colour; but more remarkable for its tail, which is adorned with long hairs, and expanded into a pyriform plume. There is among the colonists much talk of a kind of unicorn in fome of the interior parts of Africa; but they know nothing of its form nor of the place where it is to be found; nor do they afford any authority or ground for the truth of this report. The Imbo, a nation reading N E. from Caffre-land, and feparated from the fea by the Malaund, confirm, however, this. They fay, that there is behind their country a very favage animal, of which they are much afraid, as it fometimes overthrows their kraals, and deftroys their houfes. It has a fingle horn placed in its forehead, which is very long it is diftinct from the rhinoceros, with which they are alfo well acquainted. We fhall find there is not much dependence to be placed in the report of favages, who are entirely credulous and vifionary.

You defire to be informed how I pafs my time. From my journal you will fee that it is almost wholly employed in inftructing my pupils, twice a day, whofe number for the present is twenty, and which feldom has been below ten. They are all inftructed in the principles of Chriftianity: thirteen are taught fpelling and reading; three writing; and one arithmetic. In the evening I have family-worship, in which I read a chapter out of the Bible, making occafional remarks upon it; after which we pray, and then conclude, by finging hymns. In this meeting only five Heathen-women attend, all whom I have baptized. Wednesday and Saturday I keep no reading-fchool in the afternoon; but in place of it, four catechifing-meetings, divided according to the age and capacity of my difciples. Sundays I preach only once to the Heathen; and of late once to the English deferters.

IT is obvious that few literary productions are, on the whole, better calculated to combine instruction with entertainment than books of travels; and that the delineation of human character, however modified by external impreffions, will always excite a warm intereft. Hiftory exhibits to us the grand drama which has been performed on the face of the globe: but fhe scarcely ever unfolds the fecret fprings of thofe great events of which it is compofed; and the details of ambition, war, and mifery, form a picture which is fickening and monotonous. If biography were written with tafte and judgment, if the materials were felected with care, and if the indifcriminate profufion of eulogy were ferupulously avoided, it might be deemed more engaging and more useful. The lively varied narrative of the accomplished traveller, however, poffeffes pe

culiar advantages. He takes a wide range; he views men in very different fituations; he paints their characters, their manners, and their arts; he traces the operation of local caufes, defcribes the nature of the climate and the quality of the foil, and portrays the influence of their political condition all which he enlivens by judicioufly interweaving the recital of his perfonal adventures. Distance of time and diftance of place, though kindred relations, make fimilar impreffions on the mind. The former prefents to us an invincible barrier, but we feel the poffibility of paffing the wideft interval of space. It cofts the imagination an effort to remount to the obfcurity of remote ages; yet, with the utmoft facility, we tranfport ourselves in idea to the extreme regions of the globe. We accompany the author in his route, we are interested in his fuccefs, and

we

we fympathize with the dangers and difficulties which he encounters.

The work whieh now calls for our attention may be confidered as a valuable acceffion to our stock of travels; fince it poffeffes merit decidedly fuperior to that of the ordinary clafs of fuch compofitions. Mr Acerbi has chofen a field little inviting and rarely vifited; and, though a native of Italy, he has ventured to explore the receffes of the Arctic Circle. Prompted by an ardent curiofity, he extended his journeys beyond the limits of the habitable world, and undauntingly traverfes thofe gloomy fterile folitudes which are scarcely trodden by human feet, till his courfe was arrested on the fhores of the Frozen Ocean:-as the motto in his title page proclaims,

Siftimus hic tandem, nobis ubi defuit orbis.

Though Nature, however, is there divested of her most attractive charms, fhe takes a bolder outline, and affumes thofe features of favage grandeur which infpire emotions of the fublime. The general impreflion is alfo wonderfully heightened by the fingular character of the climate. During the fummer months, the fun never fets; the unremitting action of his rays at length collects a heat which is almoft infupportable; and in vain the hapless ftranger invokes the bleflings of night and repofe; for even then he is annoyed by all the evils that infeft the more humid regions of the tropics-while in winter, the most oppofite characterifties difplay themselves with equal energy. In order to travel with pleafure or profit, a rare concurrence of qualifications is required; activity, zeal, addrefs, temper, and perfeverance. With all thele, Mr Acerbi appears to be gifted in an eminent degree. Eager in the purfuit of knowledge, he patiently gleans information in every quarter: not deterred either by difficulty or the prospect of danger, he continually preffes forwards with indefatigable refolution: apparently poffeffing thofe manners and accomplishments which gain efteem, he always finds eafy accefs, and experiences a kind reception in the hofpitable North; and he mixes freely with the natives, enters into their views, and partakes of their fports and amufements. From the polished Swede, he VOL. LXV.

paffes to the fimple Finlander, and thence to the rude and unfeeling inhabitant of Lapland.

