History. 141 



belong to the eighteenth century. The first his- 

 torical work published by a native American, was 

 the History of Virginia, by the Reverend Wil- 

 liam Stith, President of William and Mary Col- 

 lege. This gentleman was learned, collected his 

 materials with a singularly minute care, and, it is 

 said, may be relied on, as exceedingly faithful and 

 accurate; but his manner is inelegant, and unin- 

 teresting. Stith was followed by Mr. Beverly, 

 who wrote the history of the same Province, up to 

 the year 1700. If his predecessor were too mi- 

 nute and tedious, Beverly ran into the opposite 

 extreme, and failed of being so instructive or 

 pleasing as he might otherwise have been, from 

 his excessive brevity. 



The next American who displayed his talents in 

 this department of literary labour was Cadwal- 

 lader Golden, Esquire, Lieutenant-Governor 

 of the Province of New- York, who was before 

 mentioned as a respectable physician, botanist, 

 and astronomer. His History of the Five Nations 

 of Indians is another monument of his talents and 

 diligence. In 1756 William Smith, Esquire^ 

 published his History of the Province of New-York, 

 a work which, though executed at an early period 

 of the life of the author, and in great haste, yet 

 affords a large and very valuable amount of in- 

 struction to the student of American history. In 

 1765 Mr. Samuel Smith published a History of 

 New-Jersey, which appears to be a judicious and 

 faithful compilation. A few years afterwards Go- 

 vernor Hutchinson presented to the public his 

 History of Massachusetts, which holds a respecta- 

 ble rank among the historical productions of this 

 country. He was followed by Dr. David Ram- 

 say, of South-Carolina, who, in his History of 

 the American Revolution, and his History of the 

 Revolution in South-Carolina, has done honour to 



