Literary Journals. 237 



No establishment of this nature, either perma- 

 nent, or in any high degree respectable, was made 

 In Great-Britain until 1749, when the Monthly 

 Review was commenced, which has been ably 

 supported until the present time. The Critical 

 Review was established in 1756, nearly on the 

 same plan. These were the only regular works 

 of the kind in England until 1775, when another 

 was begun, under the title of the London Review, 

 by Dr. Kenrick, which, however, lasted but a 

 little while. From that period to the end of the 

 century they increased rapidly in number. They 

 became gradually improved in their form, and 

 were made to present a greater amount of infor- 

 mation respecting the several works which they 

 reviewed. Few magazines, or periodical publi- 

 cations of any kind have been undertaken within 

 a few years past, which did not include some kind 

 of Review; insomuch that the literary journals in 

 ^Britain at present are extremely numerous. 



The attempts to establish regular Reviews of 

 new books, and of the progress of letters and 

 science, in the United States, have been few, and 

 generally unsuccessful. The small progress of a 

 literary taste among the mass of our citizens; tfee 

 scattered state of our population; the rarity of 

 leisure with those who are best entitled to the 

 character of scholars, together with the want of 

 talents, enterprize and capital in the greater num- 

 ber of those who have hitherto undertaken to con- 

 duct such works, may be considered as the prin- 

 cipal causes of their failure." 



a As early as I74r, a kind of Review was attempted by Dr. Frank- 

 lin, who, in a Magazine which was continued only for a few months, 

 gave notices of new American books, and presented liberal extracts from 

 them. Attempts of a similar kind were made in several successive works 

 a few years afterwards, but wich as little encouragement and success. 

 Exertions were made to establish a more regular Review of American pub- 

 lications, about the year 1 790, in two periodical works nearly at the same 



