subjects. If any student had a strong natural taste for these pursuits, the university afforded him but scanty means of indulging his genius.

Hence it happened, that our state offered but two or three examples of individuals, possessed of any respectable portion of knowledge in natural history. Impressed with these mortifying truths, a few publick spirited gentlemen, and among the rest the trustees of the Massachusetts society for promoting agriculture, apprised of the intimate connexion between every branch of natural history, but more especially botany and the improved cultivation of the soil, determined to set on foot a subscription to raise a fund for establishing a professorship of natural history with a botanick garden, a cabinet, &c. connected with the university in Cambridge.

The affluent class of the citizens in this commonwealth, especially in our seaport towns, are distinguished for their liberality in the promotion of honourable and useful publick undertakings. On no occasion have they more evinced their desert of this encomium, than on that now mentioned. Within a short time, the sum of thirty-one thousand dollars was raised by private donations. The legislature of this state, honourably seconding the patriotick views of individuals, granted a township of land to the trustees of t Massachusetts Agricultural Society, to be applied under their direction, to the benefit of the new institution. Among the liberal benefactors to this institution should also be mentioned the late excellent Mrs. Bracket, of Portsmouth, N. H. widow and sole devisee of her husband, the Hon. Joshua Brackett, M. D. who bequeathed three shares in the capital stock of the Massa

chusetts Bank: a testimonial of her love of science, as well as of her particular respect to the professor.

The subscribers having agreed upon the constitution and statutes of the professorship and appointed a committce to procure a scite for the garden, committed the whole concern to the corporation of the col lege and the visitors of the establish ment, reserving to themselves the right of nominating the first profe

sor.

In pursuance of this reservation they chose William Dandridge Peck, Esq. the first professor, and in the spring of 1805, he was duly inducted into office. They were led to this election by knowing that Mr. Peck, having been graduated at our university in 1782, had, from within a few years of that time till that of his elec tion, been very much occupied with the study of natural history, and particularly of botany and ento. mology. It was his favourite pursuit. Decided specimens of his skill, accuracy, and taste had been made publick, particularly in the printed papers of the Massachusetts society for promoting agriculture. His known exactness and patience in his investigations, his enthusiasm for the science and his acquisitions joined to other qualities adapted to the office, pointed him out as a person calculated to stimulate and assist the researches of our youth in this hitherto unexplored field of knowledge.

An institution of this nature he ing new in our country, it was deem ed important, that the professor should avail himself of the informa tion to be derived from a survey of similar establishments in Europe. The visitors accordingly requested him to cross the Atlantick for this purpose, and made a suitable provi sion for his voyage, and his expenses

during his absence. In compliance with this request, Mr. Peck has visited Great Britain, Sweden, Holland, and France; has examined their principal establishments for natural history; and formed acquaintances and settled correspondences with the most distinguished naturalists, and friends and patrons of the science of nature in those countries. We are authorized to say, that these gentlemen received an impression from their knowledge of Mr. Peck, honourable to the country and himself; and promising benefit to the institution he is to conduct. To these great benefits derived from the professor's visit, may be added the collection of a large number of rare and valuable books in various branches of natural history, obtained by purchase and donation. How much his presence and personal attention must have contributed to this object, can be duly appreciated by those only, who have attempted to form a library of natural history.

For the formation of a garden, a finely situated and beautiful piece of land, about half a mile West of the college edifices, was purchased by the subscribers; to which Andrew Craigie, Esq. with honourable munificence has added another tract adjoining; making the whole scite for the garden upwards of seven acres. This area is much larger than that of many of the gardens annexed to European universities, and abundantly sufficient for the cultivation and exhibition of all our indigenous plants, shrubs and trees, and any desired number of exoticks. Considerable progress has been made in preparing this land for the reception of plants; so that a tolerable idea may already be formed of its distribution and arrangement, and its future appearance. The professor, whose stay in Europe was protracted much longer than was

expected, in consequence of ill health, is now fixed at Cambridge, and has entered upon his duties.

Notwithstanding the aid, so far given to this establishment, it is apprehended that it may languish, and the hopes and expectations of its munificent founders, he, in some measure, disappointed, unless some addition be made to its pecuniary means. The demands on the funds necessarily incident to its commence. ment, to the expenses of the professor's three years residence and travels in Europe, the purchase of books and of the land, to the inclosure, the preparation and the arrange. ment of the garden, with the advances yet to be made for the green house and requisite buildings, justify this apprehension.

