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ear the pain of an irksome monotony, and feems even to add greater smoothness to others.'

We are ready to acknowledge that Mr. Cowper fometimes roughens his lines with fuccefs, and they prove an excellent accompaniment to the fentiment: we feel their force when Ulyffes ftruggles for life, and

-the rough rocks clafping, ftripp'd his hands Bare, and the billows now whelmed him again.' Odyf. v. 522.

And, again, when the hero beheld Sifyphus :

Thrusting before him, ftrenuous, a vaft rock.
With hands and feet struggling, he shoved the ftone
Up to a hill-top; but the fteep well-nigh

Vanquish'd, by fome great force repulfed, the mafs
Rush'd again, obftinate, down to the plain.'

We are fenfibly ftruck with the laborious exertions in the firft lines, and the laft, like its Greek model, jumps along with the utmost velocity. But the meaning contained in these has no connexion with fuch accelerated or irregular motion.

• When Polybus' fon Eurymachus began.'

till the earth hide

Odyf. xvi. 405.

Many a lewd reveller at thy expence.' Odyf. xv. 40.

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Jupiter even thou art falfe become,

And altogether fo.' Il. xii. 216.

In a long poem we have muft not expect a conftant fucceffion of faultlefs lines: yet we can fee no reason why mufical periods might not be placed, according to the author's abilities, interchangeably in different parts of different lines, â fummo ufque ad imum, fo as not to difguft the reader with too level a ftream of harmony; why flat and feeble paffages must be introduced for the fake of variety. A fublime one, in the midit of a tedious and dull narrative, will, doubtlefs, affect the mind more forcibly by the contraft; and an unexpected vale of fertility, in the midst of a defert, will please the traveller's eye more than a fucceflion of fine objects in a rich and well-cultivated country. Yet Dante is not, therefore, fuperior to Taflo, nor an Arabian wilderness to the fruitful plains of England. But Milton,' Mr. Cowper adds, whofe ear and tafte were exquifite, has exemplified, in his Paradife Loft, the effect of this practice frequently. Mr. Cowper, however, muft know that many paflages in Milton are not approved, but excused, on account

of

of the fuperior excellency of others. It would be difficult to point out the advantage which any lines, preceding or following fuch as thefe, can obtain by comparison or contrast.

Latona, illuftrious concubine of Jove.'

• When now they had all purified, and no spot Could now be feen or blemish more.' Odyf. v. 113.

• Befide the fofs, pondering the event.' Il. xii. 248. • Stichius and Menestheus leaders both.' Il. xiii. 242. whom the had born

Herself to Anchifes pafturing his herds.' Il. v. 362. --and himfelf

Lay on his back, clamouring in the dust.' Odyf. xviii. 495. while others ran

To and fro' occupied about a sheep

New paftur'd,' Il. xxiv. 160.

as I have heard

Lately in yon neighbouring opulent land.' Odys. xix. 389.

On an undreff'd hide

Repofed, where we threw covering over him.'

Odyf. xx. 171.

What a cluster of confonants are here affembled in less than two lines!

-thou haft err'd, nor know'ft

At all my doom from Jove, as thou pretend'ft,
But feek', &c.' . xxii. 323.

So fays Hector to Achilles: who, not long after, accofts him in his own ftyle, and gives him a Rowland for his Oliver. -- thou had'ft once far other hopes

And ftripping flain Patroclus, thought'ft thee fafe;
Nor car'd'ft for abfent me.' Il. xxii. 381.

To exhibit fuch lines for the fake of adding to the effect of others, reminds us of the policy of Bayes, who profeffed his ha ving defignedly underwritten one character to 'fet off' the excel lency of the reft

(To be concluded in the Appendix.)

A Voyage to the South Sea, undertaken by Command of his Majefty, for the Purpose of conveying the Bread-Fruit Tree to the West Indies, in his Majefty's Ship Bounty, commanded by Lieut. W. Bligh. 4to. 125. boards. Nicol. 1792.

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E have often had occafion to mention the WE voyage taken to carry the most useful vegetable of the tropical iflands of the Pacific Ocean to thofe of the Atlantic. The

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bread-fruit tree is an object of the utmost importance; and the attempt, though from an unfufpected misfortune it at firft mifcarried, must be confidered as the fuggeftion of the most unbounded benevolence, conducted with the most extensive views, and productive of the greatest advantages. The voyage has been fignalifed alfo by the intrepidity of the captain, who traversed the Pacific Ocean in an open boat; and if, as has been faid, one of the mutinous feamen, while captain Bligh was going into the boat, obferved with an oath, that he would find his way home, it must be confidered as a fpontaneous teftimony of his general character for spirit and refolution. The narrative of this fingular voyage occurs in our Lxxth vol. p. 536, and it is republished in the prefent work, with fome corrections and elucidations. But those who poffefs it may, if they please, purchase the rest of the voyage without this addition.

The defcription of the fhip is the fubject of the first chapter, of a fhip, for the first time in the annals of the marine, changed to a confervatory, whofe great cabin was a green, and occafionally a hot-houfe. There were other fubordinate views of general utility in this voyage, which it is not neceffary to mention at prefent: on the whole, the inftructions and the management seem to have been dictated with great skill and humanity. The firft defign was to go round the fouthern promontory of America; but the veffel was not ready in proper time; and, when they reached Cape Horn, the westerly winds were already fet in with violence; they went therefore to the Cape of Good Hope, and reached at last Otaheite, by a circuitous voyage; but fuch was the expedition that, reckoning the space ran by direct and contrary courfes, its extent was 27,086 miles, and at the rate of 108 miles every 24 hours. But we shall follow our enterprifing navigator more particularly, and pick up a few of the more generally interefting events in this track.

