containing a history of the city from the earliest periods; a general description of the Scottish Metropolis; a particular account of its Antiquities, Political, Civil, and Municipal Establishments; Banks; Literary Establishments, including a history of the progress and present state of Literature and Printing; an account of the periodical publications, and of the progress and present state of the Arts, Religious Establishments, Charitable Institutions, Public Amusements, including a history of the Theatre, Music and Dancing; progress and present state of Manners, Public Markets, Water, Fuel, &c. Miscellaneous Remarks: history and description of Leith; Trade of Edinburgh and Leith; Population ;Objects of Natural History in the immediate neighbourhood of Edinburgh; and a description of the romantic Scenery and remarkable Objects in the environs of the Scottish Metropolis. Should the execution of this work be answerable to the design, which we have reason to think will be the case, it will be a very interesting and popular one. Lord Selkirk has in the press, a new and enlarged edition of his valuable treatise on Emigration from the Highlands.

In consequence of the rapid sale of the second edition of the Lay of the Last Minstrel," a third will soon make its appearance.

"

Mr Gray is preparing a second edition of his useful work, entitled the Experienced Mill Wright." The following is a view of the con. tents of the first volume of Dr Playfair's System of Geography." He begins with a History of Geography-Physical Geography.-A survey of of the Oceanancient and modern reasures-population of the globe-table of longitudes and latitudes. After a general description of Europe, he

completes, in the first volume, that of Spain, Portugal, France and the United Provinces. The following is the manner in which he proposes to treat of France, which may serve as an example of the whole work.

GAUL-its boundaries-extentprincipal rivers, and subdivisions into six provinces. A description of each province, together with its principal towns, and the tribes with which it was peopled, in the time of Ptolemy, Cæsar, and Tacitus.

Roman Military Ways in Gaul. France during the Middle age. MODERN FRANCE-Its extent and boundaries- mountains - rivers -climate, surface and soil-population-products-mines and minerals-manufactures and com

merce-canals-religion-litera

ture-government-revenue-army and navy.

History of France from the middle age to the present time. Division of France into Genera

lities, &c.-Maps.

A circumstantial description of every province, city, and market town.

NETHERLANDS - extent-climate ⚫ and soil-rivers-canals-population-products-manufactures and commerce-religion-learning-government, &c.

Division of France into departments. A description of every department-its subdivision into circles, extent, products, popula

tion, &c

Alphabet cal list of the hundred and two departments into which the French empire is divided. French possessions and settlements in various parts of the globe

Distances betweeen the most noted places; and routes of travellers through the most frequented parts of France.

The

The work will be completed in six volumes quarto, each volume containing seven or eight hundred pages of letter press, and eight or ten ancient and modern maps. The price to subscribers will be 21. 2s. per volume.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE, ENGLISH and FOREIGN.

THE long desired measure of restricting the Medical Profession to the hands of none but well-instructed practitioners in the country as well as in London, is at length about to be carried into effect. The provisions, as far as they concern regulars, are intended to be prospective, and consequently will not operate upon the present generation; but as these die away or retire, their situations will be oc cupied by persons of suitable and competent education. Plans of the same kind have lately been introduced into Divinity and the Law, and no good reason can be assigned for not extending a principle to Medicine which has already done so much good in the sister-professions. - The plan has already obtained the countenance and support of many of the most respectable physicians and surgeons of the metropolis, and we 'anticipate a speedy and zealous cooperation of the faculty in all parts of the kingdom, in support of a measure which is eminently calculated to increase the credit of the profession, and to make its followers infinitely more useful to the community.

In consequence of a fire which, on the 12th of December, consumed the extensive printing-offices of Mr Gillet in Salisbury-square, the publication of the First Part of Dr Gregory's New Cyclopedia is deferred till the first of March.

Several

printed sheets, together with the

new types, are in a course of preparation, and the work will in several respects be improved by the delay.

Mr Duppa will publish, early in the spring, a Life of Michael Angelo Buonaroti, containing his character as a poet, painter, sculptor, and architect.

M. Villiers, the author of the "Essay on the Reformation of Luther," has received, in consequence of that valuable work, the degree of doctor from the University of Gettingen.

In the Electoral Library at Munich have been discovered the four Gospels, and a Liturgy of the eleventh centu. ry, in small folio, on fine white parchment, written in a beautiful distinct character, and in the highest state of preservation. They are splendidly bound, and adorned with precious stones and pearls: the clasps are of gold, and they are lettered on the back with ivory.

M. Esmenard, author of a poem intitled Navigation, has received, from the Marquis Lucchesini, the Prussian Minister at Paris, the golden medal of the Berlin Academy.

At Berlin is established a German Lutheran Academy for the instruction of the natives of Sierra-Leona, the expences of which are paid by remittances from England. The institution is already attended by twelve pupils, most of them handicraftsmen. They are instructed in various departments of learning, besides the arts of preaching and cate. chising.

Dr Rush, of America, is preparing a complete edition of his Medical Works, which will be comprized in three volumes octavo.

