b o o k jn fpeaking o f the publications on natural hiftory,it woulil
- - 1” ' , be unpardonable to omit mentioning the moil fplendid work
■ o f the kind every produced in any nation. -It is a colledtion
- o f rare ihells, in two volumes, folio, engraved and coloured
by Francis Michael Regenfufs, at the royal expence. The
■firft volume, which is the only one I have feen, contains a
fhort account o f the collections o f natural hiftory, and parti-
-cularly of ihells, in Denmark ; a preliminary difcourfe on
. conchology, with a detail of the feveral authors who have
-written on the fubjecl, and their different fyftems, and 78
• complete and delicately coloured figures, in 12 plates, accompanied
with fcientifick deioriptions in the Latin, French,
and German languages
The kings o f Denmark have occafionally .deputed, and
ilill continue to fend, at their expence, men o f learning
through their own territories, and into various parts o f the
world, forthepurpofe o f extending the boundsof knowledge.
Langebeck travelled through the Daniili dominions,
.and into Sweden, with a view to collect documents, charters,
..and other ftate papers, relative to th e antient hiftory o f the
North; andSchoening for the fame purpofe at the expence of
prince Frederick. Among others now employed in the execution
o f the fame royal plan, Dr. Moldenhauer, a gentleman
o f various and profound erudition, has lately vifited England
and France, and is now in Spain, in order to examine
the libraries for manufcripis in oriental and claffieal learning.
But the literary expedition, which reflects the higheft honour
upon the crown of Denmark, and holds up an example
to be imitated by the other fovereigns, was begun in 1761«
¿under the aufpices o f Frederick Y . who, at the fuggeftion of
** C h o ix .d e C o q u illa g e s Gra v ees .
•i th e
the late count Bernfdorf, difpatched four perfons * emi- CHAP<
nently verfed in different branches o f fcience to Arabia; o f 1 J—>
which curious and interefting journey Niebuhr, the only
furvivor, has publifhed a much efteemed account +.
* F red e r ick C h r iftian Ha ven fo r O r ien ta l f B e fch reibu n g von A r a b ien ; R e ife Bef-
la n g u a g e * ! , F o r ik a ll and D r . C ram e r fo r ch re ib u n g nach, A r a b ien , & c . in 3 v o ls .
n atu ra l hiftory | N ieb u h r fo r h iftory and T h is w o rk h a t been tranftated in to th e
g e o g ra p h y ! th e y w ere accompanied b y a F ren ch lan gu a g e . D e fc r ip tion d e l ’A r a b ie .
d raughtfinan. T h e y d epa rted {com Copen h apen in 1 76 1 .