speculations. The citizens have all the coast trade, and government has taken measures to preserve it to them.

"The army is on a respectable footing, and the ranks are increas ing: it is regularly paid and clothed, and government takes great pains to maintain it. In every town those citizens, who are not employed in civil functions, incorporate themselves in the national guard. The arsenals are well furnished with every article of war; the towns increase; the roads are repaired and kept up; bridges are erected in every necessary place; manufactories are improved; and we daily perceive fresh progress made in every branch of national prosperity.

"Our manners are so changed for the better, that it would be difficult to recognize the same people in the first years of independence and at the present time. There is only one point in which they do not change their proud and warlike character, and perseverance in noble resolutions! If the colonies deny this fact, let them apply to the French merchants who trade with Hayti; and their testimony will furnish proofs, from which may be predicted, that Hayti, already called the Queen of the Antilles,' will become, and that at no very distant period, the centre of civilization, knowledge, and liberty."

Memoires de Jacques Fauvel, &c. Memoirs of James Fauvel. Published by M. M. J. Droz, and L. B. Picard. 4 vols. 12mo. Price 168.

This remarkable production, the first of the united talent and imagination of two writers of great ability, is particularly adapted to check and restrain those young authors, who, elated by an ephemeral success obtained by singularity, wander from the right path of literature. The authors, as some judicious critics have observed, wished to put into action and develope one great philosophical sentiment: they wished to describe a man brought up, during his youth, in "ensouciance," sustained by firmness and perse

verance in his maturity, and by resignation in his old age.

The reader will find, in the Me moires of Jacques Fauvel,' that comic vein and talent of observation, which so eminently distinguish M. Picard, happily blended with the mild yet elevated philosophy which distinguishes the productions of M. Droz. In reading this work, we could not help regretting that M. Picard has so long underrated his talents, by confining himself to the direction of young authors in their dramatic career: his many skilfully drawn characters authorize us to suppose him capable of producing more of those dramatic productions, which have brought so much money to the theatres where they have been performed.

Jacques Fauvel' will enjoy a privilege that the personages in a comedy or tragedy can not now possess in France: it will cause intolerance to be detested, that enemy to the happiness of the people, and the glory of kings.

Euvres complètes de Platon. The Works of Plato, translated from the Greek into French, with Notes and an Introduction on the

Philosophy of Plato. By V. Cousin, Vol. I. 108. Paris.

Until the appearance of this work the French did not possess a complete translation of Plato. Dacier, P. Grove, and Maucroix, have translated some dialogues; but, since that time, critics, particularly the German, have made such alterations in Plato's text, that the translations anterior to the last twenty years are now found very defective: besides, these partial labours embrace only a part of Plato's works; and the untranslated dialogues are precisely the most important and profound. The Parmenides, the Sophist, the Timeus, the Phedra, these ancient and venerable sources of the highest ideas of beauty, love, existence, unity, and universal harmony, were yet unknown to the French reader. M. Cousin, who is a professor of the Greek language, has undertaken to present the French with the entire works of this philo

sopher. The first volume, which is now published, contains four dialogues. The Euthyphron, the Apology of Socrates, the Critic, and the Phedon. Each of these dialogues is accompanied by critical and philological notes, and preceded by a clear and perspicuous analysis of Plato's doctrine. The argument of the Phedon especially contains, in a style worthy of Plato, the sublime opinions of ancient philosophy on the nature of the soul, and its immortality.

The beauty of the edition, and the typographical skill with which it is executed, makes it equal to the finest works that ever issued from the press of Firmin Didot. This work will be in nine volumes, ornamented with a fine portrait of Plato, a map of Attica, and a plan of Athens. The volume, containing the Introduction upon Plato's Philosophy, will be last published. A volume will be published every three months; the price of each on Annonay paper will be 108., on large vellum paper, of which there will be only twenty-five copies, 17. 118. 6d.

Pensees, Maximes, Reflexions, &c. Thoughts, Maxims. and Reflections. By Count Ségur, extracted from his works. 18mo. Paris, 1823.

It was a happy thought to collect together all the maxims and reflections M. de Ségur has dispersed through his works. We think they will be as much relished by the public in this form, as they were scattered about in the large collection already well-known. Extracted from a great work where they are united to the narrative of events, they cannot be distinguished by that epigrammatic point which seems to be necessary to this species of writing. There is something peculiarly frank, and we may even say generous in this grave simplicity of style. The author addresses himself to the reason rather than to wit, and seeks to instruct by the wisdom of his lessons rather than amuse by the malignity of his censure. Most of these thoughts are the result of the labours of the historian and states

man. M. Ségur has had before him great examples, and his reflections on liberty, equality, and despotism, government and factions, shew, that he has derived from them important lessons. His remarks are at once general maxims, and counsels for men of the present time.

But we fear these counsels will be as much neglected as praised; and party spirit, while it acknowledges that the author well performs his office of moralist, will forget to follow his example. M. Ségur seems to foresee, and is resigned to this sort of success. It is to be regretted that the editors seem to have forgotten, that the historian of nations is also a describer of women, for reflections of this nature are nowhere to be found in this collection. The greater part of their readers would have seen these with much pleasure, but in spite of this defect, in spite of some thoughts not very new, and often similar in thought or expression, this little book will afford all classes of readers much amusement, though they may not profit by the instruction it affords.

