hiftorians.-The Reader may judge of the materials contained in this judicious work by the following enumeration :

The two first volumes include a period of three centuries and a half, beginning with the year 1273 and ending with 1635. The principal things exhibited here are, the contefts between Rodolphus of Hapfburg and Ottoeares King of Bohemia-the interefting portrait and hiftory of Maximilian I. and his war with the Swifs and Lewis XII.-the league of Cambray-the treaty of Maximilian with Henry VIII. King of England, and the great acceffions of luftre and dominion which the House of Auftria received under the reign of that Emperor-the wars between Francis I. and Charles V. and the excellent portrait of the latter the famous revolution in the Netherlands under the reign of Philip II.-the tragical end of Don Carlos-the rupture between Philip of Spain and Henry IV. of France-the peace of Vervins-the origin of the memorable war of 30 years, and the exploits of Guftavus Adolphus in Germany.

The principal matters contained in the four fucceeding volumes are the irruption of the Spaniards into Picardythe character of the Emperor Ferdinand II.-the famous revolution in Portugal-the peace of Weftphalia-the treaty of the Pyrenees-the troubles of Hungary-the portraits of Philip IV. and Charles II. Kings of Spain, of the Queen-mother, Don John of Auftria, and the Queen of France, mother to Lewis XIV. the raifing the fiege of Vienna, when invefted by the Turks-the violation of the truce of 20 years between the Empire and France-the treaties of Ryfwick and Carlowitzthe acceffion of the Duke of Anjou to the crown of Spain-the rebellion of Prince Ragotsky against the Emperor Leopold,the portraits of this Emperor and his fucceffor Jofeph I.-the treaty of Utrecht-the projects of Alberoni-the abdication of Philip V.

The attentive reader of this hiftory will meet with inftructive leffons from the different deftinies of the elder and younger branches of the House of Auftria: he will fee the former poffeffing Spain, the Indies, the Low-Countries, and a great part of Italy, and yet falling gradually into the most incredible lethargy, weakness, and contempt, and concluding with the death of that poor infignificant monarch, Charles II. while the latter, established in Germany, rofe, after various changes of fortune, to a high degree of power and fplendour. It is remarkable, that these two branches never united their interefts, but in fuch circumstances as rendered their union and mutual fuccours ufelefs to both. It is alfo remarkable that, notwithstanding the vaft acceffions made to the power and dominion of the Houfe of Austria, by the acquifition of Bohemia, Auftria, Silefia, Moravia, and

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other fertile and extenfive regions, the rival power of France had still the ascendant, at least so far down as the conclufion of the last century. This our Author attributes to the political reunion and local contiguity of all the parts of the French monarchy, to the extinction of feudal government, the diminution of the power of the nobility by Richlieu, and other circumftances of a more accidental kind; while in the Auftrian dominions the flavery of the people, the overgrown opulence and power of the nobility or great vaffals, and the inconveniencies refulting from difperfed and unconnected territories, have been hitherto obftacles to the influence and progrefs of that afpiring power. This may change. And we have only to open our eyes to fee the germ of fome revolution of that kind, which we have no afsurance that the peace lately concluded will prevent.

II. Hiftoire naturelle, civile, et politique du Tonquin, &c. i. e. A natural, civil, and political Hiftory of Tonquin. By the Abbé RICHARD, Canon of Vezelay. 2 Vols. 12mo. Paris. 1778. Price bound 5 Livres. The prefent Hiftory is drawn up from the papers of the Abbé de Saint-Phalle, a priest of the diocese of Autun, who performed, during the space of twelve years, the laborious duties of Miffionary at Tonquin, and died at Paris in 1766. As the hiftory of this kingdom, which holds a confiderable rank among the empires of oriental Afia, is an object of confequence to modern literature, and has not hitherto been treated in a manner that ought to difcourage farther attempts in the same way, the Public is obliged to the Abbé RICHARD for the pains he has taken in digefting the memoirs and obfervations of the Abbé de Saint-Phalle, correcting the inaccuracies of his ftyle, and in giving the work its prefent form.-It is divided into two parts. The firft contains a geographical description of Tonquin, and an account of every thing relative to the customs, manners, and riches of that country, its population, industry, commerce, fciences, arts, trades, government, revolutions, revenues, forces, taxes, civil and criminal laws, and the forms of judicial proceedings. This first part is terminated by a digreffion concerning the fundamental laws of the Chinese empire, from which thofe of Tonquin are taken. The resemblance between the people of Tonquin and the Chinefe, with refpect to manners, fcience, arts, funeral ceremonies, and religious laws, is very great for which reafon the most interefting accounts, in this first part, are thofe that relate to the natural history of the country, and its productions, which, together with its fituation on the borders of the richeft provinces of China, furnish ways and means of commerce, from whence Europe might derive the greatest advantages. The fecond part of this work contains an account of the miffions,-which have been attended

