continues to fwell five months, and decreafes in an equal period, remaining at its highest flood and loweft ebb refpectively for one month, thus completing the year in its revolution. It is alfo affirmed, that every twenty-five years the greateft increase is two feet and a half above the fall of the twenty-four preceding years. In the most contracted part of its bed, it seems to rife 120 feet. It is navigable only about 35 leagues; and, in this fhort courfe, it is interrupted by three cataracts.

From the defcription of the trees and plants which grow on the banks of the Oronoque, or its tributary rivers, we fhall extract the author's account of the properties of the palm-tree. This ufeful tree, he remarks, fupplies all the wants of the people in its neighbourhood.

They draw from it, by incifion, a whitish fluid, which has a fweet and pleasant taste, and, in a few days, becomes Spirituous. In the opening thus made, while any of the juice remains, white worms are found, which refemble butter, and furnish a pleafing nutritious food, when the difguft, which their appearance excites, is conquered. When the wounded part furnishes no more worms, it is filled with a fpongy mafs, which contains a kind of farina, resembling fine ftarch: of this fubftance tolerable bread is made; but it is fo heavy, as to difagree with those who are not accuftomed to it. The fruit confifts of large round dates; the pulp is a pleasant food; and the date alfo contains an efculent kernel. Of the planks of this tree, the natives build their huts, covering them with the leaves. From the leaves alfo they spin a kind of hemp, of which they make, cords; and they use the bark for making chefts and boxes of different kinds.'

From the account of the quadrupeds we shall felect the obfervations upon the ante, which the Spaniards call the great beaft. The ante has little resemblance to the quadrupeds of Europe. It lives equally well in water and on land. It is as large as a mule; its feet are short and difproportioned to its fize, and are terminated by four claws. Its head is like that of a hog; but, between its eye-brows, is a bone, with which it ftrikes and beats down an enemy. The tiger watches this animal, and fprings on it behind. If the country is clear, the ante is certainly deftroyed; but, if there are trees or bushes in the way, they are fatal to the tiger; for the ante rushes into the thickeft part of the wood, and its adverfary is, in a moment, dashed or torn in pieces.' This animal has by naturalifts been called the ant-bear, and is supposed to feed on eminets. It appears to be of a kind between the rhinoceros and hippopotamus. Perhaps the

idea of its food has been fuggefted from the name, which, however, has no relation to the European infect.

We will alfo introduce the account of the caficufe. 'Among other extraordinary animals of the countries watered by the Oronoque, we may diftinguifh the caficufe, a kind of cat, without a tail, and with wool resembling the down of the caftor. It fleeps all day, and goes out at night in pursuit of birds and ferpents. It is very gentle, and, when brought into the house, never quits its place through the whole day; but, at night, begins its excurfions. It. pushes its tongue, which is long and small, into every aperture; and, if it goes to a bed, where any one is fleeping with his mouth open, it never fails to examine this aperture alfo.'

Of the bat he fays, that it may be ranged with the birds. It is a very dangerous animal in this country. There are two forts: the smaller differ little from those of Europe; the larger are nearly of the fize of a pigeon, and are hideously ugly. Both fpecies fly about all night, to pierce, with the very fine point of their tongue, the skins of men or other animals whom they find fleeping, and to fuck their blood. If those who fleep do not cover their whole body, they are wounded; and, fhould a vein be opened, they pass imperceptibly from the arms of fleep into those of death; for the air, agitated by the wings of the bat, refreshes the fleeper, and makes his flumber more profound.'

Our readers will here fee the origin of the German superftition refpecting vampires. Since the author mentions the wound as being made by the point of the tongue, there is great reafon to fuppofe that the blood is drawn by fuction, without any real divifion of the skin. The fleep, therefore, is lefs likely to be interrupted.

Accounts of fish, ferpents, &c. follow; but, as we have not room for the many very extraordinary narratives, which occur in this part of the work, we shall select some of the fhorteft.

The guaricotos are very voracious, and particularly fond of human fefh. It is the fell of the blood that attracts them; and perfons who have not the slightest scratch, need not fear fwimming among them, if they can avoid the fardinas-bravas, which accompany the guaricotos. These little animals, which have a long red tail, are fo troublefome and greedy, that they fix immediately on the skin to bite; and the first drop of blood which they draw, tempts the guaricotos to affail and devour the man.

"Of the different kinds of ferpents, with which the deferts, are filled, the buio is the moft remarkable. It resembles

the trunk of a tree, and is covered with mofs, like an old log of wood. It is from 15 to 20 feet long, and large in proportion. Its motion is almoft imperceptible; for it can fcarcely proceed half a league in a whole day. Its body makes an impreffion on the ground, like that of a tree dragged along. When it hears a noife, it lifts up its head, ftretches itself, and turns towards its prey, whether it be a tiger, a deer, or a man. It then opens its mouth, and emits fuch a venomous vapour as to stupify and even attract those who are within its influence. The only method of preventing the bad effects of this effluvium is to break, by a motion of the hat, the column of tainted air: the enchantment is then deftroyed, and the perfon is free. On this account, the Indians never travel alone. The buio has no teeth, and therefore employs a long time in swallowing its prey, which, however, it does not fail to accomplish, as its throat is very large. These animals are very common in marthy and watery places, and often devour the incautious hunter or fisherman.'

The manners of the inhabitants are nearly those of all uncivilifed races on the continent of America. They feem to be indifferent chriftians; but, being informed that they are to go to heaven, after the termination of this life, they aré contented to refign it, and, in their eagerness for the enjoyment of promised felicity, are even willing to be buried alive. Dr. Bancroft feems to diftruft the account of the facrifice of the old women, in the preparation of their most fatal poison; but the present writer, whose credibility we shall foon examine, gives a full account of the process, and of the deaths of the fucceffive attendants on the caldron.

