"Sometime after the Panther had left the islands for China, the king, accompanied by his rupacks, came to our dwelling, and having seated themselves in due form and order, remained for a considerable time silent and serious. This behaviour, so contrary to all their former, induced me to imagine they had some complaint to make of our conduct, though we could not accuse ourselves of any impropriety of behaviour; I therefore addressed Abba Thulle, requesting to know what made him and his rupacks so reserved, and whether the English had done any thing to displease him or his people; when I had done speaking, he looked at me with a smile so kind and good, that my fears were entirely at an end; he then preferred a request in the most modest manner, and hoped that we would assist him in an expedition against Artingall. To this I was obliged to make the following answer: that it was not in my power to comply with his request, as my orders from Captain M'Cluer were to the contrary. The good old king said, it was well, that I must obey my superior rupack; but he gave me a look so very impressive of disappointment, yet so free from anger, that I confess it quite overpowered me."

In the account of one of these expeditions, we meet with a description of a pier built by the natives:

The pier of Mailigoyoke is an astonishing fabric, and shews what men, even in a state of nature, are capable of performing, when they call forth and exert their powers. It is in length about a mile, twelve feet in height, and fifteen broad at the top, but considerably more at the base; built entirely with coral rocks, piled ingeniously upon each other. It extends from the town to within about a quarter of a mile of the outer reef, through which is a very commodious passage for small vessels or boats into the open sea, especially during the south-west monsoon.'

From the Pelew Islands, Captain M'Cluer sailed to survey part of the northern coast of New Guinea; a service which he was extremely well qualified to perform. In the beginning of 1793, he made a third visit in the Panther to the Pelew Islands; and he then put in execution the scheme which he had some time before meditated, of resigning the command of his ship to the next officer, in order that he might become an inhabitant of his favourite islands. In his letter expressive of this determination, and containing a formal resignation of his command, he says;

"Considering my circumstances and rank in the service, this step, will be taken for an act of insanity, or the effect of some disorder; however this is not the case; for I have been determined upon it ever since I left Bencoolen, and have provided accordingly at the different. ports we touched at; and it is nothing but my zeal for my country that prompts me to follow this resolution; and I hope to succced in the plan I have formed, which may benefit my country and the world in general, by enlightening the minds of these noble islanders: should I fail in the attempt, it is only the loss of an individual, who wished to do good to his fellow-creatures."

This letter is dated February the 2d, 1793; and the Panther shortly afterward departed from the islands, leaving Captain McCluer to make the experiment of the happiness which he had promised to himself in his fancied paradise.

Some descriptions of the manners and customs of the Pelew islanders necessarily mix with the relation of these transactions, for which we must refer to the original. Their behaviour to the English appears to have been dictated by friendship, and by a grateful sense of benefit received.

The sequel of the history of English intercourse with the y & Peley Islands, if the reader be not before acquainted with the circumstance will excite some astonishment, and perhaps some mixture of mortification at the fickleness of numan nature. In fifteen months' residence, Captain M Cluer became completely weary of his new abode; of which the first notice received was by a letter which came to England from the Captain himself, dated at Macao, the 14th of June 1794. He there stated that

Being tired with his situation, he embarked on board his boat with three Malay-men, and two of his own slaves, in all six persons, intending to go to the island of Ternate " to hear the news." When they got to the southward of the islands, meeting with bad weather, he altered his intention, and determined to proceed to China through the Bernardine passage in consequence of this resolution they touched at Pellelew, and having taken in a stock of cocoa nuts, stood away to the northward, and in ten days reached the Bashee islands, passing so close to Monmouth island as to speak with some of the inhabitants; but not being able to make themselves understood, they did not land. In crossing the Chinese sea they met with very bad weather, but arrived at Macao without any accident. Captain M Cluer's sudden appearance greatly surprized the gentlemen at the English factory.'

Captain McCluer afterward determined on making one more visit to the Pelew Islands, to take thence his family and property; and having purchased a vessel,

In pursuance of the resolution taken, he returned to the Pelew islands, and embarked his family and property, taking with him from thence several of the natives of both sexes, there being six or eight women servants said to have been sent to attend the child born there. On his voyage from the Pelew islands to Bombay, the vessel touched at Bencoolen, where they met with the Honourable Company s ship Europa, Captain Applegarth, bound for England, and the Bombay, a frigate belonging to the Bombay marine, bound to Bombay. By this latter ship he sent some of his family to that port, with six of the Pelew women; himself, with the other natives, procceding in his own vessel to Bengal; from whence he again sailed, and was never more heard of, nor any of his crew.'

Since the unfortunate disappearance of Captain McCluer, three of the Pelew women, who had been brought by him from the islands, have been sent back.

The contents of this small supplement possess much attrac tion, though given with little connection. Three of the plates which accompany it are designed for the voyage of Captain Wilson; and at the end is a Vocabulary of the Pelew language. It would have been an useful addition, and must have afforded much satisfaction to the reader, if the Editor had prefixed, as a frontispiece to his book, a copy of Captain M-Cluer's survey of the Pelew Islands.

see p. 29.

Capt.B...y.

ART. IV. Letters of Advice from a Mother to her Son. 8vo. pp. 450. 8s. Boards. Cadell and Davies. 1803.

