Retrifpet of German Viieratires. Natural Hiftory. 
No. 3. is not inftructive enough for 
that clafs of the female fex for whom it is 
defigned. 
“ Kinderbuch zur erften Ucbung im 
Lefen,” &c. &c. von F. GEDIKE. Ber- 
lin 3 17983 pp. 223. A Book for Child- 
ren, intended to inftruct them in Read- 
ing without the Help of A, B, C, and of 
Spelling. The author is one of thofe 
pedagogues who object againft inftruc- 
tion in reading by the affiftance of {pell- 
ing. In order to {pare his children that 
pretended torture, he tried to make them 
repeat whole words at once, and ‘then to 
let them attentively look at the printed 
or written word, to enable them to re- 
cognife it again; and to guefs the pro- 
nunciation of other words, in which the 
fame letters occur, with fome alteration. 
Every page of the firlt fheets contains, 
therefore, a rqw of words in alphabetical 
order, ia which ove letter is the principal 
one, either in the beginning, or in the 
middle, or at the end, and algernately is 
printed red or black. The fubfequent 
fhects contain connected ufeful paflages, 
which are to ferve as exercifes in reading. 
The author has a high opinion of this 
mode of inftruétion, which he juftifies by 
his own experience. Praéticable as it, 
however, may be in private inftruction, 
it certainly never will fucceed in acade- 
mies and public {chools, where children 
of different capacities are to be inftruéted. 
** Neues Bilderbuch fur die Jugend,” 
&c. &c. Vol. 1. 1798; pp. 320. New 
Piéture-book for Children ; containing 
fhort, amufing, and inftructive Accounts, 
of the Manners, Opinions, and Cuftoms, 
of Foreign-Nations, as we!! as of Animals, 
and of other remarkable Objeéts, in di- 
fiant Countries; defigned to promote the 
Knowledge of Countries and Nations 
among Youth. With Plates. The book 
is divided in three fections. The firft 
treats cn the opinions, manners, ‘and 
cuftoms of foreign nations; the fecond 
contains remarkable objeéts of zoclogy ; 
and the laft fome ftriking phenomena of 
nature or art; charaéterifing the climate, 
trade, induftry, &c. of foreign countries. 
This colleétion is culled from the accounts 
of creditable travellers, and enriched with 
judicious extraéts from the belt geo- 
graphical compilations. The greater 
number of obfervations concern Africa, 
as few only relating to Afia. Sparr- 
man, Le Vaillant, and ‘Thunberg, 
are the principal guides of the author. 
The fix plates belonging to this ufeful 
work are tolerably well executed. 
* Materialien zum fruhern Unterricht 
107 § 
in Biirger, und Induftrie, Schulen,’’ &c. 
&c. von F, E. von Rocuow. Berlin; 
1798; pp. 473; 8vo. Materials for the 
elementary Inftruétion ‘in Schools, &c. 
The author of thefe materials is a very 
worthy nobleman, who has largely con- 
tributed towards the better regulation of 
public fchools. He endeavours to give, in 
this {mall pamphlet, an eafy and perfpicu- 
ous expofition of the words, fo caz, real, 
caufe, effect, tendency, means, and nature. 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
* Differtationes Academice Upfalie, 
habite fub Prefidio E. P. THunperc ; 
Volumen Primum, cum Tabulis V. AL- 
neis.’ Gottingen, 1799; pp. 326; 
8vo. The preface informs us, that a 
Mr. Persoon is the compiler and edi- 
tor of this truly valuable colleétion, which 
will be highly acceptable to every friend of 
natural hiftory. Thole who know how 
difficult it is to obtain foreign academical 
differtations, and are acquainted with . 
the celebrity of Mr. Thunberg’s name, 
will be eager to fee this collection fpeed- 
ily continued. The prefent volume 
contains the following differtations ; 
‘Genera Nova Plantarum,’ P. I.— VII], 
1788 —— 1798; —De Scientia Botanica 
utili arque jucunda, 1793;—-De Flora 
Strengnefenfi, 1791 ;—De Ufu Menyan- 
thidis trifoliate. 1797;—De Oleo Caju- 
puti. I. I]. 1797;—De Moxe atque Ig- 
nis in Medicina Ufu, 1788 ;—De Cortice 
Angufture, 1793;—-De Arbore Toxica- 
ria Macaffarienfi, 1788 ;—De Medicina 
A fricanorurm, 1788 ;—Obfervationes circa 
Remedia nonnulla indigena, 1790 ;—-De 
Nautarum Valetudine tuenda, 1795 ;— 
Obfervationesin PharmacopeamSuecicam. 
“* Kurze Befchreibung der Gefahrlich- 
fien Giftpflanzen,” &c. Von G. H. A. 
DuNKER. 1798. A concife Defcrip- 
tion of the moft dangerous. Poifonous 
Plants, for the Inftruétion of Children, 
&c. -With 30 Plates. The author of 
this highly ufeful work fhows himfelf a 
very active friend of mavkind; and his 
exertions to render himielf ufeful to the 
world diferve the warmeft gratitude of 
every one who takes a lively intereft in 
the caufe of humanity. The defcription 
which he gives of the moft common poi- 
fonous plants is extremely lucid, and the 
plates are correct, though deliitute of 
elegance. 
‘Fauna Boica,” &c. B. I. Nuren-~ 
berg.. 1798. pp. 7203 large Svo. The 
Bavarian Fauna. A carefully digefted 
Natural Hiftory of the tame Animals of 
Bavaria, by F. von PauLta Scuranek. 
The auther, who is honourably known 
6Y 2 in 
