^, IMA9E EVALUATION TEST TASGEl (MT-3) 1.0 I.I us Hi 11-25 i 1.4 I 1.6 ^w # 7 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation \ -^ ^^^>/'^ ^^.V^ ;\ 33 WIST MAIN STRUT WnSTIR, N.Y. MSIO (716)l73-4$03 '^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiquee Technical and Bibliographic Notss/Notes techniques et bibiiographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the imaget ,n the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. Q Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur D D D D □ D Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagte Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurie et/ou pellicuiie Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps/ Cartes giographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) □ Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur D Bound with other material/ Relii avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ Lareliure serr^e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intArieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela Atait possible, ces pages n'ont pas At6 filmtes. Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplAmentaires; L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une imag^ reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m6thode normals de filmage sont indiquis ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages/ I I Pages damaged/ I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ D Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommag^es Pages restored and/oi Pages restauries et/ou pelliculdes Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d6color6es, tachetdes ou piqu6es Pages detached/ Pages d6tBch6es Showthrough/ Transparence Quality of prir Quality inigale de I'impression Includes supplementary materii Comprend du materiel suppl^mentaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible I I Pages detached/ r~~| Showthrough/ I I Quality of print varies/ I I Includes supplementary material/ I I Only edition available/ Th< toi Th< poi of filnl Ori be( the sio oth firs sioi or The she TIN whi Mai diff enti beg righ reqi met Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une peiure. etc., ont 6t6 filmies A nouveau de fapon A obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est fiimA au taux de reduction indiquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 2ex 30X y 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Library of the Pubiic Archives of Canada The images appearing here are the best quaiity possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated Impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated Impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol ^^> (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. IViaps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grAce A la gAnArositt de: La bibliothdque des Archives pubiiques du Canada Les images suivantes ont 6t4 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la netteti de l'exemplaire f ilm6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. * - ■ - Les exemplaires orlginaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimie sont filmAs en commen^ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires orlginaux sont fiim^s en commen^ant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur ia dernlAre image de cheque microfiche, selcn le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUiVRE". le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmte A des taux de rMuction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clich*, il est film* A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 INAUGURAL ADDRESS, DELlVEWiiD AT QUEBEC, BEIORE THE dUEBEC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. 0»r FAIDAT, a6TH JAMUAJ^, I8«f . Ih- The Hon. A. W. COCHRAN, D. C. L. Membir of tfm Litoarij and Historical Societi/ of Quebec, and of the MasstMihiufCtts Hiitorical Hociety. i QIKBEC: PRINTED FOR THE QUEBEC LIBRARY ASSOCIATON, nv GILBEHT STANLEY. 15, BUADE STREET . 1844. ' -^ ■. THE i.*-/;> ■^-'' PR (^^'/r? INAUGURAL ADDRESS. DELIVERED AT QUEBEC, BEFOUE THE aUEBEC lIBftARY ASSOCIATION, ON FRIDAT, aeXB JANUABT, 18««. V,* By The Hon. A. W. COCHRAN, D. C. L. Memher of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, and of the Massm'husetts Historical Society. QUEBEC : PRINTED FOR THE QUEBEC LIBRARY ASSOCIATON, BY GILBEUT STANLEY, 15, BUADE STREET. 1844. » Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Quebec Library Association, adopted on Monday, 29th January, 1844 : — That the thanks of the Directors, on behalf of the Quebec Library Association, be tendered to the Honble. A. W. Cochban, D. C L. tor the eleeant Address delivered by him to the Association, on the 2bth instant! and that the Honble. W. Walker, President J. C. iisher, Esq LL D Vice-President, the Chairman of the Board, the Secretary, the mover and seconder of this resolution, do form a Deputation to couvev the same to him, with a request that he will allow the Asso- ciation to have the said address pubhshed, under his superintendance. P9 INAUGURAL ADDRESS, DELIVERED AT QUEBEC, BEFORE THE QUEBEC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, ®L^ JPKHISiaT, ?.?!£-IPia .JTiiSfJW^lSTj :ii3-ft-fi- Gentlemex, It may be in the recoHection or within the knowledge of some who now hear me, that when I was first invited to address you on the present occasion, I hesitated, and desired time to consider the request ; and even after having undertaken the task proposed to me, my hesitation returned, and fresh doubts arose each time that I addressed myself to its performance : I felt the novelty and the interest of the occasion, the extent and importance of the subject on which I Avas to be engaged, and my own insufficiency for it ; and more than once I shrank from the undertaking, and should have relinquished it altogether, but for an unwillingness to disaj>point expectations which I had raised. I noAv appear before you, too sensible that the task is ])eyoud my ability, — that I am incurring the i: sk of disappointing your expectations still more by the insul- ficiency of my performance ; and that I can only escape this mortification by the exercise of a large, liberal and kindly indulgence on your part. One qualification only, — unknown perhaps to those who invited my services, — 1 may presume to think that I pos- sess ; and it is, that, in the course of a life the shadows of which are now lengthening l)efore me, and of wliich nearly forty years have been s])ent, perhaps in too desultory a man- ner, among books, there has been produced, fostered and strengthened in me an attachment to Literature which, while in itself an unfailing source of unmixed pleasure, has given me a deep interest in every undertaking which has the promotion of Literature for its design. It was therefore with no common gratification that I affixed my name to the requisition calling the meeting in which the Library Association had its origin ; — and I can only hope now that the heartiness of my zeal and the earnest- ness of my purpose may be accepted by you instead of that full sufiiciency for the task which I feel that I want, and may lead you to receive with candid allowance the reflec- tions which lam about to offer to you on the present occasion ; and that allowance is the more necessary, as they have been thrown together in a hasty manner, amidst many inter- ruptions of private and public avocations, and upon a subject out of the line of my ordinary studies and pursuits. I have spoken of the interest and importance of the subject : That a lively interest in it has been awakened in this community, is attested by the success which has at- tended the measures taken for forming the Association and by the numerous asseml)lage which 1 now see before me ; And that the design is one of importance, will hardly be denied by any one who believes that we are born for some- thing more than to consume the fruits of the earth, — that there are other and higher and worthier objects of desire than the acquisition of wealtli, the pursuits of am- bition, the enjoyments of sense, or the dissipations of amusement ; that there is an immortal part of man, en- dowed with intellectual faculties, which are given to him to be exercised and disciplined, elevated and enlarged, cultivated and improved. To all who hold these animating and uncontrouled tniths, it must be a matte r of just congratulati(m that an association has been formed, having for its object to pro- mote a taste for reading, to furnish it with healthfid food, and to encourage the acquisition of sound and improving knowlrdge ; And to all who have looked with thouglitful attention on the peculiar circumstances and condition of this re which, sasure, has vhich has