however, well told, and the introduction and conclufion managed with addrefs. Mifs Brooke is always attentive to her country's literary reputation.

Servetur ad imum

Qualis ab inceffu procefferat.

We are far from condemning her; but hope fhe will excufe us for fometimes fmiling at the excefs to which he has carried her enthusiasm. To the poetical talents of her Gaelic ancestors and her own we pay refpect. We have been entertained with her tranflations from every different fpecies of compofition mentioned in the title-page, and recommend her performance to the antiquary and the man of genius.

Travels into the Interior Parts of Africa, by the Way of the Cape of Good Hope, in the Years 1780, 81, 82, 83, 84, and 85. Franflated from the French of M. le Vaillant.

125. Boards. Robinfons.

2 Vols. 8vs.

Travels from the Cape of Good Hope, into the Interior Parts of Africa Tranflated from the French of Monfieur Vaillant. 2. Volsim 800. 1zs. Boards. Lane.

WHILE we have followed Mr. Bruce from the northern

fhores of Africa, along the eastern coafts bordering on the Red Sea, we have delayed our account of Travels into Africa in a different direction, whofe celebrity on the continent has occafioned two English translations to appear at the fame time. In fact, M. Vaillant's work was fome time fince in our hands, and would have been noticed in its original form, if we had found it fo very interefting and important as it has been reprefented. Though, like Kolben, ftationary, like him liable to be deceived, and of courfe to incur the cenfures of M. Vaillant, we are not wholly unacquainted with the fouthern extremity of Africa. We have long fince had the faithful Sparman's defcription in our hands, and the correct, unadorned narrative of Paterfon. M. Vaillant, lefs cold and phlegmatic than the Swede, lefs attentive and more eager than Mr. Paterfon, had produced a work more captivating to the general reader, but lefs attractive to the philofopher. The affectation of fentiment and fenfibility which pervade every page, often difguft; and defcriptions decorated with all the luxuriance, all the meretricious ornaments of language, do not appear appli cable to the fimple uncultivated Hottentots. Nature, fimpli city, eafe, and even elegance, eternally recur; but let us take a sketch

a fketch from M. Vaillant's own pencil, in his more fober, defcriptive humour: he speaks of the Gonaquais, one of the most diftant hordes, where the fimple elegance of nature can have received no diftortion from more corrupted manners.

The huts, conftructed like thofe of Hottentots in the colonies, were eight or nine feet in diameter, and were covered with ox or fheep fkins, but more commonly with mats. They had only one opening, very narrow and low; and it was in the middle of the hut that the family kindled their fire. The thick fmoke with which thefe kennels were filled, and which had no other vent but the door, added to the stench which they always retain, would have ftifled any European who might have had the courage to remain in them two minutes: cuftom, however, renders all this fupportable to thefe favages. Indeed they do not continue in them during the day, but on the approach of night each returns to his habitation, fpreads out his mat, covers it with a fheep's fkin, and fleeps as foundly upon it as if he lay on the fofteft down. When the nights are too cold, they. ufe for a covering a skin like that upon which I lay; the Gonaquas always procure them by barter. In the morning thefe beds are rolled up, and placed in a corner of the hut; and, if the weather is fine, they expofe them to the air and the fun. They then beat them, one after another, to fhake off, not bugs, as in Europe; but infects, and another kind of vermin no less troublesome, to which the exceffive heat of the climate renders thefe favages very subject, and which they are not able to get rid of, notwithstanding all their care and attention. When they have no preffing bufinefs to employ them, they make strict fearch for thefe vermin, which they deftroy with their teeth: this appears to them the easiest and readieft method.'

To complete the picture, we muft felect traits from different parts. Even our author allows the Hottentots to be indolent, cowardly, carelefs, gluttonous, and filthy: fo much for the amiable fimplicity of untutored nature, disguised under the flimzy veil of that refined fentiment, which diftinguishes, and we think difgraces, the philofophers of the continent, who defpife or háte every confequence of civilization!

