himself to that purpose, as entirely to overlook the enchanting views of rural fcenes, or the manners and cuftoms of the inhabitants of different places, in his route.

In a treatise, published in 1788, on the pelagra, an endemial difeafe in the dutchy of Milan, M. JANSEN has already prefented us with the first fruits of his travels, and manifefted the zeal and affiduity with which he feeks medical knowlege.

It is obvious, from the account already given, that the work before us is of the miscellaneous kind; and it is no lefs obvious, that in publications of a mifcellaneous nature, it is peculiarly difficult to gratify the curiofity of our readers, or to fubmit to their infpection fufficient fpecimens of the nature and execution of the defign, to enable them to judge for themselves concerning its merits or demerits. Their ideas muft, in a great meafure, be formed from a fummary of our opinion on the whole of the performance; and to do juftice both to the author and to the public, we think it our duty to remark, that these letters convey much entertaining and useful information concerning many fubjects, which have been either totally omitted by, or which have very fuperficially engaged the attention of, those numerous travellers who have pofted through Italy. The author manifefts, at every ftage, a minute attention to whatever prefents itself before him, or concerning which he could poffibly obtain information. From his fhort refidence in many places it is to be fuppofed, that the knowlege which he acquired will often be fuperficial, and fometimes inaccurate. Indeed, we lament with him, that he has fo frequently been obliged to hurry away from feveral cities, as foon as the acquaintance which he had formed with their literati, had opened to him the requifite channels of information. M. JANSEN has, however, taken great pains to fee and examine for himself; which has enabled him, in feveral particulars, to correct the mistakes and inaccuracies of preceding travellers. In other inftances, he paffes over rather too curforily many articles which others have more fully defcribed; fince moft of the authors, to whom he refers, are Germans, whofe works are not fufficiently known in foreign countries. We are fomewhat furprized that he should have chofen the epistolary form; the style of which is not his forte: his letters being totally deftitute of that zeft and spirit which that mode of writing demands. We must confefs, that his defcriptions of the scenes of nature are not drawn with the pencil of a Brydone; nor is his correfpondence animated with the polite, courteous, and claffical tafte of Sefini: but matters of fact, and the refult of affiduous inquiry and attentive obfer

*See Review, vol. lxxix. p. 636.

vation,

vation, are given in a plain and fimple ftyle. Non omnia pofumus omnes. Whoever prefers fubftantial food, ferved up in an homely manner, to the mere garnishings of a difh, will read thefe letters with fatisfaction.

As the principal object of M. JANSEN's purfuit was to inquire after whatever has reference to the fcience of medicine, and its appurtenances, we thall felect a few particulars from thefe fubjects, at once to gratify the curiofity of our medical readers, and to give them a general idea of the manner in which his plan has been executed. Of the university of Padua, he thus fpeaks:

The univerfity of Padua was formerly one of the most celebrated in Europe; and at one period is faid to have had not fewer than eighteen thousand ftudents: but how is the number diminished! At prefent, it has not more than five hundred! It excels most others in antiquity, having been established in the year 1222: nor was it renowned from this circumftance alone, for the fuperior learning of its profeffors gave it the preference. I need not inform you, that Vefalius, Fabricius ab aquâ pendente, Sand Sanctorius, Jo. Veflingius, Hier. Mercurialis, Bern. Ramazzini, Jul. Pontedera, Ant. Valifnerius, and the great Morgagni, were all profeffors at Padua. Nor is it at prefent deftitute of learned men in the medical department. I was folicitous to form an acquaintance with your correfpondent Caldani, whole Inftitutiones Phyfiologica & Pathologica, were published by you: but this learned fucceffor to the great Morgagni was at the country-feat of Count Coloredo, fo that I was deprived of the fight of his wax preparations, which are highly praifed. Count Marcus Carburi is profeffor in Chemistry. He is a Greek by birth and has vifited, at the expence of the republic, the mines in Saxony, Hartz, and Sweden. A monument was erected to his honour in the year 1772. He fhewed us the theatre, and the laboratory for chemical experiments, that have been lately erected. It is fuitably provided with furnaces, and the requifite instruments for experiments. The theatre is furrounded with cafes containing chemical preparations, and natural productions. The mineral kingdom is the favourite ftudy of the profeffor. I was difpleafed at obferving that the laboratory and auditory are at a distance from each other, which must neceffarily be very inconvenient for the ftudents. The profeffor in botany is Job. Marfili, who has collected much knowlege in this fcience in his travels through France and England; and has diftinguished himself by his treatise De Fungo Carrarienfi. An œconomical garden has lately been established at Padua, destined to the cultivation of fuch plants and trees as promise moft utility in agriculture, for domeftic ufe, and in dying. Profeffor Arduina is fuperintendent; who is well known by feveral publications. Agri

