not consider it as a matter of trifling moment, that they are thus inci- dentally supported by one, whose heart was the living picture of that poorness of spirit, to which is promised the blessing of the kingdom of heaven; and whose mind was of a capacity to trace the operations of law, emanating from the bosom of the Creator, and diffusing harmony throughout his works.'-pp. 491--494.

It is no uncommon mistake to imagine, that the persons whose opinions dissent from our own, on certain known points, believe and teach every thing except what we ourselves teach and believe. To this notion, which is more universal than either its justice or charity render desirable, Mr. Mant, unintentionally no doubt, gives some countenance; by an occasional want of selection in the author whom he confutes, and a want of discrimination in his application of their peculiar tenets. But we must have done.

The remarks with which Mr. Mant winds up his last discourse, are, however, too excellent and too important to be withheld from our readers.

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First, considering the activity of our enemies, and the propensity, which they diligently foster, to disparage the clerical character, we should be stimulated more than ever, to take heed to ourselves' by a diligent discharge of the duties of our profession, and by a strict attention to our personal conduct. Of our parishioners, and of mankind in general, the great bulk are not capable of deciding on controverted topics, but they are all able to judge of external conduct. By careful attention to their interests, both temporal and spiritual, we may attach them to our persons; and thus, by natural consequence, to our ministry and it will be no difficult conclusion for thein to draw, that inasmuch as we labour to "do the will of God, we know of the doctrine, whether it is of God."

Secondly, The same consideration should operate on us as an additional caution, to "take heed to the doctrine;" to preach the Gospel of Christ in its original purity and simplicity. Truth lies between the several extremes of Antinomian licentiousness, and mere morality; of irresistible grace, and unassisted free-will. This is the path, in which we should endeavour to walk; ever remembering, that the right method of confuting erroneous opinions is not by maintaining the opposite errors, but by setting forth, and contending for, the true evangelical faith. Conduct, such as this, is best adapted, under the favour of a bountiful Providence, to establish our friends, and to defeat our enemies. They, who accuse us with an honest conscience and a meek and Christian spirit, may thereby be induced to withdraw their opposition, at least to be temperate in urging it; to forbear from being active adversaries, if they cannot be prevailed on to become cordial friends. Whilst, as to others, provided we afford them no just occasion of offence, the responsibility of the divisions and heart-burnings, which they promote, will fall upon their own heads. "Wo unto him," saith our Lord, “by whom the offence cometh!" God forbid, my brethren, that it should come by us!

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us! Within these hallowed walls, on the very spot where we are now assembled, the Fathers of our Reformed Church resisted the power and malice of their persecutors, and bore resolute testimony to "the truth, as it is in Jesus." Within the precincts of our University, they sealed that testimony by their blood. Men indeed they were, not exempt from the weakness and imperfections of their nature: but they were men, second to none, whom Almighty God ever sent in his mercy to bless a favoured land, either in natural ability; or in acquired learning; or in the Christian graces of humility and meekness; or in the patience, wherewith they investigated the truth; or in the fortitude, with which they defended it, through disgrace and tribulation; during temptation and persecution; amid imprisonment, in the flames, and unto death. May God Almighty give us grace to serve him faithfully, as they did; to tread steadfastly in their footsteps; and to" bear up the pillars" of that Church, of which they laid the foundation.'

In this prayer we are persuaded that a large majority of those would heartily concur, who yet may not agree with Mr. Mant in all his points of doctrine. Notwithstanding the eye of suspicion with which they are commonly viewed, we believe them to be cordially attached to the establishment; not only because their own interests are inseparably connected and interwoven with it, but because they devoutly consider it as the best and purest part of that true and catholic Church, which it is their duty to enlarge and their pride to defend. They value, and most justly value it, as having preserved this kingdom, under God, by the persons whom it has nourished and instructed, comparatively free from the religious and moral corruptions which deform the features of too many European nations: they venerate, and justly venerate it, as the shield which has turned aside the shafts of infidelity, and repelled the assaults of avowed opposition: and we rely confidently on their assistance, if occasion should unhappily call for it, in defending this safeguard of our national security from the hands of the enemy,

ART. VI. Travels in Southern Africa in the Years 1803—1806. By Henry Lichtenstein, Doctor in Medicine and Philosophy, and Professor of Natural History in the University of Berlin; Member of several learned Societies, &c. &c. Translated from the original German, by Anne Plumptre. London. 1812.

