servations are extraordinary curious, because he was not only capable to make them, but had leisure, that being his only business, and money to carry him through. In fine, he has an excellent brief collection of history annexed to every part of his travels, which informs the reader of the ancient as well as the present state of the countries there spoken of. He is exact for the most part in setting down the distances of places, a great help to future travellers. His account of plants and fruits peculiar to the East and West Indies, with the draughts and representations of them, is a good help to natural history, together with his other descriptions, and his observations of customs, manners, habits, laws, religions, and all other things in those vast regions he passed through. In particular, what he says in that part of his voyage which is from Aquapulco till his leaving the continent of America, is, besides what is in Gage, almost the only account we have of the inland parts of that continent. There is a preface to the work which gives a full account of it. II. An account of the shipwreck of a Dutch vessel on the coast of the isle of Quelpaert, which happened in the year 1653, together with the description of the kingdom of Corea. This was originally writ in Dutch by one that calls himself the secretary of the ship then lost, who lived thirteen years in those countries, and at last made his escape with some others. It was thought worthy to be translated into French, and now lastly into English. It is the only account yet extant of the kingdom of Corea, which lies on the east of China, being a peninsula joined to that mighty empire by a small neck of land: and it is no wonder we should be so very much strangers to this country, since, besides its remoteness, the author tells us they admit of no strangers; or if any have the misfortune, as he had, to fall into their hands, they never return home, unless they can make as wonderful an escape as he did. The relation itself has a particular preface annexed to it by the translator, to which the reader is referred. III. Next follows a relation of a voyage from Spain to Paraguay, about 1691, by F. Antony Sepp, and F. Antony Behme, German Jesuits; with a description of that country, the remarkable things in it, and residences of the missioners. We have a particular account of their voyage; they landed at Buenos Ayres, of which town they give a very good description, and of the great river of Plate which runs by it; and proceeding up into the country from Buenos Ayres, they treat distinctly of the several cantons of Paraguay. IV. After this is placed a fragment translated out of Spanish, concerning the islands of Salomon in the South Sea, discovered by the Spaniards about 1695, but hitherto never conquered or inhabited by any European nation. It was inserted in Thevenot's collection of voyages. Both the beginning and conclusion are wanting; which, it seems, have perished through the negligence of those intrusted with the original papers. However, by good fortune, as much has been preserved as serves to give us some knowledge of those islands, and of the nature and disposition of their inhabitants. And because so little is known of those places, this fragment was judged not unworthy a place in this collection. V. The history of the provinces of Paraguay, Tucumany, Rio de la Plata, Parana, Guaira, Urvaica, and Chili; was written in Latin by F. Nicholas del Techo, a Jesuit. The antecedent account of Paraguay by F. Sepp has lightly touched upon part of this subject, but that only relates to one of the provinces here named; whereas this extends from the North to the South Sea, and includes all that vast tract of land in America, lying south of Peru and Brasil. The greatest part of these countries have not been so fully described, nor the manners and customs of those savage Indians so fully made known, as they are by this author, who spent no less than twenty-five years among them. them. But to avoid repetitions, what more is performed in this work may be seen in the particular preface before it. VI. Pelham's wonderful preservation of eight men left a whole winter in Greenland 1630, is the sixth treatise in this volume, The preservation was indeed very remarkable, especially considering how unprovided they were left of all necessaries for wintering in such a dismal country, it being accidental and no way designed. This narrative has nothing of art or language, being left by an ignorant sailor, who, as he confesses, was in no better post than gunner's mate, and that to a Greenland fisher; and therefore the reader can expect no more than bare matter of fact, delivered in a homely style, which it was not fit to alter, lest it might breed a jealousy that something had been changed more than the bare language. VII. Dr. John Baptist Morin's journey to the mines in Hungary, about 1650, is a very short relation of those mines, the ore they afford, the damps, the springs in them, the miners, the manner of discharging the water, and other particulars relating to them. VIII. Ten-Rhyne's account of the Cape of Good Hope, about 1673, and of the Hottentots, the natives of that country, is very curious. After a short description of the Cape and Table Mountain, he describes the birds, beasts, fishes, insects, and plants found in that part of the world; and then succinctly treats of the people, their persons, garments, dwellings, furniture, disposition, manners, way of living, and making war, traffic, sports, religion, magistrates, laws, marriages, children, trades, physic, and language. IX. The fourth volume concludes with captain Richard Bolland's draught of the Straits of Gibraltar, in 1675, and his observations on its currents. INDE X TO THE TENTH VOLUME. Bedford, (William Russel, earl of) his character, 240 Being in general, what it is, 259 Berkeley, (George, lord) his cha racter, 241 Bertie, (Peregrine) 204 Bishops (of the church of England) several of them made of such as were never ordained by bishops, 229. Whether they claim a power of excommunicating their prince, 233. Have the advantage of a quick dispersing of their orders, 208 offended at king Charles the Second's declaration of indulgence, 208, 209.-Their zeal against popery, ibid.-Some of them think it necessary to unite with the dissenting protestants, 209.-Look on the dissenting protestants as the only dangerous enemy, 210.-Join with the court party, ibid.-Lay aside their zeal against popery, 211. -Reject a bill, enacting that princes of the blood royal should marry none but protestants, 212.-How near they came to an infallibility in the house of lords, ibid. Called the dead ibid. weight of the house, Bold, (Samuel) writes in defence of Mr. Locke's Essay concerning Human Understanding, and Reasonableness of Christianity, 264. -His discourse on the resurrection of the same body, 276 Bold, Mr. Locke's concern for him, 276 Bolingbroke, (earl of) his charac- ter, 535 ibid. Booksellers, their character, ibid. 234 make them mere machines, 283 duke of) his character, C. Cabot, (Sebastian) attempts to discovers Newfoundland, ibid. 497 Canons (of the church of England) Cape Verde discovered, 387 Catechism (of the church of 421 his expe- 423, 429, 432 ditions, 505 America, 241 424 372 376 Devonshire, (William Cavendish, E. East India Company, English, esta- 223 of Africa, Indies, 408 blished, right, 232 Eure, (Ralph, lord) F. Forbisher's (Martin) voyages,464, 465 Freedom, wherein human freedom Fagg, (sir John) 241 Finch, (Heneage, lord) 210 one, 260 lord) 241 : G. 369 Galleys of the ancients, 467 Grotius, (Hugo) cited, H. Halifax, (George Savil, lord) his 223 Hog's-shearing; what they call so Hooper, (George) bishop of St. 282 |
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