Long have the shades of dire oppression's night,

In horrid gloom envelop'd Afric's race; But soon shall freedom's sun, with radiance bright,

The murky clouds of doleful thraldom chase. Yes, bright-ey'd hope with joy inspires my breast,

And bids me look with faith's all-piercing ken,

To that fair day, when negroes shall be blest, And by mankind be recogniz'd as men.

In expectation of the happy change,

My galling chain I patiently will bear, While all my thoughts on fancy's pinions range, To fix on home and dearest objects there. And should I reach, at length, my native land, To realize anticipated bliss;

My bosom shall with gratitude expand,
My soul shall pray for Britain's happiness!
Dartmouth.
J. M. M.

How noble is the sight, how passing fair,
Grandeur and beauty seem to centre there;-
But hark! methinks I hear the plaint of wo,
Shrieks of despair upon the breezes flow;
And hollow groans upon my list'ning ear,
Proclaim the sons of misery are near.
'Tis they who people Afric's hapless coast,
Dissever'd from the friends they love the most;
Dragg'd from their own dear native land, to
toil

In degradation on a foreign soil;

In that majestic vessel bound they lie,
Born but to breathe beneath an adverse sky.
Oh! thou lov'd guest! who camest from above
To melt the heart with tenderness and love,
Sweet pity! can such hated actions fail
To draw the tear, and all thy powers assail?
Parents, once happy, from their offspring torn,
Distracted lovers o'er the ocean borne,
Connubial love imbitter'd at a stroke,
And all the dearest ties of nature broke;
The simple negro's happiness annoy'd,
And all his pleasures finally destroy'd:
No more he roams amid the blooming glades,
Or lays him down beneath palmetto shades;
But doom'd in slavery to pass away
The few remaining hours of life's brief day;
He ponders on the joys that now are not,
And in despondency bewails his lot.

Ye barb'rous men! whom reason never awes,
Who violate both God's and nature's laws;
Think ye that those ye deign to sell and buy,
Have not a friend, a righteous judge on high?
Think ye that they have not a guardian there,
Nor ever know a Maker's fostering care?
Though ye regard not-yet the God who gave
The planter being, made the injured slave,
HE will assert his rights, bis cause defend.
And though mankind his state may not befriend,
Ye virtuous muses! strike your lyres, and
sound

Neglected Afric's many woes around,
Publish to shame those sordid men who hold
Their fellow-men as brutes, and sell for gold:
Majestic ocean! be no more serene,
But let thy waves with awful force be seen
Inflicting punishment on those who dare
To plough thy deep with" cargoes of despair :"
And fiercely blow, ye winds! ye heavens, be
spread

With blacken'd clouds o'er every guilty head;
Above let all your hottest thunders roll,
And pierce, ye lightnings! pierce each callous
soul;

Till all shall tremble at Jehovah's frown,
And all shall find his wrath can strike them
down.

Alas, poor Africa! thy galling yoke Is heavy, and thy chain is yet unbroke; Still there is hope-and still thy darkness may Gleam with the dawnings of a glorious day; Thy shackles may be loos'd-thy sons be free, And on thee ever smile sweet liberty. Bristol. J. S. B. JUN.

Ob let not in Gath this deep sorrow be known, Or told in the streets of their proud Askalon! Lest Philistia's daughters triumphantly tell That the flower of our Israel by Amalek fell. Ye mountains, Gilboa, imbibe not the dew, For his buckler 'twas there the anointed Saul threw;

No fields of rich offerings nor blessing of rain, For on thy high places the mighty are slain. Oft did the arm of Philistia fall

By Jonathan's bow, and the strong sword of Saul;

They sped o'er the mountains like eagles away, And strong as the beasts of the forest were they.

How are they fallen! the mighty-the strong! Broken the sword, and the stout bow unstrung; In the rush of the battle they mightily stood, 'Midst noise and the rolling of garments in blood.

And there was the war-horse that mocketh at fear,

The rattling quiver, the shield, and the spear; But the borse and his rider together are thrown, And the weapons of battle are scatter'd and T. R.

strown.

