the natives of another group of islands in the Pacific are too curious to be omitted, especially in connexion with the subject (of the missionary labours) which we have referred to above. They place the extensive prevalence of cannibalism beyond doubt or question. Not long since the island of Banga possessed its full portion of inhabitants ; but on the death of their king, who was tributary to the king of Rewa, the chiefs determined to throw off the yoke and become independent. Such a pretext for war was not overlooked, and a band of warriors immediately issued forth to reduce them to submission, or in plainer terms to rob them of all they possessed. This was found difficult by reason of their fastnesses; the towns being situated in many cases on the very summit of the mountains, elevated one thousand four hundred feet above the sea. Finding they were not sufficiently strong, reinforcements were demanded, which were sent under the command of Garingaria, or raised by him under a contract that he might exterminate them. His brother, Thokanauto, (or Phillips,) who is upheld as the white man's friend, (but only so long as he can get any thing from him,) was foremost in destroying the villagers by fire, and committing other brutal acts. The expedition resulted in victory to the besiegers, the death of the principal chief, and several hundreds of the population. The son of the chief was spared to govern, under the usual subjection. The sequel will hardly be credited, yet it is beyond doubt: cannibalism to a frightful degree still prevails amongst this people, and, as it would seem, almost as one of their highest enjoyments. The victims of this ferocious slaughter were regularly prepared, being baked, packed, and distributed in portions to the various towns which furnished warriors, according to their exploits; and they were feasted on with a degree of savage barbarity nearly incredible! They imagine that they increase in bravery by eating their valorous enemy. This Garingaria is a noted cannibal, and it is asserted that he killed one of his wives and ate her. This he denied, and accounted for her death (which took place violently by his order) on other grounds. He did not attempt a denial of his acts at Banga, nor did Phillips. These occurrences are of late date. I am told they threw one or more of the heads (which they do not eat) into the missionary's compound. The population of the Feejees are very tall, far above the height of any other nation, I have seen. of five men assembled in my tent, none were under six feet two inches. It was rather an awkward subject to tax Garingaria with in his own house, and solely attended by his own dependant, our interpreter; but he took it very quietly, and observed that he cared not for human flesh, unless it was that of his enemy, and taken in battle. When he used this expression, I could not help thinking that his lips were sympathetically in motion, and that I had better not make myself too hostile. I therefore bid him good evening. We must now accompany the author to China, where he arrives on the 14th of November, 1840, and immediately takes part in the warlike operations then on the point of recommencing after the hollow truce of the preceding month. Here the narrative becomes so interesting as a whole, that we shall, merely detach from it a few brief anecdotes,-taking it for granted that the majority of our readers will find means of perusing it as a whole. Cruelty of the Sepoys.-The unfortunate Chinese literally crammed the trenches, begging for mercy. I wish I could add that it was granted. The Sepoys fired into them. Wishing to rescue some of them, I went into the trench and drew three out, motioning them to come amongst our troops, and they would be safe. Two were shot down whilst holding by my skirts; and one of my gig's crew, perceiving my danger, dragged me away, exclaiming, They will shoot you next, sir." Thus much for employing troops who cannot understand English, and will only be commanded by their own officers! Howqua's Folly and Napier's Fort.-As I considered Howqua's Folly virtually abandoned, I obtained the commodore's leave to take possession, and on reaching the gate, found some people at the embrasures. As they did not attend to my gestures to open the gates, my boat's crew in a few seconds pitched me through the embrasure, when the Chinese vacated at double quick time by the opposite one. A shot soon opened the gates, the union was substituted for their hieroglyphics, and Lieut. Kellett, of the Starling, was left as acting governor. I was then despatched with a flag of truce to Napier's Fort, accompanied by Mr. Morrison, interpreter and secretary to the plenipotentiary. The flag of truce made use of on this occasion, was a large white silk flag, captured at First Bar Fort, and possibly recognised by some of the runaways here. After delivering the despatch, the mandarin in command agreed to give up the fort next