The Russian Government purposes to form at Petersburg an institution for the improvement of the naval service, to be denominated the Museum of the Marine. This institution will not be merely a school: lessons will be given in all the sciences necessary for a naval officer; and the Museum will besides publish a jour nal treating on every subject relative to the marine. It is to possess a li brary, and a cabinet of natural history, which will be continually open to the pupils. This establishment will be under the direction of the Minister of the Marine; and its members will wear an uniform simi. lar to that of the navy.

An important work on Siberia and the contiguous countries will shortly appear at Petersburg in the French language, from the pen of M. Delaunay, counsellor of state.

One of the most intimate friends of Winkelmann, the celebrated German antiquary, named Berendis, lately deceased, left among his papers several letters of that celebrated man.

These have been published by Gothe, who has added various pieces of his own composition, in which he endea vours to place the character of Win kelman as a writer and as a man, in a new light, by delineating the most remarkable circumstances of his life. Counsellor Wolfe, of Hale, has enriched this volume with a very curious piece on Winkelmann's literary and philological studies. Lastly, professor Meyer has contributed a well-written History of the Arts in last century, which concludes the work, to which Gothe has thought fit to give the title of "Winkelmann and his Age."

Professor Vince has nearly completed the third volume of his Astronomy.

A Life of Romney the painter, from the pen of Hayley, will shortly appear, and will be accompanied with a variety of engravings.

The long expected Tour of Colonel Thornton through various parts of France, a splendid work, which has been nearly three years in hand, is now nearly ready for publication,

It will be comprised in two volumes imperial quarto, illustrated by about eighty beautiful engravings in colours, by Mr Scott and other artists, from original drawings, descriptive of the country, customs, and manners, of the people, taken by the ingenious Mr Bryant, who accompanied the Colonel expressly for that purpose. This tour was performed during the cessation of hostilities, toward the conclusion of the year 1802, and the route being entirely different from that usually taken by English travellers no small degree of information and interest is expected to result from the perusal of the work. To the sportsman in particular it cannot fail to prove highly gratifying, as we have no account whatever of the state of sporting in that country. Another edition of the work will appear at the same 'time in royal quarto, with the plates uncoloured.

The Croonian Lecture for the present season has been read at two of the meetings of the Royal Society by Mr Carlisle. The subject was,

66

The power and particular Structure of the Muscles of Fishes." After several minute physiological explanations of the nature and peculiar structure of the muscles of fishes, and their invariable insertion in fleshy instead of tendinous matter, he proceeded to detail his experiments on their power and particular use, in enabling the animal to move with rapidity through a fluid so dense as water. He ascertained that the muscles of the fishes are solely those by means of which the fish advances: that the pectoral and abdominal fins serve only to raise or lower, and balance it in the water.

Dr Wollaston, secretary of the Royal Society, has read the Bakerian Lecture, " On the Force of Percussion."

POETRY.

ALFRED.

BY GEORGE DYER.

AH! why should song, enchanting song,

Her vot'ries lead thro Error's maze ? Why Folly, pois'ning future days,

Give Pride those laurels, that to fruth be

long?
Avaunt! thou bard of ancient time,
I hate the base insidious lyre,
That bids the dazzled crowds retire,

While Tyrants sit as gods sublime.

But hail the man of ardent frame,

Who teems with love of human kind, Who leaves the vulgar great behind, Scorning the splendid treach'ries of a name. HEROES have bask'd, a serpent brood, Hatch'd by ambition's baneful ray, CONQU'RORS, high-mail'd in war-array, Have reel'd mere dæmons, drunk with blood.

Where Discord holds her torch on high, Recount the warrior, Romans dead; The blood of generous Britons shed; O'er vassal-sons, hear humbled Gallia sigh How streams the Rhine with German

gore!

Let Cæsar mount the victor's car,
And Rome, amid the spoils of war,
Her conq'ror, and the world's, adore!

Ah! vain the pomp, th' imperial sway -
When Justice shakes her watchful stand,
Actions she weighs with patient hand,
Nor will she rashly throw her palms away.
She spurns the mad heroic race!-
And oft, while Pæans rend the skies,
While altars, breathing incense, rise,
The victor marks for long disgrace.

Yet, Fame, thy fair Elysium raise;
And. genius, call thy wreath of flow'rs';
Aud, seated in unfading bowers,
Alfred, ennobled shine thro' endless days!
I see, I scale the mount sublime!
Lost in the beams of heav'nly light,
I see, mid streams, as chrystal bright,
The bards, who rais'd the lofty rhyme.

"Blest, Alfred, be thy honor'd name,
" (A people's voice of praise is sweet)
" And sweet the songs, the Prince that
greet,

Freedom's flame.

Jock.

seas,

His very name set a' our hearts at ease:
The very dullest herds amang usa'
Of Nelson's valour never miss'd to blaw:
My uncle strak John Millar on the face,
For ca'ing him lazy in his Southern chace.
Samuel.

sea,

For grantin' us sae great a victory.
But O 'tis worthy our eccentric dys,

Wi' guns an' powder to exalt his praise.

Samuel.

A roughsome way o' praisin' God indeed;

I think it queer; in that we're baith agreed.

Jock.

But a' that ever sail'd aneath the skies By Nelson are outdone in enterprise: He's sic a terror to our en'mies a', He'll nouther leave them ship nor boat at a'. "Tis past belief what he has sunk an' ta'en.

dead;