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TO THE PUBLIC. 



Tii« editor of this work has frrqiiently hii occafion to remark, in the 

 courfe of reading, that numerouil faifts, and important obfcrvaiions, have 

 been publiftied many years, without having ever come to the knowledge 

 cf thofe clalTes of men who are engaged in the adive purfuits of hufini/ls, 

 though it is, for the mod part, by fuch men only, that prai;lical improve- 

 ments can be applied to ufeful purpofcs in life. From this caufe it hap- 

 pens, that the dilcoveries made by literary men, too often ferve rather to 

 anuiie the fpecuJative than to awaken the ingenuity of men oi-bufmefs, or to 

 ftimulate the induftry of the operative part of the community, who have 

 no opportunity of ever hearing of the numerous volumes in which thole 

 fcattered fa<9s are recorded. 



He has likewife obfcrved, that among thofe who are engaged in arts, 

 agriculture, manuf litures, and commerce, there are many individuii's of 

 ereat ingenuity and confpicuous talents, who, from experience and oh- 

 iervatior, have made important dilcoveries in their refpeAive employments ; 

 but that thefe m-'n being at preli:nt in a great meafure excluded from 

 the circle of literary intelligence, have neither an oppoituni^y, nor any 

 inducement to communicate their difcoverics to others. 'I'hus is ufeful 

 knowledge confined to a few individuals only, at whofe deith it is iiTe- 

 toverably loA, indcad of being univerfaily diffufed, as it of right ought 

 to be, among all men, at Icaft of their own profeHion ; and the pfbgreis 

 i)f the nation towards perfctSlion in ufeful attainments is much ret:irdcd. 



He has alfo often remarked, with extreme regret, that clergymen*, 

 and others in remote parts of the country, whofe minds in their early youth 

 have been delighted with the charms of fcientific purfuits, mull in the 

 prefent ftate of things, unlefs they be pofleffed of affluence, re'u(5lantly fore- 

 go the pleafurcs that refult from a familiar intercoiirfe with the rtpulilic of 

 letters, and fuffer themfelves to fink into a fort of mental annihilation. 

 To fuch men the poet may be fuppofcd aptly to allude in tliefc beautiful 

 iines : 



*' Full many a gem of purefl ray ferenc 



" The dark unfathnm'd" caves of ocean hear; 

 " And many a rofe is born to blufli unfeen, 



" And wafte ifs fwectnefs on the defert air." 



GRAr. 



Alike unknown indeed, and ufelefs to the world, are the menlo! treafurcs 

 which thus are buried in ohfcurity, as the inanimate objcifts here de- 

 fcribed ; but not alike are the effetfts of negleifl on the animate and the 

 iiianimats obje<5ls themfelves. I'he gem lofes none of its valuable quali- 

 ties, though it riould remain for ages hid in the bofom of the dark abyfs ; 

 the burfting rofe bud alfo, covered with the dews of heaven, unfolds its 

 opening charms with equal beauty in the tangled glade, and diffufes its 

 balmy fragrance with the fame profufion in the lonely defert, as in the 

 polilhed garden, where it minifiers to the delight of admiring princes. 

 Not fo the man. His foul, formed with a relifh for the fuperior enjoy- 

 ments of fociety, if fiiffered to pine in neglefled obfcurity, lofes its vivifj'ing 

 jjrinciple : its ardent brilliancy fades; and it is fjon deprived of all thofe 

 \aluable qualities which might render it either agreeable or beneficial to 

 mankind. Whatever, therefore, (hall have a tendency to remove this 

 evil, and to open a ready intercourfc between thefe valuable charafters 

 and congenial minds, will confer a very important blefling on man- 

 kind. 



.Such was the general train of rcafoning that fuggefted the idea of the 

 prefent work :■ Nor does the editor fcruple to own, that the pleafure he 

 has felt In anticipating the happinefs he may thus eventually be the 

 means of procuring to many deferving perfons who are now loft in 

 cbfcurity, and in contemplating the benefits that will probably refult 

 to the community at large from the revivification of fo much ge- 

 nius, which now lies dormant and ufelefs, have tended greatly to )i.cite 

 him to attempt the prefent arduous undertaking ; and have influenced him 

 in adopting the particular form of this work, \he mode of its publication, 

 and the price at which it is offered to the public, as being better adapted 

 than any other he could think of, for removing the inconveniences point- 

 ed out, and for diffufing knowledge very univerfaily among thofe claffes 

 nf men who are at prefent excluded from the literary circle. Its/nr;/; is 

 fuch as will eafily admit of its being kept clean and entire till it can be 

 beuiid up for prcfervation : The time that will intervene between the pub- 

 lication of each number will be fo fhort.asnot to allow the fubjeiSs treated 

 m one to be loft fight of before another appears : anfwers to queries may 

 be quickly obtained ; and conteftcd difcufficrs will thus acquire an intcreft 

 and a vivacity that cannot be felt in publications that are longer delayed : 

 Nor will thofe even in the buficft fcenes of life find any difficulty in glanc- 

 ing over the whole at leifure hours ; and the price is fo exceedingly mode- 

 rate as to bring it within the reach of even the moft economical members 

 of the community. Thus, he hojics that this performance will become an 

 ipterefting recreation and an ufeful inftruflor to the man of bufinefs, and 

 an agreeable amufement during a vacant hour to thofe of higher rank. 



