riments on the oscillations of the pendulum, at the Cape of Good Hope, did not confirm the consequences deduced from those of La Caille, as to the dissimilarity of the two hemispheres. The same caution is observed with respect to those made at the Isle of France, and from those at the Malouine or Falkland's islands: under the privations and disadvantages of a shipwreck, little could be expected. Indeed, there appears on this head to have been a want of care in those who superintended the equipment; for the instruments, with which the navigators were provided, were manifestly inadequate to the purpose. The apparatus for magnetical observations seems to have been equally defective, and the result, as communicated in the report, is as little satisfactory. One curious fact, which was first observed by Mr. Macdonald, at St. Helena, is not unworthy of notice. This is a certain periodical movement of the magnetic needle, independent of variation. At the Marianne and Sandwich Islands, the north point of the needle moves towards the west, from 8 in the morning till 1 in the afternoon, though the absolute variation is east. At Rawak and Port Jackson, this movement is eastward, while at Timor, though also south of the equator, it is west. The expedition is not intitled to the merit of ascertaining many new geographical positions; and in hydrography, its pretensions are confined to the survey of a small portion of the West coast of New Holland, parts of the coast of Timor and some small adjacent islands, the strait between the Isle of Booroo and those of Amboyna and Feram, some islets south of Gilolo, a dangerous archipelago north of the Isle of Rooib, part of the island of Waigooe, the islands of Manooran and Rawack, the Isle of Guam, and part of Tinian..

Some partial surveys were also made at the Sandwich Islands; and, in the passage from thence to Port Jackson, the positions of several islets, at a distance from the great masses of land, are said to have been ascertained. With respect to Meteorology, no new observations are given. In Zoology, the collections of the expedition amounted to 25 species of mammalia, 313 of birds, 45 of reptiles, and 164 of fishes, besides molusca, polypi, &c.

Of these, 4 of mammalia are new, 45 of birds, 30 of reptiles, and about 120 of fishes. In Entomology, we find about 1300 species, of which 40 are said to be new, and some remarkable. In Botany, about 3000 species of dried plants, including 1200 said to be unknown. Much attention is stated to have been paid to the languages of the different tribes visited in the course of the voyage, but the vocabularies annexed to the narrative are by no means copious.

From this sketch it will readily appear, that the work is barren of interest to the mere scientific reader;' but it abounds with lively descriptions of scenery, manners, and customs; and though these may sometimes want the zest of novelty, they are not deficient in attraction, even' after the perusal of the narratives of Cook, Vancouver, and our own enterprising navigators. The epistolary form is adopted as much from necessity as choice, in consequence of the loss of materials, which the writer suffered in the wreck of the vessel. He commences with his departure from Toulon, describes Gibraltar with that feeling of wonder which it naturally excites in a stranger, details the few incidents on the voyage to Teneriffe, and records the usual ceremonies on crossing the Equinoctial Line. Arrived at Rio Janeiro, we find him expatiating with rapture on the" beauties of that luxuriant climate. In visiting the celebrated aqueduct, he encounters a singular recluse and' countryman. This was General Hogendorp, who, after filling a high military and confidential post under Napoleon, and exercising his command in both hemispheres, had fled from the hatred of men, the tumult of cities, and the intrigues of courts, to practise, in the wilds of the new world, the humble occupations of a husbandman and charcoal-burner. We afterwards find that the military' hermit had been honoured with a visit from the Prince Royal of Portugal, who sought the benefit of his experience and advice. Our narrator mixed in general society at Rio Janeiro; but nothing could exceed the insipidity and formality which pervaded all intercourse at this period; from the jealousy reigning between the native Brazilians and the attendants of the emigrant court, and the restraints of

a system of mutual espionnage and a rigorous police. The houses are described as neat, but tasteless: the streets as vieing in filth with those of Lisbon. There is a public library of 70,000 volumes, judiciously selected, but little read; professorships of natural philosophy, botany, and physiology established, but no pupils to be found; and an academy instituted, by drafts from other nations, particularly France, but no meeting of its members ever takes place. As the productions of these academicians, either in literature or art, are considered as belonging to the King, it is not likely that the new world will derive much benefit from their exertions. No college exists for the education of youth, and consequently the children of the rich are, as formerly, dispatched to Coimbra.

The state of the slaves, who form five-sixths of the population, does not escape his notice. His remarks on the harsh and brutal treatment to which they are subjected do credit to his feelings. He justly observes, that with the Brasilians it is still problematical whether negroes are men or brutes: they are, however, employed as the former, but beaten as the latter. Commerce flourishes greatly, as might be expected in a country so rich in natural productions: but agriculture is still in its infancy. So simple a vehicle as a wheelbarrow is of late introduction, and still uncommon. The character of the people is strongly marked by indolence. Their whole life appears no better than a broken slumber. As a proof how little motion accords with their habits, he observes that no public road is yet formed between the two principal cities, Bahia and Rio. Their navy exists only in name. Twentytwo admirals are paid by the King, besides innumerable officers, while the ports contain scarcely three ships of war.

