sent occasion. Such of the bats as had been shot at and fell into the water, dived as soon as we attempted to take them up, and thus we obtained only those which were shot dead upon the spot and had fallen into the lake. After the whole body, consisting of, perhaps, 100,000, had risen into the air, and filled the neighbourhood with their hideous cries, they returned and flew to the adjacent island of Labujo. The vermilion eyes of this animal, its large and hideous form, together with its frightful scream, render it one of the most disgusting creatures on the face of the earth. We shot several which measured four feet from tip to tip of the extended wings. They live entirely on fruits, and, as they travel in such immense numbers, they cause considerable damage to the farmers: plantains, mangoes, and guavas, to the crop of which the labourer has looked forward for months, frequently disappear in one night. "On entering the wood, we found a large fig-tree, the fruit of which covered the ground a foot deep, and on which some hogs had just been feasting. Near it stood lofty oaks, with oval and pointed leaves, very smooth, resembling parchment, and small broad acorns, the cups of which were very rough: it was undoubtedly a new species of quercus, but the time of blossom was already quite past. We came to an old large tree, about six or seven feet in diameter, from the trunk of which, about a foot above the ground, issued a spring of cool (19° R.) and particularly good water. The Indians, who cannot account for this singular phenomenon, regard the spring as sacred, and have hung near it a vessel made of the bamboo cane, out of which every one who passes takes a draught of the water. "One of the greatest curiosities which the woods of the island of Luçon offer, is the leech, which we met with in the region of the arborescent ferns. It forms a new species, which we call sanguisuga tagalla, smaller than our officinal leech, broad, of a yellowish brown colour, and the upper part marked with small, irregular, black spots, and a fine black stripe running lengthwise down the back. This leech is bloodthirsty, but its bite leaves very small marks, on which account it would be much preferred in Europe to those now in use. Before we had observed them, they got into our boots and began biting us: we felt the pain, but thought we had been bitten by ants, till, at last, our boots being filled with blood, our attention was aroused. We brought home two of them in spirits of wine. However fabulous this account of leeches living on trees may appear, it is, nevertheless, correct, and we must learn to believe that there are leeches which can live in damp air, just as well as we before observed that confervæ may be generated in a moist atmosphere, a circumstance which the celebrated Swedish writer on Algae could not comprehend, and was uncourteous enough to declare to be a falsehood." Though every page of this part of the work presents something new and interesting, we must not be tempted to prolong our extracts. The great importance of the Philippines to Spain is manifest; and when it shall be enabled, by the consolidation of domestic tranquillity and a more enlightened system of government, to turn its attention to the colonies which it still retains, we shall be astonished at the treasures which Spain possesses in these islands. The actual population of the whole group is above two millions, but there is abundant room for five times the number; and the fertility of the soil is such that they might live in the greatest prosperity. Since many restrictions on the trade of the islands have been abolished, agriculture and commerce have considerably improved; yet some important articles of trade are still in the hands of monopolists in the mother-country, to the great injury of the inhabitants of the colonies. Though our author points out, without reserve, the defects of the administration, he is disposed to ascribe them neither to the ill will nor the tyranny of the Spanish government, but chiefly to its supineness, ignorance, and attachment to antiquated and deeply-rooted prejudices. He says "On leaving the city of Manilla, and visiting the villages in the environs, we were agreeably surprised by the high degree of affluence enjoyed by the natives. The utmost order prevails everywhere; extreme neatness and real luxuries in common life. The Tagalese live exceedingly well, and are very sociable among themselves. Yet, notwithstanding the great prosperity enjoyed by the peasantry, which we have never seen equalled anywhere, they are highly discontented with the government, and complain that the taxes on the agricultural produce of the country are too high. We are, however, by no means of opinion that these complaints are well grounded. If there were any occasion for them, it might be rather founded on the vexatious mode in which these taxes are collected. "But the hatred of the Tagalese to the Spaniards is probably not so much owing to this circumstance as to the contempt with which the Spaniards treat these amiable and highly cultivated Indians. "The great number of idle ecclesiastics are certainly a heavy burden on the poor people, yet they willingly pay the taxes for them, when their crops have not been destroyed by the locusts. "In 1820, a very serious rebellion broke out at Manilla among the Indians, which was under the sole conduct of the priests, who saw with anger the resort of foreigners, by which the members of their own communion became gradually more enlightened, and they themselves lost much of their consideration and power. The environs of Manilla were, at that time, suffering from famine and a very fatal epidemic. The priests represented to the Indians that these scourges were owing to the French settled in the island, who had poisoned the wells. At their repeated instigation, the people at length rose en masse; the foreign vessels hastily left the harbour, the houses belonging to the French residents and other foreigners were attacked and plundered, and such of the inmates as had not been able to effect their escape, cruelly murdered. As is usual in such cases, deeds of great atrocity were committed, and many innocent individuals suffered. It is remarkable that the government did not take any steps to preserve peace, aud, at first, seemed as though it were entirely ignorant of the affair. An officer was at length despatched with a party of soldiers, to restore tranquillity, but he was not furnished either with ammunition or orders for serious interference. As soon as the Indians perceived this, they assailed the soldiers with stones and abused the officers. The commanding officer, a native Spaniard, and a man of honour, went to the captain-general, threw his sword at his feet, and declared that he would no longer wear it under such a commander. "The revolution which broke out in the city of Manilla in 1824 was of a very threatening nature, and may serve as a warning to the mothercountry, how soon it may lose all its beautiful possessions in India, if it does not take speedy and decisive measures to introduce an equitable