* We think that Dr. J. has not expreffed himself accurately in this particular. The work was tranflated from the Italian into the Latin language, by Profeffor Sandifort.

APP. REV. VOL. III.

M m

culture

culture and metallurgy, are fciences to which the Venetians pay particular attention. Toaldo, profeffor in meteorology and aftronomy, has published a valuable work, entitled, La Meteorologia applicata all' Agricoltora. The obfervatory is compofed entirely of ftone. The public building, or college, of the university, had Sanforina for its architect. The inward court is ornamented with a fplendid colonade, yet the place has but a mean appearance externally; and the rooms in which the lectures are given, are not well adapted to the purpofe. Even the anatomical theatre, which Albinus terms amplum et fplendidum, is very fmall and gloomy: fo that it is easy to conclude, that in the year 1594, when it was erected, the number of ftudents was not very great, although Alpinus and Fabricius ab aquâ pendente, were at that time the profeffors. In a fmall adjacent chamber, is a marble buft of Morgagni, placed in the wall. I was very curious to fee the appartment in which this profeffor made his incomparable obfervations on dead bodies. I found it, contrary to all expectation, a very bad one: for although the table on which the bodies were placed, is fituated near to the window, fo that there was no deficiency of light, yet it wanted every other conveniency, even feats for the fpectators.'

Concerning the celebrated univerfity of Bologna, the author gives us the following particulars, which form the fubftance of his eighth letter. The Inftitute, as it was named, was eftablifhed by Lodewyk Fred. Marfigli, who removed to this place on his being expelled from Brifach in the year 1709. He took with him his library, and collections in natural hiftory, together with mathematical, aftronomical, and geometrical apparatus, and erected an obfervatory in his houfe. The expence being too great for his capital, he was affifted by the liberality of Pope Clement the Second, who laid a tax for this purpofe on the lands belonging to the clergy; which, we are told, did not increase their love of literature. As the inftitution flourished, the defign was enlarged; and the fenate finally gave the palace of Celefi to its use.

The Academy of Sciences, fo famous throughout Europe for its Acta Bononienfia, was inftituted fomewhat earlier. This was founded by Euftachius Manfredi, at the age of fixteen, in the year 1690. He united himself with feveral young gentlemen of his own rank, and infpired them with the love of literature. Their motto was, Mens agitat, and they named themfelves the Inquieti. In the year 1705, I. B. Morgagni new modelled their academy, and received Marfigli into his own houfe. Several learned men became members of the academy, and it was united with the Institute under the compound title of the Academy of the Inftitute. Its celebrity was not only diffufed over Europe, but feveral princes deemed it an honour to belong to this learned body. Marfigli, whofe love of

the

the arts and fciences can scarcely be paralleled, was ambitious to add painting, ftatuary, and architecture, to the other branches; and for this purpofe, he invited and encouraged the most celebrated artists in Europe to refide at Bologna. Thefe arts were at first confidered as diftinct and feparate from the plan of the Academy of the Institute: but they were afterward incorporated with it, and the univerfity finally acquired the name of Academia Clementina, from its patron Clement the Second. A printing-office was alfo added to the academy by the munificence of Benedict XIV.

