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Philoctetus, &c. has lately published a Proll Hudibraftic work, the Pfalms of David, in the Capuchin ftile.

A fociety of Agriculture, and Rural Economy, has been lately formed at Paris, in which are the names of Citizen CREUZE LA TOUCHE, GILBERT, THOUIN, DESFONTAINES, DUBOIS, CRETTE-PALLUEL, TESSIER, CHABERT, and many others, well known in the annals of French agriculture.

The celebrated painting in frefco of Correggio, reprefenting in varied compartments, adorned with garlands and fef toons, Diana returning from the chace, feated on a gilt car, drawn by two fawns of a dazzling whitenefs, groupes of cupids, fome carrying the inftruments of the chace, others trailing the head of the ftag, which Diana has pierced with her arrows, &c. a temple of Jupiter, with a prieftefs facrificing at the altar; Vefta giving fuck to Jupiter: the Fates cutting the deftinies of men; the Graces; Fortune mounted on a globe, with a rudder and a cornucopia at her feet, &c. lately found in the monaftry of San Paolo at Parma, and concealed for about two hundred and eighty years, will be foon expofed to the public eye, fo as to become a new fchool of tafte, and a new object of emulation for artifts. In the mean time, and till this object can be accomplished, the celebrated BODONI of Parma, fo well known for his masterly execution in typography, and whofe fagacious activity extends to every branch of the arts, has procured defigns from this painting, made by the moft celebrated artilts, and propofes to engrave them in thirty-four cuts, to be executed in the crayon manner, by FRANCESCO ROSASPINA, an able and eminent engraver of Bologna. A first effay calculated to gratify the impatient curiofity of the public, and to exhibit an idea of this beautiful work, has just appeared, and has been received with all the lively intereft which the name of Correggio muft ever infpire.

The famous coloffal buft of Jupiter attributed to the ftatuary MYRON, an Athenian, taken from the garden of Verfailles by order of the minister of the interior, has been lately added to the grand collection of antique ftatues in the mufeum, it is depofited in a niche, in the middle of the hall of entrance.

The following new and fimple method of cleaning and bleaching copper-plate prints has been difcovered by an Italian chemift, Signior FABBRONI. Fill a trong glafs bottle half full, with a mixture of one fourth part of red lead or mi

nium, and three fourths of the muriatic acid, and top it clofely with a glafs ftopper. Let the bottle ftand in a cool and not too light place, until a certain degree of heat, which the mixture produces of itself, indicates its forming new combinations. The minium lofes a confiderable part of its oxygen, which remains united with the liquor; and the liquor acquires a rich gold colour, and the smell of the oxygenated muriatic acid. It holds in folution a fmall part of the lead, which no wife fruftrates its effects. To ufe the liquor thus prepared, get a large plate of glafs, and form around it a border of white wax, about two inches high, and very even. On this, the prints must be laid in lye, with a little fresh urine, or water mixed with fome bullock's gall. After three or four hours, replace this liquor with warm water, which must be renewed every three or four hours, till it pours off clear. When this liquor happens to appear refinous after foaking the prints, they should be steeped in a little alkohol. They fhould then be drained of all their moisture, and afterterwards covered with the oxygenated muriatic acid liquor. Upon the wax border fhould be placed another plate of glafs, of the fame fize as the lower plate, to prevent the dangerous effects of the fmell of the acid. In one or two hours the most difcoloured prints will thus be reftored to their original whiteness. ter pouring off the acids, wafh the prints two or three times in pure water, and let them dry in the fun. To oxygenate the muriatic acid for the above purpose, manganefe may be ufed inftead of minium, in the fame proportion, and perhaps with better fuccefs.

Af

Ruffia has made as yet fmall progrefs in the Fine Arts. They ferve, however, for amufement and fubjects of converfation. A Tyrolefe named LAMPI, a very indifferent artift, in a fhort time realized 150,000 roubles in painting portraits: he was all the fafhion, and nobody cared what they paid to have their portraits executed by him. His pictures have a softnefs difgufting to men of tafte; his colours are all alike fine, without regard to fituations; he pays no attention to light and fhade; he has none of the variety and boldness of pencil which characterise a great artift. While this painter's repu tation was at the zenith, there arrived at Petersburgh the celebrated DOYEN, the historical painter, one of the firft artifts of France; but, whether from an excefs of modeft referve, or from whatever other cause it proceeded, this eminent and

ingeuious

ingenious painter met with no fuccefs. It is even faid that he has not been paid for the four cielings which he painted for the winter palace of the Emperor, a work worthy of a reward truly imperial. There is alfo at prefent another eminent foreign artist at Petersburgh, M. LE BRUN, firft ftatuary to the late king of Poland, whofe works were fo much in eftimation at Rome in 1766 and 1767 that his bufts were put in competition with thofe of BERNINI and LE MOINE. The Pope and several of the cardinals had bufts modelled by LE BRUN. But at Petersburg his works attract no notice: he has never been able to procure a fitting of the Emprefs; and it was very lately that he was allowed the honour of standing behind the famous Madame LE BRUN while the painted her Majefty. Madame LE BRUN, for a female artist, is certainly not without talents; but he has little depth; her pictures will not bear

