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committee will not be able to hang much more than three-fourths of them.

fic course of those exercises, for which the ancient Greeks were so celebrated. Being caused by the cellular membrane, they are not to be...Mr.. R. B. Davis has sent to the found in the dissected subject, or in approaching Exhibition at Somersetthe living figure which has not had House a picture painted by him, the exercise necessary for its deve called The Hawking Party; the sublopement. By this discovery it is ject is taken from Bracebridge Hall.

evident that the Greeks studied anatomy from the living figure, and not, as some have supposed, from the dissected subject, and there is every reason to believe that Greece abounded with men whose forms were equally fine with that of M. Elias, and from the study of whom the Grecian artists obtained their knowledge. The question, therefore, might have been considered as settled, but still further confirmation has been afforded. Two French gentlemen, M. Roussel and M. Esbrayat, were introduced to Mr. Sass, the former possessing all the character of the Farnese Hercules, a figure hitherto considered by many as quite imaginary; the latter exhibiting the grandeur of form usually given to the three brother gods, Jupiter, Pluto, and Neptune. These persons were also introduced to the members of the Royal Academy, at Mr. Sass's house, and the President and Council engaged M. Clias to teach the gymnastic exercises to the men who sit as models. They presented him a handsome donation, and likewise gave gold medals to Messrs. Roussel and Esbravat. Mr. Bromhead, the model at SomersetHouse, who originally possessed a fine figure, has been so much im proved by these scientific exercises as to become superior in form, strength, and action to the three foreigners. To M. Esbrayat, who has exhibited his various fine posi tions at Mr. Sass's Conversazione, it is, we understand, the intention of Mr. S. to present a handsome medal on his fast public evening, as a testimony of the admiration felt for his talents by himself, his friends, and his pupils. The medal is said to be a beautiful specimen of art.

The annual Exhibition of the Royal Academy at Somerset House will open on Monday, the 5th May, We shall give a critical account of this grand display of national talent in our next number. We are informed, that, so numerous are the works of art sent in this year, the Eur. Mag. April, 1823.

Sir George Beaumont, who is now on his travels in Italy, has purchased the beautiful group of Michael Angelo, representing Christ, the Virgin, and St. John,-one of the finest productions of that great artist.

The celebrated Mr. Belzoni, has presented to the Fitzwilliam Museum the lid of a Sarcophagus, found by him in one of the tombs of the King's at Thebes, in Upper Egypt.

MR. HORNOR'S VIEW OF LONDON, -We redeem in this number the

pledge given in our last, to present the public with a sectional representation of the Scaffolding, and the Observatory erected upon it over St. Paul's Cross, executed in a more finished style. The new plate exhibits in addition an enlarged view of the Observatory, wherein Mr. Hornor fixed a graphic and telescopic apparatus, invented by himself, for delineating, with mathematical truth, the scenery the most intricate and extensive; and from which in 1820, he recommenced his sketches on a grander and more expansive scale, at an elevation of 410 feet from the pavement of the Cathedral, the first series being taken from the Bull's-eye Chamber. The continual atmospheric changes, causing an incessant alteration of light and shade, gave rise to sudden transitions from one sketch to another, and consequently to extreme difficulty at the instant in selecting particular parts of the view, and uniting separated portions.These obstacles to his progress Mr. Horner at length overcame, by constructing a comprehensive key sketch and by placing the whole of the sketches in a rotatory frame within the Observatory, our limited space compels us to reserve for our next publication, a more descriptive account of the scaffolding as a curious and ingenious structure; of the interior of the Observatory, as the seat of the artist's bold and long protracted operations; and of various particulars as explanatory of the work itself.

U

LONDON REVIEW

OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS,

Foreign and Bomestic.

QUID SIT PULCHRUM, QUID TURPE, QUID UTILE, QUID NON.

FOREIGN BOOKS.

Lettres à M. Bailly sur l'Histoire pri borrowed several ideas from Count

mitive de la Grèce.

Letters to M. Bailly upon the earliest History of Greece. By Rabaut Saint Etienne..

DUPUIS has endeavoured to explain the mysteries of the different ancient mythologies, with the help of astronomy and celestial revolutions. His system, which we can not wholly adopt, contains, never theless, some very ingenious ideas, that throw a brilliant light upon the origin of different forms of worship.

The unfortunate Rabaut Saint Etienne had, before Dupuis, tried to penetrate through the darkness of ages, to discover the sources of the superstitions which always appear to have accompanied the state of man. The system of Rabaut consists in supposing that there existed a primitive people who made use of picturesque or figured writing. It was applied to the expression of ideas, of knowledge, of sentiments, of speech, and of all which is the object of reflexion.

