Cook's first and principab object being to obferve the Tranfit of Venus at Otaheite, [which was to happen on the 6th of June following) he was juftified in not spending time upon ano ther object before he got thither.'

Om the 12th of April our voyagers arrived at the island of Otaheite; where the way had before been paved for their peace, able, or rather friendly reception, by Captain Wallis. Terror, however, excited doubtless by the astonishing effects of our fire-arms, feems to have been the predominant paffion in the breafts of thefe iflanders, on the arrival of our adventurers among them. On the first appearance of the fhip, many ca. noes from the fhore came off to them, each bringing green branches of a tree, as fymbols of peace, which they handed up to the hip's fide; expreffing at the fame time, with the greatest earnestness, by figns, their defire that they fhould be placed among the rigging, and in the moft confpicuous parts of the veffel. And when our voyagers firft went on fhore, they were received from the boat by fome hundreds of the inhabitants, who welcomed them with their looks, but were at the fame time ftruck with fuch awe, that the firft who approached them crouched fo low, that he almost crept upon his hands and knees.#

It might be expected that after a refidence of three months in this island, our voyagers might be qualified to give a fatif factory account of its natural productions, arts, government, and of the manners and cuftoms of its inhabitants. Accordingly the curiofity of the Reader is pretty largely gratified with refpect to all these particulars; both incidentally, in the courfe of the journal of each day's tranfactions; and afterwards more directly and profeffedly, in feveral chapters appropriated to that purpose. But à ftay of three months was too short, and their acquaintance with the language too limited, to enable them to acquire an intimate knowledge of the moral, religious, and political hiftory of these men of nature, fo widely fevered from the reft of the world, in the bofom of the Pacific Ocean; and whofe knowledge of, and communication with, the other parts of it, appear to have been, from time immemorial, circumfcribed within the narrow bounds of the few iflands that furround them :-circumftances which render the opinions and police of thefe people interefting objects of enquiry, to thofe philofophers who take pleasure in inveftigating the, nature, of man, as a moral and focial animal, and in fpeculating on the origin and progrefs of civil fociety and govern

ment.

To the caufes ahove-mentioned the Reader will doubtless attribute the obfcurities that occur in many parts of this journal, in which he is left totally in the dark with regard to the REV. Dec. 1773.

I i

rationale

we would wish to be generally attended to by the writers of the prefent times; we mean all thofe who are worth an admonition.

We are come into the world rather late in the day; and though our predeceffors have not greatly advanced before us in any branches of real knowledge, they have yet written largely on almost every fubject, and by that means have fixed the character and appropriated the phrafes and idioms of our language. We now glean only what they have left, and adjust their irregularities, instead of taking up the whole bufinels de nove, and after duly confidering their mistakes, executing it altogether in a fuperior manner. Hence it is that a young writer is apt to fall into the affectations and puerilities of the present times; where the object feems to be nothing more than to fay a common thing in an uncommon manner and because our predeceffors have fuccefsfully addrefled the heart, we, that we may not appear to imitate them, addrefs ourselves to the fancy.

We would not by any means have it understood that Mifs Aikin has afforded the occafion for this charge. She is as little guilty as almoft any of our prefent writers; but we are all giv-. ing into points and pretty turns, and, our language, while it increafes in its brilliancy and correctness, is lofing its pathos and force.

Moft of Mifs Aikin's introductions are in this manner t where the rustling of the falling leaves, the dashing of the waters, and the hum of the diftant city, &c.' Thele triads, when they do not too frequently occur, may be fuccessfully introduced; but they fhould be introduced like the fteps of a minuet, which are difficult to distinguish from the common walk of a perfon, who moves with natural ease and grace. Her defcription of the ftream of Infignificance, is given in language! more fuitable to that of a furzy heath, where the Reader might very well be embarralled by a cluster of words, and a difficulty of conftruction. Even one of her happiest paffages wants fim.. plicity; Happy, faid I, are they who are permitted to afcend the mountain but while I was pronouncing this exclamation with uncommon ardor, I faw ftanding befide me a form of di viner features and a more benign radiance. Happier, faid fhe, are those whom virtue conducts to the manfions of content Nothing can be more charming than this method of introducing Virtue, or more just than the fentiments fhe utters. But she talks too much, and too big, about conducting to manfions, and illuminating the mountain; expreffions which modeft Virtue hardly understands. I am found, faid the, in the vale, and I illu minate the mountain. I cheer the cottager at his toil, and infpire the fage at his meditation. I mingle in the croud of cities, and blefs the hermit in his cell. I have a temple in every heart, that owns my influence, and to him that withes for:

me

me I am already present. Science may raise you to eminence, but I alone can guide you to felicity:

The two next pieces are bagatelles; one on Romances, in imitation, we fuppofe, of the style of Dr. Johnfon; the other is a tale, in imitation of Offian. We know not why they are inferted; for they afford very little entertainment or inftruc tion.

