1804.] 
A letter from Rome, dated the roth of 
lat July, atdrefled to a correfpondent of 
the writer at Aix, and lately printed in 
the Magazin Encyclopédique, obferves, 
that the Cardinal BorGra is publifhing a 
Defcriptive Catalogue of the Coptic Ma- 
nufcripts now in his pofleflion, the number 
of which amounts to three hundred. This 
Catalogue is the production of the learned 
ZorGa, editor of the well-known work 
upon Obelifks. The author does not 
content himfelf with giving a notice upon 
eich of the manufcrip‘s ; he likewife in- 
ferts long fragments of the text, with a 
Latin tranflation in the margin. He has 
now arrived at the forty-third manufcript. 
The Vatican Library had a confiderable 
number of fimilar manul(cripts, all of 
which have been removed by the French. 
The Cardinal, a little before the arrival 
of the French at Rome; had fortunately 
cauied exact copies to be taken of them, 
and with thefe his Catalogue will com- 
mence, under the title of Cedices Memphi- 
titi. Nextto thefe follow fuch as have 
been found in the cities of Syene, Thebes, 
&c. &c. We find here not only Bibles, 
Acts of Councils, A&s of the Martyrs, 
but likewile hifterical treatifes of different 
countries, an! anumber of memoirs re- 
lating to the fine arts. 
_ The Pope-has ordered confiderable fub- 
ferranean refearches to be made at Oftium, 
duiing the winter and {pring of laft year, 
which have led to the dilcovery of feveral 
fine ftatues. The immoderate heat of the 
fummer having interrupted the career of 
thefe Jabours, the government has employ- 
ed the workmen on a. labour likely to 
prove equally ufeful. They are now bufy 
in the emplacement or fite of the city, in 
removing the earth and ruins which cover 
the bafes of the moft confiderable and im- 
portant monuments, fuch-as the Colifceum, 
the Arches of Titus, of Septimius Seve- 
tus, &c. &c, This labour will produce 
the fame effect a8 that which took place 
re{pecting the Column of Trajan, under 
Sextus V.. The pedeftal of that column 
was buried in the eakth, but was after- 
wards expofed to view jgand a large foflé 
was conitructed, paved, and encircled with 
a wall, on which an efcalier or gallery was 
wade, for the purpofe of making the tour 
of the coitumn. Alveady one part of the 
bafe of the Arch of Septimius Severus is 
open to view, and they have di!cavered 
fome pedeltals of columns, decorated with 
bas-reliefs of great beauty. The fuper- 
intendance of this undertaking is 2ffigned 
to the celebrated Canova, the feulptor, 
LitePary and Philofophical Intelligence. 
393 
This artift is well known for three beauti- 
ful ftatues—Perfeus, ‘an athleie, and 2 
Hercules, which the Pope has caufed to be 
placed in his Mufeum. Perfeus is repre. 
fented at the moment when he has juft tut 
off the head of Meduafa, and ftands in the 
niche where the Apollo of Belvidere was 
placed. This ftatue need not have been 
difavowed by the beft Grecian artift. Ir 
may be obierved ex pafant, that Pope 
Pius VII. favours the arts and a.tafte for 
antiquity with all imaginable ardour, as 
far as his means will authorize him. 
In the Report of the Labours of the 
Society of Emulation of Abbeville, among 
other memoirs, is one, entitled Bfaz de So- 
lution, &c.; or, an Attempt to folve cer. 
tain Mathematical Problems relating to 
the Art of Navigation, by M. Poirge, 
an Affociate Correfpondent. In this Me- 
moir, M. Poiree propofes a geometrical 
formula extremely itimple, which, if 
it does not completely an{wer the pur- 
pofe, may certainly prove advantageous, 
particularly in obviating the geometri- 
cal inaccuracies of the reckonings which 
mariners make in their courfe; who, 
for want of terreftrial ohjeéts which they 
have lof fight of, when out at fea, have ne 
other director than the aid of the com- 
pals, ever inclined towards the north, and 
the meridian under. waich the veflel is, 
which make, with the one they are bound 
to, an angle, the fummit of which is at 
the pole. The author obferves, that the 
line which joins the point of departure to . 
that towards which the coarfe is direfted 
makes, with thefe two meredians, a trian 
gle, which he names the triangie de routes 
or the triangle of paflage. He turther ob- 
ferves, that the vefiel, which is often 
chan, ng place and pafling on a new meri- 
dian, yields greater or lefs advantages, 
which diminifh that of the triangle of paf- 
fage; hence it follows, that the angle fi- 
tuated at the pole diminifhes, and. that 
the one at the point where: the veffel is, 
augments 3; the pilot, therefore, will de- 
viate from his track, and setire from the 
point to which he is defirous to, arrive. 
—-In. the fame Report is an Effay on: Lon- 
gitudes likewile, by M. Poirée. . The 
object of this work is to give at once the 
means of exactly finding the longitude in 
certain particular cales, and to arrive very 
near it in others ; to determine with pre- 
cifion the amount of each new degree of 
longitude of France, not only at every new — 
degree of latitude, but even at every tenth 
of a degree 3 or at every myriameter, the 
new French itinerary mealure. M, Poirée 
: ‘adds 
