norous and well sounding name compared to others;-what do you think of Mr Augustus Stokes, Cicero Cramp, Fhidius Bubb, and Mr Michael Angelo Tailor. Something in the same style your correspondent recommends, -who, quoth he, has equalled the Parthenon? Let us go build one. Nobody has equalled the Iliad-why does Walter Scott squander his golden time on nameless knights-on feudal barbarians-let" him" render Homer into his native tongue, and earn the immortality which awaits imitation and forsakes invention. Remember your correspondent does not say, "come let us go look at the Parthenon, contemplate its simple beauty, then conceive something in the same lofty spirit to adorn our native city." No, he says, imagine not you are capable of conceiving any thing excellent, your minds are impotent of any exalted exertion, where you cannot lead, you should limp after." Then by all means rear the Parthenon in Scottish stone what have you to do with originality." There are too many buildings in Edinburgh already which remind one of other people's productions-it is not my wish to increase the number.

Your correspondent, however, tries to sooth the insulted genius of his country, by assuring us that we have more than one architect equal to the task of executing a new Parthenon. Why, what has an architect to do when the structure is commenced and the plan completed? Does he dig the foundations or hew the stones-or bed them in mortar by the line and the level? or comes he to clap the mason on the back and cry, "well done." Conception, the great test of genius, is taken out of our hands-the illustrious Greeks have supplied us with that. Execution is the next-this is pioneers' work. The master spirit has measured out the task, and his legion of lesser spirits fulfil it.

It is the taste of men like your correspondent which has filled our churches with monuments of British heroes, sages, and bards, in the garb of Greece and Rome-that has given Samuel Johnson a Roman toga and sandalsand an antique shield and helmet to Lord Chatham-that has sent Captain Burgess stark naked with a sword in his hand to gain the weather gage and break the French line, and clothed and this is the error too of a

great man-General Washington in
the costume of Cincinnatus. Our pro-
vincial ballad-maker had better taste
when he censured the statue of our
Dutch King William. John High-
landman in Glasgow sings-
"And there she saw a meikle man
Riding on a horse-
And oh she pe a poor man,

And no hae many claes !
The brogues pe a' worn off hers feet,
And she see a' her taes !"

On all sides we see monuments of our want of an original taste, and ancient works pressed into modern service. Your correspondent forgets the lines of the poet,

"Each author was to him well known, Yet what he wrote was all his own." Let none suppose I mean to censure these ancient and immortal works of Greece-that I do not feel their excellence or the honour and the glory they confer. They are noble efforts of human genius, nor do I withhold my applause from the massive and solid structures of the Egyptians—a people who consulted duration more than display. But all those works illustrate the men and the time, and their restoration in Scotland will recal the departed glory of Greece and Egypt, and show the Scotch to be miserable copyists of fine marble in coarse stone. Let us not look at Scotland and her heroes and sages through Greek spectacles-let us make something such as Phidias might have done had he been a Scotchman. There is abundance of genius extant for lofty undertakings. We are by no means deficient in native works of an original spirit-look at the noble reliques of Saxon and Gothic architecture; they want the simplicity, and perhaps the solidity, of the Greek temples; but they are decidedly original-they reflect no other people

they remind us not of Greece or Egypt-and they have a solemn grandeur, and richness, and variety, which do honour to the inventor. What does your correspondent say to this?— perhaps he calls it "the entangled labyrinth of blue-eyed barbarians." Admiring the Gothic as I do, I mean not to recommend it-I mentioned it to show that originality was not a hopeless matter-that excellence was to be found elsewhere, and of later invention. The Greek has a nobler exterior than the Gothic, is perhaps less expensive in execution, and at all events more

massive and solid-matters of prime importance. The exterior of a Gothic building seems, at a distance, like a huge barn; the Grecian, even in ruins, has a noble outside. But I cannot extend this praise to the Parthenon, which presents an unvaried roof, and seems not to equal the beauty of some other ancient temples. I feel afraid the Calton Hill, (if it is the Calton now that it once was, for I cannot look out at any window and see the tricks which improvement has been playing with this admired rock), would be too large a base for this building, the mountain would devour the monument-you must have a building of colossal magnitude to associate with this mighty pedestal. I am surprised that your correspondent did not feel some classical scruples about recommending a hill, even of solid rock, for the scite of his Parthenon; he knows the Athenians were a curious and scrupulous people about the foundations for their national works-they looked forward and contemplated defiance to the revolutions of nature, as well as the machinations of man, and built one of their fairest temples in a morass, where it was less liable to earthquakes than on the summit of a hill. Your cor

respondent forgot this, else he might have advised you to build your monument in the North Loch.

