Vol. III. 1. Hiftorico-critical effay on the Ritus Ambrofians. 3. Of the great privileges formerly poffeffed by the inferior clergy of Milan, in ipiritual and ecclefiaftical matters. 5. Of the different names and kinds of fchools and confraternities, which formerly exifted in Italy, and particularly at Milan.

The Fourth Volum, confifts chiefly of pieces relating to ecclefiaftical affairs, and which are likewife in a great measure confined to Milan. Of these, the two laft appear to be moft deserving of notice; in the firft of which an account is given of fome alterations that took place in ecclefiaftical penance in the middle ages; and the fecond treats of the right granted to thofe of the Cifterian order of being judges in their own causes. Giorn. enciclop. d'Italia."

HOLLAND.

ART. 77. Beknopte Bechryving der Ooftindifche Etablissementen door Ary Hayfers. Tweede Druck vermeerderd en verbetend. Short Defcription of the East-Indian Settlements, by A. Huyfers. Second Edition, augmented and improved. Amsterdam, 442 pp. 8vo. As we have never happened to meet with the first edition of this work, we cannot pretend to determine what advantage this new one may poffefs over it. The author, who had formerly been in the fervice of the Eaft-India company, has here given a concife, but clear account of their different fettlements and factories, both on the continent, and in the Indian islands. In addition to what has come under his own obfervation, he has had recourfe to the papers of the General Governor Maffal, of which the Abbe Raynal is known likewife to have availed himfelf in his defcription of these fettlements. What Mr. Huyfers here lays before his readers concerning their productions, trade, revenue, &c. is unquestionably much more fatisfactory than what others had before communicated on the fame fubjects. Still, however, this work must be confidered as incomplete; the author not having in this fecond edition taken advantage of the new and copious materials, contained in fome of the laft volumes of the Zaaken van Staat en Orlog, (affairs of state and war) and other modern publications of a fimilar kind.

Notwithstanding thefe objections, this work will certainly be found very useful to thofe who are defirous of acquainting themselves with the ftate of Dutch India; as it is interfperfed with a variety of of notices and obfervations, which we do not recollect to have met with elsewhere. Batavia makes the first part of it, which is, howe ever, not immediately followed by the other provinces belonging to the company in the island of Java, as might from their fituation naturally have been expected, but this comes at the end after the defcription of the Cape of Good Hope, fo that we are obliged to go through the whole before we can learn what part of Java properly appertains to the Dutch. In the fame manner is the order in the other fettlements inverted, and the reader forced to accompany Mr. Huyfers, fometimes to the continent, and then directly to the moft

remote

remote islands. The population of Batavia, which in the different accounts has been very differently calculated, is by our author ftated much higher than by any of his predeceffors, namely, about 110,816 fouls, exclufive of women and children. According to him there are fettled here 468 citizens of European descent, and 23,309 Chinese. The clove-trees are cultivated in Ambonia, in four thoufand gardens (Doeffons). Of these trees no one is allowed to poffefs more than 125. In good years this government produces 150,000 cwt. of cloves, whilft in fome years fcarcely any thing is collected. In 1778, the company depofed two of the most powerful kings of the Moluques, thofe of Tidor, and Balchian, who died in prifon, in Batavia and Ceylon. The principal factory of the company in Sumatra, is Palembang, on the eaftern coaft of that ifland. It received from thence annually 20,000 hundred weight of tin, chiefly from the island of Banca, where the Chinese have ten of these mines. Notwithstanding all the restrictions to which it is fubject, the trade with Japan is very profitable. By the imports from Batavia, which confifted of fugar, fpices, quick-filver, cotton, &c. the vulue of which amounts to half a million of gulden (florins) they ufually clear about 106,000 florins, whilft the expence of fubfifting the different officers at Dafima, as that of the annual embaffy to Yedo, was in the year 1779, 96,356 florins; on the exports, particularly on tin from Japan, of which the companies fhips generally bring back 10,000 hundred weight, the profits are ftill more confiderable. They purchase the Picol of 125 pound on the spot for thirty-one, and fell it again in and about Malabar for, at lealt, ninety florins. To Canton four Dutch fhips carry, according to our author, 1200,002 florins in ready money, which export, however, in the company's account, Is ftated at 1600,000; that this company has, in a great meafure, given up its factories in Bengal, as alfo on the continent of India, and on the western court of Sumatra, having left the trade to private merchandize appears to have been unknown to Mr. H. That of opium in Bengal, which in the eaftern iflands is reckoned to be very lucrative, is in the hands of a private company. A cheft of opium of 125lb. weight, which including all the accidental expences, cofts this company only 792 florins, is fold again in Batavia for. 1383 florins. The company therefore intend to resume this trade, though the profits are in fome degree dimifhed by the English, who contrive to furnish the islanders with opium at an inferior price. Since the Nabob of the Carnatic has reduced under his power, the fmail kingdom of Marawar, and the company has had difputes with him concerning the pearl-fithery at Tutocoryn, they have been forced to give up that filhery. Moft of the company's Indian poffeffions, coft them more to fupport, than they return in taxes, profits of trade, and other advantages. To this clafs belong the ipice-iflands, Ceylon, the Cape of Good Hope, and even Batavia itself. In the year 1779, the whole Indian revenue of the company amounted to 5,293,072 florins, whereas their disbursements were not less than 6,882,794 florins.

