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face, breaking often in a direction contrary to it, and which will again subside as a calm returns, without having produced on it any perceptible effect. Sumatra, though not continually exposed to the south-east trade wind, is not so distant but that its influence may be presumed to extend to it, and accordingly, towards the southern extremity of the island, a constant southerly sea is observed, even after a hard north-west wind. This incessant and powerful swell rolling in from an ocean, open even to the pole, seems an agent adequate to the prodigious effects produced on the coast; while its very size contributes to its being overlooked. It reconciles almost all the difficulties which the phenomena seem to present. Yet there occurs to me one objection which I cannot get over, and which a regard to truth obliges me to state. The trade-winds are remarkably steady and uniform, and the swell generated by them is the same The surfs are

much the reverse, seldom persevering for two days in the same degree of violence; often mountains high in the morning, and nearly subsided by night. How comes an uniform cause to produce effects so unsteady, unless by the intervention of secondary causes, whose nature and operation we are unacquainted with?' pp. 36-38.

The population of the island is made up of the Malays, (who Occupy most part of the sea-coast, and are Mahometans,) and the Pagan aboriginal natives of the interior. The latter, to whom the author's attention is principally directed, are treated, of under four summary divisions;-the Achinese, the Battas, the Rejangs, and the people of Lampong. Among other particulars relative to their persons, clothing, ornaments of dress, &c. we are informed that

'both sexes have the extraordinary custom of filing and otherwise disfiguring their teeth, which are naturally very white and beautiful from the simplicity of their food. For files, they make use of small whetstones of different degrees of fineness, and the patients lie on their back during the operation. Many, particularly the women of the Lampong country, have their teeth rubbed down quite even with the gums; others have them formed in points; and some file off no more than the outer coat and extremities, in order that they may the better receive and retain the jetty black-ness, with which they almost universally adorn them. The black used on -these occasions is the empyreumatic oil of the cocoa-nut-shell. When this is not applied, the filing does not, by destroying what we term the enamel, diminish the whiteness of the teeth; but the use of betel renders them black, if pains be not taken to prevent it. The great men sometimes set theirs in gold, by casing, with a plate of that metal, the under row; and this ornament, contrasted with the black die, has, by lamp or candle light, a very splendid effect. They do not remove it either to eat or sleep. p. 52.

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The natives of the hills are subject to those monstrous wens so common among the inhabitants of mountainous districts. This complaint, the author thinks, is owing, in Sumatra, to the .excessive fogginess of the air in the vallies between the high mountains, where the natives of these parts reside.

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After describing their habitations and domestic economy, the author presents us with a view of the state of agriculture among the Sumatrans. This leads to an account of the vegetable productions of the island; of which the most abundant and most important are Rice and Pepper, the former being the grand material of food in Sumatra as well as the other tropical regions, and the latter constituting the chief article of commerce. Of the methods used in the culture of these valuable commodities a very interesting detail is given.

Having noticed the arts and manufactures which the inhabitants are skilled in, and given a general account of the different languages spoken in Sumatra, with their alphabets, the author proceeds to estimate the rank which these islanders occupy in the scale of civil society.

Though far distant from that point to which the polished states of Europe have aspired, they yet look down, with an interval almost as great, on the savage tribes of Africa and America. Perhaps if we distinguish mankind summarily into five classes, we might assign a third place to the more civilized Sumatrans, and a fourth to the remainder.' p. 204.

A particular account is then given of the government, laws, manners and customs of the people; the author discovering here, and throughout the work, an intimate acquaintance with every branch of his subject. With respect to the religion of the Sumatrans, Mr. Marsden informs us that the Rejangs-whom the other tribes, in most respects, resemble-worship neither God, Devil, nor Idol; and have no name for the Deity in their language!

Achin is the only kingdom of Sumatra the transactions of which have been at all made the subject of general history. A relation is here given of its wars with the Portuguese, and of its history subsequent to that period. Widely difierent is the condition of both nations at this time from what it was when the one filled the world with the fame of its exploits, and the princes of the other received embassies from all the great potentates of the West.'

It is among the Batta people that the horrible practice of cating human flesh prevails, and among them alone.

They do not cat human flesh as the means of satisfying the cravings of nature, for there can be no want of sustenance to the inhabitants of such a country and climate, who reject no animal food of any kind; nor is it sought after as a gluttonous delicacy. The Battas eat it as a species of ceremony; as a mode of shewing their detestation of certain crimes by an ignominious punishment; and as a savage display of revenge and insult to their unfortunate enemies. The objects of this barbarous repast are prisoners taken in war, especially if badly wounded, the bodies of the slain, and offenders condemned for certain capital crimes, especially for adultery'

The unhappy victim is delivered into the hands of the injured party (if it be a private wrong, or in the case of a prisoner, to the warriors) by whom he is tied to a stake; Jances are thrown at him from a certain distance by this person, his relations, and friends; and when mortally wounded, they run up to him, as if in a transport of passion, cut pieces from the body with their knives, dip them in the dish of salt, lemon-juice, and red pepper, slightly broil them over a fire prepared for the purpose, and swallow the morsels with a degree of savage enthusiasm. Sometimes (I presume, according to the degree of their animosity and resentment) the whole is devoured by the by standers; and instances have been known where, with barbarity still aggravated, they tear the flesh from the carcase with their teeth. To such a depth of depravity may man be plunged, when neither religion nor philosophy enlighten his steps! All that can be said in extenuation of the horror of this diabolical ceremony, is, that no view appears to be entertained of torturing the sufferers, of increasing or lengthening out the pangs of death; the whole fury is directed against the corpse, warm, indeed, with the remains of life, but past the sensation of pain. The skulls of the victims are hung up as trophies in the open buildings in front of their houses, and are occasionally ransomed by their surviving relations for a sum of money.' pp. 391-2.

