MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE. 617 



Mr. Swainson, had we space wherein to do justice to him and to ourselves, 

 we might he disposed to break a lance with regard to the third. To the cir- 

 cular system of M'Leay, we are ready to afford the praise of great inge- 

 nuity, but we cannot go farther; and the same remark must be made of 

 Mr. Swainson's exposition of types and groups: it is curious and instructive 

 to those who will carefully read it, nevertheless. The fourth division is 

 also very good, and cannot be too much studied by all who wish to 

 become naturalists as who does not ? All who have opportunity should 

 do so, as they will open for themselves a volume of never-ending amuse- 

 ment and instruction. In conclusion, we must again repeat, that the work 

 is very valuable, and a library can hardly he complete without it, as it 

 contains details and facts which will be sought for in vain elsewhere. 

 We had marked several passages for extract, but we do not see the 

 necessity for transcribing them, as they would afford no criterion for 

 judging of the book. 



Life of Mungo Park. 1 vol. Frazer and Son, Edinburgh, pp. 314. 

 Shakspeare said well, that 



" To have done, is to hang quite out of fashion." 



Park is a proof of the correctness of this line. Amidst the many African 

 explorers who have followed in his steps, there would have been a fair 

 chance of their vestiges being worn out, had it not happened that the 

 mystery of his fate afforded scope for the inquiries of his successors : 

 and this would have been rank injustice; for to him, more than to any 

 other man, are we indebted on this score. 



Park seems to have been born purposely for travel. To an iron 

 frame, which successfully resisted a noxious climate and unheard-of 

 privations and sufferings, he joined a moral courage equally extraor- 

 dinary, and a Christian temper that mingled finely with all his actions. 

 The unfortunate termination of his career was an event deeply to be 

 deplored, for the sake of the man, and for the sake of the country he had 

 so urgently striven to make known. 



The Life before us is well written, and is within a very small compass. 

 It contains a much more full account of Park's early life than has been 

 yet given ; it does him justice, without doing injustice to any one else. 

 It appears too at an opportune time: public attention and expectation 

 seem irrepressible as to Africa, and the biography of Park is above all 

 other works calculated to gratify it. The personal sacrifices and wonder- 

 ful efforts he went through, are all but incredible. When his companions 

 fell sick, and were burdens in place of aids, his biographer says, '* Fortu- 

 nately he was sufficient for all ; his cheerfulness had never forsaken him, 

 and, in the confidence of their leader, his helpless companions placed their 

 only remaining hope." With the following summary of his character we 

 entirely concur : *' Perhaps no man of equally humble pretensions ever 

 excited so general an interest among his countrymen, or more powerfully 

 moved their sympathy. No doubt this is in a great measure to be 

 ascribed to the character of the enterprise in which he was engaged, and 

 to the mystery and uncertainty which long hung over his fate: but much 

 may be fairly set down also to a feeling purely personal to himself. His 

 character, taken in connexion with the history of his life, was admirably 

 calculated to make that sort of impression on the public mind, which 

 mankind has ever shown the greatest desire to cherish. He blended the 

 virtues of a hero of romance, ardour of enterprise, generosity, and con- 

 tempt of danger, with the more sober but still more valuable qualities of 

 sagacity, calmness, and good sense. It is the rare union of these 

 qualities, in themselves so admirable, but which art- seldom found united 



