man by his Recherches fur divers Objets de l'Economie Politique, printed at Dreiden in 1781, and by feveral Differtations on the English Finances, inferted in Chancellor Meifner's Quartal-Schrift published at Drefden, from 1784 to 1786: but his fuccefsful labours, likewife, in aftronomy and geography, have materially contributed to the progress of thefe fciences, the ftudy of which he purfues with paffionate predilection. What aftronomer, geographer, or navigator is unacquainted with the endeavours, the unwearied application, and the innumerable encouragements by which the Count raised the art of chronometry; defended it against party spirit, at laft triumphing over the most difficult and vexatious obftacles. On this fubject, it is fufficient to obferve, that without the fupport of Count von Brühl, THOMAS MUDGE must have funk under oppression; that without the fostering patronage of Count von Brühl, there never would have been a JOSIAH EMERY. Petersburg Commentaries, in the Berlin Aftronomical Annals, in Meiffner's Quartal-Schrift, and in fingle fmaller differtations, which are in the hands of every aftronomer. MEMOIRS OF JOHN JEROME SCHRÖTER. RARE indeed is the phenomenon of a private individual expending a confiderable part of his property in the purchase of valuable inftruments; not for fhew, and as learned furniture for his house; but which he applies with unwearied perfeverance, and the happieft effects, to useful celeftial obfervations, and the discovery of new truths, which immediately lead to the promotion of cofmography. Such a man, however, now lives in Germany; and with juftice may his country be proud of him. Though aftronomy be not his peculiar vocation, though he be not falaried for the purpofe; all the leifure that he can fpare from the laborious duties of his office, which he performs with the greatest confcientiouffiefs, he applies, in a manner the most conducive to the progrefs of the fciences, to the most difficult obfervations. of remarkable appearances of the heavens, to obferve which few aftronomers have either inclination or opportunity. The Count's profound knowledge of the higher branches of horologery, and the great share he had in bringing the art to perfection, is evident from his interefting epiftolary correfpondence with Thomas Mudge, published in that eminent artift's Defcription of the Time-Keeper, as alfo from feveral fingle differtations on the utility of a free balance in chronometers. Several Journals, kept with the utmost care, of the going of thefe curious mafter pieces of art, which the Count himself obferved with the greateft accuracy at his obfervatéries in London and at Harefield, have been impartially laid before the learned public. The fame time-keepers have been ufed by him in determining the geogra phical position of a number of places, during a journey from London to Drefden, and likewife into the interior of England, and along the fouthern coaft from London to the Lands-End. He not only then contributed to the perfection of these valuable inftruments, fo neceffary to the navigator for finding the longitude at fea: but likewife applied them himself with the greatest advantage and the happieft effects to the promotion of the science of geography. For the fake of brevity, we pass over many other ingenious inventions and improve ments which the Count contrived for feveral astronomical inftruments, and which were found to answer the purpose, and the innumerable important aftronomical obfervations,made with that admirable accuracy that is quite peculiar to him, which are to be found in the Philofophical Tranfactions of the Royal Society of London, in the John Jerome Schröter, Doctor of Laws, Grand Bailiff of a Province in the Electorate of Hanover, Member of the Royal Societies and Academies of Sciences of London, Gottingen, Stockholm, &c. &c. was born at Erfurt in Thuringia, on the 30th of Auguft, 1745, In his youth, he had neither opportunity nor leifure to ftudy mathematics, much less aftronomy: while at the univerfity, being chiefly engaged in the ftudy of the law, he had only, with much predilection and zeal, attended lectures on phyfical aftronomy, as a part of natural philofophy; and had likewife enjoyed the inftructions of Käftner in abftract mathematics. Soon after, he was fo overwhelmed with official law affairs, that he was obliged to labour day and night, facrificing his health in the confcientious performance of his duty. When he had been fome years Reporter in the Exchequer Chamber at Hanover, his natural genius for natural philofophy and aftronomy again awoke; and he began, in 1778, to study the latter fcience with extraordinary ardour, and without the affiftance of any master. His progrefs at firft was small, and his difficulties were increased by the want of neceffary inftruments. But his genius and perfeverance foon triumphed over every obstacle; and in 1779, already was he able to make, with an achromatic telescope telescope, three feet in length, good obfer