fult of forty years reflection, obtained from many fatiguing journies and perambulations,' and which, he modeftly tells us, ⚫ cannot be overturned at all, although the loudeft winds should • beat against it.' From his defultory confused statement, it would be difficult to form any precise idea of his opinions. He feems, on the whole, to conceive that water was the principal agent, in the hands of Nature, but differs from Buffon in the application of the doctrine, and treats the ingenious Count with confiderable acrimony. He conceives that the primeval tides were fully fufficient to produce all the phenomena which occur in the structure of the earth.

As a specimen of his philosophy take the following:

When this globe was in a fluid chaotic ftate, it appears to me more probable, that the tides, in following the fun and moon, would then be highest upon the two oppofite parts of the globe, which are now the two oppofite continents-that the tide did not gradually and uniformly follow the moon weftward, as the earth turned eastward upon its own axis in the diurnal motion, fo as to be equally high upon every part of this globe, which was in every moment of time oppofite to the moon, but that it advanced in great fwells, and that each fwell would, by its own weight and force, advance a little before the attracting force of the fun and moon, which would bring the power of attraction to act the contrary way for a short space of time, which of confequence would bring the tide to ftand at a height upon two oppofite parts of the globe for a fhort space of time; and that before the powers of attraction would begin again to bring the fluid to a motion weftward, this globe would be advanced fo far east, that the powers of attraction would act fo forcibly as to cause another fwell of tide, and so on. Now, if we will allow thefe oppofite refting-places of the tides to be the two continents, the old and the new, we then have what we wanted to enable us to account rationally for the phenomena of the fuperfices of our globe. In this view of the fubject, my former account of the fea purging itself upon the land, by the motion and force of the tides, receives new light and ftrength.

I cannot be brought to believe that the tides would move gradually and smoothly, but that when any given parallel of the globe was fo far advanced eastward during the height of the tide, the moon's attraction would fail to act where the tide was at the height, and would act in its greatest force farther weft, which would cause the tide to rush from that height after the powers of attraction. Our trifling tides now do not move with fuch fmooth uniformity.'• When the tides in the chaotic ftate of the earth once attained their highest pitch upon the two continents, as I obferved before, they would fland ftill, without rifing or falling any thing material for fome fpace of time, and that always at high water; during which fufpenfion of the tides, the earthy matter would fubfide plentifully upon thofe two quarters of the globe? and if, as I have fuppofed, the tides conti

nued

nued to run all the while in the two oceans, during the high water in thofe two quarters, the earthy matter being carried forward with the waters there with a rapid motion, could not subside so plentifully in the oceans as upon the continents, where the waters came to ftand fome fhort time at the height of each tide. Of confequence, there would foon be a greater depth of water in the oceans for the powers of attraction to act upon, and these waters would be powerfully drawn over the continents by the force of thefe high tides; but the powers of attraction could not have the like effect upon the contiments, to draw fuch high tides into the ocean. In this view of the fubject, it appears that the earthy matter would fubfide, and be spread out, by the motions of the tides, in fuch quantities upon the two continents, that it would be fo much exhaufted upon the land, that there would not be a fufficiency left mixed with the waters to raise the bed of the ocean as high as the land, when the height and force of the tides began to abate, upon the emerging of the firm land, and contracting the folid fuperficies into lefs room.'

It is really painful to fee fuch childish nonfenfe obtruded under the venerable name of philosophy. The fame crude notions conftantly recur, and we are thus entertained for several hundred pages. But the reader is now as heartily tired of the sub. ject as we are.

Mr. Williams next entertains us with his fpeculations refpecting the peopling of America. A body of Tartars, he fuppofes from the north-eaft of Afia, crofled the narrow channel which feparates the two continents, and gradually extended their fettlements fouthwards to Mexico and Peru.-He fufpends this fubject to confider volcanos; but we are forry that, in fixty pages, we can find nothing new; yet the author vainly fancies that he has made mighty discoveries. He mentions steam as a great agent in earthquakes, and immediately introduces a confufed account of Watt's engine. We are next presented with a ftrange theory of heat. The attrition of the different trata of the atmosphere produces, he fuppofes, the aurora borealis, &c.

