Fouque's Undine has been translated into

SERVIA.

Premier Siecle de la Calcographie, ou Catalogue raisonnée du Cabinet Cicognara. Russian hexameters by Tulkowsky, and -This a collection of the earliest style of printed in a beautiful style, and illustrated engraving, and exhibiting the most approved with many engravings. good taste in the selection of the scarce proofs it contains, will be shortly sold. We need not add our confident trust that the British Museum will secure from its treasures some still rarer varieties of Mark Antonio and the early school than even its own fine collection, of which the English public is scarcely cognizant, possesses. The published catalogue, which follows the Chronological Order of Art, is a work of considerable research, and reflects great credit on the laborious investigations of Signor Zanetti. The whole collection will be sold in the course of a few months, and we simply ring this note of preparation in order that it may not be lost to us equally with the splendid library of Heber, and the unique collection of Athanasi, unequalled in variety or antiquity by any other extant, and which has been recently declined, both in Paris and Rome, as well as by the British Museum, on account of the sum demanded for it.

SWITZERLAND.

ZURICH.-The seventh and eighth volumes of Orell's edition of Cicero, containing the second and third of the "Onomasticon Tullianum" has just been published, and completes the edition, the price of which,

entire is 51. 18s. 6d.

RUSSIA.

In the year 1836, 674 original works, and 124 translations, were published in Russia, not including 46 periodicals. The government seems desirous of preventing the pub. lication of any new periodical, at least it will not licence a private person to put forth any. The number of books published in 1836 greatly exceeds that of 1835. Scientific works, dramas, and school-books, seem to have increased, and on the other hand novels and romances decreased, both in number and bulk. 350,000 volumes of foreign books were imported into Russia in that year, full one half of which were bought at St. Petersburg.

The Imperial Russian Akademie at Petersburg, consisted, in January, 1838, of 55 ordinary, and 17 honorary, members. The institution has a library of 4340 volumes, and 123 manuscripts. The academy is about to publish a Journal under the title "Wissenschaftliche Arbeiten d. Kais. Russ. Academie." The Imperial Academy of Science which must not be confounded with the above, read during the sessions of 1836, 86 manuscript works, memoirs and criticisms.

The public library at St. Petersburg received an addition of 27,000 volumes during the year 1836. It now contains 423, 150 volumes and 17,234 manuscripts.

Accounts from Servia announce, that a monk of the order of St Basil has just discovered a collection of historical manuscripts in the monastery of Monte-Negro. Being ordered to inspect the vaults which extend in different directions under the church of the convent, he found that the numerous coffins deposited there were all decayed or broken to pieces, except one, which remained entire. When this report was received by the superior, he consulted with his brethren, and it was resolved to open the coffin. This was done with due solemnity and their astonishment may be imagined, when it was found that this coffin, which was of lead, was filled with bundles of papers, in a very good state of preservation, each wrapped up in oiled cloth. On a general examination, they were discovered to be chronicles, written in the different Sclavonian languages, and to extend from the first invasion by the Sclavonians, of the countries watered by the Danube, to the year 1721. These chronicles contain the history of Wallachia, Moldavia, Servia, and Bulgaria, and numerous details relative to the cru sades, the empire of the East, the wars of Poland and Hungary against the Ottomans; the whole written and composed by eyewitnesses. Prince Milosch has purchased this precious collection of manuscripts for 5000 ducats, and has commissioned his pri vate secretary, Mr. Wouk Woukanowitch, and twenty-four learned Servians, immedi. ately to examine, and to class them according to their dates; and these documents will be forthwith published at the expence of the Prince.-Athenæum, March 10th, 1838.

GREECE.

ATHENS, Dec. The new press law has passed through the Cabinet, and will be printed shortly. We understand that it will in some degree impede the publication of political newspapers, by raising the capabilities for publishing them, but even then it will be more liberal than England with its newspa per stamps. The licentiousness has been, in fact, too great. Hitherto every editor who could deposit 5000 drachms in the state treasury, for which he received six per cent. interest, was licensed to publish a newspaper. The next step was to make his cook, or any other servant, sign the manuscript. If the paper was ever condemned, the domestic went to prison, and the paper went on, the manuscript being always taken to the prison to be signed. The new law will enforce the following restrictions. The deposite of 5000

drachms will remain; besides this the edi- | discoveries among the Kuneiform or arrowtor must show that he has landed property to headed Inscriptions there; and has addressed the same amount, that he is a citizen of the a letter to the Asiatic Society, stating that country, that he has sworn the oath of alle- these will shortly be brought before the pubgiance, and has had a scientific education, i. lic, and promising to send the results of all e. a knowledge of ancient and modern his labours on this head, if they should be Greek. This may seem ridiculous, but is not found to interest the people of England. so here, as we have editors who, only for this purpose, had learnt to sign their names. Fredom of speech is unlimited as ever, and the liberty of the press as great as in any other country in Europe.

