tiply in these fewers of nature, where every thing exhibits the image of the monstrous depofitions of the primeval fediment. Enormous ferpents trace their waving furrows on the miry foil; crocodiles, toads, lizards, and a thousand reptiles of hideous form crawl and welter in the mud; and millions of infects, engendered by warmth and moisture, heave up the flime. And this fordid affemblage of creatures, which quickens the ground, and darkens the fky, invites numerous flocks of voracious birds, whofe confufed notes, mingled with the croakings of the reptiles, while they difturb the vast filence of thofe frightful wilds, infpire horror, and feem to prohibit the approach of man, and of every fentient being. "Amidst the difcordant founds of the fcreaming birds and croaking reptiles, there is heard at intervals a powerful note, which drowns the reft, and rebellows from the diftant fhores: it is the cry of the Kamichi, a large black bird, diftinguished by its voice and its armour. On each wing, it has two ftrong fpurs, and on its head a pointed horn three or four inches long, and two or three lines in diameter at the base: this horn, which is inferted in the top of the forehead, rifes ftraight, and terminates in a fharp point bent fomewhat forward; near the base it is fheathed like the quill of a feather. We fhall afterwards fpeak of the fpurs on the fhoulders of certain birds, fuch as the Jacanas, many fpecies of Plovers, Lapwings, &c. but the Kamichi is by far the beft armed: for befides the horn which grows out of the head, it has in each pinion two spurs, which project forward when the wing is clofed. Thefe fpurs are the apophyfes of the metacarpal bone, and rife from the anterior part of thefe extremities; the upper fpur is largeft, of a triangular form, two inches long, and nine lines broad at the base, somewhat curved, and terminating in a point; it is also invefted with a fheath of the fame fubftance as the base of the horn. The lower apophyfis of the metacarpal bone is only four lines long, of the fame breadth at its origin, and fimilarly fheathed." Vol. iii. p. 323. The remainder of this article is either dubious in point of fact, or occupied in minute defcription. "THE WATER RAIL. SECOND SPECIES. "The water rail runs befide ftagnate water as fwiftly as the land rail through the fields. It alfo lurks conftantly among the tall herbs and rushes. It never comes out but to cross the water by fwimming or running; for it often trips nimbly along the broad leaves of the water-lily which cover pools. It makes fmall tracks over the tall grafs; and as it always keeps the fame paths, it may be eafily caught by noofes fet in them. Formerly, the fparrow-hawk or falcon was flown at it; and in that fport the greateft difficulty was to fet [put] up the bird, for it fluck to its concealment with the obftinacy of the land rail. It caufes the fame trouble to the sportsman, raises the fame impatience in the dog, which it misleads and diftracts, and protacts as long as poffible its fpringing. It is nearly as large as the land rail, but its bill is longer, and reddish at the point; its feet are of a dull red: Ray fays, that in fome fpecies these are yellow, and that this difference may proceed from the fex. The belly and 5 fides fides are ftriped across with whitifh bars on a blackish ground: the colours are difpofed the fame as in all the rails: the throat, the breast, the ftomach, are of a fine flate-grey: the upper furface is of an olive brown rufous. "Water rails are feen near the perennial fountains during the greatest part of the winter: yet, like the land rails, they have their regular migrations. They pafs Malta in the fpring and autumn. The Viscount de Querhoënt faw fome fifty leagues off the coafts of Portugal on the 17th of April; they were fo fatigued that they fuffered themselves to be caught by the hand. Gmelin found these birds in the countries watered by the Don. Belon calls them black rails, and fays they are every where known, and that the fpecies is more numerous than the red rail or land rail. "The flesh of the water rail is not fo delicate as that of the land rail, and has even a marfhy taste, nearly like that of the gallinule." Vol. viii. p. 144. From these examples our readers will perceive, that this tranflation may be regarded as a production of no inconsiderable utility and elegance. A few occafional inftances of careleffness might perhaps be adduced; and fome errors in the tranflation; but they are not fuch as to detract, in any confiderable degree, from the general merit of the work. One mistake, however, of confequence (owing probably to haste) we think it right to particularize; as it might easily mislead uninformed readers in no fmall degree, viz. In fpeaking of the extraordinary powers of the nightingale, and the long duration of its fong, the tranflator says, "That it can continue its mufic "without