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Europeans the treafures of Sanfcrit literature, to which, it is fuppofed, he was the first that furnished any useful key. The Hindoo alphabets, till of late in the poffeffion of the Propaganda (a fociety reviled only by misinformed travellers), were packed up at Rome under his eyes, and fent off to Paris. Still, however, he could not be difpoffeffed of his vaft attainments; and he has even refcued a few Hindoo manufcripts written on palmleaves, and containing, in a small compafs, matter of much literary moment. Among them are a grammar, of which he has already edited an extract; three volumes comprifing the large Sanferit dictionary, known under the name of Amarafinha; and the Sacontala, a drama, no doubt familiar to many of our readers from the elegant English translation, publifhed fome years ago, by Sir Wm. Jones. Defirous to form an estimate of the time neceffary for illuftrating, and of the expences requifite for printing, the above copious Dictionary, he was, during the latter period of his refidence in Rome, engaged in finishing for the prefs the first fection of the Amarafinha, which he actually completed, when the French requifitions at Rome had already begun. The preface to that fection concludes with the following words: Dabam fervente Marte Gallico.

DR. CHLADNI, well known for his important discoveries relating to found, has lately announced fome new facts refpecting the animal electricity. He fays he has afcertained that animals, which have been fuppofed to have the electric fluid equally diffused throughout their bodies, are on the contrary liable to have it accumulated in certain parts, or that the pofitive and negative electricity, under certain circumstances, exift in different parts of the fame animal. This hitherto unafcertained fact has also been recently afferted by Profeffor ABILDGAARD, fecretary to the Royal Academy of Sciences at Copenhagen, celebrated for his former discoveries in electricity. He fays the pofitive electricity is frequent in parts affected with the gout, while the other parts of the body are negatively electrified; and fuggefts that the application of metallic tractors would equilibriate the stock of electricity, and thus probably remove the disease.

DR. PRIESTLEY in a letter to Dr. Mitchill on the subject of the Phlogiftic Theory, dated January 17, 1799, fays, that having laid before the public his laft experiments on the fubject, he does not

intend to do any thing more till he hears from the great advocates of the oppofite opinion in France.

In the mean time he

is not without advocates as well as opponents in America.

The Rev. Mr. Senger, of Reck in Weftphalia, has difcovered a new fubftance for making paper. It is taken from the aquatic plant, called by Linnæus Conferva rivularis (Eng. Crow-filk), a vegetable very plentifully growing in all European rivers. The inventor having fpent many years in making experiments and perfecting his difcovery, is now publifhing a circumftantial account of it, from which it appears that the above material furnishes as excellent paper as that obtained from rags, and at lefs expence.

The ftudy of ancient languages (at leaft in the schools of Paris) has not been fo much neglected, as we might fuppofe would have been the cafe, after the fuppreffion of colleges; places almoft univerfally devoted to that kind of study. We have received a Latin Ode, compofed by a pupil of the central fchool of the Pantheon, which will justify the preceding obfervation. This young poet has chofen for his fubject, the horrid Affaffination of the French Plenipotentiaries. His ode is not a chef d'œuvre, yet it difcovers fome talents; we cite two ftrophes.

Flete-quin imo generofa, cives,
Corda vindictam fitiant-facratos
Impius pacis populum miniftros
Mucro peremit.

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O probrum noftri fcelus ufque fecli!
Quod nec errantes fine lege turbæ,
Quod nec aufæ funt acies, nefandum!
Auftria fecit. &c.

The Swedish Academy established by Guftavus III. (a friend of the arts and fciences) on the model of the French Academy, has produced the most advantageous effects to good taste and genius. From its eftablishment is dated the true origin of Swedish eloquence. M. DE ROSENSTEIN, the celebrated orator, is perpetual Secretary. Under the Regency its fittings were prohibited, its archives fealed up, and its revenues fequeftered, only becaufe one of its members had ventured to fpeak in his difcourfe of reception, of a fact which was univerfally known, but which the government of that time wanted to be unknown. the acceffion of the prefent king the Academy refumed its labours. The principal end of this eftablishment is to watch over the Swedish language, and to prevent its adulteration by the introduction of foreign

At

words

words. The prizes of the current year, are; for eloquence, the elogium of STEIN STURE, the elder, Regent of Sweden; and for poetry, a cantata to the Mufes of the Lyric Theatre.

