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magnificent and celebrated collection belonging to Count Melzi, of Milan, has been lately purchased by Frank Hall Standish, Esq. and will speedily be removed to this country. Among other rarities of the fifteenth century, is the Livii Historia, Spiræ 1470, printed upon vellum, with capitals most exquisitely illuminated,-the only perfect copy known to exist; another is the Lucretius Brescia, Ferrandi. Mr. Dibdin enumerates in the third volume of his Decameron, the valuable books printed upon vellum belonging to this collection.

Modern Greek.-M. Jules David, son of the celebrated French painter, after diligently studying the modern language of Greece, during his residence in that country, has published the results of four years' application and observation, in a treatise, entitled, Parallèle des Langues Grecques, Ancienne et Moderne in which he labours to prove that an acquaintance with the modern idiom is indispensable to those who would fully comprehend all the force and beauty of Homer and the other ancient writers. He has compared the ancient and modern idiom in a very ingenious manner, and elucidates many things in the former that had before been very negligently and superficially treated of, or even not at all noticed. Among these are, the theory of the Syntelie and the Paratasis, the collocation of words, and the structure of hypothetical sentences; on all which questions he has succeeded in throwing considerable light.

Antique Glass.-A cabinet has been opened at the Studij at Naples, containing a collection of various specimens of this material found among the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. This valuable assemblage of articles exhibits the greatest va riety both in forms and colours, and proves in the most satisfactory manner that the ancients were as well acquainted as our selves with the manufactory of this material, whether for articles of use or those of mere decoration and luxury. There are a great number of very curious cinerary urns, most of which are inclosed in vessels of lead.

Canova's Stotue of Washington-The artist has represented Washington as writing his farewell address. He is seated in an ancient Roman chair, with his right leg drawn up and his left carelessly extended; holding in one hand a pen and in the other a scroll; at his feet lie the baton of a Field Marshal, and a sword like the ancient Roman faulchion. The costume is also Roman, the head and neck bare, a close vest and bracca, with a girdle round the waist, upon which are displayed Medusa's head and other classical emblems. The statue is of white marble of the finest kind, as is likewise the pedestal, upon the sides of which are four bas-reliefs, commemorating the following important circumstances in the life of the hero, viz. his taking of the Ame

rican armies the capture of the British army at York-town-his resignation of all his public trusts-and lastly, his retirement from public to private life and agricultural occupations. This is acknowledged by all connoisseurs who have seen it, to be one of the most felicitous productions of Canova's chisel.

Italian Literature. The fashion of publishing books annually under the title of almanacks, so long and so extensively prevalent in Germany, is now much in vogue in Italy, where there now appear a great variety of these pocket-books, each devoted to some particular subject. Many of these relate to the Theatre and Drama, and give an account of the new pieces that are brought out on the Stage. One of these, the Almanacco Teatrale has undertaken a series of descriptions and views of the various theatres in Italy, which it has commenced with the celebrated La Scala, at Milan, altogether perhaps superior to any of its numerous rivals. The pocket-book published by Villardi, of Milan, under the title of L'Ape delle Dame, is a species of compendium of natural history illustrated with very elegant plates. La Tersicore Milanese, another almanack by the same publisher, contains coloured plates of the principal female-dancers at the theatre La Scala-But an almanack far superior to any of its competitors, in taste, in the style and variety of its contents, and in its external elegance, is a collection of anecdotes, narratives, &c. entitled, L'Uomo in Conversazione, ossia una Raccolta di Novellette, Facezie, Motti, &c.—Molini, of Florence, has begun to publish a small edition of the most classical and popular writers of Italy, in the economical and convenient form of Walker's classics, and similarly embellished with frontispieces and vignettes. The first of this series is the Decameron, a most elegant specimen of typography, for the text of which the most correct and esteemed editions have been followed. Leoni, who has been so successful in his versions from many of our best English authors, has now completed six volumes of his translation of Shakspeare. Pompeo Ferrario has been less fortunate in his attempt to bring his countrymen acquainted with the Shakspeare of Germany, the powerful Schiller, for he has not only translated him in prose, but in many instances has given the sense of the original very vaguely and inadequately, or else has totally mistaken it.-Sonzogno, of Milan, has announced a most extensive and voluminous undertaking in a series of the Autobiographies of eminent men of every age and nation, from Flavius Josephus down to Goethe; ard such was the zeal with which he descanted upon the usefulness of such a publication, and the success it must necessarily meet with from a discerning public, that Bettoni, another

