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in 1986. Sir William Hamilton's defeription has been already published in the Philofophical Tranfactions.

M. Dolomieu weit first to the island of Ifchia, which is not ftrictly one of the Poncia Infulæ, though near to them. It is yet burning: fulphureous vapours and mineral waters are common; but the island is fertile and inhab ted: the husbandmen may be faid literally to tread on ashes ftrewed over an infidious fire.' The two first of the Poncia Infulæ are called Pendata ria; the largest, Ventotiene, was anciently diftinguished by this name, and was the place of the banishment of Julia. It is wholly formed of tufa, of immenfe thickness, without any laminæ or divisions of any kind. In this tufa the port as well as the ancient and modern grottos are hollowed out. But no crater can be found; and, vaft as the mafs of tufa is, this island can only be confidered as the fragment of another volcano, which has been deftroyed by time, and the gradual incroachmenis of the fea. This infidious power has already attacked Ventotiene; and our author calculates that it will be wholly covered in a hundred and fifty years. It is inhabited by about two hundred people. The foil is fertile; but the winds, from whence probably it has its name, are often fatal to the harvests. Ponza is alfo truly volcanic, and already covered in part by the fea. In it are found bafaltes, which M. Dolomieu, after Bergman, thinks are always owing to the cooling of the lava in water. Zanona contains a volcanic mafs, refting, as we have feen it in other places, on calcareous earth; but the union of these two fubftances of fuch different origin cannot be traced, as the island is covered with thick wood.

The productions of Etna our author divides into those immediately produced by the fire, as lavas, pumice-stone, &c. Secondly, thofe formed during the tranquillity of the volcano, as falts, fulphurs, and bodies which are attacked by fulphureous matters. Thirdly, thofe which owe their origin to a flow decomposition, by the infiltration of water into the cavities; thefe are zeolithes, calcareous fpars, quartz, &c. Fourthly, those which have an indirect relation to the volcano, and be. long rather to its ancient history than to its inflammation. The eruption of Etna on the 17th of July, was from its crater, which is not common, for the matter ufually finds a lateral vent, after the mountain had been quiet fix years. The height of the flame was estimated at 500 toifes (3184 English feet). The great torrent of lava ran four leagues. Mr. Swinburne has told us, that the canon Recupero was confined for having faid that the world had lafted 20,000 years; but we find, from M. Dolomieu, that this is a mistake, and that the good ecclefiaftic has fuffered no other inconvenience than that of feeing his creed and orthodoxy attacked in M. Brydone's Travels.'

The flower changes in the state of the earth, from encroaching or retiring feas, we have always carefully pointed out: one remarkable memoir only occurs to us of this kind. It is in

titled,

titled, Enquiries on the following queftion; has the fea changed its place, and its progreffive level, in the extent of coaft between Saugate and Frizeland?' This question relates to the fize and extent of the Zuyder Zee; and our author, with great labour and fufficient accurracy, examines the defcriptions of Cæfar, and the earlieft geographers. From their accounts he concludes, that the fea did not cover this extent of coast two thousand years ago, for he follows Velleius Paterculus, who has told us, this country was inhabited 150 or 200 years before the conquest of Cæfar. From other authorities he thinks it probable, that there has not been at least any increase of the land, by the depofition of earth, for 2000 years. He then en quires how far natural history fupports this conclufion. The ground is black, fpungy, and light, a mixture of fand and clay, with broken fhells, of the fpecies which is found on the coafts. Wells have been funk at Dunkirk, to the depth of 314 feet; and at Amsterdam of 232 feet. At Dunkirk, the first 105 feet confifted of very different ftrata, forming confufed males of earth and fand of different forts, mixed with flints, grit, broken and rounded pieces of chalk. It teemed composed of the rubbish of the higher ground, with the remains of vegetables and animal substances, particularly thells, almost in their na tural state. The next 209 feet contained no foreign body, either mineral, animal, or vegetable. It was a bed of very fine brown clay, fome parts of which were retrified, and formed very hard kernels like flint, fuch as are in the coal mines of Hainault: in fhort it appeared to be the continuation of that vaft bafe which is extended through Flanders and Hainault. At Amfterdam the rubbin ends at 99 feet, and the clay extends through the rest of the space; but the defcription is imper fect. Our author afterwards examines different parts of this coaft, and finds no analogy in the compofition, or the time of formation between the ftrata on the inundated ground, and thofe on the ground above: yet the fuperior ftrata are fimilar; and the bafe is the fame. From thence he concludes, that they are not produced by the fucceffive and continued operation of the fea. The fuperior marine ftrata are, he thinks, all of the fame æra; and there is no evidence of the progreffive finking of the fea for 20co years paft. He next endeavours to answer the remarks of naturalifts, who have been of a different opinion; but he then confiders the question generally, and seems to contend, that the fea has not changed its level at all. Of this there certainly can be no evidence; for we can only show that the fink ing of one part of the globe has compenfated for the rifing of another: the fea cannot have one general level, før, under the tropics, it must be raised not only from the centrifugal force, but from the dilatation of the water by the heat of the fun. If the author means to limit his queftion to the pot mentioned, and to the period of 2000 years, fo often repeated, we may admit his pofition. The fuperior ftrata were evidently formed before the fea had burst through the Straits of Dover, and fince

