That he has,'

of the catholic church?" said the priest. replied the soldier, for I was after instructing him yesterday myself; and as you had told me very often that believing was the great point, I pressed that home. By Jesus, says I, Hanno, it does not signify making wry faces, but you must believe, my dear honey, as fast as ever you can, for you have no time to lose ;-and, poor fellow, he entreated me to say no more about it, and he would believe whatever I pleased.'

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This satisfied the father.-When they arrived at the dying man's cabin,' Now, my dear fellow,' said the soldier, I have brought a holy man to give you absolution for your sins, and to show your soul the road to heaven; take this glass of wine to comfort you, for it is a hellish long journey.' They raised poor Hanno, and he swallowed the wine with difficulty. Be not dismayed, my honest lad,' continued the soldier, for although it is a long march to heaven, you will be sure of glorious quarters when you get there. I cannot tell you exactly how people pass their time, indeed; but by all accounts there is no very hard duty, unless it is that you will be obliged to sing psalms and hymns pretty constantly: that, to be sure, you must bear with: but then the devil a scoundrel who delights in tormenting his fellow-creatures will be allowed to thrust his nose into that sweet plantation; and so, my dear Hanno, God bless you! all your sufferings are now pretty well over, and I am convinced you will be as happy as the day is long in the other world all the rest of your life.' The priest then began to perform his office ;Hanno heard him in silence, he seemed unable to speak. You see, my good father,' said the soldier, he believes in all you say. You may now, without any further delay, give him absolution and extreme unction, and every thing needful to secure him a snug birth in paradise.'

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You are fully convinced, friend,' said the priest, addressing the dying man in a solemn manner, that it is only by a firm belief in all the tenets of the holy catholic church that- -'God love your soul, my dear father,' interrupted the soldier, give him absolution in the first place, and convince him afterwards; for, upon my conscience, if you bother him much longer, the poor creature's soul will slip through your fingers.' The priest, who was a good-natured man, did as the soldier requested Now,' said the soldier, when the ceremony was over, now, my honest fellow, you may bid the devil defiance, for you are as sure of heaven as your mas

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ter is of hell; where, as this reverend father will assure you, he must suffer to all eternity.' I hope he will not suf fer so long,' said Hanno in a faint voice, and speaking for the first time since the arrival of the priest. Have a care of what you say, friend,' said the priest, in a severe tone of voice; you must not doubt of the eternity of hell torments.-If your master goes once there, he must remain for ever.' Then I'll be bound for him,' said the soldier, 'he is sure enough of going there.' But I hope in God he will not remain for ever,' said Hanno-and expired. That was not spoken like a true believer,' said the priest; if I had thought that he harboured any doubts on such an essential article, I should not have given him absolution.' It is lucky then that the poor fellow made his escape to heaven before you knew any thing of the matter,' said the soldier.

As the soldier returned home from Hanno's cabin, he met Zeluco, who, knowing where he had been, said to him, How is the damned scoundrel now?' The damned scoundrel is in better health than all who know him could wish,' replied the soldier. Why they told me he was dying,' said Zeluco. 'If you mean poor Hanno, he is already dead, and on his way to heaven,' said the soldier; but as for the scoundrel who murdered him, he'll be damned before he get there.'

JAMES MORIER.

WHEN the literature of the present day is sweepingly characterized as ephemeral, it were well to except from this charge such performances as that which furnishes the following extract. The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan* must long retain a distinguished place among works descriptive of national manners. Its author, in selecting the unrivalled Gil Blas for a model, has availed himself of perhaps the only plan by which a European could be enabled to form a just idea of the vicissitudes attendant on the fortunes of an adventurer in a kingdom where every thing is subject to the nod of a despot. It will at once be acknowledged that no ordinary talent is requisite for one who would attempt to give, after the manner of Le Sage, a faithful picture of oriental manners as they now exist, and to select facts on which to found a continued narrative; who must invent a hero that shall pass, with some appearance of probability, through the various ranks and stations in a Mussulman community, and bring before us an account of his conduct in private life, as well as of the feelings with which he may be supposed to regard the customs and institutions of his country. To the accomplishment of this difficult task, be

