we contiuue to derive the best maps and charts, even of our own country, from England, we are still obliged to be acquainted with the meridian of London. In describing the face of the country, Dr. Williams discovers himself to be an attentive observer of nature, seems anxious to explore her recesses, and to account for every alteration that this part of the earth has undergone, since it was first brought out of chaos. His investigations upon the subject of climate are more able and useful. He appears not only very accurate in his observations upon the climate of Vermont, but likewise attentive in comparing them with those of other countries and other ages. He adduces some powerful arguments to shew, that not only the winters of America are becoming less severe, but that the climate of the whole world has been gradually ameliorating since the earliest ages. The chapter upon climate is one of the most valuable in the book, as affording important authentick documents by which future variations may be ascertained.

Of animal and vegetable productions Dr. Williams does not pretend to give his readers a complete catalogue, or a full account of those that are mentioned. There is, however, upon these subjects much valuable information, although occasionally some inaccuracies; for we find the larch and hackmatack in the catalogue as different trees, and under the head of esculents, the choke-cherry, thorn-plumb, and juniper are mentioned, as valuable on account of their salubrious and pleasant fruit. Dr. Williams relates several experiments, which he performed upon trees, but which do not discover the enlightened philosophy we should expect. He tied the end of the limb of a tree in a bottle, and then ascertained the weight of the fluid thrown off by it, in a certain number of hours. Having then cut down the tree, and counted the leaves upon it, he calculated the quantity of water thrown off by the whole tree in twelve hours; and supposing a certain number of trees to the acre, he computed, that every acre of wood-land throws off 3875 gallons of water in every twelve hours. In the same manner he calculates, that every acre throws off 14774 gallons of air in the same space of time. Dr. Williams is not to be blamed for not knowing, that plants absorbed gas from the atmosphere, as well as threw it off, and that their powers were different in the night from what they were in the day, facts discovered since he wrote; but the experiments were so vague and uncertain, and the conclusions so monstrous, that they ought to have raised in his mind doubts at least of their truth. His observations and experiments upon the temperature of trees, are ingenious and satisfactory, and show that the internal parts of trees possess a warmth different from that of the surrounding atmosphere; and that although all trees in winter have the same degree of warmth, yet at other seasons the various species exhibit different degrees of heat, a fact for which he does not attempt to account, but which may possibly be connected with the rapidity of their growth.

With respect to the character and habits of some animals a few interesting facts are related; but the descriptions of others possess not a single distinguishing feature. The article of the beaver is unworthy of its author, and is written in the style of those modern philosophers, who, in their love for the whole of creation, endeavour to elevate the brute to an equality with man. There is scarcely any society found as perfect as that of the beaver is here described.

"The male and female always pair. Their selection is not a matter of chance or accident, but appears to be derived from taste and mutual affection. In September the happy couple lay up their store of provisions for winter." "Nothing can exceed the peace and regularity which prevails in the families and through the whole commonwealth of these animals. No discord or contention ever appears in any of their families. Every beaver knows his own apartment and store-house; and there is no pilfering or robbing from one another. The male and female are mutually attached to, never prove unfriendly, or desert one another. Their provisions are collected and expended without any dissention. Each knows his own family and business; and they are never seen to injure, oppose or interfere with one another. The same order and tranquillity prevail through the commonwealth. Different societies of beavers never make war upon one another, or upon any } other animals."

Great pains are taken to overthrow the opinion advanced by Buffon and others respecting the diminutive size of American animals, and the facts adduced are sufficient for the purpose. The inferiour orders of animals are passed over with a few general observations, an incomplete catalogue, and some trifling

remarks.

