account of any part of the country traversed by Mr. Brevel, excepting the cursory and indistinct one given by M. Page of his journey from Naguadock to San Antonio. We therefore extract Mr. Brevel's.-Near the Red River the country is very mountainous; proceeding onwards, the streams ran westwardly, and here they entered a level well timbered country. The soil is rich black loam, the waters clear and well tasted. Afterwards passing through a more broken country, well clothed with verdure, and enriched with mines of silver ore, Mr. B. arrived at a small town in the settlement of Santa Fe. "I understood, (says Mr. B.) that similar small towns or missions, were within certain distances from each other, for a great extent southwardly, towards Mexico; and that the inhabitants were mostly christianized Indians and Matiffs (Mestices.) The mines in that settlement afforded very rich silver ore, which was taken away in large quantities, packed on mules, and had the same appearance of what (as that) we met with about the head branches of Red River." Mr. B. was treated with uniform hospitality throughout his excursion, which occupied in the whole a period of three months and twenty days.

Dr. Sibley relates, on the authority of the hunters of Louisiana, thàt "the droves of animals, that in the beginning of winter descend from the mountains into the timbered country, is (are) almost incredible. They say the buffaloe and bear particularly, are in droves of many thousands together, that blacken the whole surface of the earth, and continue passing, without intermission, for weeks together, so that the whole surface of the country is, for many miles in breadth, trodden like a large road." We recollect a passage in Falkner's travels in Patagonia, where he says that the wild horses are so numerous in the plains of America, that during a fortnight they continually surrounded him. "Sometimes, he adds, they passed by me in thick troops, on full speed, for two or three hours together, during which time it was with great difficulty, that I and four Indians who accompanied me, preserved ourselves from being run over and trampled to pieces." A congress of travellers ought to be assembled, to fix some limits to the privileges they have from time immemorial possessed, but which they sometimes woefully abuse.

We cannot compliment Doctor Sibley, either on the elegance or perspicuity of his style, the depth or science of his observations, or even on the accuracy of his grammar. Lays for lies, illy for ill, are two solecisms among many.

The concluding paper, which is far more free from blemishes of diction than the others, contains an account of a voyage up the Black and Washita rivers, as high as the hot springs in the proximity of the latter, by Mr. Dunbar, Dr. Hunter, and others employed by the United States for that purpose. On the 17th October, 1804, they entered the Red River, at its confluence with the Missisippi, which lies in lat. 31° 1′ 15′′ .N. and long. 6 7' 11" W. from Greenwich; twenty-six miles higher up they entered the Black River, which loses its name at the junction of the Washita, the Catahoola, and the Tenza. The mouth of the Washita is in lat. 35 37' 7" N. On the 6th of November, the party arrived at the post of the Washita, in lat. 32° 29′ 37′′ N. The course of the river to this place is incommoded by many shoals and rapids. The banks presented very little appearance of alluvial land, but furnished an infinitude

of beautiful landscapes, heightened by the vivid colouring they derive from the autumnal changes of the leaf." On this occasion, an observation occurs, which, if correct, may be of practical utility. Mr. Dunbar has always remarked, that the leaves of those trees, whose bark or wood are (is) known to produce a dye, are changed in autumn to the same coJour which is extracted in the dyer's vat from the wood, more especially by the use of mordats: thus the foliage of the hickory and oak which produces the quercitron bark, is changed, before its fall, into a beautiful yellow; other oaks assume a fawn colour, a liver colour, or a blood colour, and are known to yield dyes of the same complexion.' In the progress of the part up the river, from the settlement of Washita, they occasionally stop to examine the qualities of coal, and the strength of salt springs; but nothing peculiarly interesting occurs, till their arrival at the hot springs, situated about nine miles from the river, in lat. 34° 31′ 4′′ N. and long. 92° 50′ 45′′ W. from Greenwich. There are four principal springs, the heat of which was found, by Fahrenheit's thermometer, to be, respectively, 154°, 150°, 136°, and 132°; the quantity of water delivered by them, and by some smaller springs, or oozings, is estimated at 3,771 hogsheads in 24 hours, and the chief substances held in solution in it, proved to be lime and iron. The water from these springs forms a brook, which is in itself a hot bath, too hot indeed near the springs, but affording every degree of temperature according to the distance chosen by the bather. Some branches of the wax myrtle were found thrust into the bottom of a spring run, the water of which was 130°; the foliage and fruit of the branch were not only sound and healthy, but at the surface of the water roots were actually sprouting from it: on pulling it up, the part which penetrated the hot mud was found to be decayed. No volcanic appearance is observed in the neighbourhood, and no sulphuric acid exists in the water; a ferruginous schistus is abundant, and martial pyrites, as well as bitumen, are found at no great distance. But the most singular circumstance attending these hot springs, is, that animalculæ are found existing in them. After a diligent microscopic search, in a kind of green moss, which was found growing at the bottom of the hot springs, Mr. Dunbar' discovered a very minute shell-fish of the bivalve kind, inhabiting this moss: its shape nearly that of the fresh water muscle. When the animal is undisturbed, it opens the shell, and thrusts out four legs, very transparent and articulated, like those of a quadruped; the extremities of the fore legs are very slender and sharp, but those of the hind legs, somewhat broader, apparently armed with toes from the extremity of each shell issue three or four forked hairs, which the animal seemed to possess the powers of moving.' After this, we shall almost be tempted to believe in the salamander.

