Retrospect of Fr 



fcnd, natwitlistanding the cabals of un- 

 grateful pupils, and envious understrap- 

 pers of Messieurs Viiloisi»n, Boissonade, 

 &c. they "'ill flourish as louj^ as the name 

 of Xenophon is admired, or learning 

 jtself is cultivated. 



GRAMMAR. 



JElemem de hi Gramwaire de la Langue 



Homane, S{C. 

 Elements of the. Grammar of the Unmance 



■ Languiige before the Year 1000 ; bi/ 

 M- Rai/nouard. Member of the French 



■ Jnsliiute, Officer of the Legion of 



■ Honour, l^-c. ^-c. 1 vol. 8vo. Pans, 

 \ 1816. 



'The venerable author of "The Tem- 

 plars," the best modern trai;edy in France, 

 has undertaken a most importaiit task ; 

 it is no less tlian to compose a srammar 

 and dictionary of a language which never 

 possessed either, and which has ceased 

 to be spoken nearly 800 years. The 

 barbarous hordes who destroyed the 

 Roman empire, felt it necessary to learn 

 Latin, not grammatically, but orally. 

 From the com|)ouiid of this language 

 with their dialects, a new laiiguai;e was 

 formed ; it was spoken in its purest style 

 by the Troubadours, and, blended with 

 other dialects, formed the Spanish, 

 Italian, French, and from them became 

 incorporated with the English. In truth, 

 the greater part of the words vihich Dr. 

 Johnson derives from the Latin, were 

 borrowed from the Romancelanguage, In 

 this lar);;uage tlie Latin desinences were 

 suppressed, and nouns, adjectives, &c. 

 formed as we have them at the pre- 

 sent time. — E. G, accent, aliment, April, 

 argument, cunal, detriment, tiement, 

 instrument, &c. ; baptismal, evident, 

 human, just, long, prompt, prudent, &c. 

 We will not extend the notice of this 

 valuable work farther, as we understand 

 it is the object of a particular Essay 

 destined for the Monthly Magazine. 



MATHEMATICS. 



.(EecAercAes Experimentales et Mathe- 

 maliqiiei mr les Jilouvemens dcs Mole- 

 cules de la Lumiere-autonr de leur 

 Centre de Gruvile; par M. Biot. 



Experimental and Mathematical Re- 

 searches on the Motions of the Par- 

 ticks of Light round their Centre of 

 Gruvily ; by M. Biot, Member of the 

 Inttttvte, I'rqfessur of Mathematics 

 and Philosoplii/ at the College of France, 

 4c, 4f. 1 vol. 410. Plates. Printed 

 by Firinin Didot. 

 It is sufficient simply to announce liie 



title of iliis work, and the name of the 



•ench Literature, 65S 



author, to inspire an ardent curiosity in 

 the lovers of mathematics aiid natural 

 philosophy. Few new theories have 

 made such rapid progress as that of the 

 polarization of light, but few theorie"} 

 have fiund a Biot to pursue researches 

 with the ardour of a lover, and the 

 patience of a philosopher. The nature 

 of the suliject prevents our giving anjr 

 extracts, wi:icli, to be understood, must 

 be given at a length far exceedinsj the 

 limits possibly to be allotted to the ar- 

 ticle ; hence, we shall content ourselves 

 with bestowing on the work our ivarmest 

 commendatinn to the study of every 

 mathematician. 



FORTIFrCATrON. 



La Science des Ingcniears, Sj-c. 

 The Science of Engineers, in the candutf 

 of fl'u'ks of Foitificaimn and Civ^ 

 Architecture, bi/ BeliJor; a new edition, 

 roith Notes, by M. Navier, Engineer 

 in Ordinary of Bridges and Roads. 

 1 vol. 4to. many Plates. Paris, 1816. 

 The work of the celthrated Belidor 

 had been long out of print; and, not- 

 withstanding tlie boasted progress of 

 fortification and civil engineering, none 

 has been published in any language ca- 

 pable to replace it. We may, indeed, 

 judge of its importance from the follow- 

 ing official testimony of Vauban. — "We, 

 Lieutenant-General of the king's armies, 

 director of the fortifications of the places 

 in the province of Artois, certify that 

 we have read and examined, with all the 

 care and exactitude possible, a MS. 

 intituled, &c. (as above), in which we 

 liave found nothing that is not conformable 

 to the best practice for the construction 

 of works of fortification, sluices, and 

 military edifices. The greater part of 

 the matters susceptible of the rules of 

 geometry, are treated with precision and 

 neatness, which may tend to the perfec- 

 tion of works. I conceive even that 

 engineers may avail themselves, very 

 usefully, of the rules taught in it ; and 

 that, in general, the book cannot be 

 otherwise than very advantageous for the 

 king's sei vice, and those who are charged 

 with the construction of his majesty's 

 works, (Signed) Vauban," 



Similar official opinions are given of it 

 by Denius, Vallory, and Gittard. 



ANTIQUITIES. 



JEgyptiaqueSf or a Collection of inediled 

 Egi/ptian Monuments ; pur Chevalier 

 Millin, SfC. Sfc. 



A Collection of inedited Egyptian Mc 

 numents, ^c. In 1 vol. 4to. printed 



by 