it I affixed in which can only e earnest- ad of that vant, and he reflec- occasion ; lave been my inter- 1 upon a pursuits, e of the ikened in [i has at- ation and ifore me ; lardly be lor some- earth, — bjects of s of am- itions of nan, en- n to him enlarged, ntrouled 1 that an t to pro- ful food, iproving ouglitful dition of this community, it must have been matter of surprize and regret, that so little regard has hitherto been paid in it to , intellectual pursuits, if even viewed merely as a source of I amusement, — and so little encouragement hitherto afforded to Literature and the institutions subservient to it. Shut out in a great measure, during one half of the year, by our geographical position and the rigours of our climate, from frequent and ready intercourse with other countries, — while the other half of it is necessarily engrossed by dili- gent and unceasing occupation in the toils and business of life, it should seem natural that, in this dreary season of stagnation and repose which now surrounds us, the mere dearth of employment and recreation should have had the effect of leading us to a resource affording both enter- tainment and instruction, — of power to " redress the clime and all its rage disarm," and calculated at once to relax and occupy the mind ; And, by a numerous class of our '"k society, — by the hundreds of young men growing up amongst . us, who are destined for professions and commercial pur- suits, it might have been supposed that such a resource ij would have been deemed invaluable, — and would have been § gladly seized to fill up even those vacant hours, when other m amusements cannot be found, or have lost their power over f the sated and wearied sense. But the records of the few Literary institutions of Quebec may show how little the advantages which it affords for improving the mind, by the books of its public collections, have been as yet sought after, or turned to account. The history of the progress of Literature in Canada, since it became a Britisli possession, would be a subject of interest- ing and curious research, but by no means of encourage- ment or of sanguine liope for the- future ; and it appears to me that 1 cannot better or more fitly occupy your attention during the short space of time for which I may hope to secure it, than by taking a Ijrief review of that progress, under the various heads into which the subject naturally divides itself — of Periodical Literature, including Maga- zines and Newspnpers ; original Works published ; and literary Institutions formed. Let not any one who hears me be alarmed at the prospect of a long dissertation ; — wide as the subject seems to be and long the space of time which it corers, the particulars may, unfortunately, be brought within a small compass. And first, the succession of our newspapers claims a passing notice ; — nor let any one receive " with a disdainful smile" the introduction of this seemingly trivial subject on the pre- sent occasion. The newspaper is speedily found wherever the Anglo-Saxon establishes himself, and where he cannot have the reality he will make to himself a sportive imitation of it. The intrepid explorers of the icy north, under Parry, had their North Georgia Gazette and Weekly Chronicle, and we already hear of a Hong Kong Gazette. As soon as the Colonist is in a condition to look beyond the wants of the present hour, he seeks a newspaper as a relaxation from his labours ; it is the pioneer of Colonial Literature ; the resource not only of the merely idle, but of the toil-worn and the weary, — the only book of too many, — Something to all men, and to some men all.* The first newspaper established in Canada was the Quebec Gazette, still subsisting. The founder of it, Mr. Brown, brought his press from Philadelphia, in 1763, By his heirs it was sold to Mr. Samuel NeiLson, who left the establishment, by his will, to his l)rother the present ex- perienced and able Editor of tlic paper. There were in 1763 not more than twenty newspapers published in the breadth and length of the then American Colonies, and the Quebec Gazette is the oldest in the Briti5;li N. A. Provinces. For nearly 30 years it remained without a competitor; but about 1788 it was followed by a rival Qneljee Gazette, printed by one Sketchley ; and subsequently by the Que])ec Herald ; — both of Avhich papers had but a' brief existence. About 1778 the old Montreal Gazette was established by one Mesplet, and was published in French ; but it was soon discontinued,— was resumed about 1794, by Louis * Crablie's Kfw^papcr. vho hears tation ; — space of lately, be 1 a passing ful smile" n the pre- wherever he cannot imitation ler Parry, nicle, and )on as the its of the ition from ture ; the toil-worn was the )f it, Mr. in 1763. 10 left the pscnt cx- e in 17f)3 3 breadth e Quebec 'cs. For itor ; but Gazette, t Quebec xisteiice. lishcd by t it was jy Louis Roy, from the Quebec Gazette office ; and after his death two New^spapers under that name were published at the same time, by one Edwards and by the still survi^^ng Mr. Brown, who came also from the Quebec Gazette office ; and the paper conducted ])y him lieing transferred to others, still sul)sists under the same title. About 1794 a newspaper was published at Quebec, in French and English, under the title of the Times or La Tems; but enjoyed only a limited circulation and short existence ; and probably no numbers of it are now extant except a few in the Library of the Literary and Historical Society. The Quebec Mercury commenced its career in 1804 ; and the Canadien followed in 1806 ; but was stopped by the seizure of the press by Government, in 1810. Thirty years ago the only newspa- pers in existence in the two (Janadas were the Quebec Gazette and Mercury, — the Montreal Gazette and Herald, the Canadian C'ourant, at Montreal (established about 1808,) and the Upper Canada Gazette, commenced at York about 1800. At the present moment four English and five French newspapers (some of the latter of recent origin and small circulation) are published and chiefly supported in Quebec. In Mcmtreal there are live English and three French news- papers ; and one English at Sherbrooke ; while, in Upper Canada, Toronto sends forth seven, Kingston five, and upwards of thirty others are published in different thriving towns and settlements, from Cornwall on the St. Lawrence, and Bytown on tlie Ottawa, to Sandwich ; Of these all are in the English language except one in Gaelic and one in German. Nor are these papers, in either Province, con- fined to political topics ; most of them contain useful selections and general information in various branches of literature and science ; and it is pleasing to observe, tliat as far as is known, all of them sustain a tone favourable to public morality ; and that some of them, among wliich I may be permitted to mention particularly our own Quebec Gazette, the senior of all, and The Clna'ch, published in Upper Canada, and devoted to the interests of the Church of England, exhibit an ability in the Editorial department -•jfr and a judicious care in the selection of intelligence suited to their respective objects, which place them far above most of the journals published in America and on a level with the best of the Provincial newspapers of the Mother Country. In this department, therefore, of local literature, there are evidences of rapid progress, of extensive improvement and of considerable present activity. There cannot be a doubt that these vehicles of popular information have a large in- fluence, for good or for evil, upon the public mind ; and their number and their circulation must be taken as indications of a taste for reading of a particular description ; but it may be apprehended that the appetite thus excited and thus fed has been confined to this the lightest and most desultory form of Literature, and has not been strong enough to encounter even such solidity and substance as are to be found in the more formal and matured compositions or selections of the Ma- gazine. Peric Jical works of this class have in Canada had but a fleeting existence ; after dragging " their slow length along," through a few years of ill sustained and sickly life, they have perished from lack of support both of money and contri- butions. The earliest Magazine established in Canada was the first also undertaken on the continent of America, except one, and that one the Nova Scotia Magazine, established in 1 789, and conducted for some years, single handed, by one* who claims to be mentioned, with fiUnl reverence and af- fection, by the person who now addresses you. — The first in Canada was the Qiiebec Magazine, rommenced in 1 792, and continued monthly ; It was printed at the Quebec Ga- zette otFice, and was conducted by the Rev. Mr. Spark, well remembered l)y some who hoar me, as an amiable, excellent and well informed Clergyman of the Church of Scotland at Quebec, himself not meanly skilled in letters, and devoting his leisure to literary and srientiric, pursuits. I'nder his management the Quebec Magazine maintained a re.spec- • ThP latp Rrvd William Cochran, D. D. Vice Pf-aidcnt of King's Cullrgo, Windsor, NftvR Smtin. ce suited ove most with the untry. there are ment and e a doubt large in- and their nations of it may be IS fed has y form of titer even the more tlie Ma- a had but th along," they have d contri- was the a, except 3lished in I, by one* e and af- ■The first in 1 792, ebec Ga- r. Spark, amiable, !