ART. XIX. Les Voyageurs en Perse, &c.; i. e. The Travellers in Persia. By Mad. GACON-DUFOUR. 12mo. 3 Vols Paris, 1809. NOTWITHSTANDING some palpable absurdities which occur in the narrative, this production possesses considerable merit; and though we apprehend that it is altogether a work of fiction, the author has given such an air of probability to the recitals of her travellers, and has collected so many amusing and interesting documents relative to the country which they explore, that she not only preserves the illusion of their journey, but conveys a portion of general information with regard to the customs and antiquities of Persia.
Whether the maxims which are cited in Vol. III. p. 158. be taken from Persian originals, or have owed their birth to the ingenuity of the present author, we think that their merit will apologize for our inserting a few of them:
The discourse of the wise may be distinguished from that of the foolish, because the former tends to peace, and the latter to altercation.
A man deserves to be considered as wise as long as he seeks after wisdom, but when he thinks that he has attained it he is a fool.
A Sage being asked who had taught him wisdom, he answered, "I learnt it from the Blind, who never set down their feet till they have tried the ground.'
" An Arab, who was asked how he knew that there was a God, replied, "In the same manner that I know from the traces in the sand, whether a man or a beast has passed over it."
The story which is interwoven with these Travels has little to recommend it. The episodes are numerous, because every Frenchman in the book chuses on his first introduction to relate the history of his life; and these specimens make us rejoice that this communicative disposition does not extend to the Persians, though in other respects they resemble each other very closely. No difference of national character is perceptible; the dramatis persone are all French; a Persian fair one acts and writes like a French coquette; the modern French terms are deemed so preferable to any other, that the servant of the antient Persian Sage Lokman is called his "valet de chambre;" and whithersoever the Travellers in Persia' direct their steps, they profess to find an affection and respect for the French nation. The ostensible narrator, Mons. de Longueil, also displays an excess of complaisance in the disposal of his heart, which is difficult for an English reader to imagine.
Madame GACON-DUFOUR was not long since introduced to our readers, (Vol. 53, p. 542.) as the author of several works on rural and domestic economy, and on preserving the health of country-people; and from the evidence also of the present volumes, we may conclude that she is not merely a good housewife, a Lady Bountiful, but that she possesses a cultivated mind.
To the REMARKABLE PASSAGES in this Volume.
N. B. To find any particular Book, or Pamphlet, see the Table of Contents, prefixed to the Volume.
ABOUKIR, battle_of, misre. presented by a French wri- ter, 541. Acids, experiments on the decom- position of, 358. Africa, coast of, lamentable ac- count of shipwrecks on, and of the fate of the crews, 198. Agriculture, state of, in early times
in this country, 60. Alari, Abbé, a friend and corre- spondent of Ld. Bolingbroke, ill requited by that nobleman, 456. His interview with New- ton, 458. Alcuin, an accomplished British monk of the eighth century,
his classic taste asserted, 184. His favour with Charlemagne, 185. Alkalies. See Davy. Amiable, the English epithet, and
aimable, the French, material difference in the application of those terms, 488. Animalcules, in fluids, remarks on,
vations on his fate supposed to be influenced by ideas of the possibility of his being placed in similar circumstances, 232. Arrests for debt, regulations re- lative to, 28. Arteries. See Young. Atlas mountains, in Barbary, ac- count of, 189.
Banks, Sir Joseph, on the intro- duction of the potatoe, and on Indian hill-wheat, 268. On inuring tender plants to our climate, 269. Un managing strawberries, 271. On the cranberry, 272. Onthe Spanish chesnut, 274 On the forcing- houses of the Romans, ib Barthélémy. St. or Konigssée, description of that lake, 480. Baths, warm, antient and mo- dern, observations on, 281- 283 431.
Bell, Dr., comparison of his scheme of education with that of Mr Lancaster, 333. Biggs, Mr., on some new apples,
Black, Dr, his labours not suffi- ciently appreciated by French physiologists, 525.
Blair, Dr., his illiberal reflections on Reviews, 393 note. Blood, circulation of, in insects,
observations on. 117. Boa Constrictor, account of that formidable snake, 192. Lolingbroke, Lord, specimens of original letters of, and obs. on Nn
his writings and character, 450 —465. Brain, dropsy of, account of that disease, 132.
Brocoli, early purple, on the cul- ture of, 273.
Brodie, Mr., on a human fœtus without a heart, 360. Bruce, Mr., the Abyssinian travel- ler, biographical account of, 386. Prof. Hartmann's cha- racter of, 391. Buenos Ayres, statistical and de- scriptive particulars of, 87-
Bulls. See Pardors. Buonaparte, his plan for cutting off the army of Sir John Moore, 80, 81. Burns, the poet, farther particu- lars of, and of his writings, 400-409.
