1797.] Defence of Mifs Seward's Translations. the pursuits of ambition or wealth, we are not furprised to see the competitors envious of each other, and feeking, too frequently, by infidious methods, to build fuccefs on the difappoint ment of a rival; and we are at no lofs to account for fuch a degradation of the human mind, where the end in view is not of a nature to elevate it: but in liberal fciences, where excellence is the object, one would imagine, that a fimilarity of purfuits would attach their votaries to each other, and that, for inftance, no one could be a genuine lover of the Mufe, without feeling gratitude and admiration for thofe who have fuccessfully cultivated poetry. Your correlpondent PHILOMUSE, has taken up near three columns of your Magazine, for December (p. 844) in ironically deploring the ignorance of the ancients, in the art of amplification, and has illuftrated his fubject by pointing out a comparifon between the Odes of Horace and the beautiful verfions of fome of them by Mifs Seward. Had Mifs Seward profeffed to give literal tranflations, her odes, beautiful as they are, would juftly have been liable to cenfure; and who that reads the letter of PHILOMUSE, could imagine, that to the firft of her tranflations, published in the Gentleman's Magazine for October, 1785, was fubjoined the following note: "Tranflations fcrupulously faithful are apt to be ftiff, vapid, and frequently obfcure, from the often irreconcilably different nature of ancient and modern languages, from local cuftoms, and allufions to circumftances, over which time has thrown a veil. Mifs. Seward, in her attempt to put a few of the Horatian odes into Englith verfe, of which the above (the ode to Barine) is a fpecimen, takes only the poet's general idea, often drawing it out into fuller expanfion to make the fenfe more clear, to bring the imagery more diftinctly to the eye, and in the MONTHLY MAG. No. XV. 187 hope of transfufing into her verfion from this celebrated poet, fomewhat of the fpirit of original compofition." If the object of PHILOMUSE were no more than an open and general cenfure of the modern practice of amplification, why does he point out Mifs Seward only, as an inftance of it? Why are not the justly-admired tranflations of Homer, by Pope, and many other fplendid examples, brought forward? and why are we again referred to Mifs Seward, in the middle of his letter, by "poetes" and towards the clofe of it, by "certain bands," in inviduous italics? It is univerfally agreed, that it is extremely difficult to transfufe the Horatian fpirit into any that difficulty, thould be our gratitude tranflation; in proportion, therefore, to to one whofe tranflations are eminently fuperior to thofe of all preceding tranflators: fuch, in my opinion, are Mifs better, and, perhaps, Seward's; but more impartial, judges than myfelf, will foon have the opportunity of deciding on this point, as Mifs Seward's tranflations of Horace are, together with her fonnets, now advertised for speedy publication. If PHILOMUSE poffeffes in poetry that brevity which he fo much admires, perhaps HE will have the goodness to give us the ftory of Flora, in limits not exceeding the original of Ovid; but, I fear, after his moft laborious compreffion of it, though we may perceive the beauty of the thought, that fuch quaint and epigrammatic concifenefs, in an English drefs, will not obtain any high commendation from the genuine lovers of poetry. I am, fir, your obedient fervant, Chefterfield, Feb. 5, 1797. A. S. For the Monthly Magazine. HOW many vols. folio, doth the Hif tory of England, by James Tyrrell, Efq. confift of-Befides three vols. folio, bound in four parts, the enquirer hath never met with any thing of this Mr. Tyrrell's, except a folio volume, entitled, Bibliotheca Politica; though the history was intended to comprize the whole time from the carlieft records, to The the death of William and Mary. first three volumes, in four parts, bring down the hiftory no farther than the death of Richard the Second; and they were published about the beginning of this century. 188 Prefent State of Literature in Italy. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, I HAVE now tranfmitted to you the continuation of my remarks on the prefent ftate of ITALIAN LITERATURE; and hope you will readily give place to it. I have reafon to believe, that the former article gratified a number of your intelligent readers. Unfortunately, I am compelled to extend it, contrary to my original defign, to a third paper, as the fubjects of Antiquities and Painting are of too much importance among the Italians, to be comprifed with in a narrow compafs. The prefent interefting fituation of Italian politics can. not fail, I conceive, to add fomething to the intereft of an article relating to the mental state of that country. BIBLIOGRAPHY. The rich libraries of Italy furnish a ftock of inexhauftible materials for Bibliography. The Catalogus Codicum S.culo XV, imprefforum, in Bibliotbeca Magliabeccbiana, has been lately completed, by the publication of the third volume, at Florence, by CAMBIGIANA, under the aufpices of the librarian FOSSI.Some part alfo of the riches of the immenfe collection of the Vatican, have been lately communicated to the public. The great care and diligence which SPALETTI Deftowed, in tranfcribing, with minute exactnefs, the famous manufcript of Greek Anthology, removed from the library of Heidelberg to that of the Vatican, are well known to the learned. The canon UDEN has just made a purchase of that copy, of the heirs of that learned abbé, on account of the duke of SAXE GOTHA. M. ADELUNG, nephew to the perfon of that name at Drefden, has alfo obtained permiffion, by tavour of cardinal ZELADA, to take copies of a great number of manuscripts, which may tend to throw light on ancient philofophy and German poetry. The first volume of this Collection will fpeedily make its appearance. TOPOGRAPHY. Among the fubj. Ets cultivated with the greatest fuccels in Italy, may be reckoned the defcriptions of particular ciries, families, foundations, and every fpecies of topography. To the Defcriptions of the Pontine Marthes, already published, of which the number is conferable, the abbeTESTA has lately added another, entitled, Leuere Pontine, (at Rome, by Salvioni, in 8vo. 1794). In thefe letters, which are eight in number, [March, the author opposes the notion, that the marthes were produced by volcanic caules, and demonftrates, in contradiction to FRISI, that the deficcation of them was a work undertaken by Cethegus, who made fome progress in the fame. He alfo advances feveral new arguments in fupport of a conjecture, which he formerly hazarded, that Terracina is the city of Lamus, where Ulyffes landed. A writer, named MAGALOTTI, in a late werk, has attempted to prove, that Terni was not a colony, but a municipal town of the Romans (at Fuligno, by Tomaffini, in 4to. 1795). ANGELO FABRONI has published, at Pifa, the third volume of the learned hiftory of the academy of that city, Hiftoria Academic Pifance (by Mugnani, 699 pages, in 4to. 1795). And lastly, the family of Storza have at length met with an hiftoriographer, in the abbé RATTI (Della Familia Sforza, at Rome, by Salomoni, 2 vols. 4to. 1794 and 1795). The first volume gives the hiftory of the men, and the fecond, that of the women of the family. The counts DE SANTA FIORA are at prefent the fole descendants of the Sforzas of Lombardy, formerly fo renowned and flourishing. BIOGRAPHY. A work has been published at Florence, by the Chevalier BALDELLI, intitled, Elogio di N. Macchiavelli (116 pages, in 8vo. 1795). The free and impartial method of judging affuined by this writer, although it cannot fail to inspire his readers with a good opinion of his underftanding, has drawn upon him a multitude of adverfaries. There has alto appeared, a Pa di L. Anato Seneca, lib. iv. di Curl de' Rimini. Acad. Florent. (at Roveredo, by Marchefani, 358 pages, in Svo. 1795). This is an ordinary production, interlarded diffufely with paffages from Seneca, and void of genuine criticifm. The author has not even perufed the Effai de Diderot, which handles the fame fubject. £797-] Prefent State of Literature in Italy. In this clafs of writing, the Viaggio fur Reno e ne fuoi contorni, by the A bé BERTOLA, claims fome notice. (At Rimini, by Albertini, 181 pages, in 8vo. 1795.) It confifts of forty-fx epiftles, and is embellished with a chart of the course of the Rhine, as far as Duffeldorf, and with feven views of the country contiguous. The amateurs of poetical defcriptions (bien bourfoufflées) plentifully eked out, will here meet with a fufficient quantum of that fort of entertainment. The profe is every now and then interlined with little