with fo little fruit in those regions,-and in almost all othersas to juftify, in fome measure, the application of the prophet's expreffion, to this cafe-Can the Ethiopian change his fkin?

III. Hiftoire critique des Opinions des Anciens, &c. i. e. A critical Hiftory of the Opinions of the Ancients, and of the philofophical Syftems relative to HAPPINESS. By M DE ROCHEFORT, Member of the Royal Academy of Inferiptions and Belles Lettres. Paris. 8vo. 1779. Happiness is, in the fphere of moral inveftigation, what the philofopher's ftone is in the line of chemical, or rather alchemical, combination and analyfis. However, as the chemifts, though they did not obtain their main purpose, gathered, by the way, feveral scattered fcraps of truth and useful knowledge, fo the moralifts have given us many ufeful directions, though they never have been able to mark out a certain path to true felicity, and that, for a very good reafon, even, that it is not the growth of any fublunary climate, but has its time, place, and maturity elsewhere. Be that as it may, we think there is both pleasure and profit to be obtained in the perufal of the work before us; yet we dare not flatter any of our Readers that it will render them happy. After having made a wife and judicious estimate of the different ftages of life, with respect to their fufceptibility of pleasure and enjoyment, our Author enters upon the hiftorical part of his work, which is divided into five books. In the first, he treats of thofe opinions of the ancients relative to happiness, that deferve notice, and that furnish the best and the most interesting materials for a hiftory of the human mind, and in the four following he unfolds and examines the philofophical fyftems, that were compofed on this important fubject, from Thales to Marcus Antoninus

IV. Traité des Couleurs Materielles et de la Maniere de Colorer, relativement aux differens Arts et Metiers: i. e. A Treatife concerning Colours, and the Manner of Colouring, confidered with reSpect to the useful and mechanic Arts. By M. LE PILEUR D'APLIGNY. I 2mo. Paris. 1778. In this useful work the Author treats of colours and colouring, neither as an optician nor a connoiffeur in painting, but as a chemift, who unfolds their phyfical principles, points out the methods of improving and modifying them, defcribes the merely mechanical operations in the different kinds of painting, and detects the improper and defective methods of proceeding in this line of practical fcience. After having pointed out the chemical process in the various colours employed in the different kinds of painting, he confiders the different fubftances of which they are compofed, and the manner of blending them. He obferves, that excepting cochineal, which belongs to the animal fpecies, all colours are drawn from vegetables or minerals. Our Author's first divifion, therefore, of colours, confide ed with respect to the diverfity of their origin, is into vegetable and mi

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neral; of thefe he enumerates the various kinds, and defcribes their compofition. He afterwards fhews their ufe in the five different kinds of painting, fuch as Pastel, Distemper, Oil, Frefco, and Encauftic; and on each of thefe branches of that noble art, he makes obfervations, and gives directions, which discover a very extenfive acquaintance with natural philofophy and chemistry. This is an excellent book for painters: they will find in it the impofture of many pretended fecrets detected, and a number of preparations, founded upon repeated experiments, that deserve attention. The Author's receipt for making the fine colour, diftinguished by the name of Pruffian Blue, and his account of the late difcoveries for fixing the Pastel, are curious; but nothing furprised us more than his method of cafting wood in moulds, fo as to make it affume every poffible form without diminishing its natural confiftence. It is as follows: Take fine faw-duft of wood of any kind, and put into a veffel a pound of the parings or fhreds of parchment: pour upon them a quantity of fpring water, fufficient to form a liquid pafte, and let this mixture ftand three days. Take of gum arabic and gum tragacanth, two ounces each, put them into the water with the parchment, cover them, and let them boil between two or three hours, and add warm water, if that in which you have put the parchment is much diminished before the parchment is diffolved. Strain this mixture through a piece of linen; throw into it the pulverized wood or faw-duft, and ftir the compofition on the fire until it has affumed the denfity or confiftence of pap or jelly: when the mixture is cold, put it into a mould which has been oiled: let it remain there during two days, at the end of which time it will be fit for working.'

