daughters, manifefted an open partiality for him; which, though he had left a wife in Europe, he either cultivated, or fuffered to grow, until his credit with the father and mother produced an overture of marriage, to which this ftrange man confented. He was, however, relieved from this embarraffment, by others of a different nature. The plan fixed by the exiles, was to take the opportunity of feizing a veffel fufficient to carry them off, and to return to Europe round by the East Indies but the fecret was in fo many hands, that fuch hints of it tranfpired, as alarmed the governor, and precipitated the execution of the defign by open violence. The force of the fettlement was exerted to reduce them; the governor was killed in the conflict; a veffel called the St. Peter and St. Paul was fecured; and the exiles, including fome women, among whom was Mifs Aphanafia Nilow, who chose to accompany the Count in a mafculine drefs, and the fhip's crew, to the number of ninety-fix perfons in the whole, all took their final leave of Kamchatka.

After enduring many naval hardfhips at fea, this veffel arrived at the harbour of Ufilpatchar in Japan, where the Count was very kindly received by the prince or governor of the district, who, at his requeft, promifed him permiffion to return and trade there, provided he would bind himself never to bring to Japan any book treating of religion, and, especially, no Bonze of his own country. Some fufpicion may, however, arife, that the Count did not confine his views to traffic, but extended them to the acquifition of property by a fhorter mode; for while he was coafting round Japan, he relates as follows:

At day-break, we faw a veffel, on which I fired, but he would not come to, until a fhot struck him. I then fent my hallop on board, but we found her to be only a fishing veffel, and let her depart in peace.'

He foon afterward encountered one better worth his attention; for, anchoring between two iflands, and difpatching his boat on fhore, the boat paffing near a large bark at anchor, the crew fhot at his men with arrows. Being informed of this attack by the report of two pateraroes, he weighed, and ftanding toward the bark, drove all the people from the deck by two fhots.

The fhallop then went along fide, and took poffeffion of the veffel, while on my part, I approached the fhore, and anchored in four fathoms and an half, at the distance of half a cannon fhot off fhore, whither I likewife caufed the Japanese bark to be brought, in which we found fifty-fix men, four of them being mimas or gentlemen, revenue officers of the emperor. The lading of the bark confifted of tobacco, fugar, filk, varnish, porcelain, one hundred

N 2

hundred pieces of leather, fome bales of cotton and fik, feveral chefts of fabres, belts, and other articles of wearing apparel.'

After taking thefe valuable articles on board the St Peter and St. Paul, the Count fcuttled and funk the prize veffel. He pleads, indeed, that the Japanese crew fhot at his people with arrows: but an attack may eafily be provoked, wh n juftification for a capture is wanted; and, it is farther to be obferved, that the prifoners, on examination, declared, that they were civil officers, charged to collect the revenues of the island Tacafima, and of the ifland Nanghafaki; that they had entered the harbour only a moment before us, having feen at a distance the chace I had made of feveral barks, like wite carrying officers to collect the revenues in the fouthern provinces; that they had entered Tacafima with no other view than to put the inhabitants on their guard against us; and that they had only done their duty in attacking our people.'-These representations, however, availed nothing; for he even made a merit of sparing their lives.

In eight days after leaving Japan, the fhip fpringing a leak, and hard weather following, the Count ran his veffel afhore in a harbour in one of the Liqueio iflands called Ulmay Ligon; inhabited, as he declares, by a people in a high ftate of civilization. According to a paper which they fhewed to him, written in Latin, Ignatio Salis, a Portuguese miffionary Jefuit, had arrived on that ifland in 1749, where he fixed his abode, and had converted the inhabitants to Chriftianity: the Jefuit added, that three others of his brethren had dispersed themfelves, with the fame motive, in other neighbouring islands. The fimple honeft manners of this people pleafed the Count fo much, that he entered into a folemn agreement to return and fettle among them. Five of his aflociates, however, formed a more immediate refolution, and were left behind, on his departure.

In fix days after failing from the island of Ufmay Ligon, the Count landed on the island of Formofa, where a quarrel taking place with the natives, he makes a great flaughter among them. Sailing hence to a different harbour, he was again attacked at the watering place; and, refolving on retaliation, he burned the town, and confeffes the butchering of above eleven hundred people! After thefe fcenes of carnage, he, by means of a Spaniard who refided on the ifland, opened a more friendly intercourse with the natives of another canton, and affifted Huapo, their Prince, in a war against one of his neighbours; whom he reduces and takes prifoner. The intimacy between the Count and Huapo increafed to fuch a degree,

that,

that, forgetful of his prior agreement to return and fettle at Ufmay Ligon, he concludes a folemn treaty for returning and fettling at Formofa! After a ftay of about fixteen days, on this ifland, he departed, leaving one of his companions behind, in the capacity of general of Prince Huapo's artillery; and fteered for Macao, in the harbour of Canton, in China.

A total filence, refpecting Mifs Aphanafia Nilow, is obferved, until the Count arrives at Macao, where he briefly notices her death; which, he fays, affected him greatly, as he intended to have repaid her attachment, by marrying her to one of his companions, to whom he had given the furname of his family.

From Macao, he returned to Europe on board a French. fhip; and, on his arrival in France, entered into an engagement with the miniftry of that country, to form an establishment on the ifland of Madagascar.

