HISTORICAL.

HAVING now introduced our authors and their antecessors

to the audience, a brief review of the general condition of things "at home," and in the Colonies during the period 17261764, may be desirable. The Hanoverian Georges had begun the management of home affairs, Mr. John Law had exploited his South Sea or Mississippi Cash and Confidence Association, Mr. Richard Turpin and Mr. John Sheppard had expiated their very taking ways, and made their last appearance at Tyburn. Robert Walpole was keeper of the King's conscience, and murders and robberies-the latter in person or by proxy-were of daily occurrence, the "Rogue's March" being the most popular anthem of the period.

In the north, the Scots were evincing their most thorough disapprobation of capital punishment, and gave a practical exhibition of its horrors by hanging Capt. John Porteous at Edinburgh.

Rows of various calibre and importance were taking place on the continent; pugnacious John Bull taking a hand and laying the foundation of English finance-the National Debt.

While John's attention was thus distracted Mr. James Stuart was moving on the English throne; "Charlie over the Water" was becoming interested, " Johnnie" Cope was trodden on during the southward progress of the Pretender, and his name only perpetuated in song. The Duke of Cumberland tried conclusions with the Scottish army at Culloden in April, 1746, and that was the "be all and the end all" of that affair.

A contemporary historian thus sums up the general condition

of things at home; "morality was lax, education was limited, poverty was abundant, extravagance was very common, and wealth extremely insolent."

In the colony of Massachusetts things were somewhat in the condition of the mother country, only opportunities were somewhat limited.

The population of the commonwealth at this period was about 94,000-2,000 of which were slaves, 1,200 civilized Indiansthe balance having probably been worn out in experimenting to save this small crop-and the balance of the returns were whitesseveral of whom earned the munificent compensation of two shillings per day, possibly payable in store orders.

Currency of the fiat quality was largely predominant, and its expansive nature had the effect of reducing crime-notably highway robbery-to a minimum. The honest granger of the period could wheel the products of his farm from Dedham to Boston on a Saturday morning, in a hand cart, dispose of the same-and in the evening himself and family could take home the proceeds in "old tenor," carrying in their arms what the cart would not hold, undisturbed by any "knight of the road," whose sympathy for the toiling Cincinnati would be made manifest by a countenance more expressive of sorrow than of covetousness.

The stern amusements of a previous generation were dropping into desuetude, and the whipping post and stocks were not used to illustrate the Articles of Faith. Stage plays were being performed by the students at College (when they weren't caught at it), newspapers were not yet of daily occurrence, Cotton Mather, the high priest of Boston, "the literary behemoth of New England," had been gathered to his fathers, (1728) and the plethora of literature from that source had ceased. The press was turning out much that was interesting, each printing establishment had its annual Almanack, and chiefest among these was the production of our author, which is set forth in the following pages.