veram fidem. This is an introduction to the principles of the Christian religion, compofed by the author, whilst he was ftill metropolitan of Scythopolis, for the purpofe mentioned in our last article, revised likewife by the Prefbyter Parthenius. It is divided into five parts; the firft of which treats, in 41 chapters, of the knowledge of God, his nature, and attributes; of the Son of God, and of the logos; of the Holy Ghoft, the doctrine of the Trinity, &c. In the fecond part, which is likewife fubdivided into 59 chapters, the author gives an account of the Creation, Heaven, Paradife, Man, his faculties and affections, &c. &c, The third part treats, in 40 chapters, of Chrift, his Incarnation, and Perfon; the worship of Images, of the Crofs, and of Relics, &c.; the whole being interfperfed, as will eafily be conceived, with much polemical controverfy. The fourth part confifts of differtations on the different Chriftian virtues; and the fifth, to which is prefixed a demonstration of the truth of the Chriftian religion, treats of the Seven Sacraments; and, laftly, of Prayer and Fafting. SWITZERLAND. Ibid. ART. 55. Voyages chez les peuples Kalmonks & les Tartares. Berne, 1793. gr. in 8vo. avec figures & cartes géographiques. We are here prefented with a collection of the observations of different literary travellers, on people and countries, which, from the very circumftance of their uncultivated state, have a peculiar claim to our attention. Geography is much indebted to the pains which the fovereigns of Ruffia have been under the neceffity of taking, for the purpose of ascertaining the extent of their own dominions, which, at the commencement of the prefent century, were still buried in the most profound ignorance. It will have required nearly an hundred years to carry these difcoveries through all the parts of this vaft monarchy, whofe ambition has kept pace with the knowledge it has acquired of its own refources. A work of this magnitude could only have been attempted under the aufpices of fuch a prince as Peter I. It has fince been profecuted with the fame fpirit by his fucceffors, and particularly by the prefent emprefs; the perfons too, who have been engaged in it, have, in general, been found fo perfectly competent to the undertaking, that we are affured, by Prof. Beckman of Goettingen, that their journals fupply fuch an accumulation of materials entirely new, for the hiftory of the three natural kingdoms, for the theory of the earth, for rural economy, and for an infinity of other objects relative to the arts and sciences, as would employ many learned men, for feveral years, in their proper arrangement and claffification. The prefent work contains extracts from the voyages and travels of, 1. D. A. Mefferfchmied into Siberia, 1719-27; 2. Of the two Danish captains, Beering and Spangberg, accompanied by Mr. Tfchirikow, to Kamfchatka, 1730; 3. Of John George Gmelin, together with Profeffor Müller, Mr. Krafcheninikow, &c. to the department of Ochotzk, the first volume of whofe account was published at Goettin Q3 gen gen in 1751; 4. Of Mr. Chappe d'Auteroche to Tobolík, 1760; 5. Of Dr. Samuel George Gmelin, affifted by J. Gliutfcharew, Stephen Krafcheninikow, and others, through Stararufa, Waldai, Torfchok, Mofcow, Woronefch, Oftrogefk, Pawlofk, Cafanka, Cimlia, Tfcherkaik, Afoff, and Zarizyn, to Aftracan, Derbent, Baku, Schamachie, Enzelli, Peribazar, Gilam, Mafanderan, &c. 1768-72; 6. Of Prof. S. Pallas through Nowogorod, Waldai, Mofcow, Wolodimer, Kafi mof, Murom, Arfamos, Simbirk, Samara, Syfran, Orenburg, Gurjef, Gorodok, the province of Iffet, Catarinenburg, Ticheljabinsk, Toms, Krafnojarsk, Irkutzk, Sarapul, Jaifkci-Gorodock, Aftracan, &c. 1768-74; 7. Of Mr. J. A. Georgi, joined by Meff. N. and J. Rytfchkow, through Mofcow, Aftracan, la Steppe des Kalmoucs, Uralik, Orenburg, the province of Ilel, Bafchkie, Ural, Ifetfkoi, Omfk, Kolywan, Altai, Tomfk, Kafan, &c. 1770-4; 8. Of Mr. Lepechin to Mofcow, Wolodimer, Murom, Arfamas, Alatyr, Simbirk, Kafan, the province of Stawropol, and Orenburg; Aftracan. Gargef, Catarinenburg, Tjumem, Wjaieti, Uchtjug, Archangel, &c. 1768-73; and, laftly, 9. Of Dr. J. Güldenftädt to Nowogorod, Porchow, Staraja-Rufa, Toropez, Mofcow, Kolomna, Epifare, Tula, Wolomefch, Tawrow, Tambow, Nowochoperfkaja, Zarizyn, Aftracan, Kitzljar, the district of Offeria, Dafchet, Tefflis, the provinces of Turcomania, fubject to the Czar Heraclius, the district of Radfcha, part of the kingdom of Immirette, the frontiers of Mingrelia and Guria, Mofdak, Petersbade, Tfcherkafk, Azoff, Taganrog, Krementfchak, Bjelewkaja Krepoft, Kiew, Serpachow, &c. 1768-74. The objects propofed by the academy for their examination were, 1. The nature of the foil, and of the waters. 