TESTUDO Mydas. The Green Turtle. Eaten moderatety it proves nutritious, but abounding with fat, it is not very eafy of digeftion. The foup which is commonly prepared from it, is, by reafon of the fpice which is added to it, exceedingly ftimu lant; but the fimple decoction or broth (jus teftudinis) is demul. cent and reftorative, and has been found beneficial in phthifical and hectic cafes. "TESTUDO ferox. The flesh of this fpecies is faid to be better flavoured than that of the preceding. In other refpects its properties are the fame. TESTUDO graca. The Land Turtle, or Land Tortoise. The flesh of this is fomewhat inferior to that of the fea or green turtle; it is much used in Italy and the Levant for making foups and broths. The eggs are nearly as good as hen's eggs, and make excellent omelettes. ¶RANA efculenta. The edible Frog, or Green Water Frog. The white flesh upon the thighs of this fpecies of frog, is much eaten in France, Italy, and fome parts of Germany. It taftes fomewhat like the flesh of a chicken; but affords very little nutriment. Frog's broth (jus ranarum) is prefcribed by the French and Italian phyficians in confumptive cafes; in which, however, it feems to have no advantages over chicken broth." P. 40. The account of alimentary fubflances extends to p. 116: the reft contains the Materia Medica. Of course this is the noft important part of the work; and the quantity of medi cal reading which it evinces, is highly creditable to the author. When it happens, as is frequently the cafe, that the fame medicine is applied to different complaints, refe rences are made to the place where it is principally treated; and the whole arrangement, with the aid of the indexes, is completely fatisfactory. Of this part we cannot give, perhaps, a more useful fpecimen than by citing the author's opinion of a medicine lately much difcuffed, the Nitrous Acid, for the cure of Syphilis. "It would have been a happy event for mankind, as many and ferious evils arife from the abuse of mercury, if this new remedy had stood the test of more extenfive trials; but unfortunately it has not fucceeded in other hands; as appears from the facts stated by Mr. Blair (Effays on the Venereal Disease, Part 1. and 11, 1799, 1800) and by Mr. John Pearfon, Surgeon to the Lock Hofpital (Obfervations on the Effects of various articles in the Materia Medica in the cure of the Lues Venerea, 1800.) Thefe gentlemen affert, that in the majority of cafes of confirmed fy. philis, the nitric acid affords but little relief; and that in those inftances in which it has caused the symptoms to disappear for a time, they have afterwards returned; thus producing only a temporary and fallacious cure. It cannot, therefore, they con U 3 tend, tend, fuperfede the ufe of mercury in the venereal difeafe; although in fome inftances it may be advantageously given in conjunction with that metal; or after a mercurial courfe, for the removal of weakness and certain painful affections of which fuch patients often complain. Temperature has a furprifing influence on che mical agents of this nature; fo that it is not inconceivable that in the warm climates of the Eaft and Weft-Indies, the nitric acid may fupprefs or remove venereal affections which refift it here." P. 397. As Dr. P. does not mention the Ratania, or Rhatania root, recommended by Dr. Reece*, we prefume that he has not examined its qualities or effects. We conclude by recommending the work of Dr. Pearfon, as a Synopfis of the moft ufeful and masterly kind. ART. IX. A Letter on the Abolition of the Slave Trade; SINCE the publication of this Letter the benevolent exertions of its author have been crowned with complete fuccefs. Admirable, therefore, as it certainly is, both for the cogency of its arguments, and the energy of it's language, the intereft now felt in the perufal arifes no longer from our hopes or fears of the event, but from the circumftances of its being a full record of the author's feelings, refpecting this object of his purfuit; and of the reafonings by which he fo ably maintained, and has at length finally eftablished, the cause of humanity and juftice. Mr. Wilberforce first fets forth the difficulties that occur. red in procuring evidence against the Slave Trade; and remarks that, notwithstanding thofe difficulties, much oral teftimony of the most valuable kind was obtained, and much information was derived, from the publications of feveral perfons who, at different periods, had refided in Africa, and from the accounts of travellers, in that country, at the head of whom he jufly places Mr. Parke. From all thefe teftimonies, he points out the principal fources from which the flave market is furnished with its fupplies, fuch as regular *Sec Brit. Crit. xxix. p. 448, wars, wars, predatory expeditions, village breaking, pangaring, or kidnapping, the adminiftration of juftice, native fuperfti tions, (which produce frequent charges of witchcraft) famine, (which reduces perfons to fell themfelves or their children) and infolvency. The evils which arife from fuch a system, the temptations held out by the flave factors, and the cruel oppreffions which are, in confequence, practifed in thofe countries, are reprefented with great force, and, we fear, with equal truth; and the author concludes this reprefentation with a forcible remark, that, 氟 "By keeping in a perpetual ftate of infecurity, of perfon and property, the whole of the diftrict which is vifited by Europeans, we maintain an impaffable barrier on that fide, through which alone any rays of the religious and moral light, and focial improvements of our happier quarter of the globe, might penetrate into the interior, and thus lock up the whole of that vaft con. tinent in its prefent ftate of wretchednefs and darkness.” Thence he infers that there can be no natural death of the Slave Trade, fince it provides for its own indefinite continuance. He juftly ftates it as no small aggravation of our guilt, that "we, who are the prime agents in this traffic of wickednefs and blood, are ourselves the most free, enlightened, and happy people that ever exifted upon earth." Even the Mahometans, it is afterwards remarked, have imparted fome knowledge and civilization to the Africans; and Chriftianity and Mahometanifm appear to have changed characters