that he had made none; and to the laft, whoever was named, he always anfwered, No.-Firft, my lady dutchefs was named, and then I think almoft every body that had any relation to him; but his answer was always No. And to fee if he would change any way the answer or manner of it, they asked him if my lord Purbeck was: but to that he said, By no means." I did fully reprefent my lady dutchefs's condition to him, and told him it was abfolutely fit, during the time he had the exercife of his reafon, to do fomething to fettle his affairs, ; but nothing that could be faid to him could make him come to any point.

I then faid, that fince he would do nothing in his worldly affairs, I defired he might die like a Chriftian; and since he called himfelf of the church of England, the parfon was ready here to adminifter the facrament to him, which he faid he would take: fo accordingly I gave orders for it; and two other honest gentlemen received with him, Mr. Gibson and colonel Liston, an old fervant of his grace's. At first he called out three or four times; for he thought the ceremony looked as if death was near, which, for the ftrength of his noble parts, (they not being yet affected,) he could not eafily believe; for all this time he was not willing to take death to him: but, in a few moments after, he became calm, and received the facrament with all the decency imaginable, and in an hour after he loft his fpeech, and continued fo 'till eleven at night, when he died.

The confufion he has left his affairs in will make his heir, whoever he be, very uneafy. To tell you truly, I believe there is no other will in being but what they fay is in the trustees hands; for all the fervants fay, they knew there was a parchment fealed, which my lord faid he would alter, which they looked upon to be his will. Whether he cancelled it, I cannot find. Some fay Mr. Burrell has it, but no-body here can give any diftinct account of it. But my lord himfelf faid pofitively, in the prefence of feveral, that he had no will in being fo what to make of this, I cannot tell you. We fuppofed that it might be Sir William Villars that he intended for his heir, but he faid feveral times before us all, No; fo that I cannot imagine, if he has any will, to whom he has given it, I myself being as nearly related to him as any by the full blood. Mr. Bryan Fairfax and Mr. Gibson have been witneffes of my proceedings fince my being here; I hepe they will give an account of it. I thought in honour I could not leave him in this condition, being fo nearly related to him; efpecially his grace being in fuch a retired corner, where there was no-body but myself, 'till I fent for this Mr. Gibfon. My lord Fairfax, of Gullin, came yesterday in the afternoon, but he was fpeechlefs when he came.

G 2

I have

I have ordered the corpfe to be embalmed, and carried to Helmfley caftle, and there to remain 'till my lady dutchess's pleafure fhall be known. There must be speedy care taken; for there is nothing here but confufion, not to be expreffed. Though his ftewards have received vaft fums, there is not fo much as one farthing, as they tell me, for defraying the least expence but I have ordered his inteftines to be buried at Helmfley, where hisbody is to remain 'till farther orders.

Being the nearest kinfman upon the place, I have taken the liberty to give his majefty an account of his death, and fent his George and blue ribbon to be difpofed of as his majefty fhall think fit. I have addreffed it under cover to my lord prefident, to whom I beg you would carry the bearer the minute he arrives. I have given orders that nothing fhould be embezzled ; and for that reafon, as foon as my lord died, I called to fee his strong box, but before Mr. Bryan Fairfax and Mr. Gibfon. I found nothing of moment in it but fome loofe letters of no concern; but, fuch as they are, I have ordered them to be locked up and delivered to my lady dutchess; as alfo the fmall plate and linen he had, I have committed to the care of lord Fairfax.

So now that I have given your lordship this particular account of every thing, I have nothing more to do but to affure your lordship, that I am,

My lord,

Your lordship's most affured

Friend and humble fervant,

ARRAN.

In the Prerogative-Office it appears, that George duke of Buckingham died without a will, and that the dutchefs, his widow, administered.

DESCRIPTION of the POISON-TREE, in the Island of JAVA. Tranflated from the original Dutch of N. P. Foerfch.

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HIS deftructive tree is called, in the Malayan language, Bobon-Upas, and has been defcribed by naturalifts. Buc their accounts have been fo tinctured with the marvellous, that the whole narration has been fuppofed to be an ingenious fiction by the generality of readers. Nor is this in the leaft degree furprizing, when the circumftances which we fhall faithfully relate in this defcription are confidered.

I must acknowledge that I long doubted the existence of this tree, until a stricter enquiry convinced me of my error. I shall now only relate fimple, unadorned facts, of which I have been an eve-witnefs. My readers may depend upon the fidelity of this account. In the year 1774, I was stationed at Batavia, as a furgeon in the fervice of the Dutch Eaft-India Company. During my refidence there, I received feveral different accounts of the Babon-Upas, and the violent effects of its po fon. They all then feemed incredible to me, but raifed my curiofity in fo high a degree, that I refolved to inveftigate this fubject thoroughly, and to truft only to my own obfervations. In confequence of this refolution, I applied to the governor-general, Mr. Petrus Albertus van der Parra, for a pass to travel through the country. My request was granted; and having procured every information, I fet out on my expedition. I had procured a recommendation from an old Malayan priest to another priest, who lives on the nearest inhabitable spot to the tree, which is about fifteen or fixteen miles diftant. The letter proved of great fervice to me in my undertaking, as that prieft is appointed by the emperor to refide there, in order to prepare for eternity the fouls of those who for different crimes are fentenced to approach the tree, and to procure the poifon.

