Philomathic Journal and Literary Review

PREFACE TO VOL. III.

THE Nature of our JOURNAL having been already sufficiently shewn, not only by express description, but now by the publication of three volumes; and that of the INSTITUTION also, to which it owes its birth, and from which it derives its literary support, having, in like manner, been fully developed; we have little to say to our readers, on addressing them for the third time.

The remaining cantos of the SIEGE of CONSTANTINOPLE, which, in the advertisement prefixed to the first volume, we led our readers to expect, have now been given; and we feel assured they will join in our regret, that the City was so soon taken.

The poem of ASTREA is still in progress; and, in all probability, the fertility of its author's genius will produce several additional cantos.

The lectures on ETHICS, and on the ENGLISH LANGUAGE, which, for the purpose of enabling us to diversify the Journal, have been omitted in the Second Part of this volume, will be continued in future numbers,

In the address to our readers on the publication of the first volume, we expressed our confident expectation, that, in the department of the DISCUSSIONS, the work, as it proceeded, would considerably improve, and that fuller reports would be supplied. In the discussions generally, we trust that improvement has been progressively apparent, and it cannot fail to be observed, that, in several instances, they have been much more copious than those

which were reported at the commencement of our labours. Whether contraction or expansion be more desirable in such reports, must, of course, depend on the nature of the question. On some subjects, brevity may not only be quite consistent with the main object,-that of making a discussion interesting and instructive, but may even tend to promote it, and to amplify would be only to fatigue. On others, again, it is impossible to discuss a question properly, without a fullness of argument and a minuteness of detail, which are not only highly desirable and important, but absolutely indispensable. Without, therefore, fixing any particular limits to the length of the discussions, we have, in that respect, chiefly had regard to their interest and importance; and we hope our readers will not find them, in any instance, meager from brevity, or tiresome from length.

With regard to the ESSAYS, POEMS, and REVIEWS, we have endeavoured, it is hoped not unsuccessfully, to attain an interesting, instructive, and amusing variety; and, if our critical labours, in particular, shall appear to our readers as liberal and impartial as they were designed to be by us, we shall have nothing left to wish, but that, on the completion of our next volume, it will not be found that our exertions have relaxed, or that the Journal committed to our management has failed to continue its improving course.

Measures are now in progress for carrying into effect an EXTENDED PLAN of the Institution, the details of which are given in a Prospectus which has been published. When this plan shall have been fully matured, additional means will exist, of giving to our pages interest and variety, and of establishing the PHILOMATHIC JOURNAL on the firmest and most lasting basis.

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