ART. V.

PROSPECTUS d'une Encyclopedie Nethodique, &c. i. e. Propofals for publishing a Methodical Cyclopædia or Dictionary of Sciences, digefted according to the natural Order and Connexion of the Subjects treated. By a SOCIETY OF LEARNED MEN AND ARTISTS, Paris.

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HIS work, properly fpeaking, is not a dictionary, but an affemblage of fyftems of all the fciences. To give it, however, fomething of a lexical form and character, there will be prefixed to it a univerfal Alphabetical Vocabulary, by which the reader will be fhewn, where he is to look for any particular article which may be the object of his enquiry. The work is to be published in 4to, in two columns, and will be comprifed in 53 volumes of text, and 7 of figures. The fubfcription-price is 672 livres, about 331. fterling.

In this new plan (which is to be confidered as a new edition of the Encyclopedie) every fcience will have its dictionary, or system, apart; fo that the rambling enquirer, and the regular and perfevering ftudent will be equally gratified. This was not the cafe in the first edition of this enormous work, in which the articles were fcattered in confufion, at the difcretion of the alphabet, and were not, indeed, fo compofed as that their reunion could form a complete and confiftent body of doctrine. We have given formerly our opinion of this difcordant mafs, which was too voluminous for a dictionary (whole proper object is to explain terms, more or lefs amply), and was not good for any thing else than to amufe or perplex fuperficial and defultory readers. But here we are to have a grand, perfect, and confiftent work for the principal objects, propofed in this new edition, are, ift, The correction of thofe errors which all the capacity and attention of the authors could not avoid in the former publication (this fuppofes that the new Authors have obtained a larger grant of both). 2dly, The addition of the omitted articles, and of the branches of each art and science that were not formerly treated, as alfo of the difcoveries that have been made fince the first edition was published. 3dly, A more complete nomenclature of all the parts of this fcientific and literary edifice. 4thly, A ftrict and accurate correfpondence of the text and figures. 5thly, The fuppreffion of ufelefs plates, and the fubftitution of ufeful ones in their place.

A preliminary difcourfe, and an analytical table will be prefixed to each dictionary, to point out the order in which all the words are to be placed, as if each dictionary was only to be confidered as a didactic fyftem. This table will render references lefs frequent; but where they are neceffary they will be accurately obferved.

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We learn farther from this ample PROSPECTUS, that all the accurate articles of the first edition will be inferted, that others will be abridged or augmented, modified and corrected, as may be requifite to render them more perfect, and that a multitude of new ones will be added. But who are the labourers, that are to display their industry and powers in this immenfe field of science?

ift, The mathematical part is to be under the direction of the Abbé BossUT, affifted by M. DE LA LANDE in the aftronomical branch of that science, and it will occupy 2 volumes. Great improvements are promifed in this part of the work, for the fpecious and alluring enumeration of which we must refer our readers to the plan before us. M. D'ALEMBERT'S health and occupations do not allow him to take an active part in this enterprize; but his former labours will make an effential part of this article. We fhould have been glad to have feen the names of Baillie, Dionis de Sejour, and De la Place, as co-operators in the aftronomical part of this work: their excellent productions will no doubt be employed to give it new degrees of merit and improvement, as it is particularly proposed to give a hiftory of the great difcoveries in aftronomy, in a chronological order; to impart a clear idea of the methods that have been, and are ftill employed to determine accurately the circumftances of the celeftial motions, and to indicate the laft refults of all the refearches which, for a century paft, have extended or improved aftronomical science.

II. Phyfics, or Natural Philofophy, is committed to the care of M. DE MONGE, member of the Royal Academy of sciences. The general principles of this fcience remain in their former ftate but its particular branches, such as fire, flame, heat, cold, elaftic fluids, thermometers, &c. will furnith new articles, and water, ice, congelation, ebullition, evaporation, fmoke, fire-engines, aqueous meteors, rain, mist, dew, fnow, &c. will be treated in a manner abfolutely new by whom we know not; perhaps by M. DE MONGE, of whom we know but little. Briffon's dictionary of natural philofophy will be here laid under contribution.