in that country. The benevolent author then takes a view of the evidence by which the above flatements are established; which, as it is generally known, and admitted to be conclufive on the feveral points in queftion, we fhall not here detail. He next adverts to, and refutes, the contrary evidence of his opponents. He then difcuffes the feveral pleas against the abolition, confidering, firft, fuch of them as are included in the African divifion of the fubject, previoufly to the confideration of that which he terms the Well-Indian branch. The doctrine laid down (in a more or lefs extent) by so many speakers and writers against the abolition, that "the negroes are an inferior race of beings," is fully examined, and (in our opinion) confuted, by the most authentic teftimonies. The author, in a long hiftorical deduction, fufficiently accounts. for the circumftance of their not having attained a high degree of civilization; and fhows that under many difadvantages they have made greater advancements towards it than perhaps any other uncivilized people on earth. The argument that the "negroes are at home in a worfe ftate of flavery," is next adverted to, and refuted, by fhowing from the best authorities, and particularly from that of Mr. Parke, that the flavery of Africa is in general a fpecies of feudal, or rather of patriarchal, vaflalage. The pretext that the flaves brought to the coaft, if not fold, would be maffacred, is alfo fhown to have no juft foundation. 66 The author next adverts to the ftate of flaves during the middle paffage; and makes it clear, that although its evils have been mitigated by the act introduced by Sir W. Dolben, ftill "many of the fufferings of those wretched beings are of a fort for which no legislative regulations can provide a remedy." He notices alfo the objections made to the Middle Paffage Bill, while it was depending, and the prophecies that it would ruin the trade; yet it is now acknowledged that the measure has eminently contributed to the intereft of every one of the parties concerned." He then combats, with great effect, the grand allegation of the WeftIndians," that the flock of flaves cannot be kept up without importations," firft by prefumptive arguments, drawn from the univerfal experience of all other countries; next by re capitulating the proofs that have been produced against the truth of that propofition. These proofs are arranged under three diftinct heads, and fhow-Firft, that the abufes and the obftructions to the natural increase which prevail, were fufficient to account for a rapidly decreasing population. Secondly, that the decrease which had been confiderable a century ago, had been gradually diminishing, till there was reafon to believe it had intirely ceased. Thirdly, that if the abufes which now prevail fhould be materially mitigated, we might confidently anticipate a rapid increase in future. Under the first of these heads we have a long and affecting catalogue of the vices of the Weft-Indian fyftem, which our limits will not permit us to detail. To prove the fecond propofition, the author relies on the Report laid before Parliament refpecting the population of our feveral Weft-India iflands; by which it appears, that in Jamaica (by far the largeft of them) the excefs of deaths above the births of flaves was, from the year 1698 to 1730, 3 per cent.; in the period from 1730 to 1755, 24 per cent.; from 1755 to 1768, 1 per cent.; and from 1768 to 1787, only one per cent,; fo that the ratio of decrease had been continually leffening; and even this lofs of one per cent. was itself accounted for, by an extraordinary feries of hurricanes and confequent famines; and it also included the lofs on on all the Africans who were imported during that period. In Barbadoes also it appears, that the annual lofs of flaves has of late been under one per cent. All circumstances confidered, he infers, with great probability, that the whole number of flaves is at length actually on the increase. To maintain the third propofition (which, as it is allowed, muft reft on probable inference) Mr. Wilberforce argues that, "If the many exifting abuses would account for a great annual decrease, yet there has been no decrease at all, or a very small one; it clearly follows, that, if the prevailing abuses could be done away, or even confiderably mitigated, we might anticipate in future a great and rapid annual increase." The objections to the propofed abolition are then diftinetly, and (to us) fatisfactorily answered; particularly that which appeared the moft fpecious, namely, that " the cooperation of the colonial Legiflatures was neceffary." The author contends, that thofe Legislatures are neither able, nor likely ever to be willing, to effect the abolition by regulations as to the detail of management of flaves. The question, he fhows, has been brought to the teft of experiment, and the endeavour has utterly failed. Indeed the language of the Colonial Legislatures themselves, (as cited in this work) and the conduct of the Colonifts, decifively prove Mr. Wil berforce's affertion. He remarks juftly, in this place, that the legal protection of flaves in an abject ftate of flavery, is either impracticable or unfafe; impracticable, because regu lations which apply to extreme cafes of ill treatment, or enormous cruelty, are not applicable to thofe particulars of treatment which are conftant and fyftematic, fuch as underfeeding, over-working, and other general vices of management; unfafe, becaufe, in fuch cafes, the interpofition of a new tribunal of appeal, checking the master's authority, would, in practice, be found productive "not only of difcontent, infubordination, and commotions on private properties, but of the most fatal confequences to the fafety of the whole colony." He fupports this opinion by obfervations which appear to us perfectly juft, and infers that "There is no alternative, no practical medium, between keeping the flaves in their prefent ftate of degradation, and introducing the milder fyftem, or what may be termed patriarchal vaffalage, (to which the abolition is an indifpenfable preliminary) as the ftate of training and difcipline for a condition in which they may be fafely admitted to a ftill more advanced enjoyment of perfonal and civil rights." P. 238. He |