but in a few years deftroy them. The next evil arifes from breaking the foil to a confiderable depth, and planting the trees in the pits fo made, which, in the generally stiff foil of this dif trict, is like planting in a well; confequently, trees fo planted. are long in thriving. This practice is still common, though many have learnt from experience a much better mode.

The feed may be procured from the cheese (or fubftance of the apples, after being preffed for cyder) which fhould be covered, in February or earlier, with light earth, and protected from vermin. This will produce a great variety of stock, and out of thefe it will be eafy to choose the hardieft, refembling the crab, or the thorn, in leaves and fpines. The fort of apple to be reared for cyder, fhould be fuited chiefly to the fituation or the fpot intended for an orchard. If the planter fhould be reduced to the neceffity of fixing on an high one, he will prefer, out of the little choice he may have, that fituation which is most fheltered from the weft and north-weft winds; and his apple trees, in this cafe, fhould be of that fort, with flender limbs, bending downwards, fuch as in this neighbourhood are called back-a-mores, and others of like growth, and the apples of a hardy kind; for the bloffoms of fuch (on which fo much depend). are hardy alfo, and not fo fubject to blights as others are, and bear better the effects of winds from the fea. Thefe trees should not exceed four feet in height to the firft limbs, and.if much exposed to winds, the lower the better; they should have been tranfplanted yearly in the nursery, and none but horizontal shoots fuffered to grow; and fhould be planted in the orchard at four years old from the graft at furtheft; the head being formed by keeping the centre chiefly open; a moderate quantity of pruning will best answer in fuch fituations.

"From the beginning of October to the latter end of November, will be the best time of planting on ground previously. manured, and which has produced crops of turnips or potatoes They should be planted about 21 feet afunder; and the roots. covered with earth, taken from the centre, betwixt the rows, out of a trench in width three feet, and in depth proportioned to the foil. On thefe beds peafe may be repeatedly fown, and the ftalks left to decay, for the benefit of the trees, keeping the foil warm, loose, and moift; and fome fuch tillage being repeated, will add much to the growth of trees." P. 92.

For the trees which form the plantations in Cornwall, these authors tell us, that they are the pineafter, fpruce, Scotch and filver firs, the larch, Dutch, Cornish and wych elms, fycamore, beech, oak, afh, Spanish and horfe chefnut, lime, alders, and the plane-tree, which was introduced into Cornwall in the year 1723, by Sir John St. Aubyn, of Clowance. Mr. Trift's obfervations on timber are interefting, particu

larly

larly on willow plantations, which he has proved, by his calculations, to be extremely profitable: and they are certainly practicable on almost every farm, and within the ability of every occupier. If it were not apparently invidious, we thould add, in juftice to Mr. Trift, that all the pages bearing the initials of his name, are not only diftinguifhed by good fenfe, and found practical knowledge, but by a claffical ftyle of writing. He is evidently a man of a highly cultivated mind. Not that we mean to detract from the merit of the other writers. But, as Reviewers (better acquainted, of course, with grammar than with husbandry) we find it impoffible to withhold our tribute of applaufe from compofitions which show the hand of a master.

ART. IX. The Geographical, Natural, and Civil Hiflory of Chili. Tranflated from the original Italian of the Able Don J. Ignatius Molina. To which are added,. Notes from the Spanish and French Verfions, and two Appendixes, by the Englifb Editor; the first, an Account of the Archipelago of Chilse, from the Defcripcion Hiflorial of P. F. Pedro Gonzalez de Agueros; the fecond, an Account of the native Tribes who inhabit the fouthern Extremity of South America, extracted chiefly from Falkner's Defcription of Patagonia. 2. Vols. 8vo. pp. 746. 18s. Longman and Co. 1809.