that time they have probably not greatly increafed, for the eddy has been evidently on the oppofite fhores, where gravel and marine bodies have been found at four times the depth which has occurred at Dunkirk or Amfterdam. The height of the ground would, therefore, throw the water more towards the coast of Flanders, aud propel the fea, as our author fufpects, really on the land.

While we are confidering this progreffive ftate of the land, we must not overlook M. Hennicke's Memoir on the African Geography of Herodotus. It obtained the prize of last year, and contains many curious circumftances refpecting the different nations of Africa, their fituation, their mountains and feas, particularly the northern part, and Egypt, which Herodotus has run over fo far as Sienna. He treats alfo of their productions, their manners, and their climate. The inhabitants of Africa are derived from two principal fources, the Lybians, among whom, after the Egyptians, are counted the inhabitants of the northern coafts, as well as of Sahra; and the Ethiopians, which comprehend not only the fouthern countries above Egypt, on the two branches of the Nile, towards the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, but the nations bordering on the Niger, and thofe of the western coafts fo far as the equator. The country to the well of mount Atlas, which Herodotus was well acquainted with, from the Pillars of Hercules to the country above the Solois, probably Cape Cantin, was inhabited by Lybians, whofe peculiar names Herodotus feems scarcely to have pointed out. Of thofe to the cast of Atlas, fo far as Heptonomia, he has mentioned five different wandering tribes, who five ten days journey from each other, between whom the fouthern tribe of Garamantes are placed. In Lower Egypt, M. Hennicke has deviated from D'Anville, who is faid to have often mistaken the position of different towns, which Herodotus had determined from their relative fituation to the branches of the Nile. Yet much caution fhould be used when these relations are transferred to modern times, on account of the revolutions which have taken place in the face of the country. With refpect to the fituation of Memphis, he agrees with M. D'Anville; and, in his tables of latitudes and longitudes, drawn from the different paffages of Herodotus, he does not greatly differ from D'Anville and Pococke.

M. Henze's Effay on the Ancient History of the Circle of Franconia, and particularly of Bayruth, must be noticed in this place. The first part of the work has, however, only appeared, and it treats chiefly of the Sclavonians, who poffeffed a great part of the principality. Their having poffeffed it is not only proved by cotemporary authors; but by the manners and customs, and even the names of different places, which they have left. They have left alfo fomething more important, a fpirit of industry, no contemptible fyftem of agricul ture, and a knowledge of the management of bees. Their converfion

converfion was flow; it was completed by erecting the bishop, rick of Banberg, under the emperor Henry II.