1821.1

celebrated Milanese publisher, immediately announced a similar project, to which he lays a prior claim, having notified his intention to commence such a work two years ago at Padua.-Professor Giovanni Gherardini, already known by his version of Darwin's poem on the Loves of the Plants, and of Schlegel's Lectures on the Drama, has now translated Sismondi's interesting and elegant work under the title of Litteratura Italiana idal Secolo decimo quarto fino al Secolo decimo nono.-The study of the German language increases very fast in the North of Italy. In the two universities of the Lombard Venetian Kingdom, and in its Lyceums and Gymnasiums, lectureships have been instituted for this purpose, and the students have gratuitous access to the lectures there delivered on the language and literature of Germany. At Milan there are about 500 German students, 200 in the two Lyceums, and 300 elsewhere; but the collective amount of the individuals in that city who are acquainted with German, and able to converse in, or read it, is not less than 5,000.

Spanish Literature.- Don Juan de Dios Gil de Lara, an officer in the Artillery, has translated Moliere's comedy of L'Avare, which he has illustrated with explanatory notes, but he has been by no means successfull in preserving the ease, spirit, and comic force of the original.-Don Antonio Savinon has been far happier in his version of Legouvé's interesting poem La Mort d'Abel, which he has rendered with both elegance and fidelity.-Another work on the list of translations from the French, is Louvet's notorious production, Faublas, which D. S. A. Llorento has selected as one worthy of being communicated to his countrymen. The reasoning by which he attempts to defend his choice of this work is suspicious and unsatisfactory: he asserts, that the popularity it has acquired among a nation so wise (sabia) as the French are, is a sufficient proof of its sterling merit; and would fain prove that the work contains within itself an antidote against the immora lity it appears to inculcate, in the moral reflections that are interspersed through it.But, unfortunately, moral reflections are not likely to make any great impression upon the reader of a voluptuous, narrative, and at the same time the shockso highly improing catastrophe is bable, that any one may justly flatter himself with being able to commit similar irregularities, and indulge in the same vices, without incurring the like consequences. The tone and colouring of the work is not that of a moralist, who would dissuade from vice, which the author paints as charming, and seems only to regret that it should be unfortunate. In short, the moral reflections would be attended to only by such persons as would not read Faublas, and Faublas will be read only by those who

