diffenting meeting-houses, have opened them, and particularly at the chapel of the Rev. William Turner, in Hanover-fquare, there are two, one for boys, the other for girls, which were the firft eftablished in this town, (in December 1784) and have been in general well regulated and fuccefsful. One circumftance attended to in the management of the boys school appears worthy of imitation; viz. that those who have behaved well in this are ufually chofen to fill up the vacancies, as they fall out, in the regular charity-fchool fupported by the fame fociety.

The people denominated Methodists, in Newcastle, who are laudably active in whatever concerns the interefts of religion and of morals, employ zeal and affiduity in inftructing their very numerous Sunday fchool.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

In a large commercial town; fuch as Newcastle, where trade is carried on to a vast extent, not only at home, but with foreign countries, a knowledge of accompts is altogether neceffary, in order to tranfact business with certainty and promptitude; and as capital to a large amount is in continual circulation in Newcastle, what interefts debtor and creditor ought to be well known. It is, therefore, but doing juftice to that ufeful clafs of men (fchool-mafters) to fay, that the town is well provided with able and diligent teachers, in the various branches of literature and fcience; viz.

The first two are boarding-fchools:

other fchools of lefs note.

there are alfo

To form the manners, to inftruct and accomplish the fofter fex in the ufeful and ornamental branches of education, requires a large thare of acquaintance with the human heart, and no lefs fkill and addrefs.

There are feveral fchool-mittreffes in Newcastle, who all excel in their profeffion. The ladies who make the most confpicuous figure are the following; viz.

The first fix are boarding-fchools, which, with the others, are all well patronized. Their boarders and pupils are taught, with affiduity and fuccefs, the various branches of education. And although the young ladies are indulged fometimes in attending fashionable amufements, yet their governeffes accompany them on these occafions, with indulgence indeed, but also with circumfpection. It is certainly impoffible to employ too much attention in forming the female mind; as future domestic felicity depends very frequently on the early impreffions received at boarding and other schools.

The principal feminaries for young ladies are attended by writing, dancing, and drawing-mafters, all eminent in their profeffions.

PUBLIC

PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.

LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, In the Old Affembly-Rooms, Groat-Market.

The numerous focieties for the promotion of literature and philofophy which have been formed in different parts of Europe in the courfe of the two laft centuries, have not only been the means of diffufing knowledge more extenfively, but have contributed to produce a greater number of important discoveries than have been effected in any other equal space of time. The progrefs that has been made in phyfics and the belles lettres, owes its rapidity, if not its origin, to the encouragement which thefe focieties have given to fuch purfuits, and to the emulation which has been excited between different academical bodies, as well as among the individual members of fuch inftitutions. The collecting and publishing the more important communications which have been delivered to them, have faved from oblivion many very valuable difcoveries or improvements in the arts, and much ufeful information in the various branches of fcience.

It is obvious that Newcastle is a fituation peculiarly well adapted for a literary inftitution, not only as it poffeffes extraordinary advantages for the cultivation of mineral knowledge, in the investigation of its two great natural exports, coal and lead, with their various accompanying ftrata and matrices, offering fo wide a field for the application of mechanical inven

tions to the working of the mines and the conveyance of their products; but also as it affords peculiar advantages for chemical investigation, for the establishment and improvement of the various manufactures and arts which depend upon the plenty and cheapnefs of fuel, and the facility of receiving and tranfmitting their several materials and products, by an extenfive commercial intercourfe; and confequently as this very intercourfe furnifies the curious enquirer with the opportunity of carrying on an extensive literary correfpondence, and of collecting from every country its important or interefting productions. The ample field, too, which is here ftill open to the researches of the antiquary and historian, must be obvious to every reader of the former part of this work.

These, and other circumstances having been stated at confiderable length, in a paper printed and circulated in December, 1792, under the title of "Speculations on a Literary Society," a meeting was held at the Affembly Rooms, January 24, 1793; where a committee was appointed to prepare a plan for the formation and government of fuch a fociety: which being prefented to a more general meeting, at the Difpenfary, February 7, (the Rev. Edward Moifes, M. A. in the chair) was unanimoufly approved; and John Widdrington, Efq. was elected the first prefident.

The fociety continued to meet in the Governors’Hall of the Difpenfary, till the adoption of Mr. Moifes' propofal for the establishment of a general library; when it became neceffary to engage apart. ments for their exclufive ufe. Thefe were at first taken in St. Nicholas' church-yard; but the Old Affembly-rooms in the Groat-market falling vacant,