the protection of night, to avoid discovery, until we fhould judge that we had gained the country of the Ebo King.

After a pleasant dinner, we went to repofe, preparatory for the night's travel, we awoke about fun-fet, immediately defcended to the valley, and fet forward; we continued this courfe for four nights, frequently meeting with fettlements, and changing our courfe through the nearest woods to avoid the haunts of men; living upon cold provifions, or the fruits which we gathered in abundance as we paffed along.

The country we had now gained was once more apparently very fertile, and watered with little rivulets, which promised us the pleasure of speedily gaining the banks of that river for which we had long looked with aching eyes. On the morning of the fifth day, before fun-rife, we reached the bank, and were fortunate enough to find means to pafs it without difficulty or dan ger; now we confidered ourfelves, as a mariner after a long voyage, arrived at the destined port.

The paths from the river were no longer objects to be fhunned, we purfued that which appeared to be the greateft; and about nine o'clock we entered a handfome village.

Our appearance alarmed the inhabitants, who fled from their huts, and collected in confiderable numbers, with their fimple arms in their hands. Hurdee, whofe countenance lighted up with pleasure, feeing they were friends, gave his gun to me, and

made the ufual fignal of peace, by fheathing his arrows, and hanging his bow over his fhoulders. They then approached near us, and he delivered to them his bow and knife, telling them we were on our way from the Congo to the Ebo King to trade, on which they returned his knife and bow, and told him we were welcome, and fhould be well received.

I propofed delivering my arms likewife, but Hurdee advised me not, thinking that as they were very fcarce in that country, and consequently highly valuable, they might be prompted to detain them.

The cafe and good humour with which we were received was to me most consolitary, and I took it to be a most flattering, prefage of the fuccefs to attend our laborious and dangerous enterprize.-We were into one of their houses, or huts, compofed of flight timbers or branches funk into the earth, or in an artificial bank of earth raifed about a foot above the ordina ry level of the fcite of the village. The tops of the huts are round, or dome like, formed very rudely into that fhape, by bending, the tops of the branches towards' the centre, and there tying them with flender faplings to each other. The broad and fan-like branches of the palm and date tree, tied by their stems on the outfide, and the points downwards, from their covering or thatch. Repeated layers of thefe materials, are further used to defend thefe humble habitations from the most severe rains; and

as the domeftic offices of cookery, and their rude handicraft works are performed in the open air, or in the fhade of branching trees, which here are never difrobed of their foliage, their fmall dwellings are not incommoded by this fort of family bufinefs. The infects fo troublesome in warm countries, efpecially adjacent to woods or low grounds, are kept aloof by the inartificial expedient of a thick fmoke, produced by fires kept constantly lighted, and compofed of the dung of their cattle, or a compofition of leaves of trees or reeds and rotten timber kept in a ftate of moisture.

Thefe artificial clouds had not yet diffipated in my new habitation, and the effect on my eyes, was confiderably painful; thro' my friend Hurdee's care was taken to eafe me on that head, and a repaft was foon ferved up, of which we partook with minds and appetites that converted the habitation of the favage into a palace and gave a relifh to the food equal to that enjoyed by the luxurious. Seated on the floor, on skins and mats fpread for us, we feafted on frefh beef and ears of maize roafted, and for deffert on the finest bannanas; our drink was new milk and palm wine.

The people had caught the information on all fides, of the arrival of one of thofe extraordinary animals, a white man, and all thronged, eager as it appeared to discover whether it resembled the men or the monkies of their country; for fuch it appeared were the comparisons they made, and in a manner, as I afterwards under

ftood, no wife flattering to the pride of a fair skin.

The women appear among the Africans to be endowed with the sexual attribute of curiosity, in common with thofe of all other colours and countries: they thronged foremost around me,and fo crouded, that I found it neceffary, for the fake of air, and to gratify curiofity at once, to walk abroad, The children looked with wonder, and the women according to their age or temper, tittered, roared out in laughter, or clafped their hands, as they were affected. Some opened my hair, others examined my jacket and trowfers; my fleeve buttons amufed one, and the frill of my fhirt another, my hair, which had by their curiofity or accident be come loofe, was the object of admiration to all.

Their familiarity surprised me for a time; but reflecting that it muft be the natural confequence of innocent curiofity excited by novelty, I returned their freedom with good humour, and found that they were pleafed with my manner of treating them.

Fatigued with the previous travel, and tired with trifling, I fignified to Hurdee my with of retiring to reft: he accordingly informed the villagers, and we were foon left alone. After this we partook of a fecond repaft, confifting of boiled rice, mutton, and palm wine, and agreeing to fet out for the refidence of the Ebo King on the morrow, retired to a comfortable and fecure repofe.

HERE is no one, for whom

vations are very general.

He

So imperfect is man, that he cannot be, for a long time, delighted with the fame object, however it may have once dazzled his imagination, and taken hold of his heart. We find this attachment for variety to be quite univerfal. The Epicure, by having a turtle foup placed before him every day would foon loath his favourite difh; and the diverfions of the man of pleasure, to which he has the most extravagant partiality, by a conftant indulgence in them, would ceafe to divert, and would lofe all power of recreation.

