508 6 Ketrofpect of Domeftie Literature—Voyages and Travels. (Sur. 
numerous defcendants of this ancient Nor- 
man‘ and the charaéter of lord William 
Roficl is evidently drawn by a gentleman 
- well difpofed to do juftice to the virtues, 
and commiferate the fufferings, of that 
illuftrious and unfortunate nobleman. The 
‘«< Hiftory of Burleigh Houfe” is an enter- 
taining volume, and may, moreover, be 
confiderably ufeful to fuch perfons as vifit 
rhe magnificent feae of the earl of Exeter: 
the fiyle of writing, however, it muft be 
acknowledged, is moft laughably florid; 
and the volume is {welled with along ac- 
count of pictures, and cf painters, which 
many readers will not think very intereft- 
ing. Thetafte for genealogy, and know- 
edge of that {cience, which Mr. Noble has 
before difplayed, well qualifies him for the 
tafk of colleéting ** Memoirs of the illuftrious 
Houfes of Medici.” The memoirs com- 
menee with the life of Jehn, who may be 
confidered as the founder of the family, 
and end atthe period when the fovereignty 
of Florence was transferred to the houfe 
of Auftria. Mr. Noble is extremely negli- 
gent as to his ftyle ; his phrafes are otten 
vulgar, and fometimes pngrammancal, He 
is faid to have made confiderable ufe of 
ford Orrery’s letters, by Mr. Ludger, who 
has tranflated ‘“* The Life of Bianca Ca- 
pello,” from the German of M.Siebenkees. 
En the tranflator’s preface and notes to 
this latter very tnterefting work, Mr.Ncble 
is faid to have entireiy miftaken the cha- 
yaéter of this extraord:nary woman, as alfo 
thofe of her fecond hufband, Francis Maria, 
grand duke of Tufcany, and his fucceffor, 
the cardial Ferdinand, whofe charaéter is 
completely exonerated, in our opinion, from 
the charge which is brought againft him of 
a double murder. ‘* The Remarks,” by 
Mr. Lumiiden, “on the Antiquities of 
Rome and its Environs,” will be valued 
by the claffical {choler for their ipgenuity 
and accuracy ; the fubjeét of Roman anti- 
quities is inexhauftible. The prefent vo- 
lume is illuftrated with engravings, and 
enlarged by an appendix, which, independ - 
ant of other matter, contains an account 
of Prenefte, Albano, and Herculaneum. 
Mr. Macpherfon’s ‘¢ Geographical [lluaf- 
trations of Scottifh Hiftery,” will te found 
a moft valuable auxiliary in perufing the 
ancient chronicles, hiftortes, and records, 
of that country. Mr. Green has given, 
as a fort of addendum to his Hiftory and 
Antiquities of Worcefter, “An Account of 
the Difcovery of the Body of King John in 
the Cathcdral Church of that City.” On 
the fkull of the fkeleton was found the 
celebrated monk’s cowl, in which he is 
xecorded to have been buried, asa paffport 
A 
through the regions of purgatory. 
.twelfth volume has been publifhed of the 
“© Archzologia,” which, like the former, 
contdins much curious matter. relative to 
antiquity. 
VOYAGES.AND TRAVELS. 
Under this head the moft popular and 
important work is, ** Sir George Staun- 
ton’s Embafly to China’ Of a country 
fo little. known, of fuch high antiquity, 
fuch immenfe population and extent, the 
flighteft additional information is valuable. 
The prefent volume abounds with in- 
terefting matter on the cuftems and man- 
ners of the people, tcgether with reflec- 
tions on the religion and political economy 
of the empire. The compiler of this long- 
expected work obferved, ‘*that among the 
vaft crowds which. were attraéted by the 
approach of the embaffy, not a fingle pere 
fon folicited charity, or was to be feen in 
the habit of a beggar. “This,” he fays, 
“may be in fome meafure accounted for, 
from the eacouragement which the flate 
affords to family conneétions: defcend- 
tants from a commen Sock affemble at 
ftated trmes before the tomb of their an- 
ceftor, and a natural tendency is thus ere- 
ated to perpetuate domeftic tntercourfe, : 
and, in all cafes of dtfirefs, to enfure re- 
ciprocal affiftance. The child, moreover, 
1s bound to fipport, as far as he is able, 2 
parent In poverty; and a brother, fimilarly 
circumftanced, 1s equally bound to take 
care of a brother; even the moft diftant 
kinfman has a claim on his relation... To 
which muft be added, that the emperor 
Tien Lung, a fagaciucs and benevolent 
monarch, always fteps forward im cafes 
either of famine er other general’ cala- 
mity, orders the-public granaries to be 
opened, and reaits taxes to fuch as labour 
under peculiar affiiétion. The Chinefe, 
it is well known, have no fate religion : 
the empeior is of one fet, the mandarines 
of a fecond, and the people of a third ; 
notwithitanding which, they feem to have 
a moft expenfive attachment to priefts : ‘at 
Poo-ta-ln (the cathedral of the emperor, 
near Zhe-hol, his palace in Tartary) are 
Soo priefts, and 3500 on other founda- 
tions! In China there is no hereditary 
dignity ; and the mandarines are cho/ex 
after an impartial examination of the 
candidates in Chinefe literature. Not- 
withftanding hereditary nobility is un- 
known, pedigree is an object of the highc it 
attention ; and fo great is the ambition of 
illuftrious defcent, that the emperors have 
frequently antedated dignities, and granted 
titles to the deceafed anceftors of a man 6f 
merit.” Indeed every means are ufed,” 
fays 
