CAPTAIN OWEN'S VOYAGES TO EXPLORE THE COAST OF AFRICA.

Tins arduous and extensive undertaking occupied several years . it tried all those qualities of courage, perseverance, and Skill, in which our naval service justly prides itself, and brought home an immense fund of hydrographical information, as well as great ad- ditions to the stores of general knowledge. The purchase was made at a dear rate: it was obtained at the cost of a great num- ber of valuable lives, great sufferings, and debilitated constitu- tions. These fatal elects of exposure, labour, and privation, in the deleterious climates of the river and harbour shores of Africa, were severely aggravated by the instructions of the Admiralty of the time ; which, with the arrogant conceit that then distinguished its. proceedings, bound down the commander of the expedition to time,. and course, and place, and prevented him from accommodating his plans to the exigencies of' his service. Thus, the survey of the great Bay of Delagoa and its tributary streams was obliged to be performed during the unhealthy season ; the result of which was nearly to depopulate the vessels of the crews. This survey was fatal to two thirds of the officers and to half of the crews; and, at last, death, disease, and despondency, were making such ravages among them, that Captain OWEN was obliged to put to sea to save a sufficient number of hands to navigate the vessels and go on with the survey.

The object of the expedition was, doubtless, a meritorious one,— worthy of a great naval and commercial nation,—and, except in the shameful scantiness of its supply in men of general scientific knowledge, was tolerably well adapted to its purpose. But one botanist and one draftsman appear to have been attached to the expedition. The botanist was supplied by the Horticultural So- ciety, at a salary of 2001. per annum, paid by that excellent in- stitution: both these individuals fell victims to the climate early in the expedition, and appear to have been deeply lamented by their companions : it was a great pity there were no assistants or supernumeraries to supply their places. By the time that the expedition had completed the survey of the unknown parts of this immense continental shore, and the -nu- merous groups of islands that stud its seas, and was on its re- turn home, it received the very charitable supplementary commis- Sion of doing the corresponding portion, equally unhealthy, of the Eastern shores : thus, this surveying expedition ultimately em- braced both sides of the continent of Africa; and, in the end, traversed more space bordered by the curious productions of nature, and the greatest riches of the vegetable kingdom, of all the known world ; unhappily also distinguished for the deadly effect of its exhalations upon the European constitution.

The value of the nautical information gained by'these ships must be estimated elsewhere. The charts and maps of this great continent will now assume a wholly different appearance. The knowledge, of a general kind, reaped by our enterprising country- men is also great and various : we lament that it is not more- - But how could more be obtained by men perpetually occupied in exposed boats, in sounding and measuring and angle-taking, risking their lives daily and hourly among breakers, in gales, of wind, and oftener still from wild beasts, or still wilder savages; now laid up with fatigue and fever, now suddenly called by th death of their comrades to all the responsibilities of command, and sent away on the shortest notice to some distant point? Many kept note-books; the authors of most were stopped in mid-career, too ill to write, being very frequently the last entry. The notes of' others were swamped, or lost in boats, or left behind on the note- taker being seized with the fever, and dying up some hitherto un- explored river. Still, however, the information communicated in these two volumes, by men who were not in the least bound to collect it, is great, various, and most instructive. The report of Cap. tam OWEN'S expedition must in future rank among the most en- tertaining and curious of all those that have been made since the far- famed volumes descriptive of Captain COOK'S voyages of discovery. Amongst the vast variety of matter which would be agreeable to our readers in the shape of extract, it is difficult to select that which would, in our space, give the best idea of the country in which this expedition was chiefly employed. The following pas- sage, which relates to persons and things in Delagoa Bay, where much of the time of this expedition was passed, will present a fair specimen of the sort of entertainment to be derived from the work,. The morning after the return of our boats, we had a visit from a very popu- lar petson amongst us, called English Bill, but known in his own country, high in the confidence of Prince Slangelly, who was the chief of that part of of cunning and deep finesse, a wonderful talent for humorous mimicry, and un- companion ; with the seamen he affected the most pompous dignity; while to the Captain he was always extremely humble and sometimes abject. Besides his own language, Bill spoke Portuguese and Hindostany tolerably; English and Dutch he had a smattering of, and could also speak Hollontonty, or the language of the Southern Kaffers. On our arrival, Bill was a man of lit- tle importance, and was reported by the Portuguese to have caused the death of his brother, Captain Dick, who was a man of great note and wealth. But it must be understood that there existed between Bill and the-Portuguese-the most