During this excursion from Oct. 20, 1804, to Jan. 31, 1805, our travellers kept a meteorological diary; the predominant winds were from the N. W. quarter; the thermometer varied irregularly between 86 and 30°. On the 8th of January they set off on their return, and we are presented with the reports of various persons they occasionally met with, relative to the interior country. Amongst these, a Canadian, who had been much with the Indians to the westward, speaks of a wool-bearing animal larger than a sheep, the wool much mixed with hair, which he had seen in large flocks.' In vol. i. p. 279, of Vancouver's voyage to the north-west coast of America, there is an account of skins brought to him

for sale by the Indians, belonging to an animal, whence the wool is proeured, of which they make their garments; the description of which, though the skins were much mutilated, confirms the report of the Canadian. His other report, that of having seen a unicorn, the horn of which, he says, rises out of the forehead, and curls back, conveying the idea of the fossil cornu ammonis, will not, of itself, shake the prevailing disbelief of the existence of such an animal; but it may have some weight when added to what is related by Sparrman, in vol. ii. p. 147, of his voyage, and by Barrow, vol. i. p. 312, of his travels, as to the probability of its being found in Africa; and by Turner, p. 157, of his embassy to Tibet, as to its existence in that country.

We have extended our remarks on this transatlantic production, beyond our usual limits for articles of foreign literature, on account of its interesting contents. We look forward with anticipations of pleasure and interest, to the period when the final result of the expedition, under Captain Lewis, will be communicated to the public. Several maps are referred to as having been laid before congress, together with these papers; but none is annexed to the pamphlet. A general map should, of course, accompany the work we are encouraged to expect.

ART. XXVIII. SELECT LITERARY INFORMATION. Gentlemen and Publishers who have works in the press, will oblige the Conductors of the ECLECTIC REVIEW, by sending information (post paid) of the subject, extent, and probable price, of such works; which they may depend on being communicated to the public, if consistent with their plan.

A Correspondence has been opened with various parts of the United Kingdom, for the purpose of procuring interesting Literary intelligence, on the authenticity of which the public may depend,

GREAT BRITAIN. MR. Jones proposes to publish a supplementary volume to his 4to edition of Froissart's Chronicles; containing memoirs of the life of the author; the various readings produced for the projected new Louvre edition: an account of the celebrated Manuscript of the Chronicles at Breslaw; with its various readings and additions, and an account of the Death of Richard II. of England, contracted from a manuscript in the National Library at Paris.

A treatise on British Pasture and Meadow Grasses, is intended to be published by subscription in the autumn of the present year; by Mr. John Thornhill of Gateshead, in the county of Durham. Above thirty kinds of Grasses will be described; and to aid the description, a specimen of each, having all the parts,

roots, leaves, stem and spike, will be. given, with a small packet of the seeds of each plant. Price to subscribers, 155.

Mr. Thelwall proposes to publish in a moderate sized 4to. volume; the subject matter of his Physiological Course, with scientific notes, and practical illustra tions.

Dr. Maclean has a new work in the press intitled, The Influence of Asia on the Liberties of Britain, in a series of letters addressed to the Marquis of Wellesley; including a correspondence with the government of Bengal, under that Nobleman, and a narrative of transactions, involving the annihilation of the personal freedom of the subject; the extinction of the liberty of the press in India, with the Marquis's ediet for the regulation of the press.

Art. XXIX. LIST OF WORKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED. We hope that no writer will take exception at the omission of his work in the following list, as information respecting it may not have reached us :the insertion of any work should not be considered as a sanction of it; the list consisting of articles, which we have not examined.

The Young Surveyors Guide, or a Treatise on Practical Land Surveying; being a complete introduction to that A Collection of Epitaphs, and MonuArt. In six parts; by J. Coles, 3s.-mental Inscriptions, historical, biografine 5s. phical, literary and miscellaneous, 2 vols. 12mo.