yi Bs 
MONTHEY MAGAZIN ¥. 



No. XXXIV. | 


For JULY, 1798: 
[Vou. Vi. 

This day is publifhed the supPPLEMENTARY NuMBER to the FirtH VoLuME of this work, 
which, befides the Title, Indexes, and a variety of papers, contains a critical and comprebenfive Re~ 
a . : 7 . y + 
trofpet? uf all the Books publifoed during the laf fix menths, in Great BriTaIn, GERMANY, | 
Spain, and FRANCE. 

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
N a cafual examination of the lift of 
new publications in your Magazine 
for July, 1797, I obferved the title of a 
poem, faid to be written by Timoruy 
Dwicutr, D.D. of New York. This 
is one of the flighter and more venial errors 
which a reader of Britifh publications, 
whois acquainted with America, has 
frequent oceafions of remarking. It were 
well if none more confiderable, relative to 
that country, were not daily fallen into. 
But it is certainly defirable, that even 
thefe lefler errors, as they cannot efcape 
undeteéted, fhould not remain unnoticed 
and uncorrected. It is with the defign 
of obviating that before me, that I trouble 
you, at prefent, with a fhort account of 
Dr. DwicuHT, the author of “* Green- 
field Hill,’ the poem referred to: and 
fhould you receive this communication 
favourably, I defign to furnifh you with 
further information refpe&ting the poets 
of America, or, more properly, of the 
United States. In this I am encouraged 
by the reception which I have obferved 
to have been given to the articles relative 
to Italian, Spanith, and Portugiefe poetry, 
which have appeared in your mifcellany. 
For, furely, it cannot be of lefs import- 
ance to the philofopher and philologift to 
mark the progrefs of the fine arts in a 
“new world, and the extenfion of our na- 
tive tongue over fo fair a portion of the 
earth *. 
Timora#y Dwicutr was born in” 
the town of Northampton, ftate of Maf- 
fachufetts, on the Conneticut river, in 
ee eee ee 
* The attention we conftantly. beftow on 
foreign communications will, we hope, in- 
duce eur numerous readers, in every part of 
the world, to favour us with their cbferva- 
tions relative to any fubje&@ of inquiry in 
sur Magazine, or to any new and interefting 
matter of faét. We think we cannot too 
often repeat this invitation, becaufe we con- 
ceive the beft interefts of [cience, as well as 
the welfare of our mifcellany, to be intimately 
connected with our fuccefs in this refpect.— 
: Editerss 
MontTuty Mac, No, xxxiy, 
May, 1752. His father was a very re- 
{pectable citizen of the ftate, and held 
feveral civil and military offices under 
the crown. ‘The event which feparated’ 
the United States from Great Britain, 
rendering him fufpected, though without’ 
reafon, he retired to the territory at the 
Natches, of which he was one of the 
original purchafers, and died there fome 
time inthe year1777.. Mrs. DwicurT, 
the mother of Dr. Dwicut, was 
daughter of the celebrated Prefident Ed- 
wards, the Locke of America, and is {till 
living. 
Dr. DwiGut received the ufual (chool 
and academic inftruétion then afforded to 
youth in the United States; and, at the 
age of 13 or 14, was admitted into Yale 
college, at New Haven, in Conneéticut. 
The term of refidence in this inftitution, 
previous to graduation, is four years. 
Here Mr. DwicuT very much diftin- 
guifhed himfelf, particularly in the. two 
lait years of his ftudentfhip ; fo that foon 
after his taking the degree of bachelor, 
and at the early age of 17 or 18, he was 
elected a tutor+., In this fituation he 
continued, with great applaufe and with 
great benefit to the college, nearly feven 
years. He quitted the office of tutor, on 
the occafion of his marriage, in the year 
1777-8, and at the age of 25, 
The adminiftration of Yale college was 
at no time more refpectable than during 
the tutorfhip of Mr. Dwicut. Moft of 
the tutors, at that period, were men 
of uncommon merit; and of thefe the 
moft diftinguifhed was Mr. Trumbull, 
the author of <* M‘Fingal.” In connec~ 
tion with this gentleman, Mr. Dwicur 
wrote feveral occafional and pericdical 

+ The plan of inftruction in Yale college, 
and in fome others of the American colleges, 
differs from that which is moft common in 
Europe: for, befide profefforseewhich at. 
Yale college are only of divinity, ecclefiaftie 
cal hiftory, and natural philofophy and mas 
thematics-~each clafs is under the particular 
care of a tutor, to whom they recite thyice 
a day, and who generally condudts them 
through all their fudies till they commence 
feniors. 
A 