Our author is silent respecting the still more unnatural practice, which, according to Dr. Leyden's account before alluded to, is common among these people, of banquetting upon the remains of their relatives and friends.

Mr. M. has laboured, and not without success, to render his work a complete storehouse of information relative to that portion of the globe of which it treats. Nor is his diligence in collecting his materials more worthy of notice than his judgement in arranging and displaying them to the best advantage: while the clearness of his statements and good-sense of his remarks relieve considerably the dryness of detail incident to a work of this nature. A set of engravings of plants and animals accompanies this history, forming a detached volume.

Mr. Marsden's dictionary of the Malay language, which is mentioned, p. 200, as being ready for the press, has lately been published.

Art. XII. The Epistolary Correspondence of Sir Richard Steele; including his familiar Letters to his Wife and Daughters; to which are prefixed, Fragments of three Plays, two of them undoubtedly Steele's, the third supposed to be Addison's. Faithfully printed from the originals; and illustrated with literary and historical Anecdotes, by John Nichols, F. S. A. E. & P. In two volumes. 8vo. pp. 700. Nichols.

THESE volumes are an excellent illustration of the extent

to which the rage for collecting the scraps of great writers is capable of proceeding. The Mahometan is not more religious in his search after remnants of paper, than Mr. 1

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Nichols has been in his anxiety to scrape together the fag ends of Sir Richard Steele. We certainly have not been at the pains to count them, but we believe that there are some scores of notes in this collection, of which the following (Vol. I. p. 366.) is a fair sample.

Dear Prue,

"To Mrs. Steele.

I cannot answer yours to all points, till I have received answers to two or three letters; but will write in the afternoon. Be sure to keep Mrs. Keck.

Yours,

R. STEELE

With deference to the respectable editor, we must beg-leaved to state our conviction, that a shilling pamphlet would includes all the interesting novelty of these volumes. Part of the ori ginal matter, it appears, was obtained by Mr. N. from a grand daughter of Steele's, and the remainder from the widow of Mr. Scurlock the heir at law of Lady Trevor, Sir Richard's legiti mate daughter.

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There is so much confusion both in the editing and printing of this correspondence, such repetition in the paging, so much literary small ware in the notes, and so little coherence anddistinctness of information any where, that we can only venture to say that we believe the following to be a sufficiently correct statement of the substance of these volumes,—or perhaps this volume, for in spite of the title page it does not appear by any means decided whether the book is single or double. The Dramatic Fragments consist of several scenes of a comedy, the plot of which is extravagant, and the dialogue not destitute of spirit; the opening of another, which seems to have been on the plan of High Life below Stairs; and a scene or two of a tragedy attributed to Addison,—with what justice we are unable to say. The remainder of the collection includes Steele's letters of courtship; his diterary correspondence; his dedications, prefaces, and addresses; his notes to his wife containing apologies for dining out-and, getting drunk, promises of future good behaviour, and commissions for old wigs, and clean linen. This interesting detail is eked out with cash accounts," and closed with a" proposal for the payment of Sir Richard Steele's debts.”

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Some of Sir Richard's letters to his wife are interesting specimens of conjugal intercourse but they are throughout marked by the most painful proofs of his want of steadiness and prudence. Scarcely a letter, hardly a note, passes from him to Lady Steele, without some reference to past follies, and promises of amendment-promises which were as ill kept, as

they were lightly made. Mr. Nichols repeatedly hints at Lady S.'s parsimony as a source of great uneasiness to her husband. It may have been so but before he had ventured to blame her for avarice, he should have passed a much se-. verer judgement on the profligate extravagance of her hus band. She appears to have occasionally been left without necessaries, and Steele, while profuse in his expressions of tenderness, seems to have paid but little regard to her wants His great "good-nature," did not, we conceive, involve any large portion of sensibility. The death of his lady, for instance, is thus summarily announced in a letter written the morning after her decease.

"Dear Cousin,

"To Mr. Alexander Scurlock.

Dec. 27, 1718. "This is to let you know that my dear and honoured Wife departed this life last night.

"I desire my Aunt Scurlock, and Mrs. Bevan, and you yourself, would immediately go into mourning; and place the charge for such mourning of those two ladies and your own, to the account of, Your most affectionate kinsman and humble Servant,

Sir,

R. STEELE."

In the following epistle written in answer to one from his daughter, announcing the death of his only son, he does indeed go a step farther, and offers up a petition for " patience" in a tone which, when taken in connection with the pathos of the postscript, has a most whimsical effect.

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I have your letter, with the news of Eugene's death, your reflections thereupon. Do you and your sister stay at home, and do not go to the funeral. Lord, grant me patience!

• Pray write to me constantly.

• Your affectionate Father,

and obedient Servant,

R. STEELE

Why do not you mention Molly? Is she dead too?'

The best answer, however, to the inuendos against the conjugal character of Lady Steele which are occasionally to be found in the notes, may be obtained from the following. elegant tribute to her praise, prefixed by her husband to the third volume of the "Ladies Library."

It is impossible for me to look back on many evils and pains which I have suffered since we came together, without a pleasure which is not ta be expressed, from the proofs I have had, in those circumstances, of your unwearied goodness. How often has your tenderness removed pain, from

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