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The Account of John Bushnell the Statuary, fent to us as a tranflation from the French published in 1743, is copied verbatim from Lord Orford's Anecdotes of Painting.

Our Correfpondent ***'s Account of Dr. Jofeph Warton came too late. It shall be inferted in our next.

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AVERAGE PRICES of CORN, from March 15, to April 19.

Wheat Rye | Barl. | Oats Beans || COUNTIES upon the COAST. 8. d. 6. d. s. d. s. d. s. d.

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Wheat Rye Barley, Oats Beans 078 059 645 856 6 OOO 05 043 061 9

052 039 600 0 050 139

121

112

118

4 00

Suffolk 118

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850

6

Cambrid. 106

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Durham 110
7 Northum. 86
6 Cumberl, 108
0 Westmor 135
5 Lancash. 123
695 o Chefhire 116
c100 of Glouceft. 111
1 88 1c Somerfet 117
078 4 Monmou, 121
565 0 Devon 116 11 00

6 98

184

261 1154 200 048 045 072 8

197

083 853 11,00

2112

081 1052 500 0

11 00

800

065 1056 789 4 066 662

8:00

9 00

048 548 185 3

9 00

6 00

048 142 269 4 069 10 37 600 0 051 731

Middlefex 117 700 0151 1/46
Surry 121 000 058 47
Hertford 112 900 057 048
Bedford 122 1000 059 144
Hunting. 116 800 059 441
Northam. 106 074 656 1041 1071
Rutland 100 000 070 046 060
Leicester 107 500 063 044 287
Nottingh. 124 300 06
Derby 114 300 063 953
Stafford 121.000 065 549
Salop 116 777 4
66 647
Hereford 105 76 855 1144

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872

I 00 0151 6/40 4'59 2

Worceft. 123 8 20 059 146 677 4 Cornwall 105 500 056 432 600 0
Warwick 132
73 552 990 9 Dorfet 115 10 00 040 700 000 ⚫
Wilts 314 00 052 045
Berks 115 600 048 342
Oxford 116 900 053 543
Backs 117 300 051845

069 10 N. Wales 104
275 1dl S. Wales 104

WALES.

0182 0161 435 000 0 ol00 0162 0125 7100

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THE

EUROPEAN MAGAZINE,

AND

LONDON REVIEW,

FOR APRIL 1800.

MEMOIRS OF C. S. SONNINI.

(WITH A PORTRAIT.)

Tleft concerning the defcent of this HE little we have been able to col

celebrated Naturalift and Traveller, and the very early part of his life, amounts to no more than that his progenitors emigrated from fome part of Italy, and fettled in France during the long reign of Louis XIV. where they either acquired, or brought with them, confiderable property: it likewife appears, that he was at firft a pupil in the Marine Academy at Toulon, and afterwards in Ecole Militaire at Paris; from being thus qualified for the naval fervice of his Sovereign Louis XV. he was, whilft very young, appointed a fubaltern officer of a frigate destined for South America, but on what particular fervice cannot be afcertained at this distance of time; it was, however, his first voyage, and served him as an introdution to the practical knowledge of navigation, and to that branch of the military art which enabled him afterwards to act in the double capacity of a Marine Officer and an Engineer. Fortunately for his future reputation in the literary world, thofe arduous employments furnished him with the fairest opportunities to gratify his predominant inclination for travelling, and for the study of Natural Hiftory;

encouraged and fupported on the one and in both these propenfities he was

hand by Government; and on the other, by his private patron and friend, the celebrated Buffon.

From comparing the different events of his life with the circumstances attend. ing them, we are led to conclude that he must have commenced his career of public fervices towards the close of the reign of Louis XV. and that he is at prefent fomewhat turned of fifty years of age. If this calculation be juft, and we shall produce corroborating evidence in fupport of it, both the Tranflators of his Travels in Upper and Lower Egypt have mistaken the meaning of the term Ancien Officier in the original; for which reafon, amongst others, we have recommended in any future edition of the work in 4to. a total fuppreffion of the Appendix, or Hilaria Hunteriana *.

