~ 
108. 
feventeenth century, does not.appear to 
have feen this monument. He. defcribes 
it from Strabo; and adds, that the glafs 
tent of Alexander remained till the time: 
of the Saracens. The ref of his account 
feems to be copied from Leo Africanus. 
The only remaining authority that at 
prefent occurs to me is that of, the Ara- 
biag author of Lebiorik or Lobbaltarik, 
i.e. the Marrow of Hiftory;. being an 
univerfal hiftory of Mahometani{fm. Phis 
work is quoted in D’Herbelot’s Biblicth. 
Orientale, p. 318, of the tolo edition, as 
fiating that the body of Alexander was 
earried to Alexandria in a coffin of gold, 
which his mother caufed to be changed 
for one of marble. It muit be remem- 
bered that this Arabian hiffory is of fo 
late a period as the fixteenth century ; 
and that it is very improbable that Alex- 
ander’s mother fhould have interfered on 
the occafion. 
I defire it to be underftood, that no- 
thing is here advanced in the view to pre- 
judice the queftion relating to this fine 
relic of antiquity, which at all events will 
remain a monument of the labour and in- 
genuity of the Egyptians, and the admi- 
ration of future ages. No cne is more 
difpofed than the prefent wiiter to fee the 
matter fairly and liberally difcuffed ; nor 
awaits with more e2gerne(s or pleafure the 
diflertationof the learned and ingenious tra- 
veller alluded to in the letter of G2 sipus. 
I take this opportunity of noticing the 
handfome and fatisfactory manner m 
which the Edinburgh Reviewer has replied 
to my remarks on his account of Mr. 
Pinkerton’s Geography. Unacquainted 
as 1 was with Profeflor Dohm’s German 
edition of Kempfer’s Japan, the grounds 
for my enquiry, and it is prefumed with 
geod reafon, were the following: Scheut- 
zer in his title-page afferts, that he has 
trarflated from Kempfer’s original manu- 
feript. In his introduétion he fays, that 
<< Sir Hans Sloane, hearing of Kempfer’s 
death, and having found by his Inaugural 
Thefes, and his Amenitates Exoiice, 
that he mut have brought with him into 
Europe many natural and artificial cu- 
riofities, defired Dr. Steigerthal, his Ma- 
jefty’s chief phyfician, in one of his jour- 
nies to Hanover, to enqu're what was be- 
come of them. This gentleman was fo 
obliging as to goto Lemgow himfelf, and, 
being told that they were to be dilpofed 
of, he immediately informed Sir Hans of 
this circum@ance, who thereupon pur- 
chafed them for’ a ccnfiderable fum of 
money, together with all his drawings and 
manufcript memoirs. and it is owing to 
Kempfer'’s M, 8.8.—Eclipfe at Carhyfies 
[ March ty: 
his. care and generous afliftance, that this 
hiftory of Japan, (the original High Ger-. 
man manufcript of which was bought at 
the fame time,) is now firft publifhed in 
Englifh.”’ | FF eg tm 
Againtt thefe pofitive declarations, Pro- 
feffor Dom, as we are informed, aflerts 
that two complete copies of the work, one 
of them in the author's own hand-writing;, 
were purchafed by him from the heirs of . 
his niece, in 17733 and that Scheutzer’s , 
tranflation is paraphraftical and inaccu- 
rate,, Befides this, it is added, that one - 
of the Morthly Reviewers profefled to, 
have examined the Sloanian manufcript 
now in the Britifh Mufeum, and believed 
it net. to be of Kempiter’s hand-writing. 
All this is very frange! Where is the: 
tetimony, if any to be found, relating to 
the particulars of Sic H. Sloane’s pur- 
chafe?. Was Dr. Steigerthal impofed on, ° 
or Sir Hans Sloane, er both; and did 
Scheutzer honeftly believe that he was 
tranflating from an original manufcript ? 
How far is his tranflation paraphraftical 
as to fis original? os 
Perhaps the circum/ftantial flatement ia 
Profeffor Dohm’s preface might throw 
further light on the matter 5 and it is in-> 
deed to be wifhed, that we had a faithful 
tranflation into Englifh of this German 
edition. In the mean time, if any perfon 
in pofleffion of the work would communi. 
cate to the Monthly Magazine fuch part 
of the preface as relates to the fubject in - 
queftion, he would render an acceptable 
piece of fervice to the public. The Edin- 
burgh Reviewer believes there isa French ~ 
tranflation of Dohin’s edition.—Quere, 
When arid where was it publifhed? — 
Feb. 13, 1804. D. 
. 
Io the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, @ 
HE following obfervation-of the late 
Solar Eclipfe was made at Carlifle. 
At the beginning of the Eclipfe the 
Sun was obfcured a few minutes’ by a 
cloud, after which the air became tole. 
rably clear, and continued fo during the 
whole time of the obfervation. ‘The paf- 
fage of the Eclipfe over three large and 
well-defined fpots that were on the Sun’s 
difk at the time, was obferved; and the 
following is the refult : Mean time. 
Difappearance of center of H. M. S._ 
rit fpot - - - February 10. 23+ 41. 296 
2d {pot - - - -- 45- 48. 
3d {pot - - - — 438. 550 
Endof the Eclipfe. Feb. 11. 0. 53-49 
Carlifle, “Your’s, &c. 
February 12, 18046 W, Pitt. 
vi de * 
