CjiaP. XXIII.] Literm-y Association!;. 103 



the latter half of the eighteenth century. Within 

 that period many useful societies have been insti- 

 tuted which deserve some notice. The principal 

 of these are the following : 



1. Societies and Academies of Arts and Sciences^ 

 Of this class there are several. " The American 

 Philosophical Society, held at Philadelphia, for 

 promoting useful knowledge," was instituted in 

 January 1769- It was formed by the union of 

 two smaller societies, which had for some time 

 existed in that city, and has been ever since con- 

 tinued on a very respectable footing, This so- 

 ciety has published four quarto volumes of its 

 transactions, containing many ingenious papers 

 on literature, the sciences, and arts, which exhibit 

 American talents and industry in a favourable 

 light. Over this institution have successively pre- 

 sided, Benjamin Franklin, David Rittenhouse, 

 and Thoraas Jefferson *. The American Acade- 

 my of Arts and Sciences, held at Boston, was esta^ 

 blished in May 1780, by the council and house 

 of representatives of Massachusetts, " for promote 

 ing the knowledge of the antiquities of America, 

 and of the natural history of the country j for de- 

 termining the uses to which its various natural 

 productions might be applied ; for encouraging 

 medicinal discoveries, mathematical disquisitions, 

 philosophical inquiries and experiments, astrono- 

 mical, meteorological, and geographical obsei> 

 rations, and improvements in agriculture, manu- 

 factures, and commerce ; and, in short, for culti- 

 vating every art and science which may tend to 



* See Additional Notcsj (I), 



