590 
poffible, the public may expeét in a fhort 
time to be prefented with a work not 
Jefs curious than interefting. 
We can hardly fuppofe that the Mar- 
quis Wellefley fhould edit an anonymous 
publication, or we might almoft have 
fulpeéted that Colonei Bearfon alluded to 
the contents of the following volume, 
which has juft made its appearance, and 
which we cannot more properly notice 
than by tranferibing the title page: “ A 
Review of the Origin, Progrefs, and 
Refult of the late decifive War in My- 
fore, ina Letter from an Officer in India, 
with Notes; and an Appendix, com- 
prifing the Whole of the fecret State 
Fapers found in the Cabinet of Tippoo 
Sultaun, at Seringaparam; taken from 
the Originals :—Containing, his Corref- 
pondence with the French, Zemaun 
Shab, Sc. from the year 1796, with a 
view to the overthrow of the Britifh em- 
pire in India; the feparate written opi- 
nions of his principal officers of fate on 
that meafure; and an autograph of the 
Sultaun’s handwriting, in his laft letter 
to the governor-general : alfo a dedica- 
tion to the Right Honourable Henry Dun- 
das, &c. &c. By M. Wood, efq. M. P. 
Colonel, and late chief engineer, Bengal. 
And a map fhewing the extent of the 
dominions of Tippoo Sultaun, and their 
partition between the allied powers, the 
Englith, the Mahrattas, and the Nizam.” 
Ic appears that Vellor in the Carnatic 
has been allotted for the refidence of 
Tippoo’s fons, and the females of his 
father’s harams, and that an allowance 
of 80,o0ol. fterling is fixed annually for 
their maintenance: we are alfo informed 
by the prefent work that on a Care ful in- 
veftigation it was found that the wife of 
Crifna Raj Uriar, the prince whoreigned 
at the time of Hyder Alli’s ufurpation, 
was ftill alive, and that the furviving re- 
prefentative of that perfecuted family 
was a boy of five years of age, who is 
now feated on the throne of his ancef- 
tors. 
In a former Retrofpect we noticed 
Mr. Tooke’s View of the Ruffian Em- 
pire during the reign of Catharine II, 
and to the clofe ef the prefent century. 
This gentleman has now prefented the 
public with an “ Hiftory of Ruffia,”’ 
-from the foundation of the monarchy by 
Rurik to the acceffion of the late em- 
prefs. Mr. T. it is well known, was 
many years a refident in Ruffia, was ma- 
fier of the language, and had free accefs 
eo Numerous libraries where ancient re- 
eords were depofited. Thefe advantages 
Retrofpecd of Domeftic Literature.—Hiftory. 
ave enabled him to produce a work, 
which from the abundance of its matter, 
and the authenticity of its information 
refpeéting a vaft empire which has.rifen 
into eminence with a rapidity ftriking 
and formidable, excites an unufual de- 
gree of intereft. The early hiftory of 
Ruffia, like that of every other nation; ts 
involyed in fabulous obfcurity: Mr. 
Tooke however, im his enquiries rela- 
tive to the beginning of this mighty em- 
pire, the fortunes which have befallen 
it, and the means by which it has ar- 
rived at its prefent height, has fepa- 
rated as much as pofhible from its aue 
thentic records all idle tales and legen- 
dary traditions, and has adduced no faéts 
of any moment without references to 
ungueftionable authorities. It may not 
be amif(s to ftate that Mr. Tooke, befides 
the various archives to which he had 
acce{s, is under confiderable obligations to 
the celebrated Chronicle of Nefor, which 
clofes with the year 1115, as well as te 
many Ruffian authors of an early pe~ 
riod: he is alfo indebted to Baron 
Strahlenberg’s Account of the Ruffian 
empire, Woltaire’s Hiftory, Manftein’s 
Hiftorical, political, and military Me- 
moirs, Marbault’s Effay on the Com- 
merce of Ruflia , and the Monthly Jour-. 
nal of Buffe. 
Mr. Pay NE, author of the Epitome of 
Modern Hiftory, &c. has publithed the 
fir& volume of ‘* A concife Hiftory of 
Greece, from the earlieft Times to its 
becoming a Roman Province.” We are 
not of that proud number who depre- 
ciate the labour .of fuch writers as Mr. 
Payne: paying, as moft willingly we 
do, the higheft honour.to thofe geniufes 
who devote ftrong talents, various learn- 
ing, and patient perfevering induftry, te 
the compofition of an hiftorical work 
immediately from original records and 
ancient authorities, yet do we confider 
thofe more humble and lefs arduous la« 
bourers in the field of literature as de~- 
ferving well of the public who from 
preceding-hiftories form a concife, Judi- 
cious, and honeft compilation. The hif- 
tory of Greece is brought down te the 
thirteenth year of the Peloponnefian war 
in this firft volume, we fhall be happy 
to fee the fucceeding ones, which, if they 
are executed with the fame {pirit and 
correétnefs which diftinguifh the pre- 
fent, will form a ufeful work for thofe 
who have nut opportunities to confult 
more elaborate performances. 
An Englith tranflation has appeared. 
of Monf. ANQUETIL’s “ Summary of 
Uniyerfal. 
a 
