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662 
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and Macedonian, whence he proceeds to 
enumerate such as have been produced 
in Greece, and the Peleponnesus; the 
Archipelago, and Asia Minor. 
This work is accompanied with plates, 
in which the coins are beautifully en- 
graved. 
Lhe ancient Coins of Capua.— 
Francesco Daniele, having been enabled, 
after much labour and research, to collect 
seventeen Capuan coins, all of therm of 
bronze, here undertakes to give a de- 
scription of them. Among these, we 
have heads of Jupiter, Diana, and Her- 
cules, all of whichare well engraved, and 
printed with red ink. Each is accom- 
panied by a commentary, elucidating the 
subject ; but the two veiled figures have 
hitherto eluded the conjectures of the 
antiquaries. 
Madame de Staal.—Tbis lady, who so 
much distinguished herself by literary 
talents, was a native of Paris. Her 
father, M. de Launai, was a painter, and 
appears to have been obliged to repair 
to England, in order to practise his art, 
and he remained there for many years. 
But as her mother was unable to accus- 
tom herself to the changeable climate of 
our island, she soon returned, and was 
delivered of Mademoiselle de Launai. 
Being destitute, not only of fortune, but 
even of the means of existence, the un- 
happy mother deemed herself lucky in 
bemg admitted, without paying for her 
board, into the convent of St. Louis, at 
Rouen, during the two first years of her 
daughter’s life, and whiie the latter was 
put out to nurse. : 
that period, she became a prey to misery, 
in conseguence: of her fears relative to 
the future lot of her child, but Madame 
de Grieu, the abbess of the convent, 
where she resided, dissipated her chagrin, 
by promising to adopt and educate the 
child, 
Mademoiselle de Launai accordingly 
received an education far beyond what 
she hadsany right to expect: “ What bas 
occurred to;me,” says the lady herself, 
«4s entirely different to what occurs in 
romances ;jur you always find there, that 
the heroine, a!though educated only as a 
simple shepherdess, proves in the end to 
bé-an illustrious princess., I, on the 
gther hand, was always treated during 
‘my infancy asa person of distinction, and 
‘at jength, discovered, not onl that I was 
nobody, but even that nothing apper- 
tained to me. My. mind, therefore, 
never having taken that particular direc- 
tion, which bad fortune always necessa- 
4 
On the expiration of - 
Retrospect of French Literature—Miscellanies. 
rily superinduces, has constantly resisted 
that humiliation, and inferiority, to which 
it has been ever subjected. 
In truth, it appears, that the early 
education of Mademoiselle de Launat, 
was attended to, with the most scrupu- 
lous exactness. Masters of every kind 
were provided for her, and the utmost 
care bestowed, in.order to render her in- 
telligent and accomplished. But just at 
that period, when she had attained the 
proper aye to demonstrate her gratitude, 
and reap profit from her talents, her be+ 
nefactress died, and she was reduced all 
at once to extreme poverty. 
On this occasion, she addressed herself 
to the celebrated Abbe Vertot, to whom 
she communicated her misfortunes, and 
as she happened to mention in her let- 
ter, ‘that she could call: nothing her 
own, but the air she breathed,” he imme- 
diately transmitted her’a bill of exchange 
for fifty pistoles. She determined, how- 
ever, to refuse this generous present, as - 
the repayment of such a sum appeared 
impossible; the money was accordingly 
returned, 
Mademoiselle de L. now repaired to 
Paris, in quest of employment, and at 
last obtained a situation about the per- 
son of a lady of quality,* by means of her 
elder sister, who was femme de chambre to 
Madame la Duchesse de Ferté. The 
account of her life, which is drawn up by 
herself, contains a variety of laughable 
details, relative to the women of rank, 
at the court of France. Nor does she 
spare herself, for the author is described 
as uncommonly ignorant of all the little 
affairs required from her situation, such 
as dressing up a shift, providing rouge, 
&c. &e. Having overturned a box filled 
with hair-powder, in consequence of 
taking it by the lid, she was desired to 
“ take every thing by the bottom ;” but 
applying this rule, somewhat too gene- 
rally, she adopted it in respect to a purse, 
in consequence of which, about an hun- 
dred dowis d’ors, were strewed over the 
floor, 
This young lady was at length drawn 
from obscurity, in consequence of a sin- 
gular adventure. A yourg woman, who 
pretended to -he possessed, attracted the 
notice of all Paris; and the celebrated 
M. de Fontenelle, happened to be among 
the number, who visited her. This cir- 
cumstance produced a charining letter 
-on the part of Mademoiselle de Launai, 
which was read and praised in all the 
* ‘Lhe Duchess de Maine. — 
fashionable _ 
