s^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) •*T^ 1.0 1.1 L&IM 12.5 itt Uii 12.2 lU U L£ 12.0 IE |l-25 ||.4 ||.6 « 6" ► Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. USSO (716)872-4503 ^.<^ ^ :atad imprea- sion, and ending on the ieat page with e printed or illuatrated impreaalon. *» Lea axempielres origlneux dont la couverturu en papier eat ImprimAe sent film6s en commenpant par le premier plet et en terminer * soit par la dernlAre pege qui comporte une empreinte d'impreaaion ou d'illustration, soit par le second plet, selon le caa. Tous las autres exemplaires origlneux sont filmAs en commenpent par la premlAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impreaaion ou d'illustration et en terminant par la darniire page qui comporte une telle empreinte. The ieat recorded freme on each microfiche ahaii contain the symbol —»• (meaning "CON- TINUED "), or the aymboi y (moening "END"), whichever eppiles. Un des symboles suivents apparaftra sur la derniire imege de cheque microfiche, selon le caa: le symbole — ► signlfle "A SUIVRE", le symbols ▼ signlfle "FIN". IMsps, piatea, charta, etc., mey be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too ierge to be entirely included in one exposure ore filmed beginning in the upper left hend corner, left to right end top to bottom, es many friimea aa required. The fallowing diegrams Illustrate the method: Lea cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre fiimte A dee taux de reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grend pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA, 11 est filmA A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de heut en ^ a, en prenent le nombre d'imagea nAcaiNteire. Lea diagrammes sulvants illustrant la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ■P f '^'^■tm'mit.-MlmtHrKr.v^.,. N E W % t TRAVELS IN THE UNITED STATES O F m AMERICA, .' r» PERFORMED IN M.DCC.LXXXVIII. CONTAINING f. t-' Thi lateft an4 moft accilrate Obfenrationa on the Charafter, Genius, and pre- fent State of th^ P^(^le fnd pOYerjt|i^e|it,of>l}at.CoyAU'2(T7l'^cir Agr'^cuhurci Commerce, MlPuf4Qtf»ts> }n& tirC).n(c^Q»!ilirytant .Brice of Lands, and Progrefs of tha Sctlltimifts«n rhe 0&u<>a»d->'Po1iticaI and Moral Charader of^e Qua]^cr**.wi.a Viv(li(Uitiea of« <|>at f Kceilent Sedl from the Mifreprefentttipny y :clkiM- "traveireiV-tState o|«h^ Blac^f.^— Progrefs uf the Laws for their '^'arltfiAti&n,* and /dl* thftliAilDeftrtk^ion* ht Slavery on that Continent— Accurate Accounts of the Climate, Longevity— Comparative Ta- bles of the Probabilities of Life between America and Europe, &c. &c. By J.R BRiSSOT de Warville. ttfm SECOND EDITION, CORRECTED. ■.3 A People w'ltboiit Morals may acquire Liberty, but without Morals they cannot prefenreit* Jfemo illic vitia ritUif me corrimptre, nee corrumpi fecuhim vacatur ■ ■ — FlufqtuUH ibi boni laerH valeitt, quam alibi botue leges. Tacitus. LONDON: FAlKTeD rOR J. «. }OKDA|f» N«. l66, FLEET-STRtlT. M OCC XCIV, I «» \ 1 b ^ ^ ^, . ■^.r' J* ..„aiii.'.i '„»-■, ..^taiJ^t.t-- ^g„..'^-,^.,.-......„'..,u.-n .,'.,. .>^j.i.'.;.i.-t-j :t:-.i^^^ .'' • '^.J*.. ■?" • » ;¥,a*^tf> , f w y i • C O N f fe f^ T S. •^ A * ^* * M»l ^^ ^ :!si'' ThS Tranflater's Prefac6 The Author's Preface vu I XiCttef I. From M\ Claviere to ^, Ih-iffot, Aiggefting a Plan of Obfdry.ations on the pt)litica), civil, and mili- tary 9^t«i>f the Free Americans, their Legifla- tion, i?((S. ... II. Soil^ Pn>du^ons, EmrgWtibitd HI. Planof each Settlement to be formed in the Unit.id States - * • IV. Enquiries on the beft mode of Emigrating V. On the Purchafe of Lands, and the American Funds - VI. Method of Obfervations to ht purfued in thefe Travdls I. From M. firiflbt to M. Claviere, from Havre de Grace - - II. Obfervations on Bofton - - IH. Journey from Bofton to New York through Con- ne<5ticut - IV. From Bofton to New York by Providence ^, V. Oh New York - - .11' VI. Journey from New Yort: to PhiUdelphia' 142 Ajz Vtf. Vifit 29 36 40 48 54 63 70 97 116 70492 M ^iW^~ u COttTINTI* f Vmr Pi VII. Vifit to Burlington, and to the Houfeof M. Franklin • • 150 VIII. Vifit to the Farm of a Qj^aker - 153 IX. Vifit from Warner Miflin . 156 X. Funeral of a Qitaker. A Quaker Meeting 160 XL The Bettiring.Koufe - . 167 XII. Hofpital of Lunaticks . - 176 XIII. On Benjamin Franklin - •> 179 XIV. Steam Boat. Reflections on the Chara^er of - the Americans and the Englifh 196 XV. The Agricultural Society. The Library^ iO| XVI. On the Market of Philadelphia - 203 XVII. On the General Aflembly of Pennfylvania, and the Farm of Mr. L. r^ 207 XVIII. Journey of M. Saugrain to the Ohio . 216 XIX. The School for Blacks at Philadelphia ' 220 XX. The Endeavours ufed to aboliihSUyery . 226 XXI. The Laws made in different States for the Abolition of Slavery - - 231 XXII. General State of the Blacks in the United States. Their Manners and Character, &c. 238 Addition to the preceding Letter, on the La- bours of the different Societies in Favour of the Blacks - - 249 XXIII. On fubflituting the Sugar of Maple to the Su- gar of Cane s and its Confequences on tl^e Fate of the Blacks - - ^55 XXIV. A ProjeiSl: for re-tranfporting the Blacks to Africa - - 261 XXV. Philadelphia, its Buildings, Police, Manners, &c. - - - 265 XXVI. On the Progrefs of clearing and cultivating Land - - 282 XXVIL Climate of Philad^jphia, its Difeafes, &c. 291 XXVIIL The r- I r rt ill II' I iiimiiwwhi.iiii >r'Viii)iiftrfa mmmmmmmmmmxaim'.Ki CONTBNTri. if L«Rer PV XXVIII. The Difeafes moft common in the United XXIX. XXX. xxxr. xxxiii. XXXIV. XXXV. XXXVI. XXXVII. XXXVIII. XXXIX. XL. xu. XLII. XLIII. XLIV. States - • • Longevity-— Calculations on the Proba)>ili- ties of Life in the United States— Their Population - Prifons in Philadelphia, and Prifom in ge- neral On the Quakers ; their private Morals, their Manners, Cuftoms, &c. On the Reproaches caft upon the Quakers by different Writers Religious Principles of the Quakers Political Principles of the Quakers. Their Refufal to take Arms, pay Taxes for War - . . Journey to Monnt Vernon General Obfervations on Maryland and Vir- ginia The Tobacco, and Tobacco Notes of Vir- ginia - « The Valley of Shenadore Journey from Bcfton to Portfinouth The Debt of the United States Importations into the United States Exportations from the United States Their Trade to the Eaft-Indies, and their Navigation in general The Weftern Territory, and the different Settlements in it 296 302 3«6 S33 344 354 36a 371 375 38* 384 390 396 400 40i 40; A-3 ^ 7HM ■/- i' ♦ I i: 7* HE very favourable reception which the firjt edition of this Volump has met with^ demands the warmejt acknowledgments of the Editor, : X^is indulgence has encouraged him to colleSi from Brissot'j other Pafers^ a Second Folume ; j4pon the fame fubjeSi ; to which will he addgiy fever al Original Papers^ illufimtive of the : fame ; the whole containing a fh^j^of Infor- •mationf fiot lefs interefiing to; e^ff BritUb reader • It is now in the prefs^ 4ndwillfpee' dily he puhlifhed^ with a Portrait of the Au^ thor\ finely engraved^ from a print lately pub- UJhed at Paris, January i, 1794. ..j^^' ?'^^ t- 4^ *u ^,1 i...^i|lliHl||ll.li!i r '1«««3''PB*WW««BB^ ■- PREFACE or T H t TRANSLATOR. ■>_ _' ■»> HOlS^VER unfortunate th^ intelUgent and ]^hiUnthropic writer of thefe TraveU liiay have been at the.conclufion of his earthly career, it is a tribute due to his memory from every liberal mind, to acknowledge, that na traveller of our own times has made a more va- luable prefent to the enlightened part of Europe than M. Brissot, by his account of the prefent ftate of the people, of their manners and trade,i of the United States of America. An immenfe country — increafing in opulence and fplendour every day ; the riling feat of Arts, and the afylum of Liberty. — The pigmy nations of Eu- rope fiftk in comparifon with this vaft country, 7 like ':,fe I I I TRANSLATOR^ PREPACI. like ftars compared with the grand luminary. No wonder that the mind of Briflbt (hould feel the warm glow of congenial fentiment in a tour through a country where tyranny is no more, and where peace and plenty are the fruits of nature and induftry. The inhabitants of Europe may derive great advantages froAi M. BrifTot's account of Ame- rica ; as they have don^ from a variety of other labours of the fame author. Their minds are now open to an enquiry into the tSc^s of mo* ral and political fyflems. Many perfilh'i read a few lines of the preface of a book, before they decide, whether they will purchafe it. From this pradice, I have fome doubts that I (hall probably be accufed of being in the intereft of the Bookfeller, and of making an aflertion mere- ly to catch this fort of readers, when I fay that the Englifh have more need of information on the prefent ftate and real character of the United States of America, than any other people of Europe ; and efpecially when I add, that this book is infinitely better calculated to convey that information than any other, or than all others of the kind that have hitherto appeared. - *1 f7 I do not know how to convince an Englifli * 6 reader lyyii i ii "", ' .!!. ' mmm TEANSLATOH^S FltirACB. IZ reader of the firA of thefe remarks ; but the latter I am fure he v/ill find true oq perufing the work. The fad is, we have, for reafons of ftatet moft probably, ' ten kept utterly ignorant both of the Americans, and of their country. Had we known either the one or the other, while they were colonies, they would have been Co at this day, and doubtlefs for many days longer ; did we know them now^ we fhould endeavour to draw thofe advantages from them which the nat^|(\^4^nd adventitious circumftances of the two.icQ^intries would indicate to reafonable men. There is no part of the globe, out of England, fo interefling for us to Audy, under all its connexions and relations, as the territory of the United States. Could we barter all the Canadas and Nova- Scot ias, with all their modi- fications and fubdivifions, for fuch an amicable intercourfe as might have been eftablifhed with that people (ince the clofe of the war, we fhould have every reafon to rejoice in the change. The fources of our information concerning America, have too often been corrupt, falfe, in- terefted, and bafc. What could be drawn from fuch a I , 11 jppijijijyi I i 1 fbch iburcts^ that ought not to be deriafed and ^iiicredited ? Thofe Americans, who beft know their own country, do not write i th'ey have always been K^QVtpied in raK!>re important affairs* A few light (uperficial tralveUers, fome of whom ne- ver appear to have quitted Europe ; a few mi- aifterlal governoi^s of provinces, wbofe buflnefs it always was to deceive : fuch are the men whofe errors have been uniformly copied by Aiicceed'mg writers^ and a£led upon by .modern politicians. ? >, -W,' ** .-** Thefe blunders aflume 'lifferent fhapes, and come reconMncnded to us under various autho- rities. You fee them muftered and embodied in a ga2ietteer or a geographical grammar^, marching in the fplendid retinue of all the fci- ences. in the Encyclopedic ; you find them by regiments prciTed into the fervice of De ftw, tortursd into difcipline and taught to move to the mufic of Reynel, and then mounted among the heavy armed cavalry of Robert fon. Under • ?cr1iaps rto worie, that is not fyftemritically falfe, contains mott; errors than the Qedgrapbical Grammar publilhcd under the name of WiUilni!k Guthrie ; it Is a hodgC'- podge of falfe- lipod from the beginning to the end. fuch ■%ifrtirni' "I'hiiT^i'^'i-i'itiiMfiin.iniiaiiytel^ .*««??»«w»«pl^' ,- JtfMiuwM.'inaf^'^'*''"'"^'"' fucb able comiac^anderSf wha coM doubt of their doing executioii } Indeed their opefsktions have been tod fatal to ud« Oui* falfe ideas of the Americans have done us infinite milchief. The book that bears the name of Lord Shtf^^ £eid cm the American trade, has fcrved as the touchftone, the ftatefman's confe^n of faith, relative to our political and commercial inter- course with that country. It is faid to have been written by an American who had left his country in difgrace, and therefore intended to write againft it. And the book really has this appearance; it has pafled for a long time in England as a moft patriotic and ufeful perform* ance ; it has taught us to defpife the Americans in peace and commerce, as the works of other men of this caft had before told us to do in war and politics. The details in it may be accurate, though of little confequence ; but the reafon- ing is uniformly Wrong, the predidions are all falfe, and the concluiions which he draws, and which of courfe were to fcrve as advice to the government, are calculated to flatter our vanity, to confirm us in our errors, and miflead us in our condu£^. Had the ableil: fophift in Eu- rope been em[.!ryed to write a book profeffedly againft Great-Britain and in favour of America, .T S-' s* II M . 1 ii m »i|pii|wiir#i 5£ ^Kanslator's prefacs. lie cotild not have fucceecled fo well. It per- fuaded us to refafe any kmd of commercial treaty with them ; which forced them to learn a leflbn, of which they might otherwife have been ignorant for half a century. That after beating our armies they could rival our mahu- factories ; that they could do without as much better than we could without them. Briilbt has taught his countrymen to think very differently of that people. I believe every reader of thefe travels, who underfiands enough of America to enable him to judge, wlU admit, that his remarks are infinitely more judicious, and more candid, than thofe of any other gen- tleman who has lately vifited that country.* *<* M. BrifTot was a fob^r^ uniform, and inde* fatigable defender of the rights of mankind. How he came by his death will be a fubje£t of future inquiry. His great objedt in thefe tra- vels feems to have been, to obferve the efFe^* Wn.* iO ^v .rf :.t ii ■>):n'l'? i.j r *■ ■ 1 -. ; THE ^*if tUs AUTHOR'S PREFACE V REVISED. THE publication of Voyages and Travels will doubtlefs appear, at firft view, an operation foreign to the prefent circumftances of France. I Ihould even rnyfelf regret the time I have (pent in reducing this Work to order, if I did not think that it might be ufeful and neceifary in fupporting our Revolution. The objeft of thcfe Travels was not to ftudy antiques, or to fearch for unknown plants, but to ftudy men who had juft acquired their liberty. A free people can no longer be ftrangers to the French. We have now, likewife, acquired our liberty. It is no longer neceifary to learn of the Americans the manner of acquiring it, but we mud be taught by them th3 fecret of preferving it. This fecret confifts in the morals of the people; the Americans have it| and I fee with grief, not only that we not yet poffefs it, but that we are not even thoroughly perfuaded of its abfolute neceffity in the prefcrvation of liberty. This is an important point ; it involves the falvatiop Vol. I. B of ■V ■(•m^iaifi rjp i ir . Tii Hiit»i|i|iiii ni l I I a l>]i£FAC2. of the revolution^ and therefore merits a clofe exam^ nation. ' What is liberty ? It is tt at perfcd ftate of human felicity, in which each man confidently depends upon, thofe laws which he contributes to make ; — in which, to make them good, he ought to perfcft the powers of his mind ; in which, to execute them well, he muft employ all his rcafon : for all coercive meafures are difgraceful to freemen — they are ufelefs in a free State ; and when the magiHrate calls them to his aid^ liberty is on the decline. Morals are nothing more than reafon applied to all the adions of life; in thtir force confifts the execution of the laws. . ..Re ifon or morals are to the execution of the law* acriong a free people, what fetters, fcourges, and gibbets^^ are among flaves. Dcftroy morals, or pradical reafon, and you muft fupply their phce by fetters and fcourges, or elfe fociety will ceafe to be any thing but a ftate of ■war, a fcene of deplorable anarchy, to be terminated by its deftru(5)ion* - Without morals there can be no liberty. If you have not the former, you cannot love the latter, and you will loon take it away from others; for if you abandon yourfelf to luxury, to oftentation, to exceffive gaming, to enormous expences> you neceffarily open your heart to corruption ; you make a traffic of your popularity, and of your talents ; yea fell the people to that defpotifm which is always endeavouring to abforb them within its chains. . •- Some 'V«1W,P.f^vW»ta!. >RBF AOI* ^ ^oiae linen endeavour to make a dii^indioii between public and private morals. Thi6 is a faife and chi- merical diftindion ; invented by vice, in order to dif- guife its danger. Undoubtedly a man may poflefs the private virtues, without the public: as for in- j[lance> he may be a good fatiier, without being an ardent friend of liberty. But he who has not the private virtues, can never poffefs the public. In this refpefl they are infeparable ; their bafis is the fame, it is praSlical reafon. What ! within the walls of your houfe, you trample reafon under foot j and do you refpeft it abroad> in your intercourfe with your fellow- citizens ? Tht man who refpeds not reafon in the lonely prefencc of his houfchold gods, can have no fincere attachment to it at all ; and his apparent ve- i^cration to the law is but the effedt of fear, or the gri- mace of hypocrify. Place him out of danger from the public force, his fears vanifti, and his vice ap- pears. Bclides, the hypocrify of public virtue entrains another evil ; it fpreads a dangerous fnare to liberty over the abyfs of defpotifm. me What confidence can be placed in thofe men who, regarding the revolution but as their road to fortune, affume the appearance of virtue only to deceive the people ; who deceive the people but to pillage and enllave them; and who, in their artful difcourfes, which are paid for with gold, preach to others the fa- crifice of private intereft, while they themfelves f;^- crifice all that is facred to their own ? men whofe pri- vate condud is the alTaffin of virtue, an opprobrium B 2 to 2^ PREFACE^ <6 liberty, and gives the lie to the doctrines which they preach : ^i curios fmuknt^ et Baccanalia vivmt, Happy the people who defnife this hypocrify, who have the courage to degrade, to chaftife, to excom- municate thefe double men ; pofieffing the tongue of Cato, and the foul of Tiberius. Happy the people who, well convinced that liberty is not fupported by eloquence, but by the exercife of virtue, efteeni not, but rather defpife, the former, when it is feparated from the latter. Such a people, by their fevere opi- nions, compel men of talents to acquire morals ; they exclude corruption from their body, and lay the foundation for liberty, and long profperity, . : But if fuch a people (hould become fo improvident '&nd irrefolute, as to be dazzled by the eloquence of an orator who flatters their paffions, to pardon bis vices in favour of his talents — if they feel not an in- dignation at feeing an Alcibiades training a mantle „f of purple, lavifliing his fumptuous repafts, lolling on the bofom of his miftrefs, or raviihing a wife from her tender huioand — if the view of his enormous wealth, his exterior graces, the foft found of his fpeech, and his traits of courage, could reconcile them to his crimes— if they (hould render him the homage which IS' due only to talents united with virtue — if they jhould lavifli upon him praifes, places, and honours —//&/« it is that this people difcover the full meafure of their weaknefs, their irrefolution, and their own proper corruption j they become their own execution- ... . ers; PRBFACE. I ers ; and the time is not diftant^ when they will be ready to be fold, by their own Alcibiades, to the great kittgy and to his fatraps* Is it an ideal piflure which I here trace, or, is it not ours ? I tremble at the refemblande ! Great God ! (hall we have achieved a revolution the moft inconceivable, the mod unexpeded, but for the fake of drawing from nihility a fe>y intriguing, low, am- bitious men, to whom nothing is facred, who have not even "^he mouth of gold to accompany their faul of clay ? Infamous wretches ! they endeavour to excufe their weakiicfs, their venality, their eternal capitula- tions with defpotifm, by faying, Thefe people are too much corrupted to be trufted with complete liberty. They themfelves give them the example of corrujp- tion; they give them new (hackles, as if (hackles could enlighten' and ameliorate men. ^ '- > O Providence ! to what deftiny referveft thou the people of France? They are good, but th^y are » flexible*, they ai;e credulous, they are enthuliaftic, they are ea(ily deceived. How often, in their infa- tuation, have they applauded fecret traitors, who have advifcd them to the moft perfidious meafures ! In- fatuation announces either a people whofe aged weak- nefs indicates approaching diifolution, or an infant people, or a mechanical people, a people not yet ripe for liberty : for the man of liberty is by nature a man of reafon ; he is rational in his applaufes, he is fparing in his admiration, if, indeed, he ever indulges this B 3 pa(}ion; ,' .>'- -■ ■ 1 & TKEFACB. pafHon ; he never profane) thefe effuiions, by laviilH ing them on men who dilhonour themfelves. A peo- ple degraded to this degree, are ready to carefe the gilded chains that may be offered them, Behold the people of England dragging in the dirt that parlia- liameni. to whom they owed their liberty, and crown- ing with laurels the infamous head of Monk, whq fold them to a new tyrant. I have fcrutinized thofe men, by whom the people are To eafily infatuated. How few patriots was I able to number among them ! How few men, who (in- eerely love the people, who labour for their happinefsi and amelioration, without regard to their perfonal intercft ! Thefe true friends, thefe real brothers of the people, are not to be formed in thofe infamous gambling honfes, where the reprefenratives fpott with the blood of their fellow citizens; they arenotfouncj among thofe vile courtezans who, preferving their difpofition, have only changed their mafk ; they are not found among tTiofe patriots of a day, who, while they are preaching the Rights of Man, are gravely ■occupied with a gilded phaeton, or an embroidered veil. The man of this frivolous tafte has never de- fcended into thofe profound meditations, which makq "bf hunlaaityj and the exercife of reafon, a conftant pleafure and a daily duty. The fimplicity of wants and of plcafures, may be taken as a fure fign of pa- trrotifm. He that has few wants, has never that of felling himfelf ; while the citizen, who has the rage of oftentation> the fury of gambling, and of expenfive ^ • |. fs frivolities. frivolities, is always to be fold to the higheft bidder ; and every thing around him betrays his corruptioQ I " • Would you prove to me ) our patriot! fm ? Let me penetrate into the interior of your houfe. What ! I fee your antichamber full of infolent lackies, who re- gard me with difdain, becaufe I am like Curius, in- comptis capiUis: they addrcfs you with the appellation of lordftoip \ they give you ftill thofe vain titles which liberty tread- under foot, and you fuffer it, and you xall yourfclf a patriot ! — I penetrate a little further : your ceilings are gilded ; magnificent vafes adorn your chimney pieces ; I walk upon the richeft carpets; the moft coftly wine , the moft exquifite dilhes, cover your table; a crowd of fervants furround ic; you itreai them with haughtinefs : —No, you are not a pa- triot, the moft confummate pride reigns in your heart, the pride of birth, of riches, and of power. With .'this triple pride, a man never believes in the dodtrine of equality: you belie your confciencc when you proftitute the word patriot. - . * But whence comes this difplay of wealth ? you are not rich. Is it from the people ? they are flill poor. Who will prove to me that it is not the price of their blood ? Who will aifure me that there is not this mo- ment exifting a fecret contrad between you and the .court ? Who will aflure me that you have not faid to the court, Truft to me the power which remains to you, and I will bring back the people to your feek ; I will attach thepi to your. car-; I wiir enchain the ■ •- ' '']/r-- ■'''' "^^'■-. , ..- B 4 ■ •' tongues «■ !!■ f R 1 P A C B. tongues and pens of thofe indeperivient who brave you. A people may fomecimes be (uhjugatcd with- out the aid of badilles. I do not know if Co many pictures as every day ftrike our eyes, will convince us of the extreme diffi- culty of conneifling public incorruptibility with cor- ruption of morals •, but I am convinced, that if we wi(h to preferve our conftitution, it will be eafy, it will be neceflary, to dcmonflrate this maxim : ** With- " out private virtue, there can be no public virtue, •* no public fpirit, no true liberty." But how can we create private virtue among a peo- ple who have juft rifen fuddenly from\he dregs of fervitude, dregs which have been fettling for twelve centuries on thsir he^ds } , -^^^ ij": . Numerous means offer themfelves to out handi ; laws, inftrudion, good examples, education, eiicou- ragement to a rural life, parcelling of real property among heirs, refped to the ufeful arts. Is it not evident,' for inftarice, that private morals affociate naturally with a rural lii^; that, of confc- quence, manners would much improve, by inducing men to return from the city to the country, and by difcouraging them from migrating from the country ID the city ? The rcafon why the Americans poflefs fuch pure morals is, becaufe nine- tenths of them live . 4ifperfcd in the country, J do not fay that we (hould '^ • ,, -r •■•» ;; ? roaKe • .JT I ^RlFAcr. 9 make laws dired to force people to quit the town, or to fix their limits i all prohibition, all reftraint, is un* juft, abfurd, and ineffectual. Do you wi(h a perfoa to do well ? make it his intered co do it. Would you re- people the country ? make it his interefl to keep his children at home. Wife laws and taxes well dif- tributed will produce this efTedt. Laws which tend to an equal diftribution of real property, to diffufc a certain degree of eafe among the people, will contri- bute much to the refurreftion of private and public morals ; for mifery can take no intereft in the public good^ and want is often the limit of virtue. Would you extend public fpirit through all France ? Into all thcL'tiepartments, all the villages, favour the propagation of knowledge, the low price of books and ,of newfpapers. How r«apidly would the revolution confolidate, if the government had the wifdom to frank the public papers from the expence of poftage ! Jt has often been repeated, that three or four millions eof livres expended in this way, would prevent a great numberofdiforders which ignorance inay countenance or commit, and the reparation of which cods many inore millions. The communication of knowledge would accelerate a number of ufeful undertakings, ^hich greatly diffufe public profperity. .''''■'.' > I will ftill prcpofe another law, which would infal- libly extend public fpirit and good morals; it is the fliort duration of public officers in public offices, and * rhe impoffibili;^ of 4C-^leding thcni without an in- -*— ■ l^^ '''''''■'■■ ■^'■-^-^^ . ^ . Cerval, M f RIPACf. cerval. . By that the legtflative body would fend out every two years, into the provinces, three or four hundred patriots, who, during their abode at Paris, would have arifen to the horizon of the revolution, tnd obtained inftrudion, adivity in bufinefs, and a public fpirit. The commonwealth, better underftood, would become thus fuccelTively the bufinefs of all; and it is thus that you would repair the defe£^ with which reprefentative republics are reproached, that :the commonwealth is the bufmefs of but few, I cannot enlarge upon all the means ; but it would be rendering a great fervice to the Revolution, to feek jind point out thofe which may give us morals and public fpirit.— *i.yv . V ... j ,.»,*., ..i Yet I cannot leave this fubjcA without indulging <©ne refiedion, which appears to me important ^ Li- berty, either political or individual, cannot exift a long time witbout pcrfonal independence. There caiii be no independence without a property, a profcffion, lA trade, or an honeft induftry, which may iofur^ againll want and dependence. > I aiTure you that the Americans are and will be for a long time free; it is becaufe nine tenths of the«>- live by agriculture; and when there Ihall be five hun- dred millions of men in America, all may be proprie- tors. We are not in that happy fituation in France : the , produdiivc # « » ririf ACC9 It |irodudive lands in France amount to fifty mtUioni of acres; this equally divided, would be two acres to % perfon s thefe two acres would not be fufficient foF his rubfiftence; the nature of things calls a great number of the French to live in cities. Commerce, the mechanic arts, and divers kinds of induftry, pro* cure there fubfiftence to the inhabiiants « for we mufl; not count much at prefent on the produce of public offices. Salaries indemnify, but do not enrich : nei- ther do they infure againd future want, A man who (hould fpcculate upon falaries for a living, would only be the flave of the people, or of foreign powers 2 every man, therefore, who wi(hes fincerely to be free, ought to exercife fome art or trade. At this word, trade, the patriots flill (liivcri they begin to pay fome re- fpedt to commerce; but though they pretend to cherifh equality, they do not feel themfelves frankly the equals of a mechanic. They have not yet abjured the pre- judice which regards the tradefman, as below the banker or the merchant. This vulgar ariftocracy will be the mod difficult to dcftroy *. — If you wi(h to honour the mechanic arts, give inftrufbion to thofe \^ho exercife them : choofe among them the bed in- * It extends even to officers ckofen by ihe people. With what flfdam they regard an artifan from head to foot ! With what fe- yerity many of ouf national guards treat thofe wretches who are arretted by them ! With what infolence they execute their orders ! — Qbferve the greater part of the public officers : They are as ^aughty in the exercife of their fundlions, as they were grovdiing in the Primary Aflemblies. A trub patriot is equal at all times 1 equally diiUot horn bafenefs at elevens, and infolence in office. y.: £. ^ ^ ^ ftru6kcd. RPPNIM W I i 1 i : I 12 PREFACE. flniAcd, and advance them in public employments ; and difdain not to confer upon them didinguinied places in the afTcmblies. f-: 'i'i.,'- G»*,1. I regret that the National Aflembly has not yet given this falutary example j that they have not yet crowned tlie genius of agriculture, by calling to the prefident's chair the good cultivator, Gerard; that the merchants and other members of the Aflembly, Tfho cxercife mechanic arts, have not enjoyed the fame honour. Why this exclufion ? It is very well to infect in the Declaration of Rights, that all men are equal ; but we muft pradife this equality, engrave it in our hearts, confecra^e it in all our adtions, and it belongs to the National Aflembly to give the great ipxample. It would perhaps force the executive power to refpeft it likewife. Has he ever been known to defcend into the clafs of profeffions, there to choofe bis niinifters, his agents, from men of fimplicity of iaii^tiRers, hot rich, but well inftru^ed, and no cour^ Cjur democrats of the court praife indeed, with a borrowed enthufiafm, a Franklin or an Adams ; they fay, and even with a filly afloniihment, that the one , . was a printer, and the other a fchoolmaftel ! But, fp they go to feek in the work-fliops the men of infor- mation ? No. — But what fignifies at prefcnt the cdil- duA of an adminiftration, whofe deteftable founda* tion renders them antipopular, and con{equently per# verfe? they can never appear virtuous TOt by bypo«» % ? R E F A C E^ «J crify. To endeavour to «onvcrt them is a folly; to oppofe :o them iadependent adverfaries, is wifdom : the fecret of independence is in this maxim, Httve few wants, and a Jleady employment to fatisfy them. With thefe ideas man bends not his front before man. The artizan glories in his' trade that fupports him : he envies not places of honour ; he knows he can attain them, if he deferves them : he idolizes no man ; he refpeds himfelf too much to be an idolater : h-; elleems nqt men becaufe they are in place, hjt becaufe they deferve well from their country. The leaders of the revolution in Holland, in the fixteenth century, feated on the grafs at a repaft of herrings and onions, received, with a ftern fimplicity, the deputies of the haughty Spaniard. This is the portrait of men who feel their dignity, and know the fuperiority of freemen over the Haves of kings. , .^ ' ^(em heque paupertes, neque mors, neqtie vincula terrent* When (hall we have this elevated idea of ourfelves ? When will all the citizens look with difdain on thofc idols on whom they formerly proftituted their adora- tion ? Indeed, when (hall we experience a general diffufion of public fpirit ? v ■* ■ ■ .' I have no uneafinefs about the rifing generation: the pure fouls of our young men breathe nothing but fiberty ; the contagious breath of perfonal intereft has -|pot yet infeded them. An education truly natipnal, wiU create men furpafling the Greeks and Romans; ■ * ■. \ ■-^--■■.^. ".,,;---:-■■ ■ but i uMJ i i i i r i ijff^i .«M#^wMiiwjigiipBiiSiig^ lif' 1# l^k^FAfct* but peopk advanced in life, accudomed to fervitudCfi ^miliarized with the idolatry of the great— What will reclaim them ? What will ftrip them of the old man ? Inftrudion ; and the bed means of difTufing it, is to multiply popular clubs, where all thofc citizens fo unjuftly denominated paffive, cbme to gain informa- tion on the principles of the Conftitutioh, and on the political occurrences, of everyday. It is there that may be placed under the eyes of the people the great examples of virtue furnifhed by ancient and modern hiftory ; it is there that detached parts of the work, which I now publifti, may fcrve to (hew my fellow* citizens the means of prefcrving their liberty. ^* O Frenchmen ! who wifti for this valuable inftruc* tion, ftudy the Americans of the prefent day. Open this book : you will here fee to what degree of prof* perity the bleflings of freedom can elevate the induf- try of man ; how they dignify his nature, and difpofe him to univerfal fraternity : you will here learn by what means liberty is preferved ; that the great fecret of its duration is in good morals. It is a truth that the obfervation of the prefent ftate of America demon- ftrates at every ftep. Thus you will fee, in thefe Tra* vels, the prodigious efFefts of liberty on morals, on induftry, and on the amelioration of men. You will fee thofe ftern prefbyterians, who, on the firft fettle- ment of their country, infedted with the gloomy fu- perftitions of Europe, could eredt gibbets for thofc who thought differently from themfelves. You will fee them admitting all fedts to equal charity and bro- V , - - " : therhood. rREPACE. i§ therhood, rcjeding thofe fupci-ftitions which, to adore the Supreme Being, make martyrs of part of the hu- man race. Thus you will fee all the Americans, in , whofe minds the jealoufy of the mother country had difleminated the moft abfurd prejudices againft fo- reign nations, abjure thofe prejudices, rejcd every idea of war, and open the way to a univrrfal confe- . deration of the human race. You will fee independ* tnt America contemplating no other limits but thofe of the univerfe, no other reftraint but the laws made by her reprefentatives. You will fee them attempt- ing all forts of fpeculations ; opening the fertile boforat i)f the foil, lately covered by forefts; tracing un- known feas ; cftabliftiing new communications, ncv markets ; naturalizing, in their own country, tho(e| precious manufadures which England had refcrvcdl: to herfelf J and, by this accumulation of the mean* of induftry, they change the balance that was former- ly againft America, and turn it to their own advan- tage. You will fee them faithful to their engage- ments, while their enemies are proclaiming theil^ bankruptcy. You will fee them invigorating their minds, and cultivating their virtues; reforming their government, employing only the language of reafoti to convince the refradory ; multiplying every where moral inftitutions and patriotic eftablifhrnents ; and, ' above all, never feparating the idea of public from private virtues. Such is the confoling pidure . which thefe Travels will offer to the friend of li- berty. The ,. ]6 i> R B F A C B« iThe reverffc IS not lefs conluling; if liberty is a fure guarantee of profperity ; if, in perfefting the ta- lents of man, it gives him virtues, thefe virtues, in «:heir turn, become the fureft fupport of liberty. A people 01 univerfal good morals would have no need of government j the law would have no need of an executive power. 1 nis is the reafon why liberty in America is fafely carried to fo high a degree that it borders on a ftate of nature, and why che government has fo little force. This, by ignorant men, is called anarchy : enlightened men, who have examined the cfFeds on the fpot, difcern in it the excellence of the government; becaufe, notwithftanding its weaknefs^ fociety is there in a flourif.jing (late, Thp profperity of a fociety is always in proportion to thii extent of liberty ; liberty is in the inverfe proportion to the ex* lent of the governing power : the latter cannot in* creafc itfelf, but at the expence of the former. iiV . Can a people without government be happy ? Yes; if you can fuppofe a whole people with good morals j and this is not a chimera. Will you fee an example ? obferve the Quakers of America. Though numerous^ though difperfed over the furface oj^ Pennfylvania, they have pafled more than a century without mu- nicipal government, without police, without coercive meafures, to adminifter the State, or to govern the hofpitals. And vyhy ? Spe the pidure of their man- ners; you will there find the explanation of the phe- nomenon*^ :M-V* Coercive V. I'RKFACI. ty J Cdcrcivc meiafures and liberty never go together : ft free people hate the former; but if thefe meafures arc not employed, how will you execute the law ? By the force of feafon and good morals ; — take away thefe^ ahd you tnuft botrow the arm of violence, oc fall into anarchy. If, then, a people defire to banifli the difhonourable means of coercion, they muft ex- ercife their reafon, which will (hew them the .neceflTity of a conftant refpeft for the law. ;|.ip^>*:t^>^^ - i The exercife of this faculty produces among the Americans a great number of men defignated by the name o( principled men. This appellation indicates the charafler of a clafs of men fo little known among us, that they have not acquired a name. There will be one formed, I have no doubt ; but, in the mean time, I fee none but vibrating, unfteady beings, who do good by enthufiafm, and never by refleiftion. There can be no durable revolution, but where reflection marks the operation, and matures the ideas. It is amongft thofc men of principle that you find the true heroes of hu- manity, the Howards, Fothergills, Penns, Franklins, Wafhingtons, Sidneys, and Ludlows. Uvi^rj^^ii-^^i. j^^ msm,mi3^'^¥'-\i'i^^'^' \^: 'i'^'m^t.n:' fi^'r.; "i^i;; <:t> *;. n'f^ • iKfiMvtl' ^^ Shew me a man of this kind, whofe wants are cir- cumfcribed, who admits no luxury, who has no fe- cret paflion, no ambition, but that of ferving his country — a man who, as Montaigne fays, aie des opinions fupercelejies, fans avoir des mceurs fouterreines ; — a man whom refledion guides in every thing; this is the man of the peopla. -{■■ V^otA. %., ■■* ' iT^ %m In . ■J'f '' " ^ ' L'^L A ""V T^^^'f . ** ■-■r^ir- ammmm ^^^^ i f« FKiv Aci: In a wbrd» my countrymen, would you be alway§ free, always indcpend)ent in your eleftionSy and i(i> your opinions? Would you confine the executive power within narrow limits, and diminifli the number oi your laws ? — have morals ! — inpejtma republica plu" rima leges* Morals fupply perfedlly, the neceffity of laws ; laws fupply but impcrfecftly, and in a miferable manner, the place ot morals. Would you augment your population, that chief wealth of nations ? Would you augment the cafe of individuals, induftry, agri- culture, and everything that contributes to generab proljpCrity ^--^bave morakt' »>»..