long to the genus allium; cinnamon, camphire, and faffafras belong to the genus laurus; fouthernwood, wormwood, mugwort, &c. belong to the genus artemifia. • Trees which belong to the fame genus, will alfo all take by grafting or budding upon each other: as for inftance; pear, apple, and quince, being all of the genus pyrus, take freely upon one another; plum, apricot, cherry, and bird cherry, &c. being all of the genus prunus alfo, grow upon ftocks of each other; almond, peach, and nectarine belong to the genus amygdalus, and grow upon one another; currant and goofeberry belong to genus ribes, and all the varieties will grow upon each other; as will also most other trees of the fame genus. the • The number of known genera is upwards of twelve hundred, and above twenty thoufand different fpecies, befides varieties; all of which are found growing in their natural state of wildness in fome part of the globe or other, and most of them may be naturalized in our gardens, fome in the open ground, others in the green-house and ftove; but the gardener is not to be intimidated at the fight of that great number, as if the care of fo great a family was to fall to his lot; fince our real valuable cultivated fpecies fall vaftly fhort of that number, yet fufficient to furnish our gardens most amply, both for oeconomical and ornamental purposes.' So numerous are the varieties in the vegetable kingdom, and fo inadequate the utmoft industry of botanical investigation, that, though these experienced authors have judiciously availed themselves of the information communicated by former writers, yet we obferve that there are feveral genera which they have omitted to infert; exclufive of non-defcripts, and of thofe new genera and fpecies, which, within these few years, have poured in upon us, like an inundation, from the different quarters of the globe. But at the fame time that we make this remark, we must acknowlege that it will equally apply to other botanical writers; and it is more a matter of approbation that so great a multitude of plants fhould be accurately described, than it can be of cenfure, that any, especially the exotic, fhould be overlooked amidst the prodigious and inexhauftible ftores of nature. As a fyftem of botany, this work is entitled to great praise; and in refpect of gardening, we need not hesitate to affirm, that, in many parts of practical and useful knowlege, it is fuperior to any that has hitherto been publifhed. A Voyage A Voyage to New Guinea, and the Moluccas, from Balambangan : including an Account of Magindano, Sooloo, and other Islands and illuftrated with Thirty Copper plates. Performed in the Tartar Galley, belonging to the Honourable Eaft India Company, du i g the Years 1774, 1775, and 1776, by Captain Thomas Forrest. To which is added, A Vocabulary of the Magindano Tongue. 4to. 17. 11. 6d. boards. Robinson. THIS Voyage was performed by captain Forreft, at the command of the Eaft India Company, with the view of making discoveries in the Indian feas. After giving a chronological detail of former voyages to thofe parts, and reciting the commiffion from the India Company, the author describes the Tartar galley, the veffel in which he failed, the shape and fize of which he demonftrates to have been the most proper for the execution of the defign. The crew confifted of twentytwo perfons, of whom the captain and two others were the only Europeans. Tuan Hadgee, one of the Mahometans, was a person of rank and education, who had made a pilgrimage to Mecca. He had on board feveral of his flaves and vaffals; and from his acquaintance with the language and cuftoms of the Indians, was of great ufe to the captain on the voyage. The narrative begins with the departure of the fhip from Balambangan. After leaving this place, the voyagers pafs a variety of islands, fome of which they touch at; and these are for the most part defcribed with peculiar accuracy. One of the most noted is Magindano or Mindano, vulgarly Mindanoo, an ifland adjacent to the Philippines. Captain Forrest appears to have been very fuccefsful in gaining and preferving an intimacy with the fultan and other princes of this country; an advantage which he owed to his own circumfpection and prudence. Of his defcriptive manner, the following account of a feftival held at the fultan's palace, may ferve as an example. On Friday, the roth, the day was ushered in at the sultan's, by beating of gongs, large and fmall, and firing of great guns. At one fide of the street, was erected