A Letter to Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. R. S. Praes. Containing a Geographical Description and Map of the Kingdom of Tunis, with a Postscript Relating to the Cure of Intermittent Fevers in Those Parts; By the Reverend Mr. Tho. Shaw, Chaplain to the English Factory at Algier

To the Honourable Sr. Hans Sloane Bart. President of the Royal Society &c. This Map of the KINGDOM of TUNIS is with all Respect dedicated by his most obedient and humble Servant Thomas Shaw Algier July 7th 1729 I. A Letter to Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. R. S. Præs. containing a Geographical Description and Map of the Kingdom of Tunis, with a Postscript relating to the Cure of Intermittent Fevers in those Parts; By the Reverend Mr. Tho. Shaw, Chaplain to the English Factory at Algier. SIR, Algier, July 9. 1729. This waits upon you with a Map of the Kingdom of Tunis, which I have very faithfully laid down, according to the Observations I lately made in those Parts. From Tunis I travelled as far Westward as Hydra, and from thence went to Tozer, passing from Tegewse through the Lake of Marks, or the Palus Tritonia, as I take it, to Gaps; from Gaps I travelled all the Way upon the Coast to Biserta; but at the same Time took Care to visit such Places within Land, where I could learn of any Ruins or Curiosities. I made use of a small, but very good Mariners Compas, and found the Variation at Cairwan 10 Degr. West; at Biserta something more than 12 Degr., and at Algier I find it now to be 30 Degr. 30 Min. I carried along with me likewise a Bras Quadrant of a Foot Radius, and took the Latitudes of Tunis, Cairwan, Spetula, Gaffsa, Tozer, Ebillee, Gaps, Stax, Susa, Lowharia and Biserta, with all the Exactness such an Instrument would admit of. As to the Longitude, most Mariners whom I have conversed with, agree within 10 or 12 Miles, that the Distance between Algier and the Guletta (or Port of Tunis) is 400 Miles. I have made made this Voyage four Times, and the Reckonings we made aboard, amounted only to 390. I have made therefore the Meridional Distance betwixt this Place and Cape Carthage 350 Miles: (allowing 48 to a Degree of Longitude) for as this whole Course is not upon the same Parallel, we may very well allow 40 or 50 Miles for the oblique Sailing; because the Course is in 37 Degr. 20 Min. N. Lat. but Algier lies in 36 Degr. 48 Min. and the Guletta in 36 Degr. 40 Min. The Civil War which unfortunately broke out in this Kingdom (i.e. of Tunis) when I was preparing to return by Land to Algier, disappointed me of seeing some few Places to the Westward, and of continuing my Voyage through Theveste, Lambeza, Cirta, Sitifi, &c. to Algier. But I intend, God willing, to take these in my Way to Italy, and shall then lose no Time or Opportunity of making what further Discoveries I can in those Parts, and of laying before you the Geography and Antiquities of the Mauritania Caesariensis and Sitifensis; of the Numidia betwixt the Rivers Ampsaga and Tusca; as well as of the Africa propria of Pliny, and the Bizacium of Strabo and Ptolemy, which I am now going to give you some Account of. The Kingdom of Tunis is bounded to the North and East with the Mediterranean Sea, to the West with the Kingdom of Algier, and to the South with that of Tripoly. It is 230 Miles in Length from the Isle of Gerba, in Latitude 33 Degr. 24 Min., to Cape Serra, in Latitude 37 Degr. 16 Min. and 128 Miles in its greatest Breadth from Monastir to Tibésa. Sbeka, its utmost Boundary to the West, West lies in Longitude 7 Degr. 26 Min. and Clybea, its utmost Boundary to the East, in 10 Degr. 47 Min. from London. Of the modern Geographers, Luyts seems to have been the best acquainted with its Extent in general, giving it 3 Degr. of Longitude, and (above) 4 Degr. in Latitude. The Sansons place it above 3 Degr. further to the South than it should be, and their Error is greater, in relation to the Longitude. Moll places it a few Minutes only too far to the North, but to the South he has extended it beyond