482 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



ing divisions of this work, relates to 

 the knowledsre Herodotus had of 

 Africa, to which continent the re- 

 maining sections wholly relate, in- 

 cluding the canals of Suez, the Nile, 

 and Memphis, the Oasis of Egypt 

 and Libya, the temple of Amnion, 

 the Syrtes, the antiquity of Mo- 

 rocco leather, &c.; 24, 25, relate 

 to the circumnavigations of Africa 

 by the ships of Necho; and the 

 last section presents some account of 

 the voyage of Hanno along its 

 western coasts. The whole is il- 

 lustrated by 1 1 maps, most of which 

 are curious and interesting. 



The major seems to have con- 

 founded the ancient Scythians with 

 the later Tartars ; and, contrary to 

 the most learned commentaries and 

 the Jewish traditions, he attempts 

 to shew that only certain classes of 

 the Hebrews were carried away 

 and settled in Media. He con- 

 cludes, that the distant source of 

 the Nile is certainly not in Abyssi- 

 nia, but in some country to the west 

 or south-westward of it; which is 

 confirmed by Mr. Brown, who also 

 proves that the Niger does not join 

 the Nile. In his observations on 

 the alluvions of rivers, he has hap- 

 pily applied recent knowledge to 

 ancient circumstances, and the cur- 

 rents in the seas on the African 

 coasts to the illustrations of general 

 geography. He has demonstrated 

 that the temple of Ammon was 

 really discovered by Mr. Brown ; 

 a circumstance since confirmed by 

 Mr. Horneman. 



Gosselin supposes the voyage of 

 Hanno did not extend beyond Cape 

 Nors; and he infers that the island 

 of C^ne is Fedal. Mr. Rennell 

 supposes that the southei'n horn or 

 termination of Hanno's voyage was 



Sherborough found ; and that Cernl- 

 is Arguin, and Madeira the Pae of 

 Ptolemy ; in which case Cerne must 

 be one of the Canaries. 



The remaining part of the ma- 

 jor's great plan will consist of the 

 ancient geography, as it was im- 

 proved by the Grecian conquests 

 and establishments, together with 

 such portions of military history as 

 appear to want explanation. Maps 

 of ancient geography, on scales 

 adapted to the purpose, will accom- 

 pany it; while the modern geogra- 

 phy (in which the most prominent 

 features of the ancient will appear) 

 will be contained in a large map, 

 similar in size to the four-sheet map 

 of India, already in the hands of the 

 public. As the present volume 

 forms a complete work of itself, 

 so will each of the succeeding ones, 

 they being no otherwise connected 

 with each other than as being in the 

 same series. The same is to be un- 

 derstood of some large maps that are 

 to accompany the volumes, but will 

 be too large to be folded into them. 



The History of the Helvetic Confe- 

 deracy. 4>to. 2 Vol 1800. 



IT appears from the dedication to 

 the king, that the author of this 

 work is Mr. Planta, of the British. 

 Museum; who is descended, as we 

 understand, from the noble family 

 in the Grisons, whose name he 

 bears. 



It is rather singular that we 

 should so long have been without 

 such a publication as this; and that 

 no able pen has before been em- 

 ployed on a subject which has so 

 many claims to our notice: for what 

 country can offer equal pretensions, 