2. The means of cultivating the defert lands. 3. The prefent ftate of their general agriculture. 4. The most common difcafes incident both to men and cattle, with their mode of curing or preventing them. 5. Their manner of keeping their cattle, particularly their theep, as alfo their bees and filk-worms. 6. Their mode of fifhing and hunting. 7. Their minerals and mineral waters. 8. Their arts, trades, and other objects of induftry. 9. Their moft ufeful plants. 10. To afcertain the pofitions of the different places, to make geographical and meteorological obfervations; and laftly, to give an account of whatever might regard the manners, ufages, cuftoms, languages, traditions, and antiquities of the feveral people whom they fhall vifit. It is gencrally allowed that the perfons engaged in these researches, have executed the task impofed on them in a manner very fatisfactory to thofe by whom they were employed: but as their different journals form a confiderable number of quarto volumes, of which the expence is likewife confiderably increafed by the prints, many of which are rather ornamental than ufeful, and as befides the moft important defcriptions are often widely difperfed in this voluminous collection, which, after all, can be intelligible to those only who are acquainted with the German language, in which most of them are written, we think the compilers of the prefent work have rendered an effential fervice to the public by prefenting them with extracts in French from their works, in which the accounts given by different travellers of the fame place are brought together, freed from unneceffary repetitions, and to be procured at a reafonable price. ART. ART. 56. Verfuch einer Geschichte der Helvetier unter den Roemern, -Efay towards an Hitory of the Swiss under the Romans, from the Death of Julius Cæfar to the great Emigration under Honorius, by Capt. Francis-Louis Haller. Zurich, 1793. Large Svo. This hiftory, in the compofition of which the author has not only availed himself of the feanty materials to be found in Cæfar, Tacitus, Ammianus Marcellinus, and others, but likewife of fuch monuments as the Romans had left in the country, many of which exift at prefent in their defcriptions only, is divided into three fections. Of these the first takes in the fpace of time between the death of Cæfar and the reign of Galba; the fecond, that from Galba to Valerian, and the third terminates with the great emigration mentioned in the title. Capt. Haller adopts an opinion already advanced by other hiftorians, that Julius Cæfar, having concluded an alliance with the Helvetians, established in the environs of Geneva a colony of ve, teran foldiers, of the equestrian order, and built a city afterwards, known under the name of Colonia Julia equeftris novidunum, noiodunum or ne-vidunum. A monument given in the history of Geneva, by Spon, which might have been tranfported thither from the ancient town of Noiodunum (the prefent Nyon) belongs probably to this epoch: it is C. JUL. JULIA which Capt. Haller restores in the following manner: Aratrum duxerunt murum ædificarunt. After the death of Cæfar, the Romans found it extremely difficult to retain the Gauls under their yoke, and to fubdue the Rhetians and the neighbouring Germans. The wars occafioned by this oppofition are here described by our author, as far, at least, as regards Helvetia. This people had by no means loft their liberty under the Roman government; they ftill kept up their affemblies, where they affifted in the legislation, and regulated the general expences. With refpect to their public worship, it became a monstrous jumble of the ancient religion of the Celts, and that of the Romans. Jupiter, Mars, and Venus, had their altars near those of Belin, Wodan, and Frea. The Druids, however, fo much revered by the Celts, were, for that very reafon, fufpected by the Romans. The cuftom of facrificing men on their altars was made the pretext for perfecuting them, though the Romans themselves were not always exempt from that act of barbarity. But their principal offence was the influence which they were known to poffefs over the minds of the people, on which account they were fent into exile by the emperor Claudius. Nor was this reftraint in the exercife of their religion the only oppreffion which the Helvetians experienced from their conquerors, the exactions of the treasury likewife furpaffed