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profefforships, as well for the purpose of subdividing those already inftitated, as of adding others for other branches of science. To the profefforfhips ufually established in the univerfities of Europe, it would feem proper to add one for the ancient languages and literature of the North, on account of their connection with our own language, laws, customs, and hiftory. The purposes of the Brafferton inftitution would be better anfwered by maintaining a perpetual miffion among the Indians tribes, the object of which, befides inftructing them in the principles of chriftianity, as the founder requires, fhould be to collect their traditions, laws, customs, languages, and other circumstances which might lead to a difcovery of their relation with one another, or defcent from other nations. When these objects are accomplished with one tribe, the miffionary might pafs on to another.'

The college edifice is a huge, misshapen pile, which, but that it has a roof, would be taken for a brick-kiln." In 1987, there were about 30 young gentlemen members of this college, a large proportion of which were law-ftudents.

There are a number of flourishing academies in Virginia-one in Prince Edward county-one at Alexandria-one at Norfolk-one at Hanover, and others in other places.

Since the declaration of independence, the laws of Virginia have been revifed by a committee appointed for the purpofe, who have reported their work to the affembly. One object of this revifal was to diffuse knowledge more generally through the mafs of the people. The bill for this purpofe propofes to lay off every county into fmall diftricts of five or fix miles fquare, called hundreds, and in each of them to establish a school for teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. The tutor to be fupported by the hundred, and every perfon in it entitled to fend their children 3 years gratis, and as much longer as they pleafe, paying for it. These fchools to be under a vifitor, who is annually to choose the boy, of best genius in the fchool, of thofe whofe parents are too poor to give them further education, and to fend him forward to one of the grammar fchools, of which twenty are propofed to be erected in different parts of the country, for teaching Greek, Latin, geography, and the higher branches of numerical arithmetic. Of the boys thus fent in any one year, trial is to be made at the grammar fchools one or two years, and the beft genius of the whole felected, and continued fix years, and the refidue difmiffed. By this means twenty of the beft geniuffes will be raked from the rubbish annually, and be inftructed, at the public expence, fo far as the grammar fchools go. At the end of fix years intruction, one half are to be difcontinued (from among whom the grammar fchools will probably be fupplied with future mafters); and the other half, who are to be chofen for the fuperiority of their parts and difpofition, are to be fent and continued three years in the study of fuch fciences as they fhall choofe, at William and Mary college, the plan of which is propofed to be enlarged, as will be hereafter explained, and extended to all the ufeful fciences. The ultimate refult of the whole scheme of education would be the teaching all the children of the ftate reading, writing, and common arithmetic turning out ten annually of fuperior genius, well taught in Greek, Latin, geography, and the higher branches of

arithmetic

arithmetic: turning out ten others annually, of ftill fuperior parts, who, to thofe branches of learning, fhall have added fuch of the fciences as their genius fhall have led them to: the furnishing to the wealthier part of the people convenient schools, at which their children may be educated at their own expence.-The general objects of this law are to provide an education adapted to the years, to the capacity, and the condition of every one, and directed to their freedom and happinefs. Specific details were not proper for the law. These must be the business of the vifitors entrusted with its execution. The firft ftage of this education being the fchools of the hundreds, wherein the great mafs of the people will receive their inftruction, the principal foundations of future order will be laid here. Inftead therefore of putting the Bible and Teftament into the hands of the children, at an age when their judgments are not fufficiently matured for religious enquiries, their memories may here be ftored with the most useful facts from Grecian, Roman, European and American history. The first elements of morality too may be inftilled into their minds; fuch as, when further developed as their judgments advance in ftrength, may teach them how to work out their own greatest happiness, by fhewing them that it does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed them, but is always the refult of a good confcience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all juft pursuits.-Thofe whom either the wealth of their parents or the adoption of the state shall deftine to higher degrees of learning, will go on to the grammar fchools, which conftitute the next ftage, there to be inftructed in the languages. The learning Greek and Latin, I am told, is going into difufe in Europe. I know not what their manners and occupations may call for: but it would be very ill-judged in us to follow their example in this inftance. There is a certain period of life, fay from eight to fifteen or fixteen years of age, when the mind, like the body, is not yet firm enough for laborious and clofe operations. If applied to fuch, it falls an early victim to premature exertion; exhibiting indeed at firft, in thefe young and tender fubjects, the flattering appearance of their being men while they are yet children, but ending in reducing them to be children when they fhould be men. The memory is then moft fufceptible and tenacious of impreffions; and the learning of languages being chiefly a work of memory, it feems precifely fitted to the powers of this period, which is long enough too for acquiring the moft ufeful languages antient and modern. I do not pretend that language is fcience. It is only an inftrument for the attainment of science. But that time is not loft which is employed in providing tools for future operation: more especially as in this cafe the books put into the hands of the youth for this purpofe may be fuch as will at the fame time impress their minds with ufeful facts and good principles. If this period be fuffered to pafs in idlenefs, the mind becomes lethargic and impotent, as would the body it inhabits if unexercised during the fame time. The fym. pathy between body and mind during their rife, progrefs and decline, is too ftrict and obvious to endanger our being mifled while we reafon from the one to the other.-As foon as they are of fufficient age, it is fuppofed they will be fent on from the grammar fchools to the univerfity, which conftitutes our third and laft stage, there to ftudy thofe sciences which may be adapted to their views. By that part of our plan which pre

