appears perfectly well acquainted both with the English language and his own. The drawings and prints may be feen at the house of Mr. Green, in Newman-Street. ART. VIII. The History of New Holland, from its first Difcovery in 1616 to the prefent Time. With a particular Ac-. count of its Produce and Inhabitants, and a Defcription of Botany Bay: also, a List of the naval, marine, military, and civil Establishment. To which is prefixed, an Introductory Difcourfe on Banishment, by the Right Hon. William Eden. Illuftrated with a Map of New Holland, a Chart of Botany Bay, and a general Chart from England to Botany Bay. 8vo. 6s. boards. Stockdale. London, 1787. NEW Holland is at present a subject interefting to the public curiofity, on account of the refolution formed by government of transporting thither the British convicts. In the volume now before us, the editor has availed himself of this circumstance, by reciting, in a chronological series, the obfervations made by the different navigators who have hitherto visited that country. Whether New Holland fhall be denominated an ifland, or, from its magnitude, dignified with the title of continent, can be a matter of no importance to geography. It appears to have been firft difcovered in 1609, by a Spanish captain, Don Pedro Fernando de Quiros, whofe teftimony respecting its existence was confirmed a few years after by feveral Dutch navigators, who fucceffively explored various parts of the western coaft, giving the whole country the name of Terra Auftralis Incognita. Towards the end of the laft century it was twice vifited by Captain Dampier, an Englishman; and of late years as often by the Captains Furneaux and Cook; the latter of whom firft explored that part of it denominated SouthWales, and in which lies Botany Bay, the intended destination of the convicts. New South-Wales, which forms the eastern fide of New Holland, extends through almoft 27 degrees of latitude, terminating to the north at York Cape, in latitude 10o 30'; and to the fouth, at Point Hicks, in 38° fouth latitude. Botany Bay is fituated in 34° fouth, and longitude 151° 23′ caft. From the narrative of Captain Cook refpecting the inhabitants of the country round Botany Bay, he found it impoffible to establish a friendly correfpondence with them during his short stay in that harbour, which was only eight days. days. Their dread of our people's fire-arms, and the refentment which they conceived from the flight hurt that one of their number probably felt from the fmall fhot fired among them upon the firft landing of the Endeavour's boat, were ever after invincible obftacles to an amicable intercourse with them. For the gratification of our readers we fhall present them with an extract, containing a topographical account of this part of the country. The foil of the country about Botany Bay is not every where of the fame quality; in general, however, we have favourable reports of it; for, though it was the beginning of winter when Captain Cook arrived there, every thing feemed in perfection. To the fouth and fouth-west of the bay he found it to be either fwamp or light grey fand, and the face of the country finely diverfified with wood and lawn. The trees are tall, ftraight, and without un. derwood, ftanding at such a distance from each other, that the whole country, at least where the swamps do not render it incapable of cultivation, might be cultivated without cutting down one of them. Between the trees the ground is covered with grafs, of which there is great abundance, growing in tufts about as big as can well be grasped in the hand, which stand very close to each other. To the weftward of the bay the face of the country was found to be nearly the fame with that which has been juft described, but the foil much richer: for, inftead of a grey fand, it was a deep black mould, fuch as might be judged very fit for the production of grain of any kind. Here the woods were interfperfed with fome of the finest meadows in the world; not, however, without a few rocky patches, the ftone of which is fandy, and might be used to advantage for building. "To the north of the bay the face of the country changes: it is comparatively bare, producing no wood, and somewhat resembling our moors in England. The furface of the ground, however, is covered with a thin brush of plants about as high as the knees; the hills near the coaft are low, but others rife behind them, increafing by a gradual afcent to a confiderable distance, with marshes and moraffes between. Wood is every where plenty round Botany Bay, but there are only two kinds which may be confidered as timber. These trees are as large or larger than the English oak; and one of them has not a very different appearance; this yields a gum, or rather refin, which is