1802.] 
within limits which they cannot pafs. 
We cannot, therefore, adhering to the 
propriety of terms, fay, *¢ The philofophy of 
Kant ;” and yet we do fay—we difpute on 
the philofophy of Kant. This philofophy 
divides the learned public of Germany— 
it excites: national and foreign enmities, 
and the Germans upbraid the French be- 
caufe they have not enlarged the fect. of 
the profeffor of Konigfberg. Neverthe- 
lefs, the opinions of Kant have excited 
the curiofity of many French; they would 
with, for inftance, to learn from that 
matter, how, i the general application 
ewhich we make of the notions of fpace and 
time, to all the fenfations which affe@ us, 
ave may find a reafon to confider thefe two 
wotions as the natural form of the under- 
ffanding. But we. can only enter upon 
this ftudy in the language of the author; 
and even with the knowledge of that lan- 
guage there remain yet many difficulties. 
to overcome. They have not, however, 
difcouraged Citizen DEGERANDO, an Af- 
fociate-member. In a Memoir which he 
has read to the Clafs, he has traced the 
hifory of the birth and progrefs of this 
doctrine, and has feized the principal 
points of view, which fimplify the examen 
of it. We cannot follow him through 
this work, becaufe it would be necefiary 
to employ the technical terms of the 
ichools, and afterwards to explain them, 
without being fure that we comprehend 
them, and that we could make ourlelves 
underftood. We fhall only fay, that Ci- 
tizen Degerando has paid a juft homage 
to the bold and fertile genius of the Ger- 
man philofepher, and to the vaft extent 
ot his knowledge; but he likewife admits, 
that this innovating philofopher, by the 
nature of his method, excites a juft diff. 
dence of his fyftem, which is ftill further 
augmented by the pretenfions he aflumes, 
and by the obfcurity in which he exprefles 
himfelf, or which, perhaps, he cannot 
avoid. Expreffion is the image‘of thought: 
it is clear, when the thoughts are well di- 
gefted, Even in the moft abftract matters, 
Ce que lon concoit bien s’enonce clairement, 
Accuracy of defcription necefiarily implies 
clearnefs of conception.” 
NOTICE of the LaBours of the CLASS of 
LITERATURE and FINE ARTS, by CrI- 
TIZEN VILLAR, SECRETARY of the 
CLASS, at the PUBLIC SITTING of the 
15th VENDEMIAIRE, YEAR 10. 
“© While the {phere of arts is enlarg- 
ing amongft us, and national induftry, 
encouraged by government, theds a new 
inftre on our republican feftivals, it affords 
pieaftre to {ee valuable writers, in turn, . 
Proceedings of Learned Societies. 
55 
confulting antiquity, and paying together 
to their country the tribute of their 
ftudies and talents. Happy rivaliry, which 
all good citizens applaud, and which they 
ftrive to augment by the confideration 
with which they honour it! It is to their 
perfevering zeal for the progrefs of letters, 
that the Clafs of Literature and Fine 
Arts will always offer, with the fame 
confidence, the notice of its labours. 
<< Since the public fitting of ther sthMef. 
fidor, year 9, the Clafs has been occu- 
pied with Memoirs, in which criticifm 
and erudition are found united, and with 
reports, which, by the nature and im- 
portance of their object, deferve to fix the 
public attention. 
‘¢ The name of thetwo celebrated cities, 
Herculaneum and Pompeii, has often in- 
flamed with a noble emulation the ama- 
teurs of the arts and of ancient monu- 
ments. Hitherto the total difappearance 
of thofe two cities has been attributed to 
the famous eruption of Vefuvius, which 
dates from the firft year of the reign of 
Titus, and from the 79th of the Chriftian 
era. According to the obfervations of 
Citizen Du Tue, that epoch is not 
very certain. The generality of readers 
are only fixed by the moft ftriking events. 
They flide too rapidly over details, and 
hence arifes that crowd of errors inte 
which they are liable to fall, in peruling 
the annals of hiftory. Our colleague has 
prefented to view a feries of facts, which 
areader, otherwife fufficiently enlightened, 
would not, perhaps, remark, and which, 
brought into a fingle point of view, prove, 
pretty clearly, that the eruption, defcribed 
with fo much animation by Pliny the - 
Younger, did not complete the deitruction 
of thofe cities. 
“¢ Tn fact we fee them emerge from their 
ruins, under the fame reign of Titus. 
They yet fubfifted under the Emperor 
Adrian, with fome remains of f{plendour. 
The fine characters of the infcription 
traced on the bafis of the equeftrian ftatue 
of a M. Nonius Balbus, fon of Marcus, 
are almoft evidently of that time. We 
find them under the reign of the Antonines. 
The recital of the feftival of Trimalchzo, 
‘in the Roman Satire, attributed to T. 
Petronius Arbiter, furnifhes us with a 
number of evidences as to the exiftence of 
Pompeii, and of fome buildings of Her- 
culaneum, under the laft of thofe princes. 
In the geographical monument, known 
under the title of the Chart of Peutinger, 
which is of a date fubfequent to the reign 
of Confiantine, that is to fay, at the be- 
ginning of the fourth century, Hercula- 
neum and Pompeii are ftill in exiftence, 
and 
