The Critical Review (Volume 37); Or, Annals of Literature (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Art. IT.?Ail Account of a Geographical and Astronomical Expedition to the Northern Parts of Russia, for ascertaining the Degrees of Latitude and Longitude of the Mouth of the Ri-uer Ko- v/ma; of the whole Const of the Tshutski, to East Cape; and of the Islands in the Eastern Ocean, stretching to the American Coast. Performed, by Command of her Imperial Majesty Catherine the Second, Empress of all the -Russias, by Cunlmodnre Joseph Billings, in the Tears 1785. fsV- to 1794. The whole narrated from the Original Papers, by Martin Saner, Secretary to the Expedition. 4/0. a/, is. Boards. Cadell and Davies. 1802. GEOGRAPHICAL discoveries, within the last century, have been so numerous and splendid, that navigators must regret, with Alexander, the want of other Worlds to conquer; of unknown seas to explore; of new continents, whose outline Can be traced, or whose interior can be examined. The triumphs ef nautical discoveries, though more extensive, and infinitely more noble, than those of the Macedonian, are still limited; and to correct a latitude, or to divide what appeared to former voyagers the prominent coast of a continent, into a mere cluster of islands, must now, for the most part, content the boldest investigator. These are not, however, without their interest or importance; and, having completed the outline, as well as having endeavoured to correct it, the restless enterprising spirit is next turned to examine, more accurately, the internal parts of countries, which had been neglected as sufficiently known, or despised as altogether useless. The narrative before us, though not without utility and interest, is circumscribed to this humbler line of geographical investigation From the accounts of Mr. Coxe, and from the very able introduction to the third voyage of captain...