perpetual variety which is very engaging at their age.

"It is one point gained, without doubt, to be enabled to read the husbandry works of Cato, Varro, Virgil, and Columella, with tafte and knowledge. It may open a new walk on claffical ground; and, in all probability, give young men certain predispofitions in favour of agriculture. Yet ftill, the whole combined together will produce but flight effects, unless we call in the affiftance of facts and experience.

"Something of this kind ought certainly to be done, and the complaint of Columella, when he fays with fome degree of warmth, Agricolationis doctores qui fe profiterentur neque difcipulos cognovi," fhould, if poffible, be removed."

The former part of this quotation evidently intimates, that the improvement of young gentlemen in claffical learning, would not be impeded, but rather promoted, by attending to agriculture; and the experience of every one who has led a ftudious life will teftify, that the open air invigorates the mind, and prepares it for receiving inftruction, because it can bear application only to a certain degree, and ftands in need of being frequently re-invigorated by amufements and lighter ftudies.

Time is precious, and might be virtually lengthened by a proper difpofal of it. When the mind is fatigued with clofe application, exercise in the open air will renew its ftrength and activity. Additional to their being taught the value of the different fields over which they may walk with their tutor, from the various

plants each field naturally produces, botany may be attended to as a pleafing and instructive fcience; neither fhould planting and gardening, by any means, be neglected; nor the art of furveying and delineating eftates be confidered as beneath their notice.

In bad weather they may be occafionally amufed with experiments on various branches of natural philofophy;-the effects of the air with regard to vegetation, and the nature of different earths and manures, after the manner of the Doctors Home, Fordyce, Ainflie, Priestley, &c. They fhould alfo be inftructed in the principles of mechanics, especially that part which relates to hydraulics it being of principal utility in draining and other modes of improving eftates.

Thefe are circumftances from which many of the capital improvements lately made, in a great meafure, originated. They were indeed confidered of principal im portance by Sir William Petty,

one of the greatest men of that or any other age,' who recommends them with earneftnefs, for reafons highly worthy of himself, and which will be mentioned hereafter.

Having gained fome knowledge of agriculture, they will read the works of the ancient agricultural writers with improvement and pleafure; a circumftance which will much expedite the knowledge of the languages. For without excluding other profe authors, may I not venture to affert, that the ancient writers on husbandry are, from the nature of their fubject and their claffical style, as

proper

fuitable to their difpofitions and capacities, as any they generally read? Indeed I have always been apt to fufpect, that putting the works of Homer, Horace, Virgil, Ovid, or, in fact, any other poet, into the hands of boys before their minds are properly furnished, and their taste and judgment fufficiently advanced, to enter into the fpirit of thofe excellent writers, has been only rendering learning irksome to them, and proved the means of their bidding a final adieu not only to thofe authors, but to all claffical literature, when they have left their grammar-fchools; not to mention that profe writers feem, in themselves, beft calculated to teach any language by, as well as to convey the moft ufeful information to the minds of youth.

Poetry and painting are fifter arts; they alike receive advantages from rural fcenes: witnefs the fix paftorals of Mr. Smith, than whom, as a landscape-painter, and as a poet, this age hath not, perhaps, produced a greater.

The following is one inftance, among many others, to prove how favourable an intimate acquaintance with rural images is to poetical description.