^i - 1*, - vii:M>*/'^»***^ Such is the double efledl: of morals in the United ,;States, whofe form of government ftill frightens pu- ^Uanimous and fuperftitious men. The portraits of- ^red to view, in thefe Travels, will juftify that re- requires a critical and profound examination. C a Experience mm^^mm^i^^ im. ^^ f • f R £ / A C 2. Experience has already determined the qualities of* onev the other Is ftill in its infancy. Perhaps, in- deed, it requires a time of more calmnefs, Icfs igno- rance and prejudice in the public mind, to judge wifely of the American conftitution. We mu ft pre- pare the way for this maturity of judgment; and ihefe Travels will accelerate it, in fetting forth with truth the advantages of the only government wbicli merits an V confidence.. -r *;» If I.had confultcd what is called the Love of Glory, and the Spirit of Ancient Literature, I could have fpent fcveral years in poliftiing this Work ; but T be- lieved, that, though neceflary at prefent, it might be too late, and, perhaps, ufelefs, in a few years. We liavc arrived at the time when men of letters ought to iludy, above all things, to be ufeful j when they ought, for fear of lofing time, to precipitate the propagation 9f truths, which the people ought to know ; when, -.of confequence, we ought to occupy ourfeives more in things than in words ; when the care of ftyle, and the perfedion of talle, are but figns of a trifling va- nity, and a literary ariftocracy. Were Montefquieu to rife from the dead, he would furely blufti at having laboured twenty years in making epigrams on laws : he would write for the people ; for the revolution cannot be maintained but by the people, and by the people inftrudted : he would write, then, diredlly and fimply from his own foul, and not torment his idecs to render them brilliant* ^i^:t*i::- When '"'"■I"""" P A £ F A C £• it ^* When a man would travel ufefuHy, he fli6uld ftud)', firft, mert ; fecondly, books ; gnd thirdly, places. To (ludy men, he Ihould fee them of all claf&s^ of all parties, of all ages, and in all fituations, ' I read in the Gazettes, that the ambafladors of Tippo Sultan were fcafted by every body; they were carried to the balls, to the fpeAacles, to the manu- faiflures, to the arfenals, to the palaces, to the camps,' After being tlius feafted for fix months, I wonder if, on returning home, they conceived that they knew France. If fuch was their opinion, they were in an error j for they fav* only the bj illiant part, the fur- face; and 1^ is not by the furface that one can judgev of the force of a nation. The ambafllidor ihould de- fcend from hi$ dignity, travel in a common carriage without his aj:tendant5, go into the ftables to fee the horfes, into the barns to fee the grain and other pro»_ dgdions of the country. It is thus that Mr. Jcffer- fon travelled in France and Jcaly; hQ had but one. fervant with him ; he faw every thing with his own eyes, I believe that few voyages havc;^ been made with fo much judgment and utility, as thofe of that^ philofopher. But his modefty conceals his obfcrva-^ tions from the public eye, ^t v/l | ^| ■t People difguife every thing, to deceive men in place. A prince goes to an hofpital ; he taftes the fpup and the meat. Does any one fuppofe that the fpperintendant wa§ fool enough not to havt Q;iven or* 4^rs to the cook that day ? . . y-r- C 3' v:.;,;.:.'"^' True f, k. %% puf. PACB. True obfcrvation is that of every day. A traveller, before fetting out, ought to kno>y from boqks Ai^4 men the country he goes to yi(ic. He will have fome data % he will cqnfront what h9 fces^ with what he ha$ heaffj. f':-v7» U,,> He ought to have a, plan. of obfcrvation; if he wi(hes that nothing fhould efcape him, he ihould ac- cultom himfelf to feize objefls rapidly, and ^q write^ every nighty what he has'feen in the day, ' _^ ^The choice of perfons to confult, and to rely upon| i? difficult. ^•^■^'•'^; ■•.■■■^'-^^■■.-•vy.:;„- ;■. : ■.. ■.^■..^ ,>J. ■> -yx'": ■;.',? - • The inhabitants of ^ country have generally a pre-' ■ diledion in favour of it, and ftrangers have prejudice^ againft it. In -America I found this prejudice in al- moft every ftranger. The American revolution con- founds them. They cannot familiarize the idea of i king-people and an eleSive chiefs who (hakes hands with a labourer, who has no guards at his gate, who walks on foot, &c. The foreign confuls are thofe who decry, with the moft virulence, the American confti- tution ; and, I fay it with grief, I (^w much of this virulence among fome of ours. According to them, the United States, when I landed in America, were juft falling to ruin. They had no governnG^ent left, the conftitution was deteftable ; there was no confidence to be placed in the Americans, the public debt would -^^ never. i ^>X ^ never l^e paid; and there was no faith^ do juftice Among them. , ! Being a friend of liberty, tliefe calumnies againft the American governfnent were revoking to me: I combated them with reafoning. My adverfaries, who objeded to me thf a their long abode there, and the Ihortnefs of mine ought to be convinced by this time that the telefcof . of reafon is rather better than the microfcope of office. They have, in general, fome ^ abilities and fome information ; but they have gene- rally been educated in the inferior places in theFrench adminiftration, and they have well imbibed its preju- dices. A republic is a nyonftrous thing in their fight ; a minifter is an idol that they adore ; the people, in their view, is a herd that muft be governed with ri- gour. A man who lives upon the rapines of defpo- tifm, is always a bad judge of a free country ; they feel that they (hould be nothing in fiich a {late ; and A man does not like to fall into nothing*. I met in our French travellers the fame prejudices • Judge, by the following inftance, with what infolertce the agents of defpotifm treat the chiefs of refpedable republics. — I licard M. de Mouftier boafting, that he told the prefident of con- 'grefs, at his own houfe, that he was hvit a. tarvern-keeper ; and the Americans had the complaifance not to demand hia recall ! What horror mufl this man have for our revolution ! He declared him- ielf the enemy of it when he was in America, and exprefTed himfelf -) with violence againft its leaders. Th^fe fafts are public; I de- nounced them to M. Montmorin, who neverthclefs, to recompenfc )iim for his anti-revo^utiun manoeuvresi fent hio) ambaiTado^ to *Berlin, C 4 . as «4 Pit space; as in th^ confuls. The greater part of FreDchmei^ who travel or emigrate, have little information, and are not prepared to the art of obfervation. Prefump- tuous to excefs, and admirers of their own cuftom^ and mapncrs, they ridicule thofe of other nations. Ri-r dicule gives them a double pleafure; it feeds their own pride, and humbles others. Ac Philadelphia, for inftance, the nicn are grave, thp women ferious, po finical airs, no libertine wives, no coffce-houfcs, no agreeable walks. My Frenchman finds every thing dcteftable at Philadelphia j becaufe he could not flrut upon a boulevard, babble in a coffee-houfe, nor feduce a pretty woman by his important airs and his fine curls. He \yas almod offended that they did not ^dmirc him ; thap they djd nop fpeak French, <■•».. )i ' He was greatly troubled that he could fpeak American with the fame facility ; he loft fo ipuch ii> not being able to Ihow his wit, : •? ^i *>^ih .y,xi) i--^y^ If, then, a perfon of this ca(l '^tempts p defcribe the Americans, he fhews his own charadter, but not; jtheirs. A people graye, ferious, and reflefting, can- not be judged of and appreciated, but by a perfon of a like charadler. >'i;' It is to be hoped that the reyojutipn wjll change the charadler of the French, If they ameliorate their morals, and augment their information, they will go far 5 for it is the property of rcafon and enlightened liberty to perfedl themfeJves without ceafing, to fub-^ FftlFAGI. $1 ftttute truth to error, and principle to prejudice^ They will then infenfibly Jay afide their political pre- judices, whi^h tirnilh ftiU the gloriogs condirution which they have founded. They will imitate the Americans as far as local and physical circumdances will permit; — they will imitate them, and they will be the happier for it ; for general happinefs docs nor. confift with abfurdities and contradidions ; it cannot arife from the complication, nor from the fhock ./ powers. There is but one real power in government, and it is in referring i.t back to its fource as often as poffible^ th;|Lt it is to be rendered beneficent ; it becomes /dangerous in proportion as it is diftant from its fource : in one word, the lefs aSlive and powerful the government^ the more a^ive, powerful, and happy is the fociety. This is the phenornenon demonftrated in the prefcnt Hiftpry of the United States. i Thefe Travels give the proof of the fecond part of this political axiom ; they prove the adltivity, the power, the happinefs of the Americans ; that they are deftined to be the firft people on earth, without being' the terror of others. ., To whaf great chain are attached thefe glorious dcftinies ? To three principles : I. All power is eledive in America. 2. The legiflative is frequently changed, 3. The executive has, moreover, but little force *. ' It » • This laft point ijierits fome attention, in the prcfent circam- (lanccs of France, The prefiUeai of the United States is elefted like td PREFACE* It will be eafy for me one day to deduce from thclc three principles, all the happy cfFedts which I have obfcrved in America* At prefent I content my- felf like all otKer prefidents and governors of States. A man cannot conceive, in that country, that nvi/dom and capacity are hereditary* The Americans, (who (hake their heads at this European folly), from fixteen years experience, have found none of thofe troubles, at the time of eleding a prefident, as were apprehended by ignorant people in Europe, The fame tranquillity rei^'*^.s in Uiis eleflion as in that of the fimpte reprefentatives. Men who cannot anfwer to arguments, raife phantoms, in order to have foraething to combat ; they attend not to the eifeds of the progrefs of reafon, and the in- JtinS of analogy which thu people poffefs. The moment they are accuflomed to the eleflion of the repreientative body, aU other clefkions are eafy to them. It is the fame reafon among men in- ftrufled, and the fame inftindt of analogy among, thofe not inftrufl- cd, which infpires an eternal diftruft of the executive power^ in countries where the chiefs are hereditary, and not elective. The moment that we decreed the monarchy hereditary, we decreed an eternal dii^ruft in the people of the executive power. It would be, iadeed» sgainft nature, that they fhould have confidence in individu- ak, wlio pretend to a fupernatural fuperiority, and who really have iine m fa£t, being independent of the people. There cannot exil^ an open ccafidence, but in governments where the executive power is eledlve, 'becaufe the governing is dependent on the governed. Now, as confidence is impollible under an hereditary monardiyt ^a it refults neceflarily from a government eledive in all its mem* llier», we may explain^ — whence the eternal quarrels between the people and the government, in the firft cafe, — whence the frequent recurrence to force,-?— whence treafons and minifterial delinquencies go mipuniftied, — whence liberty is violated, — and whence nations, t]\us governed, enjoy but a fictitious and partial profperity, often fta»"^i wi'ili blood; while, in the other cafe, where the people, by eleftions, hold in check the members of the government, there ex- ^ , ^ . , . -ills fK^TACt^ *7 felf with dcfcribing their effects, becaufc I wifli to Jeave to my Readers the pleafure of recurring to the caufes, and then of defcending from thofe caufes, and making the application to France. I have not even, told all the fa(fts ; I had fo little time both to detail the fads, and draw the confequences. I am aftonifli- ed to have been able to finifh a work fo voluminous, in the mid ft of fo many various occupations which continually furround me; charged alone with compil- ing and publi(hing a daily paper, undertaken with the fole de^re of edablifhing, in the public opinion, this powerful inftrument df revolutions ; a paper in which the defence of good principles, the watching oveif a thoufand enemies, and repulfing perpetual attacks, occupy my attention without ceafing. Much of my time is likewife taken up by my political and civil funftions; by many particular pamphlets; by the peceflity of aflifling at clubs, where truths are pre- pared for the public eye ; by the duty which I have prefcribed to myfelf, to defend the men of colour and the blacks, : - ■ ^ , ■'■'} jfts an unity of intercHs, wLicn produces a profperity, real, geneni, ;ind pacific. .ri The prefident of the United States can make no treaty, fend ao ambaffador, nominate tp no place, without the advice of the fenale. This fenate is eledlive ; the prefident is refponfible; he may be 25- cufed, profecuted, fufpended, condemned ; the public good fuffers jiothing from this refponfibility ; the places of prefident and minif- ters are not i^acant on that account ; but they are filled by men 0f acknowledged merit ; for the people, who eled, do not, like chance, take fools for governors ; nor do they, like kings, make miniftei* of knaves aud petty tyrants. ■ V : 8 ' I mention iigpmipppmpRna^JV'>i!.-FM ?^"'' ■^p^^'vHti:^:'Ki-^ '^,iim:mM%^^^ x^^tJ^'^O^r^'"^' '„ '■-*.?'. .-■•■ ■• -. '■'.' ■ ■•■■ ■ •■ ■■ ■ . ■■ ,, - -' '■ ■ *■'■•..■ r:> "t Lf 'Wit'^ >■,;:<«:■: :»v ,.\''l c ■ i-Hi NEW NEW TRAVELS I N T H B UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LETTER I. From M. CLAVIERE to M. BRISSOT de WARVILLE, PLAN OF OBSERVATIONS ..... V ON THE POLITICAL, CIVIL, AND MILITARY STATE OF THE FREE AMERICANS; THEIR . LEGISLATION, &C. ;^ '; ; > May 1 8, 1788. npHE voyage that you arc going to undertake, my dear friend, will doubtlefs form the moft interefting period of your contemplative life. You are going to tranfport yourfelf into a part of the globe, where a perfon may, with the leaft obftrudtion, bring into view the moft ftrik- ing and interefting fcenes that belong to huma- nity. It is with a little courage, much patience, a continual diffidence of his own habits of mind and manners, a total oblivion of his moft chc- rifhcd opinions, and of himfelf, and with a dcf termination to be cautious and flow in judging, that 3^ KiW tRAVELS !N THE that he may conclude, what is the f tuatioft where man, the child of the earth, majr aflcmble the greateft fum, and the longcft duration of public and private happinefs. . In a few years, and without great dangers, ■ you may contcmpkte the mod varied fcenes; you may pafs in America, from a foil the beft cultivated, and grown old with an adlive popu- lation, into the dcferts, where the hand of man has modified nothing, where time, vegetation, and the dead mafs of matter, feem to have fur- niihed the expence of the theatre. ^•^ ^ ^-^ Between thefe extremes, you will find inter- mediate ftages of improvement ; and it is, doubt- lefs, in contemplating thefe, that reafon and fen- fibility will find the happiefl fituation in life. ' The prefent ftate of independent America will, perhaps, give us a glance at the highefl perfedion of human life that we are permitted to hope for ; but who, in judging of it, can fe- parate himfelf from his age, from his tempera- ment, from his education, from the impreffion of certain circumftances ? Who can (ilence his imagination, and govern the fenfations which excite it ? I hope, my friend, that you may have this power ; and you ought to negledl nothings to acquire it, if you wifh to anfwer the end of your travels. You wiih to enlighten mankind, - . , ■ - V-/^: ' to 'm 'V >% *,- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Jf to fmooth the way to their happinefs; for this reafon, you ought to be more oo your guard thaa any one, not to deceive yourfelf by appearances, * When, therefore, you fhall form your opinion on the fpot of thofe celebrated American confti- tutions, do not exaggerate too much either the vices of Europe, to which you compare them* or the virtues of America, which you bring into the contraft. Make it a principal obje that from what you may obferve t6 lis on tlii-'fl^ point, your friends mfly be induced either to ftay where they are, or to give the preference to one ftate in the union over another* There is one advantage in America which Europe does not offer ; a man may fettle himfelf in the delert,%nd be fafe from political commo- tions. But is there no danger in this ? Endea- vour t(T explain to us the ftate of the favages oil that great continent, the moft certain account of their numbers, their manners, the caufes, more or lefsi inevitable, of wars with them. This part of yout accounts will not be the leaft inte- refting. Forget not to give us, as far as you have opportunity, all that can be known relati^fc to the ancient ftate of America. Obferve what are the remains of the military fpirit among the Americans ; what are their prejudices in this refpedl; are there men among Vol. I. D them ^^m BH 34 NEW TRAVELS IN THE them who wifh to fee themfelves at the head of armies ? Do they enlift any foldiers ? Can you perceive any germe, which, united to thefpirit of idlenefs, would make the profcffion of a foldier preferable to that of a cultivator, or an artizan ? for it is this wretched fituation of things in other countries, which furnifhes ^hc means of great armies. Inform us ^bout thofe Cincinnati^ a body truly diftrefling to the political philofopher. Solomon fays, ^er^ is nothing new under the fun. This may be true ; but are we . yet ac- quainted with all political revolutions, in order to make tKe circle complete ? Hiftory furnifhes the pi?•/ ^it feems, in this refpedl, that all the great di- vifions of the earth (hould refemble each other. It is poffible, however, that America offers, in the fame fpace, more aliments to induftry, more data^ than can be found in Europe. Fix our ideas upon thofe invitations that nature has traced on the foil of America, in addreffing herfelf to the human underftanding. To particularize ^linutely what the maps only give us in grofs, will be more worthy your attention, than the details which intereft the paintej, the poet, or the lover of an En difli garden. We have undertaken to advife the Americangr to be cultivators, and to leave to the Europeans thofe manufadlures which agree not with a ' A : *; : country :••> b ■;;♦:■'!» - UNITED STATES OP AMEHICA. 37 country life. You will be curious to difcover their difpofition in this refpedl. It ought to de- pend much on the facility of communication ; and if, as it appears, independent America, in a little time, and with fmall expence, may be in- terfered by canals in all di regions ; if this ad- vantage is fo generally felt, that they will apply themfelves to it at an early period, there is no doubt but in America human activity will be oc- cupied principally in the produftion of fubfift- cnce, and of raw materials. It is the opinion in Europe, that confumption caufes production, and that the failure of con-* fumption difcourages labour; for this jpafon they require cities and manufadures. But there is, in all thefe opinions, a great confufion of ideas, which the fpedacle of nations, rifin^ un- der the . protedion of liberty, will aid you in clearing up. You will fee, perhaps, with evi- dence, that a man ceafes to fear the fuperfluity of fubfiftences, when he is no longer under the neceffity of exchanging them for money, to pay his taxes and his rents. Should this be his fear» and he has near him the means of a cheap tranf^ port, if he may himfelf load his boat and carry his provifions to market, and make his traffic without quitting his boat, man is too fond of adivity to fufFer fuperfluity to inapede his mduC- V3 try. Ik §t NEW TRAVELS IN THE try. Thus, to engage him to open the bofom of the earth, there is no need that he fhould bo aflurcd beforehand what he fliall do with hia grain. Expcnces are the impediments of induf- try ; and you will fee, without doubt, in Ame- rica, a new order of things, where thefe cx-^ pcnces arc not embarrafling ; the theory of con- lumption, and production, is doubtlefs very dif- ferent from what is fuppofed in Europe. En- deavour, my friend, to call to mind, that in this we have need of more details, comparifons, cal- culations, fadls, and proofs, than travellers ge- nerally bring together ; ai)d that this part of po-* . liticakoeconomy is ftill entirely new, on account of the embarrafltnents, abftradions, difficulties, and difgufts which attend them in Europe. It is on the accounts that you will give us in this refpedl, that the opinions of your friends will be formed. So many mifadventures and mifinformations have hitherto accompanied emi-» grants, though virtuous, and otherwile well- informed, that people are intimidated from the attenipt, though ill-fituated in Europe. You knovy what the Genevians have fufFered, rather than to go to Ireland. • ' Thus, my friend, if you wifh to inftru6t thofe who would fly from the tyranny of Europe, ^n^ whq ^ould find a fituatipn of honeft induf^ ■-■-,:.,:::- '-■ try V'7, UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. jf try for their children, ftudy the hiftory of emi- grants. Study the caufcs of the difaftcrs of tra- vellers ; judge of their illufions ; go'to the places of debarkation, and learn the precautions necef- fary to be taken to render eafy and agreeable their firft arrival. » Begin with fuch as you know to be in eafy circumflances, and defcending, by degrees, to the honefl individual, who, full of health and vigour, his coat on his back, and his ftafFin his hand, carries with him all he pofleiTes ; inform each one what he ought to expe(9:, if, after con- quering all his averfions, and taking all his pre- cautions, Vc determines to quit Europe, to go to the land of liberty. * ;^ Finally, my friend, in all that concerns pri- ' vate life, as in political relations, in the means of acquiring fortune, as in the honeft ambition of ferving the public, let your obfervations atteft that you have negledled no means of corrparing the enjoyments of Europe, with what vmy be cxpeded among the free Americans. i> ■fe' ■ ._ \ Mi * 1 ' iv ^ ' ^ i m'* 'I ■ '■k'XM ft'-%,. ,.,.. ,. ,i,^_r ■ X'S'. ■,.-«•*' .:%./. ". ' cJ ■• ' >:■- D4 LETTER ■•; .t:a tmummmimmm ^^^[f^mmm»s»§mmi,i 40 KEW TRAVELS Ihl THt LETTER III. FLAN OF A COLONY TO BE AMERIC/ ESTABLISHED }^ '*<*^ May H, 17&8. , ^t1[7HEN we contemplate the American Re- volution, the circumftances which have Opppfed its perfedion, the knowledge we are able to colled for the inftitution oi republics on a more perfedV p'an, the lands deftined by Con- grefs for new States, and the multitude of hap- py circumftances which may facilitate their pre-? paratives, and proted their infancy, we are hur- ri6d infeniibty into projects chimerical at the firft fight, which become attrading by reflec- tion, and which we abandon, but with regret, OB account of the difficulty of finding a fufficient jiumber of perfons for their execution. s* aj^i t^ When a trad of land is offered for lale, and its limits afcertained, why cfannot it be prepar- ed; in all circumftances, for a republic, in the; fame manned ^s you prepare a houfe for your friends? Penn had already feen the neccffity pf regu- lating beforehand the condud of a colony on the fofl v/hich they were going to inhabit. We 1 ■■■'h-: VNITEP STATES OF AMERICA. 41 have at prefent pciany more advantages thaivho had, to Qrdain and execute the fame thing with inore fucccfs^ and, inftead of favages, who gave him trouble, we fhould at prefent he fuftained and proteded hy the States, with which we flioul4 be conneded, I have no doubt that, having acquired the foil, we might eflabl|ii a republic, better calcu« lated for peace and U^^inefs, tHan any now ex-» ifting, or that ever did exift. Hitherto they have been formed from chance and involuntary combi-» nations ; it has been neceffary in them all, that national innovations fhould be reconciled with abfurdities, knowledge with ignorance, good fenfe with prejudices, and wife inftitutions with barbarifms. Hence that chaos, that eternal iburce pf diftrefles, difputes, and diforders. ^ i If men of wiidom and information fhould or- ganize the plan of a fociety before it exifled, and extend their forefight to every circumflance of preparing proper inftitutions for the forming pf the morals public and private, and the encou- ragement of ipduflry, ought they to be con* demni^d as having formed an UtojMa ? I do not believe it ; it is my opinion, even that the love of gain, the love of novelty, and the fpirit of philofophy, would lend a hand to an enterprife, "*''"• 4 ' ■ ' .;^ -ixlv"' - which^ iVvpvmniliPMPIHP^^* mfiKKmmm WUM-J^mm *^VJl^{IV<,!P 4* NEW TRAVELS IN THE which, before the American Revolution, might have been judged impradicable. Profit, therefore, of your travels in America, to inform yourfelf, if, among the lands to be fold by Congrefs, there exifts not a (ituation of cafy accefs, where the nature of the foil is fa- vourable to induftry, and its other circumftances inviting to the firfl fettl^. It Hiould be fur- nifhed with eai^ comrndftations by land and water. , ^^.-^^f^*- For this purpofe, there (hould be a topogra- phical map and defcription, fufficiently minute and extended, to enable us to trace upon it the fmaller divifionr^. There ought to be found le- vels, relative to a certain point, in order to know beforehand the poflibility of canals. All other objeds of confcquence ought to be noted at the feme time ; fuch as the nature of the foil in every part, the kinds of timber, the quarries of ftone, &c. This will doubt lefs be an expenfive operation ; but any expences may be undertaken by great affociations, and here are motives fuffi- cicnt ro encourage and reward a very expenfive one.' . igfe«|*^4i,:ir:^ftii?iv^&. ^ •. , %■ It will be neceflary to know, on what con- ditions the Congrefs would treat for the ceflion 6f fuch a tra6t, and whether they would agree to V ; ,; '-■ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 43 to take the principal part of the payment, only as faft as the fettlers fhould come to take poi-- feffion of their lands. It would oe deiirable that the territory chofen fhould be fuch that, at the place of the firft fet- tlement, it would be eaiy to eftablilh conveni-^ ences for th« rec€||ion of the fettlers, to provide them fuch neceflaries as will preferve them from thofe embarraffments and calamities which fome* times throw infant fettlements into trouble, Hiifery, and defpair. i After having acquired an exa6l idea of what may be expedled from the nature of the foil, and its connexion with neighbouring places, we might then undertake the work of forming a political and civil legiflation, fuited to the new republic, and its local ci re um (lances. Such fhould be the talk to be accomplifhed before the people departed from hence ; that every fettler might know beforehand what laws he is to live Wilder, fo that he will confent to them before- hand by choice. i The previous regulations ought to be carried fo far, that every perfon (hould forefee where he was going, and what he was to do in order to fulfil his engagements ; whether he was a pur-f oh;|fer of lands, or had enrolled hio^felf as a la« feour^r, ■ - ■ --> VNlTSb STATES OF AMtelCA. 47 ^This is enough, my friend, to recall to your mind more ideas than I can give you on the fubjeA. Study it ; and if at the firft view it looks romantic, find the means of faving it from that objection ; converfe upon it with intelligent perfons ; find fuch as are fufficiently attached to great objeds, to be willing to concur in them with zeal, when they are defigned for the aid and confolation of humanity. Age will prevent me from undertaking in this great work. It feems to me, that there is nothing like it in times pad, that it would be greatly ufeful to the future, and would mark the . American revolution with one of the happieft effeds which it can produce. Is noPthis enough to animate the generous ambition of thofe who have youth, health, and courage,' fo as not to be frightened at difficulties, or di(heartened by de* lays? , LETTER ESS Kmimimmmmmmmmm mmmm^^ ^fwmmm" 4» MW f RAVELS tV t^a •> LETTER IV. 'T^HE Utopia will be but a dream 5 aridyoU will Had J without doubt,' the new Amcri* can fettlements invincibly deftined to a fcatter* » ing herd of people, who will form inifenfibly* by the addition of new families and individuals ; without following any plan, v/ithout providing fuch laws as would be fuitable to them, when their herds (hall become fufficiently numerous to be reprinted as a republic in the federal union. Itwthus that all political fyftems feem condemned to refemble what has already taken place in fuch and fuch a {late, according as the multitude, or fome bold leader, (hall decide. We muft, then, abandon this projed ; and then where will you place thofe friends whom we wifh to eftablifh in America ? You will in* form yourfelf, for them, of the progrefs of po- pulation and civilization in Kentucky, of which they tell fo many wonders. But reflect on two . things : firft. That our fcttlement will be very uncertain, if we muft go ourfelves to prepare it^ build houfes, &c. Some perfons muft« there- fore, go before the others ; and when fliall they rejoin ? ,■ --■■■■,■■-*.■--■.■.'-.•"-■, "t^ , ■■ ' •• ^5^ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 4^ j-ejoin? How many accidents may intervene! Whenf the emigrant focicty (hall be formed in Europe^ the members ought all to gd at once ; biit in that cafe they (hould make choice of a certain tradl in the neighbourhood of a town# where the people could be lodged, till they could build their houfes. This precaution feems to exclude Ken ucky ; for no good town is fuffi- ciently near it. You will fee^ then, my friend^ how it. will be poffible to reconcile every things and find a pofition where the pain and vexation will hot furpafs the fatisfadliori. Your talk is not a trifling one in making this examination ; for you miill: not forget, that, to fatisfy the perfons whom we wifli not to leave behind^ we muft have a fituation where we can unite the advan- cages of commerce with thofe of agriculture 5 we muft.be near a navigable river^ communi- cating with the fca; we muft have a town^ where wcf can find failors^ vefTels, &c. in a word^ thofe among us who (hall have been ac* euftomed to the affairs of commerce and of ma- nufactures, muft not be placed in a pofition which (hall force them abfolutely to renounce their habits, and expofe themfelves to regrets ; for you know that one is never weary in walk- ing, as long as a horfe or a carriage marches by his fide, which he may ufe whenever he pleafcs. . Vot.I.,u,, ......... E :.,,..,, It. iim III ..I HP 11^ iBBI m. so KEW TRAVELS IN THE It is i pity that Pittfburg is not more popu* lous, or that Virginia is feparated by deferts from the new ftatcs. .^.^. It is ufelefs to enter into more particular de- tails on this matter > you know us : I (hall only recommend to you an attention to the climate. A fine Iky, temperature of Paris, no mulketoes, agreeable fituation, and good foil, are things in- difpenfable. i^,^. ..«..> The numerous obfervations which ypu pro- pofe to colledl: for the inftru£lion of the public, will inform us of many other things which I fhould mention here, if they did not enter into your general plan. In obferving cuftoms and taftea, forget not the article of mulic, coniidered in its effects on the powers of the mind. The tafte for muiic is general in Europe j we make of it one of the principal objeds of education* Is it fb in America ?" .''^'^--.t:*?-^'' ■^^:^', vv>'.v/^^ 'f iu-jl--) Finally, as we are net needy adventurersy think what aiifwers you muft give, when our wives, our children, and even ©urfelves, (hall alk you what is to be done on our arrival in coniiderable numbers in any town in America ^ for, as we cannot fend forward a meflenger, we ought to provide for our debarkation in an utv- known country. . tM^- 5* -#; '' *f*\Hf f»:-;>.-«f.' LETTER VKITBD STATE! OP AMERICA; S» Letter V; it-jt May 23, 17^^. A FTER having given you my thoughts on general fubje£ts, it is \inncccflary to be more particular on thofc vvhich prbmife a more certain and palpable sldvantage to yoiir travels, i mean the piirchafe of lands or public filtids, according as circumftarice^ may invite:, , Three claffes of perfons may wifh to piirchafe lands in the United States : thofe who mean to employ others td cultivate them, thofe who will cultivate for thertifelves, and thofe who wifh to place their money in them, with the profpedl that thefe lands will increafe in valuer in pro- portion to the popfulation* Let us leave the two firft claffes to rnake their bwn choice. Your general obferVatiohs^ to be piiblifhed on yotir return, will inftrudt fuch as wifh to remove to America j hovy to go and choofe for themfekes. 4 The cafe of the fimple fpeculators is different. Some wifh to purchafe, to fell again to a profit as foon as poffible ; others ejitend their views farther, and, calculating the viciffitudes of Europe, find it very prudent to place a dead fun4 £2 »K $% NEW TRAVELS IN THE in lands, which, by the cfFedb of neighbouring population, will acquire a great value in the courfc of years. Many heads of families, provident, for their defcendants, place dead funds in a bank, to ac-> cumulate, in favour of their children. A great- cr number would do the fame thing, if there were a fatisfadlory Iblution of all queftions in the Chanter of Accidents. Now, nothing appears to me better to anfwer this wife precaution, than to place fuch money on the cultivated foil of the United States^ * ;^3i. ^v; The information that you will be able to give on this fubjedt will be very ufeful. There are lands, which, from their pofition, muft remain Unckared for a longer or (horter period ; others rendered valuable'by the neighbourhood of rivers and other important communications ; others on account of their timber, &c. &c. , .„ But, can laaids be purchafed with full furety ? Are there any fure methods eftablifhed, to re- cognife territorial property, that may reft for ibme time without vifible marks or bounds? Is there no rilk of finding one's property in the pofleffion of another, or of having p:urcbafef that of another ? The prcfent is the epoch that will decide the Europeans, as to their confidence in the United -■■■•'■ ^.yv-^vm'v''^ States, \,.l- UNITED STATES OP AMSR.ICA. 5| States. I doubt not but the States in general will fandlion the conditution ; and from that time every eye ought to look upon America as being in the road of unfailing profperity. Then, without doubt, many Europeans will think of purchafing lands there. I know of no period when the fpirit of fpeculation has been Co general as at prefent ; no period which prefents a revolution like that of independent America ; and no foundation (o folid as that which they are about to eftablifh. Thus, pad events prove nothing againft what I prefumc of the diipo- fitions of men's minds relative to this bufinefs. I fhouid not be aftonifhed, then, if he who applies himfelf to the knowledge of lands in this point of view, and gives folutions to all queftions of caution and diffidence, fliould engage the Europeans to very great purchafes. ■-'■,-■' ■■ ■, . % • ■' ' ,' ■ vV •■,.■.;* '\H'M Ohfervations, — What are we to expeft from their diffimilarities ? In what do they confift principally ? They all acknowledge the fuprema- cy of the people ; but it is not preferved to them 'y,\ an e(jual manner in all ; and where they can- E 4 not m^-i. . T "a^^^- NfeW TRAVELS IN THE not refume it without a fcdition, there can be lit4 tie certainty of pcapc. Peace is very doubtful^ likeyvife, where the will of the people is fubjejfl: to the flow forms of irAftrud:ion. The diffeient ftates ihotild be ex^imined after this principle. Legi/lation^ Civil y Criminal I Policy, ^^^^^ 111 examining thefeobjeds, fa£ls Only are toi be attended to. Their comparifon with thofeof other countries call be made afterwards. 7 mdl >lxi ^tcfiioF) State of the Commerce between each State ^ and the Savages^ the Canadians^ . J^ova Scotia j the, "' Englijh iflands^ France^ Spain ^ Holland, Nor* thern States of Europe^ Mexico,^ China y India^ Africa. ... To remark the principal articles of expprta-: tion and importation ; the number of vefl'els em7 ployed ; the ftate of money ufed in commerce. Ohfervatiom.—Yoxg^X, not to fix well thp matters of exchange, efpecially with the Spani(]i poffeffions ; for it is principally thence that their gold and filver muft come. Do they go by land to the weftern coaft of America ? Do the free Americans travel among their neighbours the 'Spaniards ? '' ^.'"-^ ^ ''''^^' ^-r:.. Is their moncy-fyftem a fimple one ? Has it a V ' ftandar4 « I M: UNITED STATES 6» AMERICA. gf ftandard conftant and eafy to conceive? Is it of 3 permanent nature; fo that, in a courfe of time, pne may always judge of the price of things, in bringing them to a term of comparifbn not liable to change ? This can only be done by having one integral metal, to w^hich others relate, either as merchandize, or as a bill of credit referring to money, with regard to which it expreflesa right, but not an intrinfic value. A piece of coined cop- per, for inftance, is a bill of credit, on a portion of that metal which is adopted as the flandard of value ; for coined copper has by no means the in- trinfic value of ^hat portion pf money which it TPpreients. ,,.^]^ -■ f -:.,;#' .^|r;^_^^ ■ : , i'- u $anks. ^ ^^'-ji''^^'^ W'M^ ti . ; Obfervations. — Banks are an Important article in the commonwealth ; the proportion which ^hey obferve between the moi^ey they contain, and the bills they circulate, is their great fecret, the criterion of their folidity. Thofe which have little or no money, and which circulate many bills,' are in a precarious and dangerous condition. Read with attention in Smith, the Hiftory of Banks in Scotland. It is very natural to be led aftray on this fubjedl, which cannot be too much finiplified, if you wifli to examine it thoroughly. , ^^ . -^- ' Federal J» NRW TRAVBLS IN tHE Federal Revenue of each State — faxes which they tmpofe^-Manner of colle5ling them^Effe^ of theje faxes. 06/ervatms,'-^Wh^t is the prevailing fyftem of taxation ? Is Jai^d confidered as the baiis of f^x^? In that cafe^ is it known that it is dan« gcrous to difcourage the farmer ? Why have tbey not refer ved a domain to die States ? - • > . •*4-; fhe Federal Debt of every State — Thofe ofjndi^ ^viduals^-^FederalExpences of each State — fheir Accountability >> . . - ■',nC Obfervations, — The debt has been reduced ; and th^y juftify this reduction by the enormous prices of provifions and ftores which have formed the debt. Read again the memoirs of Mr. S. you will fee that there was a moment when the fcale of depreciation was unju ft. ■ , .n , ^., There are curious enquiries to be made on this fubjcdl. Why did they gain fo much be- fore they allowed a depreciation ? Becaufe they ran a riyar. ■ ■'-'- ■ ' ^'-^"-* '' '- —■ "" ' - ■■■ir ■*'% " But if paper- money exifted then, that of every |late was not in difcredit ; and yet the deprecia^f tion has ftruck at all paper-money without ex- ■ ception. ^ ■ It is faid in the Encyclopedia, that the depre- f iation has not injured ftrangers. Is this a fadt ? 4^ is very important to obtain a juft idea of the ^ public cxpences neceffary to the Americans in futijre ; and to penetrate, as much as poffible, the public opinion on this fubjeft. What do jhey think p( Jqans ? They are fometimes a be- nefit ; but the wifeft governments arc the moft careful i \ 60 NEW TRAVELS IN THE careful to avoid this refource. When they once Begin, they know not where they can flop* ;*|| Public loans arc always (o much taken from ii:duftry ; and the theory of reftoring to it what is thtis taken, is always deceitful. ;>) •': ' The Americans ought to hold them in aver- fioh, from the evils which they now experience from them ; at leaft, unlefs they owe their liber- ty to them. '7-., .VT- ...-<;.*.-.■■■, vr,, .- .. I State of the Country near the great 'Towns — In^ ^yterior Parts — Frontiers — Cultivation-, its Ex^ '^'^ fences and Produce ; clearing new hands 5 what ^■encourages or hinders it — Money circulating in j-^Hhe Country— Country Manufadures^ :^i:tri,y^^ ^%Ob/ervations, — It is faid that the lands are un- cultivated near New York; that this town is furrounded with forefts, and that though fire- wood is cheap, they prefer coals, even at a high It ftiould feem, that commerce was in fuch k ftate at New York, that agriculture is^efpifed there, or that they purchafe provifions at a lower price than they can raife them. If this be true, there are Angularities to be explained, which we know nothing of in Europe, 4 a% . .; Confider the ftate of commerce and cf agri- culture in America, under fuch a point of view v^r ^'^^'^' UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 6l as to determine why they incline to the one ra-, ther than to the other. ' t You will find, perhaps, that the origin of newf comers determines their vocation. The Engltfh arrive with their heads filled with commerce, becaufe they have feme property ; the Scotch^ Irifh, Gernians, and others, who arrive poor,^ , turn to agriculture, and are, befides, for the greater part, peafants. In clearing up thefe fa£ls, you will tell us what a little property, the love of labour, united to (implicity of manners,, and turned to agriculture, will produce. . • What is the true reafon of the low price of cultivated farms and houfes ? Doubtlefs there is a great excefs of proda£cions, compared with the confumptions ; in that cafe, farming renders little profit. ; They fpeak much of the advantages of rear- ing cattle. Nations have prejudices, faftes, whims, like individuals. What do they think of manu- fadures in the United States ? What is the pre- vailing mode of agriculture in America ? Do they fpeak of the great and the little culture ? «.■•'.' i' ■■ . . " ■ ' ■ ■ . .. ' _ ■■ .■ •■- . ■■ ' -.„ ■ ^ . '■ Private Morals m the lozvns and in the Country. Ob/ervaiions, — Do you find manners truly American ? or do not you rather, at every in- i flant, find Europe at your heels ? Speak to us :;--.vi;^,.i i. J .: ...i •- . ■ • • of '-? 'A., 6t IftW TRAVELS IN THi of education public and private. Do they, as iii Europe, iacrifice the time of the youth in ufe- lefs and inidgnificant ftudies? Make acquaint- ance, as far as poiilble, with the minifters of re« ligion. Is paternal authority more refpedbed there, than in Europe ? Does the mild education of Rouileau prevail among the free Americans ? -.f^te'^'f''^''.s...«- Inequalities of Fortune. ' )j . n -. ♦■. t • ■!» ll *"' Forget not, under this head, the fubje^ of marriages, dowers, and teftaments. Ufages, in thefe relpeds, prevent or accelerate inequality* ^\ ^IWfjC - H'i'^ '. r *•;■■ >*' ■'*,:' « ^;;i *V'* -' ■■^■1 > A.-^-k .*( i^'^.f ■ *y i i'f i V"*' Vi -m 1 .< / ■ •* -r 9 » _,'tt .» :• i* . -■'. * l/J -vuvVvU'^pil^A, mm ,.v \^iM;il u-f. 'MM. 't'. n,y- t^H: ■ iifi t af .,U'v*7lU *iii f. t- r*- V i m f .,:. S.5 ■r.f '1 '^:i:-ntii', -r^ IV '\\^ -^J 1,- :;^,.,i^^.,i^i| *";'t>f>-*?.ll' ■Ji-TW.li i:j^:'^i-lil ^:*j'^t5'l'^.;ll^ ■tr., ''' '■). '■!»;»- .J .'..^v.,:....E_ K ;K.r>+;,it«i ^ i.:v4;r'#.