cordial and reciprocal hatred. Bill afterwards became Secretary to Slangelly, and from hiM was derived almost all the information we obtained respecting the country and the people whom we had not an opportunity of observing per- sonally. The kingdom of Temby is ruled by an absolute king, and, under him, twelve chiefs, each absolute with respect to the people in his district, but servilely sub-

ject to the king. The chiefs take what they please from their people ; but, by usage, this is said to be one half of their gain in any considerable bargain by purchase or sale. The king is always surrounded by some of his oldest chiefs, :and no important affairs are undertaken without their advice. Each chief has his " Secretary," who may be said to be his prime minister. How this name Las come into use among these savages cannot be exactly known, or how far it extends; but it is common to all the neighbouring tribes. It does not follow that a "secretary " among these people can either read or write, for we never net with one native who had the slightest acq.uirement in either art.

On our arrival, we were told by all the natives that King Kapell, of Temby, was very sick, otherwise he would have visited us, which we found had been always his custom on the arrival of strange vessels, as lie generally got some presents, and was sure to obtain rum ; but after some time, it appeared that he had been dead for two months ; yet, by an ancient law, not a man in the king- dom dared to mention it during one year. Upon this occasion, however, the ancient custom was departed from, and within two months after the death of old King Kapell, his grandson and successor, Maye;ta, was proclaimed. This infringement of the laws was in a great measure attributable to his desire of pro- fiting by our unexpected arrival

We had, however, been fourteen days without any direct communication from any of the chiefs of Temby, when 'English Bill presented himself as the -hearer of five fowls and four cabbages, as a present of welcome from Prince Slangelly, which Captain Owen accepted with pleasure, as it showed a friendly alisposition on the part of the natives. After English Bill had remained some time on board, LieutenantButeler was ordered to return with him to Slangelly, and try to prevail on that Prince to visit us, and receive a present in return for -that which he had sent.

'The following account of Lieutenant Boteler's visit to Prince Slangelly, to- gether with his expedition to explore the Dundas River, is here given as ex- aracted from his own journal. .

"As we landed, curiosity diew a number of the natives around, and by the -time we reached our journey's end we were joined by upwards of fifty. The -distance to Slangelly's village was about a mile ; when just in sight of his hut we perceived the Prince leaving it, accompanied by about a dozen men, armed 'With spears. He turned back when he heard the shouting of English Bill, and received Inc at the door of the hut with a hearty shake of the hand, but would Oh no account permit me to enter until he had spread his mats on the floor to sit on. This being arranged, he led the way, and we followed, accompanied by as many of his people as the hut could conveniently hold. After the message was delivered, and proper thanks returned, Slangglly and his party gave their whole attention to English Bill's account of his visit to biggy King George's ship,' during which it was laughable to hear the many Eigh, eighs! ' and the various other signs of admiration and astonishment expressed by his hearers. "Bill's story being finished, they turned to us, and many and curious were the guestions they asked : one was, whether the Leven was not the biggest ship in the world ? ' On being told that so far from it, there were some even four times as large, they expressed the utmost astonishment, and observed, Suppose she catch inn for Cappen Biggy King's son.' A silver hunting-watch was shown, at Bill' a request, to Slangelly; he listened attentively-to the ticking,- cried, Eigh, eigh! ',and grianed. his approbation. The spring was-tanclied, and the cover flew up agamat his ear, occasioning him to start back withrgreat astonishment, mixed with a slight appearance of fear, while the company saga- ciously observed, Him (the watch) all de same as leivre' (alive).

