314 letter from Arcticns. May A 



First, as to the state of Scotland with regard to 

 letters, surely no country, either ancient or modern, 

 €ver boasted a more brilliant groupe of clafsical au- 

 thors than it does at the present period. The works of 

 Robertson, Hume, Dalrymple, Henry, Gillies, Fer- 

 guson, Watson, Thomson, Guthrie, Stewart, Pinker- 

 ton, in the highest walk of literature, would have 

 done honour to the Augustan age of Rome, or of any 

 other country ; and it may be said with truth, that, 

 independent of their superior stile of composition, 

 and philosophical view of their subjects, they have 

 made a new epoch in history, by their uncommon at- 

 tention to authorities, and their research into the ar- 

 chives of Europe, where much important informa- 

 tion was reserved for the enlarged views and libera- 

 lity of the eighteenth century. Pofsibly this general 

 remark on the veracity of modern history may suf- 

 fer an exception in the elegant, philosophic, but scep- 

 tic Hume, who had none of those ties upon him 

 ■which give law to the conscience and veracity of the 

 Christian historian, as he has ftiewn in his controversy 

 ^vjth the respectable and able champion * of an un- 

 fortunate queen, whom he had too harflily treatedf. 

 lo the line of ethics, surely the n?mes of Smith, 

 Hutchison, Ferguson, Reid, Campbell, Blair, Beattie, 

 \3c. do equal honour to Caledonia J ; nay it is hard to 

 say what walk of literature has been neglected. 



• Wiiliam Tytler esq. of Woidhousclee. 



•j- Perhaps our inginious correspondent goes too far here j but every 

 ene ihould juJge for himself. Edit. 



t In political'cecQ.ioniy, Smith and Stewart wil) lofljg occupy a con- 

 tfkuout place. 