^«f«*i4|f I fhall not defcribe the cities and countries which I have pa (Ted on my way hither. My imagination v^^as too full of the diftrefling fpec- tacle I was leaving behind ; my mind was thronged with too many cares and fears, to be able to make obfervatjons. Infenfible to all the fcenes which prefented themfelves to me, I wai with difficulty drawn from this intelledlual pa- ralylis, at the view of fome parts of Normandy, which brought England to my mind. w ^ The fields of Normandy, efpecially the can^; ton of Caux, difplay a great variety of culture.* li&^C-^::- •■ . J- ■ ■ ' The i ^4 NEW TRAVELS IN THK The houfes of the peafants, better built, and better lighted than thofe of Picardy and Bcaucc^ announce the eafe which generally reigns in this province. The peafants are well clad. You know the odd head-drcfs of the women of Caux ; the cap in the form of a pyramid, the hair turn- ed back, conftrained, plaiftered with powder and greafe, and the tinfel which always disfigures fimple nature^ But we excufe this little lux- ury, in confidering that, if their hufbands werd as miferable as the peafants of other provinces^ they would not have the means of paying th^ ex pence. The Norman peafants have that air of contentment and indepcndcnee which is ob- fervable in thofe of the Auftrian Flanders ; that calm and open countenance, an infallible fign of the happy mediocrity, the moral goodnefs, and the dignity of man. If ever France (hall be governed by a free conftitution, no province is better fituated, or enjoys more means to arrive at a high degree of profperity* :- Bolbec and Bottes, near Havre, contain fomc fituations quite pidlurefque and delicious for the hermitage of a philofopher, or the manfion of a family who feek their happinefs within them- lelVeS* .:■'.. iit.'i /f :.,•• -.' ;;';■,. . ^ ^ •>.■-■■■ . j t., ./ti.. ^ - I fled from Rouen as from all great towns. Mifcry dwells there at the fide' of opulence. u i ' You UNITED STATES OF AMERICA* 65 You there meet a numerous train of wretches covered with rags, with fallow complexions, and deformed bodies. Every thing announces that there are manufai^ories in that town ; that is to fay, a crowd of miferable beings, who perifh with hunger, to enable others to fwim in opulence. . The merchants at Havre complain much of the treaty of commerce between France and England ; they think it at leaft premature, con- fidering our want of a conftitution, and the fu- periority of the Englifh induftry. They com- plain likewife that the merchant was not con- fulted in forming it. I endeavoured to confolc them, by faying, that the confequences of this treaty, joined with other circumftances, would doubtlefs lead to a free conftitution ; which, by- knocking off the fhackles from the Frenclx induftry and commerce, would enable us to re- pair our loffes ; and that fome bankruptcies would be but a fmall price for liberty. With regard to the indifference of the miniftry in con- fulting the merchants, I convinced them, that it was as much the refult c5 fervile fear, and* want of public fpirit in the merchants, as of the principles of an unlimited monarchy. It admits to the adminiftration none but fhort-fighted in- VOL. I. trjgucrs^ J 66 J9EW TRAVELS IN THE trigaers, and prefumptuous knaves; and thi» kind of minifters love not confultations. Havre is, next to Nantz and Bordeaux, th« mod eoniiderable pkce for the Have trade. .^any rich houfcs in this city owe their for- tunes to this infamous traffic, v^hich increafes, inflead of diminifhing. There is, at prefent, a great demand for ilaves in the colonies, occa- fioned by the augmentation of the demand for fugar, cefFee, and cotton in Europe. Is it true then that wealth increafes ? You may believe it, perhaps, if you look into England ; but the in- terior parts of France give no fuch idea. . ,* A Our negro traders believe, that were it not for th-e confiderable premiums given by the go- yernnoent, this trade could not fubfift ; becaufe the Englilh fell their (laves at a much lower price than the French. I have many of thefe ^ detalb froiaa an American captain, who is well^ aicquaiiited with the Indies, and with Africa^,! He affures me, that the negroes are in general treated much better on board the French than the Englifh Ihips. And, perhaps, this is the reafon why the French cannot fupport a con- currence with the Englifh, who nourifii them worfe, and expend lefs. ...,r..,._ . ./^j.vui; v •^ I fpqke with fome of thefe merchants of the ' '.; i- ...fbcieties ,»^ii^%:v^ UNITED StATES OF AMERICA, 67 focictics formed in America, England, and France, for the abolition of this horrid com- merce. They did not know of their exiftence, and they confidered their efforts as the move- ments of a blind and dangerous enthufiafm. Filled with old prejudices, and not having read any of the profound difcuflions which this phi- lofophical and political infurredtion has excited in England, they ceafed not to repeat to me, that the culture of fugar could not be carried on but by the blacks, and by black flaves. The whites, they fay, cannot undertake it, on ac- count of the extreme heat ; and no work can be drawn out of the blacks but by the force of the To this objedlion, as to twenty others which I have heard a hundred times repeated, I oppofed the victorious anfwers which you know * ; but I converted nobody. Interell ftill fpeaks too high ; " and it is not enough inftrudtcd. Thefe French merchants have confirmed to me a fa6l, which the fociety in London has an- nounced to us ; it is, that the Englifh carry on this trade under the name of French houfes, and thus obtain the premiums which the French go- vernment gives to this commerce. Thefe pi^c- ;,!;»> Ji-if-V JL^Sy^ :* • Sec Clarkfon, FrofTard, See, ■ ¥2 miums J i ! NEW .TRAV£I,S. IN THU niiums amount to one half of the original price of the flaves, ^ I n?-entioned to tfiem an cftablifhment formed at Sierra Leona, to cultivate fugar by free hands, and extend their culture and civilization m Africa. They anfwered me, that this fettle- ment would not long fubfift : that the French and Englifh merchants viewed it with an evil eye, and would employ force to deftroy their riling colony*. Thefe merchants appeared to me to have mors prejudice than inhuiivaiiity i and that if they could be told of a new commerce more advan- tageous, it would not be difficult to induce them to abandon the fale of the wretched Africans* Write then, print, and be not wesry in giving information. I fee in this port one of thofe packets def- tined for the corrcfpondcnce between France and he United States, and afterwards employed ia the very ufelefs and expenuve royal correfpond- ence with our 1 (lands ; — a fyftem adopted only to favour, at the public expence, fome of the creatures of the minillry. This fhip, called * This infernal project has fucceeJed, but the triumph vril! not be long ; for two focieties are formed in London, to colo^ ni'/c in Africa, and civilize the blacks. See, on this fubje^^, an excellent pamphlcc, entitled, L'Jmiral rifnti'far lui metne. 8 Marechal %i -' ' UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 69 Marechal de Ca/lrieSy was built in America, and is an excellent, failer. This is the beft anfwer to all the fables uttered at the Office of Marine at Verfailles, againft the American timber, and the American conftrudlion. ^ - Adieu, my friend ! the wind is fair, and we are on the point of embarking I am impatient 5 for every thing here affli£ls me ; even the ac- cents of patriotifm are alarming and fufpicious. Such is the fatal influence of arbitrary govern- ments : they fever all connexions, they cramp confidence, induce fufpicion, and, of confe- quence, force men of liberty aud fenlibility to fequefter themfelves, to be wretched, or to live in eternal fear. I paint to you, here, the mar- tyrdom which I have endured for lix months; I have not {ttn a new face, that has not given me fufpicion. This iituation is too violent for me— in a few hotirs my breaft will be at eafe, my foul will be quiet. What happinefs I ani going to enjoy in breathing a free airi . . - - il/ ? F3 LETTER 7? NitW TRAVELS IN TH|S •VA.!'i^i LETTER II. --Vi, Bofton, July 30, 1788. TTZITH what joy, my good friend, did I leap to this fliore of liberty ! I was weary of the fea ; and the fight of trees, of towns, and even of men, gives a delicious refrefliment to eyes fatigued with the defert of the ocean. I flew from defpotifm, and came at lad to enjoy the fpedlacle of liberty, amon^^" a people, where nature, education, and habit had engraved the equality of rights, which every where elfe is treated as a chimera. With what pleafure did I contemplate this town, which £rft fhook ofF the Englifh yoke ! which, for a long time, re- fifted all the fedudlions, :\11 the menaces, all the horrors of a civil war ! How I delighted to wan- der up and down that long ftreet, whofe fimplo houfes of wood border the magnificent channel of Bofton, and whofe full flores offer me all the productions of the continent which I had quit- ted ! How I enjoyed the adlivity of the mer- chants, the artizans, and the failors ! It was not the noify vortex of Paris; it was not the un- quiet, eager mien of my countrymen; it was the fimple, dignified air of men, who are con- V . , fcious UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 7^ felons of liberty, and who fee in all men their brothers and their equals. Every thing in this ftreet bears the marks of a town ftill in its in- fancy, but which, even in its infancy, enjoys a great profperity. I thought myfeif in that Sa- lentum, of which the lively pencil of Fenelon has left us fo charming an image. But the prof- perity of this new Salentum was not the work of one man, of a king, or a minifter ; it is the fruit of liberty, that mother of induftry. Eveiy thing is rapid, every thing great, every thing durable with hen A royal or minifterial prof- perity, like a king or a minifter, has only the duration ©f a moment. Boflon is juft riling from the devaftations of war, and its commerce is ilourifliing ; its manufadures, produdions, arts, and fciences, offer a number o( curious and in- tereftinsf obiervationa. : ^ :.^n ?^> r^ ^t r -^ - The manners of the people are not exadly the fame as defcribed by Mr de Crevecoeur. You no longer meet here that Prefbyterian aufterity, which interdided all pleafures, even that of walking; which forbade travelling on Sunday, which perfecuted men whofe opinions were dii> ferent from their own. The Boftonians unite {implicity of morals with that French politer.efs and delicacy of manners which render virtue more amiable. They are hofpitable to ftrangei s, F 4 and ■n *, ■? * 72 KEW Travels in the and obliging to friends ; they are tender huf- bands, fond and almoft iddatrods parents, and kind mafters. Mufic, which their teachers for- merly profcribed as a diabolic art, begins o make part of their education. In fome houfes you hear the forte-piano. This art, it is true, is ftill ill its infancy ; but the young novices who exercife it, are fo gentle, fo complaifant, and fo modeft, that the proud perfe<5lion of art gives no pleafure equal to what they afford. God grant that the Boftonian women niay never, like tliofe of France, acquire the malady of per- fe£lion in this art ! It is never attained, but at the expence of the domeftic virtues. The young women here enjoy the liberty they do in England, that they did in Geneva, when morals were there, and the republic exit- ed ; and they do not abufe it. Their frank and tender hearts have nothing to fear from the per- fidy of men. Examples of this perfidy are rare ; the vows of love are believed ; and love always refpeds them, or fhame follows the guilty. . The Boftonian mothers are referved; their air is however frank, good, and communicative. Entirely devoted to their fr.milies, they are oc- cupied in rendering their hufbands hnppy, and in training their children to virtue. ♦ The law denounces heavy penslties a^ainfl adultery; mmm __i UNITED STATES OF AMERlfcA, ^J adultery ; fuch as the pillory, and imprifonment* This law has fcarcely ever been called into exe- cution. It is becaufe families are happy; and they are pure, becaufe they are happy. Neatnels without luxury, is a chara^teriftic feature pf this purity of manners ; and this neat- * nefs is feen every where at Bofton, in their drefs, in their houfes, and in their churches. Nothins: is more charmino; than an indde view of a church on Sunday. The good cloth coat covers the man ; callicoes and chintzes drefs the women and children, without being fpoiled by thofc gewgaws which whim and caprice have added to them among our women. Powder and pomatum never fully the heads of infants and children : I fee them with pain, however, c 1 the heads of men : they invoke the art of the hair-drefler ; for, unhappily, this art has al* rear^y crofled the feas. I fhall never call to mind, without emotion, the pleafure I had one day in hearing the refpedable Mr. Clarke, fucceflbr to the learned Dodor Chauncey, the friend of mankind. His church is in dole union with that of Dodlor Cooper, to whom every good Frenchman, and every friend of liberty, owes a tribute of gratitude, for the love he bore the French, and the zeal with which he defended and preached the Arnerican independence. ► f 74* . NEW TRAVELS IN THE independence. I remarked in this auditory, the exterior of that eafe and contentment of which 1 have fpoken ; that colleded calmnefs, refulting from the habit of gravity, and the confcious prtfcnce of the AhYiighty ; that religiou'j de- cency, which is equally diftant from grovelling idolatry, and from the light and wanton airs of thofe Europeans who go to a church as to a theatre. * ' Spedlatum veniuRt, veniunt fps£tcntur ut ipde. But, to crown my happinefs, I faw none of thofe livid wretches, covered with rags, who in Europe, foliciting our compaflion at the foot of the altar, feem to bear teftimony againft Provi- dence, our humanity, and the order of fociety* The difcourfe, the prayer, the worfhip, every thing, bore the fame fimplicity. The fermon breathed the bed morality, and it was heard with attention. ' The excellence of this morality charaderizes almoft all the fermons of all the feels through the Continent. The minifters rarely fpeak dog- mas : univerfal tolerance, the child of American independence, has banilhed the preaching of dogmas, which always leads to difcuflion and quarrels. All the feds admit nothing but mo- rality, which is the fame in all, and the only preaching proper for a great fociety of brothers. ' ' This E^*Mr*tyt^Kffigfl3egMaw!BHgaHM^«!M UNITED STATES OF AMERICA* J^ . This tolerance is unlimited at Bofton ; a towa formerly witnefs of bloody perfecutions, cf- pecially againft the Quakers ; where many of this {ed: paid, with their life, for their perfever- ance in their religious opinions. Juft Heaven ! how is it poflible there can exift men believing fincerely in God, and yet barbarous enough to.^ iiaflid death on a woman, the intrepid Dyer*, ,. , . . becaufe * M. de Warville appears to have been mifinformed with refped to the ieverity of the perfecutions againft the Quakers in MaiTachufetts ; and particularly the circumftances relating to Mrs. Dyer. This woman, I believe, is the only perfon ever put to death in that colony for any thing connefted with reli- gious principles, Th6 higheft penalties inflidled by law againft the Quakers, or any other fe<5l, on account of its religion, was banifliment. The Quakers then formed a fettlement at Rhode- Ifland ; but feveral of ihem returned frequently to MaiTachu- fetts, with fuch a zeal for making profelytes, as to difturb the order of fociety. The difobedience of returning from banifli- ment was then interdiiled by the penalty of whipping ; this not anfwerlng the purpofe, the terrors of death were added. This unhappy woman, infpired, it feems, with the frenzy of martyr- dom, came to provoke the pains of this fevere law. She raved in the ftreets, againft the magiftrates and the church j went into religious aflemblies, raifed loud cries to drown the voice of the preachers, called them the worfliippers of Baal; defied the judges, and faid (he would leave them no peace till they fhould incur the vengeance of Heaven, and the downfall of their owa e6l, by putting her to death ! The caufes on both parties, which led to this event, were doubtlefs culpable 3 but, to compare the demerit of each, would require • A NEW TRAVELS IN THE ■^ I' bccaufe (he t^ee^J and tho'id men, becaule flic did not believe in the divine nnifTion of priefts, be- caufe (he would follow the Go ^ literally ? But let us draw the curtain over thefe feenes of hor- ror; they will never again fully this new conti- nent, deftiiied by Heaven to be the afylum of Kberty and humanity. Every one at prefent wor(hips God in his own way, at Bodon. Ana- baptifts, Methodifts, Quakers, and Catholics, pro- fefs openly their opinions ; and all offices of go- vernment, places, and emoluments, are equally » open require a refearch equally dilfficult and ufelefs at the prefent day. Perfecutioa and contumacy are reciprocal caufes and ef- (eds of the fame evils in fociety ; and perhaps thefe particular perfecuted Quakers were as different in their character from the prefent ref^edable order of Friendr in America, as the firft Pijiritans of Bofton were from its prefent inhajbitant?. The delirium about witchcraft in Mafl'achufetts, is fometimes ...» ' ■ • i^norantly confounded with the perfecution of the Quakers. , ' TJ^.ANSLATOR, Jti confequence of the above note's appearing in the former edition^ the editor has been favoured with the following letter^^ which ke , takes the opportunity of inferting in this place. To THE Translator of Brijfot de IVarville's T^iavels. •* HAVING obferved a note refpe£ling the perfecution of th? people c^kd Quakers in New-Engl?ind, wherein it is af- ferted. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 77 open to all fe£ls. Virtue and talents, and not reli- gious opinions, arc the tefts of public confidence. ,.The minifters of different {e^s li\^ iu fuch harmony, that they fupply each other's places , when any one is detained from his pulpit, ? ij On feeing men think lo differently on matters ; of religion, and yet pofTefs fuch virtues, it may be concluded, that one may be very honeft, and beHeve, or not believe, in tranfubftantiatioii, and the word. They have concluded that it is beft to tolerate each other; and that this is .the wor- ihip moft agreeable to God. * ^ ' ;r . t Before this opinion was fo . general among them, they had cftabliflicd another : it was the \ • ■ ■ •' ferted, that no other perfon fufFered death on a rdiglous ac- count but Mary Dyer, whofe behaviour there is extremely mif- reprefented, we call on the publiiher to ftate this matter truly (according to divers authentic accounts), finding the Tranfla* tor had received his information through fome vsiy erroneous channel. " It is certain that Marmaduke Stevenfon, William Robin- fon, and William Leddra, alfo fufFered death at Bofton, for no other caufe than their confcientious difl'ent from the ecclefiaftical eftabliftiment there. Thefe fa6ls are fully ftated In Gough*s Jfliiiory of the People called Quakers, page 391, 404, 473 to 476. Wm. Fairbank, Sheffeld. Jeremiah Wakihg, Jlton^jfiants, P. So We confider the reflifying of the above note as an aft of jufticc due to the focicty of which we are members.** " neceffity i \ ■ ^8 llEW TRAVELS IN TH^*^ ncceffity of reducing divine worftiip to the great- eft fimplicity, to difconnedl it from all its fuper- ftitious cerennonies, which gave it the appear- ance of idolatry ; and particularly, not to give their priefts enormous falaries, to enable them to live in luxury and idlenefs ; in a word, to re- ftore the evangelical fimplicity. They have fuc- cecded. In the country, the church has a glebe ; in town, the minifters live on colle£lions made each Sunday in the church, and the rents of pews. It is an excellent practice to induce the minifters to be diligent in their ftudies, and faithful in their duty ; for the preference is given to him whofe difcourfes pleafe the moft*, and his falary is the moft coniiderable : while, among us, the ignorant and the learned, the debauchee and the man of virtue, are always fure of their ♦ The truth of this remark ftruck me at Bofton and elfc- where in the United States. Almoft all the minifters are men of talents, or at leaft, men of learning. With thefe precarious falaries, the minifters of Boftoh not only live well, but they marry, and rear large families of children. This fa£t confirms the judicious remarks of M. Claviere on the advantages of the priefts marrying, even when their falary is fmall. Their alli- ance would be fought aftc. Ly fathers who would wifti to give their daughters hufbands well inftruded, and of good morals. The fame thing will happen in France when the priefts ftiail be allowed tomarry. They ought not then to dread marriage, though their falaries (hould be fmallt livings. t^^^ XXMi UNITED STATES 01^ AMERICA, ^9 livings. It rcfults, likewifc, from this, that 9 mode of worfhip will not be impofed 011 thofo who do not believe in it. Is it not a tyranny to force men to pay for the fupport of a fyftena which they abhor ? - .ij'>: The Boftonians are become fo philofophical on the fubje£l of rehgion, that they have lately or- dained a man who was refufed by the bilhop. The fe£l to which he belongs have inftalled him in their church, and given him the power to preach and to teach ; and he preaches, and he teaches, and difcovers good abilities; for the people rarely deceive themfelves in their choice^ — This economical inftitution, which has ik> example but in the primitive church, has been cenfured by thofe who believe ftill in the tra- dition of orders by the dired defcendants of tho Apoftles. But the Boftonians are fo near believ- ing that every man may be his own preacher, that the apoftolic dodlrine has not found very warm advocates. They will foon be, in Ame- rica, in the fituation where M. d'Alembert has placed the minifters of Geneva. -" ^ Since the ancient puritan aufterity has dif- appeared, you are no longer furprifed ta fee a game of cards introduced among thefe good Prefbyterians. When the mind is tranquil, in the enjoyment of competence and peace, it is . . 4 natural IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 I^IM |25 Ui 1^ 12.2 lit I lU I u IM p^ ^>. k. '/ # Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WfST MAIN STRiiT WiBSTBR.N.Y. 14SM (716) •72-4503 ..^- ;\ <^ .Wmwfii ■ T I -- 1 ■ - ■ ■ ■ ' So ITEW TRAVF.J4S IN THE f natural to occupy it in this way, efpeciaUy in :| country where there is no theatre, where men make it not a bufinefs to pay court to the wo- inen, where .they read few books, and cul- tivate ftill lefs the fcicnces. This tafte for cards is certainly unhappy in a republican ftate. The habit of them contracts the mind, prevents the ^cquifition of ufeful knowledge, leads toidlenefS: and diffipation, and gives birth to every malig- nant paffion. Happily it is not very confiderable in Boilon : you fee here no fathers of families, rilking their whoje fortunes in it.., 4,^ . ,,-iviai^i ^ There are many clubs at Boilon., M. Chaftel- lux fpeaks of a particular club held once a week.. 1 was at it feveral times, and was much pleafed with their politenefs to ftrangers, and the know- ledge difplayed in their converfation. There is no cofFee-houfe at Bofton, New York, or Phi- ladelphia. One houfe in each town, that they call by that name, ferves as an exchange. One of the principal pleafures.of the inhabi- tants of thefe towns, confifts in little parties for the country among families and friends. The principal expence of the parties, efpeciaUy after dinner, is tea. In this, as in their whole man^: ner of li^^ing, the Americans in general refemble the Englifli. Punch, warm and cold, before^^ dinner; excellent beef, and Spanifh and Bor- .» deaux ijNiTHb STATES OF AMERICA. tieaux wines, cover their tables, always and abundantly ferved. Spruce bcer^ excellent cyder, and Philadelphia porter, precede thtii \vines. This porter is equal to the Englifli : the manufadure of it faves a vaft tribute formerly paid to the Engliih induftry; The fame may foon be faid with refpe£^ to checfe. I have often found American cheefe equal to the beft Ghefliire of England^ Or the Rocfort of France; This may with truth be faid of chat made oh a farm on Elizabeth Iflantd^ belonging to the re- fpedable Governor Bowdoin. After forcing the English to give up their domination i the Americans determined to rival them in every thing ufefuh This fpirit of emu- lation (hews itfelf every whers ; it has ereded at Boftort an eitenfive glafs manufadlory, be* Ibnging to M; Breek and others* Thi^ fpirit of emulation has opened to thd ^oftonians fo many channels of eommcrccj which lead them to all parts of the globe* Nil moi-taliW arduutli eft 3 Audax Japeti genus. if thefe littes doUld ever apply to iny people, it is to the free Americans; No danger^ no dif- £ance> no obftacle impedes thtfni. What have they to fear? All mankind are their brethren : they wifli peace with alL ''YoL.L G It -Ht* Mm- PMMNaWMI 82 MEW TRAVELS IN TH« It is this fnirlt of emulation which multiplied and brings to perfe£lion fo many knanu factories of cordage m tbifr town; which has eredied fila- tures of hemp and flax, proper ta occupy young peof^e, without fubjcdling tbcm to be crowded together in fuch nmnibers as to ruin their health and their morab ; proper, likewife, ta occupy that clafs of women whom the long voyages of their feafaring husbands and other accident^ je-* to- inoccupation*; ^, fUuUur:^ r^m^0^r * To this fpirit of emulation are owing the ma- nufactories of fait, nails, paper and paper-hang- ings, which arc multiplied in this ilate. The' rum diftiileries are o!i the decline (ince the fup- pfe^lk)nr of the flave trade, in which this liquor was employed, and iince the diminution of the ufe of ftrong fptrits by the country people. t/ This is fortuiwte for the human race ; and the American induflry will Ibcn repair the fmall lofs it fuflains from the (lecliae of this fabrication of poifons. ^ Maflachufetts wHhcs to rival, in manufac-' tures, Connecticut and Pennfylvania; fhe has, like the laft, a fociety formed for the fi(|C0W)9gG-. mcnt of manufactures and induftryr ' . The greateft monuments of the induftfy of this date, are the three bridges of GJh^if^s, M^\f- d«ny and £(fex# ,Mt^'-M-H-4i^ y^ Bp(lon \ Bofton has the glory of having given the firtf bollege or univeriity tb the new world. It i^ |)laced oil an exteitiiive plain, four miles from Boftoti, at a place called Cambridge ; the origia bf this ufeful inftitutioti was in 1636. Th:? imagination could liot fix on a place- that could better unite all the conditions eiTential to a feat of education ; fufficiently liear to Bofldn to en- joy all the advantages of a communication with Europe and the red of the world, and fufii- biently diflant not to e:tpofe the (ludents to the contagion of licentious manners common id bommerdial towns. .Tn^i^r^^ The air of Gambriage is pure, arid the en-^ ^irdri^ charming, offering a Vaft fpace for the ex- fercife bf the ybuth. The biiildirigs are larger liuttiefoiis, and well diflribiited; ^^t, as the number of the (Indents angments eveiy day; it will be rieceflary ibon to augment the buildings; The library, and the Cabinet of pbilofophy, do honour to the iiiftitu- tion; The firft contains 13,000 volumes. The heart of a Frenchman palp/itates on finding the Works of Racine, of Montefquiep, and the En- cyclopaedia, where, 150 years ago, arofe the fmoke of the lavage calumet. The regulation of the courfe of ftudics here Q2 is '4^^ u ftnMr TRAVELS IW Tris is nearly the fame as that at the utiiverfity of Oxford* I thkik it impoffible but that the laft revolution moft introduce a great reform. Free men ought to ftrip themfelves of their preju- dices, and to perceife, that, above aU, it is ne* eeiiary to be a m .>-''*;;^ -. I"'; > . ..■^ UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 8^ Brit' ih (ince the peace. To recompeiife him for this, the EiigUni have given him the confulate- general of, America. r But to return to the univerfity of Cambridge, fuperintcnded by the refpe^lable preiident Wil- hrd. Among the aflbciates in the diredtion of the ftudies are diftinguiflied Dr. Wigglef- worth and Dr. Dexter. The latter is profeflbr of natural philofophy, chemiftry, and medicine ; a man of extend ve knowledge, and great mo- defty. He told me, to my great fatisfaftion^i that he gave lefi'ures on the experiments of our fchool of chemiftry. The excellent work of my refpedlable mafter. Dr. Fourcroy, was in his hands, which taught him the rapid ftrides th^t this fcience has lately made in Europe. • 4 . ' In a free country every thing ought* to bear the ftamp of patriotifm. This patriotifm, {q happily difplayed in the foundation, endowment^ and encouragement of his univerfity, appears every year in a folemn feaft celebrated at Cam- bridge in honour of the Sciences. This feaft,'* which takes place once a year in all the colleges, of America, is called the commencement: it re-f^ fembles the exercifes and diftribution of prizes^ in our colleges. It is a day of joy for Bofton ; almoft all its inhabitants aflTcmWe in Cambridge*; , The moft diftinguiflied of the ftudents difpla^^ ^ I c^3 their 96 NEW TRAVELS tN THE their talents in the prefence of the public ; anc^ thefc exercifes, which are generally on patriotic fubje£ls, are terminated by a feaft. where reigi^ the freed gaiety, and the moft cordial fraternity. It is remarked, that in countries chiefly de- voted to commerce the fciences are not carried to any high degree. This remark applies to Bofton. The univerfity certainly contains rhen of worth and learning ; but fcience is not diffufed among the inhabitants of the town. Commerce occupies all their ideas, turns all their heads, and abforbs all their fpeculatioqs. Thus yoi^ find few eftimable works, and few authors. The expencc of the firft volume of the Memoirs of the Academy of this town is not yet cover- ed ; it is two years iince it appeared. Some time* fince was publifhed, the Hiftory of the late Troubles in Maflachufetts ; it is very well writ- ten. The author has found much difficulty tq indemnify himfclf for the expence of printing it. Never has the whole of the precious hiftory of New Hampfhire, by Belnap, appeared, for want • jiw ^Kv^'Mii-fif\e^- ■J'" ■i^} V" .*^/^ ?v > :t^j!i^' of encouragement."^^ Poets, for the fame reafon, muft be more rare thari other writers. They fpeak, however, of an original, but lazy poet, by the name of J^/I^n. His verfes ^rc faid to be full of warmth and" force. They ittention, particularly, a manufcript .,- ,.-; ^ •■^^3 ;: --'^-^ri^^-^r-f ''poem iiJiiJ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, tj poem of his on the famous battle of Bunker- bill; but he will Hot print it. He has for hia reputation and his money tlue car eleflhcfs of La, Fontaiue. - They publifli a magazine here, though tbe number of gazettes is very confiderable. The multiplicity of gazettes proves the adivity of commerce, and the tafte for politics and news 4 the merits and multiplicity of literary and po- litical magazines are figns of the culture of the iciences. t- ivrtfifv?|> vii^ l" ' t It-v* *^ You may judge from thefe details, that the arts, except thofe that refped navigation, do not receive much encouragement here. The hiftory of the planetarium o£ Mr. Pope is a proof of it*"^ Mr. Pope is a very ingenious artid, occupied in clock-making. The machine which he has con- flrud^ed, to explain the movement of the heavenly bodies, would aflonifh yon, efpecially when you confider that he has received no fuccour from Europe, and very little from books. He owes the whole to himfelf ; he is, like the painter Trum- bull, the child of nature* Ten years of his life have been occupied in perfecting this planetarium;^ lie had opened a fubfcription to recompeufe his trouble ; but the fubfcription was never full. This difcouraged arti^l told me one day, that he was going to Europe to fell this machine, and to conftrudt others. This country, faid he. ?8 KEW TRAVELS IN THE is too poor to encourage the arts. Thefc words, this country is too poor^ ftruck me. I rcfle£tcd, that if they were pronounced in Europe, they might lead to wrong ideas of America ; for the idea of poverty carries that of rags, of hunger ; and no country is more diftant from that fad condition. When riches are centered in a few hands, thefe have a great fuperfluity ; and this fuperfluity may be applied to their pleafures, and to favour the agreeable and frivolous arts. When riches arc equally divided in fociety there is very little fuperfluity, and confcquenily little means of encouraging the agreeable arts. But which of thefe two countries is the rich, and which is the poor ? According to the Eu

eople» I had no difficulty in combating him, even by authorities, independent of the fecial compact, againft which no time, no concefilons can preicribe* /^.r-^^^ik^'r-^^.' m^-^'^o^--^'^ ,- i- !iiLit',tii„.ij:L'S \.,Mt. Adams is not the only man diftinguiflied ill this great revolution, who has retired to the pbfcure labours of a country life. General Heath i? one of thofe worthy imitators of the Roman CiiiGinnatus ; for he likes not the American Cincinnati: their eagle appears to him a gew- gaw, proper only for children. On (hewing me ^ letter from the immortal VVafhington, whom he loves as a father, and r^'/zeres as an angel-- tjxis letter, fays he, is a jewel which, in my eyes, furpafles all the eagles and all the ribbons in the world. It was a letter in which that Geiicral had felicitated him for his good condudt^ on a certain oecafion. With what joy did this refpedtable man (hew me all parts of his farm ! What happinefs he enjoys on it I He is a true farmer. A glafs of cyder, which he prefented to me with fr^nknefs and good humour painted * on his countenance, appeared to me fuperior to the moft exquifite wines. With this (implicity men are worthy of liberty, and they are furQ of eppy")g it for a long time. "' ^ ■ ^^ ' This > ■...'■■ • , ■; . ... _ ■. ,. ...Jfe;r- f ■ ttNlTBD STATflS Ot AMftAlCA. 95 1> This fimplicity charaftcrifes almoft all the mch of this (late who have aded diftingui(hed parts in the revolution : fuch, among others, as Samuel Adams, and Mr. Hancocfk the prefent governor. If ever a man was iincerely an idolater of re- publicanifm, it is Samuel Adams ; and never a man united more virtues to give refpedt to his opinions. He has the excefs of republican vir- tues, untainted probity, fimplicity, modefty*, and, above all, firmnefs : he will have nocapitu-^ lation with abufes ; he fears as much the defpo* tifm of virtue and talents, as the defpotifm of vice. Chei Idling the grcateft love and refpe on viewing the expreflive pidlure of the death of that warrior, painted by Mr. Trumbull, whofo talents may equal, one day, thofe of the moft i femousmafters. -^^^^^J-- • .•^■^^l.>t?> -t-^rl.^|^'?^ 4 muft finifli this lortg,^ and too long, letterJ i Many objects remain ftill to entertain you with p in this ftate, fuch as the conftitution, debts^* taxes ; but I refer thenv to the general table; k which I (hall make of them for the United l^tates. The taxable heads of this ftate are up- w^rdsof 100,000, acres of arable land 200,000, > pafturage 340,000, uncultivated 2,000,000, tons f of fliipping at Bofton 60,000^ p - ^ ^ ' LETTER "■/ ,i- pNITED STATU or 'AMBKICA. i? jfe' , « K LETTER III. JOURNEY FROM BOSTON TO NEW-YORK, BY . ri^ *^ •••' ,^h.^'n-n^r. 9fh Aug. 1788. ■jitj!^ ti'' %''j ■ -'TpHE diftance of thefe towns is about two^'] Si, hundred and fifty miles. Many perfons i have united in eftablifhing a kind of diligence,^ or public ftage, which pafles regularly for the convenience of travellers. I;i the fummer fea?*?' jfon the journey is performed in four days. ^gj We fet out from Bofton at fovir o'clock ia the morning, and paffed through the handibm© town of Cambridge. The country appears welj cultivated as far as Wefton, where we break- faded ; thence we paffed to Worcefter to dinner, forty-eight miles rom Bofton. This town is elegant, and well peopled: the printer, Ifaiah Thomas, has rendered it famous through all the Continent. He prints mod of the works which appear; and it muft be granted that his editions are correal. Thomas is the DIcfot of the United ' States. The tavern, where we had a gop<][ Vol. I, V ..H •; American KSW TRAVELS IN THS 98 American dinner*, is a charming houfc of wpod, well ornamented ; it is kept by Mr. Peafe, one of the proprietors of the Boflon ftage. He has much merit for his activity and induftry ; but it is to be hoped he will change the prefent plan, fo far as it refpedls his horfes : they are over- done with the length and difficulty of the eourfes, which ruins them in a fliort time, be- fidcs retarding very much the progrefs. * ?-*' - We flept the firft night at Spenfer, a new vil- lage in the midft of the woods. The houfe of the tavern was but half built ; but the part that was finifted, had an air of cler.nlinefs which pleafes, becauft it announces that degree of com- petence, thofe moral and delicate habits, which are never feen in our villages. The chambers were neat, the beds good, the fheets clean, fup- 4^per paifable; cyder, tea, punch, and all for four- teen pence a-head. There we.re four of us. Now, compare, my friend, this order of things with what you have a thoufand times fefen in our French taverns^— chambers dirty and hideous, beds infedled with bugs, thpfe infeds which Sterne calls the rightful inhabitants of taverns, "I*:* !*; life * If I fometimes cite dinners an^ fuppers, it is not in me- mory of eating and drinking, but it is to fliow the manner of jiving in America ; and to flate the prices of provifions, which tre fo much exaggerated by Chaftellux. 3 ■>. >'.fe:^.|:.-.. if *— X - T.I. • \ UNITED &TATE$ QP AMER](CA» 99 ,if indeed long poffeffion gives a right; ftiects ill-waflied, and exhaling a fetid odour; bad coh- .vering, wine adulterated, and every thing at its weight in gold ; greedy fervants, who arc conii- plaifant only in proportion to your equipage; (grovelling towards a rich traveller, and infolent towards him whom they fufpe£t of mediocrity^ Such are the eternal torments of travellers in France : add to this, the fear of being robbed, the precautions neceflary to be taken every night to prevent it; while, ri the United States, you travel without fear, as without arms*; and you deep quietly aniong the woods, in an open cham-!> her of a ho*ife whole doors fliut without locks. And now judge wjiich country merits the name of civilized, and which bears the afpe€t of the greateft general happinefs, We left Spenfer at four o'clock in the morn*, ing. New carriage, new proprietor. It was a carriage without fprings, a kind of waggon, A Frenchpcian, who was with me, began, at the firft jolt, to curfe the carriage, the driver, and the country. Let us wait, faid I, a little, before if * I travelled with a Frenchman, who, thinking he ha4 much to feaniJi:»'>vaKe'X>ouHtsy>Jx3cJ furniftied himfelf with piftols. The: good .American ."(oiire^.* AtMk precautions, an4 aJvifed hii\l'taf.pac.hftS.