THE ECLECTIC REVIEW, FOR NOVEMBER, 1824. Art. 1. 1. Travels in Brazil, in the Years 1817-1820. Undertaken by Command of H. M. the King of Bavaria. By Dr. John Bapt. Von Spix, and Dr. C. F. Phil. Von Martius. 2 Vols. 8vo. pp. xxii. 626. (Plates.) Price 11. 4s. London. 1824. 2. Journal of a Voyage to Brazil, and Residence there, during Part of the Years 1821, 1822, and 1823. By Maria Graham. 4to. pp. 336. (Plates.) Price 21. 2s. London. 1824. 3. Travels in Brazil, in the Years 1815, 1816, 1817. By Prince Maximilian, of Wied Neuwied. Illustrated with Plates. Part I. 4to. pp. 356. London. 1820. OF F all the acts of the late Emperor of the French and of Elba, that which has been followed by the most permanently important and beneficial consequences, is his invasion of Portugal,-an unprincipled, unprovoked aggression, from which he derived no advantage, but which, by compelling the Prince Regent to seek an asylum in his transatlantic dependencies, produced the sudden transformation of a feeble, disorganized colony into a kingdom. That kingdom, lost to Portugal through the same madness and wickedness in her cortes and ministers, that had before been displayed by an English administration with similar results, has now become an independent empire, gigantic in extent, of almost boundless physical resources, the second only in importance, if not in population, of the mighty three which almost share among them the New World. Mexico boasts of nearly double the population of Brazil, but this proportion is not likely to continue long; and in every other respect, in its geographical position, its diversified surface, its fine climate, its innumerable springs and navigable rivers, its fertile soil and rich variety of productions, the dominions of Don Pedro the First comprise the most valuable portion of the western continent. Yet, for upwards of fifty centuries was that vast continent VOL. XXII. N.S. 2 I locked up in mysterious secresy from civilised man. All the operations of nature were carried on, during that long period, beneath the sun and stars of tropical skies,-vast rivers were forming for themselves new channels, and conquering new land from the ocean, bays were being changed to lakes, and lakes to plains, forests were springing up and crumbling to decay, or falling a prey to the lightning, their ashes supplying the soil of future forests, and countless generations of the free tenants of these magnificent wilds were coming into existence and passing away; and of all these transactions, our half of the globe was as unconscious as if they had taken place in a remote planet. And in that hemisphere, there was no poet to sing of them, no historian to record them, no philosopher to interpret them. The only human eye that they ever met, was the unsteady, unintelligent glance of the polar savage or the wild hunter of the central plains. And to that scattered fragment of the human race, all that was passing in what called itself the world, all that makes up the history of man, was utterly unknown. The Assyrian, the Persian, the Grecian, the Roman empires rose and fell without in the slightest degree affecting them. And this earth was made the theatre of the most stupendous transaction in the universe, without their ever hearing of the event,if, indeed America had, at that period, received its first inhabitants. Had this new world been known to exist, the simple fact being handed down by tradition or discovered by revelation, while its situation, and productions, and inhabitants remained unknown, one can conceive with what intense curiosity the imagination would have dwelt upon the idea, and what various speculations would have been indulged respecting the moral condition of human beings in that world unknown. At length, the veil was lifted up, and discovered the other side of the earth, glowing in all the beauty of its first creation; but death was there, and the parent of death, and the hideous features of our degraded nature too evidently betrayed their affinity to the men of the old world. It might seem to be one reason that the knowledge of these regions was so long withheld, that the fall of man might be more strikingly exhibited there in contrast with the beauty of an earthly paradise. There, human nature is seen in her unsophisticated simplicity, uncor rupted by priest-craft and the artificial institutions of civilised society; and there, it has been established by indubitable testimony, man approaches nearest to the brute, or rather sinks below the brute, in feeding upon his fellow. A little more than three centuries ago, the existence of the American continent was unknown, unless to the amphibious savages of the North-eastern extremity of Asia. The first settlement on the coast of Brazil, was made in 1503. Rio de Janeiro, the present capital, was not colonized till 1560. Its gold and diamond mines, which constituted the chief importance of the colony in the estimation of the mother country, were not discovered till the close of the next century, after the country had been for two hundred years in the possession of Portugal. At the beginning of the present century, this immense territory, extending over thirty-eight degrees of latitude, and thirty-seven of longitude, and comprising three millions of square miles, contained only twelve cities, sixty-six towns, and not one million of inhabitants. A hundred millions might, it is calculated, derive the means of subsistence from the soil. The whole extent of the cultivated lands does not as yet exceed 20,000 square miles, not a hundred and fiftieth part of the surface. So mighty, however, has been the impetus given to the progress of civilization in this country, by the transfer of the seat of government from Lisbon to Rio, and the subsequent political events, that the population has, within twenty years, risen to four millions, chiefly in consequence of the extensive emigrations which have taken place from Europe and North America. The rising greatness of this country, which is only beginning to attract iis due share of attention, forms one of the most interesting objects of political speculation. The travels of Mr. Mawe*, Mr. Lindley, Mr. Kostert, and Mr. Luccock, had made us partially acquainted with some portions of this vast territory, more particularly with the northern coast in the neighbourhood of Pernambuco and Porto Seguro, with Minas Geraes and Rio de Janeiro, the sandy shores of Rio Grande