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for falt with thofe of Mazumbo, and thefe felling them for corn tothe inhabitants of Congo, till, at laft, from kingdom to kingdom, they fall into the hands of Europeans."

Yet nine pages farther on, in P. 184, he does not blush to affert, in a peremptory manner;

"Had Europeans never been known in Africa, or their merchandize exposed to fale, this fpecies of traffic would never have exifted; and every true friend to humanity muft fhudder, muft even doubt the rationality of those cannibal-minded Chriftians, as they are called, when he witneffes the manner in which these poor wretches are treated. Not only here, but in other countries, have men reduced thousands and thoufands under the yoke of flavery. In how many countries is the holy religion of Jefus abufed, to the oppreffion of freemen, and to the affigning them, as it were, a middle place between man and beaft, merely for the fake of riches, and heaping up poffeffions of every fpecies! We ought, therefore, by no means to be furprised, if in countries where Christianity has for fuch purposes been established by fire and fword, but from which it has been again expelled, Chriftians are not unfrequently perfecuted, and even martyred. Nor is it without a motive, that many heathens of this country say the Chriftian religion must confift in robbing other men of their property, in converting countries into deferts, and rendering mankind wretched: while, on the other hand, these nations have been unjustly described as cruel and bafe, merely through hatred, for having treated fome few Europeans as the latter have treated thousands of their country

men."

What credit can be given to a writer who thus flatly contradicts himself? The following mode of killing Tigers, faid to be practifed by the Seegerins, borders on the marvellous.

"The next day I procured information relative to the adjacent countries, and in the afternoon went to the wood, with four men, to hunt. They foon defcried a tiger, which they determined to take. I feemed uneafy at the preparations they made for the chace; but at this they laughed, and at length were fo fortunate as to kill him without being hurt themselves. Two of them threw javelins at him, while the other two, who ftood near, held a fpear in their right hand, and in their left a piece of ftrong leather, made of buffalo or elephant-fkin, to defend themselves in cafe they did not hit the beast well, and he fhould attack them. This took place in the prefent inftance; for the tiger attempted to feize the foremost man by the throat; but he held his hand, which was covered with leather, ready, and thrusting it into the throat of the beaft, robbed him of the power of biting; mean. while, with his right hand, he immediately plunged his fpear into his body, upon which the other three rufhed upon him, and killed him. In like manner they destroy wolves and lions."

In the note to P. 202, the author is guilty of a falfhood in afferting that "the English boaft of paying large fums" for

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the ranfom of Europeans, who have fallen into the hands of the Africans, whom, instead of reftoring to liberty, they fend as flaves to their own colonies. During his stay at Zambre, in the service of the King of that country, he tells us, he" made three campaigns," though he only ftaid there five months." (P. 79.) Of the kingdom of Haouffa he draws a moft flattering picture.

"The kingdom of Haouffa is the finest tract of country I faw in Africa, on my whole journey from the Cape. It borders eastwards on the kingdom of Mophaty (Zanfara), northwards on the territory of Fomingho*, weftwards on the kingdom of Feene, and fouthwards on the kingdom of Bahara. The river Niger flows through one part of the country, fertilizing it, and procuring it many advantages for commerce; as a number of veffels go from Tambuko to Boofu; where the goods are unshipped, and farther tranfported by caravans. This country is extremely fruitful; and, if it were inhabited by civilized nations, might obtain great wealth. It is rich in animals of all kinds, with plenty of timber and a variety of fruits. The mountains yield falt and faltpetre, the forefts honey and wax, and the mines, which might be found in their bowels, if the inhabitants would but explore them, would produce immenfe treasures. The country has three feveral nations for its inhabitants: 1. The Samtygoetys, inhabiting the fouthern borders; 2. The Kahmofanians, dwelling on the eaft fide; and, 3. The Haouffanians, in the heart of the country. The inhabit ants, in general, wear long cloaks of party-coloured linen, faftened about the body; and, inftead of fhoes, leather thongs wound crosswife over their feet. About the head they ufually wind a partycoloured linen or cotton cloth. The foldiers alone wear round their head a red cloth, made of either goat's-hair or cotton, together with the ordinary cloak."

