plained to a Chinese 1800 years hence." The inftance may be familiar, but furely it is of fo ludicrous a nature, as to afford fcope for ridicule to thofe who might be inclined to feek occafion for it. It is by no means neceffary that a Profeffor of Theology, in order to preserve that plainnefs of illuftration which is certainly very defirable in didactic compofition, thould produce fuch a letter as that. On the contrary,

Migrat in obfcuras humili fermone tabernas.

We hope and trust that, as among the guardians of the public tafte, we shall not be thought to have unneceffarily remonftrated against what we cannot but esteem a great want of judgment, and a departure from that dignity which is furely effential to fuch a work on fuch a fubject.

In Book I, Ch. XII, Sect. 10, the learned Profeffor treats "of the Views with which we are to perufe thofe ancient Chriftian Writers who are ufually called THE FATHERS." Here he appears to us to have difplayed great ability. He molt judiciously confiders the Fathers under four points of view. As recorders of Chriftian Antiquity.

As preachers of Chriftian Virtue.

As expofiters of Holy Writ.

As defenders of the true Chriftian Doctrine.

Under all these views, the Profeffor defervedly recommends. the study of them to the young divine. His fentiments are fo fober, judicious, calm, and at the fame time highly animated, that we have rarely received greater inftruction and fatisfaction from any theological writer. We are convinced, with the learned Profeffor, that a neglect of thefe writers is unjustifiable, and is a flagrant defect in the education and inftitution of minifters of the Gofpel. Cold must be that heart, and groveling the tafte of that ftudent, who can draw neither eloquence or fublimity from the strains of a Chryfoftom or Nazianzen. Weak must be that understanding which cannot apply the ftores of found cafuiftry, judicious determination on moral topics, with which the comprehenfive aud vigorous writings of a Jerome and Auguftine fo amply fupply him. We particularly recommend to the ftudent the perufal of the 12th fection of the 12th chapter of the 1ft book, p. 107.

Much, however, as we admire the whole of Dr. Hey's obLervations on this very important head, we cannot think his defence, or at least mitigation of their conduct, with regard to pious frauds, either ftrong or fatisfactory. We can hardly think it perfectly confiftent with what he has fo properly advanced in p. 51, where he diftinctly declares, that nothing

* can

can be more abhorrent from piety, nothing more prefump. tuons."

We are forry that our limits will not permit us to proceed further in the confideration of the work before us, in our prefent number. But, in truth, the importance of the fubject, the merit and extent of the work, and character of its excellent author, render it our peculiar duty to give it a copious and elaborate investigation. At the fame time, the fingularity of fome of the Profellor's opinions (and fuch fingularities will increase upon us in the following pages) forbid us to hazard, in any degree, a hafty or precipitate judgment upon them. (To be continued.)

ART. VII. Voyages to the Eaft-Indies; by the late John Splinter Stavorinus, Efq. Rear-Admiral in the Service of the States-General. Tranflated from the original Dutch, by Samuel Hull Wilcocke. With Notes and Additions, by the Tranf lator. The Whole comprising a full and accurate Account of all the prefent and late Poffeffions of the Dutch in India, and at the Cape of Good Hope. Illuftrated with Maps. In Three Volumes. 8vo. 11. 4s. Robinfons. 1798.

THE original author of this work was Poft-Captain in the

naval fervice of the States-General, in their days of better fortune. As the times were then peaceable, he follicited and obtained permiffion to go to the Eaft-Indies, in the fervice of the Dutch Eaft-India Company. He was afterwards promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, in which poft he died. These volumes, which would at any time have excited the livelieft intereft, are of peculiar importance at the prefent period, when fo many of the places, the produce and manners of which are here reprefented, and of which, from the jealousy of their former mafters, we knew fo little, are become the property of the English nation.

The first volume contains the defcription of a Voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, Batavia, Bantam, and Bengal, with Obfervations on thofe Parts, &c. in the Years 1768-1771.

The fecond volume gives an account of a Voyage to the Cape, Batavia, Samarang, Macaffer, Amboyna, and Surat, with Accounts of thefe Places in 1774-1775.

