458 
er that their late mafter Swedenborg was 
a being animated by the ipirit of God, 
that be was a prophet who faw into futurity 
during his life-time, or that he pafled body 
and foul into another world, and is now 
watching over them and their labours. 
The author is-of opinion that-many of 
thefe enlightened friends of humanity,. 
men of elevated rational minds, have 
united themfelves to thofe rich and gene- 
rous believers, without partakiag in the 
Teaft. of their reyeries, merely with a view 
to direi the application of the greateft 
means that any private feciety ever had in 
their difpofition, and to prepagate 1n their 
own country, and abroad, philanthro- 
pic fentiments and ideas. Whatever may 
be their fecret motives, the influence 
of this fociety is not the lefs real.---The 
two principal aflociations of the Sweden- 
borgifts, are thofe of Stockholm and of 
Eondon. From them originated the pro- 
pofition for abolifhing the flave trade, and 
the richeft. among thein have zealouily col- 
leted immenfe fums, to found the colony 
of Sierra Leone on the weft coalt of 
Africa. The view of many of the 
brethren was to penetrate from thence into 
the interior of the continent, in queft of 
the terreftrial Jerufalem, not doubting in 
the leaft but that it exifts in the midft of 
immenfe défarts, exhibiting a perfect mo- 
del of the reign of juftice, of pure chrif- 
tianity, preierved there from the primi- 
tive ages, and that Chri dwells there, 
perhaps even ina vifible manner, explaining 
his laws to his faithtul believers, ‘The 
wiews however of the other members, ands 
probably of the greateft part, were to 
form at Sierra Leone 2 point of depar- 
ture, whence they might more eafily 
penetrate into the interior of the country, 
to ftudy the people and the natural hjfory, 
to import the ufeful inventions ef Europe 
the pureit principles of civilizition, the 
fublime ideas of morality, and to engage 
the natives gradually by ijentiments of 
humanity and their own iatereft to fellno 
more flaves. All the Swedenborgifts ap- 
pear to be animated by the hope of attain- 
ing this laft object. They propofeto pafs | 
from nation to nation, to vilit all the! 
black races with which the country is co- 
yered, to treat with their kings and chiefs, 
to win them over by amiable manners 
and real and thus to turn 
to the advantage of humanity, all the 
.difcoveries made in this part of the world 
almoft entirely new to us, comprehending 
im the generous plan of their apottoiate, the 
whole territory extending trom the coait of 
Neerelard. 
J 
Vtsie 
benefits ; 
Foreign Literary intelligence. 
ae | Dee. 
Citizen A. L. MiLLIn, the Editor, has 
Jately publifhed in the Magazize Encyclo- 
pedtque, (No.7. Vol. II. zd year,) 13 let- 
ters of the famous Peyrefe, which have 
never till now been communicated to the 
public. They abound with very curious 
reflegtions andfaéts, particularly in what- 
ever relates to the ftudy and works of the 
arts and of antiquities. ‘Thefe lettersare 
addrefied to M. Borilli, a learned anti- 
guarian of Aix, who poffeffed a well 
chofen cabinet, coniifting of medals, idols, - 
pictures, and natural hiftery. It appears 
that Louis. XIII. on his arrival at Aix, 
3n 1622, withed to vifit this cabinet of M. 
Borilli ; he would likewife do it an honour 
by prefenting the proprietor with his own 
baldrick and {word. All the French wits 
were eager to celebrate this gift by verfes 
and other pieces, fome of which were even. 
compoled in Greek ; and Grotius, who 
was then following the court as Ambafia- 
dor from Sweden, made on the fame fub- 
jet fome beautiful Latin verfes. Speakin 
of the moneys or medals of Marfeilles, 2 
fubjeét which he terms *¢a fair road, 
though not as yet well beaten,” he fub- 
joins, “* This rival of Rome, and daugh- 
ter of Greece, ina very early age, carried 
the art of defign and all the other arts to a 
confiderable degree of perfection ; Peyrefe 
whofe tafte was extraordinary in all the 
fciences, and every kind of curiofity, firft - 
imported into France, the beautiful A fiatic 
cats, called cats of Ancyra or Angora» 
He alfo notices the high point of riches 
and glory to which commerce had raifed 
Florence, and how little it obftru€ts the 
progrefs of the arts, as the moft beautiful 
florins, and other geld coins were fabri- 
cated there, and there all the kings and 
{tates fent orders for their gold coins to he 
made. The ordinary impreffion, which was 
St.John the Baptift, being always thie fame, 
the diftingétions for the different ftates 
were only fmall marks vifible on the top 
of the crown. 
A great number of moulds of the differ- 
eht antique ftatues are cafting in Paris, to 
be diftributed throughout the depart- 
ments. + . 
The 13th Thermidor in the evening, 
the Lyceum of Arts rendered a funereal 
homage to the celebrated Lavoifier, a 
member of that foeiety. The fitting was. 
opened by a difcourfe of MuLorT, on the 
refpect due to the dead. Fourcroy 
read afterwards a notice on Lavoifier ; 
and CHarLes DEsAuUDRAIs recited an 
ode upon the immortality of the foul. 
Laftly, a hiero-drama was executed, the 
fubject of which is the death of li : 
&he 
