ligion, in its tolerant sense. Having been appointed chief agent for the London Bible Society in France, and a member of many other religious and philanthropic societies, he, as it were, multiplied himself, to fulfil so many duties, and yet acquitted himself so well as to cause an impression that all his energies were devoted to one alone. To diffuse the Holy Scriptures throughout France, and to recommend their perusal, was his chief study. In one year he distributed in this way 160,000 copies of the Bible, which in almost every instance was accompanied with a letter in his own hand; he also corrected the proof sheets of every new edition. Modest and kind in his intercourse with the world, he has left behind him the regrets of all good men. His funeral presented an affecting spectacle, and the tears of his friends expressed their sincere grief at the loss of the Christian and the scholar. The Book of the Hundred and One, published by M. Ladvocat, which was originally announced to form eight volumes, is now at its eleventh volume, and is announced to be completed in fifteen. But besides this, a continuation of it is already begun, under the title of "Les Cent et Une nouvelles Nouvelles des Cent et Un, ornées des 101 vignettes par 101 artistes," which is to form six or eight vols. The number of 101 seems to be a very favourite one at present with French publishers. Another of them announces "Les Cent et Un Mémoires, Recueil de Documens inédits, pour servir à l'histoire contemporaine,” in ten vols. 8vo., to be published monthly. There is at present an absolute inundation of works of fiction at Paris, even greater than there was of the fushionable novels in London two or three years since. It is difficult to conceive where readers of them are to be found, much less purchasers. Judging of them merely by the titles, (which we rarely venture to go beyond,) the greater number seem intended to be stimulants to the blasés and worn-out mental stomachs of the Parisians. One ingenious caterer, who has administered to them with great success in another line, the Baron de Lamothe Langon, (who has the reputation of being the father of most of the popular Memoirs of the last few years-such as Madame du Barri, Louis XVIII., the Femme du Qualité, and many others,) has just commenced the exploitation of a new mine for the benefit of the lovers of the striking and the terrible-a French Newgate Calendar, the very title of which is enough freeze one's blood-" Chronique du Crime et de l'Innocence: recueil des Evénemens les plus tragiques, Empoisonnemens, Massacres, Assassinats, Parricides et autres Forfaits, commis en France depuis le commencement de la Monarchie jusqu'à nos jours." Mr. Robert Brown, the distinguished botanist, has been elected one of the eight foreign members of the Royal Academy of Sciences, of the Institute, in room of the celebrated Scarpa, lately deceased. The Academy of Sciences has elected M. Libri a member of the Academy, Section of Geometry, in place of M. Legendre; and M. Vicat, a corresponding member, in the room of General Marescot. The Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres has elected M. de Monmerqué an academicien libre, in the room of M. de Cousinery. M. Victor Audouin has been appointed to the natural history professorship of the crustacea, spiders and insects at the Museum of Natural History, vacant by the death of M. Latreille. M. Brunet's Supplement to his valuable Manuel du Libraire has just gone to press, and is expected to appear at the end of this year. It will form two volumes. Thirteen years have elapsed since the appearance of the last edition of the Manuel, which has been long out of print. The 9th livraison (or half volume) of another excellent bibliographical work, worthy to stand on the same shelf with M. Brunet's Manuel,-we mean M. Quérard's La France Litteraire, is to be published this month. It will complete the letter L. The 10th livraison is expected to be ready before the end of this year. Another voluminous Dictionary is announced to be immediately commenced by a Society of Savans and Manufacturers-" Dictionnaire de l'Industrie manufacturière, commerciale, et agricole," in ten large volumes, 8vo. As the interests of, and the information required by these three great classes are so entirely distinct, we should have thought it a much more advisable plan to publish the portions peculiar to each in separate dictionaries (as has been done with so much success in this country), than to compel each to purchase a work, two-thirds of which can be of little or no use to them. GERMANY. NECROLOGY-BARON COTTA, THE BOOKSELLER.-The extensive knowledge and scientific acquirements of Baron Cotta would alone have been sufficient to distinguish him, and to lead us to inquire into the particulars of his long career. But what constitutes the chief value of his biography is his connection with the most celebrated authors of Germany, for he was the friend as well as the publisher of Goethe, Schiller, and Wieland, and other illustrious writers of the most splendid period of German literature. Since his appearance, half a century ago, on the field of literature, it may with truth be affirmed that it is chiefly owing to his exertions that the sale of German books has extended in so extraordinary a manner; and here we cannot help recalling the merits of his contemporary, Constable of Edinburgh, who, in a similar degree, gave life and activity in Scotland to a branch of commerce which, before his time, was comparatively inert, and which he raised to honour and respectability by his well-conceived and successful enterprises. Such men constitute an era in the literary history of nations, and deserve honours only less splendid than those of the great men whose works they