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Each tree and plant has its name written in each of the European languages, and likewife in every dialect spoken throughout the Ruffian empire; a method extremely useful to the students of botany." Anecdotes of Peter the Great," collected by Jacques de Staehling, have been publifhed at Leipfic, many of which are curious, and defcriptive of the fingular and impetuous character of that remarkable man. That, for inftance, which informs us, that the emperor being at church at Dantzick, and finding his head cold, took off the perriwig of the burgomafter that fat beside him, and put it on his own head. As alfo that of madame Borstein, whom he himself tapped for the dropfy. M. Nicholas Fufs read before the Royal Academicians of Petersburg the "Eulogy" of his great master Euler, which contains an abstract of his life and works. The labours of Euler are immenfe, and well known. He went from his native country, Swifferland, to Petersburg, whence he was invited by the late king of Pruffia; and who (as we think very much to his difgrace) would fcarcely permit Euler to leave Berlin, when he had once more a defire to return to Petersburg. The famous M. Turgot, comptrollergeneral of France, at the folicitation of the marquis of Condorcet, prevailed on the French monarch to prefent fix thousand livres to Euler,

HE feven Catholic Epiftles of the Apostles have been published in Ruffia, after the MSS. found at Moscow by profeffor Matthai, with various readings, remarks, and Greek scholia, never before printed, together with the Vulgate Latin verfion of a MS. carefully examined. It is printed by Hartknoch, at Riga. The fame author has publifhed the Gofpel according to St. Luke, in Greek and Latin; Paul's Epitiles to the Romans, Titus, Philemon; the first and fecond Epiftle to the Corinthians; the Epiftles to the Hebrews and Coloffians, each in Greek and Latin. It is now above four years fince profeffor Matthæi began to publifh his edition of the New Teftament, according to the Moscow MSS. which perhaps he holds in too much veneration. The learned in theology will find many remarkable deviations in his opinions and decifions on various parts of the Scriptures. M. Jaenifch has given a "Treatife on the Cure of the Cancer," at Petersburg. M. Apinus has printed a defcription of his new invented microscopes. The "Opufcula Analytica" of the great Euler, were published at Petersburg, in 1783, after his death. M. Pallas has published Tom. I. pars I. of his "Flora Ruffica," under the aufpices of the emprefs, at whofe expence the work is undertaken, and who gives all the copies away.

in reward for the benefit his difcoveries had done to fociety; to which the emprefs of Ruffin, when fhe heard of it, added eight thou fand more. Euler had thirteen children, five of which only arrived. at puberty; three of them were fons, each famous for his learning and abilities and the grandchildren of Euler were thirty-fix, all living at the time of his death.

In Sweden a tract has been publifhed, called "Trangrums Acten," which fignifies the refufe of herrings after the oil has been extracted. The making of this oil is a branch of commerce extremely lucrative to Sweden, and it had been pretended that the refufe of the herrings, after the oil was made, being cast into the fea, injured both the fishery and navigation. The king accordingly iffued an ediét, prohibiting this refufe to be thrown into the fea. But this being deftructive to the interests of the manufacturers, they obtained leave to make experiments, by which they have proved, that, instead of being injurious, this refufe, by being caft into the fea, was remarkably beneficial to the fishery, and no impediment to navigation,

Peter Frederic Suhm has written the History of Denmark, from 804 to 941, in which many interefting facts are to be found relative to the Ruffians, Germans, French, Englifh, Irish, and Scotch. The author has therein given many wellestablished facts, hitherto unknown, of the invafions the Normans made on those kingdoms, and which will be of the utmost confequence to future hiftorians. M. Suhm has likewise written a novel, or romance, called "Afsol", (printed at Copenhagen) which is in great repute, and fhews how perfectly the 1785.

author is acquainted with the manners of the remote ages in which his fuppofed perfonages lived, as well as the power he has over the imagination and the heart.

M. Schmidts has published his third and fourth volumes of the "German Hiftory," which is to be continued. It is already fuppofed a work fo well authenticated, that' the emperor, in his late contest with the king of Pruffia, quoted the authority of this historian.

We gave an account last year of M. de Rivarol's "Prize Memoir on the Univerfality of the French Language. "The author of it took every poffible means to make himfelf and his memoir known. M. Schwab, profeffor of Stuttgard, and a more modeft man, between whom and M. de Rivarols the prize was divided, has likewife published his Memoir, and from the extracts we have feen, he appears to be a much better philofopher

M. Goeze has given "A Hifto rical Effay on Worms, found in the Inteftines of Animals," in which are numerous, excellent, and new obfervations. The author's patience has been unconquerable; he has examined a vast number of animals and animalcula, with the help of the microfcope, and his account of the folium, or tape worm, is written with great care.

