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618 
USEFUL INSTITUTIONS. 
«Numero XVII. de:MemorialLiterario; 
6, BibliotécaPeridetica de Ciencias yArtes, 
que contiene la Noticia de los Trabajos de 
Ja Clafe deLiteratura yBellasArtes delIn- 
iiitudo Nacional de Francia,durante el. ul- 
timo Trimeitre del Ano 1X.’’—Numiber 
XVII. of the Literary. Memorial; or, Pe- 
riotical Library of Sciences and Arts, 
which contains Notices of the Labours 
of the Clafs’ of Literature and Belles 
Lettres in the. National. Inftitute of 
France during the latQuarter of the Year 
IX. In this collection are the following 
papers: Epocha of the Deftruétion of 
- Herculancum and Ponmpeti. The Ule that 
the Ancients made of Hemp. Notices of 
new Spanih Works. Critique on the 
Comedy of the Accidental Marriage. 
Analyfis of a Tranflation of Hippocrates 
on Air, Water and Earth, and of the New 
Sytem of Mineralogy of M. Hauy.) ‘The 
Life of Mozart, the celebrated. Mufician. 
Critique on the Comic Reprefentations 
of Paris. Method of Managing Aquatic 
Artillery. Obfervations on the New Pla- 
net, Piazzi. Inftances. of Longevity and 
of a numerous Progeny. This work is 
regularly continued, but we  fball net 
think it neceflary to take any further no- 
tice of it. 
VOYAGES,TRAVELS, AND GEOGRAPHI- 
CAL WORKS. 
« Mapa de Europa, dividida en fus Im- 
Retrofpee? of American Literature—Politics. | 
perios, Reynos, Efiados, Republicas, Iflas, 
&c. con muchas Adiciones, fegwn losMa- 
teriales mas modernes, por D. Juan Lo- 
PEZ.-—Map of Europe, divided into its 
Empires, Kingdoms, States, Republics, 
Iflands,&c. with many Additions, culleéted — 
from the moft recent Authorities, by D. 
Juan Lopez. © : 
*« Mapa de Afia, dividida en fus Em- 
perics,Reynos, Eftados, Iflas, &c.”’-—Map 
of Alia, divided into Empires, Kingdoms, 
States, Iflands, &c. This map is by D. 
Juan de Lopez, Geographer to the King 
of Spain: it diftingu:fhes the pofleflicns of 
the feveral European proprietors in the 
Eaft Indies, and gives an exact delinea- 
tion of the late difcoveries to the north- 
eaft of that continent. © : 
_ © Memorias de Ja Colonia Francefa de 
Sto. Domingo, con Reflexiones relativas a 
la Ifla de Cuba,por un Viagero Efpanol.” 
—Memoirs of the French-Colony of St. 
Domingo, with Reflections relative to the 
Iflg of Cuba, by a Spanifh ‘Traveller. 
This work enters into a variety of parti- 
culars interefting at this time: it treats of 
the military condition of the colony, of 
the ftate of its fortifications, and it ex- 
amines the mode of defence moft fuitable 
to its protection. It likewile enquires 
into the cultivation of the ifland, as ap- 
plied not only to the productive part, but 
to the mountainous diftriéts, and to thofe 
yet ina fate of nature. 
HALF-YEARLY RETROSPECT OF AMERICAN LITERATURE. 
O the people of Europe, 
inftitutions for the promotion of 
literature are generally eftablithed 
upon opulent foundations, and matur- 
ed by a long courfe of time and expe- 
rience, the efforts of the Americans to 
advance the: progrefs of learning will 
probably appear to be feeble and infig- 
nificant. The value of improvements, 
however, in the new hemifphere, is to 
be computed rather in a relative, than 
in an abfolute, point of view. Much 
good may be done in America, and 
great praife may be well merited by 
exertions and performances, which 
would make an inconfiderable figure on 
-the other fide of the Atlantic. A much 
longer courfe of time muft elapfe be- 
fore the fiate of things in the Weftern 
World wiil allow the foundation of 
any large body of men, exclufively de- 
--yoted to literary purfuits, and prompt- 
ed by the love of fame, or the hopes of 
Om ER ee 
whofe emolument, to make letters and authors © 
fhip their fole profeffion. In the mean 
time, to defpife the: day of fmall thiags, 
would be to take a narrow and erro- 
neous view of the fubject. The fame 
caufes which have elevated the litera- 
ture and fcience of Europe to their 
prefent height, are now operating in 
America, and will, ere long, produce 
effects which the moft faftidious critics 
will not difdain. : | 
POLIS, 
A large proportion of the people in 
the United States take a lively intereft 
in the political concerns of their coun- 
try. Few are fo entangled in the pur- 
fuit of objects of the firft neceflity, or 
fo uninformed on the queftions refult- 
ing from the management of public 
affairs, as to give no attention to poli- 
tical concerns. The divifion of the 
people into two great parties, deno- 
minated Republican and Federal, the 
, progrels, 