the tripod maft of a large Mangaio covered with alternate rounds of red, white, and blue calico, a foot broad each to the top; and booths for the accommodation of spectators were reared on three fides of a fquare, leaving room for the street that paffed close to the fultan's palace; the long front of that edifice making the fourth fide. The floors of these temporary ftructures were four foot from the ground. All this was prelude to a festival given by the fultan, in honour of Chartow's daughter, and his own grand-daughter, Noe's VOL. XLVII. April, 1779. coming S coming of age to have her ears pierced, and her beautiful white teeth filed thin, when stript of the enamel, in order to be stained jet black. This rite is performed on the Mindano ladies at the age of thirteen; and the ceremony is fumptuous in proportion to the rank of the person. From all quarters were numbers invited. I faw many Illano prows enter the river; particularly one, compofed of two canoes, fixed parallel to each other. The figure of a camel was put on board; two feet in one canoe, two in the other. The camel is an animal much refpected by Maly Mahometans, as they never, perhaps, in their own iflands faw one alive. In the body of the camel was a perfon, who gave movement to its neck, and it fometimes lolled out a long red tongue. There was alfo an entertainment, that put me in mind of what we read in flory of tilts and tournaments. Behold, a champion, armed capapee, with a brafs helmet, a lance, fword, target, and crefs. On his helmet nods generally a plume of feathers; fometimes a bird of paradife. Thus accoutred, he enters the fquare before the fultan's, with a firm step, and look of defiance. He prefently seems to discover an opponent, advances towards him; fteps back, jumps on one fide, and then on the other; fometimes throws down his fpear, and draws his fword, with which, fore ftroke and back ftroke, he cleaves the air. • When he is thus fufficiently tired, and worked up to an apparent frenzy, the fpectators fhouting, according as his agility pleafes, his friends rufh in, and, with difficulty overcome his reluctance to quit the combat. The female fpectators often applaud as loud as the men. I obferved a boy of about ten years, who had worked himfelf up to fuch a frenzy. When his friends took him off, he fo ftruggled in their arms, that I feared he would have fallen into a fit. The fultan and Fakymolano entered the fquare, to fhow their agility: Fakymolano preceded. Their attendants, however, took care that they should not too long exert their exhibition of youth. The fultan returning to his palace, paffed me, where I ftood on the ramp. He feemed much fatigued. Datoo Utu alfo appeared, and gave great fatisfaction. I had prefented him with a bird of paradife, which he wore in his helmet. He made his lance quiver in his hand. Uku, Topang's brother, the perfon who took Mr. Cole's fchooner, alfo exhibited with abundant agility. Neither Rajah Moodo, Topang, nor Chartow, appeared in the fquare: they were contented with being fpectators. At night, little boys difplayed their nimbleness in the outer hall, at the fultan's; they would fometimes fall fuddenly plump upon both knees, and feem to fight in that attitude. They brandished their little fwords with fury, and their targets jingled with ornaments of brass. • During During this merriment, which lafted ten days, a number of guests were daily entertained with fweet cakes and chocolate. Rajah Moodo's guards, directed by the Spanish fergeant, fired musketry; as did about fixteen foldiers of Topang's, and the fame number of Chartow's.'. We are afterwards prefented with a fhort narrative of the laws and government of this ifland. Though laws, fays our author, are fimilar in moft countries, each has fome peculiar: the principal of Magindano are thefe. For theft, the offender lofes his right hand, or pays. threefold, juft as amongst the Mahometans of Atcheen. For maiming, death: adultery, death to both parties: fornication, a fine. Inheritance goes in equal fhares to fons, and half to daughters; the fame to grand-children. Where are no chil dren, whole brothers and fifters inherit. If there are no brothers or fifters, or nephews, or nieces, or firft coulins, the fultan claims it for the poor. It is the fame, afcending even to the grand-uncle. If a man put away his wife, fhe gets one third of the furniture; alfo money, in proportion to his circumstances. A child's name is not given by priests, as in the Molucca islands, and