REVIEW.-Narrative of a Tour through Hawaii, or Owhy hee; with Remarks on the History, Traditions, Manners, Customs, and Language of the Inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands. By William Ellis, Missionary from the Society and Sandwich Islands. 8vo. pp. 452. London. Fisher, Son, and Jackson. 1826.

Of the author of this work, a portrait and a memoir will be found in this number of the Imperial Magazine. Through a combination of circumstances, we have been favoured with a perusal of the sheets now before us, prior to their being made up into a volume, and we seize this early opportunity of announcing the high gratification which the examination has afforded us. The work is on the eve of publication, and in all probability it will enter the world about the same time that our remarks meet the public

eye.

The author informs us in his preface, that the circumstances related occurred under his own personal notice, or that of his companions; that he has interspersed throughout the narrative such biographical notices and observations on the ancient su

A YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL LADY.

THEY bear thee to thy cold dark home,
Thy silent couch of clay !
Alas, sweet rose! how soon thy leaves
Have wither'd all away!

Ob, never more for thee shall bloom
The freshness of the spring!-
Nor brilliant flowers, nor rich perfume,
Shall summer sunshine bring!

I saw thee in thy youthful bloom,
Diffusing fragrance round;
What now avail thy brilliant hues
Deep bid beneath the ground?
88.-VOL. VIII.

ners, customs, government, and traditions of the inhabitants, as a residence of two years among them, and an acquaintance with their language, enabled him to make; and finally, that he has invariably represented the natives as he found them, exhibiting freely the lights and shadows of their character, without attempting to reconcile one to the other.

For the truth of these declarations we are disposed to give him the fullest

2 A

.......

credit. The coincidences that appear between the statements of Mr. Ellis and preceding accounts, taken in connexion with occasional variations, new features of character, and additional development of facts, bear evidence to the fidelity of the narrative; and we feel no hesitation in asserting, that it stands unrivalled in the entertainment and instruction which it imparts respecting this interesting portion of the globe.

It will be recollected that Mr. Ellis visited the Sandwich Islands in the character of a missionary, and that landing on Hawaii, or Owhy hee, he and his companions penetrated the interior, and made a tour of this island to ascertain the disposition of the people towards such as came among them to lift up the banner of the cross. Of these motives, and the objects which they had in view, the author thus speaks:

"The difficulties attending the acquisition of the language, and other circumstances, had hitherto confined the labours of the missionaries chiefly to the islands of Oahu and Tauai; but in April, 1823, a reinforcement arriving from America, enabled them to extend their efforts, particularly towards Maui and Hawaii. In order that arrangements for the establishment and permanent maintenance of missionary stations in the latter, the largest, most important, and populous island of the group, might be made with all the advantages of local knowledge; it was agreed that three of the American missionaries and myself should visit and explore that interesting island, to investigate the religious and moral condition of the people, communicate to them the knowledge of Christ, unfold the benevolent objects of the mission, inquire whether they were willing to receive Christian teachers, and select the most eligible places for missionary stations. These, though the principal, were not the only objects that occupied our attention during the tour. We availed ourselves of the opportunities it afforded to make observations on the structure of the island, its geographical character, natural scenery, productions, and objects of curiosity; and to become more fully acquainted with the peculiar features of the system of idolatry, the traditions, manners, and customs of the inhabitants; a detailed account of which is given in the following narrative."-p. 19.

Great and numerous as the difficulties were which the missionaries had to encounter while traversing the interior of Hawaii over vast fields of lava, and visiting the dreadful crater of its volcano, to follow them in their tour will be to us a more arduous task in this review. We must therefore content ourselves in general, with stating the result of their inquiries.

