The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 3 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and PrivateJefferson, Thomas
History
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 3 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private
Jefferson, Thomas
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865
The most remarkable publications we have had in France, for a year or two
past, are the following: "Les Voyages d'Anacharsis par l'Abbé Barthelemi,"
seven volumes, octavo. This is a very elegant digest of whatever is known
of the Greeks; useless, indeed, to him who has read the Original authors,
but very proper for one who reads modern languages only. The works of
the King of Prussia. The Berlin edition is in sixteen volumes, octavo.
It is said to have been gutted at Berlin; and here it has been still
more mangled. There are one or two other editions published abroad, which
pretend to have rectified the maltreatment both of Berlin and Paris. Some
time will be necessary to settle the public mind, as to the best edition.
Montignot has given us the original Greek, and a French translation of
the seventh book of Ptolemy's great work, under the title of "Etat des
Etoiles fixes au second Siecle," in quarto. He has given the designation
of the same stars by Flamstead and Beyer, and their position in the year
1786. A very remarkable work is the "Mechanique Analytique," of Le Grange,
in quarto. He is allowed to be the greatest mathematician now living,
and his personal worth is equal to his science. The object of his work
is to reduce all the principles of mechanics to the single one of the
equilibrium, and to give a simple formula applicable to them all. The
subject is treated in the algebraic method, without diagrams to assist
the conception. My present occupations not permitting me to read anything
which requires a long and undisturbed attention, I am not able to give you
the character of this work from my own examination. It has been received
with great approbation in Europe. In Italy, the works of Spallanzani on
Digestion and Generation, are valuable. Though, perhaps, too minute, and
therefore tedious, he has developed some useful truths, and his book is
well worth attention; it is in four volumes, octavo. Clavigaro, an Italian
also, who has resided thirty-six years in Mexico, has given us a history
of that country, which certainly merits more respect than any other
work on the same subject. He corrects many errors of Dr. Robertson; and
though sound philosophy will disapprove many of his ideas, we may still
consider it as an useful work, and assuredly the best we possess on the
same subject. It is in four thin volumes, small quarto. De La Lande has
not yet published a fifth volume.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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