Upon the subject of the Indians our author has not confined himself to those of his own state, or of the United States; but treats of the original inhabitants of the whole American continent. Their general appearance and character are well described; but a degree of reflection and judgment are attributed to them, particularly in the article of government, which we can scarcely believe them to possess. The advantages of the savage state, are perhaps, too highly coloured; but its disadvantages are faithfully pourtrayed. This account of the Indians does not contain any new facts, but forms the most interesting part of the volume. In tracing their origin, Dr. W. has followed Robertson, and shows with great clearness, that, with the exception of the Esquimaux, the American savages are a peculiar race, resembling in many respects the Tartars. The resemblance which Dr. Williams has discovered between the Peruvians and the Chinese appears wholly fanciful; and nothing can be lighter than his arguments respecting their antiquity.

The following hundred pages, after a short notice of the first settlement of Vermont, are filled with the history of the disputes of the first settlers with the state of New York. This history contains a full account of the causes and progress of these disputes, which terminated with the admission of Vermont into the federal union. They are related with an apparent impartiality,

which could not have been expected from an actor, and which it is pleasing to find in a person, who having adopted the country of one party, appears not to have imbibed its prejudices against the other. The conduct of New York remarkably exemplifies the inconsistency of human action; while they were exerting every energy to oppose the tyranny of the British government, in imposing a few trifling taxes, they were endeavouring to deprive the inhabitants of the New Hampshire grants, as the people of Vermont were then called, of the lands they had regularly and fairly purchased from the royal governours, supported merely by a subsequent act of the same British government. The indecisive policy adopted by Congress with respect to these disputes, is fairly exposed, and however excusable it might be during the war with Great Britain, when to have taken part against either might have cost them their existence; yet we are greatly disappointed at the continuance of the same policy, when peace had rendered it no longer necessary.

The remainder of the volume is upon the state of society, which embraces the employments of the people of Vermont, their numbers and increase, their customs and manners, laws, religion, and government. Agriculture engages the great body of the people; and it is greatly to be regretted that, upon this subject, Dr. Williams indulges the same kind of pastoral reverie, which has since become so fashionable; and would exalt the farmer to a rank far above every other description of people. He says:

"In no way has the glory of nations been more expanded, than by their attainments and discoveries in science. The mathematicians have measured and settled the dimensions of the solar system, but the new settler has in fact enlarged the bounds of the habitable creation. The philosophers have expanded with the ideas and evidence, that the other planets are inhabited; but the simple and honest farmer has made the earth the place for more inhabitants than it ever had before. And while the astronomers are so justly celebrating the discoveries, and the new planet of Herschel, all mankind should rejoice, that the simple peasant in the wilderness has found out a way to make our planet bear more men."

There is likewise a great deal of peurile abuse of governments which are not republican. Every advantage, which can possibly result from the constitution and form of government of Vermont, is pointed out; but all the defects of their institutions are carefully concealed. The benefits of unlimited religious toleration are fully displayed, but not a word is said of the indifference to all religion, resulting from the want of obligation to support any. The denial of justice likely to arise from the dependence of the judiciary upon the popular voice, is passed over in silence. It is indeed recorded, that every judicial officer, from the chief justice to a simple magistrate, is annually elected by the general assembly, or by them in conjunction with the governour and council. The justices of peace are of course with a small addition the same persons as the members of assembly; but it is not added that the time of the judges being occupied in

securing another election, that their official duties are of course neglected. We leave our readers to conclude, how far it is possible for a judge in such a situation to act impartially, when he is called upon to decide causes involving popular prejudices, or affecting influential characters. The result is well known; fiction is resorted to, and causes are brought into the courts of the United States, which ought regularly to have been tried in the state courts. Dr. Williams expatiates upon the small sums required to support government. In 1798, the whole expense was less than $11,000. When government is conducted upon such an economical scale, that its first objects cannot be obtained, there can be little to boast of.

In the chapter upon population Dr. Williams has made such good use of the materials he possessed, that we regret that he had not more facts, upon which he might ground his calculations. His closing observations upon government do not deserve the same praise. They might answer for a popular declaimer in some town meeting, but are unworthy a place in serious history. The appendix contains a paper "upon the variation of the magnetic needle in the eastern states." A paper "upon the change of climate in Europe and other places," and "a dissertation on the colour of men, particularly on that of the Indians of AmeriThese are all drawn up with ability.

ca."

