Sect. III.] United States of Amerka. 2.5c5 



braries began to be established in the most remote 

 parts of the country; printing presses and book- 

 stores appeared in great numbers where they 

 were never before known ; newspapers became 

 numerous to a degree beyond all precedent ; and 

 the rewards of literary labour, though still too 

 small, were considerably augmented. The esta- 

 blishment of the Historical Society of Massachu- 

 setts^ in 1791 ; of the Medical Schools of New 

 Hampshire and Kentucky, in 1798 ; of the Con- 

 necticut Academy of Arts and Sciences y in 1799 i 

 and of the numerous Medical and Agricultural 

 Societies in almost every part of the United States 3, 

 within a few years past, deserve particular notice, 

 and form interesting items in the annals of their 

 literary progress. 



At the beginning of the century there were tica 

 colleges in the American colonies. At the close 

 of it there were twenty seven j from which it may 

 be estimated ihaXfour hundred students are annu- 

 ally sent forth, with academic honours*. At the 

 beginning of the century the number of acade- 

 mies was small ; and even these were on a com- 

 paratively narrow plan, and were ill attended by 

 students ; but at the close of it the number of 

 these institutions had become so great, in almost 

 every state in the union, especially in the eastern 

 and middle states, that it would be difficult to 

 form a tolerably correct estimate of their num- 

 ber. At the commencement of the century there 

 were but tzvo public libraries in the American 

 colonies : these belonged to Harvard college, and 



* See Additional Notes (0). 