all bounds. Several Roman legions were fent at different times to fupport the authority of the Præfects in thefe instances, whose names, together with the places of their refidence, are Q4 here here carefully marked by our author. This attention ferves to throw a confiderable light on the events which took place in the country itfelf, and even on the Roman Hiftory during the civil wars under Galba, Vitellius, and Otho. In the fecond fection the author reprefents Helvetia reduced to a miferable fituation under Cæcina, the general of Vitellius; adding many elucidations effential to the recital of Tacitus (L. I. c. 7.) on this fubject. Vefpafian, however, and his fons, took care to repair thofe injuries. Accordingly the population of Helvetia increafed very much from the reign of Vefpafian to that of M. Aurelius. One fhould hardly have expected to discover in Switzerland, veftiges of the establishment of an univerfity in these remote times; but an infcription preferved at the ancient Aventicum (now called Windifch) proves that there was fuch an Helvetian college, where public lectures were given in medicine, and the other liberal arts. The following is a tranfcript from the monument itself, which is ftill to be feen in the church of Wiflifburg; Numinib. Aug. & genio Col. Hel. Apollin, Sacr. Pofthum. Hyginus 2 Pofthum. Hermes Lib. medicis & profefforibus D. S. D. From the names we may conclude, that the profeffors were natives of Greece, and there are other hiftorical proofs that feveral Greek families fettled in Helvetia in the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian. Most of the ancient monuments found in this country, of which fome at Wiflifburg, Konigsberg, &c. are very magnificent, belong to the fecond century. In the reign of M. Aurelius, Chriftianity made a rapid progress in Helvetia, and the number of thofe who profelled that religion was very confiderable at Lugdunum, the capital of that country, in the time of Irenæus. The catastrophe under Vitellius had greatly weakened the power of the Helvetians, and prepared the way for the incurfions of barbarian hords from Germany, wherever Roman colonies had not replaced the population, that had now fuffered fo much. By degrees Helvetia loft even its name, and was comprehended under that of Seguania, a province of Gauls, of which it formed a part. The third divifion of this book therefore contains little more than a detail of the ravages of the Suevi, the Allemani, and other German people, who inceffan ly harraffed the countries lying on the Upper Rhine, and who, irritated by their repeated defeats, at last fucceeded in wearing out the courage of their conquerors. Of all the people that have fucceffively invaded ancient Helvetia, the Allemans are thofe who have fettled there in the greatest numbers, f that they may be confidered as the real ancestors of the mo dern Swifs. Jena Litt. zeit. SWEDEN. SWEDEN. ART. 57. Tal vid Jubelfeften, &c. Difcourfe pronounced on the Oc cafion of the Jubilee of the Swedish Church, March 7, 1793, by D. Boëthius, Profeffor in the University of Upfal. 8vo. What are my duties? and what my hope? The author maintains, that these questions which prefent themfelves to the mind of every reasonable man, lead us naturally towards religion. But reafon is frequently misled in its researches, and even Revelation itfelf is not exempt from erroneous interpretations, whence arifes that great variety of opinions in refpect to matters of belief. On the precepts of morality, all perfons are, however, agreed: but religion gives an additional ftrength to pure morality, and it is this circumstance which renders it indifpenfably neceffary to man. This neceffity is admitted, by all those who aim at the general good, and who have formed to themselves a juft idea of the means by which it is to be effectually promoted. But in all times there have exifted perfons who have fancied their own particular intereft incompatible with the general good, and who have been willing to diftinguish themfelves by the novelty of their opinions; from which two claffes, religion has been exposed to the most violent attacks. The author is, however, perfuaded that it will not finally fink under them, and fupports his affertion by arguments, a feries of which are evidently the more inconteftable, as they are founded in experience. After the perfecu tions, over which religion has triumphed for fo many ages, he trufts, and we believe, that its empire is established on a bafis, that will be found to be proof against all affaults, Stockholm poften. GEOLOGICAL |