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for his diligence in collecting the Cottonian library; he was engaged in the pursuit of MSS. and records upwards of forty years, during which time, he spared neither trouble nor expense.

"The noble manuscript library founded by Robert Harley, earl of Oxford, and greatly enriched by his son Edward, who inherited his father's love of science, claims a distinguished place in every account which may be given of the literary treasures of antiquity in general, and of this country in particular. Posterity will ever be indebted to her grace the late duchess dowager of Portland, for securing this inestimable treasure of learning to the public, by authority of parliament, under the guardianship of the most distinguished persons of the realm, both for rank and abilities; whose excellent regulations have made this library, as also the royal, Cottonian, Sloanian, and others, now deposited in the British Museum, easy of access, and consequently of real use to the philosopher, the statesman, the historian, the scholar, as well as to the artist and the mechanic.

"It must give every one pleasure, who reflects on the improvements which have been made in

most branches of science in the three last centuries, that learning and the arts will not as formerly be lost to posterity; because, by the means of printing, and the improvements in education, knowledge is diffused through most nations, and is attainable by the generality of the people in every free country; whereby many in dividuals are qualified to promote, in their respective stations, the arts, as well as the interests, of each community. Science has humanized the mind, has caused men in a great measure to lay aside their prejudices, and has introduced a free intercourse between the literati of most countries, who have united in promoting and improving knowledge and the arts, without entering into the religious or political opinions of each other. The true way of making others love us, will be to treat them with kindness and humanity, and to observe the rule laid down by our great Master, of doing to others, as ze would they should do unto us; we may then, with reason, indulge a hope that every succeeding age will increase the knowledge, the virtue, and the happiness of mankind."

On the Earliest DISCOVERY of NEW HOLLAND. [From CAPTAIN BURNEY'S CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY.]

"TH

HE first discovery of that land by Europeans has been attributed to the Hollanders, who sailed along part of the west coast in 1616. Evidences how ever exist, which leave very little

reason to doubt that it was known at no late period of the 16th century.

The earliest claim to the original discovery is made by M. de Brosses, in favour of the sieur de Gonneville,

Gonneville, upon the evidence of an account given in a work, entitled, Mémoires touchant l'Etablissement d'une Mission Chrétienne dans le troisième Monde, ou Terre Australe, printed at Paris, 1663.

"M. de Brosses has inserted this account in his Navigations aux Terres Australes. It states, that some French merchants, being tempted by the success of the Portuguese under Vasquez de Gama, determined upon sending a ship to the Indies by the same route which he had sailed. The ship was equipped at Honfleur. Le sieur de Gonneville, qui en étoit le commandant, leva l'ancre au mois du Juin, 1503, et doubla le Cap de Bonne Espérance, où il fut assailli d'une furieuse tourmente, qui lui fit perdre sa route et l'abandonna au calme ennuyeux d'une mer inconnue.' i. e. The sieur de Gonneville, who commanded her, weighed anchor in the month of June 1503, and doubled the Cape of Good Hope, where he was as sailed by a furious tempest, which made him lose his route, and , abandoned him to the wearisome calm of an unknown sea.'- Not knowing what course to steer, the sight of some birds coming from the south, determined them to sail in that direction, in the hope of finding land. They found what they desired; that is to say, a great country, which, in their relations, was named the Southern India, according to the custom of that time, of applying indifferently the name of the Indies to every country newly discovered.' They remained six months at this land; after which the crew of the ship refused to proceed further, and Gonneville was obliged to return to France. When near home, he was attacked by an English corsair, and plundered of

every thing, so that his journals and descriptions were entirely lost. On arriving in port, he made a declaration of all that had happened in the voyage, to the Admi July the 19th, 1505, and was ralty, which declaration was dated signed by the principal officers of the ship.

this great southern land is said to "In one part of the relation, be not far out of the direct route to the East Indies, non loin de la droite navigation des Indes Orientales.' The land of Gonneville has been supposed to be in a high southern latitude, and nearly on the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope; and Duval and Nolin placed it on their charts to the south-west from the Cape, in 48 degrees south. M. de Brosses conjectured that it was south from the Moluccas, and that it was in fact the first discovery of the T. Australis, since named New Holland.

considered without prepossession,
"Let the whole account be re-
and the idea that will immediately
and most naturally occur is, that
the Southern India discovered by
Gonneville was Madagascar. De
Gonneville having doubled (pass-
ed round) the Cape, was by tem-
pests driven into calm latitudes,
and so near to this land, that he
of birds. The refusal of the crew
was directed thither by the flight
to proceed to the Eastern India
would scarcely have happened, if
they had been so far advanced to
the east as New Holland.

"There are, however, claims
16th century, which seem much
to the Terra Australis for the
better founded than the one made
by M. de Brosses. There is, in
the British
script map of the world (as much
Museum, a manu

of

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of it as was known) without date. The character of the writing is of the 16th century; and instead of the islands of Japan, a large country, with the name Zipangri, is placed to the east of China, at the distance of more than 500 leagues. With these circumstances, the other parts correspond, and Mr. Dalrymple (who has inserted in his collection a fac-simile of the eastern part of this curious manuscript) inferred from thence, that it was made early in the 16th century. The explanations, and those names which custom has allowed to be convertible, are in the French language, and the arms of the dauphin of France are in one corner. The projection is of the plane, and the scale 2 inches (Eng.) to every 10 degrees. From the Strait of Magalhanes, east ward, to the eastern part of China, is made 230 degrees. A representation of some of the instruments in use at the time is affixed at one end, among which is the cross-staff with a single transverse piece.

