The Sun.
London, England, 1830-03-04 00:00:00

FOREIGN QUARTERLY REVIEW, No. X.

This, though not a very brilliant or enter_
taining number, is very replete with information
of a practical and miscellaneous character. Each
of the articles is written in what we might call a
learned spirit, especially the lengthy opening one
respecting the policy, institutions, literature,
statistics, &c., of the Netherlands, which must
have cost both time and trouble, but which we
shall not here further refer to, inasmuch as we
made it some days since the subject of a leading
article in our Journal. " Rossetti's Dante"
contrives to render a hacknied subject very
readable, and this is no slight surprise. Mr.
Crowe, Ugo Foscolo, and a hundred others, for
the last century and upwards, have pretty nearly
exhausted this subject, so that little or nothing
is left for future inquiry or analysis. Few poets
have been more fortunate in the number and
acquirements of their commentator. Would
our own superior Shakspeare had been half as
lucky I Wish the a►ble and elaborate notice
of " Spix and Martius's Travels in Brazil," we
have been both amused and instructed. The
two travellers' details respecting this immense—

and in many parts untravelled—tract of country,
' are copious, minute, and scientific. We subjoin
an extract respecting the diamond district, many
portions of which, if not altogether new, will at
any rate be acceptable to the majority of our
readers. •
" The travellers next reached Villa do Principe, a town
of some size, laying near the edge of the Diamond District,
into which they were admitted by virtue of an order from
the King. This tract of country is entirely occupied by
the Government, for the sake of its mineral treasures. In
17S0 diarnon Is were declared the property of the Crown ;
and this district being particularly abundant in them, has
been subjected to a most curious system of exclusion.
Lines of demarcation are set around, guarded as strictly as
those of an infected city. No person is permitted to pass
these, in either direction. without an order from the In..
tendant of the Mines. Every one, on going out, himself,
horses, and baggage, is subjected to a most minute exami.
nation ; and in case of suspicion that a diamond has been
swallowed, may be detained for twenty-four hours. The
Intendant is Head Judge in all cases, and Chief of the Po-
lice; he may send any inhabitant'out of the district on bare
suspicion. Nor is there any appeal from him and his
Council, Junta Diamantina, except to the mercy of the
King. Every member of this Board, if he knows of uny
person having diamonds in his possession, he is bound to
give notice to the Intendant, who immediately issues his
search-warrant, though, in eases of emergency, the sod
diers are permitted to search without such authority.
There are also strict rules with regard to the registration
of the inhabitants, the admission of fresh settlers, the erec-
tion of new inns or shops, and the hiring of slaves. The
members of the expedition being acquainted with the In-
tendant, who, though a native Brazilian,' had studied
tnineralegy under Werner, in Germany, were invited to a
sitting of the Junta. The order of proceeding was as fol-
lows :—First, the whole stock of diimonds was laid before
the meeting : it amounted to 9,396 carats 2 grabis, and
was divided into twelves classes (lutes), inclosed in bags of
red silk. The division was made by means of a brass box,
iu which there were eleven sieves of different size, so ar-
rauged that the smallest diamonds were collected in the
lowest, the lareest in the upper sieve. '1 here were
eleven stones of more than eight carats in weight. Some
spurious diamonds were rejected by the Junta, and given
for the sake of accurate examination to the travellers.
These are now preserved at Munich, and were found to be
several beautiful varieties of chrysoberyls (chiefly those
called in Brazil green aqua-marines, and sapphires), white
and blue topazes, rubies, quartzes, and other stones. After
the whole collection of the year had been examined, and a
list made, they were, in the presence of all the members,
packed up in bags, and deposited in a small red morocce,
box. This was fastened by two locks, of which the In.
tendant and the Officer of Crown Revenue had each a key,
and then given in charge, together with the minutes of the
proceedings, to a detachment of dragoons, and addressed to
the King, to be forwarded by the Governor of Villa Rica
to Rio Janeiro.

'• The diamond-washing is performed by slaves, who
are hired by the Government from private proprietors, at
a rate of from 300 to 600 rees a-week. They are under
the controul of certain inspectors, named feitores, of whom
there were, in ISIS, one hundred. These persons have
the more immediate care of the slaves, and receive from
them the diamonds. The feitores, again, are under the
ei,ntroul of ten surveyors (administradores), who weigh
the diamonds, deliver them to the Junta, and have the ma-
nagement of the works, machinery, &c. The Government
had formerly prohibited the washing for gold in the dia-
mond dist:let : it is, however, now permitted, as a favour,
to individuals; but if any precious stones are found, they
are given up to the Juilta. The most formidable enemy,
however, to the Government, is the diamond smuggler, or
grimpeiro. These persons, who are frequently runaway
slaves, being well acquainted with the country, are able
by night to elude the vigilance of the Royal Guards. The
diamonds thus smuggled are generally procured from the
slaves, who are able, in the presence or the inspectors, to
secrete them in various manners, between their fingers and
toes, in their ears, mouth, or hair, or they swallow the
stones, or throw them over their' heads, so that they can
find them again by night. When the guards are once
passed, the smugglers sell the stones to traders, who easily
conceal them in balls of cotton and other similar commodi-
ties, and send them to the coast."