"The cover at the back was then shown, the glass opened, and the works of the inside arrested, and nice versa, by the stop from without, and, as a close to the exhibition, the machinery in full action was displayed. The yell of admi- ration that this called forth was reechoed from the crowd assembled outside, who, standing no longer on ceremony, rushed in to obtain their share of the eight.

-"With them entered Slangelly's mother, his favourite wife (for he had ten), and a young boy, his son, who had a pleasing and intelligent countenance. To the latter Ipresented a string of beads, which, when hung round his neck, ap- peared to yield almost as much pleasure to the parents as to the child. Small presents of tobacco, buttons, &c. were likewise distributed amongst the rest of the party, and to Slangelly, as an earnest of what he might expect if he ven- tured on board, two bottles of rem were given : one of these he immediately opened, and taking about a third of it off at a draught, passed it round to his neighbours, who quickly drank the remainder, smacking their lips, and pro- nouncing with emphasis, Ohehomby sopy,' meaning very. good rum. The other bottle wasplaced in a bag, carefully tied up, and then given in charge to a man armed with a shield and spear, to convey to Slangelly's cousin, the young Mayetta, who, by the early death of his father, the eldest SOD of old King Ka- peli, had become possessed of his title and territory. ." English Bill informed us that Slangelly could not venture on board the Leven without Mayetta's permission hut there was reason to believe that his Lisitation proceeded from a fear of the Portuguese, one of whom had been assas- sinated sonic time before by the natives, on the Kapell side; but judging from the usual behaviour of these people, there is little doubt but that they had sufficient provocation for -committing an act so much at variance with their general character. Slangelly had ordered four fowls to be killed and cooked for mir dinner, but, as we could, not wait for them, he earnestly requested our ac- ceptance of a flue pig; this I refused, yet in as courteous a manner as possible, to-prevent giving umbrage, by telling him our visit was not to obtain presents, but to prevail upon him -to come on board and receive some from us, in testi- mony of our. friendly disposition towards him and his people. Slangelly ex- pressed his regret that he could not return with us to the Leven, but hoped that be should be able to pay us a visit-after he had seen Mayetta. Previous to 'oar leaving his but, he showed us those of his wives ; -they were small, aiad ten In number • each wife, according to the fashion of the country, having her sepa- rate residence. Polygamy is allowed to all, and the number of wives that each man lias is in proportion to his means. "This Prince, or as English Bill called him, King, was a young man of short -stature, with an intelligent, good-humoured countenance. The only articles of clothing he wore were a neat blue jacket, and a red night-cap, decorated with a great profusion of beads and trinkets. From the extent of his domain, and the grain in his fields, he was accounted rich, of which Bill, by the way, took care to inform me, by saving, in his broken English, 'King Slangelly nchy, very -richy man, too much Imlay, he hab plenty obnyong' (onions).

"This. strange criterion of a man's riches amused us exceedingly, and for a loo g time it became a byword with us, when the property of any one was the -subject of conversation, to say, he had plenty onyons.' "Returning to thq boat, I witnessed an instance of the great partiality which -these people, in common with all African savages, have for smoking.

"A man, with a spear stuck in the ground by his side, crouching over a -small fire, was smoking apparently with almost painful exertion : upon intro- -clueing myself, and examining the contents of his pipe, I found, much to my sur- prise, that it consisted of nothing more than green leaves and twigs pulled from.

the bushes around him. Tmagination mutt have had much to do in extracting pleasure from such a substitute. Before leaving the spot, we presented him with a small quantity of tobacco, which drew forth the strongest expressions of gra- titude.