In conclusion, I may name a few matters I should have lamented, and which would have happened had all been arranged according to the style and taste of your correspondent-I should have lamented, had Shakspeare clipped and squared his romantic Saxon drama by the straight line of Euripides-I should have lamented, had Milton chosen some potent and well booted Greek for his hero rather than the Great Fiend-and sung of Hercules and “Lacedemons hollow glen profound," rather than of Belzebub and the bottomless pit-I should have lamented, had Walter Scott listened to the voice of the critics-had not remonstrated in verse, "Nay, Erskine, nay, on the wild hill Let the wild heath-flower flourish still;" but thrown his immortal lays of chivalry into the Ettrick or the Tweed, and squandered his powers on the demigods or the antediluvians. All this I would have lamented, and though my sorrow might be less, I would consider a Scottish Parthenon something in the same taste.-Your humble servant,

A JOURNEYMAN MASON.

WHEN the public mind is directed to any interesting and important subject, innumerable scribblers are ever on the alert with placards and pamphlets to amuse, if not to satisfy the popular curiosity. Temporary and taking title pages serve to get off edition upon edition of the veriest trash, while books of the most solid information, if not wholly unknown, are very partially consulted. It may be, that men of real talent and knowledge feel some reluctance in appending their names to such undignified and ephemeral tracts as are calculated in a short and humble form to give information to the ignorant. Certain, however, it is, that upon questions of importance, seldom do those address the public who have already gained its respect by more elaborate treatises, and who therefore are best qualified and entitled to write in detail. On the subject before us, Emigration to the Cape of Good Hope, we could indeed have wished that Mr

Barrow had compressed, in the compass of a cheap pamphlet, all the valuable information to be gleaned from his excellent "travels to the interior of Southern Africa." Instead of this, however, there have appeared" a Guide to the Cape of Good Hope, &c. &c." abounding in every variety of blunder and error, and also," the Cape of Good Hope Calendar," a mere reprint, with a flimsy preface, of the annual almanack, printed in the colony. These, nevertheless, have been puffed and placarded with most audacious quackery in every corner of the town.

We have been at some pains to procure every necessary information, and although in a former Number we endeavoured to afford a general view of the Cape and its facilities, we are induced to dwell upon some points which we had not leisure just then to discuss; and moreover, as the subject itself is becoming hourly more extensively popular and seriously important,

the Colonial Office in Downing Street has issued the two following circulars, which at once explain the encouragement and conditions held out by government on the subject of emigration to the Cape :

No I.

"Downing Street, London, 1819. "I have to acquaint you in reply to your letter of the that the

following are the conditions under which it is proposed to give encouragement to emigration to the Cape of Good Hope.

"The sufferings to which many individuals have been exposed, who have emigrated to his Majesty's foreign possessions, unconnected and unprovided with any capital, or even the means of support, having been very afflicting to themselves, and equally burthensome to the colonies to which they have proceeded, the government have determined to confine the application of the money recently voted by address in the House of Commons, to those persons who possessing the means will engage to carry out, at the least, ten able-bodied individuals above eighteen years of age, with or without families, the government always reserving to itself the right of selecting from the several offers made to them, those which may prove upon examination to be most eligible.

In order to give some security to the government, that the persons undertaking to make these establishments have the means of doing so, every person engaging to take out the abovementioned number of persons or families shall deposite at the rate of ten pounds (to be repaid as hereafter mentioned) for every family so taken out, provided that the family does not consist of more than one man, one woman, and two children under fourteen years of age. All children above the number of two will be to be paid for, in addition to the deposite abovementioned, in the proportion of five pounds for every two children under fourteen years of age, and five pounds for every person between the ages of fourteen and eighteen.

"In consideration of this deposite, a passage shall be provided at the expense of government for the settlers, who shall also be victualled from the time of their embarkation until the time of their landing in the colony.

"A grant of land, under the conditions hereafter specified, shall be made to him at the rate of one hundred acres for every such person or family whom he so takes out; one-third of the sum advanced to government on the outset, shall be repaid on

landing, when the victualling at the expense of government shall cease. A further proportion of one-third shall be repaid as soon as it shall be certified to the governor of the colony that the settlers under the direction of the person taking them out, are actually located upon the land assigned to them, and the remainder at the expiration of three months from the date of their location.

