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APPENDIX.

pbilofophers traveller! into India , that, by converting with the fages of that country, they mightacquire fome portion of the knowledge for whichthey were diftinguilhed The accounts, however,which we receive from the Greeks and Romans,of the fciences which attra&ed the attention of theIndian philofophers, or of the difcoveries whichthey had made in them, are very imperfect Tothe refearches of a few intelligent perfons, whohave vifited India during the courfe of the threelaft centuries, we are indebted for more ampleand authentic information But from the reluctancewith which the Brahmins communicate their fciencesto ftrangers, and the inability of Europeans toacquire much knowledge of them, while, like themyfteries of their religion, they weie concealedfrom vulgar eyes in an unknown tongue, thisinformation was acqu red flowly and with greatdifficulty. The fame obfervation , however ,which 1 made concerning our knowledge of theftate of the t ne arts among the people of India ,is applicable to that of their progrcfs in fcience,and the prefent age is the firft fnrnilhed withfufficient evidence upon which to found a decifivejudgment with refped to either

Science , when viewed as disjoined from religion,the confideration of which I referve for anotherhead, is employed in contemplating either theoperations of the underftanding, the exercife ofour moral powers, or the nature and qualities of

*' Bruckeri Hilt. Phiiofoph. vol. i. p. 190.