sor of Languages in Columbia College. 8vo. W. A. Mercein. New-York.

Studies of the Historic Muse. By the author of "A general outline of the Swiss Landscapes," "The Letters of Yorick," &c. &c. 4to. Dublin.

Under the above title, the author, who ought not to publish anonymously, has presented the literary world with a series of very original and interesting essays. They are evidently the production of a man of learning, extensive reading, and acuteness; and are calculated to lead the young mind to close thinking and to critical investigation. New Monthly Mag.

GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY. A Map of the Hudson River, from actual survey. By Mr. E. W. Bridges, city surveyor of New-York. A. T. Goodrich & Co. NewYork. 1820.

It delineates, on a scale of two miles to the inch, all that is worthy of observa tion on the banks of this river, such as towns, cities, villages, landing places, the residences of country gentlemen, and all the numerous and beautiful country seats, with names of the owners or occupants, and memorable revolutionary sites. [A volume will hereafter be published, containing historical and geographical details; revolutionary anecdotes and miscellaneous sketches, accompanied with appropriate embellishments of the beautiful and picturesque scenery bordering on the Hudson river.]

Advert.

Abstract of America and the British Colonies. By William Kingdom. 8vo. 10s. 6d.

Sur l'Elévation des Montagnes de l'Inde, par Alexandre de Humboldt. Paris,

There is, perhaps, no man living who has made, in his own person, and collected from others, so many facts and observations connected with the various atmospherical phenomena as the Baron de Humboldt. His essay on 'Isothermal lines and the distribution of heat over the globe,' was an able and elaborate production. In the Memoir before us, more confined in its object, but still closely connected with the former, we cannot say that he appears in quite so advantageous a light. He had, in truth, fewer data to proceed upon; and indeed the only motive which could have induced him to write at all on a subject, of which the little that was known had already appeared in the Asiatic Researches, must have been a desire of extending the information contained in that work, for the edification of the Parisian philosophers. Quarterly Rev.

GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY.

Observations, on the Geology of the United States of America, with some remarks on the nature and fertility of soils, by the decomposition of the different classes of rocks, &c. By William McClure. 8vo. Philadelphia.

A

An Essay on the Geology of the Hudson River, and the adjacent regions, illustrated by a geological section of the country from the neighbourhood of Sandy-Hook, N. Y..northward through the highlands in N. Y. towards the Catskill mountains. By Samuel Akerly. 12mo.

A System of Mineralogy. By Robert Jameson, professor of natural

a In the 'Mémoires de Physique et de Chimie de la Société d'Areueil.'➡ Tom. iii. Paris. 1817.

VOL. I.

33

history in the University of Edinburgh. Three vols. 8vo. edition, being the third, greatly improved. Edinburgh.

HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.

A Biographical Memoir of Hugh Williamson, M. D. LL. D. &c. by David Hosack, M. D. LL. D. &c. pp. 91. C. S. Van Winkle, NewYork. 1820.

We feel grateful to Dr. Hosack for his instrumentality in bringing the anecdote [relating to the famous letters of Huchinson and Oliver,] before the public. Dr. Franklin, when agent for the colonies of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts in London, obtained, by the assistance of a third person, those letters addressed to a secretary of Lord Grenville, and showing the secret endeavour of the writers to subvert the chartered rights of the colonies. The third person, from whom Dr. Franklin received possession of the letters, was Dr. Williamson,] It may seem a want of courtesy to summon an occasional performance, like this, to the bar of verbal criticism. We therefore but just observe in passing, that there is room for greater simplicity of style-that the poetical quotations are too numerous-and the translation of the Latin one, we trust, superfluous. The allusions to the religious character of the subject of the memoir seem to us occasionally to border on canting. The anecdote, in particular, of Dr. Williamson's parents, page 12th, is singularly injudicious.

North. Amer. Rev. July. Historical Account of the Protestant Episcopal Church in South Carolina, from the first settlement of the province to the war of the revolution, &c. with some account of the early civil history of South Carolina, never before published. By Frederick Dalcho. 8vo. pp. 613. Charleston.

History of the Rise, Progress, &c. of the Western Canals in the State of New-York, from 1788 to 1819; and of modern agricultural societies on the Berkshire system, from 1807 to 1820. By Elkanah Watson. 8vo. pp. 212. Albany.

Historical Sketch of Amherst, in the county of Hillsborough in NewHampshire, from the first settlement to the present period. By John Farmer. 8vo. pp. 35. Amherst, N. H.

Memoirs of Andrew Jackson, Major-general in the Army of the United States. By S. Putnam Waldo. (Fifth edit.) 12mo. pp. 336. Hartford.

Life of Michael Powars. Dictated by himself. 8vo. Boston.

Biography of the Hon. Caleb Strong. By Alden Bradford. Boston. 1820.

PP. 24.

8vo.

