Retrofpedt of Domeftic Literature...Voyages and Travels. 1047 
with fo much perfonal anecdote and ad- 
venture, as will make it agreeable even to 
thofe who read for amufement merely.” 
We were particularly ftruck by the hi- 
ftory of Mr. Johnfon, of Virginia, who, . 
in 1790, was taken ‘prifoner, in conte- 
quence of an artful manoeuvre of fome: 
tribes of native Indians, as he was de- 
fcending the Ohio, and who, after being 
in the moft imminent danger of experi-. 
encing the dreadful vengeance of Indian 
conquerors, was luckily refcued, and re- 
turned fafe to his habitation at Richmond, 
where our traveller became acquainted ~ 
with him.. Mr. Adams is highly fpoken 
of as a zealous promoter of the American 
revolution; for his powers of converfation, 
abounding in farcaftic, yet not uncourte- 
ous wit, and for his médeft and retired 
mode of living. This was while he was 
vice-prefident of the United States. We 
are forry to find that Dr. Priefiléy has 
not obtained all the refpeét in America 
which his virtues and extraordinary ta- 
lents entitled him to expect. ;We doubt 
there is much truth in our author’s ob- 
fervation, that this people of traders 
would give up all the experiments, on air 
for one profitable {peculation.  , 7 
The “ Travels of M. Faujas DE 
St. Fonp in England and Scotland,” 
which, were publifhed at Paris in 1792, 
have been well tranflated into Eng-— 
lith. This enlightened and philofophi- 
cal traveller vifited Great Britain in 
1784, before the prefent lamentable ran- / 
cour fubfifted between the two. nations, 
and viewed, with a very approving. eye, 
the admirable ftate of fuch of our manu- 
faétures as the jealoufy of trade permitted 
him to infpeét. He gives a very lively 
and interefting account of the eminent 
charaéters to whom he was introduced ; 
particularly of Sir Jofeph Banks, Dr. 
Prieftley, Mr. Whitchurit, Mr.’ Caval- 
lo, and Mr. Sheldon. The account of 
an anatomical preparation of a young 
lady, of whom the latter gentleman had 
been the lover, and which ‘he keeps in 
his bed-chamber, is uncommonly firiking. 
No one can read without pleafure the ac- 
count of our traveller’s introduétion to 
Dr. and-Mifs Herfchel: indeed, there 
are continual marks of the goodnefs of 
his heart, as well as the foundnefs of his 
judgment, and the livelinefs of his ima- 
gination. He frequently laments, with 
the utmoft poignancy, the fevere fate of 
his philofophical friends who have fallen 
under the bloody axe of the revolution. 
The main objeéts which M. de St. Fond 
had in view were mineralogy and natural 
hiftory, of which perhaps there is ra- 
but certainly rather duil works. 
ther too much for readers in general ; 
but his animated defcription of the cave 
of Fingal cannot fail of interefting every 
body. 
Mifs PLumprre has prefented the 
public with a very excellent,tranflation 
of ** Matthiefon’s Letrers from various 
Parts of ‘the Continent, between the 
Years 1785 and 1794.’ Weare glad to 
find that this lady has turned her attention 
to fomething befides German plays, with 
which we have in truch been furfeited. 
The moft interefting part of thefe letters 
is the account of the great living literary 
characters of Germany. The author 
lavifhes his praife too indifcriminately, 
and his epinion mutt therefore be received 
with caution. He gives fome uncom- 
monly interefting anecdotes of perfons in 
rance, which he vificed immediately 
after the inftitution of the Repubiic,— - 
anecdotes which will make the hearts of 
every friend of liberty to glow. At the 
end of the volume are given three origi- 
nal letters from our countryman Gray to 
Charles Von Bonftetten, baillic of Nion, in 
the canton of Berne, written in more than 
his ufual querulous ftyle of defpondency. 
Matthiefon himfelf is a poet; but ir is 
rather unfortunate that Mifs Plumptre 
fhould have attempted the tranflation of 
one of his poems. BO: 
Since the hazardous expedition of the 
French to Egypt and Syria, and the very 
interefting account publifhed by Mr. 
Eton of the Turkifh empire, the public 
curiofity has been eagerly attracted to 
thefe countries: hence the avidity with 
which the narratives of BROWNE and 
SONNINI haye been received. They 
are both of them folid and {cientific, 
Mr. 
Browne is, we underftand, a gentleman 
of education and fortune, and, confe- 
quently, his expofing himfelf to the very 
great rifque which invariably attends 
Frank travellers in thefe. barbarous and 
fanatical regions is the more to be won- 
dered at. Mr. Browne arrived in Egypt 
in January 1792, and {pent the whole of 
that year, and part of the next,-in ex- 
ploring the wonderful works of nature, | 
and ruins of works of art, which that 
once celebrated country ftill contains. In 
May 1793 he began his African journey, 
in the courfe of which he arrived at the 
kingdom of Dar-Fur, till then abfoiutely 
unvifited by any European traveller, and - 
thus rendered the moft effential fervice to 
the geography of Africa. In this curi- 
ous and interefting country he was com- 
pelled by the fultan to remain three 
years, and was thereby prevented from 
penetrating 
