and that oral tuition in religious doctrine is less satisfactory than the more patient, and impartial, and slow investigations of the closet. It does not appear that the author of this work is a disciple of the German school of antisupernaturalist christians; but the result of his inquiries has in like man, ner been to accomplish a complete alliance between religion and philoso

phy, so that the one has nothing to teach which the other feels compelled to deny.

SITE.

The word site, from the Latin situs, (situation,) is in many printed books erroneously spelled scite. Whence this ignorant blunder? Does the printer's dictionary spell it so?

During a short stay which M. Joubert made at Constantinople, in his passage

Paris in April, 1818, and proceeded first by Odessa, Tangarock, and Astracan, to the camp of General Jermoloff in Caucasus, gaining information on the way, relative to the object of his journey, from the Bucharians, the Kirghiz, and the Armenians, who frequent Astracan. He was there told that there existed amongst the numerous hordes of Kirghiz (a nomade tribe residing in Bucharia, on the banks of the Oural lake) a species of goat of a dazzling white, bearing every year a remarkable fleece about the month of June. The specimens of it which he there collected convinced him of the identity of this wool with that which is imported into France, through Russia. This discovery was the more important to him, as it promised to save him the long and difficult journey which he would other wise have had to encounter, in penetrating to Thibet through Persia and Cachemire. In this he was not deceived; for he actually collected scattered samples of this fine wool, at some hundreds of wersts from the Wolga, amongst the steppes that separate Astracan from Oremburg, which satisfied him that he needed not to penetrate further. He had besides observed, that in the language of the country, they gave the name of Thibet-goat to the animal which furnished this fine fleece. He therefore bought of the Kirghiz in this district, from the hordes called Cara-Agadgi and Kaisacks, twelve hundred and eightynine of these animals, and directed his course homewards with them, by Tsaritzin, where he brought them across the Wolga. After making all the deductions from this number, occasioned by losses on the road, by the shipment of them at Kaffa, and the passage home, there now exist in France four hundred of this stock of Cachemire wool goats.

conversation, through the second interpreter to the French embassy, with an Armenian named Khodja-Youssuf, who was sent eighteen years ago by a house in Constantinople into Cachemire, to procure shawls made after patterns which he carried with him. This Armenian had resided a long time in Cachemire, Lahore, and Pichawer, and in learning the language of these countries, he obtained much positive information as to the manufacture of these valued articles. He stated to M. Joubert, that the animal which yields thls beautiful material is neither a camel nor a sheep, as some have reported, but is a goat, resembling the common goat in appearance, having straight horns, and a white or clear brown coat. A coarse hair covers the fine downy wool, which last is the only material from which the shawls are wove.

Khodja-Youssuf had seen at Cachemire, twenty or thirty of these goats, which were kept there for curiosity. The women and children pick out the fine wool from the coarse hair, and other heterogeneous matter; which is afterwards carded by young girls with their fingers on India muslin, to lengthen the fibre, and clean it from dirt and foulness; and in this state it is delivered to the dyers and spinners. The loom that is used is horizontal and very simple; the weaver sits on the bench, a child is placed below him with his eyes on the pattern, and gives him notice, after every throw, of the shuttle, of the colours wanted, and the bobbins to be next employed. The finest shawls cost from 5 to 600 rupees (12 to 1500 francs). The most beautiful wool comes from the provinces of Lassa and Ladack in Thibet; and also a good deal of it is imported into Thibet and Cashemire, from Casgar and Bucharia, all of which go to form the

fine shawls, of which there is such a great demand throughout Asia. The fine wool is brought into Cachemire, in bales, mixed with coarse hair. TEMPLE of THE SPHINX, by M. CA

VIGLIA.

M. de Forbin was unable to profit by the discovery of the Temple of the Sphinx, which an unpardonable egotism, he says, had caused to be buried up or covered again. As this leads to an implication, that it was Mr. Salt who discovered that beautiful monument, I think it right to exculpate this gentleman from the above charge of egotism.

It was I, and not Mr. Salt, that caused the temple to be covered up again; and here are my reasons for it. I had already removed obstructions from the newly discovered passages, and from the new subterranean chamber of the great pyramid; and finding nothing all around but the live or natural rock stone, I set about exploring the base of the Sphinx, in hopes of lighting on some communication that might lead to any new points of the pyramid. After having been at work for several months, with a hundred and fifty Arabs, and not unfrequently at the risk of being buried in the downfalls of sand, I was at length enabled to clear out the area of a temple of Osiris: its site at about the depth of 40 feet, and within the very claws of the Sphinx. M. de Forbin is within the limits of strict truth, when he asserts that this is one of the finest monuments of the power of the arts in ancient Egypt.

