This faculty obtained in 1741, of Elector Frederic Augustus II, king of Poland, the exclusive privilege of creating poet's laureate. Connected with the Philosophical Faculty are (a) two ordinary professors of the new foundation, (b) 23 extraor dinary professors, and (c) 25 habilitated masters, of whom, however, only nine at present read lectures, Besides these public and private teachers, there are also appointed six teachers of the French language, one teacher of the English, and one of the Italian language; a riding master, a fencing master, two dancing masters, and eight teachers of mathematics, mechanics and drawing. Each of these four faculties, when a professorship becomes vacant, proposes three candidates, out of whom one is chosen by the elector through the medium of the consistory and the privy council. But, in order to be qualified for being admitted one of the candidates in case of a vacancy in one of the faculties, a private lecturer must be either a habilitated master, or an extraordinary professor, or doctor or bachelor in the faculty. The principal requisite for promotion consists in the dignity of master and the qualification subsequent to it, because no private lecturer that has not obtained it, is permitted to read public lectures. The bachelors in law, may indeed, read lectures, but cannot be proposed by the faculty for promotion to a professorship. The masters in the philosophical faculty, who have taken their degree either at Leipzig, or elsewhere, must qualify themselves for promotion by defending a latin disputation. A Magister Lipsiensis always has, on this occasion, a respondent, and is permitted to dispute only in the morning from 9 till 12 o'clock, without paying a fee, whilst a Magister extraneus must pay 30 doilars to the philosophical faculty, in order to be permitted. to dispute either from nine till twelve o' clock in the morn ing without, or from two till five o'clock in the afternoon, with a respondent. A private lecturer, who, by having thus publicly defended a disputation, has acquired the liberty to read public lectures, may apply to the faculty for promotion to an ordinary as well as an extraordinary professorship, provided he have previously been created bachelor in theology; whilst in the juridical and medical faculty the candidate must first have taken the degree of Doctor: but in the philosophical faculty every qualined master may apply for promotion. The collective body of the ordinary professors of the old foundation in the four faculties, constitutes the collegium professorum, the head of which the rector Magnificus is. This council transacts in its meetings, all matters that concern all faculties facultics in common, and deliberates on subjects concerning the general interest of all professors. Dependent on the council of the professors are: (a) The charitable committee for which one Professor out of each faculty is annually elected. (b) The censorate of books, and the library of the university. (c) The archives of the university; and (d) The publishers of the almanacs that are annually published at Leipzig. The concilium decemvirorum is, in some respect, a committee of the college of professors, and consists of the rector, the decanus of the philosophical faculty and the two head professors of each faculty. This council superintends the repairs of the buildings of the university, the revenues and expenditure of the Paulinian college, &c. &c. One of the Decemvirs also has the inspection over the Convictorium. He fills the vacant places at the electoral tables, controles the steward, who provides the provisions, and descides all complaints exhibited against him. The Convictorium; at present consists of 184 tables, viz. eight electoral and ten family tables. At each whole table, twelve persons dine and sup every day, which, with six people who are fed at the table, makes the whole number of persons, who daily are provided with a good dinner and supper, amount to 222. At the electoral tables, a person pays weekly about eight pence, and at the family tables some are fed gratis, and others pay no more than about four pence. There is also another foundation of the same kind established by the count de Hoenthal, where from twelve to thirty students are dined gratis every day. Besides these establishments for the benefit of poor students, there are also 150 stipends of 30 rix dollars each, annually paid for four years to young people, whose abilities and good conduct are sufficiently attested. These and other advantages, enjoyed by the students, together with the politeness of the inhabitants, and the charming situation of Leipzig, have, at all times, attracted a great number of students, among whom were many princes of the German empire. The long continuance of the war has, however, reduced the number of students to about 1000. P. W. To To the Editors of the German Museum. Stirling, Nov. 12. 1800. CONGRATULATE you upon the excellent manner in which the German Museum is conducted, and I hope it will be your constant endeavours to remove the bar which some fanatics have attempted to throw in the way of mental illumination. I find the impositions of Abbe Baruel and Robinson have had such an effect upon the minds of the reading community, that it will take some time to subvert the fabric which they have erected; for here in the North, the very word illumination conveys perfect horror to the mind, and he who professes himself a friend to mental illumination, is branded with the name of plotter against the state, and an underminer of morality and religion. Such are the effects of too easy credulity in the testimony of men, who sacrifice truth, and the welfare of human kind, to their own dark designs and mad-brained projects; but reason will force its way through an host of bigots, jesuits, and fanatics. I have subjoined a free translation of Gessner's Picture from the Flood; should you think it worthy a place in the Museum, the insertion of it will gratify me: I call it free translation, for I was struck with the sublimity of the subject, that my imagination would not be