DOMESTIC LITERATURE AND SCIENCE.

The Fine Arts. Among the most munificent instances of public patronage which the fine arts have hitherto received in this country, must be numbered the establishment of the gallery of portraits of public men, which has, within a few years, been formed by the corporation of the city of New-York. This originally consisted of Trumbull's original large pictures of Washington and Hamilton, and of his series of the governors of the state of New-York, in full length, and of the mayors of the city since 1781, in half length portraits. During the late war, it is well known, the corporation have, from time to time, voted that portraits of several of our most distinguished military and naval men should be added to this collection. Several of these are already painted, and others are now in hand; among these are large full lengths of Commodores Hull, Bainbridge, Perry, Macdonough, and of General Brown, by Jarvis, of General Macomb, by Waldo, and of Decatur, by Sully. The full length public or historical portrait, aspiring to rise above the dull common-place of the family portrait, forms an interesting link between mere portraiture and historical painting. Our artists have already attained to great excellence in portrait and miniature; and it is with pleasure and pride that we now behold an opportunity offered them of aiming a higher and bolder flight; of rising from the cold delineation of individual nature, to the dignity and invention of the higher branches of the art, and aspiring to that nobleness of conception which, says Reynolds, goes beyond any thing in the mere exhibition even of perfect form to the art of animating and dignifying their figures, and impressing them with the appearance of intellectual energy.

Boston edition of the Latin Classics. Wells & Lilly, of Boston, have commenced their proposed series of the Scriptores Romani, by publishing five volumes of Ernesti's Cicero. The choice of Ernesti's edition was judicious; it is not overloaded with annotations; its notes and prefaces contain almost every thing of value relative to the history and criticism of the text of Cicero; and the clavis affords, in a condensed form, the substance of the most important preceding commentators and scholiasts; so that Ernesti has richly merited the high praise bestowed on him by Gibbon, when, in enumerating the various editions of Cicero, he speaks of "that of Olivet, which should adorn the libraries of the rich-that of Ernesti, which should lie on the tables of the learned." This American edition is elegantly, and, as far as we have examined, very correctly printed, in duodecimo volumes of three hundred pages each, on a good paper, the firmness and whiteness of which form an advantageous contrast with the miserable, flimsy, brown paper of the original German edition. These five volumes contain about one and a half of the German octavos, so that the whole will probably amount to eighteen or twenty volumes.

Should this undertaking receive the patronage which it merits, it is intended to continue the series of the Latin classics in the same form, selecting the editions of the greatest authority, but generally omitting all commentary, except where the uncommon merit of any particular editor entitles his work to exemption from the general rule. The Horace of Baxter, Gesner, and Zeunius, is mentioned by the publishers as one of these exceptions. We hope that Heyne's Virgil may also be added to the series, in spite of the too ponderous 'mass of commentary which the Gottingen professor has laid at the feet of his bard. Perhaps we might also recommend the Lucretius of Gilbert Wakefield, a critic beyond all others bold and original in conjecture, and subtle and paradoxical in interpretation. But all this must, no doubt, depend upon the patronage bestowed upon the earlier volumes of the series; and surely it is an undertaking to which every well-wisher to the literature of our country must desire success. A complete edition of the Latin classics, corresponding to this specimen, would form the most elegant and commodious complete series ever published in any country.

The Bipont Greek classics are, indeed, beautiful; but the typography of their Latin is often slovenly, and the paper bad. The editions of Foulis are very neat, but not so handsome as this, and are altogether without notes, or other subsidia; while the Variorum, on the other hand, are perfectly overwhelmed with the heavy weight of dull commentators-Gronovius upon Vossius, and Burman upon Gronovius. The series of the Barbou classics is not unlike this; but it is exceedingly unequal, the Tacitus, and some others, being admirable, the rest very inferior.

Surely it would be no inconsiderable proof that classical taste and learning are cherished among us, if, in so important and honourable an undertaking, our printers should not merely rival, but even far excel those of Strasbourg, of Amsterdam, of Paris, and of Glasgow; and to enable them to do this, nothing is wanting but a liberal share of public patronage.