day, if I would permit him "to make plenty of bobbery." "and not put that plum in the gun." I told him, as I should probably have the job, that I would not trouble him, provided he ran away in time. These facts being communicated to the commodore, at eleven the next day, when the flag of truce came down, I was directed to take possession. The enemy had commenced a very strong mud battery on the right bank, for thirty-eight guns; but I had been in its rear, and ascertained it to be harmless. On the left, in the opposite channel, a strong battery of forty guns covered Napier's Fort, and a wide and deep ditch at the floating bridge, flanked by a five-gun battery, prevented access by land. Of this latter we were not then aware. By boat signal (all the captains being on board the Nemesis with the Commodore) the Sulphur was in motion before any of those anxious to lead could get to their ships, and was well supported by the Wellesley and Druid's boats, as well as her own. The ship was steered direct for the battery, the first lieutenant having orders to drop his anchor, so as to bring her stern to the raft, and port broadside to the gate within pistol-shot; but not to fire without orders. We were in our boats, towed alongside. Our respective terms of treaty were religiously observed. The enemy fired away all his rammers, &c., wide of us, and fled by one gate as I entered at the other. Two huge guns were pointed out of the archways of the gates; their caliber about twenty-four pounders, but much heavier than our ten-inch guns. These I had ordered to be embarked; but when they commenced drawing the charges, they found that each contained seven shot and six cartridges, inserted alternately I suppose cartridge first, but the contrary certainly would not surprise me. The whole charge, as their cartridges are not less than one foot in length, came pretty near the muzzle. 66 The Plenipotentiary in Jeopardy.-On the 27th we warped to our anchorage, and I then paid my respects to the plenipotentiaries at Macao, and heard the history of their sufferings. Their treatment by the Chinese was, as usual, barbarous in the extreme. It appears that, shortly after landing from the wreck they were providentially recognised by a boatman belonging to Macao, who took them under his protection (?). On opening the village, the usual cry of Fanqui! Fanqui!" was set up, and the men rushed forth with threatening gestures, armed with bill-hooks. The guide, however, soon explained matters, and they were allowed to move forward. At length they commenced rifling the party, and as some opposition was offered, bill-hooks were raised, and the commodore and one of his attendants were knocked down, and stripped. Resistance was vain. At length they were housed for the night, and Captain Elliot agreed to give the boatman two thousand dollars to land them at Macao. A Chinese vessel had been wrecked about the same time, and all the crew were destroyed, and their bodies frightfully lacerated. This raised a suspicion that they had not met fair play. It was not without the greatest difficulty that they could be appeased, and had it not been for their friend the boatman, they would inevitably have been sacrificed, as the people frequently returned to the subject, and went through the motions of sharpening their knives, and making signs of cutting their throats. This doubtless was in aid of the demand for the other thousand dollars, which sum was eventually agreed on. They were to depart in two boats at daylight on the 23d, and but two in each boat; the remainder were to be sent for on their reaching Macao. One hundred dollars was also demanded for each of the boats. Further extortionate demands were made, until at length, as they put to sea, their demands increased to two hundred. On their passage they were suddenly concealed, and a mandarin boat passing close alongside, asked several questions and passed on. What an escape! What a prize they lost! Shortly after having opened Macao, they met a Portuguese Lorcha, and eager to be relieved from further durance, sprung up and waved to them. Those in the Lorcha, alarmed, and mistaking them for pirates, drew up under arms. However, they soon explained matters, and were carried into the inner harbour, where they landed at the Bar Fort. Captain Elliot wore a Manila hat, a jacket, no shirt, a pair of striped trousers, and shoes. We must now abruptly take leave of this interesting and important work, by merely adding, that in addition to other valuable appendix matter (particularly a detailed account of the Marquesas, which have lately become important as a new French colony)-we have a comprehensive analysis of the distribution of vegetable forms over the surface of the globe, considered in connexion with climate and physical agents, -drawn up by Mr. Hinds, surgeon in the R. N., who accompanied the expedition as botanical collector. The work is illustrated by several excellent and