variations on the planet Venus. So rapid and promifing were the first steps of a man, who was destined to purfue paths before untrodden, which led to new deve. lopements of the conftruction of the univerfe, and to more daring profpects into the great workshop of nature. His first obfervations he made in 1779 and 1780, on the atmosphere of Venus, which have been inferted in his Aphroditic Fragments, of the fun, and of all the planets. To enumerate them all, it would require a volume: nor indeed is it neceffary; for who, in his native country, or among foreigners, is ignorant of the important fervices Schröter has rendered to aftronomy? What aftronomer, what lover of aftronomy, what man, in fine, of a cultivated understanding, is a ftranger to the ever memorable treafures, which in fo fhort a fpace of time he has revealed to us by means of his gigantic telescope, which himself had created. The names of Herfhel and Schröter will, like Caftor and Pollux, thine refulgent stars in the heavens, as long as fucceding generations fhall not fink into the loweft ebb of humanity, and no longer honour that which constitutes its greatest dignity. ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF COUNT J. B. ROBERTI. : COUNT J. B. ROBERTI, a nobleman of Baffano in Italy, was born March the 4th, 1719. When about ten years of age, he was committed to the care of a clergy man in Padua, with whom he lived till the year 1736. During the whole of that time, he was in the fchool of the Jefuits, and diftinguished himself very early among his fellow-ftudents, as well by his talents, as by his ftrict morals. This entitled him to admiffion into the order notwithstand ing its many faults, thofe learned inftructors were ever ready to esteem and encourage young men of promifing parts. He took the religious habit of that fociety in the year 1736. After paffing through his noviciate in Bologna, he was made, according to the customs of the order, profellor in the inferior fchool in Piacenza, and fhortly after was preferred to the chair of philofophy in Brefcia. In each of thefe ftations, be acquired great and deferved celebrity. In Brefcia he began to try the ftrength of his genius on different fubjects in profe and poetry. In 1749, he was conftituted Director of the Royal College of Parma; and in 1751 paffed to the College of Bologna, where he produced thofe uncommon fruits of mental culture, MONTHLY MAG. NO. LII. and exertions which qualify him to hold a distinguished rank in the annals of literature. He obtained the highest admiration from the celebrated Zannotti, from Marthal Pallariani, from Algarotti, and from all the diftinguished perfons that refided at, or were paffing through, Bologna. His learning, the agreeable and instructive turn of his converfation, and, above all, the exemplary fenfe of religion he conftantly evinced, procured him univerfal love and efreem. After living eighteen years in Bologna, he experienced the unforefeen and fevere mortification of witneffing the total annihilation of his order. In 1773, Cardinal Malvezzi, the Pope's Legate, was oppointed to fupprefs his college. Father Roberti afterwards, however, enjoyed the honour of a double pen fion, which was conferred on him by this Cardinal, and ratified with the highest expreffions of regard and efteem by Pope Clement XIV. Immediately after the diffolution of the order, Count Roberti (now abbot) retired to his paternal house in Baffano, where, without intermitting his literary engagements, or abating his exercifes of piety, he remained till his death, which took place in 1786, in the 67th year of his age. This author was one of the few modern Italians entitled to the praife of having written well their own language., His works may be arranged in three great claffes. ift Eloquence and poetry; zd philology and criticifin; 3d morals. In the year 1746, he published his poem La Moda; and foon afterwards his fecond poem Le Fragole. The poem, Le Perle, was dedicated to Marshal Pallavicini. The poem La Commedia, which prefents a fynopfis of the hiftory of that branch of poetry, was dedicated to Goldoni. Many fmaller pieces are alfo to be found in the collection of his works, published by him. felf; but his fopian Fable may be confidered as the moit masterly and beautiful of all his poetical productions. In pulpit eloquence, Count Roberti outfhone all his contemporaries. The panegyric of the bleffed Beatrice d'Efte is one of his beft fpecimens of oratory; and next to it ranks his admired fpeech for the fecular year. His academical orations, his funeral eulogiums, and other writings, are alfo july extolled for the beauty of their ftyle. His philological and critical writings form another department of his walk. Some Inquiry relative to the ancient Baffano, a Difquifition relative to the Swallows that blinded Tobias, and a Letter on 5 X Flowe Flowers, are confidered as the best among them. In philofophy and morals, an Effay on Luxury; another on the Love of our country; a Commentary on