highly pleased to hear that we intended to bly for food, as we could not prevail upon depart shortly." them to part with any. Indeed their poverty seemed to allow little in the way of barter; The native inhabitants of this island for even fish we could seldom procure, are thus described. "The men in general were of a short stature, their legs inclining to bend outwards, and their arms rather short in proportion to their bodies. Their beards were thick and large, covering the greatest part of the face, and inclining to curl. The hair of the head was very bushy, which they cut short before en the forehead, and below the ears: behind it was cut strait. Their bodies were almost universally covered with long black hair; and even in some young children we observed the same appearance. The women have their hair cut short round their heads, but uch longer than the men: the backs of their hands and forehead were tatooed, as well as round the mouth. They had strings of glass beads round their necks, and other ornaments. The dress of the men consists of a loose gown, made of the inner bark of the lime tree; it reaches down to their knees, and is fastened round the middle by a belt, in which they carry a tobacco-box, pipe, and knife. Some of them had silver rings in their ears, with beads hanging from them. Their dress is only worn in cold weather, which they slip off and on as may be most convenient: in the hot season they only wear a piece of linen round their waists. The female dress differs little from that of the men, except that their gowns reach to the middle of their legs; some of them were formed of seal or deer skins, adorned with pieces of blue cloth. The features of the women were pleasing, though much disfigured by the mode of cutting their hair. Their behaviour was modest, reserved, and becoming their sex. The children went en tirely naked. The men saluted us in the most humble manner, sitting down crosslegged, stroaking their beards after stretching forth their hands, and bowing nearly to the ground. "Their houses were built of wood, and the walls formed of reeds, as well as the thatch. In the centre was the fire-place, and small openings at each end of the roof to carry off the smoke. Over the fire-place copper sauce-pans for cooking were suspended, and a slight scaffolding for drying fish and grain. A platform was raised above the ground, covered with skins and mats, on which they slept. Their dwellings were generally of an oblong form. Their food consists chiefly of dried fish, boiled with sea-weed, and mixed with a litthe oil made from the liver of the sun-fish. They also feed upon several kinds of fruits and vegetables, such as grapes, winter beries, the fruit of the bramble, and others, with tillet seed, &c. At the villages they hept young bears and eagles in cages, proba though it was their constant employment to catch them. Wild grapes were plentiful, and a species of garlic or chives. Their boats were built chiefly of fir, with upper streaks, increasing their width aloft, and continuing fore and aft, making them sharp at each end. They were sewed together with twisted willows, and the seams filled up with moss. In pulling they made use of skullers; but, instead of pulling them together, they moved one after the other, which prevented them from going in a strait line. Their nets were made of the twisted bark of the lime tree, dyed with oak bark. Their hooks, har poons, &c. were procured from the Japanese. The repairing of their boats seems their chief employment, added to their collecting and drying the sea-weed, of which a large quantity is exported to Japan, as a valuable article of food. Birch bark is also an article of commerce. "The women are employed in weaving cloth for garments, and other necessary domestic work. The smoking tobacco is a favourite amusement with both sexes. "These people of Insu were tributary, and in great subjection to the Japanese, who prevented them as much as they could from having any intercourse with us; for whenever they appeared, the Japanese drove them away. They appeared a most harmless inoffensive race of men; and we regretted much the jealousy of the Japanese, which entirely prevented us from acquiring the inform ation we wished concerning their customs and manners. They speak in a slow timid manner; and their language contains many Japanese words. There were some trifling plantations of Indian corn and millet, but few other signs of cultivation. This we the more wondered at, as their diet secmed very scanty and precarious; and the ground produced abundance of vegetables, as we ob served in the gardens belonging to the Japanese." From Volcano bay captain Broughton shaped his course to the northward, exploring the coast of Insu, Spanberg's island, and part of the Kurile islands; the weather however becoming very stormy, he was obliged to return to the South; and, after an unsuccessful attempt, on account of incessant heavy gales, to pass through the straits of Matsmai, he arrived off the harbour of Jeddo on the 11th of November: hence he proceeded towards China by the Lieuchieu islands and the north of Formosa, and on the 13th of December, after a very stormy passage, arrived at Macao. Here captain Broughton purchased a small vessel, to serve as a tender to the Providence, and completely repaired his ship. On the 11th of April, 1797, the expedition quitted Macao, with the intention of surveying the gulf of Tartary. Calms and baffling winds prevented them from making much progress; and, on the 17th of May, the ship most unfortunately struck on a reef of coral-rocks, near the island of Typinsan, one of the Madjicosemah isles, and was lost. The crew and some of the stores were conveyed, by the tender, in safety to Typinsan, where they received every possible assistance and comfort from the inhabitants. Water, wood, wheat, rice, potatoes, canary seed, poultry, and pigs, were supplied in great abundance, without any recompence being demanded, or even expected; but all requests to visit the interior of the island were positively