A number of authors have given us circumftantial relations, of the dreadful havock and deftruction, made at different times and places, by earthquakes: they have pathetically defcribed the diftrefs of the fufferers, and the horrors of the fcene. Others, again, have bufied themselves, to little purpose, in phyfiological inquiries into the cause of these terrible phenomena. But none, that we know of, have taken the pains to tranfmit to pofterity any very particular account of the expedients, made ufe of to fuccour the inhabitants, or alleviate their miferies, during such a time of confternation and calamity.

This, 'fays our author, is the task, which excited by a love to my country, I have here undertaken. May Portugal ever be preferved from the like deplorable events! But, if fuch an accident should providentially happen, those, who are the unfortunate witnefles of it, may probably gather, from these memoirs, the means to ferve them in their extremity; by reflecting on those measures, which have been already taken on the like dreadful occafion.

Our readers will excufe us, that we do not enter into the particulars of this work; as the circumftances, and indeed the confequences of this earthquake, in general, are pretty well known. As the pieces, of which these memoirs arc compofed, however, are undoubtedly authentic, we prefume the whole will be efteemed valuable to any future writer, who may wish to particularize an event, remarkable enough to form a new æra in the hiftory of Portugal.

La Science des Poftes Militaires, ou traité des Fortifications de Campagne, à l'ufage des Officiers particuliers d'Infanterie, qui jont détaché à la Guerre. Dans lequel on a compris la Maniere de les Defendre et de les Aattaquer. Par Mr. Le Cointe. Or,

The Attack and Defence of Pofts. Written for the Ufe of Officers of Foot, fent on detached Parties. 12mo. Paris. For Defaint, 1759.

This is evidently the performance of a literary as well as a military genius. For his capacity, as to the latter, the reader, may depend on the fuffrage his book has been honoured with by Marthal Lautrec and Mr. Belidor: the latter of whom, we understand, hath commended it, as a judicious performance, containing the beft and moft practicable rules to fortify, and defend, the advanced pofts of an army; and as a work of the greatest utility to the young and unexperienced.

Le Partifan; ou L'Art de faire la Pettite-Guerre avec fuccés,. felon le Génie de nos fours. Detaillé fur des Plans propres á faciliter l' Intelligence des Difpofitions & de tous les Mouvemens neceffaires aux Troupes Legéres. Pour réussir dans leurs Marches, leurs Embufcades leurs Attaques, & leurs Retraites, &c. Par Mr. De Jeney. A la Haye 1759. 12mo.

The Partisan; or, the Art of fkirmifhing with Succefs, according to the Genius of the prefent Times, &c.

In this martial age, it is more than probable that we have many readers, who will be glad of any information that may guide them in their purfuit of military erudition. Our own writers on the art of war are few and infignificant, unless in those branches that are particularly founded on the mathematics: we must therefore ftoop to be inftructed by our neighbours, even by our enemies; fas eft, fays Horace, ab hofte doceri. Mankind have in general, fo affiduoufly cultivated the noble art of murdering each other, that it is become a necessary study to each particular nation, for their own fecurity. The writer of this fhort treatife is indeed no Frenchman, although an officer in the French fervice. He modeftly declares, that he has no pretenfions to the name of an author, that he derives his maxims and reflections entirely from his own experience, acquired in the course of twentyfour campaigns in Turkey, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Flanders, &c. His intention was not to publifh a compleat treatise on the business of a Partisan, but only an introduction. He divides his book into fourteen chapters, under the following heads. 1. Of the corps of a Partifan. 2. Of the number

of troops requifite. 3. The choice of recruits, their drefs and arms. 4. The choice of horfes, and equipage. 5. Exercife. 6. Subordination. 7. Precaution neceffary in fecret marches. 8. The choice of pofts, and the method of defence. 9. Precautions to be taken in reconnoitering, 10. Of furprizes. 11. Ambufcades. 12. Retreats. 13. Means of immediate relief, in fuch complaints as are common to light troops during the campaign. 14. Certain methods of curing horfes in thofe diforders which moft frequently retard the fervice. These feveral fubjects (except the two laft chapters) are treated fkilfully, concifely and with perfpicuity. Here are a few plans for illuftration, which though poorly executed, are abundantly fufficient for the purpose.

We cannot, at this time, deny ourselves the pleasure of tranflating a short paffage from the volume in queftion, as it is a teftimony of our beloved Prince Ferdinand's military capacity, from the mouth of his enemy. In the year 1757,

S3
S 3

the

the Duke de Richelieu advanced with his army towards Zell, defigning to attack the allies. I had orders, the day before, to get into the rear of their camp with a hundred light horfe. I marched twenty-two leagues, and arrived there without the leaft accident; but the prudence of the Prince of Brunswick fruftrated our whole defign, and left us nothing to do but to admire his retreat.'

It is well known, that the books on military fubjects, in the French language, are almoft without number, yet we are of opinion, that there is more knowledge in this branch of the art, to be gathered from the few pages of this author, than from any of their celebrated voluminous writers, most of which are either fo immethodical, or fo prolix, that it is hardly poffible, to collect from them matter fufficient to form a tolerable fyftem. We fhould imagine, that a translation of this book would be very acceptable to the military gentlemen of this kingdom, efpecially, thofe who are engaged in the light troops.