This people having dissappeared, the author thinks that men of ano ther age, confounding the traditions they had received from their ancestors, personnified the mountains, rocks, rivers, cities, and countries. They take these figured personages for real beings, and as such they are handed down by history. This is, in few words, what Rabaut Saint Etienne founds his explanation of the fables of antiquity upon. He then examines what astronomy was amongst the ancients, and he thinks as other learned men do, that it had great influence over the different religions. It may be seen that the author of Lettres sur la Gréce has

de Gebelin, whose friend and pupil he was. He justly gives him great praise in a letter addressed to the Parisian museum, which is placed at the beginning in this edition. This work, one of the first that issued from the pen of Rabaut, is very interesting, because the hypotheses it contains are not improbable, and are often ingenious. As such, it was favorably received by the French public, and by literary men..

The author has gained a place in the first rank of writers by the force of his thoughts, the vigor of his style, and the extent of his knowledge. But what is still better, Rabant Saint Etienne was a virtuous man, and a firm and sincere friend to liberty, to which he died a martyr. He met with the fate of most wise men, his life passed in the midst of storms and misfortunes; proscribed from his earliest youth, because he was the son of a protestant minister, he was put out of the pale of society on the 31st of May, and died upon a scaffold in his fiftieth year. It was a pious undertaking to collect together the different works of Rabaut; the editor has performed his task with zeal, but it is to be regretted that he did not choose a more advantageous size for the book, a better paper, and larger characters.

However, this edition will make its way into every library; it will be composed of five volumes, three of which have already appeared.

There are, besides the volume we now announce, the excellent Precis de l'histoire de l'Assemblée constituante, of which the author might say with Montaigne C'est ici un livre de bonne foi, lecteur, and, Le vieux Cevenot, a Romance like Voltaire's. The two volumes not yet published,

will contain the speeches of Rabaut Saint Etienne in the legislative assemblies, of which he was a member. It is much to be wished that the editor had added some of the sermons which Rabaut preached as a catholic minister; they contain the purest morality and the best instruction.

Bibliographie musicale de la France et de l'étranger.

Bibliography of Musick; or, a Systematical and General Collection of all the Treatises on Vocal and Instrumental Musick, printed or engraved in Europe, with the names of the Places where they are printed, the Shops where they are sold, and their Prices. 1 vol. 8vo.

THIS work contains the titles of the principal French, German, Italian and English works; biographies of celebrated artists; extracts from the best works on musick; notices upon the compositions of the most celebrated virtuosos of ancient and modern times; dissertations and anecdotes relative to musick and musicians; information relative to all the pieces of musick which appeared at Paris, in the departments of France, and in foreign countries; details respecting musi cal inventions and institutions, pro motions, &c. a hymn to Harmony, and lastly an Ode on Saint Cecilia's day, translated from the English.: Such a work as this was very much wanted, and the manner in which the author has executed it leaves us nothing to desire. One of the most interesting parts of the book is the biography of the artists to compile which the author has collected different materials, dispersed in works where we should not have looked for them.

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to depend on the ultimate fate of Walachia and Moldavia, we cannot resist the desire of being better acquainted with the internal resources of those provinces; and the work we now announce, could not have been published more à propos, to satisfy the curiosity and impatience of its readers this work is adapted in every respect; as will be seen in reading over the summary of the subjects treated

upon.

The author begins by an introduction which throws a great light upon the different subjects of which the work is composed: viz. Historical observations. Topographical des cription of Walachia and Moldavia. Division of their two principalities. Climate, air, water. Vegetable pro ductions:-vines, different grains, trees, herbs, fruits, Productions of the animal kindom: - flocks and goats, bees, birds, locusts, fish. Productions of the mineral king, dom. Present state of commerce in made to Constantinople. Exportathe two principalities. Exportations tions to various parts of Christendom. Merchandise from foreign countries. System of government. Authority of the Divan, and the other tribunals, The authority and pomp of the Princes. Route of the Pachas and the other Turks. Receipts and expenses of the two principalities. An account of the present state of Moldavia. Exposition of what the country can furnish Supplication to His Majesty on the Taxes. Population. Posts and couriers. Different troops. Form and Religion, toleration, schools, hos police of the towns and villages. pitals, education, customs, genius,

manners.

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Klopstock, to which it may serve as a sort of commentary. The letters of Richardson and Young, add still more to the magic name of Klop stock, in the opinion of the amateurs of German literature. One thing particularly excites attention: the author of the Messiah himself published some pieces left by Margaret Klopstock; the noble mind and talent of this extraordinary woman had enchanted all readers; the publication of additional letters was announced. This promise to the public was not fulfilled till now. This collection contains the letters of Margaret Klopstock, written not only to the illustrious German poet, but also to several other persons, and amongst others to Richardson.

After an introduction about Klopstock, explaining the choice made amongst his papers, and his reasons for publishing part of them, the editor recapitulates all that German

literature owes to this celebrated man. It appears from this part of the work that the German public require to be reminded of their illustrious poet, Klopstock, for among them the greatest names are not always uninjured by time. Too often a rising reputation eclipses or makes mankind forget for a time a name which might have appeared destined to immortality.

This continual changing of reputations must have happy effects on the sciences. He who advances one step more annihilates the labour of him who preceded him; such is the natural progress of the human mind. But taste is governed by other laws. Genius will not descend from her high elevation. Shakspeare of England, and Racine of France, are always at the summit of Parnassus, as Homer and Virgil will always remain the princes of Greek and Latin poets.

