270 UNIVERSAL ERUDITION.' 



annexed, to that of each country, an abridged 

 relation, which contains foine inftructrons rela- 

 tive to this matter. But i. thefe fort of inftruc- 

 tions are frequently erroneous, and always im- 

 perfect or defective ; 2. they are too much dif- 

 perfcd to be ufcd as a iyftematic abridgement, 

 which might ferve as the bafis of public or pri- 

 vate lectures; 3. the daily occurrences that hap- 

 pen in the world, and efpecially the treaties of 

 peace, are conftantly changing the fyftem of 

 governments, and make the ftatiftic icience a 

 kind of moving picture, where the momentary 

 fituation of the parts is much better feen in 

 a courfe made by an able profeflbr, than in a 

 book ; which lofes its accuracy and ufe in pro- 

 portion as it grows old. Thefe confutations, 

 and numberlefs others, have induced authors- 

 of ability to furnifh the world with inftrudtive 

 defcriptions of this nature. 



III. Thus, the Thirty two republics of the 

 Elzeviers, which appeared more than a century 

 fmce ; the work of Frederic Achillis, duke of 

 Wirtemburg, intitled Conlultatio de princi- 

 patu inter provincias Europae opera Thomas 

 Lanfii, Tubingse 1655 , Le Monde, by Peter 

 D'Avity, Gothofredi Archontologia cofmica; 

 Lucas de Linda, Defcriptio Orbis , Hermanns 

 Conringii, opus pofthumum, de notitia Rerum- 

 publicarum hodiernarum ; J. C. Beckman, Hif- 

 toria orbis terrarum, geographica & civilis. 

 Many ftatefmen alfo have employed themfelves 



in 