system of administration. We will give some particulars of this revolution, as it is so little known in Europe. "Colonel Novales was commander of a regiment of infantry at Manilla, and is represented as a man of a frank and remarkably upright character, by which he drew upon himself the hostility of his comrades, who neglected no opportunity of rendering him suspected by the government. In consequence of their calumnies, Novales was accused and brought before the tribunal, which however fully acquitted him. General Martinez, at that time Captain General of the Philippines, sent him under some pretext into a distant province, of which he was appointed vice-governor. Novales, however, regarded this ostensible mark of honour as a banishment, and was naturally much offended. He was, however, embarked on board a vessel; the ship put out to sea, but returned to Manilla the following night on account of an approaching storm. At midnight Novales landed in the capital, repaired to the quarters of his regiment, represented to the officers and subalterns the injustice that was intended to be done him by exiling him, and encouraged the assembly to mutiny. The whole regiment instantly obeyed him, and marched towards the palace of the captain-general. On the steps of the palace Novales stabbed the governor, who advanced towards him, and instantly made proclamation that the yoke of tyranny was now broken, and that he would himself provisionally assume the government. The enterprise, however, terminated fatally for the new regent; his brother, who, as officer on duty, commanded the Castell de St. Jago, retained possession of this fortress, which commanded the chief streets of Manilla, and refused to surrender it to the rebels. This action cost Novales his life; had his brother yielded the fortress, the Philippines would have been lost for ever to Spain; yet even without this surrender, the revolution would have succeeded, if the insurrection could have been in some measure prepared, but it was excited too suddenly by the wounded honour of Novales, and the Indians were unable to join in time. So early as eleven o'clock in the forenoon, Novales had been vanquished, and at four in the afternoon he was shot in the court of the palace with his friend Ruiz. On the following day fifteen subalterns shared the same fate, and all the soldiers of the regiment who had taken part in the insurrection were sent to Cavite to the galleys, where they still remain. The regiment was disbanded. "Novales, with all his adherents, might have escaped to the provinces, if he had adopted the advice of his friends and secured the horses which were in the city, but he rejected this proposal, saying, he would not be the leader of a band of robbers. The brother of Novales, who at that time preserved the Philippine Islands to the Spanish crown, is at present a captain in the army, though he was at first accused and brought to trial." Such is the political state of Manilla. The government still endeavours to prevent foreigners from settling there, and there are many merchants resident in the city, but who have never yet obtained permission to visit the Laguna de Bay. Nay, many an Englishman and North American have come to Manilla in vain; they have even been refused leave to quit the ship and to go on shore. The Princess Louise left Manilla on the 15th of October to return to China. On the 23d a dreadful typhoon arose, which continued with unabated or rather increasing fury for four nights and three days, during which the voyagers several times gave themselves over for lost. Happily, however, their vessel was sound, and they reached the coast of China on the 10th of November. We refrain from making any extracts relating to China, as a subject respecting which nothing new can be expected from this work. We must mention, however, that our author speaks in the highest terms of the politeness and friendly conduct of the gentlemen of the English factory at Canton. The only plates in these volumes are a view of the volcano of Maipù, a very well engraved map of Chili and Peru, and a plan of the city of Canton, reduced from a Chinese plan four feet long and two feet and a half high, which was brought to Europe and deposited in the royal library at Berlin. The third and fourth volumes, which have not yet reached England, contain plates and descriptions of the new species of animals and plants collected during the voyage. ART. II.-Orlando Innamorato di Bojardo: Orlando Furioso di Ariosto; with an Essay on the Romantic Narrative Poetry of the Italians, Memoirs, and Notes. By Antonio Panizzi. 9 vols. Svo. London, 1830-1834. In an article devoted to the romance of chivalry, where we might be expected to break away at once from real life and lead our readers among those "Forests and enchantments drear, Where more is meant than meets the ear," it might appear unseemly even to hint at the politics of the pre sent day, and jar with their dissonance the ear attuned to romantic melody. But who can think of Italy,-of that land most favoured by nature, of her stately cities, her rivers, plains, and mountains, the abode of the mighty of former days;-of Italy, the mistress of arts and arms, the land which never knew barbarism— who, we say, can think of her and not drop a tear for her present state of degradation? It is not possible to suppress the wish (little likely as we are to behold its accomplishment) that the galling yoke of Austria, which is felt from the Alps to the farthest shore of Sicily, may be broken and flung away, that Italy may be again blessed with the apparition of fair Freedom's holy form, and, grown wise by suffering, the Italians, forgetting their old distinctions of Lombards, Tuscans, Neapolitans, and so forth, may consider themselves one people, the children of one common country. “Talia sæcla, suis dixerunt, currite, fusis Concordes stabili fatorum numine Parcæ." But alas! we feel that these are mere aspirations, little likely to be speedily verified; the power of despotism is still mighty, and true liberty is either making little progress in the world or is tending to the tyranny of democracy. Before the future Heaven has drawn its veil: patience and hope remain for man, and by the cultivation of public and private virtues to prepare himself for the brighter destinies which may be in reserve for him. It hardly behoved us, however, to make any excuse for adverting to the political condition of Italy, for the subject is frequently forced upon us by the very poems which we are about to notice, whose authors were (what great poet is not?) sincere patriots and true lovers of their national independence. The muse of Bojardo breaks off, never again to resume, in the midst of the romantic tale of Brandiamante and Fiordespina, scared at the sight of the devastations committed by the troops of Charles VIII. of France, the prelude to those wars of foreigners of which Italy, to her misfortune, became the theatre. 66 Mentre," cries the patriotic bard "Mentre che io canto, o Dio redentore, That time, however, never came, but the genius of his more VOL. XV. NO. XXIX. E |