plane, hung extremely delicately, like the of such documents as they may happen to needle of the mariner's compass, enclosed | become acquainted with, whether they re in a small glass case; the instant the focus fer to the ancient language or manners of struck the plane, it moved forward, the country, whence the impulsive force of particles of light was inferred. M. Van Marum's apparatus being more exact than had formerly been constructed, though he observed the same effect, yet he attributes it entirely to the violent and sudden dilatation of the air in front of the plane, through which the rays were passing: and not to the imping-produced an inexhaustible store of com ing of the rays themselves on the plane, with any sensible power, or force.

Fishes: motive powers of.

This circular address has occasioned the communication of several ancient pieces, the existence of which was not known; among others, a translation of the famous Roman de la Rose, Manuscript Chronicles, and other materials for history: several drawings, &c. At the same time it has

plaints and regrets, as to the state in which the ancient documents and papers of the various colleges, towns, and cities, are now kept, or rather neglected. Many of these antiquities, it is hoped, will be saved from utter destruction by better care, and some of them published for general gratification, Is Bolland the only country to which the same remarks may be applied, and concerning which the same regrets may be expressed?

`ITALY,

Virtuosi: Antiquities.

Several foreigners are engaged in scien tific researches at Rome. Among these laborious scholars we may mention Acker

M. Brugmans, some time ago presented to the National Institute of Holland, a series of Observations on the motive Powers of Fishes, in which, after reciting what former authors had written, and stating the powers and ap plication of the fins, &c. he adds a cause, of which he has given the first hint;-which is, the pressure of the water expelled by the action of the gills in breathing,-by their opening and closing at the pleasure of the fish. The author has not contented himself with demonstrating that this power of impulse results from the nature of things; he has gone further, and supported his the-blatt, a Swede; Dodwell, an Englishman; ory by experiments, by means of au ingenious apparatus, This apparatus consists of two thin boards so disposed, as to resemble the head of a fish, the gills of which are open. To these is adapted a spring which tends to close them, but the action of which is stopped by a peg placed within. When the peg is pressed, the spring acts, and closes the covering of the gills; the A controversy has been for some time water contained in the interior, escapes carried on by the literati of Rome, respectwith violence, and the experimental fishing the depth of the Coliseum and its real advances with a rapid motion.

We conjecture that the principle employed by M. Brugman in this artificial machine, is the same as has been employed on a much larger scale, and with greatly invigorated powers, in the construction of some of our steam boats. Re-inforced by the wonderful action of fire and steam, the boat may be considered as a great whale making its way along the water: that it is not, however, a true fish, is clear, and we hope the distinction will long be preserved :by its not sinking below the water, and making its way entre deux eaur,

Ancient Papers and Documents, The National Institute of Holland having had the good, fortune to recover within a few consecutivé, months, a number of Ancient Documents of various kinds, written in the Old Dutch Language, or in Old German, addressed a circular letter to all its correspondents and members, requesting them to communicate information

and Van Millingen, a Dutchman. Amati, the most learned philologist in Italy, has finished his translation of Sophocles, and continues to be busily employed in making extracts for various German literati, from the Greek MSS. in the library of the Vatican, to which he is attached for the Latin and Greek languages.

construction. A great number of plans of it have been made, but opinions are still at variance. Cancellieri, Philip Visconti, Fea, Guattani, and Nyby, are eminent ans tiquaries; Rossi and Alexander Visconti possess a fine collection of medals,

French Booksellers, at Rome,

During the occupation of Rome by the French, as a province of the Great Empire, several French Booksellers settled in that metropolis of the Catholic world, and formed extensive establishments. His Holiness, shortly after his return to his seat, gave orders that a catalogue of all the works they had on sale should be made out, and a list formed of those, the sale of which should be permitted.

RUSSIA.

The Printing-Office of the University of Casan, announces,

A new edition of the Koran, in 8vo. An elementary Book on the Tartar Lans guage.

