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licy, and plant, in and about that plot of ground, called the Play-field, belonging to the town, where comedies were wont to be acted of old, near the well of Spaw, and a life-rent leafe thereof was given him. He was to build and plant upon it, and to fortify it against the violence of fpeats, [floods] all on his own charges, and at his death, it was to belong to the town. [MS. extracts from the records of the city of Aberdeen.] It feems he improved it to excellent ad

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vantage. Jamefon built a fummer. houfe of timber in his garden, which he adorned with painting, which was much admired in that time. But, of this, there is not now [1750] the least veftige. That spot of ground, which lies low to the west of the well of Spaw, Woolman, or Woman Hills, is now a bleaching-green. Formerly the ftudents at the grammar-school played there at the butts, and the victor got the filver arrow, which was kept in the fchool. [MS. Notes.]

PRESENT STATE OF LITERATURE IN ITALY.

From the Monthly Magazine.

IT is well known, that in Italy,eve. ry city entitled to any confideration, is provided with academies of natural history, of architecture, antiquities, and poetry; an obfervatory, a gymnafium or inftitute, &c. and that the greater part of thefe focie ties publish their memoirs, containing the refult of their inveftigations at regular and flated periods. Thefe collections, however, are for the moft part circumfcribed, more or Iefs within the limits of their own vicinage, and are feldom or ever known to pafs the Alps. In fact, the whole flock of Italian bibliography, if we except the libraries of Venice and Baffano, is rather tied down to a narrow retail bufinefs, than exported in a productive intercourfe with foreigners, or even expanded into a refpectable internal circulation.

Literary Journals.

On the fame account it is, that the Italian literary journals are neither able to give a competent account of the periodical productions of their country, nor even to fupport themfelves for any length of time. Thus, the Efemeridi di Roma, the Novelle Litterarie di Firenze, the journal published every month at Venice, by Anglietti, and the Giornale di Pifa,

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by Fabroni, three or four volumes of which are generally published in the courfe of every year, have experienced in their progrefs a number of interruptions, fo that it is, and has been, exceedingly difficult, and especially for foreigners, to procure com plete fets of any of thefe works.The Giornale della Litteratura Itali ana, printed at Mantua, and the Efemeride Encyclopediche di Napoli, are the publications the moft to be depended upon with respect to the regularity of their appearance. This last work, however, chiefly furnishes. original pieces, although it also gives, occafionally, fome announcements and critiques on new publications. Of the former work, a volume (the fifth) appeared towards the end of the year 1795.

Till lately, a volume, divided into two parts, was published every three months; by a new arrangement, however, two volumes only are now published in a year, that is, one every fix months (price 18 paoli, ready money.) It is not poffible that this journal, although by far the moft complete of any, fhould be able to prefent a fatisfactory analyfis of all the new literary performances which appear in the courfe of the fame year; it gives, however, a concife, prelimi

nary

nary notice of them, at the end of every year.

Memoirs of Societies:

Among the memoirs of literary bodies, thofe of the Florentine focie ty of Georgiphiles deferve an honour able mention in this place. The active Leopold infufed a new fpirit and life into this ancient inftitution; under his aufpicious encouragement, the fecretary was enabled to draw forth and arrange a prodigious mass of materials, which had been forty years in accumulating, and to publish fome of the most interefting. The first volume of these memoirs appeared under the patronage of Leopold, in 1791. A fecond was published laft year, by Pagani, under the title of Atti della Real Societa Economica di Firenzi, offia di Georgofili, in octavo. It comprises the years from 1783 to 1789, inclufive. It is faid that a third volume is now in the prefs, which is to bring the labours of this fociety down to the prefent year, and will comprehend two eulogies, the first on Targione-Tozzetti, and the second, on Monetti; thirteen memoirs, among which, two of the chymift Hofer, a learned German, refiding in Florence, and one of Tozzetti, on the different materials requifite for the manufacture of paper, &c. are the most remarkable; and a number of extracts.

The Societa Italiana, of Verona, of which the chevalier Largua, a diftinguished chymift, is the prefident, published last year the feventh volume of its Memorie di Mathimatica e Fifica, (at Verona, by Ramanzini, in a quarto of 511 pages, with feven cuts,) confifting of twenty-two memoirs. There is a curious letter of Caldani in it, (profeffor of medicine at Padua) on the fubject of two pretended hermaphrodites; alfo a hiftory of the Kermes, and of the ufe made of it in the middle ages; and a differtation on the knowledge

which the ancients had of the fexual fyftem of plants, by Roffi.

Since the announcement, by Spallanzani, of the difcovery of a fixth fenfe in bats, which, with thofe animals, is a fubftitute for fight: all the naturalifts of Italy are, if I may ufe the expreffion, in clofe purfuit of this organ. The volume I last men tioned, contains a memoir of Dr Borvicini, which announces a fimilar difcovery in fnails.