" Having concluded my mission to Prince Slangelly, I returned on board, anti on the 14th had orders from Captain Owen to explore the branch of the river called by us Dundas River, after the late Lord Melville, which was left allot-, amined by Lieutenant Vidal. For this purpose I had two boats, with three midshipmen, twelve seamen, and a native interpreter. " On approaching Refuge Island we discovered several boats moored off a small sandy bank, and on shore at least two hundred natives, meal women, and children, who had fled from the Temby side, there to await the Hellontontes. A more perfect picture of misery can hardly be imagined than these people ex- hibited. Yet the pity that we should otherwise have felt for them was lessened by the contempt we entertained for their cowardice in thus yielding op their (reentry without a struggle. A native, whose hollow eye arid meagre aspect sufficiently announced that he was in a starving state, brought us some hot embers to kindle our fire, and his request, in return, was a little water. " After dinner we entered the river; the shores appeared low, and mostly covered with mangroves and bushes, often inundated at high water. We ob.- served several small nests, resembling purses, suspended from the boughs of the most lofty trees, with an entrance at the side, through a little round aperture ; they were constructed, with great ingenuity, of grass and feathers, and belong to a species of the Ioxia, a bird common to most parts of Africa. Besides these, we observed many other vaiieties, consisting of the pelican, white crane, adju- tant, kingfisher, toucan, spoonbill, flamingo, curlews of different sizes, turkey- buzzard, hawk, duck, goose, guinea- fowl, pigeon, dove, and many small birds of beautiful plumage. The only quadrupeds were the hippopotami, who, when we anchored at night, kept up a constant noise until morning, their cry resem- bling the grunting of a hog, joined to the loud hollow bellowing of an ox and the neigh of a horse.

" Our boats were furnished with tilts, which, with the sails doubled over all, prevented us from experiencing any ill effects from the marshy exhalations that arose around us, and exhibited above the surface of the ground a dense and noxious vapour. Next morning we continued our course up the river, and, in passing a low sandy point, found ourselves surrounded by a group of hippopo- tami, so close together, that had they not sunk as we approached, we could not, from the narrowness of the passage, have passed without striking them. Three were standing on the bank, and, as we drew near, one of them opened his huge red mouth about three feet and a half, and exhibited a more formidable and sa- vage appearance than I have ever witnessed in the fiercest of the brute creation. Two, on our first appearance, retreated to the water, but the third remained sufficiently long to receive on his back a volley of balls, only one of which see .cd to take effect, the rest glancing olf perfectly harmless. The ananal,

feeling himself wounded, uttered a loud and menacing crv, and then rushed fu- riously- , and apparently in pain, to the water ' • frequently, at the moment we fired, one only would be visible, but immediately on the report, numbers would show themselves, some perhaps only for a second, whilst others, lying in shoal water, would instantly start up and attempt to get into the deeps, trotting through the mud at a quicker rate than the boats c iuld pull, and looking back, upon us every now and then with the gfeatest terror and anxiety. One that. was penned up between the two boats appeared stupitied with fear, and, with- out making an effort to escape, stood for upwards of live minutes, regarding first' one boat and then the ortio, which, fox „their relative situation, could- not-fire at him. While running through the -water they dip their heads conti- nually beneath, and with their broad noses throw it up in a shower on their backs- The quickness of these animals is extraordinary, fix frequently after the flash they were down befere the ball could reach them!'

These hippopotami are a continual object of pursuit and a perpe- ttial source of dread; they abound in these parts in couatless num- bers, and yet, prepared with riles, one and two pounders, and rocket-guns, and proceeding in large bodies, as our seamen did, not an instance occurs of one of these animals being kilcd and taken on the spot. Some were wounded in the numerous hunts and were afterwards found dead, but not one was Over 'shot dead, though the halls were constantly seen to furrow their sides. The death of Captain LEcnstEnt, in this bay, of the fever, is a fair sample of the many sad stories the historiographer of this ex- pedition has to tell. The reader will be struck with the attach- ment of his servant, though it has a ridiculous conclusion. This is only one among many similar instances of fidelity here recorded. This expedition will be remembered, as the one of all others dis- tinguished for the unanimity of its crew and the mutual a.;:!ach- meat °fall on licard : they ended, at length, in becoming a band of sworn brothers. There were at first black sheep, cf course, but time, desertion, and death, did the business of weeding.

