FOREIGN CATALOGUE. FRANCE. ART. 63. Tables portatives de logarithmes, contenant les logarithmes des nombres depuis 1 jufqu'à 108,000, les logarithmes des finus et tangentes de feconde en feconde pour les cinq premiers degrés, de dix en dix fecondes pour tous les degrés du quart du cercle, et fuivant la nouvelle divifion centefimale, de dix millions en dix millions; précédés d'un discours préliminaire fur l'explication, l'ufage et la fomme des logarithmes, et fur leur application à l'aftronomie, à la navigation, à la géométrie-pratique et aux calculs d'intérêt ; fuivies de nouvelles tables, plus rapprochées de plufieurs autres utiles à la recherche des longitudes en mer; par François Callet; édition féréotype, gravée, fondue et imprimée par Firmin Didot. Paris. The edition of Gardiner's Tables, publifhed by Alex. Jombert, and printed by F. A. Didot, being nearly exhaufted, F. Didot has here prefented the public with a new edition of thofe tables. From the title itfelf it will appear what additions have been made to this new edition: we may venture likewife to fay, that the general improvements which have been made in it, are very confiderable. In reprinting thefe Tables, where correctnefs is fo neceffary, and, at the fame time, fo difficult to be obtained, Mr. Didot has been led to make an important difcovery in the typographic art. After having compofed the whole with moveable characters, he was anxious to find out, and has fucceeded in finding out, a process, by which thofe moveable types might be rendered fixed, and the compofition folid; fo that the plates may be preserved, and transferred from one place to another, without any apprehenfion that the letters fhould drop or be in any way deranged. This difcovery muft undoubtedly be attended with no little advantage to all forts of really important publications, and more efpecially to fuch as this which is now before us, where one error lays the foundation for another, perhaps of ftill greater confequence; whereas, according to the method employed by Mr. D. a work which, at the time of its publication, was already very correct, will be ftill further improved in proportion as its few remaining inaccuracies are obferved, till the period fhall arrive, when it will not contain a single error. Mr. F. Callet, in the preliminary difcourfe, explains the nature of logarithms, confidering them to be, like all numbers, les expofans des puiffances de dix. It was not, indeed, in this way, that they were dif covered by their inventor, Neper, but it is, perhaps, thus that they may be beft explained. This preliminary difcourfe reminds us of Euler's chapter on logarithms, in his Elements of Algebra, though, in our judgment, with advantage, in point of perfpicuity and precifion, to the prefent author. Without Without requiring any extraordinary degree of attention, or of mathematical knowledge, Mr. F. Callet, in a few pages only, very fully explains the nature of logarithms, with their application, showing how to find the logarithm of a number, or the number of logarithm, as cafily as is a French and Latin, or Latin and French Dictionary, may be found the Latin for a French, or the French for a Latin word. Logarithmic tables are, in effect, a fpecies of Dictionary, in which thofe perfons who understand addition and fubtraction, or to fpeak more strictly, thofe who understand addition only, are enabled to execute, with the greatest rapidity and exactness, operations which muft appear very difficult to the ignorant, and which, even by the mathematical fcholar, muft, antecedently to this difcovery, often have been found extremely tedious. We cannot, therefore, but fubfcribe to the opinion of Laplace on this fubject, when he obferves, that "Cette analogie a conduit Neper à la découverte des logarithmes; admirable inftrument qui, en réduifant à quelques heures le travail de plufieurs mois, double, fi l'on peut ainfi dire, la vie des attronomes, et leur épargne les erreurs et les dégouts inféparables des longs calculs: invention d'autant plus fatistaifante pour l'efprit humain, qu'il l'a tirée en entier de fon propre fond; dans les arts, l'homme fe fert des forces et des matériaux de la nature pour accroître fa puiffance;" mais ici tout eft fon ouvrage. Efp. d. Journ. ART. 64. Annales de chimie, ou Recueil de memoires concernant la chimie et les arts qui en dépendent, par les Citoyens Guyton, Monge, Berthollet, Fourcroy, Adet, Seguin, Vauquelin, Pelletier, C. A. Prieur, Chaptal, and Van-Mons. 61. numéro. N. B. Of this Journal, a Number, confifting of 7 or 8 fheets, is published on the last day of every month; three of which form a volume, the price being, for the whole year, 18'liv. Paris. ... This is only a continuation, under a new form, of the Annales des Chimie, published from the year 1789 to 1793, in 18 volumes, by Guyton, Lavofier, Mange, Berthallet, Fourcroy, &c. to whom MM. Chaptal, Van-Mons, and C. A. Priar, have likewife now affociated themselves. The