very able ftatefman and politician, and was moft fteadily fixed in thofe principles that he thought right, and not to be fhaken or changed. His delicacy and honour were fo great, that it hurt him to be even fufpected; witnefs that application faid to be made to him by one of the adherents of the Stuart family, in 1743 or 1744, in order to gain his intereft, which was confider.' able both in England and Scotland. He immediately fent the letter to the fecretary of state, and it vexed him much even to have an application made him, left any perfon fhould think him capable of acting a double part. He was equally firm and refolute in his oppofition to the measures and minifters, when he thought them wrong. He did not oppose Sir Robert Walpole out of pique, party, or faction, but becaufe he thought |