perfection dont les caractères m'ont paru furtout réfider dans la ductilité et la facilité à fe féparer de l'oxigène. Je me fuis particulièrement attaché à faire connoître les lieux où le trouvent les mines, l'efpèce de roche qui les renferme, les fubftances qui les accompagnent, la fituation et les autres circonftances des filons. J'indique les principales propriétés chimiques de chaque métal, et furtout les divers ufages auxquels on peut l'employer,"

On the fubject of fome hazarded conjectures, he observes :

On me reprochera, peut-être, d'avoir trop fouvent effayé d'expliquer les divers faits que préfente le règne minéral. Mais il eft difficile d'obferver la nature avec quelqu'attention fans chercher à pénétrer dans fes fecrets, et plus difficile encore de ne pas dire ce qu'on a cru découvrir."

In another place, fpeaking of volcanoes, he excufes himself in the following terms:

Je fais que de nos jours les conjectures, les hypothèses, sont bannies de l'étude de la nature, qu'on les regarde comme plus propres à retarder qu'à accélérer la marche de la fcience; et rien n'eft plus vrai en général; mais quand ces conjectures font fondées fur des analogies et fur des rapprochemens de faits, et de grands faits géologiques, je ne penfe nullement qu'on doive les profcrire. Elles étendent les vues de L'obfervateur et lui font remarquer des rapports qui lui auroient échappé.

Je n'ignore pas que l'obfervation exacte et fimple des faits, eft ce qu'il y a de plus précieux pour la fcience....Mais que diroit-on d'un homme qui pafferoit fa vie à tirer péniblement des matériaux de la cárrière, fans jamais se bâtir une cabane? Las de me traîner fur des tas de pierres, j'ai effayé de me conftruire un édifice. Le plan peut-être en eft bizarre et la conftruction peu folide; mais l'imagination du moins peut s'y promener un inftant, et la vue des matériaux placés dans un certain ordre, peut lui faire concevoir un arrangement plus heureux.”

Ibid.

ART. 52. Syflème des connoiffances chimiques, et de leurs applications aux phénomènes de la nature et de l'art; par le C. Fourcroy, de l'Inftitut national, confeiller d'état, &c. Extrait par le C. Bouillon-Lagrange; 10 Voll. in 8vo. 50 fr. le même format, 5 Volt. in 410. 72 fr. Paris.

The preceding works of the celebrated Faureroy differ effentially from this laft; in none of them are fo many facts collected, or arranged in the fame order, of which experience had fhown him the advantage; this may therefore be called a complete fyftem of thofe branches of theoretic knowledge which conftitute the science of chemistry.

In the preliminary difcourfe is given, in detail, an account of the plan adopted by the author; and in order to render it ftill more in-. terefting, he has inferted in it all the difcoveries which had been communicated to the Inftitute, or published during the impreffion of his work. The entire fyftem is divided into eight fections.

Ibid.

Акт.

ART. 53. Defcription des Plantes nouvelles et peu connnes, cultivées dans le jardin de J. M. Cels, avec fig, par E. P. Ventenat, de l'Ins ftitat national de France, l'un des Confervateurs de la Bibliothèque na tionale du Panthéon. In fol. et in 4to. Deuxième livraison. Paris.

Few works will be found of fuch general utility as this which we here announce, in the study of Natural History. It is not fufficient to delign the whole of a plant with exactness; we fhould likewife leparate from each other all the organs which conftitute it, and thus offer them fingly to the view of the obferver, that he may be enabled, without any effort, to clafs it according to fome fyftem, and point out the genus to which it belongs. This is the principal advantage prefented by the two fafciculi published by Mr. Ventenat. They do not confift of plates luxurioufly coloured to fatisfy the curiofity of a fuperficial amateur, but of faithful pictures, in which the experienced eye will difcover nature herself in all her details. Magas. Encycl.