John Low, of New-York, will soon publish" A History of the late War between the United States and Great Britain," in 1 vol. 12mo.

Samuel R. Brown, of Cayuga, New-York, is preparing for the press, " An Impartial History of the late War," in 2 vols. 12mo.

The Editors of the Kentucky Palladium are making arrangements for publishing," A Complete History of the late War in the Western Country."

Conrad & Co., Philadelphia, have in preparation for the press, "A History of the late War;" it will be printed in 4 vols. 8vo. ornamented with portraits, and with plans of the battles, and maps of the several seats of war.

Andrew Beers, of Danbury, is preparing for publication, a Gazetteer of Connecticut, on the plan of Spafford's Gazetteer of NewYork

C. Hosmer, of Hartford, has issued proposals for publishing by subscription a new statistical work by the Hon. Timothy Pitkin, a representative in congress from the state of Connecticut. It is entitled "A Statistical view of the Commerce of the United States; its connexion with Agriculture and Manufactures, and an Account of the Public Debt, Revenues, and Tonnage of the United States; with a brief View of the Trade, Agriculture, and Manufactures of the Colonies, previous to their Independence. With numerous tables. It will be printed in one 8vo. volume of about 450 pages.

Dr. Cortilli, of New-York, has announced that he has ready for publication "A Practical and Theoretical Essay on Fevers." It will form an 8vo. volume of 400 pages.

A society has recently been formed in Boston, bearing the name of the Linnæan Society of New-England. Its principal object is to collect and arrange a Systematic Museum of Natural History, and especially of the natural productions of our own country. For this laudable purpose they request the contributions and assistance of every lover and student of natural knowledge.

Proposals have been issued in Albany for publishing a new monthly miscellany, entitled the "Friend," to contain original and select es. says, biographical and historical sketches, reviews, &c. each number to consist of 24 pages, 8vo.

Wells & Lilly, Boston, have lately published an edition of Alison's Sermons, of which a review was published in our January number. It is a handsome, well-printed volume.

E. Earle, of Philadelphia, has just published a handsome pocket edition of Campbell's Poetical Works. This very neat edition, beside some beautiful little poems by Campbell, which have been published in various forms, but never before collected and added to his other works, contains the biographical sketch of his life and literary character, which appeared in the March number of this Magazine.

We perceive with pleasure this new indication of Campbell's increasing popularity on this side the Atlantic. His writings are alike friendly to good morals and to good taste. He is, in our mind, the first of the poets of our own age-an age fertile, beyond example, in true poetry; though his beauties, especially in his later pieces, are not broad and glaring, but addressed chiefly to refined feeling, and cultivated taste. He has yet higher claims to honour. He has uniformly consecrated his fine talents to the interests of morals, of humanity and of freedom; he has never polluted with impurity the sacred fount of poetry, or poisoned it with false philosophy orfalse morality.

Now in the press of Van Winkle & Wiley, New-York, "A Digest of the Cases decided in the Courts of the State of New-York from 1799, to October Term, 1812," by William Johnson, Esq. in one vol. 8vo,

Also preparing for the press "Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Court of Chancery of the State of New-York." Vol. 1st. by William Johnson, Esq. These Reports commence with the first decisions of Chancellor Kent, in that court, in March, 1814.

FOREIGN LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

Germany has lately furnished a work on a subject hitherto equally perplexing, but not the less interesting to the learned and the ignorant. It is A Treatise on Spontaneous Combustion, by Dr, Kopp. Various instances have been mentioned, in which the entire body of a living man has been reduced to ashes, without having undergone the action of external fire. The hands and feet are usually the only parts which have escaped the general conflagration. It is remarkable, that of seventeen known cases of this extraordinary kind of death, not more than one man is known to sixteen women. A poet of Suabia has hence taken occasion to infer, that the fair sex is sixteen times more inflammable than their humble admirers. But poets have a privilege, of which it would be cruel to deprive them, and probably this disciple of Minerva was not aware that these fair damsels were arrived at an age when the escape of some part, of constitutional combustion, might fairly be presumed-viz. from 50 to 80 years of age. This argument is strengthened by reports that the said escape was compensated by a most ardent passion for the most ardent spirits-usually of that description known to the gods, under the name of Aqua Vita—its name among mortals has never been revealed by the classics.

