ticable in Europe, from the jarring interefts and fluctuating politics of her powers, the erection of a community, who might have the privilege of enacting its own laws, coining of its own money, and exempting its members from imprifonment for debt, was deemed practicable on the western coaft of Africa. To the execution of this plan, which had a more extenfive object than even the emancipation of the negro race, the moft formidable obftacle appeared to be the oppofition which it would neceffarily receive from the slave-trade; a fpecific plan was however formed, and a charter, empowering 40 families to fettle on the western coaft of Africa, under the protection of Sweden, to organise their own govern ment, to enact their own laws, and to establish a fociety entirely independent of Europe, was procured from his Swedish Majefty Gustavus III. through the influence of the Chamberlain Ulric Nordonkiold. The only conditions annexed to thofe privileges were, that the fociety fhould defray the expences of their expedition and establishment, and not in fringe the territories poffeffed or claimed by other European powers. The execution of this plan was, for fome time, retarded by the American war; but, as it was judged expedient, as a preparatory step, to explore Weft Africa, the Affociation entered into engagements with the mercantile houfe of M. Chauvell of Havre de Grace, to conduct an expedition of discovery at their joint expence. In this expedition embarked Wadftrom, who was an enthufiaft with refpect to colonization; Sparrman and Arrhenius, who were enthufiafts in natural fcience; while the enthusiasm of their joint employer M. Chauvell, coincided entirely with the financial views of his Swedish Majefty, who loved gold much better than any other natural production. Thefe adventurers left Sweden in May 1787, on their

journey to Paris, where, through the reprefentations of Baron Stael von Holftein, Swedish ambassador, after fome delay, they procured from the Marefchal de Caftries, minifter at war and of the colonies, orders to the fuperintendants of all the French factories, as well as their confuls on the coaft of Barbary, to afford them every poffible affiftance at the expence of government. They failed from Havre de Grace, in August 1787, and arrived at Goree about the end of the rainy feafon, where they were received by the Chevalier de Boufflers with the utmoft politenefs. His departure to.Europe, foon after their arrival, rendered abortive their expectations of affiftance from the agents of the Senegal Company, who refused to furnish them with thofe goods which were abfolutely neceffary for their propofed expedition into the interior parts of the country. The general war, which the rapacious and oppreffive monopoly exercifed by the Senegal Company, whofe cupidity even extended to parrots and natural curiofities, had provoked the most powerful negro nations to declare against the French, rendered the interior entirely inacceffible. These unexpected and irrefiftible events obliged Wadftrom and his companions to return to Europe, with the obfervations they had made on the coaft, and the oral information they had been able to procure concerning the interior regions.

That the Swedish defign of agricultural colonization proved abortive, must be regretted by every person of humanity; for, though it originated in ideas of extravagant philanthropy, depended for its fupport upon perfons of oppofite views, and could never have realized the fanguine expectations of the founders; yet, when we confider the rude fimplicity of the Africans, the romantic nature of the plan was perhaps the very circumtance which would have enfured its

fuccefs.

66

to acquire fuch a knowledge of the bufineis as might qualify him for inftructing the natives of Africa. In 1794, he published, in 4to, " An effay on colonization, particularly applied to the western coaft of A "frica, with tome free thoughts on "cultivation and commerce, and brief "descriptions of the colonies already "formed, or attemp.ed." Of this work, Buonaparte is faid to have carried a copy with him, when he de parted on his Egyptian expedition. As the difficulty of communication between France and England rendered it almoft impoffible to procure a copy, he was prefented with the only remaining one in the poffeffion of the author, then refiding at Paris. This expedition, which in future times will be cenfured or applauded, according to its ultimate fuccefs, which the laws of nations and the faith of treaties muft condemn, but which the laws of that aggrandizing patriotifm, which, in ancient times, characterized the Romans, and, in modern. the Ruffians, muft approve, was beheld with triumph by Wadftrom, who believed that the civiliza. tion of Africa, and the liberty of Afia, depended on its fuccefs. He faw the French in poffeffion of Egypt, but his days were terminated by a pulronary confumption, in lefs than a year after the arrival of Buonaparte in that country.

