kind, which, it mull be owned, was the moft favourable that could well have been imagined to fuch a purpofe, he fet out for the Cape, at a time o f life the beft adapted to an enterprize o f this nature, nominally to inftrudt the children of M. K e r s t e , the refident at that place; but in reality, to featch for the works o f the Creator in a part of the world hitherto hardly known to naturalifts. How he has fucceeded, the reader mull: judge for himfelf.— But it was not this obfcure comer of the globe only that he was deftined to illuftrate. By the arrival of the R e so lu t io n and A d v e n tu r e at the Cape with Meflrs. F o r s t e r , he had an opportunity offered him o f extending his refearches to an infinitely greater diflance, and all nature now lay * open to his view. It was, perhaps, not more to the advancement of natural knowledge than to that o f thefe gentlemen’s reputations, that chance threw fo great a ' zoolo- gift as Dr. Sp a r rm an in their way at fo critical a juncture ; and it is to be hoped, that we ihall one day be informed o f the extent of our obligations to him on this fcore. In the mean while, we muft content ourfelves with the few ipecimens he has given us in the Swedifh Tranfadtions, where he has inferted, and flill continues to infert, the various difooveries he has made on the continent of Africa.. HI Our author having, in December 1775, during his ab- fence from his native country, been promoted to the degree ■ of of dodtor of phyfic, was on his return home made a member of the Royal Academy at Stockholm, and of feveral other learned fpcieties. After the death of the great entomologift Baron de G e er, who had engaged Dr. Spa r rm a n to live with him at his houfe, the Baron having bequeathed his magnificent collection of natural curiolities to the Academy, our author was made infpedtor o f it. He was likewife invefted by the Academy with the nominal dignity of profeffor: and, on refigning to his fucceffor the charge o f prefident of this fociety, after having held it for the fpace o f three months, pronounced an oration “ on the augmentation and advantages which fcience in genera], and more particularly that o f natural hiftory, have acquired, and are farther likely to acquire, from exploring the Pacific Ocean.” Publifhed at Stockholm in 1778. To this iliort account of the author it may be neceffary to add, that we have taken the liberty of reforming the orthography o f moft of the places mentioned in the courfe o f the work, both with refpedt to the map and to the work itfelf: the author, whofe purfuit was things and not words, having been carelefs in his language, and more efpecially in his nomenclature, to a high degree: as likewife that we have adopted the divifions into chapters and fedtions made by the editor of the German tranf- Vo l . i a and lation, as rendering the following iheets more intelligible,
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