a8or2] 
put: whether the orators and generals 
really pronounced the fpeeches which ftand 
in their names—whether thefe orations 
were diftinétly heard by all the citizens and 
Soldiers affembled—and whether the attors, 
on the va(t theatres of the Romans, could 
be heard by all the fpectators—the author 
endeavours to fubjeét to accurate calcula- 
tion the extent to which the haman voice 
may be heard both in the open ground, 
and in a fpace enclofed by circular walls. 
Experiments were made to this purpofe by 
a commiffion of the Inftitute, in the 
Champ de Mars, from which it may be 
concluded that a public fpeaker, when 
quite in the open air, unconfined by walls, 
cannot be diftinétly heard further than over 
an area of 1458 fquare metres (1620 yards 
Englifth). To determine the number of 
men which this fpace can contain, Mon- 
gez takes as a bafis the {pace allowed to 
each individual in the Macedonian Phalanx 
or Roman Legion when under arms, as 
given by Polybius ; and making allowance 
tor the greater clofenefs of an unarmed 
aflembly, he fixes the number requifite to 
fill this {pace at 7,290; but again deduc- 
ting the {pace occupied by the roftrum and 
contiguous to the fpeaker, he limits this 
number to 6500. In applying thefe data 
tothe Forum at Rome, which according 
to Danville contained 20,000 fquare toifes, 
it will be found that the number of Roman 
citizens Capable of hearing the orator in 
the roftrum, would be little more than a 
fiftieth of that which the Forum-would 
contain. A well known fact in the Ro- 
man Hiftory fupports this opinion. ‘The 
tribune, Tiberius Gracchus, having afcen- 
ded the Capitol with his friends,learnt that 
his life was threatened by the Patricians. 
He apprifed thofe who furrounded him of 
this circumftance, and with his hand made 
a gefture to that purpofe. The fpectators 
who were too far to hear him, thought 
that he demanded the crown to be put on 
his head, and the fenators took advantage 
of this miftake and had him affaffinated. 
Xenophon, in the famous retreat of the 
%0,000, only commanded in general about 
8000; from which when the army was 
harangcued, muft be dedu&ted thofe who 
guarded the camp. So that he feldom 
addreffed more than 7000; a number not 
too many to hear together a fpeech made 
in the open air. Cztlar often commanded 
i nmediately. only a fingle legion, or about 
5600 men. But on pafling the Rubicon, 
when,on addreffing the whole army, he told 
them that he would facrifice every thing to 
¢eftore to them their tribunes, even the 
xing on his finger, which he fhewed to 
z 
Literary and Philofapbical Intelligence. \ 
them, the diftant fpe&tators, who were too 
far off to hear his words, underftood by 
this gefture that he promifed to each of 
them wealth enough to enter into the equef- 
trian order and to bear the ring, the 
charaéteriftic badge of the order. In atheatre 
enclofed by a circular wall the extent to 
which the audible voice reaches is greater. 
We are well acquainted with two antient 
theatres which fill exift, that of Hercula- 
neum, built by the Romans; and of 
Saguntum in Spain, conftructed on the 
Greek model. In 1785, Don-Henry- 
Palos-Y.Navarro, after having clear= 
ed out this theatre at his own expence, had 
a number of Spanifh comedies acted in it, 
The fpectators were but 4000, but it is 
certain that the place would have held 
12,000, and the voice of the aétors was 
diftinétly heard in every part. The reafon 
why in our modern theatres, the dimen- 
fions of which are fo {mall, compared to the 
antient, the voice of the performers is lof 
at the furtheft feats, is undoubtedly owing 
to the number of recefles and projeGtions 
which drown and abforb the voice; the 
walls of the antique theatres prefent an 
uniform unbroken furface throughout the 
whole extent. ? 
M. Stever, a Member of the Academy 
of Sciences at Peterfburg, madea journey 
into Siberia, by the order of Catherine II. 
in order to introduce the cultivation of the 
Siberian rhubarb (Rheum Sibericum) and 
other plants of the fame genus. His tra- 
vels extended through Ruffian Mongolia, 
the country of the Kirgis, and the tron- 
tiers of China. M. Siever is convinced 
that no perfon in Europe has yet had in his 
poffeffion the entire plant of the truerhubarb, 
but only its dried roots. All tne rhubarb 
which is found in commerce is prepared 
by the Buchafes, a tribe which were fube 
jected by the Chinefe eighty years ago, 
and who inhabit the town Sinai or Selin ~ 
in the government of Schepfi between the 
35th & goth degrees of latitude. The inha- 
bitants dig up the rhubarb-roots from the 
neighbouring mountains, clean it, cut it 
in pieces and hang it up to dry in the fhade 
under fheds. This operation lafts a whole 
year, and therhubarb is not exported till 
after this time. The Chinefe never give 
any feedtothe Europeans. The’plant does 
not grow to agreat height.” Its leaves 
are round and fet with fmall prickles. 
The fame traveller defcribes the an- 
tient Scythian tombs, which are found 
every where from. 60 to 140 degrees of 
longitude. One of them which he ex- 
amined, cantained a human fkeleton, placed 
eaft and weft ; the fkeletog of a horfe laid 
a Re aa north 
268 