The two firft volumes contain only a part of our author's travels; the other volumes, with his fcientific defcriptions, are intended to appear at a future period. M. Vaillant has not illuftrated his journey with a map, but if this affiftance had been" fupplied, it would have been found that in thefe volumes he had not greatly exceeded Sparman, or equalled Paterfon. His narrative is more full, and we have faid more generally pleafing ; but it must be obvious that much is added; and the facts often adorned by the glaring colours of modern eloquence. Our author was born in Surinam, a country which he thinks wants the

ald of a scientific traveller. We own that Fermin and Bancroft have done but little, yet they well employed their fhort stay, and deferved fome notice. M. Vaillant, born and bred in a defart, feems to feel the independence of man, and this affords him a fubject for declamation, when he gets beyond the Dutch colonies, on the fouthern coaft of Africa. But this boafted independence is as flimzy as his eloquence: he depended on his Hottentots and his oxen: he was only independent with their affistance, and alone in the defart would have been more helplefs than his oxen, for his own natural refources were inferior to theirs. We fhall pafs over his voyage to the Cape, his humourous account of the engagement of the Dutch fhip with an English privateer, his arrival at the extremity of Africa, his excurfion to Saldanna Bay, where he was a witness of commodore Johnstone's fuccefs, and loft, in the fhip that was destroyed, all the natural objects which he had before collected.

M. Vaillant defcribes Table Mountain a little more particu larly than former travellers. He tells us, that it refts on a bafe of granite, and is compofed of alternate layers of granite and earth. On the top, which grows much narrower than the base, is a bafon of water; and time, with the afliftance of clouds and winds, has worn off the angles of the ftones, fo that they are as completely rounded as the pebbles on the fea-fhore.-A modern fyftematic philofopher would have concluded, that the mountain was raised from the fea; but for this opinion there is no fufficient foundation. Our author defcribes fhortly the coun-" try round the Cape and the adjacent ifle of Roben. The quails found there, he tells us, do not emigrate, and he seems to doubt whether the European quails are birds of paffage.

Our author's apparatus for his travels feems to have been very conveniently arranged. His waggons were, as ufual in that country, drawn by oxen, and he had a fufficient number of Hottentots, fome of which proved very faithful. His courfe was easterly, and he kept at no great distance from the coast; but his journal is by no means regular, for more than one half the way, if we measure by Sparman's map, affords no fubject of remark, and is not mentioned: we mean from Zwarte river to little Zwartkop river, on the north eastern coast. But, where-ever our author fails in thefe minuter points of accuracy, he makes ample amends by the animation of his defcription, and the interesting circumstances of his narrative; though there is often reason to apprehend that his imagination has added vividnefs to the colours, and his eager enthusiasm guided the pencil. In his hands, the minute arrangement of his furniture, the cocks fhrill clarion,' or the tricks of his monkey Kees, adds to the pleasure derived from his travels. Of his monkey it was remarkable,

remarkable, that he was chiefly afraid of ferpents, and, next to these reptiles, of his own fpecies. He inflinctively arfwered their notes; but, when any of the wild' tribe approached, he ran to his mafter for protection. Is it not a general fact, that a wild animal attacks a domefticated one with all the virulence of an enemy, viewing, with difdain, the pampered minion? But, while we are speaking of Kees, it reminds us of our author's animated defcription of the different effects of fear, particularly the apprehenfion of the lion on different animals. We shall felect this fpecimen from Mrs. Helme's tranflation, pubished for Lane.

It would be difficult to exprefs how very fearful the boldest dog is of a lion, and it is eafy, during the night, to difcover by his countenance what fpecies of wild beaft is near. If a lion, the dog, without firring, begins to howl feartully, and experiencing the greatest uneafinefs, creeps towards the human fpecies, and carelling him, feems to demand protection. The other domeftic animals are not lefs agitated, all rifing, none attempting to fleep. The oxen lowing in an under melancholy tune; the horfes paw- and fuffer great agitation; the goats, likewife, fhew their alarm, and the fheep preffed one against another, form an immoveable mafs.-Man alone, proud and fanguine, feizes his weapon, and palpitating with impatience, fighs to meet his victim.