I cannot however admit for a moment, that, in this publick-spirited commonwealth, any essential failure of the institution, through such a cause, will be suffered. I am confi dent, the same sense of duty and regard to education and improvement, which led to its foundation, will insure it further countenance and support.

Ten thousand dollars more will be amply sufficient to place this professorship and garden on a footing as. respectable as those of Cambridge and Oxford, and superiour to those of Edinburgh and Leyden. It cannot be possible that an undertaking of our own, so auspiciously begun, shall languish for want of this sum in a community, which has contrib uted more than twenty thousand dol lars within five years to the aid of the universities and seminaries of other states..

There are three modes by which the requisite aid to this establish. ment may be expected, and we doubt not it will experience benefit from all of them.

1st. By a further grant from the legislature. Their former bounty

is a pledge of their disposition to see it flourish; and to encourage the liberality of individual citizens by publick support.

2d. By an increased subscription, either by the addition to the number of its patrons of the names of those young men, who have entered into business, and been prosperous in their affairs, since the circulation of the original subscription; or by an enlargement of the subscription of those, who, having already contributed, are able and inclined to

give full effect to their former boun ty, by a moderate addition to ther former contributions.

Lastly. By an attendance on Mr. Peck's course of lectures on bota. ny; a study interesting to various descriptions of persons, very fash ionable in Europe, and allowed to ladies as well as gentlemen.

If this brief account shall be ac ceptable, and especially if it shall excite a favourable attention to the object, I shall be amply rewarded, A SUBSCRIBER.

MESSRS. EDITORS,

A circumstance occurred a short time since, while the workmen were repairing Christ Church, in this town, and erecting some new tombs under it, that deserves to be recorded in the Anthology. The ground under the porch at the entrance of the church was directed to be dug up, this spot having been given for the erection of two tombs.* At the distance of six feet from the surface, a grave was discovered, in which was found a coffin of hard pitch pine, commonly called the Norway pine, very little decayed, which on being opened, contained another of the same wood, very handsomely made and not at all injured; the lid of this being lifted, showed a body wraped in tarred sheets, that on being removed from the face, presented the countenance of a man that appeared quite recently to have died; his face was fresh and florid, as though just shaved;

One for the family of their late rec

tor Dr William Walter,the other for Shu

bael Bell Esq. They are since completed, and the floor of the porch is now a very handsome tessalated marble pavement.

the flesh hard to the touch,and every appearance of a new corpse, from a short and not painful illness; two or three sprigs of myrtle or box, green as just cut from the stock, were also laying on the outside of the tarred sheets. Both coffins had on their lids, in brass nails, the letters IT. and a grave stone, at the head of the grave, declared the person interred there,, to be a Mr. John Thomas of the Island of Barbadoes, Et 45 years, who died 25th June, A. D. 1726, more than eighty two years ago. The number of persons who came to see this curious fact, from the fineness of the preservation, and the manner of it, induced the wardens to direct the coffin to be clo sed again and buried, which it is, at the N. E. corner of the church. The soil under the porch was a yel. low clay,mixed with small stones and some gravel Whether the body had been partially embalmed previous to interment is not known; but the verdure of the sprigs of myrtle induwholly to the exclusion of external ces one to think it may be owing air; yet his being of Barbadoes,and such care taken of the corpse,with a

tuted. The fact is, however, as stated, and the curfous may draw their own conclusions.

W. W.

view perhaps to removal, would occasion one to imagine the intestines had been taken out,and herbs substi

THERE is no greater proof of the small progress, which polite literature has made amongst us, than the extreme want of taste in our compósitions. In fertility of thought, and cogency of argument, our writers are excelled by few; but in the chaste elegance of a style, at once dignified and simple, we are greatly inferiour to the authors of Europe. To say nothing of provincial barbarisms, and unauthorized combination, we are too fond of meritricious ornaments. We admire what the ladies call hard words. Thus instead of becoming and unbecoming, we say decorous or indecorous, and aim to latinize our language, to the destruction of English idiom. Our periods swell, when they ought to flow; and the most delicate of all figures, the metaphor, if not broken, is so clumsily handled by our writers,as to disgust instead of pleasing. Our orations abound in similes and comparisons, which, as we employ them, obscure rather than illustrate, and though they generally cost the writer great labour, they afford little pleasure to the reader. There is a stiffness, an elaboration, a want of ease and freedom in our manner of expressing our thoughts, which proves the pangs of parturition seWe appear to sit down to think what we shall write, not to write what we think. We are per

vere.

