HISTORY OF VERMONT. 46i 



^«, at Boston,, wrote a historical and political 

 summary of the affairs of the colonies to the 

 year 1750. In Virginia, Stith aixi Beverly pub- 

 lished histories of that colony to the year 1700. 

 In New York, Colden wrote the. history of the 

 five nations of Indians, in 1747 ; and in 1756, 

 §mith published a history of the province to the 

 year 1732. Iw these productions there were 

 authentic and useful records of the early pro» 

 ceedings of some of the colonies. They were 

 viewed in Europe as too small matters to engage 

 the public attention ; and it was not suspected 

 by her historians, that the American writers 

 were describing principles and proceedings, fronl 

 whence the greatest of all human empires was 

 destined to arise. 



Speculative science was n ot much wanted, 

 and had not been much cultivated in the coun- 

 try. In mathematics no attempts had been 

 inadc to cultivate the higher branches ; what 

 was necessary and applicable to the affairs and! 

 business of life, was generally, and well under- 

 stood. In natural philosophy the prospect and 

 attention was more engaging. In the beginning 

 of the eighteenth century, Keil had introduced 

 in England, the experimental method of teach- 

 ing this science. Desaguliers had greatly im- 

 proved the plan, and taught it systematically in 

 a regular course of experimental lectures, Isaac 

 Greenwood, a young gentleman of Boston, edu- 

 cated at Harvard College, had been in London, 

 attended Desagulier's lectures, and had beeri his 

 assistant in the business. Mr. Hollis, of London, 

 in the year 1726, established a professorship of 

 matliematics and natural philosophy in Harvard 



VOL, X \ ^ 