Hitherto the cause of spontaneous inflammation has been referred to a superabundance of spirituous and ethereal particles diffused throughout the person, to which external fire has approached within striking distance, or immediate contact, whether by accident or inadvertency. Dr. Kopp, however, finds the cause of conflagration in electricity alone, principally in a time of dry weather, when the atmosphere is cool and serene. He asserts, that contact with certain animals which are themselves electric, such as the cat, the eel, the electrical eel, &c. is dangerous in the highest degree for-professed drunkards: he quotes terrible examples in proof of this.

Among other most marvellous instances, he says, An ancient governante, sitting on a bench in a garden, was amusing herself with stroking her cat, of which she was excessively fond, when suddenly a long blue flame issued from her mouth, the cat jumped away from her, and half an hour afterwards, the only remains to be found on the bench were a quantity of ashes. Alas! she had her failing;-but, peace to her manes! Nothing inferior in renown for her love of inspiriting beverages was a woman cook, who was one day preparing eels for dinner; when her mistress sentfor her to receive fresh orders, she could not be found; neither in the house nor out of the houseneither far nor near:-electricity-not per se, but in combination with brandy-had consumed her!!

THE NAVY.

Proceedings of a Court of Inquiry held to investigate the Causes of the loss of the Frigate President. 8vo. p. 52. New-York. Van Winkle and Wiley.

Though this pamphlet does not fall within the usual limits of criticism, yet, as it relates to a subject, upon which public feeling has been strongly and generally excited; and in which the character of our navy, and its officers, is deeply concerned, we cannot refrain from briefly noticing it. We feel it, too, to be a duty which we owe to the reputation of a brave and honourable man, to contribute in giving publicity to this judicial statement of his conduct; a statement by which the misrepresentations of the enemy are corrected, and the vague whis pers of private malignity triumphantly refuted. In the course of this investigation, before a most respectable court, and conducted by a judge advocate of high legal reputation and ability, all the surviving officers of the President were examined; many of them generally known in the community as gentlemen of unimpeached honour and veracity, of intelligence, information, and high promise. Their evidence corroborates, in the strongest manner, the official statement of Commodore Decatur. It fully appears, that the President, on her leaving the port of New-York, struck upon the bar, where she received injuries by which her sailing was greatly impeded, and the effect was afterwards very visible on her arrival at Bermuda, where it was observed that she was much hogged and twisted. That in consequence of this accident, in spite of the skill and resources displayed by her commander, and the seamanship of her crew, she was at last come up with by the leading ship of the British squadron, the Endymion, a frigate of equal force with herself. That after a short action, within musket shot, the Endymion edged off, and hauled up for her companions, and her fire continued to slacken, at length firing only one or two guns every minute or two, and finally ceasing altogether. The other ships now coming up, the President left her; the President being then in perfect condition to make battle, whilst the Endymion was neither in a situation to pursue, or to manœuvre in action; and when the President hauled up, and presented her stern to the Endymion's broadside, she did not fire a gun. That between two and three hours after, the Endymion being then seven miles astern, after receiving several broadsides from the Pomone, Commodore Decatur struck to the Pomone and Tenedos frigates, and the Majestic razee, the two former being close up with the President, within musket shot, and the other within gun-shot. In the whole body of testimony, there is scarce a shade of variance, except in that of the sailing master, and this goes to little more than mere matter of opinion on the propriety of the course of measures pursued in attempting to escape.

In short, it is impossible for any reader, however inexpert he may be in naval affairs, not to anticipate in his own judgment the opinion so strongly expressed by the court, "that if victory had met with its