of pork, and an hundred and fifty pounds of bread. Their firft attempt was to fecure a supply of provifions at Tofoa, an island in the neighbourhood, and to proceed from thence to Tongataboo; but, at Tofoa, their weakness was foon difcovered, and they were attacked with stones, which they could not resist, and by armed canoes, which, as they had no fire-arms, they could not repel. The only alternative was flight, and they owed their safety at laft to the ftratagem of throwing away fome cloaths, which the affailants were eager to pick up, and suffered them to escape. They were confequently driven to the dreadful resource of croffing the Pacific Ocean in this boat; and with their scanty stock of provifions, to proceed to Timor, the most eastern settlement of the Dutch in India. Nothing but the most unexampled perfeverance and refolution could have enabled them to carry this defign into execution. Provifions were to be faved, and the twenty-fifth part of a pound of bread at breakfast, dinner, and supper, with a quarter of a pint of water, and occafionally an ounce of pork, was their diet. At last the fupperbread was withdrawn. Their feafts were fometimes a booby (a fea bird) caught with the hands, and once they hooked a dolphin these were eaten raw, and, as they were equally divided, added little to their stock. A tea-fpoonful of rum was fometimes allowed, but of this their stock was very fmall. To add to their distress, they had many ftorms; the fea broke over the boat almost constantly, and inceffant baling became neceffary. The rain, however, added to their stock of water, but it chilled them with cold, and their only refource was to ftrip off their cloaths and wring them out of falt-water. This gave them warmth, and was almoft as refreshing as a change of linen. They reached at laft New Holland, where they found oysters and clams; but they were on the northern coaft, and could add little to their stock but these fish. They found indeed fome berries; a few eggs, and noddies; a fpecies of bean, and the palm-tree, the inner part of whofe fummit was not unpleasant food; but the fupply of thefe viands was very inconsiderable. The great advantage derived from their ftay was owing to their being dry, and able to fleep in fecurity, which they could not do in the launch. We fhall add a short extract, to give some idea of their distress, in the run from New Holland to Timor.

At four in the afternoon we caught a small dolphin, the first relief of the kind we obtained. Iiflued about two ounces to each perfon, including the offals, and faved the remainder for dinner the next day. Towards evening the wind freshened, and it blew ftrong all night, fo that we fhipped much water, and fuffered greatly from the wet and cold. At day-light, as ufual, I heard much complaining, which my own feelings con

vinced me was too well founded. I gave the furgeon and Lebogue a little wine, but I could give no farther relief, than affurances that a very few days longer, at our prefent fine rate of failing, would bring us to Timor.

• Gannets, boobies, men of war and tropic birds, were conftantly about us. Served the ufual allowance of bread and water, and at noon dined on the remains of the dolphin, which amounted to about an ounce per man. I observed the latitude to be 9° 9'S; longitude made 10° 8' W; course fince yefterday noon S 76 W; distance 107 miles.'

• Birds and rock-weed fhowed that we were not far from land; but I expected such signs must be here, as there are many flands between the caft part of Timor and New Guinea. I however hoped to fall in with Timor every hour, for I had great apprehenfions that fome of my people could not hold out. An extreme weaknefs, fwelled legs, hollow and ghastly countenances, great propensity to fleep, with an apparent debility of understanding, feemed to me melancholy prefages of their approaching diffolution. The furgeon and Lebogue, in parti cular, were moft miterable objects. I occafionally gave them a few tea-fpoonfuls of wine, out of the little I had faved for this dreadful' ftage, which no doubt greatly helped to support

them.

For my own part, a great share of fpirits, with the hopes of being able to accomplish the voyage, feemed to be my principal fupport; but the boatswain very innocently told me, that he really thought I looked worfe than any one in the boat. The fimplicity with which he uttered fuch an opinion diverted me, and I had good humour enough to return him a better compliment.'

Our voyagers, in this diftreffed condition, reached Timor, without the lofs of a man. Mr. Nelfon, however, died foor afterwards of an inflammatory fever; and it is highly probable that the effects of this fevere trial must have been felt by all. One of the most diftreffing complaints was a fevere tenefmus, for the belly was in general obftinately bound, from the time they left the fhip to their arrival at Timor.

An indifferent fpectator, fays our author, when refrethment were brought to them, would have been at a lofs which most to admire; the eyes of famine sparkling at immediate re. lief, or the horror of their prefervers at the fight of fo many fpectres, whofe ghaftly countenances, if the caufe had been unknown, would rather have excited terror than pity. Our bodies were nothing but fkin and bones, our limbs were full of fores, and we were cloathed in rags; in this condition, with the tears of joy and gratitude flowing down our cheeks, the people of Timot beheld us with a mixture of horror, furprite, and pity.'

The

The distance from Tofoa to Timor was above 1300 leagues On the whole, this is a most interesting narrative, and it is impoffible to speak too highly of the refolution and good conduc of Mr. Bligh. The islands which he discovered in this route are carefully laid down in the chart; but, in his fituation, we could not expect any account of them: it is enough that he has informed us where they are.

Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis. 4 Vols. 8vo. 21. 25. Beards. White, Dublin.

THIS HIS Collection was published in feparate Numbers, a form which often eludes all our care and diligence, and acquired imperceptibly its prefent bulk and importance. Though it is impoffible to examine every fugitive or periodical production, yet when thefe, in their collected ftate, become of importance in the difcuffion of a scientific or antiquarian queftion, its æra ought not to prevent its being noticed. As we have lately traced, under the guidance of Mr. Pinkerton, the Goths from Germany and Scandinavia to Great Britain and Ireland; as we muft foon more particularly attend with Dr. Campbell to the antiquities of Ireland, it would be unjust and improper to, neglect one of the most able and rational defenders of the antiquity of this kingdom, because his work was published in Numbers in the metropolis of the Weftern Island. We fhall, however, attend chiefly to those parts of our author's refearches connected with the principal question.