In Verona, is another academy of agriculture and arts, a fuccinct history of whofe tranfactions is published annually, in the form of a programme, by the Marquis Alexander Carlotti. It is printed by Moroni, under the title of Storia dell' Academia di Agricultura, Commercio ed arti di Verona. In the fame city was publifhed, laft year, a pamphlet of twenty pages, in 8vo. entitled, Offervazione Meteorologiche, Mediche, ed Agrarie fatte in Verona, nell' anno, 1794.

The literary fociety of Belluno has announced the following question, as a fubject of the prize (twenty-four fequins) to be adjudged at their next general meeting: What mode can be adopted, likely to prove the moft efficacious, in reconciling and harmonizing the Italian Puriftes, furnamed Crufcanti, and the modern Neologifts?" For a number of years paft, a new edition of the dictionary della Crufca has been preparing at Florence, on principles more comprehenfive, than formerly. The new verbs, fiftere, eanalizzare, tefteggiare, illeggradrire, remareare, riaffittare, till now the tumbling block of the Crufcanti, are here cordially admitted and naturalized.

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Aftronomy.

The best Obfervatory in Italy, is that of Bofcovich and De La Grange in the ci-devant College of Jefuits, called la Breza, at Milan. Schaffer, in his Letters on Italy, lately publifhed (Briefe auf einer reize durch

Italien

Itahen, vol. ii. page 206) gives it the preference even to that of Greenwich. An interesting description of it is alfo to be met with in a Voyage to Lombardy, by the Spanish Abbe, Juan Andres, published at Madrid, in 1793, under the title of Cartas familiares del Ab. 7. Andres, a fu harmano, C. Andres, a work, in other ref pects, worthy of mention, and particularly for the accuracy of its def criptions. The Ephemerides Aftronomica of Milan, begun in the year 1775, have been continued up to 1795. The title of the laft volume is, Ephemerides Afronomica, Anni 1796, ad meridianum Mediolanenfem fuppedi. tate. Accedit appendix, cum obfervationibus & opufculis, Mediolani, apud Galeatium (in 8vo. 218 pages.) The Abbés Reggio, Cefaris, and Oriani, are alternately editors, of this work, and enrich it with remarks and occafional differtations.

Next to the Ephemerides of Milan, we may rank the Tavola delle Efemer. Aftron. calcolate col mezzagiorno di tempo medi nel meridiano di Roma, ad ufo della fpecola Gaetani, published at Rome, by Fulgoni 1795. This obfervatory, conftructed at Rome, by the Duke Di Simonetta Fr. Gaetani, on the fummit of his palace, is now under the direction of the Abbé Veiga. P. Audefredi has given a description of it in his Travels,

Phyfics, &c.

Among the original productions on the fubject of the mathematics and phyfics, the continuation of the Ele menti d'Algebra, by Profeffor P. Paoli, of Pavia; the fecond volume of which (in 4to. 378 pages) appeared at Pavia, at Mugmani's The Fonda. menti della Scienza Chimico Fifica, by Vin. Dandolo, at Venice, at Pepoli's, 1795, in 8vo. 528 pages; and the Annali di Chimica e Storia Naturali, Ovvera Raccolla di Memorie, fatta da L. Brugnatelli, are chiefly entitled to notice. The 7th and 8th volumes of

this laft work (each of 330 pages, in 8vo.) were printed at Padua, in 1795, and are not unknown in other countries, especially to the amateurs of animal electricity. Caldani, Morelli, Valli, Carradori, in conjunction with the editor, defray the principal char ges of it.

It is well known, that at the eruption of Mount Vefuvius, June 16th, 1790, there fell out of the air many ftones, of confiderable fize, on the coaft of Sienna. This fhower of ftones has given occafion to a number of polemical writings relative to it. Befides the paper of the Abbé Saldani, that of Dominico Tata, published at Naples by Nobili, under the title of Memoria fulla Pioggia di Pietra, (74 P• in 8vo. 1794) and which affumes that thefe ftones were generated in the air, has met with a moft favourable reception from his countrymen.

Medicine.

The recent productions on the fubjet of Medicine do not feem to be very interefting. Monteggia, who tranflated the works of Fritze, on the venereal malady, has also published his own obfervations on this disease, under the title of Annotazioni sopra di Mali Venerii, at Milan, 1794, in 8vo. Strambio has republished his former Memoir on the Pellagre, an endemic diforder peculiar to the inhabitants of the Milaneze, with confiderable additions. (At Milan by Bianchi, 1794, in 8vo.) The Oeconomical Society of Verona, among other Memoirs which they have crowned, have published, Illuftrazioni della Terme di Caldiero, nel diftritto Veroneze. (At Verona, by Guiliari, 1795, in 4to.) The phyficians Bon giovanni and Barbieri drew up the narrative, which they prefaced with a history of thofe Hot Baths, not a little interefting to the amateurs of antiquities and philology. A third edition of the Principes de l'Art des Accouchemens (Principles of the Art

