the proper name of one of the Comoro islands, which by different writers of different nations has been called Anzuane, Anjuan, Juanan, and Jobanna, and which is described in the Encyclopedia under the name of St Joanna. In that article, it is observed, that an anonymous writer has censured the descriptions of this island given by the Abbé Reynal and Major Rooke, as being not only exaggerated, but erroneous; neither the country being so picturesque as the former represents it, nor the inhabitants meriting the respectable character given of them by the latter.

There was not perhaps much propriety in admitting into such a work as the Encyclopedia Britannica, the anonymous censure of descriptions, authenticated by the names of respectable authors; but the best reparation which we can make to those authors, is, to inform our readers, that their descriptions of Hinzuan are confirmed by Sir William Jones, whose testimony, we believe, no man will controvert. That accomplished scholar, who visited the island on his voyage to India, thus describes its appearance from the bay in which the ship rode at anchor.

"Before us was a vast amphitheatre, of which you may form a general notion by picturing in your mind a multitude of hills infinitely varied in size and figure, and then supposing them to be thrown together, with a kind of artless symmetry, in all imaginable positions. The back ground was a series of mountains, one of which is pointed, near half a mile perpendicularly high from the level of the sea, and little more than three miles from the shore: all of them richly clothed with wood, chiefly fruit trees, of an exquisite verdure. I had seen many a mountain of stupendous height in Wales and Swifterland, but never saw one before, round the bosom of which the clouds were almost continually rolling, while its green summit rose flourishing above them, and received from them an additional brightness. Next to this distant range of hills was another tier, part of which appeared charmingly verdant, and part rather barren; but the contrast of colours changed even this nakedness into a beauty: nearer still were innumerable mountains, or rather cliffs, which brought down their verdure and fertility quite to the beach; so that every shade of green, the sweetest of colours, was displayed at one view by land and by water. But nothing conducted more to the variety of this enchanting prospect, than the many rows of palm trees, especially the tall and graceful Areca, on the shores, in the valleys, and on the ridges of hills, where one might almost suppose them to have been planted regularly by design. A more beautiful appearance can scarce be conceived, than such a number of elegant palms in such a situation, with luxuriant tops, like verdant plumes, placed at just intervals, and flowing between them part of the remoter landscape, while they left the rest to be supplied by the beholder's imagination. The town of Matamadiso lay on our left, remarkable at a distance for the tower of the principal mosque, which was built by Halimah, a queen of the island, from whom the present king is descended: a little on our right was a small town, called Banani. Neither the territory of Nice, with its olives, date trees, and cyprusses, nor the isles of Hieros, with their delightful orange groves, appeared so charming to me, as the view from the road of Hinzuán."

Sir William Jones, speaking of the inhabitants, takes notice of the Lords, Dukes, and Princes, of whom we have made mention after Major Rooke. "The frigate," says he, "was presently surrounded with canoes, and the deck soon crowded with natives of all ranks, from the high born chief, who waited linen, to the half-naked slave, who only paddled. Most of them had letters of recommendation from Englishmen, which none of them were able to read, though they spoke English intelligibly; and some appeared vain of titles, which our countrymen gave them in play, according to their supposed stations: we had Lords, Dukes, and Princes on board, soliciting our custom, and importuning us for presents. In fact, they were too sensible to be proud of empty sounds, but justly imagined, that those ridiculous titles would serve as marks of distinction, and, by attracting notice, procure for them something substantial." He speaks with great respect of the king, whose name was Ahmed, as well as of several chiefs whom he saw, and seems to have met with no man of rank on the island whose character was contemptible, but Selim the king's eldest son. For the behaviour of that prince, the old sovereign made the best apology that he could, while he privately assured the interpreter, that he was much displeased with it, and would not fail to express his displeasure. He concluded his conversation with a long harangue on the advantage which the English might derive from sending a ship every year from Bombay to trade with his subjects, and on the wonderful cheapness of their commodities, especially of their cowries. Ridiculous as this idea might seem, it showed (says Sir William) an enlargement of mind, a desire of promoting the interest of his people, and a sense of the benefits arising from trade, which could hardly have been expected from a petty African chief, and which, if he had been sovereign of Yemen, might have been expanded into rational projects proportioned to the extent of his dominions.

