forty-nine varieties that may eafily be diftinguished, either by the spots on the wings of the infect, or by the plant on which it feeds: he alfo defcribes the plant which fupplies the Mexicans with their favourite liquor, and which, he fays, is the Agava Americana of Linné.

Don Hippolyto Ruiz, botanist to the king of Spain, who had travelled with other gentlemen to Peru, in order to profecute researches in natural hiftory, has publifhed an effay on the Peruvian bark. After a recapitulation of what has been written by others on this medicine, and an hiftorical account of its difcovery and ufe, the author gives a botanical description of the various fpecies of the cinchona. In this, we are told, he coincides with what the celebrated Swedish botanist, Swartz, has faid on the fubject. In a fupplement to this work, Sig. Ruiz has favoured the public with an account of another tree, known in Peru by the name of Quina quina; from which, he fays, the inhabitants derive three kinds or balfam; the liquid white, the dry white, or balfam of Tolu, and that which is commonly called balfam of Peru: his defeription of this tree agrees very much with that which acquin has given of the Myrofpermum; except that he does not mention the balfamic moisture of its feeds: but this character may nave escaped his potice, as it is not obvious in the plant when in flower.

PORTUGAL.

The literati of this kingdom appear to apply themselves to illuftrate the hiftory of their own country. A collection of unprinted works, relative to the hiftory of Portugal, from the reign of John I, down to the end of that of John II. in two folio volumes, is published at Lisbon, by order of the academy of fciences. This work contains five antient chronicles, which, but for the care of this learned body, must have remained buried in unknown libraries, or concealed in archives to which no private individual could have accefs. The first of these pieces is the hiftory of the war of Ceuta, and of the exploits of Count Don Pedro de Menezes, by Matth. Pifano. This work, we are informed, appears to have been written forty-five years after the capture of Ceuta, or about the year 1460: the manu Lcript feems to be of that date: It is well preserved, and belongs to the library of the Marquis de Penalva. The fecond, third, and fourth are the chronicles of the kings Don Edward (Duarte), Alphonfo V. and John I. by Ruy de Pina, hiftoriographer of Portugal, and keeper of the archives. writer had been employed in feveral embaffies, and particularly in one to the court of Spain in 1495, on account of the difcovery of America by Columbus. The latter of these pieces.

This

is deemed of great authority, as it contains the events of the author's own time, concerning which his employment in the diplomatic line enabled him to procure the beft information. Thefe three hiftories were printed from manulcripts preferved in the royal archives.

The last article of this collection bears the title of the chronicle of Count Don Pedro de Menezes, written by Gomez E. de Zurara. The author was a canon, and, in the year 1454, was promoted to a commandery of the order of Chrift: but, at length, being tired of an indolent life, he applied himfelf to ftudy with fuch fuccefs, that he was deemed by his contemporaries a prodigy of learning, and was appointed, by Alphonfo V. to fucceed Fernando Lopez, as hiltoriographer and keeper of the archives. He wrote memoirs concerning the reigns of Don Pedro I. Don Fernando, and Don John I. which are highly efteemed. With respect to the work now published, from a manufcript preferved in the library of the Count de Noronha, it is faid to be valuable; as the author appears to have been well informed, and impartial; in proof of his liberality, we are told that a great part of another of his works, entitled the Chronicle of Count Don Duarte de Menezes, was fuppreffed by order of the government and church. Indeed, as long as this odious civil and ecclefiaftical tyranny remains, very little confidence can be repofed in the fidelity and impartiality of the Portuguese hiftorians.

The academy has alfo publifhed a collection of Arabic papers, relative to the hiftory of Portugal, copied from the originals preferved in the royal archives, with a Portuguese tranflation by 7. de Soufa, in one quarto volume. This work confifts of 58 letters, from Afian and African princes, on fubjects relative to the Portuguese colonies; thefe epiftles are arranged according to their feveral dates, from the year 1503 to 1528, and are illuftrated with hiftorical notes, and references to the annals of the kings Emmanel and John III. The Arabic text is faid to be beautifully printed, and the tranflation to be very faithful, though rather diffufe. It is likewise observed that there are feveral Arabic words and phrases, which are not found in any Dictionary of the language.

Of a respectable Botanical work publifhed at Lisbon, by Father J. de Loureiro, entitled Flora Cochinchinenfis, the readers of the Monthly Review have already feen an account in our laft vol. p. 509.

POLAND.

Dr. De Moneta, the king's phyfician at Warfaw, has publifhed an Effay on the Hydrophobia, in which he commends vinegar as the only certain prefervative against this dreadful

20

difeafe.

difeafe. Much were it to be wifhed that his mode of cure were
as efficacious, as it is fimple. He orders the part bitten to be
covered either with fresh earth, or with fnuff, to abforb the
faliva, and then to be carefully cleanfed with water: it should
afterward be bathed with a warm fomentation made of two
pounds of vinegar, and half a pound of butter, with which the
wound fhould be kept continually moistened for nine or ten
days, when this application may be laid afide, and the com-
mon dreffings used: during this period, the patient ought to
drink the vinegar and butter, warm, four times in a day, about
two ounces at each dofe; and his common beverage should be
water, acidulated with vinegar, or lemon juice. By thefe
means, the Doctor fays, he has prevented the hydrophobia in.
more than fixty patients, who had been bitten by mad dogs;
and he has found the fame remedy very useful in the bite of the
viper, and of other venomous reptiles. It has been faid that,
in Italy, vinegar has been adminiftered with fuccefs in cafes of
hydrophobia; and, by turning to the 67th volume of our Re-
view, p. 560, the reader will find a remarkable inftance of its
efficacy, taken from the fecond volume of the hiftory of the
royal academy of medicine at Paris. Some uncertainty, how-
ever, attends all thofe cafes in which the diforder is faid to be
prevented; for fuppofing the animal, by which the patient is
bitten, to be really mad, which is not always afcertained, yet,
as it is not every bite, even of a mad animal, that produces
hydrophobia, the queftion will always remain,-was the difeafe
actually prevented by the remedy? The conclufion, poft hoc,
ergo propter hac, is but too cominon, and is a delufive maxim
against which every physician ought to guard.

[To be refumed occafionally.]

ERRATA in Vol. XIII.

Page 5. 1. 26. for certainty,' read certainly.

24. 1. 8. from the bottom, put a turned comma after bimself.”
122. 1. 10 from ditto, for 1791, read 1771.

245. 1. 15. from do. for project dies,' read projects dies.

253. 1.25. for

vexaris, read mexatio.

·

pale thee,' read pali thee.

256. 1. 18. for above,' read below.

263. 1.20. for

401. in fame copies, 1. 3. for any decifive,' read and decifive.

408. in ditro, 1. 28. for 'penfive,' read penfile.

455. 1. penult, for were unjuft, read ruas unjuft; and for was the

delegate, read were the delegate,

INDEX

To the REMARKABLE PASSAGES in this Volume.

N. B. To find any particular Book, or Pamphlet, fee the
Table of Contents, prefixed to the Volume.