صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

veral parts, and be led forward regularly in the course of our enquiries into this curious and amazing fubject.

After treating of the Structure, our Author proceeds to what he calls the Life of Plants; by which he means

[ocr errors]

that

power whereby they grow: receiving nourishment, and advancing from the minute and tender state wherein they lay within the Seed, to heighth and ftrength; extending and difclofing regularly their feveral parts, and in the end forming new Seeds for a fucceeding race.'-The seat of this Life he apprehends to be in that part called the Flesh of the Plant; and its powers to arife from a motion in the Juices of that part. From hence he proceeds to defcribe the Formation of a Plant in the Farina;-the Conveyance of the Embryo into the Seed; the Growth of the Plant from the Seed; and the Courfe of the Juices in Plants.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

The learned Author has furnished a great number of very ingenious experiments and obfervations upon all these heads; but especially the laft. And tho' he does not agree with those who fuppofe a Circulation of the Juices in all parts of Vegetables, analogous to that in the Animal Syftem; yet neither does he think that it ought to be wholly rejected. Thus he obferves

[ocr errors]

They erred who fancied a Circulation in all the parts of Plants; for the ufe of the exterior coats is merely Abforption and Evaporation; but I must be allowed to fay, fince plain facts confirm it, that neither were they right, who thought Abforption and Evaporation gave growth to the effential parts of Vegetables. The circulatory System lies deep, and has not been obferved: the attention of the Curious being fixed on one point, drew their followers from the other. Much more might be faid on this head, but the subject is yet new, and I would excite, and not antici< pate the refearches of others, on a point which promifes to be replete with wonder.'

Our Author's talents (not always quite fo judicioufly applied as in the prefent work) feem now excrcifed in their proper fphere-fo that we hope he will continue his very ingenious researches ftill farther into the Arcana of the Vegetable World; where the apparent marks of divine wisdom and power are as amply difplayed, as in any other, tho', perhaps, more fplendid, fcenes of the creation.

A Voyage

A Voyage to the Coaft of Africa, in 1758. Containing a fuccinct Account of the Expedition to, and the taking of the Iland of Goree, by a Squadron Commanded by the Honourable Auguftus Keppell. Illuftrated with Copper-plates. By the Reverend Mr. John Lindsay, Chaplain of his Majefty's Ship Fougueux, in that Expedition. 4to. 5s. Paterfon.

HIS account of the Expedition againft Goree is drawn.

Tup in the form of a Letter to a Friend at London: but

as the faid Letter is a pretty long one, and wrote in no very elegant ftile; in order to relieve the Reader in the perufal, the whole is divided into fourteen chapters, accompanied with a fet of uncommon Notes, many of them evidently wrote by the Author himself, and expreffed in the firft perfon; whilft fome others feem to have been added (if one may judge from the fenfe of them) by a different hand, tho' not the leaft intimation is given, throughout the whole, that any Editor was employed in the publication.

In the first chapter, we are informed, that two of Commodore Keppel's fquadron failed from Spithead to Ireland, with the transports, October 16, 1758, to take on board seven hundred foldiers; and that the remainder followed three days after, and arrived at Corke the 22d, when Mr. Keppel firft hoifted his broad pendant, on board the Torbay, and endeavoured to fail from thence the 26th, but the wind fhifting when he had almost cleared the harbour, he was obliged to return into it again. In doing this the Naflau and Fougueux had the misfortune to run foul of each other, by which accident the latter received fo much damage as to be unable to make the harbour that night, during which fuch a terrible storm arose, as kept her in continual jeopardy, till the 28th at noon, when it began to abate. And even when she had got into the harbour, her perils were not at an end, for on the 6th of November fhe was drove from her anchors, and obliged to hang out the enfign of diftrefs; and did not get moored in a place of fafety till the 8th. On the 11th of November, the winds coming about, they failed from Cork, and the whole fquadron were off Kingfale that afternoon, confifting of the following fhips, viz. the Torbay of 74 guns. Commodore Keppel, and Capt. Owen; the Nassau, Capt. Sayer, and Fougueux, Capt. Knight, of 64 guns each; Dunkirk, Capt. Digby, of 60; Litchfield, Capt. Barton, of 50; Prince Edward, Capt. Fortefcue, of 44; the Experiment and Roman Emperor, frigates; the Firedrake, and Furnace, bombs; two bomb-tenders, and fix tranfports with troops on board.

L13

Chap.

Chap. II. contains reflections on the misfortunes the fleet met with during their ftay in Ireland; with proposals for avoiding fuch accidents hereafter; and fhews the impropriety of embarking troops from thence, upon fuch an expedition; on account of the delays that are almost unavoidably occafioned thereby of which he gives other inftances befides the prefent.

Chap. III, acquaints us, that the Commodore was joined at Sea, on the 18th, by the Saltafh Sloop, which he took along with him, as a small addition of force. From the 19th to the 29th they had prodigious ftormy weather, with lightning and thunder to a degree terrible; by which the Commodore had one of his people ftruck dead, and his main-top maft split to pieces. In the morning of the 29th they were furprized with the fight of land, clofe under their Lee, and fome of the fhips fo near, that they feemed to be afhore, as one of them, the Litchfield, really was, lying on one fide, with all her mafts gone by the board, without any poffibility of giving her the leaft afliftance: fo that fhe was irrecoverably loft; part of her people perifhing with her; and the reft being made flaves by the Moors. The Somerfet transport, and one of the Bomb-tenders, alfo ftruck on rocks, and were loft. An accident this, the moft ftrange, perhaps, that has ever happened, fince failing has been brought to its prefent degree of perfection! The Author's words are;

By our Reckoning we were no less than a hundred and twenty leagues diftant from the main land; and yet, in a ⚫ dreadful tempeft, were drove upon the coaft of Morocco, [betwixt Cape Blanco and Cape Cantin] when half an hour's longer darkness would, in all likelihood, have given the whole of our fquadron a grave in the deep, or chains among the Barbarians! It was, indeed, fo mortifying a ftroke, to the whole Art of Navigation, that had we not been too near to be deceived; nay, had we not left many of our countrymen, in moft melancholy circumftances behind us, the accident would have looked too ridiculous to have been ever credited.'