entirely new maps, constructed from the actual survey which was one main object of the expedition; and by a large number of plates of the most important localities, portraits of native chefs, &c. If we are not mistaken in the prevalent tone and tendency of the public taste at the present period, this romance-for such it is, rather than a novel-will attain a wider extent of popularity than any of Mrs. Gore's recent productions; and if this happen it will rather be by reason of its good qualities than its defects: for though it possesses both in about an equal degree with most of its writer's previous works of fiction, its merits appeal much more strongly to the imagination than those of Mrs. Gore's pictures of real life usually do. The truth is, that if this charming writer has a fault (of which, individually, we are by no means sure-for defects are very different things from faults)-but if she have a pervading fault, it is that she addresses herself too exclusively to the lower attributes of her readers' mind-their knowledge of life and society-their judgment and taste-their sense of the ridiculoustheir desire to see their friends and acquaintance turned (by implication) into ridicule-to any thing, in short, but to their Imagination * The Money-lender. By Mrs. Gore. 3 vols. that well-spring of all noble thoughts and feelings, and sole antidote against the corroding and corrupting influences of actual thingsof all that touches us personally in the realities of life. Generally speaking, if we do not actually know, or fancy we know, the very people she places before us in her brilliant fictions, we know, or fancy we know, somebody very like them; and thus her novels do but furnish us with the means of extending our acquaintance with the living world, without moving from our own fireside. But the hero of her present tale (which she herself presents to us as a “romance") is undoubtedly a personage" that never was on sea or land:" and we like him the better for it, and are confident that nine-tenths of her readers will do the same. The fact is, that people nowadays read books to escape from the regions of reality-not to get embedded and buried more deeply and hopelessly within them: and Osalez, the Money-lender, is the hero of romance that will lead them away fromay, and lift them above-the earthy regions in question (if that is what they desire), without taking them out of sight of the Old Jury, or at farthest, Bernard-street, Russell-square! To state how he is enabled to perform this magic feat, would be to balk the reader's pleasure in the perusal of the work; for it is one that every body who touches the fictions of the day, will read. Suffice it on that head to say, that the lever with which he moves the world-even the "fashionable" worldis a golden one-MONEY is his magic power, and every thing bows down before it. Conceive the case of half-a-dozen Rothschilds "rolled into one"-of such an imbodiment being crossed in love in his early youth-of his vowing vengeance against all man and all woman kind in consequence-of his executing that vengeance with the pertinacity of a fiend, yet only in cases where our sympathy goes with him—and finally, of the human heart that is still within him, bringing all right at last, and changing the avenging demon into a protecting angel, who ultimately sheds benefits and blessings on all who come within the range of his influence ! And all this is managed with such inexhaustible ingenuity, and such universal knowledge of life and society, coupled with such unfailing tact on the part of the writer, that though there is much in the tale that is improbable, and a little that is over-strained and extravagant, sufficient verisimilitude is always preserved to retain a hold upon the imagination, at least, of the reader: which is all that an avowed" romance" aims at doing. "Eh! how! what!" interrupts the Courteous Reader, naturally startled by such a posthumous announcement. "What! dead, dead, dead!" inquires a Criminal Judge, unconsciously using the legal formula. What! food for worms?" exclaims a great Tragedian. "What! gone to another and a better world?" says a sentimental spinster. "Or to a wus," snuffles a sanctified shoemaker. "What, to that bourne," says a Bagman, "to which no traveller makes more than one journey?" "What,-unriddled that great enigma !" cries a metaphysician, of which we obtain no solution but by dissolution?" "Or, in plain English, Hic Jacet?" puts in an Undertaker. "What, hopped the twig?-kicked the bucket?-bowled out?gone to pot?-mizzled ?-ticked off?-struck off the roster?-slipped your cable?-lost the number of your mess?' ask as many professional querists. "Oh! a case of suspended animation-hung and cut down!" "Or a cut throat, and sewed up?" "Poisoned and pumped out?" hints a Medical Student. "Drowned, and unsuffocated gratis?' quotes a reader of "Don Juan." "Or buried in a trance?" guesses a Transcendental speculator. 2 G |