which the advocates for Protestant ascendancy defend the exclusion of Catholics from political power and trust, Mr. Baldwin has shewn the futility of them all. Art. 22. An Elementary Course of Gymnastic Exercises; intended to develope and improve the Physical Powers of Man. By Peter Henry Clias, Esq., Professor of Gymnastics at the Academy of Berne. Illustrated by Six Engravings. 8vo. pp. 111. Sherwood and Co. 1823. Art. 23. Instructions in all Kinds of Gymnastic Exercises, as taught and practised in the Gymnastic Institutions of Germany. Designed as well for Colleges, Schools, and other Places of Education, as for Private Use. With Eleven Illustrative Plates. By a Military Officer. 8vo. pp. 99. 6s. 6d. Boards. Whittakers. 1823. It is not a little remarkable that gymnastic exercises, which made so essential a part of education among the antient Greeks and Romans, have been, as a system, almost entirely neglected in modern Europe till within the last twenty or thirty years; and that, after the revival of athletic sports on the Continent, England has almost confined her taste to the elegant and noble game of cricket, and to the brave but brutal practice of boxing. We have scarcely a Greek or Roman poet who does not celebrate the laurelled victors of the gymnasia. Homer describes in the twentythird Iliad the games which were celebrated at the funeral of Patroclus; chariot and foot races, wrestling, throwing the discus, drawing the bow, hurling the javelin, &c. &c.; and four were peculiarly termed iɛpol, (sacred,) not more because they were instituted in honor of the gods and of deified heroes, than from the high esteem in which they were held all over Greece. Who has not felt his blood flow in a fuller and a freer current, while reading of some victor, honored, and almost adored, returning in his triumphal chariot from the Olympic, the Pythian, the Nemean, or the Isthmian games? The Romans, who caught from the Greeks their ardor for gymnastics, carried them to the utmost perfection; and they declined only with the declension of the empire. The first attempts to revive the exercises of the Greeks appear to have been made by the Germans: who, towards the close of the last century, framed a course of elementary gymnastic exercises at Schnepfenthal, under the direction of Salzmann, which was afterward improved and arranged by Gutsmuth, who published the first modern treatise on this subject in 1793; the second edition of which appeared in 1804, intitled "Die Gymnastik." It was in Denmark that these exercises were first considered in a national point of view; and in 1803 the number of gymnastic establishments in that country had already amounted to fourteen, to which three thousand young men resorted; since which period, the government has issued an order for allotting a space of two hundred square yards to every public school for the purpose gymnastic exercises. In 1810, the gymnastic establishment at Berlin was placed under the direction of Jahn; through whose of zeal zeal and perseverance a taste for manly sports, so adapted to strengthen and give elasticity to the muscular powers, has been widely diffused over Germany. Captain Clias, we see, is professor of gymnastics at Berne; and he says that he has superintended the physical education' of two thousand pupils, not one of whom ever experienced the slightest accident. This remark is very well thrown in; for a venerable matron and her virgin sister, who had passed the grand climacteric, happening to cast their eyes over the plates of these volumes as they were lying on our table, and seeing the Herculean attitudes of some wrestling, others balancing, some climbing the column of pegs, the rope, or the mast, others taking the long leap with the pole, and vaulting over the bar, exclaimed with maternal and materteral anxiety, that the legislature ought to prohibit such dangerous sports; since the unavoidable accidents, to which human life and limb are exposed, are quite sufficient without increasing the number of them by wantonness and temerity. An assurance, therefore, of the perfect safety with which these athletics have actually been conducted may soothe the apprehensions, and conciliate the assent, of those whose sensitive and anxious feelings are the last to be disregarded. We understand, too, that the system of Captain Clias has been patronized by our Commander-in-chief of the army, and by his orders introduced at the Royal Military Asylum at Chelsea; where, under the superintendence of Captain C., the numerous boys of that excellent institution have been and still are practising all these exercises with the best effect, and without the least apprehension of danger by the medical officers of the establishment. Children hate to be idle; all the care, then, says a high authority, (Mr. Locke,) is that their busy humor should be constantly employed in something likely to be of use to them. In England, the attention of those who have had the superintendence of edu cation has generally been confined to the moral and intellectual part of it, leaving the physical almost alone. Children rush out of school, and play with peg-top or marbles, or at hop-scotch, which can be of no use to them in after-life, for they teach nothing, and lead to nothing. Some, "Chase the rolling circle's speed, but swimming, running, skating, jumping, climbing, wrestling, and many other sports, promote immediate gratification, invigorate the muscles of the body, and are likely to be called into action for purposes of personal safety in future life. Mere relaxation of the mind, desirable and necessary as it is, alone is not sufficient; and, when boys are left entirely to the invention of their own recreations and amusements, nothing else is considered but mere relaxation; and the promotion of health, vigor, courage, elasticity, and grace of action, are accidental circumstances, which may or may not be connected with their sports. Much, therefore, is to be taught in these as in other matters; and we are glad to observe that, in some of our seminaries for youth, they have been sys systematically introduced. A few weeks ago we saw in the news-papers that " a numerous and fashionable company" had assembled to view the cadets of the Royal Military College at Sandhurst perform gymnastic exercises; that several prizes were adjudged; and that the names of the young heroes were recorded with becoming honor. As to the prizes, however, we cannot