The Bobon-Upas is fituated in the island of Java, about twentyfeven leagues from Batavia, fourteen from Soura Charta, the feat of the emperor, and between eighteen and twenty leagues from Tinkjoc, the prefent refidence of the fultan of Java. It is furrounded on all fides by a circle of high hills and mountains ; and the country round it, to the diftance of ten or twelve miles from the tree, is entirely barren. Not a tree, not a shrub, nor even the leaft plant or grafs, is to be feen. I have made the tour all round this dangerous fpot, at about eighteen miles diftant from the centre, and I found the afpect of the country on all fides equally dreary. The cafieft afcent of the hills is from that part where the old ecclefiaftic dwells. From his houfe the criminals are fent for the poison, into which the points of all warlike inftruments are dipped. It is of high value, and prodoces a confiderable revenue to the emperor.

The poifon which is procured from this tree, is a gum that iffees out between the bark and the tree itfelf, like the camphor. Malefactors, who for their crimes are fentenced to die, are the only perfons who fetch the poifon; and this is the only chance they have of faving their lives. After fentence is pronounced upon them by the judge, they are asked in court, whether they will die by the hands of the executioner, or whether they will go to the Upas tree for a box of poifon? They commonly pre

fer

fer the latter propofal, as there is not only fome chance of preferving their lives, but also a certainty, in cafe of their fafe return, that a provifion will be made for them in future by the emperor. They are alfo permitted to afk a favour of the emperor, which is generally of a trifling nature, and commonly granted. They are then provided with a filver or tortoiseshell box, in which they are to put the poisonous gum, and are properly inftructed how to proceed while they are upon their dangerous expedition. Among other particulars, they are always told to attend to the direction of the winds; as they are to go towards the tree before the wind, fo that the effluvia from the tree are always blown from them. They are told, likewise, to travel with the utmoft difpatch, as that is the only method of enfuring a fafe return. They are afterwards fent to the house of the old priest, to which place they are commonly attended by their friends and relations. Here they generally remain fome days, in expectation of a favourable breeze. During that time, the ecclefiaftic prepares them for their future fate by prayers and admonitions.

When the hour of their departure arrives, the priest puts them on a long leather cap, with two glaffes before their eyes, which comes down as far as their breaft; and also provides them with a pair of leather gloves. They are then conducted by the priest, and their friends and relations, about two miles on their journey. Here the priest reports his inftructions, and tells them where they are to look for the tree. He fhows them a hill, which they are told to afcend, and that on the other fide they will find a rivulet, which they are to follow, and which will conduct them directly to the Upas. They now take leave of each other, and, amidst prayers for their fuccefs, the delinquents haften away.

The worthy old ecclefiaftic has affured me, that during his refidence there, for upwards of thirty years, he had difmiffed above feven hundred criminals in the manner which I have defcribed, and that fcarcely two out of twenty have returned. He showed me a catalogue of all the unhappy fufferers, with the date of their departure from his houfe annexed, and a list of the offences for which they had been condemned. To which was added, a lift of those who had returned in fafety. I afterwards faw another lift of thefe culprits, at the gaol-keeper's at Soura-Charta, and found that they perfectly correfponded with each other, and with the different informations which I afterwards obtained.

I was prefent at fome of thofe melancholy ceremonies, and defired different delinquents to bring with them fome pieces of the wood, or a fmall branch, or fome leaves of this wonderful

tree.

tree. I have alfo given them filk cords, defiring them to meafure its thickness. I never could procure more than two dry leaves that were picked up by one of them on his return; and all I could learn from him concerning the tree itself was, that it flood on the border of a rivulet, as defcribed by the old priest; that it was of a middling fize, that five or fix young trees of the fame kind flood clofe by it; but that no other fhrub or plant could be feen near it; and that the ground was of a brownish fand, full of ftones, almost impracticable for travelling, and covered with dead bodies. After many conversations with the old Malayan prieft, I queftioned him about the firft discovery, and afked his opinion of this dangerous tree; upon which he gave me the following answer:

"We are told in our new Alcoran, that, above an hundred years ago, the country around the tree was inhabited by people Atrongly addicted to the fins of Sodom and Gomorrah. When the great prophet Mahomet determined not to fuffer them to lead fuch deteftable lives any longer, he applied to God to punifh them: upon which God caufed this tree to grow out of the earth, which deftroyed them all, and rendered the country for ever uninhabitable."

Such was the Malayan's opinion. I fhall not attempt a comment; but muft obferve, that all the Malayans confider this tree as an holy inftrument of the great prophet, to punish the fins of mankind; and, therefore, to die of the poifon of the Upas, is generally confidered among them as an honourable death. For that reafon, I also obferved that the delinquents, who were going to the tree, were generally dreffed in their best apparel.

This, however, is certain, though it may appear incredible, that from fifteen to eighteen miles round this tree, not only no homan creature can exift, but that, in that space of ground, no living animal of any kind has ever been difcovered. I have also been affured, by feveral of veracity, that there are no fish in the waters; nor has any rat, moufe, or any other vermin, been feen there; and when the birds fly fo near this tree that the effluvia reaches them, they fall a facrifice to the effects of the poifon. This circumftance has been afcertained by different delinquents, who, in their return, have feen the birds drop down and have picked them up dead, and brought them to the old ecclefiaftic.

I will here mention an instance which proves this a fact beyond all doubt, and which happened during my stay at Java.

In the year 1775, a rebellion broke out among the fubjects of the maffay, a fovereign prince, whofe dignity is nearly equal to'

that