We have thus, from his own relation, briefly traced the prin cipal adventures of M. Benyowfky, to an important æra of his life; throughout which he appears, fo far as he may be credited, (and how far that ought to be, we cannot pretend to define,) to have been a bold unsteady adventurer, by no means qualified for a fettled life. His tranfactions in Kamchatka have a romantic air about them: but, indeed, there was novelty in his. fituation; yet had he avowed his marriage in Europe, from the firft, his affairs might have terminated as well, certainly more to his credit, and have faved the diftrefs of a family to whofe kindness he appears to have been greatly indebted. He muft, however, be allowed to have extricated himself and his companions in exile, with addrefs and courage. Thefe companions being of a motley complexion, gave him no little trouble in regulating their movements, and in preferving the subordination to which they at first agreed; and confidering them as just escaped from flavery, we must not be too strict in scrutinizing their behaviour in the remote eastern seas. For the time, he appears charmed with the calm fimplicity of manners in the island of Ufmay Ligon; yet he no fooner refumed hoftile tranfactions at Formofa, than we difcover that turbulence was far more congenial with his Polifh habits; and the fpirit of adventure obliterated all recollection both of Ufmay Ligon and Formofa, when Madagascar prefented itfelf to his imagination.

Count Benyowíky informs us that he was fent, with a small force, to Madagafcar in March 1773. In his way, he ftopped at the Isle of France, whence he was to be supplied with neceffary ftores and merchandice, as occafion might require : but he found the officers at that fettlement very ill affected to his enterprize, and more difpofed to thwart than to concur with N 3 him

him in any particular. Under these bad aufpices, he departed for his destination, and landed on the island of Madagascar, early in 1774; where he spent much time and experienced great trouble, before he could conciliate to peace, the minds of the feveral nations around his fettlement, and to agree on a commercial intercourfe: but now we enter on a very extraordinary adventure, for which we must either admire the Count's good fortune, or his political invention to raise himself to confequence. A nation of the Madagascarians, (for that vaft island is inhabited by feveral nations,) called Sambarives, had, we are given to understand, formerly been governed by a chief, named Ramini, under the title of Ampanfacabé; who having only a daughter, and the having been taken prifoner and fold to foreigners, his family was fuppofed to be extinct. When the Count had been on the ifland, for about a year, an old Negroe woman whom he had brought from the ifle of France, declared, that he knew, from certain refemblances, that the Count was the fon of Ramini's daughter, who had been her companion in flavery! This weak fufpicious evidence proved fufficient to caufe him to be declared the heir of Ramini, proprietor of the province of Mananhar, and fucceffor to the title of Ampanfacabé. He was now vefted with fovereignty, and in this capacity, formed alliances with other tribes, made war and peace, and received fubmiffions from the vanquished: but fill found his European refources withheld by the members of the fettlement at the ifle of France. Renouncing, therefore, the fervice of France, he perfuaded his fubjects to permit him to return to Europe, to form an alliance with France, or some other power, to improve a fettlement on the island for commercial arrangements; and with his departure from Madagascar at the close of the year 1776, his narrative concludes.

The remainder of the fecond volume confifts of his correfpondence with the French miniftry, memoirs, particulars relating to the ifland, with other papers mentioned in his relation; and he has added fome plans of harbours, and a few mifcellaneous plates. The remaining hiftory of this extraordinary man is given by the editor of the publication, Mr. William Nicholfon; who informs us that he received the work from the late well known and ingenious Mr. J. Hyacinth de Magellan, whofe illnefs and death ftopped any farther communication of particulars from that hand.

The laft article among the Count's flate papers, is his propofal to the King of Great Britain, dated December 25. 1783, the preliminary article of which is his being acknowleged fovereign of the island of Madagascar; in which character, he offers terms for an offenfive and defenfive alliance with this

country.

country. In a declaration prefixed to this paper, he recites his former expedition in the fervice of France, and his fubfequent offers to the Emperor of Germany; which, being declined, introduces his propofal to the British crown. This pompous offer alfo failed, as may well be fuppofed; for, in the preface, we are informed that the Count failed from England on a private expedition to Madagascar, toward the fitting out of which, Mr. Magellan advanced a confiderable fum; that he steered first for Maryland; where he engaged a refpectable commercial houfe to join in the fcheme; and that the last letter received from him was dated on the coaft of Brazil. It appears from vague information, that he landed on Madagascar, July 7. 1785; and that, on Auguft 1. a fevere firing was heard on fhore; after which, no figns of white men appearing, and all their effects being removed, the want of provifions and the precarious fituation of the fhip, induced thofe on board to retire from the island; which clofes all that is known of Count Benyowfki. From other circumftances collected, it is imagined that he was cut off in fome difpute with the French factory there.

The refpectable editor collects feveral vouchers to corroborate the great outlines of the Count's hiftory, as a crude rumour of his Kamchatka transactions from an old volume of the Gentleman's Magazine, notices of the infurrection at Bolforetzkoy from Cook's laft voyage, and his arrival at Macao, from fome of the factory at Canton. His correfpondence with the French miniftry, his memorial to the British government, his connection with Mr. Magellan, and his actual return, fufficiently prove that he had been in Madagafcar, and was ferious in his endeavours to go back again. How far we may rely on the adventures that connect these leading events together, is more than we can prefume to ascertain: yet the feveral accounts which he gives of the nature of the country, the inhabitants, and the produce, of that imperfectly known ifland, may, perhaps, not be unworthy of fome cautious attention, should our views ever be directed that way.

ART. XVI. Britannia; or, a Chorographical Defcription of the flourishing Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Islands adjacent; from the earliest Antiquity. By William Camden. Tranflated from the Edition published by the Author in M, DC,VII. Enlarged by the latest Difcoveries, by Richard Gough, F. A. and R. S. S. illuftrated with Maps, and other Copper-Plates. Folio. 3 large Vols. 101. Boards. Robinfons, &c., 1789.

a work fo extenfive and multifarious in its objects, and of fo large a fize, as that now before us, is intitled to the praise of being judiciously executed, this approbation may be