1821.] 



Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. 



63 



A Narrative is printing of Travel in 

 . Northern Africa, from Tripoli to Meur- 

 zoulc, the Capital of Fezzan ; and from 

 thence to the Soiithern Extremity of 

 that kingdom, in the years 1818-19-20; 

 accompanied hj' geographical notices of 

 Soudan, and of the course of the Niger ; 

 of the state of Slavery, and of the Slave 

 Ti-ade as now conducted, chiedy by the 

 Sultan of Fezzan ; by George Fran- 

 cis Lyon, Lieutenant of the Royal 

 Navy, and Companion of the late Mr. 

 Rhchie. 



The third and fourth volumes of 

 Butle)''s Memoirs of the Catliolics, are 

 in the press. 



No less than three Weekly Literary 

 Journals are now published in Loudon. 



1. The Literary Chronicle. 



2. The Literary Gazette, and 

 '3. The Independent. 



And no less than ten Quarterly 

 "Works now appear regularly. 



1. The Edinburgh Review. 



2. The Edinburgh Surgical Journal. 

 " 3. The Quarterly Review. 



4. Brando's Journal. 



5. Brewster's Journal. 



6. The Classical Journal. 



7. The British Review. 



8. The Annals of Oriental Litera- 

 ture. 



9. The London Journal of Science. 

 ;, 10. TheQuarterly Musical Review. 



iA New Series of Curiosities of Litera- 

 urc, are announced, by J.D'Israeli, 

 Esq. in 3 volumes 8vo. 



It is reported that Burgess, Bishop 

 of St. David's, is commanded to nomi- 

 nate (he first members of the Royal 

 Society of Literature. Its complexion 

 may hence be easily judged ; and of 

 course it will effect little for genius un- 

 recommended by other circumstances. 

 This association, like all other close 

 corporations whose vacancies are filled 

 by the clioice of the remaining mem- 

 bers, must necessarily sink below the 

 average of contemporary intelligence: 

 because original thinking will always 

 shock the prejudices of the members, 

 while a compliance with these must be 

 the passport to theirelection and favour. 

 But independently of this necessary re- 

 ■ult of election from within instead of 

 without, every member of all societies 

 and associations finds conformity to 

 prejudices and pre-conceived opinions 

 to be essential to his peace and promo- 

 tion; and lience societies universally, 

 and scieutiGc establishments of eveiy 

 kind, are unfavourable to the advance- 

 ment of knowledge. The opinions of 



the last age are adopted as standards of 

 truth, and no endowed professor, or 

 member of an association, who seeks 

 distinction in the body, would have the 

 temerity to dissent fioui doctrines im- 

 bibed by the members in their educa- 

 tion or taught by his predecessors. We 

 lament this necessary condition, for 

 there can be no doubt that in spite of 

 radical defects, associations have done 

 much for science ; but at the same time 

 it will be fc!t that standards in litera- 

 ture are far more fatal to originality 

 than in science; for Nature, in spite of 

 human authority, often asserts the 

 truth in a language too plain to be mis- 

 understood. We are therefore friends 

 to a Republic of letters and science; and 

 to distinctions conferied by public opi- 

 nion rather than by Ihoseof any cabal 

 in close corporations. 



Illustrations of British Ornithology^, 

 are preparing for publication, in ele- 

 pliant folio, the first series Avill embiace 

 land birds, by P. J. Selby, esq. of 

 Twizell House, county of Northumber- 

 land, member of theWemerian Natural 

 History Society of Edinburgh, &c. 



A poem, entitled, the Union of the 

 Roses, a Tale of the Fifteentli century, 

 in six cantos, with notes,is in the press. 



Helen de Tournon, a Novel, trans- 

 lated from the French by Madame de 

 SouzA, author of " Ad61e de Senange," 

 &c. will be published in a few days. 



The Rev. T. Watson, is preparing 

 for publication, Intimations and Evi- 

 dences of a Future State. 



Mr. Britton, whose numerous and 

 splendid works on Antiquities aie well 

 known to the public, announces that 

 his fifth, and concluding volume of the 

 Architectural Antiquities of Great Bri- 

 tain, will be complete by Midsummer 

 next. It is to consist of eighty engrav- 

 ings, representing all the varieties and 

 peculiarities of our ecclesiastical archi- 

 tecture ; and these are to be arranged 

 in chronological order, whereby the 

 progressive improvement and variation 

 in this species of architecture will be 

 clearly displayed. 



The same author has commenced his 

 Illustrations and History of the Cathe- 

 dral of Oxford, forming part of his 

 Cathedral Antiquities of England: it is 

 to be finished on the 1st of March, and 

 consists of eleven engravings with 

 appropriate historical descriptive ac- 

 counts. The History and Illustrations 

 of Canterbury Cathedral are to follow 

 those of Oxford, and will be illustrated 

 by 25 engravings. 



Memoirs 