Those who condemn, with the greatest bitterness, the political opinions of Wadftrom, muft, in their hearts, venerate the active benevolence of his character. His errors were, the difeafes of too tender a fenfibility, the exceffive confidence of too liberal a spirit, the unbounded benevolence of too warm a heart. His heart feemed more enlarged than his understanding, his feelings were always in the right, though his judgment was often in the wrong. His philanthropic schemes were generally romantic, and often delufive; his fanguine ex

pectations and fimplicity of heart, often made him the dupe of his own credulity. It is now the fashion to decry, with every term of virulence, and in one indifcriminate mafs, all those who approve, or have approved of the French Revolution Yet, furely, there were many perfons of the pureft benevolence, of the moft humane and upright views, perfonswhofe fouls were fickened by contemplating, with vain regret, the miferies and wretchednefs which they could not relieve, who beheld its commencement with fupreme pleasure, its progrefs, at first, with anxiety and chagrin, and afterwards with deep deteftation and abhorrence. It is equally injurious and unjust, to confound thefe humane and benevolent 'men, who creduloufly expected an equality of happiness, instead of an abfurd equality of property, to be produced by the revolutionizing fyftem, with those votaries of anarchy and confufion, whofe rapacious hands, and unfeeling hearts, have marked the paths of Revolution with murder and blood. With the former clafs, few will fcruple to rank the benevolent Wadftrom, though he feems to have retained, to the laft, his ideas of the ultimate confequences of the French Revolution, with the fame credulous fimplicity which is faid to have prompted him to feek for the New Jerufalem of Swedenborg, amid the unexplored regions of Africa. His effay on colonization contains an immenfe collection of materials on that subject, with a particular reference to Africa, combined in no judicious or luminous order, but containing almoft every obfervation, new or old, trite or original, which feemed to be intimately connected with the subject. Theoretical fpeculations, practical obfervations, original documents, and citations from authors, are immethodically produced, and lofe much of their value from their inartificial arrangement. His ftyle is

loofe,

loofe, tedious, and full of repetition, his reflections are often original, but the relations of his ideas are feldom accurately defined. Yet Waditrom, in contributing to the emancipation of the Negroes, was likewife the benefactor of the Europeans: "for," as Helen Maria Williams remarks in her eloge," the dignity of human na"ture, violated in the perfon of the "flave, is avenged by the confequent depravity of his mafter. Even the "fofter fex, who seem born to foothe with fympathizing tears, the mi"feries of humanity, in thofe regions, "where flavery prevails, difplay the "monftrous contraft of weaknefs and "ferocity, of voluptuous indolence "and active cruelty, of a frame en"ervated by the refinements of luxL6 ury, and a heart hardened by fa"miliarity with crimes." This account of Wadftrom may be properly closed, with the following inftance of his active benevolence. A fon of the king of Mefurado had been bafely decoyed from his father by an Englifh veffel, and carried first to Sierra Leona, and afterwards to the Welt Indies. Upon being recognized by his countrymen and companions in

flavery, he was purchased by a mu latto trader of Grenada, and brought to England, which was beginning to be agitated by the question concerning the abolition of the flave-trade. But, as this merely mercantile fpeculation difappointed the projector, he was taking meafures to convey the unfortunate African prince back to the West Indies, when the defign was difcovered by Wadftrom, who redeemed him at his own coft. The young man was placed in an academy at Mitcham in Surry, to be inftruc ted in the rudiments of Christianity, and fuch branches of education as he could comprehend, and was baptiz ed, Dec. 25, 1788. He continued at Mitcham two years and a half, but died of a confumption in Oct. 1790, about the age of 19 or 20 years.

He was obedient and docile, though not endowed with extraordinary powers, fond of agriculture, and a moderate proficient in reading and writing. Though acquainted with European cuftoms, he retained an invincible propenfity for thofe fimple manners to which he had been ac cuftomed in his native country.

