ing my courfe, by compafs, nearly Eaft South Haft, in order to reach, así poffible, fome town or village of the kingdom of Bambarra. on as A little after noon, whe the burn ing heat of the fun was reflected with double violence from the hot fand, and the diftant ridges of the hills feen through the afcending vapour seemed to wave and fluctuate like the unfettled fea, I became faint with thirst, and climbed a tree in hopes of seeing diftant fmoke, or fome other appear ance of a human habitation; but in vain nothing appeared all around but a thik underwood and hillocks of white fand. climbed a high tree, from the topmoft branches of which I catt a melancholy look over the barren wilderness, but without difcovering the most diftant trace of a human welling. The fame difmal uniformity of fhrubs and fand every where prefented itself, and the horizon was as level and uninterrupted as that of the sea. Defending from the tree, I found my horse devouring the ftubble and brushwood with great avidity: and, as I was now too faint to attempt walking, and my horse too much fatigued to carry me, I thought it but an act of humanity, and perhaps the laft 1 fhould ever have it in my power to perform, to take off his bridle, and let him thift for himself; in doing which I was fuddenly affected with ficknefs and giddinefs, and, falling upon the fand, felt as if the hour of death was fast approaching. Here then, thought 1, after a short but ineffectual struggle, terminate all my hopes of being ufeful in my day and generation; here must the short span of my life come to an end. I caft (as I believed) a last look on the furrounding scene; and, whilst I reflected on the awful change that was about to take place, this world with its enjoyments feemed to vanish from my recolle&tion. Nature, however, at length resumed her functions; and, on recovering my fenfes, found myfelf ftretched upon the fand, with the bridle ftill in my hand, and the fun juft finking behind the trees. I now fummoned all my refolution, and determined to make another effort to prolong my exiftence. And as the evening was fomewhat cool, I refolved to travel as far as my limbs would carry me, in hopes of reaching (my only refource) a watering place. With this view, I put the bridle on my horfe, and, driving him before me, went flowly along for about an hour, when I perceived fome lightning from the North Eaft, a moft delightful fight, for it promifed rain. The dark About four o'clock I came fud denly upon a large herd of goats, and palling my horse into a bush, I watch ed to obferve if the keepers were Moors or Negroes. In a little time I perceived two Moorish boys, and with fome difficulty perfuaded them to approach me. They informed me that the herd belonged to Ali, and that they were going to Deena, where the water was more plentiful, and where they intended to stay until the rain had filled the pools in the defart. They fhewed me their empty waterfkins, and told me that they had feen no water in the woods. This account afforded me but little confolation; however, it was in vain to repine, and puthed on as fast as poffible, in hopes of reaching fome watering place in the courfe of the night. My thirst was become by this time infufferable; my mouth was parched and inflamed a fudden dimnefs would frequently come over my eyes, with other symptoms of fainting; and my horfe being very much fatigued, I began feriously to apprehend that I hould perish of thirft. To relieve the burning pain in my mouth and throat, I chewed the leaves of different shrubs, But found them all bitter, and of no ervice to me. A little before fun-fet, having ched the top of a gentle rifing, I nefs nefs and lightning increased very ra- therefore advised to lodge at a distant village. This was very difcouraging: "however," fays he, " as there was no remedy, I fet off for the village, where I found, to my great mortifi cation, that no perfon would admit me into his houfe. I was regarded with aftonishment and fear, and was. obliged to fit all day without victuals, in the fhade of a tree; and the night threatened to be very uncomfortable, for the wind rofe, and there was great appearance of a heavy rain; and the wild beafts are fo very numerous in the neighbourhood, that I fhould have been under the neceffity of climb-. ing up the tree, and refting amongst the branches. About fun-fet, however, as I was preparing to pafs the night in this manner, and had turned my horfe loofe, that he might graze at liberty, a woman, returning from the labours of the field, ftopped to obferve me, and, perceiving I was weary and dejected, inquired into my fituation, which I briefly explained to her; whereupon, with looks of great compaffion, fhe took up my faddle and bridle, and told me to follow her. Having conducted me into her hut, fhe lighted up a lamp, spread, a mat on the floor, and told me I might remain there for the night. Finding that I was very hungry, the faid fhe would