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Spain, confidered with relation to their different climates, productions, and the manners of their inhabitants. Foreigners are admitted among the candidates; and the differtations may be written either in Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, or Latin.

The prize of 1500 rials, left by R. P. Pedro de Torres, the object of which was to affign the caufes that favour the multiplication of caterpillars, not having been adjudged, the Society have fubftituted for it a prize of 2000 rials, and a medal of gold, four ounces in weight, for a memoir, in which the author muft establish, by inconteftible authorities, the æra when mules • were first employed in Europe in Labour, that in which this Custom was introduced into Spain, the Time when it was most common, and the Influence which it has had on Crops and on Population.' The memoir must be divided into four parts; in the firit the author is expected to enquire, 1ft, how the earth was cultivated before the introduction of mules: 2. whether oxen were employed, and, if fo, how they were fed, in places where at prefent there are no pastures; 3. by what means the pastures were renewed; 4. the advantages and difadvantages which would enfue to the kingdom if oxen were employed in labour. In the fecond part, if the author proves that oxen are neither to be admitted or rejected generally, he is expected to point out the nature of the grounds beft adapted to thein, and that of the foil, where mules may most advantageoufly be employed. In the third part, the author is expected to point out the real state of the commerce between Spain and France relating to mules, and the advantages which are drawn from that commerce: 2. he must examine what benefits Spain can draw from a fimilar commerce, with oxen. In the fourth part, he will compare the refpective advantages of mules and oxen, confidered relatively to their propagation, their nourishment, their difeafes, the length of their lives, and their ufe after death. These memoirs must be addreffed, with the ufual forms, to D. Polycarpe, Saenz de Texada Hermofo, fecretary to the Society.

With refpect to the prize which is to be diftributed on faint Charles's day of the fame year, the Society propofes a gold medal of four ounces for a differtation which fhall how, in the moft fatisfactory manner, the prejudice which the perpetual intail of a funded debt will bring on a kingdom; and which will point out the best means to check and repair this misfortune moft conveniently, without producing greater evils. Memoirs will be received till the end of Auguft.

As an introduction to Spanish literature, we fhall content ourfelves with announcing two great works, and explaining, in fome degree, their objects and contents: the one is materials for an interefting part of their national history; the other, an attempt to complete the Spanish Flora.

For near feven years a fociety of learned Spaniards have been collecting the chronicles relating to the hiftory of Caftile, from

Alonzo

Alonzo VIII. in the year 1126, to the union of the two great monarchies in 1492, a period of 366 years. These chronicles have either remained in manufcript, in the archives of great families, or have been partially publifhed, with particular, and fometimes interested views. The publications are now very scarce; and not valuable. Many faults have occurred from the inattention of transcribers, and fome perhaps from worse motives. The defign of this publication is not new: it has been already undertaken, but again neglected. In this attempt, the best copies are chofen, collated with great care, enriched with what occurs in other papers, on good authorities, and explained by the writings of cotemporary authors. They are publifhed in quarto; the print and paper are beautiful: the Spanish national works are generally executed with uncommon care. Where the author's orthography is uniform, it is continued; where it varies, it is brought as near as poffible to the prefent ftate. The chronicles already published relate to Juan I. and II. Don Alonzo VIII. D. Pedro, D. Henri II. and III. of Caftile. The chronicle of D. Pedro Nigno, relating to two voyages, undertaken by the command of Henri III. on the Mediterranean and Atlantic, are peculiarly interesting, and have been hitherto very little known.

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We may juft obferve, that the eleventh volume of inftructive and curious memoirs on Agriculture, Commerce, Industry, Oeconomy, and Experimental Chemistry,' is begun. The first piece is by D. Michel Jerôme Suarez, on Experimental Chemistry the author treats of all kinds of earthen-ware and porcelains, particularly on thofe manufatured in England. He explains, with fome fuccefs, the nature of the compofition; but has not fucceeded equally well with the glazings. It is this part which is now brought almost to perfection in this kingdom.

