and American Eaft India fhips ftop, to get water and fresh provifions, in their way home. Near this, are the Guinea islands, St. Matthew, St. Thomas, and others, not far from the coaft under the equinoctial line, belonging to the Portuguèfe. These were fo named by the failors, who first found them on the feftivals of St. Helen, St. Thomas, and St. Matthew. Thence northward, are the Cape Verd Islands, fo called for their verdure. They now belong to the Portuguese, who are furnished from thence with falt and goats' fkins. Farther north, are the pleasant Canaries, belonging to the Spaniards, from whence first came Canary wine, and the beautiful finging birds, called Canary Birds. The ancients called them the Fortunate Ifles, and placed there the Elyfian fields. They are ten or twelve in number; the chief are Teneriffe, Gomera, Ferro, and Great Canary. The fertile islands of. Madeira lie ftill. farther north, and are famous for the, best stomachic wine. They belong to the Portuguefe. IN T lies foutheast of the island of Java, and fouth of New Guinea, in the Great South Sea. For more than a century after its firft difcovery by the Dutch, in 1616, it was thought to be part of a vaft fouthern continent, the existence of which has been a favourite idea with many experienced navigators. The great extent of New Holland gives it an unquestionable claim to the name of Continent. The The whole eastern coaft of this continent, except the very fouthern point, was difcovered and explored by Capt. Cook, in 1770, and is called New SOUTH WALES. It is claimed by England, on the old principal of prior discovery. There is a great variety of birds and animals found here, feveral of which, before the discovery of this place, were non-defcripts.* The natives go always uncovered, although it is obferved they fuffer fometimes from the cold. Thofe on the borders of the fea coaft fubit principally on ffh. On that part of the coast which the English have invaded, the natives have retired, and, from accounts, are much diftreffed for provifion. A kind of twine is manufactured among them, which, with their fifhing nets, is very neatly made from the flar plant. plant promifes to be very valuable for the purpose of making cordage, and the fineft manufactures. This In May, 1787, the British government fitted out a fquadron of eleven veffels, with 850 convicts, under the command of Arthur Phillip, Efq. in order to form a fettlement on this continent. The fituation determined upon has been named Port Jackson; south lat. 32° 52′, eaft long, from Greenwich, 159° 19' 30". This place is about 9 miles from Botany Bay, and has a harbour capable of containing 1000 fail of the line in perfect fecurity. A plan of a town has been regularly laid out; and, from the latest accounts, the profpect was flattering to the new fettlers. On the firft arrival of the English, the natives were found amicable, hofpitable, unaccustomed to act with treachery, or to take the leaft advantage; and every precaution was taken to prevent this harmony from being interrupted; but from fome disagreement with individuals, or what is more probable, a diflike of the encroachments on their territories, they appear to avoid every intercourfe with their new neighbours. The The reader will find cuts, and a defeription of a number of thofe animals and birds, in "The Voyage of Governor Phillip, to Botany Bay," published by Stockdale, London, 1790. The inhabitants are not very numerous, and are of a chocolate colour, middle ftature, and very active and courageous. Their food is chiefly fish, birds of various kinds, yams, fruit, and the flefh of the Kanguroo, an animal refembling the Opoffum, and peculiar to this continent. Their weapons are fpears and lances of dif ferent kinds, which they throw with great dexterity. They also use fhields of an oblong form, made of bark. The New Hebrides.] This name was given by Capt. Cook, to a cluster of iflands, fituated between the latitudes of 14° 29', and 20° 4' fouth; and between 169° 41', and 170° 21′ eaft longitude. Not far from the New Hebrides, and fouthwestward of them, lies NEW CALEDONIA, a very large ifland, first difcovered by Capt. Cook, in 1774. It is about 87 leagues long, but its breadth is not confiderable, nor any where exceeds ten leagues. It is inhabited by a . race of stout, tall, well proportioned Indians, of a fwarthy or dark chefnut brown. A few leagues distant are two fmall iflands, called the Island of Pines, and Botany Ifland. New Guinea is a long, narrow ifland, extending