A foreigner, however well acquainted with our language, cannot be fuppofed to write it with the purity which hould qualify it for the public eye: but Mr Acerbi feems to have found an able affiftant. The ftyle of the work is clear and vigorous; and if it often bears marks of hafte and carelessnefs, it rifes at times to the character of elegance. Occafionally, the phrafeology borders indeed on the coarse and colloquial; but it is genuine English compofition, and very seldom betrays any traces of a French or Italian original. The part which treats of Sweden was drawn up, the author informs us, for the entertainment of a fmall circle of his friends. It contains fome particulars too bold, perhaps, for pub. lication but he was loth to soften and change it, and rather chofe to facrifice his private feelings to what he conceived to be the intereft of truth. The portion of the volumes that relates to Finland and Lapland, which is the most copious, and will probably be deemed the most interefting, he was, by motives of delicacy, long reftrained from bringing forwards; because Colonel Skioldebrand, a Swedish othcer, who accompanied him in the ad. venturous journey to the North Cape, and who was an excellent draftsman, had announced a defign of publishing at Stockholm the picturefque fcenery of thofe countries, with defcriptions of the objects reprefented in the engravings: but, when Mr Acerbi obferved that his friend's work appeared only in numbers, and would not be completed for several years, and when he reflected, that, under fuch circumftances, his own publication, fo far from interfering with the other, might have fome effect in promoting its circulation abroad,-his fcruples were removed.

The author appears to have left his father's roof and his native land, when the fertile plains of Italy became a prey to the devastation of unrelenting war. Remote from fcenes of blood and outrage, he fought improvement in travel; refolving_not to return home till his country fhould again enjoy repofe, and to wait the flue of the late eventful conflict which has fubverted the political fynem of Eu.

rope.

After having refided fome time in Germany, Mr Acerbi viited Denmark, and thence, by the ordinary paffage of the Sound, entered Sweden. It was in the autumn of 1798, that he landed at the fmall town of Helfinborg: but the feafon was already too far advanced; and it was perhaps, in that northern climate, the most uncomfortable time in the whole year, fince the cold rains now prevailed, and the clear dry frofts of winter had not commenced. This circumftance appears to have produced an unfavourable impreffion on his mind. Natives, and even ftrangers, unanimoufly (and, we believe, with juftice,) praife the cheapnefs and expedition of travelling in Sweden: but Mr A. feels inclined to difpute the general opinion. He arrived, with his friend Mr Bellotti, whofe name is only once incidentally mentioned,) ill prepared for travelling in fuch a country. They had indeed brought with them a Wiener Wagen, or one of thefe carriages built at Vienna, which, though much esteemed in Germany, and fufficiently commodious, are yet of a heavy conftruction: but they had engaged neither fervant nor interpreter, nor any courier to dispatch for the purpofe of befpeaking horfes. Pofting in Sweden, we must remark, is performed by a fort of corvée, every peafant holding lands of the crown being obliged to furnith in his turn a certain proportion of horses; and at every ten or fifteen miles, a post-house occurs, where one or two horfes are commonly waiting the arrival of paffengers: but, if a greater number be wanted, it becomes expedient previously to acquaint the poftmafter, that he may have time to fummon the peafans who live difperfed at fome distance. Their horfes are fmall, but hardy and active; and the ordinary rate of travelling is about fix or seven miles in an hour. The roads are indeed admirable, and, with fome exceptions, fuperior even to thofe of England which excellence is owing partly to the nature of the country, partly to the judicious regulations that have been adopted. Sweden may be confidered as one continued field of granite, which affords a dry hard bottom; and plenty of the beft materials is every where found, to keep the roads in conftant repair. Rock is the predominant feature, but its naked

ness is in general covered with moss, or fhaded by pines; and the traveller contemplates (it may almost be faid,) one extreme foreft, broken with frequent lakes, and leaving only fome fmall fpots, where the fcanty foil is capable of cultivation. The furface is hilly, or rather craggy, but never mountainous. The roads are laid out with equal tafte and kill, and wind with gentle bendings through the woods, or along the fombre lakes. In a country fo thinly peopled as Sweden, where the forefts, the rocks, and the lakes, feem to difpute with man the occupation of the foil, we cannot expect frequent towns, nor even villages; and it is customary, therefore, in the most fequeftered parts, for the traveller to carry fome provifions with him. To balance this inconvenience, however, his expences are extremely moderate. The charge for each horse, three years ago, was only about one penny for the English mile.