IT was said long ago by Aristotle, that Africa was always producing something new.' We may still say the same; for if it yields no other novelty, it is at least abundantly productive of new books. A barren nook of the southern extremity of this huge con

tinent has furnished even our humble collection with near forty volumes, twelve of which are goodly quartos; and we verily believe that, without taking into account a number of Dutch folios, dick as all dis cheese,' we could enumerate as many more. Yet the laborious countryman of the indefatigable Grævius, in addition to the ponderous quarto now before us, threatens to increase the heap by three more volumes of the same size and on the same subject, which he thinks it necessary to mention for the benefit of those who may purchase this first volume.' (Pref.) Nay a fifth, being the account of our sea voyage,' is advertised in a note (p. 3,) with a hope that it will be useful to future voyagers:'-useful, we suppose, to instruct them how to effect a Dutch passage from the Texel to the Cape of Good Hope in five months, which other navigators generally make in two.

The present volume is a probationary one, and Mr. Lichtenstein has therefore, wisely enough, put forth his whole strength upon it: he has not only laid under heavy contributions Kolben and Vaillant, Sparrman and Barrow, the last of whom serves as his general text-book, but he has enlisted into his service the journal of the Governor-General Jansens, the digested observations of Mr. Commissary-General De Mist, Alberti's account of the Kaffers, recently published in Holland, and the information gleaned from the missionary Van der Kemp, who resided some time among these people. Yet with all this host of auxiliaries, Mr. Lichtenstein has contrived to make just as dull and uninteresting a volume as we have yet been doomed to wade through. The southern ex

tremity of Africa is, in one respect, but a barren subject for 'a member of several learned societies;' it exhibits no traces of a cultivated race of men; no remains of ancient monuments; not a vestige of the arts of civilized life. In wild and uncultivated nature it is, however, abundantly rich; and here it affords endless opportunities, and an infinite variety of subjects, to exercise the talents of a doctor of physic and philosophy,' and to employ the zeal of a professor of natural history in the University of Berlin,' both for the instruction and amusement of those who are doomed to stay at homė.

Mr. Lichtenstein, we think, has completely failed to effect either the one or the other. If it were not for a box of Halle's medicines,' which he purchased at the Cape, and a glass of pulvis antispasmodicus' which he gave to a woman in hysterics, with an assurance that the boors are mighty fond of essentia dulcis,' by which, we suppose, is meant either treacle or sugarcandy, we could not possibly have discovered that he had taken out a medical diploma. We beg pardon-he has made at least one discovery in pathology, which must be exceedingly consoling to dram-drinkers ;

this is, that the stone in the bladder, which is a common complaint among the Dutch boors, is to be ascribed solely to the want of spirituous liquors! We are the more desirous of bringing forward this important discovery, as his fair translator, in admitting the novelty, seems inclined to doubt the reasonableness of the cause assigned.' (p. 88.) Be this as it may, the physician of the commissary-general' tells us, with much complacency, how he drew after him the Dutch farmers, as if he were able to perform like miracles with those recorded by the Evangelists.'

