the troops, formed the line to the front, upon the right division, as that flank was next to the quarter where the Numidians were posted. Situated as he was, he had no desire to engage the enemy he resolved only on making the best of his way across the plain to the river, to guard against an attack. For the single lengthened column (Agmen), which was neces sary to clear the defiles of the mountains, he now substituted the line of battle (Acies), drawing up the troops in the usual manner, in three lines (triplicibus subsidiis). He posted Marius in the centre: all the cavalry in the wings, and the slingers and archers in the intervals between the Maniples, or companies of foot of the line. He then ordered the whole to face, or perhaps to wheel, by centuries, or half centuries, to the left, and from that flank to march down (transcorsis, principüs), in three columns to the plain: himself advancing with those squadrons of the cavalry, which now formed the head of the right column, and had, just before, been upon the left of the line. Thus, should the Numidians, as was expected, venture down from the hill, he would be enabled, by means of a single wheel to the right, if the lines were broken into columns by divisions, or by turning to that side, if broken by files, instantly to form them again towards the enemy, and be ready to charge at a moment's notice. That he did wheel into line, to receive Jugurtha, is sufficiently evident from the historian's narrative; otherwise the Numidians could not have been, as he describes them, on the left of the Romans at the commencement of the affair: nor could the Consul have presented the same front to the enemy, as he had immediately formed, on discovering them upon the hill.

"All this every officer will understand and he will further perceive the technical propriety of rendering the equites sinistra alæ, qui in agmine principes faci erant, by the cavalry of the left wing, which as the line had broken from that flank into column, became the leading division on the march.'”

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"Satisfactory as I trust these illustrations will appear, yet it must be acknowledged that Sallust's account of the attack, by the Numidian king, is not without its difficulties. He tells us, that Metellus's army was drawn up triplicibus subsidiis, which naturally should mean four lines,' that is, three lines stationed behind the first; whereas, our knowledge of the ancient tactics must satisfy us, that no more than three, in all, could be intended by the author. There is no example, as far as I know, wherein the former number was ever adopted, as a system, in any of the engage. ments, described by Cæsar, Polybius, or Livy. The body, consisting of six cohorts, drawn up by Cæsar, behind the third line, at Pharsalia, and a few other instances of a similar sort, are partial cases, that do not affect the general principle, since we find them constantly accounted for (as in the instance of Cæsar, who meant to oppose the cavalry of Pompey), by the particular circumstances in which different commanders happened to be placed. The regular order of battle consisted of three lines, covering one another, seldom of two, and never of four; and Sallust, who gives, in considerable detail, the history of Jugurtha's attack, would, with his usual accuracy, have explained the circumstance, had there been so extraordinary a deviation from the established method. Subsidia, we uni formly find, is the word employed by the Roman writers, to designate the second and third lines. Even Livy, the most unscientific of them all,

in regard to military operations (witness his confused account of the constitution of the army, in L. viii. 8.) never deviates from the practice. In the same manner our author, in describing the disposition made by Cataline at Pistoria, consisting of two lines, says-Octo cohortes in fronte constituit, reliqua signa in subsidia ar&tius collocat."

We are not tacticians enough to pronounce authoritatively on our author's reasoning; but since the army was, by his own confession, sometimes formed into four lines, when circumstances required it; is it not more probable that so concise, and, at the same time, so perspicuous a writer as Sallust, omitted the circumstances which induced Metellus to adopt such a form, than that he used the common words triplicis subsidiis in an uncommon sense? Dr. Steuart strengthens his argument, however, by a luminous account of the constitution, and component parts of the Roman Acies; and concludes, that "the doubtful expression of Sallust may either be an error of the copyists, or a technical phrase, in fashion only at the time, but not adopted by other writers, whose compositions have come down to us."

From these extracts the reader will be enabled to judge for himself of Mr. Steuart's merits as a translator; and, if he think not very differently from us, he will estimate those merits high. We know not, indeed, any translator of a prose classic, whom we deem superior to our author, and very few, indeed, whom we can consider as his equals. By this we do not mean to say, that every sentence, and every clause of a sentence, have been either elegantly, or even faithfully, translated; but we do mean to say, that as a whole, the version is alinost without a rival. In the history of the Jugurthine war, which seems to have most delighted Dr. Steuart, as it most delights us, our attention was so completely arrested by the elegant detail of events, illustrated by the reflections both of the author and of the translator, that we were not at leisure to observe trifling inaccuracies; a few such, however, we did observe in the conspiracy of Cataline; and we shall point them out to Mr. Steuart's consideration, not as matters of importance, but as worthy of correction in a second edition.

