ye Boats cn Be ark’s Travels Abufe from Truftees of Schools. [July 1, 
partments. of Upper Marne, Aube, and 
‘Yonne ; .0n the eaft, by thofe of Upper 
Marne, Upper Saone, and Jura; on the 
fouth, by thofe of Jura, and Saone and 
Loire ; and on the weft, by thofe of Niévre 
and Yonne. Its fuperficies is about 
3,718,228 fquare acres, or 876,956 hec- 
tares ; its population about 339,860 indi- 
viduals ; it is divided into four communal 
diftricts. 
Department of the Coafis of the North.— 
This is cne of the five formed of the 
ci-devant Bretagne. It is bounded on the 
north by the ocean; on the eait, by the de- 
partment.of Ile and Villaine; on the 
feuth, by the department of Morbihan ; 
on the welt, by that of Finifterre: its fu- 
perficies is about 1,143,463 {quare acres, 
or 736,720 hectares ; its population about 
530.441 individuals ; it is divided into 
five communal diftriéts. ; 
(To be continued.) 
ea 
Io the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 5 
’N Mr. Park’s Lravels ia the Interior 
NL Diftridts of Africa, we read the follow- 
ing delcriprion of a bridge erected by the 
Jallonkas over the Bafing, a principal 
branch of the river Senegal. 
‘© The Chief.of Manna,” fays the au- 
thor, “* with a number of his people, ac- 
companied us to the banks. of, the Bafing, 
or Black River, which we croffed upon a 
bridge of bamboos, of very fngular confiruc- 
tion ; fome idea of-which may be formed 
from ihe annexed engraving. ‘The river 
at this place is {mooth and deep, and has 
very little current. Two tall trees, when 
tied together by the‘tops, are fufficiently 
long to reach from one fide to the other ; 
the roots refting upon the rocks, and the 
tops ficating in the water. Whena few 
trees have been placed in this direction, 
they are covered with dry bamboos, fo as 
to form a floating bridge, with a iloping 
gangway at each end, where the trees reit 
upon the rocks. ‘This bridge is carried 
away by the {welling of the river in the 
rainy feafon,”” &c. 
What I propofe to obferve on this &c- 
count refpecis the engraving alluded to, 
which, though very beautiful, yet, to my 
apprehenfion, applies but indifferently to 
the defcription.' ‘The bridge in the plate 
has all the fymmetry, fhapelineis, and pre- 
ciGion of aregular ftructure, differing from 
a common bridge of wood only in being 
loweft inthe middle, fo as to be parily im- 
merfed in the ftream. There is net the 
leat appearance of either branch or rect of 
a ivee; all is fmooth and gegmetrically 
regular ; and has fo little the appearance 
of being the work of a negro architeét, 
that, if we were not aided by the author’s 
defcription, and the figures mtroduced, we 
fhould be apt to conclude it was the worl: 
of a Wyatt or a Burton. 
‘As I never was more ftrongly interefted 
by the perufal of any fimilar work,- nor 
ever more difpofed to give implicit credit to’ 
what is related.in it, I cannot help regret- 
ting that Mr. Park’s graphic talents fhould . 
have. been fo unfortunately exercifed in 
thisinftance, fince it certainly may afford 
‘the faftidious reader, at leaft, an opening 
for conjectures refpecting the text, which ¥ 
am convinced the work does not merit. 
Hamimerfmith, I am, Sir, 
May 17, 1801. _ Your’s, &c. 
: $ W. He 
farce 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, ; eae 
T has become cuftomary with the truf- > 
_ tees and governors of fome of the 
public ichools in the North of England, 
to exact and receive from the teachers of 
thefe feminaries, previous to their admif- — 
fion into office, a bond or written engage- 
ment to quit and refign the f{chools over 
which they prefide, whenever the trutiees 
fhall think proper to demand it. Caufes, 
no doubt, have exifted, to diftate and oc-. 
cafion a requifition of this nature; but the 
injuftice and impolicy of fuch a meafure 
muft be obvious to every confiderate and 
impartial mind. The man, who figns an 
infrument that renders him thus .com- 
pletely dependent on the caprice and difpo- 
fiticn of the truftees, can fcarcely be ex-. 
pected properly to difcharge the duties of 
{o important a truft, fince he thereby -de- 
prives himfelf of the power of an upright 
and unbiafled conduét. If by any means 
he incur the difpleafure and hatred of the 
trufices, whatever may-be the profeffional 
abilities he poficfies, or how diligent and 
attentive foever be be in his official ent- 
ployment, his difmiffion and difgrace will 
be inevitable. Inflances there certainly. 
have been, in which they, to whom this 
additional increafe of power has been thus 
delegated, have exercifed a juit and lau- 
dable difcretion, and in .which their mode- 
ration, no lefs than their integrity, has 
been highly wafible. Precedents of this 
Kind are, however, rare, and 1 could pro- 
duce many examples, wherein an’ oppefite 
difpofition and conduét have prevailed.— 
“LT will mention one: the truftee of a-public 
{choel, who had reierved to “himfelf the 
fole right of appointing a mafter, and alfo 
. ef 