^'hurch of tters. and s. Tnder w rc.spec- ig's Cullrgc, table existence, though with a limited circulation, until De- cember 1793, when, from the causes already adverted to, it was abandoned. In 1803 a periodical paper was published weekly at Quebec by Mr. Neilson, under the title of the British i\.merican Register, but it only reached the 26th number, and, except in being in the octavo form and contain- ing no advertisements, it might be classed rather as a news- paper than as a magazine. From the extinction of that journal until 1823, I am not aware that any attempt was made in Canada to publish a magazine ; but in the latter year, the Canadian Magazine and Literary Miscellany was com- menced at Montreal, and continued until June, 1825 ; It was published by Mr. H. H. Cunningham, but I have not been able to ascertain by whom it was conducted ; During its existence, (in June, 1824) another periodical Journal, under the title of the Canadian R^^view, was undertaken at Montreal by the late Mr. Chisholm, subsequently, if not at that time. Editor of the Montreal Gazette, and who had before been Editor of a newspaper in Scotland ; This Review issued at irregular periods, and reached, I believe, only the fifth number in September, 1826, when it was discontinued. The greater part of the original articles in this Journal were contributed by the Editor, to whom the praise, at least, of great diligence and industry is due ; and there are several papers of considerable local interest which entitle it to a respectable place in Colonial LittTature. From the period of the cessation oi that Review to the present time, I cannot discover that it has been surreedcd by any other requiring special notice, except the Bihliothhjuc Canadiennc, published at Montreal by Mr. Bihaud, and a Journal of the lightest kind of readin«if, now subsisting, called the Literary Garland, which is said to be covKhicted by a Lady. So small being the encouragement given to this more po- pular form of Literature, and so unsuccessful the efforts made in it, it will not be wondered at if the account of original works published among us should present a list even less imposing. I do not believe that any such work issued from 10 the Canadian press before 1809 or 1810, when Mr. Ross Cuthbert, a member of the Quebec Bar, well known to some who hear me, as a gentleman of considerable talents and of good education, (which he had finished in England,) published a New Theory of ihe Tides, in which lie attempted to prove* that the phenomena of the Tides, which, where- ver they have been observed, have maintained for cen- turies a lunar period, following without deviation the mean motion of the moon, are to be deduced from the supposed expansion of the sea, occasioned by the daily variations of the heat of the Sun ; The Quarterly Review for October, 1811, in noticing this pamphlet, introduces and disposes of it, in the following pithy and significant terms : — " We are not induced to turn our attention to die subject of the Tides either by the intrinsic importance of this Essay, or hi/ tlw, scieutijic reputation of the quarter of the trorld where if originated ," and ilie Reviewer dismisses the theory itself with the peremptory condemnation, that " the mere statement of it makes it unnecessary to add another syllable in illustration or confutation of so extravagant an opinion." The History of Canada by Mr. Smith, printed in 1811, (although not published until 1815,) at die printing oHice of the Quebec Gazette, — is still the only extant English History of these Provinces for the period which it compi'ises ; and, as filling up the chasm between the conclusion of Charle- voix's work in 1731, and the epoch of the conquest in 1759, and from thence to the establishment of the Consti- tution of 1791, it is a valuable work of reference, founded upon materials collectetl, I believe, by the father of the author, Chief Justice Smith, the eminent Historian of New York. I do not purpose to notice the books comj)iled for Schools or those of areligitnis character, nor yet the pam))hlets on lo- cal, political, or transitory subjects, of which there have been many published in this Province at dift'erent times ; but the next production of the Provincial Press deserving to be • yuarUily Hfvuw l^ll. 11 Mr. Ross mown to le talents England,) ittempted 1, where- for cen- tion the lioni the Lhe daily y Review luces and terms : — e subject is Essay, h' trorld U3 theory the mere r syllable )inion." in 181 1, ; odice of h Histf)ry ies ; and, ' Charle- Kjucst in ! Consti- foundod 'r of lhe of New ' Schools ^ts on lo- ave been ; l)ut the ig to be f x :'.& mentioned as having tl ^ character of an original work, is Mr. Christie's Memo of the Administration of Govern- ment from 1807 to liJ^S — (portions of which were printed at Quebec)— a pubUcation which, for its accuracy, and clear and terse style, deserves the highest praise, and has gained a place as a Standard work of History, which it is not likely to lose. The only other works published in this Province which it falls within the scope of these observations to notice, are, a Treatise on Agriculture, by Mr. Evans, printed at Mont- real, and possessing much merit; and the Picture of Quebec, published here by Mr. Hawkins, which, though scarcely claiming rank as an original composition, is a com- pilation so carefully made, so well arranged, and containing so nmch not only of interesting local description, but of his- torical research, anecdote and information, that it ought not to be passed over in silence. Turning now from the actual productions of Literature in Canada, to the Institutions connected with it (not including those of Education, the review of which however interesting, would occupy a range beyond the limits I can venture to assume,) the Quebec Library first demands our notice, not only from its early date but because of its direct connection with the object of the new Association now organized. This Institution is the oldest of the kind existing in North America excepting two, the Public Library of Philadelphia, founded by Franklin in 1731, and that of New York, founded in 1751, by several private gentlemen, of wliom Mr. Smith, alteiwards Cliief Justice of this Province, was one. The Quebec Library dates its origin from 1779, when a number of giMitlemen, among whom vvere the then Governor Gen- eral Hald inland, and most of the public functionaries and persons of note in the community, contributed, by liberal donations which were to constitute them proprietors, towards the formation of a collection of books for a Public Library. General Haldimand, himself (a native of Switzerland,) n)ade a considerable doimtion of books, the list of which shews that though w soldier, he luid not in the enn)p forgotten 12 literature ; and the earlier purchases for the Library were made under the advice of such eminent names as Priestley, Franklin, (who was then in Europe,) Mr. afterwards Sir W. Grant, Master of the Rolls, Baron Maseres, of the Exche- quer, who had formerly been in Canada as Attorney General, and Rd. Cumberland, then Agent of the Province, and a lite- rary man of note in that day. The Institution thus formed was afterwards opened for more general utility by admitting an- nual subscribers to enjoy its advantages with the original founders and proprietors ; and upon this footing it has con- tinued to the present time ; But it is much to be regretted that the zeal and liberality which marked its commencement have not since equally sustained it ; It has repeatedly been on the verge of dissolution for want of support, — was once on the point of being seized by legal process for a debt claimed by the Librarian ; and in 1823 it was only rescued from these difficulties by several gentlemen coming forward with considerable contributions, upon which they were ad- mitted as additional shareholders, — with no other privilege or advantage however over other subscribers than that of paying, annually, 20s. instead of 30s., or a reduced sum, if they make no use of the books. The funds of the Library