ACCOUNT OF BOOKS. 



J 063 



It may be useful to one class of 

 ourreadiTS, to repeat Mr. Llndlaj's 

 observation on the navigation of 

 the coast of Brasil, namely, that 

 from the reef of rocks, called the 

 Monera, adjoining the bar of Boy- 

 peba, to the point dc Casteiiianos ; 

 three leagues more to the southward 

 is a fatal place to navigators, as co- 

 vered rocks extend to a considerable 

 distance from the point, " and no 

 vessels ought to near the coast here 

 within hall a degree, as all our 

 charts are very defective to the 

 south ot Bahia." He adds, that 

 thei'b are some valuable manuscript 

 Portuguese charts, and that the host 

 English one is a small one published 

 by Laurie and Whittle, Fleet street. 



From the few sprinkliiits of na- 

 tural history which ihis volume at- 

 fords, we select the lollowing. 



" I was caught on thj beach this 

 day, in the severest fall of rain I 

 ever witnessed. While standing un- 

 der a shed to avoid its violence, I all 

 at once observed the air full of a 

 small liying insect, which the people 

 near me called Asian aii's.* Thi-. is 

 the moment they use for multiplying 

 their species, after which they drop; 

 ■when their transparent wings stick- 

 ing to the moist earth, they make a 

 violent ellort and leave them. The 

 insect then appears as a small mag- 

 got, which immediately divides, and 

 each part seeking the porous earth 

 soon disappears : the larger ones al- 

 ways leave their wings ; while some 

 smaller, after separation, regain the 

 air. On my arrival at the fort, 1 

 heard they had there also swarmed 

 in myriads, as just observed. 



" The large ant, already noticed, 

 is :U^o in a state of chrysalis at this 



season. It is far increased in size 

 during this change ; and alter con- 

 tinuing some time in the air, returns 

 to the earth, shodd.ng ils wings as 

 those which 1 saw yesterday : while 

 some, unable to effect that change, 

 lie motionless, and soon expire A 

 nest which 1 passed of these insects 

 was opened, with some hundreds of 

 the winged ones (which I imagine 

 females) taking flight from themoulh 

 of it ; while myriads of young oneS 

 continued uninterrupted at work." 



A digression of Mr. Lindley's 

 upon the attempt made by the negro 

 slaves, to establish theii- indepen- 

 dency, is very interesting. — He 

 thus in roduces it in his journal : — 



" From the 29th of A pril to the 1st 

 of May, the streets and squares of 

 the city are thronged with groups of 

 human beings, exposed for sale at 

 the doors of the different merchants 

 to whom they belong ; five slave 

 ships having arrived within the last 

 three da^s. From the unusual 

 quantity at this time imported, with 

 the many alr»^adyin the color, y, one 

 would conceive the public tranquil- 

 lity to be somewhat endangeretl, on 

 a recollection of the late events ia 

 St. Domingo. But it is far other- 

 wise : f>r, indulged to licentiousness, 

 not over- worked, and enjoying 

 their native vegetable food, the ne- 

 groes are cheerful and content. True 

 policy is the spring of this apparent 

 humanity in the Portuguese colo- 

 nists : but they had rece ved a ter- 

 rible lisson before adopting this line 

 of conduct, which 1 shall digress so 

 far as to relate. 



" Abjut a century ago,+ at the 



conclusion of the contest with the 



Dutch, the slaves in the neighbour- 



3 Y 4 hood 



* Vermigucs dc Asia. 



f See " America Portugueza," Livro QJitavo,&:c. 



