ftraight towards me. I prepared myself to receive them; but my dogs became fo reftlefs on their approach, that, being unable to check them, I ordered them to be let loose, and encouraged them to the attack.

"When the animals faw this, they inftantly turned afide and proceeded towards another of the hunters placed in ambufh, from whom they received a fecond fire, and then to another, from whom they received a third. My dogs, on the other hand, harraffed them prodigiously, which still encreafed their rage. They kicked at their purfuers in the most terrible manner, ploughed up the plain with their horns, and digging furrows in it feven or eight inches in depth, threw around them a shower of pebbles and stones.

"During this time we all kept approaching to furround them more clofely. This rendered them completely furious. The male, however, fuddenly stopped, and turning round to attack the dogs, endeavoured to rip up their bellies with his horn; and while he was engaged in purtuing them, the female quitted him and made her elcape.

"Her flight was a fortunate circumftance, for we fhould have been much embarraffed with two fuch formidable adverfaries. Without the affiftance of the dogs we should not have been able to combat, but with great hazard, the one that remained. The bloody traces which he left wherever he went announced that he had received more than ane wound; but he defended himself with the greater obftinacy.

After a fruitleis attack, which continued for fome time, he began to retreat, and feemed defirous of gaining fome buthes, with a view of finding fhelter, or to prevent his being harraffed but in front. In order to difappoint him, I rushed towards the place, and made a fign to the two hunters nearest me to advance thither allo. He was only thirty paces from us when we took poffeffion of the poft, accordingly we all at the fame inftant difcharged our three fhots; he inftantly fell, and was never after able to

ball, but my people intreated me to defift.

"I have already faid, that all the favage tribes, and even the people at the Cape, fet a high value on the dried blood of the rhinoceros, to which they afcribe great virtues in the cure of certain diforders. This animal had loft a great deal by his wounds. It was with much regret that they faw the earth moistened with it around him; and they were ap prehenfive that a new wound would increafe that lofs.

"Scarcely had the animal breathed his latt, when the Hottentots all approached with eagerness in order to collect the blood. I had approached the body alto, but with a different design, to meafure and examine it. The favages of the horde affured me it was one of the largeit of its species. I, however, did not believe them, as its principal horn was only nineteen inches three lines in length-I had een horns much longer. The height of the animal was seven feet five inches, and its length, from the snout to the root of the tail, eleven feet fix inches."

Mr. Le V. mentions an extraordinary faculty poffelfed by the Hottentots, of discovering water concealed in the bowels of the earth. One tribe, the Kouronanas, do this by the fight. They throw themfelves flat on the ground, take a diftant view, and if the ipace their eye traverses hides any tubterranean fpring, they rife and point to the ipot. They difcover it by an ethereal and fubtile exhalation, which evaporates from every current of water, when not furk to too great a depth. With regard to pools, their evaporation is more fenfible, and is dit coverable even when behind an eminence; and the vapours of the teams and rivers are to diftinctly marked, that all their finuotities may be traced. Our Traveller acquired this faculty from his companions to a certain extent, fo as to be able to diftinguish water at the distance of three hundred paces.

Mr. Le V. in one of his excurfions discovered about a dozen zebras, and was fortunate enough, by the help of his dogs, to fecure one, which was a female. He ventured upon her back, having fe cured himself from her teeth by a muzzle, and after a flight refiftance, lefs than that of a colt the first time of being mounted, the proceeded quietly with her rider for more than a league, to the houfe whither the party was going. This trial fo tar fatisfied Mr. Le V. that he thought of keeping her for riding, had not her

wounds

wounds been too large, from the bite of the dogs, to promile a fpeedy cure. Our Author reafons from this tact on the poffibility of training the zebra, and endeavours to refute the argument that might be taken from the weaknels occafioned by her wounds, which might render her more manageable and docile. He states the difference, in this relpect, between domejic animals and thole in a state of nature; the former of which bear blows, and even wounds, with confiderable pa: tience, while the latter are only rendered by acute pain more ungovernable and furious. I think there is much truth in this diftin&tion.