These two works will be supported by | Library at the Hermitage. Among them subscription. The prospectus is printed on is " a Dictionary of the Amazonians," intenda leaf in two columns, in quarto, and is ed to prove, that the Sclavonians, the Scycomposed, in the Latin language, and also thians, known to be neighbours of an in the Turkish. Very few copies will be cient Media, extended themselves to the printed beyond the number that shall be confines of India, and spoke the language subscribed for. of the Hindoos. In 1791, the celebrated M. Ridiger, of Halle, hinted at the same fact, in his "Treatise on morals, translated from the Tamul, written on palm-leaves." M. Anton, professor at Wittenberg, made it the subject of a particular dissertation in 1809, De Lingua Rossica. ex eadem cum Samscramica matre Orientali prognata &c.

On the Connection between the Russian Language, and the Sanscrit.-It is proper that we should notice, by way of information to our readers, that some time ago was published in Russia a small volume, in quarto, presented to the Imperial Academy at St. Petersburgh, entitled, "Connection between the Sanscrit, and Russian langu ges." It contains a vocabulary consisting of one hundred and seventy eight words, Sanscrit and Russian, which perfectly resemble each other. It deserves attention, also, that they are the fundamental words in all languages; such as names of relation and kindred; verbs, to be, to give, to go: names of the different parts of the human body, the elements, the stars, numbers, &c. This leads to a difficulty: how came these words in the Russian language? or, whence came these Russians, who thus employ them? How reconcile this comcidence between the idiom of the north, and that of the banks of the Ganges? The phenomenon is extraordinary; it is even in credible; but it is not the less real. It is possible, that the Imperial Russian Academy may cause this line of enquiry to be pursued: by means of its extensive connections, further light may be thrown on a subject so obscure, but so curious.

Is the Sapserit, then, the general mother, or the elder sister, of the greater part of the spoken languages? Already, has her relation to Hebrew, Persian, Greek, Latin, Celtic, German, and the S Sclavonian languages been recognised. These are the principal languages with which the scholars of the West are conversaut is the primary of them all to be found in the long veiled and mysterious Sanscrit ?

|

Projects have been started for forming an Asiatic academy at St. Petersburgh, for the purpose of obtaining an acquaintance with the languages of Asia; those of Hindostan especially these have, no doubt, further intentions than those of a mere barren study of languages dead or living.

:

TURKEY.

The labours of the press at Constanti nople continued under the protection of the Grand Seignior, Selim III. till the death of that worthy and well-meaning prince. After that catastrophe, the printing houses estab ished at Scutari, seemed to be entirely abandoned, during at least three years. At the end of that term their operations were resumed under the direction of Ali and Mahommed Emim Imam Sade. Nevertheless the progress of these esta blishments has been very slow, and marked by a languor that shews the little sense of their importance extant among the Turks. They have however, produced the following works, in Arabic;

Solution of the Mystery of the Gram matical Analysis of the Book of Isherol Esrer, a small volume in 4to. of 385 pages. 1809.

The Sacred Book, with the Marginal Notes of Dschami. 4to. pp. 757. 1811.

El-haschietu al-mosamma El-selkuti, &c. A Glossary, called El-selkuti for the Almotaval of Saad eddın el Taftasani. Printed at Constantinople, under the direction of Mahommed Emin, in the month of Redcheb, in the year 1227. (1812.) 4to. pp. 663.

The acquaintance obtained by our nation with the Sanscrit language by means of India, has enabled our scholars to banish most of the older hypotheses which attempted to account for the filiation of an cient and modern tongues; and in propor tion as further discoveries are made, the relation of languages may become clearer, and together with that, the relation of men to each other, and to their unques-The first Edition appeared in 1806. tionable origin.

This persuasion of a similarity between the Sanscrit and the Russian languages, has been gradually gaining ground. It was first started by a certain M. Paton Baudau, whose MSS. are in the Imperial Russian

Dschevherei behijai ahmedija fi Scheril wassagai Mohammedije, &c. Precious Pearls serving to elucidate the principles of the Mahometan Faith. Second Edition. 1810.