THE

examination, either clofe or at a distance. The defigns are pitiful, their colouring like chalk; and defective as they are, they appear ftill worfe when placed, as we find them, in the collection of the Grand Duchefs, by the fide of the masterpicces of Vandyck, Rubens, and Rembrandt. The only other artist of eminence to be mentioned is M. KLAUBER, Profeffor in the Academy of Petersburg, &c. one of the firft engravers in Europe. He had feveral works of confequence propofed to him, which have been prevented by the death of the Emprefs. He has engraved a portrait of the Emperor after a very indifferent French painter; the King of Poland after Madame LE BRUN; and very lately the Grand Duchess Elizabeth after the fame, which will be publifhed. How can we be furprised at this corrupted tafte in the fine arts in a country where the libraries of moft of the nobility are furnished by the carpenter !

STATE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS,
In March 1799.

FRANCE.

HE important event of his Neapolitan majesty's being driven from his capital and his throne, was noticed in our laft; fince which, fome interefting particulars relating thereto have tranfpired. The fituation of general Mack in Capua becoming defperate, a great multitude of peafants and lazaroni affembled in Naples, where the French troops were expected foon to arrive, and proclaimed prince Militorni, who had gained their confidence by his vigorous defence of Capua, captain-general: he for fome time endeavoured to reftrain the unbridled violence of this banditti, who, under the name of defenders of religion, royalty, and order, committed the most horrid acts of injuftice and barbarity upon all thofe whom they fufpected to be friendly to the French caufe; but, finding all his efforts fruitless, humanity dictated to him and to fome of his friends, that it would be better even to deliver Naples into the hands of the difciplined troops of the French republic, than fuffer it to be pillaged by fo ungovernable a rabble. In this ftate of things, therefore, he went in fecret to Caferta, to concert measures with Championet for faving the city from deftruction. All the fubfequent events were the refult of an agreement between them. A great number of the

lazarori marched in "a body to the very
walls of Capua, which they attempted
to take by affault. The 19th and 20th
of January were spent in fruitless efforts
to this end, in which they were dread-
fully cut up by cafe-fhot. Hearing, at
length, that a French column was at the
gates of Naples, they marched rapidly
back to affit their comrades, who ob
ftinately defended the avenues of the city.
After blocking up the ftreets with the
furniture of the houses, they divided
into feveral bodies, the better to repel the
French, and fought the whole of the
22d, and part of the 23d, when the re-
publicans at length forced a paffage. On
their entrance, the caftles Novo, St. Elmo,
and Del Uovo, surrendered without re-
fiftance, but the citadel of the Carme-
lites, occupied by the lazaroni, stood a
fiege of three hours. Meanwhile, the
lazaroni and the peasants, who retired
fighting from street to ftreet, were driven
to the gate, where they rallied for the last
time, and were defeated.
At night,
generál Championet entered the city
to the inexpreffible joy of the peaceable
citizens. In confequence of this happy
deliverance by the French, te deum was
celebrated with great folemnity.
foon as tranquillity was restored, thofe
who, whom the French called Neapolitan
patriots, fo long restrained, were re-ani-

As

mated

they affifted in forming the Neapolitan republic, and organifing a provifional government.

ftationed in the territories of the emperor

mated with fresh vigour, their voice was heard, and united with the conquerors, that, always inclined to make peace, the French republic had demanded a fatiffactory declaration refpecting the march of these troops, but the emperor had not given an answer. The executive directory faw itself therefore under the neceffity of a lawful defence by making the French armies take a pofition which circumftances required, but declared at the fame time that as foon as the Ruffians fhould have quitted the dominions of the emperor, the armies of the republic should refume the pofition fixed in the convention of Raftadt.

His Sardinian majefty, alfo lately depofed by French republicans, was escorted to Tuicany by French dragoons. He then went to Poggio-Imperiale, a fummer palace of the Grand Duke, accompanied by Chiffault a French officer, in whofe prefence he had a conference with the Pope. This officer was directed to afcertain the health of Pius the VIth. but found him too weak to travel, efpecially by fea. The titles of the Piedmontefe nobility were burnt on the 21st of January, under the tree of liberty.

Prince Frederick of Orange, who had a command in the Imperial army in Italy, died on the 6th of January of a contagious fever.