Dr. Williams discovers himself to be an industrious investigator of nature, and frequently conducts his inquiries with ability. At the same time, a great degree of puerility, both in manner and matter, pervades his whole work. Truisms, reduced to the form of general observations, are continually introduced with the appearance of newly discovered truths. He seems not to have been habituated to writing. Little pains are bestowed upon the style, and whenever there is an attempt to elevate it, it immediately degenerates into bombast. Notwithstanding these defects, this history of Vermont is a valuable work, and we hope its author will find leisure to publish a corrected edition, which without doubt would be favourably received by the publick.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We have on file some lines from our elegant correspondent, C, and a hymn from another wanderer in the groves of Academus,

animae, quales neque candidiores

Terra tulit.

Two letters from N. Webster, on the obstacles to his philological labours, shall be inserted next month. Our pages were engaged before our friend Communicated them.

INTELLIGENCE AND MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES.

FROM FRENCH PAPERS, TRANSLATED FOR THE ANTHOLOGY.

A NEW prospectus of the Mercure de France announces that the department of politics and the sciences shall henceforth occupy a greater share of that paper, as well as the mechanick arts and discoveries of every kind. It contains a list of the actual editors (redacteurs), to wit, in the mathematical and physical sciences, Mr. Biot, member of the first class of the Institute : Mr. Cuvier, secretary of the same class, has promised to afford some articles of natural history, chymistry, &c. In literature, the theatres, the fine arts, &c. Mr. Andrieux, member of the second class of the Institute, Mr. de Boufflers, member of the same class, Mr. Ginguene, member of the third class, Mr. Lebreton, secretary of the class of the fine arts, and Messieurs Esmenard, Auger, Amaury-Duval, Michaud, Vanderbourg, &c. &c.

Le Publiciste.

Louis Fernow, professor in the university of Jena, died at Weimar the 3d of December last. He had resided in Rome ten years, and he profited by this residence in studying deeply the theory of the arts and the Italian language. Though taken away in the midst of his career, he has left numerous works on interesting subjects. His Italian Grammar for the use of Germans, which appeared in 1804, is esteemed by judges the best and most philosophick which has been given of that language. His dissertation on the Dialects of Italy, evinces immense erudition. His critical editions of Dante, Ariosto and Petrarch, enriched with notes and prefaces, would have done honour to the most learned philologists of Italy. He was about adding one of the satires of the author of Orlando Furioso, which is in a finished state. Death interrupted him in a still more important work, of which he had collected the greater part of the materials; a universal etymological dictionary of the ancient Provençal and other languages of the same family, the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. This loss cannot be too much regretted, as nothing is so uncommon as a union in one person of the various knowledge necessary to repair it. It is impossible to explain in the romance language, without the aid of the German, and the study of both is seldom profoundly pursued by the same person.

The Germans consider still more meritorious the service which Mr. Fernow has rendered in his criticism of the arts. In a periodical work, which he published at Zurich, under the title of Roman Studies, (Roemische Studien) he has given dissertations on Canova, on landscape-painting, on colouring, on dramatick painting, on inspiration; which gave reason to hope from him a work on the poetry of the arts, of which he had indeed traced the plan, and which would have been the more useful to the artists of his country, as his style, always clear, and his views enlightened, would have served to dissipate the mystical fogs, with which the new German literary school seems to take a pleasure in enveloping all its conceptions.

To Mr. Fernow we also are indebted for a new edition of the works of Winckelman, the two first volumes of which he had published. He had not time to compleat the labour on the third volume; but measures have been taken to supply it. This edition will doubtless be the best of the works of

that illustrious author.

It is astonishing that Mr. Fernow could have undertaken and terminated so many things in so short a career. This astonishment is increased on learning that this career was strewed with thorns and vexations. Born without fortune, Fernow was only able to support himself at first at Jena by drawing likenesses. Love for arts having led him to Rome, he gave lectures to the German artists residing there, on that part of the philosophy of Kant which