The population of Berlin, without in cluding the military, amounted in 1796 to 134,647 inhabitants. The military and their families formed a total of about 26,000; fo that this capital offers a mals of about 165,000 individuals.

A Society has been lately established at Abo, in Sweden, under the name of OECONOMICAL SOCIETY OF FINLAND; the object of which is to endeavour to ameliorate the country by the propagation of knowledge, advice, and inftruction, and to excite emulation by premiums, &c. Two prizes have been already propofed: the first for the compofition of an elementary Treatife on Agriculture for the ufe of the Finland Peafantry; and the fecond for the folution of this question: What are the most proper means to excite induftry? This fociety is composed of a number of active intelligent men, whose zeal will not be limitted to mere attempts; their prefident is M. GADOLIN. If Sweden through its whole extent were to break up the foil, and transform its vaft forefts into pasture and arable lands, its power would equal that of moft other countries. Lapland, especially, and Finland would fupport a population much more confiderable, than what they contain at this time.

The last number of the ANNALES DE CHYMIE prefents us with an interefting memoir on the combuftion of the Diamond, by GUYTON (Morveau), which throws confiderable light on its compofition, and verifies the important experiments made by Lavoifier and Tennant. The diamonds employed in thefe experiments were taken on board an English hip coming from Senegal, and being in the rough, and not fit for the jeweller, a part of them was given to the Polytechnic School by order of government, out of which were taken the two that were the fubjects of thefe experiments. The combuftion was performed in oxygen gas by means of the folar light, and all proper attention was paid to the accuracy and purity of the gas employed. In the first experiment, the large lens belonging to the Polytechnic School was employed; and in the fecond, that of Tfchirnhaufen. The circumftances of combuftion were the following:-The diamond at first became black, and of a coaly appearance; then, as the heat increased, the blackness was fucceeded by luminous points, boiling up, as

it were, through the blackened part, till it was beautifully tranfparent throughout, and with fomewhat of a metallic luftre, till the diamond was totally confumed. If at any time the fun's rays were intercepted, it appeared of a glorious red, but which foon went off; and it grew cold without being able fpontaneously to continue the combuftion, and when cold, remained beautifully tranfparent. During the combuftion (which was carried on at intervals for fome days), the angles of the diamond were gradually rounded off, and melted down, as it were, till the octahedral form was no longer diftinguishable; but it continued tranfparent to the laft particle. The air remaining in the veffels after the combuftion, affayed by barytic lime water, fhewed a large production of carbonic acid, and (what is remarkable in this experiment) this acid, inftead of being compofed of 28 of carbon, and 72 of oxygen, as is the cafe with common charcoal, fhewed a compofition of 17.88 of diamond, and 82.12 of oxygen. From this important result it would appear, that the diamond is a carbonaceous fubftance, much richer in combustible matter than charcoal, as it requires a much greater quantity of oxygen for the production of an equal quantity of carbonic acid; for if the above numbers are reduced to unity, it will be found that one part of charcoal absorbs in combustion 2.527 of oxygen, and produces 3.575 of acid: whereas, 1 part of diamond absorbs 4. of oxygen, and gives 5. of acid. From the leaden colour which the diamond affumed in the courfe of combuftion, the author fuppofes a partial converfion into plumbago, which is intermediate between the diamond and charcoal, as to the quantity of oxygen abforbed in combustion, and the heat required for this process. The carbonaceous mineral anthracolite, or carburet of alumine, refembles plumbago in this refpect. Therefore the author concludes, that diamond is the pure carbonaceous principle; and this in a low degree of oxygenation produces plumbago, anthracolite, and the different fpecies of difficultly combustible coals; in a higher degree, common charcoal; and in complete oxygenation, carbonic acid. Of thefe, the pureft carbone is that which requires the highest heat for combustion; and therefore diamond and plumbago, even when fully ignited, cannot continue to burn when the igniting heat is removed. This difficulty of oxygenation resembles that of azote, which, when pure, requires the electric spark, or fome very powerful agent, to produce oxygenation; but when

partly

partly oxygenated in the form of nitrous gas, requires only the mere contact of oxygen to produce a full faturation.