skip over moral reflections as unpalat-
able and impertinent. Of other re-
cent productions, the principal ones are
political pamphlets, but none of these are
distinguished by that depth of thought,
vigour of expression, and comprehensive
acquaintance with the subject, necessary to
secure them an attention beyond that of the
passing day. Most of the journals are
continued, with the exception of the Con-
stitucional, the editor of which has been
taken care of by the Constitutional Govern-
ment, into whose views he does not ap-
pear to have entered. The paper contain-
ing a greater variety of information than
any other is the Universal; yet its long thea-
trical critiques are very prolix and insipid.
Among the monthly periodicals, the Re-
visor Politico y Literario, edited by Don
Manuel Monso de Viado, displays the
talent by which that writer has distinguish-
ed himself. Viado, who is a native of As-
turia, was educated at the University of
Oviedo, where he was preparing himself
for the profession of the law, when the war
breaking out against the French Republic
determined him to prefer that of arms. In
1805 he was appointed administrator gene-
ral of the crown tithes in the kingdom of
Granada; and on the invasion of the
French the Junta of that province sent him
as their deputy to Seville. By Joseph Buo-
naparte he was appointed administrator of
the estates of the crown in Jaen. He after-
wards crossed the Pyrenees with the
French, and remained some time in France.
Among the numerous works which he has
published, the most important one is a
translation of Robertson's America, with
critical and historical notes.-This year the
list of journals has been increased by two
new ones-El Christiano en la Sociedad,
and, Lus Decadas Medico Quirurgicas: the
objects of the latter are: 1. To inform both
professional men and the public in gene-
ral of all discoveries, and of every thing
relative to medicine and surgery, whether
in Spain or elsewhere. 2. To give an im-
partial account of opposite theories, dis-
cussions, &c. 3. To convey intelligence
respecting all endemic diseases; or, 4. ex-
traordinary cures. 5. Lastly, to communi-
cate miscellaneous queries and observa-
tions, and to give lists and analyses of all
medical publications appearing in Spain,
and the more important foreign ones.-The
Deaf and Dumb Institution at Madrid,
which is under the direction of Don Tibur-
zio Hernandez and the Economical So-
ciety, has had a public examination of its
pupils, which proved very satisfactory, and
excited much interest; yet the establish-
ment itself is not in a very flourishing con-
dition, in consequence of the exhausted
state of its funds, and the want of due
support from the public. It requires also
a building better adapted to the purpose,
and more spacious than the present one.--

El Romancero de Riego, por Don Benito Perez, will be gratefully perused by every admirer of an individual, who has recently become so celebrated. In these poems the author has imitated the lofty tone of the old romances in a very skilful and successful manner. The story of the unfortunate Cornelia Bororquia, which is well known to the readers of Langle's Travels through Spain, is given to the public in an heroic epistle, entitled, Epistola de Cornelia BoTorquia, a su Amante Vargas, escrita desde el Santo Oficio de Sevilla. The virtuous and beautiful Cornelia was the daughter of the Marquis of Bororquia, Governor of Valencia, and was publicly burnt at Seville. Her only crime was that of refusing the dishonourable offers of a powerful, but abandoned suitor. This wretch, when he perceived that it was in vain to expect to overcome her aversion, carried her away, and had her thrown into the dungeons of the inquisition; where, on

his offering violence to the victim of his guilty passion, she stabbed him with a knife.-El Remedio de la Melancholia, o sea Coleccion de Recreaciones Jocosas y Instructives, por D. Angustin Zaragosa Godinez, is a collection of anecdotes and facetiæ, resembling the generality of compilations of this nature. Juicios Atadas y Pensamientos sueltos, o juguete de Imaginacion en joco-serios Versos, Romances, y Letrilles, por Don Apolinar Ercilla, is another work professing to be amusing and facetious, but is destitute of the requisite spirit and wit.-The celebrated orator of the Cortes, D. Francisco Martinez de la Rosa, has published a pamphlet, in which he animadverts, with extreme severity, upon the policy adopted by the northern courts. Bignon's work on the Congress at Troppau, and Drunon's Essai sur les Garanties individuelles que reclame l'Etat actuel de la Société,' have each been translated into the Spanish language.

MONTHLY REGISTER.

ABSTRACT OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC OCCURRENCES. NOTWITHSTANDING the critical position which Russia and Turkey hold to each other, the great point of foreign political interest at present is Spain. Every movement in that country is of the most ominous import. The departure of the king from Madrid, in order to take the benefit of some mineral waters for his health, seems to have been the signal for the explosion of the popular discontent. Of this the club Fontana, assembled at Madrid, seems to be the focus; and a conspiracy, detected at Saragossa, is said to have originated in its machinations. General Riego, was at the head of this conspiracy, has been deprived of his command, and sent to retirement at Lerida. General Morillo, who was, it may be recollected, the General selected by the king to stem the revolutionary torrent in South America, from which country he has but lately returned, after having displayed powers which amply sustained the high military character he had previously obtained in the peninsular campaigns, has, however, been obliged to resign, in consequence of an universal outcry raised against him, because he attempted to repress the seditious songs of some ballad