Of his philosophical acquirements, moral, physical or experimental, the book affords but little elucidation; and we almost regret, though at the expense of a sixth quarto, that he did not, as he had once intended, furnish us with a sketch of his history,' that the reader' might be acquainted with his modes of thinking.' A note, however, of three lines has given us some incidental information on this point. Colonel Gordon, who signed the capitulation for the surrender of the Cape, was a professed adherent of the Orange party. A few days after, this otherwise upright man, made a public confession of his error to the world by destroying himself.' Here is more philosophy' than an ordinary reader may at the first glance perceive. Colonel Gordon was governor of the Cape, a mau of universal Lenevolence, extensive charity, and remarkable for his attention and hospitality to strangers. The capitulation, which, as governor, he was called upon to sign, was more favourable to the vanquished than could have been hoped for in the distracted state of the colony, with so large a force before it; it secured to the inhabitants their laws, their religion, their property, and, what it ought not to have done, it guaranteed the paper currency with which their friends the French had inundated them. Yet, because Colonel Gordon was a faithful subject of the sovereign to whom he had sworn allegiance, he was guilty of a crime, it seems, which could be expiated only by self-destruction!

Though Mr. Lichtenstein assures us, we know not why, that he never had any temptation' to swerve from his undeviating adherence to truth,' (p. 3,) he has often been tempted to set down' things which betray rather too much credulity for a doctor in philosophy.' Thus he meets with a Malay slave of 120 years of age, with another of 107, and a third above 100. (p. 168.) He is assured by experienced hunters, and he believes them, that in the forests of Sitsikamma there are elephants eighteen feet high, which run in troops of 500! He sees a vagabond colonist seven feet high, the living figure of a Hercules, the terror of his enemies, the hope and support of his friends.' This favourite of Mr. Lichtenstein, who had been outlawed by the Dutch, was one of the 'warmest patriots, and opposers of the Orange principles,' (p. 210,)

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and he hated the English to the doctor's heart's desire. He believes too, that the English spent sixteen millions sterling on the Cape, yet left it in a ruinous condition! (p. 42) and he was present when a hunting party brought home the flesh of seventeen elands, from seven to eight hundred pounds a piece,' (about thirteen thou sand pounds,) in a single waggon! (p. 97,) &c.

We apprehend that Doctor Lichtenstein was made' Professor of Natural History in the University of Berlin,' in consequence of a box of insects presented to that learned body; for we find nothing in his book which indicates the slightest knowledge of the science. He sometimes, indeed, talks of birds and butterflies, but whenever he ventures upon a name, he is almost sure to blunder. The common sea-gull, "(larus canus,) which he saw in the inland arm of Saldanha bay, he misnames the diomedea exulans, the great albatross, at least five times the size of the sea-gull, and met with only on the wide ocean. (p. 45.) He makes the klipspringer, the greisbek and the duiker, three distinct species of the antelope, to be one and the same animal, (p. 72,) and the little antelope (pygmæa) he confounds with the orebi. He saw also, what no human being besides ever saw, the cervus elephus or red-deer, close to Swellendam. (p. 165.) Now it happens, that, as neither of the Americas furnishes a single species of the antelope tribe, none of the stag kind has yet been discovered in the south parts of Africa, and it is even doubtful whether this whole continent ever produced a single species. The little spotted hog-deer is a native of Java, Sumatra, and the oriental islands, and not of the Cape, as some have erroneously supposed. In no department of natural history has Mr. Lichtenstein brought forward a new object; nor can we discover any of that important information' of which, he tells us, (Pref. 5,) he obtained in his first journey no inconsiderable stock. Indeed, had Mr. Lichtenstein been gifted to the extent implied by his many titles, he was so overlaid with the train of followers,' and the baggage which the rank and dignity of Mr. Commissary-General de Mist' was supposed to demand, as to be utterly incapacitated from exploring the country. This expedition de parade consisted of de Mist and his son, a lieutenant, an ensign, and a corporal, with seven dragoons, a serjeant, twelve hottentots and four slaves, a surgeon, (besides the doctor,) a clerk, a steward of the household, two gentlemen of the bedchamber, a French-horn-player, and a courier; and, to crown the whole, Miss Augusta de Mist, the commissary's daughter, a young lady of nineteen, in whom was a singular union of feminine softness and tenderness of heart;' she was accompanied by another young lady of the Cape, and two female servants. It was not very discreet, we

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think,