The Caverres, the moft ferocious and inhuman of those tribes which inhabit the banks of the Oronoque, prepare a poifon, which is called curare. It is, in no refpect, acrimonious, but may be tafted and fwallowed with impunity, provided there be no wound in the palate or fauces. When it touches the fmalleft drop of blood, it congeals the whole in a moment; and when a wound is inflicted by an arrow dipped in it, however small the scratch, the man dies be fore he can utter four words. It acts with equal activity on apes, buffaloes, tigers, and lions: if they receive the flightest wound, their death is almost inftantaneous. It pears to have no influence when a perfon has falt in his mouth; but its fatal effects almost always enfue before the fpecific can be employed. It is drawn from a root which has neither branches nor leaves, concealing itfelf as if confcious of its malignity. This root grows not, like other plants, in common ground, but in the corrupted mafs of ftagnant lakes and ponds. The Indians gather, wafh, and flice it, then boil it in large kettles But as the process is highly

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dangerous, they employ old women, who, they fay, are in no other respect useful. These rarely furvive, and more rarely refuse the office. One at a time is placed near the 'ftove; and, when the dies, fhe is replaced by another, who ufually fhares the fame fate, without any oppofition either 'from herfelf or her relatives. They know that it is the lot of women at their age, and think themselves honoured, if by their death they can ferve their country. When the water is cold, they prefs out the decoction, and again boil it, till it has acquired the confiftence of a fyrup. During the first operation, their ftrength begins to fail, and the fecond kills them before they fee its end. Four of these victims are facrificed, before the poifon reaches its perfection. When one-third has evaporated, the dying groans of the old woman give notice of it. The principal chiefs then try it. A flight wound is made in the arm or leg of a child, and the poifon moved towards, without touching, the blood. If it returns instead of flowing, the procefs is complete; but, if it continues to flow, another old woman is facrificed in the farther evaporation.'

Other preparations of a fimilar kind are recorded; and, by the strangeness of fome of thefe narratives, we were induced to examine the accounts which former writers had given of this country and its inhabitants, and to compare their defcriptions with thofe of our author. In this comparifon, we did not find any decifive confirmation of his credibility; yet, in many parts, there are traces of what in the prefent volume is more particularly described; and we muft allow, that, if this author has been imposed on, or aims at impofing on others, he has the air of confidence which generally accompanies truth. Upon the whole, though much is marvellous, we find nothing impoffible; and what we know to be true is fo fairly related, that we may truft to him in those points with which we are lefs acquainted.

The hiftorical parts of the volume are accurate and comprehenfive; and the writer has well defcribed the present ftate both of Dutch and French Guiana. The French divifion extends little more than 100 leagues. If not the most fertile, it is the most healthy part of the country. The account of the climate we fhall tranfcribe.

Though this country is under the line, its heat is neither oppreffive nor conftant. Befides the nine months of rain and the fucceeding drought, no other change of season is experienced. Fruit may be gathered in all feafons: fome trees offer it fully ripened, while others are in bloom. When the fky is not cloudy, and there is no wind, the dew, which begins to fall at four in the morning, occafions a coldness that requires additional covering. Exposure to

this dew, during fleep, is dangerous; for it is fo corrofives as foon to confume a bar of iron.

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The rainy feafon, or the winter, begins in October. It is called the rain of acajou, because this fruit then ripens. The rain foon becomes fo copious and conftant, that it is difficult to preferve the furniture, on account of the moifture. But this is the time when cattle find the best pafture: at this season, the rain often continues day and night, and comes on with fuch violence, as frequently to cover the furface of the earth with water, in the course of an hour. Six days, however, fcarcely elapfe, in the whole year, without the fun shining in its greatest fplendour, fo that the inhabitants can conftantly work or walk in elevated places, or those which are not marfhy. The rains diminish at the beginning of June, and ceafe about the end of July. From this time, to the 10th of November, fcarcely a drop falls; but, in different years and different places, there are exceptions to the general rule. It rains lefs in the cleared than in the wooded country; much lefs in Cayenne than in the neighbourhood of the Oyapoco; much more in Surinam than in the French colonies.'

The trees, plants, quadrupeds, &c. of French Guiana are afterwards noticed. Methods of improving its commerce, and several other topics, are difcuffed; and the manners of the Creoles and the Indians of that territory are defcribed. Upon the whole, the work may be read with pleasure and information, and may with advantage be brought forward in an English drefs. It is illuftrated with various engravings.

Vie de Lazare Hoche, Général des Armées de la République Françaife; par Alexandre Rouffelin: fuivie de fa Correfpondance publique et privée avec le Gouvernement, les Miniftres, les Généraux, etc. dans fes divers Commandemens des Armées de la Mofelle et du Rhin, des Côtes de Cherbourg, de Breft, de l'Ouest et de l'Ocean, d'Irlande, et de Sambre et Meufe. Seconde Edition, corrigée, et augmentée de trois Planches. Paris. 1798.

The Life of Lazarus Hoche, General of the Armies of the French Republic by Alexander Rouffelin; followed by his Correfpondence, both public and private, with the Government, the Minifters, the Generals, &c. in his different Commands of the Armies of the Mofelle and Rhine, of the Coats of Cherbourg, of Breft, of the Weft and of the Ocean, of Ireland, and of the Sambre and Meufe. The Second Edition, corrected, and illuftrated with three Plates. 2 Vols. 8vo. 145. fewed. Imported by De Boffe.

BIOGRAPHY is fometimes fatire, more frequently pane

and the moderation of coch vill k.