652 Retrofpe of American Literature.—DMathematics, Education, ce, - 
piace, which loudly called for correé&tion. 
This has been undertaken and accomplith- 
ed by Profeffor Barton, of Philadelphia, 
3) a manner which refle&ts great credit on 
his talents, learning and diligence. His 
acquirements as a naturaliit, of which bis 
various publications bear fuch ampie tefti- 
mony, eminently qualified him to correct 
every error and fupply every deficiency 
which had been oblerved in the depart- 
ment of phyfical geography. And there 
is no doubr, that, with the amendments 
made by this gentieman, the work will be 
entitled to a ftill higher degree of the ap- 
probation which it has received from the 
public, in Great B.itain, and in'the other 
parts cf Evrope. 
MATHEMATICS. 
‘© The Mathematical Correfpo-dent,’’ 
is a periodic:i publication which appears 
at intervals not exaétly fetiled, depending 
chiefly on the requifite colletion of ma- 
terials. 
Four numbers have been already offered 
to the public. [It is underftcod, that this 
work is conducted by a fociety of perfons 
who are attached to mathematical ttudies, 
and feel much zeal to extend tne cultiva- 
tion of them. The numbers publifhed, 
difplay net only a laudable ardour to pro- 
mote this branch of {cience, but alfo a de- 
gree of proficiency in it which is very cre- 
ditable to thofe who are concerned in the 
fupport of it. We obferve communica. 
tisns from remote parts of the United 
States, which feem to denote, that the cir- 
culation of the work and the reception it 
meets from dftant fituations are more 
likely to afford encouragement to the con- 
duGiors of it than might have been ex- 
petted from the flender fupport it obtained 
at the outfet. 
_EDUCATION. 
«¢ Nature Difplayed, in her Mode cf 
teaching Langusge to Man,” &c. is an 
interefting work, in two volumes 8vo. in- 
tended to facilitate the acquifition of Jan- 
guages. It is the production of Mr. A. 
G. DurFier, of Philadelphia, a French 
gentleman, who has devoted many years 
to the refearches and refleS&tions of which 
he offers the refult inthis work. He fup- 
pofes himfelf to have difcovered a new and 
infallible method of acquring a language 
in the fhortelt time pcffiole, deduced from 
the analyfis of the human mind, and con- 
fequently fuited to every capacity. This 
metlHod is more particularly adapted to 
the French language, and feems to have 
_ been fuggefted to him by the difficulties 
be had himfeif experienced, and the mode 
he had adopted to overcome thefe diffiicul= 
ties, while he was engaged in learning 
Englifh. His plan requires the acquifition 
of the vocabulary of a language, ia the 
fir place, without any preliminary ac- 
quaintance with.grammar; and he com- 
bines the idiom of the language in queftion, 
with its vecabulary in fuch a manner, 
that the former is infeparably connected, 
and fimultanecufly acquired with the lat- 
ter. He exhibits a very lumineus arrange- 
ment of his principles and practice, and 
fhews how compleiely it is adapted to the 
ftudy of all languages as well as to the 
comorehenfisn of every learner. The 
author is undoubtedly entitled to the praife 
of having removed many obftacies and 
fuggefted many facilities for the benefit of _ 
fuch as are engaged in the laborious tafk 
of Jearning Janguages. 
*s A Hebrew Grammar without Points,” | 
by JoHN SmitH, A. M. Profeffar of 
Languages in Dartmouth College, is a 
judicious and refpeétable performance, 
which offers much plain and ufeful inftruc- 
tion, in a very imple and familiar manner. 
The author appears to have given due 
attention to the fubjeét, and to be well 
qualified to treat it in {uch a way as will 
conduce to the eafier attainment of the 
Hebrew language. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Mr. Austin’s ** Letters from Lon- 
don ;°” written during the years 1802, 
and 1803, costain a lively, diverfified and 
ape account of the Britifh metropo- 
is. 
Thofe letters, as the author Aiméflf in- 
forms us, were written during a refidence 
in London, and addreffed to a friend in the 
State of Mafiachufetis. The writer has 
endeavoured to blend amufement with in- 
formation, and has attempted to fketch 
both national and individual character ; 
with occafiona! outlines of the ftate of fo- 
ciety and the progrefs of refinement, in 
that interefting country: a country which 
Americans cannot. but confider with re- 
verence, as the land of their anceftors, and 
as the fource whence they derive their lan- 
guage, religion, laws, habits, manners, 
and fome of their political inftitutions, 
The frequent allufion to the United States, 
“by way of comparifon, while tt adds va- 
riety, and confers intereft, may poffibly be 
thought by fome to diminifh the imparti- 
ality of thetwork. If the writer fometimes 
folds up John-Builifm toridicule, he muft 
be allowed, on the whole, to be difpofed to 
treat every thing really re!pectable in the 
Britifh nation with a due degree of gra- 
vity and reverence. 
Dre 
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