440 
league has tranflated from a Perfian ma- 
nufcript 1 in the Bibliotheque Naiionale, ad- 
ding alfo to it fome poli tical obfervaticns 
and geographical notes, drawn from the 
ealt ern writers. 
" Citizen Langles has jut publithed ; 
¥i “The fire volume of a colleétion of 
voyages, tranflated from different Oriental 
and European languages, containing the’ 
voyage from India to Mecca, by Addoul- 
kerym, favourite of Thamas- Quowly-Khan, 
extracted and tranfiated from his memoirs 
‘in one volume. 
- 2, Some notes on the works of Poivre, 
in one volume. 
3.°The fecond volume of the fecond 
edition ot Norden’s voyage, revifed and 
augmented with notes drawn from the 
Arabian Geographers. 
We ought not tq omit the with formed 
by our colleague ; he defives that govern- 
went may foon be able, by new means, to 
encourage the ftudy of the living Oriental 
languages ; the knowledge of which will 
have a confiderable influence on the aéti- 
vity of our commerce in India. 
The ancients make mention in their 
writings of a plant named oe Ci- 
, tizen AMILEON determines 1n one of 
his memoirs, the diiferent ee in 
which the word /parta was employed by 
the Greeks and Latins. He proves, that 
originally it was a generic term made ufe 
of to defignate every {pecies of flax. 
Strabo is the firft who has given us 
fome precife and rather detailed notions 
on the true fparta, the ale of Iberia 
or Spain. This plant, fays that cele- 
brated Geographer, grew in the environs 
of Carthago Nova;now Carthagena. As 
the paflage of Strabo, which relates to the 
true fparta, is not without fome difficul- 
ties; Citizen AMEILHON difcufies and 
interprets it fo as to remove all obieurity 
from the reader, who fhould not happen 
to be acquainted with the fubjeét matter 
of this differtation. 
He examines next, a paflage of Pliny 
the naturalift, which treats of the {parta 
much at large. Pliny deicribes, like 
Strabo, that diftri& in ancient Spain, 
where this plant grew, He confiders it 
at its birth, follows it in its progrefs, and 
indicates the time of its maturity, with 
the proper feafon for gathering it. He 
forgets none of the preparatory operations 
it underwent, before ig was applied to 
valuable ufes. 
Citizen AMEILHON has taken care to 
compare all the operations defcribed by 
Puny, with thofe which take place iA 
eur days 
frees 3 ok 
National Inftitute, 15th Nivofe, “1798. 
[Des, 
The Romans, in one of their firft ex- 
peditions into Spain againft the Cartha- 
ginians, feized the magazines of {parta, 
he Afdrubal had formed for his ma- 
rine. They preferved a fufficient quan- 
tity of it, se burnt the ref, by an effect 
of “that defituetive genius which accom- 
panies war. 
The {parta ferved to fabricate cordage — 
and cables for the Afhery and marine ar- 
maments, to raife ftones in the conftrue- 
tion of buildings, to draw water from 
pits, and to fet the wine-prefs in motion. 
if we may judge by all the details of it 
into which our colleague has entered, itis 
no wonder that the {parta was a confider-_ 
able object of commerce.with the Romans. 
His memoir finifhes by fome obfervations © 
~ on the benefit which might arife te the 
ftate, if the culture of this excellent plant 
were encouraged in thofe territories uf the 
fcuth of France, where nature receives no 
fuccour from the hands of man: we fhould 
not be under the neceflity of importing it 
from Spain, and it would form one article 
more which the French nation might add 
to its commerce and its indultry. 
Citizen Camus read the beginning of 
his cbfervations, oz the fadts colledied in 
the treatife of marvellous recitals, printed 
among the works of Ariftotle, Itig the 
feries of the memoirs which he had ane 
nounced on the {ame colleétion. 
Among the particular facts of which 
he has given a account, there is one 
which Horace himfelf teligius with the 
grace and philofophy natural tohim: A 
man went alone to the ‘theatres aes the 
fineft fpectacle attrated his view; a ce- 
lefial melody fattered his ears, and yet 
there was neither an adtor on the flage, 
hor a mufigian in the orchefira. His illu- 
fion was dear to him; it conftituted all 
his happinefs. His folly was one day 
mentioned to him, and they boafted of 
having cured him: Ah! my iriends, ¢yied 
he, you haye robbed me of the charm of 
my life; yes, you have undone me. 
"A ficond recital relates to a phenome- 
non which yet exifts in Sicily,int ine Vai di- 
Noto. It treats of a fmall lake called by 
the ancients lac des Palices, and by the 
moderns, Donua Fetia or Nafiia. “Pwo 
<ircumftances make its waters remarkable. 
Their ebullition is accompanied with ful- 
phurous vapours which exhale from the 
furface ; and we learn, that they ferved 
formerly to verify the truth of oaths. 
The naturalift, days Citizen Camus, 
finds the caufe of: the firft effet in the 
ancient volcangs, as yet ill extinguithed 
of the Val di-Noto. The philofopher, mo; 
hig 
