After this literary news, we have a minute account of the spoils, in point of antiquities, of the most precious kiud, which the French had made in the kingdom of Naples during their residence in that country.

No. CLXXIX. Epistle to Legouvé, on the use of Criticism, by Vigée; a very pleasing poem, in the spirit of an Ars Poetica. The Lion and Four Bulls, a fable-In the spirit of sop's Bundle of Twigs.

A farther account and an examination of the Travels of Pythagoras are given in this No. with a biographical sketch of the author's life; who, though not named in the title page, iş known to be M. Sylvain Maréchal, who some years ago drew up the text or letter-press of the Antiquities of Herculaneum, engraved by David; and that of the Civil Customs of all the People of Antiquity. This M. Maréchal formerly filled the Almanac of the Muses with poetical compositions below mediocrity; he afterward made himself known by a small volume of Tales and Allegories; at length, in January 1789, when the Revolution was preparing, he published an Almanac of good People, in which, instead of the Saints whose names are inserted in all the Calendars of Europe, he was pleased, in the way of wit, to supply their places with all the great personages of antiquity: as St. Socrates, instead of St. John; St. Pythagoras, instead of St. Peter, &c. which was nearly as ridiculous, (says M. PELTIER) as the present republican calendar, where, instead of Saints, we have échalotte, turnip, carrot, &c. &c.

The Advocate-General of the Parliament of Paris deemed this pleasantry of M. Maréchal at least premature, and the almanac was judicially burned at the foot of the great stair-case of the palace. "During the revolution, M. Maréchal was much connected with Camille Desmoulins, till they both became violently smitten with a very pretty girl, the natural daughter of the Abbé Terray. The wit and originality of Desmoulins triumphed over the erudition of M. Maréchal; and the procureur-général of the lanthorn obtained the hand of the young lady, whom he took especial care to marry according to all the rites and formalities of the catholic, apostolic, and Roman church, and not by the ministry of the new priesthood: but this was only in the year 1792. We have lost sight of M. Maréchal since that time: but we now see him present himself to the world under the patronage of the most celebrated man of antiquity, the most sublime genius of remote times; leaning on six volumes, which, according to his own confession, have cost him the labour of 20 years.'

Not only in perusing M. PELTIER's extracts from this work, but in merely casting our eyes over the promises made in the title-page, we perceived that our countryman, STANLEY, in his History of Philosophy, and Lives of the Philosophers, must

have

have been of singular service to the ingenious compiler of these volumes; Stanley having bestowed nearly 100 quarto pages on the birth, travels, family, doctrines, and death, of the Samian Sage; and our English biographer's arrangement of his materials seems in many instances to be followed with no small degree of complacency. Stanley's account of the head of each sect is constantly divided into sections, and subdivided into chapters; and the labour with which he has collected the scattered remains of this great man, never failing to give his authorities at the bottom of the page, astonishes even such old and hackneyed drudges as we are. We think that the outline of Anacharsis may have been thus suggested to the celebrated author of his Travels.-The laws and symbols of Pythagoras, which, M. PELTIER says, seem to have been buried among the learned ruins of antiquity, and which appear to be now collected for the first time,' are all, or nearly all, to be found in Stanley. This circumstance may abate a little of the force of the strong éloge which M. PELTIER bestows on M. Maréhal's learning: a rapid inspection of the table of contents, (he says,) and the notes and references which the body of the work contains, have given us a very high idea of the erudition which the author must necessarily possess.'-Stanley's style is dry, and somewhat obsolete; and his arrangement is perhaps too methodical; the work having been written early in the reign of Charles II. before our prose had been polished by Clarendon, Shaftesbury, Tillotson, Temple, Holder, Burnet of the Charter-House, Locke, and Dryden. We doubt not that, with old facts and new flourishes, M. Sylvain Maréchal may have composed a pleasing and interesting work, for all such as can forgive the derision with which he treats the Christian religion and its followers; of which M. PELTIER very properly

warns us.

To this article we may perhaps return at some future pe riod, when we are in possession of the work itself.

Vol. XXII. No. CLXXX. begins with Literary Miscellanies; in the choice of which, as usual, the writer manifests judgment and good taste. The first article relates to a publication of

Original Letters by J. J. ROUSSEAU, to Mad. de Créqui, to Mad. la Maréchalle de Luxembourg, to M. Malesherbes, and to d'Alembert, one vol. 12mo. of which we have already given some account in this Appendix, Art. IV. p. 502-5. We shall here make some little additions to it, from the extracts and remarks which have occurred to the editor of the work before us.

Whatever concerns Rousseau, (says truly M. PELTIER,) and whatever has flowed from his pen, will excite interest. The publication of indited letters by this extraordinary man,

and

and of others addressed to him, is a new service done to literature by Pougens, the printer and publisher. It is in a correspondence of intimate friends, not tricked up with a view to publication, that we gain a true knowlege of the character of the writers; who, in speaking to the public, are not always natural and sincere.' M. PELTIER seems to have no doubt that these letters are genuine. A very just reflection of Mad. Crequi, on the character of Rousseau, was that-" When nature formed Rousseau, Reason kneaded the dough, and Folly threw in the leaven." A few extracts are here given, and are very characteristic but there is one in which he appears as a friend to religion, which our pious readers would not expect: "I would rather (he says) be devout than a Philosophe : but I continue in the belief of God; and the hope of a future state is my only consolation in the present."He expresses, in a letter to Madame de Luxembourg, his hope that Providence, though not in this life, will make amends for the sufferings and inequa lities in the conditions of mankind; and even here, he trusts, Providence will protect him against all the dark plots of men, their long success, and black triumphs. Here (says M. PELTIER) we recognize Rousseau, as the illustrious translator of the Georgics. M. de Lille has painted him in his Poem on Imagi nation; where, speaking of his distrust, he says, (as we shall endeavour to explain to our English readers,)

"Alas! that torment of the soul he knew.—

He who by turns could make our hearts approve
The voice of reason and the voice of Jove !
How great his talents! Wisdom how sublime!
How false and feeble at the self same time!
Fear in his arms received him from the womb,
And never left him till he reach'd the tomb!"