"Since Mr. Dalrymple published the fuc-simile, a discovery has been made in the king's library in the British Museum, which ascertains the date. A set of charts drawn on vellum, and bound together, are found to form copy, perhaps the original, of the French chart. There is an exact agreement between the two in the most material particulars; but the names and explanations to the one in the royal library are in the English language, and it is dedicated to the king of England. At the beginning is written- This book of Idrography is made by me Johne Rotz, sarvant to the king's most excellent

majesty.' The date is 1542 The dedication is in the French language, of which country Rotz was probably a native. In it, he says, his chart was composed from his own experience, and that of his friends and fellow-naviga tors. The parts are extremely well filled; the general outlines of the sea-coasts are drawn with more appearance of correctness, and the whole is executed with better judgement, than the credit which is given to that date for geogra phical knowledge afforded reason to expect.

"The following are among the characteristic particulars which have relation to this work.

"A clear passage is given to the sea round the north of Terre du Laboureur (Labrador). The Tierra del Fuego is drawn as part of La Terre Australe. On the coast of America, in the South Sea, between the latitude of 25° south, and the Strait, no names appear; the establishment of the Spaniards in Chili being then too recent to have become generally known. South of Borneo, and the eastern Archipelagos, in latitude about 8 degrees south, be gins a large country, with the name of Jave le Grand (the Great Java). From the north part, the coast, one way, is drawn to the south-west, and afterwards to the south, to the 28th degree of south latitude, where it is made to turn off towards the southeast; and thus far names are given to many different capes and bays. The other direction of the coast, from the north part, is to the south-east, where there are few names; and this part seems to have been intended for New Guinea (as that country is not otherwise laid down), on the supposition

supposition that New Guinea was
a portion of the same land. The
coast here, however, has nearly
the same direction with the cor-
responding part of New Holland,
but is continued far to the south;
and, by a very extraordinary co-
incidence, immediately beyond
the latitude of 30 degrees, the
country is named Coste des Her-
baiges, answering in climate and
in name to Botany Bay.
to Botany Bay. The
many instances of similitude to
the present charts, which are to
be found in the general outline
of this land, it is not easy to ima-
gine were produced solely by

chance.

"Within the outlines of the different countries, are coloured drawings of the natives and their dwellings, of various animals, The and other productions. whole is well worth description, as an excellent specimen of the geography of that early period.

"The French chart is in one entire roll, and it is probable was originally designed for Henry, the son of Francis I. of France. It became part of the collection of the earl of Oxford, but at his death was taken away by one of his servants, and remained in concealment, till it was discovered by the president of the royal society, sir Joseph Banks, who purchased and restored it to the Harleian library.

"The book, which is in some

respects less perfect than the roll, contains representations of two hemispheres, where the parallels are circular, and are described through equal divisions of, the right circle, and of the primitive circle; a method of projection which, notwithstanding its advantages for purposes of geography, has since been so much out of use, that when M. de la Hire revived it 150 years afterwards, he was supposed to be the original in

ventor.

"It is particularly observable, that the great Terra Australis of the geographers of the 16th century, in all the charts, is brought further to the north near the eastern islands, than in any other part of its progress round the Antarctic Pole. That Rotz, or some of his intimates, visited the Great Java,' appears probable, from the coast being delineated in his chart, with greater resemblance to that of New Holland than is to be found in the charts of many years' later date.

All these circumstances justify and support the opinion, that the northern and western coasts of New Holland were known, and were the Great Java of the 16th century. There are likewise reasons for supposing that the eastern coast had been seen; but they are not sufficient to authorise the insertion of any part of it in a chart of the discoveries made previous to 1579."

LITERATURE

LITERATURE of ZURICH.

[From M. KARAMSIN'S TRAVELS, translated from the German.]

"WE

E entered Zurich at half past eight o'clock, just as the congregation was leaving the church, and thus we lost that opportunity of hearing Lavater preach. We observed that every one in the streets was dressed in their holiday suits. The men in general wore black coats, and the women had a black woollen dress, and wore hoods or veils. The holiday dress of the senators of Zurich consists of a black coat, over which is thrown a cloak of the same colour. Round the neck they wear exceedingly large white ruffs. In this pompous attire they usually appear in the senate-house and at church.

"After dinner I visited Lavater, by whom I was very agreeably entertained. He wishes me to publish a selection of his works in the Russian language. When you return to Moscow,' said he, I shall send you the manuscript by post. You may then procure subscriptions for it, and assure the public, that in this selection, there will not be a single word which has not been maturely consider ed.' What think you of this proposal, my friends? Do you think such a book would find readers among us? But few, I fear. I however accepted Lavater's proposal, and gave him my hand upon it. When I left him, I went to the public promenade out of the town. This is a large meadow on the banks of the Limmatt, surrounded with avenues of ancient venerable linden trees. I found a good deal of company there, who

all saluted me as if I had been an acquaintance. It is the custom in Zurich to take off your hat to every person you meet. Politeness is doubtless, very commendable; but the hand becomes at length tired of returning so many salutations, and I therefore resolved always to go uncovered in the town. At nine o'clock I again visited Lavater, with whom I supped. The company at table consisted of several friends and all Lavater's family, except his son, who is at present in London. His eldest daughter is not very handsome, but the youngest is very beautiful and lively. The former is upwards of twenty years of age, but the latter not much more than twelve. Our host was in high spirits, and very talkative and jocose. Among other subjects our conversation turned upon one of his professed enemies. I observed him at that moment with the utmost attention; but he remained silent, and his countenance underwent not the slightest alteration. And can we, with jus tice, require him to commend those who censure him with such aspe rity? Is it not sufficient that he does not return like for like. Pfenninger informed me, that Lavater made it a constant rule never to peruse any publication which cons tained any thing in the shape of an opinion on himself; so that neither praise nor censure ever reaches his ears. I consider this as a proof of uncommon energy of mind: and he who constantly acts according to the dictates of his conscience, without regarding what others may

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