694 
give a leffon to fuch as, like himfelf, 
treat of important events. “It is not 
fuficiently recollected (fays he) that the 
duties of an hiflorian are alfo thofe of a 
judge. If he ought to be inexorable on 
the one hand, when it becomes his duty 
to develope or purfue crime; he cannot be 
too careful .on the other hand, that he 
does not overwhelm innocence. In fine, 
he cannot take too much care, left he 
fhould be induced, by falle reprefenta- 
tions, to affail innocence, or prefcribe too 
much referve to his pen, when he is about 
to pronounce a judgment that will decide 
on the reputation of any one, and thus 
immolate his reputation to the {corn and 
execration of pofterity.”’ 
To this work, Levefque, a member of 
the hiftorical clafs of the National Infti- 
tute, has given a public teftimony uf ap- 
probation; but it is not unlikely that it 
will be contemplated in a different point 
of view by others, more efpecially in this 
country. It is but fair, however, to re- 
mark, that the talents and erudition of 
M. Ameilhon have been Jong efteemed in 
France, even before the late Revolution. 
He is praifed by bis countrymen for the 
chaftenefs of his language; but they feem 
to be aware, that neither his example nor 
that of other writers of eminence, will be 
able to fhelter it from innovation. Were 
it poffible to confine the youth of both 
fexes to read thofe works only, produced 
during the age of Louis XIV. they would 
be influenced by the prefent ftyle or con- 
verfation not in the capital alone, but 
throughout the nation. 
A “ fe& of innovators,” as they are 
termed by the old fchool, is, and has been 
for fome time, bufily occupied in erecting 
what they are pleafed to term, uxe langue 
bien faite, as if that had been an umim- 
proved language in which Racine, Boi- 
leau, Boffuet, and Fenelon, exhibited 
their genius and their talents, In the 
mean time, the fecond clafs of the Infti- 
tute has undertaken the tafk of reftoring, 
3f ftill pofhiole, the French language to 
its former ftandard. 
** Recherches Hiftoriques fur les Princi- 
pales Nations établies en Siberie et dans 
Jes Pays adjacens, lors de la Conquéte des 
Roffes, Ouvrage traduit du Ruffe par M. 
HorTrTenwerk, ancien Officier de Carra- 
biniers au Service de la Ruffie,’—Hifto- 
rical Refearches rejative to the Principal 
Nations, eftablifhed in Siberia, and the 
adjacent Countries, &c. tranflated from 
the Ruffian by M. Horrenwerk, for- 
merly an Officer of Carabiniers, in the 
Service of Ruffia, 1 vol, 8vo. 
2 
Retrojpec? of French Literature.—Hiftorical Refearchess 
The genealogies of obfcure tribes, like 
thofe of individuals deftitute of celebrity, 
are but little interefting to any except 
themfelves ; yet, as an objec of curiofity, 
fome will be pleafed to trace the origin 
even of the modern Swerians. We are 
here told, that they derive their fource 
from that immenfe nation of ‘Tartars or 
Tatars, who, under different names, have 
ravaged and conquered one half of the 
globe: this nation, which the remotett 
periods develope to us in a ftate, not /a- 
vage, which is the infancy of nations, 
but barbarous, which is a mark of their 
degeneracy from civilifed fociety. This 
nation, in fhort, which appears to be in 
our time what it was in the remctelt ant:- 
quity, is here defcribed through all its re- 
mote branches and ramifications. 
The mode adopted upon this occafion 
is the comparifon of idioms, which is 
praifed by fome, but confidered as highly 
equivocal by others. In compliance with 
this plaufible theory, the Hungarians are 
conlidered as Tatars (O#grz) not only con- 
formity to ihe refemblance of names, but 
of language, a variety of words being found 
to correfpond in the vocabularies of each. 
The author, alfo, has here endeavoured 
to clear up the nearly ob{elete traditions, 
concerning Prefter John. Joinville ftates, 
that certain miffionaries (Cordetier friars} 
difcovered this Catholic fovereign, in 
Upper Afia, and prefenting themfelves be- 
fore him in quality of ambafladors, fang 
the Salve Kegina,by way of an harangue. 
Since that period, a number of curious 
differtations have been written concerning 
this extraordinary perfonage, nearly all of 
which are recounted in this volume; but 
the author feems to have forgotten the 
bypothefis fuggefted by an Englifh tra- 
veller, who fuppofes the kings of Abyffinia 
to be defcended from Solomon and the 
Queen of Sheba, and denominates them 
Chriftians following the Greek rites. On 
mentioning the king’s name, they make 
ufe of a formula, fomewhat like our 
buzza! exclaiming Prete bani! which 
the Cordeliers are fuppoled to have mif- 
taken for the name of the king, whence 
they defignated him Prétre Fean! 
MISCELLANIES. 
“© Syftéme Univerfel et Complet de Sté- 
nographie; ou, Maniére abrégee d’Ecrire 
applicable a tous les Idiomes, et fondée 
fur des Principes fi fimples et fi faciles @ 
faifir, qu’on peut connoitre en une Heure 
les Elemens de cet Art et fe mettreen Etat 
dans trés-peu de Temps de fuivre la Parole 
d’un Orateur, Inventé par SAMUEL TAY-~ 
Lor, et adapté ala Langue Frangaife, par 
T.P, Bertin 