"The night was ftill the filver moon

the members of the body; will give a manly turn to thought, duly regulated and refined by polite literature. A perfon thus educated will never want a variety of entertainment in the country to fill up his time in a manner equally innocent, rational, and ufeful. He will be continually increasing in valuable knowledge, and preferve himself from that diffipation which enervates the mind, renders retirement burthenfome, and the more public and momentous concerns of life too arduous to be executed with propriety and decorum. He will enjoy his otium cum dignitate, and, at the fame time, his private amufements will give a certain dignity and polish to his fentiments, which on all occafions he will be the better enabled to express in public, with a truly British fpirit, Roman firmnefs, and Attic elegance. There will appear in his whole manner and addrefs that fimplex munditiis which is equally removed from empty affected foppifhnefs and mere clownish rufticity. He will be fitted for fuch department in the government of the state as may beft fuit the natural bent of his genius, whenever his affiftance may be thought neceffary; and may rank hereafter among those worthies who had afted the fame part before him, and whofe eulogium may be delivered in the words of the Roman orator, "Ab aratro arceffebantur qui confules fierent-Suos enim agros ftudiofe colebant, non alienos cupide appetebant, quibus rebus, et agris et urbibus et nationibus rempubli cam, atque hoc imperium et populi Romani nomen auxerunt."

But

When our young pupil fhall come to the poffeffion of his paternal estate, he will immediately perceive what is to be done to the beft advantage; he will be able to direct his fervants, rather than be impofed upon by them, which muft ever be the cafe when the mafter is unacquainted with the bufinefs he fuperintends. This is a matter of high importance. For, if in any other profeffion he fhould spend his fortune, it is poffible he may be the only fufferer; but it is not fo in agriculture. Every field is, in fome refpect, public property; and, if his crops fail through unfkilful management, whatever is loft by the owner, is, in fome degree, a lofs to the community at large.

When I reflect on this, and confider how much the crops are diminished, through the mistaken notions and obftinacy of the common farmers, especially when they rent larger eftates than they have ftrength to manage; and when I view the almoft immeafurable quantity of improveable land which yet remains waste and next to barren; I cannot but agree to the fuppofition of Mr. Harte, that the lands of England may be made to produce one-fixth part more than they do: a point this of great national importance, amounting to near four millions of money annually!

Whatever advantages may accrue to gentlemen from committing their eftates to the management of fuch a skilful and welleducated bailiff, as hath been above recommended, yet they

fhould not be left wholly to him ; for experience hath too often fhewn, that the integrity of a man's heart does not always keep pace with his underftanding. Indolence, felf-intereft, pleasure, and other temptations, may caufe him to neglect his mafter's intereft, at à critical time; the evils of which neglect may not be remedied for years together. Every one who hath attended to works of hufbandry must be fenfible, that in all their several parts they are only links of one chain; either of which being broken, the whole work is frequently thrown into confufion, particularly with regard to the most proper seasons for the different labours of the field; a circumftance of no small moment in our varying climate.

This fentiment should be impreffed with all poffible energy; and it cannot be done in more forcible and comprehenfive terms than thofe of Cato, "Res ruftica fic eft, fi unam rem ferò feceris, amnia opera ferò facies."

It is likewise to be observed that, although the gentleman's crops may, in many inftances, be larger than those of other men; yet, by trufting too much to his fervants, he is often put to needlefs expence, which the common farmers avoid, and on account of which they object to the propriety of his method; fo that hereby the public fpirited gentleman fometimes hurts the cause he intends to ferve.

However, the well-educated bailiffs are more likely to do their mafters ftri&t juftice than the illiterate; thofe little meannesses which the latter hardly think any thing of, though frequently áttended with confiderable disadvan

tages,

tages, the former are in general above committing, becaufe they know better.

Indeed I cannot confider the ftudy and profeffion of agriculture as any way unbecoming the character of a clergyman; he may ereafter prove of great service to nis country parishioners, as his advice and method of proceeding would be readily attended to by the younger part of his parishioners, and he will have frequent opportunities of conveying juft ideas of improving their modes of cultivation. Thus the knowledge of agriculture may be diffused in every part of the country, where fuch a gentleman fixes his refidence. Should his cure be but fmall, he will have a fair opportunity of preferving himself from that dependance, which might too often leffen the weight and energy which fhould always accompany his religious inftructions.

It was thought proper to referve Sir William Petty's Advice for the advancement of Learning, for this place; because his plan is in itself highly judicious, and includes the ideas of Cowley and Lord Molefworth.

