in Scie?ice, Arts, ajid Literature. 1 1 



former times ; and for this fact plausible if not sa- 

 tisfactory reasons may be assigned. But still, 

 amidst multiplied false theories, and much pompous 

 jargon, which have been too prevalent in the world 

 during the last century; though the field of enter- 

 prise, ,in this department of human exertion, has 

 been more remarkable for the number of labourers 

 employed in it, than for the success of their la- 

 bours 'y though luxuriant foliage, more than sub- 

 stantial fruit, has abounded ; yet much, within this 

 period, has been doile. New and important truth 

 has been elicited : discoveries of a highly inter- 

 esting nature have been made : systems of philoso- 

 phy have assumed a more regular, consistent, and 

 dignified form : and various departments of learn- 

 ing have been purged of the dregs, and rescued 

 from the rubbish, with which the ignorance and 

 the inexperience of former times had encumbered 

 them. 



At the close of the seventeenth century the 

 stupendous mind of Newton, and the penetrating 

 genius of Locke, had laid their systems of matter 

 and of mind before the world. Like pioneers in 

 an arduous siege, they had many formidable ob- 

 stacles to remove — many labyrinths to explore — 

 and the power of numberless enemies to overcome. 

 But they accomplished the mighty enterprise. 

 With cautious, but firm and dauntless step, they 

 made their way to the intrenchments of fortified 

 error ; they scaled her walls , forced her confident 

 and blustering champions to retreiit ; and planted 

 the standard of truth, where the banner of igno- 

 rance and of falsehood had so long waved. 



It can scarcelybe supposed, indeed, that these great 



