Lorrain and Bar, is even now fubfifting, though the hoftilities of their former refpective fovereigns have ceafed almoft three hundred years fince. Their chief dialects and idioms are French, Meffin or that of the diftrict of Metz, Vogien, and corrupt German. The inhabitants are divided among a great number of bishopricks, viz. Treves or Trier, Metz, Tull, Verdun, Nancy, St. Diez, Maynz, Châlons, Langres, Straiburgh, and Befançon; and a few places, fuch as the ladies-abbey of Remiremont, depend immediately on the pope. The bishopricks of Nancy and St. Diez, were established on the 19th of November, 1777, and the former endowed from the revenues of the primatical chapter of Nancy, and the latter from thefe of the earldom of St. Diez, granted for this purpose by king Stanislaus, thofe of the convents of Etival and Autrey, and part of thefe of the abbot of Moyen Moutier. The ecclefiaftical code which gave rife to famous difputes with the pope, is ftill in force. The civil law is exceedingly various, and there are bailliwics in thefe countries, in which five or even more, different ftatutes prevail, befides the Roman law. The fupreme court of justice is at Nancy, and has, fince 1775, been styled a parliament. The coin of Lorrain is different from that of Bar, and both from that of France. In 1766, the whole of the revenues of Lorrain and Bar, amounted to 9,282,623 livres of Lorrain, equal to 7,186,553 livres of France; and the expenditure to 1,647.705 livres of France. The univerfity was, in 1768, transferred from Pont à Mouffon to Nancy, the capital, which has befides a royal academy of sciences, a college of phyficians, and a college or company of furgeons. Both the duchies have produced many eminent painters, fculptors, and other artists. The first painter, Peter Jacobi, lived in 1508. The first volume concludes with a lift of fairs. The fecond contains the geographical description; with a short account of the hiftory of the chief places, and the number of their houfes. Nancy contained, in 1777, 29,468 perfons; and among thofe, not less than 358 monks, and 631 nuns. Queflions Politiques. 122 Pages in Odavo. THE anonymous author treats of the following questions: 1. Means for improving public education ?-Here he affirms that in the fchools of proteftant countries, youth are taught mere words and phrafes from the claffics; and that the schools of catholic countries are beneath notice and criticifin. But thefe affertions appear to us to be exaggerations. In moft countries of Europe a fpirit of improvement has arifen for these feveral years paft, and already produced feveral effential and practical advantages. Both in the catholic and proteftant countries of Germany, in particular, not only a very great number of writers and teachers, but most governments alfo, have been affiduoufly, zealoufly, and fuccefsfully intent on the improvement of public and private education. The author propofes a more general fludy of the French language, and to have every object of knowledge taught in that as well as in the respective native tongues, in order to render the French the univerfal language, as it is already that of courts and of the beau monde. 2. Means for allowing liberty, to nations habituated to defpotic_government, without any risk for the fovereign. An interesting problem this, for feveral countries of Europe, and efpecially for Ruffia. The The author advifes, not to declare a nation under fuch delicate circumstances, directly, and publicly, free, but filently to indulge and habituate her by fucceffive degrees, to the enjoyment of the advantages of liberty. 3. On the best means for fecuring the fucceffion to fovereignty, against lawless and unconftitutional ufurpations.-The civil power malt be fufficiently ballanced against the military power, and efpecially no military officers affumed into the privy council. 4. How far a talent for imitation, may furply the want of inventive genius in the adminiftration of government? This muft depend on the quantum of the genius for the obferving and diftinguishing by which that talent for imitation may happen to be attended. 5. Whether it is expedient to exclude foreigners from all places of truft and power in the fate, the church, and the army? -Denied, for many reafons. 6. The best method for promoting the prosperity of a nation, fubject to the power of an arbitrary prince.-First of all, a good education of her future fovereign; for which our author thinks it neceffary to entrust the prefumptive heir with the establishment and government of fome township, to be fettled by him, with the affiftance of his tutor, by way of forming and improving his judgment and heart; then, fome excellent practical maxims for his future government; where, however, the main question always is, Whether the abfolute prince will chufe to adopt and follow them? 7. Whether a great part of the now overgrown and oppressive armies might not be spared, by the conftruction of good fortreffes on the frontiers and the main paffages into a country, fuppofing even that its neighbours would not reduce their standing armies in the fame proportion?— Afirmed by the author: but he feems to think that the standing armies of molt princes are folely intended for defence. If that were the cafe, Spain, France, and feveral other powerful states, might furely avail themselves of the fortunate fituation, and the folid compact strength of their countries, for reducing the number of their landing armies, to the evident annual faving of many millions of money and for an immenfe improvement of population, agriculture, &c. On the other hand, we are apt to confider the keeping up fome other disproportionate armies, as a measure not of choice, but of defperate neceffity,-To be or not to be, is THERE the question. 