General Jourdan is faid to have paffed the Rhine on the 1ft of March at Kehl, with an army of 25,000 men; the right wing immediately proceeded through Offenburgh into the Brifgau. The fame morning, the French ministers at Raftadt, delivered a note and two proclamations to the deputation of the empire, to the following purport:

"That the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic, appointed to negociate with the German empire, had received orders from the executive directory, to communicate to the deputation the fubjoined proclamation. They acquitted themselves of this bufinefs, by adding a copy, certified by them, of this proclamation, and of the addrefs of general Jourdan to the army under his command; that they had orders to declare, that the march of this army ought only to be confidered as a meature of precaution which circumftances required. That the defire of peace on the part of the French government, ftill continued to be lively and fincere, and that it continued in the refolution to conclude a peace with the empire, premifing that the empire would declare itself against the march of the Ruffian troops.

The proclamation of the executive directory ftated, that the Emperor, regardless of the convention made at Raftadt on the 11th of Frimaire (6th year), had paffed the river Inn and marched out of the hereditary dominions--that this movement was combined with the march of the Ruffian troops who loudly declared to have come to attack and combat the French republic, and who were actually

The proclamation of General Jourdan to his army, was in the ufual ftile of exhortation to discipline and good order, by the obfervance of which the foldiers of the republic had already required so high a reputation.

Thefe meafures of the French government were in a few days fucceeded by more decifive ones.

In the council of five hundred on the 13th of March Delbrel the fecretary, read feveral meffages from the council of ancients, containing the refolution of that council on the fubject of the message of the directory, ftating that the French republic was at war with the Emperor, King of Hungary and Bohemia, and with the grand duke of Tuscany.

The directory in that meffage explained at length the complaints of the republic against thofe two powers. It declared, with refpect to the emperor, that the treaty of Campo Formio was misunderftood in its principle, and not carried inte effect in one of its principal articles, and that the conduct of the Auftrian cabinet had been always in oppofition to peace, It reverted to the cold reception of the French ambaffador Bernadotte at Vienna; to the affront offered to him there; to the hypocrify of that court in the negociation of Seltz, which was the more evident because Baron de Degellmann did not repair to Paris; to the fending of Count Cobentzel to Berlin and Ruffia, and to the difficulties raised at Vienna to receive the Cifalpine ambaffador. It finally demonftrated the hoftile difpofition of the emperor with regard to the march of the Ruffians across Moravia and Auftria, and who were then on the confines of Bavaria already occupied by an army of 100,000 Auftrians.

The directory in the fame meffage, accufed the Grand Duke of Tuscany of perfidy towards the republic, and of connivance with the enemies of France.

It expofed his fecret negociations with the cabinet of St. James's, particularly by the poffeffion of Leghorn by the Englifh, against which, he merely oppofed ill-difguifed efforts. The meffage concluded with a formal propofition of declaring war against the Emperor and the Grand Duke. It was ordered to be printed, and was received with fhouts of long live the republic!

It is faid, that general Massena entered the Grifon country on the 2d of March, and took 5,000 Auftrians, 24 pieces of cannon, together with general Auffenburgh and Chur the capital of the Griffons.

The following appear to be the fituation of the French armies that have croffed the Rhine. The column under general Bernadotte which croffed near Manheim, of which it took peffeffion, continued its route with the utmost rapidity by Habelberg and Heilbron. It is faid that the general made this hafte for the purpofe of being before-hand with the Auftrians, and to form a line from Philingen to Heilbron, along the Necker, on both fides of which river are high mountains and advantageous pofitions. The fame general, after croffing the Rhine, fummoned the fort of Philipsbourg to furrender, which the governor refufed. The army under general Jourdan marched directly into the interior of Swabia, leaving a garrifon in Offen burg. His principal head quarters were on the 5th of March at Villingen, in the Black Foreft. General St. Cyr, who commands the left wing of the French army, has entered the dutchy of Wirtemburg by the Kniebis mountains, and is faid to have taken poffeffion of Stut. gard. The Duke, who had been for fome time at open war with the provincial diet, has repaired to Louisbourg.

General Championet, after having commanded at the conqueft of Naples, has been put under arreft on the charge of having infringed upon the power of the civil commiffioner, appointed by the government to act with the army, and having thereby been guilty of open infurrection against the government. The commiffioner Faypoult is his accufer.

HOLLAND.

According to intelligence from Conftantinople a note was tranfmitted from the Sublime Porte to the ambassador from Holland, dated the 16th of January, ftating that the prefent government of France, entirely difregarding every law of nations, having adopted as a principle

to attack all powers without diftinction, whether friends or enemies, and every where to diffeminate disturbance and confution, had, in confequence of this principle, fecretly prepared to fubjugate Egypt, the most valuable province of the Sublime Porte, and which is the gate of the most facred and revered cities of Mecca and Medina; that, therefore, the Sublime Porte had found itself under the neceffity of repelling force by force; that the Sublime Porte was the ancient friend of the Republic of Holland; and that the Dutch, who carried on a very lucrative commerce with the Ottoman empire, had always endeavoured, during the time of their independence, to render themselves agreeable to the Sublime Porte. fince the entrance of the French into Holland that Republic was deprived of its independence, and reduced beneath the yoke of the French DireЯory, and, like the provinces of France, its inhabitants were, in fact, become their fubjects; that the Dutch ambassador was therefore enjoined to quit his refidence within a week, and informed that the ancient amity would be re-established between the two countries as foon as Holland should be feparated from the French.

