island of Bulam, it is not complete. He should have added that of clergyman; for, whenever his health would permit, he read prayers to the colony on Sundays.

Among the causes of the failure of the expedition, Mr. Beaver enumerates, as the principal, the carrying men of the most infamous character and vicious habits; the arriving on the coast of Africa in the rainy season; and the omitting to carry out the frame and materials of a house or houses, sufficient to secure the whole colony on their arrival from the rains and from the sun. The secondary causes were the act of hostility of the natives on the crew of the Calypso, the ravages of the fever, and the general despondency. Yet, though a series of untoward circumstances forced him to abandon the enterprize, he flatters himself that their labour was not uselessly employed, and that the time spent on the island was not altogether lost. He thinks that he succeeded in effecting a favourable alteration in the minds of the Africans relative to the character of the Europeans, and in particular of the English. He regards also the material points of inquiry as completely established, viz., that tropical productions can be propagated on the island of Bulama and on the adjacent shores; that this can be performed by means of free natives; and that, by cultivation and commerce, civilization can be introduced among them. From being able to accomplish what they did effect, and considering the incompetency of their force to command respect, he infers that, had the expedition been planned with more wisdom, and executed with more energy, his conclusions would have been substantiated by important facts.

The island of Bulama is about seven leagues in length, its breadth various, from five to two leagues; the land rises gradually, generally speaking, from the shore, to the moderate height of about 50 feet above the level of the sea, and appears to be covered with wood,

though there are some natural savannahs in it, and some places cleared by its former inhabitants, or late Bijuga lords; the soil is every where rich and prolific, and affords ample pasturage to innumerable elephants, buffaloes, deer, and other wild ani mals which graze on its surface; the sea, which abounds with excellent fish of various kinds; in short, here reigns abundance of every thing requisite to the comforts of savage life.

Its general appearance is that of the most luxuriant vegetation. It seems to have been produced in one of nature's happiest moods.

As to the territory comprized between Cape Roxo and Ghinala, an extent of about 180 miles, in the whole world, one cannot be found more rich and fertile. The animals, as well as vegetables, are of various kinds; among the former are elephants, and on these huge yet peaceable animals several attacks were made by the colony: but Mr. B. was so much affected by the cries of two which they succeeded in killing, that he resolved never more to annoy them. Among the vegetables which were cultivated, rice, yams, manioc, Indian corn or maize, ground nuts, plantains, bananas, pumpkins, water melons, oranges, limes, pine apples, papaws, &c., &c. are the chief; and of those which are wild, the sugar cane, cotton shrub, and indigo plant seem the most valuable: besides which, there are trees of almost every size and texture.

Mr. B. insists upon the following principles as those by which a colony on the coast of Western Africa ought to be established:

First, that no land be ever taken from the natives by force; and that we do not ever make a settlement without their consent. We should even re-purchase the land already bought, rather than our right to it be disputed.

The second is, that no person can be employed as a slave in any of our settlements, nor on board any ship or vessel belonging to the colonists,

At the same time that the employment of slaves is prohibited to the European colonists, these must also be forbidden to interfere in the smallest degree whatever with the employment of them by the native kings or chiefs, in their own towns or territories. Nothing must be done against their independence. The abolition of that execrable trade must be left to the gradual, but sure, operation of reason, and example. Should we endeavour to prevent the native chiefs from selling slaves, so sudden, and so violent, a check to one of their immemorial customs, the reason, the policy, or the justice of which it is impossible for them at first to comprehend, would ill dispose them towards us, and make them either treacherous friends or open enemies to the success of our undertaking; at the same time that not one slave less would be annually sold, notwithstanding our ill-advised and absurd attempts to prevent it; and by such means the slave trade never will be abolished. Whereas if these people are left to themselves, and to the operation of reason and example, without the smallest shock to any of their customs or prejudices, I question very much if a slave will ever be seen in any native town of the colony at the expiration of fifteen or twenty years. But if a misguided zeal for the abolition of slavery be manifested, it will tend to prolong its continuance, and the colony never can, and never will flourish. The absurdity of very well meaning persons, in thinking that they can overcome vices, customs, or prejudices, immemorially rooted in an unenlightened people, by shocking, instead of gradually enlightening their understandings, has done a great deal of mischiefalready. To begin by telling a native chief, the instant you have got into his country, that of his six wives he must put away five, because it is a great sin, and forbidden by the laws of God, to have more than one, will certainly astonish the chief, but will not induce him to part from his wives.

