Retrofpelt of French Literatura—Myfeellanies, 658 
are methodically arranged. - Thus, for 
example, will be found feveral frag- 
ments from Buffons Saint Lambert, and 
Colardeau, containing a parallel bes 
tween the two fexes; while extracts of 
the fame kind will temper the feverity 
of our analyfis of beauty, and the ab- 
{tract notions relative to the nature of 
the fair, fo that borrowed ornaments 
are called in, for the exprefs purpofe 
of concealing whatfoever may be con- 
fidered as favouring of deformity.” 
We accordingly find an invocation 
to beauty by Delille, feveral extratts 
from Winklemann, Lavater, Hogarth, 
Burke, Watelet, Thomas, Diderot, 
Rouffell, Rouffeau, Cabanis, &c. 
«© Hiftoire de la Mufique,” &c.— 
The Hiftory of Mufic, by the Citizen 
KaLKBRENNER, Member of the Phi- 
lotechnic Society of Paris, the Royal 
Academy of Stockholm, and the Phil- 
harmonic Academy of Bologna, 2 vols. 
8vo. with nine plates. 
This work is the production of a 
diftincuifhed member. of the Mufical 
Confervatory. The author remarks in 
his preface, that fince the death of the 
celebrated Ramau, mu/ical literature has 
been greatly neglected in France, and 
that but few are at prefent acquainted 
~ either with the theory or the mathe- 
matical principles on which the art is 
founded. According to him, all the pro- 
ductions of the eighteenth century con- 
fit entirely of compilations from thofe 
of the fixteenth and feventeenth. 
M. Kalkbrenner alfo prefents the 
reader with a hiftory of his art. In his 
account of the inftrumental mufic of 
the Hebrews, he affirms that it was ex- 
tremely imperfect, and fupports his 
opinions by the tettimony of Profeffor 
Pfeiffer, who has maintained the fame 
doétrine in a celebrated work written 
by him fome time fince. After this, 
he proceeds to examine the mulfic of | 
the Greeks; and although M. Burette 
has publithed a variety of learned and 
curious obfervations oa the fame fub- 
ject, thofe made by the author now be- 
fore us are not deftitute of intereft. It 
is his defign, upon this occafion, to de- 
monitrate that the mufic of the ancient 
. Greeks had not attained a high degree 
of perfection; but he remarks, at the 
fame time, that they have tranfmitted 
an infinite variety of precious inven- 
tions, on which the moderns have only 
improved. As for the Romans, we 
are told that every thing they knew, 
MonrHiy Mas. No. 103. 
was borrowed from the Greeks, whom 
they imitated, but could not furpafs, 
or even equal, more efpecially in the 
mufical art. 
M Kalkbrenner confiders pofterity 
as greatly indebted to St. Ambrofe, for 
having introduced a fuitable manner 
of finging the praifes of and adoring 
the Divinity, by the. introduction of 
church-mutic; he alfo does juftice to 
the fcience of Pope Gregory, who im- 
proved the art, and had itudied the 
poets and muficians of Greece with un- 
common care. He Jaments, that, an- 
terior to the Reformation, mufic was 
entirely monopolized by the clergy, 
againft whom he, on many occafions, 
exhibits the moit implacable refent- 
ment, and he rejoices greatly to think, 
that the laity are now admitted toa 
participation in this elegantamufement. 
‘¢ Hiftoire Naturelle de la Peau,’ 
&c.—A Natural Hiftory of the Skin, 
and of its Connexion with the Health 
and Beauty of the Human Body; a 
work exhibiting the beft means of 
curing fuperficial eruptions, as well as 
chronic maladies, with important ob- 
fervations on the birth and moral cha- 
racter of children, as well as the dus 
ration of human lite, by J.B. B&aNace, 
a Phyfician, 1 vol. 8vo. 
The author of this work is a great 
advocate for following the directions 
of nature, and feconding all her ef- 
forts. ‘* Natura corroborata omnium 
morborum medicatrix.” The doctrines 
maintained by him, relative to the ef- 
fects of fympathy, are however but little 
calculated to engage the attention of 
mankind at the prefent day; but he 
mult be allowed to poflefs a confider- 
able thare of imagination, and if we 
are to judge from the multitude of 
anecdotes collected by him, no fimall 
fhare of memory alfo. 
*¢ Journal du Galvanifme, de Vac- 
cine,” &c.—A Journal dedicated to 
Galvanifm, and the Vaccine Pox, by a 
Society of Philofophers, Chymifts, and 
Phyficians, edited by J. Naucug, Phy- 
fician, Prefident of the Galvanic So- 
ciety, Member of the Medical Sciences 
of Paris, &c. 
The firit number of this Journal was 
publithed April 5, 1803, and it is in: 
tended to comprehend, 
1. An account of all the Galvanic 
experiments hitherto made. , 
2, Every thing new on this fubje& 
to be found in the periodical prodyc- 
# P tions 