"If any parishes in which there may be a redundancy of population, shall unite in selecting an intelligent individual to proceed tion, not less in number, and of the descripto the Cape, with settlers under his direction abovementioned, and shall advance money in the proportion abovementioned, the vidual at the rate of 100 acres for every head government will grant land to such an indiof a family, leaving the parish at liberty to make such conditions with the individual, or the settlers, as may be calculated to prevent the maintenance of such settlers in the event the parish becoming again chargeable with of their return to this country.

"But no offers of this kind will be ac

cepted, unless it shall be clear that the persons proposing to become settlers shall have distinctly given their consent, and the head of each family is not infirm or incapable of work.

"It is further proposed, that in any case in which one hundred families proceed together, and apply for leave to carry out with them a minister of their own persuasion, government will, upon their being actually located, assign a salary to the minister whom they may have selected to accompany them, if he shall be approved by the Secretary of State.

"The lands will be granted at a quit rent to be fixed, which rent, however, will be remitted for the first ten years; and at the expiration of three years (during which the party and a number of families, in the proportion of one for every hundred acres must have resided on the estate,) the land shall be measured at the expense of government, and the holder shall obtain, without fee, his title thereto, on a perpetual quit rent, not exceeding in any case two pounds sterling, for every hundred acres; subject, however, to this clause beyond the usual reservations; that the land shall become forfeited to government, in case the party shall abandon the estate, or not bring it into cultivation within a given number of years.

"I am, your most obedient humble ser

vant.

"P. S. In order to ensure the arrival of the settlers at the Cape, at the beginning of the planting season, the transports will not leave this country until the month of November."

No II.

Downing Street, London, "SIR,-In reply to your letter of the , I am directed by Earl Bathurst to acquaint you, that as the circular letter distinctly specifies the nature and extent of the assistance which will be granted to individuals who may be allowed to proceed as settlers to the Cape of Good Hope, together with the conditions under which alone that assistance can be given to them, it is only necessary to refer you to that document, and to add, that no proposal can be accepted which is not framed in conformity with the offer of his Majesty's government.

"With reference to your particular enquiries respecting the mode in which the views of the settlers may best be attained, I have to acquaint you, that it is not in Earl Bathurst's power to communicate to you that species of information, which can most properly be afforded by the practical agriculturist, or obtained upon the spot.

The settlers will be located in the interior of the colony, not far from the coast; and in allotting to them the lands which government have agreed to grant to them,

their interests and their wishes will be con

sulted and attended to as far as may be consistent with the public interests of the colony.

The settlers will be enabled to purchase a limited quantity of agricultural implements in the colony, at prime cost; although they are not debarred from taking with them a moderate supply of these articles, as well as necessaries; and they will find no difficulty in purchasing seed corn in

the colony.

"The settlers will not find habitations ready for their reception.

"The persons under whose direction a party of settlers proceed, is at liberty to secure their services by any legal agreement into which they may think proper to enter. "The new settlement will, of course, be governed according to the laws in force in the colony.

"In conclusion, I beg to observe, that it must be left to the persons taking out settlers, to form their own opinion as to the amount of the pecuniary means with which they should be provided, in order to support the persons placed under their directions, and ensure the success of their undertaking. "I am, Sir, your most obedient servant."

Such are the official documents. They have certainly been framed with very great and laudable caution.Though it be highly impolitic to damp the spirit of enterprise, it is both wise and just, honestly to announce the terms upon which alone proposals can be received. That these terms have nothing to deter, is abundantly evi

dent from the multiplicity of applica tions that have been made, both by letter and in person, at Lord Bathurst's office. We understand, from pretty good authority, that these have amounted to upwards of ten thousand. Of the advantages and capabilities of this settlement we have given already our most decided conviction. And if any fresh argument or further evidence were needed, we would confidently derive it from the great success that has attended the meritorious exertions of the Moravian brethren in South Africa. They have, indeed, made a wilderness into a fruitful land, and, a yet more arduous and grateful conquest, they have converted the indolent degraded Hottentot into an active moral member of society. The spot chosen for their chief settlement, Gnadenthall, was, a few years ago, a perfect waste; at present this mission

ary

tiful and thriving villages in the colony. We cannot resist transcribing Mr Barrow's account of this delightful spot.

