1803.}; Pca ae 
ial Wen! yi 
VARIETIES, Liverary AND PHILOSOPHICAL?’ 
Inclyding Notices of Works in Hand, Domeflic and Foreign. 
* © Auchentic Communications for this Article will always be thankfully received. 
ESSRS. Crarke and Cripps, of 
Jefus College, Cambridge, have 
lately returned from the Greck Archipe- 
lago with a large collection of «Greck 
MSS. and other @ierary curiofities of 'ex- 
traordinary worth, T’hefe gentlemen de- 
parted trom England for the exprefs pur- 
-pofe of making ‘refearches “atier earl 
MSS. They vifited in particular the Ifland 
of Patmos, where théy were very’ fortu- 
nate in obtaining feveral from, the Con- 
vent of Sc. John. = Their Travels have 
been very extenfive and fuccefsful.’ They 
have been through ‘Norway, Lapland, 
Sweden, Ruffia, acrofs the Black ‘Sea to 
Conftantinople, and thence into Greece. 
They came home enriched with g¢reat 
treafures of foffils, medals, MSS." &c. 
The more immediate fubje&s of attra&ion 
‘are two Gtick Manufcripts, the one’ of 
Plito, a mot beautitul MS. and well- 
preferved. Its age is 906 years. Jt con- 
tains all Plato’s works, except his Books 
de Lepibus, de Republica, and a few 
fingie Dialogues. “It is complete, except 
in the Prolegomena, and is fuppofed to he 
a firft volumz, and one of the finelt MSS. 
extant, of the fame antiquity. The other 
book is a moft beautiful manufcript of the 
Gofpels. Moft of thefe literary curiofi- 
ties, which thefe gentlemen have brought 
home, are detained at prefent at the 
‘Cufom-houfe. Among the Statues is the 
Eleufinian Ceres, brought from Eleufis, the 
height of which, from the breaf to the 
top of the head, is between feven and 
eight feet. 
An important improvement, and foms 
new regulations, have taken place, with 
the new year, at roe BRitisn Museum, 
which do great credit to the, truftees, as 
well as to the inférior officers of that noble 
eitablifhment. The reading-room is now 
the third,” in order, from the library- 
door, and one of the largeft in the whole 
building; antas it lies at the weit cor- 
ner, it difplays to vifitors the profpect of 
‘all the other rceoms ch the north fide, and 
gives almoft a complete view of the whole 
Uibrary. The reading-room is alfo newly 
and elesantly arranged: it céntains five 
tables for the accommodation of fudents 
and a commenfurate quantity of inferior 
conveniences. The mufeum itlelf is 
opened for infpefion, from ten till four 
o'clock, every day, except on Saturdays 
and Sundays: the hours of admiflion are 
(at ten, twelve, and two; and each com. 
‘pany may remain in the Mufeum two 
hours. The moft proper inftructions are 
alfo given for the decent and orderly be- 
‘haviour of the vifirors.” ‘The following’ is 
the printed notice which has been gene“ 
rally circulated :— elisha 
Divre&ions refpetting the Reading-room of. the 
Briti/h Mufeum.—** The Reading-room‘of the 
Mufeum is open’ from ten till four, ‘every 
day, except on Saturdays and Sundays, cand 
for ope week at Chriftmas, Eatter, and Wihit- 
funtidges alfoon Thankfgiving,and Faft-days} 
Perfons deGrous of admifiioa are to fend ia 
their applications, in writing, to the princi- 
pal librarian, who will lay the fame before 
the next, genera! meeting or committee of the 
truftees, But as it might be dangerous,, in 
fo populous a metropolis as London, to admit 
perfect ftrangets, it is expeéted that every 
perfon who applies, if ‘not ‘known to any 
trufiee or officer, fhould produce-a recommen- 
dation from-fome perfon of known, and dp- 
proved charaéter., In allicafes:which requite 
fuch difpatch es that:time cannot be allowed 
for making an application to the truftees, thé 
principal librarian,. or,! in his, abfeace,..the 
lecretary, is empowered to grant a temparayy 
leave, till the next general meeting or COMy 
mittee, Permiffion will in general be guante . 
ed for three months, and.none .for a longer 
term than Ax months; and at the expiration 
of each term, fréfh application is to-be made 
for a renewal. ' Althouzh “the librarians ate 
fri&tly enjoined to ufé all poffible difparch 
in fupplying’ the ‘Yeaders with the! printed 
books or manafcripts they may apply for, yet 
as in fo exteafivesa library itmay not be/pofia 
ble to find every article immediately; it cig 
recommended forthe  readets! to allow-d tea- 
fonable time,for the.fearch, efpecially as,to 
the printed books, . it is expeéted. thac the 
library will foon be infuch a fate of arrange, 
ment as to render -this intimation fuperfluous.”? 
Mr. Capet Lorrr defires us, to dtatey 
that he has been favoured by Signor La 
Gamo, Proteffor of Ad&ronomy at. Pa- 
lermo, with. further obfervations on the 
Ceres Fernanc %, or Fia%z%i, planet: from 
the reiults of which, as made by eminent 
aftronomers, in various places, he thinks 
the diameter may be fawly taken at. not 
leis than 32”, Its furrounding. circle, of 
nebulous. light is (a remarkable -circum- 
fiance; but perhaps Mars would appear, 
he conceives, with like nebulolity if re- 
moved to an equal diftance, and his light 
Proportionably weakened ,* | 
* In our laft,\in Mr. Lofft’s diagramof the 
Tranfit of Mercury, the figures 8.41, indi- 
cating the firft obfervation, were not ren- 
dexed fufficiently diftin® by the engraver. 
liz VES 
