520 
~ 
bitually fuftained acaint the defpotical | 
pretenfions of the Porte, was united to 
their empire in 1783, and recovered its 
ancient name of Laurica Cherfonefus. From 
the year 1237, to 1783, Citizen Langley 
enumerates 63 Khans, on each of whom 
he gives notices more or lefs ample. The 
dates which he affigns for moft of the 
‘vents, and which are not found in any of 
the Afatic Hifories publifhed in Evrope, 
have been computed and colleéted from 
different Turkifh, Arabian, and Perfian | 
manu({cripts, in the National Library. 
Citizen Moncez has read a Memoir 
on the Public Orations, handed down to 
us by hiftorians, and on the means which 
are {uppofed to have been employed by the 
ancients, to augment the effects of the 
voice in the theatres. 
Citizen Camus communicated to the 
Clafs Obfervationson the State of the Cha- 
racters hitherto employed in. the Greek 
editions ; he adduces powerful confidera- 
tions, which artifts that are defirous to 
change or perfe&t the characters, fhould 
never lofe out of fight. . To judge of the 
real merit or probable fuccefs of the in- 
vention and introdu€tion of new forms, 
we ought previoufly to be acquainted 
- qwith whatever exifis in the fame kind. 
Thus Citizen Camus has preceded his ob- 
fervations by an enquiry into the form of 
the Greek charaéters in manufcripts, on 
the firft attempts of the artifts who print- 
ed Greek, and on the epochs at which 
they began, in different cities to print 
works compofed in that language. The 
fineft manufcripts, the rareft and moft fa= 
mous editions, have paffed under his ex- 
amination. Hehas not failed to celebrate 
the fuccefs of the Aldufes, in the inven- 
tion of many bodies of Greek characters ; 
the expertnefs of Garamond in the art 
of engraving ‘them, after the models of 
the famous calligraph, Ange Vergece ; 
the falent, the tafte, and the fuperior intel- 
ligence of the Stephanufes, in the manner 
of employing them. Thefe beautiful 
characters, for which. we are indebted to 
Garamond, form a valuable part of the 
depot of the printing office of the Repub- 
lic. . The excellent ufe which is daily 
made of this rich ftore, proves haw ad-_ 
‘vantageous it is to fiudy habitually, and 
to continue to imitate the chefd’ euwures of 
the Stephanufes. The Ezquiries and the Od-; 
fervatious of Citizen Camus, will forma 
chapter in his Hiffory of -Printimg, in 
which he is now incefiantly occupied. _ 
Citizen TRavLuye, of Abbeville, had 
fubmiited to the judgment of the Inftitute 
his manufcript diflertation on . certain 
x 
. 
Proceedings of Public Societies. 
[July 1 
antiques lately difcovered in the Valley 
of Somme. Thefe monuments confit of 
1. A crefcent, which according to the au- 
thor, who believes it to be an antique in 
its kind, and made -of pit-coal, of Lin- 
coln, in England, was made ufe of by the 
Druids, in the exercife of their religious 
worfhip. 2. A bronze, of very beautiful 
workmanfhip, which Citizen Traullé takes 
to have been a bearded Mars. And. 3. 
an inftrument of war fabricated of cop-. 
per. Citizens Le BLonp and MoNGEz, 
in a report on thefe objeéis, have done juf- 
tice to the zeal and tafte of Citizen 
Traullé in the refearch of antique monu- 
‘ments ; but this has not prevented them 
from impugning his ideas, in refpe&t to the 
two firft pieces. As to the laft, they have 
pointed out the method that muft be 
taken, in order to draw a ufeful truth 
from it. Compared with other fimilar 
pieces, defcribed by able antiquarians, 
this laft contributes to prove how far cop- 
per, habitually employed by the Ancients © 
in the fabrication of a multitude of uten- 
fils, has the advantage over iron, which 
we too often make ufe of in preference. 
The Ambafiador of Spain to the Hel- 
vetic Republic, M. le Comte de NoronHa 
had made a prefent to the clafs of two vo- 
lumes, containing Spanifh poems, of his 
owncompoiition. Citizen CaiLHava, by 
a detailed notice and even by tranflations, 
fome literal, others more free, of different 
pieces of this collection, has made us ac- 
guainted with the merits of it. 
Citizen AMEILHON gave notice of a 
manufcript Greek commentary of Syne- 
fus on the Treatife of Chymiftry attri- 
buted to Democritus: 
Citizen C. COLLIN HaRLEVILLE pre- 
fented his new piece of poetry, entitled, 
‘La Campagne et les Vers, (the Country and 
ihe Worms); he propofes, at the end of 
the fefion, to recite it, himfelf. 
An artift, whofe compofitions in paint- 
ing are no lefs efteemed by the connoif-. 
feurs, than they are relifhed by the ama- 
teurs, Citizen P. H. VALENCIENNES, 
had laid before the Clafs, a work, very 
confiderable for fize, and the title of which 
announces a high importance, namely, his 
Elements of PraGtical Perfpeftive for the 
Uje of Arizfis. A commifiion, compefed 
of the Citizens MoITTE, Peyke, -and 
VINCENT, have Carefully examined this 
production, interefting under more than 
one relation, and which, in defpite of all 
treatifes compofed on the fame fubjeét, 
appears to have been a defideratum in the 
fichools of painting. In reality, the young 
artifts feldom proceed from the a. 
Ule 
