4 
£50 EDINBURGH. 
much of the refpeCtability of their fociety and the acti¬ 
vity of their bufinefs. 
In regard to the fyftem of education for the youth of 
this place, and the knowledge here cultivated, all that 
is favourable may be, with judice, affirmed. For the 
firft indruCtion of children in letters, there are a fufficient 
number of Englifh fchools open under the authority and 
infpeCtion of the magidrates, which never fail to be fup- 
plied with excellent teachers. The high fchool for in- 
ftruCtion in the Latin language, and in Englifh fo far as 
connected with the elements of the Latin, is filled by five 
mailers, the molt eminent for (kill in claflical literature, 
and of the higheft reputation for that gravity, mildnefs, 
prudence, piety, and unoftentatious virtue, which are the 
requifite qualitiesin a good teacher. Thereare alfo fchools 
of public inditution for indruCtion in writing, arithmetic, 
and the immediately practical branches of mathematics. 
And befides the fchools of public inflitution within the 
city of Edinburgh, there are many private fchools for the 
modern languages, and for every different part of educa¬ 
tion, necelfary or liberal. It is ufual here for all parents, 
without exception,-to fend their children to fchool. 
The univerfity confifts but of a (ingle college, founded 
by James the Sixth, in 1582. It has profelfors for Greek 
and Roman literature.; for the different branches of phi- 
lofophy, phyfical and moral; for mathematics; for the 
feveral parts of medical fcience ; for theology; for natu¬ 
ral, ecclefialtical, and civil, hiltory ; and for the different 
brandies of the (tudy of jurifprudence. The profeffors 
are, almod without exception, men of excellent charac¬ 
ter, of great learning and fcience, of the happielt talents 
and addrefijfor communicating knowledge, and of diligence 
admirably exemplary in the difcharge of their profeflional 
functions. The feflion is for feven months, from October 
to May. The ufual number of attending (ludents is fiel- 
dom under twelve hundred. The courfe for the lan¬ 
guages, philofophy, and, after thefe, either law, medi¬ 
cine, or theology, as a profeffional Itudy, is abovit feven 
or eight fellions. Degrees are conferred in jurifprudence, 
medicine, and theology. The profeffors enjoy fmall Hi¬ 
laries ; receive fees fro pi the (Indents; deliver lectures. 
Of late, for the convenience of the (Indents, feveral of 
them have been accuftomed to read a fecond courfe of 
lectures in Cummer, after doling that for the winter. The 
expence of relidence and education for a young map liv¬ 
ing here, genteelly, but frugally, and with uniform pru¬ 
dence, may be done for fo little as iool. a year. There 
are feveral focieties, medical, juridical, theological, phi- 
lofophical, and literary, in which the (ludents volunta¬ 
rily meet, to debate and read elfays which they, in turn, 
compofe and prefent. There is an extenlive and valuable 
library. The profelfor of anatomy has a very large and 
excellent collection of preparations for illuftrating the 
fubjeCt of his lectures; and there is a good mufeum for 
the illiiftration of the lectures on natural hiltory. The 
principal, with the whole body of profelfors, form the 
S'enutus Acadanicus, which regulates the police of the uni¬ 
verfity, under the direction and authority of the city- 
magidrates, A provifion is made for a fmall'and limited 
number of burfars;- but here are no fellows. A new edi¬ 
fice for the accommodation of the profeffors and (Indents 
in all the immediate bufinefs of the univerfity is begun 
to be built, on the plan of Mr. Adam; but it remains 
hitherto (September 1803) unfinifiied. 
Here is a royal fociety for the advancement of phyfical 
and moral fcience. It was inftituted under the aufpices 
of the late Dr. Robertfon, the hi dorian, and lal'e princi¬ 
pal. Its lid of members is highly refpeCtable, Several 
volumes of its memoirs have been publilhed, and well 
received by the world. 