In this Inftitute, not only the learned of each fex were admitted as members, but feveral ladies have been promoted to profefforfhips. Among thefe, muft be mentioned Laura Baffi, who died in the year 1778, renowned for the depth of her knowlege in the abftrufe fciences *. The celebrated Anna Manzolini, was alfo profeffor of anatomy in this univerfity. Her anatomical preparations are preferved in the college. Thefe have been highly extolled: but Dr. J. attributes a large portion. of the praife, to the fingularity of their being the work of a female anatomist.

The philofophical apparatus is pretty large. Pope Benedict XIV. procured from Profeffor Muffchenbroek a collection of inftruments made after the model of those used by s'Gravefande. To thefe have been added, air-pumps, electrical, hydraulic, optical, and catroptrical machines and inftruments, &c. &c.

In the prefent work, we have no account of Rome. In the author's paflage to Naples, he merely paffed through that city: but on his return, he refided there a confiderable time; and Profeflor Sandifort informs us, that M. JANSEN's obfervations concerning Rome and its vicinity, conftitute the materials for a future volume.

Cog.

ART. III. Verhandelingen uitgegeeven door de Hollandfche Maat Jepaptye der Weetenfchappen te Haarlem, i. e. Memoirs published by the Philofophical Society at Haarlem. Vol. XXVI. 8vo. pp. 380. Haarlem. 1789.

IN

Na country, great part of which may be confidered as a drained marth, and which owes its existence and prefervation to the laborious and unremitted exertions of art, the study of hydrostatics and hydraulics is peculiarly interefting and important. Hence the great attention paid to thefe fciences by the philoto

A particular account of this lady is given in the 6th volume of the Comment. Bonon.

phical focieties of Holland, and the numerous differtations relative to them, which appear in the Dutch academical memoirs. A fubject of this nature employs the greatest part of the volume now before us; the firft article, in importance as well as in order, being a prize differtation, concerning the velocity of running water, and the means of afcertaining it at any given depth, by M. CHRISTIAN BRUNINGS, infpector-general of the rivers of Holland and Weft Vriefland.

In the question, which gave occation to this memoir, the fociety enquires, Whether the velocity of the Atream, in any degree of depth, and, hence, the mean velocity in every fection of a river, can be afcertained by any theoretical rule, which is confirmed by experiment? Or can this be determined only by actual measurement? and, if fo, what is the instrument by which the various velocities of a fream, at every given diftance from the furface, may be most accurately measured.

M. BRUNINGS's anfwer to the first part of the question is divided into two chapters; in one of which, he lays down the feveral theories that have been invented for this purpofe; and, in the other, he inquires how far they have been confirmed by experiment.

The theory adopted by Galileo, was founded on a fuppofed analogy between the motion of running water, and that of bodies defcending along an inclined plane: hence he concluded, that the velocity of the ftream increased in proportion to its diftance from the furface; and that the fcale of accelerating velocities, from the furface to the bottom, might be exprefled by a right-angled ifofceles triangle, the legs of which are equal to the depth of the river. The deficiency of this analogy, as well as of the theory founded on it, is here judiciously explained: but as this has been done by many writers on the subject, we shall not detain the reader with M. BRUNINGS's animadverfions concerning it.

The theories of Caftelli and Guglielmini, though very different in their refults, are both founded on the phenomena of water difcharged from the aperture of a veffel. The former, who imagined that, in this experiment, the velocity of the water difcharged was in proportion to the diftance of the aperture from the furface of the fluid, adopted the triangular scale of Galiles; whereas the latter, being convinced that the velocities of the water were in a fubduplicate ratio of its altitudes, reprefented the one by the ordinates, and the other by the abfciffe, of a parabola. Some alteration was afterward made in this theory, by Grandi, who thought that the vortex of the parabola ought to be computed, not from the furface of a horizontal, nor from the fource of an inclined channel, but from,