perhaps, eafy to explain: the men looking out at the mafthead called down to us, that they felt burning vapours fimilar to thofe of the mouth of an oven, which paffed like puffs of wind, and occurred every half minute. All the officers went to the maft-head, and experienced the fame heats. The temperature was at this time 14° upon deck; we fent up a thermometer to the topmaft cross-trees, and it rofe to 20°; nevertheleís the puffs of heat paffed away very rapidly, and at intervals the temperature of the air did not differ from that of the level of the fea.'

In paffing near the Japanefe coafts, our navigator made as accurate obfervations as foggy weather would allow. After a furvey of Jootfi-fima, a fmall but populous island, he croffed over to the Afiatic continent. While he was failing near Tartary, he witneffed a ftriking illufion: we will quote his account of it; and many of our readers will probably recollect a fimilar one, which was lately observed on our own coafts."

At four o'clock in the afternoon the thickeft fog was fucceeded by the fineft fky; we difcovered the continent, which extended from weft by fouth to north by eaft, and a little afterwards, in the fouth, an extenfive land, which feemed to join Tartary on the weft, not leaving between it and the continent an opening of 15°. We diftinguished mountains, ravines, and at length every particular object on fhore, without being able to conceive how we had entered into this ftrait, which, we concluded, could be no other than that of Teffoy. In this fituation, I thought it neceffary to fteer to the fouth-eaft; but thefe mountains and ravines very foon difappeared. The moft extraordinary fogbank I had ever feen had occafioned our error; we faw it diffipated; its forms, its tints were carried away and loft in the region of clouds, and we had ftill day enough left to take off from our minds every degree of uncertainty, as to the non-existence of this fantaftical land. I ftood on during the whole night over the space of fea which it had appeared to occupy, and at day-break there was nothing before our eyes.'

In his progrefs along the coaft of Tartary, la Péroufe met with a bay, which he named the Bay of Ternai, about 45° 13′ north latitude.

Five fmall creeks, fimilar to the fides of a regular polygon, form the outline of this roadftead; these are feparated from each other by hills, which are covered to the fummit. with trees. Never did France, in the frefheft spring, offer gradations of colour of fo varied and ftrong a green; and

though, we had not feen, fince we began to run along the coaft, either a single fire or canoe, we could not imagine that a country which is fo near to China, and apparently fo fertile, fhould be entirely uninhabited. Before our boats had reached the land, our glaffes were turned towards the fhore; but we faw only bears and ftags, which paffed very quiet-ly along. Every one's impatience to land was increased by this fight; arms were gotten ready with as much activity as if we were about to defend ourselves against an enemy; and, amidst thefe difpofitions, the failors, who were employed in fishing, had, with their lines, already caught ten or twelve cod-fifh. The inhabitants of cities. can with difficulty form a conception of the fenfations experienced by failors, on the profpect of a plentiful fishery; fresh provifion is the want of all men, and even that which is leaft favoury is far more wholefome than the best preferved falt meat. I gave inftant orders to lock up the falt provifion, and to take care of it for less fortunate periods. I caufed cafks to be prepared, in order to be filled with fresh and limpid water, a rivulet of which flowed into every creek. I fent into the meadows to fearch for potherbs; and an immenfe quantity of fmall onions, forrel, and celery, were found. The plants which grow in our climates carpeted the whole foil, but they were stronger and of a deeper green; the greater part were in flower. Rofes, red and yellow lilies, lilies of the valley, and all our meadow flowers in general, were met with at every ftep. Pine trees covered the tops of the mountains; oaks began only half way down, and diminished in ftrength and fize, in proportion as they came nearer the fea; the banks of the rivers and rivulets were bordered with willow, birch, and maple trees, and on the fkirts of the forefts we faw apple and medlar trees in flower, with clumps of hazel-nut trees, the fruit of which already made its appearance.❜

Approaching the oppofite flore, which our navigators fuppofed might be the Ile of Jeffo, they found that of Tchoka, or Segalien, which almoft meets the continent, about latitude 52°. Here they landed, and found a race of inhabitants poor, but in fome degree civilifed, and a country refembling in general the Tartarian coaft. The inhabitants feemed intelligent. They could diftinguifh objects of utility from thofe of curiofity and fhew; and they prac tifed fome of the neceflary arts. Little trade can be carried on with them, for they have fcarcely any commodities to offer in exchange.

Returning to the fouthward, the French ftopped in the bay of Caftries, on the coaft of Tartary. The inhabitants appeared to unite the uncleanliness, ignorance, and fuper

Atition of the Laplanders and Kamtfchadals. Their govern ment is faid to be patriarchal. Their height feldom reaches five feet, their bodies are lank, their voices weak, their cheek-bones high, their eyes fmall, and diagonally placed; they have a flat nofe, wide mouth, beardlefs chin, and olive complexion. They cultivate no plants, but truft to the fpontaneous productions of nature; and, for their winter's ftore, dry the bulbous roots of the yellow lily: Some of the islands of this bay are volcanic.

From this bay, la Péroufe fteered to the fouth-eaft, and at laft doubled the fouthern point of Segalien, thus eftablifhing the exiftence and fituation of this ifland, called Oku Jeffo, diftin&t from that of Chicha, or lower Jello.

