1831.] Monthly Review of Literature. 56? 



broken in upon of late by the accession of two or three Englishmen, one of whom 

 set up for preacher and schoolmaster — and despot ; and they have now, it appears, 

 from very recent intelligence, been all in a body removed to Otaheite by the 

 missionaries — to the speedy destruction of all their simplicity. 



Of Christian, Adams gave difi'erent accounts — that he killed himself, and 

 ■was killed by others. In 1808 and 9, a very general opinion was prevalent in 

 the neighbourhood of the lakes of Cumberland, that Christian was in that part 

 of the country, and visited his relatives there. Hey wood himself always felt 

 convinced that he had seen him at Plymouth. He quickened his steps to over- 

 talie the man whom he took for Christian — the man turned — the face was exactly 

 Christian's — he seemed to recognize Heywood — took to his heels, and was seen 

 no more. 



Campaigns and Cruises in Venezuala and New Grenada, &c. 



3 vols. 12mo. 



Of all matters of fact writers should give their names and qualities, and not 

 seduce the world into the belief that printing is evidence of reality — not that we 

 entertain any doubt of the general truth or accuracy of the Campaigns and 

 Cruises before us, though the writer is a dealer in fiction. Of him we know 

 nothing, but from his own volumes. He represents himself as having entered 

 the Colombian service in 1817 — leaving it, after some time, for that of Chili, 

 and returning to England, on leave of absence, in 1830. No time was lost, on 

 his return, in working up his volumes for the press ; and they were completed 

 before he had any notion of the immense collection of Personal Narratives, Jour- 

 nals, Tours, Wanderings, Residences, &c. which had come forth in his absence, and 

 forestalled the market, which he seems to have regarded as all his own. Never- 

 theless, he was not willing, as nobody is, to throw away his labour ; and as the 

 books were written, they must be printed, or the world would be never the 

 ■wiser. Nor would -we by any means have had them lost — they are the produc- 

 tions of a man of good sense, and of large experience, though more distinctness 

 and sequency on the narrative of military events would Lave added considerably 

 to its value — relieved the toil of recollection, and assisted the imagination. As 

 it is, things are put together with too little regard to order, though, after all, 

 the descriptions, sprinkled over the whole, relative to the habits of the .natives, 

 and of animals, whose peculiarities are little known, form the best and most 

 interesting portions of the performance. 



With more facts in his possession than the writer was able to work up in the 

 narrative of his Campaigns and Cruises, he has attempted to give some of them 

 a local habitation, by introducing them into the frame-work of a couple of tales. 

 The second and third volumes, accordingly, bear the title of Tales of Venezuela 

 — the scenes of which are judiciously laid, though the details occasionally savour 

 too much of the minutiae of a soldier's journal. The first is called The Earth- 

 quake of Caraccas ; but that event occurred in 1812, and, of course, did not fall 

 ■within the writer's observation. On that fearful day, the first anniversary of 

 the federation of the Venezuelan States, and of course a fete day, a young 

 Catholic lady was to take the veil. She was the daughter of a miserly old 

 ■wretch — a pretended patriot, and a real traitor — and was sacrificed by him to 

 save his money. A relative, a young soldier of fortune, was warmly attached 

 to her, but had never told his love. On the eve of the day that was to cut her 

 off for ever from the world, the father gave a splendid entertainment, as was 

 usual on such occasions, at which the young lady presided, and saw all her 

 friends for the last time. In the midst of the festivities he was arrested for 

 treason, and thrown into prison. Nevertheless, the young lady's profession 

 proceeded next day ; and just before her final accc[)tance of the vows, occurred 

 the terrible event that shook Caraccas to ruins. The youth was at hand, and 

 rescued the prostrate girl. The same commotion threw down the prison walls, 

 and the old man escaped, in company with his daughter, to some distant port, 

 got on board a trading vessel, and found refuge in one of the West India isles. 