From Rio we accompany him to the Cape of Good Hope, where he is struck with the neatness of Cape Town, and draws a favourable contrast between the character and manners of the people, and those of the Brasils. His stay, however, is too short, and his observations too limited, to enable him to form a correct judgment on the circumstances of the colony, even if he were disposed to

regard it without a degree of national prejudice. He complains that trade, which flourished under the Dutch, is reduced almost to nothing by the administration of the English. One regulation, evidently of Dutch origin, is certainly not calculated for the improvement of traffic: every commodity, however trifling, pays an entrance duty when brought to the town, and is sold by public auction in the market.

His next station, the Isle of France, receives a liberal portion of praise. The beauty and grace of the women, and the suavity and freedom which reign in social intercourse, are celebrated in glowing language. This little spot of land awakened peculiar interest, as identified with the charming romance of Paul and Virginia, of which it is the scene; but our voyager soon discovered that the fictions of the novelist are often built on the frailest foundation. Paul, the hero of the tale, is a mere creature of fancy; Madame de la Tour, the mother of the heroine, so far from dying in an agony of grief for the loss of her daughter, survived the catastrophe long enough to espouse three husbands in succession; and the pastor, who acts so fine a part in the novel, is transformed into a Chevalier de Bernage, son of an echevin at Paris, who, after serving in the mousquetaires, and killing an antagonist in a duel, had retired hither, and taken up his residence at the Riviere du Rempart, half a league from the spot where the St. Geran was wrecked. But to make amends for this diversity between the characters of real life and those of romance, the Isle of France is celebrated for the residence of others, whose adventures have partaken of all the extravagance of fiction. One of these was the daughterin-law of the Czar Peter, who, escaping from Russia, sought an obscure retreat at Paris. There she married a M. Moldac, serjeant-major of a regiment which was sent thither; and, in consideration of her rank, her husband is said to have been promoted to a majority, by order of the court. Another, was Madame de Puja, wife of a French colonel, and recently deceased. She was the celebrated Anastasia, the mistress of Count Benyowsky, who, after facilitating his escape from Kamtschatka, accompanied him in his wanderings, and

Their canoes and habitations are equally rude; and their cookery as rude as either.

From hence a pleasing transition is made to the Archipelago of the Caroline islands, through which the Inavigators pass. They are visited by the natives, who appear familiar, docile, and inoffensive, and differ in every respect from those of New Guinea. Pursuing their course they reach Guam, one of the Marianne islands, and are welcomed at Agag na by the Spanish governor. This miserable place scarcely deserves the name of a town, for nine-tenths of the habitations are covered with the mid-ribs of the cocoa. The palace of the governor was newly white washed, and decorated for their reception; but the guards of his excellency presented the most ludicrous burlesque on military parade which it is possible to conceive. The of ficers appeared with swords of the days of Charlemagne; spatterdashes, in which the legs were left at their ease; coats, trailing on the ground; and an opera hat, of which the cor ners descended to the shoulders. The condition of the natives is in every way deplorable. Huddled together, with their domestic animals, in their confined and wretched habitations, they are almost universally tainted with leprosy, which here assumes its most disgusting aspect. They sleep two-thirds of the day, and work the other third by constraint; so that the country bears, even in the very vicinity of the town, the cheerless garb of neglect. Nor are their moral better than their physical habits. Immersed in the grossest superstition and ignorance, they have little no tion of religion, beyond its proces sions and ceremonies; while the character of both sexes is exceeding ly licentious. Foundations are instituted bearing the titles of a col lege, and secondary schools; but nothing appears to be taught, except reading and singing. The value at tached to education is shown by the mode in which its labours are re-, warded. The superior of the college receives six dollars a month, with a shirt, and an allowance of provisions; and the stipend of the masters, attached to the secondary schools, amounts only to two dollars monthly. Still, however, before they were de

based by Spanish rule, the natives of these islands must have attained a considerable degree of civilisation. The vestiges of their ancient monuments prove that they were not deficent either in genius or industry: their original language partakes also of a florid and poetical character.