The point above-mentioned, to which I gave the name of Cape Crillon, is fituate in 45° 57′ north latitude, and 340° 34′ eaft longitude; it terminates this ifland, which from north to fouth is one of the moft extenfive in the whole world, feparated from Tartary by a channel, ending to the northward in fand-banks, between which there is no paffage for fhips, but where in all probability there remains fome inlet for canoes, between the numerous beds of fea-weed which obftruct the ftrait. This fame ifland is Oku-Jeffo. Chicha Ifland, which was abreast of us, divided by a channel of twelve leagues from that of Segalien, and from Japán by the ftrait of Sangaar, is the Jeffo of the Japanese, and extends to the fouth as far as the ftrait of Sangaar. The chain of the Kurile Iflands is confiderably more to the eastward; and, with Jeffo and Oku-Jeffo, they form a fecond fea, which communicates with that of Ochotík, and from which there is no penetrating to the coaft of Tartary, but by the ftrait which we had juft difcovered in 45° 40′, or that of Sangaar, after having failed out between the Kuriles. This point of geography, the most important of all thofe left by modern navigators to be refolved by their fucceffors, coft us much fatigue, and many precautions were neceffary, because the fogs rendered this navigation extremely difficult.'

The run to Kamfchatka furnishes no novelty; and to the account of that country we may apply a similar observa tion. A spirited sketch is given of the ifles of the Naviga tors, which were more accurately examined by la Péroufe, than they had been by Bougainville, the original discoverer. From a few paflages, the reader may judge of the beauty of

these islands.

I vifited a charming village (in the island of Maouna,) fituated in the midst of a wood, or rather of an orchard, all the trees of which were laden with fruit. The houses

were placed upon the circumference of a circle, of about a hundred and fifty toifes in diameter, the interior forming a vaft open space, covered with the most beautiful verdure, and fhaded by trees, which kept the air delightfully cool. Women, children, and old men accompanied me, and invited me into their houfes. They spread the fineft and fresheft mats upon a floor formed of little chofen pebbles, and raised about two feet above the ground, in order to guard against the humidity. I went into the handfomest of thefe huts, which probably belonged to a chief; and great was my furprise, to fee a large cabinet of lattice-work, as well executed as any of thofe in the environs of Paris.'

This charming country combines the advantages of a foil fruitful without culture, and of a climate which renders. clothing unneceffary. The trees that produce the breadfruit, the cocoa-nut, the banana, the guava, and the orange, hold out to these fortunate people an abundance of wholefome food; while the fowls, hogs, and dogs, which live upon the furplus of thefe fruits, afford them an agreeable, variety of viands. They were fo rich, and had fo few wants, that they difdained our inftruments of iron and our cloth, and afked only for beads. Abounding in real blef. fings, they were defirous of obtaining fuperfluities alone.

Thefe iflands are exceedingly fertile, and I thould fuppofe, that their population is very confiderable. The caftern ones, Opoun, Leoné, and Fanfoué, are fmall, especially the two laft, which are about five miles in circumference; but Maouna, Oyolava, and Pola, may be numbered among the largest and most beautiful iflands of the South Sea. The accounts of the different navigators prefent no picture to the imagination at all comparable to the beauty and immenfe extent of the village which we saw on the north coaft of Oyolava.'

The

A great misfortune befel the voyagers in Maouna. favages, unprovoked, attacked a fmall party; and M. de Langle, captain of the Aftrolabe, fell on the occafion, with his fcientific friend Lamanon, and ten other individuals.

Early in the year 1788, la Péroufe arrived on the coaft of New Holland; but, foon after his departure from Botanybay, he probably met with that fate to which navigators are conftantly expofed.

Of the plates which accompany this work, fome notice must be taken. A print of la Péroufe is prefixed. The principal groupe in the vignette of the title, feemingly reprefents the Genius of America, attended by her weftern inhabitants, dictating to Hiftory the courfe of the voyagers. A map of the world, on Mercator's projection, follows but, as its date is 1788, many of the later difcoveries cannot

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have a place in it. This, and the other maps and charts, are executed with elegance and accuracy.

The delineation of the ifland of St. Catharine is bold, rather than elegant. A chart of the South Sea, a plan of the Bay of Conception, and a reprefentation of the dreffes of the inhabitants of Conception, follow.

The 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th plates reprefent the liane of Chili. The term is applied to every climbing or voluble plant; but this is a new genus of the diocia hexandria of Linnæus.

Eafter Ifland and Cook's Bay, with the monuments, &c. are the fubjects of the 10th, 11th, and 12th plates. Charts of the Sandwich Islands are afterwards given.

The great object of the voyage being the examination of the western coaft of America, the charts relative to that part are numerous; but we need not particularise them.

A chart of the ifle of Necker, and the bank of the French frigates (a fhoal in the Pacific, perhaps the elements of a new ifland); a general chart of the difcoveries in the feas of India and Japan; views of Macao and Cavite, a plate defcriptive of the dreffes of the inhabitants of Manilla, plans of the bays of Ternai and Caftries, views of the barks and canoes of various countries, and many other representations, illuftrate and embellifh the work. Thefe volumes, upon the whole, do credit to the new republic; and the work claims a diftinguished rank among the publications of fciences

C. H. Perfoonii Commentatio de Fungis Claveformibus, fiftens Specierum, buc ufque notarum, Defcriptiones, cum Differentiis fpecificis, necnon Auctorum Synonymis. Accedunt Tabule IV colore fucate. Lipfiæ. 1797.

An Effay on the Club-formed Mushrooms, ftating the Differences of all the known Species, and particularifing the Synonyms accompanied with four coloured Engravings. 8vo. Imported by Efcher.

THE effay now re-published deferves great commendation; but it is neceffary to explain its object more particularly.

The clavariæ are the long, round, or branched mushrooms. They feem to have been noticed by the early botanifts, by whom they were called digitelli, barba caprina, &c. By fubfequent writers they were denominated clavariæ; and, under this appellation, Linnæus, who formed the genera of his cryptogamia from external habit, included them in one genus. But, when the fructification of

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