think they were all very judiciously selected: for instance, one gentleman cadet received, for his activity in the "various exercises" of the day, a handsome and richly-chased gold snuff-box; and another had a reward of five guineas for swiftness in running. Money should not be offered to a gentleman on such occasions, but the reward should always be appropriate and applicable; "What shall he have who kills the deer? His leather-skin and horns to wear." Who does not admire the singular adaptation of the prize to the struggle, when, at our country-fairs, the clown who catches and holds fast the pig with a soaped tail has the pig for his pains, to barbecue whole, or cut into savoury griskins? The small volumes which we have named at the head of this article contain a great portion of useful instruction, and we strongly recommend them to schoolmasters and others who have the superintendence of young persons confided to their care. The lads themselves, too, will like to read them, and always (as we learn) are pleased to practise the exercises. It might be invidious for us to scrutinize the differences between these two publications, and to attempt to establish a balance of merit between them. Treating both very usefully on exactly the same subject, and being both worthy of perusal, we would abstain from such a comparison, and will only observe that the volume of Captain Clias was foremost in point of appearance before the public. The Military Officer' alludes to it in his preface, and states that it was in no degree the cause or origin of his own labors, for that his MS. was put into the hands of the publishers the same day on which the former was announced.' CORRESPONDENCE. We believe that we never received the work mentioned by B. C. (Regent's Park,) as having been sent to us a year and a half ago,' no record of it appearing in our lists: nor does it treat on a subject of which we should be desirous to undertake the discussion. Inquisitor will be satisfied in our next Number. It is not in our power at present to give a definite answer to Mr. Smith, but we will not forget the subject of his letter. **The APPENDIX to this volume of the Review will be published on the 1st of February, with the Number for January, and will contain a variety of important Foreign articles, &c. as usual. FOREIGN LITERATURE. ART. I. Histoire et Description du Muséum Royal, &c.; i. e. A History and Description of the Royal Museum of Natural History, prepared for the Press in pursuance of the Orders of the Curators of the Museum, by M. DELEUZE; with Three Plans and Fourteen Views of the Gardens, Galleries, and Menagerie. 2 Vols. 8vo. Paris. 1823. Imported by Treuttel and Co. Price 17. 10s. sewed. Α As early as the year 1626, Louis XIII., by letters patent, founded a Botanic Garden, and placed it under the direction of M. Hérouard, his first physician, and his successors in office, and of M. de la Brosse, his physician in ordinary: but the death of the former, and other circumstances, delayed the fulfilment of the royal grant till March, 1635, which may therefore be regarded as the real date of the institution. De la Brosse, to whom was now confided the principal direction, with an annual salary of 6000 livres, and power to name three pharmaceutical demonstrators, exerted himself with such activity that, in 1640, the Garden was opened; and in the following year it was found to contain 2360 species and varieties, of which he published a catalogue: but scarcely had he surmounted the principal obstacles to the undertaking, when death put a period to his zealous and well directed efforts; an event which was the more to be regretted, because some of his successors were far from manifesting the same APP. REV. VOL. CH. G g degree degree of enthusiasm and industry. Vallot, however, energetically aided by Fagon, who travelled at his own expence in various provinces of France, and remitted the fruits of his botanical researches to the Garden, contributed to augment the catalogue to 4000 species and varieties. Colbert, who new-modelled the plan of management, and procured fixed salaries for the professors, should also be regarded as one of the early promoters of the establishment; while the celebrity of Duverney as a teacher of anatomy, and of Tournefort as professor of botany, attracted a great number of pupils. The latter, who died in 1708, bequeathed to the Garden his collections in natural history, and his herbarium; to which was afterward added Vaillant's very extensive collection of dried plants. It is also deserving of remark that Vaillant, in 1716, publicly asserted and demonstrated the sexuality and fructification of plants, a circumstance which has been too often overlooked. Tournefort was succeeded in the botanical chair by Anthony de Jussieu; whose name, and those of his two brothers and his nephew, have been identified with the history of their favorite science. Geoffroy and Lemery ably filled the chairs of chemis try and pharmacy, and Aubriet acquired distinguished reputation by his drawings of plants and animals. Poiret, although he survived his appointment of superintendant only three years, added considerably to the public collections, and extended the number of cultivated species: but Chirac, his successor, unfortunately aliowed the garden to languish, notwithstanding the strenuous exertions of Bernard de Jussieu to prop its reputation. Du Fay, whose attention was distracted by no other avocations, proved a more worthy administrator; and, from his time, 1732, the melioration of the establishment has, with a few trivial exceptions, been progressive. Aware, however, of his approaching dissolution, in 1739, he requested of the Minister that Buffon, who subsequently held such a conspicuous rank in the department of natural history, might be named his successor; and no individual of his day was, perhaps, better qualified for the office. Under his auspices, accordingly, both the collections and the garden may be said to have been re-organized; and, by associating in the more minute details of his labors the able services of his friend Daubenton, he eminently contributed to promote the usefulness of his arrangements, and to impart greater accuracy to his celebrated publication. By means of his widely diffused correspondence, the stores of animal and vegetable specimens received almost daily augmentation; and the activity and zeal of the De Jussieus powerfully co-operated with his |