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Having given the hiftory thus far, in order to introduce Craftine's ode, we shall refer our readers to the book for the remainder, which we will not anticipate left its effect should be loft on perufal.

Thus have we followed our fair author through the whole of this pleafing performance; and if we have not done juftice to her in many parts, particularly in this original piece, it arifes from the difficulty there always is in detaching any fingle paffage from a poem. To feel many interefting lines, or even verfes, we must be interested in the ftory, feel as the poet did when he wrote, and have before us all the events and characters as far as they are unfolded. But one circumftance which renders the Maoriade, we will call it, peculiarly pleafing is, that all the characters brought forward on the canvafs are good and amiable. We are quite of opinion with Rouffeau, that to defcribe the worst characters in human nature is only to familiarife us to vice, and can only be pleafing to inferior underftandings or bad hearts, by teaching them to be fatisfied with a degree of depravity fomewhat less than what they see described.

We must now take our leave of this reftorer of Hibernian poetry, this fair apologift or panegyrift of her country; which, however, we cannot do, without hoping he will refume her labours, and favour the world, if not with more translation, at leaft with more original pieces.

ART. XII, Voyages, made in the Years 1788 and 1789, from China to the North West Coast of America. To which are prefixed, an Introductory Narrative of a Voyage performed in 1786 from Bengal, in the Ship Nootka; Obfervations on the probable Existence of a North-West Paffage; and fome Account of the Trade between the North-Weft Coast of America and China; and the latter Country and Great-Britain. By John Meares, Efq. 4to. 11. 16s. boards. Walter, Picadilly. London, 1790.

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HE difcoveries of our immortal navigator, Captain Cook, have given rife to a variety of expeditions, fet on foot, of late years, by enterprifing merchants, for carrying on a trade in furs on the north-west coast of America, where that commodity is very abundant, and for which there is a ready and profitable fale at Canton. So eagerly, indeed, are the fkins of many animals, and particularly thofe of the fea otter, fought after by the Chinefe, who employ them both to ornament their dreffes, and to defend themfeives from the feverity of the weather, in the northern provinces, that they are often fold at the rate of an hundred dollars each; an enormous price when we confider

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confider for what trifles they may be purchafed from the rude and ignorant favages. The danger, however, that must be encountered in traverfing boisterous feas, replete with funken rocks and deftructive fhoals; in ranging along unfrequented fhores; in exploring unknown bays, creeks, and channels; and in braving the rigors of a fevere and inhofpitable climate; give us reafon to apprehend that this trade, whatever allurements it has hitherto held forth to European avarice, may not, in the end, answer the fanguine expectations which have been formed of it, If fome voyages have fucceeded, others have proved abortive; and, either from the want of provifions, fickness of the crew, or fome other difafter, have terminated only in lofs and difappointment. A ftriking inftance of this is found in the voyage introductory to that which is the principal fubject of the work, now before us. As the particulars of it will tend to convey fome idea of the hardships attending fuch expeditions, we fhall give a fhort sketch of them.

On the 20th of January 1786 two veffels, the Nootka of two hundred tons burthen, and the Sea Otter of an hundred, were purchased, and fitted out at Bengal, for the purpose of trading in furs on the north-west coast of America. The com mand of the former was given to Captain Meares, and that of the latter to William Tipping, a lieutenant in the royal navy*. To procure every poffible advantage to the proprietors, it was refolved to freight the Sea Otter to Malacca with opium, which was expected to produce a gain of about three thousand rupees. From Malacca Captain Tipping was to proceed on his voyage, and the necessary arrangements were made for the fhips meeting at a certain place of rendezvous on the coaft to which they were bound. Mr. Burke, paymafter-general of the king's. forces in India, having proposed to go with his suite to Madras in the Nootka, and to pay the fum of three thousand rupees for his paffage, this advantage was alfo embraced; and he accordingly embarked with Captain Meares for that fettlement. At the time when the yeffels left Bengal, ftores of every kind were extremely fcarce; the Nootka was but barely equipped for one year; and the provifions taken on board were far from being fufficient to laft even that space of time. The whole crew amounted to forty Europeans, including the purfer, furgeon, five officers, and the boatswain, with ten Lafcars hired at Madras; but every exertion ufed to obtain a carpenter proved

Captain Meares was brought up alfo in the navy, and served with applause on the lakes in America during fome part of the last

war.

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o be fruitless; and the want of fuch an officer was feverely felt hroughout the whole voyage.

After an uncommonly tedious paffage, in the course of which the fcurvy began to make its appearance, they reached Malacca on the 23d of May, after touching at Madras, where they received every mark of attention and encouragement. In this early part of the voyage they loft the boatswain, which turned out to be an irreparable misfortune, as he was one of the best men in the fhip. At Malacca they were informed that Captain Tipping had failed for America. Here they took in a supply of wood and water; and having procured the neceflary refreshments, not only to fupply the provifions already exhausted, but to enable them to give every poffible affiftance to Captain Tipping when they fhould meet with him, they fet fail on the 29th, after faluting the Dutch fort with nine guns. In a few days they entered the Chinese feas, and pursued their course with a strong fouth-weft monfoon till the 22d of June, when they had a fight of the Bafhee iflands; but it was the 26th before they could come to anchor at Grafton Island, which they did in a fmall pleafant bay, at the distance of about a quarter of a mile from the fhore.