FRO

ROM the dedication of this volume to the Archbishop of Canterbury, it appears that the fair author is Mrs. Crespigny, and that she originally entertained no design of presenting it to the public eye. The letters were written solely with a view to inculcate the great truths of religion and the duties of morality, with more precision and in a more impressive manner than casual reading on such subjects might convey to the mind of a beloved son: but, at the solicitations of a judicious friend, Mrs. C. has been induced to commit her precepts to general circulation, with the hope that they may furnish useful instruction to other young men in similar situations.

After a careful perusal of these letters, we are happy in being able to speak of them as forming a work calculated, in many respects, to have a most salutary influence on the morals and dispositions of ingenuous youths, and to withdraw them from the vicious customs and practices of the world. The volume commences with a series of remarks on topics of religion; on the evidences drawn from the external phænomena of the world to establish the truth of the Being of a God; and on the nature of the christian revelation, and the peculiar doctrines which are taught and received by the church of England. In regard to the former of these points, the usual popular arguments are adduced; and perhaps it will generally be admitted that enough is urged to make the desired impression on the youthful reader, With respect to the doctrines of Christianity, without combating the positions laid down, we confess that we should have been better pleased, if the orthodox faith of the fair writer had been offered to her pupil in a more modest and less decided tone. When an author's tenets are founded solely on the authority

of

of the English translation of the New Testament, which may chance to convey to the reader more or less than the original fairly implies, a certain degree of diffidence should surely accompany assertions, especially on points which are yet contested among learned divines of the reformed churches. A single text may make a good verbal proof, and such as may prove satisfactory to many fair divines: but there are others who would hesitate to establish their faith on such slender grounds; and they would recollect the remark of the poet,

"In religion,

What damned error but some sober brow

Will bless it, and approve it with a text."

SHAKSPEARE.

Many other points, however, of faith and practice, the au thor has treated with much propriety; and, with becoming regard to professional information on such subjects, she has called in to her aid the directions of able and sound divines. The subsequent letters on prayer, public worship, and the duty of attending the sacrament, are such as, we doubt not, will be generally acceptable. If the mode of reasoning employed on these matters be not altogether conclusive, yet it is such as pious and well disposed minds will for the most part deem sufficient; at least for the purpose of turning the early attention of youth to those serious concerns.

The nature and duties of charity are considered in the next letter, and in a manner which exhibits the sentiments of the writer in a very amiable and benevolent point of view.-Then follows a letter on the duties of economy; in which, among other useful advice, these reflections occur:

There are many who do not keep any account of the manner in which they spend their money, from which omission they would not know how or where to retrench their expences, if it were necessary to do so. It is a great error;-for, the trouble of keeping such accounts is so very trifling, that it is surprising every body should not do it almost as an amusement, and as what may be of considerable future use by being referred to.

There is another mistake very often productive of great inconve nience, an inattention to trifling expences. Where an income is not large, it is amazing how much of it will imperceptibly run away in half-crowns and shillings: we are apt to think too lightly of such trifling sums, and spend them thoughtlessly and carelessly; but, were an account of them kept, we should be surprised to see the amount of it at the year's end.

I hope you will always keep as accurate an account of your expences as you can; begin now, and it will become a habit, of the utility of which you will soon be sensible; for, though you may say, your income at present is not so large but that you may easily know which way it goes, yet the custom of keeping regular accounts is so

good

good a one, that it should be adopted as soon as we have any thing to spend; you will by that means easily find out when you are too profuse, and upon what articles you can best retrench.-A person who is without such assistance, and finds that it is necessary to make an alteration in his plan of life, does not know where to begin, and may put himself to unnecessary inconvenience without properly effecting his design.

I cannot too often enforce that it is your indispensable duty to devote one tenth of your income to assist your fellow-creatures: put it in a purse and consider that money as sacred; do not look upon it as your own, and never make use of it as such; then weigh your other expences, but endeavour to keep a tenth part of the remainder of your income quit unemployed for any sudden exigencies, and be sure to set down your expences every day. If you neglect doing it for several days, you will find the recollection of your disbursements so difficult and troublesome, that the practice, highly useful as it is, will be to. tally laid aside.'

If the instructions contained in this extract should appear to more experienced economists to contain nothing particularly novel, we believe that they will agree with us that these counsels are highly essential for those to whom they are more immediately addressed.

We could point out many pleasing passages in the succeeding letters, on Generosity and Gratitude;-Friendship - Drinking -and Gaming: all of which are subjects, it must be allowed, of much moment for young persons on their entrance into life.

Duelling is next considered; and we trust that our readers will not be displeased by our introducing them to a Lady's advice on this fatal custom; the terrible consequences of which have lately been so strikingly exemplified, on more than one

occasion:

As it is possible, that, at some future period, you may have a seat in the senate, where this important subject ought to be duly considered, I wish you to see it in the true light, that you may be able, in case it should ever come within the reach of your power, to give that sort of assistance upon that occasion which might be useful to the world and creditable to yourself.

At present you should reflect deeply upon the subject, and make up your mind in what manner you would act, if, unhappily, you were to be involved in a quarrel :-were such an event to happen, you, very probably, would not at the time be cool enough to place, properly, the different arguments upon the point before you. Therefore, when unbiassed by passion, consider the subject impartially-always remembering that the best and wisest way is to chuse the path least likely to lead to complicated mischief.

Whatever concerns this transient life of a day is perfectly immaterial when put in comparison with even the chance of a future, and, possibly, an eternal, one. Remember that it is a heinous and unpardonable offence to behave in such a manner by actions, words, or

looks,