*plilQ}9 in h>s trun^c.Ijc had wit enough loo NEW TRAVELS IK tHj: we form a judgment : every cuftom has its caufc"; there is doubtlefs fome reafon why >his kind of . carriage is preferred to one hung with fprings. In fa(fl, by the time we had fun thirty miles among the rocks, we were convinced that a car- riage with fprings would very foon have bee;i overfct and broke. Iii| ^di iuuu^i ... «., i., /^j lo :The traveller is well recompcnfed for the fa- tigue of this route, by the variety of romantic fituations, by the beauty of the profpedls which it offers at each ftep, by the perpetual contra ft of favage nature and the efforts of art. Thofe vaft ponds of water, which lofe themfelves in thp .Wbods; thofe rivulets, that wafh the meadow, newly fiiatched from uncultivated nature; thofe neat houfes, fcattered among the forefts, ,and containing fwarms of children, joyous and healthy, and well clad ; thofe fields, covered with trunks of trees, whofe deflrudion is com- 't mitted to the hand of time, and which are co- vered under the leaves of Indian ' corn ; thofe oaks, which preferve flill the image of their an- ^ cient vigour, but which, girdled at the bottom, raife no longer to heaven but dry and naked branches, which the firft ftroke of wihd mufl brino; to the eatth-i— a'M tHefe- bbie'&.'ib new to an European^ 'aiYe'iThim,' ablxirb Ki;p,'.aii^ plunge ' him into ariiagYfec^Uy i'cVefie> : ' -^^^^ .. >M"l- the UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 101 . the forefts, the prodigious fize and height of the trees, call to his mind the time when the favases were the only inhabitonts of this country. This ancient tree has beheld them ; they filled thefe forefts : they have now given place to another generation. The cultivator fears no more their vengeance ; his mulket, formerly his neceflary companion at the plough, now rcfts fufpended in his houfe. Alone, witn his wife and children, in the midft of the foreQs, he lleeps quietly, he labours in peace, and he is happy. Such were the ideas which occupied me the greater part of my journey: they fometimes gave place to others, arifmg from the view of the country lioufes, which are feen at fmall diftances through all the forefts of Maflachufetts. Neatnefs em- bellifhes them all. They have frequently but one ftory and a garret ; their walls are papered ; tea and coffee appear on their tables ; their daugh- ters, clothed in callicoes, difplay the traits of ci- vility, franknefs, and decency — virtues which al- ways follow contentment and eafe. Almoft all thefe houfes are inhabited by men who are both cultivators and artizans ; one is a tanner, another a fhoemaker, another fells goods ; but all are farmers. The country ftores are well aflbrted; you find in the fame fhop hats, nails, liquors. Thisprder of things is neceffai:y in a new fettle- ^■■itm^ aim imimw' 3 ^,t;^K:'yii' h "^'^^^ • iei iftPt ttLAVHU IK tHt • : fxlcnt: it is to be hoped that it will continue i for this generiil retail occupies lefs bands, and detaches fewer from the great 6bje£t of agricul- ture. It Is not fuppofed that one third of the/ land of Maflaehufetts is under cultivation : it is difficult to fay when it will all be fo, confider« ing the invitations of the weftern country and the province of Maine. But the uncleared lands are all located, and the proprietors hare inclofed them with fences of different forts. Thefe feverd kinds of fences are compofed of differ- ent materials, which announce the different degrees of culture in the country. Some are tompofed of the light branches of trees ; others j of the trunks of trees laid one upon the other ; a third fort is made of long pieces of wood, fup- portlng each other by making angles at the end; ia fourth kind is made of long {)ieees of hewn limber^ fupported at the ends by pafling into holes made in an upright pofl ; a fifth is like the garden fences in England ; tlie laft kind is made "of flones thrbvvn together to the height of thrv *; Yeet. This hH is moft durable^ and is common in MafTachufetts. From Spenfef to Brookfield is fifteen miles. The road is good as far as this faft town. A to^h, you know, in the interior of America, defignates an extent of eight or ten miles, where are fcattered a hundred or two 'LundJted houfes. This divilion into towns is - • neceflary '.) J. •I 9 » I UNITED itAtJM OF AMERICA. lOJ necefTary for aflembling the inhabitants for elec- Hons and Other purpofcs. Without this divifion, the inhabitants might go fometimes to one af* fembly, and fometimes to another, which would lead to confufion. Befides, it would render it impoffible to know the population of any par- ticular canton; this fcrves for the bafis of many regulations. No people carry their attention in this particular {o far as the Americans. The fituation of Brookfield is pidlurefquc. While breakfaft was preparing I read the ga* zettes and journals, which are diQributed through all the country. Our breakfaft confided of cof- fee, tea, boiled arid roafted meat ; the whole for ten-pence, New England currency, for each traveller. From this place to Wilbraham the road is covered with rock, and bordered with woods. At this place, a new proprietor, and a new carriage. A fmall light carriage, well fuf- {)ended, and drawn by two horfes, took place of our heavy waggon. We could not conceive how five of us could fit in this little parifian chariot, and demanded another* The conductor faid he had no other; that there were fo few travellers in this part of the road, that he could not afford to run with more than two horfes ; that moft of the travellers from New York flop- ped in Connc£licuti and moft of thofe from Bof- . H 4 ton 104 N£W TRAVSI.9 Itl THCT ton at Worccfter. Wc were obli2:cd to fubmit^ We {farted like lightniug ; and arrived, in am hour and a quarter, at Springfield, ten miles. This road appeared really enchanting : I feemcd the whole way to be travelling in one of the alleys of the palais- royal. This man was one of the moft lively and induftrious, at the fame time the moft patient, I ever met with. In my two journies through this place, I have heard many travellers treat him with very harlh language : he either anfwcrs not at all, or anfwers by giving good reafons. The greater part of men of this profeflion, in this country, obferve the fame condud in fuch cafes ; while the leaft of thefe injuries in Europe would have occafioned bloody , quarrels. This fa£t proves to me, that, in a free country, reafon extendi her empire over all claftesofmen. 'r;-;^^ j- -»p ' ' ■■' ^^qm Springfield, where we dined, refemblcs an European town; that is, the houfes are placed near together. On a hill that overlooks this town, is a magazine of ammunition and arms belonging to the ftate of Maflachufetts. This is the magazine that the rebel Shays endeavoured to take, and was fo happily defended by General Shepa^d. We fet out from Springfield, after dinner, for Hartford. We paffed in a ferry-boat the river that wafhes the environs of Springfield* I have. ■"-?• f: ■ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. lOj •' 1 have paffed twice through Hartford, aiid , both times in the night ; fo that I cannot give an exadt defcription of it. It is a confiderable rural town ; the greater part of the inhabitants live by agriculture; fo that eafe and abundance univerfally reign in it. It is confidered as one of the moft agreeable in Connedicut, on account of its fociety. It is the refidence of one of the moft refpe£lable men in the United States, Colonel Wadfworth. He enjoys a confiderable fortune, which he owes entirely to his owa ; labour and induftry. Perfe£lly verfed in agricul- ture and commerce^ univerfally knowu for the fervice he rendered to the American and Frencli armies during the war ; generally efteemed and beloved for his great virtues ; he crowns all his qualities by an amiable and fingular modefly. His addrefs is frank, his countenance open, and his difcourfe fimplc. Thus you cannot fail to love him as foon as you lee him; efpecially as foon as you know him. I here defcrihe the im- preflion he made on me. ^ i»- ^^v^^ ; "^ - i' M. de Chaftellux, in making the eulogium of this refpedable American, has fallen into an er- ror which I ought to redtify. He fays, that he has made many voyages to the coaft of Guinea. It is incredible that this writer ftiould perfift hi jrittting this as a fad, affer Colonci.^^dfwort^ " "W;':' hry ' ' >:--^'-..'' * •■' V, ••:•■ tagged , V' •J,; ... ." i66 Hew travels tvt tUd. begged him to fupprcfe it. " To advance,'* faid he, " that I have carried on the Guinea *^ trade, is to give the idea that I have carried *' on the flave trade ; whereas I always had the *' grea'eft atbhorrence for this infamous traffic. ** I prayed M. de Chaftcliux, that in the edition *' he was about to publifh in France, he would ** fupprefs this, as well as many other flriking *V errors which appeared in the Arherican edition' ** of his work ; and I cannot conceive why he " has redified nothing." . - ' • The environs of Hartford difplay a charming' cultivated country; neat degant hcufes, vaft meadows covered with herds of cattle of iri Enormous fizie, which furnifh the market of New York, and even Philadelphia. You there fee (heep refembling ours; but not, like ours, hatched by fliepherds, and tormented by dogs : hogs of a prodigious fize, fufrounded with nu- merous families of pigs, wearing on the neck a triangular piece of wood, invented to hindet them from pa (fin g the barriers which inclofe the cultivated fields ; geele and turkeys in abun- dance, as well as potatoes and all other vegeta- bles. Productions of every kind are excellent and cheap : the fruits, however, do not partake tof this excellent quality, becaufe they are lefs attended to. Apples krve for making cydenj '^'^'^P^ ■ ■ . ' • ,; .; ;^ and tTNlTBD STATES OF AMlKtCA. I07 and great quantities of them are likcwife ex- ported. . -ir>T To defcribe the neighbourhood of Hartford, is to defcribe Gonnedlicut ; it is to defcribe the neighbourhood of Middleton, ofNewhaven, &c. Nature and art have here difplayed all their '^ treafures 5 it is really the paiadife of the United States. M. de Crevecoeur, who has been fo much reproached with exaggeration^ is even be-* , low the truth in his defcription of this part of the country. Read again his charming pidture, and this reading will fupply the place of what it would be ufeleis here to repeat. - "^ * *'^ f^'^rf; Vi This ftate owes all its advantages to its fitua-* tion. It is a fertile plain, enclofcd between two mountains, which render difficult its communi- cations by land with the other flates. It iai wafhed by the fuperb river Connedticut, which'" fells into the lea, and furnifhes a lafe and ezfftx navigation. Agriculture being the balls of the riches of this ftate^ they are here more equally" divided. There is here more equalityj lels mi*^; fery, more limplicity, more virtue, more of every* thing wJiich conftitutes republicanifm^t^ifc^p^^ -Mir^i r Conncdticut appears like one continued town^ On quitting Hartford, you enter Wcthersfield,*. a town not lefs elegant, very long, conlifting of houfes well built. They tell me it gave birth? lt*..'l^^^■^'■i■ i^- "to k ■ f\r "< iii.aiitaiiiiiii|»ii i i» r i "Tiii?*iw io9 kEW TRAVELS IN THK to the famous Silas Deane, one of the firft pra«^ moters of the American revolution; from a fchoolmafter in this town, elevated to the rank of an Envoy froni Congrefs to Europe : he has fince been accufed of betraying this glorious caufe. Is the accufation true, or falfe? It is difficult to decide. But he has been for a long time miferable in London : and it is in favour of the goodnefs of heart of the Americans to re- count, that his beft friends and benefadlors are ftill among the ancient American Whigs. «.> -jh ; ' Wethersfield is remarkable for its vaft fields uniformly Covered with onions; of which great * quantities are exported to the Weft Indies. It is likewife remarkable for its elegant meeting- houfe, or church. On Sunday it is faid to offer an enchanting fpedlacle, by the number of youi»g handfotiie perfons who affemble there, and by the agreeable mufic with ^Vhich they inter- mingle the divine fervice. J I i* -f^i'r. ♦ i:A'?i5 J ■l*>i.yx Y '('.:■ • ■■■ f* Newhaven yields not to Wethersfield for the beauty of the fair fex. At their balls during the winter, it is not rare to fee an hundred charming girls, adorned with thofe brilliant complexions feldom met with in journeying to the South, and drefTed in elegant fimplicity. The beauty of complexion is as ftriking in Conncdicut, as its numerous population. You will not go into a tavern m UNIfPED STATES OF AMfiRlCA. tOf a tavern without meeting with neatnefs, de-* qency, and dignity. The tables are ferved by a young girl, decent and pretty ; by an amiable mother, whofe age has not effaced the agreeable- nefs of her features; by men who have that air of dignity which the idea of equality infpires ; and who are not ignoble and bafe, like the greateft part of our tavern-keepers. On the road you often meet thofe fair Gonne6i:icut girls, either driving a carriage, or alone on horfc- back, galloping boldly; with an elegant hat on the head, a white apron, and a calico gown;— ufages which prove at once the early cultivation of their reafon, fince they are trufted fo young to thcmfelves, the fafety of the road, and the general innocence of manners. You will fee tffe!^ hazarding themfelves alone, without pro- tedlors, in the public ftages — I am wrong to fay hazarding; who can offend them? They are here under the protedion of public morals, and of their own innocence : it is the confcioufnefs of this innocence which renders them fo com- plaifant, and fo good ; for a ftranger takes them by the hand, and laughs with them, and thej are not offended at it. ^*^'^"^^^^->'4'-^i»^^sj^- ^^^^^m^^^' , Other proofs of the profperity of Connecticut, • are the number of new houfes everywhere to be feen, and the number of rural manufadories * ,. V 8 arifing ■i ,^'^.. ■MM t.llO NEW TRAVELS IN TH& arifing on every fide, of which I (hall ipeak; iierc$fter. But even in this ftate there are many lands to fell, A principal cauie of this is the tafte for emigration to the weftcrn country. The defire of finding better, embitters the en* joy mcnts even pf the inhabitants of Connedticut, Perhaps this tafte arifes from the hope of efcap- ing taxes, which, though fmall, and almoft poihing in comparifon with thofe of Europe, appear very heavy. In a country like the United ^tates^ every thing favours the forming of new fettlements. The new comers are Ture every- where of finding fiends and brothers, who fpeak their pwi| language, and admire their courage, f*rovifion$ are cheap the whole way ; they have nothing tp f(?ar from the fearcb of cuftom-houf^f clerics, on entering from one province to another, nor river-tqlls, nor imports, nor vexations;-— man is free as the air he breathes. The tafte for emigration is every day augmenting, by the acconnts in the publip papers of the arrival of diferent families. Man is like ftieep everywhere ; he fays, Sucb an one has fucceeded.^ why Jhall not Ifucceed? I am nothing here^ 1 Jhall be fmeth'tng on the Ohio ; I work hardh$re^ J Jhaflnot work fo bard there, .^ir*. V Jl.itAl;-; ^;^1/f s^ Befor arriving at Middleton, where we were . to bresikfafti w| ftopped on ^he hill which over^ looks ifte ihe of :e; not pks : UNITED STATES or AMERICA. I|J 5ooks that town and the immenfc vaUey oa which it is built. It is one of jthe fineft and ficheft profpeiCts that I have feen in America* I could fatiate myfelf with the variety of the fceacs^ which this landfcape laid before me. r Middleton is built like Hartford : broad ftreets^ jtrees on the lides, and handfome houfes. Wc pha.iged horfes and carriages at Durham; and, after admiring a number qf pidburefque lituations pn the road, we arrived at Ne\yhaven, where we dined. The univerfity here enjoys a great re- putation through the continent ; the port is much frequented ; the fpciety is faid to be very agreeable. Newhavcn has produced the cele- brated poet, Trumbull^, author of the immor- jtal poem M'Fingal, which rivals, if not lur-v , paffes, in keen pleafantry, the fsMnous Hudibras^; - Colonel Humphreys*, whoie poem, much cfe t<"emed in America, is tranflated by M. deChaf*., . Jellux, is likewifc a native of this towq^j flThe prefident of the univerfity is Mr, Stiles, a re- fpe - .~4i From Horfeneck we paflcd to New Roqhelle, a colony founded the laft century by fome French emigrants, which appears not to have profpered. Perhaps this appearance refults from tjie laft war; for this place fuffered much from the neighbourhood of the English, whofe head- quarters were at New York. This place, how- ever, will always be celebrated for having given birth to one of the moft diftinguiflied men of the laft revolution-^— a republican remarkable for his firmnefs and his coolnefs, a writer eminent for his nervous ftyle, and his clofe logic, Mr«^ Jay, at prefent minifter of foreign affairs. '.^. . The following anecdote will give an idea of the firmnefs of this republican : at the time of laying the foundation of the peace in 1783, M. de Vergennes, a<5tuated by fecrct motives, wi(h- ed to engage the ambafl'adors of Congrefs to con- fine their demands to the fifheries, and to re- nounce the' weftern territory ; that is, the vaft and fertile country beyond the Alleganey moun* Vol. I. vi- I .tains. mmmmmmm^ tX4 NEW TRAVELS IN THE tains. This miniftcr required particularly, that , the independence of America fhould not be con- fidered as the balls of the peace ; but, fimply, that it fhould be conditional. To fucceed in- this proje£l it was neceflTary to gain over Jay and i\dams. Mr. Jay declared to M. de Ver- gennes, that he would fooner lofe his life than iign fuch a treaty ; that the Americans fought for independence ; that they would never lay down their arms till it fhould be fully confe- crated ; that the Court of France had recognifed it, and that there would be a contradiction in her condud if fhe fhould deviate from that point. It was not difficult for Mr. Jay to bring Mr. Adams to this determination ; and M. de Vergennes could never fhake his firmnefs*.-^''— Confider here the ftrange concurrence of events. The American who forced the Court of France, and gave laws to the Englifh mi- nifter, was the grandfon of a French refugee of the laft century, who fled to New Rochelle. Thus the defcendant of a man whom Louis XIV.* ♦ The talents of Mr. Jay flione with diftinguifhed luftre irit the convention of the State of New York for examining the new federal Conftitution. Mr. Clinton, the Governor, at the head of the Antifederalifts, had at firft a very great majority ; but he could not refift the logic of Mr, Jay, aad the eloquence^ of Mr. Hamilton, .. , ... J Wj0]^Si: tP#?^|#&P:' *^^^^# M' UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. II5 had perfecuted with a foolifh rage, impofed his decifions on the defcendant of that fovereign, iii his own palace, a hundred years after the bani(h* ment of the anceftor. ^ - 1*, •^ Mr. jay was equally immoveable by all the efforts of the Englifli minifter, whom M. de Vergennes had gained to his party. He proved ^ to him, that it was the intereft of the Englifh* themfelves, that the Americans (hould be inde- pendent, and not in a fituation which fhould render them dependent on their ally. He con- verted him to this fentiment ; for his reafoning ; determined the court of St. James's. Whea i Mr. Jay paffed through England to return to i America, Lord Shelbourne defired to fee him. ^ Accufed by the nation of having granted too much to the Americans, he defired to know, iii ^ cafe he had perfifted not to accord to the Ameri- "t cans the weftern territory, if they would have i continued the war ? Mr. Jay anfwered, that he | believed it, and that he (hould have advifed it. ^, It is thirty-one miles from Rye to New York, i The. road is good, even, and gravelly. We flop- ped at one of the befl taverns I have feen in America. It is kept by Mrs. Haviland. We had an excellent dinner, and cheap. To other ' circumftances very agreeable, which gave us ^ good cheer at this houfe, the air of the miflrefs ' Il6 NEW TRAVELS IN TH« ^ Was infinitely graceful and obliging ; and (he had a charming daughter^ genteel and welleducatcd^ who played very well the forte-piano. Before arriving at New York, we paiTed by thofe. places which the Englifh had fo well fortified while they were mafters of them. You ftill fee , their different redoubts and fortifications, which atteft to the eye of the obferver the folly of this- fratricidious war. a ^f^ifv' .;j1j ' :<; ^^-^/loh-v .'- ^mil'N:'- ;?:•' LETTER lY* i L'^fjtfxi-ht-'^ gnif.^y. ^ai-:--.**-! JOURNEY FROM BOSTON TO NEW YORK BY ''4^^im-' \^^Uii^-p .^ PROVIDENCE*. .^.^ ... ^,, I . fc^iJ,,,:. ,^ ■,,■__".."■ * .r--. f •• • f VSN the I2tli of 0£V.obcr we fet out from r^*^"Bofton, at half pad feven in the naorning, •ahd arrived by fix in the evening at Providence. ^ It is forty- nine miles; the road good, the foil ftoney, gravelly and fandy, and, as ufual for fuch a foil, covered with pines. The country bor- dering the road appears neither fertile, nor well peopled : you may here fee houfes in decay, and children covered with rags. They had, how-\ ^ Though this journey was made after the date of ieveral of the fucceeding letters, it was thought beft to inCert it berr, as an appendage to the other journey by land. ' T ' - T"? ff "** T— ;• ^ , ^- ,. - ^-^-^-j.-vy:- : ever. UNITED. STATES OF AMERICA. Ml J ever, good health, and good complexions. The filcncc which reigns in the other Americaij towns on Sunday, reigns at Providence cvcii on Monday, Every thing here announces the de- chae of bufinefs. Few viefiTels are to be feen in the port. They were building, however, twb dilUUeries ; as if the manufadories of this poiioil were not already fufficiently numerous in the ,United States. Whether it be from prejudice or reality p^ I feemed to perceive everywhere the filence of death, the efFed of paper-money. I feemed to fee, in every face, the air of a Jew ; the r^fult of a traffic founded on fraud and finefle. I feemed to fee, likewife, in every counten-'nce, the efFeds of the contempt which the other States bear to this, and the confciouf- iiefs of meriting that contempt. The paper- IDoney at this time was at a difcount of ten for one. ^ .■ ■■'■ ■■ •■■ -■■-.;■■' ■ ^v-v.. ' '^ ^.. I went from Providence to Newport in a packet-boat. This journey might be made by land ; but I preferred the water. We arrived in feyen hours and an half; and during two hours i 4 we had contrary wind. This diftance is thirty miles. We never loft fight of land; but it offers nothing pidurefque or curious. A few houfes, fome trees, and a fandy foil, are all that appears tQ the eye. I3 The IPI BS il8 NEW TRAVELS IN THli "^ The port of Newport is coiifidered as onie of the beft in the United States, The bottom is good, the harbour capable of receiving the lar^cfl: fhips, and feems deftined by nature to be of great confcquence. This place was one of the principal fcenes of the laft war. The fuccefli ve arrival of the Annerican, Englifli, and French armies, left here a conliderable quantity of money*. ^ Since the peace, every thing is ctiartged"f; The reign of folitude is only interrupted by groups of idle men, ftanding with folded arms at the corner of the ftreets ; houfes falling to ruin; miferable fhops, which prefent nothing but a few coarfe fluffs, or balkets of apples, and other articles of little value ; grafs growing in the public fquare, in front of the court of juftice ; rags flufFed in the windows, or h.ng upon hideous women and lean v'nquiet children. Every thing announces mifery, the triumph of ill faith, and the influence of a bad govern- ment. You will have a perfed idea of it by calling to mind the impreflion once made upon us on entering the city of Liege. Recolledl the « ■„ _ . ,„^ ?' ♦ The Englifli deftroycd all the fine trees of crnament and fruit: they toolc a pleafure in devaftation. t^s^r t This town owed a part of its profperity to the Have trade, which is at prefent ftjpprefled, 1 4 '*^ ^ ^ . , , - t-rf-. crowd %' ^>l^^^--:'f jA. VNITID STATES OF AMBHICA. If^ crowd of mendicants beficging us at cVcry ftcp, to implore charity ; that irregular mafs of Gothic houfes falling to ruin, windows without glafs, roofs half uncovered; recall to your mind the figures of men fcarcely bearing the print of hu- manity, children in tatters, and houfes hung with rags; in (hort, rcprefent to yourfelf the afylum of famine, the rafcality and the impu- dence that gtaeral milery infpires, and you will recolle6l Liege, and have an image of Newport.^ -j, Thefe two places are ncverthelefs well fitu- ated for commerce, and fur rounded by lands by no means unfruitful ; but at Liege the produc* tions of the country ferve to fatten about fifty idle ecclefiaftics, who, by the aid of ancient re- ligious prejudices, riot in pleafure, in the midil of thoufands of unhappy wretches who are dying with hunger. At Newport, the people, de- ceived by two or three knaves, have brought on their own mifery, and deftroyed the bleffings which Nature had lavilhed upon them. They have themfelves fandlified fraud; and this ad has rendered them odious to their neighbours, driven commerce from their doors, and labour from their fields. •^' ^ doubt UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. IStl doubt not, likewife, but the example of Rhodes Jflaiid will be a proof in the eyes of manfy peof^c^ that republican government is difaftrous. This would be a wrong conclulion: — this example only proves, that there (hould not be a too frequent rotation in the legiflative power, and that there ought to be a lability in the «xe^ cutive; that there is as much danger in placing" the magiftrates in a ftatc of too great dependence on the people, as there is in making them too independent. It argues, in fai^, againfl 2k f>un democracy 9 but not againft a reprefentative de* mocracy ; for a reprcfontation of fix months is but a government by the people themfelvcs; Reprefentation, in this cafc> is but a fhadow^ which pafies too fuddenly to be perceived, or td feel its own exiftence. Of confcquence, »this example proves nothing againfl the wife fyftcm of reprefentation, more durable, more independ- ent, and which conftitutres the true republican government, fuch as that of the other United States. But in the midft of thefediforders, you hear nothing of robberies, of murders, or of mendicity ; for the American poor does not de-< grade himfelf fo far as to abjure all ideas of equity and all Hiame. And this is a tr&it which ftill marks a difference between Newport and Liege ; the Rhode- Iflander does not beg, and he \- ^> r does 112 HEW TRAVELS IN THE m^: does not ftcal^^r-the ancient American blood flill runs in hk veins. ■ umiw-'mmm % I was detained at Newport by the fouth-weft winds till the 13th, when we fet fail at mid- night ; the captain not wilhiixg to fail fooner, for fear of touching before day on Block-Ifland, The wind and tide carried us at the rate of nine or ten miles an hour ; and we fhould have arrived at New-York the next- evening, but we were detained at Hell-Gate, a kind of gulph, eight miles from New- York. I'his is a narrow paf- fege, formed by the approach of Long-Ifland to Jfork-Ifland, and rendered horrible by rocks, concealed at high water. The whirlpool of t^>^is gulph is little perceived at low water ; but it is not furprifing that veffels which know it not ihould be daihed in pieces,^ * 5 >They fpeak of an Englilh frigate loft there the laft war. This Hell-Gate is an obftacle to the navigation of this flrait ; but it is not rare in fummer to run from Newport to New- York, two hundred miles, in twenty hours. As you approach this city, the coafts of thefe two iflands prefent the moft agree- able fpedtacle. They are adorned with elegant country-houfes. Long-Ifland is celebrated for its high ftate of cultivation, The price of paf- fage and your tabic from Providence to New- York is fix dollars. '.^iL^i - u ■' zi- ■ ^ '^ , V I ought T UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ft J f I ought to fay one word of the packet-boats of this part of America, and of the facilities which they offer. Though, in my opinion, it is more advantageous, and often lefs expenfive, to go by land; yetlowe fome praifes to the cleanlinefs and good order obfervable in thefc boats. The one which I was in contained four- teen beds, ranged in two rows, one above the other; every one had its little window. .^JTilp chamber was well aired ; fo that you do not J^reathe that naufeous air which infedts the p§c;k- '«ts of the Engliih channel. It was well var- nifhed ; and two clofe corners were made in the poop, wliich ferve as private places. The pro- yifions were good. There is not a little town on all this coaft, but what has this kind of packr ets going to New-York : fuch as Newhaven, New-London, &cGm,^^hey have all the fame neatnefs, the fame embellifhment, the fame con* venience for travellers. You may be afiured, that there is nothing like it on the old con- tinent# "■"■'%iy m-5 * ■f ,*•■ "# ^'^ :0(nf^^$yMffrM^ ' m ■t-- fEr^ M.;.: .»*.'i'*.:;:-J; LETTER t%l • ^EW TRAVELS IN THftK^T^ 4i,.# .. ■ ;:JL*E fpcT E-R --V.^^^^^'^^^^^^' i.ui;:tg0i..islifcfia[k]o^^>i:.bio- Lor-- . :]^- Mm$l^^^'' T HAVE read agaiti, my dear friend, the de* fcription giveit by Mr. CrevecOBttr, ©f this pah bf the United States ; and after having bon^i piafed all the articles of it with what I haVe feen^ 1 ittuft declare, ihat all the traits of hk pidure 'are ?vlft. '**^-"^**^^"- ''■*'^-^-''^*^*' -^im'^' ii^i^j-.^j^^a i^i^daii Nothing IS tnore magnificent than the fituf ation of this tbwn— between two majefHc rivers; the north and the eaft. The ^nier feparates it from New Jerfey : it is fo large and (d?cp, that fliips of the line anchor in it. I have at this moment under my eyes a French {hip of 1200 tons, deftined to the Eaft-India trade, which has COrtie into it to refit. Two inconveniences are, however, experienced in this river; the defcent of ice in the winter, and the force of the north- weft wind. Ships mount this commodious river as far as Albany, a town fituated an hundred and feventy miles from New^York. ^ Albany will yield very fooni in profperity, to a town called Hudfon^ built on a fpot where, I'M. J •• ■ -.Vr'.--. ._ " " ' -^ ■' t four .fT* .V •«^V UNITED STATES OP AMEI^ICA. t35 ibur years ago, there was only a (implc fariQf>> houfd. At prefenty it contains an hundred good. dwcUing-houfes, a couft-houfc, public fountains^ &c. More than fifty (hips are owned there, which export the American productions to the Iflands and to Europe. Two whaleing (hips are of the number. Their ve(rels do not winter idly, like thofc of Albany, in the port. They trade in the Weft Indies daring this feafon. Poughkeepfie, on the. fame river, has doubled its population and its commerce fince the war. The inattention of the people of Albany to fo- reign commerce^ n^ay be attributed to the fcr-p tility of their lands. Agriculture abounds there, and thev like not to hazard themfelves to the If dangers of the fea, for a fortune which they ^an draw from the bounty of the foil which i*ur» rounds them. The fertility of the uncultivated lands, and the advantages which they offer, at- tra(Sl fettlcrs to this quarter. New fettlements are forming here; but (lowly, becaufe other (bites furnilh lands, if not as fertile, at leaft at- tended with more advantages for agriculture, as they are Icfs expofed to the exce(Iive rigours of fo long a winter. When this part of America (hall be well peopled, the nqrth river will offer one of the fiueft channel fgr the expprtjatioa of its produc- "'io -':'■: ■'■^:v' ,'■. tion$ ti6 KtW TRAVELS IK THE tiohs. Navigable for more than two hundred miles from the ocean, it communicates with the river Mohawk, with the lakes Oneida, Ontario,"^ Eric, and all that part of Canada* The falls which are found in this route may be eafily van- quifhcd by canals, fb eafy to conftrud in a coun-- try abounding with men and money. This river communicates with Canada in another quarter, by the lakes George and Champlaine*:! It is this (ituation which will render New York the channel of the fur-trade, at leaft during the exiftcnce of this kind of commerce, which fup4* pofes the exiftcnce of favages, and great quanti-»i ties of uncultivated lands, ^^'^ M-^M:^i t t^By the Eaft River, New York communicates ; with Long-Iflp.nd, ahd with all the EafterriV States. Ships of the line anchor likewife in this^ nViif^ tnd near the quay, where they are flieUj tered from the ftorms which fbmetimes ravage' thefe coafts. This happy fituation of Newt York will explain 16 you the caufes why the ; Englifh give it the pref-^rence over the other parts of America. Being the great market for* Conne^icut and New Jerfey, it pours in upon- thofe States the produ(5lions of the Eaft Indies, and of Europe. It is difficult to obtain an ac- count of the exportation s and importations of ' this State. Colonel Lamb> who is at tlie head- ■■^ -/#.;: .f-"''-.'"\ ■■ ■•.-■'■•--■■- • ,', ... V ■ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. tlf of the cuftom-houfe, envelopes all his operations in the moft profound myftcryj it is an efFe£l of the Dutch fpirit which ftill governs this city. The Dutchman conceals his gains and his com- merce ; he lives but for himfelf. I have been able, however, to procure fome details, which you will find in the general table of the com- merce of the United States. The Englifh have a great predilection for this city, and for its pro- dudlions ; thus its port is always covered with Englifli fhips. They prefer even its wheat ; fo that the American merchants bring wheat from Virginia, and fell it for that of New York, The prefence of Congrefs, with the diplo- matic body, and the concourfe of flrangers, contributes much to extend here the ravages of luxury. The inhabitants are far from complain- ing at it ; they prefer the fplendour of wealth,, and the fhow of enjoyment, to the fimplicity of manners, and the pure pleafures refulting from k^ The ufage of fmoking has not difappeared in this town, with the other cuftoms of their fathers, the Dutch. They fmoke cigars, which come from the Spanifli iflands. They arc leaves, of tobacco, rolled in form of a tube, of fix inches long, which are fmoked without the aid of any^ inftrument. This ufage is revolting to the' French, It may appear di{agreeablatOi.the wo-C '*,.,'■ ' ' \ l^;l■. f-mr men, A:-':vJm' laS .' KEW TRAVELS IN THB \ ;^ ^cn, by deftroying the purity of the breath* The philofopher condemns it, as it is a fuperflu- pu$ want. di . It has, however, one adva^itage ; it accuftoms ^ .meditation, and prevents loquacity. The fmoker aiks a queftion ; the anfwer comes two minutes after, and it is well founded. The cigar reitders to a man the fervice that the phi- lofopher drew from the glafs of water which he drank when he was in anger. • - ^^^ 'f^^i^ . The great commerce of this city, and the fa- cility of living here, augments the population of the Stafe with great rapidity. In 1773 they .reckoned 148,124 whites; in 1786 the num- ber was 219,996. C.;5^i'*.^>* .•^.kiX [hilH*: ,.t.'/:j ■•''i^'. If there is a town on the American continent where the £ngli(h luxury difplays its follies, it is New York. You will find here the Englifli , faOiions. In the drefs of the women .you will fee the mod brilliant fiiks, gauzes, hats, and borrowed hair. Equipages are rare ; but they are elegant. The men have moro (implicity in* their drefs; they difdain gewgaws, but they take their revenge in the luxury of the table. -^ > Luxury forms already, in this town, a clafs of men very dangtrous in focicty — I mean bache- lors. The expence of women caufes matrimony to be dreaded by men. . '^F^ ^^ Tea -»?< i UNITED STATES OP AMERICA, I29 ' Tea forms, as in England, the bafis of the principal parties of pleafure. Fruits, though more attended to in this State, are far from pof- fefling the beauty and goodnefs of thofe of Europe. I have feen trees, in September, loaded at once with apples and with flowers. M. de Crevecoeur is right in his defcription of' the abundance and good quality of provifions at New York, in vegetables, flefh, and efpecially in fifli. It is difficult to unite fo many advan- tages in one place. Provifions are clearer at New York than in any other of the northern or middle States. Many things, elpecially thofe of luxury^; are dearer here than in France. A hair-drefler alks twenty (hillings per month ; wafhing cofts four (hillings for a dozen pieces. Strangers, who, having lived a long time iii America, tax the Americans with cheating, have declared to me, that this ace ufation mud be confined to the towns, and that in the coun- try you will find them honeft. The French are the mod forward in making thefe com- plaints ; and they believe that the Americans are more tricki(h with them than with the Engli(h. If this were a fa£t, I fhould not be aftoni(hed at it. The French, whom I have feen, arc eter- nally crying up the fervices which their nation has rendered to the Americans, and oppofing VoL.^1, - K' r . > .7 their . V 130 KEW TRAVELS IN THE their manners and cuftoms, decrying their go- vernment, exalting the favours rendered by the French government towards the Americans, and diminifhing thofe of Congrefs to the French. One of the Q-reatcft: errors of travellers is to calculate prices of provifions in a country, by the prices in taverns and boarding-houfes. It is a falfe bafis; we fhould take, for the town, the price at the market, and this is about half the price that one pays at the tavernc This bafis would be ftill falfe if it were applied to the country. There are many articles which are abundant ia the country, and are fcarcely worth the trouble of colleding and bringing to market* Thefe reflefbions appear to me neceflary to put one on his guard againft believing too readily in the prices eftimated by hafty travellers. Other circumftances like wife influence the price ; fucb, for example, as war, which Mr. Chaftellux takes no notice of in his exaggerated account of Ame- rican prices. i. ,, ; Thefe prices were about double in New York during the war, to what they are now. Board- ing and lodging by the week is from four to fix dollars. The fees of lawyers are out of all pro- portion ; they are, as in England, exceffive. Phyficians have not the fame advantage in this refpedl as lawyers : the good health generally -M- * *' enjoyed ■ UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. IJI enjoyed here, renders them little ncceflary; yet they are fufliciently numerous. I converied with fome of them, and alked what were the difcafes mofl common ? They told me, bilious fevers ; and that the greatell part of difeafes among them, were occafioned by exceflive cold, and the want of care ; but there are few difeafes here, added they. The air is pure; the inhabitants arc tolerably temperate; the people in good circumftances, are not fuf- iiciently rich to give themfelyes up to thofe de- . baucheries which kill fo many in Europe ; and there are no poor, provifions being fo cheap. - J Let thofe men who doubt the prodigious ef- fedts that liberty produces on man, and oh his induftry, tranfport themfelves to America. What miracles will they here behold! Whilft every where in Europe the villages and towns are fall- ing to ruin, rather than augmenting, new edi- fices are here rifing on all iides. New York was in gre^t part con fumed by fire in the time of the war. The veftiges of this terrible conflagratioa difappear ; the adtivity which reigns every where^ ^ announces a rifing profperity ; they enlarge in every quarter, and extend their ftreets. Elegant buildings, in the EngUfli ftyle, take place of thofe (harp-roofed floping houfes of the Dutch. You find fome dill (landing in th^ D^tch ftylc ; they K 2 ^ ' afford ,t-4l 1^2 NEW TRAVELS IN THE afford fome pleafurc to the European obfervcrj ♦ they trace to him the origin of this colony, and the manners of thofe who inhabit it, whilft they call to his mind the ancient Belgic State. • I walk out by the fide of the North River ; what a rapid change in the fpace of fix weeks I The river is forced back 200 feet, and, by a fimple mechanifm, they have conftrudled a kind of encafemcnt, compoled of large trunks of trees croffing each other at convenient diftances, and faftened together by flrong beams. They con- ducSt this floating dyke to the place where it is to be fixed, and where there is often forty feet of water. Arrived at its deftination, it is funk with an enormous weight of ftones. On all fides houfes are rifing, and ftreets extending : I fee nothing but bufy workmen building and re- pairing. V * ' , V- ^^■.■>, At the fame time they are ere£ling a building foF Congrefs. They are likewife repairing the hofpital : this building is in a bad condition ; not a (ick perfon could be lodged in it at the end of the war ; it was a building almoft abandoned : they have reftored the admin iftration of it to the ^ Quakers, from whom it had been .taken away dur- ing the war ; they have ordered it to be repaired,' and the reparations are executing with the great- eft vigour. This building is vaft ; it is of brick, ''■ ■ ^ 4 ■-, ' -r' "^^^t'and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I33 and perfetSlly well fituated oa the bank of the North River. It enjoys every advantage: air the mofl: Takibrious, that may be renewed at pleafure; water in abundance; plcafant and ex- tenfivc walks for the fick ; magnificent ^nd agreeable profpeds ; out of the town, and yet fufficiently near it. ,„f'. It is likewife to the Quakers, to thefe men fo much calumniated, of whom I (hall fpeak more fully hereafter, that is owing the order obfervable in the work-houfe, of which they have the fu- perintendance. ■ *^^ ' » ,, It is to their zeal thnt is to be attributed the formation of the fociety for the abolition of fla- very. As I (hall confecrate to this important ar- ticle a particular chapter, I (hall not fpeak of it here. A fociety of a more pompous title, but whofe fervices are lefs real, has been lately formed. Its objedl is the general promotion of fcience and ufeful knowledge. They aflfemble rarely, and they do nothing. They have, however, eight hundred pounds in the bank, which remain idle. Their prefident is Governor Clinton; and he is any other thing rather than a man of learning. rt This fociety will have little fucccfs here — the Dutch are no lovers of letters, ;,^^^;.,.:^j,^;u K3 ^ But 134 NEW TRAVELS IN THE Eut though men of learning do not abound in this city, the pref'»nce of Congrefs attracts, from time to time, at lead from all parts of Americja, the mod celebrated men. 1 have feen particu- larly,- Mefiirs. Jay, Maddifon, Hamilton, King, and Thornton. I have already fpoke to you of thefiril. : J ^f^ -The name of Maddifon, celebrated in Ame- rica, is well known in Europe, by the merited eulogium made of him by his countryman aaJ friend, Mr. JefFerfon. c... Though ft ill young, he has rendered the greateft fervices to Virginia, to the American confederation, and to liberty and humanity in general. He contributed much, with Mr. White, in refbrnning the civil and criminal codes of his country. He diftinguifhed himfelf particularly in the conventions for the acceptation of the new federal fyftem. Virginia balanced a long time in adhering to it. Mr. Maddifon deter- mined to it the members of the convention by his eloquence and his logic. This republican appears to be but about thirty- three years of age. He had, when I faw him, an air of fatigue ; per- haps it was the effedl of the immenfe labours to which he has devoted himfelf for fome time pad. His look announces a cenfor; his converfation difcovers the man of learning ; and his referve /v :.:>,-. ?...•%• ' ' was I/. -y- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 135 was that of a man coufcious of his talents and of his duties. ^ -; During the dinner to which he invited me, tliey fpoke of the refufal of North CaroUna to accede to the new conftitution. The majority againft it was one hundred.. Mr. Maddifon be- lieved that this refufal vs^ould have no weight on the minds of the Americans, and that it would not impede the operations of Congrefs. I told him, that though this refufal might bo regarded as a trifle in America, it would have great weight in Europe ; that they would never enquire there into the motives which dictated it, nor confider the fmall confequence of this State in the confederation • that it would be re- garded as a germe of divifion^ calculated to re- tard the operations of Congrefs ; and that cer-* tainly this idea would prevent the refurredlion of the American credit. 