~ 
Scientific Reviews. 191 
to us to walk with one whose muse unfortunately never extended 
beyond the precincts of his own village, to see how well he knew 
every ruined oak, every flower, every rock, in that vicinity. Indeed 
that power, the result of organization, which enables man to seize 
and remember “ facts,” seems to be a peculiar attribute of the 
successful poet ; and though we do not think that the severity of 
science can ever be made to agree with the licences of poetry, we 
yet think poetry is ever worthless unless in description it is correct, 
and in painting human manners and actions it is true. ‘ 
The germs of that kind of poetical prose which our author has 
indulged in may be found equally in the desert or the rich plains 
of Europe ; its features will, indeed, be more novel, and there is 
no tint of colour so deep that it cannot be thrown over the manners 
of races little known, and scenes little visited. 
These gaudy pictures have, however, no intrinsic merits, and to 
use the author’s own words: “ How idle a thing is description, and 
my description the most idle of all, who know not the names of what 
I saw, and have not words to speak their beauty.” (p. 72.) We are 
not aware of the exact state of public feeling with regard to what 
they consider the most agreeable travellers ; but we think that 
there can but be one opinion as to which is the most useful, and if 
the useful can be added to the agreeable, why should we have the 
latter alone. 
We are now arguing against the principle ; for it is certain that 
our author had never prepared himself to write an useful work, 
and his labours are of no interest either to geography, history, or 
natural sciences ; but with such spare materials he has accom- 
plished his task with credit. It was something to visit countries 
already explored by such men as Barrow, Vaillant, Delalande, over 
which had been stretched the scientific eye of La Caille, Thunberg, 
Sparrman, Abel, and a host of others; and it was not to be ex- 
pected that in this small volume much was to be added to our pre- 
vious knowledge of these countries ; but equally unnecessary was 
that redundance of language by which every solitude is “ tremen- 
dous and mighty,” the hollow of every ravine “ shadowy,” the 
step of every Caffre ‘ proud and elastic,” the form always “ beau- 
tiful,” and by which every river is made to flow “ clear, and dark, 
and deep.” Mr. Rose describes the situation of the missionaries to 
be every way comfortable. Their communication is carried on by 
a Caffre messenger, who each week visits the nearest frontier mili- 
tary post, and receives the letters, which are then forwarded to 
those more remote. “‘I have in my rides through the country” 
(says our author) “ crossed the dusky figure, as he moved quickly 
forward in his return, and have looked upon him as the last link of 
the vast chain of social intercourse that binds the absent to their 
father-land.” This is a pretty conception: but we have one fur- 
ther on, which is more curious. Their party was joined by a woman 
of another tribe, whose husband had been unable to pay her stipu- 
lated price. “ Barrow, I think, says, that when he was in Caffer- 
