one of the provinces of Central America, the republic of Guatimala, has sent its envoys to solicit a union with us. Will posterity believe, that such an offer was made and refused, in the age, that saw England and Spain rushing into war for the possession of a few uninhabited islets on the coast of Patagonia? Pass the isthmus of Darien, and we behold the sister republic of Colombia, a realm two thirds as large as Europe, ratifying her first solemn treaty of amity and commerce with the United States; while still onward to the south, in the valleys of the Chilian Andes, and on the banks of La Plata, in states not less vast than those already named, constitutions of republican government are in prosperous operation, founded on our principles, and modelled on our forms. When our commissioners visited those countries, in 1817, they found the books, most universally read among the people, were, the constitutions of the United States and of the several States, translated into the language of the country; while the public journals were filled with extracts from the celebrated Defence' of these constitutions, written by that venerable descendant of the Pilgrims, who still lives to witness the prosperous operation of the governments, which he did so much to establish.*

I do not fear that we shall be accused of extravagance, in the enthusiasm we feel at a train of events, of such astonishing magnitude, novelty, and consequence, connected by associations so intimate, with the day we now hail; with the events we now celebrate; with the Pilgrim Fathers of New England. Victims of persecution! how wide an empire acknowledges the sway of your principles! Apostles of liberty! what millions attest the authenticity of your mission! Meek champions of truth! no stain of private interest or of innocent blood is on the spotless garments of your renown! The great continents of America have become,

John Adams, formerly President of the United States. He died at Quincy, July 4, 1826.

at length, the theatre of your achievements; the Atlantic and the Pacific, the highways of communication, on which your principles, your institutions, your example, are borne. From the oldest abodes of civilization, the venerable plains of Greece, to the scarcely explored range of the Cordilleras, the impulse you gave, at length, is felt. While other regions revere you as the leaders of this great march of humanity, we are met, on this joyful day, to offer to your memory our tribute of filial affection. The sons and daughters of the Pilgrims, we have assembled on the spot, where you, our suffering fathers, set foot on this happy shore. Happy, indeed, it has been for us! O! that you could have enjoyed those blessings, which you prepared for your children! Could our comfortable homes have shielded you, from the Wintry air! could our abundant harvests have supplied you, in time of famine! could the broad shield of our beloved country have sheltered you, from the visitations of arbitrary power! We come, in our prosperity, to remember your trials; and here, on the spot where New England began to be, we come, to learn of you, our Pilgrim Fathers, a deep and lasting lesson of virtue, enterprise, patience, zeal, and faith!

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE, TO PRACTICAL MEN, AND ON THE ENCOURAGEMENTS TO ITS PURSUIT.*

THE chief object of the Mechanics' Institute is, to diffuse useful knowledge among the mechanic class of the community. It aims, in general, to improve and inform the minds of its members; and particularly to illustrate and explain the principles of the various arts of life, and render them familiar to that portion of the community, who are to exercise these arts as their occupation in society. It is also a proper object of the Institute, to point out the connexion between the mechanic arts and the other pursuits and occupations, and show the foundations, which exist in our very nature, for a cordial union between them all.

These objects recommend themselves strongly and obviously to general approbation. While the cultivation of the mind, in its more general sense, and in connexion with morals, is as important to mechanics as to any other class, nothing is plainer, than that those, whose livelihood depends on the skilful practice of the arts, ought to be instructed, as far as possible, in the scientific principles and natural laws, on which the arts are founded. This is necessary, in order that the arts themselves should be pursued to the greatest advantage; that popular errors should be eradicated; that every accidental improvement in the processes of industry, which offers itself, should be readily taken up and pursued to its principle; that false notions, leading to waste of time and labor, should be prevented from gaining or retaining currency; in short, that the useful, like the ornamental, arts of life, should be carried to the point of attainable perfection.

*The following Essay contains the substance of Addresses delivered by the Author, before several institutions for scientific improvement.

The history of the progress of the human mind shows us, that, for want of a diffusion of scientific knowledge, among practical men, great evils have resulted, both to science and practice. Before the invention of the art of printing, the means of acquiring and circulating knowledge were few and ineffectual. The philosopher was, in consequence, exclusively a man of study, who, by living in a monastic seclusion, and by delving into the few books which time had spared,— particularly the works of Aristotle and his commentators, succeeded in mastering the learning of the day; learning, mostly of an abstract and metaphysical nature. Thus, living in a world, not of practice, but speculation, and seldom bringing his theories to the test of observation, his studies assumed a visionary character. Hence the projects for the transmutation of metals,—a notion not originating in any observation of the qualities of the different kinds of metals, but in reasoning, à priori, on their supposed identity of substance. So deep rooted was this delusion, that a great part of the natural science, of the middle ages, consisted in projects to convert the baser metals into gold. It is plain, that such a project would no more have been countenanced, by intelligent, well-informed persons, practically conversant with the nature of the metals, than a project to transmute pine into oak, or fish into flesh.

In like manner, by giving science wholly up to the philosophers, and making the practical arts of life merely a matter of traditionary repetition, from one generation to another of uninformed artisans, much evil, of an opposite kind, was occasioned. Accident, of course, could be the only source of improvement; and, for want of acquaintance with the leading principles of mechanical philosophy, the chances were indefinitely multiplied, against these accidental improvements. For want of the diffusion of information, among practical men, the principles, prevailing in an art, in one place, were unknown, in other places; and processes, existing at one period, were liable to be forgotten, in the lapse

of time. Mysteries and secrets, easily kept, in such a state of things, and cherished by their possessor, as a source of monopoly, were so common, that mystery is still occasionally used, as synonymous with trade. This also contributed to the loss of arts, once brought to perfection, such as that of staining glass, as practised in the middle ages. Complicated machinery was out of the question; for it requires, for its invention and improvement, the union of scientific knowledge and practical skill. The mariner was left to creep along the coast, while the astronomer was casting nativities; and the miner was reduced to the most laborious and purely mechanical processes, to extract the precious metals from the ores that really contained them, while the chemist, who ought to have taught him the method of amalgamation, could find no use for mercury, but as a menstruum, by which baser metals could be turned into gold.

At the present day, this state of things is certainly changed. A variety of popular treatises, and works of reference, have made the great principles of natural science generally accessible. It certainly is in the power of almost every one, by pains and time properly bestowed, to acquire a decent knowledge of every branch of practical philosophy. But still, it would appear, that, even now, this part of education is not on the right footing. Generally speaking, even now, all actual instruction, in the principles of natural science, is confined to the colleges; and the colleges are, for the most part, frequented, only by those intended for professional life. The elementary knowledge of science, which is communicated at the colleges, is, indeed, useful, in any and every calling; but it does not seem right, that none but those intended for the pulpit, the bar, or the profession of medicine, should receive instruction in those principles, which regulate the operation of the mechanical powers, and lie at the foundation of complicated machinery; which relate to the navigation of the seas, the smelting and refining of metals,