The Spanish Flora occurs to us at prefent, in confequence of the recent publication of the fifth and fixth volumes. The work was originally undertaken by D. Jofeph Quer, and his name is continued at the head of these volumes. Since his death it is configned, we find, to Don Cazimir Gomes de Ortega. Quer was a judicious botanist, and an able phyfician: to him we owe the introduction of fome new remedies, which have been occa fionally useful; but what fullies his fame, as the hiftorian of the Spanish Flora, is his attachment to Tournefort, and his outrageous enmity to Linnæus. Ortega has followed the alphabetic plan, and the fyftem of the French naturalift, to give the work the neceffary uniformity, but has added the trivial names from Linnæus, the fynonyms of C. Bauhine, and many others. We perceive that the defcriptions are extenfive, and the medical properties numerous, but feldom, except in the cafe of the uva urfi, introduced by Quer, taken from modern authors. The foxglove, for instance, is recommended in epilepfy and fchrophula, from Hulfe and Parkinson; the gratiola, from Lobel and Boulduc. The fpecies are very numerous, but varieties are too

often

often admitted into the fame rank. The engravings are indiffer. ent, and the plates reprefent chiefly common plants. The mucizonia is almoft the only uncommon plant, but of this Ortega published a feparate account in 1772.

We cannot conclude a botanical fubject, though we mean not to infringe the articles of the Union, by confidering Scotland as. a foreign kingdom; but fince we cannot find a fitter place, we fhall conclude with fhortly mentioning the death of Dr. Hope, late profeffor of botany at Edinburgh. He established the prefent botanical garden in that univerfity; and, by an unwearied industry, with perpetual attention, he brought i', in a few years, to great perfection. Though he had not particularly cultivated this fcience in his early youth, he became a fkilful and wellinformed botanist. He was eager in the purfuit, and anxious to infpire others with the fame ardour. He first introduced the Linnaan fyftem into Scotland, for his predeceffor taught that of Tournefort. He had made large collections for a Flora Scotica, which he generously communicated to Mr. Lightfoot; and had made fome confiderable advances, part of which lie before us, in improving the natural method of arrangement. He was modeft, humble, and diffident; but actively benevolent, and chearfully communicative. Many have attained a more extenfive reputation, but few have better deserved it.

Differtatio Botanica de Sida. Secunda Differtatio Botanica, de Malva Serra, Malope, Lavatera Althea, Alcea, & Malacra. Auctore A. 7. Cavanilles. Hifpano, Valentino, Paris. F. Didot & Jombert.

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S we have related the substance of the abbé's memoir, read before the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris, we fhall: conclude the subject by fome account of his two Differtations. They are, in other refpects, botanical works of great importance. The first was published in the beginning of the year 1785, the fecond in 1786. The fida abutilon of Linnæus, is the althæa Theophrafti, flore luteo (C. Bauhin), än inhabitant of both the Indies; but the abbé takes a larger scope. He examines all the fpecies of fida, and mentions fome of the varieties. He corrects the specific characters; and, in his Mantiffa, published in the fecond Differtation, adds to them a number of species. At the end of this Supplement he defcribes five new fpecies of fida, one of which has a capfule, containing five feeds, which makes a new rank among the numerous fpecies of this genus.

The fecond Differtation is a continuation of the malvaceous plants; and we find eighty plants of this family, and two others from the pentandria. He purpofes to examine all the monadelphia, to correct the characters of the genera already known, to make new ones, and to add all the new fpecies which he can procure. He draws his own figures; and the accuracy with which thofe in the Differtations before us are executed (twenty

three

three in number), show that he is well fitted for this part of his talk.

The abbé begins with the mallows, and defcribes forty-eight fpecies, of which twenty-four are new ones. He admits, with Linnæus, the principal generic character, drawn from the cap fules difpofed annularly, and from the exterior calyx, commonly compofed of three folioles; but our author firft obferved, that, among the mallows, there were fome whofe fruit was compofed of bilocular capfules. The herbaria of Juffieu, la Mark, Thouin, Dombey, Sonnerat, and Commerfon, have greatly affifted him; but he has himself cultivated many fpecies.