The bread-fruit tree is first defcribed, from the accounts of different voyagers, and a section of it is delineated. The defcription is now, however, in the hands of the greater part of our readers. Captain Bligh imitated his great friend captain Cook in dividing his crew into three watches, airing the hold and drying it every day with fire. The event was, as might be expected, his crew was uncommonly healthy; and, even after the fevere trials in endeavouring to weather Cape Horn in the most stormy weather, rheumatism was almost the only difeafe. One man died, in confequence feemingly of a nerv ous complaint from a puncture of the tendon or nerve in bleeding. When they reached the fouthern latitudes, their live ftock were deftroyed, and the hogs only were hardy enough to

bear

bear the feverity of the weather. The albatroffes and pintada birds were lean and fifhy; but, when caught and fed a little while in coops, they were found to be fcarcely inferior to geefe and ducks. The foundings of the coaft of America, from 36° fouth latitude to the fouthward, capt. Bligh tells us, are very convenient to judge of the diftance of fhips from the land, as there are often thick fogs near the coaft. To go through the Straits of Le Maire muft undoubtedly, he adds, fhorten the paffage, as all the distance faved is fo much gained to the weftward; and I am informed that feveral harbours have been lately difcovered, by the South Sea whalers, on the north fide of Staten Island, that afford fafe anchorage, with fupplies of wood and water.' Off Cape Horn, the fituation of the ship did not seem to be affected by the currents. Captain Bligh did not fall in with the iflands of Triftan de Cunha, and he fufpects that Mr. Dalrymple's plans are correct, where these islands are placed a little more to the north than in the other charts. From the narrative of the events at the Cape, we fhall felect the only account that has been procured, of the unfortunate furvivors of the Grofrenor Indiaman.

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During our stay here, I took care to procure feeds and plants that would be valuable at Otaheite, and the different places we might touch at in our way thither. In this I was greatly aflifted by colonel Gordon, the commander of the troops. In company with this gentleman, the lofs of the Grosvenor Eaft Indiaman was mentioned on this fubject, colonel Gordon expreffed great concern, that from any thing he had faid, hopes were fill entertained to flatter the affectionate wishes of the furviving friends of those unfortunate people. He faid that, in his travels in the Caffre country, he had met with a native who defcribed to him, that there was a white woman among his countrymen, who had a child, and that the frequently embraced the child, and cried mot violently. This was all he (the colonel) could understand; and, being then on his return home, with his health much impaired by fatigue, the only thing that he could do, was to make a friend of the native, by prefents, and promises of reward, on condition that he would take a letter to this woman, and bring him back an anfwer. Accordingly he wrote letters in English, French, and Dutch, defiring, that fome fign or mark might be returned, ei ther by writing with a burnt tick, or by any means the fhould be able to devise, to fatisfy him that she was there; and that on receiving fuch token from her, every effort thould be made to enfure her fafety and efcape. But the Caffre,' although apparently delighted with the commiffion which he had undertaken, never returned, nor has the colonel ever heard any thing more of him, though he had been inftructed in methods of conveying information through the Hottentot country,

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To this account, that I may not again have occafion to introduce fo melancholy a subject, I fhall add the little information I received refpecting it, when I re-vifited the Cape, in my return towards Europe.-A reputable farmer, of the name of Holhoufen, who lives at Swellendam, eight days journey from the Cape, had information from fome Caffre Hottentots, that at a crawl, or vil lage, in their country, there were white men and women. On this intelligence, Mr. Hoihoufen afked permiffion of the governor to make an expedition, with fome of the farmers, into the country, requiring a thousand rix-dollars to bear his expences. The governor referred him to Mr. Wocke, the landros of Grave-rennet, a new colony, in his way. But from the place where Mr. Holhoufen lives, to the landros, Mr. Wocke's refidence, is a month's journey, which he did not chufe to undertake at an uncertainty, as Mr. Wocke might have disapproved of the enter prize. It was in October last that Mr. Holhoufen offered to go on this fervice. He was one of the party who went along the feacoaft in search of these unfortunate people, when a few of them first made their appearance at the Cape. I am however informed, that the Dutch farmers are fond of making expeditions into the country, that they may have opportunities of taking away cattle; and this, I apprehend, to be one of the chief reasons why undertakings of this kind are not encouraged.'

The latitude of the Cape, our author thinks, is correctly fet down by major Rennell, confidering the Cape to be the fouthernmost point of land between Table Bay and Falfe Bay. Captain Bligh, from many obfervations with good inftruments, found it to be in lat. 34° 23' fouth. The time-keeper anfwered, on trial, very well: it varied only 3' 23."2; lofing about 3" per day.

From the Cape, the Bounty proceeded to Van Diemen's Land, and the following meteorological obfervations merit being particularly transcribed.

In our paffage from the Cape of Good Hope, the winds were mostly from the weftward, with very boisterous weather: but one great advantage, that this season of the year has over the fummer months is, in being free from fogs. I have already remarked, that the approach of ftrong foutherly winds is announced by many kinds of birds of the albatrofs or petterel tribe, and the abatement of the gale, or a shift of wind to the northward, by their keeping away. The thermometer alfo very quickly fhews when a change of thefe winds may be expected, by varying fometimes fix and feven degrees in its height. I have reafon to believe, that after we passed the island St. Paul, there was a weatherly current; the fhip being every day to the westward of the reckC. R. N. Aa. (IV.) April, 1792.

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