954 
green; while plants from the fame reots, 
ina very rich and “rong foil in my gar- 
den in the country, ftill retain their varie- 
gated appearance in the utmoft perfec- 
tion. This is, I confefs, not a fubje& of 
much importance, but it is curious; and 
if Iam in a miftake, and any of yeur 
correfpondents will clear it up to me, they 
will oblige. N. D. 
ara ir a 
To the Editor of thi Monthly Magazine. 
SIR; 
OWN I was much furprifed at the 
meagre account in laft Magazine of tie 
Jate Dr. F. R. Forfier, whole tpleodid ta- 
Jeats, and fingular charaéter, merited a 
more circumitaniial account. It has been 
juftly obferved, that trifling and feeminely 
inconfiderable ations, or expreffions, often 
convey a more perfect ides ofa man’s genius 
and difpofition, than many of the greateR 
and moit important aGtions of his life. 
The anecdotes which J am about to give 
you ef this remarkable perfon, will fully 
illufirate his temper and character, which, 
Iam forry to fay, was far from amiable, 
and was the fruitful caufe of ali his mif- 
fortunes. 
When Captain Cock’s fecond voyage 
round the world was projected, Dr. J. RK, 
‘Foriter was appointed, on the ftrongeft re- 
commendation, to accompany Captain 
Cook, as a per{cn eminently qualified asa 
naturalitt and philofopher, w .ofe obferva- 
tions on the new-difcovered countries could 
not fail to be of the greateft utility to 
icience.. Unhappily, his conduct and be- 
haviour on board, during the whole of the 
voyage, was juft the revere of what it 
ovgnt to have been. Preud, impertous, 
and opinionated—he never paffed a week 
without a difpute with one perfon or other 
—and before the fhip had reached New 
Zcaland, he had quarrelled with almoft 
every perfon on board. ‘This created a 
verygreat fhynefs between him and the ofi- 
cers, and was the caule of his fuffering the 
moit mortifying neglects. The afperity 
of his temper difplayed itfelf alfo in his 
conaection with the natives of the South 
Sea Ifl:s. He was twice confined by Cap- 
tain Cook for wanton and unprovoked 
cruclty to them:—his deportment was, 
as mivht naturally be expeéted, the caufe 
of much ureaftuefs on board, and gave 
fuch ferious offence to Captain Cook, that, 
on the return of the fhip, he reported it to 
Lord Sacdwich (who then prefided at the 
board of admiralty); in confequence of 
which he was effectually deprived of that 
emolument, which, otherwife,was as cer- 
tain as magnificent. The Objerwations he 
drew up, were at firft intended to have been 
plinged te. with Captain Cook’s Narra- 
Anecdote of Profcffar Porfter.—Mr. Evans's Letter. 
[Jan. 1, 
tive, but were afterwards rejected. Dur- 
ing the voyage, Dr. Forfter had cclle&ted a 
number of living animals, and a large col- 
Je&tion of dried fkins of animals, part of 
which he prefented to the public, by fend- 
ing them to the Britifh Mufeum, a part 
tothe Queen, which, as he himlelf fays, 
in his Letter to Lord Sandwich, was mott 
gractoufly received—tor which, he com- 
plains, he never received any return more 
fubftantial than thanks. He had alfo pro- 
cured, at a very great expence, drawings 
of many curious obje&s in natural biftory, 
which he intended for the King, who re- 
fufed even to fee them: from which un- 
fortunate circumitances, he pathetically 
compiains in his Letter, that he and his 
family are ruined. 
He publithed at his owarifk, his Ob/er- 
vations, in a large quario volume ; and his 
ek who accompanied him in the voyage, 
publifhed a Narrative of it.—In both of 
thefe works, there evidently appears a fiu- 
died attempt to brand Captain Cook, and 
the whole fhip’s crew, with unprovoked 
barb arity to the mild, inoffenfive, hofpi- 
table iflanders of the South Sea.. 
From a review of his character, we dif- 
cover a moft mortifying inftance of the 
frailty of human nature—again& which 
education and fczence often prove but feeble 
barriers. 
Stockport. — James Boac, 
N. B. Authorities for the above faétg, 
Wales’s Remarks-on Forfter’s Account, &c. 
Neurje, 1783. 
Forfter’s Letter to Lord Sandwich, 
Robinfon, 3778. 
eS ae 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
Ol ies the channel of your ufe- 
ful Mifcellany, I beg leave to thank 
your correfpendent Chari clo for his ob- 
facet ons refpeéting the Antinomians,and 
to inform him that the etymological inac- 
curacy which he candidly pointed out, 
fhall be expunged in the new edition of the 
Sketch of the Denominations which I am 
now preparing for the prefs, with confi- 
derab'e additions. A werk of this kind 
cannot be too correct, and I would gladly 
avail mylelf of every candid communicas 
US with which I may be favoured. Ex- 
perience and obfervation have taught me 
to believe, that religious fects in eéneral, in 
order to their loving of one another *more, 
nave only to enter. more fully into each 
other’s views and fentiments. The Anti- 
nomians have among them various opt- 
nions refpecting the moral /aw—and fome 
of them deny it to be the rue of life. 
This, however, it will be recolle Ged, is 
not the cafe with all, though it is pe-haps 
difficult 
