52 



A NEW HISTORY OF 



on one particular point, namely, it gives us an 

 opportunity of examining the disposition of the 

 captive. 



Thus, by having removed the tiger from his 

 jungle, we perceive, that, his temper, although 

 flexible under the hand of tuition, cannot entirely 

 be depended upon ; for sooner or later, when least 

 suspected, he will spring upon his keeper, and 

 punish him with death. 



On the contrary, amongst the numerous tribes 

 of monkeys, we find one which is docile in the 

 extreme, and will never be outrageous, if only 

 treated with kindness and generosity : — but, like 

 ourselves, it is capable of recollecting injuries or 

 insults ; and it will sometimes resent them, should 

 a favourable opportunity occur. This species of 

 monkey is the ape of the old world. Whether 

 it be the smaller one named chimpanzee, or the 

 larger, commonly called orang-outang, alias, the 

 wild man of the woods, it repays us in some 

 degree, for the instructions which we impart to it. 

 Gentle in the extreme, kind to the hand that feeds 

 it, and imitative of its instructor, it would perform 

 feats that would almost seem to place it, in 

 occasional instances, with man himself : — although, 

 at the same time, it cannot help letting out the 

 secret, that, in intellect, it is as far from the noble 



