request, and fent particular directions | his native country. Montague arriving in Egypt, found means to ingratiate himself with the famous Ali Bey. This man had been conftituted viceroy by the Turks; but receiving, as he fuppofed, fome flight injuries from the Porte, he formed a delign of throwing off the yoke; and affuming an independent fovereignty. Wortley Montague was no fooner made acquainted with his intentions, than he offered his affiftance to execute the project. Ali Bey liftened to his propofals, adopted his plans, and, by following almost implicitly Mr. Montague's advice, he hath now nearly effected his ambitious purposes. In reward for Montague's fervices, Ali Bey conftituted him his prime minifter, in which capacity he at this time acts; and the lady, who by artifice was feduced from the arms of an affectionate husband, lives with Montague as one of his wives, and is treated with the respect due to a Sultana of Egypt. Wrote to you laft from Glasgow, from whence I came this morning, and put up here to-night. The diftance from Glasgow to this place is only eighteen computed miles, but they would make thirty-fix measured; and befides, the hills are fo fteep, that if you take in the Irishman's confideration, they would make fifty. However, I had time enough to have gone another ftage; but I could not avoid taking a few hours to admire the fine fituation of this town, and to confider the caftle, that I might judge whether Blakeney had gained real honour by its defence against the rebels in 1745. As to the first, it is much more extraordinary than any thing I ever faw before; and I think I may venture to affirm, the finest in the world, at leaft it furpaffes any thing in Britain. Here I beg a fmall digreffion, for I am fure you will make your ufual remark, that the last fine thing with me is always the most admirable. But really I think, in this particular, as well as in fome others, I am quite fixed. To give you a defcription will not do the place juftice from my pen; yet I will endeavour at it. The Before you come to the town from the fouthward, the ground (to fpeak in Philips's language) "gently rifes" till you enter it; and then it is fomewhat fteep up to the cattle for the houfes are built of stone, and are extent of a quarter of a mile. foon as one arrives at the foot of the very neat, fuperb, and regular. As castle, which lies to the north west of the town, you fee, to the northward, moft lofty and venerable mountains, mountains, whose fronts are rock, |munication betwixt them, that when they were at a tand, or puzzled about any thing, they could call the king, without the pomp of being drawn in ftate, to affift them in their councils. When, therefore, you now enter, you firft fee the earl of Mar's houfe, which is in a ruinous condition; and next to that the duke of Argyle's, who has given fome few families, that are his borough-jobbers, the liberty of living in them free, provided that they put him to no expence in repairs. and covered with driven fnow, fome of them at the distance of twenty miles. Betwixt thefe hills and the castle, under the cover of its guns, is the bridge over the Forth. From the north, eastwards to the fouthern point, is a vaft, extensive, and fertile plain, in the middle of which runs, in a ferpentine manner, the Forth, lined on each fide, at a small distance from one another, with flourishing and populous towns. As an inftance of the various windings of the river, Alloa, which is only four miles from hence by land, is twenty-four by water. Kincairn, Borrowftonnefs, Limekills, Edinburgh, &c. are all in view. Nor is there any interruption in the profpect till you arrive at the main ocean, which is at fuch a diftance, that my fight can scarce reach it. This small sketch, to you who have no particular attachment to this country, will be probably dry and infipid; therefore I will trouble you O with no more particulars: if your curiofity wants further information, I hope foon to gratify it verbally. The castle has, at first, been built without any defign. What I can learn of its origin is, that the earl of Mar, who was prime minifter to king James III. of Scotland, having a fine feat on that part of the eminence next the town, prevailed with his mafter to come and build a palace next to his house, probably urging the fineness of the air, profpect, &c. and the readier intercourfe with the whole kingdom. This being in the centre, or at least more fo than Edinburgh is, his real motive has been, as I think, (for few minifters confider their master's good without fome reference to their own) to make his estate of more value by the court's refidence on it. The king liked it fo well, that he foon after built a parliament-house, fo near his own, that there was a com At the distance of about two hundred yards, is the Palace or CastleGate; and to the northward of this antiquated feat of our ancient kings, the Parliament-house forms one part of the square. The western side is a building that was raised on purpose for the folemnizing the baptifm of the first Scottish monarch of Britain, our James the Sixth. The fouth-west part is now magazines, but has been formerly, as I fuppofe, wine-vaults, cellars, &c. This part is very well guarded by a natural steep rock; the fouth-eaft angle by a small battery. The grand entrance is defended by a kind of a half moon, which can point on it four guns only. The greatest force of the place is oppofite the bridge over the Forth, and has been built, I believe, fince that bridge was made, on purpose to command that important paffage. This very ftrong place, which brings to my idea the Quakers' ftrong houfes that they built in Pensylvania, is mounted with thirty-two pieces of ordnance only, and is in itself in such a ruinous fituation, that I think two mortar-pieces might be fixed at the head of the town, which would be fheltered by a kind of a hillock betwixt it and the grand battery, of four guns, that would reduce it to afhes in two hours. You will naturally ask, then, how it could be fo vigorously attacked by that mighty army of rebels, that made neral Review. made the dauntless English tremble | For the British Magazine and Geto hear them fo much as named, and not carried? The most obvious reafon to you will be the bravery and prudence of the old governor, who never ftirred out of his room the whole time it was befieged, as I am now very credibly informed. But, my dear friend, that was very far from being the cafe; it was either owing to the furprifing ftupidity and ignorance of that mafs of fhepherds, for fo the most of them were; or, as fome fay, their chief, nay, only engineer, was bribed by the wellaffected of this place, that their town might not be made a place of retreat for the rebels, to lead them into a fnare. I have already observed, that the chief ftrength of the place lay towards the bridge. A little from the caftle, I think, at the distance of 150 yards, is a little hill, but not near on a level with that on which the castle ftands. Could you believe, that people in their right fenfes could have attacked the castle at this very place from that little eminence? No bomb could take place, because it was too near, and their whole battery of eight cannon could have been destroyed with three only. Such is the advantage of the fituation at that place; and it was done without the lofs of one man to the befieged. The rebels taking up their time, or rifking their men before fuch a place, which could have been but of little or no fervice to them if they had fucceeded, is a proof of the infatuation of all their proceedings. If Blakeney behaved no better at Mahon, (and fome fay he did not) I hope we fhall, fixty years hence, when circumftances are forgotten, have the pleasure of telling our children and grand-children, that an old dotard has been much honoured for what he did not do, and a brave admiral put to death for what Mr. Publifher, F IF you have no objection to fet apart a column in your New Mifcellany for the divertisement of the ladies, my pen, fir, is at your service. I am an antient member of the Dillitanti Club; have devoted my life to the fervice of the fair; and, though rather old, I can walk a minuet, hand a divine creature into the front boxes, or adjust a tucker with any Macaroni in the capital: then, fir, I can furnifh your female readers with fonnets, elegies, repartees, and lovefongs; I can inftruct a forward Mifs in the arts of flirtation; and can always find ways and means to raise the ready, when a trip to Scotland is in agitation. In fhort, Sir, I adore the dear, delightful, charming creatures, and- -but I defift: if you honour me with your commands, they fhall be duly executed by Your devoted HARRY TATTLE. Fruit-fhob, St. James's Street. If Mr. Tattle will favour us with a fpecimen of his abilities, we shall be better enabled to determine upon his merits. To the Authors of the British Magazine and General Review. GENTLEMEN, As I perceive, by your Propofals, The MORALIS T. Iwas not in his power to perform for any man to take a tranfient I am, &c. † Byng. glimpfe |