ART. 54. Hiftoire naturelle des Colibris et des Oifeaux-Mouches; par J. B. Audebert, membre de la Société d'histoire naturelle de Paris, et auteur de l'hiftoire naturelle des Singes, des makis, et des galéopithèques. Deuxième livraison, compofée du texte, et de fix planches imprimées en couleur, et ornées de la lettre en or au bas de chaque figure," format grand in folio, papier jéfus-vélin, fuperfin, fatiné, pr. 30 fr. 4°. jéfus-vélin, la lettre en noir, pr. 15 fr. De l'imprimerie de Crapelet.

The author of this accurate, and peculiarly fplendid work, begins each article with a thort defcription; he then gives the fynonymie, and terminates by a detailed defcription, in which he always mentions the country inhabited by the bird in queftion, and the cabinet to which the fpecimen, from which his defcription was made, belongs. In twelve copies only the text of this work is printed with gold, instead of ink. Ibid.

ART. 55. Obfervations et expériences fur l'art d'empailler et de conferver les oifeaux, par les CC. Henon, ancien Profeff ur de l'école vétérinaire de Paris, directeur adjoint, et premier Profeffeur de celle de Lyon, membre de l'Athénée, de la Société d'Agriculture, d' Hiftoire naturelle et arts utiles, et de celle de Médecine de Lyon; et Mouton Fontenille, membre de l'Athénée de Lyon, de la Société d'Agriculture, d'Hiftoire naturelle et arts utiles de Lyon, correfpondent de la Societé d'économie rurale du département de Vauclufe. Lyons, 1801. 8vo.

3000

MM. Henon and Mouton Fontenille have prepared upwards of birds, and have obferved them at different epochs and different times. They propofe publishing a Philofophie Ornithologique.

Ibid.

GERMANY.

GERMANY.

ART. 56. Des Herrn Abt Karl Denina, Gefchichte Piémants und der übrigen Staaten des Koenigs von Sardinien, &c.-The Hiftory of Piemont and of the other States of the King of Sardinia, by the Abbé Denina, Courfellar of Legation to the King of Pruffia, Member of the Academies of Sciences of Berlin, Rome, Naples, Florence, Padua, and Erfurt, beretofore Profeffor of Belles Lettres in the University of Turin; wirb a geographical and flatifical Defcription of thefe Countries, according to thir Extent, in 1792; and an Account of the most recent political Changes in Italy, by the fame; tranflated from the Italian MS, of the Author, by Frederic Strafs, Profeffor in the Luftitute of the Royal Corps of Cadets. Berlin, 8vo. 705 pp.

In the Preface, the author gives an account of the works which have appeared on the Hiftory of Piémont antecedently to the 18th century; he then points out the caufes which, in the prefent century, have prevented the publication of other works relative to this object, and those which have induced him to compose this, of which we here announce a German tranflation.

The 256 first pages of this volume contain a defcription of the ftates poffefled by the houfe of Savoy, in 1792; and this part is divided into twelve chapters. The author treats of their extent, population, productions, the character of the inhabitants, the government, legiflation, religion, military establishment, the finances, sciences, arts, and commerce.

After thefe ftatistical and geographical preliminaries, Mr. Denina gives the four first books of the history of Piémont. In the first book, he traces the hiftory of Piémont and of Savoy, before the 11th cen tury; in the fecond, he treats of the government of the Lombards, or Longobards, then of that of the Carlovingians, before the Marquis of Montferrat and the Counts of Savoy; of the origin of the Marquis of Sufa and Ivrea, as alfo of thofe of Montferrat; he defcribes the irruptions of the Hungarians and Saracens, and gives the hiftory of the Emprefs Adelaide, daughter of Rodolphe II, King of Bur gundy, and of Italy, which had a great influence on the aggrandifement of Montferrat. The fecond book comprizes the period from 1000 to 1268. It begins by fhowing the antiquity of the houfe of Savoy, and difcuffes the valgar opinion which makes it defcend from Berold. It afterwards relates the remarkable events which the hiftory of Piémont and of Savoy offer at this period; fuch as the wars, the foundation of feveral cities, as Aleffandria, Cunéo, Chambéry, that of different monafteries; and, on this occafion, the author points out the advantages which they prefented in thofe times; he fhows, among others, the journies undertaken by St. Bernard in Italy, and the reforms produced by him in various monafteries. The third book continues the history of the house of Savoy from 1268 to 1416; and the fourth book, which is the last of this volume, purfues it to the middle of the 15th century.

