4799-] 
Europeans the treafures of Sanfcrit lite- 
rature, to which, it is fuppofed, he was 
the firft that furnifhed any uleful key. 
The Hindoo alphabets, till of late in the 
pofleflion of the Propaganda (a fociety 
reviled only by mifinformed travellers), 
were packed up at Rome under his eyes, 
and fent off to Paris. Still, however, 
he could not be difpoffeffed of his vait at- 
tainments; and he has even refcued a few 
Hindoo manufcripts written on palm- 
leaves, and containing, in a fmall com- 
pafs, matter of much literary moment. 
Among them are a grammar, of which 
he has already edited an extract; three 
volumes comprifing the large Sanfcrit 
dictionary, known under the name of 
Amarajinha ; and the Sacontala, a drama, 
no doubt familiar to many of our readers 
from the elegant English tranflation, pub- 
lithed fome years ago, by Sir Wm. Jones. 
Defirous to form an eftimate of-the time 
neceflary for illuftrating, and of the ex- 
pences requifite for printing, the above co- 
pious Dictionary, he was, during the lat- 
ter period of his refidence in Rome, 
engaged in finifhing for the prefs the firft. 
fe&tion. of the Amarafiaha, which he 
actually completed, when the French re- 
quifitions at Rome had already begun. 
The preface to that fection concludes with 
the following words: Dabam fervente 
Marte Gallico. 
De. CuLapNni, well known for his 
important difcoveries relating to found, 
has lately announced fome new facts re- 
fpe&ting the animal electricity. He fays 
he has afcertained that animals, which 
have been fuppofed to have the electric 
fiuid equally diffufed throughout their 
bodies, are on the contrary liable to have 
it accumulated in certain parts, or that 
the pofitive and negative electricity, under 
certain circumftances, exift in different 
parts of the fame animal. ‘This hitherto 
unafcertained fact has alfo been recently 
afferted by Profeffor AniLpDGaarD, fe- 
¢retary to the Royal Academy of Sciences 
at Copenhagen, celebrated for his former 
difcoveries in electricity. He fays the 
pofitive electricity is frequent in parts 
affected with the gout, while the other 
parts of the body are negatively eleétrified ; 
and fuggefts that the application of zetallic 
traGors would equilibriate the ftock of 
electricity, and thus probably remove the 
difeafe. - 
Dr. PRIESTLEY in a letter to Dr. 
Mitchill on the fubje&t of the Phlogiftic 
Theory, dated January 17, 1799, fays, 
that having laid before the public his laft 
experiments on the fubjest, he does not 
Literary and Philofophical Intelligence. 731 
intend to do any thing more till he hears 
from the great advocates of the oppoflite 
opinionin France. In the mean time he 
is not without advocates as well as oppo- 
nents in America. 
The ‘Rev. Mr.+Senger, of Reck, in 
Weftphalia, has dilcovered a new fub- 
ftance for making paper. It is taken from 
the aquatic plant, called by Linnaus 
Conferva rivularis (Eng. Crow-filk), a 
vegetable very plentifully growing in alk 
European rivers. ‘The inventor having 
{pent many years in making experiments 
and perfecting his difcovery, is now pub- 
‘lithing a. circumftantial account of it, from 
which it appears that the above material 
furnifhes as excellent paper as that ob- 
tained from rags, and at lefs expence. 
The ftudy of ancient languages (at 
Jeaft in the fchools of Paris) has not beea 
fo much neglected, as we might fuppote 
would have been the cafe, after the fup- 
preffion of colleges; places almoft univer- 
fally devoted to that kind of ftudy. We 
have received a Latin Ode, compofed by 
a pupil of the central {chool of the Pan- 
theon, which will juftify the preceding 
obfervation. This young poet has chofen 
for his fubje€t, the horrid Affafination of 
the French Pleatpotentiaries. His ode is 
not a chef d@aeuvre, yet it difcovers fome 
talents ; we cite two ftrophes. 
Flete—quin imo gencrofa, cives, 
Corda vindictam fitiant—facratos 
Impius pacts populum minitros 
Mucro peremit. 
O probrum noftri feelus ufque fecli ! 
Quod nec errantes fine lege turba, 
Quod nec aufe funt actes, nefandum! 
Aufiria fect. &c. 
The Swedifh Academy eftablifhed by 
Guftavus III. (a friend of the arts and 
{ciences) on the model of the French 
Academy, has produced the moft advan- 
tageous effects to good tafte and genius. 
From its eftablifhment is dated the true 
origin of Swedifh eloquence. M. DE 
RosENsTEiN,, the celebrated orator, is 
perpetual Secretary. Under the Regency 
its fittings were prohibited, its archives 
fealed up, and its revenues tequeftered, 
only becaufe one of its members had ven- 
tured to fpeak in his difcourfe of recep- 
tion, of a fa& which was univerfally 
known, but which the government of 
that time wanted to be unknown. At 
the acceffion of the prefent king the Aca- 
demy refumed its labours. The principal. 
end of this eftablifhment is to watch over 
the Swedith language, and,to prevent its 
adulteration by the intredustion of foreign 
words 
Se 
