& 
538 
rage in:France at this time. The beft 
reaion we can affign for this mania 
for tranflating modern novellifts and 
ancient poets, is that they feel as if they 
were.a few years behind us in the bagatelle, 
and are willing to recover their ground 
re with as little trouble as poflible; and that 
with regard to the claflics, they think it 
neceflary to take off the old varnifh which - 
has hitherto preferved them, and to give 
them in its ftead a more modifh drapery. 
‘The French prets, as if defirous to make 
amends for inundating the literary world 
‘ with frivolous romances and novels, has 
however announced the fpeedy publication 
ef fome very important works from well 
known authors. Among thefe are ‘* Tra- 
vels in North America,” by Volney, a 
produétion which, though it may not dif- 
play fo much erudition as his Voyage in 
Syria, nor exceed in accuracy and fulnefs 
the Duc de Liancourt’s recently. publifhed 
travels in the fame coyntry, will doubtlefs 
intereft a great number of readers. 
The Spaniards, not confenting to be whol- 
ly overlooked in the literary world, begin 
to give great encouragement to the works 
of men of genius and talent. Several va- 
luable produétions are to be found in their 
notices of the laft year, upon aftronomy, 
mathematics, geography, &c. among the 
reft a Spanifh atlas or general geographi- 
cal, chronological and hiftorical defcription 
of Spain, with views of the cities and even, 
the coftume of the inhabitants. ‘The au- 
thor is Don BerNarpo EsPINALT -y 
Garcia, chief director of the poft of Va- 
lentia. Don Juan Andres Samaniego has 
publifhed an extenfive treatife on aerofta- 
tion, with. engravings, under the title of 
Profpecio de una nave atmofpherica, con el 
(jfema de fu direction. ‘Tne defcription 
and relation of an expedition undertaken by 
order of the Spanifh goverment in the year 
1785 and 1786, in a frigate equipped for 
the purpofe of examining the ftraits of, 
Magellan, has been publifhed fome time 
fince, with five large charts, and an excel- 
Jent portrait of Magellan. The Spaniards 
appear to have been more particular on this 
voyage than on fimilar occafions. “They 
have extended their inquiries to the’ foil, 
climate, and produétions of the ftrait, and 
to every other object regarding the mhabi- 
tants, which might have relation to Euro- 
pean eftablifhments. 
The lift, as handed, about, of books for- 
bidden by the imperial cenfor at Vienna 
though for the months of July and Auguft 
only, appears tobe pretty long. It contains 
both Frenchand Latin, buta greater number 
of the fosmer; there are allo dome tranflas 
2 
Sixty Articles of Literary and Philofephical Intelligence. [July 1, 
tions into the German. Among the Latin 
is Examen et Confutatio opulculi cui tite- 
lus : Refponfum Facultatis theologie Freiburg 
de facramentorum que jurati facerdotes iz 
Alfatia minifirant. In the French is Ta- 
bleau Hiftorique de la litterature francaise de- 
puis fon origine jufqu a nos jours. Asalfo 
Dieu, apoemin 8 cantos. Phe adventures 
of Denald Campbell, ina journey over Jand 
to India, tranflated from the Eneslith. 
C.I.P.Papron, formerly hifteriographer 
of Provence; has publifhed a work upon the 
Plague, and the means of guarding again 
it; a fubjeét which excites the intereft and 
the fears of the French in an elpecial 
Mahnere: sis, 3 
C. CHaPTaL, committee of ftate, and 
member of the National Inftitute, has pub- 
lifsed an eflay on the perfeéting the che- 
mical arts in France. He recommends tothe 
government to efiablifh four ichools of 
practical inftruction. ‘The firft he would 
have appropriated to experiments relative. 
to colouring and printing on linen, and to 
animal preparations connected with thofe 
arts. The fecond to treat of metals and 
their preparations. ‘The third to make 
cifcoveries and fpread the knowledge of 
the various earths and clays for the ule of 
potteries; as allo of what relates to glafs- 
making. The fourth, the fermation of 
falts, and the extraction of acids and alka- 
lies, diitilling wines, aromatic plants, and 
combining perfumes. Thefe different ef- 
tablifhments cannot be united in the fame ™ 
place, their fituation mult be governed ih » 
a great meafure by climate, by. air, the wa- | 
ter and earths to be found in their vicinage, 
with other confiderations of a local nature. 
He propofes to fix the firft at Lyons, the 
fecond at Paris, the third at Sevres, where 
the famous manufacture of Porcelaine has 
been carried on many years. The lait, 
which he .calls the halo-technic’ fchool 
(école d’ halotechnie), he obferves, cannot be 
fo well fixed any where elie as at Mont- 
pellier, witofe foil yields wine and perfumes 
in abundance, and whole proximity to Ita- 
ly and the fea, not only atfords it plenty of 
fulphur and faltpetre, but gives it every fa- 
cility which may carry the dehgn to its ute 
moft perfection. Citizen Chaptal obferves 
that “©; By means of fimilar inftitutions, 
not only will the French fabricks be en- 
riched by their own difcoveries, but nothing 
interefting which may be gained from fo- 
reigners will be unknown to them.”’ He 
oblerves alto, that, after the long and tire- 
fome period an apprentice ipends in a work- 
fhop, he feldom acquires more than aifmall 
portion of the knowledge of his matter. 
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