earth was not quite fo round as we imagined. This was proved at laft, and we have fqueezed the poles a little nearer together.

Befides afcertaining the real figure of our planet, we have of late been very induftrious to know it better within and without. Wherever we have an opportunity of penetrating a little way into the furface of the earth (which some think is searching its bowels) we are attentive to all we fee and find, and make it fubfervient to the perfecting the theory of its first formation, and the changes which time has produced. We have also fent naturalists into all the known parts of the globe, and voyagers to discover parts unknown-in fhort, we are doing the drudgery by which the Golden-Age is to profit.

Lord Bacon, before the commencement of the Silver-Age, marked the path

for

1

for his fucceffors in philofophical enquiries. He recommended experiment as the only true foundation of natural difcoveries, wifely remarking, that we are not to reason from preconceived theory, but what from experiment we find to be the truth.

This was faid many years before it was put in practice; but now, the doctrine is fo firmly established, that we do not attend to any opinion in natural philosophy unfupported by experiment. It was by experiment that Boyle fhewed the properties of the atmosphere, and that Newton confirmed all his fublime theories. Halley took long voyages to perfect, or destroy, his ideas of the trade winds, and variation of the compass; for without the support of experiment he would not have ventured to give them to the public.

When

When Franklyn conceived that lightning and the electrical spark were the fame; before he would determine the point, he produced the effect of lightning from the discharge of his electrical battery, and the ufual phænomena of electricity from a filken kite fent up to a cloud. Succeeding enquirers into the nature of this wonderful fluid, have found that the nerves are among its conductors --but this theory requires more experiments for its establishment.

The existence of the various Airs has of late much engaged our attention—they (together with electricity) have been applied to medical purposes, but not with fuch fuccefs as to obtain univerfal approbation.

From this very flight furvey of the subject, it is evident, that our modern philofophers have far outgone their predeceffors; and that the Silver-Age has

made

made difcoveries and a progress in the knowledge of nature, of which our ancestors, who reasoned only from theory, muft neceffarily have been ignorant.

It would carry this fketch far beyond its proposed limits, to trace the progress of the arts from barbarous ages to their present state; but nothing marks the progrefs of refinement so much, or distinguishes the Iron, Brazen, and Silver Ages fo effectually from each other, as the state of the arts. Any production of art is, by the connoiffeur, with the greatest ease referred to its proper æra-for, if it be impoffible that an artist in the early stages of fociety thould anticipate taste (the great characteristic of the times which are to fucceed) it is almoft equally impoffible for a modern to divest himself so totally of tafte, as to have no tincture of the elegance which we have already acquired.

These

These observations principally apply to the liberal arts, of which we will flightly remark the moft diftinguished features. The mechanic arts will then be mentioned, but very imperfectly; their variety and number rendering such a multifarious fubject impoffible to be known, unless almost every art had a feparate treatise, and every treatise a separate author. However, all that is intended will be proved, which is the vast fuperiority of the present age to the two ages which have preceded it, and our progress towards perfection.

The arts of painting, fculpture, and architecture have been carried to a great degree of excellence in the Silver-Age of ancient Greece and Rome, of modern Italy, France and England-but not equally fo.

It has already been remarked, that Italy took the lead in refinement-the Age of

Leo