Prior to the arrival of Mr. Ellis, idolatry had been publicly abolished by Rihoriho, soon after he became king. This was done, that the condition of his wives might be ameliorated. Many other chiefs followed his example, but no system of religion was uniformly established in its stead. The sound of the gospel among such as had never heard of its name or principles, was therefore listened to with astonishment, but in general the people were ripe to receive it. In all places the tourists were treated with civility and hospitality; but they were occasionally viewed as demigods, and sometimes charged with presumption for approaching too near the dominions of deities that had been dethroned.

"The Sandwich Islands are larger than the Society Islands, or any of the neighbouring groups. Hawaii, the principal one, resembles in shape an equilateral triangle, and is somewhat less than 300 miles in circumference. They all appear to have a volcanic origin, and are formed of lava, and other volcanic matter, in varions stages of decomposition; reefs of white coral, common throughout the Pacific, are occasionally seen, but are by no means so frequent or extensive as in all the southern islands. The soil is rich in those parts that have long been free from volcanic eruptions; but the general appearance of the country is hardly so inviting as when first discovered; many parts, then under cultivation, now lying waste. The climate is not insalubrious, though and debilitating to an European constitution. The average range of the thermometer in the shade is 740."-p. 7.

warm,

This temperature, however, is not to be understood as including the mountainous districts. Some of the more elevated parts are covered with perpetual snow, and such is their height, that they can be seen at a distance of 90 or 100 miles. The natives are represented as rather above the middle stature, with fine muscular limbs, open countenances, resembling those of Europeans. The inhabitants of Hawaii amount to about 85,000.

Among the numerous objects which arrest our attention, the visit of Mr. Ellis and his companions to the great volcano, which can hardly fail to interest the reader, has a claim that cannot be resisted. The scene is sublime and terrible, and the language in which it is described corresponds with the grandeur and magnificence of the awful abyss, and the desolation with which it is surrounded:

Having refreshed ourselves, we resumed our journey, taking a northerly direction to

now distinctly perceive. Our way lay over a wide waste of ancient lava, of a black colour, compact and heavy, with a shining vitreous surface, sometimes entirely covered with obsidian, and frequently thrown up, by the expansive force of vapour or heated air, into conical mounds, from six to twelve feet high, which were, probably, by the same power rent into a number of pieces, from the apex to the base. The hollows between the mounds and long ridges were filled with volcanic sand, and fine particles of olivin, or decomposed lava.

"This vast tract of lava resembled in appearance an inland sea, bounded by distant mountains. Once it had certainly been in a fluid state, but appeared as if it had become suddenly petrified, or turned into a glassy stone, while its agitated billows were rolling to and fro. Not only were the large swells and hollows distinctly marked, but in many places the surface of these billows was covered by a smaller ripple, like that observed on the surface of the sea at the first springing up of a breeze, or the passing currents of air which produce what the sailors call a cat's-paw. The billows may have been raised by the force which elevated the mounds or bills, but they look as if the whole mass, extending several miles, had, when in a state of perfect fusion, been agitated with a violent undulating or heaving motion.

"The sun had now risen in his strength, and his bright rays, reflected from the sparkling sand and undulated surface of the vitreous lava, dazzled our eyes, and caused considerable pain, particularly as the trade-wind blew fresh in our faces, and continually drove into our eyes particles of sand. This part of our journey was unusually laborious, not only from the beat of the sun and the reflection from the lava, but also from the unevenness of its surface, which obliged us constantly to tread on an inclined plane, in some places as smooth and almost as slippery as glass, where the greatest caution was necessary to avoid a fall. Frequently we chose to walk along on the ridge of a billow of lava, though considerably circuitous, rather than pass up and down its polished sides. Taking the trough, or hollow between the waves, was found safer, but much more fatiguing, as we sunk every step ancle-deep into the sand. The natives ran along the ridges, stepping like goats from one ridge to another. They, however, occasionally descended into the hollows, and made several marks with their feet in the sand at short distances, for the direction of two or three native boys with our provisions, and some of their companions, who had fallen behind early in the morning, not being able to keep up with the foremost party.