fettered, perhaps it is not improved by it, but of this I leave you to judge. A PICTURE FROM THE DELUGE. ALREADY were the marble towers deep, under the flood, and mountainous waves rolled on the summit of the hills. One elevated summit alone reared its solitary head above the world of waters, its wave-dashed sides teemed with the last remnants of creation. The conflict of elements drowned the cries of the wretches, who goaded by despair, clambered towards the summit, and at whose heels death followed riding on the waves. Here an hillock tore itself from the mountain, and with its burthen of death-devoted creatures, precipitated itself into the foamy flood; there, collected waterspouts, in an irresistible torrent dash'd away the son dragging the almost lifeless body of his father towards the summit, or swept away the disconsolate mother, bending beneath the weight of her children. VOL. II. Մ The The summit yet reared its head aloft amid the war of waves, desolation carried on the lightenings flash, and speaking in the thunder, called together all the furies of the storm, to vent their rage on the expiring remnants of the world. Semiu, a noble youth, to whom the fairest of maids had sworn eternal love, had saved his beloved Semira on this summit. Solitary they stood in the howling storm, amid the anarchy of elements. The ruthless waves had glutted themselves on all creation besides. The foamy waters rushed towards them, over their heads the thunder growl'd, under them roared the raging sea; an horrible darkness reigned around them, broken at times by the lightening's livid glare, to shew the horror of the scene; every cloud threatened horror from its black brow, every wave rolled itself over with thousand cones, rolled on through the storm, in search of prey. Semira pressed her beloved to her trembling heart, tears rushed down her pale cheeks; she said in a tremulous tone, all hopes of deliverance are flown, O my beloved! my Semiu! we are surrounded by roaring waves, each bearing the mandate of death; O desolation! O misery! Nearer and nearer death strides towards us-which of these waves, O which will be our grave? Hold me-hold me in thy trembling arms, O my beloved!-soon, soon shall I be torn from thee, and plunged in the universal wreck-soon, my Semiu, my beloved, than be no more.-Now, O God, yonder it rolls towards us; how horrible! it rolls nearer- that the lightening's fires were quenched, that it might be hidden from my view. Now, O God, God-my judge-she spake, and sank on Semiu's bosom. His trembling arm encircled his half animated Semira, his quivering lips were silent, he saw no longer the desolation around him, he saw only his beloved leaning on his. bosom, and felt all the agonies of death. He kiss'd her pale cheeks, besprinkled with the cold rain, pressed her closer to his bosom, and said :-Semira, my belov ed Semira, awake, return once more to these scenes of horror, to bless me with one look-to hear once more from thy pale lips, that in death thou lovedst me-once more ere the merciless flood dashes us asunder. He spake, and she awoke-bent her eyes beaming with tenderness, and inexpressible grief upon him, then directed them to the scene of desolation. O God, my judge! she cried; is there no deliverance? Hast thou no compassion for us? Oh! how the waves dash around us! how the thunder yet roars! what terrors announce revenge unappeased. O 2 God, God, our years have been those of innocence. Few are the sins recorded in thy book, of this my beloved youth;-woe woe-in death's cold arms they be all, who deck'd my life with a thousand joys-all, all gone down, and thou, thou who gavest me mine existence-Oh agonizing sight! the merci less waves tore thee from my side, in death thou didst not forget me.-I saw thine arm outstretched towards heaven, a blessing hovered on thy lips, the waves rolled over thee. Ah! they are all, all gone down: and yet, O Semiu-Semiu, by thy side the solitary desolated world would be a paradise; O God, our juvenile years were passed in innocence. Oh! is their no deliverance? no compassion? O my afflicted heart, what say'st thou? Pardon me, my Father-we die-what is the innocence of man before thee? Semieu supported his beloved, who tottered with the blast, and said, too true, my love, hope is extinguished from the earth, no groan of a mortal now is heard, mingled with the howl of desolation; O my beloved, my dearest Semira, the approaching moment is our last, all are flown the hopes of this life are gone; every blissful prospect which we paint ed to ourselves in the transporting hours of our life, is dim'd; we see death approaching with hasty strides, already he encompasses our trembling ancles; but let us-let us not await the general fate as if our days had been passed in sin. We die, and O my love, what would be the longest, the most joyful life; a drop of dew which hangs on the rock, and before the morrow's sun falls into the ocean. Let not thy spirits fail thee my beloved, in this dread moment. There is another world of bliss and eternity, let us not tremble at our approach to it. He who made us is ready and willing to forgive. O my Semira, thus in each others arms, let our fate o'ertake us. Death, my beloved, is only terrible to the wicked, to us he ought to appear as a friend. Soon, my Semira, soon our souls will soar above this desolation, in inexpressible bliss they will soar aloft to their maker. O God, this is my souls ar dent wish. Come my Semira, let us raise our hands to our God. Shall the mortal presume to direct him? him who breath'd the breath of life into us, and who sends death to the just and the unjust; but happy for him who has trodden the path of virtue. We ask not life, great Creator, take us, Ọ take us to thyself; but enliven that hope, that blissful hope of an inexpressible felicity, which no death disturbs. Then roar ye thunders, howl thou desolation, roll over us ye waves. Praise be to him on high! praise be to him the just! Oh! may he be the last thought of our souls before they quit their clayey tenenments. Courage and joy embellished Semira's beautiful |