After a long abfence from water, our Author describes, in animated and glowing colours, his arrival at the Great River.

"It was not long before I heard the noife of flowing water toward the North Weft. This found, which announced our fafety, made my heart leap for joy, and my people involuntarily uttered a fhout of gladnels. A fecond time cur pains were on the point of being ended, and I fhould at length fee a river! For fince we quitted that of the Elephants, I had found nothing but the beds of periodical teams, either completely dry, or containing a few puddles of itagnant muddy water. The more speedily to enjoy fuch an agreeable fight, I mounted on horieback with Klaas, and rode towards the place to which the noite directed me. All thofe of my people who were not employed about the waggons began to run with me, and my ape, my dogs, and indeed every one of my animals that was at liberty, fet off at the fame time. We pushed on, helter fkelter, contending who fhould first reach the fpot. However, I fuffered my animals to precede me a few paces, certain that their imell and their instinct would lead me by the fhortett road. The barkings, the cries, the tranfports of this galloping crew, relembled a troop of bacchanals rather than a company of famished travellers. I fhared the joy of every individual. A thoufand confufed fentiments agitated me at once, and my eyes were filled with involuntary tears. Few men upon earth have suffered pains equal to mine, but then few have experienced fuch exquisite pleafure.

My first step when I arrived at the water was to leap into it, that I might cool and refresh my limbs while I was quenching my thirst. Thus I fatisfied two urgent wants at once, and my peo

ple, and all my animals, did the fame."

The history of travellers over defert regions must be a hiftory of the chace. The game of which Mr. Le Vaillant fpeaks with the greatest delight, is the camelopard, or giraffe, and the day on which he obtained one of them he accounted the happiett of his life.

"I commenced my chace," fays our Author, "at fun-rile, and after walking fome hours perceived feven giraffes, which my dogs inftantly attacked. Six took flight together, the feventh, intercepted by my dogs, fled a different way. I followed him full speed; but, in fpite of the exertions of my horie, the giraffe fo far outstripped me, that on turning a little hill he was cut of fight, and I gave up the purfuit. The dogs, however, foon came up with him, and he stopped to defend hinfelf. I heard them bark with all their ftrength, and concluding they had the animal at bay, Ipuired my horfe towards them.

"I had carce turned the hillock, when I perceived him furrounded by the dogs, and endeavouring, by forcible kicks, to drive them off. I had only the trouble to alight, and brought him to the ground with a single fhot. While I was looking for my people, one of them appeared, and made igns to me, which at firft I did not understand. Looking towards the spot to which he pointed, I perceived, with furprize, a giraffe standing under a large chony tree, and affailed by my dogs. It was the one I had just before thot, which had, in reality, reccvered itself; but the moment I was preparing to fire at it a fecond time, it dropped down dead."

Mr. Le V. goes on to relate the tran fports with which his mind was overwhelmed in this acquifition to the fores of Natural Hiftory. He enters minutely into the precautions which he took to preferve the tkin entire and undamaged, and he has brought it to Europe. He would alfo have ituffed it, fo as to exhibit a faithful reprefentation of it in its natural ftate, were not the apartinents of an individual too low for the placing of fuch an enormous animal.

Our Author discovers upon all occa fions a strong partiality for his African friends, which, in general, considering their hofpitality and fidelity to him, is not only excufable, but laudable; but in fome inftances this partiality news itfelf fo plainly in oppofition to truth, that I wonder how it could have escaped the obfervation even of Mr. Le V. himself.

Thus

Thus he tells of his coming to a horde of favages, all of whom were infected with a dangerous peftilence, and their bodies being covered with ulcers they lay extended in their huts. Such of the horde, adds he, as had fupposed themfelves in good health, had retired towards the South, to avoid its influence. It is precifely in this place, which fees the worst chofen in the book, that Mr. Le V. chufes to vindicate favage nations from the accufation of abandoning, in their emigrations, old and inform persons, who are not in a condition to follow them.

