448 Monlhli^ Review of Literature. ^Ocx. 



Vindication op the South Sea Missions, by W. Ellis. 



In Capt. Kotzebue's description of his last voyage in the Pacific, he gave a 

 very unfavourable account of the condition of Tahiti (more generally known by 

 the orthography of Otaheite), ascribing all its degeneracy, since Cook's discovery 

 of it, to the mischievous missionaries. His publication has had by far too wide 

 a circulation to be overtaken by the vindicatory pamphlet before us, and we on 

 that account the more readily lend it our assistance, to remove some of the 

 aspersions which Mr. Ellis thinks, and very justly thinks, have been cast upon 

 the missionaries. The tone of Capt. Kotzebue's narrative was pretty plainly a 

 prejudiced one, that is, he was evidently indisposed to believe any good could be 

 accomplished by converting the natives of the Pacific to Christian sentiments, 

 or European habits ; but we did not, in the slight glance we took of his book, 

 suppose for a moment that he had wilfully misrepresented facts. Nor do we 

 know now that he has done so ; but at least, it is indisputable, he has taken up 

 hasty opinions, without weighing his authorities, or rather has trusted blindly 

 to the information afforded by interested parties, because, apparently, it con- 

 curred with his own prejudices. He himself was but a very short time on the 

 island, knew nothing of the language, and saw but little of it, or the population, 

 though what he did see, he acknowledges indirectly was favourable. His mis- 

 representations are speculative ones, mere deductions from the reports of others. 

 The main facts relied upon by Capt. Kotzebue for his general inferences is, that 

 the population in 1774, on the testimony of Capt. Forster, was 120,000, and that 

 now it does not exceed 8000. To what is this to be ascribed ? To the intro- 

 duction and influence of the missionaries, says Capt. K. Pomareh, the chief, 

 at their instigation, propagated the gospel by fire and sword, and the race has 

 in consequence been nearly swept away. Capt. Forster's estimate, however, is 

 of no authority whatever, it was made on the most erroneous detail ; and cer- 

 tainly in 1797, when the missionaries first landed, the population appeared, on 

 much better authority, when there was no interest in depreciating the numbers, 

 but rather the contrary, to be but 16,000. It is since that period that Capt. K. 

 represents nine-tenths of the people to have been extinguished by the mission- 

 aries, because he could trace the reduction to no other source. These nine- 

 tenths of his were thus calculated on Forster's estimate instead of that of 1797. 

 But the ravages of imported disease — the introduction of ardent spirits and fire- 

 arms — the continuance of human sacrifices, and of infanticide, to a frightful 

 extent — with ten wars, will sufficiently account for the reduction from 16,000 

 to 8000, and the wonder should rather be that the natives have not been utterly 

 annihilated. All this too occurred befoj'e the influence of the missionaries be- 

 gan — for not one native was converted before 1812. The fact is, as it may well 

 be sujiposed in our days, that no force was sanctioned or in any way promoted 

 by missionaries, English or American. Since their influence has been effective, 

 the population has again increased, and life and property is comparatively sacred. 

 To those who read Capt. K.'s volumes, and must have been struck by his repre- 

 sentations, we recommend the perusal of Mr. Ellis's vindication — he was him- 

 self eight years a missionary, on the Friendly and Sandwich islands, and de- 

 serves to be listened to. Pe cannot, we think, fail to conciliate the good will 

 and confidence of the reader. 



Substance of several Courses of Lectures on Music read in the 

 University of Oxford, and in the Metropolis, by Wm. Crotch, 

 Mus. D. &c. 



In these intelligent and well-considered lectures Dr. Crotch has shewn 

 himself ^thoroughly qualified to discuss the principles of musical science, and to 

 instruct and promote, what he professes to be his main object, the public taste. 

 That, he insists, requires much cultivation ; and the best proof of it is the rage 

 for novelty, which marks the lovers of music of the present day. Have you any 

 thing new, is every body's first inquiry on entering a music-shop. He considers 

 them wholly at the mercy and caprice of modern composers — themselves often 