M. Dobrizhoffer has printed three vols. of his "History of the Abbiponions," a warlike nation of Paraguay, in which, though the author has not that extended and philofophic mind fo much to be defired in all writers, yet many very curious particulars may be found, as well relative to the natives as the Jefuits, to whom the author is a friend. Their fettle ments in that country, the good they have done, and the falfehood

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mire the great credulity which he fometimes difcovers; particularly in admitting the extravagant chronological pretenfions of the Chinefe and Hindoos. We are the more fenfibly truck with this character of the philofophical rhapfodies as they carry a very fceptical appearance, when they glance at the infinitely more probable and confiftent fyflein of Mofes. Inde pendently of this and other parts of his work, wherein he feems too much difpofed to admit prejudices against the authenticity or purity of revelation, we think it amufing and inftructive.

"The Progress of Romance through Times, Countries, and Manners," &c. is the production of a lady, fome of whole former labours have met with a favourable reception from the public. It is written in the dialogue form; and contains a history of this fpecies of compofition, from the earlieft remains, to the clofe of the year 1770. Fact, fhe maintains, was the original ground of the romance; though, like the epic poem, it amplifies and embellishes its circumftances, and adds incidents which have no foundation but in the imagination. Homer The calls the parent of romance; and the expreffes her astonishment that men of fenfe and learning, who admire and relish the beauties, of the old claffic poets, fhould ever fpeak contemptuoufly of this kind of writing, The claffical enthu fiaft will atk for no farther evidence of the merits of this work; and will proteft with indignation against the profane comparifon. We cannot but acknowledge, however, that our author defends her opinion with much ingenuity. Her reading, in this department, feems to have been very extenfive; and

if there do not appear any traces of deep penetration and philofophical difcernment, in her delineation of the progrefs of the fubject, we are, nevertheless, much indebted to her for recalling our attention to many authors long fince forgotten by us, with which we hope again to enliven our folitary hours.

The undertaking of Mr. Robertfon in his "Enquiry into the fine Arts," is very bold and difficult; and calls for much practical knowledge, as well as fpeculative reflection. He means, he tells us, not to follow the dry, technical, abftrufe method of fome, nor the lefs fcientific method of others; who, intead of a treatife on the fine arts, give only criticisms on particular poems, pictures, buildings, &c. but on the contrary to "inveftigate a theory, diftinguish a tafte, give a history, and mark an influence upon mankind." The prefent volume contains only a part of his plan; and confiits of an introductory difcourfe on the principle of the fine arts, together with a plan for treating of them; and an enquiry into the ancient and modern state of mufic, as the chief of the "fine arts which ap ply to the ear." Our author appears to have employed much labour and industry in this work; and to have made a liberal ufe of the advantages which feveral of the beft writers on the theory of mufic afforded him. How far his felections and remarks are evidences of his judg ment and tafte we will not take upon ourselves to determine. We cannot, however, but exprefs our wifh, that his directions and language had been more determinate and perfpicuous than we frequently find them to be. We doubt not, but that our author will be attentive to this remark in the profecu

tion of his plan; and that he will avoid, likewife, fuch provincial expressions and barbarifms in ftyle, as are difgraceful to a work of fcience.

"A Difcourfe delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy, on the Distribution of the Prizes, December 10th, 1784, by the rrefident", is an addition to the many evidences in the hands of the pub lic, of the great taste and judgment which fir Joshua unites with his profeffional knowledge. "Method of Study" is the fubject of this difcourfe; in which the prefident recommends industry and an eager defire to excel, rather than any fixed and invariable rule of ftudy. Were he to recommend any particular method, it would be, "that young ftudents fhould not think themfelves qualified to invent, till they were acquainted with thofe ftores of invention the world already poffeffes, and had by that means accumulated fufficient materials for the mind to work with." We need not add, that a difcourfe from the pen of fo justly celebrated an artift, is an elegant one; or that his inftructions to the students in his art, are highly deferving of their attention.

