Page images
PDF
EPUB

luable than man to man, abstracted from the mere ufe which one. man can derive from another. "These are thy gods, O Israel, and this is the worship to which you are called !"?

P. 210.

• Take Mr. Godwin as a natural philofopher, and from his doctrines let the reader confider the ftate of his understanding. Let him alfo confider, how fuch a man is qualified not merely to reform, but first to overthrow and then to rebuild, the whole fyftem of government, morality, and religion in fuch a kingdom as Great Britain. What opinion can we entertain of a man who seriously thinks that, at fome future period, the neceffity of fleep in an animal body may be fuperfeded :—that men die merely by their own fault and mifmanagement, but, that the immortality of the orga nized human body, as it is now formed, might be attained by proper attention and care:-or who thinks" that, hereafter it is by no means clear, that the most extensive operations may not be within the reach of one man, or to make use of a familiar inftance, that a plough may not be turned into a field, and perform it's office withể out the need of fuperintendence !" and then adds, " It was in this fenfe that the celebrated Franklin conjectured, that mind would one day become omnipotent over matter!" P. 214.

[ocr errors]

What would the fatirift fay to the infidel who fhould in this manner attack the gospel fyftem, and ridicule Christianity, because its divine teacher faid that he was come to fet a man at variance against his father;' becaufe, when one faid unto him, behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, defiring to fpeak with thee, he anfwered and faid, who is my mother? and who are my brethren? and stretched forth his hand towards his difciples and faid, behold my mother and my brethren!' Would he not juftly accufe the mai either of grofsly misunderstanding or wilfully mifreprefenting the Chriftian fyftem, if he inferred, from thefe and fimilar paffages, that the extinction of natural affection formed a part of it? Let not this writer accufe us of claffing Chriftianity and the fpeculations of Mr. Godwin together. We are as firm in our belief of that divine religion as the fatirift can be, and are at all times ready and able to defend it. We are ready and able alfo to attack the errors of the new philofophy; but we would oppofe them in the fpirit of meeknefs and truth..

In his cenfure of the cruel experiments which difgrace natural philofophy, and almost human nature, we cordially agree with the fatirift. With pleasure, and in the hope of enforcing fentiments becoming a man and a Chriftian, we fay with him, when an experiment, for any purpofe ufeful to millions of our fellow-creatures, has been once made upon an animal, it fhould be finally recorded by men of fcience and veracity, as authentic and fatisfactory, not to be repeated. After the fa&

[ocr errors]

is established, all experiments are useless to fociety, and injurious to the individual, who hardens his own heart by the mere cruel fport of curiofity.' For tolerating fuch experiments the utmost severity of fatire. may justly fall on the royal fo ciety but why should a perfon felect for ridicule the accounts of the evaporation of a diamond, and of the trout with the gizzard-like ftomach?

The fatirift, in embellishing his work with the expreffions of other men, has not always acknowledged his obligations; in cenfuring the royal fociety, he fays, if they will not confider well the character of the candidates offered for their choice as affociates, the bufts of Newton and of Boyle fhould be veiled; but he has not quoted the Frenchman who demanded that a veil fhould be thrown over the buft of Brutus.'

The poem itself requires no criticifm; a fmall number of good lines, like thofe upon the Botanic Garden, will not redeem it from the neglect which its defultory dullness must ensure. By the prefent generation the notes will be read with intereft: and perhaps they will not be forgotten when this generation has paffed away. Pofterity may fearch in them for the fcandal of these times, as we rake in the dunghills' of Procopius and Athenæus. That the author will ever be known, is not probable. Confummately vain as he is, he would not, we think, purchase notoriety fo dearly. The reputation of a fatirift is not defirable. A man may commence a fatire from the best motives; but the execution of it must deteriorate his mind.

The View of Hindooftan. By Thomas Pennant, Efq.
(Concluded from page 129.).