After fome inaccuracies in their Reckonings, the fquadron arrived in the Bay of Santa Cruz in the island of Teneriff, December the 14th; where they found an Ordnance Tranfport, difpatched after them from England: but having had happier paffage, arrived here, at the place of rendezvous, before them. Here they were alfo joined by a veffel from Guernfey, with Brandy for the Fleet, in a lucky time, for

the

the day following, the 20th, having recruited the fquadron with water as well as wine, they bid adieu to the ifland; [Chap. 5.] and on the 24th reached Cape Blanco. On the 27th in the morning they fell in with Cape Verde; about ten o'clock, difcovered the fort and flag-ftaff on the island of Goree; and anchored in the road of that place at three in the afternoon. On the morning of the 28th, at four o'clock, all the flat-bottomed boats were fent on board the tranfports, to difembark the troops. About eight, the fignal was made to weigh anchor; and as it was neceffary for one of the bombs to go down firft, the Prince Edward was ordered to cover her from the fire of the enemy, and to anchor a-breast of a fmall battery, a little below the citadel. The eldest Captain, Mr. Sayer, in the Naffau, was ordered to lead the line of battle on the right, anchoring a-breaft of St. Peter's battery. The Dunkirk followed in the order, and was to bring up a breaft of a battery, a little to the north of the former. To him followed the Commodore in the Torbay, taking the weft-point battery: and Capt. Knight, in the Fougueux, bringing up the rear (having directions to cover the other bomb), had for his fhare a battery of eight guns. About nine o'clock the Prince Edward, with the Fire-drake bomb, bore down to the ifland, and began the action by throwing a shell from the bomb. The enemy returned the fire, and with the fecond fhot carried away the Prince Edward's enfign-staff, and fet fire to an arms-cheft, which blowing up, killed a marine.-The Commodore obferving that the Firedrake over-charged her mortars (her fhells falling beyond the island), fent a meflage to the Furnace bomb, to avoid that extreme, and begin their fire; which order was immediately obeyed.-The Naflau and Dunkirk went down together to their stations. The fire of the former was remarkably brifk, but not well aimed; infomuch, that her fhot went moftly through the roofs of the houfes, and while fome took place, many went quite over the ifland.-Capt. Digby in the Dunkirk, did not fire with the brifknefs of the Naflau, but with more fuccefs; not a gun being fired before it was pointed, fo that every fhot did execution.-The Commodore having brought up with great alacrity; we are told, that the fire from his fhip, the Torbay, was fo terrible, so near, and fo well aimed, that none but madmen could have food it. Accordingly, the Governor ftruck his flag, juft as Capt. Knight, in the Fougueux, was about to drop his anchor. Whereupon, a little after noon, the Commodore fent a party of marines on fhore, who took poffeffion of the ifland; and marching up to Fort St. Michael, hofted the British

L14

British colours.-The Governor furrendered himself and garrifon prifoners at difcretion.-The lofs of the English in this attack, was only about 20 men killed, and 70 wounded.

[ocr errors]

Chap. 6. The island of Goree, is fituated in Lat. 14° 41. N. Long. 17°. 20'. W. from London; about eight leagues to the S. E. of Cape Verde, and within three miles of the main Continent. It was yielded by Biram (a king in thofe parts), anno 1617, to the Dutch, who kept it till 1663, when it was taken from them by the English, but recovered again the year following by its former owners, who loft it (1677), to the French, in whofe poffeffion it has remained ever fince, till its late reduction by Commodore Keppel. It is about three quarters of a mile in length, and fomewhat more than one quarter in breadth. The ground is low and even, except towards the S. W. end, where it rifes into a rocky hill, on which the Fort St. Michael is fituated. The foil and water of the island, are both very bad: and their provifions are brought chiefly from the continent.

The number of cannon on the different batteries here, before the action, amounted to 110 pieces; amongst which, we fhould not omit the mention of an English piece, fuppofed to have remained there, ever fince the place was before in our poffeffion. It is a long brass cannon of a small bore, towards the middle of which is engraved, the illuftrions name of Elizabeth Regina, and nearer the touchhole it bears the maker's name ;-Thomas Pit made this pece, 1589.' (p. 51.) The value of the ftores and effects taken in this place, is fuppofed to amount to about twentythousand pounds, for the benefit of the captors.

Chap. 7, 8. After placing a garrifon in Goree, under Major Newton as Governor, the fquadron failed from thence, January 12, 1759, and on the 16th reached the mouth of the river Sanaga, in order to leave a new Governor (Col. Werge), and a reinforcement of land forces at Senegal; the doing of which took up their time till the 23d, as there are two extraordinary bars in the mouth of the river, which render the navigation up to Fort St. Lewis impracticable, for any but very fmall veffels, and extremely difficult even for fuch. This fort, which is but weak, is fituated on a fmall ifland in the river, about twelve miles from its mouth; and may be rather called a ftore-houfe for merchandize, than a regular garrifon for troops. [Chap. 9, 10.] There is, it feems, a Negroe Town upon the ifland, juft under the fort; amongst the inhabitants of which, the Romish clergy

(while

« السابقةمتابعة »