procure me fomething to eat: the accordingly went out, and returned in a fhort time with a very fine fifh; which, having caufed to be half broiled upon fome embers, he gave me for fupper. The rites of hofpitality being thus performed towards a ftranger in diftrefs, my worthy benefactress (pointing to the mat, and telling me I might fleep there without apprehenfion) called to the female part of her family, who had food gazing on me all the while in fixed altonifhment, to refume their task of fpinning cotton; in which they continued to employ themfelves great part of the night. They lightened their labour by fongs, one of which Z From this place he proceeded through many difficulties to a Foulah village belonging to Ali, called Shrilla, and rode to the Dooly's houfe, where he was refused admittance. He met with a better reception from an old woman, who gave him fome victuals, for which he rewarded her with one of his handkerchiefs. Finding himfelf in a precarious fituation in this place, he haftened his departure, and on July 5th arrived at a Negro town, called Wawra. Here, being in fafety from the Moors, he refolved to reft himfelf; but was prevented by the importunity of fome women, and the next day, by order of the Dooly, he departed. He then went to Waffiboo, where he was joined by fome fugitive Kaartans, who accompanied him in his route through Bambarra. At Sego he was refufed admittance to the King, and told that he must not prefume to crofs the river without permiffion. He was Ed. Mag. Sept. 1799. was was compofed extempore, for I was An unfavourable opinion being entertained of him at this place, and being refused admittance to the King, who, however, with the order to depart, fent him five thousand kowries (fmall fhells which pafs current as money, at the rate of about two hun. dred and fifty for one fhilling,) he left Sego, and proceeded to Kabbá. The conduct of the King of Sego he afcribes to motives by no means to be condemned. From Kabba he went to Sanfanding, where his reception was but indifferent, and from thence pursued his journey to the Eaftward, experiencing on the road many hardships. At length he had a fmart paroxifm of a fever. His account of himself at this period is truly deplorable: "Worn down by fickness, exhausted with hunger and fatigue, half naked, and without any article of value by which I might procure provifions, clothes, or lodging, I began to reflect feriously on my fituation. I was now convinced, by painful experience, that the obitacles to my further progrefs were infurmountable. The tropical rains were already fet in, with all their violence; the rice grounds and fwamps were every where overflowed; and, in a few days more, travelling of every kind, unless by water, would be completely obftructed. The kowries, which remained of the King of Bambarra's prefent, were not fufficient to enable me to hire a canoe for any great diftance; and I had but little hopes of fubfifting by charity in a country where the Moors have fuch influence. *This fong has been thus verfified by her Grace the Duchefs of Devonshire: I. influence. But above all, I perceived that I was advancing more and more within the power of thofe merciless fanatics; and, from my reception both at Sego and Sanfanding, I was apprehenfive, that in attempting to reach even Jenné (unless under the protection of fome man of confequence amongst them, which I had no means of obtaining), I fhould facrifice my life to no purpofe; for my difcoveries would perith with me. The profpect either way was gloomy: in returning to the Gambia, a journey on foot of many hundred miles, presented itself to my contemplation, through regions and countries unknown. Nevertheless, this feemed to be the only alternative; for I faw inevitable destruction in attempting to proceed to the Eastward. With this conviction on my mind, I hope my readers will acknowledge that I did right in going no farther. I had made every effort to execute my mif fion in its fullest extent which prudence could justify. Had there been the most diftant profpect of a fuccefs. ful termination, neither the unavoidable hardships of the journey, nor the dangers of a fecond captivity, fhould have forced me to defift. This, however, neceffity forced me to do; and, whatever may be the opinion of my general readers on this point, it, affords me inexpreffible fatisfaction that my honourable employers have been pleased, ince my return, to ex THE In pursuance of this refolution, on the 30th of July he proceeded to Moorzan, and from thence to Modiboo, where he recovered his horse, which he had left to chance, having Ho means of protecting him. On the 1ft of Auguft he left Modiboo, and continued his journey, in which he found great impediments in confequence of the rains, and the overflowings of the rivers. Being informed that the King of Bambarra had fent perfons to apprehend him, he avoided Sego, and profecuted his route along the banks of the