An Englishman whom he had seen and conversed with returned to England by the ship where he had been so cruelly disappointed, and he carried news to old Drury that his son was still living. Accordingly the next English vessel which arrived at the island had it in charge to effect his deliverance. There was now no difficulty: Rer Moume asked only a gun in return, not as ransom, but in remembrance of him, saying he would call it Robin for his sake, and thus, at last, after a captivity of fifteen years, he was restored to his own country. The most suspicious passage in the course of this narrative is a story related in the 113th and following pages, which our limits will not allow us to transcribe. Rer Vove, his new master, was a wife, and made him as happy as grandson of Rer Trimmonongarevo, he could be in Madagascar. a prince whose manners were as barbarous as his name, but who was nevertheless an able man, and had made his dominions prosperous. Drury had to watch his master's wife, who stood in need of watching,—at other times, Rer Vove employed him in negotiating his intrigues. In one of their journies they went among a different race, whom he calls Virzimbers, and who speak a tongue peculiar to themselves, though they also understand the general language of the country. An insect like a cow-tick called poropongee is found among these people and no where else; its bite is said to occasion an illness which lasts six weeks or two months, but to which no person is subject a second time, and these Virzimbers took care not to destroy the insect, because they found it a good protection against their more powerful neighbours, who having reduced them used to come into their houses, and plunder them. They are subject to the yaws, when Drury was infected with this disorder he was sent among them to be cured: the application was a lotion, made of the bark of a tree, the name of which he had forgotten. Here his situation was better than it had yet been, for Trongha's country was distressed for provisions, and he had plenty here: he was moreover in a part better frequented by Europeans, as being more prosperous. A ship arrived; but on his requesting that he might be sold to his own countrymen, he narrowly escaped death from the anger of his master, and was immediately made a slave, though he had till then been treated as a freeman, Drury had discovered a better nature in his master's uncle Rer Moume, and fled to him for relief. This chief protected him, gave him This story is more likely to have been invented than really to have taken place. There is also a conversation concerning religion which is somewhat to be doubted. Drury takes it in his head to instruct one of his masters in the history of the bible, and rests his whole argument upon the assertion that a woman has one rib more than a man. This is accordingly examined and disproved; but the manner in which the Madagascar Deans talk upon this subject and upon the Deluge, has a suspicious savour of European free-thinking. Yet on the whole we rather believe the authenticity of the book : some friend may probably have put Drury's story into better English than he was master of, and these things may have been drest off for the sake of heightening the effect, just as painters will lay in their bloom upon the cheek of every portrait, how sallow soever nature may have made the original. One argument, and that a singular one, for its favour, is to be deduced from the very scantiness of the information concerning Madagascar which it contains. A lad like Drury, cast away there so young, with no very inquiring mind and no very strong talents, would just have remembered those things which concerned himself, and have picked up only such knowledge as fell directly in his way; never going out of his way to look for more. Whereas had the whole been fabricated, the fabricator would have acquired more knowledge of the island and its inhabitants, for which there were plenty of materials. We wish the editor of this work had established its authenticity, as far as is yet possible, and that he had added to it in the shape of preliminaries and notes, the sum and substance of all that is known concerning this very important island, colonies in which were so long attempted by the French, and where there would probably have been at this day an English empire, if our Charles I. had not been more ambitious of extending his authority at home than his possessions abroad. There are manifestly three distinct races upon the island. The one is of Jewish origin, perhaps from Abyssinia, possibly of far earlier date, for the ruins at Sofala are strong evidence in favour of the opinion which fixes Ophir there. This is the best and most enlightened of the Madagascar people. Another branch is Arabian; a third is of the Caffera stock. These can distinctly be traced. It is likely also that they have Hindoo blood among them, or whence are their cast cus toms? There was another race upon the island. When the French in the 17th century attempted to settle there, they found a race of white men, who were regarded by the black natives with great respect, and who bore great authority among them. The French qui etoient plus blancs & plus adroits que ses anciens seigneurs, says one of their own countrymen, stirred up the savages to throw off a yoke which must have been voluntary, and therefore could not have been burthensome. With the help of these poor misguided negroes they exterminated them, sparing none except a very few women, from compassion says this writer; but as they were so very few, compassion is not likely to have had any part in the business. These whites must beyond a doubt have been the descendants of some shipwrecked Portugueze, who had saved no fire arms, and who had gained their ascendancy by the unexceptionable means of superior knowledge. It is greatly to be regretted that so little has been said of men under such