Annali Musulmani, &c. Annals of the Mussulmans. By G. B. Rampoldi, 2 vols. 8vo. Milan, 1822.

This volume is a history of the progress of Islamism, and the empire of the Arabs, an account of the doctrine of Mahomet, and a narrative of the election of a successor to this prophet.

The author remarks the ability of this legislator, who, while sustaining the rights of his nation, combined them with the dogmas of his religious system; he exalts his moral and political character. In fact, Mahomet made use of the revelations of his most respectable predecessors; he abolished idolatry; he perfected public morality; he recommended charity, brotherly love, concord, social virtues, and particularly the care of widows and orphans. If he rendered his subjects credulous, he also made them more united, stronger, and more independent.. Abul Bekr was elected kalif or heir

of the prophet. It was he who arranged the chapters of the Koran, distributed and spread them amongst his army, and M. Rampoldi gives us a very curious summary of them. Some parts are taken from the code of Justinian, some from the Bible and Talmud, with a mixture of many opinions of Arius, Nestorius, and Sabellius. Moses, Jesus, and St. John, the Baptist, are distinguished by Mahomet as the most eminent prophets.

The Koran is thought by the Arabs to be the perfection of style. Mahomet is particularly eloquent when he speaks of God, Hell, or Paradise. He was so impressed by the excellence of his own work that he had no doubt of its being dictated by God himself.

We cannot follow the author through the details of his work, but he appears to us to have consulted the most approved authors, as may be seen by the notes at the end of his work.

Tragedie, &c. Shakspeare's Tragedies, translated into Italian. By Michele Leoni, 12 vols. 8vo. Verona.

Sig. Leoni is constantly enriching his country with the finest foreign productions, either in prose or verse. Besides many others, he has translated the " Traveller," by Goldsmith; Otway's "Venice Preserved;" "The School for Scandal," and the "Rivals," by R. B. Sheridan; and Hume's History of England.

But of all this author's translations from English works, that of Shakspeare's tragedies does him the most honour. He has published it in twelve volumes, each of which contains a tragedy, preceded by the critique of M. Schlegel, taken from his "Course of Dramatic Literature."

King Lear and Richard II. are translated into prose, all the others are in verse. In translating this poet, who is always original in thought and expression, the translator could not always preserve the same equality of style and colouring. But though Sig. Leoni could not avoid this irregularity, he tries to soften it down by the correctness of

De dramatis Græcorum satirici origine disputatio,

Dissertation on the Origin of the Satirical Drama of the Greeks. By Gustavus Pinzger, 8vo. 1822.

The author commences by defending the authority of Herodotus against the attacks of the celebrated Schneider, and other philologists; who maintain that this historian is mistaken in attributing to the inhabitants of Sicyon tragic choruses anterior to Thespis. He supports it by a passage from Themistius, and thinks, with Suidas, that Epigenes of Sicyon is the real inventor of tragedy; of that ancient lyrical tragedy, similar to the dithyramba. M. Pinzger connects the fable of Arion with the origin of tragedy in Peloponesus. Thespis followed after and gave a dramatic form to these lyrical songs. The author maintains with great skill that the tragedy of Thespis was serious, and did not admit of satirical chorusses; on the contrary, that it approached the dithyramba. According to him the satirical drama rose from the popular rejoicings at the feasts of Bacchus ; he thinks Pratinas of Phliuntes was the author of it, and he dates its origin in the 70th Olympiad. Lastly, he gives some fragments of the Tetralogies of Pratinas, and a critical examination of them. There is an appendix to this work, in which M. Pinzger disputes the authenticity of the four books, "De vita Constantini," attributed to Eusebius.

Memoirs of the History of France, during the Reign of Napoleon. Dictated by the Emperor, at Saint Helena, to the Count de Montholon. 8vo. pp. 377. London, 1823.

We have felt it an imperative, but at the same time a pleasurable duty, to lay before our readers a full account of the various volumes, that have successively appeared within the last nine years, upon the subjects connected with the late Emperor of France; convinced that these volumes contained not only a fund of instruction and amusement to readers of every class, but that they formed the depositions from which posterity would draw all their materials for the history of our age. The volume which is now before us may be said to contain less of mere amusement for superficial readers, and less to gratify a crude curiosity, than any of its precursors from Saint Helena; but it is a volume of great use for intellectual study, and it throws a light upon many points of interest connected with the most important occurrences of the late eventful period; and upon points which have not only given rise to much controversy, but upon which the truth most probably would never have been ascertained by our descendants, if Napoleon himself, or somebody intimately connected with him, had not elucidated the subjects, and given us data for reflection. Independent of its historical importance, we point out the volume as an object of intellectual study to the man of profound thought, for it contains a model of that sound ratiocination, devoid of all art or scholastic form, which distinguishes the mind of Napoleon; and which, perhaps, it might hardly be extravagant to say, amounts to pure intellection, at least as near to pure intellection as the finite nature of humanity will

admit of.