As to the word sin, it is impossible that it can convey any idea to him; it is not within the limits of possibility for him to comprehend the idea which it is meant to convey; and of the laws of God he will have as little knowledge. But he will know that it is the custom, and ever has been, in this country, for every man to keep as many wives as he can afford; and that he is respected in proportion to the number of them which he maintains. Now, to insist upon his parting from the cause of his respect, without assigning any comprehensible reason for his so doing, betrays a more barbarous mind than the one intended to be enlightened.

If, after this, the same person goes on, and tells the chief, that drunkenness is also a sin, and that he must give up drinking spirits; in short, that he will not sell him any, nor suffer any to be sold to him for the future; the chief, who has been accustomed to drink spirits, and to see every one else do the same, when it was to be procured, will begin to think this European a little unreasonable, and will not be desirous of having him for a neighbour. But if the European goes on, and teils him that he must change his religion and become a christian, or else when he dies that he will be tormented for ever, this chief will probably inquire what he means by being a christian, that he may avoid this fate. When his European instructor goes on from one dogma to another, all alike unintelligible in the present intellectual state of the chief, the belief in which, he tells him, is essential to his salvation: the latter, who thought him unreasonable at first, now thinks him outrageously so;. and that he is either a madman, a fool, or an impostor; and to get rid of people professing such doctrines will be his constant endeavour. Absurd as such conduct must appear, L have seen conduct towards a native chief yet more so; and much mischief has already been done by the fanatical zeal of some misguided people. I could give instances, but they are

drum: in each was a cylinder, which when turned round struck four bells, tuned according to the two chords, D, F sharp, A, D, and A, C sharp, E, A.

This music lasted about a year; but it was subject to the inconvenience of procuring the performers from different houses, which could not be done at all times.

Maresch was therefore ordered by the marshal to teach the French horn to twelve of his own people, in order to have no need of strangers; and he was to enable them to perform in concert within a twelvemonth. This appeared next to impossible, because on every other instrument the precise place can be pointed out, so as to make the tone required, but not so on the French horn and trumpet, so that whoever is not already versed in music, as a singer, a player on the harpsichord, bass, flute, or some such instrument, cannot in many years become a good French horn player. This brought him to consider whether something might not be effected with their monotonous horns. Hence the first idea of the Russian horn music.

His scholars had not the least knowledge of music, and could neither read nor write; but, as the Russians have naturally a good musical ear, in a few months he taught them to execute with tolerable precision an easy trio. This music, executed publicly, gave such satisfaction, that, in 1757, being performed at Moscow before the empress, she gave orders that Maresch might take any of the musicians from the imperial chapel to complete his band. This now became an imperial band, and the empress ordered that any of the performers who chose, should be taught to play on various instruments at her expence.

In 1773, this band performed an entire opera at Moscow, and in 1775, the opera of Alceste. In 1777, it had risen to such a pitch of perfection as to execute with the same precision as any other orchestra, though with much greater effect, the overtures of Henry IV, le Deserteur,

VOL. VI. NO. XXXV.

la belle Arsenie, le Tableau parlant, le Marchand de Smirne, Zemire et Azor, &c.

Fugues in four parts were likewise performed in a far superior manner than could be done on any organ, as the low notes were all doubled. A difficulty still remained relative to tuning the horns, which was conquered by fixing a brass cap with two screws at the end of each horn, so that, by shortening or by lengthening it, the true tone might be obtained.

Maresch about this time was attacked by apoplexy, which in 1789 deprived himn entirely of his speech, and of the use of his right arm; which attack he survived till 1794.

For the Literary Magazine.

A MODERN KNIGHT ERRANT.

A LIEUTENANT in a French regiment, which had been reduced, was allowed a pension of two hundred livres (forty dollars) till he could be replaced; which, with another two hundred (forty more) as an ancient pupil of the royal military school, formed the whole of his income. He was also decorated with the order of our Lady of Mount Carmel, or of St. Lazarus. He learned to limit his wants within his narrow means. Full of zeal, of spirit, and of resources, he was desirous of employing the interval of exemption from service in examining the armies of the principal powers of Europe: but with finances so contracted as his were, he would have found it difficult to fulfil that project, had he not been aided by a sort of philosophy which soared far above common ideas. He resolved to travel on foot, with a havresac on his back. He proceeded in this way through the duchy of Wirtemberg, and the electorate of Bavaria, and arrived at Vienna, where he introduced himself to the French ambassador, by whom he was civilly received, and

5