In the following sentence (page 8), the clause, which is printed in italics, is certainly superfluous; whilst, in our opinion, it adds nothing to the harmony of the period. "Such being the manners and character of Cataline, it can excite no wonder, if, after the example of Sylla, he deeply fixed his wishes on the supreme power, and subverting the government." The subverting of the government was included in his wish to be possessed of the supreme power.

Though Nebuchadnezzar's herald "cried aloud to all people, nations, and languages," to worship the golden image which he had set up; and though the English bible is unquestionably one of the best translations from one language into another, that is any where to be found, we do not approve of the following use of the word languages, in a translation of Sallust. Hi, postquam in una mœnia convenere dispari genere, dissimili lingua, alius alio more viventes; incredibile memoratu est, quam facilè coaluerint, is not, in our opinion, well rendered

by Yet, when inclosed within the walls of the same city, it is astonishing with what facility, dissimilitude of language, and diversity of temperament and manners, gradually coalesced into one people."

"In process of time, the ascendancy of wealth became complete. Its excellence was universally acknowledged; and power and honours followed in its train ;"-is not a happy translation of-postquam divitiæ honori esse cæpere, et eas gloria, imperium, potentia sequebantur.Sallust does not say, that the excellence of wealth was universally acknowledged; and, we doubt, whether the excellence of wealth be an authorized English phrase.

Sallust, in drawing the character of Sempronia, says-sed ei cariora semper omnia, quam decus, atque pudicitia fuit; which Mr. Steuart translates into " But Sempronia was fond of vice. Its charms were ever dearer to her heart, than the graces of modesty, or the praise of virtue." This is improper on many accounts: it is not the sense of the original passage, and it can hardly be conceived to express what was true in itself. No human being probably was ever fond of vice. We are all, indeed, too fond of things that are vicious. It is not, however, their viciousness that charms us, but something, which we imagine, would augment either our pleasure or our profit, both of which we unfortunately prefer to virtue. Could such things be obtained without vice, it is to be hoped, for the sake of humau nature, that vice would have no charms for the most abandoned miscreant, such as Sallust represents Sempronia to have been.

In page 51, Dr. Steuart says, that "Umbrenus was a merchant in Gaul;" but this is not said by Sallust, and we apprehend that it is not true. Umbrenus was a merchant who traded in Gaul (in Gallia negotiatus), but his residence was in Italy, and probably in Rome : just as the residence of the Honourable Company of Merchants who trade to the East Indies, is in England. Umbrenus might have been called a Gallic merchant, as we say, a West India merchant; but if it would be improper to call the man, who resides in London or Bristol, a merchant in Jamaica, it must be equally improper to call Umbrenus, who resided in Rome, a merchant in Gaul.

Such are the few faults which we have observed in this faithful and splendid translation of one of the finest compositions of antiquity; but the man who can weigh them in his mind against the general excellence of the whole, or the many striking beauties of particular passages, has little reason to value himself on the delicacy of his taste: he is an object of compassion rather than of envy.

The translation, however, is perhaps the least valuable part of the learned labours of Dr. Steuart. In the two Essays, and the Notes by which they, as well as the writings of Sallust, are illustrated, there is a variety of information respecting Roman literature, Roman arts, and the constitution of the Roman republic, such as will not readily be found in any other individual work.

The principles too displayed by the author, are correct and seasonable. It has been sometimes remarked, that the early study of the