of a deep red colour, and resembles the fanguis draconis; poffibly it may be the fame, for this substance is known to be the produce of more than one plant. The wood is heavy, hard, and dark coloured, like lignum vite. The other tree is tall and ftraight, fomething like the pine; and the wood of this, which has fome resemblance to the live oak of America, is also hard and heavy. In fome of these trees steps had been cut, at about three feet diftance from each other, for the convenience of climbing; a circumftance which Tasman also observed at Frederick-Henry Bay, in Van Diemen's Land. It need hardly be repeated, that the country about Botany Bay affords a great variety of plants to enrich the collection of a botanist; N 2 but 1 but very few of them are of the efculant kind. There was also found here a variety of flowering fhrubs; a fpecies of falvia fortea; and feveral kinds of the palm, befides a small tree which produces berries of a pale crimson colour, and about the size of a cherry. This fruit has a stone within fide, and, though not remarkable for flavour, its juice has an agreeable tartness. As to animals, thofe of the four-footed kind feem not to abound here, either in number or variety; for, during the eight days that Captain Cook lay in the bay, he faw only one quadruped, and of that he and his party had but a tranfient and imperfect view; nor were his people more fortunate. This beaft was about the fize of a hare or rabbit. A greyhound being with the party when it was put up, got fight of it, and would probably have caught it, but the moment he fet off he lamed himself against a stump which lay concealed in the long grafs. In the fame excurfion they faw the dung of an animal which fed upon grafs, and which they judged could not be less than a deer; and the footsteps of another, which was clawed like a dog, and feemed to be about as big as a wolf. They also tracked a mall animal whofe foot refembled that of a polecat or weafel. The woods here abound every where with birds of exquifite beauty and variety of plumage, particularly parrots of different kinds, cockatoos, and loriquets, that flew about in flocks of feveral scores together; and one of the gentlemen, in a fowling excurfion, found fuch vast numbers of quails, refembling those in England, that he might have shot as many as he pleased, had number been his object. There are alfo crows here, exactly the fame as those in England, fome of which, as well as of the forts before mentioned, were shot, and found to be very agreeable food. Befides thefe land fowl, they faw about the head (or weft fide) of the harbour, where there are large flats of fand and mud, a great plenty of bitds of the aquatic kinds, most of which are altogether unknown in Europe. One of the most remarkable was black and white, much larger than a fwan, being near five feet high, and in fhape fomewhat refembling a pelican, On these banks of fand and mud there are great quantities of oyfters, mufcles, cockles, and other shell-fish, which feem to be the principal fubfiftence of the inhabitants, who go into shoal-water with their little canoes, and pick them out with their hands. It was not obferved that they eat any of thefe fhell-fish raw; nor do they always go on fhore to drefs them, for they have frequently fires in their canoes for that purpofe. They are not, however, under the neceffity of fubfifting wholly upon this food, for the bay abounds with a variety, of other fifh; fome of which they ftrike with gigs, and fome they take with hook and line. On hauling the feine, the Endeavour's people caught great numbers of those fmall fish which are well known in the Weft-Indies; and which our failors call leather jackets, because their skin is remarkably thick. They ftruck alfo feveral fting rays, of which there is great plenty in the bay. Thefe are : of an enormous fize; they follow the flowing tide into the fhallows, where there is no more than two or three feet water, and are there eafily ftruck. One of thefe great fish weighed no less than two hundred and forty pounds after his entrails were taken out; and another was ftruck still larger, for, when his entrails were taken out, he weighed three hundred and thirty-fix pounds. They tafted very much like the European rays; and their vifcera had an agreeable flavour, not unlike ftewed turtle. It is high water in Botany Bay at the full and change of the moon, about eight o'clock; and the tide rifes and falls perpendicu larly between four and five feet. The variation of the needle (A. D. 1770) was 11° 3′ eaft. Those who are defirous of obtaining all poffible information relative to this country, will not find their expectations disappointed in the volume now before us; as it is carefully compiled from the authentic narratives of different