doubt, additional horrors would often haunt their solitude, and a deeper gloom overshadow the imagination even of the hardiest native.

I do not find sufficient evidence for the reality of second sight, or, at least, of what is commonly understood by that term. A treatise on the subject was published in the year 1762, in which many tales were told of persons whom the author believed to have been favoured, or haunted, with these illuminations; but most of the tales were trifling and ridiculous; and the whole work betrayed, on the part of the compiler, such extreme credulity as could not fail to prejudice many readers against his system.

That any of these visionaries are liable to be swayed in their declarations by sinister views, I will not say; though a gentleman of character assured me, that one of them offered to sell him this unaccountable talent for half a crown. But this, I think, may be said with confidence, that none but ignorant people pretend to be gifted in this way. And in them it may be nothing more, perhaps, than short fits of sudden sleep or drowziness, attended with lively dreams, and arising from some bodily disorder, the effect of idleness, low spirits, or a gloomy imagination. For it is admitted, even by the most credulous Highlanders, that, as knowledge and industry are propagated in their country, the second sight disappears in proportion: and nobody ever laid claim to this faculty, who was much employed in the intercourse of social life. Nor is it at all extraordinary, that one should have the appearance of be

ing awake, and should even think one's self so, during these fits of dozing; or that they should come on suddenly, and while one is engaged in some business. The same thing happens to persons much fatigued, or long kept awake, who frequently fall asleep for a mo' ment, or for a longer space, while they are standing, or walking, or riding on horseback. Add but a lively dream to this slumber, and (which is the frequent effect of disease) take away the consciousness of having been asleep, and a superstitious man, who is always hearing and believing tales of second sight, may easily mistake his dream for a waking vision; which, however, is soon forgotten, when no subsequent occurrence recals it to his memory; but which, if it shall be thought to resemble any future event,exalts the poor dreamer into a Highland prophet. This conceit makes him more recluse and more melancholy than ever; and so feeds his disease, and multiplies his visions; which, if they are not dissipated by business or society, may continue to haunt him as long as he lives, and which, in their progress through the neighbourhood, receive some new tincture of the marvellous, from every mouth that promotes their circulation.

As to the prophetical nature of this second sight, it cannot be admitted at all. That the Dei

ty should work a miracle, in order to give intimation of the frivolous things that these tales are made up of, the arrival of a stranger, the nailing of a coffin, or the colour of a suit of clothes; and that these intimations should be given for no end, and to those persons only who are idle and solitary, who

speak Erse, or who live among mountains and deserts, is like nothing in nature or providence that we are acquainted with; and must, therefore, unless it were confirmed by satisfactory proof, (which is not the case) be rejected as absurd and incredible.

The visions, such as they are, may reasonably enough be ascribed to a distempered fancy. And that in them, as well as in our ordinary dreams, certain appearances should on some rare occasions, resemble certain events, is to be expected from the laws of chance; and seems to have in it nothing more marvellous or supernatural than that the parrot, who deals out his scurrilities at random, should sometimes happen to salute the passenger by his right appellation.

of searching for the precious metals is one of the most inviting to men, who are either unaccustomed to the regular assiduity with which the culture of the earth, and the operations of commerce must be carried on, or SO enterprising and rapacious, as not to be satisfied with the gradual returns of profit which they yield. According ly, as soon as the several countries in America were subjected to the dominion of Spain, this was almost the only method of acquiring wealth, which occurred to the adventurers by whom they were conquered. Such provinces of the continent as did not allure them to

settle, by the prospect of their affording gold and silver, were totally neglected. Those in which they met with a disappointment of the sanguine expectations they had formed, were abandoned. Even the value of the islands, the first fruits of their discoveries, and the first object of their attention, sunk so much in their estimation, when the mines which they had opened there were exhausted, that they were deserted by many of the planters, and left to be occupied by more industrious possessors. All crowded to Mexico and Peru, where the vast quantities of gold and silver found among the natives, who searched for them with little industry, and less skill, promised an unexhausted store, as the recompence of more intelligent and persevering efforts.