A very honourable inftance of our Author's friendly attention to the diftreffes of the favages occurs in his hazardous and fuccefsful attempt to diflodge from an impenetrable thicket, a family of hions, which had greatly annoyed one of their encampments. I will mention the more material circumitances of this occurrence, which alfo fhews the ufual method in Africa ci aflailing thcfe formidable beafts.

Full of hope and confidence in my fire-arms, the chief requested me to employ my weapons to deliver them from fuch a fcourge. The circumitance of the lions having young ones rendered the attack a bufinefs of no fmall danger. Thefe animals, at all times formidable, have, at fuch periods, a fiercenefs that nothing can refift. Nevertheless I promifed to attack them the next day. At break of dawn the men of the horde were ready armed with arrows and aflagays, and waited my orders to proceed to the attack. I heard the lions ftill growling in their trong hold, but the increafing light foor filenced them.

The thicket was about two hundred paces long and fixty wide. It occupied a fput furk lower than the adjacent ground. As it was unfate to attack thete beats in their intrenchments, all that remained was to tempt them out of their fort. I therefore placed my markfmen and the other favages upon the eminences all round the wood, fo that the tions fhould be unable to reach the plain without being perceived.

None of the lavages daring to enter the wood, we reiolved to forge all the oxen of the horde into it. Accordingly, when we were at our pofts, with our guns ready to fire, we drove the oxen before us, compelling them by voices and blows to enter the thicket. The oxen, icenting their enemies, foon rushed beck with aflright; but our cries, the barking of the dogs, and the report of

our piftols, compelled them to re-entes the thicket, which they did in a fort of fury, jottling one another, and bellowing in a fearful manner.

"The lions, on their fide, were reufed at the fight of danger, and their rage vented itielf in dreadful roars. This hidecus concert continued great part of the morning, and we began to despair of fuccefs, when fuddenly I heard, on the fide oppetite to me, piercing cries, initantly followed by the report of a gun. Shouts of joy immediately fucceeded: I ran to the place, and found the lioness expiring. Klaas, who was ftationed at that poit, had hot her through the belly. Her dugs were twelled and pendant, which indicated the had young ones. It came into my head to employ her earcafe for the purpose of enticing them out of the thicket. With this view I ordered it to be drawn to a certain diftance. We retired about thirty paces from the carcafe, ready to fire if the animals advanced. But my ftratagem was unfuccefsful. The whelps, indeed, uneafy at not feeing their mother, ran about the thicket growling on all fides. The male, too, redoubled his roarings and his rage: We faw him for a moment appear at the edge of the thicket, his eyes fparkling, his mane erect, and lafhing his fides with his tail. He was out of shot of my carbine, and one of my markimen, potted near, fired, and mifled him; at this he retired, and appeared no more. The fun was now declining, and the sport was becoming dangerous; I deemed it, therefore, piudent to defer our final victory till the next day.

"The favages conveyed the liones to the kraal, for the purpose of feating on her. She was four feet eight inches high to the top of the fhoulder, and eleven feet four inches long from the point of the nofe to the extremity of the tail. I had certainly not the fame defire for its fiefh as the rest of the guests, yet I was induced to taste it, but found it inferior to that of the tiger.

"During the night I heard nothing either of the lion or the whelps, which I afcribed to the noify mirth of my la vages. There was another reason for their filence: The male, affrighted by the dangers he had run, availed himself of the darkness of the night to retire with his family, and in the morning, when we returned to the chace, we perceived the thicket deferted. We can tiously advanced into it, and fourd the marks only of the fpoil that had been

among the Hindoos, by immemorial ufage, It takes place at a celebrated feftival holden about the fame period in India, termed the Huli Fefiical. An account of it is collected from a paper of Colonel Pearce's, publifhed in the fecond volume of Afiatic Refearches. We fhall infert it as quoted by Mr. Maurice.