Cicero.

petually aiming at something sublime and original, and though we may cause the judicious to grieve, we may be certain of pleasing the million. We substitute bombast for sublimity, and finery for elegance.

This want of taste, which is visible in all our productions, may be observed in the senate, at the bar, and in the pulpit; so that a man of refined ear will seldom hear a speech, a plea, or a sermon, in which there will not be something harsh or grating. The matter may be excellent, and even the manner not displeasing, but there will almost always be an inaccuracy in the language, which will offend the sensibility of a correct scholar. The senator instead of grounding his argument, will predicate it; the lawyer instead of exposing his client's cause will advocate it; and the clergyman will pray, that heaven may succeed our attempts at moral and religious im provement.

It is questionable, notwithstanding the improvements of Lowth, and the assertions of Godwin, whether they write as pure English in Great Britain, at the present day, as in the reign of Queen Anne. In grammatical accuracy modern wri ters may have surpast the writers of that age, but are greatly their inferiours in elegance, simplicity and natural expression. The following

passage, with which Addison closes the paper, that records his visit to Westminster Abbey, appears to me far more beautiful and striking than the pompous descriptions and gorgeous language which we find in the popular authors of more modern times "When I look," says he, "upon the torbs of the great, every emotion of envy dies in me; when I read the epitaphs of the beautiful, every inordinate desire goes out; when I meet with the grief of parents upon a tomb stone, my heart melts with compassion; when I see the tomb of the parents themselves, I consider the vanity of grieving for those, whom me must quickly follow. When I see kings lying by those who deposed them, when I consider rival wits placed side by side, or the holy men that divided the world with their contests and disputes, I reflect with sorrow and astonishment on the little competitions, factions and debates of mankind. When I read the several dates of the tombs, of some that died yesterday, and some six hundred years ago, I consider that great day, when we shall all of us be contemporaries, and make our appearance together."

The three great writers, who have corrupted the publick taste, are Johnson, Gibbon and Burke. They abound indeed in sublime and beautiful passages; but the colours of their style are too glaring; there is too much artifice, there are too many balanced sentences, there is too much appearance of labour, in the two former, to please a man of correct taste. Burke is the oracle of the modern politician, and has been justly termed the Cassandra of the French revolution. We read his prophecies with astonishment, since we have lived to see them fuliled, and feel the magick power of

his genius in the perusal of every page. But there is a strange want of taste in the style of his political writings. He borrows his metaphors, with equal indifference from the sublime objects of nature, and from the butcher's stall. He is the Shakespeare of prose, and has all the excellencies and faults of that supereminent dramatick poet.

Whilst these great writers are considered as the best models of im itation, we cannot expect, that Aa merican authors will be distinguish ed by dignity and grace. The energy of Johnson, without his stiffness, united with the ease and ele gance of Addison, exempt from his feebleness, would feebleness, would go far towards forming a consummate writer. The repeated perusal of Addison might remedy the most striking defects of our compositions, by affording us a natural and easy flow of period with imagery, that has the glow of nature, not the glare of art.

Our writers seem to think, that a fine style consists in fine words, and consequently accumulate ungraceful ornaments with a lavish hand. Whatever is forced, strained and unnatural, excites their emu. lation, and ensures their applause. A neat composition, in pure Eng lish, they would consider insipid; as those, who are accustomed to drams, have no relish for the more simple and salubrious liquors, and as plain cookery is rejected with disgust by the palled appetite, which has been vitiated by habitual indulgence in sweetmeats, pickles and cayenne.

I shall conclude this speculation, with a quotation from Mr. Melmoth, the elegant translator of Pliny and Cicero, who illustrates my ideas of graceful writing in a manner much superiour to myself, and who, indeed, is one of the finest