settlement is one of the most beau

been several years in the colony, for the ex"These people," the Moravians, "have press purpose of instructing the Hottentots with little success, in the object of their in the doctrines of christianity, but met mission, under the Dutch government. Early in the morning, I was awakened by some of the finest voices I ever heard; and, on looking out, saw a group of female Hottentots sitting on the ground. It was Sunday, and they had assembled thus early to chant the morning hymn. They were all neatly dressed in printed cotton gowns. A sight so very different from what we had hitherto been in the habit of observing, with regard to this unhappy class of beings, could not fail of being grateful. The missionaries themselves were men of a middle age, plain and decent in their dress, meek and humble in their deportment, but intelligent and lively in conversation, zealous in the cause of their mission, but free from bigotry and enthusiasm. Every thing about the place partook of that neatness and simplicity, which were the strongest features in the outline of this character. The church they had constructed, was a plain neat building; their mill for grinding corn was superior to any in the colony; their garden was in high order, and produced abundance

of vegetables for the use of the table. Almost every thing that had been done was by the labour of their own hands. Each (missionary) had learned some useful profession. One was well skilled in every branch of smith's work, the second was a shoemaker, and the third a tailor. The

Hottentots live in small huts dispersed over the valley, to each of which was attached a plot of ground for raising vegetables. Their houses and gardens were very neat and comfortable, numbers of the poor in England not so good, and few better. Such of the Hottentots as chuse to learn a trade, are paid for their labour as soon as they can earn wages. Some hire themselves out to the neighbouring farmers; others make mats and brooms for sale, some breed poultry, and others find means to subsist by their cattle, sheep, and horses. There appeared no violent zeal on the part of the missionaries to swell the catalogue of christian converts. Their first great object seemed to be, to make men happy, that they might afterwards become virtuous."Barrow's Travels, vol. I, pp. 308, 9, 10, 11.

Nothing can be more encouraging to settlers than such a picture. Here are a few men opposed by the government then in being, meeting with every difficulty, and sharing every obloquy, and yet triumphing over all by their patience and perseverance. We have ourselves visited this Moravian village, and have found Mr Barrow's description most exactly verified. Nothing can equal the cleanliness of the missionary houses, rendered, perhaps, more striking and acceptable from the contrast with the filthy and comfortless habitations of the Dutch boor.

The Zuure Veldt appears to be the part of the colony where the new English settlers are to be fixed. All accounts concur in representing this as one of the most fruitful parts of the colony. Since the Cape regiment has been withdrawn from the frontiers, the Kaffers have made frequent and destructive incursions along these luxuriant though now almost deserted tracts. However, there is little to be dreaded from this barbarous people, should the country be well stocked with British farmers. Though a cruel, the Kaffers are a cowardly people; and the military efforts that are at this moment directed against them by the colonial government, will doubtless drive them beyond the frontier of the colony, (the great fish river,) and deter them, we trust effectually, from breaking treaties which they have so solemnly pledged, and yet so disgracefully infringed. A missionary settlement, called Theopolis, has been lately established here belonging to the London Missionary Society. What success has attended this recent institution we do not exactly know; but VOL. VI.

we are sorry to see, from the newspapers, that the common enemy, the Kaffers, have made an irruption, and stolen away the greater part of their cattle. If these marauders are not subdued by main force, there will be no end to their excesses.

Great and increasing as are the facilities of the Cape, considered in an agricultural view, there is another point most worthy of attention, and which we omitted in our former remarks on

Its

this subject; and that is, its geographical situation. Its position on the globe is so commanding a feature, that the bare inspection of a map must at once prove its importance and value in this respect. It has been not unaptly called the key to India. As a middle station between Great Britain and India, enjoying a mild temperature between the extremes of each, the Cape is most adapted to form the habits and inure the constitution of the soldier for India. Among the recruits sent out direct from this country for this service, it has been said that not more than three out of five are calculated upon, as likely to be efficient on their arrival in India, and of those who arrive in tolerable health, a great proportion may be expended in the seasoning for so hot a climate. But it is not only as a nursery for Indian troops that the Cape is important. Its central situation most peculiarly fits it for the purposes of commerce. distance from New Holland is the voyage of three weeks, from Brazil a month, from the West Indies six weeks, and two months from the coasts of Malabar and Coromandel. With the east and west coasts of Africa and the adjacent islands, it commands a ready communication at all seasons of the year. Strange, however, to say, that the Cape has only been considered by the East India Company as a place of refreshment for their homeward-bound ships. agent of the Company at the Cape, it is true, exposes occasionally to sale a few chests of tea, or bales of muslin and nankeen. All the other articles come out second hand from England at an enormous and extravagant price. Surely this is a narrow policy towards a colony now decidedly English. "It is a notorious fact," says a late writer on the subject, "that the present policy of the Company has given rise to a very considerable contraband trade

L

The