CHAPTAL has given an interesting Memoir on the method of cultivating the mountains of Cevennes. This chain of mountains, naturally dry and fterile, with fteep and rugged banks, has been converted, by the industry of the natives, into fertile gardens and plantations, furnishing abundance of support for two or three hundred thousand inhabitants. Their inge. nuity and industry is particularly fhewn in the method which they employ to fill the deep gullies or ravines which are formed by the violence of the mountain torrents washing away all the loofe foil on the fides of the hills, and laying bare the naked rock. To fill up a ravine the inhabitant of Cevennes begins by building a stone wall without mortar at the foot of the mountain across the whole breadth of the ravine, from three to fix feet in height, according to its depth. This wall forms a dyke, which breaks the force of the torrents, and fuffers the water to escape, while it detains the earth and fragments of ftone which are carried with it. The effect of this is gradually to fill up the lower part of the ravine by the depofition from the ftreams which defcend from the mountains. Then another wall, fimilar to the former, and parallel to it, is built higher up within the inner angle of the ravine, which has the fame effect as the firft. In this manner he proceeds with fucceffive parallel walls even to the top of the mountain; and the ravine is thus converted into beds of good foil, rifing in ftages the one above the other, and capable of excellent culture. The mountain ftreams being thus made to flow upon more level ground are broken in their force, and no longer ravage the plains by their impetuous fury, but ferve the beneficial purpose of conftantly watering the fields which have been won by this ingenious industry. The cultivator then plants his ftages of mulberry-trees upon thefe platforms, fows his maize, potatoes, legumes, and grain of every kind; and with prudent economy plants his vines on the upper fide of the walls, and trains them over to the lower fide that they may not Occupy that room in his artificial fields which can be filled with other crops. His foil being virgin, well watered, and fertile by nature, yields abundant harvests; and every year becomes more firm and ftable by the trees and roots with which it is filled, fo that it is very rare for tempefts to deftroy thefe well-earned fruits of industry.

The kill and induftry of the inhabitant of Cevennes is equally confpicuous in the MONTHLY MAG, No, L.

cultivation of the fides of the calcareous mountains. These are almost all, formed of fucceffive beds of lime-ftone retiring from each other to the fummit, and thus making regular ftages above each bed, which flope with the dip of the different ftrata. The farmer begins by breaking all the large loofe ftones which lie on thefe stages, and with the fragments he forms a wall bounding the edge of the platform, and fills the vacant space with foil collected at the bottom of the hills in the course of the torrents, and conveyed thither on his fhoulders. Thus, by inceffant labour the fides of the mountains are covered with fmall parallel walls, enclosing a long narrow flip of level ground highly cultivated. Not unfrequently, however, it happens, that the violence of the winds and rain sweeps away both garden and wall, and carries them into the plain below; which affords a conftant exercife to the patience and perfeverance of the cultivator, whofe life is a continual wrestling with the violence of the elements:. but hence the barren mountain is fertilifed, and the induftrious labourer is abundantly provided with all the comforts of plenty.

Mr. WILLIAM HIGGINS, of Dublin, has brought into ufe an important improvement in the procefs of Bleaching. In the ordinary procefs, the cloth is repeatedly boiled in an alkaline lye previous to exposure to the fun and air, and the expence of the alkali is a very confiderable object to the manufacturer. Mr. HIGGINS has fubftituted a folution of fulphuret of lime, made by boiling together fulphur and quick-lime, with a large quantity of water; and the great cleanfing powers of this li quor render it equal to the alkaline folution, with a great faving both in the expence of the materials and in fuel, as the fulphuret will anfwer equally well in the cold. Mr. HIGGINS eftimates the quantity of alkali ufed at present in bleaching to coft 215,307, being both pearl afh and barilla, and an equal quantity of fulphuret of lime in folution to be prepared at fome what lefs than half this expence, with the additional advantage of faving great part of the fuel, and poffeffing, both the lime and fulphur at home, and therefore faving the importation of all the alkali.

ASTRONOMICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Extracts from a Letter of LALANDE to M. VON ZACH, Editor of the General Geographical Ephemerides; dated Paris, the 9th April, 1799.

WE obferved the new planet at the time of its oppofition; on the 12th of March about twelve o'clock, 2′ 18′′ medium time, its direct afcenfion was 171° 5 B

19

19' 28", 5, its declination 4° 38' 0" north; hence its geocentric longitude 20° 12! 0,5, latitude 48′ 49′′, error of the tables-" and +18, nearly the fame as laft year. The inclination of the orbit must therefore (as has often been remarked) be increafed about from 10 to 12 feconds. Thus the tables for this planet, by our friend De Lambre, ftill continue to be fatisfactorily confirmed *.

