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REVIEW OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

The once commercial and weighty republick of Venice has been bartered to the houfe of Auftria, and most of the Italian ftates are now affiliated with the Great Nation.

These are the revolutions,which within the Eighteenth Century have changed the face of Europe. As the century began, fo it closed with war; a war perhaps more destructive to man, than Christian Europe ever before knew; a war originated by civil diffentions in France, which in atrocity and barbarity were only equalled by the maffacres and devastations of the ancestors of Frenchmen upon the Roman empire.

Within the period of our review, improvements in arts and Sir fciences have been great. Ifaac Newton was born in the Seventeenth Century, but he publifhed fome of his moft valuable works in the Eighteenth; and within it his discoveries have been more generally communicated, and the world more generally enlightened by them. The method of investigating truth, previously fuggefted by lord Bacon, has been univerfally adopted. Hypothefes in philofophy have been exploded, and those principles alone are now admitted as legitimate, which are the refult of fair and repeated experiments. The last century has raised electricity from darkness almost to perfect knowledge; and our own countryman led the way in this improvement. Great difcoveries have been made in chemistry and in the properties of air. Men in their enterprize have essayed a new element; they have dared to fail in the ocean of the atmosphere; but this difcov

ery promises little utility; the for-
mer are applied to the most im
portant purposes of human life.

In aftronomy, Herschel has ad-
ded a planet to the folar system,
and the great improvement in
opticks has enabled men of this
fcience to take a more accurate
furvey of the heavenly bodies.

The healing art has received imThe human frame provements. has been more accurately analyzed; the nature and operation of medicine more fully investigated; and in many inftances a Inoculation bolder, and a more fuccefsful practice adopted. for the fmall pox was the discovery of the last century; at least the commencement of the practice in the fcientifick nations of Europe was within this period. By it, one of the most formidable diseases incident to the human conftitution is greatly alleviated. Recently experiments of inocula tion by the kine pox fairly promShould the atife to banish the small pox from human fociety. tempt prove fuccessful, it will be confidered, as one of the greatest difcoveries of the world.

The arts, which leffen the labour of man, enlarge the basis of fociety, and add to our convenience and comfort, have been, greatly improved.

Commerce has unfurled her fails in every clime, and has united by her bands the family of An interchange now takes man. place, between the nations of the earth, of the productions of every Scientifick refoil, and of the manufactures of every country. fearch has been blended with commercial enterprize. The Afiatick fociety, compofed of English lite.

rary characters fettled in the Eaft Indies, have explored the ancient lore, which lay buried in the Sanfcrit language. Their late prefident, the learned, the pious, the humane Sir William Jones, preeminently distinguished himself in these researches. He brought to light the hidden treafures of paft ages, and has thereby ftrengthened the evidence of the authenticity of the old teftament. An English and a Dutch embaffy to the court of China have increafed our knowledge of the customs and manners of this ancient and fingular people.

Geography, within the laft century, has been rendered more perfect. Cook has completed the map of the world; Bruce explored the fources of the Nile. Ledyard, Park, and Brown, have traced the courfe of the Niger, and laid the interiour of Africa before our view.

Within the above period the English language was embellifhed; and the fuppofition is by fome entertained, that it has paffed its point of fupreme excellence, and is on the decline. The firft fifty years of the laft century are felected, by fome criticks, as the Auguftan age of the English language; and they fay, that late English writers of celebrity facrifice perfpicuity to found, and ftrength of compofition to harmony of periods. Whatever may be the decifion of cool judgment on this fubject, the refined tafte must be pleased with the copious, the flowing ftream of Robertfon, the polished diction of Gibbon, and the chafte, neat ftyle of Blair.

In institutions of humanity the laft century abounded. In thefe,

the English nation was confpic uous.

Humane focieties and charity fchools of various defcrip. tions were multiplied among them; and many measures of a publick nature adopted to remove the fufferings, and alleviate the burthens of man.

