| 
G34 ° Retrofped? of French Literature—Voyages and Travels. - 
dingy hue, armed with beaks of iron, 
that prevent the poflibility of efcape. 
Ail the neighbourhood has been, at 
different times, overwhelmed with a fea 
of melted matter, and, withina circuit 
ofa couple of leagues, neither: plants 
nor herbs are found to grow. 
The firft inhabitants, who’came from 
Norway, profefied the religion of Odin, 
which was admirably calculated to kin- 
die within the human bofom the fire 
ef war, and the love of liberty. But, 
it appears, that about ‘the year 1000, 
two diftinguifhed perfonages Den Hvide 
(or the-‘White) and Hhalte-Skeggefen, 
favoured the eftabhifhment of Chriftia- 
nity, by order of Oluf-Tryggevejon, 
King ot Norway. ‘Their efforts, how-. 
ever, were likely to prove ineffeGual ; 
for, at the very moment when the mif- 
fionaries were exhorting the people in 
an althing, or general aflembly, to 
change their religion; a hideous ‘erup- 
tion irom Heckla took place, and the 
people afferted, that the gods were ir- 
ritated; but Snorro-godi, a Pagan 
prieit, having appeaied them, they im- 
mediately embraced the new faith. 
In 1055, a bifhopric was erected at 
Skalhold; and Ifler, the fon of Giffur; 
became the firit prelate of that fee. 
Soon afters maonaftic inftitutions began 
to be known, but they were feculariled 
on the mtroduction of Lutheranifm, 
which was the more readily received, 
becaufe the manners of the clergy and 
bifhops had become very diflolute. 
One of them was forced from the altar, 
and: afterwards drowned; in confe- 
quence of the crimes he had’ commit- 
ted again{t a powerful family. 
Notwithftanding the oppofition of 
the priefthood, and, what is very ab- 
furd, the rigours of the government, 
many of the people of. this ifland {till 
believe in magic and forcerers, who, 
according to them, traverfe the air on 
a broom-fiick, underftand the lan- 
guage of birds, &c. Formerly fuchas 
were accufed of thefe pretended crimes 
were delivered over to the hands of the 
magiitrates, and burned; but, fince 
1690, the judges are obliged, in confe- 
quence of a law enacted by the King of 
Denmark, to lay the proceedings betore 
his Majefty, anterior to the punifhment 
‘of the unhappy culprit. 
«¢ Fragmens d’un Voyage en Afrique, 
fait pendant les Années 5785, 1736, et 
1787, dans Jes Contrées Occidentales 
de ce Continent, comprifes entre le 
Cap Blanc de Barbarie, par 2c Degrés 
47 Minutes de Latitude Boréale, et le 
Cap de Palmes: avec une Carte Géné- 
_rale d'Afrique, rédigée d’apres les Ob- 
fervations les plus authentiques, et les 
Découvertes les plus récentes, et-des 
Plans et Deffins gravés en taille-douce, 
par SYLVAIN MEINARD XAVIER GOL- 
BERRY, Paris, 2 vols. in $vo.’’—Frag- 
ments of a Voyage to Africa, during 
the Years 1735, 1786, and 1787. 
M. Golberry, foon after the con- 
clufion of the American war, accom- 
panied the Chevalier de Boufflers to Se- 
nega], of which fettlement the latter 
had been appointed governor, in qua- 
lity of an aide-de-camp and engineer. 
** The principal object of my miflion 
(fays he) was to optain inforrnation of 
whatever might appear interefting to 
the commerce of France, and enable 
fier to rival the Englith and Portu- 
guefe in that quarter of the globe. f- 
was alfo inftructed to negociate with 
feveral Negro Kings for the eftablith- 
ment of new factories, &c.”’ 
Our author accordingly appears to - 
have vifited ail the nations on the bor- 
ders of the Senegal, the Gambia, the 
Rio Grande, and Sierra Leone ; and he 
propofes, by means of. the Moors, to 
forman intercour{fe with Zaara, Morocco, 
Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli,and even with 
Cairo and Alexandria. The Kaffous, 
the Sarwallis, the Foulkes, the Bam- 
boukains, the Bambares, &c. are alfo 
contidered as’ admirably adapted to the 
extenfion of the commercial relations 
of.France; and, as ‘* the precipitate 
abolition of Negro Slavery” has nearly 
annihilated all her trade in this portioa . 
' of Africa, he thinks, that thefe new 
fources of indufiry and advantage 
fhould be opened and explored. 
While mentioning the Jolofs, he 
confiders them as the ancient allies of 
his natiye country; and, by areference 
to their complection, endeavours to 
prove, that colour:does not depend 
upon fituation ; for thefe Negroes are of 
a pure black, and this conftantly dege- 
nerates as we approximate the line. 
Gum-Senegal is produced from a 
fpecies of the Acacia; there are two — 
kinds of it, the white termed by the 
Moors werek, and red, which receives 
the appellation of webueb. Three ex- 
tenfive forefts, fituate towards the 
northern extremity of the great defert 
Zaarah, eat an equai diftance from the 
banks of the river Senegal and the fea, 
~produce this precious merchandize. 
Gold is another object of commerce, 
4, : “and 
