68 
were horizontal. Here was a singular 
Spectacle; the branches were covered 
with thousands of bats, of the largest 
size, suspended by their claws. In 
this position they remained all day, 
with their heads down, not appearing 
to be disturbed by the noise under 
them. The captain killed several that 
were two feet in length: their heads 
were somewhat like that of a horse; 
the eyes, teeth, and whiskers, like 
those of an enormous rat. An odd 
custom prevails at Grewe, and Popo: 
women share with the priests in admi- 
nistering to the worship of the fetiches. 
r. Adams was an eye-witness to the 
whole of the ceremonies. In his de- 
scriptions, the author gives many 
proofs of his diligence and ingenuity. 
RUSSIA, 
A Russian resident at Pekin during 
thirteen years, has compiled a regular 
history of China, from the year 2357 
B.C. that is, from nine years before 
the Mosaic deluge, to the age of our 
Charles [. in nine volumes, folio; and 
brought it to Russia. 
This empire will in future be sup- 
plied with wines from vineyards in the 
Crimea and Moldavia. 
The Russian antarctic expedition, 
under the command of Capt. Bellings- 
hausen, has added to our knowledge of 
the South Polar regions, by the disco- 
very of two islands within the antare- 
tic circle, the only land hitherto known 
to exist so far to the southward. Both 
these islands lie in about sixty nine 
degrees south latitude; one of them, 
named Alexander I.’s Island, in se- 
venty-three degrees west jonyitude; 
and the other Peter Island, in nineteen 
degrees west. Both of them were so 
completely enveloped in ice, that no 
particular examination of them could 
be made. This expedition, consisting 
of two ships, the Wostck and the 
Mirni, sailed on the 8d of July, 1819. 
They touched at Copenhagen io im- 
prove their equipment, and at Ports- 
mouth to take on-board the astrono- 
mical instruments which had been 
ordered for them in London; and from 
thence proceeded to Teneriffe and Rio 
Janeiro, on their way to the southward. 
The leading object of the voyage was 
to explore the antarctic regions, and 
perform a circuit of the southern pole 
as near to it as the ice would permit; 
and, avoiding the track of Capt. Cook, 
to make their highest penctration 
where this navigater had kept at a 
Literary and Miscellaneous Intelligence. 
distance from the ice, and, on the 
contrary, to retire into a more nor- 
therly parallel in the meridians where 
the adventurous Cook had made the 
most particular examinations. On this 
judicious plan, they succeeded in the 
discovery of the two islands we have 
mentioned; but they could not ap- 
proach within thirty miles of them for 
the ice, and that only on the west side. 
The ice was generally found to lie so 
far from the pole, that their highest 
latitude was only seventy degrees, 
being short of the point reached by 
Cook. Within the antarctic circle 
they traversed a.distance of near thirty 
dezrees of longitude; and, taking the 
latitude of sixty degrees, we find that 
300 degrees of longitude were traced 
in the two voyages by Cook and Bel- 
lingshausen within this parallel, leaving: 
only sixty degrees of longitude unex~ 
plored at this elevation. 
At Moscow, in pursance of an order 
from government, the principal’ Eng- 
lish works on the Interrogative System 
are to be translated into the Russian 
language. In England, this plan has 
been extended to almost every species 
of elementary instruction, grammar, 
geography, history, natural philosophy, 
theoiogy, &ce. The only work in 
France that can convey an idea of it, is 
a little Manual of Elementary Mora- 
lity, by M. Cotas, a bookseller; but 
its execution is very imperfect. 
PRUSSIA, 
Thorwaldson, the famous sculptor, 
has erecied a splendid monument at 
Cracow, in honour of Copernicus, at 
the expense of a canon of the Ca- 
thedral. 
At Berlin a society has been formed 
for the benefit of the Jews, underroyal 
patronage, inclading a division of it for 
women: theirinstraction, amclioration 
of condition, and conversion, are the 
objects. At Rome certain measures 
have been adopted for assembling as 
many as will attend in the oratory of 
the oly Trinity, with a preacher to 
ground them in the doctrines of Chris- 
lianity. A society is formed at Leipsig 
for similar purposes, acting in concert 
with a periodical publication. « At 
Mentz, Michac] Benedict, a Jew, has 
bequeathed his honse, and 8000 florins, 
for the instituiion of a Theological 
Schoo}. Butin America the Society 
has acquired more than 15,000 aeres 
of land, intended for a colony of con- 
verted Jews, 
FRANCE, 
g 
