goodness to us, we cut up the fish, and having drank the blood, and eat part of the flesh, we hung up the remainder to dry. On this we subsisted until the 4th, when, finding the whole was consumed, Parr, Brighouse, Conway, and myself, proposed to scuttle the boat to put an end to our miseries; but M'Kinnon and M‘Quinan would not consent to the proposal. The former proposed, that we should put it to the lot, which of us should be put to death, to feed the others. To this we agreed, and as Parr had been ill for some days of a spotted fever, we agreed to leave him out. The numbers being written, and put into a hat, which was held by Parr, we took one each, and having agreed that five should be the fatal number, it was found to be M'Kinnon's, who immediately cut himself in three places on his foot and arm: he commended his soul to the Almighty, and soon bled to death. As soon as he was dead, Brighouse cut a piece off the thigh, of which we all ate. We washed the body frequently in the sea, to preserve it, and continued to feed upon it until the 8th, when, it being my turn to look out, about day-break, I observed that the colour of the water appeared to change. As soon as it became clear light, we saw land right-a-head, on which we steered toward it, and about eight o'clock in the morning we were close to the shore. Finding a very heavy surf, we endeavoured to keep the boat's head toward it; but being very weak, we were unable to accomplish our purpose, and soon after the boat upset. After much exertion, Conway, Parr, and myself, got to land, or rather we were cast on shore; but poor M'Quinan and Brighouse were drowned. We now found ourselves on the coast of Brazil, at no great distance from Rio de Janeiro; and, being treated with attention and humanity, we recovered, when I entered into the marines, and was sent on board this ship.' OMNIANA.-No. VIII, NEGROES. were sometime known in Europe by the name of Blackamoors. The origin of the name is this:-The coast of Africa, as low as the Senegal, is inhabited by Moors, that is, men of tawny complexions, long black hair, and, by religion, Mohammedans. On the south bank of the Senegal commences the country of the Negroes, men of black complexions, black. woolly hair, and, by religion, Pagans. When, in the progress of discovery, the acquaintance of the Europeans was extended, from the Moors, who are tawny, to that second race which is black, the men of this race were distinguished by the epithet of black Moors. These were not, as now, called simply Negroes, or Blacks, nor was the name of Moor confined, as now, to the Mohamme, dan dan natives of the north of Africa. In the year 1441,' says Galvano, Don Henry sent out two ships, under Tristan and Antonio Gonzales, which took a prize on the coast,and sailed to Cape Blanco, or the White Cape, in lat. 20° N. From this cape, they brought home some Moors, from whom Don Henry learned the state of the country. In the year 1443, Don Henry commanded Gonzales to carry back the Moors to their own country, where they were ransomed for black Moors, with curled hair, (or Negroes), and some gold; owing to which, the place where the ransom was given received the name of Rio de Ouro, or the Gold river, that thereby the desire of discovery might be more increased.' It is well known, the two divisions of Africa, lying on the two sides of the Senegal, are respectively called Mauritia, or, the country of the Moors, and Nigritia, or, the country of the Blacks. But the Moors were ransomed for Black Moors, or Negroes. There was, therefore, a trade in Negroes pursued by Moors, on this coast, before the Europeans, with the assistance and example of Don Henry, had the honour of participating in it. Further, these Negroes, received in ransom for the Moors, were the first slaves imported from Africa. Thus, the slave-trade began in the year 1443, and began under circumstances sufficiently atrocious to be worthy of all its later history. Don Henry sent ships which sailed to Cape Blanco, and there seized upon the persons of some Moors,' and carried them to Don Henry, by whom they were treated as his property, and released only upon the payment of a ransom! Nor were the strides of this detestable traffic small. In the following year, 1444, nine slaves' were brought to Portugal, first by Nunnez Tristan, who then discovered the islands of Arguin, and signalized his discovery by seizing upon the inhabitants, and treating them as slaves; and, secondly, by one Lançarote,' a groom of Don Henry's chamber, who, with three others, armed certain ships, with which they sailed along the coast to the islands of Garze, where they took two hundred slaves.' To carry the history a little further, we find, that the outrages of the Portuguese were early followed by a degree of chastisement, which, though too limited, is yet gratifying to our love of justice. In 1445, Gonsalvo de Syntra, an esquire of Don Henry's, went captain of a bark into these parts, where he was cut off, with six or seven of his people. This was the first loss sustained by the Portuguese in their discoveries, that is, in their piracies, and they appear to have received it as a lesson. In 1446, three caravels were sent out, with orders to refrain from going to Rio de Ouro; to carry themselves peaceably to the natives; and to endeavour to convert as many as possible to Christianity-slave traders traders convert them to Christianity! but in this (a very unaccountable circumstance) they had no success.' In 1447, Nunnez Tristan passed beyond Cape de Verde to Rio Grande (so called) and went beyond that river to another, in twelve degrees of north latitude. He was there taken and slain, together with eighteen. other Portuguese. The race of Negroes has been found in other parts of the world than the continent and islands of Africa. In 1529, Saävedra discovered the coast of New Guinea, in lat. 2° S. calling it the Coast of Papua, from Papuas, the name given by the people of the Moluccas to the black men, with woolly hair, by whom it was inhabited. In 1543, Bartholomew de Torre visited a cluster of islands in 15° or 16° N. which were well inhabited by a white people, with beautiful, well-proportioned women, and much better clothed than in any other of the islands in these parts, and possessed of many golden ornaments. These people had vessels or barks of fortythree cubits long, handsomely built, which were rowed by Negroes, or black men, with woolly hair. Being asked whence they had the Negroes, they answered, from the island of Sebrit, where there were abundance