48 
lative to the form of the house, until finally he replied in great 
vexation, build it like my -The architect took him at his 
word, and built it with two round projections standing close to¬ 
gether, which have a very curious appearance from the navy- 
yard. We saw in the navy-yard sails of cotton canvass, which 
are preferred to hempen sails, both because they are more easily 
worked, and are peculiarly durable. They are not, however, 
liked in the navy, because they are too combustible, and on that 
account might be extremely dangerous to a vessel during an ac¬ 
tion; they are therefore used only for the higher sails. 
On the next day Mr. Quincy very politely invited me to visit 
some of the public schools, which are under his direction. I ac¬ 
cepted this invitation with much pleasure, for in a country like 
this, where the people govern themselves, without doubt the pre¬ 
vailing spirit may be best learnt from the institutions for public 
education. There are also at Boston, besides various private and 
two public schools, a Latin and a mathematical school, called high 
schools , which are both maintained at the expense of the city; 
boys of every class are admitted without paying for their tuition. * 
Well-informed young men, who received good salaries, are se¬ 
lected as teachers. The first teacher of the high school receives 
yearly two thousand five hundred dollars. The study of the 
ancient languages, the Latin and Greek, forms the basis of public 
instruction. At, the same time that these are taught, the attention, 
acuteness, and memory of the pupils, are variously exercised; if, 
for example, any one recites a line of the Eneid, and repeats the 
last letter, another immediately arises, and repeats from the same 
poem a line, beginning with this letter. The pupils do this with 
wonderful rapidity. The declamations took place during our pre¬ 
sence. One of the scholars recited the speech of an English mem¬ 
ber of parliament, with so warm and correct a delivery, that the 
speech could scarcely have been better spoken in parliament. An¬ 
other recited an oration, in which the advantages of a moderate 
above a despotic government, were also exhibited in a very good 
and distinct manner. Every evening the place of each scholar 
in the class for the next day, is appointed by the teacher, according 
to the industry which he may have shown during the day, and 
entered into a book. At the end of the month judgments are 
passed on all the pupils according to this list. 
* The expenses of public instruction, with the exception of Harvard Univer¬ 
sity, are defrayed by means of a school tax, granted by the representatives of 
the state of Massachusetts, to which every inhabitant of the state is obliged to 
contribute. This praiseworthy arrangement exists also in Maine, New Hamp¬ 
shire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. In the last state, moreover, 
those parents who neglect to keep their children at school, are fined five dol¬ 
lars for every absent child, which sum goes into the school treasury. 