ftanzas, as well as with geological and mineralogical obfervations; fuch, however, as we conceive will neither fuit the taste of the Vulcanifts, nor of the Neptunists. A tranflation has been made into German of this picturefque voyage to Manheim, of which it may be predicated, that the copy outstrips the original. SYSTEMS OF LEGISLATION. Two publications have appeared on this fubje&, treating of the fuperior advantages which a Monarchy poffeffes over the Republican form of Government. One of thefe is by the canon MARTORELLI, and is intitled: Della Monarchia, Trattato filosofico politico, in cui fi demonfira, ch'efia e la forma di governo la più utile all' umana Societa. (At Rome, by Giunchi, in 4to.) The other is by AMAгI, a lawyer of Ferrara, and is fatitled, De Origine & Natura Politicarum Societarum. (63 pages in 4to. 1-95.) POETRY AND THE BELLES LETTRES. Thefe branches of literature, no longer produce in Italy fuch rich fruits as formerly: not but that numberless poetical effufions are every day ushered into the world, under the titles of Rime, Canzoni, Sonetti, Dittirambi, and Eglogbe, written by Arcadians and Non-Arcadians; but what patience would fuffice to enumerate even the names of thefe ephemeral verfiners! BACEANTI has publifhed at Mantua his Canzoniere; the chevalier GORGALLO, at Naples, his Verf (at the royal prefs, 307 pages in Svo.) The Abbé CRICO, who wrote formerly his Paftorali and Pifcatori, has 189 lately fent abroad fome pieces, intitled, Eglegbe rufticalı (at Treviso); and, lastly, FR. GIANNI, his Porfie, at Pavia. None of thefe productions rife above the standard of mediocrity. Poetry is, in Italy, for many perfons, fo to fpeak, an affair of health, and is reforted to for an occupation of the mind, like any other natural excrcife of the body. This is well known to have been the cafe with the celebrated Metaftafio Pafoeroni, in confiderable estimation for fome years paft, for his poem of Cicerone, publifhed at Milan, in 1794 (by Agnelli) the ninth volume of his Rime (in 8vo.) and although he is now a Nonagenaire, is about to entertain the Italian public with more pieces of the fame kind. Since the appearance of Merové, by MAFFEI, the works of the Italians relative to the DRAMA, are, for the most part, circumfcribed within the narrow circle of the ancient Greek tragedy. Little account is now made of the Tragedia Cittadenisca, although the academy of Padua made it the fubject of a prize in 1789, and the Abbé MENEGHELLI took great pains to panegyrize this kind of writing, in his Differtatione Sopra la Tragedia Cittadenisca (1795). Rossi's performance, intitled, Del moderno Teatro com co Italiano, e del fuo Reftauratore C. Goldoni (at Baffano, by Remondini, vol. i.) is not devoid of merit; we are indebted for its publication to the Adunanze degli Arcade. The Abbé DALMISTRO is publishing a complete edition of the works of Count Gafpar Gozzi (Opeve in Verfi e in Profa del Conte G. Gozzi). At the end of last year, eight volumes of this work had been printed (at Venice, by Palefe, each volume containing about 400 pages, in 8vo.) In the first volume, we have the life of Gozzi, by Pindemonte; then follow the tranflation of Horace's fatires, and other fugitive pieces. The volumes iii. and vi, contain a feries of effays, under the name of Offervatore Veneto, fomewhat in the manner of Addifon's Spectator. The 7th volume contains an allegoric_romance, called, Il Mondo Morale. 8th The is filled with tranflations from fragments of Chryfoftom, Libanius, Cebes, &c. The volumes unpublished are to contain the tranflation of Longinus. Many of the tracts of this writer (very popular among the Venetians) were grown out of print the cheap price, however, of this new edition, will render its acquifition eafy to all. [To be concluded in our next.] Bb 2 To To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, IT will afford me pleafure to fee the following mifcellaneous obfervations, on the Operation of Manures, circulated in your Publication: poffibly, fome of your chemical and experimental correfpondents may throw fome new light on the fubject; — a more useful difcuffion, you doubt efs will admit, with me, cannot be brought before the public. It is well known, that vegetable and animal manures will not contribute to the growth of plants, until they become putrid; in which state they yield the phlogiftic