The laft is a continuation of the Voyage from Surat to Ba-· tavia, the Coast of Malabar, and the Cape, in 1775-1778.

Having informed the reader generally what he has to expect from this publication, we fhall beftow our attention only on thofe parts which, from their novelty, may be expected to excite more univerfal curiofity. The Cape of Good Hope, Batavia, and Bengal, must be familiarly known to most readers,. from the works of Paterfon, Kolben, Sparman, Thunberg, Sir George Staunton, and others; but of Bantam our information is more limited. Before, however, we defcribe this: dependant fettlement of the Dutch, we ftop to extract the following fingular paffage, which occurs in the Voyage thither.

"Shortly afterwards, about fix o'clock, there arofe a found, juft like the groaning of a man, out of the fea, near the thip's fide. When I first heard it, I thought that fome one of the crew had been hurt be tween the decks, and I fent the officer of the watch down to fee what was the matter. The men, however, who were on deck, told me that they had heard this noife arifing, as it were, from out of the water, feveral times before; and I then perceived it to be as they faid; for, going on the outfide of the main-chains, I plainly heard it ten or twelve times repeated. It feemed to recede proportionably as the ship advanced, and, leffening by degrees, died away at the ftern. I fuppofe that it was perhaps occafioned by a fea-lion, that might be near the fhip, as many of thefe animals were faid to have been feen on the ifland of St. Paul, although we perceived nothing like any animal. About feven o'clock, the gunner, who came to make a report of fome matters of his department to me, informed me, that on one of his India voyages he had met with the fame occurrence, and that a dreadful ftorm had fucceeded, which forced them to hand all their fails, and drive at the mercy of the winds and waves for four-and-twenty hours. When he told me this, there was not the leaft appearance of any ftorm; yet before four o'clock in the afternoon we lay under our bare poles, feudding before the wind, in a violent tempeft. The fea ran fo high on all fides, that at nine o'clock in the evening all the cabin window and hatches were stove in, and the water rufhed quite into the stateroom. To provide, however, as much as poffible against this, we fpread a fail over the ftern, on which the fea could break, and which proved of great fervice to us. This blowing weather continued till the next day, the 12th of January, when the violence of the ftorm abating a little, we were enabled to fet our fails again. Fortunately, no material damage was done to our mafts or yards, but the bread and fail rooms were again very leaky." P. 45

The following defcription of the manners of a very fingular people, is highly amusing and inftructive.

"Shortly after our arrival at Bantam, Mr. Van Tets, and the company that were with him, had asked leave to pay their refpects to the king, and the 17th of May was fixed upon for that purpose.

"Accordingly, on that day three of the king's courtiers, magnificently arrayed in the Javanese fashion, came to fetch the company, at the head of whom was the commandant Reinouts, while I likewife made

made part of it. The garrifon of fort Speelwyk was under arms, and drawn out into two files, from the commandant's houfe to the gate, whither we had to walk between them. Having paffed the drawbridge of the fort, we found there in waiting three of the king's coaches, with European coachmen, dressed in his livery, which is yellow, with red flowers. The deputies from the court, defired the company to take their places in thefe coaches. In the firft, were feated the ladies of the company; in the fecond, was the commandant Reinouts, and Mr. Van Tets, escorted by the ufual guard of the former, confifting in twelve grenadiers, and preceded by ten of the king's body guards; and in the third coach followed the rest of the company.

"We rode in this order over the Pafcébaan, as far as the drawbridge of fort Diamond, where we left our equipages; and coming over the bridge, found part of the fultan's bodyguards likewise ranged in two files, as far as the gate of the fort. They were armed with half-pikes, and were naked down to their middle, which was girded by a piece of dark blue or blackish cotton cloth, which came round between their legs, and hung about half way down their thighs.

"While we were paffing between their ranks, the gomgoms, and other Indian mufical inftruments, were played. Coming to the gate of the fort, we were met by the king, who took the commandant Reinouts, and Mr. Van Tets, by the hand, and led them in, while we flowly followed in proceffion. Within the gate ftood the guard under arms, and the drums were beat inceffantly. There were befides two trumpeters ftationed at the entrance of the palace, and dressed in the king's livery, who founded a lufty peal of wind-mufic.

