and that and pros are interpolations. At all events this would produce a correspondence of the strophic and antistrophic measures, and the concurrence of three verses of the same description.

V. 934. We have long remarked that this epode, as it is called,. contains a strophe and antistrophe, though two or three corruptions which have been introduced into our copies, render it impossible to restore its original form with certainty. The Reviewer has given an arrangement of these verses; we propose one which seems to us somewhat more probable:

We trust that a more eligible one will be discovered; for we still suspect a fault in the second line of the strophe. We have little doubt that the fourth lines are correctly given. προσδράκοι με was a conjecture of Salvini, which he sent to Needham with the collation of the Medicean MS. and will be admitted by every one who casts his eye over the variations of the different copies, προσδέρκοι με, προσδάρκοι με, προσδράκη με, προσδράμοι με. One ad vantage at least results from the detection of the antistrophic nature of these lines. We are guarded against Mr. Blomfield's rejection of Osov and against the expulsion of pobos and epos, which Mr. Butler recommends.

We agree with the Reviewer in preferring the readings rolov v. 944, To un ou v. 954, and pos vv. 984, to those given by Mr. Blomfield.

V. 980. Σὲ τὸν σοφιστὴν, τὸν πικρῶς ὑπέρπικρον Τὸν ἐξαμαρτόντε εἰς θεοὺς ἐφημέροις Πορόντα τιμὰς, τὸν πυρὸς κλέπτην λέγω. The obelus of Porson was, we conceive, attached by mistake to the word πικρώς, instead of τὸν ἐφημέροις immediately below it, by which the metre is disturbed. His emendation was, we are told, xάonμépois. Mr. Blomfield omits the article on the authority of four MSS. and renders the sentence, qui contra Deos peccásti, beneficia mortalibus præstando; which interpretation had already been proposed in the Variorum Edition as Mr. Tate's.

V. 1093. This line may be called the bane of critics. The true reading is enveloped in so thick a mist, that most of those who have endeavoured to find it, have not only failed in the attempt, but run into some new and distressing error. Mr. Blomfield has been unfortunate with the rest. Desirous of adhering as closely

as possible to the reading of the Medicean, the best and oldest of the MSS. which is ἐι τοῦδ' εὐτυχῆ τι χαλα μανιῶν; he has printed in his text, εἴ γ ̓ οὐδὲ τύχη τι χ. μ. where εἴ οὐδὲ is an unjustifiable substitution for sindé. About this passage there is noμηδέ. thing certain, except that the readings of all the copies are corrupt. Many modes of emendation will suggest themselves to the Greek scholar; but none that we have ever heard, bear satisfactory marks of the genuine words of Eschylus. The correction proposed by Professor Porson was, if we mistake not, si μÝT άTUXÝs Ti xaλa μaviшv; respecting which we have only to say, that it may serve till something more satisfactory be suggested.

V. 1096. μετά που χωρεῖτ ̓ ἐκ τῶνδε θοῶς. Here is a fault which has not, we believe, been noticed by any editor. που ought not to be attached to a verb of motion, either as an interrogative or an enclitic. We should here read μerá os x. È. T. 0.

In our examination of the merits of this volume. we have generally avoided touching upon those notes (by far the greater part) which demand full and unqualified approbation. Our review has already proceeded to an extent, which nothing but its great excellence could justify; and we thought our pages would be more usefully employed in suggesting what might tend to its improvement than in soothing the ears of the editor with the unvaried exclamations, Pulchre, Bene, Recte. The work itself is a valuable ac→ quisition to Greek Literature, and the most successful attempt yet made to restore the text of Eschylus, and to illustrate and explain his language.

We must not omit to express our warm commendations of the mode in which Mr. Blomfield notices the labours of his predecessors. Instead of making his notes a critica vannus on the editions of Pauw, Schutz, Bothe, and Butler, he receives with due acknowledgments whatever he finds in each that is good, while he forbears to expose or exult over their errors. Generally speaking, he only mentions those by which the readers of Eschylus are in danger of being misled. His commendations are simple and unambitious; his censures totally free from arrogance or ill-nature. His good sense and good feeling have preserved him from the acrimonious and virulent style which critical scholars too often exercise against one another. We trust that no provocation will ever engage him in that disgusting species of literary warfare, which, not only makes the combatants themselves ridicu lous, but reflects discredit on the studies which they profess.

This book is the first printed in the beautiful Greek types, cast after the patterns given by the late Professor Porson. It appears under the patronage of the Syndics of the Cambridge press; and those who have lamented that Mr. Butler was not employed by that body,

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to publish a corrected text of Eschylus, will not now be displeased to see the task devolved upon a scholar, so well qualified to do justice to this noble tragedian. We trust that Mr. Blomfield will pursue with diligence and spirit the work so auspiciously commenced, in the prosecution of which he will be cheered by the applauding voice of every lover of ancient literature. In the mean time we congratulate our readers, not only upon the acquisition of this very useful volume, but upon the appearance of a scholar, who, at a very early period of life, has displayed so great a share of judgment, ability, and learning, as to justify the most sanguine expectations of his future excellence.

ART. X. The History of Mauritius and the neighbouring Islands, &c. &c. By Charles Grant, Viscount de Vaux. 4to. pp. 571. London. G. and W. Nicol.