are now so limited as to be almost absorbed by house rent and the Librarian's salary and other ordinary charges, leaving no surplus for the pur- chase of books. The history of the Montreal Library is even more disas- trous and discouraging: Founded in 1796, like that of Quebec, upon the principle of a joint-stock association, in 120 shares of 50 dollars each, a very valuable collection of books was gradually formed amounting at last to about 8000 volumes ; but after several years of declension and of " slow gradations of decay," it sank at last !)y mere inanition ; and a part of the collection is mulerstood to have passed into the hands of the newly formed Mercantile Association of Montreal. Of Literary and Scientific Societies, properly so called, 13 ibrary were IS Priestley, ards Sir W. the Exche- ey General, 3, and a lite- formed was imitting an- :he original it has con- e regretted imencement atedly been —was once 5 for a debt nly rescued ling forward y were ad- er privilege ban that of iced sum, if ed as to be an's salary for the pur- nore disas- ike that of iociation, in ollection of about 8000 id of " slow inanition ; five passed Association Ro railed, none, 1 believe, existed in this Province before 1824, when the present Literary and Historical Society vas founded by the distinguished person who then held the reins of Gov- ernment in this Province : And here I hope I may be pardoned, and not considered as occupying your attention unnecessarily with an extraneous subject, if I give a few brief words of notice to the recollection of one to whom the Society in question, of wh /h I am a member and officer, owes so much; — and vith whom, if I maybe allowed to advert to personal considerations, I was myself long and closely connected, not only in au official capacity, but, as I have pride and pleasure in remembering, in personal friendship, to the close of his life. Ijord Dalhousie, though not a literary man himself, was much more than a mere soldier or man of the world ; He had not, indeed, mastered any particular science, but he had all his life, cultivated a taste for reading. Educated at the the old High School of Edinburgh, he was the school- fellow and class-fellow, and, at all periods, the personal friend of Sir Walter Scott, whom, singular to say, he is reported to have excelled in classical scholarship when at school, — and who has spoken of him, in his Life of Napoleon, as especially qualified, among all the officers of the British army, tor a duty of peculiar delicacy and difficulty which devolved upon him, " by his excellent sense, unshaken steadiness and equality of temper." He entered the army at too early a period of life to have then made any large ac- quisitions of knowledge, l)ut in tlie course of 45 years of honourable service, in the four quarters of the globe, he surveyed the varied scenes through whicii he past, with an eye of atteiiiive and reflecting observation. In the campaigns of the Peninsula he carried with him a portable Library of small i'ditions of Standard works of English and French Literature, which bore evidence of fre(]U(.;nt use ; From tlie period of his service as a Staff Officer in Egypt in INOO, he kept a diary, in which he noted events or objects wortliy of attention ; and in the 14 various countries where his public duties led liim, he made collections of specimens illustrative of Natural History, many of which may have been seen by some who now hear me, enriching the admirably arranged Museum in Edinburgh ; While he held the Government of Nova Scotia, he founded a Collegiate Institution, which now bears his time- honoured name, and for which he obtained a large endow- ment in money from the Crown. And after the establish- ment of the Literary and Historical Society here, besides giving it personally much of his attention, he contributed, while he held the •Government, the munificent sum of £100 a year to its funds. By this munificence, and by the aid of grants from the Legislature, the Society has been enabled to collect not only an extensive Museum, but a considerable Library of works in Science, in History, and General Lite- rature, many of which are both valuable and rare. They are now in correspondence and interchange of publications with several of the most eminent Societies of the same de- scription in Great Britain and Ireland, in difterent countries of Europe, and in America, and their published Trans- actions, which have been favourably noticed in other lands, bear witness to the zeal, if not to the success, with which the Society have applied themselves to the purposes of their institution ; But it is here due to justice to admit, that the most frequent and most valuable contributions to our Transactions have come from Officers in the Military and Naval Services, stationed in Canada, who have devoted their leisure hours to the pursuits of Science, and to obser- vations upon the phenomena of nature and inquiries into the Natural History, the Geology, the Mineralogy, and the Sta- tistics of the country. Yet, with so many advantay the same desire to further the excellent design of the A ^oociation, which has led to the adoption of the present arrangement, will extend it for a further term ; and should the Association assume a perma- nent and corporate character, they may hereafter become the proprietors of the Collection, by purchasing the shares of the present holders. They will then I'avc an excellent foundation for a Library as extensive as they could desire ; — but it is no more than a foundation ; — The crippled resources of the Institution, to which I have already adverted, have not p^Iow( d the Trus- tees to extend the Library ijy the addition cf jy.'Piv ^'aluablo • The appliration of the Association to Mr. Kent, and tiis answer, and their Resolution thennnjon, are inserted in the Appundix A. This prol'ound lawyer and most distin^.iished man was, by a provision of the Constitution of his State, compelled to desc«."vm from the Bench, which he hud so long adorned, because, with his faculties iipc-?»d. his knowledge matured and digested, and his experience enlarged, the Consti. luiioj* .!i lunced him superannuated and unfit for judicial service, at three score I amentSjOf vas Chan- in Law."* ings, has rposes in Ter to you vhich is in- formation ied, what ects of the of 6000 terms of idercd un- iition hi've nt has in- iiig, have A.s.sociation 1 from the should the he Library , their suc- furtlier the led to the 3nd it for a lie a perma- become the larcs of the )r a Library iiore than a titutioii, to (1 the Triis- ':V ^'aluablf* swer, and their lawyur and most :e, compelled to ilh his faculties ged, the Consti- r three score ! 21 productions of modern Literatun and by obtaining im- proved and convenient editions of older standard works ; — The Library was originally formed and stlortcd with care and judgment ; But works that were of standard \ alue and au- tliority in 1779, or even forty years ago, hnve, in the scien- tific department at least, become obsolete, or been super- seded by the publication of later systems and compilations, and by the effect of subsequent discoveries and the progress of science ; With the wonderful advances in every branch of knowlerg" which a retrospect of the last forty years alone woiiW ^ '• 'S( ut to our view, it has been impossible for the Lihi'aTy to keep pace ; and there is now much on its shelves thai c. i!,ht to be swept away, — and much not there that )ught to be added, to make it what it ought to be, a Library of reft rrnce, at least, for standard and elementary works in every Science ; In Practical and Doctrinal Theology and Ge- neral Jurisprudence, — departments of knowledge which at least deserve a considerable place in a public collection of Books, — scarcely any thing lias been added for many years ; and yet, what admirable general treatises, and sunmiaries, and guides for study and expositions of truth, in these de- partments, have issued from tlie Press in Europe and America, within twenty years. In the science of Medicine there is not one work of a general character and of established repu- tation ; In Classical Literature, the list of books is deplo- rably meagre ; Tlie Cliemistry of 1843 is not the Chemistry of 40 years ago ; " Half a century ago," (I quote the words of the eminent and all-accomplislu'd Judge Story in his dis- course before the Mechanics' Institute of Boston, in 1829,) " Haifa century ago, tlie composition of the atmosphere and ocean was unknown to philosophy, — the identity of the electric fluid and lightning was scarcely established ; the wonders disclosed by the Galvanic Battery had not even en- tered into the imagination of man." In the Exact Sciences,— in those connerted with Natural History, — in Botany, Geology and Mineralogy, — the