V. Nouveaux Opufcules de M. Feutry, &c. i. e. New Pieces, or Opufcula, of M. FEUTRY, Member of the Philofophical Society of Philadelphia. 8vo. Paris. 1779. Price 3 Livres. The greateft part of thefe mifcellanies are tables, fonnets, epigrams, portraits, imitations, which are not amifs, but which would not have much attracted our attention to the work, were they not followed by two difcourfes in profe: one concerning the Origin of the Caftilian Poetry, taken from Don L. J. JE VELASCO; the other containing Historical Researches on Tufcan Poetry. The characters of the principal Spanish and Italian poets are delineated with judgment and tafte in these two difcourfes; and we learn from thence, that the bards of both nations have been indebted for a great part of their merit, to the ancient Mufes of Provence, to what the French call the Pache Provençale, which took its rife under William VIII. Duke of Aquitaine, about the year 1100, and does not feem to have furvived the fifteenth century.-The Reader will find, at the

* Should not the quantity of faw-dult have been mentioned?

end

end of this volume, fubjects treated, that are adapted to frighten the Mufes. Thefe we meet with in five memoirs or difcourfes. Firf, concerning warlike machines; fecondly, a plan for form ing, in the Royal Military School, a collection of arms and warlike machines that have been employed by all nations both in ancient and modern times; thirdly, concerning artil lery, in which the Author gives an account of the properties of certain cannons of his own invention; fourthly, concerning a car or waggon, armed for war, which is also a new invention; and, fifthly, concerning a raft, defigned to carry a kind of fortreis.-The French feem fo bufy in inventing every thing, that they have not leisure to execute any thing.

GERMANY.

VI. 7. J. Mofers-Erfte Grundlehren des ietzigen Europæifchen Voelker rechts, &c. i. e. The first Principles of the Law of Nations in Europe, at this prefent Time, both with respect to Peace and War. By M. MOSER, Counsellor of State to the King of Denmark. 8vo. Nuremberg. 1779. When we had read the title of this book only, and obferved the words, at this prefent time (however accustomed we are to meet with grave and good things from the pen of M. Mofer), we were preparing ourselves to read a piece of pleafantry and fatire. The French alliance with America and hoftilities against England (laying afide all confideration of the American conteft with the mother-country), was fuch a violation of truth, honour, and juftice, as hath but few examples; and the filence of the European nations, at this event, looked as if the law of nations had been reverfed, When we had perufed Mr. Mofer's book, we found he was ferious, and that he had compofed it for the ufe of the Military Academy of Wurtemberg.

The Reader must not here exp: the philofophical principles of the law of nations; for these are not confined to Europe, but must be obligatory wherever reafon and humanity are found; but he will find here an account of the actual state of Europe, of the maxims (rendered facred by repeated examples) that direct the proceedings and conduct of its fovereigns, with refpect to all the various objects that relate to their mutual interefts and obligations. In twenty chapters, of which this work is compofed, our Author treats-Of the Law of Nations in general, and of Europe in particular-Cf Europe, confidered as forming, in fome meafure, one political Body-Of the Perfons and Families of Sovereigns-Of the Ceremonial-Of Ambaffadors and Envoys-Of the Lands and Seas that come within the Dominion of Sovereigns-Of the Servants and Subjects of Sovereigns Of Articles of Religion-Of political Maxims, and the Adminiftration of Juftice-Of the Military and Marine Departments-Of Finances-Of Acts of Grace-Of Commerce

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