Memoirs of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the United States of America. By William White, D. D. 8vo. Philadelphia. 1920. Journal of Daniel Coker, a descendant of Africa, from the time of leaving New-York in the ship Elizabeth, Capt. Sebor, on a voyage for Sherbro, in Africa, &c. With an Appendix. 8vo. pp. 52.

more.

Biography of J. Paul Jones.

Balti

An opportunity is now presented to the American public to avail themselves of a full, authentic, and probably excellent history of the life and transactions of this brave and extraordinary man. At the last meeting of the New-York Historical Society, the following extract of a letter from a Lady, a niece of the

hero of whom we are speaking, dated Edinburgh, March 29, 1820, to her correspondent in this city, was communicated by Mr. Pintard :

"I have still another favour to beg of you. It has long been to me a matter of wonder, that America has never shown any disposition to give to the world the history of those brave men who were the first asserters of her rights, and to whom she owes that Independence her sons seem so much disposed to be proud of. I have in my possession a number of important papers, that belonged to my late uncle, the Chevalier PAUL JONES. They consist of his correspondence with Washington, Jefferson, Dr. Franklin, Adams, the Duke de la Rochfoucault, La Fayette, and, in fact, with all the eminent characters connected with the American Revolution. I have either the originals, or else authentic copies extracted from the Records of Congress. These, with a Memoir of his life, and an account of his Campaign in Russia, will make three large octavo volumes. I have been advised to publish them in England, and would have done so, had money been my object: But they contain some bitter reflections against the British Government, which, in that case, it would have been thought necessary to suppress, and of which I apprehend the suppression would have essentially injured the work;-my principal motive for giving them to the world, being to exhibit my uncle's character in a just point of view. The favour I have to ask of you, is to let me know if there is any Bookseller in New-York, who would undertake to publish them, and what I may expect for them. There is one thing, however, must be insisted upon, which is, that they are not to be garbled, but are to be given to the world just as they are, without either adding or diminishing. You will perhaps think me very unreasonable to expect you to inform me, what I am to get for a work which you have not to show to the publisher. But understand me right. I do not expect that you will be able to name a certain sum; but only that you may perhaps, after inquiry, have it in your power to give me a hint of what it is probable I might receive. If you will have the goodness to assist me in this affair, the papers shall be sent to you addressed as you shall direct, and to be disposed of as you think best; with only this one provision-that they must be published as they are." From what we have heard of the talents and character of the fair author of the foregoing letter, (who we presume to be the writer of the memoirs,) we have no doubt that the work will be found highly interesting and valuable. The documents it will contain, must of themselves possess great interest, as containing many curious facts which have probably never been developed, and also the views and feelings of their distinguished authors, during those days of peril and alarm. It may well be said of Paul Jones, that he was the father of our naval glory. And who is there, that does not desire to become familiar with the life of the first American Commander, who dared to grapple ship to ship with the force of Albion-who in fact entered the Thames, and assailed the Lion in his den? Commercial Adv.

History of the War of the Independence of the United States of America. Written by Charles Botta; translated from the Italian, by George A. Otis. Vol. 1st. 8vo. pp. 434. For the translator. Philad.

The following letter will be read with interest, on account not only of the real importance of its subject, but of its happy style of expression and its vigorous tone of patriotic feeling, so stimulative and exemplary in the composition of one, seasoned by temperate, comprehensive philosophy, advanced far beyond the common term of human life, and long abstracted from active politics. Monticello, July 8, 1820. SIR-I thank you for De Pradt's book on the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle. It is a work I had never seen, and had much wished to see. Although his style has too much of amphibology to be suited to the sober precision of politics, yet we gather from him great outlines, and profound views of the new constitution of Europe, and of its probable consequences. These are things we

should understand, to know how to keep clear of them. I am glad to find that the excellent work of Botta is, at length, translated. The merit of this work has been too long unknown with us. He has had the faculty of sifting the truth of facts from our own histories, with great judgment, of suppressing details which do not make a part of the general history, and of enlivening the whole with the constant glow of his holy enthusiasm for the liberty and independence of nations. Neutral as a historian should be in the relation of facts, he is never neutral in his feelings, nor in the warm expression of them, on the triumphs and reverses of the conflicting parties, and of his honest sympathies with that engaged in the better cause. Another merit is in the accuracy of his narrative of those portions of the same war which passed in other quarters of the globe, and especially on the ocean. We must thank him too for having brought within the compass of three volumes every thing we wish to know of that war, and in a style so engaging that we cannot lay the book down. He had been so kind as to send me a copy of his work, of which I shall manifest my acknowledgment by sending him your volumes as they come out. My original being lent out, I have no means of collating it with the translation; but see no cause to doubt exactness. With my request to become a subscriber to your work, be pleased to accept the assurance of my great respect. TH: JEFFERSON.

George Alexander Otis, Philadelphia. [Nat. Gaz.] A Statistical, Political, and Historical Account of the United States of America, from the Period of their First Colonization to the present day. By D. B. WARDEN, Esquire. Edinburgh.

