come honeft men. For hear him farther: The French language predominates in political negociations, fince the conferences of Nimeguen, and henceforth the interests of nations, and the will or declarations of fovereigns, fhail ftand firm on the moft ftable and permanent bafis.' This fentence is rather too ambiguous in its meaning, for the milk white candour and probity of the French language. We thought, in our fimplicity, that the great object of public negociations and treaties was not fo much to fecure what nations may look upon as their intereß, or obtain what fovereigns may think proper to claim, as agree able to their defire or will, but rather to maintain equity and juftice, and fupport political states and fovereigns in the poffeffion of what already belongs to them, or of what they may have an indifputable right to acquire. However, courteous Reader, if thou art defirous of seeing this ambiguous fentence illuftrated by perfpicuous examples, lay out a fixpence for thosenews papers that contain the pacific declarations of the Marquis de Noailles to the English Miniftry, and the eloquent declaration of war that immediately followed them; and then thou shalt find the matter tolerably explained, and alfo perceive all the beauty and energy of the following fentence of our good Author: On ne femera plus la guerre dans des paroles de Paix: i. e. that in confequence of the intrinfic probity of the French language, WAR fhall be no more diffeminated in WORDS OF PEACE.

But now, how long is this univerfality of the French language to laft? This is the third branch of the question propofed by the academy; but our Author does not pretend either to fuch a critical or prophetic forefight as is necellary in order to the determination of this point. He acknowledges, nevertheless, that a time comes when all languages degenerate into a ftate of corruption, and this time arrives, when the natural and the figurative styles are confounded, and the latter does not keep its diftance, but instead of coming when it is called, intrudes too frequently, and with affectation, on the fimplicity of nature. Metaphorical style carries with it, fays our Author, the germ of corruption. The obfervation is judicious; but, he feems often to lote fight of it in his own practice; for in a multitude of his phrafes, this germ fhoots forth into the most affected and difgufting luxuriancy. Upon the whole, there is certainly great merit in this difcourfe, but it is accompanied with defects for which it fcarcely atones. The atonement it makes for the exaggerated ideas, quaint expreffions, and incorrect ftyle of our Author, might more eafily meet with acceptance, if the decifions he pronounces upon the judgment, tafte, and manners of feveral nations, did not bear too evident marks of a harfh, fevere, and faftidious fpirit.

ART. XLII.

Lettere del Sig. Abate Dominico Seftini, i. e. Letters written from Sicily and Turkey to feveral of his Friends in Tuscany, by the Abbé Doм. SESTINI. Vol. VI. Leghorn. 1784.

WE

E mentioned formerly the firft, fecond, and third volumes of this agreeable and inftructive publication. The fourth, which was published at Florence in 1781, and the fifth, at Leghorn in 1783, contain a defcription of Sicily and a part of Calabria, in which the articles relative to the natural history, productions, and manufactures of thefe fertile countries predominate, though, at the fame time, a fuitable attention is paid to their civil hiftory, literature, and antiquities. The fcene is changed in the fixth volume now before us, in which we have eleven letters, dated from Pera at Conftantinople. Here we have an account of the characters, amusements, manners, feftivals, commerce, arts, legiflation, and political economy of the Turks, Greeks, and Armenians, as alfo of the geography and antiquities of their refpective countries.

ART. XLIII.

Metodo di dirigere Palloni, &c. i. e. A Method of directing Balloons in which inflammable Air is employed; accompanied with the Defcription of a New Barometer. By M. STEPHEN CALVI. 8vo. Milan. 1784.

HE Author propofes a method of regulating the ascent and defcent of the aeroftatical carriages, only by augmenting or diminishing the volume of the balloon, without being obliged to have recourfe to the emiffion or intromiffion of inflammable air. He alfo furnishes our modern high-fliers with an ingenious method, of his own invention, by which the course of the airy caftle may be directed towards any part of the horizon that may ftrike their fancy. The machine alfo which M. CALVI fubftitutes in the place of the common portable barometer, may be of confiderable use to those who are inclined to make obfervations on the mountainous regions over which they may happen to be carried in their fuper- terreftrial navigations. As we have not yet feen this book, we cannot enter farther into its particular contents. The Nouvelle Literaire, from whence we have borrowed this account, does not let us into the whole fecret.

ART. XLIV.

Elogi, &c. i. e. The Eulogies of fome eminent Italians. By the Prelate ANGELO FABRONI. 8vo. pp. 260. Pifa. 1784.

Galilei, Giacomelli, Perelli, the Cardinal Leopold de Medicis, Frugoni, and Metaftafio, are the remarkable perfonages, whofe talents, genius, and characters are here defcribed by a very mafterly pen.

INDEX

To the REMARKABLE PASSAGES in this Volume.

N. B. To find any particular Book, or Pamphlet, see the
Table of Contents, prefixed to the Volume.

112.

AIR-BALLOONS, obfervations on the me-

APOPLEXIES, Dr. Fothergill's method of
treating, 265.

APPLE of the eye, etymological account
of, 173.

ARGAND, M. his fkill in the philo-
fophy of air balloons, 379, 381.
ARSENIC. See CAELS.

ASAPH St. Dean of, tried at Shrewsbury

for a libel, 206. Mr. Erfkine's speech
in his defence commended, 207.
ASIA, the great scene of revelation, 438.
ATMOSPHERE, inftrument for measuring
the weight of each ftratum of, 485.
ATTERBURY, Bishop, extracts of his
letters to Bishop Trelawney, 42. His
bigoted averfion towards the Diffenters,
44. His account of the order in which
the Gospels were written, 47.
ATTRACTIONS, elective, 309.
AUGUSTUS, the age of, compared with
that of Louis XIV. 553.
AUNT, etymology of, 174.

thod of guiding them by ears, 380, 391. BACON, Lord, his compofed behaviour

AIR, inflammable, produced from po-
tatoes by diftillation, 381. Means of
purifying air in fhips, 489. Enquiry
into the nature of inflammable air,
510.

AIR-PUMP, account of an improved one,
114.

AMERICA, ftates of, their conftitutions

particularly confidered, 372.
ANCILLON, M. a celebrated French
Proteftant, his flight into Branden-
burg, 519.
ANTIMONIALS, fulphurated, 305.

on the great feal being taken from
him, 33.

BANG, etymology of, 175.
BAPTISM, of infants controverted, 211.
236.

BENTLEY, Dr. vindicated against the
attacks of the late Editor of Manilius,
459-466.

BERGMAN, M. his death announced,
310. the note.

BERKSHIRE, Collections toward a pa-
rochial hiftory of, 35.

BERTHOLET, M. on the combination
of oils with earths, volatile alkali, and
metallic

metallic fubftances, 491. On other CAVALLO, Mr. his description of an