The phyficians and furgeons of Edinburgh are refpec- 
tively incorporated. Both thefe bodies confift of men, 
the pride Of the fociety of the place, and the bed orna¬ 
ments of their profeffions. They are, almod without ex¬ 
ception, men of eminent fkill in the fciences allied to 
thofe noble arts which they praCtife. Hence the medical 
fchool of Edinburgh has been feen to rife rapidly into 
confequence, from a very humble origin, and continue to 
advance daily, by energetic means, wifely adapted to ren¬ 
der its inditution a benefit to the whole world. 
Here has been lately indituted a profedorfiiip of agri¬ 
culture, through the munificent and aCtive means of Mr. 
Pulteney ; and a profedorfiiip of commerce has been alfo 
drongly recommended. With this view, the following 
remarks are offered by its drenuous advocate Mr. Heron. 
“ It appears furprifing, that in a commercial age, and 
among a nation, the foundations of whofe drength and 
happinefs are edablifhed upon their manufactures and 
commerce, no lefs than upon their agriculture,, there 
fhould be no particular inditution for the instruction of 
youth in the elements of commerce. Forming but a 
(lender part among the numberlefs modifications of hu¬ 
man exertion ; its rife and progrefs cannot be very parti¬ 
cularly detailed in a courfe of general hidory. For the 
fame reafon, its relations can never be fully explained in 
a feries of lectures on’the principles of political economy. 
The arithmetician and the accountant teach but a very 
fmall part of the aCtual practice of trade, and that but 
very imperfectly. But if, when detached from each 
other, the feveral parts of commercial knowledge may 
make but an inconfiderable figure ; if they cannot be fe- 
parately taught, in their full extent, among the other 
branches of knowledge; taken all together, however, 
they appear to be of great magnitude and importance ; 
and might bC very beautifully connected into a didinCt 
fydem of.ftudy. In fuch a fydem, the hidory, the phi¬ 
lofophy, and the economy, of commerce, might be fuc- 
cellively explained. By the philofophy of commerce I 
mean the invedigation of its relations to climate, laws, 
manners, internal indudry, religion, national virtue, power 
of defence, national revenue, local (ituation, &c. By its 
economy, I underdand all its tranfaCtions, from gifts in 
the expectation of gifts, and the barter of commodities 
among favage tribes, to the mod complex negotiations 
of the mod ingenious trading nations in Europe. Surely 
fuch an inditution for thus improving and extending com¬ 
mercial knowledge were worthy of the legifiature and 
government of a great trading nation; 0/the patronage 
of merchants and manufacturers, in a country where they, 
form fo very opulent and fo very refpeCtable an order in 
the community, and are fo much didinguifiied by libera¬ 
lity of fentiment and of manners; and of an univerfity, 
the mod defervedly celebrated in Europe, and which 
feems to want only this additional inditution to render 
its provilions, for literary and fcientific indruCtion, mod 
admirably complete!” 
The clergy of the eftablifhed church in Edinburgh are 
in general illudrious for knowledge, eloquence, fanCtity 
of manners, and diligence in the padoral functions. They 
are univerfally and very highly refpeCted. Several of 
them are profelfors in the univerfity; and have didin- 
guiflied themfelves by their writings. 
Of the faculty of advocates, as men of great tade and 
learning, we have already made honourable mention. 
Their library is one of the bed in Europe; and is opened, 
in a manner fufficiently convenient and obliging, to the 
dudious life of all men of learning and fcientific enquiry. 
It were eafily poflible to enumerate many gentlemen of 
Edinburgh, who have didinguifiied themfelves as, philo- 
(ophers and eloquent writers by a great variety of publi¬ 
cations. But they are fo well known by their writings, 
that it were needlefs to recount their names. 
The municipal government of this town is, by its char¬ 
ter, in the magidrates and town-council, which conlifi of 
a lord provod, a dean of guild, a guild council, and twen¬ 
ty-five common council, compofed of merchants and 
tradefmen: and a condant guard of feventy-five men, in 
an uniform, are kept in the guard-houfe to patrole the 
dreets every night. Leith, Canongate, and one or two 
other fuburbs, are governed by fubordinate magidrates, 
