it; but I cannot discover that they proved efficacious. On the contrary, other infirmities, arising out of it, seem to have grown upon him from day to day and as they are faithfully set down, though without one word of bitterness or even of complaint, I should scarce do justice to his memory were I to pass them by. How touching, I had almost said how full of poetry, are the following:

666

'May 21st. Heated, and my nerves shaken by walking. This is the third day that I have been affected with the confused sounds as of distant multitudes.

"22nd. I have been visited by confused and indistinct sensations, as of the sounds of distant multitudes. I date their first perception from the 20th, at times resembling slow music-but its effect !!!

"23rd. The same, whether sensible or imaginary, not distinguishable.' "How mysterious this communion of unearthly voices with the spirit hovering, as it were, on the brink of the great gulf,-how sublime the idea, that they should have spoken to the soul of the righteous man in the tones of low music!' From the date of this entry, Mr. Hastings continued gradually to sink, though not without frequent efforts of the constitution to rally, I find him, for example, on the 31st, so far improved that he is able to attend divine service in the parish-church; while on the 13th of July he took an airing in the carriage. But the fiat had gone forth which told out the number of his days, and all the care of his friends and the skill of his physicians availed not to counteract it. There is something, to my taste, touching, yet sacred in the extreme, in the tone of the great man's 'Diary,' as it is henceforth kept a mere record of bodily sufferingsinscribed, too, in characters which sufficiently indicate the approach of the moment which should arrest their progress for ever. Take as a specimen, the following extracts, beginning with that which describes the occurrences of the 13th:

"I took an airing after dinner in the coach with Mrs. Hastings. In leaving it I was seized with staggering; I sent for Mr. Haynes, who took from me about seven ounces of blood. The bandage loosening, I lost much After the operation, I slept a little, and awoke in great and universal agitation, which ceased with the second discharge of blood. I slept well, aud awoke as usual, but with additional weakness.

more.

"14th. Mrs. H. wrote an excuse to the Duke of Gloucester, who was engaged to come on Thursday, and sent Robert with the letter.

15th. Robert returned early with an answer, written after a music meeting at Gloucester. I have passed this day unexpectedly and regret. fully well.

"16th. I passed an unquiet night, and arose with my limbs weak and shaken.

"19th. My health better but strength much diminished. I dined alone. I sat in the great chair much of the middle of the night, and afterwards in the bed; lay till late.

"20th. I awoke with my throat much swelled, and a difficulty of swallowing; at breakfast, continued unabated, which I took alone, but without pain, and my appetite the same as it has been, unchanged through all other variations. At night, I took ten grains of magnesia, with rhubarb.

I cannot recollect the loss of time, but ascribe the past events of this day to weakness.

21st.

"Alas there is no entry on the 21st. The figures stand there on the margin of the leaf, but the leaf itself is a blank. Mr. Hastings's Diary' was never afterwards resumed."

ART. X.

1. A Description of British Guiana, Geographical and Statistical, &c. By R. H. SCHOMBURGK, ESQ. Simpkin and Co. 1840.

2. Views in the Interior of Guiana &c., with descriptive letter-press. By R. H. SCHOMBURGK, Esq. Ackermann and Co. 1841. THE interior of South America, especially between the rivers Orinoco and Amazons, down to a comparatively late date since the discovery of the New World, was so little known that it was the region where the most extravagant fables found a locality. The few Europeans who made considerable advances into its bosom either were so credulous as to take for granted whatever the wild Indians related to them, or were so fond of telling Quixotic stories, and to be carried away with marvel at the sight of extraordinary features of soil and vegetation,-of mountains, rivers, and cataracts, that their reports peopled the whole with illusions. Even to this day certain regions of the vast expanse are a terra incognita to the enlightened and honest traveller; and are the abode where legend takes possession. A portion of the interior indicated, according to the traditions of the Caribs, is still said to be inhabited by the Amazons. Mr. Schomburgk informs us, that if the dream of a republic of females, which has been current since the sixteenth century, inhabiting the parts referred to, originated with Europeans, that this extraordinary circumstance attends the idea, it has not only remained, but is even now adopted by several Indian tribes in Guiana. Owing however to the treachery of the Caribs, a people who indulge in the most extravagant accounts about the hordes of female communities alluded to, he and his party dared not to satisfy themselves on the subject, by penetrating the country to the scenes of the alleged anomaly.