circulate. Frederick Cotta was born at Stuttgart on April 27, 1764, of an ancient Italian family, whose titles of nobility ascend to the middle ages. Some members of this family established themselves in Saxony about the commencement of the seventeenth century. John George Cotta, the father of the subject of our present memoir, settled in Tubingen about 1740, and there founded the bookselling establish ment which still subsists under the same name, and which, even at the commencement of the eighteenth century, gave constant employment to twenty printing-presses. Frederick early displayed a great aptitude for business, and much facility in the attainment of various knowledge. He received his early education at the gymnasium of Stuttgart; went to the University of Tubingen at eighteen, and after remaining there three years, during which he applied himself especially to mathematics, he was, through the recommendation of Professor Pfeiderer, appointed tutor to the young Prince Lubomirski, and for that purpose went to Warsaw. In this city he commenced the study of jurisprudence. After devoting several years to the education of his pupil, he went to Paris along with Johann Gottfried Muller, and there he became acquainted with most of the celebrated individuals who were assembled in that capital from all parts of Europe, and with the native men of science and literary characters. His stay there also enabled him to perfect his knowledge of the French language, and the study of natural history, mathematics, and jurisprudence. From Paris he was recalled by his father's orders, in order to assume the direction of his establishment at Tubingen, which had fallen very much to decay. At the time when young Cotta took its management, it hardly produced an annual revenue of 3000 florins. His efforts to raise it to importance were for a year or two, owing to his want of capital, not attended with much success, but a most acceptable present from the Princess Lubomirski of 300 ducats, to recompense the care he had bestowed on her son's education, came most seasonably to his assistance. With this, and a small addition from other sources, amounting in all to 500 florins, he was enabled to make his first speculation.. He had previously taken a partner into business with him, but was soon obliged to dissolve the connection in consequence of the extreme timidity of his associate. Relieved from this clog, Cotta's activity was redoubled, and his business rapidly extended. After various speculations, in which he was uniformly successful, about the beginning of the French Revolution he formed the design of establishing a daily political journal. With the exception of the Hamburgh Correspondenten, there was then no paper in Germany of any importance. All the others were merely the official journals of the provinces, which wore the livery of the court, and were never heard of beyond their own district. During his residence at Paris the idea had occurred to Cotta, but he was then destitute of the necessary capital, and the want of such a paper was not so strongly felt as afterwards. In 1798 he first seriously attempted the execution of his project. He had first made an arrangement with Schiller (who had just about that period returned to Jena, his native place) to be the editor; but from the joint effects of ill health and timidity, Schiller drew back at the very moment of execution. Cotta then engaged Posselt, the author of a "History of Germany," the "Trial of Louis XVI." and many other historical productions, and at last, in 1798, the Allgemeine Zeitung made its first appearance at Tubingen. At a later period the publication was transferred to Stuttgart, and in 1803 was removed to Augsburgh. His proprietorship of this paper gave Cotta great influence in the courts of Germany; as he had little sympathy with the new ideas, his paper took the side opposed to the revolution. In 1799 he was entrusted with a mission from the states of Wurtemberg, which required him to make a second visit to Paris, and he availed himself of the opportunity to renew his acquaintance with the literary characters whom he had known during his first visit. He then became acquainted with Kosciuzko, with General Moreau, and with Madame de Stael; he saw also the most influential members of the government of that time, but his political mission was entirely unsuccessful. His newspaper, however, benefited by the journey, as it procured him a number of well-informed correspondents for it, as well as for other periodical works of his publication, and particularly for "The Hours," a literary paper, edited by Schiller. Cotta made a third visit to Paris in 1801, but it was of short duration. The politics of Napoleon at this period attracted his attention, and a series of articles on the subject appeared in his paper, written by him, which at the time excited considerable notice. While Cotta was thus rendering his gazette one of the most widely-circulated papers in Europe, he devoted incessant attention to the details of his bookselling establishment; and during his long career there was scarcely a letter or note relative to it which did not pass through his hands. It was only during the latter years of his life that he permitted his wife to assist him. In the midst of this constant occupation his only relaxation was in the society of men of letters and of his literary friends, the list of which included the greatest names in the German republic of letters:-of these we may mention Goethe, Schiller, Voss, Jean-Paul, Schelling, the two Humboldts, Herder, Fichte, Tieck, Hebel, Thaer, Huber, Matthisson, Joannes Muller, Pfeffel, Spittler, and a number of savans and writers unknown in other countries, but who enjoy an honourable reputation in Germany. Cotta had also frequent