546 
greatly to the conftruétion of an obferva- 
tory at Cadiz. His great meri: and ex-. 
perience procured him great reputation 
and infiuence in Spain. : 
We have likewife loft, with the com- 
mencement of 1795, Don Vincent Tofino, 
and Don Jofeph Varela, officers in the 
Spanifh marine ; one of whom died at 
Cadiz, the other at Vera Cruz. They 
were conjointly occupied with making 
obfervations ‘at Cadiz, of which . they 
publithed two interefting volumes in 1776 
and 1777. Cit. Delambre has calculated 
many of thefe obfervations, which have 
proved highly ufeful. They afterwards 
engaged in preparing a chart of the Spantfh 
coafts, which appeared in 1786. 
In America, aftronomy has fuffered a 
Jofs, by the death of M. David Ritten- 
houfe, born in 1729. This gentleman 
built an, obfervatory at Pennfylvania, and 
publifhed feveral aftronomical obferva- 
vations. But being ina public capacity, 
as treafurer of the province, and after- 
terwards comptroller of the mint, he had 
Hietle leifure for purfuing his aftronomi- 
cal refearches. 
In France, we have loft citizen Fortin, 
profeffor of ‘mathematics at Breft,; who 
made many valuable obfervationstin that 
city, whilftin poffeffion of an obfervatory. 
The Chevalier Lorgna, who died at 
Verona, 28th June, was one of the mot 
eminent geometricians of the age. He 
founded an Italian fociety, of the trauf- 
actions of which he has publifhed feven 
volumes, each volume containing a great 
number of aftronomica!l memoirs. Lorgna 
has bequeathed a very liberal fum to fup- 
port this inftitution, and may be con- 
fidered as one of the moft aétive patrons 
of aftronomy. 
Tn England died within the year, Dr. 
A. Shepperd, profeffor of aftroncmy at 
Cambridge. He was born in Weftmore- 
Jand in 1742. His correfpondence was 
active and inftruéting; he poffeffed a 
large and well fele&ted library, and being 
a man of property, contributed with his 
fortune to the progrefs of aftronomy. 
He built, at his own expence, an obfer- 
vatory at Cambridge, which he furnithed 
with the neceffary inftruments, and being 
a member of the Board of Longitude, he 
had frequent opportunities to affitt, as well 
the feicnce of aftronomy itfe'f as its vo- 
taries. He publifhed, in 1772, his grand 
tables for correéting the diftances ob- 
ferved at fez, and in general took an 
aCbive part in every ufeful enterprize, and 
contributed richly to its fucoefs. | 
On Medals. 
SuP. 
_For the Monibly Magazme . ‘ 
On MEDALS. 
Quod non imber edax non aquilo impsten 
P ffit diruere, ont innumerabilis 
Annorum feries, & fuga temporum, 
. - Hor. 
‘¢ The medal faithful to its charge of famey 
“¢ Thro’ climes and ages bears each form an 
name : 
<¢ Tn one thort view fubjeéted to our eye, 
«6 Gods, emp’rors, heroes, fages, beauties, lic.” 
Porr’s Epist. TO ADDISON. 
% 
rPHE art of ftamping money, or impreff- 
ing it with a certain mark, image, or 
fiyyire, is a very early dif{covery, and feems 
to have been known in the rude infancy 
of fociety. Without tracing it to TuBAL 
Cain, with the learned but fantaftical 
VILLALPANDAS, Certam it 1s, that the 
ancients cultivated this isyentioa with 
uncommon fuccefs, and that 
“6 The facred rut of twice ten hundred years,” 
is no hyperbole. Long’anterior to that 
epoch, the bufinefs of the mint was carri- 
ed to higher perfeétion than what it is at 
this very day. 
No fooner had hberty unfurled her ban- 
nersia Grecce, chan the arts were cherith-. 
ed and eéfteemed. It was then that the 
finely cultivated’ tatte of antiquity was dif- 
played in allits luftve, and kings attempr- 
ed to emulate the grandeur of free -ftates. 
Athens difplayed her’ unrivalled excel- 
lence on her coins, while Sparta, iefs po- 
lithed, but, perhaps, more wife, trbe to _ 
the maxims cf Lycurgus, bantiked the 
precious metals frem Laconia, and fubtti- 
tuted jron* in their tlead. 
The Macedonian princes, if imita- 
tion of the netghbouring republics, pro- 
duced a fine feries of medals, which are 
in high eftimation at this day. Syracufe, 
founded by a colony from Corinth, and, 
by turns,a commonwealth and a monarchy, 
as virtue and vice predominated, among 
the people, excelled in the numifma- 
tic art, and, perhaps, the fineft coms now 
extant, were ftruck with the Sicilian 
die. 
Rome too, after the expulfion of the 
Tarquins, cultivated the fine~ artsy “al- 
though with inferior fuccefs, and never un - 
til the day that her perjured general croffcd 
the Rubicon, and affumed the imperial 
* The Belgick Britons, accordins to Cefar, 
feem to have done that from neceflity which 
the Spartans did from choice: *¢ U-untar aut 
were, aut annuhs ferreis, ad certum pondus exa- 
minatis, pro nummo,.’’ De Bell. Gallico, 
Lib. v.'§ x : 
purple, 
