Gazette having but 2,500, the Universal Journal about 200, the Observer (used to have) nearly 1,500, the Stockholm Post between 6 and 800, and all the others between 3 and 500 subscribers. The editors also wished to instruct the nation in politics; but in this, as well as in literature, they affected to follow their own line: in the one they would be neither Whigs nor Tories, in the other they would neither belong to the French school, nor to the reformers. The result was, they were perfectly unintelligible to all parties, and the paper was ultimately discarded among respectable people. The Swedish Journal of Literature was begun in 1813, and is published in Upsala, where it has many sensible contributors, for the most part among the younger literati. It is published weekly, in one sheet, an extent which does not allow of a full review of Swedish literature; yet it has laboured very meritoriously in the branch of belles-lettres, and made many valuable ideas general, which before this were only current among a few scholars in Upsala. beth, a son of the counsellor of state, famed as the translator of Virgil, Horace, and Ovid. The original plan was to admit only treatises on northern antiquities, old Scandinavian songs, and such modern compositions only as immediately bore upon this subject: but this plan has been enlarged since. The authors who have most distinguished themselves in this publication are Professor Geyer of Upsala, and Professor Tegner of Lund, both eminent poets; the former admired for the boldness of his ideas, and a peculiar and powerful originality; the latter no less so for his splendid fancy, and the richness and splendor of his figures. Most of the songs inserted in this publication have been set to music, and are now universally sung. Among the numerous valuable treatises furnished by Mr. Geyer, one is particularly clever; it is entitled, "On the Applicability of the old Scandinavian Mythology in the Plastic Arts," which in certain cases is contested by the author. Sveia: the editors of this periodical work point at their object in the following words :-" Every periodical Periodical works purely scientific, work necessarily presupposes a literain the form of books, are published ture; such as trade will always preonly by those of the "New School." suppose productions; for a periodical The earliest work of this description work, whether it measures the period was the Phosphorus; it appeared at of its immortality by days, months, or the same time as the Polyfem, in the years, is actually engaged in diffusing year 1810. It pursued the same ob- literary production, the exchange of ject by positive means, which the lat- the stock of ideas. We therefore supter tried to advance by its negative pose such a capital exists in Sweden, exertions. Most of its articles were and we shall employ our best exertions poetical; generally consisting of poems to promote its circulation." The four by the editor, Atterbom, which greatly numbers that have hitherto appeared contributed in giving a higher impulse contain some excellent articles; I to Swedish literature. The philoso- mention but a few:-1. On the formaphical and esthetical essays contained tion of the Swedish soil. 2. Observain it are full of original ideas, fire, and tions on the old northern song. 3. enthusiasm, only now and then the Feudalism and republicanism. 4. On ideas are rather crude, as may be ex- the former voyages of discovery of the pected from too youthful authors. Its Scandinavians to North America. 8. publication ceased in 1813. During A view of the actual state of philosothe same year were published two phy. 9. Gustavus Adolphus in Gernumbers of the Lyceum, edited by Mr. many, fragments of an epic poem. Hamarskiöld and Professor Hoyer. But if the Phosphorus was too youthful, the Lyceum had, if I may so express myself, a certain dryness of age about it, without being more profound. It was a review of native and foreign productions, but it had no influence on the present taste of the public. In the year 1813 appeared the first number of the Iduna; and by this time its numbers have been increased to eight. It is edited by Baron Adler The most recently established periodical work is the Hermes, edited by Mr. Almquist, a very clever young man. Some of its best articles are--" On the Advantages of Speech over Writing," by Count Schwerin, the leader of the opposition in the Diet, and one of the greatest living orators; and "A Comparison of the Account of the Oriental Writers with those of Greece, respecting the History of Persia, by Palmblad." X. To To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, NEW of your readers have been ferings which horses are made to endure from contraction and disease in the fore-feet. So universal is this evil, that this country can hardly furnish a single instance of a horse having performed his fair and constant portion of road services for three years successively, beyond the period of his being first shod with the common shoes, without his fore-feet having suffered more or less from this cause. It is true that in many instances this deviation from natural structure is unaccompanied with any apparent injury or pain to the animal, for various reasons; some feet resist the common cause much more than others; intervals of rest and "turning out" will retard its progressive operation; and it requires not a little pain in many of these beautiful and generous creatures, to make them evince the anguish they endure. Why is this mischief, you will say, allowed to continue another day? This is a question that, were I disposed fully to solve it, would occupy