the Parallel of Tripoly, wherein I find he has been followed by Mr. De Lisle, in his Map of Africa, 1722. But a long Chain of Mountains which run in the same Parallel of Latitude with Gerba, are the Limits of Tunis and Tripoly. If we take the Ancients for our Guides, we shall still find further Errors and Disagreements. For Ptolemy makes the Difference of Latitude betwixt Carthage and Gaps, almost the two Extremities of the Kingdom, to be only 1 Degr. and 50 Min. (provided the Italian Copy I make use of be correct.) The like Distance he puts between Gaps and Tofer, making thereby the latter 110 Miles more to the South; whereas I found it 18 Miles more to the North. Thus again he places Gaffsa in Latitude 29 Degr. 45 Min. and Gaps in 30 Degr. 30 Min., making Gaps a great Way to the North; whereas the Course from Gaffsa to Gaps, is near 80 Miles South-East: not to speak of his placing Carthage, and so respectively of other Places, too far to the South by near 4 Degr. 30 Min. or 270 Miles. The like Errors may be observed as to his Difference of Longi- Longitude of particular Places, and as to his Scale of Longitude in General, which he places at least 10 Degr. too far to the East. The Antinine Itinerary will also admit of several Doubts and Contradictions, as Ricciolus has already observed, Geogr. p. 74, and therefore is not to be altogether depended upon; though it must still be allowed to be a much better Conductor than Ptolemy. Thus the Author of the Itinerary makes it to be 216 Miles from Suffetula, I presume by the Way of Adrumetum, to Clypea, thereby making Clypea 111 Miles from Adrumetum; whereas in another Place, in his Maritime Itinerary, he only makes a Difference of about 44 Miles, or 350 Furlongs. And again he makes the direct Road from Carthage through Laribus and Theveste to Cirta, to be 332 Miles; but the Road by Hippo Regius, or Bona, which should be further, only 312. So that great Caution is to be observed in following that Authority. Pliny is not so particular as either Ptolemy or the Itinerary. He lays down Things in general, and therefore can give but little Light and Assistance to a Traveller, in pointing out to him the antient Boundaries, or the particular Cities of this Kingdom. His Alphabetical Collection of Towns, has but little Instruction in it, and where he would seem to follow some Order and Method; as in naming the Towns along the Coast of Bizacium, he places Adrumetum and Ruspina after Leptis; thereby insinuating, as if Leptis lay at a greater Distance from the lesser Syrtis; the contrary to which is proved easily from Hirtius and other Authors. And if with Cluverius, we should make the Africa of Pliny, comprehending even the two Provinces of Zeugitana and Bizacium, to be the Kingdom of Tunis, we shall meet with great Difficulties in the Geography, especially of Bizacium, which is the Southern, and ought to be the greater Part of it. For as Pliny makes it only 250 Miles in Circuit, and to extend from Adrumetum or Hercla North to Sabrata, or to Gaps only, or Tacape South, we shall find that this Number of Miles will not be sufficient to measure the Coast twice over, and therefore can lay no Claim at all to any Part of the Continent. But how far short soever this Calculation may be of the Truth, it seems very probable, that the Province of Hadrumetum, as described by Ptolemy, how faulty soever he may be in Particulars, is the Bizacium which we look after, and that it included the Blaide eb Gereed, or Country of Dates, which Pliny and the Author of the Itinerary seem to have known nothing of, or not to have regarded. For Ptolemy's Usulitanum, Turza, Zugara, Cities still preserving their old Names, and near upon the same Latitude with Adrumetum, continue to remain its Boundaries to the North; as Toser and Gaps, the Tisuro and Capi, or Tacape of the Antients, do to the South; while Teney and Gaffsa, or the antient Thane and Capsa, determine the Midland Continent. And in this Situation, Strabo seems to place his Bizacü; and at the same Time makes the