121 
Etna; but this lofs is in part repaired by 
the labours of Francefco Ferrara, profef- 
for at the univerfity of Catanea, who has 
given us, in his Storia generale dell’ Etna, 
an ainple defcription of that mountain, 
the hiftory of its explofions, and a cata- 
logue of its preductions. This work, 
from the importance and the number of 
geological obfervations in particular, may 
be confidered as one of the moft intereft- 
ing parts of the refearches into the natu- 
ral hiftery of volcances in general, The 
work of Dogtor Vincenzo -Rijolo, on the 
mineral waters of Sicily, may likewife 
be mentioned with approbation, 
The mathematics prefent a more abund- 
ant harveft ; without noticing feveral ele- 
mentary works of merit, it cannot be 
doubted that the writings of the cele- 
brated Piazzi will form an epoch in the 
Hiterary hiftory of Sicily. We fhall net 
quote their titles ; all Europe is acquaint- 
ed with them; but the detached pieces 
which he has fucceffively inferted in the 
¢¢ Philofophical Tranfa€tions, and other 
periodical publications printed at Milan 
and Modena, are not fo well known,— 
They confit of ** Corrifpondenza Ita- 
liana; “* Lettere full’ afironomia ;° and 
his lat work is entitled, ** Stellarum in- 
errantium pofitiones.”’ Another perform- 
ance by him, * Su z mowimeniz delle 
Fife,’ will fpeedily appear. Natural 
philofophy has likewife been ‘cultivated 
with fuccefs fince the the time of Cara- 
manico. This is proved by P. Elifeo Phy- 
Sica experimentalis Elementa; 7. Z. Can- 
tarella Phyfice experimentalis Curfus, and 
Introduzione alla Fifica, by the celebrated 
Abbate Seina, which has juft made its 
appearance. 
But the Sicilians are very far from hav- 
ing made any progrels in erudition. They 
haye recently publithed, it is true, a new 
edition of ancient claflic authors for the ufe 
of the Univerfity of Palermo; but it is 
only a reprint, and frequently a faultyone, 
of the text. Of various tranflations which 
are not above mediocrity we fhall fay no- 
thing. The ‘* Anacreon” of Valguar- 
nera is no more a tranflation from the ori- 
ginal than the ** Pheocritus”’ of the Count 
Gaetani. It is to be regretted that the 
Marquis de Natali, who, in his tranfla- 
tion of Homer, has fo fkilfully intro- 
éuced ali thofe beauties which embellith 
that of Cefarotti, and avoided his deteéts, 
fhould have ftopped fhort at the fourth 
book of the Hliad. The impofture of Vella 
has not been wholly ufelefs to Sicily ; for 
it has excited a taffe for the ftudy of the 
Arabic. Mor‘o, profeffor of the Oriental 
Hijlory of Literature, ce. in Sicily. 
[March 1, 
languages at Palermo, has publifhed an 
edition of ‘* Lokmann’s Fables,’ to 
which he has annexed an Arabic Gram- 
mar and Diftionary. The Abbate Paf- 
qualino has eftablithed a claim to the gra- 
titude of the republic of letters by his 
Vocabulario Siciliano etimologico Italiane 
é Latizo, in five volumes. The D€tion- 
aries of Efcobar and of Bordo have ren- 
dered this work neceflary ; and if it does 
not poffe{s all the perfection that could be 
wifhed, yet if we refle&t on the multipli- 
city of different dialects, and that each 
town of Sicily has one which is peculiar to 
itfelf, we fhall be obliged to admit that 
Pafqualino has glorioufly acquitted himfelf 
of the laborious tafk which be undertook, 
His vocabulary is notonly valuable fer 
Sicily, but philology in general. mui at- 
tach to it confiderable importance: for, 
confidering the relations and approxima- 
tions of thefe different dialeéts to the an- 
cient languages, it were to be wifhed 
that fome {cholar, who would not, like 
Pafqualino, fuffer himfelf tobe too often 
Jed away into idle refearches on the ety- 
mology of words, would take the trou- 
ble to prune and to improve it. pthie’ 
Sicily has not yet produced any works 
of importance on coins, if we except the 
performance of Prince Torremuzza, who | 
was the firft that infpired his countrymen 
with ataftte for refearches of this kind. 
Every town, indeed, has its medalift, 
who, notwithftanding the great exporta- > 
tion, never fails to acquire a fortune: 
but with the Sicilian this fcience is, as 
yet, nothing more than the paffion of 
hoarding. Among the private collec- 
tions that of the Baron d’Aftuto at Noto, 
and that of the family of Bifcari at Cata- 
nea are mof worthy of notice. ‘The pub- 
lic is ftill expeéting the work promifed 
by Calcagni, of Naples, on the numif- 
matography of his native countrye 
The writings of the Chevalier Saverio 
Landolina, which will principally relate 
-to the refearches undertaken by him in the 
vicinity of Syracufe, will appear without 
delay. Of ail the Sicilian literati, Lan- 
dolina is perhaps the only one who has 
properly feized the fpirit of antiquity: 
this he has proved by-his commentaries 
on Homer, Hefiod, Theocritus, and fe- 
veral other ancient authors. 
The very particular care with which 
the Italians collect the hiftory of their 
country, forms a trait in their national 
charaéter: and though we fo rarely find 
among their hiftorians traces of that phi- 
lofophic fpirit which guided Machiavel 
and Guicciardini, yet we are obliged to” 
. 
allow 
~ 
i - 
