64 
vage fribe, with whom he had been reared 
from a period:of infancy, of which he had 
no recollection, forcibly recalied to our 
memory (the adventures of Psalmanazer. 
We have now read the work, and it is but 
justice to say thatall our scepticism has van- 
ished. he narrative is natural and un- 
affected: it tells no tale that can be reckon- 
ed extraordinary; and recounts nothing 
of his early years that could have been be- 
yond the comprehension of a boy. There 
appears no motive for deceit ; and the ob- 
servations are throughout, modest, rational, 
and, we may Say, philosophical. Only a 
hundred and thirty-four pages are devoted 
to his personal adventures ; the remaining 
three hundred and twelve being wholly oc- 
cupied in an account of the ‘* Manners and 
Customs of the several Indian tribes located 
west of the Mississippi.” Mr. Hunter 
left the Indiaus in 1816, when, according 
to his own belief; he was about ninetcen 
or twenty years of age. His previous 
adventures are merely a history of the 
combats and migrations of the different 
tribes among which he lived; the chances 
of war having tranferred him from one to 
another. ‘These things are recorded from 
memory, and the record is seemingly ac- 
curate. ‘The second and principal part of 
the volume partakes more of compilation, 
In his account of the topography of the 
country and the manners of the tribes; 
his recollection has been evidently assisted 
by subsequent enquiries, and conjoined 
with the information received from other 
travellers. In editing the work, he ac- 
knowledges that he has been assisted by 
his friend Edward Clark, both “ with tnter- 
rogations respecting some of the subject 
matter, and the revisal and arrangement 
of the Manuscript.” Of theextent of that 
assistance we are ignorant, but we know 
that an interesting and instructive book 
has been produced by their joint co-opera- 
tiov. Some parts must certainly have been 
added by Mr. Clark: for instance, the 
speech of an Indian Chief, which Mr. Hun- 
ter heard when he was ayoung boy, is here 
given at great length, and in the first person. 
This exactitude of recollection is en- 
deavoured to be accounted for, from 
the effect which the speech produced ; but 
the following paragraph looks extremely 
like an interpolation from the Fables of 
fEsop. ‘ Brothers, the white people are 
like poisonous serpents: when chilled, they 
are feeble and harmless; bat invigorate 
them with warmth, and they sting their 
benefactors to death.” From other parts of 
the volume, we are assured thatthe indians 
are not accustomed to take serpents into 
their bosoms. We do not, however, wish 
to cavil: because, as we have already said, 
we are persuaded that in all essential par- 
ticulars the work is sufficiently faithfus. 
The Antiquities of Free-Masonry, by 
GeOoRGE Oniver, Vicar of Clee, Ae. isa 
Literary and Critical Proémium. 
[Aug. 1, 
very pompous and very foolish book. Tt 
is adorued with maps of Egypt, Canaav, 
and Jerusalem, besides a large one of 
“ Enrope, Asia, and Africa, shewing the 
dispersion and settling of nations by the 
descendants of Noah,” according to the 
tenth chapter of Genesis ; and it pretends 
to trace the-history of Masonry from the 
creation of the world to the dedication of 
Solomon’s Temple. The author tells us in 
his preface, that he has long felt a serious 
desire to defend the institutions of masonry 
against envy and prejudice; and, that 
since that duty had been impressed upon 
his mind, he had preached and printed five 
Sermons in his official capacity of Provin- 
cial Grand Chaplain for the county of Lin- 
coln, the tendency of all of which was 
chiefly directed to that point. But those 
sermons, it seems, were not sufficient; and, 
therefore, this work was undertaken to ex- 
pose “the pure principles of the science, as 
wt actually existed in the primitive ages of 
the world.” What that science is, we are as 
much at aloss to know, having read his 
book, as we were when we opened it. 
Neither are we bettered by the following 
definition of masonry, which he says is con- 
tained in an ancient manuscript, in the 
hand-writing of King Henry the Sixth: “Ytt 
beeth the skylle of nature, the understond- 
ynge of the myghte, that ys hereynue; and 
its sondrye werckynges, sonderlyche, the 
skylle of rectenynges, of waightes aud 
metynges, and the true manereof faconynge 
at thynges for mannes use, headlye, dwel- 
lynges, and buildynges of all kyndes, and 
al odher thynges that make gudde fo 
manne.——Maconnes havethe alweys, yn 
everyche tyme, from tyme to tyme, com- 
munycatedde to mankynde soche of her 
secrettees as generallyche myghte be use- 
fulle; they hauethe kepe backe soche 
alleine as shulde be harmfulle yf they 
comed ynn euylle haundes.” How many 
such secrets may be in the possession of 
the reverend author we know not, but 
sure we are that he has revealed nothing 
in this volume that can be possibly of the 
slightest use to mankind. ‘his we would 
have pardoned had the book been amusing, 
but it is as dull and uninteresting as it is 
stupid and superstitions, 
The Flora Domestica, or the Portable 
Flower-Garden, which professes to give 
directions for the treatment of plants in 
pots ; is a compilation that has a probable 
chance of a successful sale. The plants 
‘treated of are about 200, which, with 
their varieties, might, as far as their cul. . 
tare is concerned, have been discussed in 
the space of forty pages.. The remaining 
350, are made up in part of botanical de- 
scriptions and remarks, but ehiefly by 
‘illustrations from the works of the po- 
ets.” The poets however whom this author 
has chosen to iliustrate his work, are sel- 
dom those who have taken their stand in 
7 “the 