Of the motives of this fortunate kingdom his account is équally favourable; he reprefents them as kind, obliging, humane, and hofpitable.

The coloured plates, mentioned in the title-page, are three in number, representing two natives of Caffraria, two inhabitants of Bahahara, and a Moor of the defert of Sahara; they are extremely well executed. Of the map prefixed to the work, as being of more confequence, it will be proper to give the editor's own description.

"As to the projection, that of Mercator was made choice of as the moft fuitable to the statement of thofe regions of the world which the author frequently lays down, and as the difadvantage of it, in too greatly extending the higher latitudes, is of the leaft confequence precifely in regard to Africa, which the equator pretty nearly divides in

*This tract, which is from ten to twelve German miles in length, and five or fix in breadth, I have never found on any map.”

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the midft. The latitudes are marked at every five degrees, in which the common rules for these degrees, 9, 3010 Paris-inckes, and therefore five degrees of longitude 0,81166 inches have been adopted. It were to be wished that every map should give in numbers the scale on which the conftruction has been made; the attention to that circumftance in our map will not be thought fuperfluous.

"The author had delineated his route on Mannert's map, publish-. ed in 1794, by Weigel and Schneider, without naming the worthy author. It might be fuppofed that I had no more to do than to transfer that route to my map, always applying the magnetic declenfion according to Major Rennell's hypothefis. But I often found that I abfolutely could not follow his directions, fo as that they would fuit the places which he names. Accordingly I was obliged to infert thefe latter as they are set down in the best publications, and fuit them to his journey as well as I was able. The compafs that he had with him, feems by fome injury or other to have been out of order.

"The degrees, aftronomically ascertained, are notoriously but few, and most of those stated in Niebuhr's, Bruce's, and Browne's Travels, as well as the investigations made of late by the French in Ægypt, lie too remote from the route of our author for enabling me to make any ether than a distant use of them as applicable to his travels.

"In the northern part of Africa, the coaft from cape Spartel to cape Verd is well afcertained by the voyage of the Ilis frigate, published by Fleurieu, Paris, 1793, 2 vols. 4to. This would have been taken as the ground-work, only fome of the main particulars are not fo ftated as they are given in thofe Travels, but interpolated from the latest Connaiffance des tems for the year x1. and others. From thence, the charts which Bellin has fubjoined to his Histoire générale des Voyages, furnish us with an excellent feries of plans of the coaft reaching quite to cape Negro. The laft is a point aftronomically afcertained. Thence again, as far as the Cape of Good Hope, Mr. Arrowfmith, in his fecond Map of the World, which appeared in 1795, seems to have laid down the coafts the most accurately, as in the track he has two aftronomical points, which I find no where elfe.

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"The Cape of Good Hope, and particularly the Cape-town, is generally allowed to be extremely well afcertained by la Caille. But from thence, as far as the Red Sea, where Niebuhr's statements commence, the coaft, Madagascar excepted, is one of the parts of the earth with which we are the leaft acquainted. I fupplied the deficiences here as well as I was able from Arrowsmith's two maps of the world, Vaugondy's map in three fheets, that of Mannert, and the latest by Dr. Reinecke. Cape-Guardafui is admitted as laying in 12 deg. 45 min. of north latitude.

"As to what concerns the northern part of the inland country there was no choice. Rennell, by his last map, has almoft entirely rectified the whole; and his ftatements will long remain the rule for geogra phers to proceed upon. This is moft fenfibly felt by comparing his former inap of northern Africa, which he prefented to the African

Company

Company in 1793, with that lately given in Mr. Mungo Park's Travels. That future travels may place many things in a different light; that, even at prefent later discoveries ftate particular parts quite differently; for instance the empire of Darfur, which he places 5 degrees more to the fouth than Browne, is rather the fault of our flight knowledge of Africa than of the meritorious author. It is only to be lamented, that he somewhat increases the difficulty of fuch as come after him, from the circumftance that the ftereographic net, or interfecting lines, which he ufually puts to his maps, is not always accurate and juft.