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Many years ago, a rich attorney of Rome, Pafquale di Pietro, fent to Paris, at his own charge, a young physician of great promise (Afdrubali) to be under the tuition of the celebrated Le Roy. Pafquale afterwards, with the permiffion of the Pope, founded a profefforfhip, for il luftrating the art of midwifery, at the Archigymnafium della Sapienza, at Rome, to the chair of which the fame Afdrubali was appointed. Two annual prizes were also founded by Pafquale, confifting of a medal of gold and another of filver, to be a warded to the pupils who should evince the greatest proficiency. Af drubali manifefted no lefs zeal for the improvement of the art, by taking upon himself the tuition of a number of female pupils, at the hofpital of St Roch. As a laft inftance of his public fpirit, Pafquale found. ed a school for the instruction of deaf and dumb perfons, devoting much of his own time to the duties of the inftitution. The Elementi di Oftetricia, lately published at Rome, by profeffor Afdrubali, in two volumes, in 12mo. with cuts, may be farther confidered as the fruit of Pafquale's zeal for the improvement of midwife1y. This work is more popular in

Italy than even the Lezione di Oftetricia, by Valle, and demonftrates Afdrubali to be equally confummate in the theory and practice of his art. His Felvimetro digitale, which he describes in the 35th page of the first volume, is particularly deferving the attention of the faculty.

Count Francis Bonzi, of Rimini, who diftinguished himself, in the year 1751, by feveral Tracts on Veterinary Medicine, published, in 1794, the two firit volumes of an intended Vocabulary of this science, the letters of which, however, reach only to B. The work, when completed, is to contain at least twelve.

Scuderi, a physician of Naples, in fome repute for his philanthropic treatife on the Extirpation of the Small- Pox, published, in 1794, an Introduzione alle Storia della Medecina Anticha e Moderna, in 8vo. containing 274 pages. The author, to judge of him by this fpecimen, does not appear to be very familiar with the most modern medicinal works of Germany, and the other northern nations.

Theology.

In the department of theology. properly fo called, an habitual filence feems to prevail at present: even the bitter fource of polemical controverfy has been dried up for feveral years past. With difficulty has the ex-jefuit Zaccaria, (an Octogenary) been able to bring down to a ninth voIume his Raccolta di Differtazioni di Storia Ecclefiaftica, in Italiano o fcritte, o tradotte del Francefe. (At Rome, by Salomoni.) This work, begun in 1792, has brought the hif tory of the church no farther than down to the third century.

Pietro Paletta, a canon of Verona, has announced an accurate and detailed Hiftory of Herefies (Storia regionata delle Erefe) which is to be executed by the beautiful preffes of Guiliari.

Oriental

Oriental Literature.

In the department of Oriental literature, the Anneli Ebreo tipografici, of the Abbé Rossi (at Parma, in

ON

4to.) claims diftinguished notice. This work may be confidered as the continuation of the four volumes of Various Readings of the Old Teftament, published by the fame author.

ACCOUNT OF A VOLCANO IN THE CRIMEA.

(From the fame.)

N the 27th of February, 1796, about eight o'clock in the morning, on a point of land which lies a few miles north of Tamen, a fubterraneous noife, resembling thunder, was fuddenly heard to proceed from under a small mountain, fituated in the district of Putfche, in one of the islands of the Crimea. Soon afterwards, there was feen to arife from the fummit of the mountain, a thick column of smoke, which changed, after an interval of fome minutes, into fire, in the fhape of a fheaf, and retained this appearance for the space of half an hour. The mountain then began to throw out to the distance of a furlong, an argillaceous matter, and a number of ftones, in which a mixture of this matter was obferv. able.

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On the next day following, the whole furface of the ground lying round the mountain was found to be overspread with this new ftratum, reaching to a confiderable height, It was not until the third day, that the eruption entirely ceafed. During

this time, flames were feen to flash out at intervals, and a noife, not unlike that made by boiling water, was occafionally heard in the interior of the mountain. This phænomenon. (examples fimilar to which, according to Boccone and Howel, occur fometimes in Sicily) is the more re markable, as it ferves to throw fome light on the phyfical constitution of the foil of the countries wherein they are found. The circumftance may alfo be illuftrated by the obfervation, that a number of circular apertures have been noticed, for a length of time past, on certain eminences in the island of Phanagoria, and from thefe iffued, continually, a filthy fluid flime, which is, in many instances, blended with naphtha; an appearance which abundantly justifies the conjecture, that in the internal foit of the island, much combustible matter may be lodged. Former hypothefes made on the fubject of Volcanos, have certainly received fome additional confirmation from the cir cumftance of this recent eruption.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE FOURTH QUARTERLY SITTING OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, IN FRANCE,

Held on the 15th of Nivose, or the 5th of January 1797.

From the fame.

[For accounts of the Three former Sittings, and of the Plan, and Names of the Members, of this Establishment, fee Edinburgh Magazine for April, Novem ber, and December 1796.

DUCIS
UCIS was prefident of the fit-
ing. The fecretaries read the
Ed. Mag. March 1797.

memoirs of the last quarter, in their feveral claffes: Mongez in that of A a

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