'Mr. Maddifon attributed this refufal to the attachment of a great part of the inhabitants of that State to their paper money, and their tender-adii. He was much inclined to believe^ that this difpofition vyo^ld not remain a long time. * Mr. Hamilton is the worthy fellow-labourer of Mr. Maddifon ; his figure announces a man of thirty-eight or forty years; he is not tall; his K4 countenance 136 NEW TRAVELS IN TH5 countenance is decided ; his air is open and mar-w tial : he was aid-de-camp to General Waftiing- ton, who had great confidence in him ; and he well merited it. Since the peace, he has taken ' the profeflion of the law, and devoted himfelf principally to public affairs. He has diftingui(h-f ed himfelf in Congrefs by his eloquence, an4> ' the folidity of his reafoning. Among the works which have come from his pen, the mofl dif- tinguifhed are, a number of letters inferted iiv the Federalift, of which I fhall have occafion to fpeak hereafter; and the letters of Phocion, ii> favour of the royalifts. Mr. Hamilton had fought them with fuccefs during the war. At thp eftablifhment of peace he was of opinion, that it was not beft to drive them to defpair, by a ri- gorous perfecution. And he had the happinefs to gain over to thele mild fentiments thofe of his compatriots whofe refentment had been juftly excited againft thefe people, for the woes they had brought on their country. " 1 v^^^v '^ .. This young orator triumphed again in the convention of the State of New York, where the antifederal party was numerous. When the convention was formed at Poughkeepfie, three quarters of the members were oppofed to the. new fyftem. Mr. Hamilton, joining his efforts^ to thole of the celebrated Jay, fucceeded in con-^ f ,', ' '' ,.'•'.'. ■; ^- ""' vincms: #a.i;erj(jx.. >iXi^%i'2' -fm^w^' » • < , 1 .'' • ( "..><;;•;,. V' - ' '. » * ' , i ' ■ :'l»h'\'i'~:. i ' *.'.:'. ■-' ' '-' r- 'A , ^ • UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. l^J viiieinsf the moll: obftinate, that the refufal of New York would entiaiii the greateft misfor- tunes to that State, and to the Confederation* The conftitutjon was adopted ; the feaft which followed the ratification in New York was mag- nificent ; the {hip Federalift, which was drawa in proceffion, was named Hamilton, in honour of this eloquent fbeaker. , ,, ,,.;i • ' ' H He has married the daughter of General Schuyler, a charming woman, who joins to the graces all the candour and fimplicity of an Ame^ rican wife. At dinner, at his houfe, I found General Miflin, who diflinguiflied himfelf for his adivity in the laft war. To the vivacity of a Frenchman, he appears to unite every obliging charaderiftic. » . ' ' ■ ■ . ^^--s^; -^-^-j^ " Mr. King, whorv I faw at this dinner, pafles for the moft eloquent man of the United States. What ftruck me moft in him was his modefty. He appears ignorant of his own worth. Mr. Hamilton has the determined air of a republican^ Mr. Maddifon the meditative air of a profound, politician. ^; ^ p,. -^W'K At this dinner, as at moft others which I made in America, they drank the health of M. de la Fayette. The Americans confider him as one of the heroes of their liberty. He merits their love and ef^eem j they have not a better friend ■i I3S NEW TRAVELS IN THE in France. His generofity to them has been manifefted on all public occafions, and ftiil more in private circumftances, where benefits remain unknown, it is not, perhaps, to the honour of France, or the Frenchmen who have been in America, to recount the fad, That he is the only one who has fuccoured the unhappy fuffer- ers in the fire at Bofton*, and the only one whofc doors are open to the Americans. - ^*Do6tor Thornton, intimately conneded with the Americans whom I have mentioned, runs a different career, that of humanity. Though , by his appearance, be does not belong to the Society of Friends, he has their principles^ and pradifes their morals with regard to the blacks. He told me the efforts which he has made for the execu-' tion of a vaft projed conceived by him for their benefit. Perfuaded that there never can exift a fincere union between the whites and the blacks, even on admitting the latter to tfie rights of ' freemen, he propofes to fend them back, and eflablifh them in Africa. This plan is frightful at the firft afpedl ; but, on examination, it ap- pears to be neceflfary and advantageous. I (hall not enter upon it here, but refervc it for my let-' ^er on the ftate of the blacks in this country,-^ \ * He gave JT, 300 fterling. Mr. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I39 Mr. Thornton, who appears, by his vivacity and his agreeable manners, to belong to the French nation, is born at Antigua; his mother ha^ a plantation there. It is there that, inftead of har- ' dening his heart to the fate of the negroes, as moft of the planters do, he has acquired that humanity, that compaflion for them, with which he is fo much tormented. He told me, he (hould have fet his (laves at liberty, if it had been in his power ; \>nK not being able Jto do this, he treats jthem like men. . V ^ v . ; ' r I cannot finiih this letter without (peaking of another American, whofe talents in finance arc well known here; it is Colonel Duer, fecretary to the board of treafury. It is difficult to unite to a great facility in calculation, more extenfive views and a quicker penetration into the moft complicated projedls. To thefe qualities he joins goodnefs of heart ; and it is to his obliging cha-» ra6ler, and his zeal, that I owe much valuable information on the finances of ^ this country, which I (hall communicate hereafter, ' , I (hould ftill be wanting in gratitude, fhould I negle61: to mention the politenefs and attention (hewed me by the Prefident of Congrefs, Mr. Griffin. He is a Virginian, of very good abili- ties, of an agreeable figure, affable, and polite. I faw at hi^ hoai*?| at dinner, feveQ pr eight women. mmmm 140 NEW TRAVELS IN THE womeiiy all drcfled ia great hats, plumes, &c. It was with pain that I remarked much of pre- tenfion in fome of thefe women ; one adcd the giddy, vivacious ; another, the woman of fenti- ment. This laft had many pruderies and gri- jnaces. Two among them had their bofoms very naked* I was fcandalized at this indecency among republicans. ,^ ,. ^^ .nnit; i>in'^tr .: A Prefident of Congrefs is far from being fur* rounded with the fplendour of European mo-» narchs; and fo much the better. He is not durable' in his ftation ; and fo much the better. He never forgets that he is a (imple citizen, and will foon return to the ftation of one. He does not give pompous dinners ; and fo much the bet- ter. He has fewer paralites, and lefs means of corruption. i,.iv.,(mi.j.HU.^-.^5 * ■ -iv I remarked, that his table was freed from many ufages obferved elfewhere;— no fatiguing prefentations, no toafts, fo defpairing in a nu- merous fociety* Little wine was drank after the women had retired. Thefe traits will give you an idea of the temperance of this country ; Jemperance, the leading virtue of republicans. I ought to add one word on the finances of this State. The facility of raifing an impoft on* foreign commerce, puts them in a fituation to pay, with pun UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I43 trunks fixed on behind. A traveller who docs not choofe to take the ftage, has a onc-horfc car- riage by himfelf. * Let the Frenchmen who have travelled in thefe carriages, compare them to thofe ufed in France ; to thofe heavy diligences, where eight or ten perfons are (luffed in together ; to thofe cabriolets in the environs of Paris, where two perfons are clofely confined, and deprived of air, by a dirty driver, who torments his miferable jades : and thofe carriages have to run over the fineft roads, and yet make but one league an hour. If the Americans had fuch roads, with what rapidity would they travel ? fince, not- withftanding the inconvenience of the roads, they now run ninety-fix miles in a day. Thus,., with only a century and a half of exiftence, and oppofed by a thoufand obftacles, they are already fuperior to people who have been undifturbed in their progrefs of fifteen centuries, * j»f You find in thefe ftages men of all profeflions. They fucceed each other with rapidity. One who goes but twenty miles, yields his place to pne who goes farther. The mother and daugh-| ter mount the ftage to go ten miles to dine; another ftage brings them back. At every in- . ftant, then, you are making new acquaintances. The frequency of thefe carriages, the facility of • ^ ^ f ; finding: H *} I it I .i ->.- 144 KfcW TRAVELS IN THfi finding places in them, and the low and fixed price, invite the Americans to travel. Thefe carriages have another advantage, they keep up the idea of equality. The member of Congrefs is placed by the fide of the flioemaker who eleded him : they fraternize together, and con- verfe with familiarity. You fee no perfon here taking upon himfelf thofe important airs which you too often meet with in France. In that country, a man of condition would blufli to travel in a diligence; it is an ignoble carriage ; one knows not with whom he may find himfelf. Befides, it is in ftyle to run pojl ; this ftyle ferves to humiliate thofe who are condemned to a fad mediocrity. From this inequality refult envy, the tafte for luxury, oftentation, an avidity for gain, the habit of mean and guilty meafures to acquire wealth. It is then fortunate for America, that the nature of things prevents this diftin6lioii in the mode of travellino:. - '-. - •^ The artizan, or the labourer, who finds him- felf^ in one of thefe flages with a man in place, compofes himfelf, is fiLent ; or if he endeavours to rife to the level of others by taking part in the converfation, he at leafl gains inflrudion. The man in place has lefs haughtinefs, and is facili- tated in gaining a knowledge of the people. *'^^ ^ The fon of Governor Livingflon was in the I'Sr. ■ 8 ftage VNITBD STATES OP AMBRICA. I45 ftage with me ; I (hould not have found hitn out, {0 civil and eafy was his air, had not the ta- vern-keepers from time to time addrefled him with refpedful familiarity. I am told that the governor himfelf often ufes thofe ftages. You may have an idea of this refpedlable man, who is at once a writer, a governor, and a plowman, on learning that he takes a pride in calling him- felf a New Jerfey farmer. The American ftages, then, are the true po- litical carriages. I know that the petits maitres of France would prefer a gay well-fufpended chariot ; but thefe carnages xoll in countries of Baftilles, in countries afflidled with great in- equality, and confequently with great mifery. The road from New York to Newark is in part over a marfh : I found it really aftonifiiing ; it recals to mind the indefatigable induftry of the ancient Dutch fettlers mentioned by Mr. de Crevecoeur. Built wholly of wood, with much labour and perfeverance in the midft of water, on a foil that trembles under your feet, it proves to what point may be carried the patience of man, who is determined to conquer nature. ^.^^But though much of thefe marflies are drain- ed, there remains a large extent of them covered with ftagnant waters, which infed the air, and give birth to thofe mufquitoes with which you , Vol. I. L are 11 f|o KEXV' travelV m Tirfi 1 arc cruelly tornjjeutcd, and to an epidemical fcvcif which makes great ravages in fummer ; a fever* known likewifc lii Virginia and in the Soiithcrrt States, in parts adjacent to the fea. I am nfllired that the upper parts of New Jerfey are exempt from this fever, and from mufquitoes; hut this State is ravaged by a politicalfcourge, more ter- rible than cither; it is paper money. This- paper is flill, in New Jerfey, what the people call a legal tender ; that is, you are obliged to receive it at its nominal value, as a legal pay- ment. ;■; ■ . .; " • : '■' ' y'^-._^ .-'•' I faw, in this journey, many inconveniences refulting from this fi6litious money. It gives- birth to an infamous kind of traffic, that of buy- ing and felling it^ by deceiving the ignorant ; a commei*ce which difcourages induflry, corrupts the morals, and is a great detriment to the public. This kind of ftock-jobber is the enenxy to his fellow-citizens. He makes a fcience of deceiving ; and this fcience is extremely conta- gious. It introduces a general diflruft. A per* ion can neither fell his land^- nor borrow money upon it ; for fellers and lenders may be paid in a rnedium which may ftill depreciate, they know not to what degree it may depreciate. A friend dares not truft his friend. Inftances of perfidy pf this kind have been known that are horrible. : *^ ' V • t^atriotilrn /'• i\ m^ VNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I47 Patriotifm is confcquently at an end, cultivation languilhes, and commerce declines. How is it pofiible, faid I to Mr. Livingfton, that a country'. fo rich can have rccourfc to paper money? Ncvsr Jerfcy furnifhes produ£i:ions in abundance to New York and Philadelphia. She draws money, then, conftantly, from thole places ; £he is their 1 creditor. And fliall a creditor make ufe of a refource which can be proper only for a mifc- rable debtor ? How is it that the members of your legiflature have not made thefe reflexions ? The reafon of it is very fimple, replied he : At the clofe of the ruinous war that we have expe- rienced, the greater part of our citizens were burdened with debts. They faw in this paper' money the means of extricating themfelves, ' and they had influence enough with their repre- fentatives to force them to create it. — But the evil falls at length on the authors of it, faid I ; they muft be paid themfelves, as well as pay others, in this fame paper; and why do they not fee that it difhonours their country, that it ruins all kinds of honeft induftry, and corrupts the morals of the people ? Why do they not repeal this legal tender? — A ftrong intereft oppofes it, replied he, of ftock-jobbers and fpeculators. They wi(h to prolong this miferable game, in which they are. fujTfe ta be the winners, though . -.■r'^'-' ; '■■/■'■''^■'■'':r-:-' L 2 . , ,^.::, the ■ i{ 1 I 148 NEW TRAVELS IN THE the rOin of their country Ihould be the confe* quence. We expeft relief only from the new conftitution, which takes away from the States the power of making paper money. All honeft people wi(h the extinction of it, when filver and gold would re-appear ; and our national indoftry would foon repair the ravages of the war. ' .^'. , From Newark we went to dine at New- Brunfwick, and to fleep at Trentcn. The road is bad between the two laft places, efpecially after a rain ; it is a road difficult to be kept in repair. We paffed by Prince- Town ; this part of New Jerfey is very well cultivated. Mr. de Crevecoeur has not exaggerated ir* bis defcription of it. All the towns are well built, whether in wood, (lone, or brick. Thefe places are too well known in the military annals of this coun- try, to require that I (hould fpeak of them. The taverns are much dearer on this road than in Maffachufetts and Conne<5licut : T paid at Tren- ton, for la dinner, three (hillings and fixpence, moiky of Pennlylvania. -Hwi^ii^. < m^4^m • , ,. We paffed the fen v from Trenton at feven in the morning. The Delaware, which feparates Pennfylyania from New Jerfey, is a fuperb river, navigable for the largeft fliips. Its navigation is intercepted by the ice during two months in the year. Veffels are not attacked here by thol'c ' -" ^-'-^ worms >n . UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I49 worms which are fo deftrudivc to them m rivers farther fouth. ,., . The profped from the middle of the river is charming : on the right you fee mills and ma- nufadories ; on the left, two charming little towns, which overlook the water. The bor- ders of this river are ftill in their wild ftate. In the forefts which cover them are fome enormous trees. There are likewife fome houfes; but they are not equal, in point of fimple elegance, to thofe of Maflachufetts. , , ^ * *- .?^*r « *^ £wWe breakfafted at Briftol, a town oppofite to Burlington. It was here that the famous Penn firft planted his tabernacles. But it was repre- sented to him, that the river here did not furnifh anchoring ground fo good and fo fafe as the place already inhabited by the Swedes, where Phila- delphia has fince been built. He refolved^ then, to purchafe this place of them, give them other lands in exchange, and to leave Briftol. PafSng the river Shammony on a new bridge, and then the village of Frankford, we arrived at Philadelphia by a fine road bordered with the beft cultivated fields and elegant houfes, which announce the neighbourhood of a great town. - - .. -I -i.^,..., .>,ti,,«^ .,s. f- vj if wf^r^; ^^ff ^>Mt. ■il.'>n^'.'k A M ^ L3 * ' LETTER ^50 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 'T *;f% «^^* ^^' ' -^^'Sii oof td-^n ^dj on -mhisxim '■^^*:!--4'- I 't gf .JOUK.NE{Y TO BURLIIW5T9N. '4 ■-^^v.--' . i"'^'- Aug. 27, 1788.- --^ HAD pafledbut few hours at PhiladelpKiai^ when a particular bufiriefs called me to Bur- lington, on the borders of the Delaware. It is an elegant little town, more ancient than Phila- 4elphia. Many of the inhabitants are Friends, or Quaker^: this w^s forn[ierly their place of general rendezvous. / - , •.uj.ua.ua ^ From thence I went to the country notiKe of Mr.' Temple Franklin. He is the grandfori 6f the celebrated Franklin, and as "well known ini France for his amiable qualities as for his general information. His houfe is five miles from Bur-* lington, on a fandy foil, covered with a foreft of^ pines. His houfe is fimple, his garden is welf kept, he has a good library, and his fituation feems deftined for the retreat of a philofbphbr. ' ' . I dined here with five or fix Frenchmen, who began their converfation with invedlives againfl America and the x^mericans, agaihfl their want of laws, their paper money, and their ill faith, I defended the Americans, or rather I defired to be inftrujded by fads; for I was determined no ..'■vri^ T7NITBD STATE.5 OF A^f^K^ICA. |J[I HO more to believe in the opinions of indi\ii- Yoii wifh for fads, faid one of them,- vyho •hadexifted in this,. country for three years: I ii/ili give' you &me.— I fay that the country i;^^ a miferable one. In New Jerfey, wH.e're w'e now are. there is no money, thprc i§ not][i]ng but paper. The money is locked up, faid^ I^r^ l^ranklin. Would you have a man be fool enougH to exchange it for .'depreciated ra'g^'? Wait till- the lavV ihall take the paper from circulation^— - Biit you cannot borrow money oh tne^beil le- curity. ' I believe it, faid Mr. FranKlui ; the lender fe^rs to be paid in paper. — ThefefactS prove not the Icarcity or money;, buft the pru- dence of thofe wtio HpW it, .and ttie inffuenfce that debtors have,, in tr^e les[iU:it;gre;, Ti They palled to another point, y.9ur law§ ai;^ arbitrary^ and often upjuft : for inftahce, therp^is d Jaw: laying:. a tax oFa'dollar on'tne'fecohdado:; aiid this tax augments in proportion to'tne huni- berthat a man kiqeps, Thus a labourer has neefl orjgpgS| but he is deprived or their luccou^r. — He has" no need of them, faid Mr. Franklin,, he keeps them but for his pleafure ; ahd if any thing ought to be taxed, it is pleafure*. The dogs are injurious to the fheep ; inftead of dei, fending- them they often kill them. I was one L4' *^ KZT-X-^A L4 of i$t NEW TRAVELS IN THE of the firft to folicit this law, becaufe we are in- fcfted with dogs from this quarter. To get rid of them we have put a tax on theni, and it has produced falutary effedls. The money arifing from this tax is deftined to indemnify thofe whofe flieep are deftroyed by thefe animals. * My Frenchman returned to the charge :— • But your taxes are extremely heavy. — You fliall judge of that, fays Mr. Franklin: I have an cftatc here of five or fix hundred acres ; my taxes laft year amounted to eight pounds in paper money; this reduced to hard money, is fix oounds '^i^^:'^:S''r''^-^'^^" '^" •■^>---. ■^^r^^.^m^.m^ Nothins: can be more conclufive than thofe replies. I am fure, however^ that this French- man has forgot them all ; and that he will go and declare in France, that the taxes in New Jcrfey arc diftreflingly heavy, and that the impo* iition on dos;s is abominable. •f Burlington is feparated from Briftol brtfy fejr the river. Here is fome commerce, and fome men of confiderable capital. The children here ^ have that air of health and decency which cha- Irafterifes the fed of the Qj^akers. '<;'is^ u.. J t LETTER Sh\, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA* \S3 r'^rw ':4: ,:i%>"a,A.^ii m^^i LETTER VIII. ■ 1 Aug. 28, 1788. a /^N returning from Burlington, I went with Mr. Shoemaker to the houfe of his father^ in-bw, Mr. Richardfon, a farmer, who lives near Middleton, twenty-two miles from Phila4 delphia«i, --^ « w- • --- :-^ ...,■•-. •^^-■;^. :^^,>-:.:.; .;^^-t"'* Mr. Shoemaker is thirty years of age ; he was not educated in the fe6l of Friends: he declared to me that, in his youth, he was far from their principles; that he had lived in pleafure; that growing weary of it, he refle£led on his conduti, and refolved to change it j that he fludied the principles of the Quakers, and foon became a member of their {ociety, notwithftanding thiJ . railleries of his friends. He had married the daughter of this Quaker to whofe houfe we were going. I wifhed to fee a true Americaa- fkrmer. - ': I was really charmed with the order and neat- nefs of this houfe, and of its inhabitants. Ibey have three fons and feven daughters. One of the latter only is married; three others are mar- riageable. They are beautiful, eafy in their man- ^^ ners. 154 J^fW TRAVELS IN Tfl^l^ I ^ ners, and decent in their deportment. Their drefs is (imple ; they wear fine cotton on Sun- day, and that which is not fo fine oii other days. Thefe daughters 'aid their mother in the ma- nagement of the familv. The mother has much adivity ; flie feeld in her arms a little grand- daughter, which was carefled by all, the children. It is truly a patriarchal family. TjThe father is occupied conftantly in the fields. We conYerfed much on the Society of Friends, the Society in France for the abolition of flavery, the gr9jWifJg of wheat, &c,., 5.^.7^,i,;;ff .] ,.;,, :a^ofid .i,M:i:. I No, never was I fo much edified as in this houfe; it is the afylum of union^^ f]|-iend(hip, 4nd hofpitality. The beds were neat- the . lii^en whit^, the covering degant ; the cabinets, delks, chairs, and tables, were of black walnut, well poliftxed, and ihining^j.^ The garden furijifted vegetables of all kinds, and fruits. , There were ten horfes in the ftable ; the Indian corn of the lafl: year, ftill on the cob, lay in, large quantitiejS in a cabin, of which the narrow planks, placed at frnall diftances from each other^ leave opeiiiiigs* ^r the circulation of the air.-y^^^ ^|?^^, .^ | .^^ ^ The barn was full of wheat, oats, i§ic.; their cows furnilh delicious milk for the family, of which they make excellent cheefe ; their fheep give them the wool of which the cloth is made v^^ ^i. which :'l • * UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 155 which covers the father and the children. This . cloth is fpun in the houfe^ wove and fulled iji the neighbourhood. All the linen is made in the houle. ..^•;.: -^ • . jj Mr. Shoemaker (hewed me the place where this worthy cultivator was going to build a houfe for his eldeft fon. You fee, fays he to me, the wealth of this good farmer. His father, was a poor Scotchman ; he came to America^ and applied himfelf to agriculture, and by his induftry and economy amafled a large fortune. This fon of his is likewife rich : he fells his grain to a miller in the neighbourhood ; his ve- 1 getables, butter, and clieefe, are fent once al . week to town. • i^i- :*^.^^t.^^.••;|-*:.' ! I went to fee this .miller. I recolledled what, Mr. de Crevecoeur had faid in praife of the Ame- rican mills. This one merited eulogy for itsi neatnefs, and for the intelligence with whjch the different operations were diflributed. Theiifc were three fets of ftones deflined to the making of hour of dllFerent degrees of finenefs. They employ only the ftones of France for the firft , quality of flour. They are exported from Bour- 1^ deaux and Rouen. In thefe mills they have mul- tiplied the machinery, ,j^<^ /pare haiid labour in all the operations; fuch as holding the wheat, cleanfing it, jaiijiqg the ftour to the olace where ;.. «t. ■M" NEW TRAVELS IN THE It is to be fpread, coUe^ling it again into the chamber where it is to be put in barrels. * Thefe barrels arc marked at the mill with the name of the miller; and this mark indicates the quality of the flour. That which is defigned for exportation, is again infpedled at the port; and, if not merchantable, it is condemned. ^^^^" The millers here are flour-merchants; mills are a kind of property which enfures a conftant mcome. ^^!fel#^'n^i > ^';\: -■ '", ii -^ i f HE FUNERAL OP A OUAKER — A OITAKER r . 'y*:U- MEETING. m:»*fii^>^'%fii«?*t^»';'- T WAS prefent at the funeral of Thomas Hoi* well, one of the elders of the Society of Friends. James Pemberton conduced me to it. I found a number of Friends afl'embled . about the houfe of the deceafed, and waiting in ; filencc for the body to appear. It appeared, and was in a coffin of black walnut, without any covering or ornament, borne by four Friends; fome wpmeil f^Iowed, \yj19, I^wias told, were the ^t\ ■ -4-V ..yjitJsfiS^ • ^ UNITID 8TAT18 OF AMERICA, l6l the neared relatives and grand-children of the deccafcd*. All his friends followed in filcnce, two by two. I was of the number. There were no places defignated; young and old mingled together; but all bore the fame air of gravity and attention. The burying ground is in the town ; but it is not furroundcd with houfes. I faw near feme of the graves fome pieces of black ftones, on which the names only of the dead were engraved. The greateft part of the Quakers diflike even this ; they fay, that a man ought to live in the memory of his friends, not by vain infcriptions, but by good adlions. The grave was fix or feven feet deep ; they placed the .body by the fide of it. On the oppofite fide were feated, on wooden chairs, the four women who appeared to be the moft afFcdled. The people gathered round, and remained /or five minutes in profound meditation. All their coun- tenances marked a gravity fuitable to the occa- fion, but nothing of grief. This interval being clapfed, they let down the body, and covered it with earth; when a man advanced near the. grave*, planted his cane in the ground, fixed hisi hat upon it, and began a difcourfe relative to (his * None of them were dreft in black. The Quakers regard this teftimoiiy of grief as. chUdifti.i '^■';ii'*i;k^t ^^^^M^^^ r kfiVoL,!, \ M lad ■MMHiiili ■!:'■» ?■■:* '^ 162 KISW TRAVfil.S IN THE '"^ iifad cerembiiy. He trembled in all his bod^jTy ,aiid his eyes were (taping and wild. His dil-p ccAurfe turned upon the tribulations of this life, ithc neceffity of recurring to God, &c. When he had nnifhed, a woman threw herfelf on her knees, made a very Ihort prayer, the men took off their hats, and all retired. '. -; . i^^ : ?w/?vi ^^^ I was at firfl furprifed, I confefs, at thi& trembling of the preacher. We. are fo accuftom • ed,o by our European philofophy, to coiiiider ithofe appearances as the efFedt of hypocrify, and to annex to them the idea of ridicule, that it was diiticult to prevent m^yfelf from being feized v/kh a like impreiiion : but I recollected that t^^ fimilar had happened to me a hundred times ; when I had been warmed with a fubjedt, and drawn into an interefting difcuffion, I have been tranfported out of myfelf to fuch .a degree^ ithat I could reither lee nor hear, but experienced aponiiderable trembling. Hence I concluded, that it might be natural, efpccially to a man continually occupied in meditation on the Al- •mighty; on death, and a future ftate. I went 'from thence \vith thefe Friends to their meet- ing, l^he moft profound fiknce reigned for near ^an hour;' when ©ne of their minifters, ov ^elders, who'' fat on the fronc bench, rofe, pro- nounced four words — then was iilent for a mi- <«ki .: -iiute, « ( - UNITEP STATES OF AMERICA. 163 nute, then fpoke four word$ moi'e; and his whole difcourfe was pronounced in this manner. This method is generally followed, by their, preachers; for another who fpoke after him,, obferved the fame intervals, * r* -' ■ '^ Whether I judged from habit or reafon, I know not ; but this manner of fpeaking appeared to me not calculated to produce a great cffed: : for the fenfe of the phrafe is perpetually inter- rupted, and the heaicr is obliged to guefs at the meaning, ^or be in fufpenfe; either of which is fatiguing. But before forming a deciflve opi- nion, we ought to enquire into the reafons v/hich have led the Quakers to adopt this method. Certainly the manner of the ancient orators and modern preachers is better imagined for pro- ducing the great effedt of eloquence. They fpeak by turns, to the imagination, to the; paffions, and to the reafon ; they pleafe in order to move ; they pleafe in order to convince ; and it is by pleafure that they draw you after tliemi This is tlie eloquence necefiary for men ener- vated and enfeebled, who wifh to fpare them- felves the trouble of thinking. The Quaker? are of a different character ; they early habituate themfclves to meditation ; they are men of much reflwSlion, and of few words. They have no need, then, of preachers with founding phrafes M2 ■' ^ and >rmju^. H Wi I "I H ¥ l. 164 • NEW TRAVELS IN THfi and long fermens. They difdain elegance as am ufelefs amufement; and long fermons appear difproportioned to the force of the human mind, and improper for the divine fervice. The mind Ihould not be loaded with too many truths at once, if you wifh they fliould make z lading impreflion. The objed of preaching being to. convert, it ought rather to lead to refle(flion, than to dazzle and amuie. '' -^ - "^** '* t I obferved in the countenances of all this congregation an air of gravity mixed with fad- nefs. Perhaps I am prejudiced ; but I ihould like better, while people are adoring their God, to fee them have an air which would difpofe perfons to love each other, and to be fond of the worfliip. Such an air would be attrading to young people, whom too much feverily difgufts. Befides, why ftiould a perfon with a good con- fcience, pray to God with a fad countenance? 'f * The prayer which terminated this meeting was fervent ; it was pronounced by a minifter, who fell on his knees. The men took off their hats; and each retired, after having fhaken' hands with his neighbour. '*^^ "*'^ *' '^ '^* ' - 1^ ' What a difference between the fimplicity of this, and the pomp of the catholic worfhip! Reformation, in all ftages, has diminiflied the formalities; you will find this regular diminj- ^-•^•►J.** '■%■ ■ *'V« tion # I . s. . .. .. 1. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 165 tion ill defcending from the Catholic to the Lu- theran, from the Lutheran to the Prelbyterian, and from thence to Quakers and Methodifts. It is thus that human reafon progreffes towards periection. ■'- ■■ .•■^."•r^ .?4"3i5if.-;!ifvj:!»^5i'\<;. <■-■ > .■v*('-'>*.''-^i>.' In con fide ring the fimplicity of the Quaker's vvorfhip, and the air of fadnefs that in the eyes of ftrangers appears to accompany it, an air which one would think difgufting to young people, even of their own fed:, I have been fur- prifed that the Society (hould maintain a concur- rence with more brilliant fedls, and even increale by making profelytes from them. This efFcdl: is principally to be attributed to the Angular image of domeftic happinefr which the Quakers enjoy. Renouncing all external pleafures, mu- (ic, theatres, and fhows, they are devoted to their duties as citizens, to their families, and to their bufinefs; thus they arc beloved by their wives, cheriftied by their children, and efteenied by their neighbours. Such is the fpeflacle which has often drawn to this Society men who have ridiculed it in their youth. .. .. The hiftory of the Quakers will prove the falfity of a principle often advanced in politics. It is this : that, to maintain order in fociety, it is neccflary to have a mode of worfhip ftriking to the fenfes ; and that the more fhow and pomp #^4! ti** -t M3 arc It'ri > 1 66 NEW TRAVELS IN THE *tf are introduced into it, the better. This is what Jias given birth to, and ftill juftifies, our full chants^ o\xt fpiritual concerts^ our proceffions, our ornaments, &c. Two or three hundred thoufand Quakers .have none of thefe mummeries, and yet they oblerve good order. :: f>,!j -^r^, >• r^'^^ fM , - This fa\5l has led me to another concluflon, the folidity of which has been hitherto difputed. I*: is, the poflibility of a nation of Deifts^, A nation of Deifta, maintaining good government, would be. a miracle in political religion. And why fhould it not exilt, when knowledge (hall be more univerfally extended, when it (hall pe- netrate all ranks of fociety?' What difference would there be between a fociety of Deifts, and one of Quakers,. aflembling to hear a difcouife on the immortality of the foul, and to pray to God in fimple language? ^ > .dimiv^irj >';^^:j^»f^ it^m #* * Neither the Englifh nor Americans attach the fame idea to this word that a Frenchman does. They confider a Deift as a kind of Materialift. — I undcrftand by a Deift, a man that believes in God, and the immortality of the foul. I »- ''^ .,5i->-^>^i'^'J^ ni -fjhio /-;;'vf?.^^f ^ri-^ftnXn -"^^ffif^'f: ■fir:^-^' :'----§m- .LETTER UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 167 ii^^uw * LETTER XL ^%?p^ VISIT TO A BETTERING-HOUSE, OR HOUSE OF ~ ' CORRECTION*. ^ - ^ ' . •■ " ' . ^ i^::il^„«ji»i};A.^... ,■ .:j.\ii\ l<;.iiL^-..;<^ *i^i .; Sept. i, 178S. 'TpHlS hofpital is fituated in the open country, ' ,u# v^ in one of thofe parts of the original plan of Philadelphia not yet covered with houfes. It is already divided into regular ftreets ; and, God 'grant that thefe projected flreets may never be any thing more than? imaginary ! If they (hould one day be adorned with ^houfes, it would be a misfortune to the hofpitals, to Pennfylvania, and to aU Americr. i^- i:^*uf^: ,H../v i^i^i^*. ' «? This hofpital is conflru«£i:ed of bricks, and compofed of twr large buildings; one for men, and the other for women. There* is a feparatioa in the court, which is common to them. This inftitution has feveral objeds : they receive nito it the poor, the iick, orphans, women in tra* vail, and perfons attacked with venereal difeafcs. They likewife confine here vagabonds, diforder- ly perfons, and girls of fcandalous lives. ,-^.i. •til - ' * This houfe is properly n^med ; bccaufe, contrary to fne ordinary effedt of hofpitals, it renders the prifoners better. M4 ■ ^ - There ■S V*.- - 4 I :C\T 1 68 NEW TRAVELS IN THI .^'' There exifts then, you will fay, even in Phi- ladelphia, that difgnfting commerce of difeafes, rather than of pleafures, which for fo long a time has empoifoned our continent. Yes, my friend, two or three of the moil" confiderable maritime towns of the new continent are afflicted by this leprofy. It was almoft unknown before the revolution ; but the abode of foreign armies has naturalized it, and it is one of thofe fcourges for which the free Americans are indebted to us. But this traffic is not carried on fo fcandaloufly as at Paris or London. It is reftrained, it is held in contempt, and almofl imperceptible. I ought to fay, to the honour of the Americans, that it is nourifhed only by emigrants and European travellers; for the fandity of marriage is flill nniverfally refpeded in America. Young people marrying early, and v/ithout obftacles, are not tempted to go and difhonour and empoifon them- felves in places of proflitution. • * ^^ ^ «t.:*v ^ i..ftw:i But, to finifh my account of this hofpital, there are particular halls appropriated to each clafs of poor, and to each fpecies of ficknefs ; and each hall has its fuperintendant. This inftitu- tion was rich, and well adminiftered before the war. The greater ])art of the adminillrators were Quakers. The war and paper money introduced a different order of things. The legiflature re- folved not to admit to its admin iftration any perfons UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 169 perfons but fuch as had taken the oath of fidelity to the State. The Quakers were by this ex- cluded, and the management of it fell into ha^ds; not fo pure. The fpirit of depredation was ma- nifeft in it, and paper money was ftill more in- jurious. Creditors of the hofpital were paid, or rather ruined by this operation. About a year ago, on the report of the infpe^tors of the hofpi- tals, the legiflature, confidering the abufes p/ac- tifed in that adminiftration, confided that of the bettering-houfe again to the Quakers. Without any refentment of the affronts they had received during the war, and only anxious to do good and perform their duty, the Friends accepted the adminiftration, and exercife it, as before, with zeal and fidelity. This change has produced the effedt which was expedted. Order is vifibly re- eftablifhed ; many adminiftrators are appointed, one of whom, by turns, is to vifit the hofpital every day : fix phyficians are attached to it, who perform the fer vice ^r^/ix. T; ^ * ;?i it :-,;/ I have feen the hofpitals of France, both at Paris, and in the provinces. I know none of them, but the one at Befan^on, that can be compared to this at Philadelphia. Every fick, and every poor perfon, has his* bed well furnifh- ed, but without curtains, as it fhould be. Every room is lighted by windows placed oppofite, ^.*^^' • . * which i 170 NEW TRAVELS IN TH]3.r.¥ which introduce plenty of light, that great coii- foiation to a maiv confined, of which tyrants for this reafon are cruelly fparing. Thefe windows admit a frr,. circulation of air : mod of thern ©pen over the fields ; and as they are not very high, and are without grates, it would be very eafy for the prifoners to make their efqape; but the idea never enters their heads. This fact proves that the prifoners are happy, and, confe- quently, that the adminiftration is good, ^t r^^M The kitchens are well kept, and do not exhale that fetid odour which you perceive from the beft kitchens in France. The eating-rooms, which are on the ground floor, are equally clean ^ and well aired : neatnefs and good air reign iii every part. A large garden at the end of the court, furnifhes vegetables for the kitchen. I wa^ furprifed to find there a great number of foreign Ihrubs and plants. The garden is well Cultivated. In the yard they rear a great num- ber of hogs ; for, in America, the hog, as well as the ox, does the honours of the table through the whole year. -...; . ^,. .^^ ^^^ ^^^.. •, ,:^ ->- I could fcarcely defcribe to you the different fenfations which, by turns, rejoiced and afflicled my heart in going through their different apart- rJients. An hofpital, how well foever admiaif- tered, is always a painful fpedacle to me. It h^^ 5 appears UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I7I appears to me fo confoling for a fick man to be ai his ov(^n home, attended by his wife and children, and vifited by his neighbours, that I regard hofts pitals as vaft fepulchres, where are brought to- gether a crowd of individuals, ftrangers to each other, and feparated from all they hold dear* And wha.t is man in this fituation ? — A leaf de- tached from the tree, and driven down by the torrent — a (keleton no longer of any confiftence, and bordering on diflblution. *•♦?? r?*^* r <^* ;'^*r-l *: But this idea foon gives place to another. Since focieties are condemned to be infeftcd with great cities, fince mifery and vice are the ne- ceflary offspring of thefe cities, a houfe like this becomes the afylum of beneficence J for, with- out the aid of fuch inftitutions^ what would be- come of the greater part of tbofe wretches who here find a refuge ; fo many women ; fo many perfons blind and deaf, rendered difgufting by their numerous infirmities? They muft very foon perifh, abandoned by all the world, to whom they are ftrangers. No door but that of their common mother earth would receive thefe hideous figures, were it not for this provifion made by their common friend, Society. «*^-#^ , I faw in this hofpital all that mifery and dif- eafe can alTemble. I faw women fuffering on the bed of paia ; others, whofc meagre vifages, ^mit rendered i --'-fri-iW- ;-. --r im |BH i /= fj% NEW TRAVELS IM THE J^Vf rendered difgufting by eruptions, attcft the fatal effects of incontinence; others, who waited with groans the moment when Heaven would deliver them from a burden of life, becaufe afflidted with excruciating pain ; others, holding in their arms the fruit, not of a legal marriage, but of love betrayed. Poor innocents ! born under the ftar of wretchednefs ! Why (hould men be born, predcftinated to misfortunes ? But, blefs God, at leaft, that you are in a country where baftardy IS no oblhcle to refpe6i:ability and the rights of citizenfbip. I faw with pieafure thefe unhappy mothers careffing their infants, and nurfing them with tendernefs. There were few children in the hall of the little orphans ; thefe were in good health, and appeared gay and happy. Mr. Shoe- maker, who conduded me thither, and another of the diredlors, diftributed fomc cakes among them, which they had brought in their pockets. Thus the directors think of their charge even at a diftance, and occupy themfelves with their happinefs. Good God ! there is then a country where the foul of the governor of an hofpital is not a foul of brals ! ' ■:•»■ ^ h - ^.mr- \ k i^\^m:' tmmm\ 't Blacks are here mingled with the whites, and lodged in the fame apartments. This, to me, was an edifying fight ; it feemed a balm to my foul. I faw a negro woman fpinning with ac« . .. * ' ^ tivity UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. I73 tivity by the fide of her bed. Her eyes feemed to expedl from the director a word of confolation — She obtained it ; and it feemed to be heaven to her to hear him. I (hould have been more happy had it been for me to have fpoken this word: I fliould have added many more. Un- happy negroes ! how much reparation d6 we owe them for the evils we have occalioned them— the evils we ftill occafion them ! and they love The happinefs of this negrefs was not equal to that which I faw fparkle on the vifage of a young blind girl, who feemed to leap for joy at the found of the director's voice. He afked after her health: fhe anfwered him with tran- fport. She was taking her tea by the fide of her little table — Her tea! — My friend, you are- aftonifhed at this luxury in an hofpital— It is be-* caufe there is humanity in its adminiftration, and the wretches are not crowded in here in heaps to be ftifled. They give tea to thofe whofe conduct is fatisfa£lory ; and thofe who by their work are able to make fome favings, enjoy the fruits of their induftry. I remarked in thist hofpital, that the women were much more nu- merous than the men; and among the latter, I faw none of thofe hideous figures fo common lu the hofpitals of Parisfigures oa which you|' 'f- IK-^X trace # IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 11.25 , 12^ ^ m l£ u Hi 4. y£ U£ 1.4 ■16 ^^s 6" ^V ^ 3r ^.