Poetry. 231 



low, are possessed of much poetic merit. To 

 these may be added the various productions of 

 Mr. Humphreys, Mrs. Morton, Dr. Ladd, Mr. 

 Freneau, and several others, who, though far 

 from being worthy of a place among the first class 

 of poets, have yet manifested talents honourable 

 to themselves and their country, and have been 

 noticed with respect by foreign as well as domes- 

 tic critics. 



From the statement contained in the last para- 

 graph, it appears that New-England, and particu- 

 larly the state of Connecticut, has been more dis- 

 tinguished by the production of poetical genius, 

 than any other part of our country. Of the few 

 poets to which North-America has given birth, 

 several of the most eminent are natives of that 

 State. 



But, though the conspicuous poets of America 

 are not numerous, we are by no means to ascribe 

 this circumstance either to the paucity or the bar- 

 renness of American genius. Great poetical merit 

 has been rare in all ages, and in all countries ; and, 

 that it should be peculiarly rare, in a country 

 where literature has comparatively few votaries, 

 and where those who have any taste for letters 

 have little respite from the toils of professional and 

 active life, is so far from being unaccountable, that 

 the contrary would be wonderful. 



After the foregoing details, it may not be im- 

 proper, before closing this chapter, to offer some 

 general reflections on the peculiar poetic charac- 

 ter of the eighteenth century. Having already 

 employed so many pages on this subject, the most 

 brief and general views only will be attempted. 



The last age exceeds all preceding periods with 

 respect to the quantity of its poetry. It is, per- 



