"when he used to say, to-day Brandy speak, to-morrow King "speak." He never, even in that state, departed from the utmost kindness and politeness when visiting the huts either of the gentlemen or the ladies, nor ever occasioned any alarm or uneasiness to the latter.

When at last Mr. Dale returned with a vessel, the king embraced him with tears of joy, and, says Mr. Dale, "seeing me "regarding the sickly and emaciated objects of our own people "who stood round us, and thinking that I was attributing the "cause to him, he assured me that it was not the King of Baba "who made the Englishmen die, but God, that he had sup"ported them with bullocks, rice, &c. to make them live; but, 66 says he," If God do this thing, who can help." He likewise delayed an annual visit to another part of his dominions, because his English guests were not able to accompany him, and he was aware that, were he to leave them, they would be ill-treated.

We have not room to notice more at length the narrative of the occurrences at Madagascar during the tedious expectation of relief for so long a period, but shall, as far as our limits permit, give some sketch of the perilous expedition under the charge of Mr. Dale, which he accomplished with an enterprise, a fortitude, a readiness of resource, and perseverance, that reflect the highest honour on his character, and peculiarly fit him for the rank which we are happy to learn he has now attained in the service.

In September 1792, Mr. Dale and the persons mentioned, set sail. "Our sensations," he says in his narrative," the "first night after being launched into the open ocean in so "small a boat, may be somewhat imagined, yet I never saw "men in better spirits." The importance of the object of their expedition kept up their exertions; the wind was favourable for two days, but afterwards shifted to N. N. E. and never again became fair. After two days they found their salt provisions rotten, and the water diminished to an allowance of half a pint to each per day, in consequence of the calabashes in which it had been stowed being broken by the motion of the boat. In this situation they made the opposite coast of Africa, in about 21° south, the currents having set them to the westward; and it being deemed impossible to reach Madagascar, then above 500 miles off, they resolved to run for a Portuguese settlement, named Sofala, their only guide to which was a small geographical grammar that belonged to one of the soldiers who had been saved from the wreck, and which Mr. Dale obtained from him, the single book of charts which was preserved not having in it the Mozambique channel. It was owing to this ignorance of the

coast that they stood for Sofala, when they were no more than 20 miles from Killeman, which port maintained a constant intercourse with Mozambique; and the very place which in consequence of their circuitous course by water and land, they did not reach till the 22d January following, an interval of 4 months. The necessary fatigue of rowing, and a feverish attack, debilitated Mr. Dale so much, that for three days before reaching the land, he lay in the bottom of the boat unable to rise. After they determined to sail for Sofala, Mr. Dale, remarks, "The wind, after our bearing up, freshened extremely, and caused a high-following sea, so that we were obliged to keep right before it. It was really frightful to see our poor little boat sometimes down in the hollow of the sea, and then again mounted aloft on the top of a wave. We owed our safety to the dexterity of one of the seamen, who had been brought up as a fisherman on the north coast of England; by his excellent steerage no accident happened. The afternoon of the 25th, we entered the mouth of a river, and as it got dark, we saw very large fires, seemingly at no great distance, and kept running for them till about midnight, when our boat grounded, and soon after was left dry." P. 170.

Ignorant of their position they passed an unpleasant night, but when the tide flowed they got off, and saw some canoes, the persons in which shewed them much kindness. It was now found that they were still 20 miles from Sofala; but, after sailing up another river, they dispatched a person with a written memorandum to the governor, who returned a friendly answer, with a supply of refreshments that were peculiarly acceptable. On the 29th September they landed at that place, were received in the kindest manner, and supplied with clean clothes,-a great luxury, as they had worn their shirts six or seven weeks, and were almost eat up with vermin. Mr. de Souza, who spoke Portuguese, explained their situation, but had some difficulty of convincing the governor of their veracity. They were informed that there was but one annual vessel, which would not return till June; that during the north-east monsoon it would be impossible to sail to Mozambique, but the Governor offered them guides to go by an inland route to Senna, from which they might reach that place.

The only vessel of any description at Sofala was one about the size of an Indiaman's long boat, which they bargained for; and having rigged it as well as they could, in the actual absence of every thing usually employed for the purpose, they set sail with the view of reaching Delagoa Bay, where they expected to meet some South Sea whalers, and prevail on one of them to take their friends to the Cape of Good Hope. The vessel, however, proving too frail for such a voyage, they returned to Sofala with imminent hazard; and had no other expedient than to make a

journey overland to Senna, a Portuguese settlement also connected with Mozambique. This perilous expedition they accomplished with immense fatigue and great danger; they had often to traverse woods and wastes full of wild beasts of the most ravenous description, and, even with the assistance of guides, were frequently bewildered.

When it is considered that they performed a journey of 300 miles, in the circumstances of debility in which they undertook it, we may have some idea of the state of exhaustion in which they were on ariving at Senna. Here they met with every attention from the governor; but notwithstanding all that medical skill and humane treatment could effect, Mr. Wilton, the fourth mate, and two of the seamen, died. Mr. Dale and his remaining companions sailed down the river to Killeman, a distance of 200 miles, from whence they obtained a passage to Mozambique. Here they freighted a vessel, in which they proceeded to St. Augustine's Bay, and arrived there after a period of nearly seven months from the time they left it in the yawl. Their surviving friends lost no time in embarking for Mozambique. There they were detained for two months more, before a vessel could be procured and equipped for India, during which time nearly thirty of their number died; among these was an interesting young lady, whose brother, a handsome young man, destined for the Madras army, had expired a short time before-a shock she never recovered.

