As Mr. Magellan is a foreigner, a criticifm on his language might be thought improper; yet we cannot clofe this article without remarking that, in fome cafes, the English reader will meet with difficulties that may perplex him. We will mention two or three inftances. In the courfe of the work we frequently meet with the word Dalarne, as a province in Sweden, where certain minerals are native; at page 361 we are told fal fontanum is found in the province of Dal;' and in pages 118, 119, 237, and others, certain minerals are defcribed as natives of Dalecarlia. Now Dalarne, Dal, and Dalecarlia, are one and the fame province. In page 123, Crystals and Criftals occur; this may be the fault of the printer. In page 287 the word prealable is ufed: this is a French word, and means foregoing, or rather, previous. Cold fhort and red fhort iron, though ufed by our fmiths, &c. do not clearly convey the ideas of the original Swedish Kall-breckt and Röd-breckt; this defect must be attributed to Mr. Engestrom.

Thefe blemishes, however, are of no great confequence: they are mentioned in order that they may be corrected in a future edition of this excellent work, which, in its prefent improved state, cannot fail of being gratefully received by the Adept, and of being highly useful to the Tyro in mineralogy.

R......m

ART. VIII. A View of Ancient Hiftory; including the Progrefs of Literature and the Fine Arts. By William Rutherford, D. D. Master of the Academy at Uxbridge. Vol. I. 8vo. 75. Boards. Murray. 1788.

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FTER all the details and abridgments which have been given of ancient hiftory, there is ftill ample fcope for inquiry and fpeculation: not indeed for the purpofe of afcertaining the truth, the order, or the date of facts;-on these researches learned diligence has perhaps been employed with as much fuccefs as is to be expected ;-but with the defign of exhibiting interefting views of ancient events, manners, and opinions, and deducing from them fuch obfervations and conclufions, as admit of an useful application. Several modern writers have attempted this union of hiftory and philofophy; but few, in our opinion, more fuccefsfully than the author of the work now before us. From the imperfect and often obfcure accounts of the most remote period of human fociety, which are fcattered through the writings of the ancients, Dr. Rutherford, with much good fenfe and ftrength of judgment, has brought into one connected view, fuch particulars as are moft deferving of attention. Without burdening his reader with the detail of critical investigation, he has given the refult of his own inquiries, in a masterly sketch, in which probable events are happily detached from fable, and

the

the relation of hiftorical incidents is judiciously combined with a view of the progrefs of government, religion, fcience, arts, manners, and cuftoms, in each country. The whole is written with ftrength, perfpicuity, and elegance.

This firft volume treats of the affairs of Egypt, Affyria, Perfia, Phoenicia, and Judea, and of thofe of Greece, to the clofe of the first Perfian war.

The following account of the extenfion of the trade of Phoenicia will ferve to fhew how much may be done by a judicious felection and arrangement of materials:

The hiftory of this people furnishes a remarkable proof of the wonders which induftry can perform, and of the opulence to which commerce can raise a nation which applies to it with ardour.

The first voyages which they performed were in the Mediterranean, of which they frequented all the ports. Coafting along the fhores of this fea, they made fettlements in the ifles of Cyprus and Rhodes, and extending their navigation, paffed fucceffively into Greece, Thrace, Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia. Penetrating into the extremities of Europe, they visited the Gauls, difcovered the fouthern part of Spain, and gave a name to that kingdom, which it ftill retains *.

Hitherto their navigation, like that of all the ancient nations, had been confined to the Mediterranean; and the fouth of Spain was the boundary of their voyages. Paffing the fouthern point of that country, the Phoenician failors perceived that the Mediterranean communicated by a narrow channel with another fea. The dread of encountering unknown latitudes, and the perils which prefented themselves in croffing this unexplored and formidable paffage, long deterred the Phoenician pilots: but incited by the love of gain, and encouraged by their perpetual fucceffes, about 1250 years before the Chriftian era they ventured beyond the boundaries of ancient navigation, and paffing the ftraits of Gades, entered the ocean. Success crowned the boldness of the enterprife. They landed on the western coast of Spain. This firft voyage was followed by others; and the Phoenicians foon fent colonies into the country, founded cities there, and formed permanent fettlements. Their lucrative

traffic to these regions induced them to erect, on an ifle, known at prefent by the name of Cadiz, a fortified place, which they might employ as a repofitory or warehoufe for the Spanish trade. To fecure the poffeffion of that ifle, they built a city, to which, from the purposes of its erection, they gave the name of Cadiz †.