IT

T must be perfectly unnecessary to flate how very scanty our information has hitherto been relative to the actual condition of Spanish America, both with regard to its natural history and civil policy. The vigilance and the jealousy of that Government has fyftematically checked and fuppreffed any attempt to make that very interefting portion of their poffeffions more familiarly known, and very few publications at prefent exift at all calculated to throw light upon the fubject.

The original author of this work was Don Juan Ignatius, a native of Chili, and a member of the celebrated order of the Jefuits. On the fuppreffion of that fubtle and powerful fociety he was expelled from the territories of Spain, and took refuge at Bologna in Italy. As he was particularly eminent for his literary accomplishments, and above all for his knowledge. of natural history, it is not furprifing that he should be deprived of his collections and his manufcripts. But it is a C c

BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXXVIII. OCT. 1811.

real

real matter of astonishment that these last, or at leaft the more important part of them, fhould ultimately find their way to their author at the place of his Italian refidence. As foon as he recovered them, he employed himself in writing the Hiftory of Chili, which he publifhed at different periods. The Natural Hiftory appeared firft in 1787; that of its Civil Policy and Government not till fome years afterwards. They were received with particular eagernefs in various parts of Europe, and have been tranflated into the French, German, Spanish, and finally into the English language. The present tranflation, we underftand, was executed in America, but the publication of it here was entrusted to the judgment and fuperintendance of a gentleman well known in the literary world, and who has performed his part in a manner that must be highly fatisfactory to the public and creditable to

himself.

The first volume exhibits the natural hiftory of Chili, which is comprifed in four chapters. The first comprehends the fituation, climate, and natural phenomena of the country. The fecond treats of waters, earths, ftones, falts, bitumens, and metals. The third defcribes the herbs, fhrubs, and trees. The fourth gives the hiftory of the worms, infects, reptiles, fifhes, birds, and quadrupeds. Of these laft the author thinks that a very great number, greater indeed than is already known, exift as yet undiscovered, and particularly in the region of the Andes. From this part we give the following extract.

"The pagi (felis puma) called by the Mexicans mitzli, and in Peru puma, the name by which it is best known to naturalifts, has by the Spaniards been denominated the lion, which it refem. bles in its hape and its roaring, but is wholly deftitute of a mane. The hair on the upper part of its body is of a greyish afh colour, marked with yellow fpots, and is longer than that of the tiger, particularly on the buttocks, but that on the belly is of a dufky white. Its length from the nofe to the root of the tail is about five feet, and its height from the bottom of the foot to the fhoulder twenty.fix and a half inches. It has a round head thaped much like that of a cat, the ears are short and pointed, the eyes large with yellow irides and brown pupils. Its nofe is broad and flat, the muzzle fhort, the upper lip entire and furnished with whiskers, the mouth deep, and the tongue large and rough. In each jaw it has four incifors, four fharp-pointed canine teeth, and fixteen grinders. Its breaft is broad, the paws have each five toes armed with very strong nails, and its tail is upwards of two feet in length, and like that of the tiger.

"The number of toes on the hinder feet would alone be a

fufficient

fufficient characteristic to diftinguish it from the real lion, which, has but four. The pagi may, however, be confidered as an intermediate fpecies between the lion and the tiger. Its cry, although not fo loud, differs not materially from the roaring of the African lion, but in the feafon of its loves becomes changed into a fhrill whistle, or rather a frightful hifs like that of a ferpent. The female is rather lefs than the male, and is of a paler colour; like the African lionefs, fhe has two dugs, and brings forth but two young at a time. The feafon of copulation is the end of winter, and the period of geftation three months.