refused. The schooner not be ing able to accommodate, with any comfort, the crew of the Providence in addition to her own, and not being capable of containing the requisite stores for a long voyage, it was necessary to return to Macao as soon as possible. The parting with these hospitable islanders was satisfactory on both sides. "When the schooner was ready for sailing, accompanied by the officers, we paid our last visit, carrying with us some trifling presents, the most acceptable we had. We endeavoured to make them comprehend how sensible we were of their kind attention, and I believe we succeeded, as they accepted our gifts with great satisfaction, particularly a drawing of the ship and a telescope. After partaking of their refreshments, these venerable old men accompanied us beach, where the long-boat, completely rigto the ged, fitted with sails, &c. lay at anchor, ready for their acceptance. They received her with great joy, and directly took possession. Thus did we part most amicably with these humane civilized people, not unaffected by the favours we had received from them in our distressed situation." Captain Broughton arrived at Macao on the 4th of June; and, after distributing his supernumerary hands among the British vessels in that harbour, sailed a second time in prosecution of his design on the 26th of June, in the schooner alone. The first place at which captain Broughton touched was the great Lieuchieu island, inhabited by a civilized people, resembling their neighbours of Typinsan both in their hospitality and suspicion of strangers. Hence he proceeded along the eastern coast of Nipon to Volcano bay, where he arrived on the 12th of August. "Two days after our arrival we were visited by some Japanese, who came from the town of Matzmai, as we understood them, on purpose to find out of what nation we And on the 18th our old friends arrived; the were, and our intentions in coming here. lity. They seemed much surprised at seeing same we had noticed last year for their civius in so small a vessel, and could not well account for our coming here again. As they caune expressly to look after us, and to prevent our intercourse with the natives, we had always their company either on board or on They were anxious for our departure, and shore, where they resided opposite the vessel. strongly urged it, every day, but in a very civil manner. understand each other better, these men being I had to regret we could not equally intelligible and communicative. acquired from them a very complete map of the Japanese islands, with strong injunctions not to acknowledge from whom I procured would bring them into disgrace and punishit; as they explained the parting with it ment, were it known." The weather being now more favourable, the passage of the straits of Matzmai, or Sangar, was attempted with seen on the shores, surrounded by culti success many populous villages were vated fields, or half concealed by luxu riant woods, and several Japanese trad ing vessels at anchor in the little creeks and harbours, or sailing in every direction, pleasingly diversified the scene. Having passed the straits, captain Broughton made sail to the north up the gulf of Tartary, coasting along the eastern shore as high as 53° north latitude; when the soundings having gradually decreased to less than two fathoms, and nothing but sandbanks and low land appearing to the north, he turned the ship's head to the southward, and returned down the gulf along the western shore. The seathe examination of the straits that se son of the year being unfavourable for parate Insu from Sakhalin (now known by the name of La Perouse's straits), captain Broughton continued to keep a southerly direction, following the bendings of the Corean coast to the populous island of Tzima, in the straits of Corea, the southern entrance of the sea of Japan. At Tchosan, a harbour on the opposite coast of Corea, the expedition was received with the utmost hospitality,, and furnished gratuitously with the necessary supplies: the inhabitants appeared to be in a high state of civilization; but kept so strict a guard on the strangers, that they were unable to penetrate more than a few hundred yards into the country, and they were daily solicited to hasten their departure. From Tchosan captain Broughton proceeded to the Yellow Sea; then standing to the east, he examined a cluster of small islands, about 3o north of the Lieuchieu-group, and afterwards made the best of his way, by the usual track to the north of Formosa, to Macao, where he arrived on the 27th of Novem ber. Here the journal terminates. In consequence of the unfortunate loss of the larger ship, and the delay which this accident occasioned, captain Broughton was unable to execute his plan of survey in its whole extent. Future navigators, however, will feel themselves obliged to him for the elucidation of the straits of Matzmai, of the difficult navigation of the gulf of Tartary, and especially for the chart of the coast of Corea, which had never before been examined by Europeans. CHAPTER II. THEOLOGY AND ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS. THE theological works of the present year, are, as usual, numerous; and several of them are of considerable importance. I. The third and last volume of The Philoxenian Syriac Version of the New Tes tament is at length published; and that valuable work, an honour to the university of Oxford, and to the learned and laborious editor, Dr. White, is completed, after an interval of no less than twenty-six years from the appearance of the first volume. Mr. Fellowes, with unabated zeal for what he deems scriptural truth, has introduced to the public-The Guide to Immortality, or Memoirs of the Life and Doctrine of Christ by the four Evangelists, accompanied with copious notes. II. The editor of a few fragments of the manuscripts of the late Mr. Farmer has done little in the service of sacred criticism :-Mr. Tomlinson in his Attempt to rescue the holy Scripture from Ridicule, has, we fear, completely failed, and even counteracted his