From these works some estimate may be formed of the little attention paid in Turkey to general reading, or to the acquisition of informatiou by the Public. These volumes are evidently intended for the Literati exclusively.

INTERESTING INTELLIGENCE

FROM THE

sider themselves the conquerors of it; but it is by no means improbable, they may be the aborigines, tor they have more marks of originality about them than any people

BRITISH SETTLEMENTS IN INDIA. I have met with among the Hindoo tribes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY
OF REWAH, IN HINDOOSTAN.

The simplicity of their food, the peculiarity of their dress, the neatness aud cleanliness of their persons and habitatious, the respect in which they hold their priests, the want of wheel carriages throughout the whole A campaign made by a British detach-country, but, above all, their wonderful industry and peculiar ingenuity in ploughing ment under Col. Adams, at the close of the their fieids, and the mode they have of preyear 1813, has brought us more fully ac-serving the produce of them, stamp at once quainted with a country, of which we had the character of this primitive race. Their but little previous knowledge. The mili-weapons of offence are the tulwar and tary exploits are not our object at present: but merely the insertion of a concise description of the country. The natives defended themselves valiantly, when attacked; and the commander of the fort of Eutourree, Surnaid Sing, when he found that all hope of a successful defence of the place against British troops (who entered the ramparts at the breach,) was gone, he strewed a quantity of gunpowder on a cloth, in which he rolled himself, and setting fire to the gunpowder, terminated his life, and thus avoided falling into the hands of his enemies. He had been eminent among a host of depredators, around him, who were the scourge and the terror of the neigbouring villages.

The cold in camp, was particularly intense the thermometer having been so low as 32 degrees, or 4 degrees below the freezing point.

The Cataracts or Waterfalls of the Mohana stream in this country, are particu: larly fine. One of them falls three bundred feet: the current is wide and violent; the whole is astonishing. The prospect from this spot is very extensive.

The chiefs of this district are called Sing; and a part of it is called the Singranah district: from these the Rewah Rajah, as liege lord, levies an uncertain tribute once in two years. Plans of much of the country have been taken by the Engineers. Extract of a Letter from the British Camp.

"This country contains the ruins of vast walled cities, large forts, immense tanks and temples innumerable: the people con

spear when you meet with matchlock-
men, they are mostly mercenaries, hired
for some particular occasion. Not a beggar
is to be seen; and the filthy hog, which so
much disgusts the sight in every village of
Hindostan, is seldom or never to be met
with in Rewah. In short, they appear to
me to be an unambitious race of men, who
seem only to wish to be left to themselves,
and to have as little intercourse as possible
with foreigners. That they have frequently
had petty wars amongst themselves, there
is no doubt; but the precious metals,
which have so often set the civilized world
in a blaze, appear to have had little or no
share in producing their disputes. Indeed
gold and silver are of little use to them,
nor do they seem ambitious of obtaining
them, otherwise no people in India have
such an opportunity of turning the super-
fluous produce of their lands into money,
from the proximity of their country to
Mirzapore. It strikes me from these pre-
mises, that the Rewah men are brave and
honest, but jealous of the interference of
neighbouring states in their domestic con-
cerns. They appear to be better judges of
what constitutes their own happiness than
dreds and hundreds of years in patriarchal
most nations; and having lived for bun-
simplicity, it is not to be wondered at that
they should."

A FEW PARTICULARS CONCERNING THE
COUNTRY OF NEPAUL.

These are, at the present moment, of en、 creased interest, as the British are actually at war with the Nepaulese; and have met with vigourous resistance, in the attempt to reduce their predatory incursions within their own limits; and to put

an end to those barbarities of which the Nepaulese rovers are guilty, when they issue from their fortresses, and overrun the

is nothing wonderful. In fact, it is coming from our correspondent at Macassar,

among we submit an extract of information from that country, which, in its way, bears a close resemblance to the treason of the French army; as the subjoined character of a chief does to Napoleon. It may be observed, however, that Kurrim Khan is better watched in his hold, than Napoleonment was stealing and selling children into

by her efforts. the ignorant have been enlightened, and the inconsiderate reclaimed.

civilization are daily increasing, and must | nevolent Societies she has established: and extend rapidly over the country. The native chiefs in Celebes do not conceal that they are much poorer in consequence of the change, but although they cannot at present be expected to co-operate willingly in the suppression of slavery, they are perfectly conscious of the blessings it must ultimately produce."