Niger. On his arrival at Taffara he experienced every mark of callous indifference in the inhabitants; for though he informed them that he fhould only remain with them one night, and allured them that Manfong had given him fome kowries to pay for his lodging, yet no perfon invited him to come in, and he was forced to fit alone under the Bentang tree, expofed to the rain and wind of a tornado, which lasted with great violence until midnight. From this fituation he was releafed by the kindness of a ftranger, who invited him to take part of his fupper, not being at liberty to ask him into the hut. After this he was obliged to fleep on some wet grafs at the corner of the court. (To be concluded in our next.) LETTERS CONCERNING THE AUTHOR OF JUNIUS. From the Morning Chronicle. MR EDITOR, HE affertion of Mr George Chalmers, in the poftfcript to his re cent publication, * That the late Mr Hugh Boyd was the real Author of the Letters of Junius,' having given rife to fome comments in The True Briton of the 16th of laft month, and having fince that period excited a good deal of attention in the literary circles, I think it due to the memory of Mr Boyd, to give the public one or two leading facts with regard to the fuppofition of his having written the Letters of Junius, and to contradict fome expreffions highly inZ 2 *Supplement to Apology for the Believers, &c. Editor. juriou jurious to his character, which Mr Chalmers has thought himself juftified to use, but which in truth and candour he will find himself bound to retract. One of Mr Boyd's neareft relations has long thought that he was the Author of the Letters of Junius, from the following pofitive facts: Ift, Towards the latter end of the year 1768, Mr Boyd, who at that period refided in Great Marlboroughftreet, began to be extremely fedulous in colle&ug political information of every kind, and being in habits of confidential intimacy with the late Mr Laughlin Maclene, Secretary to Lord Shelburne, as well as with fome other diftinguished political cha racters, whom it is unneceffary to mention here, he was enabled to obtain very early and accurate intelligence of all Minifterial proceedings. 2d, Previous to the appearance of Junius's first letter on the 21st January, 1769, Mr Boyd was at wonder ful pains in accuftoming himself to disguise his hand writing; and he fucceeded fo happily in doing fo, that hardly any refemblance could be traced between it and his common hand. 3d, During the three years that Junius wrote for The Public Advertifer, viz. from January, 1769, to January, 1772, Mr Boyd fent letters to that paper once, twice, and fome times thrice, a month, fuperfcribed in his difguifed hand. 4th, Thefe letters were written with the moft fcrupulous fecrecy. Mrs Boyd knew not the contents of them, though he often employed her to deliver them. And there is pofitive evidence in contradiction to what was ftated in The Irue Briton, that Mr Woodfall never heard of any fuch letters, nor even knew that Mr Boyd had written for his paper before the year 1777, until he was requested, about three months ago, by Mr Boyd's friends, to point out thofe letters that had been written for The Public Advertifer during the three years above mentioned. The writer in The True Briton has told the public with great confidence, that Mr Boyd's contributions to The Public Advertifer, during the time of Junius, are not to be held in comparifon with the productions of that admirable writer.' Where are those contributions of Mr Boyd's? Mr Woodfall has honeftly confeffed he knows nothing of them; and I defy the writer in The True Briton, or any other man, to fhew me any letters of Mr Boyd's in The Public Advertiser in the fame years with thofe of Junius, except one to Sir Fletcher Norton, which was fent to Woodfall in Mrs Boyd's hand-writing, and which will not be found inferior in ftrength and elegance of diction to the most finifhed production of Junius's pen, Thefe facts, together with fome very ftrong concurring circumftances, will be given in detail in the new eḍition of Mr Boyd's Life, which will be published, along with two octavo volumes of his writings, early in the enfuing winter In corroboration of the circumftantial evidence which fhall be adduced in proof of Mr Boyd having written the Letters of Junius, a letter from Mr Almon to the Editor of Mr Boyd's Works, in fupport of his affertion in the first volume of his Biographical and Political Anecdotes, that Mr Boyd was actually the Author of Junius,' will be publifhed in Mr Boyd's Life, and it contains the ftrongest prefumptive proofs of the fact afferted. From the talents and diligence of Mr Chalmers much additional information may be expected when he fhall prefent the public with the documents which he fays he has collected. But I lament that a man of his fagacity fhould have been betrayed by political prejudice, or controwerfial rancour, into a violation of that decorum, the breach of which he |