titles of the articles, forming the prefent Number, are; 1. Defcription d'un gravimè, ou inftrument propre à mesurer la pefanteur spécifique des folites et des fluides par le ci. Guyton. II. Obfervations fur le javon de laine et fur les ufages dans les arts; par J. A. Chaptal, inflinteur de l'école polytechnique. III. Obfervations fur la maladie des arbres qui attaque fpecialement l'orne, et qui eft analogue à un ulcère; par le citoyen Vauquelin. IV. Extrait d'un mémoire fur trois efpèces différentes de gaz hydrogène carboné, envoyé à l'inftitut par la faciété des chimiftes hollandais; tiré d'un rapport lu'à la première claffe de l'inftitut de France; par le citoyen Fourcroy, féance du 26 Frimaire, an V. V. Mémoire fur l'hyacinthe de France, congénère à celle de Ceylan, et fur la nouvelle terre fimple qui entre dans fa compofition; par le citoyen Guyton; lu à l'inftitut les 6 et 16 Ventoje, l'an IV. And, lastly, VI Analyfe du peridot; par le citoyen Vauquelin. In this number of the Annals, are likewife given the titles of fome new foreign publications, belonging to the science of chemistry. Ibid, ITALY. ART. 65. Viaggio per la Toscana, per Giorgio Santi, Profeffore d' Iftoria-Naturale in Pifa Tomo 1o. in l. 8vo, with plates. Pisa, 1796. The example of Spallanzani, has communicated to his countrymen an impulfe, which cannot but be favourable to the advancement of fcience. It muft, indeed, be allowed, that he has had his predeceffors; Tufcany, in particular, has already been examined by the celebrated botanist and mineralogift Cefalpinus; by Micheli, who has made ftill further researches into its vegetable productions, and by Targioni, who is equally converfant in all the departments of natural history. But this study prefents a vaft field for fucceffive obfervations, which may eventually lead to difcoveries, of which, heretofore, no idea could have been formed, and with a view to which no fteps could therefore have been taken. This firft volume is confined to Montemiata, called allo Santa Tiora, which crowns the beautiful valley of Orcia, watered by the river of the fame name. Mr. S. examines very minutely the different foils, with all their productions. The plants are named after Linnéus, and the minerals defcribed according to the principles of modern chemistry. In the beginning of the work we are prefented with a differtation, of confiderable length, on the baths of St. Philipp, at the distance of twelve miles from the town of Pienza. The mean temperature of thefe baths, is at 37 degrees of Réaumur's thermometer, and, from the nature of the water, it is conceived, that it may be particularly useful in rheumatic complaints. The author gives very circumftantial and valuable information, in regard to the riches of nature, which exhibited themselves to him during the remainder of his route, and the mountain, by which it was terminated, is here defcribed in the moft fatisfactory manner. Of the variety of its productions, fome judgment may be formed from the confideration of the different regions into which it is divided. In the firft, which is by the author denominated that de caftagni, from the number of chefnut-trees with which it abounds, the climate of Italy may ftill be recognized; the fecond, in which this tree difappears, and is replaced by forefts of beech-trees, exhibits the productions of the northern parts of Germany; while the third, being totally deftitute of trees, and of almost all vegetation, prefents us with a refemblance of the frozen zone. The new or rare plants which are here reprefented and described, are: Lonicera Etrufca, foliis deciduis pubefcentibus, in other respects agreeing with the Lonicera caprifolium. L. Crepis calicibus farinofis, a variety of the crepis virens of Linnéus. Quercus pfeudo-fuber, foliis lanceolatis, finuofis, fubtus incanis, cortice reniofo, fungofo. Lichen fcaber, leprofus, luteo-cinereus, tuberculis cylindricis concoloribus. Hypnum cincinnatum, proliferum, perichatiis longitudine fere fetarum, calypira pilofa, furculis ficcitate convolutis. Peziza craffa coriacea, fufca, crateriformis, margine lacero. GERMANY. GERMANY. ART. 66. A View of the English Editions, Tranflations, and Illuftra tions of the ancient Greek and Latin Authors, with Remaks, by Lewis William Brüggemann, Counsellor of the Confiftory at Strettin in Pomerania, and Chaplain in Ordinary to his Prufian Majefty; 838 pp. in 1. 8vo. Stettin. 