intermiffion for the fpace of twenty minutes," (inftead of feconds, as in the original.) We muft alfo object to the method which the tranflator has made ufe of in rendering literally into English the French titles of feveral birds; a practice highly unpleafing to an English ear. Thus the fpecies of Falco, for inftance, which the French call Jean le blanc, is tranflated the White John: the hen-harrier, by the French called L'oifeau Saint Martin, is named the bird Saint Martin. Several of the French names are also retained, which might have appeared to greater advantage in an English interpretation. Thus the Japan peacock is termed the fpicifere; the bare-necked crow, the colnud, &c. &c, It should be added, that this tranflation is accompanied with feveral useful notes and occafional observations collected from the works of later ornithologists, as well as by those of the tranflator himself; of whofe care in this refpect the following may serve as a fpecimen: "We are forry to remark, that the translation which the Count de Buffon here gives is exceedingly inaccurate. Sefquiuncia is ren dered dered half an inch, &c. We have therefore altered it in fome places; but, as the laft fentence is that from which our ingenious author draws his conclufion, we have preferved it as it flood in the text. We fhall now compare it with the original : "Calao, (fays Camel,) Gentiles fuperftitiofe colunt et obfervant, fabulantur cum Grue Tipul feu Tihol pactaffe, ut hæc paluftribus, Calao fylvofis, contenta viverent; hinc Tipol fi ligno quocunque infederit in poenam tranfgreffi fœderis fefe loco movere non valere, e contra Calao fi aquofis et humilibus." That is, the idolatrous Indians have a fuperftitious veneration for the calao, and relate, that it has entered into a compact with the crane that it fhould live contented with its marshes, and the calao with its woods; thence the crane, if it perch on a tree, cannot ftir from the fpot, as a punishment for infringing the treaty; and on the other hand, the calao incurs the fame punishment, if it alights in the low fens." Under the article Puffin we find a judicious note, calculated to put the reader on his guard against the dangers of the Count de Buffon's system : "It is proper to put the reader on his guard against this fpecious fort of declamation, in which the materialists have so much indulged. If an animal were directed by its organization to follow its particular mode of life, it must be fuppofed to make trial of every poffible fituation, and to adopt that which, on due experience, is found to be the beft fuited to its nature. But this hypothefis is completely abfurd. Prior to all reflection, instinct leads irrefiftibly to a certain course of action, to which the corporeal ftructure is in general admirably adapted." Vol. ix. p. 305. The execution of the plates (which are sufficiently bad in the original) is fuch as to convey no additional value on this otherwife refpectable work. Many of them, indeed, are fo very indifferent, that it is rather to be wifhed they had been entirely banished. The work is concluded by an ufeful appendix, containing a lift of birds omitted by the Count de Buffon, which appears to be carefully collected from other naturalifts. ART. XII. The Hiftory of Spain, from the Establishment of the Calony of Gades by the Phoenicians, to the Death of Ferdinand, furnamed the Sage. By the Author of the Hiftory of France. 3 vols. 8vo. about 1300 pages Il. Is. Kearfleys. A Superficial tafte for literature and knowledge diftinguishes the prefent age. Many expedients are adopted to fave the trouble of thinking, and to facilitate the access to general knowledge; but the knowledge which is eafily attained, is as easily forgotten; forgotten; the mind is amufed rather than improved, and is neither enlarged nor ftrengthened by the clusters of evanefcent images, which have rapidly paffed before it. In this history a period of more than 2000 years, the account of more than 80 kings, and of one of the most diftinguished kingdoms in Europe, is contracted within the compass of three modern volumes. A defect of greater magnitude is the want of authorities: in the beginning is given a lift of authors confulted, but no references in the work. No writer can justly expect that his mere affertion fhould be admitted as proof, if he can produce better evidence; and what credit is due to the affertion of an anonymous author? Such a method of writing hiftory indulges vanity and indolence; the writer may take lefs pains, and yet affume more importance than a more accurate hiftorian; mifreprefentation may easily escape detection amidst fuch vague and general references: fuch a method is not calculated to improve the mind, or to advance the cause of historic truth. This writer feems to have taken Mr. Gibbon for his model, as to his style and manner. The more he copies fuch an example, the