ters, of a jolly travelling Duchefs, by whom her Grace of N. feems to be meant, and whofe travels, as a Duchefs, did not commence till after Madame de P.'s decease: but we were anticipated in regard to this circumftance, by a critic* in a public paper; to whom, and to his answerer, we refer the final adjustment of this mysterious particular.

We grant, however, that if thefe Letters are forged, they are wrought by the hand of an artift; that the workmanship is rare; and that if it be not the manufacture of the person whose name is ftamped upon it, it may, perchance, be fomething better. But, it will be faid, that "excellence is not here the point, nor any of the requifites of perfection in epiftolary writing; that we have no idea of Madame de Pompadour in a literary capacity, but as a fatefwoman (pardon the expreffion, ye who guide the helms of empires and kingdoms!) as the mistress, even in the fuperior fenfe of the word, of a mighty monarch, and as the arbitrefs, in a great measure, of the fate of Europe, for many years; that the remarks and fentiments of a person thus loftily fituated, would, no doubt, greatly gratify the curiofity of the political world, who will be eager to know what fecrets, what hints, or what anecdotes fhe may have thought proper to communicate to her confidants; that these, in whatever terms conveyed, if well authenticated, will, principally, be the objects of attention with the inquifitive public: and that the grand queftion will be, Does the elevated Dame vouchfafe to open the door of the cabinet, or even fhew us but a crevice through which we may gain an infight of what paffes there?"-The queftion is already anfwered.-As nothing is authenticated, whatever we fee may be all a deceptio vifus, or mere gallantyfhew.-As fuch, therefore, we leave it, for the amusement of the young people in the republic of Letters; who, we doubt not, will readily acquiefce in the Editor's opinion, that in these little volumes we may trace the great character of Madame de Pompadour: Her ardour for her country, her fondness for her friends, her zeal as well as ability to promote merit and patronize genius, to provide for the unprovided, and to protect virtue.'

We fhall likewife transcribe the Editor's fine difplay of the beauties of ftyle and manner difcoverable in thefe Letters; in which there is fome truth, though allowance must be made for the warmth of commendation with which a vender is allowed to set off the value of the commodity in which he deals :

That critic was answered by another writer, who does not admit that the identy of the Duchefs mentioned in the letter, is fufficiently pointed out to juftify the critic's application of the anecdote.

• These

Thefe epiftles,-as easy as ever flowed from human pen, are each perhaps as accurate a little effay as, without shadow of method, ever took the epiftolary form; nor, though vifibly unintended for the publiceye, are they the lefs impregnated with native wit, or lefs fweetened with delicacy of fentiment. No wonder then if their style be eafy as it is natural, and elegant as it is eafy; if each letter be a model in matter and manner, with due allowance to patriot-partiality; nay if the very turn of the original remain with the thought, unviolated in the version.'

After fo much encomium, fome fpecimen may be thought neceffary; and we fhall give the well-written letter to Mr. Voltaire, on the famous fubject of the sufferings inflicted by bigotry on the Calas family.

'I thank you much for the book you fent me; every thing in it is beautiful, every thing true; and you are always the firft man in the world for writing and for thinking. You have great reason to preach toleration; but the ignorant cannot, and the hypocrites will not understand you. When the execution of the unfortunate Calas was mentioned to me, I thought at first the scene had paffed among cannibals: but I was told it had just happened among the favages of Touloufe, in a city where the holy inquifition has been founded; and I no longer wondered. I read fome paffages of your work to the king, who was touched with them. He is firmly refolved to avenge and restore the memory at least of that venerable old man: for my part, I fhould not be forry that his judges were sent to the galleys. The good town of Touloufe is faid to be wondrous devout: God preferve me from ever being devout in fuch manner!

To return to you, my dear fir; is it poffible to write on with so much spirit at your age? Continue to inftruct mankind: great is the need: as for me, I fhall not cease to read and to admire you. Somebody had the infolence t'other day to address to me verfes moft injurious to the king and to myself. One person would infift that it was you who had written them. I retorted that they could not be yours, because they were bad ones, and because I had never done you any harm: you thus fee what I think at once of your genius and your juftice. I willingly forgive my own enemies, but do not fo eafily forgive the enemies of his majefty; nor fhould I greatly grieve, if the author of those fame verfes were to spend fome time at Bicêtre, to mourn his fins, his calumnies, and his poetry together.

Is it true that you have been dangerously ill, and received the facrament with an exemplary devotion? The former piece of news I learnt with concern, the latter with fatisfaction; because it confirms me in the good opinion I ever entertained of you on the fcore of religion. Yet do what you will, you never

E 4

will

will shut the mouths of your despicable, but dangerous enemies. Mr. d'Argouge dropt on the fubject: Ah! the old finner : he never believes in God, but when he has the fever. I rated him foundly, declaring that there was neither truth nor charity in fuch infinuation. Farewell, my Phebus; the good accounts I have of your health are fupremely pleafing: my pleasure were complete, could I do you any, and fee France in better condition.'

The Letter-writer,-whoever the Writer may really be,appears, every where, an admirer of M. de Voltaire, to an excefs that does not, we apprehend, in all refpects, coincide with the indifferent terms on which this celebrated genius hath, for fo many years, remained, with the court of his natural prince.

ART. X. Travels through that part of North America formerly called Louifiana. By Mr. Boffu, Captain in the French Marines. Tranflated from the French by John Reinhold Forster, F. A. S. Illuftrated with Notes relative chiefly to natural Hiftory. To which is added, by the Tranflator, a fyftematic Catalogue of all the known Plants of English North America, or a Flora America Septentrionalis. Together with an Abract of the most useful and neceffary Articles contained in Peter Loefling's Travels through Spain and Cumana in South-America. Svo. 2 Vols. 10s. 6d. in Boards. Davics. 1771.