Capillary-action, additional obser vations on, by M. La Place,
Caravans, African, description of, and of the entire destruction of one by thirst in 1805, 200. Carshalton-church, account of,
Castlereagh, Lord, letters to, from Sir John Moore, 72, 75, 78. 83, 84. Cavalry, British, important re- marks on their dress, 317. Celts, and Goths, considerations respecting, 172, 173. Chance, and Chances, remarks on
the doctrine of, 420, 421. Charlemagne, his patronage of Al- cuin, and his great zeal for the promotion of learning, 185. Humorous anecdote of, 186. His expedition into Spain made the subject of a poem on Spa- nish Heroism, 236. Chesnut, Spanish, on the manage- ment of, 274. Children, Mr. on a Voltaic appa. ratus, 356.
Christ, comparison of, with Mo- ses, 378.
Christianity, arguments in proof of the truth of, 376. Churches, and religious structures, among the Saxons, observations on, 258, & seq. Churchill, bon-mot of, respecting Warburton, II. Clergyman, important qualifica- tions for the office of, 283, 284. Climate. See Plants Constantinople. See Rome. Conversion, doctrine of, Dr. Pa- ley's remarks on, 57. Copenhagen, attack of, by Lord Nelson, poetically described,
213. Corn-laws, historical particulars of, 60-64. Cotton-plant, account of experi ments to introduce the culture of, in France, 495. Cranberry, American, successfully cultivated by Sir Jos. Banks,
Forcing-Houses, observations on, 272. Account of those of the
Romans, 274- Observations
on the form of, 276. Forms, religious, remarks on, by Dr. Paley, 56.
Fox, Charles James, biographi- cal particulars of, 42-52. Testimonies to his character from different sources, 226- 233. Observations on his His- tory, by Dr. Parr, 231, 232. Frere, Mr. his communications with Sir John Moore, 74- 78. Friendship, Roman, recipe for making, 295. Fruits, new and early, observa- tions on producing, 270. Cul- tivated by the Romans, 275. Fruit-trees, on training, 272.
Galvanic apparatus, on the con- struction of, 356.
Gauls, extravagant encomiums on, by a modern Frenchman, 540.
George III. King of England, curious account of the Duke de Nivernois' audience of, in 1762, 513. Gesture, in oratory. See Oratory. Goths, see Celts.
Grafting walnuts and other trees, advantages of, 271. Granger, Mr., his letters to Horace Walpole, 292, 293. Miscel- laneous observations by, 294. His Biographical History con- tinued, 297.
Grapes, forcing-house for, 272. Op the early maturation of, 273. Greasing sheep, recommended as a preservative of wool, 383. Greek, modern, peculiarities of, compared with the antient lan- guage, 99.
Gustavus III. King of Sweden, supposed particulars of his Nn 2 aliena.
alienation from and reconcilia- tion with his Queen, 218. Gustavus IV. anecdote of, 219.
Hamilton, Lady, the frequent model of Komney the painter, 342.
Mr. Gerard, some parti- culars of his life, 346. et seq. Haworth, Mr. on the cultivation
of crocuses, 274.
Insanity, remarks on the defini- tion of, 276. Causes of, 279. Management of, 280.
Insects, circulation of the blood in, remarks on, 117.
Heart, on the functions of the, Instruments, astronomical, &c. on
, account of a human factus without that organ, 360. Hénault, President, letter to, from Montesquieu, 49. Henry, Philip, anecdotes of, 3co. Hervilly, Comte de, his appoint- ment as second in command in the Quiberon expedition said to have been fatal to it, 161. Hicks, Dr. account of, 299. Hill-wheat, from India, account of, 269 History, letters on, by Lord Bolingbroke,geim of that work in one of Lord B.'s letters, 455. Holland, first Lord, character of, 44.
Holt, Sir John, biographical par- ticulars of, 301.
Home, Mr. on the intervertebral substance in fish, 362. Horne, Bishop, anecdotes and say- ings collected by him, 442. Horticulture, the improvement of, made the object of a society of Gentlemen, who are incorpo- rated by royal charter, 265. Account of their Transactions, ib.-276, Hot-bed frames, on the construc tion of, 274. Hot-houses. See Forcing Houses. Hume, Mr. corrected in his ideas respecting chance, 420. Sup- posed by a French writer to have discontinued his history through compulsion, and Smol- let's continuation to have been mutilated, 455-
dividing them, 363. Interest. See Money. Intervertebral substance, in fish, &c. on the nature of, 362. Iron and Steel, account of the pro-
cesses employed in the manu- facture of, 149-155- Juries, Special, remarks on, 22.
Kesteloot, Dr. publishes and adds notes to the Orations of the French savans on the progress of science, 522. Knight, Mr. A. his general obs. on Horticulture, 267. On pro- ducing new and early fruits, 270. On varieties of the Po- tatoe, 271. On grafting Wal- nut and other trees, ib. On training fruit-trees, 272. On forcing-houses, ib. On hot-bed frames, 274 On the Down- ton pippin, ib. On the onion, 275. On the Alpine strawber- ry, 276. On the peach, ib. On the origin of roots, 361.
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