M. von Humboldt is the traveller who first dispelled several of the most extravagant fables connected with particular regions in South America. In 1800, he ascended the Ormoco fifteen hundred geographical miles, and fixed chronometrically several important longitudinal points; and Mr. Schomburgk has been engaged at the instance of the Geographical Society, to extend from an opposite quarter, similar observations, so as to combine with Humboldt's, and complete the geographical survey.

In 1535 there arose a most wonderful report of the existence of a great lake with auriferous banks, situated on the mountains of New Granada, the same as is meant when mention is made of the celebrated El Dorado; that is, el Hombre dorado, a man covered all over with gold, and who was said to bathe in the lake daily. The locality or region where this alpine sea was to be found was often changed, as that of the Amazons would be if strictly sought after; but Humboldt, after the closest possible research, and the largest application of learning and light that could be brought to the subject, became satisfied that he had fixed upon two of these localities, concerning one of which Mr. Schonburgk has highly interesting particulars to relate, viz. that of Parima, which Sir Walter Raleigh twice undertook to discover and explore. Much later than the period when that chivalrous adventurer fitted out expeditions for the purpose mentioned, English capital has been wasted in draining lakes with the hope of obtaining the riches which might be found at the bottom; the speculators no doubt believing that there must have been some golden grounds for the El Dorado story. One thing, however, has resulted from these and similar illusions; they have been the occasion of rendering some service to geography. M. von Humboldt observes that in 1512, thousands of soldiers perished in an expedition to discover the fountain of youth, in one of the Bahama islands; which expedition led to the conquest of Florida, and the knowledge of the gulf-stream. The thirst for riches, and the wish to grow young,— El Dorado, and the fountain of youth,-operated on the passions of mankind nearly simultaneously.

Several of the conjectures which Humboldt entertained relative to a lake, situated on the western frontiers of Guiana, as being that which might be identified with the scene of the fabled golden clad lord's ablutions, have been corroborated by Mr. Schomburgk. The lake is called Amucu and is altogether insignificant, when compared with vague and former accounts; and as must have been expected by such experienced and scientific travellers, furnishes nothing capable of verifying the fancies of ancient or modern dreamers.

But it is time that we should proceed to notice more particularly the publications before us, the first of which was published about twelve months ago. In that small work, its author devotes his attention to the physical features of Guiana, and also to its promises in the way of resources and capabilities as a field for emigrants to flock to. In the latter of these respects, he describes the country as holding out extraordinary prospects, which experienced and enlightened as he is, have a good deal of the appearance of exagge ration and strong enthusiasm. Some of his views too regarding the manner of procuring labourers, so as rapidly to bring our colo

nies in South America to a high pitch of prosperity, appear to be those of an over zealous projector; others to be impracticable, or at least contrary to the prevalent feeling in these days of procuring labour. But that we may not keep our readers among dry or questionable subjects, we at once go to points that are exceedingly interesting in themselves, and which engage the author's superior powers and acquirements in a highly attractive manner.

The rivers Demerara, Berbice, and Essequibo, with their banks, basins, and adjacent territories, constitute British Guiana; while the Dutch and the Portuguese colonists, are divided from us by very indistinct boundaries. One of the consequences is, that these unscrupulous nations in the character of colonists, especially the Brazilians, who as a nation are but half civilized, especially if we refer to those who dwell on the outskirts of that country, frequently trespass beyond its limits, to the dismay, and carrying into bondage the Indians who are settled within the British dominions and may be otherwise enjoying many of the blessings of our colonial system.

