"The war," said Morand, “had just broken out between Great Britain and France; the forces of the two nations were already engaged; when it occurred to me that our rival might be more easily destroyed by financial operations than by force of arms. 1 resolved therefore en bon patriote, to undertake his destruction, and to effect it in the very heart of London— Had I succeeded (he exclaimed with eagerness) France would have erected altars to my name!-Scarcely had I set foot in England, when I commenced my operations, which succeeded beyond my utmost hopes. Assisted by an Irishman, not less expert than myself, I soon succeeded in counterfeiting bank of England notes to such a degree of perfection, that it became very difficult even for ourselves to distinguish those issued from our press, from those that were real. The moment of my triumph arrived; all my dispositions were made for deluging England with the product of our manufactory. Nothing was wanting but some little information concerning the mode of marking the numbers, when my partner, whom I had hitherto regarded as a gentleman, was induced to rob our depôt, and carry off some of the notes which wanted a few trifling though indispensable formalities. He was immediately taken up: and as he had not scrupled to commit a breach of honour, he did not hesitate, under his present situation, to conduct himself like a poltroon-he discovered the whole secret. I was arrest ed, and Great Britain was saved from the destruction prepared for her. "However evident the proofs of our project might be made to appear, I did not, on that account, despair (thanks to the nature of the criminal laws of England!) to escape being hanged. But the pusillanimity and terrour of my companion were such as to leave no doubt of our common ruin, if I should be reduced to the neces sity of being confronted at the bar with bim. In order, therefore, to ward off my own fate, which could not retard his, I was resolved to make him the instrument of his own destruction. Besides, as he was the canse of all our disasters, it was perfectly just that he should suffer for it. In a pathetick barangue, therefore, I endeavoured to prove to him that our death being inevitable, we had nothing left to occupy our thoughts but the best means of escaping the gallows; and that it would be better to act like men of honour, than to expire under the hands of the hangman -The Irishman was moved, but not quite resolved. I then observed, that if his own infamy did not affect him, he ought to spare his children the calamity of hearing themselves stig. matized; and that if he could not leave them a fortune, he might, at least, by a generous self-devotion, snatch them from shame and disgrace. "These last reflections kindled in the breast of the Irishman a spark of noble courage. We procured some corrosive sublimate. I pretended to swallow part of it-he actually swallowed it, and died. Thus disembarrassed, I avoided the gallows, which was ready for us both. I escaped it, however, to be transported into this colony, where I am condemned to pass the rest of my days. The time of my slavery is expired. I carry on to advantage my for mer occupations of a jeweller and clockmaker. The two wretches who work for me, and who would hang themselves for the sake of a watch, enable me to triple my profits. In a few years I shall be one of the richest proprietors in the settlement, and I should already be one of the happiest, were I not unceasingly tormented at the regret of having failed so miserably in an honourable project, and in seeing my self looked upon as a vile miscreant, even by you, my countrymen, who are not able to comprehend the noble principles of my conduct." p. 411. Want of room will not permit us to follow M. Péron through his various observations on many important subjects relating to our settlements in New South Wales, nor to refute his speculations respecting the intentions of the British government in this quarter of the globe. His descriptions are animated, but, as we before observed, generally exaggerated. There are two subjects, however, with which he concludes this first volume of his work, and which, being new, we feel ourselves called upon to notice. The first is an account of some experi ments made by him with a new instrument, invented by Regnier, which he calls a dynamometer, for the purpose of ascertaining the comparative strength which individuals are capable of exerting. If it be meant, by such an instrument, to measure the quantity of strength that one man can exert, by pulling, more than another, we presume it will not answer the purpose for which it was invented. The idea seems to have been thrown out by M. Coulomb, in a memoir presented to the institute, which had for its object the ascertaining "the quantity of daily action which men are able to furnish by individual