248 
ancient feoultures, C. Legrand traces the 
primitive opinions of uations, relative to 
death and its confequences. In Europe, 
as well as in Afia, death was confidered 
as a paffage into another world, where we 
fhould again find the wants and the erjoy- 
ments of this. It is according to this 
idea that the ancients depofited with the 
dead the objects deareft to them, fuch as 
their arms, drefles, and ornaments, and 
burnt near them their flaves, horfes, and 
even wives. The Gauls went fo far as to 
caft in the funeral pile the bills of credit of 
the defunét, in order that he might, at the 
firft meeting, conftrain his debtors to pay- 
ment. C. Legrand proves laftly, that the 
fable of Charon was no lefs accredited 
in Gaul than in Egypt, fince in many 
Gallic monuments the piece of money 
deftined to pay the fatal pafflage has been 
difcovered under the tongue of the dead. 
Such riches interred with the defun& could 
not fail to excite the cupidity of many 
living. But fcarcely were they extracted 
from thefe fepultures, than they were 
reftored thither as by an infuperable 
force; for almoft always the robbers of 
_thofe fubterraneous trealures caufed them, 
on their death, to be depofited in their 
own tombs. From thence it comes that 
in Tartary, efpecially in the countries of 
the North, you cannot opena fepulchre 
without finding in it a tolerable booty. 
After thefe general obfervations, the au- 
thor points out the different kinds of tombs 
ufed in France, from the origin of the na- 
tion to the BR time. At firft, cells 
or vaults in rough ftone were made ufe 
of, ornamented on te outfide with a pil- 
lar of the fame nature placed upright; 
then tombs with inclofures formed in a 
fimple manner, were fupported by enor- 
mous pillars, with another fone of vaft 
furface for the ceiling : afterwards tombs 
in mounts formed of earth coilected toge- 
ther, and next to them vaults in mafonry, 
coffins of ftone, of baked earth, of lead; 
and laftly maufolea of marble and bronze. 
This laft fpecies of monuments, which 
dates from the thirteenth century, has ex-. 
perienced feveral modifications in each of 
the following centuries, which the author 
details. From thence, paffing to the exa- 
mination of the different fubitances depo- 
fited in the French fepulchres, he finds, in 
the moft ancient, no cther arms than thofe 
made with pointed bones, or with fherp- 
edged flints; inlatertimes appear ornaments 
and even inftruments of copper; and later 
ftill, armour and weapons of iron, ac- 
companied with ornaments of gold and 
filver. But it is in the tombs of the 
Proceedings of Public Societies. 
/ 
re 
French kings that the moft precious objects 
are to be met with, Such was the tomb of 
Childeric, difcovered near Tournay, inthe 
Jaft century. Afterwards, in 1704, fome 
excavations made in the church of St. Gers 
main des Prés brought to light a monu- 
ment, evidently very rich, but at that 
time it was thought improper to open it. 


SOCIETY of NATURALIST FRIENDS, @t 
BERLIN. 
The fociety had, on the 24th of April, 
1798, propofed the following prize-quef- 
tion :— 
“* Suppofing that eleétricity is neceflary 
for the production and formation of hail 
in the air; may we hope to be able to ren- 
der the thunder-clouds incapable of form- 
ing it, as is done with refpeé to lighten- 
ing, by means of conduflors? 
<¢ What means fhould be applied for 
this. purpofe ; and what obfervations and 
daia do we already poflefs, to which regard 
ought particularly be had in purfuing furs 
ther experiments on this fubjeét?” 
The fociety adjudged the prize (twenty 
Dutch ducats) to the differtation with the 
motto. 
Quod potes id tentes, aperes ne pondere preffus 
Succumbat ir ——_ 
On opening the fealed note, Mr. Wrede, 
profeffor of mathematics and natural hi- 
{tory in King Frederick William’s Gym- 
naGum, was dilcovered to be the author. 
The accefit was adjudged to a differta- 
tion with the motto, Dubitare et aliquid 
nefcire aufi fumus, jam vincat veritas.— 
The differtations will be publifhed at Eafter 
next, in the Neue Schriften of the fociety. 
oe 
LATE HAARLEM SOCIETY. 
The Haarlem Society of the Sciences has 
taken the name of Batawvian Society: and 
likewife adopted fome alterations relative 
to the writings publifhed by them: they 
confine themfelves to eflays on fubje&ts of 
natural hiftory. The fir part of the firt 
volume of theirTranfactions was, already, 
in 1799, publifhed, in 8vo. by the book- 
feller Allart, at Amfterdam. The title 
is, Natuurkundige Verbandelingen van het 
Bataajsche Maat{chaape der Wetten{-haper 
te Harlem, 8vo. 

The BATAVIAN SOCIETY of the SCIENCES, 
at HAARLEM. 
At the annual meeting of this fociety, 
held on the 24th of May, they propofed 
the following prize-queftions :— 
I. «* What may, in confequence of the 
obfervations of modern aftronomers, efpe- 
cially Herichel and Schroier, be confideied 
as 
[O@ober 1, 
. 
