1824.] lale Jiev. Dr. Clarke. 409 



agency, he thought himself so far competent to recognize them 

 in any other country, if they were to be found. This is the 

 substance of his own acount, and one natural consequence of 

 his pre-occupation was, that his attention was more alive upon 

 the journey to geological facts, than to any other; and that a 

 larger portion of his time and labour was bestowed upon this 

 question, than it would naturally have claimed, in a tour not 

 undertaken expressly with a view to it. Had this, however, 

 been the only objection, the reader might not have lost much ; 

 for whatever value might be attached to his inferences at that 

 time, his researches are often curious and minute, and his 

 reasoning always ingenious and amusing ; but it unfortunately 

 happened, that the leaning of his judgment in the course of his 

 tour, seems to have been in a different direction from that which 

 it afterwards took, when, in a maturer state of his own know- 

 ledge, the learned and accurate labours of Dr. Maculloch had 

 been submitted to him. Hence the difficulty, which applied to 

 himself, and hence the restriction enjoined upon his friends ; in 

 conformity to which they feel themselves compelled to withhold, 

 not only those parts of his journal in which his arguments are 

 directly stated, but even all the more general remarks from 

 which his mode of reasoning might be inferred." 



The limits to which we are necessarily confined preclude us 

 from enlarging on this northern tour, which occupied Mr. Clarke 

 and his companion three months, from June 22 to Sept. 26, 

 1797. The narrative of it in the work is carried on from the 

 isle of Ailsa to the conclusion of the journey, from Mr. C.'s 

 journal; written in an extremely animated and pleasing style, 

 and describing the scenery of the Western Islands and of the 

 country through which they passed, in an interesting and vivid 

 manner. 



At Easter, 1798, having been elected a Fellow of Jesus 

 College before his departure for Scotland, Mr. Clarke prepared 

 to take up his residence there. In the mean time a new engage- 

 ment was proposed to him, which led eventually to important 

 consequences ; being the cause of his undertaking, and the 

 means of his completing the extended tour in Europe, Asia, 

 and Africa, from which the fame he subsequently acquired was 

 principally derived. The object of the proposal was a young- 

 man of his own neighbourhood, in Sussex, Mr. Cripps ; who 

 having lately succeeded to a considerable estate in that county, 

 was desirous of placing himself under the guidance and instruc- 

 tion of Mr. Clarke: for three years, in the meritorious hope of 

 supplying the defects of an indifferent education, by those 

 means, which though late were still within his power. In the 

 pursuit of this advantage, the place was of secondary import- 

 ance to him, and he was easily induced, at Mr. Clarke's recom- 