The Eighteenth Century was distinguished by numerous defeninquiring and the honest mind of /ces of chriftianity, which fatisfy the its truth; and for various treati fes on moral philofophy, which delineate the obligations of man, through all his relations, and de. duce the duties of his character from the nature of his powers, and the condition of his action. It has alfo been diftinguished by a flood of fceptical and profligate publications. Within this period infidelity has affumed a more daring attitude, and uttered her blafphemies in a bolder tone. Deists of the Seventeenth Century very generally acknowledged the moral government of God over the world, the immortality of the foul, and a future ftate of retri bution. But within the Eigh teenth a fpurious philosophy has arifen, which brutalizes man, degrades him from his rank, makes him the being of the moment, exifting without an intelligent caufe, or moral end, the fport of acci dents, and the everlasting victim of death. The grand apoftles of this philofophy arofe in France; but the foil of every country is too fertile in its growth; it has fpread, endangering the or der and fecurity of fociety, and the peace and happiness of man. Great however is the power of truth, and it will prevail. The natural feelings of the human heart, the uncorrupted dictates of

the human mind, and the whole course of human events, are oppofed to the maxims of modern fophifts. Revelation is the work of God; is founded on a rock, and it cannot be fhaken. The evidences of the truth of chriftianity triumph over the most powerful affaults of its enemies; and each repeated attack gives them renewed force. The revolutions of time add ftrength to one branch of the evidence of christianity in the fulfilment of its prophefies. Some of the prophefies of the old teftament were fo evidently accomplished by the events of time, that a pretence was fet up that they were written after the events took place, which they predicted. Several learned men have attempted to explain the revelations of St. John by tracing their fulfilment in the events of modern times. Some of them certainly miftook in their application. This Book, except two or three of its firft chapters refers perhaps to fome future difpenfations of God in support of christianity, which cannot be unfolded until events explain them. But there is one branch of ancient prophefy, the accomplishment of which is obvious to every mind, and no one can mistake its application. It was clearly predicted, that the Jews fhould be difperfed among all nations, and remain in this ftate until they embrace the chrif. tian faith. Another century is paffed, and they continue a diftinct people, without national exiftence, difperfed over the face of the earth. Who, but that Omnifcient Being, "who fees the end from the beginning," could fore

tel the prefent fituation of this remarkable people?

Within the last century the face of our country has been totally changed. Our population has increafed in a degree probably unparalleled in the hiftory of the world. The wilderness has flourished like the rofe, and the defert become a fruitful field. Within this period we have obtained a name among the fovereign and independent nations of the earth; and free and liberal conftitutions of civil government have been established through our country. Our literary inftitutions have been extended; and we have made hon ourable improvements in arts and sciences. We can number our proportion of diftinguished characters on the roll of fame. As a patriot, a general, and statesman, we reckon Washington, the glory of his age, and the honour of his race. In the fcience of civil gov ernment we have Adams and

Hamilton. In aftronomy and the higher branches of the mathematicks Winthrop and Rittenhoufe. In electricity Franklin. In history Ramfay, Belknap, and Minot. In natural history Jef ferfon and Williams. In divinity Mayhew, Edwards, Lathrop, and Clarke.

In humane inftitutions we rival the most diftinguifhed nation of the old world. In the fyftem of fchool education New England probably excels every country on earth. No other country perhaps can be mentioned, in which fchools are fupported at the publick expenfe, to which the children of the poor are equally admitted with thofe of the rich. No country can be found, whofe in

habitants are fo univerfally poffeffed of the elementary principles of education.

To religious liberty all our inftitutions are favourable. At the commencement of the last century a man of fceptical opinions was scarcely known in our country. The forms of religion were univerfally observed. Piety was the characteristick of the age. Complaint is now made of neglect in the religious education of children, of deficiency in religious obfervances, and of the increafe

of infidelity and profligacy. The principles and habits of our anceftors led our country to its prefent profperity; if we fall from these, what must be the confequence? But the writer means not to invade the province of the divine.

In the fpirit of enterprize through all branches of business; in arts of publick and private munificence; in offices of charity and hofpitality; and in the refined enjoyments of focial life, it is believed, that no age of our country excelled the present.

