Page images
PDF
EPUB

attempts are numerous, but success is rare. Though the subjects of these poems are very different, being both religious and amatory, an obscure and cold mysticism reigns almost equally throughout: the art employed is too apparent to suffer us to see any trace of profound or genuine sensibility. In truth, we should reduce to very small collections, all these lyric productions of the Italian poets of both sexes, if we retrenched the forms of expression which have grown trite; such as golden hair, necks of alabaster, sparkling eyes, inflamed hearts, and the stars, and Aurora, and zephyr, all the common places, in short, of exotic mythology. Those are true poets, who know how to substitute for this verbiage, or, at least, to mix with it the warm expression of some original sentiment or thought; and this is a merit which cannot be allowed among the Italian poets, to any but Petrarch, Guidiccioni, sometimes to Costanzo, and almost always to Tasso.

The extreme utility of the volume of which we have given an account, consists in pointing out the poems which still remain highly interesting, and in giving an instructive analysis of those, the reading of which would be of no advantage.

ART. XIV.-Notoria.

Mr. Walsh's Appeal from the Judgments of Great Britain, respecting the United States of America,' part 1. It is owing to an accidental disappointment, that the present number of this Journal does not contain a full and particular notice of this highly interesting work. The subject, however, will not very soon become stale, and shall be our theme on a future occasion. Meantime, we are happy to learn from the publisher, that a second edition is in preparation.

Salt as a Manure.-A pamphlet, showing the advantages of salt as a manure, for arable and pasture lands, has recently been published, under the auspices of the Philadelphia Society for the promotion of Agriculture, and on the recommendation of its President, by Messrs. M. Carey & Son;-at whose store it is for sale. The information which it contains, is worthy the attention of all agriculturalists, and the very reasonable price for which it is sold, should be an additional recommendation.

Agricultural Almanac.--To the same society, we are soon to be indebted for an Almanac of the year 1820, intended

for the use and benefit of farmers. The well known agricultural experience, and literary talents of the Curators of that society, give assurance of the utility and elegance of the work.

New Law Books.-Among the recent publications, are announced the 15th volume of Tyng's Massachusetts Reports, 4th of Wheaton's Reports, and the first of Reports of Cases ar gued and determined in the Circuit Court of the United States, for the third Circuit.' By R, Peters, jun. Esq. and a second edition of Moore's Digested Index, with additions, by J. E. Hall, Esq.

Fine Arts.-One of the disadvantages under which our artists have laboured, has been the difficulty of procuring canvas, well prepared for painting, and the necessity of importing all their canvas for large pictures. Mr. M'Cauley, floor-cloth manufacturer of Philadelphia, has recently obviated this difficulty, by preparing it of any size, and of a quality far superior to that which can be procured in Europe.

Parisian Journals.-There has been for sometime established at Paris, a Hermes Romanus,' in the Latin lan

guage, from which foreigners, the most distant conversant with Latin, might deduce favourable ideas of French literature, manners, and power. A rival to this Journal, is now on the point of appearing in the Athenæum,' to be printed in the Greek language, and designed chiefly for circulation in the Greek Islands.

Coloured Snow.-It appears by the Giornale di Fisica, &c. that a shower of red snow fell in Carniola, in the nights of the 5th and 6th of March, 1808. On the same night, a shower of snow, of a rose colour, fell over the surface of Carnia, Cadore, Belluno, and Feltri, to the height of twenty centimetres. The earth was previously covered with snow of a pure white, and the coloured snow was succeeded by other of a pure white; neither were the two kinds mingled together, but remained perfectly distinct, even during liquefaction. When a portion of this snow was melted, and the water evaporated, a little finely-divided earth, of a rosy colour, remained, not attractable by the magnet, and consisting of silex, alumine, and oxide of iron.

The same phenomenon happened at

the same time in the mountains of Valtelline, Brescia, and the Tyrol. This snow was of a red or blood-rose colour, and was underlaid and covered with white snow. Its colour faded gradually until it was dissolved. On the same evenings, of the 5th and 6th of March, 1803, a shower of red snow fell at Pezzo, at the extremity of the Valle Camonica. It was preceded by a very violent wind on the 5th.