" The Medici Family" is well written and
well-informed, and may serve as a useful appendix
to Mr. Roscoe's histories of this popular family.
" Christianity iii China" is the best article in
the number, both for composition and materials.
We regret that our limited space prevents us
from doing more than briefly recommending it to
our readers' particular attention. The same
cause compels us to dismiss the remaining arti-
cles, with the remark that each and all of them
support the character of this meritorious periodical.

NEELE'S LITERARY REMAINS.—LoNnox, 1830.

The Lectures on English Poetry, which con-
stitute the greater portion of this volume, which
has deservedly attained to a second edition, were
delivered by their clever young author at the
Russell Institution, where at the time they at-
tracted some attention. Without being re-
markable for boldness or originality of thought,
they are tastefully and even elegantly written.
Mr. Neele had a true relish for poetry, and
wrote not a few pieces, which are for the first
time published in this volume, likely to survive
him. The " Remains" constitute an interest-
ing miscellany of amusement and information.

LIFE OF COLUMBUS.—Leamox, 1830.

This interesting piece of biography, which
forms the eleventh number of Murray's popular
Family Library, has been abridged from Mr.
Washington Irving's larger work on the same
subject, by the accomplished author himself,
who of course has retained all that was really
useful and novel in his original publication,
while he has lopped off, parca, quod satis est,
mane, a few of his favourite redundancies in the
way of expression and description. This, we
think, is a great improvement ; the Life of Co-
lumbus, as Nr. Irving originally wrote it, was
rendered cumbrous and elaborate by much
needless verbiage ar.d imagery, which are here
ably retrenched. We have no doubt conse-
quently that the abridgment will be generally
. _

liked ; it is full of information, clothed in the
garb of the most graceful and picturesque lan-
guage. We annex a sample :
CONDITION OF THE INDIANS OF HISPANIOLA
IN THE ABSENCE OF COLUMBUS.

" Deep despair now fell upon the natives, for they
found a perpetual task inflicted upon them, enforced at
stated and frequently recurs ing periods. Weak and ludo-
nt by nature, and brought up in the untasked idleness of
their soft climate, and their fruitful groves, death itself
seemed preferable to a life of toil and anxiety. They saw
no end to this harassing evil, which Lad so suddenly fallen
upon them; no prospect of return to that roving inde-
pendence and ample leisure, so dear to the wild inhabitant
of the forest. The pleasant life of the island was at an end
—the dream in the shade by day ; the slumber, during the
sultry noontide beat, by the fountain or the stream, or
under the spreading palm tree; and the song, the dance,
and the game in the mellow evening, wken summoned to
their simple amusements by the rude Indian d►um. Or,
if they occasionally indulged in a national dance, after a
day of painful toil, the ballads to which they kept time
wire of a melancholy and plaintive character. They
spoke of the times that were past, befbre the white men
bad introduced sorrow, and slavery, and weal y labour
among them; and they rehearsed prophesies pretended to
be handed down from their ancestors, foretelling that
strangers should come into their island, clothed in apparel,
with swords capableof cleaving a man asunder at a blow,
under whose yoke their race should be subdued and pass
away. These ballads, or areytos, they sang with mourn-
ful tunes and doleful voices, bewailing the loss of their
liberty and their painful servitude.
They had flattered themselves, for a time, that the
vi,it of the strangers would be but temporary, and that,
spreading their ample sails, their ships would soon waft
them back to their home in the sky. 111 their simplicity
they had repeatedly inquired of the Spaniards when they

intended to return to Turey, or the heavens. All such
hope was now at an end ; and, finding how vain was
every attempt to deliver themselves from their invaders by
warlike mea!,s, they now resorted to a forlorn and desi,e-
rate alternative. Knowing that the Spaniards depended,
in a great measure, for' subsistence on the supplies which'
they furnished them, they endeavoured to produce a fit-
mine. For this purpose, they destroyed their fields of
maize, stripped the trees of their fruit, pulled up the yuca
and other roots, and then fled to the mountains.
" The Spaniards were indeed reduced to much distress,
'•gut were partially relieved by supplies from Spain. They
pursued the natives to their mountain retreats, hunting
them from ?De dreary fastness to another, until thousands
perished in dens and caverns of famine and sickness, and
the survivors, yielding themselves up in despair, submitted
humbly to the yoke. So deep an awe did they conceive
of their conquerors, that it is said a Spaniard might go
singly amid securely all over the island, and the natives
would even transport him from place to place on their
shoulders."