p.inciple, and are more or lefs valuable and efficacious, in proportion to the quantity of phlogifton they con tain. It is for this reafon, that animal fubflances, which poffefs the phlogiftic principle in greater abundance than vegetables, are better manures. All alkaline and abforbent earths are generally confidered as manures; but their action, in promoting the growth of plants, is very different from putrid vegetable and animal fubftances. Every alkaline or abforbent carth attracts an acid in proportion to its strength. When thefe earths are perfectly uncombined, they are cauftic; but when faturated with fixed air, they become quite mild. Fixed air is ftrongly attracted by all abforbents, and is an acid, the qualities of which are totally different from all others; when combined with abforbents, it becomes neutral. Dr. PRIESTLEY hath fhown, that vegetables contain a large proportion of nitrous air, which is a modificat on of nitrous acid and he has alfo proved, that animal fubftances (the far excepted) contain none of this nitrous air; but that in them a portion of fixed and inflammable air is found. Vegetable acid is a powerful antifeptic, and mus be expelled before the fubftances that contain it, can become putrid. The effect, therefore, of an addition of alkaline fubftance, or abforbent carth, to a mass of vegetable matter, is that of uniting with this nitrous air, which counteracts the putrefcent tendency of the vegetable fubftance; and when, by this union, the acid is thus extracted by thefe abforbents, putrefaction immediately takes place. Pulverifed limeftone, without any calcination, is found to be a good manure, though lefs quick in its operation than [March, when calcined; and is alfo, by its weight, in proportion to its bulk, liable to be loft fooner, especially where they practife deep ploughing. There is great rifque in laying much lime on fallowed lands, where there is no vegetable fubftance for it to act upon, and acquire a certain degree of faturation before the feed is fown; yet a fmall quantity will quicken and promote the growth of the feed. Pulverization increafes fertility by increafing the furface to which nutritive principles in the air may more cafily attach themfelves. The different fpecies of manure contribute to the fertilizing of land, only in proportion as they introduce into it a quantity of fpongy powder, oleaginous particles, or active falt. The quantity of nutriment which a plant derives from the earth, is in proportion to the number and magnitude of its leaves. The fmaller and fewer thefe are, the lefs nourishment is drawn. The nutrition of vegetables is likewife moftly effected immediately by the leaves, which are the lungs of the plant. They not only ferve for raising the fap, concocting it, and difcharging its fuperfiuity, but are alfo a kind of roots, filled with delicately fine tubular vessels, that pump the juices from the air, and tranfinit them to the neighbouring parts. It is a vulgar error, to fuppofe, that moffes impoverish land. It is true, that, loving cold and moisture, it grows on poor wet lands; and becaufe fuch land, in that ftate, bears little elfe, it has been fuppofed, that mofs renders it barren :but the reverfe is. true. The roots of mofs feldom penetrate more than half an inch in depth, and therefore can draw little from the feil. Take away the mofs, and infead of having more, there will be lef grafs. The only way to improve fuch land, is effectually to drain it, previous to its being manured; grafs will then increafe, and the mois difappear. Few, if any, mofies are eaten by cattle. For fuch lands as these, when broken up, Patney barley is preferable to any other for it appears, by a paper in the Philofophical Transactions, for the year 1678, that this fpecies of barley was recommended to the Royal Society, as be, ing molt proper for cold countries, on account of its ripening within nine or ten weeks after it was fown. Manchester, Feb. 1797. CR. To To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, THE prefent critical ftate of public credit, naturally excites general attention; many have already experienced confiderable inconvenience from it, and the mere poflibility that the evil may increale, would be fufficient to prets it on the thought of every individual, from motives of perfonal intereft, as well as a regard to the general good. The