Retrofpect of French Literature--Voyages and Travels, 
political relations, which characterizes 
their national inftitutions :”—‘** However 
(adds M. Segur), they are blinded by 
ambition and jealoufy, and if in their own 
country they will not fuffer a matter, 
fo on the ocean they will not admit even 
of rivals.” 
He concludes by afferting, that if the 
French Government follows up the pa- 
cific fyftem adopted by it, with temper, 
boldnefs and conftancy, ‘* the Englifh will 
either be conftrained to reftore pedce to 
Europe, and liberty to the feas, or auda- 
cioufly to declare themfelves the adver- 
faries of univerfal morality, and the ene- 
mies of all mankind—a rafhundertaking, 
equally fatal to their reputation and 
fecurity.”” 
It may be neceflary to remark here, 
that the author of this work, who had be- 
fore attained confiderable reputation by 
his “ Hiftory of Frederick William of 
Pruffia, &c.°’ committed it to the prefs a 
confiderable time before the fignature of the 
preliminaries of peace between Great 
Britain and France. 
VOYAGES AND TRAVELS. 
6¢ Voyage dans la Haute Pennfylvanie, 
&c.’’ Travels through the Upper Part or 
Pennfylvania, and the State of New York, 
by an adopted Member of the Oneida 
Nation, tranflated and publifhed jby the 
Author of the Letters of an American 
Farmer, 3 vols. 8vo. Paris. 
This adopted member of the Oneida 
nation is no other than the Count de 
Crevecceur, the father of Mrs. Otto, 
whofe hufband is at prefent Minifter Ple- 
nipotentiary from France at the Court of 
St. James’s. M. de Crevecceur lived for 
many years in the Back Settlements of 
America, in the fituation of a farmer or 
planter; he has lately returned to Europe, 
and this work may be confidered as the 
fruit of his experience. It is objection- 
able however in point of arrangement ; 
and the mode he adopts of publifhing the 
letters faved out of the wreck of a veffel 
that happened to be ftranded, deprives the 
volumes now under confideration, of much 
of the intereft they would otherwife 
poffefs. 
We are however prefented with a va- 
riety of anecdotes, &c. The author 
feems greatly attached to the Americans ; 
more efpecially thofe who are removed at 
a diftance from the maritime towns, where 
the demon of avarice feems to have taken 
complete pofleffion of the minds of the 
people. 
“¢ Voyage en Gréce et en Turquie, fait 
par Ordre de Louis XVI. &c.”* Trayela 
615 
through Greece and Turkey, undertaken 
by Order of Louis XVE. and with the 
Permiffion of the Ottoman Court, by C. 
S. Sonitnit, a Member of feveral literary 
and learned Societies in Europe, 2 vols. 
8vo. with fine Plates and Maps, the latter 
coloured ; price at Paris 25 fr. 50 cents. 
Twenty-five copies only are printed on 
vellum paper, at 36 fr. 
The ancient philofophers of Greece, in- 
flamed by their zeal for the melioration of 
government and the fciences, travelled 
among diftant nations for the purpofe of 
learning their manners, cuftoms and laws. 
Pythagoras and Plato accordingly return- 
ed with an ample ftore of knowledge, 
highly ufzful to their countrymen; and 
we find even the Scythian Anacharfis vi- 
fiting Greece, whither he was attracted 
by fimilar inducements. Notwithftand- 
ing the above exception, the inhabitants 
of polifhed ftates alone are defirous of 
travelling for information: barbarous 
tribes never dream of difturbing their 
monotonous repofe by vifiting any other 
climates than thofe in which they are 
fixed, as it were, by the hand of deftiny. 
Sonini, after having traverfed Egypt, 
of which he has prefented an interefting 
account to the public, was extremely de- 
firous of vifiting Greece ; and on applying 
to the French Miniftry, he obtained the 
permiffion of Louis XVI. for that pur- 
pofe. His predeceflors had been chiefly 
occupied in defcribing thofe ancient and 
precious remnants of the fine arts, which 
the ferocious Muffulmen had fpared ; but 
our prefent traveller was more intent on 
examining the moral and political ftate of 
the modern inhabitants. He compares 
the Ottoman Government to an immenfe 
and fhapelefs coloflus, placed on a bafis 
of clay, and ready to tumble down ; while 
Greece, which is now crufhed under the 
enormous weight, is- preparing to take 
advantage of this event, and if not to re- 
fume her ancient pofition, at leaft to burft 
afunder her chains. ‘* Whatever ({ays 
he), may be the novel and inevitable 
deftiny of a people hitherto fo celebrated, 
it is defirable to become acquainted with 
every thing concerning them, at the mo- 
ment of their entranchifement and rege- 
neration, and to conceive a notion of 
thofe places which will be hereafter, as 
formerly, the theatre of memorable ex- 
ploits.”’ 
Our learned traveller is anxious to de- 
{cribe the climate, foil, and produétions 
of every region he has vifited; and he is 
particularly attentive to the‘ifles of the 
Egean Sea, among which he fpent nearly 
two years. We arg told that the leprofy 
4K 2 is 