TH

HE provinces of North America are now become a very interefting object, particularly to the inhabitants of Great Britain. It is a country which affords ample matter for employing the pens of literary men, and accordingly publications of this kind have of late been pretty numerous; they seem to be always acceptable to the public, and when executed with fidelity by perions of ability and judgment, muft, without doubt, prove both entertaining and ufeful.

Mr. Boffa's account of Louifiana is contained in twenty-two letters, addreffed to the Marquis de l'Eftrade, the first dated in February, 1751, the laft in November, 1762. During this period he was engaged in two expeditions to this country, but though from his own relation he appears to have been faithful and zealous in the French fervice, his voyages do not feem to have been very beneficial to himfelf: after the firft, indeed, we are told that he received a gratuity from the king of France; but the fecond was finished by his being recalled, and broke, together with other fuperior and inferior officers.

The letters were written at the request of M. de l'Estrade. At the clofe of one of them, the Author tells the Marquis, that if he cannot amufe him with his ftile, at least he fhall make his narrative interefting, through the fingularity of the facts he intends to relate.' And, in another place, when speaking of

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his obfervations on the different parts of the country, and the genious of the natives, &c. he adds, I think this ftudy not beneath a traveller. You are a foldier and a philofopher; I am perfuaded that what I fhall give you an account of will please you: for I flatter myfelf that you depend upon the fidelity of your hiftorian: indeed I mean to affert nothing but what I am eye-witnefs of; for I can neither invent nor exaggerate.'

Some accounts, however, which this writer gives, relate to circumftances and events many years prior to his vifit to this part of the world; for thefe therefore he muft have depended upon the teftimony of others; but as to the many particulars which he aflerts from his own knowledge, he generally appears to be worthy of entire credit.

Among various other matters Mr. Boffu, as is customary with Authors who have written concerning the Indians, fometimes prefents us with the fpeeches which were made on different occafions, by the chiefs and elders of thefe nations. It is well known that it has not been unusual with other hiftorians to amplify and embellifh this part of their fubject in order to recommend their work; and we must acknowledge that we generally read thefe Indian harangues with a degree of diffidence. Mr. Forfter, the tranflator, feems to intimate a little fufpicion of the fame kind. The Author, in relating fome of the arguments which an old warrior ufed to animate the foldiers who were going out against the enemy, among other things we are told he faid, Go, my comrades, as men of courage, and with the beart of a lion.' Upon which the tranflator's note is, An hyperbole no Indian in America would make ufe of, not knowing that creature, which is not to be met with in that country.'

this

Mr. Boffu give an account, as other travellers have done, of the difcovery of the fkeletons of elephants in North America, from whence he argues for the junction of Louifiana with Afia: after telling us that his bad ftate of health prevented his going to take the command of Fort du Quéne, he obferves, voyage would have enabled me to examine the place on the road, where an Indian found fome elephants' teeth, of which he gave me a grinder, weighing about fix pounds and a half.' After which he proceeds as follows: In 1735, the Canadians, who came to make war upon the Tchicahas, (Chickfhaws,) found, near the Ohio, the fkeletons of feven elephants; which makes me believe, that Loufiana joins to Afia, and that thefe elephants came from the latter continent by the western part, which we are not acquainted with a herd of thefe animals having loft their way, probably entered upon this new continent, and having always gone upon main land and in forefts, the Indians of that time not having the ufe of fire-arms, have not been

able

able to deftroy them entirely, it is poffible that feven arrived at the place near the Ohio, which, in our maps of Louisiana, is marked with a crofs. The elephants, according to all appearance, were in a fwampy ground, where they funk in by the enormous weight of their bodies, and could not get out again, but were forced to stay there.'

The tranflator remarks upon this paffage, that modern geographical obfervations render this Author's fuppofition improbable; befides which he adds, that the teeth of the animals, faid to be found on the American continent, appear, upon examination, to be very different from thofe of the common elephant, and confequently they cannot be of the fame species.

Mr. Boffu has, nevertheless, feveral reflections on the population of America, and its connection with Afia on the fide of Tartary, in this his ninth letter, and in the twenty-firft. Among other remarks, he takes notice of a conjecture, which has by fome perfons been embraced, that there is a part of America which was peopled by the Welch, and that their language formed a confiderable part of the languages of the American nations. Though he does not appear to lay any great ftrefs upon thefe relations, he tells us that the Dutch brought a bird, with a white head, from the freights of Magellan, which the natives called Penguin; this word is an old Welch one, and fignifies white bead; from hence they conclude that the natives originally came from Wales.' The tranflator's note upon this paffage feems a very just one, when he tells us, This, however, is a wrong fuppofition; for it appears, that the bird in question has a black, and not a white head; but its name is Spanish, and fignifies a fat bird, the Penguin, or rather Pinguin, being very fat.'

We fhall now add a few extracts, by which our readers may be enabled to form fome judgment both of the original and of the tranflation. There are many interesting relations which we might felect, but as they are generally of a greater length than our limits will allow, we must be contented with fome fhorter quotations.

Mr. Bofu gives the following account of the ceremony of adoption among the Akanzas, to which he himself fubmitted:

The Akanzas have adopted me; they have adopted me as a warrior and a chief, and have given me the mark of it, which is the figure of a roe-buck imprinted on my thigh. I have willingly undergone this painful operation, which was performed in the following manner: I was feated on a tyger's fkin; an Indian burnt fome ftraw, the afhes of which he diluted with water he made use of this fimple mixture to draw the roe-buck; he then followed the drawing with great needles, pricking them deep into the flesh, till the blood comes out;