After every difficulty seemed at length surmounted, and they were successfully prosecuting their voyage to India, they were hailed by a strange vessel, which, after firing a shot across them, shewed French colours, and proved to be a privateer from the Isle of France, where intelligence had just been received of the commencement of the war. After shifting some of the prisoners, the commander of the privateer put a prize-master on board the vessel, and sent it to the Isle of France. "I cannot adequately "describe," says the author, "the feelings of disappointment we "experienced when sentence was pronounced, and our retro"grade movement commenced. We had got so near to India "that we felt almost as if there, and were forming our various "schemes of life, with the certainty of early accomplishment; "but we were now wheeled back, we scarcely knew where, and "for a time we knew not how long."

The passage to the Isle of France was tedious and distressing, from want of provisions, as well as other circumstances; but when arrived there, the treatment they experienced was more liberal than they expected; the persons constituting the Jacobin club of the place retaining some thing of the feelings of gentle

men of the old regime, and being not yet quite degraded to the ruffian violence of their prototypes at Paris. It was, however, the 4th of December before they got away in an American vessel; and on 16th January, 1794, they landed at Madras, reduced to one-third of their number, after being nearly twentyone months from England, and having undergone a variety of sufferings hardly equalled in the history of any similar disaster.

In wishing to preserve the continuity of the narrative, we have not adverted to the account which the author gives of the island of Madagascar, from the best authorities on the subject, illustrated by the circumstances that fell under his own observation during his residence there. The island, it will be recollected, was discovered in 1506, since which period it has been occasionally visited; and at different times settlements have been made upon it by European nations, particularly the French. Like, however, many of those foreign and distant islands, it has known little of European intercourse but in the form of violence and rapine. About a century ago, it was the resort of pirates of all nations; and the traffic in slaves from the island was long carried on extensively, to the inconceivable distress and suffering of the natives. This misery the author had an opportunity of seeing at Mozambique and Isle of France, where they were currently sold.

From the space already occupied by this article, we regret that we have not room for a more detailed account of this part of the work, but must refer to the volume itself for the interesting remarks on the subject, which are chiefly comprized under Population and Property, Language, Religion, Climate, Productions, Animal and Vegetable, and Character, Habits, and Mode of Life. There is one point, however, to which we shall allude, namely, the moral and intellectual state of the inhabitants. The author expresses his anxiety that, to this people, who are on the whole an interesting race, should be extended, as speedily as possible," the benefits of knowledge, and the blessings of religion." He adverts to the attempt made from the Isle of France, on the east coast, in the end of 1818, where, in a very short time, the whole missionaries and their families, except one person, died; and recommends, we think very judiciously, that the missionaries intended for that field should be seasoned by residence at the Cape, and stationed on the healthiest spots in the island, with an attentive eye to the alterations of the season, so as to shun the most unhealthy periods. The missionaries alluded to, had commenced, and carried on successfully, a school on the British Education plan, when the only survivor was obliged to leave the island to recruit his health. It gives us pleasure,

however, to learn, from very recent accounts, that the mission was immediately to be resumed, an object towards the promotion of which the author appropriates any profits that may arise from this work. As a proof of the anxiety for learning excited among the natives by the former missionary attempt, we observe, in the Report of the last meeting of the British Education Society, that two princes from Madagascar have been at Paris, in order to learn the system of Mutual Instruction, with the view of introducing it on their return. We agree with the author, that it is certainly a matter of just reproach to Europe, that so little has been done for civilizing Madagascar, and other places which have been long known to our navigators; but we trust that this reproach will speedily be removed, and that the disgusting and immoral superstition which prevails, will give place to the pure morality and spiritual worship of Christianity, combined with its natural effect, intellectual improvement and a knowledge of the useful arts.

We now take leave of this work, which has afforded us much information in the facts it contains, and much useful suggestion in the moral and religious remarks which are interspersed through it. The author has disarmed criticism, by the manner in which he disclaims, in the Preface, any thing of literary pretensions; but though the narrative is evidently written "currente cala"mo," and exhibits, accordingly, several instances of occasional carelessness in the composition, it is plainly the work of a person who unites a sacred regard for the truths of revelation, and a just appreciation of their importance to society-with the qualifications and endowments of a scholar and a gentleman.

ART. VII. An History of Muhammedanism; comprising the Life and Character of the Arabian Prophet, and succinct accounts of the Empires founded by the Muhammedan Arms; an Inquiry into the Theology, Morality, Laws, Literature, and Usages of the Muselmans, and a view of the Present State and Extent of the Muhammedan Religion. By CHARLES MILLS. The Second edition, revised and augmented. London, Black and Kingsbury. Pp. 505. 8vo.

IF religions always continue longer than governments, according to Voltaire, it is not because religious systems are always calculated to resist the sudden changes of political revolutions,

silent changes of time. In a certain degree, they are ca