SOUTHERN AFRICA. 317 
new. A modern traveller through the fame country, in detail- 
ing fome of the fame circumftances touched upon by the former 
writer, has met with no better fuccefs. The fchooled mind is 
apt to feel a propenfity for rejedling every thing new, unlefs 
conveyed to it through the channel of demonftrative evidence, 
which, on all occafions, is not to be obtained ; whilft, on 
the other hand, credulity fwallows deception in every flimfy 
covering. The one is, perhaps, equally liable to ihut out 
truth, as the other is to imbibe falfehood. Nature's wide do- 
main is too varied to be fhackled with a fyllogifm. What 
nations, what animals, what plants, and other natural produc- 
tions, may yet be difcovered in the unknown parts of the 
globe, a man, who has ftudied nature in the clofet only, would 
hardly be fuppofed prefumptuous enough to form a conjedture ; 
yet fuch is the bias that the reputation of a name begets with 
the multitude, that the verdidt of half a dozen generally 
decides the queftion. 
Of all the aecefTible parts of the earth, the interior of South- 
ern Africa is the leaft known to Europeans. A few paltry 
eftabliftiments of the Portuguefe lie widely fcattered along the 
two coafts ; and the Dutch have colonized a few hundred miles 
from the fouthern angle along the two fhores ; but neither the 
one nor the other have fupplied any information of the inte- 
rior. Among the latter. Colonel Gordon was the only man 
who feemed defirous of extending the knowledge of the fouth- 
ern part of this continent, and his travels were very circum- 
fcribed. This gentleman had feveral occafions to fee the draw- 
ings of the unicorn made by the favages, a circumftance to 
prove 