The book closes with Singular Obfervations and Improvements; and here he refumes the fubject of the peopling of America. He relates the ftory of the Welsh prince Madoc, who is faid to have discovered the new continent, and, on his return, to have fitted out several ships, and embarked a number of men and women on a fecond voyage, from which he never returned. Mr. Williams fuppofes that this fleet was wrecked near the mouth of the river Amazon; that the prince, escaping from the difafter, failed or rowed up the river till he reached the lake Llauricoch, at no great distance from Cusco and Lima; that he inftructed the rude Peruvians, and, the more to reconcile them to his government, he established the worship of the fun.

In fhort, that Prince Madoc and his wife were the Manco Capac and Mama Ocello, whose memory was revered by the natives of Peru.

We have now a description of the antideluvian world, of the mift which arose and watered the ground, the longevity of our progenitors, &c. The fociety multiplies and refines, the woods are gradually cleared away, &c. A paffage here occurs which we cannot forbear to quote, as, in our opinion, it is the best in the whole work:

Had the kings of armies, and the governors of the world, employed but the twentieth part of the people and of the treasures which they confumed upon unjust and ufelefs conquefts, and upon cruel, capricious, and unjust wars-had they employed them in draining the moraffes, in thinning the woods, in improving the beds and bars of rivers, in giving encouragement to agriculture, and improving the wafte lands of their dominions and governments, what a happy world would this have been, in comparison of what it really is, and always has been, from the earlieft ages!'

Indeed, the hiftory of man (it is a melancholy fact) is only the detail of errors and crimes; and never has a nation, perhaps, displayed more wanton and inconfiderate folly, in its political tranfactions, than our own. We cannot, however, fubscribe to our author's high idea of the happiness of the Chinese. That fingular people certainly groan under a load of oppreffion, which has blunted in their breaft the finer feelings, and weakened the sentiments of morality. But though Mr. Williams's ideas are always crude, often tinctured with prejudice, and devoid of arrangement, his intentions are undoubtedly benevolent. He propofes feveral plans for draining moraffes and lakes, the improvement of fandy deferts, of preventing the inundations of rivers, and deepening their channels, &c. He concludes with expreffing a wifh that fome able philosopher, improving on his hints, would accurately confider a subject which fo deeply interests the happiness of the human race.

ART. II. A Narrative of the Mutiny on board his Majesty's Ship Bounty; and the fubfequent Voyage of Part of the Crew, in the Ship's Boat, from Tofoa, one of the Friendly Islands, to Timor, d Dutch Settlement in the East Indies. Written by Lieutenant William Bligh. Illuftrated with Charts. 4to. 7s. 6d. G. Nicol. London, 1790.

LIEUTENANT Bligh was, in Auguft, 1787, appointed to

the command of the Bounty, of 215 tons, for the purpose of conveying the bread-fruit tree from the fouth-fea islands to

the

1

the West Indies. He failed from England in December 1787 and arrived at Otaheite 26th October, 1788. He remained there, collecting bread-fruit plants, and other valuable fruits, till 4th April, 1789, when he fet fail on his return. Here the narrative of the mutiny and fubfequent voyage commences. Of the former we shall give an account in the author's own words:

• On the evening of the 28th, owing to light winds, we were not clear of the islands, and at night I directed my courfe towards Tofoa. The mafter had the first watch, the gunner the middle watch, and Mr. Christian, one of the mates, the morning watch. This was the turn of duty for the night.