From Agagna the voyagers make excursions to Rota and Tinian, in the flying proas of the Caroline islands, manned by Carolinians. Rota is a miserable dependency of Agagna; the town contains only eighty houses, and the population of the whole island does not exceed 500. Still it is fertile, shaded by magnificent trees, and producing delicious fruit and vegetables; but the same apathy and indolence prevail, as in the parent settlement. Here our author examined the remains of a native edifice, situated on the slope of a mountain. Its consequence is shown, by numerous fragments of pillars, three feet in girth, and its diameter appears to have extended to 800 paces. It is yet called "the House of the Ancients," though its origin is unknown.

Tinian is a place of exile, and oc cupied by about fifteen solitary inhabitants. It has attained celebrity through the voyage of Anson; but its appearance is far from answering the glowing description of Rousseau, in the Nouvelle Heloise. It is, however, covered with wrecks of ancient architecture, which attest its former consequence, and the perseverance and power of its original inhabitants. The impression which these remains produce, is heightened by its present solitary and dreary aspect. The surface is an uninteresting waste, broken only by a few stunted and feeble cocoa trees; the coast is uninteresting, while a scorching wind destroys vegetation, and seems to deprive the soil of the power of reproduction. Numerous swarms of flies and ants contribute also to recal to memory the plagues of Egypt.

Raynal has combated the opinion, that in the Marianne Islands, the women enjoy that superiority, which in other countries is vested in the men. Our author, however, gallantly vindicates the prerogatives of the fair sex. He asserts, that a man who marries a woman of superior fortune, is compelled to perform the

household and menial offices. If in equal circumstances, these toils are divided. In domestic life also, disputes between the men are settled by the women; but in disputes between the women, no man presumes to interfere. The same superiority is shown in their various sports and dances.

Returning to Guam, he witnesses the songs and dances of the natives of the Caroline Islands. The first are marked by harmony and simplicity; the latter by voluptuousness, grace, variety, and a dexterity truly astonishing. As this interesting people are drawn hither in great numbers by traffic, he availed himself of the opportunity to study their character, and obtain information on their manners and customs. He describes them as amiable, unaffected, and sincere; and bearing in their countenances the calm of innocence and cheerfulness. Their skill and hardihood as navigators are worthy of admiration. In their frail proas, which are only four feet wide and forty long, they make voyages of 600 leagues, guided only by the stars and experience. On the water, no perils appear to repress their enterprising spirit; no difficulties to baffle their perseverance. So much importance do they attach to an art, which their situation renders of the first necessity, that schools of navigation are established in the different islands, under the superintendance of their ablest pilots; and the young men are not permitted to marry till they have given undeniable proofs of dexterity in the management of their proas. Our author conversed with one of these pilots, who manifested a superior degree of sagacity and intelligence. By means of grains of Indian corn, he indicated the isles of the Archipelago, and their relative positions. He named them, pointed out those which were easy or difficult of access, and described their productions. To explain how his country men guide their vessels, he formed a kind of rude compass, with pieces of bamboo, showed the general course of the winds, and the situation of the stars and constellations; and said, that when deprived of these guides, they regulated their course by the currents, with which they were accurately acquainted. He answered

all questions with good sense and precision, rectified incidental mistakes, and often appeared to recur to calculation, when his memory failed. The Carolinians believe in a supreme power; they burn their dead, and assert that good men ascend above the clouds to enjoy happiness. War is the punishment of the wicked. From the information of an eye-witness, their conduct is in unison with this principle; for few instances of quarrelling or fighting occur among them, and they are highly susceptible of the social affections. Brothers and sisters are allowed to intermarry, and children, when weaned, never sleep in the same apartment with the father. Boys and girls are also se parated. They have no characteristic physiognomy, but vary even in the colour of the skin. They are supple and active, graceful in their walk, and swim as if the water were their native element. The bodies of the chiefs are elegantly tattooed, and all pierce their ears, and enlarge the opening till the cartilage descends nearly to the shoulder.

From Guam the navigators directed their course for the Sandwich islands; and, on the 6th of August, descried the lofty peak of Mowna Roa. Surrounded by shoals of canoes, they skirted the shore of Owyhee, and anchored before the village of Kayerooa, the Karakakooa of Cook. In the evening they were visited by the chief, who is brother-in-law to the king, and has received from Europeans the name of John Adams, but whose real appellation is Kookini. He spoke English well, behaved with great propriety, and promised a supply of provisions. Our author furnishes a new proof of the rapid progress which these islanders have made in the arts of civilisation. On returning the visit of the chief, they found the town of considerable extent; small lanes in imitation of streets and alleys; some of the houses built with stone, and others constructed neatly with planks, and thatched with the palm leaf or seaweed. A dock-yard was formed, a vessel of 40 tons was on the stocks, and numerous canoes were carefully secured under sheds. Two howitzers were mounted near the house of the chief, and behind was a species of park of artillery, covered with mats,