Chapter IV

PROGRESS OF THE NATION DURING THE REIGN OF GEORGE III.

Growth of Material Wealth--Condition of the Working Classes--The
Charity Schools--Lethargy of the Church--Proposal to abolish
Subscription to the Articles--A Bill for the further Relief of
Dissenters--The Test and Corporation Acts--The Efforts of Beaufoy
and Lord Stanhope--Attempts to relieve the Quakers--Further Effort
of Lord Stanhope--The Claims of the Roman Catholics--Failure
of the Efforts to obtain Catholic Emancipation--Lay Patronage
in Scotland--The Scottish Episcopalians--Illustrious
Dissenters--Religion in Wales and Ireland--Literature--The
Novelists: Richardson, Fielding, Smollett, and Sterne--Minor
and later Novelists--Scott--Historians: Hume, Robertson, and
Gibbon--Minor Historians--Miscellaneous Literature--Criticism,
Theology, Biography, and Science--Periodical Literature--The Drama
and the Dramatists--Poetry: Collins, Shenstone, and Gray--Goldsmith
and Churchill--Minor Poets--Percy's "Reliques," and Scott's "Border
Minstrelsy"--Chatterton and Ossian--Johnson and Darwin--Crabbe and
Cowper--Poetasters and Gifford--The Shakespeare Forgeries--Minor
Satires--Burns--The Lake School: Wordsworth, Coleridge, and
Southey--Scott, Campbell, Byron, Shelley, and Keats--Poets
at the close of the Period--Improvement of Agricultural
Science--Arthur Young--Drainage and Roots--Improvements in
Road-making: Telford and Macadam--Brindley's and Telford's
Canals--Bridges and Harbours--Iron Railways--Application
of the Steam-Engine to Railways and Boats--Improvements in
Machinery--Wedgwood--Manufacture of Glass--Collieries--Use of Coal
in Iron-works--Improvements in various Manufactures--Scientific
Discoveries--Music--Architecture--Painting--Sculpture--Engraving--Coins
and Coinage--Manners and Customs 157