* Said to be from the pen of JAMES MORIER, ESQ., His Majesty's Secretary of Embassy to the Court of Persia, and since private secretary to the Earl of Aberdeen, Ambassador to the Court of Vienna. This gentleman is nephew to Admiral Lord Radstock, and is distinguished by his diplomatic talents, which are rendered peculiarly useful by his uncommon knowledge of the languages of the East and West. He has published, A Journey through Persia, Armenia, and Asia Minor, to Constantinople in 1808, 9. Lond. 1811.

sides abundance of enthusiasm for his subject, our author has brought extensive knowledge, aided by genius which, if neither dazzling nor profound, is far above mediocrity. If he often neglects to turn to the best advantage excellent opportunities for moving our feelings, he is never guilty of tiring us by appeals to their sympathy.. While every illustration and all that can be termed imagery are strictly Persian, nothing is overstrained or pedantic ;-no despicable qualifications in an author possessed of such accurate local experience, and familiar with Persia, as if 'native' there, and born' to their manners. To-day relying on the casual bounty of his brethren, to-morrow pluming himself in all the insolence of office,-now the rigorous anchorite arrayed in all the externals of sanctimony, again the overbearing soldier decked in all the borrowed fierceness which art can supply,-now little more than master of his alphabet, before long composing what is laid before his sovereign as a History of Eu rope, at first his father's humble assistant as a knight of the razor at Ispahan, afterwards the lordly possessor of a splendid mansion in the Turkish capital,-Hajji, volatile and aspiring, unprincipled though not void of feeling, now hording with the tribes of the desert and now basking in the sunshine of a court, is exhibited in every imaginable position a son of Islam can assume. The easy humour, felicitous satire, and vigorous delineation of character, displayed in relating his adventures, are scarcely sufficient to restrain the contempt with which his character is likely to be regarded. With all his faults, however, Hajji is good natured, and, upon the whole, fully as conscientious as his Spanish prototype already mentioned, and not such a lady-killer as his Greek relation Anastasius. Convinced that of his vices, heartlessness, and self-conceit, one half may be fairly attributed to the government under which he had the misfortune to be placed, we lose sight of him with regret, alleviated only by a hope that his biographer will soon enable us to

renew an acquaintance so agreeably commenced.-Of Hajji's military adventures, that which follows is the most pleasing. He has just set out on a reconnoitring expedition, with a small detachment under his command, when our extract commences.

YUSUF THE ARMENIAN.

It was scarcely dawn of day when we reached the bridge of Ashtarek, still obscured by the deepest shade, owing to the very high and rocky banks of the river, forming, as it were, two abrupt walls on either side. The village itself, situated on the brink of these banks, was just sufficiently lighted up to be distinguished from the rocks among which it was built; whilst the ruins of a large structure, of heavy architecture, rose conspicuous on the darkest side, and gave a character of solemnity and grandeur to the whole scenery. This, my companions informed me, was the remains of one of the many Armenian churches so frequently seen in this part of Persia. The river dashed along through its dark bed, and we could perceive the foam of its waters as we began to cross the bridge. The rattle of our horses' hoofs over its pavement had alarmed the village dogs, whose bark we could just distinguish; the shrill crow of a cock was also heard, and most of our eyes were directed towards the houses, when one of our men, stopping his horse, exclaimed, Ya, Ali! (oh, Ali!) what is that?' pointing with his hand to the church: do not you see, there, something white?' Yes, yes,' said another, I see it; it's a ghôl! without doubt it's a ghôl! This is the true hour: it is in search of a corse. I dare say it is devouring one now.' I also could see that something was there, but it was impossible to make it out. We halted upon the bridge, looking up with all our eyes, every one being satisfied that it was a supernatural being. One called upon Ali, another upon Hossein, and a third invoked the Prophet and the twelve Imâms. None seemed inclined to approach it, but every one suggested some new mode of exorcism. Untie the string of your trowsers, said an old Irâki, that's the way we treat our ghols, in the desert near Ispahan, and they depart instantly.' "What good will that do?' answered a delikhan (a hare-brained youth;) I'd rather keep the beast out than let it in.' In

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