do Sul, and the vast grazing-lands of southern Brazil. The present works supply a very interesting addition to our information with regard to the capital and its vicinity, and the adjoining provinces of St. Paulo and Espiritu Santo. Prince Maximilian of Wied Neuwied, the first of these travellers in order of time, sailed from London in May 1815. His object in crossing the Atlantic appears to have been purely scientific, and his pursuits those of the Naturalist. He staid a very short time in the capital. • However agreeable,' he says, a more protracted stay in the capital might have proved, it was not consistent with my plan to remain there long, as the riches of nature are only to be found in fields and Eclectic Review, Old Series, Vol. VIII. Part. II. p. 940. † Eclectic Review, New Series, Vol. VII. p. 116. Ibid. Vol. XVI. p. 193. forests. Through the aid of government, whose wishes were carried into effect in the most obliging manner by the Count Da Barca, I was enabled to make my preparations for my departure without any loss of time. My passports and letters of recommendation to the several captains-general were more favourable than had probably ever been given to any preceding traveller. The magistrates were enjoined to give us every assistance in forwarding our collections to Rio, to provide beasts of burden, soldiers, and other persons, if necessary. Two scientific Germans, Messrs. Sellow and Freyreiss, well acquainted with the language and customs of the country, joined me for the purpose of our making an exploratory tour along the east coast to Caravellas. We had purchased sixteen mules, each of which carried two wooden chests, covered with raw ox-hides to preserve them from rain and damp: we also engaged ten men to take care of the animals, and act as hunters. All were armed, and thus we set out, provided with a sufficient stock of ammunition, and all the requisites for collecting subjects of natural history, part of which I had very unnecessarily brought with me from Europe.' This will be thought botanizing in grand style; but the truth is, that when a naturalist takes the field in the uncleared forests, swamps, or mountain districts of Brazil, he has no easy campaign before him. He will find his gun his best companion, for he must live by it; and though it will not keep off the mosquitoes, it may be of service in defending him from the ounce, the more formidable reptile, and the Indian. Prince Maximilian selected the eastern coast for his route, on account of its being hitherto quite unknown or at least undescribed; and it was one of his main objects, to satisfy his curiosity respecting the remains of the aboriginal tribes, who are still to be found there in their primitive barbarism. The tract, though abounding with objects interesting to the naturalist, presented, in other respects, few attractions. We are indebted, however, to his praiseworthy determination to break new ground, for very material corrections of the map, and additions to our geographical knowledge respecting the line of coast between the fifteenth and twenty-third parallels of south latitude. We know not for what reason only half of the work is laid before the public in the English translation, or why this expensive mode of publication has been adopted. The French Translator has given the whole work in three octavo volumes*, accom panied, indeed, or enrichi, with a superb atlas,' but the plates might have been reduced to the dimensions of an octavo page *Voyage au Brésil dans les Années 1815, 1816, and 1817. Par S. A. S. Maximilien, Prince de Wied Neuwied. Traduit de l'Allemand, par J. B. B. Eyries." 3 vols. 8vo. with Atlas. Paris, 1822. without any disadvantage. The present volume (which is insinuated, on the fly-leaf, to be Part I., though the circumstance does not appear on the title-page) contains the narrative of his Highness's journey from Rio to the plains of Goytacazes; his visit to the Indian village of St. Fidelis, and to the wild Puries on the other bank of the Parahyba; his journey to the Rio Doce and voyage up that river to the small settlement which bears the name of the enterprising and unfortunate Conde de Linhares; and his travels still further northward to the Rio Grande de Belmonte in lat. 15°. 30'. S., and visit to the Botucudoes in the neighbourhood of that river. The next chapter of the original contains an interesting and minute notice of this savage tribe, the sum of his observations during his stay in that part: it ought, therefore, to have been given in the present volume. His Highness thence proceeded northward as far as the Rio Itahype in the province of Bahia: striking into the interior, he traversed the forests to the confines of Minas Geraes, and then returned to Bahia, from which port he sailed for Europe. London could detain him but a few days. He had been absent three years, and we like to notice his impatience till he gets to Aix-la-Chapelle. It was in this town,' he says, that I began again to hear German spoken, and I soon after arrived in my country on the banks of the Rhine.' The expedition of the two other learned German travellers, was undertaken, as is duly set forth, by command of the king of Bavaria. Attachment to his majesty and the sciences,' was, they say, the guardian genius' that guided them amid the dangers and fatigues of so extensive a journey through a part of the world so imperfectly known, and brought them back in safety to their native land. Their loyalty seems either to have stood to them instead of Providence, or to have secured the Divine protection; and penetrated with feelings of the profoundest gratitude,' they venture respectfully to offer the first fruits of their mission to the best of kings.' The present volumes contain the first part only of their travels, comprising their voyage to Rio, their journey thence to St. Paulo, and from St. Paulo to Villa Rica in Minas Geraes. The following is given by the Translator, who has performed his task with unusual care and ability, as the outline of the latter part of their travels, the personal narrative of which is in the press. The fatigues that they had to endure in the sequel of their expedition having brought on severe illness, they rested for a time in the capitania of Maranham, whence, as soon as they were sufficiently recovered, they proceeded to the island of St. Louis, and after a six days' voyage by sea, from that place, landed at Para. Having at |