voyagers, and illuftrated by two charts. ART. IX. Strictures on Female Education; chiefly as it relates to the Culture of the Heart. In Four Ejays. By a Clergyman of the Church of England. Small 8vo. 3s. boards. Printed for the Author. Cadell. London, 1786. IF the ladies of the prefent age are deficient in accomplishments or virtues, it is not for want of inftruction. As the fubject comes home to men's businesses and bosoms, it has drawn the public attention; and, for half a century past, the art of making perfect women has been the Ulyssean bow among the learned, in which every adventurous candidate has been endeavouring to shoot his longest and most vigorous arrow. It is remarkable that no treatife on the subject of female education was known among the ancients, or appeared among the moderns, till about the beginning of the century. The beft authors flourished before criticifm became an art; and men enjoyed the most perfect health before phyfic was made a trade; and it may be fufpected that fo many critics on female manners, and phyficians of the female mind, argue fome diforder or degeneracy in the fair fubject. The ingenious and learned work before us confifts of four effays. The first contains a flight furvey of the treatment of women in the different ages and nations of the world; and an investigation of the caufes which have contributed to the obvious and fhameful negligence in their education. In the fecond the author makes obfervations on the manner in which the treatment of this fex will be influenced by, and will reciprocally influence the taste, the fentiments, the habits and purfuits, the manners, the morals, the public and N 3 private private happiness, of a people. The third contains a dif quifition concerning the nature, quality, and extent, of female talents, and the comparative difference of understanding in the fexes. In the fourth we have reflections on the dangers and infufficiency of boarding-fchools, confidered as a mode of female education. As a fpecimen of this performance we fhall extract a paffage from the third effay. The author having mentioned the infignificant and frivolous intercourfe which takes place between the fexes, whofe ufual converfation turns on the little anecdotes of the day, the laft intrigue or amour which fame has published, or fome confidential friend whispered; the brilliance of a birth-night, or the adventures of a ball; proceeds in the following animated and fenfible manner. In this career of gallantry much time must be spent, and in that precious and important feafon of life when the foundations of every thing great fhould be laid, when activity fhould be roufed, when ta lents fhould be ripened, and when the thirft of glory fhould be felt as the grand and ftimulating movement of the foul; with men of finished gaiety, fcarcely is a little life fufficient for the purpose. Attention and attachment must be varied and multiplied in an endless fucceffion. This fair one must be forsaken, and another must be addreffed. It were horrid to be constant where variety is the fashion; where fashion only gives the laurel of diftinction, and adjudges it to fit moft gracefully upon the brows of those who can make their ravages amongst the sex diffufive as their connections. • Nor is the lofs of time the only disadvantage arifing from this fyftem. The propenfities it gives are unfavourable to every great and magnanimous exertion. Young men become infenfibly affimilated to the frivolousness they address and affect to admire; and that frivolousness extends itself to all their habits and modes of thinking; to all their defigns, and all their undertakings; to all their actions and intercourse with the world. They get modes of levity, effeminacy, and diffipation, which are. equally incompatible with the acquirement of fcience, or the labori-, ous efforts of virtue. Their purfuits of every kind will be marked with this frivolity. The youth, which fhould be the glory of a nation, will become its reproach. Instead of climbing, with arduous labour, the facred hill of virtue or of learning, they will endeavour to transform and remodify their nature, and take up with fuch imperfect fragments of both as they are able to find in the bofom of pleafure, or the inglorious vale of indulgence. Such a revolutien this age has experienced. This expedient has been ridiculoufly attempted. Philofophy has refigned its ufual fternnefs, and dropped its abftracted language, to pleate the ladies. Authors, in general, affect to lie upon the toilet. They fkim the furface, and publifh the beauties, of fine writers. Morality affumes the meretricious dress of novels to captivate the rake. We have very pretty preachers; we have amiable Lenators; we have very polite officers; and few great men, Confe quences |