ranny, and falfe politics exercifed against the colonies, in order to keep them, by jealoufies and internal diffenfions, in flavery. It is eafy to conceive that on this occafion the English are much more feverely treated by our author, than the French; though he alfo bitterly complains of the former conduct of the French, towards his countrymen, the inhabitants of Canada. Beytrage zur Gefchichte der Erfindungen; or, Contributions to the Hiftory of Inventions by Profeffor John Beckmann, of Goettingen. 8-v0. Leipzig (German.) THE first article in this inftructive and entertaining publication contains the history of Italian book keeping. The first who taught that art in profeffed treatifes, was the celebrated mathematician Lucas Paciolus de Burgo S. Sepulchri, a Minorite, of whofe fcarce works notice is here occafionally interfperfed. This hiftory is fucceeded by that of odometers, beginning with the notices collected from Vitruvius, and carried down to the latest improvements, of which that made by the late Mr. Hohlfeld, is the most interefting. The life of that excellent and very ingenious artist is here inferted, as drawn up by profeffor Muller, of Berlin. The history of brandy diftillery follows next: then that of the feparat on of gold and filver by means of mercury, and of gilding, by amalgama; that of the improvement of lighting ftreets, where we learn that Antioch, Cæfarea in Cappadocia, and several other cities, of ancient times, had their streets regularly lighted, but not Rome. In modern times that useful inftitution was firft introduced at London and Paris. Here we are told that Paris is now lighted by 6:33, London by about 15,000, Venice by 3000, Berlin by 2354, Vienna by 3000, Caffel by 1013, and Goettingen by 400 lamps The author proceeds to an hiftorical account of privileges against pirating books, and of the cenfure of books, previous to their impeffion and publication. There are inftances of authors fubmitting their performances to the judgement of their governments, even before the difcovery of the art of printing. Some account of the oldeft printed almanacs; their progress and fucceflive improvements fince the difcovery of the art of printing. The oldeft almanac calculated for one year, known to profeffor Beckmann, is one of Hamburgh, for the year r546. Some account of the mill for weaving ribbon, follows. It was contrived either in the Netherlands or in Germany, towards the end of the fixteenth or beginning of the feventeenth century; but Dantzick is faid to have had one fo early as the year 1579. In the Netherlands it was known and used about the year 1621, and prohibited by the States general, in 1623. Some account of the fcarce book of pyrotechnia, by Vanucció Biringoccio, the oldeft Italian work on metallurgy, and very interesting for the history of that art. This first part of Mr. Beckmann's book will be followed by fome more. FOREIGN FOREIGN LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. Défcription et Ufage de quelques Lampes à l'Air inflammable. Par F. L. Ehrmann. Strasburg. MR. Ehrmann deferibes four lamps for inflammable air, of which the first has been contrived by Mr Fürstenberger, at Bafil; the fecond, by Mr. Brander, at Augsburg; the third, by Mr. De Gabriel; and the laft, and fimpleft, by Mr Ehrmann himself, and his younger brother. His defcription is very minute, and illuftrated with a copper-plate; and he has fubjoined an account of Mr. Neret's warming-pan. Nouvelle Methode d'extraire la Pierre de la Veie urinaire par deffus le Pubis fans le Sécours d'aucun Fluide dans la Vefie. 8vo. Paris. A new and valuable improvement made by the famous Fr. Côme. Chr. Godof Schütz, Eloq. & Poëf. Prof P. O. in Acad. Jenenfi, Commentationum in Æfchyli Tragediam, quæ infcripta eft Agamemnon, Libellus primus 90 Pages in Quarto. Jena. The learned author begins his commentary on Agamemnon, the moft difficult of the Greek tragedies, with developing the fable, and the conduct of the poet; and then proceeds to a very full and very judicious critical illustration of the first act to verfe 265. Nuove Sperienze Idrauliche fatte ne' Canali e ne Fiumi, per verificare le principali Leggi & Fenomeni delle Acque correnti; dell' Abate Leonardo Ximenés, Matematico di S. A. R. &c. &c. I vol. in 4to with Plates. Siena. The author, a fkilful engineer, had continual