information which the Library would afford to tlie general reader is far behind the march of 22 actual research and discovery ; In the science of Botany, affording as it does a delightful object of study, and a source of interesting contemplation within the compass of every mind, the Library scarcely supplies the means of attaining the most elementary knowledge, except from the Encyclo- psedia ; and its catalogue does not even contain Pursh's Flora of North America ;— nor, in Geology, is there, as far as I can discover, a single separate treatise ; — And even in miscella- neous and general Literature, it has not been found practi- cable to add to the Library a multitude of valuable and inte- resting publications which have issued from the press during a few years past ; Under the head of Biography alone, one of the most popular, pleasing and instructive departments of reading, the Library has no later general collection in Eng- lish than Dr. Kippis's folio Biographical Dictionary, — a work certainly, of much research and ability, — but of inconvenient arrangement, of doubtful impartiality, on a limited and im- perfect plan, and now of an antiquated date, having been published in 1747. — In the same department there is no work whatever of this description in the French language, (unless we except the Dictionnaire Historique of L'Avocat, published in 1777 ;)— and, indeed, it may be here generally observed, that the collection of Fn^ich works in every branch of Literature, is exceedingly defective. In History, I do not find, in the catalogue, Hume's, Smol- let's, orRapin's History of England ;— in Po(>try,— no general collection of the British Poets later than that of Johnson, (for Camp])elVs is a mere selection,)— no complete edition of the Poems of Cnwper, Campl)ell, Rogers, or Montgom- ery. I mention those but as specimens of the deficiencies of the Li])rary. in its present state ; Tliere can 1)e no doubt tliat they Avould never have 1)een allowed to exist, if the funds of the Institution had enal)le(l its Managers to increase the collecti(m on a systematic plan ; and it (inly remains to entertain tlu; hope, that, under a new order of things, its resources may be so improved, tliat it may not be, in future, so far behind the science and literature of tlie day. 1 trust,' 23 iotany. source every taining incyclo- 's Flora Lis I can liscella- practi- nd inte- tluring ne, one nents of in Eng- -a work ivenient and im- iig ])een e is no nguage, 'Avocat, enerally 1 every s, Smol- general oliuson, edition antgom- (;ieiicies u) d()u])t t, if tlui increase nains to iiigs, its 1 future, I trust, however, that in the hints which I have ventured to throw out, I shall not be considered as recommending a scheme so impracticable in the circumstances of this community, as the formation of a complete collection of works, in all the circle of the Sciences, and in all branches of knowledge ; But, in a public Library, it is not too much to expect that we should find those works of reference, summaries and guides to the student in each branch, which shall put him in possession of general principles, and direct him. in the prosecution of such further researches, as his course of study may require, or his tastes and pursuits suggest. And here it may not be inappropriate to the present oc- casion, to advert to a plan now in agitation, which, if carried into effect, as I sincerely trust it may be, promises to give union and mutual support and permanency to the Literary Institutions of Quebec;— I shall be readily understood as alluding to a scheme for a coalition of those Listitutions, — the Quebec Li])rary, the Literary and Historical Society, the Society Canadienne d'Etudes Litteraires et Scienti- fiques, and the Mechanics' Institute, under one roof, and under regulations which shall give the members of each, access to the Libraries and Collections of all, without inter- fering with the separate organization, objects, or funds of the respective Societies ; I am persuaded that by such a junction, alone, without attempting any general amalgamation or reduction under one general management, which might destroy the individual character and mar the separate pur- poses of each, increased energy and a cordial mutual vsup- port and extension of power and usefulness will be gained for all. If I have not, as yet, noticed two other objects which the Li})rary Association have in view,— the establishment of a Reading Room and of Lectures,— it is not because 1 am in- sensible to their interest and value. A Reading Room, open at all hours until night, where access may be iiad to the newspapers and leading periodicals of other countries, is, as yet, a desideratum in this commu- 24 nity ; and if it can be established, it will afford a pleasing and innocen. recreation, in the evening hours especially, to a large class of persons, who might be led to other and more objectionable means of passing their time ; This lighter pabulum for the mind, is not to be forbidden or dis- regarded ; It will be sought for, and must be had ; Being myself of a very catholic taste in reading, I would not pro- scribe any particular kind, not absolutely immoral or perni- cious : " II en est des lettres humaines, (says Petrarch, in one of his letters to lioccacio,) conime de certains alimens solides ; qui nourissent bien un homme qui a l'6stomac bon, et fatiguent un estomac foible : Telle lecture, utile et salutaire pour un esprit sain, est un poison pour un esprit foible." The periodical works in the English and French lan- guages, (and in a cheap form,) are now so numerous and contain such a variety of matter, not only entertaining for hours of leisure, but well digested and highly instructive, (and to justify this praise, I need only refer to the leading English, French, and American Reviews,) that these pro- ductions alone, placed in a public reading room, and duly used, mffsf contribute to intellectual improvement ; And the establishment of courses of Lectures by able and experienced men, will be found, if they are conducted with a view to practical utility, to be not only a popular, but an effective mode of awakening and directing the mind in the pursuit of knowledge ; The attempts that have hitherto been made in this way either in Quebec or Montreal, have not been attended with any signal success, — so far, however, as they have failed, it has perhaps been owing partly to an un- fortunate choice of time, or place, or subject ; but more, it is to be feared, to a general deadness and indifference to all such things .--The occasion on which we arc now met, en- courages us to say, " Novus scnclorum nascitur ordo," that a new order of things is about to arise. — There is one extensive range of scientific knowledge in which public TiCctures may be of especial advantage ; T al- ludp to that which applies to the several branches of Me- 25 leasing ally, to r and This or dis- Being ot pro- perni- rch, in limens c bon, alutaire ble." jch lan- 011 s and ling for ructive, leading se pro- tid duly ; ; And Ae and ted u'ilh , but an d in the hitherto Ell, have owever, an un- )re, it is e to all net, en- 0," that lodge in ; I al- t)f Me- chanical art. The hard-handed artisan, who, is condemned by the necessity of supporting his family, to toil during ten or twelve hours of the day, at his craft,— has neither leisure nor energy to enlarge his knowledge of its principles, or improve the application of them, by exploring his way through books of science ; But a few hours occasionally de- voted to hearing a clear, practical, exposition and illustration of those principles, with their results and application, will give him a direction, which, unassisted, he could never have attained ; And here, in connection with this part of my subject, let me take the opportunity of noticing another excellent Asso- ciation, the Mechanics' Institute of Quebec, which if I have not spoken of before, it was not because I feel no interest in its objects, or do not appreciate its value, but because, not being in strictness of language a Literary Institution, it did not come within the line of observation which I had marked out for myself in the former part of this address. But should the proposed plan for bringing more closely toge- tlier the Institutions before referred to, be carried into effect, the Mechanics' Institute will share in the advantages to be expected from the Library Association ; and the beneficial results cannot be doubted ; unless it be maintained that the good effects that have been experienced elsewhere from the encouragement of science among Mechanics, cannot, from peculiar causes, be liopcd for in Quebec; — Until the nineteenth century a system of scientilic instruction for those bred in the mechanical arts, was scarcely thought