DR. PARR'S CHARACTER OF PRIESTLEY. UPON the theological dif- them not. Let Dr. Priestley, inputes,in which the Doctor has been deed, be confuted, where he is engaged, I forbear to give any mistaken. Let him be exposed, opinion. Yet, while I difclaim where he is fuperficial. Let him all allufion to local events, I will be repreffed, where he is dogmatmake you a conceffion which you ical. Let him be rebuked, where have my leave to apply to perfons he is cenforious. But let not his atof higher rank as ecclefiafticks, tainments be depreciated, because and of greater celebrity as fchol- they are numerous almost without ars than your town can fupply.... a parallel. Let not his talents be I confefs with forrow, that in too ridiculed, because they are supermany inftances, fuch modes of de- latively great. Let not his morfence have been ufed againft this als be vilified, because they are formidable Herefiarch, as would correct without austerity, and exhardly be justifiable in the fupport emplary without oftentation, beof revelation itself, against the ar- cause they prefent even to comrogance of a Bolingbroke, the mon obfervers, the innocence of a buffoonry of a Mandeville, and Hermit, and the fimplicity of a the levity of a Voltaire. But the Patriarch, and because a philo caufe of orthodoxy requires not fophick eye will at once difcover fuch aids....The Church of Eng- in them, the deep-fixed root of virland approves them not....The tuous principle, and the folid trunk fpirit of chriftianity warrants of virtuous habit.

THE BOTANIST.

BOTANICAL GARDENS.

"I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of ALL kind of fruits. I made me pools of water, to water therewith the trees."—Solomon.

No. 5.

that the first mention of " a garden for herbs" was in the xxi. chap. of the 1ft book of Kings; but prior to this was the garden erected by Solomon, as expreffed in our

WE afferted in a late number, motto.

The island of Crete was the phyfick garden of Rome. The emperors maintained in that ifland gardeners and herbarifts to provide the phyficians of Rome with fimples. The establishment of profefforships gave rife, in modern times, to botanical gardens, a new fpecies of luxury to the botanift.

The first publick botanical garden was that of Padua.

The utility of these inftitutions is felf-evident. By publick gardens medicinal plants are at the command of the teacher in every leffon; the eye and the mind are perpetually gratified with the fucceffion of curious, scarce, and exotick luxuries; here the botanift can compare the doubtful fpecies, and examine them, through all the ftages of growth, with those to which they are allied; and all these advantages are accumulated in a thousand objects at the fame time.

The firft botanick garden in Switzerland was conftructed at Zurich, by Gefner, in 0.

The botanick garden at the University of Oxford was founded in 1632 by Henry, earl of Danby; who gave for this purpose five acres of ground, erected green-houses and stoves, endowed handsomely the establishment, and planted in it as fupervifor Robart, a German, who published in 1648 Catalogus Plantarum Horti medici Oxonienfis, &c. which contained, if we read rightly, 1600 fpecies.

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The botanical garden at Edinburgh was founded by fir Andrew Balflour in 1680, and may be confidered as the first introduction of natural history in Scotland. This garden was fo fuccefsfully

cultivated, that it is faid to have contained 3000 fpecies of plants difpofed according to Morifon's method.

Among those publick inftitu tions, which in a fingular manner invigorated the spirit of natural history in England, the Royal Socity claims the most distinguished notice. In its defign, as in its progrefs, it was the fostering parent, and guardian of natural knowledge. Such was the refpectability of this fociety, both as a body and in its individuals, that through its means the whole nation may be faid to have amply contributed to its aggrandizement. Under the auspices of this illuftrious fociety the anatomy and philofophy of plants were il luftrated by Grew and by Hales.

We mention, in connexion with the Royal Society, the Phyfick Garden at Chelfea, founded by the company of apothecaries in 1673, but which was not effectually conftructed till thirteen years after, fo flow and gradual is the progrefs of fuch institutions at their commencement.

From the time of Johnfon*, the editor of that celebrated English botanist, Gerard, a custom had prevailed among the London apothecariest to form a fociety each fummer, and make excur

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