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fcribes the selection of the youths of genius from among the claffes of the poor, we hope to avail the ftate of thofe talents which nature has fown as liberally among the poor as the rich, but which perifh without ufe, if not fought for and cultivated. But of all the views of this law none is more important, none more legitimate, than that of rendering the people the fafe, as they are the ultimate, guardians of their own liberty. For this purpose the reading in the firft ftage, where they will receive their whole education, is propofed, as has been faid, to be chiefly hiftorical. Hiftory by apprifing them of the paft, will enable them to judge of the future; it will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations; it will qualify them as judges of the actions and defigns of men; it will enable them to know ambition under every disguise it may affume; and knowing it, to defeat its views. In every government on earth is fome trace of human weakness, fome germ of corruption and degeneracy, which cunning will discover, and wickedness infenfibly open, cultivate, and improve. Every government degenerates when trufted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves therefore are its only fafe depofitories. And to render even them fafe, their minds must be improved to a certain degree. This indeed is not all that is neceffary, though it be effentially neceffary. An amendment of our conftitution muft here come in aid of the public education. The influence over government must be fhared among all the people. If every individual which compofes their mafs participates of the ultimate authority, the government will be fafe; because the corrupting the whole mafs will exceed any private refources of wealth and public ones cannot be provided but by levies on the people. In this cafe every man would have to pay his own price. The government of GreatBritain has been corrupted, because but one man in ten has a right to vote for members of parliament. The fellers of the government therefore get nine-tenths of their price clear. It has been thought that corruption is reftrained by confining the right of fuffrage to a few of the wealthier of the people but it would be more effectually restrained by an extenfion of that right to fuch numbers as would bid defiance to the means of corruption.' The excellent measures for the diffufion of useful knowledge, which the fore-mentioned bill proposes, have not yet been carried into effect. And it will be happy if the great inequality in the circumftances of the citizens -the pride, the independence, and the indolence of one clafs-and the poverty and depreffion of the other, do not prove infuperable difficulties in the way of their univerfal operation.

Religion.] The first fettlers in this country were emigrants from England, of the English church, juft at a point of time when it was flushed with complete victory over the religions of all other perfuafions. Poffeffed, as they became, of the powers of making, adminiftering, and executing the laws, they fhewed equal intolerance in this country with their Prefbyterian brethren, who had emigrated to the northern government. The poor Quakers were flying from perfecution in England. They caft their eyes on these new countries as afylums of civil and religious freedom; but they found them free only for the reigning fect. Several acts of the Virginia affembly of 1659, 1662, and 1693, had made it penal in parents to refufe to have their children baptized; had prohibited the unlawful affembling of Quakers; had made it penal for any mafter of a vef

fel

fel to bring a Quaker into the ftate; had ordered those already here, and fuch as fhould come thereafter, to be imprisoned till they fhould abjure the country; provided a milder punishment for their firit and fecond return, but death for their third; had inhibited all perfons from suffering their meetings in or near their houfes, entertaiuing them individually, or difpofing of books which supported their tenets. If no capital execution took place here, as did in New-England, it was not owing to the moderation of the church, or fpirit of the legislature, as may be inferred from the law itself; but to historical circumstances which have not been handed down to us. The Anglicans retained full poffeffion of the country about a century. Other opinions began then to creep in, and the great care of the government to fupport their own church, having begotten an equal degree of indolence in its clergy, two-thirds of the people had become diffenters at the commencement of the present revolution. deed were ftill oppreffive on them, but the spirit of the one party had fubfided into moderation, and of the other had risen to a degree of determination which commanded respect.'

