ing promoted at the court of Peterf. burg, it ultimately devolved on himfelf. In 1767, after his return, he was elected fellow of the Royal So ciety. In 1768, his British Zoology, was published in two volumes octavo, and the bookfeller gave Mr Pennant 100l. for permiffion, which he immediately vefted in the Welch charityfchool. Oxford, with the degree of Doctor of Laws, conferred in full convocation. About the clofe of the year, he gave to the public his Tour in Scotland, in one octavo volume, ornamented as all his works are, with plates. A candid account of that country was such a novelty, that the impreffion was inftantly brought up, and in the next year another was printed, and as foon fold. In this tour, as in all the fucceeding, he laboured earnestly to con. ciliate the affections of the two nations, fo wickedly and ftudiously fet at variance by evil-defigning people, and he received feveral very flattering letters on the occafion. In the Philofophical Transactions of this year, he has an account of two new species of Tortoises. On May 18, 1772, he began the longeft of his journies in our island. This was his fecond Tour in Scotland, and voyage to the Hebrides. My fuccefs,' he obferves on this occafion, In 1769, he added a third volume, in octavo, on the reptiles and fishes of Great Britain. In the 58th volume of the Philofophical Tranfactions, was published his account of a new fpecies of Pinguin, brought by captain Macbride, from the Falkland iflands. In the fame year, in conjunc. tion with Sir Jofeph Banks, and Mr Loten, who had been a governor in one of the Dutch iflands in the Indian ocean, he published twelve plates of Indian Zoology, but that work was afterward difcontinued. In the fpring of this year, he acquired one whom he calls a treasure, Mofes Grif-was equal to my hopes: I pointed fiths, to whom the public are indebted for numberlefs fcenes and antiquities, and who accompanied Mr Pen. nant in all his journies except that of the present year, which was his first Tour into Scotland. I had,' fays he, the hardiness to venture on a journey to the remoteft part of North Britain, a country almoft as little known to its fouthern brethren as Kamtfchatka. I brought home a favorable account of the land. Whether it will thank me or no I cannot fay; but from the report I have made, and fhewing that it might be vifited with fafety, it has ever fince been inondée with fouthern vifitants.' This year, alfo, he was elected fellow of the Royal Academy at Drontheim. In 1770, he published 103 additional plates to the British Zoology, with defcriptive additions; and in 1771, he printed, at Chefter, his Synopfis of Quadrupeds, in one volume octavo. In May of the fame year, he was honoured by the univerfity of out every thing I thought would be of fervice to the country: it was roufed to look into its advantages; focieties have been formed for the improvements of the fisheries, and for founding of towns in proper places: to all which, I fincerely with the moft happy event; vaft fums will be fung away; but incidentally numbers will be benefited, and the paffions of patriots tickled. I confefs that my own vanity was greatly gratified by the compliments paid to me in every corporated town. Edinburgh itself prefented me with its freedom, and I returned rich in civil honours.' In 1773, he published the octavo edition of Genera of birds, and performed a tour through the north of England, where his companion Mr Griffiths made a great many drawings of antiquities, &c. feveral of which were afterward used by Mr Grofe, in his Antiquities of England. In this tour he contracted an acquaintance with Mr Hutchinson, the historian of of Durham, in a fingular manner, which we shall give in his own words. I was mounted on the famous ftones in the church-yard of Penrith, to take a nearer view of them, and fee whether the drawing I had procured, done by the Rev. Dr. Todd, had the leaft foundation in truth.' Thus engaged, a perfon of good appearance, looking up at me, obferved what fine work Mr Pennant had made with thofe ftones.' I faw he had got into a hor. rible fcrape; fo, unwilling to make bad worfe, I defcended, laid hold of his button, and told him, I am the man!' After his confufion was over, I made a short defence, shook him by the hand, and we became from that moment fast friends.' An account of part of this journey, Mr Pennant left in manufcript, illuftrated with draw ings by Mr Griffith. Mr Pennant performed all his journies on horfe back, and to that he attributed his healthy old age. He confidered the abfolute refignation of one's perfon to the luxury of a carriage, to forebode a very fhort interval between that, and the vehicle which is to convey us to our laft stage! In 1774, he publifhed a third edition, with additional plates, of his Tour in Scotland, in quarto, and his voyage to the Hebrides in the fame fize. In the fame year, he vifited the Ifle of Man, and journeyed through various parts of England. In 1775, appeared his third and laft volume of the Tour in Scotland, performed in 1772. Thefe tours have been tranf. lated into German, and abridged in French. In 1777, he published a fourth volume of the British Zoology, containing the vermes, the cruftaceous and teftaceous animals of our country. After feveral journies over the fix counties of North Wales, in which he collected ample materials for their hiftory, he published the firft volume of them in the form of a tour in 1778, and in 1781, the fecond, under the title of a Journey to Snowdon. In the fame year, a new edition appeared of his Synopfis of Quadrupeds, in two vols. quarto, with confiderable im-. provements. The liberties which the country gentlemen, in the character of deputy-lieutenants, and militiaofficers, now and then took with their fellow fubjects, urged him about this time to publish Free Thoughts on the Militia Laws. In this year 1781, he was elected an honorary member of the fociety of Antiquarians at Edinburgh. In. the Philofophical