northeast, from 2° to 12° fouth lat. and from 131° to 150° east long, but in one part it does not appear to be above 50 miles broad. The country confifts of a mixture of very high hills and vallies, interfperfed with groves of cocoa-nut trees, plantains, bread fruit, and molt of the trees, fhrubs and plants, that are found in the other South Sea iflands. It affords from the fea a variety of delightful profpecs. New Ireland extends in length, from the northeast to the foutheast, about 270 miles, but it is in general very narrow. It abounds with a variety of trees and plants, and with many pigeons, parrots, rooks, and other birds. Northwestward of New Ireland, a cluster of islands were feen by Capt. Carteret, lying very near each other, and fuppofed to confift of 20 or 30 in number. One of thefe, which is of a confiderable extent, was named NEW HANOVER; but the rest of the clufter received the name of the ADMIRALTY ISLANDS. GENERAL 66 GENERAL T REMARK S. HE varieties among the human race, (fays Dr. Percival) enumerated by Linnæus and Buffon, are fix. The first is found under the polar regions, and comprehends the Laplanders, the Efquimaux Indians, the Samoeid Tartars, the inhabitants of Nova Zembla, the Borandians, the Greenlanders, and the people of Kamschatka. The vifage of men in thefe countries is large and broad; the nofe flat and fhort; the eyes of a yellowish brown, inclining to blacknefs; the cheek bones extremely high; the mouth large; the lips thick, and turning outwards; the voice thin and fqueaking; and the fkm a dark grey colour. The people are fhort in ftature, the generality being about four feet high, and the tallest not more that five. Ignorance, stupidity and fuperftition are the mental characteristics of the inhabitants of these rigorous climates. For here Doze the gross race. Nor fprightly jeft nor fong, The Tartar race, comprehending the Chinefe and the Japanefe, forms the fecond variety in the human fpecies. Their countenances are broad and wrinkled, even in youth; their nofes fhort and flat; their eyes little, funk in the fockets, and feveral inches afunder; their cheek bones are high; their teeth of a large fize and separate from each other; their complexions are olive, and their hair black. Thefe nations, in general, excepting the Japanese and Chinefe, have no religion, no fettled notions of morality, and no decency of behaviour. They are chiefly robbers; their wealth confists in horses, and their skill in the management of them. The third variety of mankind is that of the southern Afiatics, or the inhabitants of India. These are of a flender fhape, have long ftraight black hair, and generally Roman noses. These people are slothful, luxurious, fubmiffive, cowardly and effeminate. The parent Sun himself Seems o'er this world of flaves to tyrannize ; LI of Of beauty blafting, gives the gloomy hue, The Negroes of Africa conftitute the fourth ftriking variety in the human fpecies; but they differ widely from each other; thofe of Guinea, for inftance, are extremely ugly, and have an infupportably offenfive fcent while thofe of Mofambique are reckoned beautiful, and are untainted with any difagreeable fmell. The Negroes are, in general, of a black colour; the downy foftnefs of hair, which grows upon the fkin, gives a fmoothness to it, refembling that of velvet. The hair of their heads is woolly, fhort and black; but their beards often turn grey, and fometimes white. Their nofes are flat and fhort, their lips thick and tumid, and their teeth of an ivory whiteness. The intellectual and moral powers of thefe wretched people are uncultivated; and they are fubject to the moft barbarous defpotifm. The favage tyrants,, who rule over them, make war upon each other for human plunder; and the wretched victims, bartered for fpirituous liquors, are torn from their families, their friends, and their native land, and configned for life to mifery, toil and bondage. But how am I fhocked to inform you, that this infernal commerce is carried on by the humane, the polifhed, the Chriftian inhabitants of Europe; nay, even by Englishmen, whofe ancestors have bled in the caufe of liberty, and whofe breafts ftill glow with the fame generous flame! I cannot give you a more ftriking proof of the ideas of horror, which the captive Negroes entertain of the ftate of fervitude they are to undergo, than by relating the following incident from Dr. Goldsmith. "A Guinea captain was, by diftrefs of weather, driven into a certain harbour, with a lading of fickly flaves, who |