peculiar circumstances,-they had been there long enough to lose their language, but not their complection. Our missionaries have thought of this island. These exemplary men are now beginning to rival the Jesuits in knowledge as well as in zeal, and our periodical accounts will soon exceed the Lettres Edifiantes, not only in veracity, but in the sum of information which they contain. From them we shall learn more of Madagascar; meantime, he who should diligently and ably arrange all that is already known, would perform a task for which the public, as well as the missionary society would be beholden to him." ART. XIV. Account of the Life and Writings of James Bruce, of Kinnaird, Esq. F. R. S. Author of Travels to discover the Source of the Nile, in the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773. By ALEXANDER MURRAY, F. A, S. E. 4to. IN the fourth volume of this work, the "Travels to discover the Source of the Nile," were reviewed at considerable length. In that ar ticle the question of Bruce's credibility, and the extent of his obliga tions to the Jesuits was fully discussed.-Mr. Murray has now republished the Account of the Life and Writings of Bruce, formerly prcfixed to the travels; and has added to it a selection from his correspendence with eminent men, an account of the Ethiopic MSS.which he brought home, and several interesting extracts from his journal, and that of his companion Balugani. The predominant feature in Bruce's character was, the love of adventure, and the desire of overcoming difficulties. No one but himself would have persevered, after the many obstacles which presented themselves at the very outset of his undertaking. It is easy to It is easy to conceive a man sitting by a comfortable fire-side, amusing himself with his books and maps, and projecting a journey to the sources of the Nile; but when this same individual, who had been accustomed to all the luxuries of civilized society, touches on the borders of a desert country-when he begins to experience the evils of hunger and thirst, and the constant dread of assassination, he must be possessed of no common energy to proceed. While we peruse the narrative of the man who wandered among the barbarous tribes of Africa, at the hazard of his life, to gratify his own ardent curiosity, and that of others; he naturally occupies a conspicuous station among the group which is presented to the imagination. Bruce has been accused of egotism, but he was the hero of the tale he tells, and half the interest of his book consists in the dotail of the dangers he encountered, and the difficulties he overcame. sent to Harrow, where he remained four years, and made considerable progress in the Latin and Greek languages.-While at Harrow, he expressed a wish to study theology, and became a member of the Church of England, but on his return to Scotland he was prevailed upon by his father to fit himself for the Scotch bar. I health interfered with his plans of stuly, (for though in the prime of life few men were more athletic or blessed with a stronger constitution than Bruce; before 20 he was sickly and weak) and having no particular taste for the law, he turned his thoughts towards India, which seemed to present a more inviting field for a man of enterprizing spirit. In order to procure an appointment from the East India Company, or to obtain permission to go out as a free trader, at the age of 22,- Bruce left Scotland, and proceeded to London. In London he met with many acquaintances, and passed his time so pleasantly that he appears to have made but little progress in procuring an appointment to India. the course of his career of visiting, Bruce became acquainted with the family of Mrs. Allan, the widow of an eminent wine-merchant: - this lady had an only daughter, for whose sake all his prospects of Asiatic wealth were abandoned. In Miss Adriana Allan was a young woman of elegant manners, pleasing in her appearance, and of an amiable disposition. On his marriage with her. Bruce received share in the business, and the fu- ture explorer of the sources of the Nile seemed fixed for life as a London merchant." Nescia mens hominum fati sortisque futura."-The James Bruce was descended from plan which he had formed of doan ancient family in Scotland; be mestic enjoyment and conjugal was born at the family residence of bliss soon terminated, the ill Kinnaird, in Stirlingshire, in De- health of his wife induced Bruce ember, 1730.--Of the early part to remove her to the south of of his life few particulars are re- France; she did not live to comcorded: at 12 years of age he was, plete the journey, but died at Paris, The death of his wife seems to have given Bruce a distaste for busine-s, though he did not immediately withdraw from it. On his return to England he applied himself to the study of the Spanish and Portuguese languages, and im proved his skill in drawing, under a master of the name of Bonneau.After two years residence in London, during which time he seems to have been employed chiefly in acquiring those accomplishments which enable a man to travel with advantage. The plan which he had formed of visiting the Continent happily coincided with the purposes of trade; and in July 1757 Bruce embarked at Falmouth for Corunna. From Corunna he proceeded to Ferrol, and thence to Oporto and Lisbon. He arrived at the latter place soon after the great earthquake. The period was not a very fortunate one the metropolis of Portugal was in ruins the court removed to a temporary residence at Belem all trade at a stop, and the inhabitants of Lisbon either utterly dejected, or indulging in every excess. Bruce appears to have entertained no very favourable opinion of the Portuguese; his journals are filled with satirical remarks upon the national character, more to be praised for their wit than their accuracy, During his residence in Portugal, he was chiefly connected with the