Nor does the editor confine his views to Britain alone. The world 

 tt larg, he conOders as the proper theatre for literary improvements, and 

 •> Tiliis obfervation chicBy applies to dcrgymsn in ScoiUod. 



the whole human ncc. as ecnftiLUtirg but one great fociety, whofe general 

 advancement in knowledge mult tend to augment the profperity of all 

 its parts. He wifhcs, therefore, to break down thofe little dilliijilions 

 which accident has produced to let nations at vaiiaiice, and which igno- 

 rance has laid hold of to difuiiile and to render ht.llile to each other fuch 

 a large proportion of the human y:icc. ('tmtna-ce hath naturally paved the 

 way to an atlenipt, which literature alone could not perhaps ha\e hof cd 

 to acltieve. Britifti traders are now to be found in all nati«>ns on the 

 globe ; and the Fnglifh language begins to be ftudied as highly ufeful 

 in every countty. By means of the univerfal intercourfc which that tiade 

 occafions, and the general utility of-this language, he linpcs to he able to 

 cflabllfh a mutual intercbaiige of knowledge, and to efied a iViindly li- 

 terary intercouife anicng ail nations ; by which n^.an Ihall come gradually 

 to know, to eftceni, to aid, and to benefit his fellow creatures wdieicvcr 

 he finds them. The human hcr.rt is nearly the fame at all times ; and 

 it is perhaps alike fi.fccptible of piety, beneficence and generofity among 

 all jieople, if errors that too cften pervert the underftanding were era- 

 dicated. The proper bufinefs of philofo[)hy is to eradicate thofe errors 

 which eftrauge mankind from each other, and to extend the fpliere ot 

 bencficeiici! among men wider and wider ftill, till it Ihall comprehend 

 every individual of the human race. .Sboidd the editor of this work be 

 enabled to eflahliih the foundation of this fyftem of univerfal civiliza- 

 tion, he would reckon himftif fiiif ularly fortunate indeed, and think that 

 he had accompliflied one of tJie moft glorious achievements that can fall' 

 to the lot of man to perform. Animated with this hope, his exertions 

 have been great; and he tnifts they will not in future be unworthy, 

 of the cbjedl he has in view. He is happy in being able to fay, that 

 he has been more fortunate in forming coniitc^ions with men of eminence 

 in the literary world than he had any reafun to cxpe(?l ; and were he 

 here to mention tJie names of thofe who are to honour him with their 

 correfpondence, it is hard to fay whether it would moft expofe him to 

 be cenfured as vain, or bring his veracity in queftion. Suflice it there- 

 fore at prefent only to fay, that there is fcarcely a civilized nation on the 

 globe in which he has not a reafonable affurance of having fome confiden- 

 tial correfpondents, on whofe knowledge and zeal in the caufe of I'cience 

 he can fully rely. It is indeed to that ardour for knowledge among them 

 that he is folely indebted fur the favourable countenance he has obtained. 

 Into all nations, therefore, where the Engliih language is in any way 

 known, this work will probably find its way ; and of courfe it may be expect- 

 ed that the ufeful difcoveries, or literary clfays of ingenious men, will have 

 a better chance of being generally read, and the writers of them made known 

 among men of letters, if inferred in it, than perhaps in any other publica- 

 tion. To give this work, therefore, the full value of which it is fufceptible, 

 the editor w.armly folicits communications from ingenious men of all na- 

 tions. Brevity and originality in fcientifc difquifitions, utility with refpetfl: 

 to art!, accuracy and the moft fcrupulous fidelity in regard to cxjierime/^ts, 

 nature and truth in the delineation of real life, and elegance in polite litera- 

 t'lre and the bcltt! Ifttr.-s, are what he chiefly wifhes to obtain. Though 

 utility (hall ever be his chief aim, he is well aware, that to be able to ac- 

 compli(h this aim, it is neceffary that the work fhould be as agreeable as, 

 poffible. Dry and intricate details, therefore, it fhall be his ftudy to avoid. 

 To poUlh the manners and to humanize the heart, he believes to be the firft 

 fteps required in an attempt to infpire a tafte f®r literary excellence, and 

 to excite exertions for attaining the higheft perfeiftlon in arts. This he hopes 

 to be able to effedt, by a careful felet^^ion of elegant dilTertation^, charatler- 

 iftical anecdotes, entertaining talcs, and lively fallies of wit and humimr, 

 that (hall be naturally calculated to awaken the attention of youth, and to 

 afford a dcfirable entertainment to thofe of more enlarged underftanding 

 and cultivated tafte. 



It is not, however, on account of the dllfemlnation of Unoir/cif^e alone 

 that the editor calls the attention of the public to this work ; but becaufe 

 it is equally adapted to the extirpation of error. Fa6ls, efpecially when 

 they refpedl diftant objetfts, are often imperfeClly known, or much mif- 

 reprefented by thofe who communicate them to the public. When this 

 happens, in the ordinary modes of publication, fuch mifreprefentations can- 

 not be eafily difcovered. It may be long before fuch publications fall m 

 the way of thofe who know the faifls with precifion : and when this at laii 

 does happen, it requires fo great an exertion, in thefe circumftances, to put 

 matters to rights, that few perfons find themfelves difpofed to undertake 

 the taflc. Even when this diihculty is overcome, the ta(k is bulf imperfect- 

 ly accomplifhed. Thoufands may have been mifled by the fuppofeU faft, 

 who may never have an opportuifity of meeting with its refutation. "I'hefe, ■ 

 in their turn, may reafon upon the IdA, and publifli it in c^hcr works. 

 Error may thus be propagated among millions who never (hall have an 

 opportunity of getting thefe falfe notions corrcdled. This could liot happen, 

 fhould the intended mifcellany meet with as general a circulation as jt is 

 naturally fufceptible of. In that cafe, the publication would fqon fall into 

 the hands of fome one who would know with precifion tlie fails- that oc- 

 curred in it, even with refpeiSl to very diitant objecfts : ."^nd as eri'jts of 

 this fort might be reiSlfied, in many cafes, by a few lines, which would 

 coil little trouble to write, asd be attended with no expence, nor bs acj 



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