ΤΗ

'HE fecond fight, in the Erfe, called Taifch, is a mode of feeing fuper-added to that which nature generally beltows. This gift of faculty, which is neither voluntary nor conftant, is in general rather troublefome than agreeable to the poffeffors of it, who are chiefly found among the inhabitants of the highlands of Scotland, thofe of the Weftern Ifles, of the Ifle of Man, and of Ireland. It is an impreffion made either by the mind upon the eye, or by the eye upon the mind, by which things dif tant or future are perceived, and feen, as if they were prefent. A man on a journey, far from home, falls from his horfe; another, who is; perhaps, -Ed. Mag. Jan. 185.

at work about the houfe, fees him bleeding on the ground, commonly with a landscape of the place where the accident befalls him. Another feer, driving home his cattle, or wan dering in idleness, or mufing in the funfhine, is fuddenly furprifed by the. appearance of a bridal ceremony, or funeral proceffion, and counts the mourners or attendants, of whom, if he knows them, he relates the names; if he knows them not, he can defcribe the dreffes. Things diftant are feen at the inftant when they happen.

Of things future, Johnfon fays that he knows no rule pretended to, for determining the time between the

fight

fight and the event; but we are informed by Mr Groft, that in general the time of accomplishment bears fome relation to the time of the day in which the impreffions are received. Thus vifions feen early in the morning (which feldom happen) will be much fooner accomplished than thofe occurring at noon; and those seen at noon will take place in a much shorter time than those happening at night: fometimes the accomplishment of the laft does not fall out within a year or more.

These visions are not confined to folemn or important events; nor is it true, as is commonly reported, that to the fecond fight nothing is presented but phantoms of evil. The future visit of a mountebank, or piper; a plentiful draught of fish; the arrival of common travellers; or, if possible, still more trifling matters than these, are forefeen by the feers. A gentleman told Dr Johnfon, that when he had once gone far from his own island, one of his own fervants predicted his return, and defcribed the livery of his attendant, which he had never worn at home; and which had been, without any previous defign, occafionally given him. As many men, eminent for fcience and literature, have admitted the reality of this apparently ufclefs gift, we fhall, without interpofing our own opinion, give the reflections of two of the first characters of the age upon it, and leave our readers to form their own judgment.

By Dr Beattie, it is thus account ed for: The Highlards of Scotland are a picturesque, but a melancholy ountry. Long tracts of mountain defert, covered with dark heath, 'ten obfcured by mity weather; v valleys, thin' inhabited, and d by precipices, refounding the fall of torrents; a foil fo ged, and a climate to dreary, as many parts to admit neither the ments of pafturege nor the la

If

bours of agriculture; the mournful dafhing of waves along the friths and lakes that interfect the country; the portentous noifes which every change of, the wind and every increafed diminution of the waters is apt to raife in a lonely region, full of rocks and caverns; the grotesque and ghaftly appearance of such a landfcape by the light of the moon : obj.&s like thefe, diffufe a gloom over the fancy, which may be compatible enough with occafional and focial merriment, but cannot fail to tincture the thoughts of a native in the hour of filence and folitude these people, notwithstanding their reformation in religion, and more frequent intercourse with ftrangers, do ftill retain many of their old fuperftitions, we need not doubt, but in former times they must have been much more enflaved to the horrors of imagination, when beset with the bugbears of popery and paganism. Moft of their fuperftitions are of a melancholy caft. That of second fight, by which fome are still fuppofed to be haunted, is confidered by themfelves as a misfortune, on account of the many dreadful images it is faid to obtrude upon the fancy. It is faid, that fome of the Alpine regions do likewife lay claim to a fort of fecond fight. Nor is it wonderful, that perfons of a lively imagination, immured in deep folitude, and furrounded with the ftupendous fcenery of clouds, precipices, and torrents, fhould dream, (even when they think themfelves awake) of those few striking ideas with which their lonely lives are diverfified: of corptes, funeral proceflions, and other fubjects of terror: or of marriages, and the arrival of ftrangers, and fuch like matters of more agreeable curiofity.

Let it be obferved alfo, that the ancient Highlanders of Scotland had hardly any other way of fupporting themselves than by hunting, fishing, or war: profeffions that are continu

ally