De recondita Febrium intermittentium tum remittentium Natura, et de carum Curatione variis Experimentis et Obfervationibus illuftrata. Or,

A Differtation on the Nature of intermitting and remitting Fevers, with their Method of Cure. 8vo, Paris. For Cavelier, 1759.

Although the author of this work hath thought proper to conceal his name, the character we have received of it fufficiently diftinguishes him, as a man of knowlege, candour and ingenuity. We may, on a future occafion, perhaps, be better enabled to enter particularly into the merits of his performance. In the mean time, we dare affure the medical reader of its being well worthy his perusal.

Oratio de origine Lucis fiftens novam theoriam Golorum, in publico conventu Academic Scientiarum imperialis Petropolitana habita. Or,

An Effay on Light and Colours: Read before the Royal Academy of Sciences at Petersburg. By M. Lomonosow. 8vo. Petersburg, 1759.

This is an attempt to establish a new theory of light and colours. Mr. Lomonofow fuppofes light to confft of a fubtle matter, agitated by perpetual vibrations and gyrations, on which latter fpecies of motion, depend our fenfations of colours. He conjectures the particles of light to be spherical, and to be of three different fizes, fo adapted to each other,

that

that the smalleft may be included in the interftices of the largeft: the gyrations of the largest spheres, producing the fenfation of red, thofe of the middle fize yellow, and of the fmalleft blue. On the whole, the piece is ingenious enough; but, being purely hypothetical, we fhall not trouble our readers with the conclufions our academic draws, from prémifes fo chimerical.

(The Account of Foreign Literature, will be continued in our next.)

Travels through Part of Europe, Afia Minor, the Islands of the Archipelago; Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Mount Sinai, &c. Giving a particular Account of the most remarkable Places, Structures, Ruins, Inferiptions, &c. in thefe Countries. Together with the Cuftoms, Manners, Religion, Trade, Commerce, Temper, and manner of Living of the Inhabitants. By the Honourable J. Ægidius Van Egmont, Envoy Extraordinary from the United Provinces to the Court of Naples; and John Hayman, Profeffor of the Oriental Languages in the Univerfity of Leyden. Tranflated from the Low Dutch. 8vo. 2 vols. IO S. Davis and Reymers.

IN

N perufing the feveral Accounts of Travellers, visiting the fame places and people, it must be expected to meet with repeated information concerning matters already known. If we reflect, however, on the many impofitions which Voyagers are apt to put on the public, especially those who give the first account of ftrange cuftoms, and remote countries, we fhall think ourselves not a little obliged to fucceeding ones, by whofe authentic relations thofe of the former are corrected or confirmed.

It is fome years fince the Travels before us were undertaken, and this account of them written: we meet, nevertheless, with many obfervations that we do not remember to have seen in other Writers. But were thefe even few, as' our Author affures us, he mentions nothing but what he has himself feen and obferved,' his work cannot fail of affording a fatisfactory entertainment to those who seek rather to acquire real than imaginary knowlege.

An objection, indeed, may be made to the propriety and ufe of the prefent publication, on account of that frequent change in the cuftoms, manners, and even the face, of fome countries, by time; infomuch, that in half a Century many of them would not be known by their former defcriptions. This remark, however, fhould be confined, in a great de

gree

gree, to countries that have a free intercourse with other nations, by commerce; or to thofe where the Civil Arts are cultivated and improved. Fifty years may make, and in fact have made, a great change in the manners and customs of the trading towns, and polite cities of Europe; as well as in the face of the country of our Colonies, in other parts of the world: nay, we fee even a fimilarity of manners gradually take place among thofe people who hold a conftant and general intercourfe with each other; fo that men of certain ranks, in Holland, France, and England, fo nearly resemble each other thercin, that they feem to have loft those national characteristics which used formerly to distinguish them.

Notwithstanding this, we find other people who have not fo general an intercourfe with each other, fo tenacious of their old manners and cuftoms, that whole centuries pass away without their making any remarkable deviation from thofe of their predeceffors. Hence the Arab ftill lives the rambling life of his ancestors, and the young iflander of the Texel, courts his miftrefs in the fashion of ages past, and which, in all probability, may last for ages to come. We can affure the reader, at leaft, that it is the fashion, at prefent, and, as it is fomewhat fingular, we shall give it in the Author's words.

6

The island of Texel is one of the islands of North-Hol

land, and lies in 53 Degrees North Latitude, is fix long Dutch miles in circuit, and tolerably well inhabited. As to the tempers of the natives, it comes nearest to that of the Frieflanders; and there is very little difference in their drefs. They are parfimonious; fimple in their diet; greedy of gain; for which the fea is chiefly their refource, by fifhing, piloting fhips in and out, and faving of the cargoes of fhips ftranded, or otherwife damaged and of the goods thus faved, a third belongs to them for falvage, and their dexterity and intrepidity on fuch occafions are worthy of the recompence. The women are good tempered and handy, and not entirely without beauty; very fond of courtships, which, among the youth of the peafantry is car⚫ried on in a manner like queefting *. This is an ancient cuftom of evening vifits and courtships among the young people in thei fland of Vlie, and Wieringen, but especially in the

* What does the Tranflator mean by a manner like queefling? We have no fuch word in English; and in Dutch, te quiefien means to court, or woo, in that very particular manner; and is ufed in no other fenfe. Can any thing be properly faid to be like itself.-He. fhould, perhaps have faid in the manner called queefiende.

Texel.