70 
effered for sale. The learned also re 
marked an edition of a German poem of 
high antiquity, and highly interesting for 
the history of European languages; it is 
éntitled the Song of the Nibelunges; but 
its author, and the age in which it was 
written, are equally unknown. 
Several writers have undertaken to 
write the history of Arts and of Artists, 
especially that of Musicians; but few ef 
their productions have so much merit as - 
the History of Painting in Italy, by Ri- 
penhausen; and the Almanack of the 
Fine Arts, which contains letters and 
memoirs of artists residing in Rome, and 
edited by M. Sickler, a learned antiqua- 
vlan. : 
The Berlin newspaper had announced 
that the late Mr. Ritter had, previous to 
his death, retracted his opinions on the 
Rhabdomancia, or the art of finding wa- 
ter and metals hidden in the bosom of 
the earth, by means of a wand. ‘These 
papers have since cuntradicted their for- 
mer assertion, and declared that this 
otherwise iearned man had persisted to 
the last in those absurdities, despised by 
all truly learned men. 
Mr. D’Aretin has been discovered as 
the author of a literary trick, which was 
announcing in a newspaper a pretended 
History of Academies, a work which does 
mot exist, but by which means he had an 
opportunity of attacking the Dresden 
Academy, of which he is a member. 
Augustus ia Fontaine has givei six or 
eight volumes of novels, in which he sull 
reproduces his family pictures, even to 
satiety. Ini,a novel of the 21st century, 
by Julius Voss; Novels by Renbeck; 
and Comic Stories, by Laun, have occa- 
sioned some talk. Camic Sicres have 
the most vogue. Still, howevér, there 
will be found in the Fair catalogue, acome 
petent number of banditti, conjurors, and 
secret associations. In theatricals, there 
is nothing remarkable. 
ITALY. 
For several days towards the end of 
May, prodigious crowds of peopiethronged 
the banks of the Tiber at Rome to wit- 
ress a singular phenomenon. A wind 
from. Africa had brought thither an im- 
ir ense swarm of locusts. ‘hese insects, 
- having laid waste the country, began to 
» ake war upon and devour one another. 
Yhe weaker party betook themselves to 
’ {pght, and being pursued by the conque- 
rors, threw themselves in myriads into 
the Tiber, which, at times, was quite 
eovered with them. — | 
Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. fAug. f, 
~ 
AFRICA. 
By vessels arrived from Goree and 
Sierra Leone, we are enabled to state, 
that so late as the month of March last, 
considerable hopes were entertained that 
the celebrated and enterprising Mungo 
Park, so often reported to liave lost his 
life, was still alive. ‘The ship Favourite, 
of London, Captain Truman, is arrived 
at Plymouth from Goree. Previous to 
the departure of that vessel, information 
had been received at Senegal by a native 
cf the Mandingo Country, who accom- 
panied Mr. Park as far into the interior 
as Sego and Sansanding, that he was 
alive in the tnonth of January. Colonel 
Maxwell, the governor of Senegal, had, 
in consequence of this information, di- 
rected that a decked boat should imme- 
diately be fitted out to proceed up the 
river Senegal, for the puvpose of giving 
assistance to Mr, Park in his indefatigable 
exertions in exploring the continent of 
Africa. This account is further corro- 
borated by a letter, dated in March last, 
received by a vessel from Sierra Leone, 
from Dr. Dougtas, who writes as follows: 
“ Permit me to lay before you some! in- 
formation respecting Mr. Mungo Park, 
which 1] was favoured with from an intel- 
ligent Mahomedan, whom I metat Goree, 
and who had acted as a guide to Mr. 
Park, from the time of his landing on 
the continent of Africa to his embarka- 
tion on the Niger. He states, that the 
king of Sego had shewn much favour te 
Mr, Park, and that the report of his 
assassination there was untrue. He had 
passed far along the Niger without any 
molestation whatever from the ‘natives. 
My informant could not recollect the 
date of his embarkation on the Niger, 
but thinks it must be about three years 
ago. Mr. Park had taken four monthis’ 
provisions for himself and two followers, 
with whom he intended to proceed to 
the eastward, and onwards as far as the 
Red Sea. Some travellers, who had fal- 
len in with his guide, informed him, that 
about two or: three months subsequent | 
to Mr. Park’s embarkation, he had been 
severely scorched in his breast by the 
bursting of ‘a gan while firing at some 
birds, but that he passed Tombuctoo in 
the night by water.” 
NEW HOLLAND. 
Several persons at Sydney, have begun 
to cultivatethe hop vine. A Mr. Squires,” 
in the year 1808, planted two acres, 
from which ‘he gathered five hundred 
ewt.ofclear hops. Last year he had four 
acres 