own laudable design; and an anonymous writer has, with more zeal than ability, compounded An Antidote to Infidelity. Our second department is, indeed, very barren. III. The translation of part of Dr. Less's History of Religion by Mr. Kingdon is the most valuable article relating to the evidences of revelation. The posthumous work of Professor Arthur contains useful observations upon some branches of natural religion; and Mr. Durham has proved to the world the justice of the decision which awarded him an university prize for his Essay on the Providence of God. IV. The eldest son of the late Archdeacon Blackburne has performed a duty owing to his venerable father, and an acceptable service to the public, by publishing the Works of that zealous advocate for religious liberty, in seven octavo volumes. Mr. Lloyd, in a work entitled Christian Theology, has endeavoured to excite the zeal of his clerical brethren, and to recommend what he regards as important truth. The English Stereotype press has opened with an " Abstract of the Christian Religion," a work written by Freylinghausen, a Dutch divine, edited by an English prelate, and sanctioned by the greatest female personage in this kingdom. Dr. Huntingford, Bishop of Gloucester, has composed a small work on the long controverted doctrine of the Trinity, and Mr. Pitt and Mr. Faber have entered the field now occcupied by arminian and calvinistic disputants, and advancing between the lists have endeavoured to mediate a cessation of hostilities. V. Our list of sermons is long. The preachers are, Drummond, Hunter, Layard, Cooper, Grose, Warner, Martin, Bowden, Gisborne, Vanburgh, Rogers, and Dauberty. Mr. Clapham has published the second volume of his Selections chiefly from miner Authors. Single sermons have been published by Bishop Watson, Warren, Kentish, Corrie, Glasse, Belsham, Wood, Disney, Toulmin, and Edwards. In the list of practical works we have Dr. Toulmin's Addresses to Young Men; and Mr. Christian's ironical little tract, entitled the Fashionable World displayed. VI. No books of devotion have appeared. VII. In the class of works relating to ecclesiastical affairs, the four last volume: of Dr. Priestley's History of the Christian Church claim a distinguished place. The schism amongst the quakers still continues to press upon our notice, and The Narrative of Events in Ireland, and The Narrative of Events in America, furnish much curious matter of observation. A small pamphlet has also been published in the north of Britain containing Reasons for separating from the Church of Scotland. Of these and a few of less note we now proceed to give a more complete ac count. THE SCRIPTURES. ART. I. Actuum Apostolorum et Epistolarum tam Catholicarum quam Paulinarum, Versio Syriaca Philoxeniana, ex Codice MS. Ridleiano in Bibl. Coll. Nov. Oxon. reposito nunc primum edita: cum Interpretatione et Annotationibus JOSEPH WHITE, S. 7. P. Ling. Arab. apud Oxonienses Prof. 2 tom. 4to. pp. 317 et 399. WHEN the first heralds of the gospel entered upon their important and hazardous undertaking, the language of Greece was generally known, and generally spoken through the great extent of the Koman empire. It was not in this, indeed, that Jesus instructed the listening multitudes, and so spake as to excite the admiration even of his enemies ;-it was not in this that the apostles of Jesus struck terror into the breasts of the conscious murderers of that holy and just person and persuaded thousands of their countrymen to save themselves from that untoward generation: but in this they drew up the faithful narrative of their master's life, and in this composed their epistles, not only to the churches of Macedonia, of Greece, of Ionia, and of Rome, but also such as were sent to the Christians scattered throughout Pontus and Cappadocia, and to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Matthew, aware of the circumstances and the wants of the Hebrew Christians, without doubt, as it appears to us, composed his gospel in the vernacular tongue of Judea : and, owing to similar circumstances and similar wants, the Syriac Christians, we imagine, were not long without the scriptures of the New Testament, when they were once formed into a canonical collection, in the kine dred dialect spoken to the north of Palestine. We agree with Mr. Marsh, that in all the great cities of Syria, Greek was the current language, and that even, admitting the usefulness of a Syriac trans lation, we must not conclude a posse ad esse:-yet, if it be true that a Christian church was established at Edessa about the middle of the first century, and that the kings of Edessa were early converts to the Christian faith, we see some reason to conclude that circumstances would soon arise which would render a Syriac translation desirable at least, if not necessary. Ridley has conjectured with great plausibility, that the Syriac and the Latin versions, which are acknowledged to be the most antient, originated from a practice similar to that which prevailed in the Jewish service after the return from the Babylonian captivity, and to which we owe the Targums: "Cum lingua Syriaca sub Saracenis desiit esse vernacula, et Arabicæ cessit, mos erat in publicis conventibus post Syriacam lectionem epistolæ et evangelii, easdem lectione Arabicâ interpretari. Similem obtinuisse morem apud Judeos de exilio Babylonico reductos novimus, ut post lectionem Hebraicam, eandem vii: 8. quam in Ecclesiam primitivam transcripturam Chaldaice exponerent; Nchem. siisse discimus. i Cor. xiv. 27.-Cum igitur omuis Oriens Græco utebatur Sermone, ut testatur Hieronymus ; et Evangelista Apostolique quo pluribus effulgeret Evangelii lux, sun præconia Græcè ederent, non a vero abhorrere videbitur, si credamus quosdam Pastores, in rudiorum gratiam in pagis degentium, quibus Græca lingua (utut generalis) bant, domestico sermone suis singulis interminus erat nota, scripturas quas Graecè legepretatione explicasse: Latinè Roma, et Antiochia Syriace. Exinde oriretur interpretum varietas, et codícuin Græcoruin potius pate |