THIS ingenious and intelligent writer, having ranged along the coaft of Malabar, doubled Cape Comorin, and examined with attention the island of Ceylon, now purfues, with the fame care, the eaftern coaft, and follows the various rivers to their fources. In the fecond volume of his View, we find the fame fpirit, good fenfe, and information, which marked the former, mingled occafionally with a few prejudices, or opinions which feem tinctured with a party hue." These are not, however, offenfively obtruded, nor do they frequently occur.

On the coast of Tinevelly, to the north of East Cape, is the fpot frequented by the fifhers for pearls; and Mr. Pennant has given a good abftract of their method of proceeding. This

hery has exifted from the earliest records of history to the

prefent time; and it is now carried on by the Dutch. The pearl oyfter is found adhering to the banks of coral; but, even in colder regions, different fpecies of mytilus may be enabled to produce the pearl. This fecret was discovered by Linnæus, who refufed to reveal it, as it would lessen the value of these beautiful ornaments. From fome inquiries among the more confidential difciples of the northern naturalift, we were induced to believe, that the infliction of a wound on the external fhell would occafion the excrefcence internally; for, in every inftance, it is a morbid production.

The river Vaygaroo leads our author to Dindigul and Madura, of which he recounts the various fortunes. The Colleries and Polygars are aborigines of India, and are a favage race, cruel, enthufiaftic, and intolerant, with little more than the forms of men. Thefe are found on the prefent coaft. To the history of the kingdom of Tanjore we are led by the Delta of the Cavery; but it offers nothing new. After a furvey of Negapatam, Tranquebar, the ifle of Seringham, Trichinopoly, and Coimbetore, we are introduced into the Car natic,-

a tract of country, which within this century has been peculiarly interefting to the British nation, by the bloody contefts between us and the French, for the fuperiority. This country formed originally part of the great foubahship or vice-royalty of the Decan. This was made independent of the Mogul by the famous Nizam el Mulue this vaft kingdom was, after bis death, greatly leffened by the conquefts of the Mahrattas, by our feizing the northern Circars, and by our bestowing on the nabob of Arcot the country in question. Its present boundaries are the Coleroom to the fouth, and the Gendegama to the north, an extent, washed by the fea, of three hundred miles. I may here point out to the reader the vastnefs of the antient extent of the Carnatic, of which, and its appendages, our ally, Mahomed Ally, is the nabob. It is now reduced, but once comprehended the whole country from the river Kishna to cape Comorin. At prefent it reaches as far as the extremity of Tinevelly, an extent of five hundred and feventy miles, reckoning from the fouth of the Guntoor Circar. Its breadth is inconfiderable, from feventy-five to a hundred and twenty miles. The whole coaft is deftitute of harbours; the fhipping are obliged to lie at anchor in the open roads, ufually in eight fathoms water, and at about a mile and a half distant from land, and larger fhips at two miles diftance, in ten or twelve fathoms: at twenty miles diftance, the water deepens to fifty fathoms, and a little farther to fixty or feventy.. Midway between Tranquebar and the Nicobar ifles, there is no ground to be found with seven hundred fathoms of line. I may include the whole coaft of Coromandel under this defcription, an extent of not less than four hundred miles, reaching from Caly

[ocr errors]

The cantamarans or boats

there point to the mouth of the Kiftnah. On all the fhore breaks a most dangerous and high furf, which appals the ftoutest seaman ; no European boat can attempt to land. are of a particular conftruction, being formed without ribs or keel, with flat bottoms, and having their planks fewed together; iron being totally excluded throughout the whole fabric. By this conftruction they are rendered flexible enough to elude the effects of the violent fhocks which they receive, by the dashing of the waves or furf on the beach, and which either overfets or breaks to pieces boat of European conftruction.' Vol. ii. P. 25.

a

The different fieges of Pondicherry are accurately mentioned; and the natural hiftory of the neighbourhood follows. This part of the country (fays Mr. Pennant) abounds with vultures.

