pofing that fome more generations must have intervened between Phænius and Noah, to account for the great increase of mankind in his days.' This anecdote is to us another fubject for furprize; and when the author acknowledges that there is a neceffity for recurring to fuppofition, to render the story credible, the most natural suppofition would be, to renounce the whole as a fiction.

Of the incidents related in this work, which concludes with the arrival of Henry II. in Ireland, it is fufficient to obferve, that Mr. O'Halloran has delivered, in an uninterrupted feries, the whole mass of Irish historical documents, from the alledged commencement of the monarchy to that time ; and we shall therefore return to make a few remarks on the Preliminary Difcourfe.

In order to account for the fuppofed emigrations from the fouthern countries to Ireland, Mr. O'Halloran is inclined to admit that the ancients were acquainted with that property of the magnet by which it points to the north. But is it reafonable to imagine, that this effential property could have been entirely overlooked by all ancient writers, had they actually known it? The probability feems to be infinitely ftronger in favour of one inference than the other.

In treating of every particular reign, fays our author, I have. examined whatever had been advanced by different writers, either in print or manufcript, on the fubject. Even Routh, Ufher, Ward, Colgan, and other ecclefiaftical writers, were explored for information; and I have rejected whatever feemed improbable or ill-founded. Frequent mention is made, in early days of invafions from Africa, and of transactions between our ancestors and thefe people. As no other people of Africa but the Carthaginians were a maritime or commercial people, I began to fufpect that these were the very Fomharaigs fo often spoken of. I confulted their hiftory, compared the eras in queftion, and fatisfied myself, as I hope I fhall the public, that my fufpicions were well grounded. This explained and juftified the extent of our early commerce, the improvements in arts and manufactures, the working of our mines of copper, lead, and iron, the great riches of the country, and the fources from whence they flowed! Befides their extenfive commerce, for which the Carthaginians were fo renowned, it is a known fact, that, in their wars with the Romans, they hired mercenaries, not only in Iberia and Gaul, but drew troops from the Atlantic ifles. To illuftrate this, we find mention made of the FineFomharaig, or African legions, in our early records, who, I take for granted, to be Irish troops configned to that fervice: and for this reafon, that our bands in Gaul were called FineGall, as, in a fubfequent period, thofe in Scotland were called Fine-Albin, juft as the Romans denominated their legions after

the

the countries in which they ferved. But, to fhew that there is fomething more than conjecture in what is here advanced, it evidently appears, that Carthaginian fwords, found near the plains of Canna, and ancient Irish fwords, fo frequently met with, are, as to fhape, fize, and mixture of metals, fo exactly fimilar, that the affay mafter of the mint, who examined both, pronounced that they were caft in the fame chauldron !'

This anecdote relates to Governor Pownal's Account of fome Irish Antiquities, read before the Antiquarian Society, in 1774; but it cannot be conclufive of the inference in fupport of which it is cited. For as writers are agreed that the Phonician colonies traded with England for tin, at a very remote period, it is more probable, that thofe implements were imported from the fouth into England, and had afterwards been carried to Ireland by fome emigrant thither.

This ingenious author uniformly grants to the Irish records a degree of authenticity and credit, which we prefume, from the fagacity that he discovers in other points, he would not confider as due to thofe of any different country, in periods equally remote. The authentic hiftory of Greece has been fixed to the commencement of the Olympiads; and that of all the western, as well as northern nations of Europe, must be confined to much later epochas. The fuppofition that arts and learning ever flourished in Ireland in very remote times, is entirely repugnant to probability; because no local traces remain of fuch memorials as in every other country where those were cultivated, have tranfmitted to distant ages the proofs of their former exiftence. Mr. O'Halloran's narrative, however, may be regarded as a connected detail of the fabulous times in Ireland, preceding the dawn of its authentic annals in Dr. Leland's Hiftory,

Obfervations made during a Voyage round the World, on Phyfical Geography, Natural Hiftory, and Ethic Philofophy. By John Reinhold Forfter, LL.D. F. R. S. and S, A. 4to. 17. 15. in boards. Robinson.

IT T is the business of philofophy to form general principles from a multitude of particular obfervations; and this Dr. Forlter has endeavoured to effectuate in the work now before us. He begins with remarks on the earth and lands, their inequalities, ftrata, and conftituent parts. Refpecting this part of the fubject, one section may ferve as a fpecimen.

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ISLANDS;

IS LAND S.

The

All the islands which we faw during our voyage are either fituated within the tropicks, or in the temperate zones. tropical islands may be again divided into high and low.

The high tropical islands are either furrounded by reefs, and have flats near the fea-fhore, or they are without reefs. Of the first kind are O-Taheitee, with all the Society Ifles, and Maatea, the higher Friendly Ifles Tongatabu, Eadowe, Namocka, Turtle Island, and New Caledonia.

Amongst the highest tropical ifles without a reef, we reckon the Marque fas and all the New Hebrides, together with Savage Iland; and Tofooa and Oghao among the Friendly lfles.

The low ifles of which we have any knowledge, are ChainIfland and four other ifles, which were perhaps feen by Mr. de Bougainville; alfo Tethuroa, Teoukea with four more called Pallifer's Ifles, Tupai, Mopeeha or Howe's Ifles; Palmerstone's Ifles, with the Immer, one of the New Hebrides, and the Archipelago of the low Friendly Islands.

These ifles are fo different from each other in their nature, that we cannot help at first fight observing the striking and material difference. The low ifles are commonly narrow, low ledges of coral rocks, including in the middle a kind of lagoon, and having here and there little fandy fpots fomewhat elevated above high-water mark, whereon coco-nuts and a few other plants will thrive: the reft of the ledge of rocks is so low, that the fea frequently flows over it at high and fometimes at low water. Several of the larger ifles of this kind are regularly inhabited; fome are only reforted to, now and then, by the inhabitants of the neighbouring high ifles, for the purposes of fishing, fowling, and turtling; and fome others are abfolutely uninhabited, though they are furnished with coco nut-trees and are often reforted to in great flocks by man of war birds, boobies, gulls, terns, and fome petrels.