III. The medical part is affigned to M. Vicq d'Azyr, member of the Academy of Sciences, and fecretary to the Royal Society of Medicine;-no doubt, a very able and ingenious man, from whom good things may be expected.

IV. Anatomy, together with fimple and comparative phyfiology, will be much indebted to the induftry and capacity of M. DAUBENTON, who fo long difplayed his labor improbus in the natural hiftory of. M. de Buffon. The animal chemistry, that belongs to this department, is to be treated by an anonymous hand; which gives lefs reafon for hope than fear; for though there are excelLI 2

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lent writers in theology, morals, and politics, who chufe to re main unknown through modefty or prudence; yet this is less to be expected, from the nature of the thing, among natural phiJofophers and chemifts; nor do we, at this inftant, recollect any treatise on these fciences, that made its appearance without the name of its Author.

V. Chemistry, Metallurgy, and Pharmacy, which compofe two volumes, are under the direction of M. de MORVEAU for the first, M. Du HAMEL for the second, and M. MARET for the third; and they could fcarcely be in better hands.

VI. Chirurgery is the department of M. Louis, perpetual fecretary of the Royal Academy of chirurgery: a man of eminent merit in that line.

Vil. Agriculture, Gardening. Planting, comprehending the whole detail of rural labour and induftry, and defcriptions of all the methods, inftruments, and operations employed in its different departments, and all the terms of rural art (which are enumerated at great length in this profpectus) are treated by the Abbé TESSIER, regent of the Medical Faculty at Paris, M. THOUIN, chief gardener to the King, and M. FOUGEROUX DE BONDAROY, in 2 vols.

VIII. The Natural Hiftory of Animals, divided into fix claffes, and comprehended in 3 vols, is affigned to Meffrs. DAUBENTON, MAUDUIT, and GUENEAU DE MONTSEILLARD, and will derive rich materials from the natural hiftory of M. DE BUFFON. These are certainly men of eminent reputation in this branch.

IX Botany, in 2 vols. By the Chevalier DE LA MARCK, of the Royal Academy of Sciences; who promifes at the head of thele volumes, a Preliminary Discourse, on the origin, progress, and prefent state of botany, the various fyftems and methods of the principal botanifts, the natural order of vegetables, and the families and fpecies of plants.

X. The Natural Hiflory of Minerals. By M. DAUBENTON. in one volume,

XI. The Natural History of the Earth, containing its PhyficoGeography, or General Phenomena. By M. DESMAREST.

XII. Ancient and Modern Geography. By Mefirs. ROBERT, MASSON de MORVILLIERS, and MENTELLE, 2 vols, accompanied with an atlas (which the fubfcribers are at liberty to purchase or not) containing about 60 maps, with all the recent geographical difcoveries.

XIII. Antiquities, Infcriptions, Chronology, the Art of verifying Dates, the Science of Medals, Explication of Fables, Origin of Ancient Customs, belong to the department of M. COURT DE GEBELIN, and will be treated in one volume.

XIV. Hiftory.. By M. GAILLARD, of the French Academy, and alfo member of the Academy of Inferiptions, in 2 volumes.

XV.

XV. Theology By the Abbé BERGIFR, a learned man, who has here undertaken a Herculean task, even to lop off all the fuperfluities, correct all the errors, and supply all that is wanting, in the theological articles of the ancient Encyclopedie-Laber imbrabus, in 2 volumes.

XVI. Ancient and Modern Philofophy, in 1 volume. By M. NAIGEON, whom we have not the honour to know, but whole; tafk is already finished to his hand, by Brucker's Abridgment of his own great Work, and later publications. He tp aks, ipaks, indeed, of Brucker with a kind of contempt: so much the worse for M. Naigeon.

XVII. Metaphyfics, Logic, and Moral Philofophy, in 1 volume, are committed to the care of M. GUENEAU de MONTBEILLARD, the fame who has undertaken the defcription of infects in the eighth Article.

XVIII. Grammar and Literature, in which great corrections and confiderable additions are promifed, are aligned to a fociety, of men of letters, in which we find the names of MARMONTEL and BEAUZEE'; the former a fashionable critic, and the latter a metaphyfical, knotty grammarian of deep remark, in 1 vol.