On the first of July they took leave of the Bafhee islands, and, after efcaping various dangers which threatened them, owing to the thicknefs of the furrounding fog, they reached the fouth fide of the island of Onalafka, where a Ruffian canoe came off from the shore, and piloted them into a harbour adjacent to that in which Captain Cook refitted. On the 20th of Auguft they quitted Onalaska in order to run down the continent till. they should pass the Shumagin iflands, which they saw on the 27th; but the next day, finding that no advantage had as yet arifen from the voyage, and that the winter was rapidly approaching, they proposed to make some port to the westward of Cook's River. In coafting along the fhore, they observed a large opening, apparently formed by an ifland, for which they fteered; and when they were in with it, they found it to be of very great extent, taking a north-eafterly courfe. Being now in continual expectation of a vifit from the natives, and of com-" mencing an advantageous trade, they continued their courfe this ftrait about twenty leagues, when a canoe put off to them from the inland fide, with three people in it, one of whom came on board, and proved to be a Ruffian feaman. He was a very intelligent man, and informed them that this place was the ifland of Rodiac; that the crews of three galleots were here on duty; and that there was another ifland of the fame name along the coaft.

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This intelligence was by no means pleafing, as it dashed at once all their hopes of trading at any intermediate place between Cook's river and the Schumagin ifles. They pursued their way, therefore, through the paffage named Petrie's Strait, and found that it brought them out near the point which forms Cook's River, and which, in Captain Cook's chart, is diftinguished by the name of Cape Douglas. Thefe ftraits are upwards of ten leagues in length, about fifteen in breadth, and cut off a very large tract of continent from the former charts. On the 20th of September the weather became fo boisterous that Captain Meares determined to quit the river, in order to proceed to Prince William's Sound, where he refolved, if poffible, to winter. On their arrival at Snug Corner Cove in that found, as named by Captain Cook, the weather was extremely violent; and during three days not a fingle native appeared, which led them to conclude that the favages had retired from the coaft, or were gone to the fouthward for the winter. On the fourth day, however, feveral of the natives came off to the fhip in their canoes, and behaved in a very friendly manner. This convinced them that the Sound was inhabited; and as a commodious harbour was found next day, by the boats difpatched for that purpofe, at the diftance of about fifteen miles from the place where they lay, they determined to remain there during the fevere feafon. On the 7th of October the ship was accordingly removed to the intended spot, where fhe was unrigged; and the people began to erect a log-houfe on shore for the armourers to work in; and which, on account of the ftate of the veffel, might be useful alfo to contain lumber. On the 25th the natives affembled in great numbers, and feemed as if disposed to make an attack; but a twelve pound carronade being fired with grape-fhot, which displayed its effects in the water to their great aftonishment, they were thrown into fuch a panic, that one half of them overset their canoes in the hurry to get off. A three pound field piece difcharged afterwards from the fhore, with a round fhot, fully convinced them of the fuperiority of the English, and made them conduct themfelves better in future.

During the months of December and November, the whole crew enjoyed an excellent state of health, and the natives continued their friendly behaviour, except in their incorrigible difpofition to thieving, which they never failed to indulge whenever an opportunity offered. When the new year commenced the cold became almost intolerable; and though three fires were kept continually burning, during twenty hours out of the twenty-four, the lower part of the decks were covered an inch thick with an hoar froft, which had all the appearance of fnow.

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For

For fome time the fires were kept night and day; but the fmoke which proceeded from a temporary ftove, made out of one of the forges, was fo very troublesome that the people, who were now falling fick, afcribed their illness to it alone. After a heavy fall of fnow, twelve men were difabled by the scurvy, four of whom died towards the end of the month. The number of those confined to their hammocks foon increased to twentythree, amongst whom was the furgeon. The first officer, on finding his breaft affected, a symptom which generally foreboded a fatal determination in a few days, got rid of his diforder by continually chewing the young pine branches, and fwallowing the juice; but, from the unpleasant taste of this medicine, few of the fick could be prevailed on to perfift in taking it. At the latter end of February the malady had increased, and no fewer than thirty of the people were so ill that none of them had fufficient ftrength to rife. Four of them died in the course of the month; and at this time every neceffary was fo far exhausted, that even had the more violent symptoms of the dif order abated, there was a want of proper food and refreshments to complete the cure. These melancholy circumstances were rendered more afflicting by the hopeless minds of the crew; for fuch was their general difcouragement, that they confidered the flightest symptoms as a certain prelude to death.

The month of March brought no alteration of their diftreffes. In the early part of it there fell a great deal of fnow, which increafed the number of the fick, and the violence of the diforder in those who were already afflicted. In the course of this month they had the melancholy office of performing the laft obfequies to the remains of the furgeon and the pilot. The lofs of the former was highly diftreffing; for they were now deprived of all medical aid, and the whole affiftance which the fick could receive was from Captain Mears, his first officer, and a feaman, who luckily were ftill in a condition to render them that fervice.

In the month of April they loft four Europeans and three Lafcars, which greatly reduced the number of the crew; but while thus furrounded by the most dismal and melancholy prof pects, they were agreeably furprised by intelligence received from fome of the natives, that two fhips had been seen at sea. These proved to be the Queen Charlotte, Captain Dixon, with her confort the King George, Captain Portlock; who, on the information of the Indians, had left Montague Island to go in queft of the Nootka. Captain Meares, as may readily be fuppofed, made his brother navigators acquainted with his situation, and requested fuch affiftance as he thought they were able to afford him. This request was, indeed, complied with; but in

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