'The

• The author, who refided at Turin whilft he was compofing this work, had recourfe not only to Guichenon and other works, printed and in MS. which were at his difpofal, but he was likewife enabled to avail himself of other works, which were either unknown to Guichenon, or of which, at leaft, he made no ufe. The fecond volume will carry on the history of thefe countries to the year 1660, where that of Guichenon finishes. The third, which will contain the hiftory of modern times, or that of the three firft Kings of Sardinia, will be abfolutely new, fince hitherto no contemporary author, nor any who was a native of the country, has treated of it; all that is found concerning it may he reduced to fome traits scattered in the history of Louis XIV, of Louis XV, of Leopold I, of Jofeph I, of Charles VI, and of MariaTherefa; as far as they refpect the wars of which Piémont has often been the theatre, and in which its fovereigns have frequently taken a part. The connections which the author has had at Turin, have put it in his power to give an authentic account of these reigns, which will, no doubt, be well received.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Mr. Coleridge, through the intervention of a friend, defires us to fay, that the Verfes mentioned in our Review for Auguft, p. 218, were publifhed furreptitiously, and without his knowledge, not having been ever intended to meet the public eye.

We feel a very fincere obligation to B. H. B. for his information, upon which we fhall certainly act as effectually as poffible. We believe, however, that there must be fome foul play in the matter he mentions.

We have received the communications of BX B. which thall have all due attention.

The publisher of Dr. S.'s book will find; on recurring to the Britith Critic, vol. .ví, p. 599, that he is totally mistaken, as to the affertion in his note,

Mr. Cr-r is refpectfully informed, that the communication he requests is quite contrary to rule.

If Dr. O. H. be not implacably difaffected, he has, at least, a fingular mode of expreffing his attachment.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

That indefatigable aftronomer, Dr. Schroeter, of Liljenthal, in the dutchy of Bremen, has announced a fecond volume of his Selens-topographic Fragments, in which he promifes confiderable additions to our knowledge of the moon, its furface,

atmosphere, and various changes. It will contain no lefs than thirty-two plates, and is to be published by fubfcription.

G. A. Ruperti, rector of the college at Stade, proposes to publifh, by fubfcription allo, a new and complete edition of the Claffics, both Greek and Latin; not in a splendid style, but in

a neat and useful manner.

Profeflor Parfon has completed his fourth play of Euripides,

the Meuca.

Dr. Barrett, fenior Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, has just published his long-expected, and magnificent work, the fac fimile edition of a very ancient MS. of St. Matthew's Gofpel, with a collation of the celebrated Code Montfortianus.

Dr. Ruffll will foon produce a fecond volume of his fplendid work on Oriental Snakes: and he is preparing alfo a fimilar publication on the fubject of Fishes.

Mr. Reeves's very fatisfactory and inftructive edition of the Holy Bible, is going on with confiderable dispatch.

Mr. Gifford's tranflation of Juvenal is now in fome forwardness at the prefs.

Mr. Ritfon will foon give the public an edition of fome of our most ancient Dramas.

We understand that Mr. Douce, alfo, is employed in a defign of a fimilar nature.

ERRATA.

As fome corrections, intended for our printer last month, unfortunately did not reach him in time, we must beg our readers to excufe the following errors, and others perhaps which we may have overlooked.

P. 307, 1. 1, of profe, for worthy r. worthy of

309, 3,

for beft t. better.

311, 16, for Coby t. Ceby.

312,

38, for fourrier. fourire.

2, for ceis r. cris.

8, for vous r. vous.

321, ART. 34, for phymafis and periphymafis s. phymosis and

322,

paraphymofis, paffim.

for Van Swietan г, Van Swieten

for Tyras 1. Tyros.

ART. 36, for Buferius . Burferins, paffim.

In ART. 45, note, we attributed a former Eflay on Punctuation to Mr. Steele. It is true that he published a finall tract on that subject, named Elements of Punctuation, but we now recollect that the Effay to which we meant to allude, was the work of Mr. Robertson, known for his learned book on the Parian Marbles, &c.