of; Institutions of this kind were first begun in Glasgow, through the exer- tions of Professor Anderson ; It was not until about 1819 that one existed in Ediuburgh ; and only in 1822 or 1823, nor then without much opposition and reluctance, was such an Institution formed in London. Now, they are found, not only in the great commercial cities and towns in the United Kingdom, but in all the chief Colonial towns connected by any extent of commerce with the mother country ; In this respect there are evidences of a great revolution in public 26 feeling with respect to the consideration due to those who practice the mechanical arts ; The day is past, when the skill and ingenuity of the artisan, who ministers so largely to our wants, our comforts, or our luxuries, can be undervalued or regarded with affected contempt ; " The manufacturer, the machinist, the chemist, the engineer, who is eminent in his art," (I quote again the words of Judge Story, of whose thoughts and expressions I have occasionally in the last preceding passage, been availing myself,) — " may now place himself by the side of the scholar and the mathematician and the philosopher, and find no churhsh claim for precedency put in by them. His rank in society so far as regards either the value of the products of his skill, or the depth of his genius sinks him not behind the foremost of those who strive for the first Literary distinctions." The Mechanics' Institute of Quebec was established in 1831, and numbers now about 170 members, with an income from su])Scriptions of about £80 a-year. It pos- sesses a collection of books and a reading-room fur- nished with a considerable number of newspapers (from various parts of these Provinces and even the United States,) the most of which — be it said to the praise of the newspaper Press, — are sent gratuitously ; Lectures have also frequently been delivered at the Institute, and there is a course now in progress before the association. That union is strength, is so tritely true as to have become proverbial ; — The arts of life are now so interwoven with the higher pursuits of science, and, still more tangibly, with our wants and comforts, that we may no longer shun the consideration of the best means of kce])ing them not only in active but healthful condition and operation ; — and let us endeavour to win them to a union witli us (so far as such a union can exist with mutual benefit and separate efiiciency,) in our other Institutions, for the promotion of other branches of science and of general literature ; The advantage will be mutual ; and, like the quality of mercy as described by Shakespeare,—" Blessing him thai gives and him that takes ;" 27 I But whether such a general union take effect or not, the main object of the Association now formed may assuredly be carried into operation, if all classes of the community lend their aid to its support with faithful zeal, nothing doubting of the result ; — that they will do so, I firmly trust, if they but view in its just light the important bearing of the designs of the Institution on general and individual well being. To this point I purpose to apply myself, in a few obser- vations, as a tilting conclusion to this address. Those of us who are advancing in years and see families growing up around us, ought not to look upon the objects of this Association and the habits of intellectual employment which it is designed to foster, with indiiference or disregard. To us they are important, not only for our own sakes, but for those who look up to us for direction and example : The evening of life is closing around us, and its shadows thicken- ing over our heads; — The time may not be far distant, — for some of us, — when " the silver cord being loosed, and the golden bowl broken," we shall have no pleasure in what remains of life, but what the mind affords us ; For as our age increases, so vexotioiis, — Griefs of tlic mind, pains of the feeble body ; — Crippled and racked, we're but our living eollius ; Beiiides,— llie/air soul's old too.* Happy will it be for us, if, against that hour, we have trained the " fair soul" to pursuits and contemplations which form its only worthy occupation, and will then afford u" relief and resource under the weariness of pain and the inevitable suf- ferings of age. " The age of a cultivated mind," says an eloquent, wise, and thoughtful author,f '* is often more complacent, and even more luxurious than the youth ; It is the reward of the due use of the endowments bestowed by na- ture ; while they who, in youth, have made no provision for age, are left like an unsheltered tree stripped of its branches, siiaking and withering befon^ the cold blasts of winter." Fletcher's " Wif^ for a month :" .\ f''w words arc changed in the (luotalion, f i^ir F.jjerlot, Ikvilges. n 28 But still more does it behove us to encourage such habits and pursuits among those who are or ought to be under our advice and controul ;— The best religious training has often been found to be unavailing against temptation and the contagion of example, unless religious principle has been fenced round, if I may so speak, with habits and tastes for intellectual improvement ; Such tastes are not long recon- cilable with indulgence in vice ; and a young man is never to be despaired of, whatever may have been his errors, if he has still preserved a disposition for reading or study ; and, on the other hand, for want of such dispositions being in- stilled or cherished, how often have we ^een young persons, otherwise of much early promise, brought to ruin by idle- ness of mind and by the bad associations and evil habits to which it has led them ; — their health destroyed, — their souls debased, — their prospects and character wrecked, — them- selves become vagabonds and outcasts from decent society, — and their parents' gray hairs brought down with sorrow, — and shame worse than all sorrow, — to the grave ; — Yet of such an one, perhaps, the ruin has been begun and the head- long, irresistible, downward impetus first given, in some idle hour, when weary of vacancy, and having no healthful re- creation proposed to his mind, or no taste for it as yet im- parted, he has sought for amusement among companions as idle but more vicious than himself ; and the first step taken has been fatal to his soul and body ; lor, N.'ver let man ho h)U\ cnoiiph In siiy, Thus and no farther shall my passion stray, The tlrst crime passed, compels us mi to more, And guilt proves /«fe which was but cfioicc before* To the youns; man destined for a profession, h is, above all, important that he should cultivate a taste for reading beyond that of his profession, and store his mind with gen- eral knowledge. Is he to devote himself to the ministry of the Gospel ?— (I speak with submission, in the presence of some devoted to that Ministry)— he has made but Old Traticdy. 29 habits under ng has on and been stes for recon- s never rors, if and, mg in- )ersons, 3y idle- abits to ir souls — them- nety,— rrow, — "Yet of le head- ome idle thful re- yet im- nions as !p taken s, above reading ilh gen- tiistry of tresence ade but ■ an imperfect preparation^ if he has not gone beyond the range of mere Theological studies ; — Religion disdains not science for her handmaid ; and the presence of some of her Ministers, on this occasion, attests their sense of the importance of encouraging the pursuit of general knowledge ; To do his work effectually, the Clergyman must be prepared with intellectual acquisitions beyond those properly belonging to his peculiar caUing ; He must, (like him whose words it will often be his duty to expound,) be able, in mingling with and instructing his flock, to be all things to all men ; — " II y a plusieurs routes, (says Petrarch again, in another of his letters to Boccacio,) pour arriver au ciel ; Vignorance est la route que prennent les paresseux." Ignorance, in all its forms, it is the business of the Minister of the Gospel to endeavour, at least, to remove ; Man, actual man, is the subject upon which he is to act, and he should be versant in every kind of knowledge that shall enable him to deal with actual man, in his moral and intel- lectual condition, both natural and improved. He should be what an excellent book under this very title will help in mak- ing him, a '* Scholar, armed" at all points, to meet the doubts and difficulties of the educated, or the errors of the unin- formed. And even for the discipline and education of his own mind, it may be said that the acquisition of general knowledge, is of important use, since by such acquisitions in any branch of knowledge, the facuUies of the mind derive a general accession of healthful vigour ; And so also in the other learned professions, but particularly in that to which I have the