in other Mahometan countries. The father affembles his friends, feats them; fhaves off a little lock of hair. from the infant head, puts it into a bafon, and then buries it, or commits it to the water. The form of government at Magindano, is fomewhat upon the feudal fyftem, and in fome measure monarchical. Next to the fultan is Rajah Moodo, his fucceffor elect. Then Mutufingwood, the fuperintendant of polity, and captain Laut, overfeer of the fultan's little navy, are both named by the fultan. There are also fix Manteries, or judges named by the fultan, and fix Amba Rajahs, or afferters of the rights of the people; their of fice is hereditary to the eldest fon. Although the fultan feems to act by and with the advice and confent of the Datoos, not only of his own family, but of others; yet, this compliance is perhaps only to fave appearances. When he can, he will doubtless be arbitrary. • The vaffals of the fultan, and of others, who poffefs great eftates, are callad Kanakan. Thofe vaffals are fometimes Maho-'. metans, though moftly Haraforas. The latter only may be fold with the lands, but cannot be fold off the lands. The Haraforas are more oppreffed than the former. The Mahometan vaffals are bound to accompany their lords on any fudder expedition; but the Haraforas being in a great meafure excufed from fuch attendance, pay yearly certain taxes, which are not expected from the Mahometan vaffals. They pay a boifs, or land tax. A Harafora family pays ten battels of paly (rough rice) 40 lb. each; three of rice, about 60 lb; one fowl, one bunch of plantains, thirty roots, called clody, or St. Helena yam, and fifty heads of Indian corn. I give this as one inftance of the utmost that is ever paid. Then they S 2 they must fell fifty battels of paly, equal to two thoufand pound weight, for one kangan. So at Dory or New Guinea, one prong, value half a dollar, or one kangan, given to a, Harafora, lays a perpetual tax on him. - The currency in most parts of the country, is the Chinese kangan, a piece of coarfe cloth, thinly woven, nineteen inches broad, and fix yards long; the value at Sooloo is ten dollars for a bundle of twenty-five, fealed up; and at Magindano much the fame: but, at Magindano dollars are fcarce. These bundles are called gandangs, rolled up in a cylindrical form. They have alfo, as a currency, koufongs, a kind of nankeen, dyed black; and kompow, a frong white Chinese linen, made of flax. The kangans generally come from Sooloo; fo they are got at fecond hand for the Spaniards have long hindered Chinese. junks, bound from Amoy to Magindano, to pafs Samboangan. This is the caufe of fo little trade at Magindano, no veffels failing from Indoftan thither; and the little trade is confined to a few country Chinefe, called Oran Sangly, and a few Soolooans who come hither to buy rice and paly, bringing with them Chinese articles: for the crop of rice at Sooloo can never be depended on. In the bazar, or market, the immediate currency is paly. Ten gantangs of about four pound each, make a battel; and three battels, (a cylindrical measure, thirteen inches and five tenths high; the fame in diameter) about one hundred and twenty pounds of paly, are commonly fold for a kangan. Talking of the value of the things here, and at Sooloo, they say, fuch a house or prow, &c. is worth fo many flaves; the old valuation being one flave for thirty kangans. They alfo fpecify in their bargains, whether is meant matto (eye) kangan, real kangan, or nominal kangan. The dealing in the nominal, or imaginary kangan, is an ideal barter. When one deals for the real kangans, they must be examined; and the gandangs, or bundles of twenty-five pieces, are not to be trufted, as the dealers will often forge a feal, having first packed up damaged kangans. In this the Chinese here, and at Sooloo, are very expert. Rajah Moodo, heir elect to the crown of Magindano, is thus delineated. Rajah Moodo, with the full ftature of a man, has the eye, as well as the nofe of an eagle; his understanding is quick as his eye: he preferves a conftancy of good humour, which renders his manners open, as has been before acknowledged. Once, indeed, when one of my people ftruck another, in prefence of his father, Rajah Moodo coming in, and being told of it, a cload overcaft his countenance. But, as I immediately begged the favour of being allowed to punish him, by confinement in irons, a fmile returned; and he said; “ Do, punish your own way." Next day, however, he defired the release of the cul |