On the evenings of the 14th and 15th of March, 1813, coloured rain and snow fell over a very large extent of country. Red rain fell in the two Cala. brias, and on the opposite part of Abruzzo, the wind being at east and south-east. Snow and hail of a yellow red colour fell over all Tuscany, with a north wind. Red snow fell at Tolmezzo, the wind being at north-east, and in the Carnia Alps. And, finally, snow of a brownish yellow colour fell at Bologna, the wind being south-west.

An Electrical Man.-Dr. Hartinaun of Francfort, on the Oder, has published in a German Medical Journal, a statement, according to which, he is able to produce at pleasure, an efflux of electrical matter from his body towards other persons. You hear the crackling, see the sparks, and feel the electric shock. He has now acquired this faculty to so high a degree, that it depends solely on his own pleasure to make an electric spark issue from his fingers, or to draw it from any other part of his body. Thus in this electrical man, the will has an influence on the development of the electricity, which had not hitherto been observed, except in the electrical eel.

Paper from Beet-Root.-A. M. Sinisen has published at Copenhagen, an account of a series of experiments which he has made for ascertaining the practicability of manufacturing paper from the pulp of beet-root. As a proof of the success of his experiments, he has printed his work on paper manufactured from this material.

Education.-From a statament made

by Mr. Brougham, in the House of of schools for the whole of England is Commons, it appears that the number 4,800, and the number of children educated at the endowed and unendowed schools, comprehending day schools, is about 700,000. The number of day schools is 3,500, and the number of children educated there is 50,000, leaving 650,000 for the number educated at the endowed and unendowed schools throughout England.

Sweden.-The universities of Sweden are in an excellent state. In the beginning of the year, the whole number of pupils was 3,485. The expense to government is about 70,000 pounds per annum, a great part of which is for the support of poor students. There are 45 printing presses in Sweden, 16 of which are in Stockholm. The number of Journals amounts to 46, of which eight appear in the capital.

ERRATA. In the number for October, page 318, 6th line from the bottom, for infuse, read insure.-Page 327, line 4th from the bottom, for elasticity, read chastity.

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRAKY

ASTOR, LENOX AND
TILDEN FOUNDATION.

[graphic][ocr errors]

THE

ANALECTIC MAGAZINE.

DECEMBER, 1319.

ART. I.-Excursion from Edinburgh to Dublin.

[Continued.]

Ayr, April 16, 12 P. M. W VE had taken seats last night in the coach for this place, which was to leave Glasgow early this morning; but on rising, just in season for our departure, an accident, somewhat humorous, though vexatious, interposed unexpectedly an obstacle. It was one of those mistakes which result from the inattention and negligence of others, and reminded me of the common-sense maxim of Dr. Franklin. If you want any thing done, go yourself; if you do not, send;' a principle which, though rather safer of application in my own country, will serve very well, if occasionally remembered, in this. As it was deemed expedient that either my companion or myself should proceed forthwith to Ayr, in order to secure seats in the public coach for Port Patrick, on the following day, and that the other should continue behind to correct the mistake, and complete some desired arrangements; a turn of king George's head decided the question of remaining, in favour of myself; and it was determined accordingly, that I should follow in the afternoon's coach. I did not regret the detention, as it gave me an opportunity of seeing a few objects in Glasgow, which I had previously neglected. Several of my friends, learning my delay, called to proffer the hospitalities of their respective families; but these I declined accepting, as I was unwilling to repeat leave-takings. They attended me, however, to the Roman Catholic church, a recent Gothic structure of some merit; to some singeing machines, so called, where the finest gauze is prepared, and receives its finish by being drawn over a red-hot cylinder of iron; to an ingenious mechanical apparatus, driven by a steam engine, where linen cloths are passed through all the stages of dressing, from a state of prime roughness to final packing;-(and the whole for the moderate average price of nine shillings sterling, per parcel of 24 yards,) and to the lecture room of Dr. * * * *, a gentleman much skilled in chemistry, who politely exhibited his apparatus, and performed several curious and entertaining experiments with gas.

[blocks in formation]
« PreviousContinue »