On the Sd of November, Captain Lechmere came off from the observatory in a low fetter, and during the night was so ill that ha was hardly expected to survive until morning; but, as day-light approached, the dangerous symp- toms abated, and he felt better. Yet the flattering change, however -it relieved his bodily sufferings, did not deceive his mind with false hopes ; he was per- fectly aware of the inveteracy of the disease under which he laboured ; and, from the moment of his attack, fully. anticipated the fatal result to which it might lead.

Captain Lechmere had excited Co general a feeling of respect and esteem amongst all on board, that the details of his illness will be readily pardoned. This interest in his fate was strongly exemplified in the attachment of his at.. tendant, William Newman, a marine,whe was as much concerned as if he had been his nearest relative; he carried him from place to place like a child, as poor Lechmere's fevered fancy dictated ; sang to him, fanned him, moistened his lips, and was silent or still as his patient directed, and at last brought him, by his special desire, into the Captain's cabin, where was already a young -mid- shipman in -almost the same hopeless state. As thebell was striking the mid- night hour, he sank into the dreamless sleep of death. His last moments were attended with a romantic interest. The fever being very high a short time before his decease, every means were tied to calm him, but III vaiu ; the same impa- tient, painful, restlessness still prevailed.

At length, Captain Owen, who knew from experience that singing had a powerful effect in soothingextreMe pain by diverting-the mind from its suffer- ings, and fearful that the heart-rending expressions and cries uttered by Captain Lechmere, might produce an injurious effect upon the other object of his solici- tude, commenced that pathetic ballad, "Here a sheer hulk lies poor Tom Bow- line." The first note produced a cessatiOn, of his frenzy : from ravinginadness be sank into almost total insensibility, which continued until Captain Owen came to the words, "His soul is gone aloft!" when a low= guttural' sound an- nounced that his spirit was lied, which was instantly confirmed by his attendant

saying in a melancholy tone, " He's gone, Sir ! " And aloft, I hope !" re- plied the Captain, as he concluded his song. He was a son of the late Admiral Lech:Imre, and had applied for the command of the Barracouta, which Captain Owen objected to, on account of his Mex.. perience in the service upon-which we were to be engaged, but offered to receive him as his companion, in order that he might obtain mtormation.

He was a man of the most enterprising spirit, of a frank and generous dispo- aition, and of kind and gentlemanly manners, which made him universally be- loved and regretted. . His body was opened at six in the morning, and at ten he was buried on the highest sand-hill, abreast of the ship, by the side of two young midshipmen who had fallen early victims to the same cruel complaint.

The Captain, all the officers, marines and many of the seamen joined the funeral procession. Captain Owen read the service, and, before the grave closed for ever upon the body, three volleys of musketry pealed in sad intervals over it, ' as the last mark of respect it was in our power to pay. The effect produced upon the servant of Captain Lechmere, by witnessing his last struggles, was such, that he went to bed the following morning with a determinaton to die ; but . the Captain knew the nature of his case, and desired his servants to supply him with wine whenever he wished it: he drew largely on the Captain's stores for three or fonr days, when he announced solemnly to his messmates that at the midnight bell he should be no more ; he called on the Captain's servants for wine, and drank sufficient to send him to sleep until three in the morning, when he awoke, aud much to his own astonishment found himself a lying prophet : his disease was only of the imagination, produced by sympathy and apprehen- sion ; of this the Captain was convinced, and that a mental affection could only be cured by an oblivious medicine. The usual remedies of bleeding and physic would, by lowering the system, have increased the disorder, and, in all proba- bility, have made his direful prognostic true, instead of which lie lived a year and a half afterwards, and then died of another disorder.

With one point of the history of this. expedition we have been greatly pleased, and that is the high testimony borne to the con- duct of such of the Africans as were engaged and trusted in the service of the vessels ; and generally, of all the wild inhabitants of this coast who had not had intercourse with the corrupt and degraded establishments of the Portuguese on these coasts. The Portuguese, from their central station of Mozambique, share the domination of the Western coast of Africa with the Imaum of Muskat, whose authority is very extensive. The wretched esta- blishments of the Portuguese have no power beyond the guns of their forts, and are chiefly used for the atrocious purposes of slave- marts.