mongers in the public streets. A mob immediately assembled, and it was with difficulty the interposition of the soldiery saved his life. The nomination of a new minister of war, in the person of Don Rodriguez, was very near bringing on a crisis. On the 4th of September the people assembled in immense multitudes in the Puerta del Sol, and demanded the instant return of the king to Madrid, the immediate dismissal of the French ambassador, the convention of the Cortes, and the removal of every suspected individual from the king's person. In the mean time the king has transmitted two answers to the capital, replying to addresses sent to him in, consequence of the tumults of the 4th. The first of these is to the permanent deputation of the Cortes, in which he expresses his regret that any discontent should follow the selection of his ministers; assures them that he feels all the inconveniences which emanate from any error in the choice of public functionaries, and that the good direction of affairs, and even the credit of the government, depend upon that choice; he goes on to say, that if his success has not been always

commensurate with his desires, which cannot fail to be sometimes the case in so difficult an exercise of the judgment, he has always had in view to select men the most conspicuous for their merit and their talents, because the consolidation of the Constitutional system depended upon the selection, as well as his own glory, which he considers as identified with the happiness of the monarchy, and the honour of the Spa nish name. In answer to the municipal body, he assures them that he will meet their desires by returning to Madrid as soon as his health will permit.

The negociations between Russia and the Porte have not assumed any new character. Immense Russian armies are assembled on the frontiers, preparing, it is said, to pass at the word of command into Moldavia and Wallachia. An imposing Turkish force is stationed on the banks of the Pruth, ready to act on the least hostile indication. The Emperor has set out on an excursion through his provinces, and, it is said, will, after inspecting the Cossacks of the Don, repair to the head quarters of General Wittgenstein, where the great question of peace or war will be finally decided. In the meantime, a letter of his to the Emperor of Austria, upon this subject, has been put into active circulation,-its concluding sentence is as follows:"My mother is for war, my brothers are for war, my cabinet is for war, -but-I am for peace, and I will prove that I am Emperor."-There are some pacific manifestations also shown on the part of the Ottoman government; the free passage of the Dardanelles was again allowed to vessels laden with corn, and, if they chose to unload at Constantinople, the government price was 8 piastres, which had been formerly 9. The Grand Seignior has also issued a very important proclamation to all the Turkish civil and military authorities. He expresses great regret, that in consequence of the recent insurrection, the popular indignation has not sufficiently discriminated between the innocent and the guilty; and orders, not only forbearance in future, but even protection to be extended to all the Greeks not actually implicated. This, at any

time a great concession from a government never very remarkable for its tolerant principles, cannot be looked upon, at the present crisis, in any other light than as a most pacific overture. There is nothing new on the part of the Greeks.

The United States of America have at length received what they were so long struggling for,-the actual cession of the Floridas from Spain. By a proclamation from General Jackson, dated the 17th July, 1821, those provinces are declared to be under the American dominion, to be exercised, pro tempore, in his person. He says that the inhabitants shall be incorporated in the union of the United States, as soon as may be consistent with the principles of the federal constitution, and admitted to the enjoyment of all the rights, privileges, and immunities, of the citizens of the United States; that, in the mean time, they shall be protected in the free enjoyment of their liberty, property, and the religion they profess; and that all laws and municipal regulations, which were in existence at the cessation of the late government, shall remain in full force. The General concludes by enjoining an obedience to this change of government, which will not be very much disputed, unless the people of the Floridas held the Spanish government in better odour than either those of Venezuela or Madrid seem to do. This cession was the consequence of protracted, and, at times, rather angry discussions; and America seems very fully to estimate its importance.

