Nations lately become Literary. 377 



the literary advancement of any community in 

 which he resided. Invited to undertake the office 

 of President of the College of New-Jersey, this 

 great man arrived at Princeton in the year 1768, 

 and immediately entered on the duties of his new 

 station. He produced an important revolution in 

 the system of education adopted in this seminary. 

 He extended the study of Mathematical science^ 

 and introduced into the course of instruction on 

 Natural Philosophy, many improvements which 

 had been little known in most of the American 

 Colleges, and particularly in that institution. Pie 

 placed the plan of instruction in Moral Philoso- 

 phy on a new and improved basis; and was, it is 

 believed, the first man who taught, in America, 

 the substance of those doctrines of the philosophy 

 of the Human Mind, which Dr. Reid after- 

 wards developed with so much success. And 

 finally, under his presidency, more attention be- 

 gan to be paid than before to the principles of 

 taste and composition, and to the study of elegant 

 literature. 



About the same time the study of the Physical 

 Sciences received new encouragement in Virginia. 

 Hitherto comparatively small attention had been 

 paid to Natural Philosophy in theCollegeof William 

 and Mary; or not more than reading some common 

 treatise on this subject, with a very inadequate de- 

 gree of attention or understanding. In 1768 a va- 

 luable, though not very extensive Philosophical Ap- 

 paratus was imported from London, for the use of 

 that institution ; and in 1774 the first regular course 

 of lectures on the subject was delivered by the Rev. 

 Dr. Madison, since President of the College, and 

 Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Virgi- 

 nia, whose services in the promotion of literature and 

 science in that State are generally known. Since 

 that time, natural philosophy has been almost con- 



VOL. II. 9C 