The effay entitled, Againft inconfiftency in our expec tations,' is one of the best and most useful pieces of moral composition which we have lately feen. Our charming monitress opens her whole intention in the following admirable manner; As most of the unhappiness in the world arifes rather from difappointed defires than from pofitive evil, it is of the utmost confequence to attain just notions of the laws and order of the univerfe, that we may not vex ourselves with fruitless wishes, or give way to groundless and unreasonable difcontent. The laws of natural philosophy, indeed, are tolerably understood and attended to; and though we may fuffer inconveniences, we are feldom difappointed in confequence of them. No man expects to preserve oranges through an English winter; or, when he has planted an acorn, to fee it become a large oak in a few months. The mind of man naturally yields to neceffity; and our wishes foon fubfide, when we fee the impoffibility of their being gratified. Now, upon an accurate infpection, we shall find in the moral government of the world, and the order of the intellectual fyftem, laws as determinate, fixed, and invari able, as any in Newton's Principia, The progrefs of vegeta, tion is not more certain than the growth of habit; nor is the power of attraction more clearly proved, than the force of af fection or the influence of example. The man therefore, who, has well studied the operations of nature in mind as well as matter, will acquire a certain moderation and equity in his claims upon providence. He never will be difappointed either in himself or others. He will act with precision, and expect that effect, and that alone, from his efforts which they are na-turally adapted to produce. For want of this, men of merit and integrity often cenfure the difpofitions of providence for fuffering characters they despise to run away with advantages which, they yet know, are purchased by fuch means as a high and noble spirit could never submit to. If you refuse to pay the price, why expect the purchase? We should confider this world as a great mart of commerce, where fortune exposes to our view various commodities, riches, eafe, tranquillity, fame, integrity, knowledge. Every thing is marked at a fettled price. Our time, our labour, our ingenuity, is so much ready money, which we are to lay out to the best advantage Examine, compare, chule, reject; but stand to your own judgment; and do not,

like children, when you have purchafed one thing, repine that you do not poffefs another which you did not purchase." Thefe general obfervations are, with great eloquence and judgment, applied to the defire of riches, of knowledge, &c. and we can recommend the perufal of this Effay to all our, Readers who are, in any measure, a prey to difcontent,

The Canal and the Brook, a reverie, is written, we fuppofe, by Mr. Aikin; who is not fo lively and bold in his movements as his fifter. This little piece, however, is executed with tafte, and will give pleasure to those who have seen the improvements made in the Northern and other parts of the kingdom, by navigable canals.

The next piece, on Monaftic Inftitutions, is written in the true fpirit of philofophic benevolence. Ye are fallen, faid 1, ye dark and gloomy manfions of miftaken zeal, where the proud prieft and lazy monk, fattened upon the riches of the land, and crept like vermin from their cells, to fpread their poisonous doctrines through the nation, and difturb the peace of kings.Such were, for a while, my meditations; but it is cruel to infult a fallen enemy; and I gradually fell into a different train of thought. I began to confider whether fomething might not.. be offered in favour of thefe inftitutions during the barbarous ages in which they flourished; and though they have been productive of much mischief and fuperftition, whether they might not have fpread the glimmering of a feeble ray of knowledge through that thick night which once involved the weftern hemifphere.'

This thought does great honour to the mind of the fair Writer, and the purfues it as far as it will very well go. She points out the advantages flowing from thefe inftitutions; their having preferved the remains of ancient learning; given education (fuch as it was) to youth; cultivated the arts, in fome degree; and furnished an afylum for the peaceable and unfortutunate. The whole of this piece will give pleasure to those of our Readers who are not too much affrighted at the word papist, We come next to the pleasure derived from the objects of Terror; with Sir Bertrand, a fragment. The difquifition is fenfible, but is not a mafter-piece of writing; and the fragment, though a wonderful tale, lofes its effect; because the Author, like fome injudicious ftory-tellers, informs us, beforehand, of the good things we are to hear.

Mr. A.'s ellay to revive a regard to the heroic poem of Gondibert, is very commendable; but we fear he will not be fuccessful, for the very reasons which he affigns, himself, viz. * Sir W. D'Avenant's fentiments are frequently far-fetched and affected, and his expreffions quaint and obfcure; and thefe faults, together with the want of harmony in verfification, will fuffi

ciently

ciently account for the neglect into which the work is fallen, though interefting in its ftory, and thick- fown with beauties."

The laft piece is an enquiry into thofe kinds of diftrefs which excite agreeable fenfations. It contains feveral ingenious thoughts, which if not wholly new, are yet placed by the fair Writer in a striking light. We do not, however, fo much admire her in a difquifition of this kind, as in a poetic tale or a vilion. Indeed we must admit her general principle, and we think that he has the advantage of Lord Kaims and others; but there are readers who, perhaps, may difpute feveral of her fecondary pofitions. She fays, that poverty, if truly reprefented, trikes our nicer feelings;' yet it may be contended, that rags and dirt, and a fqualid appearance, never offend the genuine feelings of nature; and they heighten our compaffion, when they are not confidered as the effects of vice. What the fays of novels and romances, may be very useful to the younger part of her fex, who are enervating both their bodies and minds by ftudying them. Her general pofition, however, that fen-. fibility does not increafe with exercife,' may admit of doubt. Senfibility, like all other difpofitions, feems, to us, to increase with proper exercife; but we believe it is wafted and loft, in the common method of reading novels. Perhaps this point remains yet to be adjufted by fome perfon who looks further into the human mind than even Mifs Aikin: but we dare fay he will not be able to tell fuch a Tale as the following: which the Reader may take as an epitome of this ingenious effay.

A TALE.

In the happy period of the golden age, when all the celeftial inhabitants defcended on the earth, and converfed familiarly with mortals, among the most cherished of the heavenly powers were twins, the offspring of Jupiter, Love and Joy. Whereever they appeared, the flowers fprung up beneath their feet, the fun fhone with a brighter radiance, and all nature feemed embellished by their prefence. They were infeparable companions, and their growing attachment was favoured by Jupiter, who had decreed that a lafting union fhould be folemnized between them fo foon as they were arrived at maturer years. But in the mean time, the fons of men deviated from their native innocence; vice and ruin over-ran the earth with giant ftrides; and Aftrea, with her train of celeftial vifitants, forfook their polluted abode. Love alone remained, having been ftolen away

See this point phyfically confidered, in the Appendix to our last volume, p. 547...

This fo Joon we apprehend to be a Scotticifm; and we are at a lofs to imagine how it came to be tranfplanted into the foil of Lancafhire,

by