.

The entrance to the palace is through an arched gateway; the plaiftering of which was, in all likelihood, once of a white hue, but now appeared very black and dirty. It had, upon the whole, more the appearance of a prifon than of a regal palace, and gave me but a very indifferent idea of the infide. Paffing hence, we came into a large hall, which feemed to the eye to be about fifty-five or sixty feet in length, and of about half tha breadth, with a tolerably lofty ciel ing, built archwife, and feemingly wainscoted. The walls were whitewashed, but looked very dirty, fo that it was eafily to be seen that little attention was paid to them. The floor was paved, diamondwise, with fquare red tiles. The light and air were let in, on the north fide, through three windows, and two large doors, opening towards the inner buildings of the court, which wore likewife not the most inviting ap pearance.

"The door by which we entered was at the lower end of the hall; at the other end was another, leading to the remaining apartments. Near it stood a couch, covered with yellow fattin, and alfo a kind of bedstead with doors; the whole lacquered in the Chinese fashion. A little lower, was an oblong fquare table, with a yellow cover, adorned with red flowers; and on it flood three large chafed filver dishes, with firi leaves, areca nut, and the further requifites for the preparation of pinang*. Against the wall were two fide-tables, with beautiful marble

flabs

Pinang is the name of the kernel of the areca-nut (areca can theca); but it feems likewife to mean the mixture of the ingredients

they

flabs; and, between them, chairs of walnut-tree wood, made in the European fashion.

At the lower end of the room, was a large mat of split rattans, fpread upon the floor, on which the king's courtiers, with the prince or prime-minifter, who had the administration of the empire, at their head, fat down upon their heels, as foon as we had taken our places at the table. The king, having led the two abovementioned gentlemen into the room, placed himfelf upon a raised chair, at the upper end of the table. Next to him, on the left hand, having his face turned towards the windows, fat the commandant Reinouts, then Mr. Van Tets, and the other gentlemen of the company. On the oppofite fide of the table, on the right hand of the king, fat his firft queen, the mother of the prince, heir apparent of the crown; next to her was Mrs. Van Tets, then the fecond queen, then followed the lady fecond in rank of our company, then the third queen, then again one of our ladies, and the fourth queen, and next to her, the last on that fide, fat a little boy, the son of Mr. Van Tets.

"The two firft of these queens feemed to be already pretty far advanced in years, but the two others were younger, and, though fomewhat brown, looked very well; yet I remarked fome of the female flaves, who ferved us, who were incomparably handfomer and fairer than any of the four legal wives of the king. Their drefs too, had not any thing peculiarly graceful in it, confifting in long chintz kabays, or robes, of a fufficiently fine quality it is true, but hanging loofe down to the feet, in the Indian fashion, as I fhall hereafter more particularly defcribe.

"Their hair, which was of a jetty black, was combed smooth -up over the head, and faftened behind with a wreath, which is here commonly called a condé, richly adorned likewife with gold and jewels. They fat on chairs, in the fame manner as we do, although this is quite contrary to the general cuftom of the orientals, who every where are used to fit with their legs croffed under them. These ladies were very talkative, and converfed much with ours in the Malay language, while the chewing of betel or pinang was not forgotten, either by the Indian fultanas, or the Dutch ladies.

"The king, who was addressed by the title of Touang Sultan, or My Lord the King, appeared to me to be a man of between forty-five and fifty years of age. His colour was a chefnut-brown, with a friendly countenance, which was not belied by his manners or behaviour. He had a little beard, and black hair, curling a little: he feemed more inclined to fpareness than to corpulency. His drefs confifted in a long

they use for maftication. The firi leaves are betel leaves (piper betel). Into one of thefe leaves a piece of the areca-nut, which is generally divided into fix parts, one of which ferves at a time, being put with a little lime, the leaf is folded together, and kept in the mouth till all the ftrength is drawn out of it. The univerfality of the practice of chewing betel and areca, throughout the eaft, is well known. T,"

M m

BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XIV, NOV. 1799.

Moorish