This work affords the only complete account of the United States to a recent period, at present before the public. Besides presenting the results of the author's own personal knowledge, and of communications from persons in different parts of the country, it embraces the substance of all the information to be found in books of travels, and statistical works of every description, relating to the United States, down to the beginning of 1819. It includes, also, a sketch of the history of the country, with copious tables of the population, value of lands, revenue, exports and imports for a series of years, and a great variety of matter not introduced into any previous work of the kind.

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Memoirs of the Rev. S. J. Mills, late Missionary to the South-west section of the United States. By G. Spring, D. D.

12mo. London.

The Life of Wesley, and the Rise and Progress of Methodism in Great Britain and America; comprising the Ecclesiastical History of England, during a period of sixty years. By Robert Southey, Esq. [Proposed to be published from the Lond. ed. by W. B. Gilley, NewYork. 2 vols. 8vo.]

Per

The Life of JOHN WESLEY covers a period of church history of more than sixty years, and is connected with events and transactions, which will continue to operate upon untold numbers for centuries. The subject has been already treated by two able writers. The first, by the Rev. John Hampson, M. A. Vicar of Sunderland, is a work of great talent, and correctness of observation. The second, by John Whitehead, M. D. is an elegant production. haps no man could be found more equal to the task, than ROBERT SOUTHEY. That easy flow of style, and that masterly command of words, reminds us at every page of the Biographer of Nelson and of Kirk White. The same luminous mind pervades the whole. Mr. Southey has given enlarged or brief outlines of such persons as their relative importance demanded. Whitfield, C. Wesley, Ingham, Harvey, Zinzindorf, Fletcher, and the Countess of Huntingdon, are the most conspicuous. Though the

manner in which Mr. Southey has executed this work, will, perhaps, not please the more sectarian admirers of Wesley, it will tend to remove a number of unfounded prejudices. And if a history like this,' says the author, 'has not to treat of actions, wherewith the world has rung from side to side, it ' appeals to the higher part of our nature, and may, perhaps, excite more saluta'ry feelings, a worthier interest, and wiser meditations. The Emperor Charles V. and his rival of France, appear at this day infinitely insignificant, if we * compare them with Luther and Loyola; and there may come a time when the 'name of Wesley will be more generally known, and in remoter regions of the 'globe, than that of Frederick, or of Catharine. For the works of such men 'survive them, and continue to operate, when nothing remains of worldly am'bition, but the memory of its vanity and its guilt.' Advert.

Notices sur le Caractère et les Ecrits de Madame la Baronne de Staël Holstein, par Madame Necker. 8vo. Paris, 1819. [An English translation also.]

A book which every one is reading and admiring, for that very reason excites more hope and expectation, and is read with more interest and pleasure, than one which wants this adventitious aid. Another class of readers, they whose opinion it uttered less loudly, but is sure in the end to be heard more distinctly, and is spread wider and lives longer; they who are learned, and have bartered for knowledge and fame, the power of receiving pleasure from sources which supply it abundantly to less cultivated and less fastidious tastes,—are apt to run into the opposite extreme, and deny the degree of praise justly due. Thus has it been with the reputation of Madame de Staël. Few books in modern times which were not practical, nor scientific, nor directly subservient to the comforts of man and the purposes of society, have been read so eagerly and universally, and known so far, as hers. . . . . To estimate fairly the strength and character of her mind, we must forget that she was a woman. This would not be treating her fairly, if the question were, not what sort of mind she had, but how much energy of character, and loftiness of ambition, and strength of will she has displayed; for we should then remember that she was one of a sex whose minds are trammelled and attenuated by the customs of society, just as their bodies are apt to be by fashion; whom the institutions of civil life exclude from intellectual pursuits, lest they should sometimes presume to walk there by the side of their lords, and so collision and strife ensue between man and his help-meet; a sex from whom little mental effort is expected, and by whom therefore little is apt to be made. . . . . Other women have made books as directly useful, and, in a certain sense of the word, as sensible ; but no one has displayed a mind of such power and extent, so well cultivated and filled; no one has done so much to vindicate the intellectual equality of woman with man; for she not only stated the argument for it, strongly and eloquently, but illustrated it well.-We think Madame de Staël the greatest female that has ever written.

North Am. Rev. Extract. Le Royaume de Westphalie-Jérome Bonaparte-sa Cour-ses Favoris et ses Ministres. Par un Témoin oculaire. Paris. 1820.

The shortest lived of kingdoms was the kingdom of Westphalia, and yet it lived longer than it deserved. It was created in the wantonness of Napoleon's audacity, and it was swept away in the whirlwind of European vengeance. During the shock of elements the existence of this little state was almost unknown, and in the great day of retribution, its fate was hardly remarked: but as, after the stormy fight in which navies have contended, the people of the neighbouring shores pick up, with some degree of interest, the empty boat which recalls the remembrance of the magnificent vessel to which she once belonged-so we may be permitted to glean, for the amusement of our readers, the fragments of the wreck of that gig nicknamed the kingdom of Westphalia. (It was created by the treaty of Tilsit, in October, 1807.) The first care of the provident and