.f793' ohitu'ary of the. learned. 25S 



ObiTDARY of the LEAR.NED. 



Sir, I'ltr-kiuctory letter to the Editor of the Bee. 



JNf .rwiTHSTANDiNG the anathetni of my exce.ltnt prsecep- 

 tor Adam Srnah ai!;a,in>t miuazines, reviews, and other 

 peiiudical publications, recoided in your miscellany, vol. 

 jii. p. $, I will venture to af^eit that in the present situa- 

 •tioii of Europe, no books {\.i they are properly conducted) 

 ca.-i be eqaall; uictul in proinorin^ the improvement of 

 society by the rapid colli-ioa of icntim nt, and the per- 

 vasive infovmuiiop of all ranks of men with re pect to 

 .those thing; that are of general utility, and which escape 

 jjotioe in uooks which ari ■cxptu^lve and not easily ob- 

 tained. 



Quoting your own respectable prospectus I would say- 

 that ■' It is not o)i account of the oifsemination of know^. 

 *' ledge alone that you call the attentiun of the public to 

 " your woik, but bccmse it is equally adapted to the ex- 

 " tirpation of error. Facts, especially when they respect 

 *' m^itters of difficult expiscation, are often imperfectly 

 " known, or much misrepresented by those who commuj. 

 *• nicate them to the public. When this happens in the 

 '* ordinary modes of piiolication, such misrepresentation^ 

 " cannot be easily discovered. It may be long betorp 

 *' such publications fall in the way of those who know 

 *' the facts wiin precision sITc. iS'c. But this coulJ not 

 " happen ■ thoulJ tiiis miscellany meet with as geiieral a 

 " circL.lation as it is naturally susceptible of. In that c:ise 

 " the publication would soon fail into the hands of some 

 " one who would know with precision the facts that oc- 

 '■ curifd in it, ev- n with respect to very unobvious ob- 

 " jecu ; and as eiiors 01 tLis soit may be retlificd in qui. 

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