After having taken the dimensions and the most correct designs of all these antiquities, I was concerned to find a number of Arab women, allured by superstition, coming, at first, to worship and kiss the images, on their first view of them, but, not. content with this, proceeding afterwards to break off fragments or pieces to serve as amulets or charms: in this way, several hieroglyphics have been already disfigured. At length, being apprehensive that this fine workmanship, which it had cost me so much labour (even at the hazard of losing my sight) to explore, should come to destruction, I resolved to inter it anew, till circumstances more auspicious might authorize the disclosure of it to every eye.

The learned will, I hope, be shortly enabled to appreciate these antiquities, whether deserving or not of the care expended for their preservation. It is intended to publish, as soon as possible,

the result of my discoveries, in a periodical journal: my plan of the temple, and a brief notice of my labours, have indeed already appeared in one of these for January last.

It appears to me that the whole aggregate of Egyptian antiquities would speedily be laid open for the investigation of European archæologists, were it not for a sort of jealous rivalship that has crept in among the explorers of these scientific riches. The most valuable, and indeed the most proper instrument for these purposes, in respect of his physical force and capabilities, I mean M. Belzoni, is about to leave Egypt. A report prevails that, on his return to Cairo from his last expedition, one of the agents of M. D. assaulted, and actually fired a pistol at him.

This circumstance was mentioned to me by Mr. Briggs, on his arrival from Alexandria.

CHINESE LITERATURE.

Letters from Canton report the successful prosecution of Mr. Morrison's labours, in the printing of his Chinese Dictionary. The second part was begun, in April, 1811; this volume consists of a thousand printed pages, in 4to. and contains above 12,000 Chinese characters, the most in use, with numerous examples. In Feb. 1819, 600 pages, comprising near 8000 characters, were compleated. The printing of all the volumes of this important work will occupy a space of hardly less than ten years.

It appears that an official gazette is published in China, which is considered as the organ of government in every matter connected with the religion, laws, manners and customs of the country. In its plan, it totally differs from the gazettes of Europe, wherein articles of a miscellaneous description are inserted for money. No article appears in the gazette of China, which has not first been submitted to the inspection of the emperor, and having received his approbation, not a syllable can be added to it. A deviation from this rule would incur a severe punishment.

In 1818, an officer in a court of justice, and also employed in the postoffice, suffered death, for having published some false intelligence, through the medium of this gazette. The reason assigned by the judges, in passing sentence, was, that the party culpable had been wanting in respect to his imperial majesty. The gazette of China comprehends documents relative to all the

public

Value and Present State of Vaccination, by Sir Gilbert Blane, Bart. M.D. F.R.S. Physician in Ordinary to the Prince Regent.

It is now twenty-one years, says Dr. B. since vaccination was promulgated in the country by Dr. JENNER, and fifteen years since it began to produce a sensible effect in diminishing the mortality from small pox.

It seems almost needless to premise, that the small pox is of all maladies that, which, during the last thousand years, has destroyed the largest portion of the human species, and been productive of the largest share of human misery. There is, perhaps, no disease over which medical art has less power, and this power, such as it is, has consisted more in abolishing pernicious practices than in ascertaining any positive methods of controuling its fatality, unless we except the inoculation of it with its own virus. But, though the beneficial effect of this on those on whom it is actually practised is undeniable, it has no tendency like vaccination to extirpate the disease; and from the impossibility of rendering it universal, it has actually been found to add to the general mortality of small pox, by opening a new source of diffusion to its virus.

In order to bring this to the test of calculation, in order also to institute a comparison of the mortality of small pox as influenced by vaccination, as well as by inoculation from itself, I have selected from the bills of mortality four periods, each of fifteen years, for the purpose of exhibiting the mortality of small pox in each of these series in regard to each other. These are thrown into the form of Tables, and annexed to this article.

The first series is the fifteen years immediately preceding the introduction of inoculation, that is, from 1706 to 1720, both included. Previous to this period, no account that could be depended upon regarding the small pox, could be derived from the bills of mortality; for down to the beginning of last century such was their imperfect construction, that small pox, measles, and flux were blended under one head. Exception may be taken against the accuracy of these bills, even in this improved state, particularly with regard to the discrimination of diseases. This objection, however, is certainly less applicable to small pox than any other disorder, its character being so

striking as not to be mistaken by the most ignorant and careless observer.

The second series is taken at the middle of the last century, when inoculation had made considerable progress, that is, from 1745 to 1759, both included. In comparing this with the preceding series, with regard to absolute numbers, it ought to be taken into account, that eleven parishes were added to the bills of mortality, between the years 1726 and 1745, both included: so that the progressive improvement of general salubrity ought to be estimated still higher than what is indicated by the diminished mortality, as it stands in the Tables.

The third series comprises the fifteen years previous to the introduction of vaccination, when inoculation had made still greater progress; that is, from 1785 to 1793, both included.

The fourth series comprises the time in which the vaccine inoculation has been so far diffused as to produce a notable effect on the mortality of small pox; that is, from 1804 to 1818, both included.