On thefe occafions, the alarm of Kees was very striking; fearful of our guns as of the approach of the lion, the smallest movement made him tremble; moaning as if fick, he kept clofe by my fide, dragging after me, as though overpowered with deadly weakness. The cock alone appeared aftonished at the common agitation, a fpar-hawk would have thrown him into confternation, and he dreaded the fmell of a pole-cat more than all the lions of Africa. Thus it is, that each has a dreaded enemy, man only, dares all, fears none, except his own species.'

If an hyæna approaches, the dog will purfue it within a certain diftance, without any particular fymptoms of fear. The ox continues laying on the earth without alarm, except it is a young beat, that has never before heard that dangerous animal; the horse remains without any apparent fear. If jackals (a kind of foxes), come near, the dogs purfue them with eagernefs to a prodigious distance, unless they fcent lions or hyenas by the way, in which cafe they return as quick as poffible.'

In our author's journey on this coaft, he points out the mean, fordid, illiberal policy of the Dutch government. The India directors fend wood from Amfterdam, when vaft forests are in the vicinity of good harbours on this coaft; but they wish to conceal their harbours, and every Dutch colonist must fetch the meaneft utenfil that he cannot make from the Cape. This D 3

fyftem

fyftem of concealment has been fatal, as we have already obferved in our review of Dr. Sparman's work, to many veffels, and is probably not the only inftance in which humanity has by this nation been facrificed to policy. We fear our author's defcription of a governor is not one of thofe parts in which he has painted with imaginary colours only.

The next object which attracted our attention in this journal was the combat with the elephants, which we fhall transcribe from the rival tranfiation, publifhed by Meff. Robinson, as it is more close to the original, and errs only in one ludicruous point, where the tranflator fays (led by the equivocal language of the author, which, however, Mrs. Helme has properly understood), the head and tufks of the elephant eclipfed his enormous body.

Pursuing the traces of our animals without ever lofing fight of them, we anised at a very large open part of the foreft, in which there were only a few fhrubs, and fome underwood. Having stopped here, one of my Hottentots clim ed up a tree to get a better view; and caffing his eyes every where around, he made a fign to us to be filent, by putting his finger to his mouth; and fignified by his hand, which he opened and shut feveral times, what number of elephants he perceived. When he defcended we held a council; and going to the leeward of them, that we might approach without being difcovered, he conducted me through the bushes fo near, that he brought me quite close to thefe enormous animals. I almoft touched them, as I may fay, and yet I did not obferve them; though I can fafely declare that my eyes were not fafcinated by fear. In fuch fituations one must run great risks, and prepare for danger, I flood upon a small eminence just above the elephant. In vain did my courageous Hottentot point it out with his finger; and twenty times repeat, in an eager and inpatient tone, there it is. I faw nothing of it; for I caft my eyes to a much greater diftance, and never imagined that what I beheld below me could be any thing elfe than a rock, fince the mass I faw was entirely motionlets. At length, however, a flight movement attracted my attention; and the head and tufks of the animal, which eclipfed its enormous body, turned towards me. Without lofing this opportunity, or wafting my time in fine contemplations, I refted my large fufee on its pivot, and taking aim at the middle of is forehead, difcharged my piece, upon which it inftantly dropped down dead; whilst about thirty more, ftartled by the report, fled on all fides. Nothing could be more amuling than to fee the motion of their large ears, which flapped about in proportion to the fwiftnefs with which they ran but this was only a prelude to a much more animated scene.

I was furveying them with great pleafure, when I fired at one of them as it paffed clofe to us. By the excrements tinged with blood which it dropped, I judged that it was dangerously wounded,