Concerning the most interesting island of Madagascar and its civilized King, RADAMA, the information which these volumes convey, is also very well worth attention. King RADAMA will soon run a race in civilization with the Paella of Egypt; his sol- diers are already said to be better disciplined, and his views are even more enlightened. But as information of Madagascar is to be had from other sources, we prefer concluding our extracts with some further passages, showing the effects of the poisonous climate on the brave crews of our enterprising vessels, and the influence of despondency upon bodily health.

Were every story to be recorded that at this period was in circulation on board, it would show the folly and weakness to which the minds of men are subject ; but as exposing them is unpleasant, and as recording them is useless, we willingly let them be buried in oblivion. It would hardly be believed how great is the power of superstitious fear upon the minds of the bravest ; an appa- rent danger can be met, may be overcome ; but a hidden or fancied one subdues the energies required to comprer it : the mind then becomes its own enemy, and.. the physical courage is left unaided to meet' the contest. To the feeling heart it was distressing to to see the powerful frame and dauntless courage of our seamen, shrinking and in fear from some fancied or trifling ill. But let it not be sup- posed that this weakness was confined to the uneducated ; the same dread ex- isted amongst many of our officers, which, the following account of Captain Cutfield's illness will alone serve to illustrate.

He was, as before mentioned, in command of the four boats sent up the King George River for its exploration. On the 5th of November, he had left Captain Lechmere unwell, but with some favourable symptoma, and with great hopes of his ultimate recovery. Two days after the funeral of the latter, some of the natives carried the news, describing the ceremony of firing over the grave so as to leave no doubt in his mind as to the rank of the deceased. Captain Cutfield was a man of extreme feeling, and his sympathies, thus excited, were kept in continual action by some of his own crew and favourite men being taken ill in his boats. On his return, and before he had time to visit the Leven, two of them died ; he also complained of feelint, rather unwell, but next day accompanied Captain Owen on shore to fix on the points to be used for the survey. There was, however, a settled gloom on his countenance, which no cheerfulness in his companions could remove ; and, on the day fallowing, which had been fixed for the public sale of Captain Lechmere' s effects he felt so languid and low-spirited that he would not attend the auction.- gome things Which it was known he wanted were bought for him ; but when informed of it, he coolly observed, in a tone that marked too surely what was passing within, "What is the use of them? they will be sold again in a week. At that time there was nothing in his appear- ance that could have led to the belief that he was ill, except his serious and grave air. Yet true it is that he died precisely on that day week, and three weeks after Captain Lechmere, who had also expressed similar forebodings of his fate two days before he was visibly ill. Captain Cutfield was thirty years of age, and had been a commander about fifteen years, having been promoted to that rank when a very young officer for a gallant action whilst Lieutenant of a sloop of war which captured a vessel of superior force. As his attachment to Captain Owen was more than ordinary, so his loss could not fail of being a subject of more than ordinary regret ; but circumstances called for a command over the softer feelings of the heart. At this fatal period, eight officers and many seamen were dangerously ; the least appearance of despondency in him to whom they all looked up would have added despair to minds already subdued by the wasting malady under which they laboured. All that attention and skill could do to alleviate their sufferings was done ; the voice of consolation and the hand of kindness were ever ready to lighten or soothe the pangs which were destroying them ; the parched tongue and burning thirst, ever at- tendant on the fevered frame, were moistened and allayed, while the frenzied eye was constantly watched by some anxious friend or companion. Yet all in vain! Death's cold grasp was seizing on the strong, the healthy, and the young; there was no protection, and the only chance of arresting its destructive progress was to fly from the fatal spot. Accoidingly, on the morning Of Captain Cutfield's decease, we quitted Delagoa Bay, leaving the Cockburn, whose crew was per- fectly healthy, to continue our work. But we could not at once get rid of our destroyer, and whilst beating out of the bay, four of our mama; died, and many others were taken ill.