CESARIS, in Milan, has fent me correfponding lunar obfervations to thofe made in Egypt, by Quenot; occultation of the 21st of Auguft, 1798, ingrefs at 7h 33' 28", 5; and egrefs at 8h 28' 57" true time. I have placed in the heavens a new conftellation between the fhip and the beaker; viz. a cat. Defherbiers has already announced this new conftellation in a very elegant poem On Cats, and I am very fond of thefe animals. It is a large empty space en the maps where I have placed this contellation, and where there are a great number of stars: fome of them are of the 4th and 5th inagnitude. The new conftellation is engraving for the maps.

I have received the Milan Ephemerides for 1799.-Cefaris makes the diameter of Saturn in his medium elongation 21", Herschel calls it 19"; Rochon 16′′; you (i. e. M. von Zach) 13"; Bugge 11".

It in nowife aftonishes me that Fifcher, of Drefden, who travelled through Spain, as an attentive and intelligent obferver, finds fo many errors in the Spanish maps.Buache had with him here the fon of Lopez, who informed him that his father takes the maps which are publifhed in France and elsewhere, and out of them fabricates his own, as well as may be, without any criti`eifm or discrimination: and that he cites other maps, merely for the purpose of acquiring credit to his own. We have nothing accurate of Spain except the fea-coafts. My aftronomical lectures in the college are diligently attended: among my audibors is Caffini V.; and Ciccolini, a ftudent of great promife. Cauffin, profeffor of Arabic in the college, who has tranflated the aftronomical manufcripts of Ibn Junis,

*Note by M. von Zach. From nine obfervations of Uranus, at the obfervatory at Seeberg, from the 23d of February to the 13th of March, 1799, we found the medium error of De Lambre's tables of this planet ingeocentric longitude-8", 72, and in geocentric latitude-1", 53 too great; the inclination of the orbit diminifhed 10". The oppofition of this planet to the fun happened on the 10th of March about 8h 54' 7", 76 medium time at Seeberg, in 20° 18' 1", 16 of geocentric and helioncentric longitude, reckoning from the middle equinoctial, and 48′ 39′′, 4 of geocentric, and 46′ 2′′, 1 of heliocentric latitude.

likewife attends my prelections.-This muft produce the happieft effects; for feldom indeed is it the cafe that orientalifts understand any thing of aftronomy; but how can they, without an acquaintance with that fcience, tranflate manuscripts on aftronomical fubjects? * Cauffin is moreover an excellent Greek and Latin scholar.

You, (M. Von Zach, to whom it had been communicated by the chevalier Euler, director of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, at Petersburg,) fent me three years ago the dimenfions of the large bell at Moscow, diameter 22 feet, 42 inches; height 21 feet, 4 inches. Miller fays it weighs 400,000 pounds. The bell of Rouen, the most celebrated in France, weighed only 35,000 pounds; its diameter 8 feet, 6 inches. I have long been occupied with calculations of this kind.

*Note by M. von Zach. It is a long time fince Lalande expreffed a wish, that orientaand aftronomy; because, at Oxford, in the lifts would apply to the ftudy of mathematics Efcurial, in Malta, are preferved fo many im

portant Arabic manufcripts, of which no ufe has yet been made. The Bodleian Library in Oxford alone poffeffes forty aftronomical manufcripts written by Arabians, from which an abundant harveft of ufeful knowledge may be expected. What precious literary and fcientific riches, perhaps, lie buried in Spain ! The Arabs conquered this kingdom in the eighth century: they carried thither their aftronomy; and there were many celebrated time exalted high the reputation of Spain. men of learning among them, who at that What treafures then may we not hope to find in that country!

I had, therefore, a long time ago propofed to his ferene highnefs the duke of Gotha, who does so much for the fciences, and efpecially for aftronomy, to patronife fome young man of promifing talents who fhould ftudy enHis highness aptirely with this view. proved of the propofal: a young man was inquired after; but none has yet been found who in a fufficient degree joined a genius thematics and aftronomy. The duke is still for acquiring languages to a capacity for ma inclined to encourage fuch a young ftudent, who fhould prove to poffefs the neceffary qualifications.

