or my ftudies, or to indulge in my relaxations, or to cultivate my friends at my pleature; fo on my death I with things to continue as fubftantially as they have always been. I therefore by this, my laft and only will, devife, leave, and bequeath to my entirely beloved and incomparable wife, Jane Mary Burke, the whole real estate of which I fhall die feifed, whether lands, rents, or houfes, in abfolute fee-fimple; as alfo all my perfonal eftate, whether ftock, furniture, plate, money, or fecurities for money, annuities for lives or years, be the faid eftate of what nature, quality, or extent or defcription it may, to her fole uncontrouled poffeffion and difpofal, as her property, in any manner which may feem proper to her to poffefs or to difpofe of the fame, whether it be real or perfonal eftate, by her laft will, or otherwife; it being my intention that the may have as clear and uncontrouled a right and title thereto and therein as I poffefs myself, as to the ufe, expenditure, fale, or devife. I hope thefe words are fufficient to exprefs the abfolute, unconditioned, and unlimited right of complete ownership I mean to give to her to the faid lands and goods; and I truft that no words of furplufage, or ambiguity, may vitiate this my clear intention. There are no perfons who have a right, or, I believe, a difpofition to complain of this bequeft which I have duly weighed and made, on a proper confideration of my duties, and the relations in which I ftand.-I alfo make my wife, Jane Mary Burke aforefaid, my fole executrix of this my last will, knowing that he will receive advice and affiftance from her and my excellent friends Dr, Walker, King, and Dr. Laurence, to whom I recommend her and her concerns, though that perhaps is needlefs, as they are as much attached to her as they are to me. I do it only to mark my fpecial confidence in their affection, skill, and induftry.-I with that my dear wife may, as foon after my deceafe as poffible-which, after what has happened, the will fee with conftancy and refignation make her will, with the advice and affiftance of the two perfons I haved named; but it is my with alfo, that fhe will not think herself, fo bound up by any bequests the may make in the faid will, and which, whilst she lives, can be only intentions, as not, during her life, to ufe her property with all the liberty I have given her over it, just as if fhe had written no will at all, but in every thing to follow the directions of her own equitable and charitable mind, and her own prudent and measured understanding. Having thus committed every thing to her direction, I recommend, fubject always to that difcretion, that if I fhould not, during my life, give or fecure to my dear niece Mary C. Harland, wife of my worthy friend Captain Harland, the fum of a thousand pounds, or an annuity equivalent to it, that fhe would beftow upon her that fum of money, or that annuity, conditioned and limited in fuch manner as fle, my wife aforefaid, may think proper, by a devife in her will, or otherwife as she may find most convenient to the fituation of her affairs, without preffure upon her during her life. My wife put me in mind of this, which I now recommend to her. I certainly, fome years ago, gave my niece reafon to expect it, but I was not able able to execute my intentions. If whom I owe fo many obligations, I do this in my life-time, this recommendation goes for nothing. As to my other friends, relations, and companions through life, and efpecially to the friends and companions of my fon, who were the deareft of mine, I am not unmindful of what I owe them. If I do not name them all here, and mark them with tokens of my remembrance, I hope they will not attribute it to unkindness, or to a want of a due sense of their merits towards me. My old friend and faithful companion, Will. Burke, knows his place in my heart. I do not mention him as executor or affiftant. I know that he will attend to my wife; but I chofe the two I have mentioned, as from their time. of life of greater activity. I recommend him to them in the political world. I have made many connections, and fome of them among perfons of high rank. Their friendfhip from political became perfonal to me, and they have fhewn it in a manner more than to fatisfy the utmost demands that could be made from my love and fincere attachment to them. They are the worthieft people in the kingdom. Their intentions are excellent; and I wish them every kind of fuccefs. I bequeath my brother-in-law, John Nugent, and the friends in my poor fon's lift, which is in his mother's hands, to their protection, As to them, and to the reft of my companions, who conftantly honoured and cheered our house as our inmates, I have put down their names in a lift, that my wife fhould fend the ufual memorial of little mourning rings, as a token of my remembrance. In fpeaking of my friends, to I ought to name, fpecially, Lord Fitzwilliam, the Duke of Portland, and the Lords Cavendishes, with the Duke of Devonshire, the