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 fhould add, in juftice to Mr. Trift, that all the pages bearing the initials of his name, are not only diftinguished 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 applause from compofitions which show the hand of a master.

ART. IX. The Geographical, Natural, and Civil Hiftory 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 English Editor; the first, an Account of the Archipelago of Chilee, from the Defcripcion Hiflorial of P. F. Pedro Gonzalez de Agueros; the fecond, an Account of the native Tribes who inhabit the Southern Extremity of South America, extructed chiefly from Falkner's Defcription of Patagonia. 2 Vols. 8vo. pp. 746. 18s. Longman and Co. 1809.

IT must be perfectly unneceffary to flate how very scanty

our information has hitherto been relative to the actual condition of Spanish America, both with regard to its natural hiftory 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 furprising that he fhould 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 laft, or at least 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 himfelf in writing the Hiftory of Chili, which he published 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 understand, 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 himfelf.

The first volume exhibits the natural hiftory of Chili, which is comprifed in four chapters. The firft 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 undifcovered, 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 shape 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 round head fhaped 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 ftrong 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, he 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 horse, whofe flesh it prefers to that of any other. In its mode of feizing its prey it resembles the cat; it approaches it by drawing itself upon its belly, glides foftly through the fhrubs and bushes, conceals itself 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 escape, while with the right paw in a few minutes it tears it to pieces. It then fucks the blood, devours the flesh of the breast, and carries the carcass 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 husbandmen 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 pos 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 inftinctive dread of thefe places, and even when preffed by thirst approach them with great precaution, carefully examining upon every fide to difcover if there is dan

pre

"The wolf is faid occafionally 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 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 striking it with its tail.—Amer, Trans.”

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 sprightly manner.

"The cows defend themselves well against the pagi; as foon as he appears they range themselves 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 himself on the ground, and endeavours to crush him, or runs with all his force against the trunks of trees, holding his head down fo as not to dislocate his neck. By these means he generally fucceeds in freeing himself 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 ventures 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 purpose, 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 himself taken in this manner, he roars terribly, and sheds a torrent of tears. The skin ferves for various ufes 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 species 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 firft treats of the origin, &c. of the Chilians, the ftate of the country before and after the arrival of the Spaniards. The fecond book gives the hiftory and defcription 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.

food

ftood the combined efforts of the army of Spain. This portion of the work commands the strongeft fympathy for the high fpirit of independence which marked this nation, evinced in their unyielding and protracted oppofition to their power. ful and difciplined enemies. From this part it feems due to the author to fubjoin an extract.

"Although the Araucanians have long fince emerged from a favage state, they nevertheless preferve, in many respects, the prejudices and the peculiar character of that early period. Proud of their valour and unbounded liberty, they believe themselves the only people in the world that deferve the name of men. From hence it is that befides the appellation of auca, or free, which they value fo highly, they give themfelves metonymically the names of che, or the nation; of reche, pure or undegenerated nation; and of huentu, men; a word of fimilar fignification with the vir of the Latins, and as the latter is the root of the word virtus, fo from the former is derived huentugen, which fignifies the fame thing.

"From this ridiculous pride proceeds the contempt with which they regard all other nations. To the Spaniards they gave, on their first knowledge of them, the nickname of chiapi, vile foldiers, from whence proceeded the denomination of chiapeton, by which they are known in South America. They afterwards called them buinca; this injurious appellation, which from time and custom has loft its odioufnefs, comes from the word huincun, which fignifies to affaffinate. It is true that in their first battles the Spaniards gave them too much reafon for applying to them thefe opprobrious epithets, which ferve to the present time to denote one of that nation. Efteeming themselves fortunate in their barbarity, they call thofe Indians who live in the Spanish fettle. ments culme-buinca, or wretched Spaniards. To the other Euro. peans, the English, French, and Italians, whom they readily dif tinguish from each other, they give the name of maruche, which is equivalent to the term moro, ufed by the common people of Spain to denote all ftrangers indifcriminately. They call each other pegni, that is brothers, and even apply the fame name to thofe born in their country of foreign parents.

"The benevolence and kindness with which these people ge nerally treat each other is really furprifing. For the word friend they have fix or feven very expreffive terms in their language, among others that of candy, which correfponds to the alter ego of of the Latins. The relations that refult from correfponding fituations or common concerns in life are fo many ties of regard, and are expreffed by appropriate words denoting particular friend. fhip or good will. Those who have the fame name call each other taca, and thofe who bear but a part of the name, apeliaca. Thefe denominations incur an obligation of mutual esteem and aid. Relations by confanguinity are called in general monmague,

and