The return of the Queen's suite has brought us the details of her Majesty's interment at Brunswick. The procession seems to have been received with marked respect in all the continental towns through which it passed. The Queen's remains were deposited in the royal vault at Brunswick, by the side of her gallant father; and at the foot of the grave is the coffin of the late Duke, her brother. There was no funeral service; but a very beautiful prayer was pronounced, at the burial-place, by the Rev. Mr. Woolff, the offi ciating minister of the place. When her Majesty was deposited in the tomb, one hundred young ladies, of the first families in Brunswick, ad

vanced and strewed the place with flowers; after which ceremony, they knelt down upon the spot and, after a short prayer, departed. Thus ends the eventful history of Queen Caroline!

His Majesty has arrived in town, in high health and spirits, from his Irish excursion; and by the time this meets the eye of the reader, he will, in all probability, have met the welcome of his German subjects. His protracted stay in Ireland seems not at all to have exhausted either the hospitality or the enthusiasm of the people of that country. A series of balls and banquets enlivened his sojournment; and his departure has been followed by a subscription, already amounting to 10,000l. in order to commemorate his gracious visit by some national testimonial. A grand triumphal arch and an emerald crown are at present spoken of. The King departed from the town of Dunleary, which he desired might be henceforth called King's Town, and its adjacent harbour, the Harbour of George the Fourth. As the King was about to embark, a deputation from Dublin presented him with an address, accompanied by a crown of laurel. His Majesty appeared highly delighted; and thus emphatically answered the deputation: -"Gentle men, I approached your shores with pleasure I leave them with regret may God Almighty bless you all."He then embarked; and so strong, we had almost said fiery, was the loyalty of some, that four gentlemen actually plunged into the water, and swam after the boat in order to shake hands with him, which they did. It has been said that these gentlemen expected to be made Knights of the Bath. Upon the King's departure, Lord Sidmouth wrote a letter to the Lord Lieutenant, thanking him, in his Majesty's name, for his attention, and recommending unanimity and oblivion of all party differences amongst the people in future. A highly desirable consummation, if it be attainable. The King experienced much stormy weather on his homeward voyage, by which he was at last forced, contrary to his previous arrangement, to put into Milford Haven.

At a Court of Proprietors, held

during the last month at the Bank of England, the chairman made a very important communication with respect to the metallic currency. It was, that the issue of specie was by no means confined to the payment of either one or two pound notes; but that the holder of a note to any amount, however large, might get, upon application, its full value in the current coin of the realm. We are sorry to say, however, that he also announced the total failure of the long cherished and humane project of producing a bank note, incapable of being imitated except at such an expence as to deter from the attempt. The Bank failed, a few days ago, in the prosecution of one of their clerks, Mr. Turner, accused of having defrauded them of no less a sum than 10,000l. The fraud, as alleged, was one of extreme ingenuity. Upon the acquittal of Mr. Turner on the first charge, the Bank voluntarily abandoned three other bills of indictment which had been found against him.

The inquest on Honey has ended in a general verdict, imputing manslaughter to the persons who acted. In fact, the verdict is of such a nature that no person can be arraigned on it. A subscription was entered into, at the suggestion of a ministerial paper, for such of the life-guards as were injured in this unfortunate conflict, which a committee of the regiment very constitutionally and properly refused. Its amount was but trifling; and its progress and its issue show that both the public and the military concurred in its condemnation.

The Queen's funeral has had a very serious issue, with respect both te Sir Robert Baker and Sir Robert Wilson. The first of these gentlemen has been obliged to give in his resignation as chief magistrate of police, which office is held by Mr., now Sir Richard Birnie; and Sir Robert Wilson has been erased from the list of the ariny; he held the rank of Major-General. Sir Robert Wilson, who is at present in Paris, has addressed a letter to the Commanderin-Chief, demanding a public inquiry into his conduct.

Parliament has been further prorogued to the 29th of November.

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