For

fent ftate of thofe countries. we find not the least trace of Chrif tianity therein, except among fuch as have been converted perhaps by the Jefuits in China in modern times. On the contrary, the religion of Lama prevails much at Tongut, in fome kingdoms of India, in Mongolia, among the Eluts, and also in China.

It seems therefore probable, that the Neftorian monks in for. mer time might have vifited thefe regions. But, in process of time, as their priests became more and more ignorant, as well as remoter from other Chriftians, Chriftianity became likewife more and more corrupted, till at length it vanished quite away, or was obforbed in the religion of Lama.

This religion feems not to be of a very antient date. It is a mixture of the fuperftition of the old Schamans with the Chriftian religion. From the Schamans it retained Fo and the metempfychofis: from Christianity it probably took its ceremonies and habits.

Several learned writers derive the ceremonial of the religion of Lama from the Indians, and that from the Egyptians: as it is thought that the ceremonies of the Egyptians were fpread almoft over the face of the whole earth. From all which we shall only ob

ferve, that in the remoteft ages the Egyptians had no other phyficians than their priests. This cuftom obtained likewife amongst the Syrians and Hebrews. Afa first used the affiftance of proper phyficians, and was reproved for it. The fame cuftom prevailed in India and over all the East. The antient Tartars and Mongouls had no other phyficians than their priefts. And we find it fo at prefent among all the favage nations of Siberia, and even in America. It feems very probable that the earlier Chriftians took fome ceremonies from the neighbouring nations; and perhaps all the rites and ceremonies among different nations, that are very fimilar to each other, came originally from the religion of the Egyptianst.

Kæmpfer labours much to make it probable, that the founder of the religion of Fo was an Egyptian. But he feems to be in the wrong and his conjecture would have been more probable, if he had put the religion of the Brahmans instead of that of Fo.

thern

thern frontier of India, it would be a great argument in favour of the Indians. Several writers endeavour to prove likewife, that the Perfian magi received their knowledge and their religion from the Indians*. And indeed as the Egyptians and the Brahmans have fo great a fimilarity in their manner of life, police, tenets, and religious ceremonies, one nation certainly transcribed from the other. But the question is, which nation received them from the other Some arts, as well as fome of the doctrines of philofophers, came from India to Europe, as the game of chefs, the art of reckoning with ten cyphers, Democritus's doctrine of atoms, the metempfychofis, &c. which laft was received likewife by the Egyptians. Pythagoras brought this doctrine from India, not from Egypt. Eufebius, in his Chronicle, relates that about four hundred years after the birth of Abraham, which happened a hundred and twenty years before the going out of Egypt, there came a fwarm of Ethiopians from the river Indus, and fettled in the neighbourhood of Egypt. We here fee that the Indians made a voyage by water to Egypt; but we find no accounts that the Ægyptians ever made fuch an one.

The Egyptians, on the contrary, may alledge the expeditions of Ofiris, Bacchus, and Seforis. For, notwithstanding thefe events are mixed with fables, the most abfurd relations have yet fome certain foundation in truth, which

we are not capable of thoroughly developing. It may be that fome Egyptians emigrated likewife to India, in order to avoid the cruel treatment of the Perfian king Cambyfes. At least the history of mankind feems to fupport this conjecture; for the limits of every religion have always been extend ed as often as it has been perfecuted.

There are two perfonages that have for feveral centuries been very famous in the world, Prefter John and Dalai Lama. Three travellers, Carpini, Rubruquis, and Marco Paolo, firft made Europe acquainted with Prefter John, but they all have different opinions about him. The first reprefents him as an Indian king; the fecond as a Chriftian king of the Tartarian hord Naiman, whom he believed to be likewife Chriftians. But both their accounts are certainly wrong.

The Portuguese having found a way to India by fea round Africa, difcovered a certain Chriftian prince in Abyffinia, whom they took for Prefter John, notwithftanding the three before-mentioned travellers had placed him, not in Africa, but in the remoteft parts of the Eaft, in the neighbourhood of China. This circumftance they overlooked.

But we must first proceed to give fome accounts of Dalai Lama, He lives in a pagoda on the mountain Potala, which, according to the Jefuit Gaubil, is under 29° 6° northern latitude, and 25° 58′′ weitern longitude from Pekint.

His followers explain the nature of his immortality in the following manner; that his foul, after the death of his body, paffes into another human body which is born exactly at that time, and this man is the new Dalai Lama*.

Almost all the nations of the Eaft, except the Mohammedans, believe the metempfychofis as the most important article of their faith; efpecially the Indians, the inhabitants of Tibet, and Ava, the Peguans, Siamefe, Mongouls, all the Kalmucs, and the greateft part of the Chinese and Japanefe. According to the doctrine of the metempfychofis, the foul is always in action, and never at reft; for no fooner does the leave her old habitation but he enters a new one. The Dalai Lama being a divine perfon, he can find no better lodging than the body of his fucceffor; or, properly not the foul, but the Fo refiding in the Dalai Lama which paffes into his fucceffor: and this being a god to whom all things are known, the Dalai Lama therefore is acquainted with every thing that happened during his refidence in the former body. Thus, at leaft, the thinking people of that religion would perhaps explain their metempfychofis. The far greater part of the worfhippers of Lama, however, do not require reafon and arguments for what they be lieve; but take all in a literal fenfe, and examine no farther;

having the fame notion of the Lama as the Mongouls had of the Popet.

Prefter John, of whom we have fpoken above, in like manner gave rife to many conjectures; the greatest part of which are fo improbable as not to deserve refutation. We will begin therefore at once by that method which feems to promife the best elucidation of the matter.