THE unfortunate result of the gallant attack by the four frigates

under the orders of Captain Pym, gave to the enemy, for a few days, the naval ascendancy in the seas contiguous to the Isle of France. In the first moments of dismay, this event was considered to be fatal to our meditated expedition, the armament, prepared for this purpose, being actually on its passage from India. As soon, however, as the gloom began to disperse, exertions were made at the Cape of Good Hope, and at the neighbouring Isle of Bourbon, to dispute the superiority of the enemy, which were probably never surpassed. Four ships in the East India Company's service were speedily manned and equipped for the purpose: but the gallant Rowley, whose conduct appears above all praise, had already accomplished this object. By the capture of the French commodore's ship La Venus, and the recapture of the Africaine and Ceylon, the command of those seas was again our own; and from that instant the success of the expedition could no longer be doubtful. The result has deprived the enemy of his last colony, and of the only means of annoying our extensive and valuable commerce in the Indian seas.

With a view of communicating to our readers a concise, but comprehensive, sketch of the probable advantages to be expected from this acquisition, we had recourse to the volume before us, as being the largest and, we believe, the latest work which professes to describe those islands, if we except a small pamphlet by "An Officer of the Expedition against Bourbon.' We knew, indeed, that the Viscount's book contained the greater part of all that had been written or published on the Isle of France within the last century, together with other matters which had little or no connection

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connection with the History of Mauritius.' We knew, too, that it was made up from the sailing directions,' the remarks,' the 'observations,' and the descriptions of navigators and hydrographers from D'Aprés de Manivillette to Alexander Dalrymple; but we were not prepared to meet with so many agreeable biographical digressions as we actually found there. We have the Life' of M. de la Bourdonnais, An account of the Greville family,' the 'Life of D'Aprés de Manivillette, of M. l'Abbé de la Caille, M. le Gentil, Royal Academician, Count de Lally, and, strange asit may appear, of Hyder Aly Khan; from whom we are transported back to that distinguished barbarian Timur Beg. The reader will wonder how the viscount contrived to bring these scraps of biography into a' History of the Mauritius,' but his surprize will cease when he opens this huge quarto, and finds it a mighty maze,' resembling the variegated patchwork of some industrious lady; with this difference however that, in the latter, the coloured remnants are disposed on something like system, whereas the patchwork before us is thrown together at random. We verily believe that of the 571 pages in this closely printed volume, there are scarcely 50 which can be ascribed to the editor, and even these perhaps might have been omitted without much injury to the book. The following morceau of natural history, which we conscientiously believe to be original, will enable our readers to judge for themselves.

The scorpion, which has very long claws, encreases its shell every year. Its old claws become useless, and it forms new ones. It may be asked, what it has done with the old ones? In the same manner the porcelaine has a thick mouth, which is formed in such a way that it cannot augment its revolutions on itself, if it does not succeed in destroying the obstacles to its opening. It is not improbable, that these animals possess a liquor capable of dissolving the walls of the roof, which they wish to enlarge, and if this dissolvent exists, it might be employed for the stone in the bladder, and to destroy those glutinous humours, which resemble the prima materia of shells.' P. 62.

We have nothing farther to offer on the viscount's book than our frank avowal that it bids defiance to the analytic art, and is beyond the power of criticism: we shall proceed therefore to give a summary account of our newly acquired possessions, endeavouring to point out in what way, and to what extent, they are likely to become subservient to the commercial and political interests of the British empire.

The first discovery of the Isles of France and Bourbon appears to have been made by Don Pedro Mascaregnas, a Spanish navigator, in the year 1505; to the former of them he gave the name of Cerné, and on the latter conferred his own. At that time they are represented as being uninhabited by man, and even destitute of

every species of quadruped. After this period, the two islands were occasionally visited by Spaniards and Portugueze; but it does not appear that any attempt was made by either nation to form establishments upon them. They served merely as points to touch at for refreshing their crews and replenishing their stock of water. In the year 1598 the Dutch admiral, Van Neck, landed on Cerné, and, finding it unoccupied, thought fit to confer on it the name of Mauritius, in honor of the Prince of Orange.

In August 1601, the Dutch navigator, Hermansen, put into Mauritius for water. The boat was absent nearly a month, and, on her return, brought off a Frenchman who had been discovered on the island. The account he gave of himself was, That he had embarked in London on an English vessel bound to the East Indies; that she was lost near Malacca, where all the crew died except himself, four Englishmen, and two negroes; that these seven people seized an Indian junk, with the intent of returning to England; that the negroes, after failing in an attempt to get pos session of the vessel, threw themselves into the sea; that she was driven upon the coast of Mauritius, whence the English put to sea again to continue the voyage, but that he, the Frenchman, was resolved to remain there, rather than encounter new hardships; that he had been nearly two years without the sight of a human creature, and that his sole sustenance was the fruit of the date palm and the flesh of turtles. His bodily strength, it seems, had not failed him, but his understanding was considerably impaired. His clothes had gradually fallen to pieces, and he was found in a state approaching to nakedness.

From this period the Dutch were in the practice of calling at Mauritius for water and turtles; but it was not until the year 1644 that they began to think of making a regular establishment upon it. Whatever that establishment might have been, it is certain that it failed of success; for, towards the end of the century, they abandoned the island altogether.

In the mean time M. de Flacourt, a director of the French East India Company, who had proceeded on a mission to the Island of Madagascar, passed from thence to Mascaregnas, and, finding it unoccupied, formed a settlement upon it in the year 1657, and gave it the name of Bourbon. From Bourbon a few families went to Mauritius, which the Dutch had abandoned, and in 1712 established themselves on the island, changing its name to that of the Isle of France. The neighbouring island of Bourbon, in the heat of revolutionary frenzy, was named, we know not why, Reunion, which, in the servility of adulation, was afterwards sunk in that of Buonaparté; at the same time Port Louis, the capital of the Isle of France, was dignified with the name of Port Na

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poleon.