It will, perhaps, be interesting, before quitting this place to mention the mode adopted by the natives to cure this fever. As soon as the patient feels the first symptoms, he retires to his hut, where he is kept warm until Some water in an earthen vessel placed on the fire is boiling hot. It is then placed between his legs, while he sits down and leans over the steam that arises from it. In the mean time, those around envelop him in mats, by which he is soon covered with

perspiration, and occasionally half suffocated. The whole is suddenly cast off,

and; ttt the same moment, he receives a shower of cold water all over his body ; he is then hurried to the side of a large fire kindled in the hut, and there placed in

a recumbent posture, while blood is extracted from him in small quantities by means of slight incisions on his shoulders, breast, and the back of his hands. The rest is left to nature, whose resources., powerful as they are frequently fail to restore the exhausted patient to life, perhaps rather confused 1.; this irregular and apparently desperate effort of art.

The unhealthy season prevails from the beginning of September until the end of April ; and, as during that time the whalers do not frequent the bay, those who are engaged in the fishery can bear the fatigues and exposure to which they are subjected whilst obtaining their cargo, without suffering from the pes- tilential vapours that arise from the earth during the sickly months, and which prove so fatal to casual visitors. Some of the Delagoans were hired in the place of our dead or dying seamen, having at this period lost twenty, and fifty being in their hannnocks. Previous to our sailing, they received the same provisions as our own people, and were paid at the rate of one shilling per day, which they were allowed to take either in tobacco or clothing. For the former, as luxury, they had hitherto shown much desire; but no sooner did they perceive that, from its relative value, it occasioned a great drawback in the receipt of the more essential article of cloth- ing, than they almost entirely discarded its use, contenting themselves with a very limited enjoyment, thereby evincing the command that their prudence had over one of their strongest propensities, and affording a remarkable contrast in their character to that of many savages, who gratify the wants of the present moment by the sacrifice of every other consideration. The Delagoans worked well, were respectful in their behaviour, and showed their content by the joyful chorus with which, like the Canadian boatmen, they regulated the stroke of their oars while pulling in our boats.

A still more remarkable instance of the truth of Captain OWEN'S theory, that many died of despair on seeing so many of their friends removed, is contained in the following passage, with which we conclude our extracts.

Unfortunately both the supercargoes of the Orange Grove had a violent at-. tack of the prevailing fever, the germ of which it was supposed they had brought from Mozambique. This was the only drawback to spending our first Christ- mas from England with the conviviality usual to that season. Mr. Maynard was brought into my own cabin for better accommodatiou aud medical attend- ance. But in spite of every attention and care, he was fast sinking, and not a hope entertained of his recovery ; nay, preparations were actually making for Isis funeral, when the Andromache, commanded by his uncle, was seen on the outer bar, This information was immediately conveyed to the dying man: the effect was almost instantaneous, and the power of the mental over the physical system was strikingly perceptible ; the spirit appeared newly lit ; the languid eye was succeeded by a sparkling ray of life, imparting hope to all who saw this sudden change, and, strange as it may appear, this exciting cause produced such new energy, that the effect, in a short time, was a perfect restoration to life and health.

Upon entering the harbour, the Andromache appeared in rather a dangerous situation, having got very near the shoals of Elephant island, and the wind blowing rather fresh. I instantly took the small boat, and, rowing across the reef, reached her at sunset and brought law into Port Melville, where she was anchored in safety, and the Commodore's nephew removed on board. The Andromache had in company With her two brigs, the Cygnet of ten guns, and the Wizard, a colonial vessel, commanded by Lieutenant Maynard, brother to the young merchant whose race was so nearly run. The meeting of these rela- tives, under such circumstances, must have called forth new and delightful sen- sations of affection and gratitude to the Authar of all good, who had thus timely interfered to save the life of one so dear to them.