"Of the fouthern part Dr. John Reinhold Forfter has given a map, published by Schneider and Weigel. But I cannot conceive how it happened, that the Cape of Good Hope, and with that main point the whole map is one degree too far to the weft. I have, therefore, brought fo much more eastward all the points taken from this

map.

"Of the lower part we only know, on the eastern coast, the territories of Monomotapa, Sofala, and fome of the adjacent countries; and on the eaft fide Leango, Congo, Angola, and Benguela, with one or two others in those parts. These are taken from Arrowsmith's two maps; for one of them actually has fometimes more and fometimes fewer places and geographical data than the other; and from Bellin. What was wanting in them is taken from Vaugondy, Reinecke, Mannert, and the map of Janvier, which appeared in 1753, confequently three years fabfequent to Danville's. I was obliged to be fatisfied with this, which generally conforms to that of Danville, as I could not pick up the former. This great geographer alfo published an uncommonly valuable differtation, in the xxvith volume of the Mémoires de l'Academie des Infcriptions, on the rivers in the interior of Africa. A few other maps made ufe of, I omit to mention, for example, that of the Algerine States, with the lateft account of that country, which appeared fome years ago in Altona, and is the best of those States now extant, as they could only furnish me with a few detached points.

"Leipzic, Oct. 11, 1800.

"C. F. GOLDBACH."

Remarks on the Poor Laws and the Maintenance of the Poor. By William Bleamire, Efq. Barrister at Law, and one of the Police Magiftrates. 8vo. PP. 44. Butterworth. London. 1800.

HIS tract is, with great propriety, dedicated to William Mainwaring, Efq. whofe zeal and vigilance as a magif trate, whofe integrity and independence as a fenator, and whose perfeverance, judgment, and ability in the discharge of

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the very arduous and important duties of chairman of the quarter feffions for the populous county of Middlesex, give him an irrefiftible claim to the gratitude of his fellow countrymen, and endear him, in a particular manner, to those who bave an opportunity of more clofely obferving his many private and public virtues. The author, who is himself an able, upright, and judicious magiftrate, enumerates the various laws which have paffed, from time to time, for the fupport and maintenance of the poor; and concludes with strongly recommending the abolition of the office of overfeer; and of all parochial fettlements. But, though Mr. B. is himself fully convinced of the propriety, expediency, and utility of this meafure, it would produce fo radical a change in the whole system of our Poor Laws, that it would require to be very seriously confidered, and very minutely examined, before it could be adopted.

In fpeaking of the poor Mr. Bleamire makes a very proper diftinction, which, it is much to be wifhed, were more generally observed, between those who are fit objects of relief, and those whom it was never in the contemplation of the framers of our poor laws, to caft as a burden upon the parish.

"Speaking of the poor, I do not mean to include in that description all the objects that are received into A POOR-HOUSE, but thofe only who, by the old law, were, and now are, diftinguished by the impotent poor.' Perfons utterly unable to fupport themfelves were always proper objects for relief, by the means before mentioned; but the idle, lazy, and abandoned, who now, to the shame of our modern governors of parishes, croud every poor-house, were, and ftill ought to be, objects of punishment. If those who are intrufted with the care and management of the poor would exercife an impartial and honeft difcrimination among the perfons who apply to them for relief, poorhouses would be lefs frequented, the poor-rates confiderably reduced, and, by turning thefe recepticles into workhouses, vicious idleness be checked, and virtuous induftry greatly promoted."

The author explains his meaning, in refpect of the abolition of fettlements, in the following paffage :

"With regard to the abolition of fettlements, I confefs myself an advocate for the meafure, being of opinion that all perfons should be confidered as fettled in the parish or place where they may happen to want relief. This would prevent the great trouble and enormons expences which in appeals and other litigations conftantly attend the removal of paupers, and afford an opportunity to every poor and induftrious perfon to procure a living in fuch place as shall be best suited to his particular exertions."

But furely there will be infuperable objections to the adop

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