"Such is the lion of Chili; it may, perhaps, in other parts of America, offer fome fhades of difcrimination, as I have been informed that thofe of Peru have a longer and more pointed muzzle. The pagi inhabits the thickest forefts and the most inacceffible mountains, from whence it makes incurfions into the plains to attack domeftic animals, particularly the horfe, whofe fleth it prefers to that of any other. In its mode of feizing its prey it refembles the cat; it approaches it by drawing itself upon its belly, glides foftly through the fhrubs and bushes, conceals itfelf in the ditches, or, if it fhows itself, affumes a mild and fawning appearance, and, watching the favourable opportunity of feizing the animal which it has marked for its victim, at one leap faftens itself upon its back, feizes it with its left paw and teeth in fuch a manner as to render it impoffible for it to efcape, while with the right paw in a few minutes it tears it to pieces. It then fucks the blood, devours the flesh of the breaft, and carries the carcafs into the nearest wood, where it conceals it with leaves and boughs of trees, in order to eat it at its leifure.

"As it is a common practice for the hufbandmen to faften two of their horfes together in the fields, whenever the pagi finds them in this fituation it kills one and drags it away, compelling the other to follow by ftriking it from time to time with its paw, and in this manner almost always fucceeds in getting pof feffion of both *. Its favourite haunts are the ftreams to which animals ufually repair to drink, where it conceals itself upon a tree, and fcarcely ever fails of feizing one of them. The horses, however, have an instinctive dread of thefe places, and even when preffed by thirft approach them with great precaution, care fully examining upon every fide to discover if there is dan

"The wolf is faid occasionally to adopt a fimilar mode of fecuring its prey. I have been affured by an intelligent foreigner, that it is not unfrequent in France for that animal, when the pre fence of the fhepherd, or any other circumftance, prevents it from killing the fheep which it has fingled out for its victim at its leifure, to feize it by the wool of the neck, and compel it to go off with it by ftriking it with its tail.-Amer, Tranf."

ger. At other times one of the boldeft goes forward, and on finding the place fecure, gives notice to his companions by neighing in a fprightly manner.

The cows defend themfelves well against the pagi; as foon as he appears they range themfelves in a circle round their calves, with their horns turned towards their affailant, await his attack in that pofition, and not unfrequently deftroy him..

"The mares, when there are a number of them, place themfelves in the fame manner, though in an inverted order, around their colts, and attempt to repel their enemy with their heels, but one of them almost always becomes a victim to this proof of maternal love. All thofe animals that have not young, on the appproach of the pagi attempt to fave themfelves by flight; the afs alone, from his want of fpeed, is compelled to defend himself with his heels, which frequently proves fuccefsful; but should the pagi, notwithstanding his efforts, leap upon his back, he immediately throws himfelf on the ground, and endeavours to cruth him, or runs with all his force against the trunks of trees, holding his head down fo as not to dislocate his neck. By thefe means he generally fucceeds in freeing himfelf from his affailant, and there are but few affes deftroyed by an enemy fo frequently fatal to much stronger animals.

"Notwithstanding his ferocity, the pagi never venturest to attack a man, although he is continually hunted and perfecuted by the latter. He is naturally a coward, and a woman or child will make him fly and abandon his prey. He is hunted with dogs trained for the purpofe, and when hard preffed by them, either leaps upon a tree, feeks an afylum upon a rock, or placing himfelf against the trunk of fome large tree, defends himself in a furious manner, killing many of his enemies, until the hunter, watching his opportunity, flips a noofe around his neck. As foon as the animal finds himfelf taken in this manner, he roars terribly, and theds a torrent of tears. The fkin ferves for various uses; good leather for boots or fhoes is manufactured from it, and the fat is confidered as a specific in the fciatica *.

Vol. I. p. 244.

To the first volume there is added a methodical table of the various fpecies of natural productions defcribed in the work, a fupplement to the table of the vegetable kingdom, and fupplementary notes illuftrative of the Hiftory of Chili.

The fecond volume is divided into four books, and is peculiarly full of intereft and entertainment. The first treats of the origin, &c. of the Chilians, the fate of the country before and after the arrival of the Spaniards. The fecond book gives the history and defeription of the Araucanians, a brave and gallant people, who long and fuccessfully with

See Pennant and Shaw on Felis Puma, The latter, has a good figure of the animal, Rev.

ftood