All this genus are equally remarkable for their voracity, and their fagacity of noftril. After the attack of the nabob's camp before the battle of Plaffey, in which was made a vast slaughter of men, elephants, and horfes; vultures, jackals, and pariars, or village curs, were seen tearing the fame corps or carcafs, and the first were often fo gorged, that they could not be forced from the spot. Vultures were ufually very rare in the adjacent country, but at that time the plain was covered with them. The air was fuddenly feen filled with multitudes, flying with their ufual fluggish wing from every quarter, and from most diftant parts, to partake of the carnage. It is wonderful how fuch multitudes could be collected in fo fmall a space. It has been an ancient opinion, that, by a prophetic inftinet, they have prefages of a battle, and will feek the fpot of future flaughter three days before the event.' Vol. ii. p. 36.

P.

The account of the Paliar gives occafion for military narration; and the battles of Vandewafh, Conjeveram, Arnee, &c. are fketched with fpirit. Near that river ftands the extenfive city of Arcot : Sadras and the feven pagodas are also not far diftant from its banks. These pagodas are

'a moft wonderful affemblage of temples, and other places of Hin doo worship, fecond only in antiquity to thofe of Elephanta and at Ellora, which are fubterraneous, cut out of the folid rock. Thefe are elevated high above the furface, excavated out of folid rocks rifing to different heights, and by the wondrous skill of the antient artifts hollowed into various forms; the natural roof is often selffupported, fometimes it is as if held up by pillars left in fit places, poffibly more for ornament than neceffity, cut out of the fame rock. Where the fizes of the rocks will admit, there are instances of two pagodas, one cut out of the fame rock above the other, with the communication of a staircase formed out of the live ftone. Staircafes frequently occur, as if once leading to edifices now destroyed. Excavations fuppofed to have been defigned for Choultries, or the CRIT. REV. VOL. XXIV. Dec. 1798,

Gog

fame charitable purpofes as the Mahometan caravanferas, are not infrequent. Vol. ii. P. 51.7

Madras and its environs are noticed at fufficient length. The exploits of the marquis Cornwallis are enumerated; and a fketch of the Myfore country is given in this part of the fecond volume.

The Myfore country is an immenfe inclined plain, with an ́ undulated furface, which, with little affiftance by dams, form in the hollows, tanks, or receptacles for water, which is preferved for the cattle, or for the paddy cr rice fields, through which it is conducted by fmall gutters; but the principal grain of the country is raggee, which requires no more moisture than the falling of the monfoons. This plain is dotted with numerous hills, which rife fuddenly from the furface; they are of different forms, and often cloathed with the perpetual verdure of mango and other beautiful trees. Numbers are fortified on their fummits with a ftrong fort, once the refidence of the leffer Hindoo rajahs before they were fwallowed up by the various Mahometan conquests. Many received by the conquerors additional fortifications, which rendered them impregnable to a native enemy: fuch are Saven-droog, Outredroog, and variety of others, which proved eafy conquefts to the British commander. The celebrated Aornos Petra was a fortress of this nature. With what vaunting circumftances does the hiftorian of the Macedonian hero defcribe this single conqueft! How lightly does the modest record of the victor over the Myforean kingdom touch on more numerous acquifitions of the fame kind, poffibly of equal, perhaps of fuperior ftrength. All these forts have their proper names, and moft of them with the addition of droog, i. e. a hill fort. Views of numbers are given by major 'Allan and Mr. Home, which convey a full idea of the partial inacceffibility beftowed on them by nature, and the additional difficulties created by art.' Vol. ii. p. 73.

The bound hedge, a mode of fortification little known, is thus defcribed

The bound hedge, the frequent concomitant of the fortreffes of Hindooftan, appears here [near Seringepatam] in great strength. It is the practice in the Polygar fyftem of defence, and copied by the civilized natives from the wild warriors of the forefts. Of the latter, the fort of Calicoil and that of Palam Courchy are strong examples. This begins opposite to each end of the island, and reaches the edge of the river. It extends northward, oppofite to the western end of the island, but contracts in breadth as it paffes to the eastern end. The bound hedge is often defended at certain intervals or openings by small redoubts, to interrupt the pioneers employed, in cutting a breach through it: Such were those in the bound hedge at Pondicherry, which so long impeded the taking of the place, in 1760, by colonel Coote.

« PreviousContinue »