Encyclopedias and Scientific Dictionaries. 269 



little is known of those which belong to either 

 class, to undertake any detailed account of their 

 characters, or even of their titles.^ 



It deserves also to be noticed, that the last age 

 produced an unprecedented number of systematic 

 works on particular sciences, exhibited in the form 

 of dictionaries, and having the several parts dis- 

 posed according to alphabetical arrangement. Of 

 these the number is too great to be recounted. As 

 a specimen, it may be observed, that we have dic- 

 tionaries of Agriculture, by several associations and 

 individuals; of Gardening, by Miller, Mawe, 

 and others; of Trade and Commerce, by Rolt, 

 Saver y, and Postlethwaite; of Law, by Jacobs; 

 of Mathematics, by Hutton; of Chemistry, by 

 Macquer and Nicholson; of Mineralogy, by 

 Rinman; of Botany, by Martyn; and of Paint- 

 ing, Music, &c. by various persons of learning and 

 taste, in different parts of the world. 



That these numerous and extensive collections 

 of the different branches of human knowledge have 

 had a considerable influence on the literary and 

 scientific character of the age, will scarcely be 

 questioned. They have contributed to render 

 modern erudition multifarious rather than deep. 

 By abridging the labour of the reader they have 

 diminished his industry. But they have been at- 

 tended, at the same time, with considerable advant- 

 ages. To those residing at a distance from large 

 libraries, and other repositories of science, they 



tu The English Encyclopedia, begun a few years ago by Dr. Gregory 

 and others, and intended to be comprized in eight or nine volumes 4to. 

 was nearly concluded at the close of the century. The Encyclopedia Lox- 

 dinensi S) begun near the expiration of the century, by Dr. Rees, and other 

 learned men, is now publishing. The Encyclopedia Perthensis, which has 

 been for several years printing in the city of Perth, in North-Britain, 

 is also still unfinished; as is an Encyclopedia publishing by Mr. John 

 Low, an enterprizing bookseller in the city of New- York, in which 

 considerable progress is made, and which it is expected will form six quarto 

 yolumes. 



