son will teach you to think wisely, to speak prudently and to behave yourself worthily upon all occasions."

But notwithstanding the opposition, which Confucius met with, in the propagation of his doctrine, he was at last able, by his unremitting exertions, to proselyte great numbers, who were unviolably attached to his person. He is said to have had, at least, three thousand disciples, seventy-two of whom were distinguished above the rest by their superior attainments, and ten above them all, by their comprehensive view and perfect knowledge of his whole philosophy and doctrines.

He sent six hundred of his disciples into different parts of the empire, to reform the manners of the people; and not satisfied with benefiting his own country only, he made frequent resolutions to pass the seas, and propagate his doctrine to the farthest parts of the world. On the whole, he seems to have carried the religion of nature as far as unassisted reason could possibly reach. Indeed, when we consider the purity of his morality, he seems rather to speak like a teach er of a revealed law, than like a man, who had no light, but the law of nature; and what convinces us of his sincerity is, that he taught as forcibly by example, as by precept. In short, his gravity and sobriety, his vigorous abstinence, his contempt of riches, and what are commonly called the goods of this life, his continual attention and watchfulness over his actions, and above all, his uncommon modesty and humility would almost tempt one to believe, that he was not a mere philosopher by reason only, but a man inspired by God, for the reformation of the world, and to check that torrent of idolatry and superstition, which was going to overspread that particular part of it.

He died in his 73d year, lamented by the whole empire, who, from that very moment, revered him. as a messenger sent from heaven to instruct mankind, and established such a veneration for his memory, as

will probably last for ever in those parts of the world. Kings have built palaces for him in all the provinces, whither the learned go at certain times to pay him homage. Each town has a palace consecrated to his memory, and near the city Kis-fou, on the banks of the river Su, where he was wont to assemble his disciples, they built his sepulchre, and have since enclosed it with walls, which look like a small city to this very day.

Confucius did not trust altogether to the memory of his disciples for the preservation of his philosophy, but composed several books, which are still held in high estimation by the learned in China; and though these books were greatly admired for the doctrines they contained, and the fine principles of morality they taught, yet such was his unparalleled modesty, that he never assumed the least honour on their account. He ingenuously confessed, that the doctrine, which he taught was not his own; and that he had done no more than to collect it, from the writings of those wise legislators, who had lived 1500 years before him. They, who would wish to have a perfect knowledge of the writings of Confucius, will find it in the Latin translation of Father Noel, one of the most ancient missionaries of China, which was printed at Prague, in the year 1711.

We must not conclude our account of this celebrated philosopher, without mentioning one most remarkable particular respecting him, viz. that, in spite of all his endeavours to establish pure morality and religion, he was nevertheless the innocent cause of their corruption. It is said, that when he was complimented upon the excellence of his philosophy, he modestly replied, "that he fell greatly short of the most perfect degree of virtue; but that in the West the most Holy was to be found." Most of the missionaries, who relate this, are firmly persuaded, that Confucius foresaw the coming of the Messiah, and

meant to predict it in this short sentence. At all events, it has always made a very strong impression upon the learned in China; and, in the 66th year after the birth of Christ, the emperor Monti sent ambassadors to the West, with orders to sail till they had found this Holy one, and to bring back at least his image and his writings. The persons sent upon this expedition, not daring to venture farther, went ashore upon a little island, not far from the Red Sea, where they found the statue of Fohi, who had infected the Indies with his doctrines, five hundred years before "the birth of Confucius. This they carried back to China, together with the metempsychosis, and the other reveries of this philosopher. The disciples of Confucius, at first, opposed these newly imported doctrines with all the vigour imaginable, inveighing vehemently against Monti, who introduced them, and denouncing the judgment of heaven on such emperors as should support them. But all their endeavours were vain; the torrent bore hard against them, and the pure religion and sound morality of Confucius were not only corrupted, but, in a manner, overwhelmed by the prevailing idolatries and superstitions, which were introduced by the idol Fohi. This is now the religion of the learned in China, who, while they pay homage to the memory of Confucius, are far from following his precepts, or imitating the innocence and sanctity of his life. They, however, annually celebrate a festival to his honour; and his posterity, even to the present day, are mandarins by birth, and have a privilege, in common with the princes of the blood, not to pay tribute.

COOK, (CAPTAIN JAMES) one of the most celebrated navigators, whom the world ever produced, was born at Marton, a village about four miles from Great Ayton, in Yorkshire, England, October 27th, 1728. His father, who was only a day labourer, had

nine children; from which, it may be easily conceived, that his circumstances were extremely indigent.

To the charity of Mr. Skottow, his father's employer, James was indebted for his school education, which extended no farther than reading, writing and a few of the first rules of arithmetic. At the age of thirteen, he was bound apprentice to a shop-keeper, at Snaith, about ten miles from Whitby; but after a servitude of a few years, having contracted a very strong propensity to the sea, his master was willing to indulge him in following the bent of his inclination, and gave him up his indentures. In July, 1746, he bound himself as an apprentice to Messrs. Walkers, of Whitby, who had several vessels in the coal trade; and, after serving a few years longer, in the situation of a common sailor, he was at last raised to be mate of one of their ships.

Early in the year 1755, when hostilities broke out between France and England, Cook entered on board the Eagle of sixty guns, to which vessel, Sir Hugh Palliser was soon after appointed, who soon distinguished him as an active and diligent seaman. His good behaviour, however, whilst in the coal trade, tended greatly to accelerate his promotion in the royal navy, as the Messrs. Walkers, his former employers, procured from influential persons, some letters of recommendation, which did him great service. On the 15th of May, 1759, he obtained a master's warrant for the Mercury, which was soon after employed in the famous siege of Quebec. During this siege, a difficult and dangerous service was assigned him: viz. to take soundings in the channel of the river St. Lawrence, directly in front of the French fortified camp. This he performed at the very imminent hazard of his life, with which, indeed, he very narrowly escaped.

On the 22d September following, he was appointed master of the Northumberland, then stationed at Halifax, where he first read Euclid, and applied to

astronomy and other branches of science. Early in 1763, when admiral (then captain Greaves) was ap pointed governor of Newfoundland, Mr. Cook went with him to survey the coasts of that island. At the end of the scason, he returned to England; but in the beginning of 1764, Sir Hugh Palliser being appointed governor of Newfoundland and Labradore, Mr. Cook accompanied him, as surveyor, and continued in that capacity till 1767.

Whilst Mr. Cook remained on that station, he had an opportunity of exhibiting publickly a specimen of his progress in the study of astronomy, by a short paper printed in the 57th vol. of the Philosophical Transactions, entitled "An observation of an eclipse of the Sun, at the island of Newfoundland, August 5th, 1766, with the longitude of the place of observation deduced from it." Some of the most learned men in England compared Mr. Cook's observation with one made at Oxford, and found it accurately done; from which time, he obtained the character of an able

astronomer.

In the mean time, a spirit for geographical discoveries, which had gradually declined since the beginning of the 17th century, began to discover itself anew in Great Britain. Two voyages of this kind had been performed in the reign of George II. with a view to discover a North West passage through Hudson's bay to the East Indies. Two others under captains Byron, Wallis and Carteret, had been undertaken soon after the conclusion of the peace in 1763, by order of his present majesty; and before the return of these navigators, who were ordered to sail round the world, another voyage was resolved on for astronomical purposes. It having been calculated, that a transit of Venus over the Sun's disk would happen in 1769, a memorial was presented to the king by the Royal Society; in which they set forth the great importance of making proper observations on this phenomenon, the regard, that had been paid to