^*' ^ .^'^ y Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STMIT WEBSTER, N.Y. 145S0 (716)872-4503 fK % X s mfmmmm ! I 174, .. \JfEW TIAVSW IN TH» trac^ tiiQ cp^^rl^ of crimes, mifery, and indolence. Tbey have a decent appearance ; many of thenrt alk^d the diret^tor for their ^nlargeipent, which they obtained. . ^asd But vhat refp^rqes have they on leaving this boufej Thfy have their hands, anfwered the direfbor, ♦iid they tn^y find ufefvil occupations. Buit the women, replied I, what can they do? .^h^ir conditipn is not fo fortunate, (aid he. In; a town where fo many men are occupied in fo*- reign commerce, the number of unhappy and diforderly females will be augmented. To pre- veot thi^ iftcpnvcnience, it has been l^ly pro- pofed to form a new eftablifliment, which (hall give to girls of this defcription a ufeful occupa- tion^ where the prx)duije of the induftry of each perfon (halj be preferved and given to her 6i\ Jeaving thehoufc; or, if (he (hould choofe to remain, (he (hall always enjoy the fruit of her . Q WIl .labour* , ;'?;, -^r.^.-^ -■p'\vt'^fi^-^-'"'S^. -■^■'■^^^'■■^ ,,-■- •,th;-4^--' i^-fv ■ : Thi$ project will, without doubt, be exe- cuted; for the Quakers are ingenious and perfe- veriag when they have in view the fuccour of the whhappy. My friend, the author of this projeft is my condudor. I fee hini b^oved.and refpeded, conftantly occupied in ufeful things 5 ^d he i^ but thirty years of gge ! and is it aftoni(hing UNITED STAiraSS OF LABtfeitfCA. d^J aftonifliing that I praifc a fed which produces fuch prodigies ? On our return from the hofpital, wc drank a bottle of cider. Gotnpare this frugal^ repaft to the fumptuous feafts giv^en by the fup^rintend- ants of the poor of London — by tfaofe humane infpe^ftors who affemble to confult oti making repairs to the amount of fix (hillings, and order "% dinner for fix guineas. You never find amo^g the Quakers thefe robberies upoa indigence^ thefe infamous treafons again ft beneficence. Blefs them, then, ye rich and poor: ye rich, becaufe their fidelity and prudence economife your mo- ney ; yc poor, becaufe their huiacianity watc^c^ over you wittioUjt ceafing. ▼"': ^ > * ^^ ^^ -f * The expencps of this hofpital amount to about iiv€penc€ a day, money of PeanfyJvania, for each penHoner. You know that the beft adminiflered hofpital in Paris amounts to about fourteen pfssnce Jike money a-day ; and, what a (Jiffereiiqe in thq treatment! i ; *^ ^'^. , m-- . 'i: ■ '•> i , f l:# ^ • '4' f . .^f 'W-' J* •■ .* i .: ,». ai;r■ HOSPITAL FOR LUNATICS. # 1^% *^ ^TpHIS IS the hofpital fo juftly celebrated by M. de CreveccKur, and which the humane Mr. Mazzei regards only as a curiofity fcarcely worth feeing. The building is fine, elegant, and well kept* I was charmed with the cleanlinefs in the halls of the (ick, as well as in the particular chambers. I obfervcd the buft of Franklin in the library, and was told that this honour was rendered him as one of the principal founders of this inftitu* tion. The library is not numerous ; but it is wellchofen. The hall on the firft floqr is appropriated to fick men : there were fix in it. ' About the feme number of fick women were in^ a like hall on the fecond floor. Thefe perfbns appeared by no means miferable; they Teemed ^ to be at home. I went below to fee the lunatics ; f they were about fifteen, male and female. Each * one has his cell, with a bed, a table, and a con- ' veaient window with grates. Stoves are fixed hi the %lls, to warm the cell in winter.' .,* ^hcre \ -:< ■'». UNITED 8TATES OP AMERICA. 1 77 / There were no mad peribns among them. Mcil of the patients arc the vidims of religious melancholy, or of difappointed love. Thefe un- happy perfons are treated with the greatefl ten* dernefs ; they are allowed to walk in the court ; are conftantly viiited by two phyficians. Dr. Rufh has invented a kind of fwing" chair for their exercife. What a difference between this treatment and the atrocious regulations to which we condemn fuch wretches in France ! where they are rigo- roufly confined, and their diforders fcarcely ever fail to increafe upon them. The Turks, on the contrary, manifeft a fingular refpedl to perfons infane: they are eager to adminifter food to them, to load them with careifes. Fools in that country are never known to be injurious ; where- as with us they are dangerous, becaufe they arc tinhappy. The view of thefe perfons aficAed me more than that of the fick. The laft of human mife- ries, in my opuiion, is confinement ; and I can- not conceive how a fick perfon can be cured in prifon^ for confinement itfelf is a continual ma- lady. The exercife of walking abroad, the view of the fields, the murmur of the rivulets, and the finging of birds, with the aid of veg -JUt^y.)!..^ i*--'fV *.'r°*^J!*'#f ^ In 1737 the Englifli government confided to him the adminiftration of the general pofl-office in America. He made it at once lucrative to the revenue, and ufeful to the inhabitants. It ferved him particularly to extend everywhere his ufeful gazettes. 4-^^..mm..%^m^ ^^lt>^itfeii Since that epoch not a year has pafTed with- out his propofing, and carrying into execution, fome project ufeful to the colonies. i,^» /*^ , i,,^^ To him are owing the companies of afTurance agaiiifl fire; companies fo necefTary in countries. * where ''f^i. ' ¥ ; f\-. f Y.-- ^^7^^ m^ ■^-' UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 187 where houfes are built with wood, and where fires completely ruin individuals ; while, on the contrary, they are difaftrous in a country where fires are not frequent, and not dangerous. ' To him is owing the eflablifliment of the Philofophical Society at Philadelphia, its library, its univerfity, its hofpitals, &c. Franklin, perfuaded that information could not be extended but by firft colle6ling it, and by affembling men who were likely to poflefs it, was always extremely ardent to encourage lite- rary and political clubs. In one of thefe clubs, which he founded, the following queftions were put to the candidate : — =-...' ;y" Do you love all men, of whatever religion they may be ? Do you believe that we ought to perfecute or decry a man for mere fpeculative opinions, or for his mode of worfhip ? Do you love truth for its own fake? and will you em- ploy all your efforts to difcover it, and to make it known to others ?" > A Obferve, again, the fpirit of this club in the queftions put to the members at their meetings.. — ** Know you any citizen who has lately been remarkable for his induftry ? Know you in what the Society cwi be ufeful to its brethren, and to all the human race ? Is there any flranger ar- rived in town ? In what can the Society be ufe- 1 88 MEW TRAVELS IN THE ful to him ? Is there any young pcrfon begitv* fling bufinefs, who wants encouragement ? Have you obferved any defc6ls in the new adts of the legiflature, which can be remedied ? How can the Society be ufeful to you ?** ' '. The attention which he paid to tLefe inftitu- tions of literature and humanity, did not divert him from his public functions, nor from his ex- periments in natural philofophy. His labours on thefe fubjeds are well known ; I (hall therefore not fpeak of them, but confine myfclf to a fa£k which has been little remarked ; it is, that Franklin always directed his labours to that kind of public utility which, without pro- curing any great eclat to' its author, produces great advantage to the citizens at large, it is to this popular tafte, which chara(Sterifed him, that "we owe the invention of his ele£lrical conduct- ors, \\is economical ftoves^ his differtations, truly philofophical, on the means of preventing chimneys from fmoking, on the advantages of copper roofs to houfes, the eftablifhment of fo , many paper-mills in Pennfylvania*, &c. * Dr. Franklin told me, that he had eftabliflied about eighteen paper-mills. His grandfon, Mr. T. Franklin, will doubtlefs publi(h a colle6iion of his ufeful letters on the falutary or per* nicious efFeds of difFerei^t procefTes in the arts. Thefc letters are fcattered in the American gazettes. The coUci^ion of then^ vould be curious. ' . >^: UNITED STATES 09 AMERICA. ' 1 89 The circumflanccs of his political career arc likcwife known to you ; I therefoic pafs them over in filence. But I ought not to omit to mention his (X)ndu£l during the war of 1 7.55. At that period he enjoyed a great reputation in the Englifh coiohies. In 1754 he was appointed one of the members of the famous Congrcfs which was held at Albany : the objed of which was to take the neceffary meafures to prevent the invadon of the r*'rench. He prefented to that Congrefs an excellent plan of union and defence^ which was adopted by that body; but it was re- jeded in London by the department for the co» ionies, under the pretext that it was too demo- cratical. It is probable that, had this plan been purfued, the colonies would not have been ra- vaged by the dreadful war which followed. During this war, Franklin performed many im- portant fundioiis. At one time he was fent to cover the frontiers, to raife tro6ps, build forts, &c. You then fee him contefting with the go- vernor, to force him to give his confent to a bill taxing the family of Penn, who were proprie- tors of one-third of the lands of Pouniylvania, and refufed to pay taxes. He then was fent de- puty to London, where he was fuccefsful in fupporting the caufe of the colony in the Privy Council againft that powerful family^is .V--,, TT'. '< y ipO . KEW TRAVELS IN THE The fuperior Ikill and management which he difcovercd in thefc ncgociations, were the fore- runners of the more important fuccefs which attended him during the war of independence, when he was fent amballador to France. ' .< On his final return to his country, he obtain- ed all the honours which his important fervices merited. His great age, and his infirmities, have compelled him at laft to renounce his public ca- reer, which he has run with fo much glory. He lives retired, with his family, in a houfe which he has built on the fpot where he firft landed, fixty years before, and where he found himfelf wandering without a home, and with- out acquaintance. In this houfe he has efta- blifhed a printing-prefs and a type-foundery. From a printer he had become ambaffador; from this he has now returned to his beloved prefs, and is forming to this precious art his grandfon, Mr. Bache. He has placed him at the head of. -an enterprife which will be infinitely ufeful; it is a complete edition of all the claflic authors, that is, of all thofe moral writers whofe works ought to be the manual for men who wifli to gain inftrudlionj and make themfelves happy by - doing good to others. \^, i It is in the midft of thefe holy occupations that this great man wdts for death with tran-' •,' V ' t / :;^"quillity. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Ipl quillity. You will judge of his pbilofophy on this point, which is the touchftone of philofo- phy, by the following letter, written thirty years ago on the death of his brother John Franklin, addreffed to Mrs. Hubbard, his daugh- ter-in-law. iin ^ > Hiv?K. f ** My dear child, " I AM grieved with you ; we have loft a friend, who to us was very dear, and very precious. But it is the will of God and of na,ture that thefe mortal bodies fhould be laid afide when the foul is ready to enter into real life ; for this life is but an embryo ftate, a pre- paration for life. A man is not completely born until he is dead. Shall we complain,' then, that a new-born has taken his phce among the immortals ? We are fpirits. It is a proof of the goodnefs of God, that our bo- dies are lent us fo long as they can be ufeful to us in receiving pleafure, in acquiring know- ledge, or in doing good to our fellow- crea- tures ; and he gives a new proof of the fame goodnefs in delivering us from our bodies, when, inftead of pleafure, they caufe us pain; when, inftead of aiding others, we become chargeable to them. Death is then a hhfP.ng from God ; we ourfolves often prefer a partial •'death cc €t 61 <( <« <( 66 CC 66 CC C< *■- it (( i'--':'"j> flp*' 192 MBW TRAVELS IN THE ** death to a continued pain; it *s thus that we '^ confent to the amputation of a limb when it *' cannot be reftored to life. On quitting our ^* bodies, we are delivered from all kinds of pain. ** Our friend and we are invited to a party of pleafure which will endure eternally : he has gone firft; why fhould we regret it, iince we ** are fo foon to follow, and we know where we ^* are to meet?'* :;a^ 'd-^ *• Franklin is dead — he has returned to. the ** bofbm of God — the genius who has liberated ** America, and (hed over Europe the torrents «* of his light ! . ** The fage of two worlds — the man for ** whom the hiftory of fciences and the bif^ory 4 -K . -. '. :.^' ■ .;. "of m' I "~T" V of empires cdrttend, fhould doubtlefs hold an «* elevated rank in the human racfe. - *« 1*60 loirtghai^e 'poUti&al edblnfcts been'ac- ^\ cuftomcd to notify thft dftath of thofe who arfe *• great only in their funeral pomp; too long ha§ ^* lh6 etiquette of Courts proclaitiried hypocr-itical *' mourning. Nations ought to mourn only for *' their benefadors ; the reprefentatives of na- *• rk)ns ought to recommend to their homage ** none but the heroes of humanity. ' •* The Congrefs has ordained a mourning of ** t\vo months for the death of Franklin ; and *• America, at this moment, is rendering this ,"•• tribute of veneration to one of thfe fathers of ^•^ her conftitution^ hi>m Would it not be worthy of you, gentlemen, •* to join them in this truly religious a6t, t® *• participate in this homage rendered in the fati *' of the univerfe to the rights of men, tb tht ** philofopher, who has contributed the moft to * eiitend theii' empire ovef the fac^ 6f the *' earth? — ? -*' .Anfiquity would ha?'e r^ifed altars to that i#*{)dWefful genius, who^ fbif t:h6 hdiefit cf fti^n, •** erlibrkdng heaven and darth, cduld hav^ ** curbed the thunders of the «jne, £thd the ty*. ** ratits of rtie other'. £ulx)pei^ enli^ht^^d and •« free, owes at feaft a teftitn^ny of gratitude to Vol. L O «' the .,»>¥ :\j« 194 NEW TRAVELS IN THE ** the greatcft man that ever adorned philofophy ** and Hberty ! •* I propofe that it be decreed, that the Na- ** tional Aflembly go into mourning three days f;** for Benjamin Franklin." ' ''^ The Aflembly received ^yith acclamation, and decreed with unanimity, the propofal of M. Mirabeau* The honour thus done to the memory of Franklin will rcfled glory on the National Af- fembly. It will give an idea of the immenfe difference between this legiflature and other po- litical bodies; for, how many \ prejudices muft have been vanquifhed, before France could bring her homage to the tomb of a man, who, from the ftation of a journeyman printer, had raifed Iiimfelf to the rank of ]egiflator, and contributed to place his country on a footing among the great powtrs of the earth. ' ,.''^. This fublime decree was pronounced, not only without hefitation, but with that enthu- fiafm which is infpired by the name of a great man, by the regret of having loft him, by the duty of doing honour to his afhes, and by the hope, that rendering this honour may give rife to like virtues and like talents in others. And, oh ! may this Aflembly, penetrated with the greatnefs of the homage which flie has rendered V . » :^ , :. .■ ' ^\ ii' f to ■M^ U'^. * UNITED STATES 0/ AMERICA. .I95 to genius, to virtue, to the pure love of liberty .and humanity; may flie never tarnifli this homage, by yielding to *^he folicitations of men who m^y wi(h to cbtain the fame honours for the manes of imbitious individuals, who, mif- taking art for genius, obfcure conception for profound ideas, the deiire of abafing tyrants for the love of humanity, the applaufe of a volatile people for the veneration of an enlightened .world, may think proper to afpire to the honour of a national mourning. This hope (hould doubtlefs infpire the man of genius, the man of worth ; but ye who fincercly indulge the wiih to place yourfelves by the fide of Franklin, examine his life, and have the courage to imitate him. Franklin had genius : but he had virtues; he was good, fimple, dnd modeft ; he had not that proud afperity in dif- pute which repulfes with difdain'the ideas of others; he liftened — he had the art of liftening— he anfwered to the ideas of others, and not to h4».Jp ^vrt..»liiv-)^jIo<#_K'.ili^Jii. *.*;i>j! his own.rr*-^ I have feen him attending patiently to young people, who, full of frivolity and pride, were eager to make a parade before him of fome fu-^ perficial knowledge of their own. He kne\^ how to eftimate them ; but he would not hu« xniliate them, even by a parade of goodnefs. «oru > O * Placing ^ 1^6 Vi:W TRAVELS IK Tmt Placbig bimfelf at ODce on a level with them, ^be wouid anfwcr without having the air of in- ifiru£ting thero. He knew that inftrudtiop in 'its pompous apparel was forbidding. Franklih ■had knowledge, but it was for the people; he ' .was always grieved at their ignorance, and made ijt his conftant duty to enlighten them. He •fiudied for ever to leffen the price of books, in iorder to multiply them. In a word, genius, •Simplicity, goodnpfs, tolerance, indefatigable la- bour, and love for the people— thefe form the 'jcharader of Franklin ; and thefe you muft unite, • if you wiih for a name like his, .-> ••vJtri^^.^i ,'..\ ^. ^'^^'|.^, -t ,f^i«4c*^a L E T T E R XIV. ti §M^ STEAM-BOAT-— REFLECTIONS OK THE CHA- RACTER OF THE AMERICANS, ANP THB ,;::^f>tv"^' '■-i|^;|lR Sept. I, 1788^'^^ T BREAKFASTED with Samuel Ameland^ ^ one of the rlcheft and moft beneficent of the Society of Friends. He is a pupil of Anthony Benezet; he fpeakr of him with enthufiafm, and trMs in his Aeps. He takes an a6^ive part in CKcry v^ul ini^itption^ and rejoices in the oc-^ i^oiofiii > ^ cafioa ■■«■:> : '■ s wmt M f UNITED STATBB 6F AMBTrf^A, if^ ta(Ton' of dbing good;. Ire loves the Frcrio'h na** tion, and fpcaks their language. He treats mq with the greateft frieiidihip ; offcrfe mc hit hoiifey . hit horfes, and his carriage. On leaving him I went to fee an expcHmcnt, near the Dbiaware^ on a boat, the objedl of which is to afcAid livtfi againft the current. The inventor Was Ivfri Fitch, who had found a company to fupport tha eXpence. One of the mofl zealov« aflbciatcs i'» Mr. Thornton, of whom I have fpoken. Thit invention was difputed between Mr. Fitch aad Mr. Rumfey of Virginia*. However it be, thq machine which I faw appears well executed^ and well adapted to the defign. The fteam4; engine gives motion to three large oars of coa4 • Since writing this letter, I have feen Mr. Rumfey in England. He is a man of great ingenuity j and, by the ex- planation which he has given me, it appears that his difcovery, though founded on a fimilar pHneiple with that of Mr. Fitch, is very different from it, 'and far more fimple in its execution; Mr. Rumfey propofed then (Feb. 1789) to build a veflcl which fhould go to America by the help only of the ftcam-engine> and without fails. It was to make the paiTage in fifteen days. r perceive with pain that he has not yet executed his proje(ftJ which, when executed, will introduce into cdmmerce as gr^at a change as the v!ifcovery of the Cape of Good Hope, -^j^ 1 >\UTHOR. The tranflator is informed that Mr. Rumfey is plttuing his operations with greater vigour, and mpre extenfive expe£ta- tions, than ever, ^ - • O 3 1- fiderable> ^9^ * HEW TRAVELS IN THE fidcrablc force, which were to give fixty ftrofces per minute. ,tji doubt not but, phyfically fpeaking, this ma-^ thine nriay produce part of the cfFe^ls which are p»pc6^cd from it : but I doubt its utility in com^^ mcrcc ; for, notwithftanding the afluranccs of the undertakers, it muft require many men to manage it, and much cxpence in repairing the damages occafioned by the violence and multi*' plicity of the fridtion. Yet I will allow, that if the movements can be fimplified, and the ex- pence leflened, the invention may be ufeful in a country where labour is dear, and where the borders of rivers are not acceflible, like thofe in France, by horles to draw the boats. This idea was confoling to Dr. Thornton, whom I faw affailed by railleries on account oi xhtji cam- boat, Thefe railleries appear to me very ill placed. The obftacles to be conquered by genius are everywhere fo conliderable, the encouragement fo feeble, and the neceflity of fupplying the want of hand-labour in America fo evident, that i cannot, without indignation, fee the Americans difcouraging, by their farcafms, the* generous efforts of one of their fellow-citizens.- '»--s'-^«^* ^' When will men be reafonable enough to en- courage*each other by their mutual aid, and in-' creafe the general ftock of public good by mu--? H'Kf ■X 'I UKlf ED STATES OF AMERICA. I99 tnal mildnefs and benevolence ? It is for re- publics to fct the example: you fee more of it in America than elfewhere ; it is vifibly taking root, and extending itfelf there. You do not find among the Americans that con'^ealed pride which acquits a benefit, and difpenfes with gra- titude ; that felfiOi rudenefs which makes of the Englifh a nation by themfelves, and enemies to all others. You will, however, find fometimes vcftiges of their indifference for other people, and their contempt for ftrangers who travel among them. For example, a ftranger in a fo- ciety of Americans, if he has the misfortune not to fpeak their language, is fometimes left alone ; no perfon takes notice of him. This is a breach of humanity, and a negle£t of their own in- tercft ; of humanity, becaufe confolation is due to a man diAant from his friends, and his ordi<« nary means of amufement ; of their own inte« reft, becaufe Grangers, difgufted with this treat- ment, haften to quit the country, and to preju- dice others againft it. - < "* ■% I fay that this inattention to ftrangers is above all remarkable in the Englifh. I do not think that I am deceived ; I have lived long among them, and am generally accufed of too much partiality for them. This fame fault is obfervable, in the Engliih iflands. I have remarked it in - . O 4 many .'■It.-. A- ^^m • /t '■* m 200 ,. NEW TRAVELS IN THB many of th^m ; ' aa^ I fear tln^t the vices in gitants of the ifla»G[s will corrupli the Anaericans, who appear to me remarkably^ fond of extending th^ir connexion wUh th^na^ I heard one of them put the following queftioi:\ to feveral Americans, at a. review of the volun- teers of Philadelphia: %jQ^n you tell me whe- ther thefe brave officers are barbers or cobblers r*t This vulgar pleafantry difcovers 'the man ©f - prejudice^ the i^folent aqd bafe European, tho^ / valet of a ^efpot. Such railleries tend to deftroy that idi^a of eq^yality which is the bafis of re- ^ But why do not men of fenfe, who are wit- peffes of thefe follies, .efute them with vigour? ^ J^hy that cowardly fupplenqfs which is <3qcQn fated with th/e name of politenefs ? Is it npt evident that it hardens the corrupted man, an4 fufFers to grow up in feeble minds prejudices which ooe vigorous attack would deftroy? ji-?i ; :^ji} . LETTER .. !.■ mm UNIT»P 5TAT»S QF ANtRRICA. 2QI i ^j-b^fK^"?? -LETTER XV ' ^'■■^^■-^"^* ''•4{* """t :^IBRARY. ^ ^^ .- .^ Sept. 2, 17^?^,^ »f J, WAS prefeiit at a meeting of the Agrkul?, . ^ |;ural Society. It is not of long (landing, but is numerou?, and poffefles a cQnfiderable fund* Jf fuch a fociety ought to receive encourage* ment in ai>y country, it is in this. Agriculture is the firfl pillar of thig State ; and though yoa find many good farmers here, yet the great maf& of them want information ; and this informatioa can only be procured by the union of men well yeried in. theory and P»*a<^icc.J|^|*|%|^^ ^ SnA ^^ The fubjed of this meeting was an important one. The papillon, or worm, called T^e Hejftan "pfyy h^d.» for feveral years, ravaged the wheat in many parts of the United States. The King of England, fearing that this infedl: might pafk into his ifland, had juft prohibited the importa^ tion of the American wheat. The Supreme Executive Council of Pennfylvania, in order tq pounterad the efFedts of this prohibition, ^ b^ 3 I .1^:1 jauimg ±6% .^ NEW TRAVELS IN THE gaining information on the fubje£l, applied to the Society of Agriculture ; they defired to know if this infed attacked the grain, and whether it was poflible to prevent its ravages. ni#. . Many farmers prefent at this meeting, from their own experience, and that of their neigh- bours and correfpondents, declared that the in- fe^ depofited its eggs, not in the ear, but in the jftalk; fo that they were well convinced, that, Cn threfliing the wheat, there could be nothing to fear that the eggs would mix with the grain; and confequently they could not be communi- cated with the grain. ^s ' • ' V ^^ ®'Mr, Pol well, and M. Griffiths, prefident and fccretary of this fociety, do equal honour to it j* the one by the neatnefs of his compofition, and the elegance of his ftyle ; the other, by his indcf ^ fetigable zeal.^^^^^^^-' ^'" ■' ^A?*^#a.iM4i^# Among the ufefut inftitutioiis which do ho-i nour to Philadelphia you diftiiiguifh the public library; the origin of which is owing to thece-* Icbrated Franklin. It is fupported by fubfcrip- tion. The price of entrance into this fociety is ten pounds. Any perfon has the privilege of borrowing books. Half of the library is gene- rally in the hands of readers; and I obferved with pleafure that the books were much worn ^ by ufe. 'iit,^f**'*;.-.???t:;*i^' ■ t. :. ;ta,...,.x ■ v"';'M-->^^- --§ :■:■ . -At 'X' /'* • HP UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, aoj *.< At the fide of this library is a cabinet of na- tural hiftory. I obferved nothing curious in it, but an enormous thigh-bone, and fome teeth, as^ enormous, found near the Ohio, in a mafs of prodigious bones, which nature feems to have thrown together in thofe ao^es whofe events are' covered from the eye of hiflory by an impenc** trable veil. '' • *" . - "'-"■• '-■■■'? -j^'fe^-^'^t '-^rltm ■' ^ - ■:|f' -tii-«<^'tiff»^^v., .LETTER XVI. , ..^-ai^; •» ON THE MARKET OF PHILADELPHIA. I l#i^l#^l^bMfeif|v^'l?lfl.^.^^^^^^^ Sept. 3, 178^ 1 F there exifts, fays Franklin, an Atheift iit'^ the univerfe, he would be converted on fee- ing Philadelphia — on contemplating a town where every thing is fo well arranged. If an idle man (hould come into exiftence here, on having conftantly before his eyes the three ami-«» able fiilers. Wealth, Science, and Virtue, the children of Induftry and Temperance, he would foon find himfelf in love with them, and en*' deavour to obtain them from their parents. »^ 4 Such are the ideas offered to the mind oh a market-day at Philadelphia, It is, without con- tradition, :^4 N*^ TRAVELS IN THE :^'? '\ tradi£lion» one of the fined in the univerfe. Va* ricty and abundance in the artielfes, order in tbct diftribution, good faith and tranquillity in the trader, arc all here united. One of the eflential beauties of a market is cleanlinej& iii the pro*; vifions^ and in thofe who fell them. Cleanli< nefs is confpicuous here in ever;j' thing; evcn^ meat, whofe afpedl is more or lefs difgiifting iiv other markets, here ftrikes your eyes agreeably. The fpe£lator is not tormented with the figKt of little ftreams of blood, which infefl the air, and foul the ftre^ts. The women who bring the produce of the country are drefled with de- cency ; their vegetables and fruits are neatly ar- ranged in handfome well-made bafkets. Every thing is ailembled here, the produce of the country, and the works of induftry; flefh, fifli, froits, garden-feeds, pottery, iron ware, fhoes, trays, buckets extremely well made, &c. The- ftranger is never wearied in contemplating this multitude of men and women moving and eroding in every diredion, without tumult or injury. You would fay, thafi it was a market of brothers, that it was a rendezvous of philofophers,, of the pupils of the filent Pythagoras; for iilenccr reigns without interruption : you hear none o£ ihofc piercing cries fo common elfe where; each. one fells, bargains, and buys in filence. The ' ' carts, .v^': > > ■, •,',) t ■ • mMwnpimipiippMMpiipBwai ■>■.;« . ■•»;: UNrTED STATES OF AMERICA. Z05 ^drlis and horfes which have brought in the fup- plics are peaceably arranged in the next ftreet, ia the order in which they arrive; when difen* gaged, they Vnove off in filence: no quarrete among the carmen and the porters. You fee tioae of our fools and macaronies galloping witU loofe reins in the (Ireets. Thefeare the aftonilh- ing efFeds of habit; a habit iiifpircd by the Quakers, who planted morals in this country; i habit of doing every thing with tranquillity and with reafon; a habit of injuring no perfon, and of having no need of the interpofition of the tnagiitrate* ■^.^^^.- , ■■- -. -■■f ^ v-i---^* i.,v«^i-4.|,. . ^^. To maintain order in fuch a market in France would require four judges and a dozen foldier& Here the law has no need of mulkets; education and morals have done every thing. Two clerks of the police walk in the market. If they fuC- pedt a pound of butter of being light, they weigh it : if light, it is feized for the ufe of the hofpital. u .. *^ You fee here the fathers of families go to market. It was formerly fo in France: their wives fucceeded to them ; thinking themfelves diflionoured by the talk, they have refigned it to the fervants. Neither economy nor morals have gained any thing by this change. The price of bread is from one peuny to two- >i w'-k I i %i..wi . pence 206 NEW TRAVELS IN /HE pence the pound, beef and mutton from two- pence to fourpence, veal from one penny to twopence; hay from twenty to thirty fhillings the ton ; butter from fourpence to {ixpence the pound ; wood from feven to eight Ihillings the cord. Vegetables Lre in abundance, and cheap. Wines of Europe, particularly thofe of France, are cheaper here than anywhere elfe. 1 have drank the wine of Provence, faid to be made by M. BergaiTe, at ninepencc the bottle ; but the , taverns are extremely dear. Articles of luxury are expenfive : a hair-drefl'er cods you eight- pence a-day, pr twelve (hillings the month. I hired a one-horfe chaife three days; it coft me three lou-s d'ors. ' : . ^ ; ^ 14.' m ■^3''Uh ^^:n M^itmr ' . \ ' . ^"^-t^^fh'm'fl 'MU- ^ ■■.■■■'■ ■ '^ .. . ■ . ^^-Hp&i|ii-^:pif^'' 'm mi «*'#-|». •eOiiaq_ -#■'"■ ^\;-, LETTER mmmm mmmnM VNITED STATES OF-AMIRICA. 207 ■w*- t#^i t- .< LETTER XVIL %W: -r? GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA^-a! ' FARM OWNED BY FRENCHMAN. ■;;:A „g ri tc^jfi 1/ ^ Sept. 6, 1788. ^' * " •-■■ " '*if'^/ T HAD made an acquaintance at New Yorkr' with General Miflin, who was then Speaker of the Houfe of Reprefentatives at Pennfyl:- vania. I met him again at Philadelphia. His charader was Well drawn by M. de Chaftellux. ■ He is an amiable, obliging man ; full of adlivit yj' and very popular. He fills his place with dig- nity and firmnefs; an enemy to artifice and dif- guife; he is frank, brave, difinterefted, and warmly attached to democratic principles. He is no longer a Quaker : having taken arms, he , was forced to quit the Society; but he flill pro- feffes a great efteem for that fey^en jcomparcd with the ^uh ^ Other 908 NEW TRAVSLS XH rUt '^ Other edifices of Philadelphia ; but It cannot be put in competition with thofe public buildings "which we call fine in Europe* v^^| ^v I There were about fifty members prefent, feated on chairs enclofed by a baluftradc. Be- hind the baluftrade is the gallery for fpedators. A Petit Matt re f who (hould fall fuddenly from Paris into this Affembly, would undoubtedly find it ridiculous. He would feoff at the (im- plicity of their cloth coats, and, in fome cafes, at the negligence of their toilettes; but every man who thinks will defire that this fimplicity may for ever remain, and become univerfal. They pointed out to me, under one of thefe plain .coats, a farmer by the name of Findley, whofe eloquence difplays the greatefl: talents, f 4' ' The eftate of General Miflin, where we went to dine, is five miles from town, by the fails of the Skuylkill. Thefe falls are formed by a con- liderable bed of rocks : they are not perceivable When the water of the river is high. The Ge- neral's houfe enjoys a mofl romantic profpe6t* This route prefents the vefliges of many houfes burnt by the Englifh, who had likewife deftroy- ' cd all the trees, and left the country naked. I faw at General Miflin's aivold Quaker, who (hook me by the hand with the tnore pleafuf^f as he faid he found in my air a' refcmblance of i'^-^^'-':$ '' ■. Anthony mm^ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, "^09 Anthony Benczet. Other Quakers told me the fame thing. There is no great vanity in citing , this fa£l, when I recolledl: what M. de Chaftel- lux fays of his figure; but he had eyes of good- nefs and humanity. "' ^. " > j#^<^r««y>i Springmill, where I went to ileep, is a ham- let eight miles up the Skuylkill. The beft houfe in it is occupied by Mr. L. a Frenchman. It enjoys the moft fublime profpedt that you can imagine. It is fituated on a hill. On the fouth-eaft, the Skuylkill flows at its foot through a magnificent channel between two mountains covered with wood. On the banks you per- ceive fome fcattering houfes and cultivated fields. ^'"" '■""*""'"'■■ -— -^^ ■' - '■' '' '^^* -'-v^m The foil is here compofed of a great quantity of talc, granit, and a yellow gravel ; fome places a very black earth. In the neighbourhood are quarries of marble of a middling finenefs, of which many chimney-pieces are made. '*I (hall give you ibme details relpedling this Frenchman's farm ; they will fhew' you the manner of living among cultivators here, and* they may be ufeful to any of our friends who may wi(h to eftablilh themfelves in this coun- try. Obfervations on the manner of extending cafe and happinefs among men, are, in the eyes of the philofopher, as valuable as thofe which Vol, L P v ? - .^ I teach I- 216 NEW TRAVELS IN THE teach the art of affiifiinating them. The houfe of Mr. L. is very well built of ftone, two (lories high, with five or fix fine chambers in each flory. From the two gardens, formed like aa amphitheatre, you enjoy that fine profpe6t above mentioned. Thefe gardens are well cul- tivated, and contain a great quantity of bee^ hives, A highway feparates the houL ''-'^m the farm. He keeps about twenty horned cattle, and ten or twelve horfes. The fituation of things on this farm, proves how little is to be feared from theft and robbery in this country ; every thing is left open, or inclofed without locks. His farm confifts of two hundred and fifty acres; of which the greater part is in wood; the reft is in wheat, Indian corn, buck-wheat, and meadow. He fhewed me about an acre of meadow, from which he has already taken this year eight tons of hay : he calculates, that, including the third cutting, this acre will produce him this year tea pounds. His other meadows are lefs manured, and leis productive. , ui-^i.^'^ /..? - ,,...."/. ' Mr. L. recounted to me fome of his pafl: misfortunes — I knew them before — He was the vi£lim of the perfidy of an intendant of Guada- loupe, who, to fupprefs the proofs of liis own accomplicity in a clandeftine commerce, tried to g ..|, .,m% ;| deftroy UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 211 dcftroy him by imp'-ifonmcnt, by aflaflination, and by poifon. Efcaped from thcle pcrfecu- tlons, Mr. L. enjoys fafety at Springmill; but he does not enjoy happinefs. He is alone ; and what is a farmer without his wife and family ? " He pays from five to fix pounds taxes for all his property, confiding of an hundred and twenty acres of wood land, eighty acres of ara- ble, twenty- five acres of meadow, three acres of garden, a great houfe, feveral fmall houfes for his fervants, his barns, and his cattle. By this fadt, you may judge of the exaggerations of the detractors of the United States on the fubjeCb of taxes. Compare this with what would be paid in France for a like property. Mr. L. has at- tempted to cultivate the vine: he has planted a vineyard near his houfe, on a fouth-eaft ex- pofure, and it fiicceeds very well, '^^»^ »«^ V^^^^^^ It is a remark to be made at every ftep in America, that vegetation is rapid and ftrong. The peach-tree, for example, grows fail, and produces fruit in great quantities. Within one month after you have cut your wheat, you would not know your field ; it is covered with grafs, very high, and very thick. It will be a long time, however, before the vine caii^^ be cultivated to profit in America: Jirjl^ becaufe labour is dear, and the vine re- '■'^:: ' \.:'^-'''- :\ .Pa A'- quires «\ 212 /: NEW TRAVELS IN THE ?f J quires vaft labour*; fecomlly^ becaufe theAviiicS- of Europe will be for a long time clicap iii America. Mr. L. furni(hed me with the proof of this. He gave me fome very good Noufillon, which coil him, by the fingle bottle, otily eight- pence; and I know that this fame wine, at firft hand, coft fivepence or fixpence. • ' • '^ •' ' Wc ought to regard the birds as a great dif- couragement to the culture of the vine in Ame- rica. You often lee immenfe clouds of black- birds, which, fettling on a vineyard, would de- ftroy it in an inflant. I have already mentioned, that the paftures and fields in America are inclofed with barriers of wood, or fences. Thefe, when made of rails lupported by pofts, as above defcribed, are ex- penfive, efpecially in the neighbourhood of great towns, where wood is deai . Mr. L^ thinks it beft to replace them by ditches fix feet deep, of which he throws the earth upon his meadows, and borders the fides with hedges; and thus • In Orleannois, the whole operation of cultivating the vine, and making the vintage, cofts to the proprietor thirty livres, twenty-five (hillings fterling, an acre. A man cannot perform the labour of more than five acres a-year j fo that he gets fix pounds five (hillings a-year; and fupports himfelf. Compare this with the price of labour in America, and that with the price of French wines. ^^,«^,^^, ,^,^^^^ .^^^ '• V <1 ■ ^"^' ' '' renders' w u- viw >- VNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 212 renders the paflagc impracticable to the cattle. This is an agricultural operation which cannot be too much recommended to the Americans. y^ The country here is full of fprings ; we faw fbme very fine ones. Mr. L. told us of one which carries a mill night and day, and ferves to water his meadows when occafion requires. >^^ I alked him where he purchafcd his mc:.t i He fays, when a farmer kills beef, mutton, or veal, he advertifes his neighbours, who take what they choofe, and he falts the remainder. As he is here without his family, he has no fpinning at his houfe ; makes no cheefe, keeps no poultry. Thefe parts of rural economy, which are exercifed by women, are loft to him ; and it is a confiderable lofs. He fows no oats, but feeds his horfes with Indian corn and buck- wheat ground. I faw his vaft corn-fields co- vered with pumpkins, which are profitable for cattle. He has a joiner's fhop, and a turning- lathe. He makes great quantities of lime on his farm, which fells very well at Philadelphia. " He has obtained leave from the State to eredl a ferry on the Skuylkill, which he fays will pro- duce him a profit of forty pounds a-year. He is about to build a faw-niill. ^ - The lands newly cleared produce much more than the lands of France. He had bad wheat i,V.,4,„. .Jt this * 214 .f .IfEW TRAVELS IN THE ::^*>f this year, though it had promifed well : having grown to a prodigious height, the grain was fhrivelled and meagre. He fays, the mildew has diminiftied his crop by more than three hundred bufhels. The caufe of the mildew is fuppofed to be this: — That when the feafon advances, it is fometimes attended by fogs, and very heavy dews: the fun burfting through tl.e fog, evapo- rates the drops on the ftalk; ar^d the fuddcn change from cold and wet, to warm and dry, enfeebles and withers the plant. The mildew ' is an evil very general in Pcnnfylvania. f{ ^^,.j^ g^ Mr. L. told me, that there was no other re- medy but to fow early, that the plant may be more vigorous at the leafbn of the mildew,(j^^ This farm had coft him two thoufand pou':ids 5 and he affured me, that, allowing nothing for fome lofles occafioned by his ignorance of the countr; , of the language on his fir^ arrival, and for the improvements he had made, his land produces more than the interefl of his money. He told me, that the houfe alone had cofl: more than he paid for the whole : and this is very probable. Perfons in general who^ defire to make good bargains, ought to purchafe lands al-» ready built upon ; for, though the buildings have .oft much, they ||*e, counted for little pvthe *^1^« \ 10': 'Wif^Ht I :mwm^-:g^mtjd^i?