EMOIRES Militaires, His

"Military, Historical, and Political Memoirs of Rochambeau, Marshal of France under the Monarchy, and great Officer of the Legion of HoBour." 8vo. 2 vols. M. De Rochambeau was a soldier of the old -school; and having been educated to arms in the days of Marshal Saxe, and accustomed to the systematic plans of the monarchy, he was ill-prepared to bear patiently the disorders of a revolutionary army. He had, however, taken a lead in the American war, and hereby, in no small degree, laid a foundation, though very unintentionally, for a rehearsal of a drama of the same genus, though much more violent in its movements, and inauspicious in its results, in his own country. Disgusted, therefore, with the change and tempest of public life, he obtained leave to retire, and in the privacy of solitude gave a loose to his feelings and his memory, by compiling the work before us. He commences with his own epoch was born in 1725: entered the French service as a cornet in 1741, when war broke out in Germany; at the age of twenty-two attained the rank of colonel, and in the ensuing year was present and assisted at the siege of Maestricht.

66

L'Espagne ou Mil huit cent huit," &c. Spain in the Year 1808; or Inquiries concerning the Government, Sciences, Arts, Commerce, Manufacturers, Public In- · struction, Trade, Literature, Population, Military and Naval Force, and national Character of the Spaniards: undertaken during a journey to Madrid in 1808. By J. F. Rehfues, Librarian to the King of Wurtemburg. Translated from the German manuscript into French; and followed by an historical fragment, entitled, The Spaniards of the Fourteenth Century," 8vo. 2 vols. The extent of the title-page, will almost serve the purpose both of a table of contents and index. The writer exhibits a lover of liberty and liberality upon every occasion in which he thinks it prudent, though nothing is more obvious than that the fear of Napoleon is per

petually

petually before his eyes. His work is much more limited in its compass than that of Laborde, and its local descriptions are peculiarly circumscribed, the author having been stopped in his journey by the sudden progress of the revolution, and obliged to quit Madrid when king Joseph made his precipitate retreat towards the end of July, 1808. In his account, however, of the statistics and manners of the country, for which he is largely indebted to preceding writers, he has taken an ampler field; but with respect to the immediate nature or object of his tour we are left as much in the dark on closing as before we opened the volumes. The subjoined historical fragment has little connection with the preceding pages, though it occupies more than a quarter of the entire work. It is founded on the exploits of the Spanish crusaders against their unfaithful allies in the Greek empire; and upon the whole, though it wants authority, forms one of the most entertaining parts of the general production.

"Tableaux Historiques et Politiques," &c. "Historical and Political Sketches of the ancient Governments of Zurich and Berne, and of the most interesting Periods of Switzerland," 8vo. This work, though succinct, contains much useful matter, and has, a good deal of general merit. It is drawn up in a very considerable degree from Müller's more detailed history, and consists of the following eight chapters: I. Of the ancient constitution of Zurich. II. Of the aristocracy of Berne. III. Of the council of Constance. IV. Of the war of Zurich. V. Of the war of Burgundy. VI. Of the league of Suabia. VII. Of the campaigns in Italy. VIII. Of the reformation,

and the religious feuds which originated from it.

"La China en Miniature," &c. "China in Miniature: or a Selection of the Customs, Arts, and Trades of that Empire, represented in seventy-four engravings, chiefly taken from the unpublished originals in the collection of the late M. Berlin: with explanatory notes. For the use of youth. By Mi Breton." 4 vols. 16mo. For the purpose for which it is designed this work may be serviceable; but it will be found to contain little, if any thing new to those who have studied the works composed by Sir George Staunton, and various others who accompanied Loid Macartney in his embassy. The origin of the volumes before us, however, is highly interesting, and well worthy of notice. Towards the close of the reign of Louis XV. and during the earlier part of his prodecessor, M. Bertin was secretary of state in France for the colonial department; and, in consequence, had the superintendance of those missions which the Christian spirit of proselytism sent into China and other parts of the East. He availed himself of the correspondence of the Jesuits to import various curiosities, and espe cially such small paintings as represented processes of manufacture; his object being to form a portfolio, which might be described as a picturesque encyclopedia of the arts of the Chinese. The following circumstances occurred to favour his cellections. Two young Chinese, named Ko and Yang, whom the Jesuits had converted at Pekin to the Chrisian religion, were induced to come to France at the expense of the missionaries, in order to behold in Europe the splendour of Christi anity. They arrived at Paris in

1760; passed in the convent of the Jesuits, the time which was necessary to learn French; and, on the suppression of that order, obtained an allowance from the mininister of the colonial department. They were taught to engrave by the king's own order; were carried, at his expense, to visit the chief manufactories of France; were sent back with gifts to their own country; and were especially instructed to transmit any intelligence which might assist in the different processes of the art. Ko and Yang arrived at Macao in safety: the vessel was visited by the proper officers, but in consequence of their being clothed in European apparel they escaped notice.