much time and space, not more than it deserves, and which is certainly not at all explained by saying that this evil is occasioned by the abuse of art, at the same time that it admits of a perfectly safe and efficient relief, lately discovered, and which has in its operation the singular twofold advantage of preventing the mischief altogether, as well as of relieving it most essentially when produced; thus supplying us at once with a preventative and a remedy of great relief, (cure being mostly out of the question;) I allude to the jointed horse-shoe invented by Mr. Bracey Clark, who, by great industry and expense, had long since discovered the cause, and now, by the same means, produces the remedy. He is the only person who has completely developed that beautiful piece of physiological and mechanical contrivance the horse's foot; has explained its structure and formation on philosophical principles, and most satisfactorily shown its expansive and elastic properties, which are so obviously obstructed and counteracted by the common shoe, so as fully to account for most of the injury which this part is so universally suffering. The paltry attempts of interested and inferior minds to undervalue and obscure MONTHLY MAG. NO. 371. these most important discoveries of this very ingenious, indefatigable, and unrequited gentleman, are worthy their are truly surprising, when we consider the prevalence of the spirit of enquiry; and that your assistance, Mr. Editor, should be required to bring into notice these great improvements, can only be explained by the little interest which this subject has hitherto obtained, from its having been so long consigned (how improperly need hardly be said,) to the hands of one of the most unenlightened classes of our fellow-citizens, as well as perhaps from the little figure which this lowest part of the animal makes. Had the more striking parts of his frame (more important ones could not,) been affected by an artificially induced mischief, such as might have influenced the appearance of his head, tail, or fineness of his coat,-the vanity of man had long since remedied the defects, as it now endeavours to disguise its sufferings by the cruel operations of bit, whip, and spur; rendering him thus the treble victim of ignorance, folly, and inhumanity. The barba rous operation lately introduced, of removing the sense of feeling of the feet by dividing the nerves, while it does not relieve the disease, but leaves these parts a prey to still farther injury, and ultimate increase of suffering and uselessness, deserves the strongest censure of every humane and scientific individual; and the neglect to which it is fast approaching. So the absurd and inefficient contrivances, which have within these few years been occasionally offered to the public, for their amusement would be supposed, under the auspices of a patent and a college, and to the disgrace of both, as their mischief and disuse declare, for forcing out the heels by pressure on the frog, as it is absurdly called, are about as scientific as though a man should attempt to cleave a block of wood with a wedge of dough, by forcing its broad edge foremost. For this said frog, sir, would you believe it? is nearly as soft and elastic as Indian rubber, while the parts opposed to it are of a hard horny texture; and it is very clear, that if this passive organ performs any office at all, it is that of restraint. It has long been the fashion to raise a great outcry against bad shoeing, as C though though one blacksmith was very superior in this art to another; but this is really of comparatively little moment, -the fault lies much deeper; it is in the system, and all shoeing is bad which does not leave the foot a full liberty to perform those functions for which nature designed it; which never can be the case so long as it is bound up and restrained by the nails fixed into the sides of an immoveable iron shoe. All this is completely obviated by Mr. Clark's shoe; but, sir, this is no forcing shoe, this is the true shoe of liberty; and, as in the moral, so in the physical world, it is only as we approach the completion of all which this beautiful word liberty implies, that we are justified in believing we shall arrive at perfection. My sole object in sending you this paper is to excite the attention of the public to the good that is prepared for them and my only gain is the satisfaction of endeavouring to be useful: I have no other earthly interest, direct or indirect, to satisfy. Horses of my own, and of several of my friends, have received most essential benefit from these jointed shoes for upwards of eighteen months, and are to this hour continuing to experience their good effects; and I cannot help being very desirous that others may reap the same advantages, on the grounds both of humanity and interest. At the same time let me guard your readers against employing them as remedies only,-for which, however, they are eminently qualified; their great excellence consists in the prevention of disease, and are therefore alone to be considered as the proper shoes for the horse. A. C. S. For the Monthly Magazine. JOURNAL, by a LADY, kept at MOSCOW and in RUSSIA, during the FRENCH INVASION in 1812. HE summer is short in Russia, Tbut excessively bot: the heat on some days in July, especially in this part, equalled that of the West Indies. Moscow was in alarm; foreigners were very uneasy; and the taking of Smolensko had not contributed to tranquillize the public mind. We scarcely dared to stir out of the house. The French were insulted in the streets; many of them had been sent away to the borders of the