Retrofped? of American Literature—Mifcelliniesé 
and pathetic eloquence which the fubje& 
demanded. This cannot be faid of the 
‘Funeral Oration prepared and deli- 
vered at the requeft of Ccngrefs,”’ on the 
fame occafion, by Major Gen. Henry 
Lex, who in relating the principal events 
in the life of his fellow-foldier, has never 
deviated from the fobriety and naked ve- 
racity of narrative. It is impoffible to 
enumerate one-twentieth part of the fu- 
neral eulogies which have, been’ pro- 
nounced over the grave of the. late Preft- 
dent; we cannot, however, omit noticing 
two which are particularly appropriate ; 
the one by JEDEDIAH Morss, to which 
is prefixed an Account of the Proceedings 
of the Town of Charleftown on the me- 
Jancholy Occafion by Josiau. BartT- 
LETT, ,Efg. and the, other by Wm. P. 
BeeERs, Efq. pronounced before the Ci- 
tizens of Albany. 
Mr. Noau WEBsTER, a gentleman 
already known as a philologif&t and gram- 
_ marian, has publifhed, in two oétavo vo- 
lumes, ‘* A Brief Hiftory of Epidemic and 
Pefulential Difeafes; with the principal 
Pheenomena of the Phyfical World which 
precede and accompany them; and Ob- 
fervations deduced from the Faéts ftated.” 
Mr. Webfter, after enumerating the va- 
rious theories which have been adopted b 
philofophers and phyficians refpcéting petf- 
tilence, deduces from this variety, that 
the fubjeét is not at prefent uniderftood, 
and perhaps that it never will be. He 
{tates what information refpecting epide- 
mic difeafes could be colle&ted from Plu- 
tarch, Livy, Dionyfius, &c. and thus il- 
luftrates his own opinion relative to. the 
connection which fubfifts between petti- 
lence and convulfions of the elements : he 
fays, “it will be found, as we proceed 
with this hiftory, that moft of fuch extra- 
ordimary feafons and unufual concurrence 
of great agitations in nature happen during 
volcanic eruptions, and the approach of 
comets to the folar fyftem, of which this 
globe is a part.”’ And elfewhere he ob- 
ferves, ‘it will be found invariably true 
in every period of the world, that the vio- 
lence and extent of the plague has been 
nearly proportioned to the number and 
violence of the following phenomena, 
earthquakes, eruptions of volcanos, me- 
teors, tempefts, inundations.”’ This work 
contains fome curious matter; but the 
author's dogmatifm and crédulity depre- 
ciate its value, It has been reprinted in 
London. . 
Dr. Benj. Suite Barton, whofe 
mame we have already had occafion to 
mention in this Retrofpeét, is one of thofe 
acute and perfevering naturalifts from 
whom America may expeét, an extenfive 
and. minute invefligation of her animal and 
vegetable productions. . He has juft pub- 
Iifhed the firft part of what he. modettly 
entitles ‘¢ Fragments of the Natural Hif- 
tory of Penntylvania,” dedicated to the 
Linnaan Society, of which Dr. Barton is 
a member. This firft part. of a ‘work 
which, if the Dr. enjoys that portion of 
health, leifure, and encouragement which 
is fincerely to be withed for, will be mot 
comprehenfive in its. execution; is con~ 
fined to ornithology: it is divided into’ 
three fections, connfting ef TaBLeEs 3 in 
the hifi of which, ts exhibited the /pring 
and fummer birds of pafage ; in the fecond 
the autumnal and winter birds of paffage 5 
and in the bird, the refident birds of Penn-~ 
Sylvania... The firtt and fecond feétions 
are divided into five columns, which fuc- 
ceffively exhibit the day. of. the month 
—when.the birds of the fecond column were 
firft {een in the vicinity of Philadelphia ; 
and the fecond column the {cientific names 
of Linneus; the third, the Englithfcien« 
tific and provincial names; the fourth 
marks the progvefs of vegetation; and the 
fifth and Jat column contains mifcellane- 
ous obfervations. The introdu@tion, con~ 
fifting of eighteen pages, contains many, 
uieful fa€ts, hints, and obfervations on, 
the manners of birds, and particularly on 
their meration. Our readers-will not be. 
difpleafed if we infert the following lift of. 
publications by the fame author: “« Me- 
moir on the Fafcinating Faculty of Ser- 
penis, ¢1797).2? “ Colleétions: for ‘an’ 
Fffay towards a Materia Medica of the 
United States.” (1798). «* New Views 
of the Origin of the Tribes and Nations 
of America.” (1793.). Befides many in- 
terefting papers to be found in the Tranf- 
actions of the Philofophical Society of 
Pennfylvania.. ; 
Dr. BaRTON, | we -underftand, is 
Moreover engaged in the compofition of a 
work og the Inftin@ of Animals; A Tour 
through the Weftern Parts of New York; 
“<A Memoir on the Bronchocele or Gottres, 
as obferved in the State of New York,” 
A Geographical View of the Trees and 
Shrubs of North America;” % A Meméir 
on that defirudtive Infeé called the Heffian 
Fly 3” and an extenfive work-on the Veve= 
tables of Pennfylvania and the adjoining 
ALES. im 
The laft work. which we have to men- 
tion in our prefent Sketch of American 
Literature, is a Periodical Publication ver 
in its infancy, entitled ** Tipe Mozthly 
Magazine.” Its contents are “ Original 
or 
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