1799.) 
the highett degree, clofe and infidious, the 
{port of every ‘unruly pafhion, immoderate- 
ly puffed up with pride, and prepofleffed 
againit whatever is European ; and, in an 
eipecial manner, of a hoftile see miftruttful 
difpofition towards the Spaniards. Under 
the oppreflive yoke of fuch men the Indian 
has lived fer centuries, and pants for the 
bleflings of liberty ; 3 which, however, he 
is yet incapable of attaining ; though he 
wants not a found uriderftanding and judg- 
ment ; hence with lively emotion has ke 
often openly arid loudly complained of the 
injuries heaped upoa him. ‘The king, in~ 
deed, has enatted feveral -falutary laws, 
with a view of ameliorating the condition 
ms the Indians; but they have either never 
een promulgated, or, at lealt, by intrigues 
fe rendered of -no avail, THe Indians 
aré the only productive clafs of the com- 
munity. To the labour of thefe patient 
drudges we are indebted for all the gold 
and filver that is brought from all parts of 
Spanifh South. America. Forno European, 
nor even the negroes, are robuft enough to 
be able, for one year only, to refift, in thefe 
regions, the effects of the climate, and 
fupport the fatigues’in the mines on the 
high mountains of South America. And 
to thefe good and patient fubjects, their 
haughty mafters leave, as the reward of 
their toil, hardly a fufficient pittance to 
enable them to procure a {canty meal of 
potatoes and maize, boiled in water. 
‘e . ~ 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, Py 
MUSING a vacant hour by recur- 
A ring to your elegant publication, I 
was ftruck with a queftion made under the 
fignature of a Friend to Pbilo ofophical En- 
guiry, in the Magazine of January, 1799. 
As tar as I have examined the fucceeding 
feries, the fubject has received no further 
notice. The enquirer laments that the 
purfuit of fcientific knowledge has’ been 
_difcouraged by the general argument, that 
** all great difcoveries are the offs pring 
of chonce 5” thence deducing that it is 
heedlefs for the ftudent to bufy himfelf 
in deep and. troublefome invettigations, 
fince accident will better produce ‘what is 
often denied to induftry. 
This letter efcaped my notice at the 
time of publication, and thus the feafon of 
intereft is paft; but, at this late period, I 
will make an effort to re(cue {cience from 
the obloquy that indolerce has caft upon 
her. ; 
The obfervation itfelf is merely that of 
ignorance; like mecft general axioms, it 
Difcoveries not owing to Accident, 
-to his labours. 
857 
looks only to the furface, and leaves truth 
unfought at the bottom. Accident has in- 
deed called forth fome latent effects from 
natural caufes, which human _ intellect 
could never have developed ; but, had not 
{cience and induftry been at hand to recog- 
nize and improye the hint, fmall good 
would have accrued to knowledge from 
the random favours of the blind deity. 
Every day fhe unyeils the fecrets of na- 
ture; but, falling under the eye of the 
unletteyed, the ignorant, or the infenfible, 
they are lof to the WORLD, and her fa- 
vours are in vain. Who, then, are the 
men who employ this as an argument to 
difcourage fcientific refearch ?* 
It is univerfally known, that in every 
branch of human knowledge much afhift- 
ance is attributable to accident ; but much 
more to ftudy and profound inveftigation, 
The philofopher feizes the favourable mo- 
ment, he arranges, he heightens, he un- 
veils the half-difcovered truth. By the 
force of intellect, the dark hint is improv- 
ed by a thoufand affociations; he fees at 
a glance all the afliftance it is Capable of 
receiving ; and gives it ule, regularity, 
and beauty. 
It is thus in aftronomy, the higheft of 
earthly attainments, chazce madé known 
the wonderful effects of the lens ;+ but 
had the accident fallen under the eye of a 
common obferver, the f{cience would have 
loft the: fublime advantages to which ge- 
nius has rendered it fubfervient. 
A painter, in the infancy of the art, im-. 
patient to give expreflion to the fubject 
his mind laboured with, fnatches a piece 
of linen, that fortunatelyJay in his way, 
and for want of other materials, fketches 
his picture on that, thus fuggefting the 
method of painting on canvas. Is it to 
accident, or to genius, we owe this im- 
provement? The chemift 1s much in- 
debted to chance combinations, which fre- 
quently throw new light on his operations, 
and give him the affiftance that is denied 
It is needlets to enlarge 
on this fubjeét; every day’s experience 
e(tablithes the truth of my podtion, and no 
foreign affiftance is neceflary. 
The further queftion your correfpond- 
ent propofes, namely, °* If inventions and 
difcoveries have been multiplied, in propor - 
tion as the general mafs of knowledge has 
been augmented and diffufed,” I \eave to 
abler hands to determine; the inveltiga- 
tion may be curious, but, I humbly. ima- 

* See the letterin queftion. 
f+ Alluding tothe inyention of the tele- 
feope. 
gin, 