Tranfactions of the fame year, was published his hiftory of the Turkey, which he made appear was a bird peculiar to America, and unknown before the difcovery of that continent; alfo a paper on earthquakes felt in Flintshire. In 1782, he published his Journey from Chefter to London. In 783, he was elected a member of the Societas Phyfiographica, at Lund, in Sweden. In 1784, appeared his Letter from a Welch Freeholder to his Reprefentative. The fame year, he published his Arctic Zoology, two volumes quarto, containing the claffes of quadrupeds and birds. This work gave occafion to his being honoured, in the year 1791, by being elected member of the American Philofophical Society at Philadelphia. In May 1784, he was elected member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, at Stockholm, and in January 1785, an honorary member of the Edinburgh fociety for promoting of natural knowledge; of the fociety of Antiquaries at Perth; and the Agricultural Society at Odiam, in Hampfhire. In 1787, he published à fupplement to the Arctic Zoology. As in 1777, he had again married, he difcontinued his tours until the fpring 1787, when he visited the dockyards, and travelled by land from Dartford, following the coaft to the Lands-end. Befides thefe greater works of our author, he at feveral times gave the public fome trifles, which he collected fome fome years ago, and printed, for the amusement of his friedds, thirty copies at a private prefs. The principal was his Hiftory of the Patagonians; which with fome others he gave to the public, along with his Literary Life. In 1790, he publifhed his Account of London, of which he says, I had fo often walked about the feveral parts of London, with my note-book in my hand, that I could not help forming confiderable collections of materials. The public received this work with the utmost avidity. It went through three large impreffions in about two years and a half. Many additions were made to the fecond edition. In 1793, he publifhed his Life, under the whimfical title of The Literary Life of the late Thomas Penmant, Efq. by himfelf.' In the advertisement, he states that the termination of his authorial exiftence took place on March 1, 1791. He came to life, however, in 1797, and publifhed The History of the Parishes of Whiteford and Holwell, and in the last year of his life, he gave the public, The View of Hindostan,' in two vols. quarto. It will be neceffary to give an account of the rife of this latter work in his own words. A few years ago I grew fond of imaginary tours, and determined on one to climes more fuited to my years, more genial than that to the frozen north. I ftill found, or fancied that I found, abilities to direct my pen. I determined on a voyage to India, formed exactly on the plan of the Introduction to the Arctic Zoology; which commences at fuch parts of the north as are acceffible to mortals. From London I follow the coafts fouthern to part of our island, and from Calais, along the oceanic fhores of Europe, Africa, and Afia, till I have attained thofe of New Guinea. Refpecting these I have collected every information poffible from books ancient and modern from the moft : authentic, and from living travellers of the moft refpectable characters of my time. I mingle hiftory, natural hiftory, accounts of the coafts, climates, and every thing which I thought could inftruct or amufe. They are written on imperial quarto, and when bound, make a folio of no incenfiderable fize; and are illustrated, at a vaft expence, by prints taken from books, or by charts and maps, and by drawings by the fkilful hand of Mofes Griffiths, and by prefents from friends. With the bare poffibility of the volume relative to India, none of thefe books are to be printed in my life-time; but to reft on my fhelves, the amufement of my advaneing age. Of these manuscripts there were fourteen volumes originally, but Mr Pennant, as we have mentioned, printed in his life-time that which relates to India. We may juftly fay in his own words, Happy is the age that could thus beguile its fleeting hours, without injury to any one, and, with the addition of years, continue to rife in its pursuits.' Few men, indeed, have fo unceafingly devoted themfelves to the promotion of useful knowledge, or publifhed fo many volumes, especially on fubjects of natural hiftory. His works have been fo generally read, and are in fuch high efteem with the public, that it would be unneceffary in this place to enter into their respective merits. It is feldom that works fo expenfive run through fo many editions, but Mr Pennant had the happy art of relieving the dulleft subjects by enlivening and amufing digreffions; and his tours and his account of London are diftinguished by a fund of anecdote, an eafy familiarity of ftile, and that pleasant turn for research which engaged the reader's attention, becaufe it agreeably refreshes his memory, and fupplies him with information at a fmall expence of trouble. Dr Johnson said of him, when fome objections were made to his tours tours, that he had greater variety of enquiry than almost any man, and has told us more than perhaps one in ten thousand could have done, in the time that he took*. Mr Pennant married, firft, in the year 1759, the fifter of the late Tho mas Falconer, Efq. of Chester, and of Dr Falconer of Bath, by whom he had a fon, David, and a daughter, and fecondly, in 1777, to Miss Moftyn, who furvives him. He died December 16, 1798, at his family feat of Downing. CHARACTER AND MANNERS OF THE NATIVES OF TONGATABOO. From the Miffionary Voyage to the South Sea Islands. [The Miffionaries fent out in 1796, for the purpose of converting the South Sea Iflanders, having accomplished a Settlement on Otaheite and Tongataboo, and the Ship having returned to England, the Directors of the Society have published a fplendid Quarto, giving an Account of the Voyage. This Account, however, will be principally interesting to the pious Feelings of the Parties concerned. They