Retrofped? of French Literature.—-Mifcellani¢s. 
J’ai vu comme on raméne un peuple & l’dge 
dor! 
Fiélas! ces jours affreux, les reverrai-je 
encor ? 
Avons-nous bien affez de notre obéiffance 
Des Tibéres du temps fatigué Vinfolence ?” 
&c. 
‘¢ Effais fur Jes Iles Fortunées et 1’ An- 
tique Atiantide ; ou, Précis de I’ Hiftoire 
Générale de l’Archipel des Canaires. Par 
J. B. G. M. Bory be St. VINCENT, 
Officier Frangais. In 4to, avec trois 
Cartes et fept Planches, Prix, pour Paris, 
15 fr.*—Effays relative to the Fortunate 
Tflands, and the Ancient Atlantides ; or, 
a Summary of the General Hiftory of the 
Archipelago of the Canaries. By J, B. 
G. M. Bory de St. Vincent, a French 
Officer. One vol. 4to, with three Charts 
and feyen Plates. _ 
M. de St, Vincent, on vifiting the Cana- 
ries, conceived the idea, that they were 
the Fortunate Iflands of antiquity, the 
Elyfian Fields of Homer, the He!perides, 
the real mount Atlas, &c.; byt as many 
of them happen to be exceedingly barren, 
he has recourfe to imagination, and fuppofes 
them Yo have formerly conftituted part of 
a great continent, &c. From the frequent 
traces of fire, and the marks of volcanoes 
but lately extinguifhed, he is alfo led to 
fuppofe, that they have of late become 
more fterile than formerly. But left the 
unprejudiced reader fhould imagine, that 
thefe are not now worthy of the appella- 
tion of the Fortunate Iflands, he thinks it 
would not be difficult for an enlightened 
government to render them fo, by the in- 
trodustion of negro-flavery, and the im- 
portation of a wretched race from the 
coatt of Africa! 
Aventure and Lancerote, we are told, 
poflefs {ome fertile vallies ; but both thefe 
and Terro are the moft barren ifles in the 
whole Archipelago. Here, however, are 
produced fome good horfes, the breed of 
which was originaily introduced from the 
coaft of Barbary, and alio fome excellent 
mules; affes too fucceed there. The wines 
however, is of a very inferior quality, and 
the whole of it is converted into brandy, 
The Ifland of Canary, which gives its 
name to the whole clufter, appears at firtt 
fight to be entirely compofed of a fingle 
mountain. Its fummit is covered, we are 
told, with eternal fnow, and the rivulets 
which fpring from it, at once embellith 
and refrefh the vallies below. The foil is 
* fo extraordinarily fertile, that it yields two 
‘or three crops of mais, or Indian corn, 
annually ; barley and wheat allo fucceed 
there. Ajl the high grounds are covered 
69a 
with forefts, and the ifland abounds with 
flocks. Pulfe, of every kind, wax, honey, 
a little filk and cotton, excellent wool, 
olives, and the cheefe called baron co undo, 
are alfo produced here. } 
Gomero poffeffes the reputation of being 
exceedingly fertile ; the centre confilts of 
a vaft forelt of pines and beeches, in 
which wild cats and deer are to be found. 
The valley of Hermigua is covered with 
vines and fruit trees; fuch as dates, 
oranges, citrons, bannanas, and peaches. 
Palma.—-This island rifes confiderably 
above the level of the fea; its ‘ummits 
are often clothed with fnow, and over- 
fhadowed with dark forefts of pines, 
which are employed in the conftruction of 
barks, adapted to the fifheries on the 
coaft of Barbary. Not only the vine, 
but the fugar-cane is cultivated with great 
fuccefs here. 
Ferro, termed by the French /'I/e de 
Fer, was the firft difcovered of all the 
Canaries; it is however the leaft, the 
moft fterile; and the worlt peopled: it is 
deficient in refpect to water, and the 
cattle are redjiced to the neceffity of fatis- 
fying their thir, by recurring to the 
ocean. 
Teneriffe is the largeft of the whole 
clufter of ifles: it alfo poffefles the greateft 
number of inhabitants. [he grain proe 
duced here is not fufficient for the con- 
fuasption of the natives; on the other 
hand, its vintage exceeds that of the whole 
Archipelago. The vines are of two forts; 
the one named vidonia, which produces @ 
dry and ftrong liquor, is the moft abun- 
dant; and the other, named Maivoifia, 
which was originally introduced trom the 
Morea, As oxen, fhrep, hogs, and fowls, 
can eafily be procured at St. Crotx, it is 
the opinion of many French navigators, 
that it is more advantageous to call there 
than at Madeira, The peak occupies 
nearly the centre of the ifle, and both 
Pingré and Borda have eltimated the 
the height at 1904 toiles. 
«“ Sommaire des Principales Preuves 
de la Verité et de l’Origine Surnaturelle 
de Ja Révélation Chréuienne.’—A Sum- 
mary of the Principal Proofs of the Truth 
and Supernatural Origin of the Chriftian 
Religion ; 8vo. . 
We are here told, that truth alone is 
amiable, 
6s Rien nteft beau que le vrai, le vrai feul eft 
aimable.” 
It is alfo maintained, that all the hor- 
rors produced during the latt century, 
proceeded folcly from ¢* political aud reli- 
4 Y 2 gious 