8 Which are the true principles, by which the engagements and negotiations of the powers of Europe ought to be governed?-Answered by elementary propofitions; of which thofe concerning trade and commerce would, however, not be entirely relifhed by the fect of oeconomifts. Monumenta Matthæiana-Vetera Monumenta, quæ in Hortis Cælimontanis et in Ædibus Mathæiorum adfervantur, nunc primum in unum collecta et Adnotationibus illufirata a Rodolphino Venuti, et a Jo. Chriftoph. Amaduzio. 3 Volumes in filio, with Plates. Romæ, fumptibus Venantii Monaldini, Bibliopolæ. THE villa, gardens, and palaces, in which the celebrated antiques defcribed and delineated in thefe volumes, were collected and preferved, belong to the noble family of Mattei. The villa and gardens were raifed by Cyriacus Mattei, between 1581, and 1586; the palace, by his brother, Afdrubal, in 1616, on the fcite of the ancient 2 3 ancient Circus Flaminius. Both brothers were affiduous collectors of all forts of antiques; and both the villa and palace have been celebrated in all the accounts of Rome, for the rich collections contained in them; though but a few drawings and plates of these hoarded treatures were published in the Raccolta, by Spon, Montfaucon, Winkelmann, and others. The news of a complete ac count and display of the particulars of these collections, could not therefore but prove very acceptable to antiquaries and dilettanti. The illuftrations of the figures were undertaken by Rodolfino Venuti, who died in 1763, when he had fcarce finished his first volume; and was fucceeded in this task by Signor Amaduzzi, professor of the Greek Language in the Archigymnafium Sapientia, at Rome. The first volume contains the ftatues; the fecond, bufts, hermæ, ́and relievos; and the third other relievos and infcriptions. All thefe works of art are in ftone or marble; none in metal. Few of the plates are well drawn, or elegantly engraved. In a preface of 64 pages, prefixed to the first volume, Signor Amaduzzi gives a minute account of the family of the Mattei, of their buildings, and of the design of his work: this account is interfperfed with many digreffions on the buildings that had formerly occupied the fame fpot: on thefe in the environs; on famous villas and gardens in general; and on the new Museum Vaticanum Clementinum. Both the villa and the gardens of the Mattei are now greatly decayed: a great part of the antiques formerly contained in them have been transferred to other proprietors or collections; especially twelve of the finest ftatues, and feveral bufts and relievos to the new Museum Vaticanum. All thofe have, however, been exhibited or at least enumerated in this work. The engravings are indifferent; and the illuftrations liable to many doubts, objections, and cenfures. The first volume contains 106 copper plates, exhibiting the fame number of statues ; and 116 pages of letter prefs; the fecond volume, 90 copper plates, and 109 pages of letter prefs; and the third, 74 copper plates, and 193 pages of letter prefs: to this third volume, an Index of the infcriptions, and an Index Rerum on the whole work, are fubjoined. The three volumes fell at Rome for 360 paoli. FOREIGN LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. Entwurf einer Anweisung zur Landbaukunft, nach ekonomischen Grundfalzen; or, A Sketch of an Introduction to rural Architecture on ceconomical Principles; by George Henry Borheck. Part. I. with 6 Cuts, 8vo. Goettingen (German). I F the fubject of this valuable treatise is 1: fs brilliant than those generally treated by most writers on architecture, it is however more generally interefting and useful to the bulk of a `nation; as it regards, in fome degree, the wants and conveniencies of all its members. It is here treated with folidity of thought, clearness of method, and in a good style. De i Camerti Umbri, Differtazione Apologetica Iflorico-critica. 8vo. Camerino. When Signor Pallota, a native of Camerino, an epifcopal city in the ecclefiaßical itate, was railed to the purple, his native place, perhaps perhaps a little too proud on this great event, caused a cantata to be printed, in which, among other difplays of her past and prefent glories, the afferted, that Macerata, another epifcopal city of the fame state, and of almost equal importance, had formerly been fubject to the dukes of Camerino. This effufion, either of truth or of vanity, was warmly refented by the city of Macerata, which publifhed a reply, or Risposta d'un Cavalier Maceratife ad un fuo Amico in Camerino: this reply was anfwered by the prefent very learned and very warm apologetical hiftorico-critical differtation on the city of Camerino; said to have been written by a certain famous lawyer of that place, Signor Pietro Antonio Frasca. This champion of Camerino demonftrates, by a number of paffages from Livy, Cicero, Cato, Frontinus, &c. &c. that Camerinum was, fo early as the fifth century from the foundation of Rome, a very flourishing place; that Macerata, on the contrary, did not begin to emerge into notice till the tenth century of the Christian æra. He confutes the affertions of his antagonist against the antiquity of Camerino, and gives the history of that place, drawn up from infcriptions, ancient monuments, and contemporary writers: enlarges on the extent of the empire of her ancient counts and marquiffes, and on her various revolutions