honour to belong ; It has, indeed, been supposed that the profession of the law is not only in a great degree unfavourable to, but inconsistent with, the pursuits of Lite- rature and Science ; And true it is, that within the range of studies of that profession, there is enough to employ and task to the uttermost, and to exhaust the most extensive and strongest intellectual powers ; But the preparation for that profession, also, is incomplete, unless the mind of the young student has been stored with general Literature ; and in the 30 practice of the profession, likewise, lie will often find the necessity for some acquaintance with the principles of other branches of science ; The most accomplished orator of ancient Rome, — (and the Roman orator was something more than a declaimer and rounder of periods,— he was also a lawyer and a pleader, with Provinces and Nations for his clients,) — that most finished Orator, Lawyer, Statesman, Scholar and Philosopher has said, in his elegant treatise on the Education of an Orator, that " he ought to be instructed in all branches of science and art ;"* and, without recommending to the young Student at Law to seek to emulate the .various know- ledge and versatility of an eminent and eccentric lawyer, now alive, I would recommend to him to read the life, and I would point him to the example, of the eminent and accom- pHshed Sir William Jones; and if his ambition be not roused, and his purposes of self-improvement in every line of knowledge animated and strengthened, — he may be as- sured that he has not the spirit in him which is necessary, to take a high or even a respectable rank in his profession. But should a student in the same profession aspire to dis- tinction in public life, to which that profession is now a ready and recognized avenue, let him take this with him, that all the knowledge, human or divine, he can acquire, will not be more than will be demanded for the due discharge of the solemn and exalted duties (rightly considered) which belong to the Legislator and the Statesman ; Then, indeed, the large requirements of Cicero for the education of his orator will be called into exercise ; and (says Bisiiop Berkeley in his singular 8iris,t) " Whatever the world thinks, he who hath not much meditated upon God, the human mind, and ihc sunimum honmn, (or virtue,) may possibly make a thriv- ing earthworm, but will most inevitably make a sorry patriot and a sorry Statesman." But, not to the mc.nbers of the learned professions only, is the habit of seeking fresh acquisitions of knowledge, important ; • Omnibus disciplinis »■( artibus dcliot rs^c instriu'tiis Orator. Cicero do Orutore. • t Or Treatise on Tar water 31 It is equally to be urged upon the Mechanic, the Handicrafts- man and the Artisan ; They, indeed, have not the leisure t'* lay up stores of general knowledge, though even this may bt. recommended to them as a means of employing those hours of idleness which the most toilworn do sometimes enjoy, and which too often are spent in the bar-room, the tap-room, or the tavern. But (to use again the words of Judge Story,) " The most formidable enemy to genius is not labor but indolence^ — want of interest and excitement., — ignorance of means leading to indifference to ends." " Many illustrious instances," he adds, " of genius suc- cessfully applied to the improvement of the arts might be selected from the workshops and common trades of life. But in most of these instances it will be found that the disco\i ly Avas not the mere result of accident, but arose from the patient study of principles or from hints gathered from a scientific ol)servation of nice and curious facts ; — and it may be added, that in all these instances, in proportion as the inventors acquired a knowledge of the principles of the arts, their genius assumed a wider play, and accomplished its designs with more familiar power and certainty." It is to the acquisition, therefore, of this knowledge of principles, and of the deductions founded upon them, and of the improvements in the arts to which they have given rise elsewhere, or of the further improvements which may yet be devised, that the Mechanic should be recommended to apply such hours of leisure for reading as his calling may permit him to enjoy ; For this purpose, it is import- ant that a Public Library should not be deficient in works calculated to give him this knowledge ; and let him not think his time thrown away, if the pursuit of it should not issue in any discovery leading to tangible profit ; It is not thrown away, if it makes him, as it pro- bably will, more skillul and ready and effective in die ap- plication of principles already familiar to him ; It is not thrown away, if it only ke( ps hiin I'roni company nnd haunts dangerous to his morals, anil from pursuits debasing to his 32 sjoul ; and let iiim be encouraged to patient perseverance by the examples of Arkwright, and Watt, in England, and of Perkins, and Whitney, in America ; and many others, in all countries, whose pursuit and acquisition of knowledge, under difficulties, forms a most interesting subject of con- templation, and a powerful incentive to similar exertion.* Nor let ambition mock their useful toil, Their homely joys and destiny obscure. Nor let those whose lot is cast in other and more easy lines of life regard with indifference the means proposed to be used for promoting knowledge among our mechanics and artisans : — " For in proportion to the degree of knowledge belonging to them as a class, and in proportion as their industry shall be combined with science, will be their in- fluence on the well-being and safety of Society." Having in these observations touched upon the various lines of masculine exertion, it cannot be supposed that I shall altogether omit adverting to the importance of insti- tutions for promoting intellectual improvement as regards the Female sex :— Sharing in all our lot, — our companions in' weal and woe, and in the hourly intercourse of social and domestic life, — exercising an influence of inappreciable im- portance, not only on our own personal coinfort, but upon the training of our children in those hours when formal instruction is suspended, — and destined to supply our places when we are no longer upon this scene, — who can be insensible to the importance of providing, for them also, the means of cultivating their minds up to the level of their duties *? Who that remembers the early counsels and con- versation of a mother or other female relative, having autho- rity or gentler influence over him, l)ut must deeply acknow- ledge the value and the interest to be attached to the im- provement of the female intellect, not only for the discharge of the sacred duties of home, but for the coinfort and em- * The volumes of the Library of Entortaining Knowledge, punlishcd by the Society for the diffusion of Useful Knowledge, under the title of the " Pursuit of Knowledge under difficulties,' contain niaaiy delightful biographical memoirs of this kind. 33 bellishment of domestic and private intercourse ; — Guides of our life, Instructors of our youth, Who first unveiled the hallowed form of truth,— Whose every word enlightened and endeared, In age beloved, in poverty revered. In friendship's silent Register ye live, Nor ask the vain memorials art can give.' To all classes, therefore, and to both sexes, — to the old and to the young, — to the Divine and the Pliysician, — the Lawyer and the Statesman, — the Merchant and the Mecha- nic and the Artisan, — and the man of leisure,— if such there may be among us, — the urgent appeal and recommendation may be addressed, to foster institutions having for their object to promote a taste for reading and the acquisition of sound knowledge ; and to each individual of all those classes may such pursuits be recommended as an inexhaustible source of pure and lasting pleasure. The eloquent Eoman whom I have already more than once quoted, in one of the noblest passages that antiquity has transmitted to us, records his sense of the pleasures of lite- rature : — " Other pursuits (he says, — and in attempting a translation or rather paraphrase of the beautiful original, I feel the impossibility of imitating its eloquence, its concise- ness or its force,) — other pursuits are not for all times, for all ages, or for all places, — but these studies nourish our youth, — delight our old age, — adorn our prosperity, — afford a refuge and consolation in our adversity, — yield us pleasure at home, — hinder us not abroad, — are our companions by night, and in our joumies, and in our rural seclusion. f And is this all ^ — Is this eloquent testimony of the Heathen Philosopher to the delights of Literary pursuits, the sum and conclusion of the whole matter '? — There is one word more,— of solemn and serioup reflection ;— That • Rogers' Pleasures of Memory. Parti. t Nam caetera ncque temporum sunt neque aitatum omnium, neque locorum: Hmc studia adolcscmitiain aliint, siMicctutom oblertant, sccundas res ornant, adversis perfu- gium ac solatium prmbent, dclcctant domi, non impediunt foris, pernoctant iiobiscum, peregrinautur, rusticaiitur : Cicero, pro Archia. 