the Civilization of the Eighteenth Century; a fmall Treatife on the Slave-Trade; or, Differtation on Natural Probity; and an Effay on Metaphyfical Writings, place Count Roberti in the fame honourable rank among philofophers, which he holds among poets and orators. A complete collection of his works was published in Baffano, after his death, by Meff. Remondini, in 1789, in 14 vol. duodecimo. Extracts from a Port-folio of a Man of Letters. ANAGRAM OF JABLONSKI. W returned from his travels, his re latives of the noble family of Lefcinski affembled at their palace in Liffa, to welcome his return with festivity. Jablonski, then rector of the fchool at Liffa, and afterwards court-chaplain at Berlin, held on this occafion an actum oratorium, as it was called, in which the more learned boys publicly exhibited their acquirements, by repeating, in prefence of the prince, their oratoric and metrical compofitions. After the intellectual difplay, thirteen of the lads executed an heroic dance: each had a fhield on his arm, infcribed with a letter of the alphabet. At the end of the first movement, the dancers were arranged in a row, fo as to exhibit on their fhields the words DOMUS LESCINIA, in large golden letters. At the fecond paufe was pre fented ADES INCOLUMIS. After the third, appeared OMNIS ES LUCIDA. BUONAPARTE. Great, men almost always entertain a pre-fentiment of their future elevation. Fifteen months before Buonaparte was appointed commander in chief of the army, which he invariably led on to victory, he formed the plan of the conqueft of Italy. Being at that time at Toulon, he took a pleasure in communicating it to the fecretary-general of one of the reprefentatives of the people, upon a miffion in the South. The Secretary afterwards related this triking fact to the author of this article. "Buonaparte," faid he, " had conquered Italy before he attacked it." Scarcely had Buonaparte begun to make trial of his plan, when a general confternation was diffused through the Auftrian army. Colli, one of the generals, could not reprefs his indignation. Retiring to an inn at Turin, he could not refrain from tears; and was repeatedly heard to stamp One It was above all to the fevere difcipline that Buonaparte eftablished in his army, that he was indebted for his prodigious fuccefs. He was never afraid to speak truth before the face of any man. day, when his room was crowded with officers, he caft a terrible look upon one of them: "I knew," said he," that you were a coward; but I did not know that you were a knave." A fum of feven hundred and fifty thou fand livres, which had been taken from the contributions impofed upon Verona, and put into the military cheft, was diftributed by Angereau to the different staffofficers who happened to be in that city at the time of the capitulation. maximum of the gratification was thousand livres; the minimum fix hundred The ten each foldier received twenty-four. This diftribution did not please Buonaparte "What shall we give," faid he, "to the conquerors of Lodi, of Arcola, and of Ronco ?" He immediately ordered a fum equivalent to a fortnight's pay to be given to every officer who had received nothing. He It is faid that an ambaffador was fecretly fent to Charles XII. of Sweden, by Peter the Great, to folicit peace. found him in a clofet, alone, and occupied in looking over a map, in order to find out the fhorteft road to Moscow. Scarcely had the ambaffador uttered a few words, which announced the object of his miffion, when Charles XII. rudely interrupted him : "I will treat with your master," said he, "in his palace at Mofcow." Buonaparte, in a private conference with Prince Charles, behaved with as much pride, but with more decency. With one hand he prefented to him the olive branch, in the other he held a fword. 66 Accept peace)" faid he, or content yourself with a place of municipal officer at Vienna,” When When Buonaparte heard that fome hundreds of republicans had been maffacred at the hofpital of Verona, he curfed that city, would not enter it on his return from Tyrol, and blamed one of the generals, who commanded under the walls of that place, for not having reduced it to afhes. At the time of the treaty of Campo Formio, the Emperor infifted upon the 14ands of Corfu, Zante, and Cephaloni, being ceded to him, along with Dalmatia. With a view of obtaining peace, Buona-, parte would perhaps have made the facrifice, had not an old Greek, with the map in his hand, demonftrated to him, that, if he gave up thofe iflands, the Emperor would no longer meet with any obftacles in getting poffeffion of the rest of Greece, "At laft," faid he, he will take Conftantinople."