From his own account of himself, in Chapters I. and II. we may fairly infer that he was employed upwards of twelve years, in various active fervices, in regions far remote from his native country; as he exprefsly mentions his return from a fecond voyage to America prior to his travels into Egypt, and adds, " that he then repaired to Montbard, the country

* See the first page of this Appendix, where the Translator of Debrett's 4to. Edition, in correcting his antagonist, falls into a greater error-by remarking that the description in the title page of Sonnini's rank, viz. Ancien Officier, et Ingénieur de la Marine Francoife, should have been translated thus-“ formerly an Officer, and Engineer in the French Navy :` whereas the true meaning is—A Veteran, or o'd Officer, and Engineer in the French Naval fervice; which titles he held under the late unfortunate Monarch, and which he still retains, though he is not in the actual service of the Republic.

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refidence of Buffon, who was defirous to fee him, and with whom he spent fix months; and that time, which filed too rapidly, he mentions as the period of his life that has left behind it the most grate ful recollection." It is to my tay in that retreat, the temple of the feiences and of tale, that I am indebted for the little I am worth. It was winter, and the leverity of the feafon (1776) kept away troubicfome vifitors. Day fucceeded day in delightful fucceffion, while I was aiding the great man in his labours, and enjoying his fociety-a fociety highly agreeable, which was never difturbed by the fmalleft inequality of temper, and which I have never met with any where elle. Buffon was not one of those men of letters whom Erafmus whimfically compared to the tapestry of Flanders with great figures, which, in order to produce their effect, mult only be feen at a distance: his converfation was equally agreeable and interefting, and he blended with it an unaffected gaiety and a goodnatured manner, which put every one at his cafe. To there focial qualities he joined a finely-formed perion; like Plato, he was of the tallelt ftature and moft robust make; his broad thoulders an nounced his ftrength; his forehead was high and majestic; and he diftinguished hinfelf by the grace of his demeanour, and the dignity of his gestures."

This concile fketch of the character and perfon of a man of the most exalted genius, whole works have been long known and admired in all the civilized nations of the habitable globe, and who has since paid the debt of nature, cannot fail of being acceptable to the literati of our own; the digreflion will therefore need no apology.

To return to Sonnini: Early in the year 1777, he was ordered by the Government to repair to Toulon, where a fhip of war was fitting out, on board of which he was to embark with M. Tott, appointed Inspector of the Ports of the Levant and Barbary, and to follow its defination; but he afterwards received counter-orders, in consequence of which he took leave of that famous Engineer at Alexandria, and proceeded on his travels through Egypt. Having already accompanied him in those travels, we shall now confine ourfeives to biographical anec dotes.

It was not till the year 1781 that his fiend Buffon ftimulated him to the pub. lication of his Travels, by the following

1

polite note, encouraging him to set about it" I make no doubt but that you have collected a number of excellent ob fervations, the publication of which will do you great honour." Encouragement likewife was given to him by other friends, to whom the fciences and literature have given celebrity; but at the period when he was preffed on all fides to haften the publication, his conftitution, which had refifted the heat of the burning climate of Africa, and the fultry humidity of the Equator in South Ame rica-that conftitution, which neither fatigue nor privation were able to impair, could not withstand the languor of repofe, Violent fits of ficknels fucceeded each other; a gloomy melancholy took place of activity of mind; and a painful agitation of the foul clofely followed the falutary agitation of the body. Two caufes are afligned for this unhappy state of his mind and body about this time. The first, a neglect on the part of the Prime Minifter of France, whom he accufes of feldom putting a man in the place that fuited him, or honouring himfelt by a choice unpolluted by venality and intrigue. The fecond was his being involved in a family law-fuit, of which he gives the following account :-" An abfence of feveral years had emboldened the cupidity of fome of my relations. To recover what they had deprived me of, it was neceflary to repair to what was then called a fanctuary of justice, but was in truth nothing but the labyrinth of chicane-at the fame time, men of malevolent difpofitions, availing themfelves of my inexperience in bufinefs; of my indifference about pecuniary concerns; of the franknefs, the confidence, and careleffnels, of a generous but too ealy nature; involved me in a thousand diffculties; overwhelmed me with disputes and conteftations and, like bare-faced plunderers, found means to divide among themselves confiderable portions of my tortune, which they pulled to pieces with circumftances that added to the bitterness of days already devoted to fufferings and chagrin."

We shall not follow this melancholy detail any further, but close it with this juft remark of its narrator:-"Such are the embarraffments which I fhould probably have met with, and which it would have been neceflary for me to have overcome, had I written my Travels as toon as they were at an end. The traveller is not only the hiftorian of the men he

meets

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