Sect. III.] United States of America. 187 



■ The original settlers of the American States 

 may be divided into three classes, viz. 1. Emi- 

 grants from England, who fled from persecution, 

 and came to enjoy liberty of conscience : of this 

 class were the fn-st settlers in New England. 2. 

 Emigrants from the same country, who were 

 prompted chiefly by the hope of temporal emo- 

 lument : of this description were the first settlers 

 in Virginia and tlie Carolinas. 3. Emigrants 

 from Sweden and Holland, who planted them- 

 selves in New York, and certain parts of New 

 Jersey and Pennsylvania. The English colony 

 established some years afterward in Pennsylva- 

 nia by the illustrious William Penn, as well as that 

 in Maryland by lord Baltimore, may be consi- 

 dered as bearing the mixed character of settle- 

 ments prompted both by religious and worldly 

 motives. 



It-inight have been expected that the colonists 

 of New England woidd be most early and zealous 

 in their attention to literature. Their character, 

 both for learning and piety, and the circum- 

 stances attending their establishment, were suffi- 

 cient pledges of their disposition to promote the 

 interests of knowledge, which they well knew 

 to be one of the most important pillars of the 

 church as well as of the state. Accordingly, dur- 

 ing the greater part of the seventeenth century, 



is made in the following pages, to collect a few of the names and 

 fuels which appeared worthy of notice. There is no doubt that 

 many more will occur to different readers equally worthy of 

 being mentioned. The author can only say, that he has endea- 

 voured, as impartially as he was able, to exhibit the small portion 

 of information which came within his reach. 