-" And I, Vienna," faid Buonaparte eagerly. It appears that the advice of the good old man was not thrown away. A BANIAN TREE. The Near Manjee, a fmall town at the conAuence of the Gogra and Ganges, there is a remarkably large Bur, or Banian tree. All the trees of this species are distinguished objects in an Indian landfcape, on account of their fingularity of growth. branches fhoot out to a confiderable diftance from the main ftem, in nearly a horizontal direction; after which they let down to the ground a number of leaflefs fibres, which prefently take root, coalefce and increase in bulk, fo as to fupport the protracted branches like a fecond trunk, From thefe new centres of vegetation, other arms again fpring out, and at their termination form a third feries of stems, fo that a full-grown Banian-tree composes a grove of itself. The individual in queftion, from the oppofite high bank of the Ganges, at the distance of about eight miles, appeared of a pyramidal fhape, with an eafy spreading flope from its fummit to the extremity of the lower branches, and of fuch a fize, as at first to be mistaken for a fmall hill. The middle ftem is confiderably higher than any of our English trees, and the following comprife its other principal dimenfions : Diameter of the branches from north to fouth, 363 feet. Ditto of ditto from eaft to weft, 375 feet. Circumference of the fhadow of the branches at noon, 4116 feet. The number of props or derivative tems amounts to between 50 and 60.. SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN. When Sir Chriftopher Wren built the church of St. Magnus, there were houses on each fide of London Bridge, and the fronts of them projected as far as the church. When these houfes were pulled down, the foot-path led directly to the fide of the church, fo that the people who walked on the right hand path of the bridge, out of the Borough, were obliged to go round into the Coach-road, This was found very inconvenient, and a meeting of the inhabitants was convened, to confider if they could with safety cut a paffage through the church wall; but it was thought too hazardous an experiment, and the neighbours, apprehending it might bring an old church about their ears, laid the scheme afide. Going round being however found very inconvenient and dangerous, fome of the more intelligent inhabitants convened another meeting, and by a fmall majority it was voted to try the experiment, which was.accordingly made. Upon breaking through the base, it was found, that Sir Chriftopher, with the prophetic eye of an architect, who built edifices for pofterity, forefaw that a time would come, when the most fagacious citizens of the most fagacious city in the univerfe would cease to confider their bridge as the eighth wonder of the world; that it would at laft be difcovered, that a broad footpath in a great city was convenient and practicable; or, (to adopt a phrase of the late Duc D'Orleans) when our pavements would be constructed on democratical principles. Aware of all this, it was found that he had left the complete and fpacious arch which now remains, to accommodate the pedestrians of a fucceeding age. TOBIAS MAYER. Of this eminent German aftronomer a portrait is given in the Geographische Ephe meriden, vol. iii. from the only picture extant of him, now in the poffeffion of M. von Zach, and formerly belonging to Mayer himself. It was drawn from life by the late celebrated engraver Kaltenhofer, of Göttingen, an intimate friend of Mayer; and is faid to be a very ftriking likeness. Tobias Mayer was born at Marbach, in the duchy of Wirtemberg, on the 17th of February, 1723, and died at Göttingen on the 20th of February, 1762.— Of his merits as an aftronomer," remarks M. von Zach, editor of the Geog. Ephem. "I fhall not fay a fingle word; for who among our readers is unacquainted with them?-To place them in new and inftructive points of view, is a task which a Kafiner, the contemporary and colleague of Mayer, or a Lichtenberg, the 5 X 2 editor FEMALE EDUCATION AT TWO PERIODS. MAYI fome fmall attention share, Their education to compare Who never from her duty fwerv'd, The finger fhew'd, by needle torn, The other prov'd the broom had borne But now, that band that "wou'd be woo'd" Not with induftrious tokens rude, As it had ipun the ruffet gown. But thofe for other faults are chang'd; "Tis alter'd, not improv`d. Beft fpecimens of what I treat, For there the Graces oft we meet 1 drop my pen; defcription fails Mijs come home wifer than mamma, Prepar'd to tell furprising tales! Thinking fuch talents fhou'd be known, Invites her kins-folk and her friends. Who comes with fauce-boat in her hand, And prays the pardon of her guests; "Her maid," the fays, "don't understand:" "She never was before in place." "Law, Ma!" fays Mifs," that is f• Before I wou'd fo burn my face! The mother's band, the daughter's tongue! And while the fees her opening mind To culinary arts confin'd, She triumphs in the kitchen! John Bull then thought her richly grac'd Had we liv'd in those days of eating, I clofe; and ftudy Mrs. Raffald. Of this once eating nation; "No riot dooms the lamb to bleed," No cormorants are there to feed ; Does any doubt this truth? Why, then Afk the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, And Livery of London. And drinking too! how fam'd was he, But |