Even with Ulugh Beigh's works we are yet but very imperfectly acquainted: Hyde tranflated only a fmall portion of them; viz. the Tables. The greateft, and perhaps the moft important part ftill lies neglected on the shelf at Oxford. Thirty years have clapfed fince Lalande expreffed his wish for a complete tranflation of it. See his Aftronomy, tom. i. art. 367, p. 127. The importance of Arabian literature, not only for aftronomy, but likewife for geography, has been demonftrated by Laplace, Lalande, Bouvard, Burckbardt and Von Einsiedel, in, vol. iii. of the Allgemeine Geographische Ephemeriden.

MONTHLY

MONTHLY RETROSPECT OF THE PROGRESS of the FINE ARTS.

T

HOUGH we propofe this Article to be generally English-English, Sirs, from top to toe;

Yet, as the conclufion of fummer is generally rather the feafon of preparing, than publishing capital prints, and few characters of confequence are in town to fit for their portraits; we shall poftpone the few we have noticed until next month, and embrace this opportunity of making a flight inquiry into the ftate of the arts in fome of the furrounding nations. This will enable our readers to form a comparative estimate of the relative merit of the English fchool, and affift us in inquiring how far it has improved, or is improving, in the great and leading principles of the

art.

Notwithstanding the boafted civilization of modern times, there are ftill countries (and thofe claffed as highly civilized) where the Arts are barely tolerated; and their profeffors looked upon as beings who have no other ufe than merely to fill up the catalogue of frivolous amufements, and furnish the idle and the diffipated with topics of converfation. The munificence of the late Emprefs prevented this being precifely the cafe in Ruffia. How far her fucceffor will in this refpe&t be her imitator, time only can determine.

One Lampe, a Tyrolefe portrait-painter, was recommended to her Ruffian Majefty by Potemkin. This was a fufficient paffport to the whole court; and Lampe, though a very mediocre artift, became all the fashion, and was paid whatever prices he demanded, fo that he in a very short fpace of time acquired 1 50,000 roubles.

His portraits are not wholly deftitute of merit, but they have no portion of that nice difcrimination which ought to pervade every imitation of Nature. The flesh, drapery, accompaniments, and back ground, are in the fame ftyle, brought equally forward, and finished without fufficient attention to their real varieties.

Doyen, the celebrated hiftorical painter, came to Petersburgh while Lampe's reputation was in its meridian. His bold and verfatile talents formed a striking contraft to the feeble powers of his coadjutor; but whether it was owing to his extreme modefty, or is to be attributed to that referve which ufually accompanies confcious fuperiority, he was very little noticed in Ruffia. For four ceilings which he painted in the winter palace of the Emperor, it has been faid he was never paid, although,

from their fuperlative merit, these performances were worthy of the nobleft re

compence.

Le Brun, another eminent artist, former ly firft ftatuary to the king of Poland, now refides at Petersburgh. This artift was formerly in high eftimation at Rome, where his bufts of the Pope and several of the Cardinals were confidered as equal to the productions of Bernini and Le Moine ;but while thus admired in the metropolis of tafte, at Petersburgh his works were fcarcely noticed. The honour of modelling the Empress he never could obtain; and while Madame Le Brun was recently painting a portrait of that fovereign, he was permitted as a special favour to ftand behind the paintrefs, and enjoy the fupreme fatisfaction of feeing a cup of coffee handed to her, without any notice being taken of himself.

Madame Le Brun is not deftitute of talents, but he is totally ignorant of the grammar of her art. Her ftudies have gone no farther than the furface,-with the principles fhe is unacquainted. Her conception is inean, her colouring chalky. Thefe defects appear more glaring by her portraits of the young princeffes being injudiciously placed in the Hermitage, on the fame wall with the Works of Rubens, Vandyke, Rembrandt, and other Masters of the Flemish school !

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Madame Le Brun has the reputation of cloathing her females with infinite tafte; but though we see at first fight, that this painter attends peculiarly to the toilette of thofe fhe delineates, her portraits are almoft invariably covered with a fhawl, a fpecies of drapery, which cannot be indifcrimininately adopted without a facrifice of variety, or an injury to fome of the perfons reprefented.

M. D'Elamber was once member of the Academy at Paris; he is now Profeffor of that at Petersburg. The Revolution having banished him from France, he retired to Augfburg, his native country; the war extending over Germany, threatening this afylum, he accepted the place he now holds in Ruffia, for three years only; and it does not feem probable that he will be ambitious of retaining his fituation much longer. The life of the late Empress might have prolonged his ftay; for, as he is one of the firft engravers in Europe, fe had propofed to him many confiderable works; her demife was the death of all thefe prospects; and he is at present em5 B 2

ployed

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