the Duke de Rich lieu 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 least accident; but the prudence of the • Prince of Brunfwick fruftrated our whole defign, and left us nothing to do but to admire his retreat.'

6

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 earum Guratione 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 perufal.

Oratio de origine Laucis fiftens novam thecriam Colorum, in publico conventu Academia Scientiarum imperialis Petropolitana habita.

Or,

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

This is an attempt to cftablish a new theory of light and colours. Mr. Lomonofow fuppofes light to confift 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 fmalleft may be included in the interftices of the largeft: the gyrations of the largeft fpheres, 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 premifes fo chimerical.

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

Travels through Part of Europe, Asia Minor, the Islands of the Archipelago, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Mount Sinai, &c. Giving a particular Account of the most remarkable Places, Structures, Ruins, Infcriptions, &c. in thefe Countries. To gether 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 University of Leyden. Tranflated from the Low Dutch. 8vo. 2 vols. 10 s. Davis and Reymers.

I

N perufing the feveral Accounts of Travellers, vifiting 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 thofe who. give the firft account of ftrange cuftoms, and remote countries, we fhall think ourselves not a little obliged to fucceed. ing 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 feen 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 thofe who feek 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 intercourfe with other nations, by commerce; or to those 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 therein, that they feem to have loft thofe national characteristics which used formerly to diftinguifh 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 pafs 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 mistress in the fashion of ages paft, and which, in all probability, may laft 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.

The island of Texel is one of the iflands of North-Holland, 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 Frieslanders; 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 ships 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 carried on in a manner like queefting *. This is an ancient cuftom of evening vifits and courtships among the young peo⚫ple in thei fland of Vlie, and Wieringen, but efpecially in the

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

Texel. It is, indeed, of an antiquity, the date of which ⚫ cannot be traced. The Spark comes into the house at night, either by the door, which is left upon the latch, or half open, by one of the windows, or through the ftable, and makes his way to the bed-chamber of his Sweetheart, who is already in her bed. After a compliment or two, he begs leave that he may pull off his upper garment, and • come upon the bed to her. This being of course granted, he lifts up the quilt or rug, lays himself under it, and then queefts, that is, chats with her 'till he thinks it time to depart, which is invariably done by the fame entrance he came in at. This is a cuftom from which the natives will not foon depart: the parents thinking it equitable not to deny their children a freedom they themselves were indulged in.. • Their innate tenacious parfimony alfo finds its account in this cuftom, which difpenfes with the articles of fire and ⚫ candle in the long winter evenings and nights.'

The conftitution of thefe young iflanders will be thought, perhaps, fomething cold, or the nymphs remarkably chaste," to admit of fo familiar a method of courtship. But the truth is, they are not over delicate in their notions of modesty, and if any accident should happen, whereby a criminal familiarity is betrayed, the law obliges the young fellow to marry his mistress: and, as events of this nature are, as might be well expected, pretty frequent, they leave hardly any ftain on the reputation: the marriage ceremony once paffed, all things are fet to rights.

After the above obfervations on the Texel, our Author takes leave of his native country, and proceeds on his voyage to Turkey, touching at feveral places in his way, at fome of which the Reader, perhaps, will not be difpleafed to attend

him.

In Italy he made fome stay; and tells us, that at Leghorn, he faw a scene of courtship of a very different kind from the aboye; where, inftead of being in fo familiar a fituation as that of the North-Hollander. The Lover, with his Sun'day cloaths on, and his rolled up stockings, ftood in the ftreets, addreffing his liftening charmer, who was lolling all the while out of her window. And indeed,' continues our Author, a young female would ruin her character, were fhe to admit her lover within doors, or enter into an ⚫ evening chat with him, tête a tête. This, however, was a fcene confined to the vulgar; among people of fashion 'marriages being determined by the parents; and 'till that

⚫ time

time daughters are difpofed of in the convents for educa tion, where they ferve the Nuns as Minions; and thus,. according to the proverb, learn un poco di bene et un poca di • malo.'

The fair fex, especially of any rank, enjoy, however, more liberty now than at the time our Author made his obfervations; when no young woman was permitted to go abroad without a governefs or aunt; nor was it fafe, according to him, to falute a young Lady, left it should be conftrued into an affront, or occafion a legal attempt to force one into marriage.

As to the Devotion of the Italians, fays he, they are, in general, both fuperftitious and ignorant, though to a lefs degree than the Spaniards. However, we do not find among. them that exorbitant malignity against Hereticks and foreigners, as in too many other places. And what I was agreeably furprized at was, that in the inns no difficulty was made in providing flefh for foreigners on Fridays and • Saturdays; and a Gentleman who was just come from Rome, and to whom I was expreffing my fatisfaction at the indulgence, affured me, that he had eat flesh there even on Good-Friday. However, this is more than an Italian himfelf dare do, for fear of the Inquifition: he may, however, ⚫ commit all kinds of debauchery, provided he takes care not to offend against the Sovereign and the Laws; but fhould he eat flesh on the days of abftinence, the Inquifition would immediately take cognizance of it, and imprifon him. But the power of that tribunal does not extend to foreigners, with regard to their eating and drinking. I have observed, that the Italians are not fo infatuated with their images as the Spaniards; poffibly their intention may be rather to < ornament their churches, than to worship the ftatues, though I do not here include the vulgar, who have a great • propenfity to idolatry and image-worfhip. As I was walk<ing in Florence, I really faw a fellow very reverentially pull off his hat to the ftatue of Hercules and the Centaur.

At Florence, our Author paid a vifit to the celebrated Magliabechi, whofe drefs and manners he particularly defcribes. We have already given our Readers fome account of this prodigy: fee Review, vol. XX. p. 217.

We pass forward with our Author to Smyrna; where, from the account he gives of the ftate and power of the Dutch Conful, it should feem the trade of that nation was formerly much more confiderable than it is at prefent.

Among