2800. } 
tive Chinefe. Excited by the enthufatts 
~ which the catholic miffionaries fent to 
China, have left behind them; they enter 
into this eftablifhment. in-order to be in- 
ftructed in the doétrines of the Chriftian 
religion, and after a few years return to 
China, where, upon their arrival, they. 
are hanged. This is what they defire, 
being perfuaded that by it they obtain the 
palm of martyrdom, Upon this eftablith- 
ment, and its tendency, it was Obfervéd, 
bya member of the National Inftitute, that, 
as Naples was then in the hands of the 
French, it was defirable to make choice of 
a few of the moft intelligent of that femi- 
nary, and invite them to Paris, where they 
might be made extremely ufeful by the 
knowledee they might communicate con- 
cerning their literature. He further ob- 
ferved, that the National Library of 
France contained many thoufands of Chi- 
nefe books, which remain there only as 
objects of curiofity, no one being able to 
decypher them. 
The Cardinal Borcra had, at Veletri, a 
mufeum, which might be regarded as the 
richeft of the kind, in monuments of every 
kind ; and efpecially in thofe reiating to 
erudition. Befides numerous particular 
monuments learnedly explained by Vif- 
conti, Seftini, Heeren, Munter, Schow, 
Adler, Wad, Zoega, Georgi Marini, &c. 
there was a feries of Etrufcan, Grecian, 
and Roman monuments, for the moft part 
undefcribed, but accompanied with rare 
and pleafing infcriptions; alfoa great num- 
ber of Egyptian monuments, and a fet of 
Indian monuments, after which Father 
Pauli compofed his Sy/fema Brachmani- 
cum; acuptrique globe and fome Mexi- 
can paintings, further enrich this mufeum. 
A French writer and a member of the Na- 
tional Inftitute fays, <* It were to be de- 
fired, fhould this collection become the 
property of the Republic by conqueft, that 
it might be brought entire to Paris, with- 
out taking any thing from it; for that in 
it are fome pieces, which may appear of 
jittle value, and which, neverthelefs, like 
the Tefera Hofpitalis, &c. are monuments 
of great importance and value.” 
Malta. ‘The following ftatiftical ac- 
counts relative to that ifland, are extracted 
froin a letter of a literary man, who re- 
fided there a long time. The chiefs of the 
- order, principally at the inftance of the 
Knight and Aftronomer D’Angos, had 
undertaken a general numbering of the 
people. 
prehenfive of being called to account for 
their negligence in keeping the regifters of 
births, perfuaded the people that it was 
gone with the view of eftablifhirg a mi- 
Literary aha Philofophical Intelligence. 
But the clergy, who were ap- ~ 
litia ; and on account of the commotions 
which arofe from this miftaken notion, 
the execution of the plan was deferred. 
Vanity has greatly exaggerated the num- 
ber of the inhabitants ; im beth iflands they 
were reckoned to antount to 150,000, but 
T hardly believe they contain 80,000. 
There are only two cities, one of which, 
viz. the Old Town, is far from being po- 
pulous, on account of the infalubrity of 
the air; and 27 villages or cazals. The 
ifland of Gozo contains a very {mall téwn, 
and 8 caxals. The greateft length of Mal- 
ta, from S. E. toS. W.; is 14,000 toiles. 
The breadth, from N. E. to S. W,\ is from 
6 to 8000 toifes. Gozo extends in length 
7000 toifes from E, to W. its greateit 
breadth from N. to S. is4000 toifes. The 
number of all the knights belonging to 
the order was not made public. Of the 
French and Italians only were lifts printed. 
In the year 1788 there were 1298 French 
knights, and 356 chaplains, that is, ple- 
beians, who likewife had penfions and_ 
commanderies, which were peculiarly ap- 
propriated to them. The ifland is far 
from fruitful, and in many places rocky : 
the chief produét is cotton. The Mal- 
tefe were always tried by their peers. 
The people are laborious, temperate, and 
frugal. A colony of them is eftablifhed 
in Sicily, where they form a ftriking con- 
traft with the natives. 
The following interefting Letter from 
the prefent Kinc of Prussia, relative to 
the ftate of Polith Pruffia, appeared in the 
Jaft number of the European Repertory, 
an Englifh work written at Hamburgh : 
‘¢ ‘To my well-beloved, the minifter of ftate, 
Von Voss, and Baron von ScuHROTTER. 
‘¢ During my journey through the pro-~ 
vinces of New Eaft and South Pruffia, FT re- 
marked, thatthe lower clafles of my lately 
acquired fubjects live ina ftate much below 
that attained by the fame clafles in the an- 
cient provinces of the kingdom. ‘This ape 
pears in the moft evident and difadvantageous 
manner, by the want of cleanlinefs, within 
the houfe and without, as well as bya fervile 
mode of behaviour, which is bafe beyond 
meafure. Such evils muft indubitably be at- 
tributed to the former want of laws, andthe 
arbitrary oppreffion that want occafioned, to 
which the inhabitants of the flat country in 
particular, and the fmall towns, were ex- 
pofed, on the part of their lords. The want 
of law, and arbitrary domination, have ceafed, 
and the equality of men in the eye of the law 
has been their fubftitute. To me, as to the 
law, the leaft of my fubjetts is aman. He 
owes fidelity and obedience to his fuperior, and 
the magiftrates; but, having fulfilled thefe 
duties, he hasthe fame unalterable right to 
the prote¢tion of his perfon, and the fecuriry 
of his property, as any other man, whatever 
his 
27 7. 