to be had. The Spaniards wondered much at finding Negroes in this place, being above three hundred leagues from the nearest land of the Negroes. In 1545, Ortez explored the land which had been seen by Saävedra, and finding the people to be Negroes, gave it the name of New Guinea. Negroes are also found in the islands of Nicobar and Andaman, in the Bay of Bengal. In 1513, Vasco Nunnez de Valboa, or Balboa, in crossing the isthmus of Darien, found some Negroes who were captives among the Indians. In 1515, Gonsalvo de Badajos, proceeding from Nombre de Dios to the southward, found some slaves along the coast, marked with the irons used by the Portuguese. Were the slaves found by Gonsalvo de Badajos, like those found by Balboa, negro-slaves, and had they been sold to the Indians by the Portuguese? That there was formerly a general belief, that the touch of a lawful King had the effect of curing the scrofula or evil, which from that cause was called the King's Evil, is an historical fact familiar to all readers. King Charles II, on the 18th and 19th of May, 1659-60, in his passage through Holland to England, on his restoration, touched great numbers of persons afflicted therewith. The following account of the ceremony is given by Thos. Gumble, D.D. D.D. chaplain to Gen. Monk (who was present), in a manuscript account of the Restauration, and of the entertainments, processions, and glorious triumphs,' that were given by the city of London on that occasion, written in 1662: The ceremony, as in France, is done after the King hath communicated in the morning, so it was done here [at the Hague], in the English chapple, after sermon. There was a great chair placed for the King, in a place somewhat distant from the people. As soon as the King was sate, one of the clerks of the closet stood at the right side of his chair, holding on his arm as many gold angels (every one tied in a ribbon of white silk) as there were sick to be touched, which were in number fourty-eight. Dr. Brown, the chaplain of the Princess of Aurange, performed the place of the King's chaplain, as he did all along at Breda, on the same occasion. The chaplain then read the 16th chapter of St. Mark, from the 14th verse to the end, and then the chirurgion presented the sick (having examined them, to see that it was the Evil), after three reverences on their knees before the King, who, whilst the chaplain sayd these words in that gospel, They shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall be healed,' lay'd his hands on the two cheeks of the sick, saying, I touch thee, but God heal thee!' The chaplain then begun another gospel, and whilst these words were pronounced, out of the 1st chap. of St. John, This was the trew light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,' his Majesty took the pieces of gold, and put them on the necks of the disseased, the chaplain repeating the words as many times as there were persons to receive them, concluding with a prayer, That Almighty God would bless the ceremony; then, after reverences as before, they retired. The Earls of Middlesex and St. Albans held the bason, ewer, and towel, whilst the King washed.' 6 In a tract, entitled, Charisma Basilicon, or, the Royal Gift of Healing Strumaes, or King's Evil, by John Browne, Chirurgeon in Ordinary to his Majesty, London, 1684, there is An account of persons touched by his Sacred Majesty, King Charles the Second, for the cure of the King's Evil, from May 1660;' from a register kept by Thomas Haynes, Esq. serjeant of his Majesty's Chappel-Royal: 1660... 1661... 1662 6725 ... 4271 1663... .4667 ..4667 Register kept by Mr. Thomas Donkley keeper of his Majesty's closet, from May 1667 to May 1682 :— 1667... 1681 3073 6007 1682 1682.... The whole is above ninety-two thousand. 8477 The origin of this superstition deserves some inquiry. Edward the Confessor is known to have acquired great reputation for his royal touch. Of the superstition and credulity of that monarch (or, perhaps, rather, of the superstition and credulity of his times), the following example is preserved by Haklu t-As the story stands, is it not a complete instance of the pretence to secondsight? Upon the holy festival of Easter, King Edward the Confessor, wearing his royal crown, sat at dinuer at his palace of Westminster, surrounded by many of his nobles. While others, after the long abstinence of the Lent season, refreshed themselves with dainty viands, on which they fed with much earnestness, he, raising his mind above earthly enjoyments, and meditating on divine things, broke out into excessive laughter, to the great astonishment of his guests. But no one presuming to inquire into the cause of his mirth, all kept silence till dinner was ended. After dinner, when the King had retired to his bed-chamber, to devest himself of his robes, three of his nobles, Earl Harold, an abbot, and a bishop, who were more familiar with him than any of the other courtiers, followed him into the chamber, and boldly asked the reason of his mirth, as it had appeared strange to the whole court, that his Majesty should break out into unseemly laughter on so solemn a day, while all others were silent: I saw,' said he, ' most wonderful things, and therefore did I not laugh without cause.' And they, as is customary with all men, became therefore the more anxious to learn the occasion of his mirth, and humbly beseeched him to impart the reason to them. After musing for some time, he at length informed them, that Seven Sleepers had rested during two hundred years on Mount Cælius, lying always hitherto on their right sides; but, that in the very moment of his laughter, they had turned themselves over to their left sides, in which posture they should continue asleep for other seventy-four years, being a dire omen of future misery to mankind. For all those things, which our Saviour had foretold to his disciples were to be fulfilled about the end of the world, should come to pass within those seventy-four years. That nation should rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there would be, in many places, earthquakes, pestilence, and famine, and terrible apparitions in the heavens, and great signs, with great alterations of dominion; wars of the infidels against the Christians, and victories gained by the Christians over the unbelievers. And, as they wondered at these things, the King explained to them the passion of the Seven Sleepers, with the shape and proportion of each of their bodies, which wonderful things no man had hitherto committed to writing; and |