Juft before fun-rifing, Mr. Christian,' with the master at arms, gunner's mate, and Thomas Burket, feaman, came into my cabin while I was afleep, and feizing me, tied my hands with a cord behind my back, and threatened me with initant death if I spoke or made the leaft noife: I, however, called fo loud as to alarm every one; but they had already fecured the officers who were not of their party, by placing centinels at their doors. There were three men at my cabin door, befides the four within; Chriftian had only a cutlals in his hand, the others had mufkets and bayonets. I was hauled out of bed, . and forced on deck in my thirt, fuffering great pain from the tightnefs with which they had tied my hands. I demanded the reason of fuch violence, but received no other anfwer than threats of inftant death if I did not hold my tongue. Mr. Elphinfton, the mafter's mate, was kept in his birth; Mr. Nelfon, botanist, Mr. Peckover, gunner, Mr. Ledward, furgeon, and the mafter, were confined to their cabins; and also the clerk, Mr. Samuel; but he foon obtained leave to come on deck. The fore hatchway was guarded by centinels; the boatswain and carpenter were, however, allowed to come on deck, where they faw me ftanding abaft the mizen-mast, with my hands tied behind my back, under a guard, with Christian at their head.

The boatswain was now ordered to hoit the launch out, with a threat, if he did not do it instantly, to take care of himself.

The boat being out, Mr. Hayward and Mr. Hallet, midshipmen, and Mr. Samuel, were ordered into it; upon which I demanded the caufe of fuch an order, and endeavoured to perfuade fome one to a fenfe of duty; but it was to no effect: Hold your tongue, Sir, or you are dead this inftant,' was conftantly repeated

to me.

The mafter, by this time, had fent to be allowed to come on deck, which was permitted, but he was foon ordered back again to his cabin.

I continued my endeavours to turn the tide of affairs, when Chriftian changed the cutlafs he had in his hand for a bayonet that was brought to him, and, holding me with a strong gripe by the cord that tied my hands, he with many oaths threatened to kill me immediately if I would not be quiet; the villains round me had

their pieces cocked and bayonets fixed. Particular people were now called on to go into the boat, and were hurried over the 'fide; whence I concluded that with these people I was to be fet adrift.

• I therefore made another effort to bring about a change, but with no other effect than to be threatened with having my brains blown

out.

The boatfwain and feamen, who were to go in the boat, were allowed to collect twine, canvas, lines, fails, cordage, an eight-andtwenty gallon cafk of water, and the carpenter to take his tool cheft. Mr. Samuel got an hundred and fifty pounds of bread, with a fmall quantity of rum and wine. He alfo got a quadrant and compass into the boat; but was forbidden, on pain of death, to touch either map, ephemeris, book of aftronomical obfervations, fextant, time-keeper, or any of my furveys or drawings.

The mutineers now hurried thofe they meant to get rid of into the boat. When most of them were in, Chriftian directed a dram to be ferved to each of his own crew. I now unhappily faw that nothing could be done to effect the recovery of the ship; there was no one to affift me, and every endeavour on my part was answered with threats of death.

The officers were called, and forced over the fide into the boat, while I was kept apart from every one, abaft the mizen-mast; Chriftian, armed with a bayonet, holding me by the bandage that fecured my hands. The guard round me had their pieces cocked, but, on my daring the ungrateful wretches to fire, they uncocked them.

Ifaac Martin, one of the guard over me, I saw had an inclination to affift me, and, as he fed me with fhaddock (my lips being quite parched with my endeavours to bring about a change), we explained our wishes to each other by our looks; but this being obferved, Martin was inftantly removed from me; his inclination then was to leave the fhip, for which purpose he got into the boat; but with many threats they obliged him to return.

The armourer, Jofeph Coleman, and the two carpenters, M'Intosh and Norman, were alfo kept contrary to their inclination; and they begged of me, after I was aftern in the boat, to remember that they declared they had no hand in the tranfaction. Michael Byrne, I am told, likewife wanted to leave the ship.

It is of no moment to me to recount my endeavours to bring back the offenders to a fenfe of their duty; all I could do was by fpeaking to them in general; but my endeavours were of no avail, for I was kept fecurely bound, and no one but the guard fuffered to come

near me.

• To Mr. Samuel I am indebted for fecuring my journals and commiffion, with fome material fhip papers. Without these I had nothing to certify what I had done, and my honour and character might have been fufpected, without my poffeffing a proper document to have defended them. All this he did with great refolution, though guarded and strictly watched. He attempted to fave the time-keeper, and a box with all my furveys, drawings, and remarks for fifteen years paft, which were numerous; when he was hurried away with, Damn your eyes, you are well off to get what you have.'