M. Nau's Memoirs, fubfervient to the natural history of Mayence, has been published in French and German; at least two numbers have already appeared, comprehending a defcrip tion of the fishes, the amphibia, and the birds, The first number of Memoirs, fubfervient to the natural hiftory of Walachia, appeared also at Tubingen, in the courfe of latt year. After giving an account of the different maps and engravings fuitable to his purpose, the author, M. Roefler, follows the Necker, and the rivers which flow into it, fo far as its mouth, at Steinlach, near Tubingen. In this order the hiftory and the defcription of the falt-works at Sulz, on the Necker, occupy the greatest part of this number. The fulphureous fources of Schwenningen; the whirlpools at the fource of the Necker are alfo examined. Wood-forrel is fo common in this country, that a furgeon is faid to have feparated many quintals of the falt. Near Bodelfhaufen, a village where much flax is cultivated, it iş faid that near two thirds of the lake Buzer is drained. The Obfervations on Walachia and Moldavia,' publifhed in the courie of last year, are of no little importance. These countries are lefs known than America; so that the author, who relided there near eleven years, and has collected what he could meet with of confequence refpecting their civil and political hiftory, has been well employed. The work is published at Naples, and appears to be truly valuable; but the name of the author is concealed.

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If we proceed beyond the furface of the earth, we shall find two works which deferve to be mentioned. The Elements of Subterraneous Geometry,' by M. Duhamel, are very ufeful. They treat of the veins of minerals, and their fituation in the earth; of trigonometry applied to afcertain the direction of thefe veins, and the conduct of the miner, of the conftruction of plans and profiles, with figures and tables, which, without any calculations, fhow the value of the two fides of a rectangular triangle, whofe hypothenule is known. We have announced this work; but hase yet received only the first volume. If poffible, when it is completed, we fhall give a fuller and more fatisfactory account of it.

The only other work that remains is M. Patrin's very valu able Memoir on the mines of Siberia. It contains, however, much that is only interefting to the practical mineralogist, and much that belongs to the chemical department: we fhall extract what chiefly applies to the fubject of our present article. The mines of Siberia are divided by nature into three departments, placed at a great distance from each other. The first, or that nearest Europe, is ftyled Katherinebourg: it is at the entrance of Siberia, on the eastern ridge of the great chain of the mountains Oural, where it occupics in length an extent of an hundred and fifty leagues, parallel to this great chain, which extends

R 3

extends from north to fouth, between the 75th and 80th de gree of longitude, from the icy fea to beyond the 50th degree of latitude. It produces a little gold, much copper, and an immenfe quantity of iron. The plains, which accompany the Ourlic chain, on the western fide, abound in copper, which is in horizontal ftrata, mixed, in fmall males, with gravel and exotic plants. This is not the only inftance of almost the whole of Ruffia having been once under the fea. The fecond depart ment is that of Kolyvan, five hundred leagues to the east of Katherinebourg, between the Obi and the Irtifh, about the hundredth degree of longitude, in the centre of Siberia, and in the hills which form the first steps of the chain of mount Altai, feparated from the Oural mountains by a plain of four hundred leagues in extent. The Altaic chain extends from weft to east, and divides Siberia from Chinese Tartary. Thefe mines produce annually 60,000 marks of filver, which contain about of gold. There is a little copper and no iron. The third department is that of Nertchinfk, feven hundred leagues to the cast of Kolyvan, between 135 and 140° of longitude, and from 50 to 53° of latitude. Thefe mines are in the Daourie, the most eastern part of Siberia, beyond the lake Baihal, between the Chilka and Argoun, which foon unite to form the Amour, that falls into the Eastern Ocean. They give annually 30,000 marks of filver, contained in lead; the filver holding part of gold.

FOREIGN

ARTICLE.

Memoires de M. le Duc de St. Simon, fur le Regne de Louis XIV. fur les premiers Epoques des Regnes fuivans. 3 Tomes. 8vo. Londres. Marfeilles. Mofly, Pere & Fils.

T

HOUGH London appears in the title page, thefe volumes are evidently printed in France; but from the freedom of fome of the obfervations, it was perhaps too dangerous to al low of its being regularly publifhed in that kingdom. The fplendor, the magnificence, and the political influence of the court of Louis XIV. will, however, render it an object of importance, and we receive with pleafure the remarks of an eye-witnefs, after having been fo long peftered with indecent publications, under the titles of Secret Memoirs, &c. &c.

Voltaire, in his Age of Louis XIV. and la Beaumelle in his Memoirs of Madam Maintenon, have made a judicious choice of the most curious anecdotes, and the best authenticated facts of that reign; but they have omitted many of equal importance and interest; nor have they profited by the Memoirs before us, which were long circulated and well known in manuscript. With an auftere manner and no common franknefs, the duke was, we apprehend, often deceived; but we perceive that, in

general,