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THE

LITERARY GAZETTE;

AND

JOURNAL

OF

Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences, etc.

FOR THE YEAR

1819.

COMPRISING

ORIGINAL ESSAYS ON POLITE LITERATURE, THE ARTS AND SCIENCES;

A REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS;

POETRY; CRITICISMS ON THE FINE ARTS, THE DRAMA, &c.

Biography;

CORRESPONDENCE OF DISTINGUISHED PERSONS;

ANECDOTES, JEUX D'ESPRIT, &c.

SKETCHES OF SOCIETY AND MANNERS;

PROCEEDINGS OF PUBLIC AND LITERARY SOCIETIES;

POLITICAL SUMMARY, LITERARY INTELLIGENCE, &c. &c.

LONDON:

PRINTED BY WILLIAM POPLE,

No. 67, Chancery Lane.

PUBLISHED FOR THE PROPRIETORS, AT THE LITERARY GAZETTE OFFICE, STRAND

SOLD ALSO BY BELL AND BRADFUTE, EDINBURGH; JOHN CUMMING, DUBLIN;

AND ALL OTHER BOOKSELLERS, NEWSMEN, &c.

1819.

AND

Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences, etc.

This Journal is supplied Weekly, or Monthly, by the principal Booksellers and Newsmen throughout the Kingdom, but to those who may desire its immediate transmission, by post, we beg to recommend the LITERARY GAZETTE, printed on stamped paper, price One Shilling.

No. 102.

ADDRESS.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 1819.

Ox the commencement of a new Neme, when from past success we presume to anticipate a large addithe of subscribers, it may be expedient ake a brief view of the origin and ts of this Publication, and of the employed to render it worthy of gratifying reception which it has penenced. Novel in its plan, and quently experimental in its nature, delightful for us to be able to state the kindness of its infant reception s to have grown into rooted favour has developed its character, as it becomes better knery and ls itself over the distant parts of tive land, the colonies and foreign nes, with a rapidity equal to the sanguine expectations of its con

Literary Gazette, during the peod of two years, has given copious re2 of about four hundred new works, xtracts, so as to enable the public f a fair judgment upon each. original biographical memoirs

at time, have also in its sguished persons, who have died ne have also appeared in its the hand no notice of consequence

ted In Foreign literature and in-ting communications from CorreWals abroad, it has, we may coneady assert, surpassed any contempo

of preceding miscellany: it has also

a

d and printed ctions from some of the first native

multitude of con

poets, philosophers, and other

trated men now living.

Determined to pursue the same career gence and impartiality which has

dy been

"

a hope, in the language of a very
greeable writer,* that to the lovers
of literature, these volumes, when they
have outlived their year, may not be un-
important, but rather constitute a great
portion of literary history, and be indeed
the annals of the republic."

Most affectionately thanking our many
able friends for their liberal aid, and the
public generally for their cheering en-
couragement of our labours, we com-
mend the Literary Gazette, and what we
have stated, to the consideration of those
who may not yet have become acquainted
with the objects of this undertaking, and
particularly to the lovers of literature and

the arts, as a medium of much conse-
sequence to their interests at home and
abroad. We beg also to request attention
to the annexed notices, which appear
requisite on the present occasion.

***THE LITERARY GAZETTE is regu

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it may be received in the country on SUNDAY
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LONDON, or to any Local POSTMASTER
Under the title of THE LONDON LITERARY
GAZETTE, the same work is also published on

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ticular advantage of those who reside in
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booksellers throughout all the towns in the

kingdom; and only in more remote
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is object receive

situations, stantaneously than through the
medium of the booksellers weekly parcels,

SO unprecedently rewarded,
Chay venture to promise that our
Numbers will deserve the cha-
of affording a various and com-
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that we recommend the stamped 1s. Numbers.
THE LITERARY GAZETTE is also collected
and stitched up in QUARTERLY PARTS,
price 10s. each, for the convenience of ex-

learning, science, and improve

sional opportunities of receiving it.

of the times. To this effect the Lastly-THE VOLUMES for EACH YEAR, from the commencement in 1817, may be had complete, with titles, indexes, &c. price 21. 2s. each, forming together authentic

an

rous interesting and instructive pro-
Cons, issuing so incessantly from the
must mainly contribute, and we and valuable REGISTER for constant re-
no merit but that of bringing them ference.

hately and prominently under
cognizance. In fine, following delivery. All the QUARTERLY PARTS, ez-
ras our abilities permit, the foot- cept the First, may also be had separately at
of Bayle, who declared himself present, as well as most of the Numbers,
judge, stamped or unstamped, and we earnestly

THE VOLUME for 1818 is now ready for

a reporter, and not

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Trust we may modestly express FUL IIL

* D'Israeli.

PRICE 8d.

beg those who desire to complete their sets, that they will lose no time in transmitting their orders to their respective newsmen or booksellers, to prevent disappointment.

Persons residing in the country are requested to give their orders to any newsman or bookseller in their own immediate neighbourhood, and to be explicit in regard to the title of our papers, as we have been honoured by a pretty close imitation.

REVIEW OF NEW BOOKS.

Memoir on the Ruins of Babylon. By Claudius James Rich, Esq. Resident for the Hon. East India Company at the Court of the Pasha of Bagdat. Third Edition. London, 1818. 8vo. pp. 67.

SECOND MEMOIR, &c. By the Same. pp. 58.

When the first edition of the former of these works was published three or four years ago, we were highly pleased with

its contents. The study of antiquities and antiquarian researches has been too often with justice called dry; and yet when the object is worthy of a painful examination, when not only curiosite is gratified, but results important to the illustration of divine touch labour history of mankind, and even to the gathered, as the reward of such labours, it is not in the nature of things that such a subject, rightly investigated, can be either tedious or unentertaining. For

these volumes we can truly vouch that they are altogether the reverse. Babylon attracts us by the very sound of its name, and all that is stupendous in the productions of human power, all that is venerable from age, all that is wonder

ful for art and ingenuity, all that is interesting from the association of ideas, seem to be concentrated in an inquiry embracing that mighty city, its ancient prodigies and modern ruins.

The first Memoir was originally published in an excellent Journal, conducted by Mr. Hammer, at Vienna, and entitled The Mines of the East, (Mines de l' Orient); and it will be necessary

for us to take a concise view of its most memorable facts, and of the theory it maintains, before we proceed to the analysis of its successor. Mr. Rich's re

sidence at Bagdat, afforded him the best of opportunities to explore the site of the Capital of the Assyrian Empire, now so lost amid the wreck of years, that even the place of its existence is a ques

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