Of the fupplemental articles, which, indeed, conftitute the greatest part of this work, we fhall attend only to the two laft, No. VII.

and

and VIII. The first contains the depofition of a fellow-traveller of the well known Beniowski, who died in Batavia in 1772. His name is Hippolitus Stephanof, a native of Mofcow, who had acted as deputy of the Nobieffe for this province, on a public occafion; and was, in 1770, on account of a violent conteft with a respectable perfonage, hanithed to Kamtfchatka. His flight from this country is here defcribed nearly in the fame manner as in the Travels of Beni. owki, except only in regard to the murder of the governor, which he does not mention. Their object was to reach Guam, one of the Ladrone iflands; but after having encountered a number of difficulties, they arrived fuft on the coaft of Japan, and afterwards at Formofa, from whence they proceeded finally to Macao. Here the writer quarrelled with Beniowski, whom he calls Benef, and [reprefents him to have been a public impoftor; and, after a variety of misfortunes, went at laft to Batavia.

The other article ftates the number of civil and military perfons employed in the fervice of the Dutch Company in 1777. The whole amounted to 21,855, of whom 11,162 belonged to the army. In Ceylon the fervants of the company, of every defcription, were 5300, in Ternate 847, and in Japan 12. In the whole of their fettlements the number of ecclefiaftics fupported by them, was 132, with 332 phyficians and furgeons. Algem. Vaderl. Letteroefn.

ART. 78. Joannis Voet commentarii ad pandeñas tomus tertius, ejufdem commentarii continens fupplementum, auclore Joh. van der Linden J. U. D. et coram utrâque Hollandiae curiâ caufarum patron. Selia prima a Lib. I. XII. pandectarum. Utrecht. 178 pp. in Folio. We are informed by Mr. v. d. L. that he had propofed to himself three objets in the execution of this work; firft, to corroborate the opinions of Voet by the authority of later writers on the subject of jurifprudence; fecondly, to make fuch important additions, as the labours of fubfequent commentators on the Pandects might supply; and, thirdly, to refer, on every occafion that might offer, to those Dutch ordinances and flatutes, which have appeared fince the time of Voet. To the performance of the laft part of this plan, Mr. v. d. L. feems to have been more peculiarly competent, at leaft, there is an evident want of unity and method in the former parts, which may indeed be charged in fome degree to the nature of the work itfelf, to which the author had undertaken to write a fupplement.

GERMANY.

Ibid.

ART. 79. Hefiods Schild des Herakles, nebft den Schilden des Achilleus und Eneas, von Homer und Virgil. Metrisch verdeutscht, mit dem Original begleitet, und erlautert van I. D. Hartmann, Doctor der Philofophie, &c. Hefiod's Shield of Hercules, with the Shields of Achilles and Aneas, by Homer and Virgil; tranflated into German Verfe, with the original, and illuftrated by I. D. Hartmann, &c. Lemgo, 1794, 8vo.

Of the poetry of this verfion we cannot fpeak very favourably. The notes, however, fhow the author to poffefs no common fhare of ingenuity, and philological erudition. Gott. Anz.

ART.

ART: 80. Briefe des Herrn von Wurmb, und des Herrn Baron von Wolzogen auf ihren Reifen nach Afrika und Oftindien in der Jah ren 1774 bis 1792.-Letters of Mr. de Wurmb, and the Baron de Wolzogen, on their Travels in Africa and the Eaft-Indies, between the Years 1774-9z. Gotha, 1794, 432 pp. in 8vo.

