On the Decline of Mathematical St7idies. 25 



These queries, together with the facts and reasonings on 

 which they are founded, I humbly submit to the candid 

 examination and criticism of men ot more learning, ability, 

 and leisure, than, 



Dear sir, yours respectfullj'-, 



*D. 



[Postscript in our next Number.] 



III. On the Decline of Mathematical Studies, and the SW- 

 ences dependent upon them. By the Rev. John Toplis, 

 A.M.* 



±T is a subject of wonder and regret to many, that this 

 inland, after having astonished Europe by the most glorious 

 display of talents in mathematics and the sciences depen- 

 dent upon them, should suddenly suffer its ardour to cool, 

 and almost entirely to neglect those studies in which it in- 

 finitely excelled all other nations. After having made the 

 most wonderful and unhoped-for discoveries, and pointed 

 out the road to more ; suddenly to desist, and leave these to 

 be cultivated, and the road to more to be explored, bv other 

 nations, is very remarkable. It seems as strange as the con- 

 duct of a conqueror would be, was he to conquer all the 

 countries around him, and then tamely to suffer his own 

 and the subjugated ones to be possessed, governed, and cul- 

 tivated, by those whom he had conquered. 



It is a very great disgrace for a nation like this, which 

 can proudly boast of a superiority over all others in arts, 

 arms, and commerce, to suffer the sublimest sciences, which 

 once were its greatest pride and glory, to be neglected. 

 Surely a nuich more solid fame accrues to a people from 

 their superiority in talents than in arms. Athens is as ce- 

 lebrated for its learning as its commerce or its victories. It 

 cannot be owing to any want of importance in the sciences 

 themselves that they are neglected ; the discoveries made 

 in them are of the most astonishing nature, and such as 

 seemed absolutely beyond the reach of human intellect. 

 By the marvellous assistance of the mathematics from the 

 simple law of gravity arc deduced the orbits of the planets 

 and satellites, their distances, the times of their revolu- 

 tions, their densities, quantities of matter, and many other 

 fe-maikable properties too well known to be enumerated. 

 Were it not for them, mechanics, optics, hydrostatics, gco- 



* Communicated by the Author. 



graphf. 