The advantages which the Phoenicians derived from this trade were fudden and extraordinary. Spain prefented the fame fpectacle to its first visitants, that America prefented to the Spaniards in the fixteenth century. The ancient Spaniards, like the Americans, were deftitute of arts and induftry. Their country abounded with gold and filver; but the inhabitants, unacquainted with the value of these

Spaniza, which the Romans have changed into Hifpania, and we into Spain, fignifies, in the Hebrew language, little different from the Phoenician, full of rabbits." tRefuge, inclofure.'

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precious

precious metals, applied them to common ufes. The Phoenicians availed themselves of this ignorance. In exchange for oil, glafs, and trinkets, fo much coveted by barbarians, they received fuch a quantity of filver, that their fhips could not contain the treafure. They were obliged to take out the lead with which their anchors were loaded, and put the filver in its place.

The wealth which the Phoenicians drew from Spain was not confined to the precious metals. Wax, honey, vermilion, iron, lead, copper, and above all, tin, were valuable articles of traffic. This laft metal was unknown to other nations till it was introduced by the Phoenicians.

Spain was not the only country beyond the pillars of Hercules into which the Phoenicians had penetrated. Accustomed to the navigation of the ocean, they extended their difcoveries to the left of the ftraits of Gades, as far as to the right; and vifiting the western coafts of Africa, formed fettlements there, a little after the Trojan

war.

• While the Phoenicians poffeffed the trade of the North and the Weft, they drew to themfelves the commerce of the South and the Eaft, which is faid to have been opened by the Egyptians. Having become mafters of feveral commodious harbours towards the bottom of the Arabian Gulph, they eftablished a regular intercourfe with Arabia and the continent of India on the one hand, and with the eastern coast of Africa on the other. They landed the valuable cargoes which they brought from thefe opulent regions at Elath, the fafeft harbour in the Red Sea towards the north. Thence they were carried by land to Rhinocolura, the neareft port in the Mediterranean to the Arabian Gulph; and being re-fhipped in that harbour, were transported to the Phoenician capital. Thus the wealth of Perfia, India, Africa, and Arabia, centered in Tyre, and thence was diftributed over the western parts of the world.

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In order to fecure the commerce of thefe countries which they had difcovered or vifited, the Phoenicians founded colonies and cities, in the most commodious fituations, as far as their voyages extended. About eighty years after the Trojan war they founded the city of Gades, on a fmall island near the western coaft of Andalufia, and foon afterwards thofe of Adrymetum, Leptis, Utica, and Copfa, in Africa. In their voyages to Greece, Thrace, and Italy, they built cities and planted colonies in Cittium, Thera, Argos, Thebes, Samothrace, and Thafus. Soon after this we find Phoenician colonies on every ifland of the Mediterranean, in the Balearic ifles, in Sardinia, Corfica, Sicily, Malta, and many parts of the northern coafts of Africa The revolution which the conquefts of Joshua made in the countries of Canaan was favourable to the colonization of the Phoenicians. After the irruption and devaftation of the Hebrew tribes, the greater part of the ancient inhabitants of Palæftine, finding themfelves threatened with immediate deftruction, endeavoured to fave them felves by flight. Sidon offered them an afylum; but the territory of that city not fufficing to fupport the multitude of exiles, they were under a necefiity of exploring unknown countries, and feeking new fettlements. The Phoenicians lent them their fhips, and employed this accession of subjects to extend their trade and to people their diftant

cities.

cities. Hence that vaft number of colonies which, taking their departure from Phoenicia, foon after diffused themselves through all the kirts of Africa and countries of Europe.

No event is more remarkable in the Phoenician history, than the foundation of a new ftate on the African coaft about 890 years before the Chriftian era. The foundation and growth of Carthachadta*, or the New Town, have been adorned by poetical fiction; but its confequent greatnefs made an important figure in the history of the world. Situated on a bold projection of the African coaft, in the very center of the Mediterranean, Carthage comprehended within her view the Eaft, as well as the Weft, and embraced, by the extent of her commerce, all the feas, and all the countries of the known world. An excellent port offered a fecure afylum to fhips: the natural fertility of the adjacent foil; the happy fite of the town, furrounded by a clufter of iflands and countries conveniently fituated for commerce; the adventurous fpirit of the merchants and mariners; the skill and induftry of the artifans; together with the wisdom of the government, which was never fhaken by feditions, nor opprefied by tyranny, till the later periods of the commonwealth; all contributed to the fudden increase and rapid improvement of the Carthaginian colony. From the enlargement of its territory it became a feparate ftate, which foon rivalled and afterwards furpaffed the mother country; and, in a duration of feven hundred years, comprehended within its dominion the finest portion of Africa, as well as a great part of Spain, Sicily, Corfica, Sardinia, Malta, with the Balearic, and the Fortunate Inlands.