Every well wisher to liberty and humanity must rejoice at learning the rapid decline of the Slave Trade in a country, which till very lately was its principal mart in the Eastern seas, and every Briton will feel an honest pride in reflecting, that this happy change has only occurred since the freedom-giving banner of his country, has waved in triumph on the coast of Celebes.

MAURITIUS, MARCH, 1814.

INSTITUTION OF A SCHOOL for the EDU-
CATION OF THE INDIGENT CREOLES AND

FREE BLACKS.

N.B. In the Mauritius Gazette, preceding that which contains an account of this meeting, is the following advertisement.

FOR SALE,

Two large Negresses; one of them, seamstress and laundress; the other, cook and laundress. Also, a She-Ass with Colt, which may be exchanged for a sure-footed Donkey. Address to Madame Gautier, at her country house, near the Lataniers River.

The Institution of a Bible Society here, where the number of individuals is limited, and where the obstacles to such an under taking are numerous, does infinite honour. to the founders of it, and it must be a proud feeling to those persons, that their spontaneous and independent exertions have met with such success and approbation; but all their zeal and assiduity in promulgating the Scriptures must eventually fail, if the opportunity be not also afforded of profiting by their circulation.

In these islands, the greater proportion of Indigent Creoles and Free Blacks, are unable to take advantage of the possession of the Bible, from an inability to read it, and thus it becomes a part of our duty to render them capable of enjoying the bles sings and comforts which must arise from a knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, by giving them such instruction as may qualify them for its perusal.

We forbear to make any further remarks; all the reason and argument necessary to impress the vast importance of such an undertaking, are so ably maintained, and so forcibly expressed in the letter of His EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR to the Society which was read at the meeting; and which we hope to publish with the proceedings; that it would be useless as well as impertinent in us to say any thing more at present; but we cannot take leave of the We cannot omit congratulating the Inha- subject, without expressing a sanguine bitants of this Island upon one measure hope, that the same liberality, the same adopted at the suggestion of His Ex-distinguished zeal, and the same strenuous CELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, the Establishment of a SCHOOL FOR THE EDUCATION

OF INDIGENT CREOLES AND FREE BLACKS.

It is hardly necessary to make any observation on the advantages which must accrue from such an institution, the fact is too well established that nothing tends so powerfully to civilization as a general dif fusion of knowledge, to need an argument in its favour; but the work of improvement must go on more rapidly, when Religion is blended with instruction, and the temporal advantages of education are directed to the spiritual benefit of those instructed.

England has every claim to the gratitude of the world for the unbounded liberality and ceaseless exertious she has displayed in the dissemination of the sacred volume of the Scriptures over the whole face of the earth. Thousands of persons without reference to their persuasion, sect, or nation, have had The Holy Bible without Note, or Comment, put into their hands by the be

exertions will be used in the establishment
of The School for Indigent Creoles and Free
Blacks, as were so laudably displayed in
the original establishment of THE MAU-
RITIUS BIBLE SOCIETY.

CEYLON.
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS CONCERNING
THE PEARL FISHERY.

The Rent of the Pearl Fishery, was to finish April 6th, but an aumany fishing on account of Government would take place, and continue as long as the weather remained fine and the banks productive.

The Pearl Fishery, it is reported has succeeded beyond all expectations.

On the conclusion of the Pearl Fishery the merchants having come to the resolution of presenting an Address to the Superintendant, a deputation consisting of Mr. C. Belderbeck, Mr. J. M. Laveliere, Abdul Cauder Markar, one of the Renters of the Pearl Fishery, and Castajee Franjie, waited on Mr. Sutherland, at his Cut