MR. BURCHELL, THE TRAVELLER.
MR. BURCHELL, the well-known African traveller, has at length returned to England, after an absence of nearly six years. In this period he has explored those vast inland provinces of Brazil into which no European traveller, at least of modern times, has ventured to penetrate. The mining province of Minas Geraes, which seems to be the most distant point reached by our modern tourists, was to Mr. BURCHELL but a passage to the unexplored territories which lay beyond. The vast province of Matto Grosso, or the Great Wood, of itself exceeding the United Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland put together—the whole of Goyaz, where the appearance of a genuine European is not in the re- collection of the native population—and the Indian tribes front thence to Para, directly under the Equinoctial line—have been progressively visited by our traveller. Our only authentic ac- counts of these regions rest on the testimony of the early Portu- guese missionaries, sought for and given to the world by the learned and fascinating historian of Brazil, Dr. SOUTHEY. Cen- turies have elapsed, yet in this long interval we know almost as little of this enchanting portion of the earth as if it had no exist- ence. Mr. BURCHELL is not one of the school of galloping tra- vellers, who write their flimsy octavos on horseback. Deeply versed in every science which a traveller of the highest order should possess—mathematics, astronomy, zoology, botany, mine- ralogy, &c.,—he, and he only, is worthy of being associated with HUMBOLDT. We could point to his map of Southern Africa* as alone sufficient to prove this assertion. Provided with the finest set of mathematical instruments that could be made, his observa- tions in South America may be supposed even more accurate than those made by him in SoUthern Africa ; while his zoological and botanical collections are immense. Mr. SWAINSON is the only naturalist, of this country, who has traversed a different part of Brazil with the same object ; but his absence was much shorter, and his acquisitions, however valuable to science, much more limited. While learned savans from every other European nation not only received assistance, but were absolutely engaged to travel through this wonderful country, the zeal of these indivi- duals induced them to do the same from their private resources,. uncountenaneed and unassisted. It is well we can boast of such men. We believe Mr. BURCHELL, in addition to his other nu- merous and masterly drawings, brings with him panoramic views of Para, and one or two other of the little-known cities of the
Western world.
* Travels in Southern Africa. 2 vols., 4to.
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