^iil'- J^f?3:v' Though t. ._ ■PI UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 21$ ^■' Though diftant from fociety, and ftrugglitig under many diladvantages, he afllired me that . he was happy ; and that he fhould not fail to.be completely fo, were he furrounded by his f/^- mily, which he had left in Francc^vW^^u wi iiiit?^ • He is attentive to the fubjedl of meteorology ; it is he who furnishes the meteorologic tables publiflied every month in the Columbian Maga- zine : they are certainly the moft exadt whiclt have appeared on this continent. He thinks there is no great difference between the climate of Pennfylvania and that of Paris: that here the cold weather is more dry ; that the fnow and ice remain but a fhort time ; that there never paffes a week without fome fair days; that there falls more rain here than in France,,v but that it rarely rains two days fuccefilvely ; that the heat is fometimes more intenfe, that it provokes more to fweat and to heavinefs ; finally, that the variations here are more frequent and more rapid. .^.pa»^^**^^^#^^-*^^^^^^^^^^ The following is the refult of the obfervatlonsl of this Frenchman for four years: — The great- ^ «ft cold in this part of Pennfylvania is com* monly from ten to twelve degrees below the freezing point of Reaumur's thermometer: the •greateft heats are from twenty- fix to twenty- eight degrees above : the mean term of his ob- P fervations 2l6 e* NEW T?.AVELS IN THE •v" ■ fervations for four years, or the temperature, is nine degrees and fix tenths; the mean height of the barometer is twenty-nine inches ten lines and one tenth, Englifli meafure : the prevailing wind is north-north- weil. In the year there are fifteen days of thunder, feventy-fix days of rain, twelve days of fnow, dvc days of tempeft with rain ; thefe eighty-one days of rain, with thofe of fnow, give thirty-five inches of water, French meafure. The Iky is never obfcured three days together. The country is very *: healthy, and extremely vegetative. Wheat harveft is from the 8th to the 12th of July. No predominant ficknefs ha*' been remarked .' during thefe four years, -^m^mh-ml^^^^^m,, ^ LETTER XVIII. '-'mmi ','*'- ■ ■ .■-.■■ - --■ ■ .. ■ . ■ ■ JOURNEY OF TWO FRENCHMEN TO THE OHIO. ,..'t.*ffi'":^ti?^::C I HAVE had the good fortune to meet here a Frenchman, who is travelling in thi^ country, not in purfuit of wealth, but to gain information. It is Mr. Saugrain, from Paris : he is an ardent naturalift : fome circumftances „;As. «•*'.>» 'k-: 1 i» I I *iii«i»|ii UNITEP STATES OF AMERICA, 21 J firft attached hitn to the fervice of the King of Spain, who fent him to Spanifh America to make difcoveries in minerals and natural hiftorj. After the death of his protedior, Don Galvps, he retunied to France, In 1787, he formed the projedt with Mr. Piguet, who had fome know- ledge in botany, to vifit Kentuckey and the Ohio* '*"'*'"'■*■"' '■>''■>;-■:*""'»•'- '■ ^^'tf }if i;5v^yf-«4* '., ■■tt ^i They arrived at Philadelphia, and pafled im^ mediately to Pittfburg. There the winter over- tXK)k them, and the Ohio froze over, which rarely happens. They lodged themfelves a few miles from Pittfburg, in an open houfe, where they lufFered much from the cold. The ther- mometer of Reaumur defcended to 32 degrees, while at Philadelphia it was only at 1 6. During their ftay here they made many experiments. Mr. Saugrain weighed feveral kinds of wood ia an hydroftatic balance which he carried with him. He difcovered, likewife, which fpecies would yield the greateft quantity, and the heft quality of potafh. Many experiments convinced him, that the ftalks of Indian corn yield a great- er quantity than wood, in proportion to the quantity of matter. He examined the different mines of the country. He found fome of iron, |Jf lead, of copper, and of filver. He was told of i^;,,.^ ^., ^ , a rich ,■■' -'ii'/jy.'w^" v» 2l8 W . f* tw new' travels in the 'Ml ,.,#>- a rich iron- mine belonging to Mr. Murray : but he was not fuffered to fee it. '•>*^* -iniv«!^-;y?-^»*^* *■' On the opening of the Spring they defcended the Ohio, having been joined by another . Frenchman, Mr. Rague, and a Virginian. They landed at Muflcinquam, where they faw General Harmer, and fomc people who were beginning a fcttlement there. v^^^s.v^ "^ At fome diftance below this place they fell in with a party of favages. M. Piguet was kill- ed, and M. Saugrain wounded and taken pri- foner ; he fortunately made his efcape, rejoined tlie Virginian, and found the means of ieturning to Pittfburg, having loft his money and all his €f!«^s. He then returned to Philadelphia^ where I have met him, on his way to Europci^ - He has communicated to me many obferva-' tions on the weftern country. The immenfc valley wafhed by the Ohio, appears to him the moft fertile that he has ever {eew. The flrength and rapidity of vegetation in that country are incredible, the fizc of the trees enormous, and their variety infinite. The inhabitants are obliged to cxhauft the firft fatnefs of the land in hemp' and tobacco, in order to prepare it for the pro- duction of wheat. The crops of Indian corn are prodigious ; the cattle acquire an extraordi- _. ^ -^^'fv;' , _ , ■ nary " ,• -■-■ ... :-' •-"••■ ■•, .if.- '-X ■' ' . UNIXBP. STATES OF AMERICA. 210 nary fize, and keep fat the whole year in the open fields. J"' ig The facility of producing grain, rearing cattle, making whilky, beer, and cyder, with a thou- fand other advantages, attradt to this i^untrj great nunmbers of emigrants from other^ pji^rts of America. A man in that country works fcarcely two hours in a day, for the fupport of himfelf and family ; he paffes moft of his time Vf\ idlenefs, hunting, or drinking. The women fpiij], and make clothes for their huibands and families. Mr. Saugraui faw very good woollens and linens made there. They have voxy little money ; every thing is done by barter. ^^^he adive genius of the Americans is always pulhing them forward. M. Saugrain has na doubt but fooner or later the Ppaniards will be forced to quit the Miffiflippi, and that the Ame- ricans will pafs it, and eftablilh themfelves in Louiliana, which he has feen, and confiders as one of the fineft countries in the univerfe. ' Mr. Saugrain came from Pittiburg to Phila- delphia in feven days, on horfeback. He could have come in a chaife ; but it would have taken him a longer time. It is a poft road, with good taverns eftablifhed the whole way*. % . * Mr. Saugrain is (b enchanted with the in^epehdent ]if^ of the inhabitants of the weftern country, that he returned again in the year 1 790 to fettle at Scioto. LETTER t%. t^,^ .^^ fl20 NEW TRAVELS IN THE u4 ^ ::f.'i-jw^^.i,ii,>i LETTER XIX. > stJIt-i'. [■^ii^::^ |., f .M ^^.m^^, Oif THE SCHOOL FOR THE BLACKS AT PHILA- DELPHIA, AND THE PRINCIPAL AMERICAN ^ AUTHORS WHO HAVE WRITTEN IN TH^IR' ' ^ I iHERE exifts, then, a country where the **!«., "Negroes are allowed to have fouls, and to be endowed with underftanding capable of be- IV formed to virtue and ufeful knowledge;* where they, are not regarded as beafts of burden, in order that we may have the privilege of treating them as fucli. There exifts a country where the Blacks, by their virtues and their in- induftry, belie the calumnies which their ty- rants elfewhere lavifli againft them ; where no difFeretice is perceived between the memory of a black head whofe hair is craped by nature, and that of a white one craped by art. I have had a proof of this to-day. I have feen, heard, and examined thefe black children. They read well, repeat from memory, and calculate with ra- pidity. I have feen a pi£lure painted by a young negro who never had a nniafter : it was furprjfr- mgly well done. , r^ . , .|- -,.,'.r:;;-v'"- v■^'■■--^. ..;--»..■/, J law -.%■■ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 221 I faw in this fchool a mulatto, one-eighth negro; it is impoffible to diftinguifli hinri from a white boy. His eyes difcovered an extraor- dinary vivacity ; and this is a general charader- iflic of people of that origin. * The black girls, befides reading, writing, and the principles of religion, are taught fpinning, needle- work, &c. and their miftrefles affure me, that they difcover much ingenuity. Th^y have the appearance of decency, attention, and fub- miffion. It is a nurfery of good fervants and virtuous houfekeepers. How criminal are the planters of the iflands, who form but to de- bauchery and ignominy, creatures fo capable of being fafhioned to virtue ! '4^ty ' ' b 1 It is to Benezet that humanity owes this use- ful eftablifhment — to that Benezet whom Chaftellux has not blufhed to ridicule, for the fake of gaining the infamous applaufes of the parafites of defpotifm. The life of this extraordinary man merits to be known to fuch men as dare to think, who efteem more the benefactors of their fellow- ' creatures, than their oppreflbrs, fo bafely idol- ized during their life. - Anthony Benezet was born at St. Quintin, ia Picardy, in 171 2. Fanaticifm, under the pro- te^ion of a bigot king, direded by an infamous confeflbr. ii^^l 22% NEW TRAVEJLS IN THE confeflbr, and an infamous woman, fpread at that time its ravages in France. The pnrents of Benezet were warm Calvinifts; they fled to England, and he embraced the dodrines of the , Quakers. He went to America in 1 731, and cftablifhed himfelf at Philadelphia in commerce, the bufinefs to which he had been educated. But the rigidity of his principles and his tafte not agreeing with the fpirit of commerce, he quitted that bufinefs in 1736, and accepted a place in the academy of that fociety. From that time all his moments were confecrated to public inftrudTion, the relief 6( the poor, and the de- fence of the unhappy negrjoes. Benezet pof- fefled an univerfal philanthropy, which was not common at that time ; he regarded, as his bro- thers, all men, of all countries, and of all co- lours ; he cotnpofed many works, in which he collected all the authorities from Scripture, and from other writings, to difcou-^.ge and condemn the flave trade and flavery. His works had much influence in determining the Quakers to emancipate their (laves. ■■mM.:M- It was not enough to fet at ^beifty the un- happy Blacks ; it was neceflary t^^nftrud them — to £nd them fchoolmafters. And where ihould he. find men willing to devote themfelves to a • talk which prejudice had rendered painful and Hi'*' f- difgufting ? ' UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 225 difguftlng ? No obftacle could arreft the zeal of Benezet ; he fet the firil example himfelf : he confecrated his little fortune to the foundation of this fchool; his brethren lent foire affift-' ance ; and by help of the donations of the fo- ciety of London, the fchool for Blacks at Phila- delphia enjoys a revenue of 200I. fterling. > , ^ Hp confecrated his fortune and his talents to their inftru£lion ; and in 1784 death removed him from this holy occupation to receive his re-^ u'ard. The tears of the Blacks which watered his tomb, the fighs of his fraternity, and of every friend of humanity which attended hi* :' departing fpirit, muft be a prize more confoling than the laurels of a conqueror. t^ ■ '; III. '■ ' ' Benezet carried always in his pocket a cop)r . of his works on the Slavery of the Blacks, which i he gave and recommended to every one he met who had not feen them. It is a method s:ene-» ' rally followed by the Society of Friends. They; extend the works of utility ; and it is the truo . way of gaining profelytes.' This philanthropic Quaker was preceded ia the fame career by many others, whom I ought to mention. The celebrated George Fox, found- : er of this fed. Went from England to Barbadoes in the year 1671, not to preach againft fla^etiry^ feMt; to inftryd the Blacks in«the kaowkdge of God, 224 NEW TRAVELS IN THE V God, and to engage luafters to treat them with roildnefs. The minds of men were not yet ripe for this ' reform ; neither were they when William ^Burling, of Long-lfland, in 1718, publifhed a * treatife againft flavery. He was a refpedlable >jiQiiaker: he preached, but in vain; the hour^ ,was not yet come. f Ought not this circumftance to encourage the ;friends of the blacks in France ? Sixty years of ^combat were neceflary to conquer the prejudice |of avarice in America. One year is fcarcely .paffed lince the foundation of the fociety at > Paris; and fome apoftates already appear, be- ^Caufe fucccfs has not crowned their firft en- "deavours. . ■■ ' ...-'Sr-"'''^*-*-"^ Burling was followed by Judge Sewal, a pref- byterian of Maffachufetts. He prefented to the General Affembly, a treatife entitled Jofeph fold fy his brethren. He difcovers the pureft prin- ciples, and completely overturns the hackneyed arguments of the traders refpeding the pretend- ed wars of the African princes. It is often faid againft the writings of the friends of the blacks, that they have not been witnefles of the fufferings which they defcribe*. This reproach cannot be made againft Benjamin Lay, an Engliihman, who, brought up in thol :t African tJNlTBD STATES OF AMERICA. %2g African trade, afterwards a planter at Barbadocs^ abandoned his plantation, on account of the hor- . ror infpired by the frightful terrors of flavery endured by the negroes. He retired to Phila- delphia, became a Quaker, and ccafed not the remainder of his life to preach and write for the abolition of flavery. His principal treatife on this fubjed appeared in 1737. He was thought to have too much zeal, and to have exaggerated in his defcriptions. But thefe defedts were ex- piated by a life without a (lain, by an indefatiga- ble zeal for humanity, and by profound medita- tions. Lay was iimple in his drefs, and ani- hiated in his fpeech j he was all on fire when he fpoke on flavery. He died in 1 760, in the 80th year of his age; 11 | - ,^ One of the men moft diftinguifhed in this career of humanity was a Quaker named John Woolman. He was born in 1720* Edrly formed to meditation*, he was judged by the Friends worthy of being a minifter at the age of twenty-two. He travelled much to extend the dodrines of the fedlj but was always on foot^ and without money or provifions, becaufb he would imitate the apoftles, and be in a iitua- tion to be tnort ufeful to the poor people and to ' the blkck^. He abhorred flavery fq much, that 'dlid-^buld not tafte any food that \ivas produced .>- -Vol. I. •. v;:i. Q^ ;,•. v :. -jfr;- by 126 ' NEW TRAVELS IN THE '' ' by the labour of Haves. The laft difcourfe thai he pronounced was on this fubjed. Ip 1772^ he undertook a voyage to England, to concert meafures with the Friends there on the fame fubjedl, where he died with the fmall-pox. He left fcveral ufeful works, one of which has^ been through many editions, entitled Confidera" ttons_ on the Slavery of the Blacks.W* -^^wcitji^uii I thought it my duty, my friend, to give you fome account of thefe holy perfonages, before defcribing to you the fituation of the blacks iii this immenfe country. ^ ^\^mxh^^ -u^iimM : .^i >;/'; ;; ^_ LETTER XX.^^ '^^'^^^o^- THE MEANS USED TO ABOLISH TKB SLAVE TRADE, AND SLAVERY, IN THE U|^J;TEI> « . STATES. ^v ui.n a If * "IX/OOLMAN and Beqezet had in vain em- .:-^- ployed all their efforts to efFerolcribed for ever the importation of flaves ; in others this prohibition is limited to a certain time. In South Carolina, where it was limited 4o' three years, it has lately been extended to three years more. Georgia is the only State that continues to receive, tranfported flaves. Yet, %hen General Oglethorpe laid the foundation of 0^2 this -.*■ ;'v;:'v; ^\;,<;k- *t. 2.i8 *^ NEW TRAVELS IN THB ^-^ this colony, h€ ordained, that neither rum nof flaves fhould ever be imported into it. Thig^ law, in both its articles, was very foon violated.*^ ^ We muft acknowledge, however, that the Americans, more than any other people, are convinced that all men are born free and equal 5 we muft acknowledge, that they dired thcm- feives generally by this principle of equality; that the Quakers, who have begun, who have propagated, and whfo ftill propagate this revolu- tion of fentiment, have been guided by a princi- ple of religion, and that they have faerificed to it their perlbnal intereft. ?■ hjitni>>5:* fiv^^vlrm Unhappily t'heir opinion on this fubjedl has hot yet become univerfal ; intereft ftill combats it with fome fuccefs in the Southern States. A numerous party ftill argue the impoffibility of cultivating their foil without the hands of (laves, and the impoffibility of augmenting their num- ber without recruiting them in Africa. It is to the influence of this party, in the late general convention, that is to be attributed the only ar- ticle which tarnUhes ihafe glorious- monument of human reafon, the iiew federal fyftem of the United States. It was^ this party that propofed to bir^d the hands of the new Congrefs, and to put it out of their power for twenty years to prohibit the importation of flaves* It was faid '-■'-Kt. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. azj^ to this auguft affembly. Sign this article ^ vr we nvill withdraw from the union. To avoid the evils which, without meliorating the fate of the Blacks, would attend a political fchifm, the con- vention was forced to wander from the grand principle of univerfal liberty, and the preceding declaration of Cojngrefs. They thought it their duty to imitate Solon, to make, not the beft law poffible, but the beft that circumftapices Avculd f^f^But, though this article has furprifed the friends of liberty in Europe, where the fecret caufea of it were not known; though it has grieved the fociety in England, who are ready to accufe the new legiflators of a cowardly de-- fedion from their own principles ; yet we mayf regard the general and irrevocable profcription of the flave trade in the United States as very near at hand. This conclufion refults from the na- ture of things, and even from the article itfelf of the new conftitution now cited. Indeed, nine States have already done it ; the Blacks, which there abound, are confidered as free. There are then nine afylums for thofe to efcape to from Georgia ; not to fpeak of the neighbourhood of the Floridas, where the flaves from Georgia lake refuge, in hopes to find better treatment ffpm the Spaniards; and not co fpeak of thofe ,«aTT3a - ■ %3 ' vaft ••'j^r^Rivisrm "ei -^, vaft forefts aitd inacc'effible mountains which Biakfe p^t df the Southiefnl Stat6$, aiid^ber^ the perfecuted negro may eaftly find a reti^ea^ from flavery. The communicatidtis wi^ the feibk cbtliitfy ^c^ib ^afy that ft U htlpoifibhi td ilrop the fugitives ; and the 6Xpence of reclaithing is difproportioned to their vahie. And though the free States do not in appearance oppofe thefe reclamations, yet the people there hold flavery in fuch horror, that the mafter who runs after his human prbpdrty meets little refped:, and finds little affiftance. Thus the poffibility 6{ flight creates a new difcouraojemeht to the im- portation, as it muft leffen the value of the flavis, induce to a milder treatment, and finally tend, With the concurrence of bther circumftances, fe cdhviiice the Georgian plantfer, that it is more fimple, mt>re reafonable, and leis expefifive, to cultivate by the hands of freemen. We arc right then in faying, that the nature of things in America is againfl: the importation of flaves. ^•r^efidfes, the Congrefs, will be authorifed \\\ Wetity year^t^y l^ronouWcfe definitively 6i\ thi^ kfticle. By that time, the fetitimehts of hu- inanity, and the calcblations of reafon, wHl pre- Vail 5 they will ho longer be forced to fa(§ri!i'cfe equity tb convenience, or have atiy thing to fear /i-oin oppofition or fchifm. .. . LETTER # I t UNITED jSTATES OF AMERICA. 2^1 it'i . ^f*:. liw.;^- •■ LETTER XXI. ■ LAWS OF THE DIFFERENT STATES FOR THE ^ r MANUMISSION OF SLAVES^ fA^iir^ui^ jQLAVERY, my friend, has never polluted ev^ery part of the ynited States. There was never any law in New Hampfhire, or Maffachu* fetts, which authorifed it. When, therefore, thofc States profcribed it, they only declared the law as it exifted before. There was very little of it in Connedlicut ; the puritanic aufterity which predominated in that colony could icarcer Jy reconcile itfelf with flavery. Agriculture was better performed there by the hands of freemen ^ and every thing concurred to engage the people to give liberty to the flaves: — fo that almoft every one has freed them ; and the children of fuch as are not yet free, are to have their liberty at twenty-five years of age. ,r. The cafe of the Blacks in New York is nearly ,the fame, yet the Aleves there are more nu- meroiis. It is becaufe the bads of the population there {ji§ Dutch; that is to fay, people lefs difpofed Qjl- than P % * %jt NEW TRAVELS IN TH|5 than any other to part with their property; But liberty is affured there to all the childrei^ of the flaves, at a certain age. _ The State of Rhode-lfland formerly made a great bpfinefs of the flave trade. It i§ jioj^y^ jOf tally and fpr ever prphibitecj. x^-^'i^fi'->'^^§^'^i^. In New-Jerfey the bulk of the population is Dutch. You find there traces of that fame Dutch fpirit which I have defcribed. Yet the Weftern parts of the State are difpofed to free their negroes ; but the Eaflern part are oppofed J It is pfobable that their obftmacy will be overcome ; at leaft it is the opinion of the re- • fpe6lable Mr. Livingfton, celebrated for the part he has allied in the late revolution : he has de* clared this opiniion in a letter written to the So- ciety at Philadelphia. He has himfelf freed all Jiis flaves, which are very numerous. He is one ■of the mofl: ardent apoftles of humanity ; and, knowing the charadter of his countrymen, he reafons, temporifes with their intereft, and doubts not of being able to vanquiih their pre- judices. The Quakers have been more fortu- nate in Pennfylvania. In the year 1758 they voted, in their general meeting, to excommuni- cate every member of the Society who fhoul4, perfift in keeping (laves, lii 1780, at their re**; ' } UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. jfcjj lijueft, feconded by a great number of perfons from other iedts, the General Afl'embly aboliihed J(lavcry for ever, forced the owners of flaves to caufe them to be regiftered, declared their chil- idren freo at the age of twenty- eight years, placed them, while under that age, on a footing of hired fervants, affured to them the benefit of trial by jury, &c. But this a«^-*'te^*'*;^t^'*'" ^' •^ Again-— Why, in the adl of March 1780, is it declared that a flave cannot be a witnefs againft a freeman? You either fuppofe him lefs true than the freeman, or you fuppofe him different- ly organifed. The laft I'uppofition is abfurd ; the other, if true, is againft yourfelves; for why are they lefs confcientious, more corrupted, and more wicked ? — it is becaufe they are flaves. The crime falls on the head of the mafter ; «nd the flave is thus degraded and puniflied for the vice of the mafter. : ^^- ^^^^iW^ ^'^ ' Finally, why do ybii orSairi'that * the mafler ihall be reimburfed from the public treafury the price of the flave who may fufFer death for crimes ? If, as is eafy to prove, the crimes of flaves are almoft univerfally the fruit of their ilavdry, and are in proportion to the feverity of their treatment, is it not abfurd to recompenfe the mafter for his tyranny ? When we recoiled: that thefe'mafters have hitherto been accuftomed to confider their flaves as a fpecies of cattle, and jihat the laws maHe the mafter refpoufible for the ,^ ■ ■■! ■■;■■■ ■'■- ■■■.. '"^ ;■-■"■"'■ ..■/'.' ,^' ,,-„.,. damage? tj6 . KEW TRAVELS IN THE damages done by his cattle, does it not appear contradictory to reverfe the law relative to thefc black cattle, when they do a mifchief for which fociety thinks it necefTary to extirpate them? la this cafe, the real author of the crime, inft^a4 of paying damages, receives a reward. y^ji|i No, my friend, we will not doubt but thefc flains will foon difappear from the code of Penn«- iylvania. Reafon is too predominant to fufFer them Jong to continue. ^^ „,^ ,,, ^^^^, , ^ir The little State of Pelaware has followed the example of Penniylvania. It is moftly peopled by Quaker? — inftances of giving freedom are therefore uunaerous^. In this ftate, famous for jthe wifdom of its laws, for its good faith and foederal patriotifm, refides that angel of peace, Warner Miflin. Like Benezet, he occupies his jfime in e^tencjing the opinions of his Society relative to the freedongi of the Blacks^ and the care of providing for their e:ii:ifl:ence and their inftrudtion. It is in part to his zeal that is ow- ing the formation of a fociety in that State, after the model of the one ^t Phijadelphia, for thg abolition of flavery. \ ^ if* With the State of Delaware finifhes the lyfr tem of protedioh to the Blacks. Yet there are Jome negroes emancipated in Maryland, becaufc rtcre arc fome Quakers there ; and you perceivp fc- f^.^ ::|.: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 237 it very readily on comparing the fields of to- bacco^ or of Indian corn, belonging to thefe people, with thofe of others ; you fee how much fuperior the hand of a freeman is to that of a flave, in the operations of induftry. . - When you run over Maryland and Virginia, you cor*ceive yourfelf in a different world ; and you are convinced of it when you convcrfe with the inhabitants. They fpeak not here of pro- jects for freeing the negroes ; they praife not the focieties of London and America; they read not the work's of Clarkfon — No, the indolent mas- ters behold with uneafinels the efforts that arc making to render freedom univerfal. The Vir- ginians are perfuaded of the impoflibility of cul- tivating tobacco without flavery ; they fear that if the Blacks become free they will caufe trou- ble; on rendering them free, they know not what rank to aflign them in fociety ; whether they fliall eflablifh therti in a feparate diftri6t, or fend them out of the countrjr. Thefe are tBe objedtions which you will hear repeated every where againfl the idea of freeing^them. The flrongefl objeftion lies in the character, the manners, and habits, of the Vir2;inians. They feem to enjoy the fweat of flaves. They are fond of hunting ; they love the difpby of lu*?- ury, and difdair, the idea of labour. This order ■m. v./: >;vi. 238 MEW TKAVELS fN TH8 of things M^ill change when (lavery (hall be no more. It is not, that the work of a flav^ is more profitable than that of a freeman ; but it is in multifdying the flaves, condemning them to a miferable nourilhment, in depriving them of clothes, and in running; over a large quantity of land with a negligent culture, that they fup* ply the neceffity of honefl: induftry* » ,<;i[#.^ t'5mp'^i\-.:.!:ii^ '^UT^mfi^ 'm-. :^.:j., _» .dt4 .^mi^^'' Letter XXII. i'^ ;■- ( ON THE GENERAL STATE, MANNERS, AND CHARACTER OF TI}jE BLACKS IN THE UNIT- ED STATES. rt.i.. ^f^.-A ,i-?, 3"v"..-r* 'i''Mi.'.-,j.::si::' to have in- dicated to him fome new remedies ; but he indi- cated new ones to me. ■t;. He is modeft, and has engaging manners ; he fpeaks French with facility^ and has fome know- ledge of Spanifh. r , vii-iK i The other inftance has been cited by Doftor Ru(h, a celebrated phyfician and writer of Phila- delphia. It is Thomas Fuller, born in Africa, a flave, near feventy years of age, near Alexan- dria* He can neither write nor read, and has had no inftrucEtion of any kind ; but he calculates with furprifing facility, and will anfwer any queflion in arithmetic, with a promptitude that has no example. ., ., ., Thefe inftanCes provCj without doubt, that the capacity of the negroes may be extended to any thing ; that they have only need of inftruc- tion and liberty* The difference between thofe who are free and inftruded, and thofe who are not, is ftill more vifible in their induftry. The lands inhabited by the whites and free blacks, arc better cultivated, produce more abundantly, and offer everywhere the images of eafe and happinefs. Such, for example, is the aiped of Connedicut, and of Pennfylvania. ^0a." ' Ra '" Pais M iiii w i p i u i m- NEW TB.AVELS IN THS ^■■.IW Pafs into Maryland and Virginia, and, as f ^ fiiid before, you are in another world ; — yoti^ find not there thofc cultivated plains, thofe neat^H country-houfes, barns well diftributed, and nu- "^f merous herds of cattle, fat and vigorous. N6r^'^ every* thing in Maryland and Virginia wears the print ofdavery; a flarved foil, bad cultivation »^ houfes falling to ruin, cattle frnall and few, and'^ black walking fkeletons ; in a word, you fee ' real mifery and apparent luxury, infulting each^-" otiiert '" " *"* -'•■''''■'•■ '^ ■« ' '' '■'■■■ "^ '•■'■ '*■- — -^ ■;■."•■ vi-^ -^.i^t ■.■;'.jiji''- They begin to perceive, even in the Southern • States, that, to nourifh a (lave ill, is a mifekcn * oecononiy ; and that money employed in their- purchafe does not render its interefl. It is per- haps more owing to this confideration than toi-' humanity, that you fee free labour introduced in ' a part of Virginia, in that part bordered by the beautiful river Shenadore. In travelling here,.' you will think yourfelf in Pennfylvama* - - \- -* Such will be the face of all Virginia when flavery (hall be at an end. They think flaves^ neceffery only for the cultivation of tobacco :■ ' this culture declines, and muft decline in Vir-' ginia. The tobacco of the Ohio and the Miffiffippi^ is more abundant, of a better quality, and re- ^ quires lefs labour. When this tobacco fhall* . ■, , .,., . .^1-1 .ilJI A ^. I^NIT^T) STATES OTT AMERICA. «45 tfpen its way to Europe, the Virginians will be obliged to ceafe from this culture^ atid afk of the 'earth wheat, corn, arid potatoes ; they will fiiake meadows, and' rear cat'le* H'he wife Virginians anticipate this revoliuioii, and begin the culture of wheat* At their head may be l-eckoned that aftoniihing man, who, though an lidored General, had the courage to be a fnicere republican ; who alone feems ignorant of his •own glory ; whofe fingular deftiny it will be to have twice faved his country, to have opened to her the road to profperity, after having con- ducted her to liberty. At prefent, wholly occu* pied in ameliorating his lands, in varying their produce, in opening roads and canals, he gives his countrymen an ufefui example^ i which doubtlefs will be followed. He has neiverthefefs (muft I fay it?) a nume- rous crowd of (laves; but they are treated with the greateft humanity ; well fed, well ■clothed, and kept to moderate labour; they blefs God without ceafing^ for having givea them fo good a mafter. It is a talk worthy of a foul fo elevated, fo pure, and fo difinterefled, to begin the revolution in Virginia, to prepare the way for the emancipation of the negroes. This great man declared to me, that he rejoiced at what was doing in other States on this fubjea ; ^., '} ,' -■ ^ ^ '^3 .' ,: ^- .■-■ : that > 246 NEW TRAVELS IN THE^v/ that he (incerely defired the extenfion of it in hit , qwn country: but he did not diffemble, that there were ftill many obftacles to be overcome ; that it was dangerous to ftrike too vigoroufiy at a prejudice which had begun to diminiih ; that > tiinc, patience, and information, would not fail ^ tovanquifh it. Almoft all the Virginians, added he, believe that the liberty of the blacks cannot ^ foon become general. This is the reafon why , they wifh not to form a fociety which may give dangerous ideas to their flaves. There is another obftacle — the great plantations of which the ftate is compofed, render it neceflfary for men to live fo difperfed, that frequent meetings I of a Ibciety would be difficult, i^s-jj?;-*^ vf ' I replied, that the Virginians were in an error, , • that evidently fooner or later the negroes would obtain their liberty everywhere. It is then for .the intereft of your countrymen to prepare tha 'way for fuch a revolution, by endeavouring to reconcile the rcflitution of the rights of the blacks with the intereft of the whites. The means necefTary to be taken to this eiFe6t can ; only be the work of a fociety ; and it is worthy . the faviour of America to put himfelf at their ^' V head, and to open the door of liberty to three hundred thoufand unhappy beings of his own ^tate. He told me, that he defined the forma-** •.:>■■ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. T^y ' tion of a fociety, and that he would fecond it ; ' but that he did not think the moment favourable* — Doubtlefs more elevated views abforbed his attention, and filled his foul. The dcftiny of America was juft ready to be placed a fecond time in his hands. .^,^ ^ - . ^^ It is certainly a misfortune that fuch a (bciety does not exift in Virginia and Maryland ; for it is to the perfevering -zeal of thofe of Philadel- phia and New- York that wc owe the progrefs of this revolution in America, and the forma- tion of the Ibciety in London^ '• Why am I unabie to paint to you the impref- fions I received in attending the meetings of ti:efe different focieties ? What ferenity in the counte- nances of the members ! What limplicity in their difcourfes, candour in rheir difcuffions, be- neficence and energy in their decifions ! Each feemed eager to fpeak, not (hew his brilliance, but to be ufeful. \ '^ With what joy they learned that a like (p^ ciety was formed at Paris, in that capital fo re- nowned for its opulence and luxury, for its influence ovej* a vaft kingdom, and through moft of the ftates of Europe! They haftened to pub- Kih it in all the gazettes, as likewife the tranfla- tion of the firft difcourfe pronounced in that fo- dety. They faw with joy, in the lift of the R4 f^ ' •!' members, «"'^ m HP *7 248 NEW TRAVELS IN THg members, the name of La Fayette, and, that of other pcrfons known for their energy and patrU .ptifm. . i % They did not doubt, if this fbciety (hmid brave the firft obftacles that attend it, and, (hoirld unite itfelf with that of London, but that the ^information which they might give on the flave trade, and its unprofitable infamy, would en- lighten the governments of Eurppe,,,,ai)d ;d^ter- mine them to fupprefs it. -kf^mt''' '%' ^: It is doubtlefs to this efFufion of joy, and to the flattering recommendations which I car; ied from Europe, rather than to my feeble efFoi ts, that I owe the honour of being received a member of thefe focieties. They did not confine them- felves to this ; they appointed committees to affift me in my labours, and their archives were • 2^.^ 15. '•lssd;f^p■^^.:l!*?t'^ii *"'■$' i^^ jOpened to me , Thefe beneficent focieties are at prefeM coh*^ templating new projects for the completion of their work of juftice and humanity. They are endeavouring to form fimilar inftitutions in other States, and they have fucceeded in the State of Delaware, The bufinefs of thefe focieties is not only to extend light and information fo legif- latures, and to the people at large*, on tha u obje«fl:& • 'Jfti?^ ;'if if rT '"■?■■■ tw.^ t In 1787, the Society of New- York offered a gold medal /or the bell difcourfe, at the public commencement at the col- lege, .4-'^ »■*!■ UNITED STATES OF AMEtllCA. ±Jf^ ^bje<^s they have in view, and to form the blacks by early inftrudkm in the duties of citi-» zens; but they extend gratuitous protedion to them in all cafes of individual oppreffion, and make it their duty to watch over the execution of the laws which have been obtained in their favour. Mr. Myers Filher, one of the firft law- yers of Philadelphia, is always ready to lend them his affiftance, which he generally does with fuccefs, and always without reward. Thefe focieties have committees in different parts of the country, to take notice of any infradions of thefe laws of liberty, and to propofe to the le* gidature fuch amendments as experience may require. .,■ .;; i^.,,^.,...^ --^^=^.~ ^M^'^i'^'^^'^^^r, _ ;^^ . «.*3i.^i*ii»--.',..i>i.a j^PPENDIX TO THE PRECEDING LETTER, . WRITTEN IN I79I. W^'iivWits have not been difappointed. The progrefs of thefe focieties is rapid in the United States: there is one already formed even in Virginia* ; even there, men have dared to pub- lege, on the injuftice and cruelty of the flave trade, and the fatal eifeds of flavery. ^ A fimilar focifty is lately formed in the State of Connec- ticut > probably the circumftance was not known to M. BrifTot. Translator. ..:.,.>■ - - - : ,■•■,..; •■■'^^"■^^^;-;^ ■. ■ . ■,■■;. lilh ■:J■■■;■■■^•., ^a^O \ . KEW TRAVELS IN THE ' lifli that truth which has fo often made ava« rice to tremble — that truth which formerly would have been ftifled in a Baftille : God has created men of all nationsx of all language s^ of all colours J equally free: Slavery^ in all its forms ^ in all its degrees^ is a violation of the divine laws^ and a degradation of human nature. • ^ It Believe it, my dear friend, thefe truths, con« veyed in all the public papers, wiU complete the extirpation of that odious flavery, which the nature of things in that country is deftroying with great rapidity. For you may well ima- gine, that, in the rage of emigration to the weftern territory*, the negroes find it eafy to fly from flavery, and that they are well re- ceived wherever they go. i The folemn examples given by great men will contribute much to this revolution of principle. What proprietor of human beings docs not blufli for himfelf, on feeing the celebrated General Gates aflemb!e his numerous flaves, and, in the midfl: of their carefles and tears of gratitude, re- ftore them all to liberty ; and in fuch ^ manner as to prevent any fatal confequences that might |rfl# AvU'i.(-*:.*i \'::i <■• i'mm * Id all the conftitutions of the New States forming in the wcftcrn territory, it is declared, that there fhall be npijher fla^ verj nor involuntary fervitude. ^ ,■ "■"-.;:''■': - ^- ■-;-:------.,:.-7 '^^' ^---' -^tM--'---., refult UNITED 6TAT£S OP AMERICA. ^51 ^folt to them from the fuddea emjoyment of fo great a benefit ? . The fociety of Philadelphia, which may be regarded as the father of thefe holy inllitutions^ has lately taken more effedlual me^\fures^ both to inflrud the Blacks, and to form them to., different employments. " The wretch," fay they, in their addrefs to the public, ** who has! •* long been treated as a beaft of burthen, is oftea ^* degraded fo far as to appear of a fpecies inferior if )to that of other men ; the chains which bind *^ his body, curb like wife his intellectual facuU ** ties, and enfeeble the focial afFedions of his 1* heart." . To inftruft and counfel thofe who are free^ and render them capable of enjoying civil liberty; to excite them to induftry; to furnijfh them with occupations fuitable to their age, fex, ta- lents, and other circumdances 1 and to procure to their children an education fuitable to their iiation, are the principal objeds of this fociety. , ■ For this end they have appointed four com-' mittees: firfl, a committee of infpeiftion, to, watch over the morals and general condudt of the free blacks; fecond, a committee of guar- dians, whofe bufinefs it is to place the childrt^i- with honeft tradefmen and others, to acquire grades ; third, 4 cpmn^ittee of educationj to over- ,i , ...;■■■> ■-'-'- ■ ^-v''v . .lee- M::S ¥^^ KEW TRAVELS IN TH8 fee the ichools; fourth^ a committee of employi who find employment for thofe who are in a fituatibn to work. What friend of humanity ' docs not leap with joy at the view of an objeft fo pious and fublime ? Who does not perceive it is dictated by that fpirit of perfeverance which animates men of dignity, habituated to good ac-^ tions, Hot from oftentation, but from a con** fcioufnefs of duty ? Such are the men who coni- pofe thefe American focietiesr They will never abandon this good work until they have carried it to its laft degree of perfe£lion : that is to fay, until, by gentle and equitable means, they fhali have placed the blacks in every refpedt on a footing with the whites. Yet thefe are the ce- leflial focieties which infamous avarice blufhes 'hot to calumniate. ' 0^is^^M^^^^^^^mik'0 The perfeverance with which thefe focieties have extended their principles in their writings, . brought forward, laft year, a debate in Congrefs, on the fubjeA of procuring a revocation of that article in the conftitution which fufpends the power of Congrefs for twenty years on the fub- ; s''5 f.5* ■ t". '•* iJCf-v.-n-r Sflirst' ■,*-*';•; '" jedl of the flave trade. I ought to have mentioned to you, in my letter, an eloquent addrefs to the general con-* vention of 1787, from the fociety of Pennfyl- vania. I will cite to you the clofe of it : « VNXtBD^ STATES OP AMERICA. 