Greek

Greek and Roman classics is apt to bias the youthful mind in behalf o: democratical governments; whilst some have even contended, that it exhibits heathenism in too favourable a light, when compared with Christianity. Of the arguments by which this last objection to classical learning has been supported, we certainly have never felt the force; but if they have any force, it is successfully opposed by Mr. Steuart, who lets slip no opportunity of displaying the infinite superiority which the moral precepts of the gospel have over the speculations of philo. sophy; as well as the excellencies of the British Constitution, when compared with the Republics of Greece and Rome. Such observations and reasonings must have the happiest effects on the mind of the young student, especially when they are known to be the observations and reasonings-not of a mere scholar, but of a man of high birth, who has mixed with the world, who has served his King and country in arms, and who now divides his time between the pursuit of literature, and the improvement of lands which have descended to him through a long line of ancestors. On these accounts, we cannot help expressing a wish that this translation of the Works of Sallust had been published in a less expensive form, that it might have been purchased by all to whom it would undoubtedly prove useful. When such an edition shall be called for, and it certainly will be called for soon," we request the learned and ingenious author to consider, whether some of the less important notes might not be omitted; and whether others, which we should be sorry to see expunged from the cheapest edition, might not be somewhat contracted or condensed. With this obser vation, we take our leave at present of Mr. Steuart, thanking him for the entertainment and instruction which he has so liberally afforded us, and hoping soon to have the pleasure of meeting with him again, in the character not of a translator, but of an original historian.

A Voyage to Cochin-China, in the Years 1792 and 1793: containing a general view of the valuable Productions and the Political Importance of this flourishing Kingdom; and also of such European Settlements as were visited on the Voyage: with Sketches of the Manners, Character, and Condition of their several Inhabitants. To which is annexed, an Account of a Journey, made in the Years 1801 and 1802, to the residence of the Chief of the Booshuana Nation, being the remotest point in the Interior of Southern Africa, to which Europeans have hitherto penetrated. The Tracts and Descriptions taken from a Manuscript Journal, with a Chart of the Route. By John Barrow, Esq. F. R. S. Author of "Travels in Southern Africa," and "Travels in Ching." Illustrated and Embellished with several Engravings, by Medland, Coloured after the original Drawings, by Mr. Alexander and Mr. Daniell. 4to. Pr. 468, 31. 13s. 6d. Cadell and Davies,

1806.

THE Instruction and amusement which we had derived from the perusal of Mr. Barrow's former Travels, made us open the volume

€ 4

before.

before us with peculiar eagerness; and if it have not afforded us as inuch novel information as his former productions, from the circumstance of most of the places which he visited, on his way to CochinChina, having been amply described before, by different writers, it has nevertheless, not failed to amuse us in an equal degree. The reason of this is well explained by Mr. Barrow, in his Preface, where he observes, and with great truth, that, "every foreign country, though it may have been visited by fifty different voyagers, will still present something new for the observation of the fifty-first. Such a variety of objects pass before the view of an attentive traveller, affording so wide a range for observation and reflection, that there is little danger of the materials being speedily exhausted. It may be observed, likewise, that the same objects are capable of exciting a greater or Jess degree of interest, according to the manner in which they are viewed and represented, and the colouring that is given to them.' But one part of the work is both novel and important; we mean his account of the kingdom of Cochin-China; to which, in this article, we shall pay particular attention.

"So little is known to Europeans of the kingdom of Cochin-China, that every piece of authentic information respecting it, may be considered as valuable. The historical sketch of the affairs of this country for the last thirty years, the rapid progress made by the extraordinary talents. and exertions of the present King, in the recovery of the ancient domains of that country out of the hands of usurpers; the treaty concluded between him and Louis XVI. of France, and the causes which annulled that treaty, will be found important in a national and political point of view. The substance of this sketch is taken from a manuscript memoir, drawn up by Captain Barissy, a French naval officer, who, having several years commanded a frigate in the service of the King of Cochin-China, and being an able and intelligent man, had the means and the opportunity of collecting accurate information. That the English East India Company know so little of a country of such extent and importance as CochinChina is, though situated nearly in the direct track of their China fleets, and supplying many valuable articles for the China market, is not a little surprising. It is to be feared, however, that the growing influence of the French, already too powerful in that country, will only draw their serious attention towards it when it is too late to take ad vantage of those favourable circumstances which have long presented themselves. Were the enemy to renew this treaty, and employ actively against us, the force that was intended for the purpose just when the French Revolution put an end to all the plans of the old government, it is exceedingly doubtful whether the East India Company could any longer be able to maintain their valuable commerce with China.”

Surely this statement, which is perfectly correct, as will be hereafter shewn, will prove sufficient to rouse the vigilance not only of the East India Company, but of the Government itself, in respect of this important object.

The first place which engaged the attention of Mr. Barrow, as he proceeded