644 
. Hatiy, who make ufe of all the advan- 
tages refulting from the other fenfes, in 
order to fupply what nature has refufed to 
their {cholars, this iluftrious initru&trefs 
has thought fit artificially to deprive her 
Alphenfina of fight, by ~aking her live 
until the had attained the ag- of thirteen 
in a cavern, during which period a tender 
mother was accuftomed tv place a ban- 
dage over her eyes, whenever the lighted 
a lamp for her own particular ufe. Ac- 
cordingly, the poor child is utteriy rgao- 
rant of the exiltence of any other living 
creature than herfelf, her mother, and a 
Iittledog. Sheis acquainted with her ca- 
vern alone, andeven i refpect to that fhe 
is entirelv:gnorant, five what can be ob- 
tained by groping her way through it. 
It being neceflary to bring her mother in 
to this unhappy fituation, and to bring 
her thither alfo while big with child, this 
event alone employs a whole volume.” 
Neither Madame de Genlis nor her ad- 
mirers will be eager to fubicribe to this 
criticifm; as to readers in general, they 
will judge for themfelves, and perhaps 
decide more favourably of a work which 
has already engaged the attention, of the 
public. 
BOTANY. 
«¢ Plantes equicoxiales,” &c.—Equi- 
noxial Plants, by Mefiris. ALEXANDER 
p—E HumBoLtpr and AiME Bon- 
PLAND. ; 
Tnis work, which has been juft under- 
taken, is publifhed once a fortnight, in 
parts, each of which contains ten plates, 
except the firft, whichhas but two, The 
matifia cordata, a new genus, is figured 
with great elegance 5 it refembies the my- 
rodia of M. de Swartz, and is a majettic 
tree. producing admirable fruit. The 
Fubiaa fedisides,F .natans, Myrthus micro. 
philiz. Freziera reticulata, F. canefcens, 
F. chryfophilla, F. fericea, F.nervofa, and 
Cinchona condaminea, are the other fub- 
jests which have been enzraved for tiis 
work. The plates are executed with 
great care. 
‘¢ Piantes de la France, décrites & 
peintes d’aprés Nature,” &c.—The Piants 
of France, delcribed and painted after Na- 
ture, by M. JauME SainT-HILalRé, 
the Colleague of M. de Juffieu in the Dic- 
tionary of Natural Sciences. j 
This work is intended to confit of fifty 
livraifons, or parts, one of which appears 
every month, and cofts feven francs, filty 
cents. It is defigned not only to extend 
the prefent increafing talte for botany, but 
alfo to facilitate the knowledge of fuca 
plants as are either uleful or agreeabie. 
’ 
Retrofpect of French Literature. Botany. 
The care beftowed by the author in the 
execution of the letter-prefs, as well as 
the correétnefs with which his fubje&ts are 
defigned, are alike caiculated to render 
the undertaking interefling. 
The lovers of gardening will here find 
an interefting work, to which they can at 
any time refer. Phyficians, apothecaries, 
and private individuals, will alfo be ena- ~ 
bled immediately to deteét impofition by - 
a reference to thofe medicaments which 
they intend to prelcribe or ufe. P.J. Be 
Chomel exprefics himielf as follows on 
this fubjeét: It is abfolutely neceflary 
(fays he) that thole who prepare planis 
fhould know them fufficiently well to pre- 
vent the terrible inconveniencies which 
arife daily, in confequence of the grofs 
mitakes of ignorant herbalifts, in whora 
phytcians and apothecaries equally cone 
fide. Thofe herbalifts are ufually fo in- 
refted and faithlefs, that they frequently 
fubfitute for the plants demanded of them 
others with who'e properties they are en- 
tirely unacquainted, without paying any 
attention whatioever to their qualities, 
whether good orbad. Having vifited a pa- 
tient fome time fince, who was threatened, 
with an inflammation of the inteftincs 
and for whom I had ordered an emollient, 
decoction, I found a packet of herbs fur- 
nifhed by the maid-fervant of an heibal- 
if, among which I immediately recog- 
nized the ranunculus, and other plants 
much better calculated to excite irrita- 
tions and tenfions than to cure them. On 
the whole, I am fully perfuaded that thefe 
cruel miftakes frequently occur, and that 
medical men, ufually confidered as refpon. 
fhible for events, are often biamed for the 
errors of others.’’ 
¢ Les Liliacés.”’—The liliaceous Tribes, 
by P. J. RepouTe, Painter to the Mu- 
feum of Natural Hifttory. 
This magnificent work, which has ac- 
quired confiderable reputation, is carried 
on with the fame attention and accuracy 
as at firft. The twenty-one lwraifons 
contain the balamcanda of China (balam- 
canda Chinenfis), on which Linnzus at 
fir conferred the name of the ixia; the 
gladiclus ringens, the gladiolus xantho- 
fpilus, the ixia polyftachia, the ixia bulbi- 
fera, the ixia tricolor, the fritillaiia impe- 
rialis, the mufcari ambrofiacum, the gla- 
diolus cufpidaius, the ixia maculata, and 
the ixia conica. ' 
‘« Defcription botaniquedu Chirantko. 
dendron, Arbre du Mexique, nouvelle- 
ment connu, et remarquable par fon 
Aipe& et fa Beauté.”—-A botanical De- 
{cription of the Chiranthodendron, a newly 
difcovered 