The first article is a Chorographical Defcription of the County of Westmeath, by fir Henry Piers, written in 1682, illuftrated with a Map. This is, in many refpects, a curious and valuable record, which we cannot at this distance notice fo particularly as we could wish. The Letter of fir John Davis, attorney-general in Ireland, respecting the politics of that kingdom, written in 1606, contains many facts of curiofity and importance. Archbishop Uther's Letter, which fol lows, on the Corbes, (Cobhorba, or tribute-lands) the Emenach (lands defigned for the fupport of the church and the poor) and the Termon (fanctuary lands), contains a vast fund of antiquarian and philological knowledge. The office of erenach was fimilar to archdeacon in more modern times. The two ancient inftruments next defcribed are filver broches, though one is imperfect. In the preface, the author goes out of his line on difputed ground; but we need not examine his affertions at this time. They will occur again.

The third Number contains a Differtation on the ancient Irish Laws or National Customs, called Gavel-kind and Thaniftry. The Gavel-kind is the divifion of lands among the

males

males only, and undoubtedly is not peculiar to Ireland: it is a neceffary confequence of that feudal jurifdiction which commutes land for military fervice. Our author examines, in the beginning, the different conftitutions and conditions of landed properties, as well as the changes they fuffered from the ufurpation of the feudal lords. It is fufficient for our purpose, in this place, to remark, that his errors are chiefly thofe which refpect the antiquity. It is not enough, for example, to derive allodial from the Celtic allhend (of old), unless he could prove that holding lands by military service was an innovation. The force of allodial is, independent property, which our author joins a little unaccountably to its literal meaning, ancient. The confequence, if we keep to the derivation, and we probably may do fo without great error, will be, that the military fervice was the innovation of a conquering nation, and the gavel-kind and thaniftry customs of a comparatively late origin. The former indeed was clearly established in fome other nations, but its origin and effects are fufficiently explained from the customs of thefe nations in other refpects. Thaniftry was the law of fucceffion, by which the oldest male among the near kinsmen of the laft ruling prince of the fame name and flock, was conftitutionally to fucceed, unless incapable in confequence of fome natural or accidental infirmity. Col. Vallancey derives this custom from the Scythians, and with great propriety traces it through many kingdoms of Europe, probably derived from the fame flock. Our author next examines with equal care, the state-laws of fubfidies, tributes, and fifcal rights, anciently obferved by the Irish kings and their fubordinate princes and ftates refpectively. The Thanittic law of fenior fucceffion is afterwards illuftrated in an hiftorical and genealogical account of the kings of Munfter. In this part there is alfo a learned and judicious account of different invaders of Ireland, whom col. Vallancey fuppofes to be a Belgic or Saxon race from ancient Germany.

The first Efay, by a Correfpondent of the Editor, is on the Brehon Laws, a fragment of which was long ago difcovered; but the first part has not yet, we believe, been found. The collection of thefe laws was undoubtedly the work of a Chriftian lawyer, and confequently fince the period of St. Patrick. Our author, however, diftinguishes with fome care between the formation of the laws, which he contends is of Pagan origin, and the collection. This dif tinction, before made and repeated, does not affect the principal queftion. It is not contended that there were no laws previous to the introduction of Christianity, but that there is no MS. of an earlier æra. Aicill, the Irish Trebonianus, probably collected the traditional laws, and added the explana

tions,

tions. But the author of the Literature of the Irifh after the Introduction of Christianity,' introduces a new argument to prove that the Irish had letters previous to the era of St. Patrick. In their writings, they never employed the P till after fome ages, and then did it fparingly; the X also they analyzed, and wrote CS and GS. Now, fays our author, if they had not letters before, why should they make this dif tinction, and partially adopt different ones? To prove a negative is always difficult, nor is any material question involved in the enquiry, whether they were acquainted with letters before. The argument is, however, not so forcible as it may at first view appear. If a nation was in poffeffion of oral language only, their organs would be only adapted to particular founds, which would be more numerous in proportion to the extent of the language, and the purposes which it fupplied. When they wrote and spoke the words of another language, the founds they were not accuftomed to they would change, and the reprefentation of thofe founds, if they rendered them accurately, they must have changed alfo, for letters are only figns of found. This is done at this moment in Otaheite, and a native able to write, would fubftitute Toote for Cook. They would have in their alphabet neither C nor K, merely from not having learned these founds.

The Enquiry into the first Inhabitants of Ireland,' contains much uncertain difcuffion of an etymological kind. There feem to be traces of Phoenician manners, language, and religion, but we know not whether this is to be attributed to a Phoenician colony, or whether thefe cuftoms were not peculiar to all the ancient Celtic nations. The latter is much the more probable fuppofition.

Mr. Ledwich's Effay on the Study of the Irish Antiquities,' relates to the Brehon laws, which he endeavours unsuccefsfully to defend. The judge (the Breighoon, from whence, their name is derived) fat in judgment in the open air, and decided feemingly from traditional customs, though the decisions when collected, appear to refemble in particular inftances, the civil or Roman law; but we know not whether it was originally a part of the Irish system, or gradually incorporated with it. The great error in the conduct of the Breighoon, was punishing the worst crimes by a fine only; and this fault, which occafioned the cenfures of the different antiquaries, is carefully concealed. On the fubject of Druidic literature, Mr. Ledwich repeats the reveries of Mr. Whitaker; but the nature of the Bobeloth and the Ogham characters have been long fince explained, and we have no evidence of even letters being known in Ireland previous to the fifth century: no MS. has

been