During several years, the ardour of their researches was kept At length, the rich silver mines up by hope, rather than success. of Potosi, in Peru, were accidentally discovered in the year 1545,

ing up the mountain, in pursuit of a Llama which had strayed from his flock. Soon after the mines of Sacotecas, in New Spain, little inferior to the other in value, were opened. From that time, successive discoveries have been made in both colonies, and silver mines are now so numerous, that the working of them, and of some few mines of gold, in the provinces of Tierra Firma, and the new kingdom of Granada, has become the capital occupation of the Spaniards, and is reduced into a system no less complicated than interesting. To describe the nature of the various ores, the mode of extracting them

from

certain, and that the expence must be trifling; they seldom fail to persuade. An association is form ed; a small sum is advanced by each co-partner; the mine is open dd the searcher is entrusted with the sole direction of every opera tion; unforeseen difficulties occur; new demands of money are made; but amidst a succession of disap pointments and delays, hope is nover extinguished, and the are dour of expectation hardly abates, For it is observed, that if any person once enters this seducing path, it is almost impossible to return; his ideas alter, he seems to be possessed with another spirit, vi sions of imaginary wealth are continually before his eyes, and he thinks, and speaks, and dreams of nothing else.

ย

Such is the spirit that must be formed, wherever the active exertions of any society are chiefly em ployed in working mines of gold and silver. No spirit is more adverse to such improvement in agriculture and commerce, as render a nation really opulent. If the system of administration in the Spanish colonies had been founded upon principles of sound policy, the power and ingenuity of the legislature would have been exerted with as much ardour, in restraining its subjects from such pernicious industry, as is now employed in alluring them towards it, "Projects of mining (says a good judge of the political conduct of nations) instead of replacing the capital em ployed in them, together with the ordinary profit of stock, commonly absorb both capital and profit, They are the projects, therefore, to which, of all others, a prudent law-giver, who desired to increase

the capital of his nation, would least chuse to give any extraordinary encouragement, or to turn towards them a greater share of that capital than would go to them of its own accord. Such, in reality, is the absurd confidence which all men bave in their own good fortune, that wherever there is the least probability of success, too great a share of it is apt to go to them of its own accord." But in the Spanish colonies, government is studious to cherish a spirit which it should have laboured to depress, and, by the sanction of its approbation, augments that inconsiderate credulity, which has turned the active industry of Mexico and Peru into such an improper channel. To this may be imputed the slender progress which they have made during two centuries and a half either in useful manufactures, or in those lucrative branches of cultivation, which furnish the colonies of other nations with their staple commodities. In comparison with the precious metals, every bounty of nature is so much despised, that this extravagant idea of their vas lue has mingled with the idiom of the language in America, and the Spaniards settled there denominate a country rich, not from the fertility of its soil, the abundance of its crops, or the exuberance of its pastures, but on account of the minerals which its mountains contain. In quest of these, they abandon the delightful plains of Peru and Mexico, and resort to barren and uncomfortable regions, where they have built some of the largest towns which they possess in the New World. As the activity and enterprise of the Spaniards originally took this direction, it is now so

difficult

difficult to bend them a different way, that although, from various causes, the gain of working mines is much decreased; the fascination continues, and almost every person, who takes any active part in the commerce of New Spain or Peru, is still engaged in some adventure

of this kind,

Observations on the Formation of Ice-islands; and on the Existence of a Southern Continent. Extraet ed from Cook's Voyage.

I

HAD now made the circuit of the Southern Ocean in a high latitude, and traversed it in such a manner as to leave not the least room for the possibility of there being continent, unless near the pole, and out of the reach of navigation By twice visiting the tropical sea, I had not only settled the situation of some old discoveries, but made there many new ones, and left, I conceive, very little more to be done even in that part. Thus I flatter myself, that the intention of the voyage has, in every respect, been fully answered; the southern hemisphere sufficiently explored; and a final end put to the searching after a southern continent, which has, at times, engrossed the attention of some of the maritime powers, for near two centuries past, and been a favourite theory amongst the geographers of all ages.

That there may be a continent, or large tract of land, near the pole, I will not deny; on the contrary, I am of opinion there is; and it is probable that we have seen a part of it. The excessive cold, the many islands and vast floats of ice,

In this last ocean, the mercury in the thermometer seldom fell so low as the freezing point, till we were in 60° and upwards; whereas, in the others, it fell as low in the latitude of 54°. This was certainly owing to there being a greater quantity of ice, and to its extending farther to the north, in these two seas than in the South Pacific; and if ice be first formed at, or near land, of which I have no doubt, it will follow that the land also extends farther north.

The formation or coagulation of ice-islands has not, to my knowledge, been thoroughly investigated. Some have supposed them to be formed by the freezing of the water at the mouths of large rivers, or great cataracts, where they accumulate till they are broken off by their own weight, My observations will not allow me to acquiesce in this opinion; because we never found any of the ice which we took up incorporated with earth, or any of its produce, as I think it must have been, had it been coagulated in land waters." It is a doubt with me, whether there be any rivers in these countries. It is certain that we saw not a river, or stream of water, on all the coast of Georgia, nor on any of the southern lands. Nor did