Mr. S. tells us that the practice of the Brazilians is to hunt for Indians to make them slaves, and that to this day slaving expeditions are continually directed towards the contested boundaries: the system being carried on in all its possible atrocities. He gives some striking illustrations. Here is an example :

A protes

"A mission to the Macusi Indians promised great success. tant clergyman, the Rev. Mr. Youde, settled at Pirara, a village at our undetermined south-western boundary, and the Indians in the neighbourhood soon collected around him, and evinced the greatest anxiety to be instructed in the word of God, and our language. I have seen from three to four hundred Indians on a Sabbath, dressed according to their circumstances, and in an orderly manner, assembled within a rude house of prayer built by their own hands, to receive instruction in the holy word of God. The mission was not established many months, when the Brazilian government of the upper and lower Amazon despatched a detachment of militia, and took possession of the mission under the plea that the village belonged to the Brazilian territory. The missionary of the church of England was accused of having alienated the Indians from the Brazilian government, and instructed them in the English language and religion, and received an injunction to leave the village. The Indians, fearing the Brazilians might conduct them into slavery, dispersed in the forest and in the mountains, and the work which promised such favourable results was destroyed."

The locality alluded to in the extract, brings us very near to El Dorado, and conveniently carries us to the second of Mr. Schomburgk's publications. We shall now therefore introduce several extracts from the latter work, beginning with some interesting particulars in connexion with the inhabitants of Pirara, and also

descriptive of the remarkable vegetation and scenery of Guiana and its frontiers :

"On leaving the river Rupununi, we passed over undulating ground, thinly covered with Malpighias, shrubs of stunted appearance, and bright yellow or pink flowers. We turned round a small hillock, and before us was one of those groves of Mauritia palms, which give to the savannahs of South America so characteristic an appearance. This graceful tree, with its fan-shaped leaves, alone afforded the scanty shade to be found in those arid places, while it contributed to the picturesque scene before us. The different tints of the savannah, which extended to the Pacaraima mountains, might have been compared to a sea of verdure, which illusion was powerfully increased by the waving motion of the deceptive mirage. Isolated groups of trees rose like islands from the bosom of this sea, and a few scattered palms, with their tall trunks appearing like masts in the horizon, assisted in conveying to our imagination the seducing picture of the Laguna de Parima, with its hundreds of canoes floating on its bosom. Towards the west, where the savannah was bounded by the horizon, we observed some Indian dwellings, and, having crossed a small stream, we soon after entered a village, consisting of fourteen huts, and inhabited by eighty Indians of the Macusi tribe. It was situated upon rising ground, affording an extensive view over the savannahs to the chain of mountains known to geographers under the name of Pacaraima. At the foot of this small elevation is a lake, which extends east and west for about three miles, and which at the period when rain seldom falls, is almost covered with rushes; only here and there presenting patches of water. It is, however, an inland sea, when, during the tropical winter, the rivers overflow their banks. Three isletsrise from the middle of the lake, and a small stream flows through it, which has its source somewhat south of the village. The lake is called Amucu; the group of islands, the Islas Ipomucena, described by Santos; and the stream, the Pirara,-names so closely associated with the fable of the Dorado and the Laguna de Parima, that we looked with redoubled interest on the landscape before us. The vast savannahs, on which Pirara is situated, are encompassed by the Pacaraima mountains to the north, the Canuku and Carawaimi mountains to the south, the thick forests of the Essequibo and isolated mountains to the east, and the mountains of the Mocajahi and branches of the Sierra Parima to the west, and, according to a superficial computation, cover a space of 14,400 square miles. The geological structure of this region leaves but little doubt that it was once the bed of an inland lake, which, by one of those catastrophes, of which even later times give us examples, broke its barriers, and forced a path for its waters to the Atlantic."

Mr. Schonburgk is of opinion that the fable of El Dorado and Lake Parima has been connected with the former existence of this inland sea. At any rate he again visited Pirara with a truer and not less satisfying eagerness than the credulous dreamers of bygone ages would have done; for, as we have seen, it was a spot with which, three years before, he had been in some measure acquainted,