British mer chants resident there, of whom he speaks in the highest terms. From Lisbon Bruce proceeded to Spain: he passed the Sierra Morena, made an excursion of considerable length along the banks of the Guadalquivir, and in November arrived at Madrid. During his journey through Spain, he became desirous of investigating its history, during the period of the Moorish kings, and was anxious to procure access to the Arabic MSS. in the Escurial. Don Ricardo Wall, then minister to his Catholic Majesty, though de.. sirous of engaging Bruce in the service of his master, and of obliging him in every particular, could not procure him a sight of the treasures in the royal library. Disappointed in his hopes of elucidating Moorish history, late in the year Bruce left Madrid, and crossed the Pyrenees in the depth of winter. He remained some time at Bourdeaux, and thence proceeded, through the north of France, to the Netherlands. On the second day after his arrival at Brussels he was involved in a quarrel with a person who had behaved rudely, in his presence, to some young man, whose appear ance induced Bruce to interfere in his favour. The aggressor sent Bruce a challenge, which he accepted, and having wounded his antagonist, as he thought, mortally, left Brussels in haste, and repaired to Rotterdam. His foe, however," recovered; and Hanover being, at that time, the seat of war, Bruce, accompanied by some English gentlemen, resolved, before his return to England, to view the scene which then attracted the eyes of all Europe. He arrived in time to witness the battle of Crevelt, and the effect it produced upon his mind was such that he resolved to become a military adventurer. The sudden death of his father re-called. him to England: he succeeded to the family estate, which was not, however, equal to the wants of his growing ambition. For some time after his arrival in England, Bruce was engaged with his share in the wine trade, but still found leisure to study the Eastern languages. In 1761, he withdrew from business altogether, turned his attention to a new subject. and In his journey through Spain and Portugal, he had passed a few days, at Ferrol, of which place he had procured a plan. At this time (1760) a war between Great Britain. and.Spain appeared inevitable, and Bruce drew up a proposal for an attack upon the town and harbour of Ferrol, which he presented to Mr. Pitt, and which was favourably received, though never adopted. Disappointed in his offer of public service, our hero resolved to return to Scotland, and pass the remainder of life in retirement. To remain in any situation, however agrecable, in which there was no opportunity of encountering difficulties and gratifying his love of fame, was not possible for such a man as Bruce. After remaining one year in Scotland, he accepted the office of consul at Algiers, and obtained permission to remain some time in Italy, before he proceeded to Africa. During a year's residence among the finest specimens of ancient architecture and modern painting, Bruce improved his taste, and by unremitted exertions in the study of the Eastern languages, fitted himself for the arduous undertaking which he projected. In March, 1793, the new consul arrived at Algiers, where he was engaged in continual disputes with the Dey, and incurred the dislike of many of his own countrymen, by his steady opposition to every kind of peculation. After one year's uncomfortable residence at Algiers a new consul was appointed, and Mr. Bruce, who was now tolerably well acquainted with the Arabic language, set sail for Tunis, with a view of examining the ruins of Utica and Carthage. At Tunis the English and French consuls vied with each other in their attention to him, and rendered his stay there both agreeable and commodious During his visit at Tunis, Bruce was joined by his future companion in difficulties, Luigi Baluganí, a young Italian artist, who had been engaged in this perilous service by Mr. Lumisden. They set out upon their journey to the interior in September, 1765. The narrative of their first excursions in Africa is contain ed in the introduction to the travels. From Tunis and Tripoli, Bruce dispatched his books, instruments, and drawings, to Smyrna, in Asia Minor, by which circumstance they were fortunately saved, for he and his companion embarked in a small Greek vessel for the island of Crete, and were shipwrecked near Ptole meta, and their lives with difficulty saved. The shipwreck-the hard treatment on shore, and the continued vexations which Mr. Bruce experienced from the barbarians with whom he was obliged to have intercourse, undermined his health, and when at last he arrived at Crete, he was seized with an intermittent fever, and detained there for several months. On his recovery he procured a passport from the English ambassador at Constantinople, intending to travel through the greater part of Asia Minor; but his illness returned while at Sidon, where he was again confined for a considerable time. As soon as his health permitted, he visited Balbec and Palmyra, and made sketches of most of the principal ruins. - Balugani shared the labour with him they divided the ruins of Palmyra into six angular views, bringing into the fore-ground of each a principal edifice or groupe of columns. These drawings, and those of Balbec were afterwards presented to the king.-In the end of October Bruce returned to Tripoli from whence he proceeded to Antioch and Aleppo, where his ague again returned. The care of Dr. Russel and the kind attentions of Mr. Belville, a French merchant, contributed in no slight degree to his recovery. During his residence at Aleppo he studied the practical part of medicine under Dr. Russel, conceiving, justly, that no knowledge could be useless to him in his intercourse with uncivilized tions. In March, 1768, he left Aleppo, and in his way to Tripoli was nearly drowned in passing the na |