Wolga, which I had just quitted; and every one feared lest his own turn for trans a portation, or being sent into the interior, should arrive. All the nobles had departed; the treasure of the Kremlin, and the riches deposited at the Foundling Hospital, formed continual procession of carriages, furniture, and effects of all kinds. In fact, the city was a desert; and, in proportion as the French army advanced, the emigration became more considerable, I could not even obtain a passport for Petersburgh; and when the alarm became general, victuals began to be scarce,—all endeavouring to lay in what stock they could. Besides this, a massacre was feared on the part of the mougikes, or peasants. The people also talked of fire, and of burying themselves under the ruins of the place. It was only in the distant quarters of the city that the people collected; and, Moscow being extremely large, they calculated that the side on which the French entered would be the first, and perhaps the only quarter that would be burnt. It also appeared so difficult to believe that a city of such immense extent should be consumed, that the inhabitants only endeavoured to guard against it in certain quarters, where the houses were mostly of timber. The palaces and the stone buildings, covered with tiles, &c. it was thought would never be burnt; and these places were generally chosen as sanctuaries. I was connected with a family of artists living in the Basseman, a quarter directly opposite to that through which the French entered. This was a very retired situation; it was a large palace, belonging to the Prince Galitzin, and my friend's husband engraved the pictures in the gallery here for the prince. He, his family, and myself, occupied one of the wings of this palace that looked into the garden. This, according to our views, was calculated to conceal, and, in case of fire, to preserve us, even if the people were disposed to carry their resentment to extremities. Besides, here were several alleys in the gardens, through which we could have escaped their search: there was likewise the palace on one side of the street, and that of Prince Kourakin on the other, to which we could retire if necessary; so that we believed ourselves to be in a kind of impregnable fort, though we occupied no more of it than was indensably necessary. To this asylum I removed I removed all my effects, and foolishly left my own house, which remained untouched, to take refuge in another, which became the prey of the flames. But I was not the only one that was easily persuaded. I quitted my house on the 25th of August, Russian calendar,-or on the 6th Sept. according to the French. For eight or ten days we were tolerably quiet; but about that time, hearing it reported that the French army was advancing, we went up into the garret to see whether we could obtain a distant view of them. Towards the 1st of September, or the 13th according to the French calendar, we could perceive their fires, and the next morning our Russian servants entered our chambers in a state of fright, saying that the police-officers had knocked at all the doors in the night, to give notice that it was time to flee. "But (said I,) they did not knock at our door: what is their knocking to us?" "Madam, (said my femme de chambre,) you are a Frenchwoman; they have only been to the Russians: besides, the police is gone away; they have taken away the fire-engines, and we don't choose to remain here." We were now without any servant, excepting one stupid female, that used to bake our bread, but who, to quiet her fears, got completely intoxicated, though at last she was highly useful to us. We learnt to a certainty, that the police was actually gone; and, on the night between the 13th and the 14th, I could not sleep, and did not go to bed. My friend's wife was so extremely timid, that I could not make her a partaker of my reflections; but only communicate them to her husband. I was afraid of their effects upon her nerves, which would only have tended to increase the em. barrassments of the moment. I listened, and could hear drunken persons passing, re-passing, and swearing. We knew that the public-houses had been pillaged; and another day passed in a state of inquietude. In the succeeding night, I thought the populace were still more noisy: I heard them exclaim Fransouski, (French,) and I thought every moment they would burst open the door. I stole softly into the chamber of my agitated companion, and told her husband I thought the mob were coming. He looked through the curtain, and said, "No: not yet." These were the agreeable prospects which we enjoyed two nights successively. On the 15th, being much fatigued, and, from our retired situation, unable to learn what was passing in the interior of the city, I threw myself on the bed pretty early in the evening. My friend and her husband went up-stairs to make their observations as usual, when all on a sudden his wife came down precipitately, and, calling me, desired I would come immediately, and see a meteor in the heavens resembling a flaming sword, which she thought was the forerunner of some trouble to us. As I knew this good woman was very superstitious, I did not much care to put myself out of my way; however, as she drew me towards her, I went up, and really witnessed something 1 thought very extraordinary. The more we reasoned upon it, the farther we seemed from any conclusion, and finished our discussions by falling fast asleep. At six in the morning we were awakened by several violent blows against the door. I ran to my friend's chamber: "We are ruined (said I): they are breaking open the