The name Prêtre Jean, or Juan, was miftakenly heard by the first Europeans that vifited thefe regions. And their fancy working upon it, formed many extravagant ideas which were received and cherished in Europe. These travellers perceived a certain refemblance between the found of a word in the Mongolian and Tibetan languages with that of a French, Italian, and Portuguese word. Unufed to the fludy of languages, they imagined that fuch words as had a fimilar found must have likewife the fame fignification in the language of Tibet and of the Mongouls which they bore in fome of the European. This idea being once received, many fantaftical etymologies and fables naturally arofe, as that about a certain Indian Johanes Prefbyter, &c.

Among all the etymologies, that of Scaliger || feems to be the most probable. This name, according to his opinion, came from India, and properly was Prefte

† Du Halde, tom. IV. p. 573.

De emendatione temporum, p. 637.

Jehan

Jehan (Prefte Giani; for Gehan in the Perfian and Indian languages fignifies the world), which is as much as to fay, a messenger of the world; or an univerfal apoftle. The Neftorian patriarchs always appropriated to themfelves the pompous title of CATHOLICUs, which fignifies, as every one knows, almoft the fame thing.

Now, if we can admit that the miffionaries of the Neftorians came into thefe countries (which almost every competent judge in fuch matters will allow) then the Neftorian patriarch and Prefter John are one perfon; at leaft according to the rules of etymology. And this Prefter John being a christian, he must have been the Catholicus of the Neftorians; or perhaps only a bishop fent by the Catholicus, who in these diftant regions affumed a greater title than was strictly due to him.

In the purfuit of thefe enquiries we fhall find this Prefter John, or this Neftorian Catholicus, to be likewife one and the fame with the Dalai Lama.

Prefter John was heard of earlier than the Dalai Lama. In the Country of the Mongouls, where Prefter John is faid to have formerly refided, they knew nothing. about a Dalai Lama before the time of Kajuk-khan, one of the defcendants of Tfchingis-khant. Among the Europeans, Pere Andrada is one of the firft who men

tions him, about the year 16241, and Bernier speaks of him astof a ftrange novelty.

It deferves to be remarked, that the old writers, whilft they take notice of the Neftorians and Prefter John, fay not a fyllable of the Dalai Lama. But no fooner are they become acquainted with the Dalai Lama, than they ceafe all mention of Prefter John and the Neftorians in Mongolia and Tibet. All these circumftances feem fufficiently to prove that the Catholicus, Prefte Gehan, and Dalai §, are only one perfon.

An Account of the Sufferings of Lady Harriet Ackland, in the Campaigns of 1776 and 1777, in Canada.

The following extraordinary Example of Female Excellence is taken from Lieutenant General Burgoyne's State of the Expedition into Canada. "It would exhibit (fays the General) if well. delineated, ar interesting Picture of the Spirit, the Enterprize, and the Diftrefs of Romance, realized and regulated upon the chafte and fober Principles of rational Love aud connubial Duty. Indeed one cannot well imagine the Female Frame capable of fupporting fuch extreme Diftrefs; and the General relates

Voyages, yol. II. p. 309.

the

the Story in a Manner that does Honour to his Feelings.

ADY Harriet Ackland had

Canada in the beginning of the year 1776. In the course of that campaign fhe had traversed a vast fpace of country, in different extremities of feafons, and with difficulties that an European traveller will not eafily conceive, to attend her husband, in a poor hut at Chamblée, upon his fick-bed.

In the opening of the campaign of 1777, the was refrained from offering herself to a fhare of the hazard expected before Ticonderoga, by the pofitive injunction of her husband. The day after the conqueft of that place, he was badly wounded, and fhe croffed the Lake Champlain to join him. As foon as he recovered, Lady Harriet proceeded to follow his fortunes through the campaign, and at Fort Edward, or at the next camp, fhe acquired a twowheel tumbril, which had been conftructed by the artillery, fimilar to the carriage ufed for the mail upon the great roads of England. Major Ackland commanded the British grenadiers, which were attached to General Frafer's corps, and confequently were the most advanced post of the army. Their fituations were often fo alert, that no perfons flept out of their clothes, In one of thefe fituations a tent, in which the major and lady Harriet were afleep, fuddenly took fire. An orderly ferjeant of grenadiers, with great hazard of fuffocation, dragged out the firft perfon he caught hold of. It proved to be the major. It happened, that in the fame inftant he had, un

upon the recovery of her fenfes, was the major on the other fide, and in the fame inftant again in the fire, in fearch of her. The ferjeant again faved him, but not without the major being very feverely burned in the face and different parts of the body. Every thing they had with them in the tent was confumed.

This accident happened a little time before the army had passed the Hudfon's river. It neither altered the refolution nor the chearfulness of lady Harriet; and the continued her progrefs, a partaker of the fatigues of the advanced corps. The next call upon her fortitude was of a different nature, and more diftressful, as of longer fufpence. On the march of the 19th, the grenadiers being liable to action at every step, the had been directed by the major to follow the route of the artillery and baggage, which was not expofed. At the time the action began, he found herself near a fmall uninhabited hut, where the alighted. When it was found the action was becoming general and bloody, the furgeons of the hofpital took poffeffion of the fame place, as the most convenient for the first care of the wounded. Thus was this lady in hearing of one continued fire of cannon and mufketry, for fome hours together, with the prefumption, from the polt of her husband at the head of the grenadiers, that he was in the most expofed part of the action. She had three female companions,