M. PELTIER extracts from this small volume a fragment on musical imitation, which we think is deep and delicate: "The musical art, except in a very few instances, is incapable of painting objects immediately; and it can only put the soul in a disposition similar to that which their presence would excite. Every one (Rausseau adds, writing to D'Alembert, before their quarrel) will feel this in perusing what you have said on the subject, and which would have occurred to no one but yourself. It is, as La Motte describes it,

"That truth implanted in each mind,
From seeds which nature brings;

Truth, to feel which we are all inclin❜d,

But know not whence it springs."

After the account of Rousseau's letters, M. PELTIER has inserted a whole poem of considerable length and merit, by M. de

Fontanes

Fontanes, called Navarre Forest, in the manner of Pope's Windsor
Forest, but without imitating his thoughts.

We have next a long discourse by M. Millin, professor of Antiquities at the National Library, Paris, at the opening of his course of lectures. This discourse cannot be read by an Italian, nor by a lover of that country and its fine arts, without impatience, and an aching heart: since here the orator describes, with great pomp and triumph, all the beauteous and inestimable spoils of which Italy has been stripped by the

armies of France.

After this paper, we find some account of the discoveries made in Greece by our countryman, Mr. Hawkins, who is lately returned from an Oriental Tour of five years. Of these discoveries, we are in hopes of speaking from the author's own

narrative.

Antient Egypt. As people at Paris, says M. PELTIER, talk of nothing but Egypt, Syria, and Greece, he conforms to the taste of the day in giving a fragment of a Poem on Navigation, which he had just received (May 15th). This production contains a description of Antient Egypt, which he doubts not will be read with pleasure. The celebrated Abbé de Lille, to whom the author had communicated that part of this poem which was This finished, promised him the most brilliant success. new poet, who begins his career under such happy auspices, is M. Esmenard, editor of an Anti-jacobin Journal at Paris, before the 18th Fructidor (4th Sept.), at present a victim of the persecution which has followed that event: a fugitive, writing (in spite of Voltaire) excellent verses in Germany.

Under the article Variety, we have two or three humourous papers; such as The Life of a Hackney-Coachman ;—A Letter from the Chambermaid of a newly Rich Female Citizen of Paris, on the tyranny and consequent slavery of bells being hung in every room, closet, chimney, &c. in and out of the house.

"Young people formerly waited on themselves; and if their father or mother wanted a glass of water, a pen and ink, a book, or a candle, the children, male and female, eagerly flew for it; and whoever, in the struggle, was so fortunate as to arrive first with the thing required, was sure of a kiss and thanks. Even I, a poor girl, besides not being so often called, was treated so kindly by the children, "Molly, good little Molly, pray come up, Mama calls you." Oh! this is intelligible language, these are human voices, which speak to human ears, voices which one can answer: but these voices of brass or iron, which command without speaking; this machine which loads me with orders for instant execution, without giving me cramp," my pot boils over"-or time to say "I have got the "what you want is at hand, or in your pocket"-Oh! this is intolerable!The state is often distressed for new subjects of taxation,

and

and I am sure that these vile larums may be taxed with a safe conscience. Bells in churches have been abolished as disturbers of the public peace; and these disturbers of private peace should certainly not be allowed to teaze, startle, and harass poor sarvants with impunity."

The theatres furnish nothing very interesting in this No. and among the new books there is but little variety of subject. Several of them have been mentioned in our Review, and some occur in the present Appendix.

Number CLXXXI. published May 30th 1799.

We are so deeply in arrears with this agreeable Journal, from the rapidity of its publication, (2 Nos. appearing in every month,) that, in order to overtake the author, we must refrain from giving extracts for some time, and present our readers with little more than a summary of its contents.

The first article in this No. is On the choice of Trees to be planted, sacred to Science and the fine Arts. The author wishes that the Laurel should be solely appropriated to Heroism; and he seems inclined to consecrate the Cedar and Indian Plantain to Arts and Sciences :-but others are proposed, and it does not yet appear which will have the preference.

Travels in Asia, Africa, and America. Account of a curious inedited Journey in the interior of Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to Egypt: the travellers having penetrated into this quarter of the Globe, 515 leagues from the place of their departure.

Voyage to China, by M. Hüttner; see M. R. Vol. xxv. N. S. P.554.

Narrative of Travels, performed by order of the French Government, in the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and Persia, during the first six years of the Republic: read at the National Institute by Citizen Olivier. M. PELTIER has filled 16 pages by giving an account of this expedition, rather exciting than gratifying curiosity.

Travels into Africa by the Botanist Desfontaines :- Flora Atlantica, sive Historia Plantarum quæ in Atlante, Agro Tunetano, et Algeriensi crescunt. The account of this work highly extols its importance to Botany.

Journal of Travels in the interior of Africa, 1790 and 1791, by James Van Reenen, and other Colonists of the Cape, in search of the crew of the Grosvenor Indiaman wrecked on the coast of Caffraria in 1782. After having penetrated 500 leagues into the country, not the least trace was to be found of the unfortunate objects of their search.

A Continuation of the History of Antient Greece contained in the travels of the younger Anarcharsis.

La