Country of the Carthaginians to be only the Zeugitana of Pliny, * Supra Syrites Psyslos. atque Nasamones atque Getularum aliquos: deinde Syrias & Byzacios usque ad Carthaginensem regionem: ea enim est multa. Strab. Geogr. l. 2. contrary to the Opinion of some Geographers, who give it a much greater Extent. However the Zeugitana, or the greater Part of it at least, is still called Fregea or Frikea by the Arabs; and as this is without doubt a Corruption of its antient Name, so the Tradition of it through so many Ages, may perhaps be a stronger Argument, that this was the Africa properly so called of Pliny, or the Province of Africa, by Way of Eminence, than most of the Geographical Reasons which have hitherto appeared to the Contrary. The Kingdom of Tunis then contains the Africa propria of Pliny, with the Bizacium of Strabo, or the Province of Hadrumettum of Ptolemy, to which we are likewise to add so much of Numidia as lies half a Day's Journey, or six Leagues West of Keff; for Keff or Sicca Venerea is now Part of these Dominions, and which Ptolemy and Pliny place in Numidia, though it is almost in the same Meridian with the River Tusca. I am with all Respect, Your most obedient and humble Servant, Tho. Shaw. POSTSCRIPT. SIR, By a Letter just received, I am advised, that most Parts of England have suffered very much this Year by Intermitting Fevers; and as we have a Species of the Scabiosa here, which is of great great Virtue in removing that Distemper, I thought proper to send you a Specimen of its upper Leaves, for the lower are at present dried up. It is not unlike the Figure which Morison gives of his 20th Species, Cap. XXI. Sect. 6. Tab. 14, or of his 25th Species, Cap. XXI. Sect. 6. Tab. 15, of Corymbiferous Plants, only the Head is not round, as there described. I have therefore presumed to call it, Scabiosa, flore pallide purpureo, capitulo oblongo, foliis superioribus incisis, inferioribus integris, serratis. The Method of preparing it is to put a Handful of it into a Quart of Water, and boil it away to a Pint. A Coffee-Dish full of this Decoction is given Fasting, a little before Dinner, and at Night, to the Patient, no Regard being had to the Interval or Intermission of the Fit, as in giving the Bark; and it operates ordinarily by Stool or Urine. I have only seen this Plant here, at Oran, Gibraltar, and Mount Libanus, where I first was acquainted with its extraordinary Qualities. If it is not known in England, though I think Mr. Bobart shewed me it at Oxford, please to advise me, and I shall send you a Quantity of it dried, and the Seed of it, from this Place. There are other Herbs here made use of in different Distempers, and oftentimes with Success, and which I shall give you an Account of in the Natural History of this Country; but none is in so much Vogue and Esteem, as the Herb I have now described to you. How far its Virtues may be altered, diminished, or entirely lost in another Climate, Experience alone can teach us; only I can assure you, that in this, the Use of it for a few Days has been known to re- move the most inveterate Cases. I am with all Respect, Sir, Your most obedient and humble Servant, Tho. Shaw. II. A brief Account of some of the Effects and Properties of Damps, in a Letter to William Rutty, M. D. R. S. Secr. from Mr. Isaac Greenwood, Professor of Mathematicks at Cambridge, New England. SIR, YOUR obliging Letter I received not till about Half a Year after the Date thereof; and have been lead on to so long and criminal a Delay of my Answer, in Hopes of procuring something that might be worthy of your Notice. I have now sent you inclosed, a brief Account of two Instances of the deadly Effect of vitiated Air upon Animal Life. If such Experiments as I have made on the Damp therein mentioned, be of any Importance in the Discovery of the true Cause of this wonderful Phenomenon, I shall have attained my End. I take the Liberty to write myself, Your most obedient humble Servant, Cambridge, New England, Howard Colledge, May 10. 1729. Isaac Greenwood. Mr.