This fame propenfity for a fucceffion of new objects is no less difcoverable in the lovers of liter

The diverfity in the manner of different authors of treating the fame fubject, ferves to keep the mind from falling into that difguft which is the effect of too much familiarity. I have not gone far enough into the philofophy of human nature to be able to tell the care of this impatience after variety. Obfervation and experience however convince, me that it is fo,

In order to obtain for my readers that gratification which is afforded in variety, I have been long foliciting a gentleman of literary genius to lend me occational afiiftance. After many viAfter many violated promifes he has at length favoured me with an essay upon Tafte, which adorns the prefent number. In this effay his obfer

of that, which, in his fubfequent papers, he intends to illuftrate. His writings, from their purity and elegance, will, I affure my. felf, be efteemed a valuable acquifition to the GENTLEMAN AT LARGE.

Perhaps I fhall never have a better opportunity of informing my readers, that the papers of our new author will be defignated by the letter P. and that, in future Í fhall mark my own lucubrations with the letter

Deguftibus non eft difputandun credat Indeus Apella.

Non ego

K.

HORACE.

THE term tafte, has always been regarded as incapable of definition. Various have been the conjectures with regard to the operation of this fubtle quality, and the effects which it produces. Lord Kaims is very diffufe on the fubject of its effects, and uncommonly accurate in his remarks and obfervations - but his definition is altogether unfatisfac tory. Dr. Blair has treated largely on the fubject, but his definition leaves the mind totally uninformed. Mr. Burke, with a genius infinitely fuperior to ei ther, has avoided a definition, though his remarks do honour even to the pen which produced them.

It is not much to the reputation of the learned world, that fo many treatises should have been

written upon a fubject, which the writers themfelves do not pretend to define. There must be fome definite idea annexed to the word tafte; otherwife all obfervations upon it will be vain. If we difcourfe upon a fubject which we declare ourselves incapable of defining, all that we can fay will produce nothing but conjecture and uncertainty in the mind, and the only recompence which the reader can receive from fuch a wild speculation, is doubt and perplexity.

There is, certainly, a plain rule, capable of definition, contained in the term tafte, or else it were impoffible to judge of the merit of thofe compofitions of genius, which cannot be tried by any other standard. ""Tis fomething or nothing." I am aware of the boldness and prefumption that may be ascribed to me for undertaking to define what writers of fo much genius and eminence have pronounced undefinable. Feeble, however, as my exertions may be, they may give employment to abler pens than mine. The waters of literature may stagnate and corrupt unlefs they are difturbed, when perhaps the motion of a fly on their furface, may preferve them from putrefaction.

Without further preface, then, I would define taste to be the prefervation of that confiftency and uniformity in the moral, which is obferved in the natural world.

I merely intend this number as an explanation of the above definition, referving it for future numbers to cite inftances, and to fhew how this definition will apply in

all cafes. When we caft our eyes around us, we behold nature gov erned by certain fixed laws and immutable regulations. Spring covers the earth with tender plants, Summer advances them towards maturity, Autumn fwells and ripens the bloffoms into fruit, and Winter throws a fcene of desolation over them all.

Thefe are the eternal laws of nature, founded by her great and mighty parent. We are acquainted thus far with her operations. and fhould any man endeavour to perfuade us that we are in an error, we fhould regard him as a madman. The fame principle of regularity may be obferved throughout the whole phyfical fyftem. A cloud no where irradiates the earth with illumination, or the fun darken it with obfcurity. This is the fine ceconomy of nature, her wisdom is feen in her confiftency, and her beauty is but another name for her regularity.

The moral world is that ideal creation which is formed in the fancy, and exifts in the imagination; but then it must be regulated by the fame rules of confiftency which govern the natural univerfe. The poet, the orator, and the painter, are obliged to conform the images of their own invention to the objects of real life. The facetious Horace defires to know if a painter fhould reprefent the head of a horse joined to a human bafe and terminating in the tail of a fifh, whether we fhould be able to reprefs our laughter and derifion? Undoubtedly we fhould not; and the reafon is obvious because the

natural world never furnished fuch a phenomenon. It is the diffimilarity which the image bears to nature which makes it ridiculous and intolerable.

A classmate of mine, at college, once made ufe of this expreffion, "America will foon ERADICATE all clouds of fuperftition." Here the verb eradicate is an evident abfurdity; as the greatest natural philofopher has never been able to discover clouds vegetating in a garden. Any one whofe head is not iron bound, may inftantly fee the impropriety of this figure ; but many scholars may not be a ble to explain the reafon of its impropriety. In a word, the moral world is inhabited not only by the fcholar, but likewife by the favage of the foreft. Thefpeeches of the native Indians of North A

merica, replete with figures, and metaphorical allusions amply ve rify this obfervation.

The moral world has its fun, and its ftars, its rivulets, its cafcades, its mountains and i ́s vallies, in exact conformity to the natural creation. At the fame time it must be obferved that the fun muft fhine and the stars glit ter, the rivulets murmur and the cafcades roar,; the mountains rife, and the vallies fink, agreeable to the laws of the phyfical word.

This is all which the term tafte can be faid to comprehend. In fome future number I fhall endeavour to go into a detail of this definition; and to fhew from the most ingenious and elegant authors, ancient and modern, the truth of its application.

P.

fear in the rear, with felf in the

Out of thefe limits he never expatiated, unless fear and oftentation exerted their functions conjointly.

He could never enjoy the convivial felicities and fociety, efpecially with thofe persons who were moft capable of tafting, contributing, and adminiftering the unreferved, undefigning, free in-quiries of improved ingenuous minds. He had read and heard that the more refined and thinking minds of all ages had a particular pleafure in the mental in