The result of these computations stands as follows:

Ratio of the Mortality of Small Pox to the Total Mortality.'

From 1706 to 1720, 78 in 1000. From 1745 to 1759, 89 in 1000. From 1785 to 1798, 94 in 1000. From 1805 to 1818, 53 in 1000. Assuming, therefore, that vaccination had not been practised the last fifteen years, and that the mortality, from small pox, within the bills, had in that time, that is, from 1804 to 1818, been the same as from 1784 to 1798, that is 27,569 in place of 14,716; and assuming that there has been the same proportional diminution of deaths in the districts without the bills, and among the unregistered subjects, the account of lives saved in this metropolis, by vaccination in these fifteen years, will stand as follows:

Within the bills of mortality
Without the bills of mortality
Unregistered cases

12,853 2,570

7,711

The first of these numbers is found by subtracting the amount of deaths by small pox, in the bills of mortality, during the practice of vaccination, from the amount of them, during the same number of years, immediately before the discovery of vaccination.

The second number is found by di

viding the first by 5. The population of the metropolis without the bills is stated at one-sixth of the whole, which is evidently one-fifth of that within the bills.

The third number is found by dividing the sum of the two others by 2. The unregistered cases being, as before stated, one-third of the whole.

It appears, therefore, that, even under the very imperfect practice of vaccination which has taken place in this metropolis, 23,134 lives have been saved, in the last fifteen years, according to the best computation that the data afford. It will be seen by an inspection of the table, that, in that time there have been great fluctuations in the number of deaths. This has been owing partly to the small pox inoculation of out-patients having, by an unaccountable infatuation, been kept up at the Small Pox Hospital for several years after the virtue of vaccination had been fully confirmed. The great number of deaths in 1805 may chiefly be referred to this cause. Since the suppression of this practice, the adoption of vaccination, though in a degree so incomplete, in consequence of public prejudice, created by mischievous publications, has been unable to prevent a considerable, though fluctuating, mortality from small pox. This mortality, though little more than one half of what it was in former times, might have been entirely saved, if vaccination had been carried to the same extent as in many cities and whole districts on the continent of Europe, in Peru* and Ceylon. It is now matter of irrefragable historical evidence, that vaccination possesses powers adequate to the great end proposed by its meritorious discoverer, in his first promulgation of it in 1798, namely, the total extirpation of small

* In the summer of 1811, the author was called to visit, professionally, Don Francisco de Salazar, who had arrived a few days before in London, on his route from Lima to Cadiz, as a deputy to the Spanish Cortes. He informed me, that vaccination had been practised with so much energy and success in Lima, that, for the last twelve months there had occurred, not only no death from, but no case of, small pox; that the new born children of all ranks are carried as regularly to the Vaccinating House, as to the font of baptism; that the small pox is entirely extinguished all over Peru; nearly so in Chili; and that there has been no compulsory interference on the part of the government to promote vaccination.

Dr.

pox. The first proof of this was at Vienna, where, in 1804, no cases OCcurred, except two strangers who came into the city with the disease upon them. In 1805, there did not occur a single death from it in Copenhagent. Sacco, the indefatigable superintendant of vaccination in Lombardy, stated, in his Annual Report, 3d January, 1808, that the small pox had entirely disappeared in all the large towns in that country; and that in the great city of Milan it had not appeared for several years. Dr. Odier, of Geneva, so favourably known for his high professional, scientific, and literary acquirements, testifies, that, after a vigorous perseverance in vaccination for six years, the small pox had disappeared in that city and the whole surrounding district; and that, when casually introduced by strangers, it did not spread, the inhabitants not being susceptible. The Central Committee in Paris testify, in their Report of 1809, that the small pox had been extinguished at Lyons and other districts of France.

These are selected as some of the earliest proofs of the extirpating power. But it is demonstrable, that if at the first moment of this singular discovery, at any moment since, at the present or any future moment, mankind were sufficiently wise and decided to vaccinate the whole of the human species who have not gone through the small pox, this most loathsome and afflicting of all the scourges of humanity, would instantaneously, and for ever, be banished from the earth. And in order to stimulate the good and the wise to aim strenuously at this consummation, let it be constantly borne in mind, that the adversary they are contending with, is the greatest scourge that has ever afflicted humanity. That it is so, all history, civil and medical, proclaims: for, though the term plague carries a sound of greater horror and dismay, we should probably be within the truth, if we were to assert, that small pox has destroyed a hundred for every one that has perished by the plague.

It is true that in its last visitation of four years ago, it carried off 70,000 this metropolis, one hundred and fiftyvictims in a few months; but since that time, the deaths from small pox, recorded in the bills of mortality, have amounted to more than 300,000; and a like number of the survivors have been

† See Pfaft neuen nord v. Archiv. B. L.

afflicted