the next place he confiders a train of perceptions with respect to pleasure and pain. A man, he obferves, is always in a pleasant state of mind, when his perceptions flow in their na tural courfe on the other hand, the refistance felt in retarding or accelerating the natural course, excites a pain, which, though fcarcely felt in small removes, becomes confiderable toward the extremes. He recommends the preferving a middle fate between uniformity and too great variety, and proceeds to examine how far uniformity or variety ought to be ftudied in the fine arts? On this enquiry, he concludes, that in works expofed continually to public view, and in every fort of writing intended for amufement, variety is neceffary; on which principles he examines and cenfures the works of fome celebrated Authors.

Such is the scope of the first Volume; which, though it has led us beyond our ufual limits, will not appear long to those who have a just sense of the nicety and importance of the fubject. As to the merit of the work upon the whole, we fufpend our opinion till the conclufion of the Article.

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Voyages from Afia to America, for compleating the Discoveries of the North-West Coast of America. To which is prefixed, a Summary of the Voyages made by the Ruffians on the Frozen Sea, in Search of a North-Eaft Paffage, Serving as an Explanation of a Map of the Ruffian Discoveries, published by the Academy of Sciences at Petersburgh. Tranflated from the High Dutch of S. Muller, of the Royal Academy of Petersburgh, With the Addition of three new Maps. By Thomas Jefferys, Geographer to his Majefty, 4to, 6s. fewed. Jefferys.

HE many bold undertakings, the many arduous enter

prizes, in which curiofity or intereft have in all ages engaged mankind, afford amazing inftances of the influence of fuch powerful motives. Nature, however, has fometimes placed obftacles in the way, which not all the powers of induftry and ingenuity united, have been able to furmount. This hath hitherto been the cafe with every attempt, to effect a more speedy Navigation, from Europe to the East Indies, than by the prefent method of doubling the Cape of GoodHope.

Various are the schemes, as the Editor obferves, that have been projected to facilitate this Voyage, and to fave the time and

That

and trouble of coafting round the continent of Africa. of cutting a canal from the Levant to the Red Sea, and the other, of doing the fame across the narrow neck of land at Darien, are well known, and have been long fince exploded. Not that we are of opinion the latter is fo impracticable as many will have it. In fome future age of the world, perhaps, when America comes to be fully peopled, and the fpirit of Improvement shall go forth among its inhabitants, the continents of North and South America may be disjoined, and a friendly communication opened between the West Indies and the South Seas. Nature herself, the best engineer, may probably affift in the work: nay, the earth, yielding by degrees to the fea, may poffibly effect it altogether; or, yawning amidst thofe dreadful convulfions to which it is fubject, may afford a bed for the defcending waters, while the waves, mixing to form a channel, defcribe the hoftile bounds of two contending and implacable nations.

In the present state of things, however, all projects for effecting fuch a communication may be justly deemed vifionary; the more fenfible adventurers of later years have therefore directed their aim to the discovery of a North-Eaft or a North-West Paffage. The latter has been feveral times attempted by our own countrymen, though without any great appearance of fuccefs. Indeed the discoveries of the Ruffians make entirely against the poffibility of fucceeding that way, while they ferve very clearly to prove, that the fea is continued all round the northern parts of Afia, eastward to Japan and China. But although this be a nearer way than to go round the Cape of Good Hope, the obstacles which prefent themselves on account of the ice, will probably render its navigation for ever impracticable. The delay, occafioned by this circumstance, has been fo very great, that the Ruffians have been sometimes two or three years in making the voyage from the mouth of the Lena (a river rifing in Siberia, and emptying itself in the Frozen Sea) to Kamtfchatki; they not being able, during the fhort fummer of those parts, to pafs through the ice before the winter fets in again. There is little probability therefore, that other nations, lefs inured to the rigour of fuch climates, fhould fucceed where the Ruffians have failed; or, indeed, that they should ever attempt fuch a navigation again. So that Mr. Muller might have fpared himself the trouble of particularly diffuading them from it, by urging the impediments which he has recited in p. 24, of the fecond Part.

Some political views may, perhaps, be fufpected to have entered into the motives for giving this advice, as the Ruffians have been very folicitous, in all their Voyages this way, to extend their dominions, by exacting tribute of the inhabitants of the feveral countries difcovered. The French are famous for making wilful geographical mistakes, and other errors of this kind, with a view to deceive other nations, and difcourage them from intermeddling or examining into their pretended claims. The Ruffians, however, we should imagine, need not in this cafe follow fo difingenuous an example; as, whatever ufe a North-East Paffage might be of to other Europeans trading to China, &c. the climate through which they must pass feems too inhofpitable ever to occafion any great difputes, relating to fovereignty and right of poffeffion. The publication of these Voyages indeed may ferve to gratify the curiofity of the Geographer, but we will venture to say, they will never excite that of the Navigator to undertake fo perilous a journey as is here delineated.

