Upon the strand, they heap their glossy bales;
And works of Birmingham, in brass or steel;
And flint, and pond'rous lead, from deep cells rais'd,
Fit ballast in the fury of the storm,

That tears the shrouds, and bends the stubborn mast
These, for the artists of the fleece, procure
Various materials; and, for affluent life,
The flavor'd tea, and glossy-painted vase ;
Things elegant, (ill-titled, "luxuries,")
In temperance us'd, delectable and good;
They, too, from hence, receive the strongest thread
Of the
green silk-worm. Various is the wealth
Of that renown'd and ancient land; secure,

In constant peace, and commerce; till'd to th' height
Of rich fertility; where, thick as stars,

Bright habitations glitter on each hill,

And rock, and shady dale. Ev'n on the waves
Of copious rivers, lakes, and bord'ring seas,
Rise floating villages. No wonder-when,
In every province, firm and level roads,
And long canals, and navigable streams,
Ever with ease conduct the works of toil
To sure and speedy markets; thro' the length
Of many a crowded region, many a clime,
To the imperial tow'rs of Cambalu—

Now Pekin-where the fleece is not unknown;

Since Calder's woofs, and those of Exe and Frome,
And Yare, and Avon slow, and rapid Trent,
Thither, by Russic caravans, are brought,-
Thro' Scythia's num'rous regions, waste and wild,—
Journey immense! which to th' attentive ear,
The Muse, in faithful notes, shall brief describe.

From the proud mart of Petersburg, ere-while
The watery seat of Desolation wide,
Issue these trading caravans,—and urge,

Thro' dazzling snows, their dreary trackless road,
By compass steering, oft, from week to week,

From month to month. Whole seasons view their toils.
Neva they pass; and Kesma's gloomy flood;
Volga; and Don; and Oka's torrent prone,
Threat'ning in vain; and many a cataract—
In its fall-stop'd-and bound with bars of ice.

Close on the left, unnumber'd tracks they view
White with continual frost; and, on the right,
The Caspian Lake, and ever-flow'ry realms,
Tho' now abhorr'd, behind them turn,-the haunt
Of arbitrary rule, where regions wide

Are destin'd to the sword; and, on each hand,
Roads hung with carcases, or under foot

Thick strown; while, in their rough, bewilder'd vales,

The blooming rose its fragrance breathes in vain,—
And silver fountains fall,—and nightingales
Attune their notes,-where none are left to hear.

Sometimes, o'er level ways, on easy sleds,
The gen'rous horse conveys the sons of Trade,
And ever and anon the docile dog;

And now the light rein-deer, with rapid pace
Skim over icy lakes. Now, slow, they climb
Aloft, o'er clouds; and, then, adown descend
To hollow vallies,-till the eye beholds
The roofs of Tobol, whose hill-crowning walls
Shine, like the rising moon, thro' wat'ry mists ;
Tobol! th' abode of those unfortunate

Exiles of angry state, and thralls of war ;
Solemn fraternity! where carl and prince,
Soldier and Statesman, and uncrested chief,
On the dark level of adversity,

Converse familiar; while, amid the cares
And toils for hunger, thirst, and nakedness,
Their little public smiles, and the bright sparks
Of trade are kindled. Trade arises, oft,
And virtue, from adversity and want :

Be witness, Carthage! witness, ancient Tyre!
And thou, Batavia! daughter of distress.

This with his hands, which erst the truncheon held,

The hammer lifts; another bends and weaves
The flexile willow; that the mattock drives.
All are employ'd; and, by their works, acquire
Our fleecy vestures. From their tenements,
Pleas'd and refresh'd, proceeds the caravan
Thro' lively-spreading cultures, pastures green,
And yellow tillages in opening woods:

Thence on, thro' Narim's wilds, a pathless road
They force; with rough entangling thorns perplex'd;
Land of the lazy Ostiacs, thin dispers'd,

Who, by avoiding, meet the toils they loathe,
Tenfold augmented; miserable tribe!

Void of commercial comforts: who nor corn,
Nor pulse, nor oil, nor heart-enlivening wine,
Know to procure; nor spade, nor scythe, nor share,
Nor social aid :-beneath their thorny bed
The serpent hisses,-while, in thickets nigh,
Loud howls the hungry wolf. So on they fare,
And pass by spacious lakes, begirt with rocks
And azure mountains; and the heights admire
Of white Imaus, whose snow-nodding crags
Frighten the realms beneath, and from their urns
Pour mighty rivers down; th' impetuous streams
Of Oby; and Irtis; and Jenisca swift;
Which rush upon the northern pole, upheave
Its frozen seas, and lift their hills of ice.

These rugged paths and savage landscapes pass'd, A new scene strikes their eyes. Among the clouds, Aloft, they view-what seems a chain of cliffs, Nature's proud work-that matchless work of Art, The wall of Sina, by Chihoham's pow'r, In earliest times, erected. Warlike troops, Frequent, are seen, in haughty march, along Its ridge-a vast extent, beyond the length Of many a potent empire!—tow'rs and ports, Three times a thousand, lift, thereon, their brows, At equal spaces; and in prospect, 'round, Cities, and plains, and kingdoms overlook.

At length the gloomy passage they attain
Of its deep vaulted gates,-whose opening folds
Conduct, at length, to Pekin's glittering spires;
The destined mart; where, joyous, they arrive.
Thus, are the textures of the fleece convey'd
To Sina's distant realm, the utmost bound
Of the flat floor of stedfast earth; for so!
Fabled Antiquity-ere peaceful Trade
Inform'd the op'ning mind of curious man.

Now, to the other hemisphere, my Muse ! A new world found, extend thy daring wing. Be thou the first of the harmonious Nine