labour, according to the different mode in which they employ their strength." This problem M. Péron has by no means solved. A great many cireumstances, besides those of climate, food, and stature, must be taken into consideration. There is, moreover, a knack acquired by long habit in calling forth muscular power to its utmost exertion, which often enables a weak man to supply a greater quantity of labour than a stronger man is capable of. A Chinese porter, for instance, who feeds on rice, the least nutritive, probably, of all grain, will carry a greater load than an English sailor, who lives on good beef, biscuit, and rum; but the same sailor will haul a rope, or drag a weight, with double the force of a Chinese porter. We cannot follow him through forty pages of dissertation on this subject, but must content ourselves with giving his conclusions from five series of experiments, though we attach little importance to them. Having found the inhabitants of Van Dieman's Land capable of a manual force equal to Those of New Holland Englishmen 50,6 51,8 58,7 69,2 71,4 be deduces the following general result: "That the development of physical strength is not always in a direct ratio to the want of civilisation, nor a necessary consequence of the savage state." [p. 458.]" What then shall we think," continues he, "of those eloquent declamations against the perfection of social order, deduced from the extraordinary physical powers of the man of nature !” And he concludes by congratulating himself on being the first to oppose, by direct experiment, an opinion too commonly admitted, that the physical degeneracy of man proceeds from the perfection of civilisation. The second subject is a memoir on a new genus of Molusca, which is named Pyrosoma, and which is the only animal in the book that is scientifically described. "PYROSOMA. Corpus gelatinosum rigidiusculum, liberum, tuberculis asperatum, subconicum, extremitate ampliore apertum, vacuum apertura margine intus tuberculis cincto. Pyrosoma Atlanticum. Equatorio-atlanticum, gregarié-pelage-vagum, vavidissimé phosphorescens, coloribus eximiis tunc effulgens; 10, 12, 14, 16 [3 1-2 to 6 inches] centimetros æquans." The discovery of this new genus is introduced in a manner sufficiently interesting to induce us to close the present article with it. "On the evening of the 14th of Decem ber, we experienced a violent tropical squall. The horizon was loaded with hea vy clouds, and the darkness was intense. The wind blew furiously, and the run of the ship was most rapid. We discovered, at a little distance ahead, a broad belt of phosphorick light spread upon the waves, This appearance had something in it romantick and imposing, and a general attention was fixed on it. We presently reached it, and found that the brilliancy was caused by an innumerable quantity of animals which, lifted by the waves, floated at different depths, appearing under a variety of shapes. The pieces that were more deeply immersed, presented the idea of masses of burning matter, or of enormous redhot resembled large cylinders of iron, heated balls, whilst those on the surface perfectly to whiteness." p. 488. These were collective bodies of the Pyrosoma above described. The atlas is of quarto size. It contains not a single chart, nor any sketch or plan of a coast, island, bay, or harbour, though frequent references are made to such in the margin of the printed volume. It has, how ever, five or six plates, consisting of views of land, which can be of no use either to science or navigation, and which look like so many strips of coloured riband. The portraits and landscapes, relating to Van Dieman's Land, New Holland, and Timor, and the coloured engravings of animals, especially those which belong to the class of Moluscas and Zoophytes, are creditable to the talents of the artist; some of them, indeed, are executed in a manner peculiarly neat, and beautifully coloured. FROM THE MONTHLY REVIEW. Rural Sports. By the Rev. William B. Daniel. 3 Vols. 8vo. pp. 1627. 51. 58. Boards. SOME of our literary friends on the north of the Tweed will doubtless indulge a sarcastick smile at seeing a work on rural sports from the pen of an English clergyman. In Scotland, we believe, hunting is scarcely ever practised by the clergy, and even shooting is by no means a common amusement among gentlemen of that profession. In England, the case is very different. Here, hunting parsons, shooting parsons, and even boxing parsons, are by no means rare; and where the practice of those liberal and truly Christian recreations is so general, we must not be surprised that some one of their reverend professors should occasionally take pen in hand, and communicate instructions on such important topicks, both to his clerical and his ay brothers of the field. We have now before us, a system of hunting, fishing, and shooting, from one