opportunities for making obfervations, and all the theory neceffary for drawing general and useful inferences from his obfervations. He defcribes a machine of his own invention, with which he has made feveral experiments on the canal of the lake of Castiglione, and on the river Arno. He explains all the deductions which must be made from the experiments; and the method of determining from thence the fwiftnefs and the strength of the fluid. He gives tables of the various degrees of rapidity, obferved at different depths of the water; and fhows the falfity of the rules hitherto adopted in these matters. He alfo calculates the diminution of that rapidity which takes place towards the banks of a river He concludes with applying the experiments to the measurement of the velocity of winds, fo difficult to be known, and to that of the wake of a hip. Stephani Salagii, Pref. Quinque Ecclefienfis S. D. de Statu Ecclefiæ Pannonicæ Libri VII. Liber Primus, de Statu Civili Pannoniæ Liber fecundus, de Initiis Religionis Chriftianæ in Pannonia; Liber Tertius, de Antiquis Epifcopatibus in Pannonia. Gr. Quarto. QuinqueEcclefiis (or Five Churches, an Epifcopal City in Hungary.) This work was undertaken by the command and under the aufpices of the late learned George Klimo, bishop of Five-churches, and its publication afterwards procured by count Joleph Garampi, the pope's nuncio at Vienna. The first book contains a full and accurate account of the politi. cal state of Pannonia, during the five periods anterior to Dioclefian, to the extinction of the Western Empire, to Charlemagne, to X 3 the the arrival of the Huns, and to the reign of king Stephen the Saint. In the fecond book, the author enquires for the first Christian teachers of the Pannonians, Huns, and Sclaves; and thinks it not improbable that St. Peter had been in Sirmium, and the centurion Cornelius, the firft Heathen who was chriftened, in Sifcium, or Sif. fec, &c. &c. In the third book, he examines the various accounts of the most ancient bishopricks in Pannonia, thofe of Sirmium, Mursa, Cibalis, Baffiana, Sifcia, and Petabio. Adumbratio Eruditorum Bafileenfium, Meritis apud exteros olim hodieque celebrium. Appendicis loco Athenis Rauracis addita. 820. Bafil. A valuable acceffion to literary hiftory, as it gives an account of fifty four learned natives of Baúl, of the principal incidents of their lives, and of their works. Several of them may juftly be ranked among the most eminent in their respective profeffions: fuch as, John Bernoulli, at Berlin; Leonhard Euler, Charles Euler, John James Hu ber, John Bernhard Merian, Leonhard Thurneifer, Bernhard Verzafka. La Navigation, Poeme en quatre Chants. 175 pages. 8vo. Paris. The fubject of this poem is indeed very interesting, and at the fame time fufceptible of poetical embellishments; but the author's poetical performance wants fpirit, and a plan; and even the notes fubjoined to each of its four cantos are deficient in point of inftruction and precision. Mémoire fur cette Question: combien dépenfera un Canal à point de partage pour le Pafage d'un Bateau. Dans lequel ou examine l'Etat préfent du Canal de Briare, en indiquant les Moyens de perfectionner Ja Navigation, après avoir préalablement demonti é l'inconvenient des Eclufes accolées des grandes Ecluses en général. D'ou l'on conclud les Regles à fuivre pour déterminer la Grandeur et le Placement des Eclufes dans tout Canal de Navigation, dont il eft effentiel de menager les Eaux. Par M. de Fer. Quarto. Paris. The views and means. hinted at in the title of this memoir are interelling, and their difcuffion contains new and valuable observations on the fubject. Memorabilia circa Aërem, Vitæ genus, Sanitatem, et Morbos Claufthalienfium Annorum 1774—1777. Aut. Lebrecht Frid. Benj. Lentin, Phyf. Clausthal. 