add very little to the Information we have fo often had from those who have vifited the South Sea Islands, and their Refidence was fo fhort where they have fixed their Abodes, that much cannot be expected refpecting the Succefs of their Miffion. In compliance, bowever, with our confiant Attention to the Amusement and Information of our Readers, we have felected a Paffage refpeating the Character and Manners of the Natives of Tongataboo, in which there appears a candid Discrimination, and it will at the fame, Time, afford our Readers a fair Specimen of a Stile they have not been accuftomed to in the relations of former Voyagers.] OUR UR dear friends and benefactors in the direction may juftly look for fome account of this country, where the Lord in his gracious Providence, through their inftrumentality, has placed us; and we think ourfelves bound, in gratitude to them, to furnish them with the fulleft information in our power: but in this attempt we find ourselves much at a lofs for want of the Rev. Mr Great head's manufcript account of thefe islands, which happened to be left at Otaheite, and which if we had brought with us, would have been ufeful in directing our attention to feveral objects, which may have efcaped our notice. Notwithstanding the numerous invitations we have receivEd. Mag. June 1799. ed to vifit other iflands of this group, we have not as yet feen it our duty to comply, as, for want of the language, fuch vifits could be no way profitable to the natives, and would have expofed us to many unneceffary temptations. Our obfervations muft therefore be wholly confined to Tongataboo; the fituation, extent, and product of which are already fo well known, that there remains but little to be faid concerning it. Captain Cook's account is in general fo accurate as to render very little addition or correction neceffary; however, a space of many years which has elapfed fince his laft voyage, has produced fome changes which it may not be improper to communicate. On 3 I our Mr Pennant's private character was in all refpects irreproachable, as a fon, husband, and father. He had great public fpirit, and rendered himself eminently ufeful in his country. In his political principles he was a whig of the old school. His fortune as well as time was liberally devoted to learned pursuits. our arrival we found few of his old friends remaining, and their number has fince been reduced by death; but his name is ftill mentioned with great refpect by many of their fucceffors, who recollect his favours beftowed upon them when in a state of child hood, which they often relate in a manner that befpeaks them to be by no means deftitute of gratitude. The people fully answer to the moft favorable reprefentations the world has ever received of them; for furely no appellation was ever better applied than that given to them by our countrymen, of which they feem very proud, fince we made them acquainted with it, and very ftudious to render themselves more deferving of it. They poffefs many excellent qualities, which, were they enlightened with the knowledge of the gofpel, would render them the moft amiable people on earth; for inftance, their bounty and liberality to ftrangers is very great, and their generofity to one another unequalled. It is no uncommon thing for them to complain they are dying of hunger, and, as foon as they receive a morfel, to divide it among as many as are prefent, the first receiver generally leaving himself the smallest share, and often none at all. When they kill a hog, or make any mefs for themselves, there is always a portion fent to their friends, who return the favour as foon as their circumstances will admit; which keeps up a conftant friendly communication among them, and which we have never feen interrupted by any quarrel, during a stay of more than four months. Their honefty to one another feems unimpeachable, though we have no reafon to think the accounts of their dishonesty to ftrangers exaggerated. The murder of children, and other horrid practices, which prevail among the Otaheitans, are unheard of here. Their children are much indulged, and old age honoured and revered. t Female chastity is not much esteemed among the lower orders, it being a common practice with the chiefs in our vifits to them, to offer fome of their females to fleep with us; the practices of our abandoned countrymen making them believe this is a favour we could not well do without. Our first refufal feemed to excite a furprize, but has generally prevented a fecond temptation from the same perfon. Unchastity among females of rank, and especially after marri age, we have heard is punished with feverity; however, we have not as yet known an inftance. Their marriages are attended with very little ceremony; the only one we have feen was that of Vaarjee, with whom brothers Bowell and Harper have been fome time refident. This was conducted in the following manner: a young female having attracted his attention, he firft informed his mother that he wished to add her to the number of his wives. She immediately communicated this to the damfel's father, and the propofal meeting his approbation, he clothed her in a new garment, and with attendants, and fuch a quantity of baked hogs, yams, yava root, &c. as he could afford, fhe was sent to her intended spouse, who being apprized of her coming, feated himself in his house, and received her in the fame manner, and with as little emotion, as he would have done any other vifitor; feafting on the provisions, and a good draught of yava, concluded the whole, and the bride was at liberty either to return to her father till again fent for, or to take up her refidence with her husband, which, in this inftance, fhe preferred.. Polvgamy is in common practice with the chiefs, each of whom takes as many wives as he pleases; but they are entire ftrangers to domestic broils, which may, in a great degree, be owing to the abfolute power each man has over his own family, every wo man |