MAJOR RENNELL was born of a very ancient and refpe&table family at Chudleigh, in Devonshire, on the 22d No. vember, 1742; and is first coufin, by the paternal fide, to the reverend and learned Mafter of the Temple (whofe father, the Rev. Dr. Rennell, was a Prebendary of Winchester).

After receiving a private education, his first outfet in life was in the naval fervice. While yet very young, he was employed at the fiege of Pondicherry, and was much noticed for his active affiftance in cutting out fome French men of war from the roads in the night.

At what time he exchanged the naval for the military fervice, we have not heard; but about the year 1770 we find him in India, attached to the corps of Engineers, his zeal and fervices in which promoted him in no long courfe of time to the rank of Major; and his very extenfive and accurate acquaintance with the requifite fciences foon pointed him out to the Government as the most proper perfon to fill the important office of Surveyor-General in Bengal.

We remember to have heard from good authority fome years fince, that one day, marching in India at the head of a detachment, he was fuddenly attacked by a tyger; when with great coolness he received the animal on the point of the bayonet, which he thrust down his throat, and difpatched him: the bayonet was much bent by the force of the thruft.-It is worthy of

remark, that, in the war before laft, Major Rennell was for the second time engaged in the fiege of Pondicherry.

Some time, we believe, about the year 1778, while in India, he married Mifs Thackeray, daughter of the Rev. Dr. T. many years Head Master of Harrow School; by whom he has living two fons and a daughter.Few men (particularly who have tra velled) are fo much attached to do meftic enjoyments as the Major, who, having long declined public employments, now leads, for the most part, a retired life in the bofom of his family, but affiduously pursues his literary labours.

In his intercourfe with his friends, the Major poffeffes a remarkable flow of fpirits, and abounds with interefting fubjects of converfation: at the fame time, as to whatever relates to himself, he is one of the most diffident, unaffuming men in the world.

To the indefatigable labours and profound knowledge of Major Rennell, the fcience of geography has been more indebted than to any modern writer that we can name, not excepting even D'Anville or De Life; and when his name was enrolled among the Fellows of the Royal Society, that learned body received, perhaps, as much honour as it conferred.

We entertained a hope that we should have been enabled to furnish our

Readers with fome account of the Major's active military fervices in India, of which we understand he bears many honourable teftimonials about his perfon; but in this expectation we have been for the prefent disappointed; at a future time, however, we may, perhaps, be enabled to render more complete and fatisfactory, both to the Public and to ourselves, a Memoir which we must here clofe by a brief but

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complete

complete enumeration (with occafional remarks) of the literary productions of Major Rennell.

1778. "A Chart of the Bank and Current of Cape Lagullas:" with Letter-prefs.

1781. "A Bengal Atlas," in folio: with Letter-prefs.

"An Account of the Ganges and Burrampooter Rivers;" which interfect the country of Bengal in fuch a variety of directions, as to form the most complete and eafy inland navigation that can be conceived. This account is contained in a letter written from the fpot to the Prefident of the Royal Society, and accompanied by a plan of the courfe of the Ganges, than which we find the Burrampooter (though much less heard of) is a ftill larger river. They both derive their fources (fays the Major) from the vaft mountains of Thibet, from whence they proceed in oppofite directions, the Ganges feeking the plains of Indoftan by the Weft; and the Burrampooter by the Eaft. The Ganges, after wandering 750 miles through mountainous regions, iffues forth a deity to the fuperftitious, yet gladdened, inhabitants of Hindostan or Indoftan. From Hurdoar, in latitude 30 deg. where it gufhes through an opening in the mountains, it flows with a fmooth navigable ftream through delightful plains during the remainder of its courfe to the fea (which is about 1350 miles +), diffufing plenty immediately by means of its living productions, and fecondarily by enriching the adjacent lands, and affording an eafy means of transport for the productions of its borders. In a military view, it opens

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munication between the different pofts, and ferves in the capacity of a military way through the country; renders unneceflary the forming of magazines, and infinitely furpaffes the celebrated inland navigation of North America, where the carrying places not only obftruct the progrefs of an army, but enable the adverfary to determine his place and mode of

attack with certainty. In its courfe through the plains, it receives eleven rivers, fome of which are equal to the Rhine, and none fmaller than the Thames; befides many others of leffer note." The inland navigation of Bengal gives conftant employment to 20,000 boatmen ; and by the latter end of July all the lower parts of Bengal, contiguous to the rivers, are overflowed more than 100 miles in width From what we have here extracted, the reader will fee that this is a very curious work, and will well recompenfe the trouble of a reference to the Philofophical Tranfactions, in which it will be found at length.

