390 Languages. — Ancient Mamiscripts. 



The Swedish Board of Marine has announced, that the light- 

 house of the Tower of Carlsten, near Marstrand, will be pulled 

 down and rebuilt in the course of 1822. The light is to be ex- 

 tinguished from the 15 th of April 1821. 



ISLAND NEAR JAVA RENT ASUNDER. 



Japava, 27th Jan. 1820. 

 " During the late stormy weather, since the 3rd instant, an 

 island, which we find by the map of Java is called Fisherman's 

 Island, has been rent asunder. It is known to the natives under 

 the name of Pulo Pontangan. As soon as the weather will per- 

 mit, a further investigation will be held respecting this extraor- 

 dinary event." — Bat. Courant, Jan. 1. 



LANGUAGES. 



According to a " View of all the known Languages and their 

 Dialects," published by M. Fred. Aderburg, counsellor of state to 

 the emperor of Russia, their number amounts to 3,064, viz. in 

 all .A.sia 937, European 587, African 276, and American 1,264. 



ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS. 



Somenewdiscoveriesof great interest and importance have been 

 made in the Vatican Library by M. Mai, the principal librarian. 



In a Greek palimpseste manuscript (where the first writing has 

 been effaced in order to make the parchment serve a second time) 

 containing the Harangues of the orator Aristides, the leared li- 

 brarian has succeeded in discovering a part of the Extracts of 

 Constantine Porphyrogenetus, belonging to the Chapters of Sen- 

 tences, Harangues, Succession of Kings, Inventors of Things, 

 and Sententious Answers. As the Byzantine prince had made 

 extracts from a multitude of historical and political works, which 

 have been long lost to the world, this discovery has naturally 

 promised an ample harvest of interesting gleanings. M. Mai 

 announces, that he has discovered parts of the lost books of Po- 

 lybius, Diodorus Siculus, and DionCassius, and fragments of Ari- 

 stotle of Ephorus, of Timeus, of Hyperides, and of Demetrius 

 Phalereus. The names of some other authors from whom, extracts 

 have been made are not given. There are also some fragments 

 of the Byzantine writers, such as Eunapius, Menander of Byzan- 

 tium, Priscus and Petrus Protector, historic authors of a very in- 

 teresting period. Among the fragments of Polybius, there is one 

 of the 39th book, in which he announces that the 40th and last 

 was to treat of Chronologv. 



In another pahmpseste M. Mai has found a political treatise 

 posterior to the time of Cicero, in which that orator is quoted 

 with many other Greek and Latin authors. 



M. Mai 