"During the Huli, when mirth and feftivity reign among Hindoos of every clafs, one fubject of diverfion is to fend people on errands and expeditions that are to end in disappointment, and raise a laugh at the expence of the perfon fent. -The Huli is always in March, and the Last day is the general holiday. I have never yet heard any account of the origin of this English cnfiom, but it is unqueftionably very ancient, and is till kept up even in great towns, though leis in them than in the country: with us, it is chictly confined to the lower clafs of people, but in India, high and low join In it, and the late Swaja Dowla, I am told, was very fond of making Huli fools, though he was a Muffulman of the higheft rank. They carry the joke here to far, as to fend letters, making appointments in the name of perfons who, it is known, must be ablent from their house at the time fixed upon, and the laugh is always in propertion to the trouble given."

Mr. M. is of opinion, that an enquiry into the ancient cuflems of Perfia, or into the general afhenomical mytho logy of the Eait, would have taught Colenol Peace, that the boundless hilarity and jocund sports prevalent on the first day of April in England, and during the Flul fejlival of Eta, have their crigin in the practice of celebrating with jecund rites the period of the vernal equinox; which also was the day when the new your of Pia anciently begun.

In a fubfequent page Mr. M. afferts, that the first of M. is equally regarded as a feftival in India as in Britain. He allo remarks, that the æra of the Creation began, in all probability, at the vernal equiara, when nature was gay and fmiling, and not at the dreary a sumnal equinox, when the beauty of the earth was declining, and its verdure decaying. Perhaps our Author may deride the opinion of Burnet, and fome other Philofophers, that the Earth has, in confequence of the Deluge, changed its pofition in the Eclipire, and has thus been deprived of its original donation from Heaven of a herpetual spring. But he certainly has forgotten that the fpring which we enjoy is enjoyed only in the Norbern bemi

We find in the third S-lion a very extraordinary opinion, that the magnet was in the poffeffion of the ancient Rgmans, under the name of Lapis Heraclius, in allution to its reputed inventor Hercules. He affirms alfo, from Dr. Hyde, that the Chaldeans and Arabians have immemorially made ufe of it to guide them over the vast delerts that overipread their refpective countries.

It feems too that the Chinese Records declare, that the Emperor Cong-Vang, above a thousand years before Chrift, prefented the King of Cochin-China, or his Ambafladers, with a fpecies of magnetic index, in other words, with the mariner's compass. This may be true, but, confidering the extreme ignorance and timidity of the Chineje even to this hour in nautical concerns, can hardly be confidered as probable. But when Mr. M. infers from an expreffon in the ancient Inftitutes of Menu (allowing them a date equal, or even anterior to the 1500th year before the Christian æra), that the Brahmins were then acquainted with this wonderful difcovery in navigation, he will furely be thought to make a very precipitate conclufion. It is deduced from a paffage on the legal interest of money, and the limited rate of it in different cales, with an exception with regard to adventures at fea. The danger of fuch adventures is not augmented but diminished by the invention of the magnetic power; and there can be no question but that man as often, if no more frequently, found a watery græce for himfelf and for his merchandize in the bolom of the deep before the needle was his companion and conductor.

Our Readers, more especially thofe of Venodetian extatiion, will feel a glow of patriotic exultation from the following animated detail of the learning of the ancient Druids. It has the spirit of poetry, without its fairy firiion.

What fciences, in particular, ficurifhed among the Druids befides aftronomy, which they feem to have carried to wonderful perfection for thofe periods; moral philofophy, whofe fublime and awful precepts they inceffantly inculcated on their disciples; music, whofe folemn melody, breathed from innumerable harps during the public worship, roused to tranfports of enthufiam the votaries of that animated fuperftition; mechanics, which enabled them to elevate to fuch furprising heights the immenfe mates of

ftone