"Between eleven and twelve we passed a number of conical hills on our right, which the natives informed us were craters. A quantity of sand was collected round their base, but whether thrown out by them, or drifted thither by the wind, they could not inform us. In their vicinity we also passed several deep chasms, from which, in a number of places, small columns of vapour arose, at frequent and irregular intervals. They appeared to proceed from Kirauea, the great volcano, and extended towards the sea in a south-east direction.

and may mark the course of a vast subterraneous channel, leading from the volcano to the shore. The surface of the lava on both sides was heated, and the vapour had a strong sulphureous smell.

"We continued our way beneath the scorching rays of a vertical sun till about noon, when we reached a solitary tree growing in a bed of sand, spreading its roots among the crevices of the rocks, and casting its grateful shade on the barren lava. Here we threw ourselves down on the sand and fragments of lava, stretched out our weary limbs, and drank the little water left in our canteens.

"In every direction around us we observed a number of pieces of spamous lava, of an olive colour, extremely cellular, and as light as sponge. They appeared to have been drifted by the wind into the hollows which they occu pied. The high bluff rocks on the north-west side of the volcano were distinctly seen; the smoke and vapours driven past us, and the scent of the fumes of sulphor, which, as we approached from the leeward, we had perceived ever since the wind sprung up, became very strong, and indicated our proximity to Kirauea.

"Impatient to view it, we arose, after resting about half an hour, and pursued our journey. In the way we saw a number of low bushes bearing beautiful red and yellow berries in clusters, each borry being about the size and shape of a very large currant. The bushes on which they grew were generally low, seldom reaching two feet in height; the branches small and clear, leaves alternate, obtuse with a point, and serrated; the flower was monopetalous, and, on being examined, determined the plant to belong to the class decandria and order monogynia. The native name of the plant is ohelo. The berries looked tempting to persons experiencing both hunger and thirst, and we eagerly placked and ate all that came in our way. They are very juicy, but rather insipid to the taste. As soon as the natives perceived us eating them, they called out aloud, and begged us to desist, saying we were now within the precincts of Pélé's dominions, to whom they belonged, and by whom they were rahuiia, (prohibited,) until some had been offered to her, and permission to eat them asked. We told them we were sorry they should feel uneasy on this account,-that we acknowledged Jehovah as the only divine proprietor of the fruits of the earth, and felt thankful to him for them, especially in our present circumstances. Some of them then said, We are afraid. We shall be overtaken by some calamity before we leave this place.' We advised them to dismiss their fears, and eat with us, as we knew they were thirsty and faint. They shook their heads, and perceiving us determined to disregard their entreaties, walked along in silence.

"We travelled on, regretting that the natives should indulge notions so superstitious, but clearing every ohelo bush that grew near our path, till about two P.M. when the CRATER OF KIRAUEA suddenly burst upon our view. We expected to have seen a mountain with a broad base and rough indented sides, composed of loose slags or hardened streams of lava, and whose summit would have presented

a rugged wall of scoria, forming the rim of a mighty caldron. But instead of this, we found ourselves on the edge of a steep precipice, with a vast plain before us, fifteen or sixteen miles in circumference, and sunk from 200 to 400 feet below its original level. The surface of this plain was uneven, and strewed over with huge stones and volcanic rocks, and in the centre of it was the great crater, at the distance of a mile and a half from the precipice on which we were standing. Our guides led us round towards the north end of the ridge, in order to find a place by which we might descend to the plain below. As we passed along, we observed the natives, who had hitherto refused to touch any of the ohelo berries, now gather several bunches, and, after offering a part to Pélé, ate them very freely. They did not use much ceremony in their acknowledgment; but when they had plucked a branch, containing several clusters of berries, they turned their faces towards the place whence the greatest quantity of smoke and vapour is sued, and, breaking the branch they held in their hand in two, they threw one part down the precipice, saying at the same time,' E Pélé, eia ka ohelo 'au; e taumeha aku wau ia oe, e ai hoi au tetahi.' " Pélé, here are your ohelos: I offer some to you, some I also eat.' Several of them told us, as they turned round from the crater, that after such acknowledgments they might eat the fruit with security. We answered, we were sorry to see them offering to an imaginary deity the gifts of the true God; but hoped they would soon know better, and acknowledge Jehovah alone in all the benefits they received.