The letters of Mr. de Wurmb, who died in Batavia, 1781, extend to p. 276 of this volume. From the Bar. de Wolz. who ftill refides as an officer in Batavia, we may expect ftill further accounts of that country. When Mr. de Wurmb travelled, in the year 1774, through the islands of Cape Verde, no rain had fallen there for three years, and the mifery of the inhabitants furpaffed all defcription, p. 48. In Batavia the moft neceffary articles of life are uncommonly cheap, whilft every thing that is imported from Europe is proportionably dear. To a man of ordinary condition, the expence of a full meal will not usually exceed four deuts, equal to about fo many pence. But a bottle of beer can feldom be purchafed under half a ducat; and an European officer, who pays the ftricteft attention to œconomy, can not expend less than eighteen florins daily, pp. 127, 420. The chief expence, as well as the chief inconvenience, in life arifes there from the number of flaves which Europeans find it neceffary to keep. In houfes of only moderate appearance from fifty to fixty flaves are ge nerally fupported, who, our author fays, on account of their natural stupidity, are not equal in point of real ufe to five or fix of his countrymen. We learn from an ancient tradition, that when the Portuguese were expelled by the Dutch from most of their poffeffions in the Eaft-Indies, they purfued them with the following curfe :-" that God might give them flaves in abundance." Mr. v. Wurmb affures us repeatedly in his letters, that he enjoyed a better ftate of health in Batavia, where there reigns a perpetual fummer, than he had ever done in Germany. Both this fenfible traveller, however, and his companion, the Baron de Wollz. complain, that in a fhort time they had loft almost all their friends and acquaintance there. Two buffalos in Batavia will do more work than half a dozen German horses, while, on the contrary, thirty or forty cows there will hardly produce fo much milk as one good German cow, p. 181. In Batavia, Mr. de Wurmb had an opportunity of making an experiment which had indeed often been made in China itself. There was a Chinese in Batavia who had a very ready hand in drawing, and who sketched any thing that was laid before him with the greatest accuracy. But though Mr. de W. took much pains to inftruct him, he could never be brought to obferve the proper diftinctions of light and fhade, nor indeed to form any ade. quate idea of thefe effential requifites in a picture, p. 272. At Celebes the Baron de Wollzogen faw a war-dance by feveral petty kings, in which the performers were fo entirely exhaufted with fatigue, that they were obliged to lie down, p. 361. By the fame traveller we are informed, that he obferved feveral enchanting landscapes on the road from Samarang to the refidence of the Emperor of Java, p. 381—2, and that in Batavia he met with many of the most modern German publications.

Ibid.

૦ ૧

BRIT. CRIT. VOL. VI. NOV. 1795.

ART.

ART. 81. Kleinere Länder und Reifebefchreibungen, von C. Meiners Zweytes Bändchen.-Small Voyages and Travels, by C. Meiners Vol. 11. 380 pp. in 8vo. Berlin, 1794.

In this fecond volume of a work, noticed in p. 330 of our last number, are contained the following pieces; 1. Some Obfervations on the Harz; 2. Letter written on a Journey into Franconia; 3. Obferva tions made on a Journey to Mentz, in the months of July and Auguft, 1793; 4. Obfervations on a Journey, during the time of Harveft, into Suabia. The author affures his readers, in the preface, that he has paid greater attention to accuracy in this volume, than he had ever be fore done in any work of a fimilar kind published by him, of which it must be left to the perfons who are acquainted with the places and objects here defcribed to judge. Ibid.

ART. 82. Ueber die wahre Lage des alten Oftgrönlands, durch Hein rich Peter von Eggers.-On the true Situation of the ancient EaftGreenland, by H. P. v. Eggers. Kiel, 1794. 116 pp. in 8vo. The author of this Effay, which is tranflated from the fourth volume of the Tranfactions of the Economical Society at Copenhagen, endeavours, with confiderable ingenuity, to prove, that the inacceffible eaftern coast of Greenland has been improperly reprefented on all maps hitherto publifhed; that the ancient Eaft-Greenland was fituate not on the eastern coast, which, from the fame caufes that now produce that effect, was from the most remote ages covered with eternal ice, but on the western coaft, between Cape Farewell and Defolation, and that, laftly, the Normans, who had fo long inhabited Eaft-Greenland, were not driven from that country by the native Greenlanders, nor by the Efquimaux, or any other original American tribe, but by their enemies from Scotland, Ireland, and other neighbouring iflands, and that most probably by a famous warrior, named Zichmen, about the end of the 14th century. The arguments adduced by our author in confirmation of this opinion, are drawn from modern and ancient hif toric accounts and documents, from monuments of the Normans ftill extant in Greenland, as well as from the natural appearance of the northern feas. The whole is ftill further illuftrated by two charts annexed to the work. Ibid.

ART. 83. Leben Auguft Gottlieb Spangenbergs, Bifchoffs der evan gelifchen Brüderkirche, befchrieben von Jeremias Rifler-Life of A. Th. Spangenberg, Bishop of the Church of the United Brethren, by J. Rifler. Barby, 1794. 516 pp. in 8vo..

Spangenberg lived near fixty years in the midst of the above-mentioned fociety; at a very early period took an active part in the internal and external direction of it, and remained to the end of his life one of its most important members; perhaps, indeed, after the death of Count Zinzendorff, the most important of them. In the year 1733, he was formally admitted into the fociety at Herrabut, having before been connected with, and fupported by them at Jena and Halle. In