1797. This work, which is certainly as accurate and complete as any thing in the fame department of literature which has hitherto fallen under our notice, is divided by the author into three parts. The first part includes not only the Greek profane, but likewife the Jewish and Christian, writers. In the fecond are contained the Latin writers, both Heathen and Chriftian. The arrangement in both is according to order of time. The lift of the Greek writers concludes with Cyrillus Lucaris; that of the Latin with Alfred. In the third part are comprized the collections of different writers, with the commentaries on, and illuftrations of, the ancient Greek and Latin authors. The plan comprehends every thing relating to Greek and Roman, including alfo biblical and patriftical, literature that has hitherto been published, either under the names of natives, or of foreigners, in Great-Britain ; fo that the reader will find here the editions of Suidas, by Küfter; of Plutarch, by Wittenbach; that of Virgil, by Heyne, &c. whilft, on the contrary, the reimpreffions of English editions on the continent are omitted. To many of the works are annexed fhort critiques, taken from the English journals, or from other publications; and, with refpect to fuch editions and tranflations as are either rare, or but little known, the author refers to the literary fources where they are pointed out. The titles are fully and accurately given; fo that a number of errors, both in names and dates, will be found to be corrected here. To the work are fubjoined useful indexes, Jena ALZ. ART. 67. Explication détaillée des Gravures d'Hogarth, par M. G. E. Lichtenberg, Prof. de Gottingue. Ouvrage traduit de l'Allemand en Français, par M. M. Lamy. Vol. I, fuivi de fix planches gravées par Mr. E. Riepenhaufen. Göttingen, LII and 244 pp. in 8vo. with 6 Plates in Folio. Such of our readers as are not acquainted with the German, will be glad to learn, that there is a tolerable tranflation of this highlyefteemed work, in a language more generally known. If it fhould be objected to it, that it very often falls fhort of, and even fometimes mifreprefents, the original, it fhould be confidered, at the fame time, what the difficulty of the undertaking is, and that even a Frenchman cannot be expected faire l'impoffible. Some of the tranflator's own additions appear likewife to be unneceffary; as, for inftance, where where he calls the Epifcopal mitre l'éteignoir du bon fens; and he is often too paraphraftic, as in the following paffage, p. 94: " Auch hat ein gewiffer Dichter Banks eine verkleinerte Copie diefes Blatts feinem bleyernen Gedichte als Schwimmkiffen angebunden, um es auf dem Strom der Zeit oben zu halten; und er hat feinem Endzweck er、 > reicht; fie foll fogár den ganzen Band flott erhalten haben:" which is thus rendered; "Un certain poëte nommé Banks, fe défiant un peu de fon merite, et de la péfanteur de fes vers, a également orné le frontispice d'un poème de fa façon d'une copie abrégé de cette caricature. Il vouloit pur là lui donner un left, qui pourroit le faire jurnager fur le fleuve du tems, et l'on peut dire que fon deffein a été rempli. La recette étoit même fi bonne, qu'elle a fuffi pour tenir à flats le volume entier. This is ftill lefs excufable in fuch as the following defcriptions in p. 107; on which, however, the tranflator dwells con amore:" Ehe der officier fich re tirirte, hat er fich noch in der Eile mit feiner Stuhllehne eine Brücke über einen nicht unbeträchtlichen Strom gefchlagen, den hier die reiche Erbin der Bouteillen und des Punchnapfs, die Fluffgöttin Cloacina, aus ihrer Urne gegoffen hat." In the French translation; "Mais ce qu'il eft effentiel de remarquer, cft que l'officier avant d'effectuer fa retraite, s'eft fait à la bâte, avec le diffier de fon fauteuil, un pont, pour traverser un fleuve confidérable et rapide. Ce fleuve a été inopinément formé tant par le vin, et par le ponche forti des jattes, qui fe trouvent ici en abondance, que par les eaux thermales et diftillées, que Cloacina, la déeffe de la cochonnerie, a laissé échapper de fes éclufes trop dilatées." In the preface, Mr. L. comparing the eminent literary characters of Germany with thofe of his own country, condefcends to fay, that "les autels d'une telle rivalité s'élèvent de toute part; chaque cité fe glorifie, ou d'avoir produit, ou de pofféder de grands hommes ;" and concludes, from the indefatigable activity of its prefs, that Germany " déjà placée au niveau des nations les plus fa-vantes-finira par les éclipfer But he is, notwithstanding his extenfive and generally acknowledged literary information, ftill more extravagant in his eulogium of Prof. Lichtenberg, where he declares, that elle (the university of Göttingen) a fon Lavoifier, fon Priestley, fon Fourcroi, dans Mr. Lichtenberg; Jon Nollet, fon Sigaud de la Fond dans Mr. Lichtenberg; fon Hogarth, Jon Boileau, fon Coufin Jacques dans Mr. Lichtenberg." It is unfortu nate that the Germans cannot, with a ftrict attention to truth, fay, in return for thefe compliments, that France poffeffes a Lichtenberg in Mr. Lamy. Ibid. ART. 68. Befchreibung einer Reife durch Deutschland und d. Schweiz im Jahr 1781- -von Friedreich Nicolai; 11 u. 12 Theile.Account of Travels through Germany and Switzerland in the Year 1781, by Fr. Nicolai. Voll. 11 and 12, 8vo. Berlin and Stettin, 1796. The first volume of these travels was published in 1783; they were then announced by fubfcription, and the reft appeared fucceffively. |