The Poetical publications of the year 1785 have been exceedingly numerous. But it will not be expected that we fhall take notice of by far the greater part of them, which are already configned to oblivion. Among fuch productions as are deferving of a distinct fpecification, we fhall give the first place to an edition of Poems on feveral Occafions, English, Italian, and Latin, by John Milton. With notes critical and explanatory, and other Illustrations, by Thomas Warton, Fellow of Trinity Col

His

lege, and late Profeffor of Poetry at Oxford." Mr. Warton difcovers the greatest industry and zeal in correcting the text of our invaluable poet; and we confider his fuccefs to be fuch as will do great honour to his accuracy and ingenuity. The notes which he hath added are partly historical, and partly explanatory; and tend, in our opinion, more fatisfactorily to illuftrate the fence and beauties of Milton, than the labours of any of his other commentators. principal attention, for the prefent, is paid to Lycidas, and Comus; which, notwithtanding that they are attended with their faults, are to be diftingufhed by the energy and poetical fire of their unrivalled author, We indulge the hope that Mr. Warton will continue his endeavours to refcue the other remains of our poet from corruption and obfcurity. It is a task perfectly congenial to his favourite ftudies; and for which his patience and accutenefs in investigation render him peculiarly qualified.

Mr. Phillips hath republished a. a fmall volume of "Poetry, by Richard Crafhaw, who was a Ca non in the Chapel of Loretto, and died there in the Year 1650." Some few of the pieces in this volume have great merit; and, were they felected from the reft, would be entitled to a place in those collections which preferve the valuable relics of ancient poetry. Among these we may mention the Sofpetto d'Herode; and that written in praife of "Leffius, his Rule of Health;" and "Mufic's Duel", which is a tranflation from Strada. But the prefent editor is an enthufiaft in praife of Crashaw. He reprefents Milton as under the greatest obligations to him in fome of the fublimeft parts of his

Paradife

Paradife loft; and in very unqualified terms, condemns Pope, Young, Gray, and many other celebrated British Poets", for "dreffing them felves in his borrowed robes, without the finalleft acknowledgement." That Milton might have a perfect recollection of fome of his beauties while penning his own immortal will readily be allowed; but that he is indebted for any part of his fame to an unjustifiable ufe of this author, will hardly be fufpected by any perfon who candidly compares their refpective works. How far his charge a gainst Pope is to be received, in its fullest extent, the impartial will be able to determine from the praise which the latter freely be itows upon Crafhaw's epitaph upon Mr. Afhton. If Mr. Phillips had been careful to mark the particular paffages in his author, on which he founded the charges of plagiarifin against the other British poets, their admirers would have confidered themselves obliged, either to vindicate them from the afperfion, or to acknowledge the juftice of it.

In Boyd's "Tranflation of the Inferno of Dante Alighieri," we are prefented with the whole of that extraordinary poem, in English verfe. It is not eafy to conceive of the difficulty of preferving the fenfe and fpirit of the father of Italian poetry, in this production. Our tranflator, however, appears, on the whole, to have executed his talk with fidelity and correctness. Not that he is always free from obfcurity; or exprefies I all the force and animation of the original. Some few grammatical errors might likewife be pointed out, and a harfhnefs in fome of his verfes and rhymes, which an attentive revifion will enable him to correct. The life of Dante, tranf

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lated from Leonardo Bruni, and the "Historical Effay on the State of Affairs in the thirteenth and fourteenth Centuries, with refpect to the History of Florence," will be found entertaining and interefting to the reader.

Mr. Potter hath published a liberal poetical tranflation of "The Oracle concerning Babylon, and the Song of Exultation, from Ifaiah, chap. xiii. and xiv." Our author's well known and established fame, as a poet, will fuffer no diminution from the prefent performance. A confiderable fhare of the beauty and fpirit of the original is transfufed throughout both thefe pieces. But we do not think it n eafy matter to equal the grandeur and fublimity of the prophet, as he appears in the fimple and unadorned language of our common verfion.

Mr. Butt's "Ifaiah verfified," is a very unequal production, which, in its belt paffages, hath no very high claim on our commendation. Some of the most interesting parts of the prophecy, the fenfe of which is clear and obvious in the original, lofe all their fpirit in his hands, and become obfcure and perplexed. Since our author confiders poetry as "the highest energy of human intellect, the last perfection of human language, and the fureft embalmer of wifdom for all ages," we hope that, in his future compofitions, he will correct his fondness for pompous and fwelling expreffions ; and that he will confider it as one of the chief excellencies of good writing, to be connected and intelligible.

"The Tafk, a Poem in fix Books, by William Cowper, of the Inner Temple, Efq." is a work abounding in originality of thought, pathetic reprefentations, and poignancy of fatire. We have feldom net

with