From the enumeration of the countries to which the Phoenicians traded, of the cities which they built, and the colonies which they planted, in the various and diftant parts of the world, an idea may be formed of the greatness and extent of their commerce. As in ancient times the nations of the earth had little intercourfe or connection with each other, the Phoenicians were employed as factors and carriers to all their neighbours, and became masters of all the trade that was carried on in the known world. Their fhips conveyed the productions of every climate; and the empire of the fea was in their poffeffion. Other nations applied to them when any great maritime enterprife or diftant expedition was to be undertaken. The fleets which Solomon fitted out, to fail from the Red Sea to Ophir and Tarshish, probably on the eastern coaft of Ethiopia, were conducted by Phoenician pilots, who had been accustomed to visit these countries before the time of Solomon. It was to Phoenician mariners that Necho, King of Egypt, above 610 years before Chrift, gave the extraordinary commiflion to circumnavigate Africa. That prince fent a Phoenician fleet from the borders of the Red Sea, with injunctions to keep along the African coafts, to make the tour of them, and to return to Egypt by entering the Mediterranean at the Pillars of Hercules, or Straits of Gibraltar. The Phoenicians taking their departure from the Red Sea, entered the Southern Ocean, and conftantly followed the coafts. After having employed two feafons in this navigation, they doubled the fouthern promontory of Africa,

* Abbreviated into Karchedon by the Greeks, and pronounced Carthago by the Romans.'

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and

and arriving at the Pillars of Hercules, entered the Mediterranean, and reached the mouths of the Nile in the third year of their voyage.'

In a work fo well executed as the prefent, to fearch for trifling inaccuracies would be faftidious: the author will eafily correct them in a fubfequent edition. We fhall only remark, that it would have much increated the value of his book, if Dr. R. had been lefs fparing of his references. Decifive affertions, on points which have been the fubject of difpute, or concerning which an inquifitive reader may be fuppofed to wifh for farther information, ought to be fupported by authorities. Es....d.

ART. IX. The Parian Chronicle. (Concluded from our Review for October, p. 357.)

DICENDUM eft mihi ad ea quæ a te dicta funt, fed ita, nihil ut affirmem; quæram omnia, dubitans plerumq; et mihi ipfe diffidens.

Having already given a concife account of this learned and ingenious work, we fhall briefly ftate fuch doubts as have arifen in our minds, on reviewing Mr. Robertfon's arguments; and submit them to his impartial confideration. If we before omitted any obfervation of moment, from a defire of contracting our article into as fmall a compafs as poffible, we shall now endeavour to compenfare for the neglect.

Objection I. The characters have no certain or unequivocal marks of antiquity. This feems rather to be an answer to a defender of the infcription, than an objection. If a zealous partizan of the marble fhould appeal to its characters and orthography, as decifive proofs of its being genuine, it would be proper enough to anfwer, that thefe circumstances afford no certain criterion of authenticity. But in this word certain, fculks an unlucky ambiguity. If it means demonftrative, it must be allowed that no infcription can be proved to be certainly genuine, from these appearances; but if it means no more than highly probable, many infcriptions poffefs fufficient internal evidence to give their claims this degree of certainty. The true question is, Has not the Parian Chronicle every mark of antiquity that can be expected in a monument claim ng the age of 2000 years? The letters I and I are, by Mr. R.'s own confeffion, fuch as occur in genuine infcriptions, and to fay in answer, that an impoftor might copy the forms of thefe letters from other infcriptions, is already to fuppofe the infcription forged, before it is rendered probable by ar gument. The learned author of the Differtation feems to betray fome doubt of his own conclufion; for he adds, p 56, that the antiquity of an infcription can never be proved by the mere form

* Premifing that, in the extract here given, we have omitted various references made by Dr. R.

of