"We walked on to the north end of the ridge, where, the precipice being less steep, a descent to the plain below seemed practicable. It required, however, the greatest caution, as the stones and fragments of rock frequently gave way under our feet, and rolled down from above; but, with all our care, we did not reach the bottom without several falls and slight bruises.

"The steep which we had descended was formed of volcanic matter, apparently a light red and gray kind of lava, vesicular, and lying in horizontal strata, varying in thickness from one to forty feet. In a small number of places the different strata of lava were also rent in perpendicular or oblique directions, from the top to the bottom, either by earthquakes, or other violent convulsions of the ground connected with the action of the adjacent volcano. After walking some distance over the sunken plain, which in several places sounded hollow under our feet, we at length came to the edge of the great crater, where a spectacle, sublime and even appalling, presented itself before us→

"We stopped, and trembled." Astonishment and awe for some moments rendered us mute, and, like statues, we stood fixed to the spot, with our eyes riveted on the abyss below. Immediately before us yawned an immense gulf, in the form of a crescent, about two miles in length, from north-east to south-west, nearly a mile in width, and apparently 800 feet deep. The bottom was covered with lava, and the south-west and northern parts of it were one vast flood of burning matter, in a state of terrific ebullition, rolling to

and fro its fiery surge' and flaming billows. Fifty-one conical islands, of varied form and size, containing so many craters, rose either round the edge or from the surface of the burning lake. Twenty-two constantly emitted columns of gray smoke, or pyramids of brilliant flame, and several of these at the same time vomited from their ignited mouths streams of lava, which rolled in blazing torrents down their black indented sides into the boiling mass below.

"The existence of these conical craters led us to conclude, that the boiling caldron of lava before us did not form the focus of the volcano; that this mass of melted lava was comparatively shallow; and that the basin in which it was contained was separated, by a stratum of solid matter, from the great volcanic abyss, which constantly poured out its melted contents through these numerous craters into this upper reservoir. We were further inclined to this opinion, from the vast columns of va. pour continually ascending from the chasms in the vicinity of the sulphur banks and pools of water, for they must have been produced by other fire than that which caused the ebullition in the lava at the bottom of the great crater; and also by noticing a number of small craters, in vigorous action, situated high up the sides of the great gulf, and apparently quite detached from it. The streams of lava which they emitted rolled down into the lake, and mingled with the melted mass there, which, though thrown up by different apertures, had perhaps been originally fused in one vast furnace.

The sides of the gulf before us, although composed of different strata of ancient lava, were perpendicular for about 400 feet, and rose from a wide horizontal ledge of solid black lava of irregular breadth, but extending completely round. Beneath this ledge the sides sloped gradually towards the burning lake, which was, as nearly as we could judge, 300 or 400 feet lower. It was evident, that the large crater had been recently filled with liquid lava up to this black ledge, and had, by some subterranean canal, emptied itself into the sea, or upon the low land on the shore. The gray, and in some places apparently calcined sides of the great crater before us; the fissures which intersected the surface of the plain on which we were standing; the long banks of sulphur on the opposite side of the abyss; the vigorous action of the numerous small craters on its borders; the dense columns of vapour and smoke, that rose at the north and south end of the plain; together with the ridge of steep rocks by which it was surrounded, rising probably in some places 300 or 400 feet in perpendicular height, presented an immense volcanic panorama, the effect of which was greatly augmented by the constant roaring of the vast furnaces below.

"After the first feelings of astonishment had subsided, we remained a considerable time contemplating a scene, which it is impossible to describe, and which filled us with wonder and admiration at the almost overwhelming manifestation it affords of the power of that dread Being who created the world, and who has declared that by fire he will one day destroy it. We then walked along the west side of the crater, and in half an hour reached the north end."-p. 201 to 209.