The laws in

The prefent denominations of chriftians in Virginia are, Prefbyterians, who are the moft numerous, and inhabit the western parts of the ftate; Epifcopalians, who are the most ancient fettlers, and occupy the eastern and first fettled parts of the state. Intermingled with these are great numbers of Baptifts and Methodists. The proportional numbers of these feveral denominations have not been afcertained. The Epifcopalians, or as Mr. Jefferson calls them, the Anglicans,' have, comparatively, but few ministers among them; and these few, when they preach, which is feldom more than once a week, preach to very thin congregations.Prefbyterians, in proportion to their numbers, have more minifters, who preach oftener, and to larger audiences. The Baptifts and Methodists are generally fupplied by itinerant preachers, who have large and promifcuous audiences, and preach almost every day, and often feveral times in a day.

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The bulk of thefe religious fects are of the poorer fort of people, and many of them are very ignorant, (as is indeed the cafe with the other denominations) but they are generally a moral, well-meaning fet of people. They exhibit much zeal in their worship, which appears to be composed of the mingled effufions of piety, enthufiafin, and fuperftition.

Character, Manners, and Cuftoms.] Virginia has produced fome of the moft diftinguished and influential men that have been active in effecting the two late grand and important revolutions in America. Her political and military character will rank among the first in the page of hiftory. But it is to be obferved that this character has been obtained for the Virginians by a few eminent men, who have taken the lead in all their public tranfactions, and who, in fhort, govern Virginia; for the great body of the people do not concern themselves with politics-fo that their government, though nominally republican, is, in fact, oligarchal or aristocratical.

The Virginians pride themselves in inheriting the ancient dominion, and think that this does, or ought to, entitle them to the first rank in the union. Age is indeed honourable, and ought to be refpected, in proportion to the wisdom which it difcovers; but it is often proud and petulant; and, in view of what it has once been, claims a rank and respect which are Cc 2

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not its due; and this is never more likely to be the case, than when there is a lack of that wisdom which long experience ought to produce. Whether this is the cafe with Virginia, I will not pretend to determine. It is certain, however, that her northern fifters, though willing to yield to her in point of age, believe, not only that she is not fuperior, but that she is far from being equal to fome of them, in point of literary, mechanical, nautical, agricultural, and manufactural improvements. A few fingular inftances excepted, the Virginians have made very little progrefs in the arts and sciences. Of their skill in architecture, Mr. Jefferfon gives the following account: The private buildings are very rarely conftructed of ftone or brick; much the greatest proportion being of scantling and boards, plaftered with lime. It is impoffible to devife things more ugly, uncomfortable, and happily more perishable. There are two or three plans, on one of which, according to its fize, moft of the houses in the state are built. The pooreft people build huts of logs, laid horizontally in pens, ftopping the interftices with mud. These are warmer in winter, and cooler in fummer, than the more expenfive conftructions of fcantling and plank. The only public buildings worthy mention are the Capitol, the Palace, the College, and the Hofpital for Lunatics, all of them in Williamfburgh. There are no other public buildings but churches and courthouses, in which no attempts are made at elegance. Indeed it would not be eafy to execute fuch an attempt, as a workman could fcarcely be found here capable of drawing an order. The genius of architecture feems to have fhed its maledictions over this land. Buildings are often erected, by individuals, of confiderable expence. To give these fymmetry and tafte would not increase their coft. It would only change the arrangement of the materials, the form and combination of the members. This would often coft lefs than the burthen of barbarous ornaments with which these buildings are fometimes charged. But the first principles of the art are unknown, and there exifts fcarcely a model among us fufficiently chafte to give an idea of them. Architecture being one of the fine arts, and as fuch within the department of a profeffor of the college, according to the new arrangement, perhaps a fpark may fall on fome young fubjects of natural tafte, kindle up their genius, and produce a reformation in this elegant and ufeful art.'

A fenfible gentleman who travelled through the middle fettlements in America, about 30 years ago, has given the Virginians the following character.

The climate and external appearance of the country confpire to make them indolent, eafy, and good-natured; extremely fond of fociety, and much given to convivial pleafures. In confequence of this, they feldom fhow any fpirit of enterprize, or expofe themselves willingly to fatigue. Their authority over their flaves renders them vain and imperious, and intire ftrangers to that elegance of fentiment, which is fo peculiarly characteristic of refined and polished nations. Their ignorance of mankind and of learning, expofes them to many errors and prejudices, efpecially in regard to Indians and Negroes, whom they fcarcely confider as of the human fpecies; fo that it is almoft impoffible, in cafes of vio

*The Rev. Andreu Burnaby, Vicar of Greenwich.

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