Our author next proceeds to a new genus, called ferra, from a Spanish botanift. It contains but one fpecies, for which he is indebted to fir Jofeph Banks. This genus the abbé confiders as a link between the mallows and the cotton-tree, but different from both for, firft, it has a double calyx, not deciduous, the external one compofed of three large leaves; the internal one very small, of a fingle leaf, in five divifions; fecondly, a malvaceous corolla; thirdly, a fingle germ, terminating in a ftyle, with five curved ftigmata; fourthly, a tube which covers the germ, and fupports on its upper part ten fhort ftamina, and as many kidney-fhaped antheræ; fifthly, between the base of this tube and the calyx, it has four or five little membranes; fixthly, an oval fruit containing ten oval feeds. The author could not determine whether it was a fingle capfule, with five divifions, though he leans to this opinion.

The malope, the third genus, distinct from the malva by its capfules being raifed up into a head, is enriched with two new fpecies, characterized with care.

The fourth genus, lavatera, contains ten fpecies, which the author has fucceffively examined and determined.

In the next genus, ftyled althæa, M. Cavanilles has united the althea and alcea of Linnæus, because the fruit is the fame in both; and that part of the character derived from the divifion of the exterior calyx will not diftinguish them, fince it frequently varies in each genus. Linnæus knew but of two species of althæa, and four of alcea. Our author has defcribed ten.

The last genus of malvaceous plants defcribed by M. Cavanilles, is the malacra, and it contains three species. He corrects an error of Linnæus, who had faid that this genus had but five ftigmata: the abbé always found ten, with five capfules. He allo corrects the character of the calyx, fince, in two fpecies, befides the common calyx, each flower has two others.

The next genus has no connection with the malvaceous plants: it is a new one, perfectly diftinct, and connected with the folanums. He calls it Triguera, from his friend D. Candi de Marie Trigueros, a Spanish botanift. It contains two fpecies, cach of which are indigenous in Spain. It has a calyx, with five divifions; a corolla, bent at its border, and divided into five

lobes,

lobes, almoft round; five ftamina, inferted into a denticulated membrane, which furrounds, and fometimes covers the germ, as many fagitated antheræ, leaning towards each other, to form a cone; the fuperior germ is bilobated, and furmounted by a ftyle, terminated by a itigma; the germ is quadrilocular, con taining two offeous feeds, ftuck with points, and in each feed is an almond.

The abbé announces a third differtation on malyaceous plants, which is to contain eight genera. Six are new ones, for which he is indebted to the herbary of Commerfon. He gives the generic character of each, and, under the dombeya, points out a mistake in Linnæus' defcription of pentapete phoenicea. M. Heritier, in a new work, entitled, Stirpes novæ Defcriptionibus, & Iconibus illuftrata,' which we have not been able to procure, has also a genus of dombeya. We fear the custom of giving names to plants, taken from those of botanists, may produce fome confufion. In this inftance, M. Heritier's dombeya is of the clafs didynamia, and cannot be the fame with M. Ca vanilles'. We are forry to add, that the declining health of M. Dombey, occafioned by great fatigue, and ten years refidence in Peru, will prevent him from publishing his difcoveries. Thofe in the botanical department are intrufted to M. Heritier.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE.
POLITICA L.

The Principles of British Policy, contrafed with a French Alliance, 8vo. 15. 6d. Debrett.

TH

HIS pamphlet confifts of Five Letters, under the fignature of a Whig Member of Parliament to a Country Gentleman. The author profeffes to regard the treaty with France as infinitely more a queftion of politics than of commerce; but without examining the juftnefs of this remark, as of no great importance, we fhall proceed to confider his fentiments, which, we must acknowlege, are a little extraordinary. His propofition, he tells us, is this, viz. that our political interests were never more oppofite to thofe of France than they are now; that her views have conftantly been directed against the common liberties of mankind; that her inclination to annihilate our importance in the scale of nations, was never more manifest; that our differences take their fource from no cause which can admit of mutual accommodation; and are, therefore, unfit objects for a treaty of commerce, in which we cannot fafely engage with France, until he gives fome folid fecurity that the will disturb the peace of Europe no more.' What the author means by differences, when not one, fo far as we know, fubfifts at prefent between the two nations, we are at a lofs to determine; and Vol. LXIII. Feb. 1787.

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