During the night they landed at Canton; put on Chinese dresses by moon-light; set off together on foot, and reached Pekin as if they had never quitted their country. They recollected their obligations to M. Bertin; and provided, in concert with the missionaries, many of the papers which were printed in the Memoires concernant les Chimois, edited by Amiot and Cibot. They also wrote private letters to M. Bertin, the substance of which was printed in a very scarce volume; never exposed to sale: and they furnished him with about four hun dred drawings relative to the arts of the Chinese; out of these drawings seventy-four of the more curious have been selected for the volumes before us, faithfully engraven in miniature, and are accompanied by a convenient explanatory, text. This last has been provided by M. Breton, author of several geographical works; it is agreeably written, and well adapted to convey to young persons a general idea of the costume and technology of China.

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Exposé Statistique du Tunkin,

&c." "Statistic Account of Ton kin, Cochin-China, Cambogia, Chiampa. Laos, Lac-tho, &c. By M. M. N. drawn up from the narrative of M. de la Bissachere, missionary in Tonkin," 2 vols. 8vo. This work contains an ample and apparently faithful account of the countries to which it is directed, composed by a person who has had almost every opportunity of collecting information. There is less liveliness in the style than is common to French productions of this kind; but though less amusing than we should have expected, it is by no means less interesting. The present sovereign of Tonkin is a man of most extraordinary character and fortunes. The exile and misadventures of his youth have prevented him from acquiring a knowledge of Chinese letters or symbols; but he sent his son into Europe some years since for literary. information, and is in himself, now that he has recovered possession of his throne, and very considerably extended his domains, a great encourager of learning. He is the guide and model of his subjects; bold in his conceptions, and methodical in his combinations; familiar with all the arts of government necessary to his purpo es; the best tactician, the best engineer, the best shipwright in all his dominions: and the mode by which he acquired a knowledge of European ship-building is curious; he bought a vessel, and bad it carefully taken to pieces, and put together again that he might discover its various parts, proportions, and combinations. He has now a navy of formidable force; has ample means of protecting himself against the paramount court of Pekin, and pays just as much homage to it as he chuses. His army is very nu

merous

"Memoire sur la Conduite de la, France, &c." "Memoir on the Conduct of France and England towards Neutrals," 8vo. Paris. This work, in the country from which it has issued, appears to be regarded as of a kind of demi-official authority. The writer is not destitute of ability, and is certainly well skilled in the common place sophisms and invectives with respect to the maritime pretensions of Great Britain, which have filled the columns of the Moniteur with little intermission or variety, since the commencement of the French revolution. His object is to prove that France has, from the earliest periods, recognized the most liberal principles with respect to the rights of neutral commerce and the freedom of navigation; that she has neglected no opportunity of proclaiming them; and that in all her proceedings, however violent in appearance, or illegal according to the maxims of universal justice, she has had but one object-the liberty of the seas, in direct opposition to the conduct of England, who has with equal uniformity evinced an insatiable lust of domination, and maritime legislation and supremacy. We do not perceive a new argument advanced in the course of the discussion, but the author has certainly the ingenuity of dress-, ing up old arguments in a new shape."

"De l'Angleterre, &c." "On England. By M. Rubickon," Svo. This extraordinary work has been published on our own side of the water. The writerendeavours to shew that England, with all its boasted constitution and liberty, is in effect an abused, enslaved, and miserable country: that its æra of happiness can only be referred to the time in which the dignity of the Roman Catholic religion flourished amongst us, and the people were blessed with monastic institutions! that hence the real grandeur and felicity of England have been sinking ever since the reign of Henry VIII. and that finally there is scarcely a country in Europe that has not fairer pretensions to all the essentials of national perfection than England. In the midst of this rant, the author deserves to be reminded, that he himself has been compelled to seek an asylum in this country of slavery, which no other country in Europe could have afforded him, and that it is from an English press he finds himself at liberty to pour forth this tiradethe only press in Europe, that under similar circumstances of outrageous ingratitude, to call it by no harsher term, would have allowed him thus to write.

"Traité sur le Service, &c." "Treatise on the Functions of the Etat Major or Military Staff; explaining the object and constitution of that body: with tables and plates. Py Gen. Grimoard." 8vo. Gen. Grimoard is of the old school; and the line of life he has pursued from youth, peculiarly qualifies him for a minute description of that important department of an army in which the French have always maintained so decisive a superiority. His book is well entitled to

perusal,

perusal, and even to minute and analytical study.

"An Inquiry into the State of our Relations with France." Philadelphia. This valuable and unanswerable treatise was first published

in the fourth number of the American Review. It is one of the ablest political papers we have seen, and embraces the right side of the question.

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