reverend gentleman; and, perhaps, at some future period, we may be favoured, from the same quarter, with a complete treatise on the pugilistick art. We cannot say that we are fond of those sports, in which a harmless animal is put to unnecessary pain, for the sake of affording recreation to the country gentleman; and we do think, that a Christian divine might have employed his time and labour VEL. V. to much better purpose, than in recommending and promoting an amusement so incompatible with his sacred function. Though we readily admit, that those creatures, which are the object of this sport, must be slaughtered for our subsistence, and that foxes and other beasts of prey must be destroyed, for the havock which they commit among our domestick animals; yet we would so far extend the hand of mercy, even to our enemies, as to put them to death by the speediest and least painful means. In fact, however, the destruction of these animals is altogether a secondary object with hunters, and the preservation of foxes is promoted by every possible means. Witness the following extract of a letter from a nobleman in London, to his agent in the country, which we copy from the work before us: "I must desire that all those tenants who have shown themselves friends to the several fox hunts in your neighbouring counties, may have the offer and refusal of their farms, upon easy and moderate terms; and, on the other hand, that you will take care and make very particular inquiry into the conduct of those tenants who shall have shown a contrary disposition, by destroying foxes, or encouraging others so to do, or otherwise interrupting gentlemen's diversion, and will transmit me their names, and places of abode, as it is my absolute determination, that such 1 persons shall not be treated with in future by me, upon any terms or consideration whatever. I am convinced, that land owners, as well as farmers and labourers, of every description, if they knew their own interest, would perceive, that they owe much of their prosperity to those popular bunts, by the great influx of money that is annually brought into the country. I shall, therefore, use my utmost endeavours to induce all persons of my acquaintance, to adopt similar measures, and, I am already happy to find, that three gentlemen, of very extensive landed property, in Leicestershire, and on the borders of Northamptonshire, have positively sent, within these few days, similar directions to their stewards, which their tenants will be apprised of, before they retake their farms at next Lady Day." vol. i. p. 233. We will venture to say, that this association, against the liberty and property of one of the most useful and industrious classes of the community, has scarcely been equalled, for illiberality, in any age or country. Giving the noble landlords full credit for the object professed in this letter, "the good of the community," we may, at least, hint a suspicion, that they have mistaken the means of attaining that object; and that the greater consumption of hay and corn, and the increased influx of money, which his lordship, and the reverend editor regard as the natural consequences of these popular hunts, are more than balanced by the havock committed by the protected foxes, among their protectors' lambs and poultry, and by the mischief done by the members of the hunt, to the fields, fences, and crops of the tenants. To come now to the author's object, in the present performance. It is stated to be, to impart a certain degree of previous knowledge, which is requisite, to enable sportsmen to prosecute the pastimes of the field with facility and success. We willingly allow, that he has attained this end; and, had it not been for the unfortunate word reverend, displayed in the engraved title page, which naturally attracted our peculiar attention, and led us to expect something above the common style of writing, we should have been disposed to view the work in a favourable light; but, keeping the profession of the author in the back ground, and considering the volumes as the performance of a sportsman, possessing rather more intellectual endowment than most of his brethren, we think that they form an interesting publication. Mr. D. however, has shown himself to be an industrious, rather than a judicious, compiler. He has brought together a great mass of valuable and entertaining matter, respecting the natural history of beasts, birds, and fishes; the mode of breeding, training, and feeding dogs; with a complete body of instruction for pursuing the various sports of which he treats; and a digest of the game, forest, and other sporting laws and statutes. But these subjects are by no means well arranged, and are interspersed with much useless or irrelevant digression. In estimating his merits, we may consider him in three different points of view; as a