crifis to which we are arrived, though it may juftly alarm and aftonith fuch as have been in the habit of forming their opinion of public concerns from the reprefentations of thofe who were interested in drawing a flattering portrait, has been long feared and expected by all who are throughly acquainted with the influence and tendency of the British fyftem of finance; and the only real fubject of wonder is, that the fpirit of industry and enterprife, fhackled and impeded as it has been by a fyftem of accumulating taxation, fhould have fo long fupported and preferved that fiction of opinion, called public credit, whofe ruin appeared the inevitable confequence of the folly and extravagance of its appointed guardians. Almost every perfon who has confidered the funding fyftem, has admitted that its natural confequence muft, fooner or later, be its own deftruction; even its moft zealous defenders allow, that borrowing money on repeated mortgages of the public revenue, muft, ultimately, ruin any nation, unlefs an adequate fund is affigned for paying off the debt by degrees, and thus preventing its conftant accumulation; in fact, no truth can be more evident, than that there must be a limit, beyond which the public revenue cannot be increafed, though it may be difficult to fix, with precifion, the utmoft poffible extent to which this appropriation of a part of the general income of any nation may be carried. Upon the funding fyftem, every war mut, if the exertions are equal to thofe in the preceding, inevitably exceed it in expence; and this may be the cafe, even if the exertions are lefs, for every loan being attended with additional taxes to pay the annual intereft; these taxes muft directly tend to increase the price of fome particular article, or indirectly influence that of many; in either cafe, the fubfequent expences of government, which, in fome fhape or other, include thefe articles, must be increased, even on the peace establishment, but much more 191 in a future extenfive war. The diminution of the produce of our taxes, upon the conclufion of the American war, arifing from the ceffation of the demand for a variety of articles, upon which government actually paid the taxes they received, affords a ftrong proof how much the expence of war is affected by taxation; and as this muft increafe in a greater proportion in each fucceffive war, it is evident, that the loans required muft likewife increase in amount, and, confequently, the debt be perpetually augmenting, till individuals become fearful of advancing money to the government, from an apparent impoffibility of railing the revenue required to pay the intereft, and fupply the other expences of the ftate. Our prefent fituation, however, does not immediately refult fo much from the deficiency of the public revenues, or the amount of the debt, great as it is, as from the enormous increase of our paper money, and the want of a fufficiency of coin to fupport it. Gold and filver being the general reprefentatives of the value of labour and commodities, and paper-money, merely an engagement to pay a certain quantity of these metals, the value of the latter will always depend upon the certainty and facility with which it procures the former; for the expectation of being able to convert paper fecurities into money, is the only ground upon which individuals will purchafe them, and whenever a difficulty arifes in this refpect, they must fall in value; on the first introduction of loans to government, under the fanction of parliament, an engagement was generally made to repay the principal; but about the year 1696, when the deficiency of the revenues frequently caufed the intereft due to the public creditors to be long in arrear, and delayed the repayment of the principal, exchequer-tallies and malt-tickets, were fold at not lefs than from 30 to 50 per cent. difcount, the confequence not of an apprehenfion that parliament would neglect to fulfil the conditions of the loans, but of the difficulty of procuring money for thefe fecurities. The fcarcity of cash during the recoinage then found neceffary, continued this depreciation of papermoney, and in the following year, banknotes were at a discount from 15 to 20 per cent. though it had appeared, by an account delivered to parliament, that the company were capable of anfwering all demands upon them. Several inftances could |