Retrofped? of Domestic Literature.—Education, Mifcellanies. 
“¢The Conwent of St. Michael” has 
nothing in it dangerous or immoral, 
but the incidents and characters are 
common-place. ‘ ) 
Mr. Browne’s ‘¢ Arthur Mervyn" is 
entitled to confiderable praife. 
< Letters from Mrs. Palmerftone to her 
Daughter, inculcating Morality by Enter- 
taining Narratives, by Mrs. HUNTER, 
of Norwich.’ This is a pleafing and 
well-executed performance. | 
EDUCATION. 
“© Prafical Rules for the Italian Lan- 
guage, with Exercises, and Elements of 
italian Converfation, by Hunry Marius 
- TourmneEr, anativeof Rome, P.T.LL.D. 
é&c.* 
A fecond edition of ‘* M.GRIMANI’s 
Eighteen Converfations in Italian, French, 
and Englifh” has made its appearance. 
They are very inftructive. 
‘¢ Lettres fur la Mythologie, dediées a 
une jeune Dame de qualité, par Mifs C. 
ForstTNer.” Thefe Letters are writ- 
ten ina pure ftyle, and will ferve as 
ufeful exercifes to young ladies learn- 
ing French. 
Dr. CRomBir’s ‘ Etymology and Syn. 
tax of the Englifh Language,’ ought to— 
be introduced into our {chools for the 
upper boys. The fubject of Grammar 
is of great importance, and Dr. Crom- 
bie has compofed his Treatife with 
precifion and pef{picuity. 
Dr. Carey’s “ Skeleton of the Latin 
Accidence,” is an ingenious and elegant 
little manual, attraétive to the young 
jearner by its brevity and comprefled 
form, and highly advantageous to him 
by its perfpicuity. It confilts of a 
fingle folding fheet, divided into eight 
tables, of which the declenfions, ad- 
jectives, and pronouns, occupy the firft 
three, and the conjugations the remain- 
ing five: while by the difcriminate 
ufe of the hyphen, and the Italic cha- 
racter in conjunction with the Roman, 
the radical letters, the variable incre- 
ment, and the invariable termination, 
are diftinétly pointed out ; though 
more diftinétly ftill by the additional 
introduction of the coloured lines. 
MISCELLANIES. 
Since our laft Retrofpeét, a complete. 
edition of ** The Works of Lady Mary 
Wo rtley Montagu,” confilting chiefly of 
L etters and occafional Poems, has been 
prefented tothe public,'in 5 vols. 12mo. 
Notwithftanding the lapfe of almof 
a century, during which ‘period {tyle 
has been rapidly refining amongtt us, 
the Correfpondence of Lady Mary, 
Monruriy Mag. No. 110. 
638 
during her travels, is fill confidered as 
a model of epiltolary writing. The 
prefent enlarged colleéion of her let- 
ters cannot but confirm her title to pre- 
eminence in this delightful art. In 
{prightly wit, folid fenfe, philofophical 
remark, and knowledge of the world, 
they ftand unrivalled. The fentimen- 
talift may ‘poffibly undervalue them, 
for in her time fentiment was far lefs 
in vogue than at prefent; but by every 
other readér they will be prized, as 
affording an inexhauftible fund of 
amufement, anda rich -ftore of infor- 
mation. On the whole, the public 
voice decidedly pronounces thefe vo- 
lumes to be the moft interefting that 
have appeared in the department of 
polite literature within the bounds of 
our prefent furvey. 
«© An Hiftorical Account of all the Order's 
of Knighthood at prefent exifling in Europe, 
to which are prefixed a Critical Diferta- 
tio ou the Ancient and Prefent State of 
thofe Equefirian Inftitutions, and a Prefa- 
tory Difcourfe on the Origin of Knighthood 
in general; the whole interfperfed with 
Lllufirative and Explanatory Notes, by an 
Officer of the Chancery of the Equeftrian, 
Secular, and Chapteral Order of St. Foa- 
chim.” 
- This compilation, though fomewhat 
meagre, is curious and interefting; it 
comes from the pen of a German, M. . 
RuaL, and appears to be edited by an 
Englith gentleman. It is ftated in the 
advertifement to be compiled from va- 
rious authentic pieces, in manufcript, 
from the hiftorical colle&tion of Eickler, 
and M: Archenholtz (late librarian to 
his Serene Highne(s Frederic II. Land- 
grave of Heffe Caffel), and particularly 
from original documents depofited in 
the archives of {everal modern orders, 
which, by command of the fovereigns, 
have, by the fecretaries of thofe orders, 
been efpecially communicated to the 
editor. Copious explanatory notes 
are added, and illuftrations drawn, 
from Collins’s Peerage, Clarke’s Con- 
cife Hiftory of Knighthood, and other 
eminent authors. The number of 
orders now exifting in Europe is fixty- 
fix. There arethree chapteral, which 
ele& their own grand mafters; one 
papal ; eight imperial; thirty-two 
royal ; five ele&toral and archiepifcopal ; 
thirteen ducal or princely; and four 
dettined particularly for the fair-fex. 
Upwards of twenty orders of knight~ 
hood have been created within the lait 
century, two of them owe theirorigin to 
4 N the 
