DICTIONARY

4. Barrow's New and Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, 1 vol. fol. 1751; with a suppl. vol. 1754. 5. A New and Complete Diet, of Arts and Sciences, by a Society of Gentlemen (commonly called Owen's Dictionary, from the name of the publisher), 4 vols. 8vo. 1754. 6. The Complete Diet, of Arts and Sciences, 3 vols. fol. 1766, by the Rev. Ben. Crokgr, Dr. Thos. Williams, and Sam. Clark. 7. Encyclopaedia Britannica* 3 vols. 4to. 1771. The fifth edition of this work, completed in 1814, was extended to 20 vols.; and a supplement in 6 vols., under the editorship of Mr. Napier, added in 1824. A seventh edition of this work, in which the supplement is incorporated, is now in course of publication under the same editor, and will be completed during the present year. 8; The English Encyclopaedia, 10 vols. 4to. 1795-L803. 9. The Cyclopaedia, commonly known by the name of Rees's Cyclopaedia, 1802-19. 45 vols. 4to. 10. British Encyclopaedia, 6 vols. 8vo. 1807-9. 11. Encyclopaedia Londinensis, 24 vols. 4to. 1810-29, by John Wilkes. 12. Brewster's Edin. Encyclop.!8vols.4to. 1810-30. 13. Pant alogia, or New Diet, of Arts and Sciences, 12 vols. 8vo. 1813-16. By Mason Good, Gregory, and Bosworth. 14. Burrowe's Modern Encyclopsedia, 10 vols. 4to. 1816. 15. Encyclopaedia Edinensis, 6 vols. 4to. 1816^ 16. Encyclopaedia Per thens is, 23 vols. roy. 8vo.; completed in 1816. 17. Encyclopaedia Metropolitan a, 1818. Not yet completed. 18. Oxford Encyclopaedia, 6 vols. 4to. 1828; to which a supplement ia 1 vol. was added in 1831. 19. The London Encyclopaedia, 24 vols.Svo. 1826. 20. Parting ton's British Cyclopaedia, 10 vols.Svo. 1833-36. 21. Penny Cyclopaedia, large 8vd. 1833, how in course of publication. France. 1. Dictionnaire Universel Frangais et Latin, known by the name Dictionnaire de Trevoux, 1704. 3 vols. fol. The fifth and last edition, Paris, 1771, was augmented to 8 vols, fol, 2. Encyclopedie, ouDictionnaire raisonnee des Sciences, des Arts, et des Metiers, par Diderot et d'Alembert, 35 vols. fol. 1751-80. The original series consisted of 28 vols., of which 11 were plates. A supplement of 5 vols, was afterwards added, one of which consisted of plates; besides a " Table Analytiquo " of the whole work, compiled by M.Monchon, in 2 vols. A variety of encyclopajdias of more or le reputation was published in France immediately after the " Encyclopedie" of Diderot and DAlembert; but as they are all, to a greater or le extent, mere abridgments of, or compilations from, this great work, we do not think them worthy of notice ip'this catalogue. 3. Encyclopedie, ou Dictionnaire Universel raisonnee des Con nai ances humaines, parle Profe eur de Felici. Yverdur of 6 vols. 4to. lici. Yverdun, 1770-75. 42 vols. 4to.; besides a suo par Is.. 4. Encyclopedie Method i que, ., 1782, 1832, 201 vols. 4to., including 47 vols, of plates. In this work every art or science is treated of in a separate volume or series of volumes; so that it forms in fact a collection of dictionaries. 5. Dictionnaire des Sciences et des Arts, par Lumier, 3 vols. 8vo. 1805. 6. Encyclopedie Moderne, ., par M.Court in, 1823, . 24 vols! 8vo. 7. Encyclopedie des Dames, par une Societi^ des Dames, Paris, 1821, . 8. Dictionnaire de la Conversation et de la Lecture. Paris, 1834-9..52 vols. 8vo. or 104 livraisons. 9. Encyclopedie des Gens du Monde. Paris, 1833, . Of this valuable and popular work 30 parts or 15 vols. 8vo. have already appeared, bringing it down to letter L Germany. 1. Gro e vollstiindige Universal Lexicon, von Zedler, 1732-50, 64 vols. 8vo.; with a sup. Another edition was published 1751 -54 in 4 vols. fol. Halle and Leipsig. 2. Deutsche Encj'clopedie, ., 1778-1804, by Koester and Roos. Of this work 23 vols. 4to. appeared, bring. \ ing it down to letter K. 3. Eco no misc he Encyclopedie, by Krunitz, FldCrkd, and Korte, 1774, 1828. 148 vols. 8vo. Berlin. 4. Conversations Lexicon, 1796-1809,, 6vols. 8vo.; besides a sup. of 2 vols. The 6th edition was completed at Leipsig, 1824, in 10 vols., with 2 of a sup.; since that time there have appeared several editions of this work materially augmented. An English translation of it, with the addition of much valuable information, was completed at Philadelphia, in 13 vols. 8vo.l 820-33, under the superintendence of Dr. Liebner; and a republication of this American work, with considerable improvements, has been recently completed at Glasgow, in 6 vols. 5. AUgemeine Encyclopedie der Wi enscbaften umi Kunste,von Ersch undGruber, 1818, . Leipsig.f>r» vols. 4to. of this work have already appeared. It is divided into sections, of«ach.of„wluch A, H, and O are the commencement. 6^ Gehler's PhysieaJisches Worterbuch, neu bearbeitct * von Brandes, Gmelin, Horner, Muncke, Pfaff. 