The high islands of both kinds appear at a distance, like large bills in the midst of the ocean, and fome of them are greatly elevated, fo that their fummits are feldom free from clouds. Thofe, which are furrounded by a reef and by a fertile plain, along the fea-fhores, have commonly a more gentle flope; whereas the others are fuddenly fleep. It must be allowed, however, that the hilts in fome of the New Hebrides, viz. Ambrrym, Sandwich Ifle, Tanna, and others have likewise in several places an easy ascent.

The islands feen by us in the South Sea in the temperate Southern zone, are Eafter Ifland, Norfolk Island, and New Zeeland, and these are all high, and have no reef furrounding them. Norfolk Island is however fituated upon a bank extending more than ten or twelve miles round it. New Zeeland as far as we had an opportunity of examining it, confifts

of

of very high hills, of which fome in the very interior parts have fummits almost always involved in clouds, or when free, fhewing their fnowý heads at more than twenty or thirty leagues distance. The lower hills of the fame islands are almost every where covered with woods and forefts, and none but the higher fummits appear to be barren.

• Tierra del Fuego as far as we could difcover, appears to be a cluster of ifles interfected by various deep founds and channels. The land confifts of craggy, bleak, and steep rocks, whose fummits are covered with eternal fnow, especially in those interior parts which are lefs exposed to the mild and humid air of the fea. Its easternmoft fide about the ftreights le Maire, has an easy flope, and is in fome parts wooded. Staten Land has the fame appearance as the barren part of Tierra del Fuego: 'nor was the fnow wanting in the beginning of January or the very height of fummer.

Southern Georgia is an ifle of about eighty leagues in extent, confitting of high hills, none of which were free from fnow in the middle of January, except a few rocks towards the fea: and the bottoms of all its harbours we found filled with ice.

The last land we faw in these cold, difmal regions we called Sandwich Land, and the southernmost part of it, Southern Thule. All this land or cluster of ifles, is full of ice and en"tirely covered with fnow.

Pigris ubi nulla campis

Arbor æftiva recreatur aura:

Quod latus mundi, nebulae, malufque

Jupiter urget.'

Hor. lib. 1. Od. xxii.

Chap. II. contains various remarks on water and the ocean, including an ingenious investigation of its different principles and phenomena; and the third chapter comprehends observations on the atmosphere, its changes, meteors, and phe

nomena,

In the two fubfequent chapters, refpectively, we are prefented with remarks on the changes of the globe, and on the organic bodies; and in the fixth, the author advances to remarks on the human fpecies. The first objects of his inquiry are the number and population of the inhabitants of the South Sea Iles; after which he takes a view of the' varieties relative to colour, fize, form, habit, and natural turn of mind, in the natives of those islands, with the causes of their difference, and likewife the most probable opinion refpecting their origin and migration.

We fhall lay before our readers what is advanced by the author, refpecting the varieties of thofe iflanders.

• If we are defirous of tracing the races of all these iflanders back to any continent, or its neighbourhood, we must cast án

D 4

eye

eye on a map of the South Sea where we find it bounded. to the Eaft by America, to the Weft by Afia, by the Indian Isles on its North fide, and by New Holland to the S uth At first fight, it might feem pobable, that thefe tropical ifles were originally settled from America, as the easterly winds are the mot prevalent in the e feas, and as the fmall and wretched embarkations of the natives in the South Seas, can hardly be employed in plying to windward. But if we confider the argument more minutely, we find that America itself was not peopled many centuries before its difcovery by the Spaniards. There were but two ftates or kingdoms on this immenfe continent, that had acquired any degree of population, and made confiderable progress in civilization; and they likewise did not originate earlier, than about 300 or 400 years before the arrival of the Spaniard. The reft was occupied by a few ftraggling families, thinly difperfed over this vaft tract of land, fo that fometimes not more than 30 or 40 perfons, lived in an extent of 100 leagues at very great diftances from each other. Again, when the Spaniards difcovered fome of these islands in the South Sea, a few years only after the discovery of the con tinent of America, they found them as populous as we have feen them in our days: from whence it appears to be highly improbable, that thefe ifles were peopled from America. If we moreover confult the Mexican, Peruvian, and Chilefe vocabularies, and thofe of other American languages, we find not the most diftant, or even accidental fimilarity between any of the American languages, and thofe of the South Sea iles. The colour, features, form, habit of body, and customs of the Americans, and thefe iflanders, are totally different; as every one, converfant with the fubject, will easily discover. Nay, the distances of 600, 700, 800, or even 1oco leagues between the continent of America and the easternmost of these ifles, together with the wretchedness and fmall fize of their veffels, prove, in my opinion, inconteftably, that these islanders never came from America.

We must therefore go to the weftward; let us begin with New Holland. All the former navigators, and especially captain Cook, in the Endeavour, found this immenfe continent very thinly inhabited. The diminutive fize of its inhabitants, the peculiarity of their customs and habits, their total want of Coco-nuts, cultivated plantanes, and hogs, together with the moft miferable condition of their huts and boats, prove beyond all doubt, that the South Sea iflanders, are not defcended from the natives of New Holland. But, what is ftill more convincing, their language is totally different, as evidently appears from the examination of a vocabulary obligingly communicated to me by captain Cook. We have therefore nothing left but to go further to the north, where the South Sea ifles are as it were connected with the East Indian ifles. Many of thefe latter are inhabited by two different races of men. In