34 word, — perhaps it may appear to some, — had better be spo- ken by one of another and a sacreil profession, in another and a sacred place ; — I am not of that mind ; — It is a word that it befits any thoughtful man to use, in treating this suljject, — in any place,— at any time,— in any association, — before any company ; — It touches the eternal destiny of man, to which all his acts and his studies should be referred ; — It is a word, however, that will be addressed in vain to him who believes in no such eternal destiny, — who thinks that man is born to die like the beasts that perish, and that then, all his thoughts, too, perish with him. It is doubted by some whether there ever was such a being in the world as a downright Atheist ;— We know by the word of inspiration who it is that says in his heart, there is no God ; and it has been shrewdly said that there never was a man who pro- fessed such a degrading creed who did not tremble and dis- own it in the dark.— I can scarcely suppose that such a person will be found within these walls on the present occa- sion ; This is no place for him, — for here wc are met for a purpose raised far above his views or opinions, his hopes or aspirations :— The quaint but pungent and admirable des- cription by Jeremy Collier* of the actual and downright Atheist will equally apply to him who doubts the immor- tality of the soul and its capacity for improvement :— " An Atheist, (he says) if you will take his word for it, is a very despicable mortal ; — Let us describe him by his own tenets, and copy him a little from his own original : — He is, then, no better than a mass of organized dust, a stalking ma- chine ; a head without a soul in it ;— His thoughts are bound up by the laws of motion, his actions are all prescribed ; — He has no more liberty than the current of a stream or the blast of a tempest ; and where there is no choice there can be no merit. — The Creed of an Atheist is a degrading sys- tem, a most mortifying persuasion; — no advantages can make him shine ; he strikes himself out of all claim to re- gard ; He is the offspring of chance, the slave of rieces sity, • Essays, Vol. 1, p. if;.!, 35 wnright danced by foreign impulses no less than a puppet,— ignoble in his descent, little in lite, and nothing at the end on't ; — Atheism is the result of ignorance and pride,— of strong senses and feeble reason, of good eating and ill living." But, Non onuils morlar ; We shall not altogctlicr die ;— this frail tenemeni of clay, which " l)iittt'rc'(l iiiid Jicaycd, Lets in thf liiiht thro' chinks thai time hiu niadL'," shall indeed pass away and its place shall know it no more ; but the soul, with all its faculties, improved or unimproved, shall still sui-vive. Unhurt amid the war uf olemonts, Thu wreck ol' inalkr and tliu crush of worlds ; — It shall still survive for another state of existence, and not for a state of existence only, but, for a final account ; where and when we shall all meet once more, — and all here present shall know one another again, — and shall remember our past occupations and pursuits, and the occasion and purpose on which we are now met ; and this too will be brou2;ht into the account,— with all other means and opportunities whir-b we have used or neglected for improving our own lacultie. , and for promodng the improvement of others ; And, at that last reckoning, may we not believe and hope that the pursuit of virtuous, purifying, and improving knowledge in this life, for ourselves or others, will not be counted a loss of time ; but that the one talent of the humblest and the five talents of the greatest, if duly turned to advantage, will then, through Him that purchased us, be accepted and approved ; and that the faculties so improved, and the knowledge so acquired will accompany us still ;— In the eloquent and touching words of the unknown author of one of the most singular hooks in the English language,* but full of thoughtful The Doctor;" tittributed, U'l with'uit btronp internal evidence, to So\itli(y. 36 and pu'e Christian philosophy :-—" Our thouglits, our reminiscences, our intellectual acquirements die with us to this world, — but to this world only ; If they are what they ought to be, they are treasures which we lay up for Heaven ; That which is of the earth, earthly, perishes with wealth, rank, honors, authority, and other earthly and perishable things ;— But nothing that is worth retaining can be lost, — affections well placed and dutifully cherished ; — friendships happily formed and faithfully maintained, — knowledge ac- quired with worthy intent, — and intellectual powers that have been diligently improved, as the talents which our Lord and Master has committed to our keeping; — these will accompany us into another state of existence, as surely as the soul, in that state, retains its identity and its con- sciousness." 1)1.; ill whil ine at | niay dj ciatioil aflonll It ll you al and ad inoiiil hri.-r |ilatia^ llic (• ;, our ith us it they eaven ; wealth, ishable lost,— ndships dge ac- rs that ich our — these 1 surely its con- APPENDIX A. (Re/erred to at 2>o,(fe 20, j AJercantile LU/rary Association, .Yefv.\(yrk, Feb. HUh, 1840. To the Hon. James Kent, New-York. Dear Sik, — A majority of the members of this Association enter their profession in early life, without that guidance to a judicious course of study which is enjoyed by those who have had collegiate instruction. In the formation of a correct taste, and the avoidance of much mental dissipation, it is important that a selection of authors should be placed before them, by an authority which from its dignity, wisdom and expe- rience, shall insure their respect and confidence. Allow me, therefore. Sir, to ask in the name of the Association, whether it will be agreeable to you at some leisure hour to prepare a list of such works in English literature, as you may deem best suited for their use ? Trusting that you will pardon the freedom of the request, I am, dear Sir, with groat respect, Your obedient servant, AIG. E. SILLIMAN. President. Xciv.Vork, March 10///, 1810. DioAH Sin, — I acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the lOth ult. \n whiili, as President of the IMcreantile Library Association, you recjuest nie at my leisure to prepare a list ol' books in English literature, which I may deem ealeubited for the use of those young gentlemen of tlic Asso- ciation, who entered their profession in early life, without the guidance afforded by Collegiate instruction. It has given me pleasure to comply with the request, and F now send you II {Mtalogue of select l)ooks all appearing in the English language, imd adapted, in my judgment, to the diversifu>d tastes and wishes of the nu;inbers of your Association. I have taken the liberty to add some briel' notice of the merits ol those works, of which I thought some; ex- planation might be useful or agreeable. Most of the works appear in llie Catalogue vou sent me, auti uiiidi. amounting to twiMit) three thou- saiul volumes, docs honor to your institution, ami \h a nublo moiiunu'nt oi" its judgment, taste and liberality. I beg leave to say that I have not placed any works on the Catalogue that I am not in some degree acquainted with, and know their relative value. Indeed, I may say that eighteen- twentieths of them are in my own library, the gradual accumulation of th(; last fifty years. I am, dear, Sir, With much respect, Your obt. Svt. Augustus E. Silliman, JAMES KENT. Fresident of the Mercantile Library Association. At a meeting of the Hoard of Direction of the Mercantile Lilnary Association, on Saturday evening, March 11th, 1^10, it was Rrsolcrd. That for the invaluable guide to a judicious " Course of Reading," which Chancellor Kknt has furnished for the members of the Mercantile Liljrary Association, our thanks are eminently due, and warmly tendered ; and that we regard it as a high privilege that it shouhl have been marked out by one who has exjilored so extensively, and con- tributed 80 largely to the records of human learnhig. RcsnJird, That the President be requested to make inquiry respecting its publication, with power to ell'ect an arrangement for that object. My order of the Hoard, IIOHA'J'IO N. OTIS, SrcMorif ioimmonl ijji **' /■ u V Z^titalogue ir relative lire in my iifi'i KENT. le Library ' Course of ibors of (he clue, aiul (it it should y, and con- y respecting object.