and fates under the Cæfars, the Goths, the Lombard kings and dukes, and under her own dukes; and at laft evinces by feemingly irrefragable arguments, that not only Macerata has never had any jurifdiction over Camerino, but that the fame Macerata has, on the contrary, been fubject to the ancient fovereigns, and especially to the dukes of Camerino of the family of Verano. To readers, not fired by patriotifm either for Camerino or for Macerata, fo zealous a difcuffion of fo useless a queftion, may indeed appear fomewhat ridiculous but there is perhaps no nation that has not appeared fometimes to others guilty of the fame or much greater mistakes. To proportion the eagerness of contest to its importances feems too hard a task for human wisdom.' Happy thofe whole warfare begins and ends in the waste of only ink and paper, and fome idle hours, Lettre de M. Oberlin, Prof. en l'Univerfité de Strasbourg, à M. le Comte de Stawronski, Chambellan de S. M. Imp. de toutes les Ruffies, fur un Bijou, dont ce Seigneur a fait l'Acquifition à Rome, et qui se trouve Prefentement au Cabinet de fa dite Majefté. One fheet in 8vo. with a Cut. Strafburgh. The jewel in question is a golden plate with a fmall gold chain reaching round the back part of the head, and ferving to faften the plate over the forehead, and behind the toupee. Such plates were fre. quently worn by the ladies of the ancient Romans, and are reprefented on many ancient figures. A golden plate of this kind was found in an urn, not far from Civita Lavinia, or the ancient Lanuvium '; it came into the museum Vettori, from hence through feveral bands into thofe of Count Stawronsky, and from his into the ca binet of the empress of Ruffia. As Antoninus Pius had a villa in the environs of Lanuvium, Meffrs. Oberlin and Reiffenstein suppose that the plate in question has once been worn by one of his princeffes. Les Helviennés, ou Lettres provinciales Philofophiques. 12mo. Paris. These new Provençal letters are not indeed written by a Pascal, but with a view fimilar to his, and not deftitute of merit. The author author introduces a country lady, ambitious of acquiring the title o a ohnofophical baronefs, and applying for inftruction to a chevalie her countryman, a zealous difciple of the modern philosopherof Paris, and eager to enlighten his country, le Vivarais, the dis strict of the ancient Helvii. Hence a very familiar and very curiou correfpondence between him and the lady, to whom he faithfully develops all the modern philofophical' fyftems, without ever startling at the contradictions, physical errors, abfurdities, and ridiculous confequences, found afterwards by a ferious and knowing country gentleman, in the works of Mefirs. Buffon, Telliamed, Diderot, Robinet, La Mettrie, d'Alembert, Voltaire, &c. &c. After having thus expofed the phyfical errors of his modern philofophy, the author propofes to proceed to their metaphyfical, moral, political, hiftorical, and theological notions, which will probably furnish him with abundant materials for feveral future volumes. Elais des Sermons préchés à l'Hotel Dieu de Paris; par M. *** D. D. de la Facultè de Paris. C. R et B. de S. V. 12mo. Paris. Three fermons preached on very folemn and awful occafions; at the profeffions and confecration of nuns, who devote themfelves to the service and nuifing of the fick, in the Hotel Dieu, or great hofpital of Paris; a facrifice infinitely difgufting and dangerous, but truly meritorious and heroical, made for giving to every patient of whatever rank or religion, all the affiftance that can be derived from the most active and most induftrious charity. This noble establishment has fubfifted for many centuries; and afforded numberless inftances of truly Chriftian charity and perfeverance on the part of the nuns and it is impoffible to read the account of the epidemic difcale of 1348, (the moft horrible with which France has ever been afflicted) without a mixture of terror and admiration. Paris was almost entirely depopulated: above five hundred perfons died every day, only at the Hotel Dieu; but the most painful, dangerous, and unceafing fervices, and death itfelf, ferved only to kindle the zeal of the nuns, who devoted themselves to the service of the unfortunate victims of the diforder; the whole number of those nuns perished twice over, yet the places of thofe who had juft died were immediately filled up again. : Ejai fur l'Art de cultiver la Canne de Sucre, et d'en extraire la Sucre. Par M. Cazeaux, de la Société Royal de Londres. One vol. in svo. .. Paris. An accurate and instructive work on a subject interefting to all nations who have sugar plantations. The judicious author intends to analife the mucous and tweet body of fugar, for the improvement of the wines of Europe, according to the principles laid down in M. Beguillet's OEnology; by which means the ufe of fugar, already To valuable in itself, will be fill farther increased. He gives a table of the rain that fell in the island of Grenada in 1773; and indicates the ufe of fuch tables, which ought to be kept by public appointment, for the improvement of agriculture. He fhows that fuch a table will exactly anfwer to that of the crop, for those who know how to manage fugar plantations: and he forms a fyftem of that culture, founded both on theory and practice. He proves that all forts of fugar canes, if fkilfully managed, will yield nearly the fame fort of fugar: and he explains alfo the methods of verifying the boilings of lugars, and the difference between the proceedings of the European and American fugar houses. L' Art |