GERMANY.

But

His Imperial Majefty may now fay with Cæfar, when he paffed the Rubicon, "Facta alea eft." The march of the Ruffian troops, and other obvious indi cations of an hoftile difpofition, having at length induced the Executive Directory of the French Republic to declare war against him.

The miffion of Mr. GRENVILLE to Berlin is faid to have brought to light. fome fecret articles in the treaty of Campo Formio, between the Emperor and France, the hiftory of which is as curious as the articles are interefting. The Abbé Seiyers, fearing that the propofals of the British iniflionary might be accepted, prefented his Pruffian Majefty with a copy of the above-mentioned treaty, by which it appears that his Imperial Majesty had betrayed the interefts of the Empire by agreeing to furrender to the French Republic the most important fortreffes on the banks of the Rhine, the poffeffion of which had facilitated the march of the French army into the heart of Germany.

TURKEY.

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both parties guarantee the empire of each other and the poffeffion thereunto belong ing. In cafe of hoftilities by fea or land against either of the contracting parties, they are to fly to the aid of the party atattacked with men, arms or money. The affittance in men to be within three months after the requifition.--The contracting powers are to have in future the fame friends and the fame enemies, and both parties have agreed to invite the Kings of England, Pruffia, and other powers, to accede to this treaty.

Sir Sydney Smith arrived at Conftantinople in the Tyger towards the latter end of December laft, and by defire of the Porte took poffeffion of the beautiful palace of Boglos, with fome French emigrants, and a guard of marines. He was foon after complimented with a Turkish title of honour and affumed the character of accredited naval minifter of

Britain. It was fuppofed he would direct the operation of the Turkish navy.

AMERICA.

The whole expence of the government of the United States, including the contingent expences of the feveral departments and offices amounts to no more than 504,206 dollars. The expence of the army is 4,202,005 dollars; the expence of fhips ordered to be built by congrefs 671,504, arms and military ftores 233,000 maintaining the prefent naval establishment for an entire year 2,420, 180; for eight revenue cutters during the year 1799, 117,501 dollars. The whole fum required for the fervice of the year is about 6,524,617 dollars.

The loan of five millions of dollars, lately opened by the American government, was filled in the courfe of a few days. Petitions continue to be presented to the American government, praying the repeal of the acts generally known by the titles of the fedition and alien laws.

The American congrefs are about to país a law to prevent the interference of private individuals in cafes relating to the concerns of the United States with foreign countries.

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that Tippoo's intention was to make fome fudden and hoftile movements as foon as events afforded him a favourable opportunity. But at the fame time, no fears were apprehended by the English, on account of a firm perfuafion that not one of the Indian princes would be found inclined to make an alliance with him. An expedition generally fuppofed to be against Japara, which is fituated two hundred and fifty-three miles east of Batavia, was much the converfation at Madras, as well as against Java, which lies to the south of Sumatra, being only feparated by the ftraits of Sunda, under the direction of the Batavian government. These Islands were reported to have harboured all illicit traders, and to have warehoused a great part of the produce of Europe, which is faid to be carried out in fictitious bottoms.

IRELAND.

The fifter kingdom is ftill in a state which excites the fearful anxiety of every friend to order and good government. The enormities daily committed by a barbarous banditti on the one hand, and the unparalleled latitude about to be given to military power by the legislature on the other, become alarming to humanity.

The principal objects which have lately engaged the attention of the Irish parliament are the finances, and a bill for the fuppreffion of the rebellion.

Lord Caftlereagh, on the 18th of February, in a committee of fupply, detailed to the houfe the military estimate for the year enfuing, of which the following is a recapitulation.

Military Strength. Regulars, Militia, Yeomanry, British, Artillery, Drivers, &c.

Total

32,281 26,634

Expences. £1,218,955

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52,274

23,201 1,500

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1,700

137,590

Serving abroad, 3,234

Ordnance, Barracks, -Commiffioriat,

769,012 687,485

666,799

Included in the ordnance estimate

140,824

442,659

350,000

132,000

Expence, 4,266,910

549,457

Mifcellaneous including

£98,327 for troops ferving abroad,

Total expence, 4,815,367 The refolutions for the above estimates were agreed to.

The chancellor of the exchequer brought forward his budget on the 25th of February, and after fome prefatory

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