Retrospect of French, &c. LiteratureMiscellaneous. 665 
public shows is treated of at great 
length. 
In the second volume, we have an 
account of the bank, denominated the 
Monte de Piete ; observations on public 
instruction; the manner in which the 
convents were governed, the ceremonies 
of marriage, burials, the carnivals, the 
lazzaroni, &c. The third commences 
with a portrait of father Rocco, a domi- 
nican friar, who died alittle before the 
revolution. His eloquence had an 
astonishing effect on the lazzarones, and 
he, sometimes obliged even the king 
himself to listen to the voice of truth. 
The mention of the church of the An- 
nunciation, serves to introduce a few 
remarks ,relative to two celebrated 
queens, Joan J. and IJ. We have also 
an account of the grotto of Pausilippo, 
the tomb of Virgil, the Campo Santo, &c. 
“ Nouveau Dictionnaire Portatif de 
Bibliographique, &c.” A new and por- 
table Biographical Dictionary, contain- 
ing more than 23,000 articles of rare, cu- 
rious, and esteemed Books, with re- 
marks to distinguish the different Edi- 
tions, so as to be able to know the ori- 
ginal from the spurious ones. Second 
edition, revised and augmented, by Fr. 
Ign. Fournier, 1 vol. 8vo. Paris. 
The first edition of this work, we are 
told, experienced an unexampled degree 
of success, having been entirely sold off 
within the space of three years. This is 
partly owing to the increase of wmateurs, 
or book-fanciers, and partly to the pro- 
digious number of booksellers with which 
Paris at this moment abounds, for the 
bibliomania was never so prevalent there 
as now. Never did France, it is said, 
possess so few Greek and Latin scholars, 
and yet, strange to be told! never were 
the editions printed by the Elzivirs and 
the Alduses sought after with such de- 
light. Cailleau in 1791, published a dic- 
tionary ofthe same kind as the present 
in 3 vols. with the prices annexed, at 
which period the sums given for similar 
‘articles were far inferior to what is now 
readily obtained. 
This work is preceded by a disserta- 
tion written by M. Jardé, who appears to 
be an antiquary as well as a bookseller, 
for he alludes to patriarchal traditions, 
and antediluvian memoirs which Noah 
carned with him into the ark, and which 
served Moses as materials for the com- 
position of hisGenesis! facts curious and 
singular mdeed of themselves, and which 
only want something in the shape of 
proof. He also hazards a few question- 
able assertions at a latter period, having 
attributed the preservation of Greek 
books to the schism which divided the 
Greek and Latin churches. It is his opi- 
nion, that the latter language would have 
absorbed the former. if the Roman church 
had triumphed; and he boldly maintains, 
that if the protestant religion had ex- 
tended itself throughout all Europe, the 
Latin langrfage would have been entirely 
forgotten, as then the vulgar tongue only 
would have been used in divine ~wor- 
ship. 
While. treating of a more recent pe- 
riod, Mr. Jardé details a variety of inte- 
resting facts. He observes, that at the 
disastrous epoch of the revolution, when 
the people of France were obliged to sell 
their moveables in order to procure 
bread, the Eitglish, Germans, and Rus- 
sians obtained an immense number of 
valuable books and manuscripts. Even 
at the present moment, according to him, 
the capital does not contain twelve libra- 
ries worthy of being compared with the 
ancient ones of the second order; while 
all the booksellers of Paris would not be 
able to furnish three fit to be compared 
with that of the Duke de Valliére. 
He complains greatly of certain specu- 
lators, the intervention of whom between 
the real purchasers and the booksellers, 
occasions a great loss to the latter, 
These persons calculating on the pre- 
vailing mania, make extraordinarycharges 
for large margins, yellow or flesh-co- 
loured paper, useless dates, and even 
faultsin printing. On the other hand, a 
number of amateurs do not purchase a 
book because it is good, but because it is 
scarce; and both these classes have put 
it entirely out of the power of many men 
of letters to obtain the works of which 
they stand really in need. 
“ We pray heartily,” says a French 
critic, “that it may one day be with 
books as with other commodities, which 
are purchased for the sake of utility only. 
There would then undoubtedly be fewer 
booksellers, but they would be both 
richer and more respectable; there 
would also be fewer libraries, but there 
would be no useless ones, and thousands 
of volumes heaped up without discern- 
ment and without choice, by the rich 
and ignorant, would no longer be ex- 
posed to be devoured by worms.” 
“ Description Statistique des Frontieres 
Militaires de l'Autriche, &c.” A Statis- 
tical Description of the military frontiers 
of Austria, by J. A. Demian, an officer in 
the Austrian army, 1807. This is a con- 
firmation 