naturalist, a sportsman, and a lawyer. First, as a writer on the natural history of the animals, which are either the agents or the objects of rural sports, Mr. Daniel appears in the most amiable and most favourable light; and we have derived much pleasure, and some information, from this part of his work. He has, indeed, copied largely, and not always very judiciously, from Pennant, Buffon, White, and other eminent naturalists. But he has done more than this; for, though he modestly styles his work a compilation, and always speaks of himself as the "compiler," he has introduced several interesting facts and anecdotes from his own observation, or that of his sporting friends. We shall select a few of these, both because they will be new to many of our readers, and because they afford good specimens "In 1789, when preparations were making at St. Paul's, for the reception of his majesty, a favourite bitch followed its master up the dark stairs of the dome. Here, all at once, it was missing, and calling and whistling was to no purpose. Nine weeks after this, all but two days, some glaziers were at work in the cathedral, and heard, amongst the timbers which support the dome, a faint noise. Thinking it might be some unfortunate human be. ing, they tied a rope round a boy, and let him down near the place whence the sound came. At the bottom, he found a dog, lying on its side, the skeleton of another dog, and an old shoe, half eaten. The humanity of the boy led him to rescue the animal from its miserable situation, and it was accordingly drawn up, much emaciated, and scarce able to stand. The workmen placed it in the porch of the church, to die, or live, as it might happen. This was about ten o'clock in the morning. Some time after, the dog was seen, endeavouring to cross the street, at the top of Ludgate hill; but its weakness was so great, that, unsupported by a wall, he could not accomplish it. The miserable appearance of the dog again excited the compassion of a boy, who carried it over. By the aid of the houses, he was enabled to get to Fleet market, and over two or three narrow crossings in its way to Holborn bridge; and about eight o'clock in the evening, it reached its master's house in Red Lion street, Holborn, and laid itself down on the steps, having been ten hours on its journey from St. Paul's to that place. The dog was so much altered, the eyes being sunk in the head, as to be scarce discernible, that the master would not encourage his old faithful companion, who, when lost, was supposed to weigh 20 lbs. and now only weighed 3 lbs. 14oz. The first indication it gave of knowing its master, was by wagging the tail, when he mentioned the name of Phillis. For a long time it was unable to eat or drink, and it was kept alive by the suste used to feed it with a tea spoon. At length nance it received from its mistress, who it recovered.” vol. i. p. 28. We have seldom seen a more remarkable instance of unnatural affection between animals which are the declared enemies of each other, than is contained in the subsequent paragraph: "A singular instance of ferocity and affection, in a terrier bitch, which occurred some years since, may be here mentioned. After a very severe burst of upwards of an hour, a fox was, by my own hounds, run to earth, at Heney Dovehouse, near Sudbury, in Suffolk. The terriers were lost; but, as the fox went to ground in view of the headmost hounds, and it was the concluding day of the season, it was resolved to dig him, and two men from Sudbury brought a couple of terriers for that purpose. After considerable labour, the hunted fox was got, and given to the hounds. Whilst they were breaking the fox, one of the terriers slipt back into the earth, and again laid. After more digging, a bitch fox was taken out, and the terrier killed two cubs in the earth, three others were saved from her fury, and which were begged by the owner of the bitch, who said he should make her suckle them. This was laughed at, as impossible. However, the man was positive, and had the cubs. The bitch fox was carried away, and turned into an earth in another county. The terrier had behaved so well at earth, that I, some days afterwards, bought her, with the cubs she had fostered. The bitch continued regularly to suckle, and reared them, until able to shift for themselves. What adds to this singularity, is, that the terrier's whelp was near five weeks old, and the cubs could just see, when this exchange of progeny was made." vol. i. p. 122. It is, we believe, a novelty in the natural history of the fox, that the female should deposit its young within the hollow of a tree, at a considerable distance from the ground. Hence the ensuing circumstance, observed by Mr. Daniel, merits attention. "In April, 1784, the compiler's hounds found at Bromfield-Hallwood; by some accident the whipper-in was thrown out, |