worthy head of that family. If the intimacy which I have had with others has been broken off by a political difference on great questions, concerning the ftate of things exifting and impending, I hope they will forgive whatever of general human frailty, or of my own particular infirmity, has entered into that contention; I heartily entreat their forgiveness. I have nothing further to say. In Signed and fealed, as my last will and teftament, this 11th day of Auguft, 1794, being written all with my own hand. EDMUND BURKE, L. S. prefence of DU PONT, WILL. WEBSTER, On reading over the above will, I have nothing to add, or effentially to alter; but one point may be wanted to be perfected and explained. In leaving my lands and hereditaments to my wife, I find that I have omitted the words which in deeds create an inheritance in law. Now, though I think them hardly neceffary in a will, yet, to obviate all doubts, I explain the matter in a codicil which is annexed to this. EDMUND BURKE. Jan. 22d, 1797. I, Edmund Burke, of the parish of Beaconsfield, in the county of Bucks, being of found and difpofing judgment and memory, make this my laft will and teftament, in no fort for revoking, but explaining and confirming a will made by me, me, and dated the 11th of Auguft, 1794, in which will I have left, devifed, and bequeathed all my worldly property, of whatever nature and quality the fame may be, whe ther lands tenements, houses, freehold or leafehold interefts, penfions for lives or years, arrears of the fame, legacies, or other debts due to me, plate, household stuff, books, ftock in cattle and horfes, and utenfils of farming, and all other my goods and chattels, to my dear wife, J. M. Burke, in as full and perfect manner as the fame might be devifed, conveyed, or transferred to her by any act or inftrument whatsoever, with fuch recommendations as in my will aforefaid are made, and with a wish that, in the difcharge of my debts, the course hitherto purfued may be as nearly as poffible obferved; fenfible, however, that, in payment of debt, no exact rule can be preferved. The fame is therefore left at her difcretion, with the advice of our friends, whom the will naturally confult. The reason of making this will, or codicil to my former will, is from my having omitted in devifing by that will my lands and hereditaments to my wife aforefaid, the full and abfolute property thereof; and therein I have omitted the legal words of inheritance. Now I think thofe words, however neceffary in a deed, are not fo in a will; yet, to prevent all queftion, I do hereby pure, abfolute, and unconditional fee fimple. I have now only to recommend to the kindness of my Lord Chancellor, Lord Loughborough, to his Grace the Duke of Portland, to the Moft Honourable the Marquis of Buckingham, to the Right Honourable William Wyndham, and to Dr. Laurence, of the Commons, and Member of Parliament, that they will, after my death, continue their protection and favour to the emigrant school at Perin'; and will entreat, with a weight on which I dare not prefume, the Right Honourable William Pitt to continue the neceffary allowances which he has fo generously and charitably provided for thofe unhappy child ren of meritorious parents; that they will fuperintend the fame, which I wish to be under the more immediate care and direction of Dr. King and Dr. Laurence; and that they will be pleafed to exert their influence to place the faid young perfons in fome military corps, or other fervice, as may beft fuit their difpofitions and capacities; praying God to biefs their endeavours. Signed and fealed, as a codicil to my will, or a confirmation and explanation thereof, agreeably to the note which fome days ago I put to the end of it, this 29th of January, 1797. EDMUND BURKE, L. S. RICHARD BOURKE, EDWARD NAGLE. devife all my lands, tenements, and In prefence of WALKER KING, hereditaments, as well as all my other property that may be fubject to a strict rule of law in deeds, and which would pafs, if left undevifed, to my heirs. I fay, I do devife the fame lands, tenements, and hereditaments, to my wife Jane Mary Burke, and be heiss for ever, in Proved at London, with a codicif, the 26th of July, 1797, before the Worshipful French Laurence, Doctor of Laws and Surrogate, by the oath of Jane Mary. Burke, widow, the relict and fole Fires in Conftantinople, and Conduct of the From Dallaway's Travels in the Levant. IRES are fo frequent, that few finall, and borne on the fhoulders of two men. The perfect refignation with which a good Mufulman fees his houfe confumed by the flames, and poverty, has been often and juftly himself reduced from affluence to remarked by others; he exclaims Allah Karim; that is, "God is merciful," without apparent emotion, and has affured himfelf that the fame Providence which hath made him poor and abject, can once more reItore him to wealth, if it be his fate. As to the women, they have not the praife of fuch philofophy. They Fmonths pafs without them, and ademble in a group near the Sultan, they are generally fo furious, that whole diftricts are: laid in afhes.