LiUrar^ and Philotophieul InUUigence. 



J823.] 



a »cr»eB of liandsome quays, as also 

 some interesting views of the Seine, 

 which are now contemplated with 

 pleasure. The ancient towers and 

 rnornious prisons of the Bastille and 

 Le Chatclet, demolished in the course 

 of the revolution, have no less contri- 

 buted to dispel the lugubrious air 

 wliich they inspired, and to facilitate 

 the circulation of carriages in various 

 quarters adjacent to those ancient mo- 

 numents. In the vast limits of Paris, 

 the progress of taste, fancy, and the 

 fine arts, is gradually biiuging out the 

 more tiiiished energies of their cha- 

 racter, is correcting and meliorating 

 vvhiit is offtusive, with successful in- 

 dustry and ingenuity. The magnifi- 

 tent plantations of trees on the New 

 Boulevards, and the numerous and 

 superb barriers erected, at more re- 

 mote distances, have given conse- 

 quence and credit to the local sites, 

 and developed a tiiousand latent at- 

 tritctions which their situation re- 

 quired. But it is in the environs that 

 many shining and excellent improve- 

 ments are starting up every day, — im- 

 portant in themselves, and yet only 

 parts of a mrre coinprehensive system. 

 Continual improvements these, upon a 

 larger scale, including plantations 

 uKide and making, the construction of 

 bridges, the excavation of canals, 

 opening of new streets, erecting nu- 

 merous monuments, levelling obstruc- 

 tions, rendering the roads smooth and 

 uuiforni, opening public promenades 

 in gardens, parks, &.c. In short, push- 

 ing forward and embellishing all the 

 iialural tendencies of situation, and 

 surrounding the city with a uew artifi- 

 cial world. 



The Royal Society of Arras, for the 

 f ncDuragement of the sciences, letters, 

 and arts, has lately had presented to it 

 forty manuscript volumes on the His- 

 tory of liie Province of Artois. These 

 immcuse nialerials, combined with 

 those of wiiich the Society is in pos- 

 nession, uiil throw much new lighten 

 arcli<-olr)gical inve&ligalions respect- 

 ing the annals of that counlry. 



IlOl.t AM). 



The Hegency of Ilacrlem have fixed 

 .1 u|>nn tlio IDIh of this month for the 

 cclebrsition of the fourth secular festi- 

 val, in honour of the <liscovery of the 

 art of printing : M. VANOtKrALM is to 

 <lelivcr an apjiropriate oration. A 

 monuMiental stone, inscribed with the 

 name of Laurent Jansoon Cosier, is 

 /in that day to be placed in the Paik. 

 AloNi HLY Mas. No. 383, 



553 



The first typographical attempt* ar« 

 preserved atHawlem: they constat of 

 plates engraved on wood, and tho 

 book printed from these plates is entl^ 

 tied, "the JNlirror of our Salvation." 

 This book is enclosed in a silver coffer, 

 in the custody of different magistrates, 

 each of whom has a key of the plac« 

 where it is deposited. 



SWITZERLAND. 



The Rev. Father Girard, founder 

 and director of tho College of St. Mi- ' 

 chael, and of the French School at 

 Fribourg, has recently been stripped 

 of his employment, and displaced from 

 the establishment. It is at length de- 

 finitively given up to the Jesuits, with 

 the usufruct, valued at three millions 

 of francs. The partizaus of these 

 measures are very few, but they are 

 backed by a malignant occult influ- 

 ence ; and they brave with impunity 

 the censures of the canton in general. 

 How long are those locusts (the 

 monks) to darken the air, wasting and 

 despijiling tlie field of free enquiry of 

 its verdure? 



ITALY. 



A letter from Civita Veechia reports, 

 that, in working on the highway near 

 Corneto, a sepulchral vault has been 

 discovered, cut out in the rock. In 

 the interior was found a corpse, placed 

 on a coffin, cut also out of the rock; 

 beside it were laid a helmet, two very 

 bmg spears, a sword, and two metal 

 bucklers, decorated with bas-reliefs of 

 excellent workmanship, but much 

 worn. There were also a number of 

 elegant copper and earthenware vases, 

 some of which had rich ornamentK. 

 The general opinion is, that it was tlio 

 tonjb of some ancient Etruscan war- 

 rior of Tarquinia, a town the existence 

 of which retrogrades to more than 

 twenty-five centuries. 



In continuing the subterranean 

 works near 'I'ormanci, in the vicinity 

 of Rome, there have recently been 

 found three tall statues, each of nine 

 palms. The first, the workmanship of 

 which is but indifferent, represents a 

 female Bacchante, in pretty good pre- 

 servation. Tho second is a Bacchus, 

 the execution of which is exquisite ; 

 the head and tarsus are not damaged, 

 but tho arms and tho left leg are in 

 pieces, and the naked right leg is not to 

 be found. The third represents, also, & 

 Bacchus of excellent sculpture, in 

 pcntelic makblir-, which seems to have 

 Just come out of the hands of tb« 

 nrtiitt, 



4 C rORTKOALa 