In his journey to Gothenburg, Mr Acerbi found little worth noticing. The moft confpicuous place in the route is Warberg, a small village with a fortress, feated boldly on the edge of the fea. Gothenburg contains about fifteen thousand inhabitants, and is reckoned the fecond city in the kingdom. It enjoys a very large thare of trade. Its fituation is peculiarly romantic, on the fide of the river Gotha, at fome distance from its mouth, and encircled by an amphitheatre of towering and dreary rocks. In its' interior it refembles the towns of Holland, being interfected by canals, with rows of trees along their margin, regularly clipped in the Dutch fashion. The inhabitants of this place vie with thofe of the capital in every fpecies of luxury. They are hofpitable and friendly to ftrangers, and the ladies are celebrated for their amiable manners and elegant accomplishments.-A foundling hofpital has been erected at Gothenburg on a very liberal plan. Such inftitutions are no doubt prompted by the pureft motives of humanity; yet we question whether they be entirely confiftent with political wifdom. They may prevent fome foul crimes; but, on the other hand, they certainly encourage licentiouinefs; and the chil dren thrown on the public, after having received an expentive educa

tion,

tion, feldom become good members of fociety.

From Gothenburg, Mr A. went to view the famous canal of Trolhätta, at the diftance of about fifty miles. The navigation of the river Gotha, which connects the spacious lake Wenner with the fea, is here interrupted, for the fpace of three miles, by a fucceffion of frightful cataracts and rapids. Nothing on this fide of the Atlantic can exceed the wild fublimity of the scenery. A vaft body of water, almost of the whole of the Gotha, pent into a narrow channel, precipitates itfelf with awful crafh from a height of upwards of fixty feet into a fathomlefs abyfs; and, while yet boiling and foaming, it again dafhes repeatedly from other ledges, and then rushes along with fury over a rocky bottom, till it fpends its force and lofes itself in a wide bafin. In front of the spectator, rifes perpendicularly to an altitude of three or four hundred feet, a rampart of granitic rock, which, briftling with its dark fome pines, frowns majeftically over the cataract. The other fide prefents a pleating contraft, feveral faw-mills being perched among the cliffs, and turned by fmall detached

torrents.

*

Guftavus Vafa conceived the magnificent plan of joining the Baltic with the North Sea, by connecting a chain of lakes, the Mälar, the Hjelmar, and the Wenner, which are not far disjoined; and which, with the river Gotha,

would form a communication extending from Stockholm to Gothenburg. Were this fcheme realized, befides the obvious commercial advantages which it offers, the Swedes might avoid paying the Sound dues to Denmark: but the conftruction of a canal at Trolhätta, which was part of the plan, appeared of more immediate and practi

The etymology of the name Trol Mätta is expreffive of the feelings of the natives. It is compounded of two Swedish words, Troil and Hutta; the first of which, equivalent to the Englith Trull or Drole, fignifies a witch or gypsy, and the fecond denotes a but or habitation. All remarkable appearances are afcribed by the vulgar to the pow. er of magic. Rev.

cal utility. It was begun by Charles XII. whofe paffionate love of glory, had it been rightly directed, would have proved highly beneficial to his kingdom; and the attempt was at different times refumed in the fucceeding reigns, and large fums of money were foolishly fquandered without making any folid advancement. At laft the undertaking was transferred to a company of merchants, deeply interested in its fuccefs, and who fubfcribed liberally on the prospect of a toll granted to them. Under their active management, the canal was profecuted, and comple ted in five or fix years. Mr Acerbi faw it in its progrefs, and again after it was finished. It is certainly the grandeft work of the kind that has been yet executed, and reflects the highest credit on the fpirit and ingenuity of the Swedish nation.-To form a juft idea of the difficulties furmounted, we must not confider the length of the canal fo much as its great width, the frequency, of the locks, and the refractory nature

of the materials in which the excavation is made. It is cut through a Hill, or continued rock of the hardeft granite, by the force of gun-powder and theufual operations of mining; and the ca nal has nine locks, with their interme diate bafins; of which the depth is about fixteen, and the breadth twentytwo feet. It can therefore admit flips of very large burthen.

Proceeding from Trolhätta to Stockholm, Mr A. found that the face of the country began to improve. The woods became enlivened by an intermixture of birch and mountain-ash; and he saw fome oaks alfo, but they were rare, and ftunted or decayed.—In approaching the capital, the traveller ftopped to view the royal ftables in the park of Strömsholm; and he was there ftruck with a circumstance which merits attention. The horfes were allowed no litter, but ftood on a raised floor composed of boards with open joints.