S5i 



Literary and Philofophical Intelligetice. 



[Jan. h 



. TlicfeperfcJl works have likewlfe been con- 

 veyed to the Mufeviin. A lateral corridor 

 on the tight Itads to a fecond court, which 

 was furrounded by piazzas, as it proved 

 by the o£lagonai columns covered with 

 fiucco. In one ct the apartments are ob- 

 ftrved two Baccliaiites holding ihyrfi. — 

 Above the window, to the light, is a 

 painting of Europa, of great beauty : flie 

 is quite naked, and is leated on tiie bull, 

 which is plunging into the lea. Btneaih 

 is a young man carrying a balket of fruits : 

 he is raiiing himlelf on tiptoe ; and this 

 attitude required of the artilt a ttiongiy 

 marked expreflion of the mulcular fyltem. 

 On the oppofite fide a beautiful female 

 dancer excites admiration : fhe is holding 

 and ffriking two cymbals ; her veil, which 

 floats behmd her, produces a very fine 

 efftit. On proceeding into the aiijoining 

 hall, the tirft thing that ftruck me was a 

 rndgnif.cent pavement of the mod pve- 

 ciuus AtVican marbles. The ceiling re- 

 prelent Venus between Mars and Cupid. 

 In this hall were found a Imall idol of 

 bronze, a gold vafe weighing three ounces, 

 a gold coin, and twelve othtrs of copptr, 

 with the efhgy of Vefpafian. In the hail 

 to the left fragments of pictures, painted 

 on wood, half carbonized, were diftin- 

 guifhabie : they were inclofed in a kind 

 of niclics ; this was the bed chamber ; 

 eight little columns by which it was fup- 

 poited may ftill be feen : they are of 

 bronze, and to their funimits ftill adhere 

 io\n% pieces of gilded wood, which pro- 

 bably formed a canopy. On the lateral 

 wall were painted two pricifs with long 

 benrdb, and clothed in robes of blue and 

 green : they have been removed to the 

 Mufeum. The kitchtn coniained a great 

 quantity of utenfils, mcttly ot iron inlaid 

 w.ith U\\iT with inconceivable ptrfefcion. 

 B;it what molt ftruck me were five cande- 

 laljtas painted in fiefco on a ground, of an 

 extremely brilliant yellow : I fcarcely 

 knew liovv 10 leave the room which con- 

 tained tl'.is malter-picce of talte a:;d ele- 

 gance : they are i'upjorteu by finall 

 figures, whofe altitude, drefs, and dra- 

 pery, aie lb exqnifitely graceful, that they 

 might feive as nodelsio all the htllesin the 

 vv'orld. In this houle, as in moft oihers of 

 the ancieiiis, you find no win.'.ow opening 

 towards the ftreet. I was fliuck with the 

 fragments of a chariot which is ftill re- 

 II fining in the coach-hcufe : you m-iy 

 prfciifly diPringuifli the wheels and the 

 biafs ornaments of the chariot itl'tlf. — 

 Ciofe to this habitativin is (een adoor that 

 c nducls to another, and which, to judge 

 by its exterior, will not fuanifn fewsr 



beauties whenever it (hall be permitted to 

 be opened." 



The RufTian Government purpofes to 

 form at Petetfburg an inftitution, whofe 

 objeif is the improvement of evei'y thing 

 connefled with the naval fervice, and 

 which will be denominated the Mufeum of 

 fhe Marine. This inftitution will not be 

 merely a fchool : lelTons will be given in 

 all the fciences neceffary for a naval of- 

 ficer ; and the Mufeum will befides pub- 

 lifti a journal treating on every fubjei^t re- 

 lative to the marine. It is to poffefs a li- 

 brary, and a cabinet of natural hiftory, 

 which will be continually open to the pu- 

 pils. This eftablifliment will be under the 

 direffion of the Minifter of the Marine ; 

 and its members will wear an uniform 

 fin-.llar to that of the navy. 



A very important work on Siberia and 

 the contiguous countries is fhortly ejcpefl- 

 ed to appear at Peterfburg in the French 

 language, from the pen of M. Delau- 

 NAY, counfellor of ftate. 



One of the moft intimate friends of 

 WiNKEi-MANN, the Celebrated German 

 antiquary, named Berendis, lately de- 

 cealed, left among his papers feveral let* 

 ters of that celebrated man. Thefe have 

 been publiflied by Gc)THe, who has added 

 various pieces of his own compofition, in 

 which he eudeavours to place the charac- 

 ter of Winkelmann in a new light as a 

 writer and as a man, by delineating him 

 in the moft remarkable circumftafices of 

 hi« life. Counfellor Wolfe, of Halle, 

 has enriched this volume with a very cu- 

 rious piece on the literary and philological 

 fludies of Winkelmann. Laltly, Protef- 

 ibr Meyer has contributed a well-writ- 

 ten Hidory of the Arts in the laft Century, 

 vfh'.ch concludes the work, to which Go- 

 the has thought fit to give the title of 

 " Winkelmann and his Age." 



A valuable difcovery for the lovers of 

 an'titiues has recently been made in the vi- 

 cinity of Havre, in France. In digging 

 on the Cape of La Heve, a black ftone 

 was difcovered, perftftiy Iquare, and the 

 polifh of which has been extremely well 

 pri'erved. On five of its fides are incruft- 

 ed the iron heads of lances and javelins. — 

 A fixth is covered with hieroglyphics, 

 among which is diilinguiihed a Latin in- 

 fcription in Gothic charafters, many of 

 ti-.e letters of which are effaced, and which 

 may ferve to exercife the fagacity of the 

 curious. This (tone founds hollow, and 

 contains about 120 cubic feet. 



The following leiter, dated from the 



port of St. Peter and St. Paul, in Kamt- 



fchatka, the z^th of Auj^ull^ 1804, has 



I be 