144 Pages in Quarto. Goettingæ. This excellent publication opens with an account of the local fituation, the nature of the air, the weather, the diet, the employments, and the health of the inhabitants of the mine-town of Claufthal, on the Hartz; and this is fucceeded by a very concife but mafterly account of the nature, caufes, and variations of the epidemical difeafes which prevailed there from October 1774 to the end of the year 1777. Nicol. Jof Jacquin Mifcellanea Auftriaca, ad Botanicam, Chemiam, & Horiam Naturalem fpectantia, cum Figuris partim coloratis. Vol. I. Quarto. Vienna A collection of feven valuable treatifes on feveral fubjects, ilJuftrated with twenty-one accurate copper-plates, finely coloured after nature. Lectiones Lectiones Mofquenfes. Edit. Chr. Fred. Matthæi, Prof. & Rect. Gymn. Mofq. Vol. I. 8vo 120 Pages. Lipfiæ. Containing an homily or fermon of John Chryfoftom, never before published; a fragment on the twenty fix chapters of St Matthew, from the Catena in IV Evang. which is attributed to Euthymius Zigabenus; fome fragments of a phyfical book; fpecimens from the Alphabetical Grammar of George Lecapenus, a writer of the fourteenth century; an account of a MS. of Columella, in the poffeffion of a M. de Demidow; fome various readings or variantes, from a MS. of Aratus, with the interlinear gloffes; extant in the library of the holy fynod, &c. &c. M. Mathei would oblige the public by felecting and publishing only the most interesting parts of the treasures of Greek MSS. in Mofcow. Magias Eyawμicy, five Stultitia Laus, Def. Erafmi Rot. Declamatio: cum Commentariis Ger Lili, ineditis Ofwaldi Monitoris, et Figuris Jo, Hoibenii. Denuo Typis mandavit Guil. Gottl. Becker. 8vo. Bafil. An elegant edition of that famous declamation, illuftrated with fome additional notes, and eighty-three humorous figures copied from those drawn by Holbein, and neatly cut in wood. De Di&tione tropica etiam Scripturæ Sacræ Libri III. Aut. Tob. Gottfr. Hegelmater. Theol. D. &c. 8vo. Tubinge. The doctrine of the tropes is here treated on the principles of the ancient and beft modern rhetoricians, and applied to the explanation of a great variety of obfcure or difputed pallages of the Bible. Patriotische Nachrichten und Anweisung zu dem eintraglichen Tabacks". bau, und zwar des fogenannten Asiatischen Tabacks; or, Patriotical Accounts and Inftructions concerning the profitable Culture of Tobacco, and more especially, of that called Aliatic Tobacco; by J. L. Christ. 8vo. Francfort on the Mayn. (German.) The author warmly recommends the eafy and profitable culture of a fpecies of tobacco lately imported from Holland to Hanau, but has not given a botanical description of it. It feems, however, to be a kind of Nicotiana rufti.a. MONTHLY CATALOGUE. POETRY. Oenone to Paris: an Epile, tranflated from Ovid. 4to. 6d. T Law. HIS is one of the best of Ovid's Epiftles, and, perhaps, for that reafon, the most difficult to tranflate. It has already been attempted by feveral hands, but none have yet done complete juftice to it. The author of this informs us, that he tranflated it for his amufement during a long and tedious voyage., -As he had time enough, he might have afforded a little more care and attention than feems to have been exerted upon his performance; for though the verfion is by no means contempt. b, it wants in fome places, correctnefs and elegance of ex. X 4 preffion. preffion. A few lines may fuffice to give our readers a proper idea of its merit. Haft thou forgot? yet fhall thefe woods proclaim Thy faithlefs rhimes fhall from oblivion fave; Ye ftreams of Xanthus to your fource return! Nothing can exceed the beauty of thofe lines in the original, where Ovid fays: • Cum Paris Oenone poterit fpirare relictâ Ad fontem Xanthi verfa recurret aqua: Xanthe, retrò propera, verfæque recurrite lymphæ, Ovid fays the waters of Xanthus fhall run back to their fountain-To their fource reftore does not fully exprefs the fenfe, and is, befides, tiff and unpoetical. In the last line, the repetition of Paris's name, which has a particular beauty in it, is loft. The following line is, we think, indefensible, Nor deem me worthless of a royal bed.' on account of the word worthless, which we do not remember ever to have met with followed by the prepofition of-Indignus governs a genitive cafe, but worthlefs of, is feldom, we believe, ufed in English. Speaking of Thefeus, our author fays: • This youthful foldier, amorous, bold, and rough, This is certainly rather too familiar for elegiac verfe, and almost defcends to vulgarity.-Many parts, however, of this tranflation, are executed with ease and spirit, as the reader will perceive by the following lines: When diftant yet from yonder rocky height Thy well-known enfigns ftruck my watchful fight, Forbear to meet thee thro' the wat'ry way, 'Till, on the deck, then firft, alas! I fear'd! Call'a |