more he will lofe fight of plainness and fimplicity; affected antithefes, epigrammatic turns, and airs of philofophical research, will disfigure the inftructive page of hiftory. In fuch an abridgment we can only expect a general account; the complex causes of great events, and the nicer difcriminations of the human character, are not to be found; the ftage is too crouded, and the actors pafs away in too rapid a fucceffion. Although we cannot fully approve of this writer as an original hiftorian, yet, on the whole, he has performed his taik well as a general compiler. They who have not leifure or inclination to read larger works, or who do not feel themselves greatly interested in the events of another kingdom, may be fufficiently gratified by the perufal of this history. As a fpecimen of the style and manner, we shall give the account of the entrance of Ferdinand into Granada, and the defcription of the Alhambra : "If humanity could not influence Ferdinand, policy at least prompted him to alleviate the diftress of a people who were fo fpeedily to become his fubjects; and no fooner were the hostages delivered, than plenty was poured into the famished city; relieved from the immediate terror of a flow and painful death, the concern of the Moors revived for the honour of their nation and the fanctity of their faith. A wild enthusiast rekindled the rage of the multitude; his voice was heard through the ftreets denouncing the indignation of Mahomet, and menacing with the flames of hell thofe who impiously treated with the followers of Chrift; a motley group of twenty thousand thoufand fanatics obeyed his fummons, and befieged the gates of the Alhambra ; Abdalla could no longer command, and the frantic infurgents derided his intreaties; but they trembled at the menace of Ferdinand; the king of Spain threatened to intercept all further fupplies, and to avenge on the hoftages their guilt. They were awakened by the ftern admonition to a fenfe of their forlorn condition; the laft murmur of refiftance expired, and they submitted to the will of their conqueror. "It was on the fecond day of January, in the year fourteen hundred and ninety-two, that Ferdinand and Isabella entered in triumph the proftrate city of Granada; as they advanced towards the Alhambra they were met by Abdalla, accompanied by fifty horfe; the Moorish prince alighted from his courfer, [and] pronounced with a dejected countenance and tremulous voice the degrading words, "We are your flaves, invincible monarch; we deliver up this city "and kingdom to your clemency and moderation;" he would have fallen at the feet of his lord and mafter, but he was prevented by Ferdinand, whose spirit was neither moved by adulation, nor capable of generofity; he promifed the royal fuppliant a fafe retreat, and an income adequate to his dignity; but Abdalla could not forget he had once been a king; the prefence of the victor must have been irkfome to him; he folicited and obtained leave to retire to Africa. As from a neighbouring hill he caft a last look on his palace and capital, a torrent of tears proclaimed the anguish of his foul; his grief was reproved by the indignant reply of his mother the fultanefs Ayza, "Thou doft well to weep like a woman for that kingdom " which thou knewest not how to die for like a man.' "The inmoft receffes and glories of the Alhambra were thrown open to the eyes of Ferdinand; as in the pride of victory he passed through the gates of judgment, the Chriftian chief might have been inftructed by the humble piety of the Muffulman; and the frequent infcription on the walls, there is no conqueror but God, might have checked the infolence of profperity; but the moment of fuccefs is feldom propitious to admonition; and it is not probable that the inftability of his own fortune, and the fallen ftate of Abdalla, recurred to the mind of the victor, while he gazed on those wonders which have refifted the rage of time, and still command the admiration of the traveller. The exterior of the Alhambra prefents a rough and irregular pile of buildings, which forms a ftriking contraft to the order and elegance within. Through a fimple and narrow gate, the fpectator is conducted to a feries of beauties which almost realize the fabulous Tales of the Genii. The bath, the first object which strikes his fight, confifts of an oblong square, with a deep bafon of clear water in the middle; two flights of marble steps leading down to the bottom; on each fide a parterre of flowers, and a row of orange trees. The court is incircled with a periftile paved with marble; the arches bear upon very flight pillars, in proportions and ftyle different from all the regular orders of architecture. The ceilings and walls are incruftated with fret work in ftucco, so minute and intricate, that the most patient draftsman would find it difficult to follow it, unless he made himself |