victim to premature exertion; exhibiting indeed at first, in these young and tender subjects, the flattering appear, ance 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 most susceptible and tenacious of impreffions; and the learning of languages being chiefly a work of memory, it seems precifely fitted to the powers of this period, which is long enough too for acquiring the most useful languages, ancient 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 cfpecially as in this cafe the books put into the hands of the youth for this purpose may be such as will at the fame time impress their minds with useful facts and good principles. If this period be fuffered to pafs in idleness, the mind becomes lethargic and impotent, as would the body it inhabits if unexercifed during the fame time, The fympathy 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 supposed they will be fent on from the grammar fchools to the univerfity, which conftitutes our third and last stage, there to ftudy thofe fciences which may be adapted to their views.-By that part of our plan which prefcribes the selection of the youths of genius from among the claffes of the poor,

we

we hope to avail the state of thofe talents which nature has fown as liberally among the poor as the rich, but which perish without ufe, if not fought for and cultivated. But of the views of this law none is more important, none more legitimate, than that of rendering the people fafe, as they are the ultimate guardians of their own liberty. For this purpose the reading in the first stage, where they will receive their whole education, is propofed, as has been faid, to be chiefly hif torical. History by apprifing them of the past 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 some traces of human weaknefs, 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. then are its only fafe depofitories. 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 must here come in aid of the public education. The influence over government must be shared among all the people. If every individual which composes their mass participates of the ultimate authority,

The people themselves
And to render

the

the government will be fafe; because the corrupting the whole mafs will exceed any private resources 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 Great Britain has been corrupted, becaufe 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 corrup tion is restrained by confining the right of fuffrage to a few of the wealthier of the people: but it would be more effectually reftrained by an extenfion of that right to fuch numbers as would bid defiance to the. means of corruption.

Lastly, it is proposed, by a bill in this revifal, to begin a public library and gallery, by laying out a certain fum annually in books, paintings, and statues.

QUERY

QUERY XV.

THE colleges and public establishments, the

roads, buildings, &c. ?

The college of William and Mary is the only pub. lic feminary of Learning in this ftate. It was founded in the time of king William and queen Mary, who granted to it 20,000 acres of land, and a penny a pound duty on certain tobaccoes exported from Virginia and Maryland, which had been levied by the ftatute of 25 Car. 2. The affembly alfo gave it, by temporary laws, a duty on liquors imported, and skins and furs exported. From these resources it received upwards of 3000l. communibus annis. The buildings are of brick, fufficient for an indifferent accommoda tion of perhaps an hundred ftudents. By its charter it was to be under the government of twenty vifitors, who were to be its legislators, and to have a prefident and fix profeffors, who were incorporated. It was allowed a reprefentative in the general affembly. Under this charter, a profefforship of Greek and Latin languages, a professorship of mathematics, one of moral philofophy, and two of divinity, were established. To these were annexed for a fixth profefforfhip, a confiderable donation by Mr. Boyle of England, for the instruction of the Indians, and their converfion to

Christianity.

Christianity. This was called the profefforship of Brafferton, from an estate of that name in England, purchaf ed with the monies given. The admiffion of the learn ers of Latin and Greek filled the college with children. This rendered it difagreeable and degrading to young gentlemen already prepared for entering on the sciences, they were discouraged from reforting to it, and thus the schools for mathematics and moral philofophy, which might have been of fome fervice, became of very little. The revenues too were exhausted in accommodating those who came only to acquire the ru. diments of science. After the present revolution, the vifitors, having no power to change thofe circumstances in the conftitution of the college which were fixed by the charter, and being therefore, confined in the number of profefforships, undertook to change the objects of the profefforfhips. They excluded the two schools for divinity, and that for the Greek and Latin languages, and substituted others; so that at prefent they stand thus:

A Profefforship for Law and Police :
Anatomy and Medicine:

Natural Philofophy and Mathematics :

Moral Philofophy, the law of Nature and Nations,

the fine Arts:

Modern Languages:
For the Brafferton.

And it is propofed, fo foon as the legislature fhall have leisure to take up this fubject, to defire authori

ty