ENGLISH BOOKS.

Anecdotes of the Spanish and Portuguese Revolutions, by Count Pecchio, with an Introduction and Notes, by Edward Blaquiere, Esq. 8vo. pp. 197. London, 1823.

WE derived so much amusement as well as information from Mr. Blaquiere's former work on the Spanish Revolution, that we are glad to meet him again in print, although, in the present instance, he has descended from the elevation of an original writer, and appears before us in the more humble character of an Editor, supplying only an Introduction and a few notes to the work he edits. Mr. Blaquiere, in his prefatory observations to the Letters of Count Pecchio, displays very enlarged views, and a fiberality of sentiment which can be only founded upon extensive information, acquired and digested by a fine capacity for generalising his ideas. Mr. Blaquiere has considerable originality of thought, and his sentiments and opinions appear to us to be invariably established upon un

prejudiced investigation, and they bear the stamp of what may be called the sound good sense of life; we mean of that power of intellect which detects sophistry, and, penetrating the false and factitious associations of society, sees things in their real nature, and in their relation to truth. Such qualities of intellect redound much more to this gentleman's honour, when we' consider him as a member of a profession affording not much of excitement, and still less of opportunity, for the acquisition of literature; a profession which rears its members in the trammels of prejudices that few have vigour of intellect sufficient to dissipate. It is now about a half century since the profound and eloquent Junius animadverted upon the narrow prejudices, which usually distinguished those who were brought up to the naval or military service, observing that "there was something so mean in the education of an officer," that liberal principles were scarcely to be expected from him. This observation, if true in the time of Junius,

must be applied with much less latitude in our own times; for the officer now considers it essential to superadd to his professional acquirements the knowledge of the scholar, and the liberal sentiments of a gentleman: he sees the necessity of keeping pace with the improved spirit of the age, and considers the principle of mechanical obedience confined solely to his professional duty; that performed, he merges into the citizen, and is animated by that love of liberty which has ever been the ornament and glory of the English character. Science and literature are now happily diffused through the camp of the soldier and the cabins of the man of war; and we believe that the barrack-room and the cabin are often scenes of deeper study than the academy or the college.

Count Pecchio is a Piedmontese nobleman, and one of those patriots and philanthropists who witnessed with sorrow the state of degradation to which his country had been reduced by imperfect institutions, a corrupt court, and an imbecile monarch. In a country justly boasting its climate and soil, and its various capabilities for manufactures and commerce, he beheld man slothful and vicious, arts degenerating to effeminacy, literature neglected, and science unknown. Agriculture was in its lowest condition, the rudeness of the manufactures bespoke a state of barbarism, commerce was restricted by arbitrary impositions; and whilst the privileged orders were lost in luxurious affluence, the poor were sunk in idleness and squalid misery. To add to this unfortunate state of his country, religious bigotry, with all its hateful passions, was producing its mischievous effects; and whilst the English, the French, and the American had, within the last century, derived innumerable advantages from their progress in civil, political and religious freedom, the unfortunate Italians were at best but stationary, or retrograde at least by comparison. Count Pecchio joined those enlightened patriots who wished to regenerate his country, by one of those effectual but bloodless revolutions of which Spain and Portugal had afforded such happy examples. Unfortunately for human happiness the

bayonets of Austria succeeded in suppressing the rising spirit of the Piedmontese, and in establishing the tyranny of the Court of Turin. Count Pecchio, with about 600 persons comprising all that was wise and virtuous in the country, was obliged to exile himself in order to escape the fate that attends the righteous, but unsuccessful cause. We cannot, in this crisis of Count Pecchio's fate, refrain from quoting the empassioned lines of one of the most eloquent of all poets, Mr. Moore.

Rebellion, foul dishonouring word,

Whose wrongful blight so oft has stained

The holiest cause which tongue or sword

Of patriot ever lost or gained; Full many a spirit, born to bliss,

Has sunk beneath that withering name,

Whom but a day's an hour's success, Had wafted to eternal fame.

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Enemies as we are to revolution and even to innovations that are not founded upon necessity, and that are not guided by moderation, we cannot but give our cordial approbation to men, who, like Count Pecchio, rise above the scenes of their education and habits, and sacrifice the favours of courts and the gifts of fortune in noble efforts to rescue their country from the withering effects of despotism and antiquated institutions. The Count effects his escape from Genoa with the design of seeking an asylum in Switzerland, but circumstances enable him to travel into Spain as a companion to the Spanish Ambassador, Bardaxi; and to this accidental direction of the Count's flight we are indebted for the volume of letters now before us, and which contains much information relative to Spanish affairs.

We are not able to give Count Pecchio any very high degree of praise for extent of knowledge, for profundity of thought, or for sagacity of remark; but he is an attentive observer of the passing scene, and relates what he sees with much vivacity and good humour. views are always accurate, his opinions are sound, and his sentiments are decidedly such as every enlightened person must find pleasure in

His

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