9 vols. 8vo. Leipsig, 1825-40. As the title implies, it is cour. fined to general physiqs, and physical astronomy; but its great value renders it worthy of a place ia this catalogue. 7. Haus-Lexicon, or Vollstandiges Handbuch praktischer Lebens-kent ni e fiir alle stande, 8 vols. 8vo. Leipsig, 1835-37. 8. Damen Conversations Lexicon, 10 vols, small 8vo. Adorf, 1835-38. Besides these, there are no fewer than 19 Encyclopaedias of greater or le extent in course of publication in Germany; but it has not been our fortune to see any of them, with the exception of the Conversations Lexicon der Gegenwart, which forms a specie& of supplement to the Conversations Lexicon above specifaed, Italy. 1. Dizionario Scient i fico ex Curiosa, Sacra, Profana, by G. P. Pinati. 10 vols. fol. Venice, 1746-51. 2. Encyclopedia Italian a. Naples, 1788. 3. Encyclopedia Methodic a Critic a Ragi on nat a delle belle Arti, by Pietro Zani. Parma, 1818-20. But another branch of the same encyclopaedian tree» which, as already remarked, yielded such brilliant fruits in the hands of Ducange, Bayle, and Calmet, has taken deep root in Europe, and more especially in this coun.. try, and has greatly contributed to the diflTusion of knowledge; viz. the compilation of diptionaries appropriated to separate branches of literature, science, or art. A mere catalogue of these would swell this notice to a size wholly incompatible with our limits, as there is scarcely a department of human knowledge in which works of this cla have not been published within the last fifty years. It is not our intention to enter upon a discu ion of the positive or comparative merits of the works referred to, though there exist perhaps few more fertile fields for criticism; but, if we take into consideration the extreme difficulty of compiling a good dictionary, and the acquirements e ential to the individual who undertakes it, we shall not be surprised if but a few only of the vast number of dictionaries with which the literature of this and other countries is inundated be respectably executed. It may be true that the qualities of brevity, precision, and distinctne , without which no work of this cla is even tolerable, dp not belong to the highest order of intellect; though th^y are, perhaps, quite as rarely to be met with as its movft showy attributes; but it is easy to see that to give ints^est to a work of this nature, and to present the readejwith satisfactory information in a perspicuous and eoijtipendious form, a more than ordinary share of ability is. mdispensable. Montesquieu said of Tacitus that he abridged all, because he knew all. But though a thorough knowledge of the subject be indispensable, that is not enough to enable an Individual to make a good dictionary. He must be able to split it into its elements; to treat each part as if it were separate and independent, and the reader wished to study it only; and at the same time to preserve all the parts in due subordination to each other, and to the plan of the work. The judgment, tact, and variety of research and learning, to say nothing of the labour, nece ary to give permanent interest and real value to a work of this sort in any of tht great departments of human knowledge, may be mwe easily imagined than described; and hence the extreme fewne of such works. But even the inferior cla of dictionaries have many recommendations; and though mostly compiled at second-hand from other works, and with but little unity of plan or execution, stiU, if they be tolerably^ accurate and precise, they cannot fail to be of great utility. We afe aware, indeed, that this position has been denied; and that it has been contended that the general prevalence of dictionaries has exercised a baneful influence upon the literature of the age, inasmuch as, by making people satisfied with the information which they contain, they tend to generate a taste for superficial learning, and thus, by discouraging all reference to more elaborate treatises, strike at the root of original thought and profound erudition. Those, however, who adopt this line of argument, quite overlook the main objects which dictionaries are calculated to serve. Such arguments would have some weight had it been ever contemplated that the mathematician should study mathematics, the philosopher philosophy, the divine theology, or any profe ional man the subjects that form the basis of his profe ion, in a dictionary only. But this is by no means the case. The grand object aimed at in such works, is to place within the reach of persons engaged in the busine of active life a ma of well-digested, accurate, and readily acce ible information upon subjects not connected [s. 352]