ble autobiography. And we pledge ourselves to bestow
upon his book what Aaron Bang calls an amber immortalisation, by embalming
it in a review; treating him tenderly, as one we dearly cherish.

Neither pleasant recollections of Omoo, nor equally agreeable
anticipations of Longghost's lucubrations, shall prevent our doing full
justice to Coulter. Mr Melville made a charming book out of most slender
materials. What had he to write about? Literally next to nothing. The
fag-end of a cruise, and a few weeks' residence on an island, whose
aspect, inhabitants, and all pertaining to it, had already been minutely
and well described by Kotzebue and other voyagers. But he has found more
to say that is worth reading, about what he saw in his very limited sphere
of observation, than Dr Coulter has concerning his extensive voyages and
travels "on the Western Coast of South America, and the interior of
California, including a narrative of incidents at the Kingsmill Islands,
New Ireland, New Britain, New Guinea, and other islands in the Pacific
Ocean." And with respect to the manner of saying it, the Yankee has it
hollow. Dr Coulter's style is careless, often feeble, and defaced by
grammatical errors, so glaring that one marvels they escaped correction at
the very printers' hands. It says much, therefore, for the fertility of
the subject, for the novelty and curiosity of the scenes visited and
incidents encountered by the adventurous doctor of medicine, that his
book, although devoid of the graces of composition, is upon the whole both
instructive and amusing.

To understand the desultory to-and-fro nature of Dr Coulter's cruise, it
is necessary to read his preface, where he gives some general information
concerning the singular and precarious commerce known as the Pacific
Trade. This is carried on between the ports on the western coast of North
and South America, the Pacific Islands, and the coasts of China, and is
very lucrative, but often dangerous. The articles of trade and barter are
exceedingly various. Europe contributes wines, brandy, hardware, and
sundry manufactured goods; California sends deals, corn, and furs; the
various islands furnish arrow-root, oil, pearls, dye-woods, tortoiseshell,
&c. The ships engaged in the traffic, and which are of many sizes and
countries, are usually owned, wholly or in part, by the captain or
supercargo, and consequently, wholly unfettered in their course, they
wander from port to port, accordi