The first Part of this work contains an account of the feveral expeditions, made to discover the eastern extremity of Afia, and to determine whether the Frozen Sea was continued round the northern fhores of Europe, along that of Afia, to Japan. The Ruffians had alfo another view, which was that of fettling the boundaries of their extensive empire, and reduce the scattered nations, that inhabit thofe vast tracts of land, under some kind of subjection. In the course of these narrations we meet with feveral extraordinary particulars, relating to the customs and manners of the barbarous inhabitants of these regions, as well as to the natural hiftory of the foil. Some of these particulars indeed have been mentioned in former works, but frequently mixed with fo much falshood, as to carry with them rather the air of romance than true hiftory. Thus when the Reader is told, that on the continent oppofite the eastern extremity of Asia, there are a people who have tails like dogs, and another nation that have feet like ravens, covered with the fame kind of fkins; it is enough to make him fufpect the veracity of every other part of such relations. Would not one doubt of the truth of what is afferted on the fame authority, that there are in these parts a people, who cut holes through their cheeks in order to put large teeth into their mouths, made out of those of the feahorfe? And yet, from the repeated accounts of feveral travellers, this fact appears to be true. Nature produces many ftrange things, but none fo abfurd and prepofterous as art.

The truth of the accounts we have had concerning the speedy vegetation of trees and plants in thefe cold regions, has often been questioned; we are here nevertheless affured of the following particulars. Speaking of Siberia, we are told, that "Though very little corn is fown in this country, yet that which is, whatever grain it be of, thrives apace; but the ftraw never exceeds fix inches in height, for as soon as the corn peeps out of the ground, it immediaiely fhoots into ears, and ripens in fix weeks time. The reafon of this is, because here the fun is hardly ever below the horizon in fummer, but affords its cherishing warmth, both night and day, to the ground. And what is moft obfervable, is, that during that whole time it does not rain; but the earth, though fat and black, yet never thaws above fix or nine inches deep: infomuch that the roots are plentifully fupplied with moisture from below, whilst the constant heat of the fun above irradiates what is out of the ground: and this is the cause of fo quick a harveft."

The received accounts of the Korjaki are alfo here related as true, particularly the ftory of the better fort of them getting drunk with the liquor of ftewed mushrooms, while the poor among them catch the urine, made by the rich on those occafions, and get as heartily intoxicated with their favourite fpirit thus doubly distilled.

The following ftory is told us of the extraordinary kind of dogs, which they have at Kamtfchatki. "On the eaft fide of the country of Kamtfchatki, towards the fea, there lives a people who keep no other fort of beafts but dogs; which, though they are but of a common fize, are remarkable, in that they have hair of fix inches long. In 1718, a certain Waiwode travelling in a fledge with twelve dogs, towards the city of Berefowa, got himself wrapped up in warm quilts, and girt faft in the fledge, in order to fecure him from the feverity of the cold, and to prevent his falling out in case the fledgeshould overturn. · The Oftiack, who was his guide, fkaited along fide of him, (according to cuftom, in cafe the fledge fhould over-turn, to raise it up again) and coming on a large plain, where the ground is generally covered man's depth with fnow, the dogs, (which the Oftiacks alfo ufe for hunting) efpying a fox at a distance, immediately flew in purfuit of their game, and run away with the Waiwode with such swiftnefs, that it was impoffible for the guide to keep pace with them, and they foon got out of fight. The guide followed the track, but did

not

not come up to his paffenger till the next morning, where he found him in the fledge overturned, ftill well wrapt up, and tightly girt into it. By good luck the ftump of a tree, which ftood out above the fnow, had ftopped the fledge, or elfe it might probably have coft the Waiwode his life. Thefe dogs are able to draw great burthens, for in the year 1718 Governor Knees Mifchewfki ordered a whole pipe of brandy to be brought from the convent of Ketskoe to the city of Berefowa, which was done by fixteen dogs. People never travel a nights, but only a days with dogs; in the morning, before they fet out, each dog has two frozen fifh, which is his allowance for the whole day. At night, when they come to their journey's end, thefe poor creatures are fo weary that they cannot eat, but prefently lie down to fleep. Whenever any paffenger comes to a stage where he is to have fresh dogs, all the dogs of that village fet up a moft terrible howling, knowing that they are, fome of them, to have the fame fate *."

Of the Tfchuktfchi, or people to the north-eaft extremity of Afia, we are told a similar custom to what Paulus Venetus relates of the inhabitants of Camul; and what is obferved by fome other Writers concerning the hofpitality of the other barbarous nations. "When a ftranger, it is faid, comes to them, let him be of their own or another nation, they offer him their wives and daughters as bedfellows. If they are not handsome enough, or are too old for the guest, they bring him fome other woman from among their neighbours; whereupon the prefents him with a bafon of urine fresh made in his prefence, with which he is obliged to rince his mouth. If he refufes the offer, they hold him for their enemy; but, from his accepting of it, they conclude his fincere friendfhip."

Strange as fuch a cuftom as this may appear to Europeans, as being fo contrary to the notions and practices of civilized nations, yet these very people feem to have a ftrong fenfe of liberty, and a high notion of independency; the men, wher

* As Mr. Muller was himself fome time in Siberia, and had an opportunity of knowing many things relating to these favage nations, his repeating thefe ftories feems to authenticate them; if indeed they are inferted in his work, which however we cannot affure the Reader, not having the original German at hand, and as they are inferted in the Tranflation by way of note. The Translator, or English Editor, however, gives no intimation that they are added by him.

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