Sir William propofes," that there be inftituted literary workhoufes, where children may be taught as well to do fomething towards their living as to read and write.

"That the bufinefs of education be seriously studied and practifed by the best and ableft perfons.

"That all children, above feven years old, may be prefented to this kind of education; none being excluded by reafon of the poverty and inability of their parents; for hereby it hath come to

pafs, that many are now holding the plough, who might be made

fit to fteer the state.

"That all children, though of the highest rank, be taught fome genteel manufacture, in their minority, or turning of curious figures, &c. limning and painting on glafs or in oil colours, botanics and gardening, chymiftry, &c. &c.

"And all for thefe reafons:they fhall be less fubject to be impofed upon by artificers; they will become more induftrious in general; they will certainly bring to pafs moft excellent works, being, as gentlemen, ambitious to excel ordinary workmen. They being able to make experiments themselves, may do it with lefs charge and more care than others will do it for them. It may engage them to be Mæcenas's and patrons of arts. It will keep

of

them from worfe occafions fpending their time and eftates; as it will be a great ornament in profperity, fo it will be a great refuge and stay in adverfity and common calamity.

After thefe obfervations, need any thing be added to fhew the advantages of fuch an education, except attempting to obviate an objection which may poffibly arise with regard to the difficulty of procuring proper tutors ?

This, however, feems to be a difficulty, which, in this enlight ened age, may be foon furmounted. I imagine there are many perfons in the kingdom well skilled in fcientific and practical knowledge, who would, were they encouraged, readily ftep forward, and reduce agriculture (both in theory and practice, with all its

connec

connections and dependencies on botany, chemistry, and other branches of natural philofophy) into a fyftem of education as regular, plain, and introductory to right conduct, as in any other art or profeffion in life. Let it but have a beginning, and inftructors would, no doubt, foon abound."

Additional Obfervations to a Treatife, entitled, The prefent Method of Inoculation for the Small-Pox, Ec. published by the Author fome Years ago. From Baron Dimf.

dale's Tracts on Inoculation.

SINC

INCE the publication of the above-mentioned treatise, I have continued the practice of inoculation, and attended to every part of the procefs, with the utmoft circumfpection, in order, as much as poffible, to reduce the preparatory regimen, and fubfequent management of the patients, to a greater degree of certainty.

In this addition therefore, I fhall make such observations as appear to be of the most importance, and to render them as connected as poffible, I fhall follow the order obferved in that effay.

I do not find much reafon to alter my fentiments, delivered in the first chapter, with refpect to the age, conftitution, and feafon of the year, proper for inocula

tion.

Although I am fill of opinion that the inoculation of children under two years of age, is liable to objection, I have nevertheless had repeated occafion to inoculate many under that age, without a fingle inftance of any fatal confe

quence; if, therefore, from fitua tion, or other circumstances, there is danger of taking the disease by natural infection, it may be very adviseable to inoculate during this early period.

In addition to this, I would just drop this cautionary remark, that children with heads remarkably large, in proportion to their bodies, appear to me exceptionable fubjects; I particularly refer to fuch children as may have been fufpected of having had water in the ventricles of the brain, in early infancy. I have seen two of thefe, where the eruptive fever was accompanied with a very alarming ftupor, which did not abate, although the eruption was of a distinct kind, and the puftules very few in number; and one of them, who had been fufpected to have had the hydrocepha lus when very young, and was inoculated when four years old, died during the difeafe, without recovering from the ftuper, having, at the fame time, a very mild and moderate eruption of puftules, in which the progrefs of matura. tion did not feem interrupted.

With respect to the chapter on preparation, I have expreffed a doubt, “ whether much, if not the whole of the preparation, may not be difpenfed with, except in full habits, or where other particular circumftances may require it." Repeated experience has fully confirmed this opinion, fo that, for fome years past, I have not enjoined any restriction in refpect to diet; nor directed any medicines to be taken before the time of the operation, by fuch as have appeared to be in a proper ftate of health. On the evening

of