1782." Memoir of a Map of Hindooftan; or, The Mogul's Empire: with an Examination of fome Pofitions in the former System of Indian Geography, and fome Illuftrations of the prefent one: and a complete Index of the Names to the Map." 4to. An analytical review of this work will be found in our IlId volume (for 1783), p. 52.

1784. A-Second Edition of the "Memoir," &c. improved.

1788. "A Map of Hindooftan in four Sheets:" with a new Memoir, in 4to.

"A Map of the Peninfula of India in two Sheets." 1790. "Memoir on the Geography of Africa," 4to. with a Map of Africa. This was fubjoined to the Narratives of Meffrs. Ledyard and Lucas, in the "Proceedings of the Affociation for promoting the Dif covery of the interior Parts of Africa:" a work not fold, but printed for the use of the Members of the Affociation.

In the whole, 2100 miles !

The Map itself is on two sheets.

Phil. Tranf. Vol. LXXXI. Part II.

moir" of 1788 was published: with additional Maps and Letter-prefs.

"The Marches [to Seringapa. tam] of the British Armies in the Peninsula of India, during the Campaigns of 1790 and 1791; illuftrated and explained by Reference to a Map, compiled from authentic Documents tranfmitted by Earl Cornwallis from India." 8vo. with a large Sheet Map. This is a very important and interesting military detail, and affords the most regular and best connected narrative that has yet been published of the operations to which it relates. 1793. A Third Edition of the "Memoir" of 1788 was published.

"A new Map of the Peninfula of India," in one Sheet: with a Quarto "Memoir," on occafion of the I reaty of Seringapatam in 1792.

A Second "Memoir on the Geography of Africa;" for the African Affociation.

"Observations on a Current that prevails to the Weltward of the Scilly Ilands."-This was printed in the Philofophical Tranfactions. 1798. A Third "Memoir" on the Geography of Africa, with a Map illuftrative of Mr. Parke's Route (for the African Affociation).-In thefe geographical illuftrations the fources of modern error on the fubject of the Niger are well pointed out; the authority of Herodotus is established; the course of the Senegal river afcertained; the grounds for the conftruction of a map of Africa, and the variations of the compafs, judiciously laid down; the phyfical and political geography of North Africa well difcuffed, and the comparison of the ancient and modern geogra phy made with great judgment and precifion.

1800. "The Geographical Syftem of Herodotus examined and explained, by a Comparison with thofe of other ancient Authors, and with modern Geography. In the Courfe of the Work are introduced Differtations on the itinerary Stade of the Greeks, the Expedition of Darius Hydafpes to Scythia, the Pofition and Remains of Antient Babylon, the Alluvions

of the Nile, and the Canals of Suez; the Oafis and Temple of Jupiter Ammon, the ancient Circumnavigation of Africa, and other Subjects of Hiftory and Geography. The Whole explained by Eleven Maps, adapted to the different Subjects, and accompanied with a complete Index." One volume, quarto. We find, however, that this volume, though complete in itself, is only the commencement of a great plan of its Author, to correct the Geography, ancient and modern, of that part of Afia which lies between India and Europe; a task which the Major tells us, in his Preface, he had many years ago undertaken, and which he has fince performed to the best of his abilities, fo far as his ftock of materials admitted; but that it would have been an act of imprudence in an individual to venture on fo great an expence as the execution of the work in all its parts required. The Geography of Herodotus, therefore, in the prefent volume, may be confidered as the first part. The remain. ing parts will confift of the ancient geography, as it was improved by the Grecian conquests and establihments; together with fuch portions of military history as appear to want explanation. Maps of ancient geography, on fcales adapted to the purpofe, are intended to accompany them.

"A corrected Sheet Map of the Peninfula of India, in which the Partition of the whole Empire of Tippoo Sultan is fhewn; and the Ceffions of 1792 clearly distinguished from thofe of 1799."

1802. A Fourth" Memoir" on the African Geography, with an improved Map of Africa, and a Map of Mr. Houfemann's Route (for the African Affociation).

The foregoing lift exhibits ftrong proofs of the talents and industry of Major Rennell; who still enjoys a ge neral itate of health and spirits that enable, and will we hope encourage, him to lay the learned and political world under additional obligations. J.