XIX. Jurifprudence, in its various branches, comprehending: civil, canon, beneficial, and penal laws, and also the most interefting queflions, relative to the laws of nature and nations,. will be treated by a fociety of Civilians, with the Abbé REMY, advocate, at their head, and comprized in 3 volumes.

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XX. Finances (a fcience tante molis), By M. DIGEON, who, propofes to give us an idea of their adminiftration in the diffe rent states of Europe, particularly in France, together with the. hiftory of taxation in all its forms, and the proper methods of improving and reforming it, in 1 volume.

XXI. Political Oeconomy, comprehending the duties and rights of the delegates or depolitaries of the fupreme power, their in-. fluence on landed proprietors, cultivators, manufacturers, traders, artifts, &c. in 1 volume, with a Preliminary Difcourfe, containingy an coconomical analysis of civilized ftates, and a feries of the prin ciples that conftitute political fcience. By the Abté BAUDEAU.

XXII. Commerce, in all its details and ap; endages; fuch as weights, meafures, trading companies, bank, exchange, confular jurisdictions, contracts, &c. in I volume. By the fame, Author, and M. BENOIT.

XXIII. Marine Science and Administration, in 2 volumes. By. M. VIAL de CLAIRBOIS, of the Royal Marine Academy, and M. BLONDEAU. Royal Profeffor in Mathematics and flyerography in the Marine Schools, &c.

XXIV. Military Science, in 2 volumes. By M DE KERALIO, Knight of the Military Order of St. Lewis; and the articles rela tive to the artillery, by M. de PoмMEREUIL,

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XXV.

XXV. The Fine Arts. By the Abbé ARNAUD, of the French Academy and Infcriptions, and M. SUARD, 1 volume. M. Watelet has confented to renounce the feparate publication of his Dictionary of Painting, which he has been long preparing for the prefs, and has generously refolved to melt it down into this article, befides which valuable acquifition, the Authors propofe foraging in the books of all nations, which have treated of the fine arts.

XXVI. Mechanics, Arts, and Trades. By a fociety of learned men and artifts, and among others by Meffrs. ROLAND DE LA PLATIERE, PERIER, FOUGEROUX DE BONDAROY, and DESMARETS, 4 volumes. They will have only to compress the great Difionary of Arts into this fmall space.

The Univerfal Vocabularly, which was mentioned above, as defigned to be an Index to the whole work, will form the first volume. Prefixed to it will be the Preliminary Difcourfe of M. D'ALEMBERT, the scientific tree of Lord Chancellor Bacon, the several prefaces of the ancient Encyclopædie, and the hiftory of that work.

In this Prospectus, mention is made of a defign to publifh the work in 4to and 8vo. But in a late advertisement we find that the octavo edition will not take place. The price for thofe who have not fubfcribed will be (from May to April 1783) 751 livres, and after this date 888 livres. For farther particulars we must refer the Reader to the Profpectus itself (which is a literary whet nicely diftilled), publifhed by Panckoucke, the undertaker of this edition at Paris. In contains 107 pages, from which we have extracted the particulars here given.

А к т. VI.

Lettres Familieres de M. Winkelmann, i. e. Familiar Letters of M. WINKELMANN, 2 volumes, 8vo. Amfterdam. Paris 1781.

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HESE Letters, which are the effufions of a good heart, and a fine and fervid immagination, contain feveral inftructive and interefting ancdotes relative to the arts, and to the life and character of this ingenious and learned man. WINKELMANN, indeed, had his failings. He often judges with levity and precipitation of authors, whom we have reason to appre hend he had not read with attention, if he had read them at all; and his open-hearted, credulous confidence in connoiffeurs, who often play roguifh tricks, betrayed him fometimes into very hafty decifions, even with refpect to the productions of ancient artifts, which he, however, ufually ftudied with a pure tafte and a difcerning eye. Some lapfes, and these not inconfiderable, alfo proceeded from the ardour of his enthufiafm, which nevertheless was of the nobleft kind, and produced fruits that make ample amends for the mistakes that may have been occafioned by its efferv ce. He was certainly, with all his defects, a fur

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