EGYPT.

Letters from Dr. Lowe, received since our last, and dated from September to the end of November, mention successively his arrival at the tombs of the Pharaohs; and his delight at the scene, and still more at the exactness and clearness of the Inscriptions. This amiable and intelligent traveller mentions some interesting discoveries which he had made at Malta, but gives no details at present. The Pacha, he states, had received him most kindly, and set him to translate some hierogly. phics; on performing which he immediately received a firman to travel through all Upper Egypt, with boats, comels, horses, and every thing he required, with or without money.He was engaged in translating an Obelisk, at Heliopolis, for the Pacha, at the time (Sept. 20) of writing this letter, which is dated from the Pyramid farm-yard of the great Pyramid of Geeza. He was expecting to be presented to Ibrahim Pacha. In the mean time he was taking four lessons a day in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. These continued for two months, and, of course, far greater advances can be made on the spot where these languages are spoken than in Europe.

Having ourselves directed notice to the Continental discoveries of Grotefend, and after him St. Martin, Burnouf, and Lassen, in a recent Number of this Review, and given, amongst others, the decypherment of that most important tablet which goes far to confirm the Persian Satrapies of Herodotus, we are the more desirous to call public attention to this subject, which hitherto appears to have attracted no notice whatever in England. We shall return shortly to the consideration of this question in a distinct Article.

INDIA.

RAJPOOTANA.-The poems of Chund, the Rajpoot poet, are appearing in successive Numbers of the Asiatic Journal. They are extremely warlike and spirited, almost deserving the name of Epic, and though tinctured with Oriental faults bear a considerable resemblance to the compositions of the West They are equally curious, beautiful and interesting, and are elucidated by the valuable remarks of the learned, judicious, and able editor.

ASSAM..

extensive tracts of the tea-plant, in the recentThe hopes first excited by the discovery of ly ceded province of Assam, have been conWe subsequently find the traveller at Mem. siderably checked by finding its utter uselessphis, (15th November), delighted with every present uncultivated state. ness, or rather deleterious qualities, in its It is not however thing, and intending to proceed one and a half doubted but that assiduous care, and the reday's journey beyond Wady Halfa, in the sults of our horticultural skill, united to the Desert. He was journeying with six Nubian practice generally observed by the Chinese sailors and an Arab servant, and thinking of under somewhat similar circumstances, though proceeding to Meroë and Gebel Barkal. His never known to the same degree as in our furniture was all Turkish, and his tent, in-new possession, will in time render tea a Bristead of books, fully supplied with guns, tish (colonial) production.

swords, and pistols, and also a prayer carpet. The wind was extremely favourable for proceeding.

On the 28th of November he was at Dendera, panting to reach Thebes and go on to Upper Egypt and Nubia, from whence he was to return to Cairo; and proceed, after a month's stay there, to Constantinople; from thence to return in the course of six months, through Rome and Turin, once more to England.

PERSIA.

ARROW-HEADED INSCRIPTIONS OF ANCIENT PERSIA.-Major Rawlinson, who is carrying on researches in Persia, has made material

CHILE.

The height of some of the Cordilleras in Chile have been recently measured by Mr. Pentland, sometime British Consul. The peak of Aconcagua above the level of the sea has been ascertained by the theodolite as 23,944 feet; 197 fect less than the results of observations by Captain Fitzroy and Beechey.

The same gentleman found also that in the most violent storms encountered by the Stag frigate in the Pacific Ocean the waves never rose higher than 20 feet above the level of the sea; the measured height of waves above the deck did not exceed 18 feet.

LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL NEW WORKS

PUBLISHED ON THE CONTINENT.

FROM JANUARY TO MARCH, 1838, INCLUSIVE.

Annalen des Wiener Museums der Natur- | HISTORY, BIOGRAphy, voyages, TRAVELS, &c. geschichte. Vol II Part I. 4to Wien,

Berghaus, Physikalischer Atlas. Part I. d'un Séjour en Espagne et en Portugal 2 Folio. Gotha. 10s. Vols 18mo Bruxelles 11s 6d. Angleterre, l'Irlande et l'Ecosse, voyage pittoresque. 8vo 12s

Vigny, Cinqmars 6th Edition 2 Vols siæ 8s 6d.

Gellert's Fabelh und Erzahlungen. Illus Platon, Œuvres, par Cousin. Vols IX to trated by G. Osterwald. 1 Vol Royal 8vo