The master of the frigate learned from one of the chiefs a few curious circumstances concerning the government of Hinzuwan; which he found to be a monarchy limited by an aristocracy. The king, he was told, had no power of making war by his own authority; but, if the assembly of nobles, who were from time to time convened by him, resolved on a war with any of the neighbouring islands, they defrayed the charges of it by voluntary contributions; in return for which, they claimed as their own all the booty and captives that might be taken. The hope of gain or the want of slaves is usually the real motive for such enterprises, and ostensible pretexts are easily found; at that very time, he understood they meditated a war, because they wanted hands for the following harvest. Their fleet consisted of sixteen or seventeen small vessels, which they manned with about two thousand five hundred islanders, armed with muskets and cutlasses, or with bows and arrows. Near two years before they had possessed themselves of two towns in Mayeta, which they still kept and garrisoned. The ordinary expenses of the government were defrayed by a tax from two hundred villages; but the three principal towns were exempt from all taxes, except that they paid annually to the chief Musi a fortieth part of the value of all their moveable property, and from that payment neither the king nor the nobles claimed an exemption. The kingly authority, by the principles of their constitution, was considered as elective, though the line of succession had not in fact been altered since the first election of a sultan.

Sir William Jones concludes his remarks on this island with some reflections; of which, though they may be considered as digressive, we are persuaded our readers will approve of our extending the circulation.

"We have lately heard of civil commotions in Hinzuwan, which, we may venture to pronounce, were not excited by any cruelty or violence of Ahmed, but were probably occasioned by the insolence of an oligarchy naturally hostile to king and people. That the mountains in the Comara islands contain diamonds, and the precious metals, which are fluently concealed by the policy of the several governments, may be true, though I have no reason to believe it, and have only heard it asserted without evidence; but I hope, that neither an expectation of such treasures, nor of any other advantage, will ever induce an European power to violate the first principles of justice by assuming the sovereignty of Hinzuwan, which cannot answer a better purpose than that of supplying our fleets with seasonable refreshment; and, although the natives have an interest in receiving us with apparent cordiality, yet, if we with their attachment to be unfeigned and their dealings just, we must set them an example of strict honesty in the performance of our engagements. In truth, our nation is not cordially loved by the inhabitants of Hinzuwan, who, as it commonly happens, form a general opinion from a few instances of violence or breach of faith. Not many years ago an European, who had been hospitably received and liberally supported at Maisamuda, behaved rudely to a young married woman, who, being of low degree, was walking veiled through a street in the evening; her husband ran to protect her, and resisted the rudeness, probably with menaces, possibly with actual force; and the European is said to have given him a mortal wound with a knife or bayonet, which he brought, after the scuffle, from his lodging. This foul murder, which the law of nature would have justified the magistrate in punishing with death, was reported to the king, who told the governor (I use the very words of Alwi a cousin of the king's), that "it would be wiser to hush it up." Alwi mentioned a civil case of his own, which ought not to be concealed. When he was on the coast of Africa in the dominions of a very savage prince, a small European vessel was wrecked; and the prince not only seized all that could be saved from the wreck, but claimed the captain and the crew as his slaves, and treated them with ferocious insolence. Alwi assured me, that, when he heard of the accident, he hastened to the prince, fell prostrate before him, and by tears and importunity prevailed on him to give the Europeans their liberty; that he supported them at his own expense, enabled them to build another vessel, in which they sailed to Hinzuwan, and departed thence for Europe or India; he shewed me the captain's promissory notes for sums, which to an African trader must be a considerable object, but which were no price for liberty, safety, and, perhaps, life, which his good, though disinterested, offices had procured. I lamented, that, in my situation, it was wholly out of my power to assist Alwi in obtaining justice; but he urged me to deliver an Arabic letter from him, enclosing the notes, to the governor general, who, as he said, knew him well; and I complied with his request. Since it is possible, that a substantial defence may be made by the person thus accused of injustice, I will not name either him or the vessel, which he had commanded; but, if he be living, and if this paper should fall into his hands, he may be induced to reflect how highly it imports our national honour, that a people, whom we call savage, but who administer to our convenience, may have no just cause to reproach us with a violation of our contracts."