door." I, however, heard them call the master of the house by his name; when, looking through the shutters, We saw one of our acquaintance. Ah! thought I, they are massacring in the other quarters, and he has come here to save himself. In fact, on opening the door, this gentleman told us, that the fire having approached his house, he came to request an asylum for himself and two other persons: this being promptly granted, he returned to fetch them. My friend's husband ventured to go to the end of the street, and, on returning, told us, that the famous prodigy which had alarmed his wife was a small balloon filled with rockets, which had fallen upon the palace of Prince Trouberkoi, in the Pakroska, very near us; and that the palace, as well as the surrounding houses, were on fire. It now appeared clearly that the city would be burnt; and, whilst he went out again to get farther intelligence, we ventured to put our heads out of the window, when I saw a soldier on horseback, and heard him ask a question in French. Judge of our astonishment. I, having been always more courageous than my friend, immediately asked him if he was a Frenchman? "Yes, madam.".. "The French are are here, then?" " They entered the suburbs yesterday at three in the afternoon."-"All?" "Yes; all." The three persons to whom we had granted an asylum now arrived, with such of their effects as they were able to save. They told us the fire had caught in several places, and, no engines being left, it was impossible to extinguish it. They prevented me from going out to ascertain whether any thing had happened to my friends or to my house, where great part of my goods were left, not being able to get them removed. One of these gentlemen advised me to go on foot, as all the horses were seized for the army; "however, (added he,) as the French are gallant, perhaps they would not take a lady's horse. It would be otherwise with me, and of course I shall not run the risk; for, if we are obliged to remove our goods again, our horses will be of great use." It seemed that he prophesied. "But (said I,) why should we trouble ourselves about saving our goods: this house cannot be burnt." After díuner I borrowed one of the gentleman's droskys, and went about the town. I found the houses crowded with the military, and in my own two captains of the gendarmerie. Every thing was turned upside down, and my papers were spread about the floor; but this disorder took place before the arrival of the French, who, as they found none but Russian servants there, looked upon it as a deserted dwelling. They much wished me to re-occupy my apartments, assuring me I should have nothing to fear. But, as the fire was spreading every where, I thought it might probably reach my dwelling; and, besides, as I did not wish to leave my friends, I returned to them by the light of the burning houses, whilst the flames seemed to make an inconceivably rapid progress. It was now the 15th of September: the autumn in Russia being pleasant, and the evening very fine, we visited all the streets in the neighbourhood of Prince Troubeskoi, to see the progress of the flames. This spectacle was one of awful grandeur; I have often reflected upon it. I do not wish to dwell upon these recollections. We had been four days without having any occasion for light; and it was now brighter than noon-day. The rapidity with which the houses were burnt, by the appli cation of the Congreve rockets, is inconceivable. We heard a light explosion, something like the report of a fasil, and then saw a black smoke; in the course of a few minutes it became red; a mass of flames succeeded, and in a few hours the houses were consumed. When I came home I found my friend's wife in conversation with a wounded officer, as she wished him to accept of a lodging at her house, remarking that it was dangerous to be without a guard: in this the officer acquiesced, and advised us to request a guard for the house from the prince. With this view I went out again the next morning. One side of the Boulevard that I traversed was nothing but a mass of flames. Several Polish soldiers were running about the streets, and the whole resembled a place surrendered to pillage. I went to the governor's house, but there was such a crowd before his door, that I could not approach. Returning home, a young French officer accosted me, and very politely informed me that it was dangerous to go alone, and that he would accompany me. I accepted his proposal without ceremony, considering the urgency of the moment. We then proceeded together, he on horseback and I on foot; and coming to the corner of a street, several women, in great distress, implored his protection against some soldiers, who were plundering them. He dispersed them, but after he was gone, these or some others, no doubt, returned to complete their work. I was now anxious to get home, fearing our house might be in the same situation as some we had seen; its distance from the city might only be a temporary preventive. Our wounded officer might for the moment repel the assailants; but the town continued burning, and, as it was no longer possible to restrain the soldiers, or to make them bear reason, a good guard was absolutely necessary, and this the military themselves acknowledged. My young conductor dining with us, talked very fluently about the fashions, the theatre, and the gaiety of Paris; and I soon recognized him to be a dashing frequenter of the Chaussée D'Antin, wearing the mustachios of a soldier. Alas! I never saw him more; I should have regretted had any thing happened to him. He talked much of his mother, whom he sincerely loved; and |