occasion to mingle in the political affairs of his country. In 1805 and 1810 he was brought into contact with Napoleon, and had frequent occasion to converse with him, but he was by no means an admirer of the French Emperor. In 1815 Cotta was deputed to plead the cause of the German publishers at the Congress of Vienna, in order to procure a law for the general protection of copyright in Germany, but it appears he had not much success in this new mission; nor have matters much improved since, for the law in Germany on this point is even yet very unsettled. In the same year Cotta was elected a deputy to the diet at Wurtemberg, and was the first who, in concert with Waldeck, asserted the ancient rights of his countrymen. After this he was employed in various affairs between the different courts, and had honours and orders conferred on him in abundance. He also made some speculations unconnected with publishing, and in particular, in 1825, he made an attempt to establish steam navigation on the lake of Constance, and in 1826 succeeded in arranging this with the various governments on the banks of the Rhine. It would detain us too long to enumerate the many splendid literary undertakings in which Cotta was engaged during his long career. Every branch of the fine and useful arts in like manner experienced his judicious patronage, and he published many periodical works expressly devoted to these objects. The public mind in Germany under his direction, it may truly be said, has received an impulse which will long carry it forward in the career of improvements, and in him was realized the saying of Brougham, that the booksellers are the best Mecænases of literature. Cotta died on the 29th December, 1832. A new edition of Gerle's "Description of Bohemia" will appear in the course of the present year, with considerable improvements, derived from the author's repeated journies through his native country. A new and complete edition of the works of Körner, the poet, including many inedited poems, tales, dramatic pieces, and interesting fragments, is now in preparation at Berlin. This edition will also contain many letters written by the poet during the latter years of his life, and several letters of Goethe on Körner's character and works. The University of Halle has lost one of its most distinguished members in the person of Professor Sprengel, the celebrated botanist and historian of Medicine, who died on the 15th of last month. A Lexicon Platonicum, by Professor Ast, in 3 vols. 8vo., with the addition of whatever is valuable in the Indices Platonici of Mitchell, is announced for the Easter Fair. An association of literary men is about to publish a series of Manuals of the Literature of the West, and particularly of Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Great Britain, Holland, Germany, and Sweden. The most remarkable passages will be translated. The first volume, which contains the History of Italian Literature, with extracts in prose, by Dr. Genthe, was published at VOL. XI. NO. XXII. NN Magdeburgh last year. It contains 507 pages in 8vo. The second volume will be devoted to the Italian poets. A journal devoted to the arts of painting and sculpture made its appearance at Berlin with the new year, under the title of " Museum Blätter für bildende Kunst." The few numbers that we have seen are tastily got up, and embrace notices of foreign works, among which is the "Architectural Dictionary," of Mr. Britton, whose labours, in drawing public attention in England to the rich remains of past ages that adorn her soil, are highly praised and suitably appreciated. We are glad to see that the old German black letter is getting out of use in works like the present; we are certain that no trivial obstacle to the study their language among other nations would be removed by the general adoption of the Roman character by the Germans. An important diplomatic collection has just appeared at Frankfort, entitled Corpus Juris Confederationis Germanica, or a complete collection of the ori ginal acts of the German Confederation, from the peace of Luneville to the present times, in 3 vols. 8vo. The inedited works of GOETHE are announced to appear in the following order: The first portion, which has recently been published, consist of— Vol. I.-Den völlig abgeschlossenen zweiten Theil des Faust in fünf II.-Gottfried von Berlichingen, erstes, nie gedrucktes Manuscript, III. Schweizerreise vom J. 1797 und Reise am Rhein und Main i. IV.-Mannigfaltige, bisher unedirte, Aufsätze über Kunst. The second portion, which will he published this month- VII-Aus meinem Leben, Wahrheit und Dichtung, 4ter Theil, die VIII.-Alte griechische Literatur, neue französische, neue englische, IX.-Maximen und Reflexionen über Welt, Staat und Literatur. The third portion, to be published in September XI. Die Pflanzen- und Knochenlehre, älteres und neuestes. neu überarbeitet und vervollständigt. We cannot lose the opportunity of here noticing, with the commendation it deserves, Mr. Hayward's English prose translation of the first part of Faust recently published. It has placed him at once in the first rank of German scholars. Of the extent to which Goethe's celebrated drama had been misinterpreted by all the preceding translators, both English and French, no one could have had any idea without reading the numerous instances which Mr. Hayward has adduced in his Preface and Notes. Mr. Hayward has now, however, an opportunity of crowning his fame by starting first in the field, and giving us a translation of the new Faust—not a mere literal prose translation like the other, (for which there is not the same necessity,) but a free version, exhibiting as close a picture of the original in its various forms as the idiom of our language will admit, |