512 
muft recollect, that there are fome, which 
require a previous preparation to bite in 
the colour which is afterwards to be add- 
ed; and that there are others, which of 
themfelves fx on the fubftance to be 
dyed. 
the latter fubftantives. Dr. B. attri- 
butes the permanent chang< of colour to 
the attraction of fubftances for particular 
rays, which are abforbed, and remain 
latent, while others are refiecied. An 
elegant and concife effay on the hiftory of 
dying is given in this volume, which 1s 
replete with found philofophical re- 
fearch, which abounds with fagacious 
refle€tions, and which relates to a variety 
of accurate and ingenious experiments in 
relation to the fubject of it. 
A more agonizing appeal to the feel- 
ings can fcarcely be conceived, than 
Mr. Macray’s * Narrative of the 
Shipwreck of the Juno on the Coaft of 
Arabia: this narrative, which appears 
to be perfectly authentic, is addrefied by 
Mr. M. the fecond officer of the fhip, in 
2 feries of letters, to his father, the Rev. 
‘Thomas Mackey, minifter of Lairy, Su- 
therlandfhire, North Britain. Out of 
72 perfons on board this fhip, 58 actually 
perithed, either by fatigue or famine, 
in the courfe of 23 days. and nights, 
which had elapfed before the furviving 
t™4 (who, during that long period, ex- 
ifted without food) had the happinefs of 
gaining the land by means of rafts and 
fpars: the protraction of life during 
Retrofpet of German Literature. 
The former are called adjectives, 
AY 
 [Sup. 
fuch a period of inanition, exceeds, 
perhaps, whatever has been be‘ore re- 
corded.. Mrs. Brenmer is a furvivor of 
this difaftrous fhipwreck : her hufband, 
the captzin of the veffel, died in her 
arms! Mr. Younc’s “ Effay on Hu- 
manity te Animals’ does high honour 
to his heart: the fubjeét is not always 
fufficiently attended to in the education 
of our youth; this little publication, 
therefore, rendered interefting by the 
infertion of fome hiftories charaéteriftic 
of the affe€tion which animals bear to 
their offspring, is particularly proper to 
be put into the hands of children. “ The 
Spirit of the Pubiic Journals for 1797” 
is a judicious felection of the beft effays, 
jeux defprit, anecdotes, &c. from the 
fugitive publications of the day, and 
promifes to form a very entertaining an- 
nual mifcelany: Mr. Jones's * Ma- 
fonic Mifcelianies, in Poetry and Profe,” 
is an entertaining, and. probably, an ufeful 
manual, ‘* The Prompter”’ is the pro- 
duétion of an American moraift, Mr. 
Noauw WEBSTER. who has fhewn his 
good fenfe, in taking the manner and the 
matter of Dr. Franklin as fubieéts of 
imitation: it is an ufefol-little work. 
We have now finifhed our Retrofpeét 
of the domeftic Literature of the laft fix 
months ; fome few books, it is obvious, muft 
efcape the moft rigid refearch. Should 
this be the cafe with refpeét of any of li- 
terary eminence, we fhall be happy te 
bring them forward on a future occafion. 

HALF-YEARLY RETROSPECT OF 
GERMAN 
T has frequently been remarked, and 
4i perhaps with juftice, that the Ger- 
mans, fince the middie of the prefent 
century, have made greater efforts, in 
every department of the arts and {ciences, 
than their learned anceftots colleétiveiy 
from the times of Tacitus. Although 
the fame remark may apply in great 
meafure to the prefent, or rather the 
Jate, ftate of French literature, yet it is 
by no means fo charaéteriftic, nor fo 
general, as when applicd.to the Ger- 
mans: they were much behind in va- 
rious departments of {cience, at a time 
when France produced meny eminent 
writers in almoft every branch, particu- 
jJarly in hiftory, belles-lettres, and politi- 
cai economy. 
The new era of German literature 
began with the conclufion of the fep- 
tennial war in 1762, when the mufes 
of Germany were once more relieved 
from the horrid clangour of arms, by the 
LITER APPURE; 
long-withed-for peace, concluded be- 
tween the Emprefs, Queen Mary There- 
fa, and Frederick the Great of Pruffia, 
Long before this pericd, the ground- 
qwork of national erudition, philology, 
had met -with many able and fuccefsful 
profeffors; but as their laborious re- 
fearches were almoft exclufively directed 
to the cultivation of the dead languages, 
that of the natives was till then unac- 
countably negleéted. The works of 
Klopfieck*, Leffing. Haller, Geffner, Bur- 
ger, Gellert, Rabner, Ramler, Herder, 
Facobi, Gothe, Schiller, 8c. but particu- 
Jarly thofe of the inexhauftible and ac- 
comp!ifhed WIELAND +, however, af- 
ford ample proofs that the Germans, be- 

* The firft edition of Klopfeck’s Meffiaks 
appeared as early as the year 1750. 
See an account of his works, in the 
Monthly Magazine for April, 1797+ 
i : fide 