The work contains the late Emperor's strictures upon, and refutations of, several of the various publications relating to his reign and to himself, which have emanated mediately or immediately from per

sons in authority in different countries; and which have, therefore, been deemed worthy of his special attention. And here we must observe upon Napoleon's style of controversy. He takes up solely the points of his adversaries' statements, disregarding their works as a whole; and, in refutation of these points, he crouds a number of dates and indisputable facts, or appeals to the simple unerring principles of our intellectual nature, and to the ge neral sentiments and impressions which are alike common to man in all countries; and this matter he states in the most forcible style, without any form or arrangement derived from study or art, but with the words falling in that natural order which a strong conception and a consciousness of power would give them. There are, therefore, few epithets, for his weapons are facts of the strongest description, and his words so accurately and precisely convey those facts, that all epithets would be supererogatory, and have the effect of offending the reader, by anticipating his associations and sentiments: there are also no antitheses, nor long, involved, and obscure passages, but every thing evinces that the Emperor dictated from a rapid sequence of strong and luminous conceptions, and from an intuitive comprehen sion of his subject. We scarcely need observe, that such a mode of reasoning is to contingent subjects, what demonstration is to abstract science.

The first 28 pages contain Napoleon's strictures upon the Baron Jomini's "Treatise upon grand Military operations," a work which has had an astonishing reputation with military men upon the continent, and the merits and nature of which we recollect to have been displayed to our own countrymen by an elaborate critique and able analysis in the Edinburgh Review of about ten years ago. The Emperor begins his strictures by confirming the already acquired reputation of the work: he begins by saying, that "This work is one of the most important of all that have

been published relative to these subjects" and proceeds to add a vast deal of valuable matter, which he observes," may assist the author in his future editions, and will be interesting to military men." The Emperor gives us a numerical statement of the force of the French and Austrians at the battles of Montenotte, Lodi, Castiglioni, Bassano, Arcole, Rivoli, in his memorable campaign of 1796, and proceeds to similar details relative to his passing the Tagliamento, and his forcing his passage into the Tyrol, in his celebrated German campaign of 1797, and which indeed was nothing more than his pre-calculated consequence of his successful operations in the Italian campaign of the preceding year. The general disposition of the contending forces, the views of the different officers, with the Emperor's elucidations of many nice points of military controversy, are given in a masterly style; but they relate so exclusively to the military profession, that, however valuable they may be to commanding officers or to continental statesmen, they are of little or no interest to the general reader, except perhaps as specimens of reasoning, and as reminiscenses of the events which once filled the gazettes of all Europe, and were the subject of hope or fear, and of deep and anxious speculation, to every gentleman of an age to contemplate the extraordinary and important features of that eventful crisis, when thrones and dynasties were subverted, and kingdoms destroyed and remodelled, as if by the rod of a magician.

Immediately succeeding to this chapter, we have 80 pages upon the celebrated work entitled "Precis des Evenemens Militairés, ou Essais Historiques sur les Campagnes de 1799, à 1814," and the chapter is of much more general interest than the preceding, as it contains the Emperor's views and observations upon the Pitt system, upon the continental policy of that memorable period, and upon the campaigns of General Morean, with several exceedingly important and luminous remarks upon the French and English expeditions to Egypt.

Napoleon speaks of Mr. Pitt's antiquated policy, and of his want of

capacity to adapt his system to the altered state of Europe. By this work, the "Precis des Evenemens," it appears that Mr. Pitt's views being insular, his great object was to prevent the French from acquiring possession of Belgium, and of the maritime forces and positions of Holland; upon this subject it is observed, that Mr. Pitt's object was evidently unattainable after Austria had been compelled to cede all Belgium to France, by the peace of Campo-Formio; after the great success of Austria in Italy, during Napoleon's absence in Egypt, had failed to rescue Belgium from France; and, finally, after Napoleon's great successes, on his elevation to the Consulship in 1800, had reduced the power and influeuce of Austria to a comparative nullity. The Emperor then proceeds to argue that it was unjust, absurd, and impolitic in the English minister to refuse the overtures for peace made to Great Britain in 1800. He shews how advantageous to England a peace at that period would have been, and that the peace he offered would have prevented the subsequent overthrow of the power of the Pope, and of the Kings of Sardinia and of Naples, with that of the Duke of Tuscany; and the Emperor shews satisfactorily that peace would have been personally injurious to himself, war being the only means of his acquiring personal supremacy: in short, Napoleon proves that his wearing a diadem, and his trampling upon the thrones of Europe, were entirely the consequence of Lord Grenville and Mr. Pitt's rejection of the offers of peace made in 1800. Upon this latter point we conceive there can be no rational dispute; but with respect to the general ground and policy of Mr. Pitt's rejecting the peace, we must observe, that the Emperor argues the case as if it were a point to be determined by intellect, forgetting how much of prejudice and passion was prevalent at that period in all the old cabinets of Europe. With respect to the English minister refusing to negociate with the Consul on the grounds of his goverument not being legitimate and acknowledged, Napoleon observes, "The republic had been acknow