* Houses are so foon re-erected, that the former appearance of the streets is fpeedily restored, and little alteration is ever made in their form. Notice of a fire at Conftantinople, or at Galata, is given by beating a great drum from two high towers, the night-watch then patrole the ftreets, ftriking the pavement with their faves fhod with iron, and crying out Yangen var, "There is a fire," naming the place. The Sultan is then fummoned three times, and when the conflagration has lafted one hour, he is forced to attend in perfon, and to bring mules with him laden with piaftres, which he diftributes with his own hands to the firemen, who are very inactive before his arrival. These are armed against accidents in the fame manner as they are in London, and are equally expert and adventurous. Fires are extinguithed by pulling down the adjoining koufes, for the engines are very and unmercifully load him with the bittereft revilings, particularizing his own crimes, and the errors of his government, and charging him with the caufe of their present calamity. At fuch rencounters no crowned head need envy Sultan. Selim his fituation. As this is the only privileged time of conveying the voice of the people to his ears, and as women in Turkey fay any thing with impunity, it is prefumed that many of the fires are not accidental. As a grand fpectacle, detaching the idea of commiferation of the calamity from the prefent view, if a volcanic eruption be excepted, none can exceed a great fire at Conftantinople. The houfes being constructed with wood, and frequently communicat-/ ing with magazines filled with combuftible materials, a vaft column of flame, of the moft luminous glow, rifes from the centre, which lighting up the mofques, and contiguous cyprefs-groves, produces an effect of fuperior magnificence. In other * In 1633 feventy thousand houfes were burnt; and in 1788 the conflagration was lo extensive, as to threaten the universal destruction of the city. cities where the buildings are of stone, the flames are feen partially, or are overpowered with fmoke. Of the Trade of Conftantinople, the Coffee houfes, and Method of taking Opium. From the fame. TH HE merchandife and trade of Conftantinople are carried on principally in the khans, bazars, and bezestin, according to the custom of the east, each of which requires a fummary defcription. The khans are fpacious ftructures with quadrangles, erected by the munificence of the fultans, or fome of the royal family, for the public benefit. They are entirely furrounded by a cloifter and colonade, into which numerous cells open, generally repeated for three ftories, are built with stone, and fireproof. Here the merchants from every part of the empire, who travel with caravans, are received with accommodations for themselves and their valuable traffic. In the bazars are affembled dealers of each nation under the Turkifh government, who have fmall fhops in front, and a room behind, for their wares. These are very extenfive cloisters of stone, lofty, and lighted by domes; are admirably adapted to the climate, and in fummer are extremely cool. One, called the Mifr Charthe, or Egyptian market, is fet apart for the merchandife of Cairo, chiefly minerals and drugs, and is a great curiofity for the naturalist. Other quarters are occupied by the working jewellers, where raw jewels may be advantageoufly pur chafed; and by the bookfellers, who have each his affortment of Turkish, Arabic, and Perfian MSS. of which they do not always know the value, but demand a confiderable price. The oriental scholar may here find MSS. equally beautiful and rare, as fince the civil commotions in Perfia, the moft elegant books, taken in plunder, have been sent to Conftantinople for sale, to avoid detection. The ftaple articles of importation from England are cloth and block. tin, as the confumption of both is very great. English watches prepared for the Levant market, are more in demand than those of other Frank nations, and are one of the firft articles of luxury that a Turk purchases or changes if he has money to fpare. The national character is here admirably difcriminated; and to inveftigate it with fuccefs, no place offers fuch opportunities as these markets. A ftranger will wonder to fee fo many of their fhops left open without a mafter or guard; but pilfering is not a Turkish vice. He fhould be informed previoufly, that no article of commerce has a ftated price; bargains must be made, and the bafeft impofition is counted fair gain. The Turk is fixed to his fhop-board with his legs under him for many hours, and never relaxes into civility with his Frank cuftomer, but from the hopes of advantage. One may venture to give him two thirds of his demand; but to thofe of other nations not more than half. The Greek, more * The first khan was built by Ibrahim Khan, the Vifier of Solyman I. who gave them a general name, fynonimous with hote!. |