25^ • •* We conjure you," fay they, " by the attru bates of the Divinity, infulted by this inhuman traffic ; by the union of all the human race in our common father, and by all the obligations refult- , , ing from this union ; by the fear of the juil ven- geance of God in national judgments ; by tUol certainty of the great and terrible day of the dif.; tribution of rewards and punilhmeuts ; by the^ eificacy of the prayers of good men, who would , infult the Majefty of Hcavqn, if they were to, offer them in favour of our country, as long as the iniquity we now pradife continues its ra- , vages among us ; by the facred name of Chrif- . tians } by the pleafures of domeftic conuexioiis, and the anguifli of their diffolution ; by the fuf- , ferings of our American brethren groaning m captivity at AlgierSi^ which Providence feems to^ have ordained to awaken us to a fcntiment of > the injuftice and cruelty of which we are guilt/ ^ towards the wretched Africans; by the refpe£t i due to confiftency in the principles and condudl of true republicans ; by our great and intenfe j, defire of extending happinefs to the miIliQH§^of ? intelligent beings who are douhtlefs oae day to:^ people this immenfe continent ; finally, by all other confiderations, which religion, reafon, po- licy, and humanity can fuggeft ; we conjure the ' Convention of the United States to make the/ ^ ^ iuppreflio&^ : I 154 l^feW TRAVELS IN TIIe fuppreflion of the flavc trade a fubjcdt of fcribui deliberation." Addreflcs from all parts of the United States^ figned by the moft rcfpedlable men, have been prefented to the new Congrefs. Never was a fubjed more warmly debated ; and, what never happened before in America, it gave occafion to the moft atrocious invedives from the adverfa- rics of humanity. You will not doubt that thefe adverfaries were the deputies from the South- I except, however, the virtuous Maddifon, and efpecially Mr. Vining, brother of that refpe£lable woman fo unjuftly outraged by Mr. Chaftcllux. He defended, with real eloquence, the caufe of the blacks. \.r I muft not forget to name among the advo- cates of humanity, Meffrs. Scott, Gerry, and Boudinot. You will be aftonifhed to find among their adverfaries the firft denunciator of the Cin- cinnati, Mr. Burke; he who unfolded, with Co much energy, the fatal confequences of the inequality which this order would introduce among the citizens; and the fame man could fupport the much more horrible inequality eftablifhed between the whites and blacks, '^ • ' You will be ftill more aftonifhed to learn, that he uniformly employed the language of invec- tive. This is the weapon that the partizans of .■■mm^'ifm flavery 1^' UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. l^g flavery always ufe in America, in England, and in France. One of the moft ardent petitioners to Congrefs^ in this caufe, was the refpedable Warner Miflin. His zeal was rewarded with atrocious calum- nies, which he always anfwered with mildnefs^ forgivenefs, and argument. « \ ... . ,.^ «i ' . ■il'l i . \ < ' ■ ' > ' . ■>«■» n, ' ■■'■'' ilr ,» LETTER XXIir. ON REPLACING THE SUGAR OF THE CANE BY THE SUGAR OF MAPLE. /^N this continent, my friend, (o polluted and tormented with flavery. Providence has placed two powerful and infallible means of de- flroying this evil. The means are,, the focieties of which we have been fpeaking, and the fugar- ^maple. Of all vegetables containing fugar, this maple, after the fugar-cane, contains the greateft quan- tity. It grows naturally in the United States, and may be propagated with great fj»cility. All America feems covered with it, from Canada to Virginia; it becomes more rare at the fouth- ward. "■.■•^- ;■■.:/,. >^ ' irt#'?;, fyt -,i ^ 256 , ^|^;kNEW travels in THE; ward, on the ead of the mountains ; but it i^ found in abundance in the back country^ ^.. ^.j, : Such is the beneficent tree which has, for a long time, recompenCed the happy colonics, whofe pofition deprived them of the delicate lugarofouriflands. , ; -: ^ .j- v :i i^^-ir They have till lately contented themfelves with beftowing very little labour on the raanu- fadlure, only bringing it to a ftate of common coarfe fugar; but fince the Quakers have dif- cerned in this produdion the mucins of deftroy- ing flavery, they have felt the neceflity of car- rying it to perfedion ; and. fuccefs has crowned their endeavours. You knov/, my friend, all the difficulties at- tending the cultivatiua of the cane. It is a ten- der plant; it has many enemies, and requires conftant care and labour to defend it from nu- merous accidents : add to thefe the painful ef- forts that the preparation and manufadure coft to the wretched Africans ; and, on comparing thefe to the advantages of the maple, you will b^s "convinced, by a new argument, that much pains are often taken to commit unprofitable Cfimefi. The maple is produced by nature; the ftp to be extracted, requires no preparatory la- hour; it 'uns in February and March, a feaioii ' iKifuitable for other rural operations. Each tree» u ' ' * ■ without f\4 ,1.' f UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 257 without injury to itfelf, gives twelve or fifteea gallons, which will produce at lead five pounds of fugar. A man aided by four children may eafily, during four weeks running of the fap, make fifteen hundred pounds of fugar*. '|: , Advantages, like thefe, have not failed to ex- cite the attention of the friends of humanity : fo that, befides the focieties formed for the abolition of (lavery, another is formed, whofe exprefs ob- jC(5l is to perfedl this valuable prcdudlion. ^ ^ . - Mr. Drinker "f of Philadelphia made, lafl: year, (ixty barrels of maple fugar on his ellate on the Delaware ; and he has publiflied a pamphlet on the bed method of proceeding in this manufac- ture. y^i^'H: -vT! ■;■ ■ > '^'t'fi^..^' \.-^^i * M. Lanthenas, one of the moft enlightened defenders of the Blacks in France, has made fome calculations on this fubjedt which cannot be too often repeated. Suppofing, fays he, that a family will produce in a feafon 15001b. of fugar, 80,000 fami- lies will produce, and that with very little trouble, a quantity equal to what is exported from St. Domingo in the moft plen- tiful year, which is reckoned at one hundred and twenty mil- lions. This fuppofes twenty millions of trees, rendering five pounds each, ellimating the acre of the United States at 38,476 fquare feet of France; and fuppo^.rig the trees planted at kven feet diftance, about 30,000 acres appropriated to this ufe, would fuffice for the above quantity of fugar. • '■ ' ''' ^ ^' ? f Some of the following fadls took place in 178.9 and 1796, ' as my friends have written me from Philadelphia. ° I thought proper to infert them in this letter, to which they belong. Vol. I. S • Edward 1^ t^^ * NEW TRAVELS IN THE Edward Pennington of Philadelphia, formerly a refiner in the Weft Indies, has declared this fugar equal to that of the iflands, in gr^in, co- lour, and tafte. ' ' »• -^ - .J, V ,f*?.i.. / The cultivators in the State of New York perceive, in an equal degree, the advantages of this produdion; they have made, this year, a great quantity of fugar, and brought it to great perfedlion. . , ;; r Whenever there fhall form from North to South a firm coalition, an ardent emulation to multiply the produce of this divine tre^, and efpeciaily when it fhall be deemed an impiety to deftroy it*, not only America may fupply her- felf, but (he may fill the markets of Europe with a fugar, the low price of which will ruin the fale of that of the illands — a produce waflied 'with the tears and the blood of flaves. ■ •-" . What an aftoniftiing efFe6l it would produce, to naturalize this tree through all Europe! In France, we m.ight plant them at twenty feet diftance, in a kind of orchard, which would at ,.o- * A farmer has publiflied, that no lefs than three millions of the maple trees are deftroyed annually in clearing t'le lands in the llngle State of New York. It is c 'rtainly worthy the care of every Legiflature in the Union, to prevent the deftruftion of (o ufeful a tree, which feems to have been planted by the hand of Heaven for the confolation of man. ^■'■'^ the tTNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 259 the fame time produce pafture, fruits, and other vegetables. In this manner an acre would con- tain 140 trees, which, even when young, would produce three pounds of fugar a-year. This would give 420 pounds the acre, which at three- pence flerling the pound, and dedudling one half for the labour, would yield annually 2I. I2S. 6d. flerling, clear profit; befides other productions, which thefe trees would not im- pede. This calculation might be reafonably carried much higher; but I chofe to keep it as low as poflible*. ; Thus we fhould obtain a profitable produc- tion in Europe, and diminifh fo many flrokes of the whip, which our luxury draws upon the blacks. Why is it, that, in our capital, where V<^..-^''4^^'\fJ.-' 1 J + i-^^. .« <», f f^ V ■ -sV.^!^", • i>V * The author ought to have carried the idea further. . The fugar maple for fuel is equal to the beft oak ; for cabinet work, and many fimilar ufes, it is fuperior to moft of the fpecies of wood ufed in Europe; as a tree of ornament and pleafure, it is at leaft equal to the elm or poplar. How many millions of young trees, for the above ufes, are planted every year in all parts of Europe, to renew and perpetuate the foreftc, the public walks, the public and private gardens and parks, to border the gveat roads, &c. ! for all thefe purpofes the fugar maple might be planted, and the juice to be drawn from it might be reckoned a clear profit to the world. The experiment of M. Noailles, in his garden at St. Germains, proves that this American tree would (ucceed well ijfi Europe. — Translator, a^„ .'. .. S 2 , ^he 26o NEW TRAVELS IN THE the delicacy of fentiment is fometimes equal to that fenfation, no focieties are formed, whofe objedt fhould be to fvveeten their coffee with a fugar not embittered by the idea of the exceffive tears, cruelties, and crimes, without which thefe productions have not been hitherto procured? —an idea which cannot fail to prefent itfelf to the imagination of every humane and enlighten- ed man. Our devotees, our ignorant and in- human priefts, who never fail to be great lovers of coffee and fiigar, would by thefe means be faved from the norrible part which they take in the moft enormous crime on which the fun ever ihone. In confuming thefe articles, do they not ■encourage thofe whofe gul> is more dire£t in the operation of producing them ? and yet, with what coldnefs, with what culpable indifference, do thefe pious men look upon our Society of the ; Friends of the Blacks ! :?f ;k-^:'" # J»v;i^;-;. •» at; is-,':. m It-' t:^ LETTER UNITED STATES OF AMKRICA. i; 261 ■■,:Vfi:i^i^i;> LETTER XXIV. •^:;fr?- ON A PLAN FOR THE RE-EMIGRATION OF THE BLACKS OF THE UNITED STATES, TO AFRICA. ' y *' '■■'•tU'i! I HAVE already, my friend, given you a fketch of the ideas of Dr. Thornton on this fubjed. This ardent friend of the Blacks is perfuaded, that we cannot hope to fee a fincere union between them and the whites as long as they differ fo much in colour, and in their rights as citizens. He attributes to no other caufe thtj apathy perceivable ia many Blacks, even ini Maffachufeits, where they are free. Deprived of the hope of eleding or being ele(!led repre- fentatives, or of rifing to any places of honour and truft, the Negroes feena condemned to drag out their days in a ftate of fervility, or to lan- gui(h in (hops of retail. The Whites reproach them with a want of cleanlinefs, indolence, and inattention. But how can they be induftrious and aSH. • i UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 263 ffetts, who did not at firft relifli it. They liked » better to give lands to their Negroes, and en- courage them in the cultivation. But,, fays the Pb(ftor, what can they do with their land, un- accuftomed to war, and llirrounded by favages? Suppoling them to fuccecd, will you admit their reprefentatives to lit in your Afl'emblies, to pre- fide over you ? — No. Reilore them then to their native country. " The Dodor was perfuaded, that when his defign (hould be known, thoufands of the Ne- groes would follow him. He had remarked, as well. as I, the injuftice of reproaching them with the fpirit of idlenefs. If they are lazy, fays he, why fo much cxpence to go and (leal them from their country for the fake of their labour. ,< ^.. His reafoning begins to convince men of reflexion, and his plan gives a folution to the problem of Mr. JefFerfon. — See Notes on Virginia, T The State of Maflachufetts has fince received a requefl from the Negroes, for the execution of the proje6l. They have promifed to give aid to it, as foon as thev fiiall be affured of a (ituation in Africa proper for a good ertablifhment : they have even promifed to furnifh veffels, inftru- ments, proviiions, &c. What advantage would refult to Afii^a, to Europe, and even to America, from the execu- '< ^ S 4 tion •:tJ 264 NEW TRAVELS IN THE tioii of this plan ! For the Blacks of Africa would gradually civilize by the afliftance of thofe from America ; and the Whites, whom they ought to execrate, would never mingle with them. By this civihvation, Europe would open a vaft mar- ket to her manufa£lures, and obtain, at a cheap rate, and without the efFufion of blood, thofe productions which coft her at the iflands fo much money and fo many crimes. God gra-nt that this idea may fbon be realized * ! ^ : '^^ s- v '^ ^■-i^ ' * A Society is formed in England, whofe obje£l is to follow the eftablifhment of Slerra-Leona, and open a trade there for the produ£lions of the country. This fettlement is on land belonging to the Englifli, and dependant on the English Government. - . . »> i,-^ ;: tt^ Another fociety is formed, whofe obje£l is partly the fame, but who wifh to render this ' eftablifhment independent of every European Government. They have lately publiflied their plan, under the following title : Plan of a free Community on the Coaft of Jfrica^ formed under the prote&ion of Great Britain, but entirely inde- pendent of all European Government and haws ; with an invitation, under certain conditions, to v;y'' s ,.-J'r:«r''i * , * To perceive the advantages, read the work intltled VAmi- ral refute par lui-meme ; and fee the efforts m» de in England, to eftjibliih colonics in Africa, and to civilize the Blacks, ^ "'-''* imt thofe >-A UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 265 thofe who may dejire to partake of the advantages^ . of this undertaking, • ^ « . ^^ - In this plan, of which every friend to hu- manity mud wi(h the fuccefs, it is declared, . that the Society is founded on the principle of univerfal philanthropy, and not (imply for the neceffities of commerce: — advantages too much prized ; as if the happinefs of all the human race confided in the acquifition of wealth, / '^' ^"■ 1 ju-fi> - ■*:.i'^'>;U. ■ :t J , '' <\^i •ii'^f^'^. LETTER XXV. :.i-';r'y v'^rt ON PHILADELPHIA, ITS BUILDINGS, POLICE, IN confidering the vices which tarnifli Old Europe, and the mild fraternity that unites the Quakers, Voltaire fometimcs flew off in imagination beyond the feas, and longed to go and finifh his days in the city of Brothers. What would he have faid, had he been able to have realized his dream, and to have been a witnefs of the peace which reigns in this town ? I am wrong : Voltaire would have haftened to re- turn to Europe : he burned with the love of .^/- 266 . NEW TRAVELS IN THE ^ • glory; he lived upon inccnfe, nnd he would have received but little here. The gravity of the Qiiakers would have appeared to him a gloomy pedantry : he would have yawned in their aflemblies, and been mortified to fee his epigrams pafs without apphuife ; he would have , fighed for the fparkhng wit of his amiable fops '■ of Paris. ■ • ■ a- ■ /■ : ..:>o:fi'., Philadelphia may be confidered as the metro- polis of the United States. It is certainly the {\i\ei\. town, and the beft built ; it is the mod wealthy, though not the moft luxurious. You find here more men of information, more po- litical and literary knowledge, and more learned focieties. Many towns in America are more ancient; but Philadelphia has furpafled her ciders. ■'.'. The Swedes were firfl: eftablifhed on the fpot where this town has been fince built. The Swf;di(h church on the banks of the Delaware is more than one hundred years old. It is the oldeft church in the town, at prefent under the care of D**. Collins, a SwediOi minifter of great learning and merit. He writes very well in Engliih, and has compofed many works in that language ; among which is the Foreign Spe&ai or ^ in which he unfolds the foundeft principles of republican . «.*v UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 267 republican policy. He is a fervent apoftlc of liberty. • . r / ^ , , - Perm brought into his new colony a govern- ment truly fraternal. Brothers who live to- gether, have no need of foldiers, nor forts, nor police, nor that formidable apparatus which makes of European towns garrifons of war. ' * <• At ten o'clock in the evening all is tranquil in the ftreets; the profound filence which reigns there, is only interrupted by the voice of the watchmen, who are in fmall numbers, and who form the only patrole. The flreets are lighted by ^amps, placed like thofe of London, . On the fide of the ftreets are footways of brick, and gutters conftru6led of brick or wood. Strong pofts are placed to prevent carriages from pafling on the footways. All the ftreets are furnifhed with public pumps, in great numbers. At the door of each houfe are placed two benches, where the family fit at evening to take the frefti air, and amufe themfelves in looking: at the paflengers. It is certainly a bad cuftom, as the evening air is unhealthful, and the exer- cife is not fufficient to correct this evil, for they never walk here : they fupply the want of walking, by riding out into the country. Thcy^ have few coaches at Philadelphia. You fee manv handfome wag^sjons, which are ufcd to carry 1 1 ■> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // // ^ .^. Rr, ^« ^0 1.0 1.1 itt Ii2 g2.2 Z i^ 12.0 llnl^^B |l.25 IJ U ,^6 ^ 6" ► ^>^ ■> ** Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WBT MAIN STMCT WEBSTKR,N.Y. MSM (716)872-4503 '^ 'Pa 268 .i, NEW TRAVELS IN THfi tt , , carry the family into the country ; they are a kind of long carnage, light and open, and may contain twelve perfons. They have many chairs and fulkeys, open on all fides ; the former may carry two perfons, the latter only one. I The horfes ufed in thefe carriages are neither handfome nor ftrong ; but they travel very well. I have not yet met with thofe fine horfes of which M. de Crevecoeur fpeaks, and which I thought were equal to the enormous breed of Flanders. I fufpe^l the Americans of not taking fufficient care of their horfes, and of nourifhing them ill ; they give them no ftraw in the ftable; on returning from long and fatiguing courfes they are fent to pafture. v-f ^ *^ Philadelphia is built on a regular plan : long and large ftreets crofs each other at right angles : this regularity, which is a real ornament, is at firft embarrafling to a ftranger ; he has much difficulty in finding himfelf, efpecially as the ftreets are not infcribed, and the doors not num- bered. It is ftrange that the Quakers, who are fo fond of order, have not adopted thefe two cbnveniencies ; that they have not borrowed them from the Englilh, of whom they have borrowed fo many things. This double defedt is a torment to flrangers. The fhops, which Y adora ,a./.i,tl AV.OU 7/ ^iU> UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 269 adorn the principal ftreets, are remarkable for their neatnefs. '''-^"^ ■ '■•■ ''' - ■ *'■^^^'■^■'A....u^,> i^,^^ The State-houfe, where the Legiflature af- fembles, is a handfome building: by its fide they are building a magnificent houfeof juftice. Mr. Raynal has exaggerated Gvcry thing; the buildings, the Hbrary, the ftreets : he fpeaks of ftreets 100 feet wide; there is none of this width, except Market-ftreet; they are generally from 50 t ) 60 feet wide. He fpeaks of wharfs of ?oo feet : there is none fuch here ; the wharfs in general are fmall and niggardly. He fays they have every where followed the plan laid down by Mr. Penn in building their houfes. They have violated it in building Water- ftreet, where he had projected elegant wharfs. Raynal fpeaks likewife of houies covered with flate, and of marble monuments in the churches, and in the halls of the State-houfe. I have feen "'^?v nothing of all this. ^^ rn^ Behind the State-houfe is a public garden ; it is the only one that exifts in Philadelphia^ It is not large; but it is agreeable, and one may breathe iu it. It is compofed of a number of verdant fquares, interfered by alleys. c All the fpace from Front-ftreet on the Dela- ware to Front-ftreet on the Skuyikill, is already diftributed into fquares for ftreets and houfes : ::n^y, •-.. they •' i ' 270 » NEW TRAVELS IN THE t they build here, but not fo brilkly as at New- York. The inhabitants with for the aggrandife- ment of their city: they are wrong; Philadel- phia is already too confiderablcc When towns acquire this degree of population, you muft hav^ hofpitals, prifons, foldiers, police, fpies, and all the fweeping train of luxury ; that luxury which Penn wilhed to avoid. It already appears : they have carpets, elegant carpets ; it is a favourite tafte with the Americans ; they receive it from the interefted avarice of their old mafters the EngliOi. m A carpet in fummer is an abfurdity ; yet they fpread them in this feafon, and from vanity : this vanity excufes itfelf by faying that the carpet is an ornament ; that is to fay, they facrificc reafbn and utility to (how. ,i.;#rv^i>( i^^jf^ . V The Quakers have likewife carpets ; but the rigorous ones blame this pra£lice. They men-i. tioned to me an in fiance of a Quaker from Ca-p rolina, who, going to dine with one of the moil: opulent at Philadelphia, was offended at finding the paifage from the door to the ftaircafe cover- ed with a carpet, and would not enter the houfe; he faid that he never dined in a houfe where there was luxury ; and that it was better to clothe the poor, than to clothe the earth. ^^*^ .>« If this man juflly cenfured the prodigality of 8 • carpetSj ^%;;c. H UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. lyt carpets, how much more fcverely ought h . to cenfure the women of Philadelphia ? I fpcak not here of the Quaker- women ? I refer my obfervations on them to the chapter which I re- (erve for that fociety. But the women of the other feds wear hats and caps almoft as varied as thofe of Paris. They beflow immenfe ex-* pences on their toilet and head-drefs, and difpiay preteniions too affected to be pleafing. •^«.\ *>»« 'f It is a great misfortune that, in republics, women fhould facrifice fo much time to trifles ; and that men (hould likewife hold this tafte iii Ibmeeftimation. '-' ' ' '' ^fe A very ingenious woman in this town is rc-» proached with having contributed more than all others to introduce this taftc for luxury. I really regret to fee her hufband, who appears to be well informed, and of an amiable charadler, afFedt, in his buildings and furniture, a pomp which ouo'ht for ever to have been a flransfer to Philadelphia ; and why ? to draw around him the gaudy prigs and parafites of Europe. And what does he gain by it ? jealoufy ; the reproach of his fellow-citizens, and the ridicule of Gran- gers. When a man enjoys pecuniary advan- tages, and at the fame time poffeflTes genius, knowledge, refleiflion, and the love of doing good, how eafy it is to make himfelf beloved ^^^.. and >■»-. "•<■„ 2JZ NEW TRAVELS IN THE and Adeemed, by employing his fortune, and perhaps increating it, in eaterprifes ufeful to the public! ' ' "*" Notwithftanding the fatal efFedts that might be expedled here from luxury, we may fay with truth, that there is no town where morals are more refpeded. Adultery is not known here ; there is no inftance of a wife, of any fedt, who has failed in her duty. ' ' i This, I am told, is owing to what may be called the civil ftate of women. They marry without dower; they bring to their hufbands only the furniture of their houfes ; and they wait the death of their parents before they come to the poffeflion of their property. — I have been informed, however, of a Mrs. Livingfton, daughter of Dodlor Shippen, who lives feparated from her hufband. This fcpara- tion was made by mutual agreement. This young woman married Mr. Livingfton only in obedience to the father ; obedience of ^his kind is very rare in this country. The father pro- mifed to take her again, if fhe iliould not be pleafed with her hufband : fhe was not pleafed with him ; the father received her, and fhe lives at prefent virtuous and refpeded. ■% >: r^^^r «r r/-^? -' You would not have fo good an idea of the morals of this country, if you were to read a fa- f' ' , . ..Mr t^4- tire "■1 mfmm mmKmmwsmm UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 273 tire lately publifhed, entitled 7*6e Times, The author is Mr. Markoc. He difcovers a re- markable talent for poetry ; a talent fimllar toi that of our fatirid Guibert, who lately died in anhofpital; but, like him, he paints with {:oo high colours; and, like all poets, he often fub-i^^ ftitutes fable for truth. Mr. Markoc infpiresj the lefs confidence, as he difhonours his writings by an intemperate life. A fatirift, to be be- lieved, and to be ufeful, ought to exhibit the» moft unexceptionable morals. 4^,j f,^^. . r^v The celebrated Paine, author of Common # Senfe, fo much venerated by the French, is inoft cruelly treated in this fatire. This is not,* the firft that has been publifhed againft him ; I have feen another, very fevere, by an inhabitant of North Carolina. ^;,;, ,:^ . \"^r 1.I Mr. Paine has enjoyed great fuccefs here ; it is not therefore furprifing that fatires (hould be written againft him. Whatever may he the caufe of it, it cannot be denied, that his writinga. had a great efFe£l on the American revolution » and this circumftance ought to placu him in tl^Qt. rank of the benefaftors of America. ,, ^, , I have feen another author at Philadelptiiaft, who has imagination and wit ; it is Mr. Craw-^, ford He has publiflied feveral poems? as like-* wile Oblcrvations on the Slavery of the Ne- , ..Vol. I. . T groes. wmmm -t*,/; 474 . • NEW TRAVELS IN THE groes, full of good fenfe and humanity. He has publifhcd an addrefs of the fannous George Fox to the Jews. Mr. Crawford has a turn for myftical ideas; this, aided by great application to ^udy, and an inflammable imagination, has led him to turns of infanity. He was formerly a deift, and has been converted by the celebrated Dodorjebb. ^ • .k,.^-.^;J There is no town on the continent where there is fo much printing done as at Philadelphia. Gazettes and book-ftores are numerous in the town, and paper-mills in the State. Among the printers and bookfellers of this town, 1 remarked Mr. Carey, an Irifh printer, ^^hb, for having publi(hed, in his journal of T^e P^olunieers of Ireland^ an article which wounded fome people in place, particularly Mr. Fofter, was perfecuted, and obliged to fly to America. Being deftitute of money, M. de la Fayette gave him affiftance, and enabled him to eftablifh a prefs, on condition that this a£l of generofity fliould remain a fecret. Mr. Carey kept his word ; but having a public quarrel two years afterwards witt another printer, Mr. Of- wald, who quarrels with all the world, and who called in queftion the origin of Mr. Carey's for-' tune, he was obliged to reveal the fecret. '^ ^ p This printer, who unites great induftry with .i.^^-^ * great UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 275 ^feat information, publifhes a monthly colle(flion, called The American Mufeurriy which is equal to the bed periodical publication in Europe. It contains every thing the mod important that America produces in the arts, in the fciences, and in politics. The part that concerns agricul- ture, is attended to with great care. . t .. .. s-- There are at prefent very few French mer- chants at Philadelphia. The failure of thofe who firft came difcouraged others, and has put the Americans on their guard. I have en- deavoured to difcover the caufe of thefe fail- ures; and have found that the greater part of thefe French merchants had either begun with little property, or had made imprudent pur- chafes, or given themfelves up to extravagant expences. Moft of them were ignorant of the language, cuftoms, and laws of the country; moft of them were feduced by the high price which they received for their goods in paper- money: imagining that this paper would fooa rife to par, they amaffed as much as pofiible of it, calculating on enormous profits ; and thus fed the hopes of their correfpondents in Europe. Thefe hopes were difappointed. Some know- ledge of buiinefs, of men, of politics, of revolu- tions, and of the country, would have taught them, that many years muft clapfe before the - , . T a public ■*!■'. > 2j6 \P NEW TRAVELS IN THE r/ public debt could be paid. It became ncccflary to break tbe illuHon, to fell this paper at a lofs^ in order to meet their engagements. But \htf had fe<: up their equipages; they were in the habit of great expences, which they thought it neceflary to continue for fear of lofing their credit, for they meafured Philadelphia on the fcale of Paris. They fooliflily imagined, that reafonable and enlightened men would fufFer themfclves, like flaves, to be duped by the glitter of parade J their profits ceafed, their experice* multiplied, and the moment of bankruptcy ar- rived : they mufl: juftify themfelves in the eyes of their correfpondents, and of France : they ac- cufed the Americans of diflionefty, of perfidy, and of rafcality. Thefe calumniators ought to haVe accufed their own igiwrance,^ their folly, »nd their extravagant luxury. .^..^^ 4 Some Frenchmen paraded themfelves here publicly with their miftreffes, who difplayed thofe light and wanton airs which they had pradifed at Paris*. You may judge of the pf- * One of thefe gentkmen had the impudence to prefent ia fome of the beft families his miilrefs, not as his wife, but as his partner in trade. This woman was afterwards publicly kept by the ambaiTador. He had not refpe<5t enough for the morals of the country^ to induce him to conceal his tur- pitude* , K^- '.-^^sf^v^' v J • I 1. * fence ■f . ' in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ^77 fence which this indecent fpeaacle would give in a country where women are fo rcferved, and where the manners are fo pure. Contempt was the confcquence; want of credit followed the contempt; and what is a merchant without credit? ? ' ■ ' • --, •i Since the peace, the Quakers have returned to their commerce with great adivity. The capitals which diffidence had for a long time locked up in their coffers, arc now drawn out to give a fpring to induflry, and encourage commercial fpeculations. The Delaware fees floating the flags of all nations; and enterprife^ are there formed for all parts of the world. Ma- nufadtories are riting in the town and in the country; and induftry and emulation increafe with great rapidity. Notwithftanding the aflo- nifhing growth of Baltimore, which has drawn part of the commerce from Philadelphia, ytt the energy of the ancient capitals of this town, the univerfal eftimation in which the Quaker- merchants are held, and the augmentation of agriculture and population, fupply this de- ficiency. ^ i \ You will now be able to judge of the caufes oi the profperity of this town. Its (ituation on ji river navigable for the greatefl fliips, renders r- T3 .it 278 NEW TRAVELS IN TirE It one of the principal places of foreign com* mercc, and at the fame time the great magazine of all the prod u£l ions of the fertile lands of Pennfylvania, and of thofe of fome of the neigh- bouring States. The vaft rivers, which by their numerous branches communicate to all parts of the State, give a value to the lands, and attract inhabitants. The climate, lefs cold than that of the Northern States, and lefs warm than that of the South, forms another very c Dnfiderabld attraction. * z': ' 1 But I firmly believe that it is not fimply to thofe phyfical advantages that Pennfylvania owes her profpcrity. It is to the manners of the in- habitants ; it is to the univerfal tolerance which reigned there from the beginning; it is to the iimplicity, oeconomy, induflry, and perfcverance of the Quakers, which, centering in two points, agriculture and commerce, have carried them to ^ greater perfedlion than they have attained among other feds. The cabin of a fimple cultivator gives birth to more children than a gilded palace; and lefs of them perifh in in- fancy. And fince the table of population of a country appears to you always the mofl; exadt meafure of its profperity, compare, at four different epochs, the , > ( ( ■ ■fl»*.' * 't UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 2791 the number of inhabitants paying capitation ia Penn fy Ivania. ^ 1760. 1770. 39*765 »779- 45,683 1786. 66,925. t You fee that population has more than doubled in twenty-five years, noiwithftanding the horr- rible depopulation of a war of eight yea/:. Ob- ferve in this bating, that the blacks are not in- cluded, which form about one fifth of the po- pulation of the State. Obferve, that by the cal- culation of the general convention in 1787, the number of whites in this State was carried to 360,000; which fuppofcs, very nearly, a wife and four children for every taxable head. ' The public fpirit which the Quakers manifeft in every thing, has given rife to feveral ufeful inditutions in Philadelphia, which I have not yet mentioned. One of them is the Di/penfary^ 'fWhich diftributes medicines gratis to the fick ivho are not in a fituation to purchafe them. ' f See how eafy and cheap it is to do good. Let thofe men blu(h, then, who difiipate their fortunes in luxury and in idlehefs ! One thou- fand fix hundred and forty- feven perfons were treated by this eflabliOiment during the year 1787. By calculation this treatment coft to the -eftablilhment five (hillings and nine-pence for each patient. Thus, for two hundred pounds T 4 fterling, mm i^erlin^', fixteen hundred add forty^feven perlbap arc rendered happy. .To this jpuhJic ipirit,' fo itig«iiouB in varying it« beiK^lSi i$ owing the Bei^evolent I^/titutkn^ V^hofeobtte.* tion to their brethren ; they extend it to ftran- c^ers; they have formed a fociety for the affift* ^nce^f emigrants who arrive from Germany. A fiijpilar one is formed at New York, called the Hibj^riiian Society, for the fuccour of erai- gratits /ival Ireland. Thefe focieties infornii ||hepF>f<^lves« on the arrival of a fhip, of the fitua- tion of the emigrants^ and procure them imme- diate employ,. .,;,-T.^.^ 1.. Va^^.. -;.^ : ; Here is a company for infurance againft fire. The boufes are conftru^tcd of wood and brick, tvA crj<)fequen|tly expofed to the ravages of ^rc. The infurers are the infured, a method which prevents the abufes to which your company at Paris is expofed. In the midft of all thcfe things which excite my admiration and my tender regard, one trait of injuftice give$ me much pain, becaufe it ieems to tarnifli the glory of Pennfylvania. Penn 5 kft mmm VNITBD STATES OP AMERICA. Ai left to his family an immenfe property here. la the laft war his defcendants tcx)k part with the EngliQi government, and retired to England. The legiflalure of Pcnnfylvania p^fTed a law, taking from them all their lands and their rents, and voted to give them for the whole one hun- dred and fifty thoufand pounds. This futn was to have been paid in paper-money, which fuffer- ed then a confiderable depreciation. The firQ: term only has been paid. It cannot be denied, that there was a great injuftice in the ellimation, in the mode of pay- ment, and in the delay. The State of Pennfyl- vania has too much refpedl for property, and too much attachment to juftice, not to repair its wrongs one day to the family of Penn, which fubfifts at prefent only at the expence of the Englllh nation. LETTER ^HiHIBPPnilHIipipi 2tt NEW TRAVELS IN THE . f- LETTER XXVI. PROGRESS OF CULTIVATION IN PENNSYL- VANIA. . , .. :., :.. ■•-'■•*^' - HITHERTO, my friend, we have fpoken only of farms already in good culture, and in the neighbourhood of towns. We muft now penetrate farther, defcend into the midlT: of the wildernefs, and obferve the man, detached from fociety, with his axe in his hand, felling the ]ifenerable oak, that had been refpedled by the favage, and lupplying its place with the hum- ble fpire of corn. We muft follow this man in his progrefs, obferve the changes that his cabin undergoes, when it becomes the center of twen- ty other cabins which rife fucceflively round it. An American farmer has communicated to me the principal traits of the rural pidure which I am going to lay before you. The firft planter*, or * As the tranflator recolleds to have feen this fanciful de- fcriptlon many times publifhed in America, he was lefs anxious in re-tran(lating it, to flatter the original author, by retaining all his ideas, than he was to fave the credit of M. Briffot de Warville, by abridging the piece. Credulity is indeed a lefs fault ^mmmfimmmm UNltED STATES OF AMERtCA. 283 t>r he who begins a fettlement in the woods, id generally a man who has lofl his fortune and his credit in the cultivated part of the St^te. He emigrates in the month of April, His firft work is to build a little cabin for himfelf and family; the roof is of rough hewn wood, the floor of earth. It is lighted by the door, or fometimes by a little window with oiled paper. A more wretched building adjoining it gives fhelter to a cow ^nd two miferable horfes. This done, he attacks the trees that furround his cabin. Td extirpate them by the root, would require too much labour. He contents himfelf by cutting them at two or three feet from the ground. The fpace thus cleared is then plowed, arid planted with Indian corn. The foil being new- requires little culture ; in the month of Odliober it yields a harveft of forty or fifty buHiels the acre. Even from the month of September, thins of William Fenn. This paffion f<>r emigration, of which I hav0 X ■ J fpoken. % -wpp^HP" mi^m^w^^^^m ^WMMP^MHPPiiPf UNITED STATSS OF AMERICA. 289 fpoken, will appear to you unaccountable: — that a man (hould voluntarily abandon tlie coun-* try that gave him birth, the church where he was confecrated to God, the tombs of his ancef- tors, the companions and friends of his youth, and all the plea fu res of poli(hed fociety — to cx- pofe himfelf to the dangers and difficulties of conquering favage nature, is, in the eyes of an European philofopher, a phenomenon which contradidls the ordinary progrefs and principles of the a- fi ^S'a--- LETTER XXVII. CLIMATE AND DISEASES OP PHILADELPHIA, AND ITS VICINITY. I HAVE already fpoken to you, my friend, of the climate of this happy town. The refpedlable Do6tor Ru(h has juft communicated to me fome new and curious details, which I will communicate. ^ * ^>- This enlightened obferver, in one energic phrafe, has pictured to me the variations inci- dent to Philadelphia, We have, faid he, the humidity of Great Britain in the Spring, the heat of Africa in Summer, the temperance of Italy in June, the iky of Egypt in Autumn, the fnows of Norway and the ice of Holland during the winter ; the tempefts, to a certain degree, of the Weft Indies in each feafon, and the variable winds of Great Britain in every month of the year. ; Notwithftanding all thefe changes, the Doc- U z. tor ■%\ {'< %^2 NEW TRAVELS IN THB ^or thinks, that the climate of Philadelphia is one of the moft healthful in the world. In dry weather, the air has a peculiar elafti- city, which renders heat or cold lefs infupport- able than they are in places more humid. The air never becomes heavy and fatiguing, but when the rains are not followed by the benefi- ^cent North-weft, During the three weeks that I have pafled here (in Auguft and Septem- ber) I have felt nothing of the languor of body, and depreHion of fpirits, which I expelled: though the heat has been very great, I found it fupportable ; nearly like that of Paris, but it caufed a greater perfpiration. Do£lor Ru(h has obferved, and many phyfi- cians of Europe made the fame obfervation, that the ftate of mind has great influence upon the health. He cited to me two ftriking exam- ples of it. The Englifh feamen wounded in the famous naval battle of the 12th of April 1782, were cured with the greateft facility. The joy of victory gave to their bodies the force of health. He had made the fame obfer- vations on the American foldiers wounded at the battle of Trenton. Variability is the chara^teriftic of the climate of Pennfylvania. It has changed by the clear- jng of lands, and the diminution of waters, "^ V^ which -*■ . UNITED STATES O? AMERICA. 293 which formerly abounded in this part of Ame-' ricai. Many creeks, and even rivers, have dif- appeared by degrees ; and this is to be expcdled in a country where forefts give place to cul- tivated fields. * Thefe changes have produced happy effedls on the health of the people. An old man of this country has obferved to me, that the health of the Pennfylvanians augments in proportion to the cultivation of the country ; that their vifages are lefs pale than they were thirty or forty years pad ; that for fome time the num-' bcf of centenaries has increafed, and that the feptuagenaries are very numerous. Irt 1782, there was fuch an extraordinary drought, that the Indian corn did not come to* perfection , the meadows failed, and the foil be- came fo inflammable, that in fome places it caught fire, and the furface was burnt. — This year it has been exceflively rainy. On the i8th and 19th of Auguft, there fell at Philadelphia, fcven inches of water. Wheat has fufFered much this year from the rains. > Happily all parts of the country are not fub-* je6t to the fame variations of the atraofphere ; : fo that a general fcarci ty is never known. If the harveft fails here, at fifty miles diftance it abounds. " A^ou fee that the heat here is about U 3 the PPIMpi 294 NEW TRAVELS IN THE the fame as at Paris, and that it is never fa great as at Rome, iincc at the latter place the i:hermometer of Reaumur rifes to 30 degrees. You fee, that the winter here is not much colder than at Paris, as it rarely defcends more than to twelve degrees below the freezing point. There falls much more rain here than at Paris. The common quantity there is twenty inches in the year, and it has not been known but once in lixty years to rife to twenty-five, while the common quantity at Philadelphia is thirty- five inches. By comparing the climate of Phi- ladelphia with that of Pekin, nearly in the fame latitude, you will find, from the tables of Kir- wan, that the winters are much colder, and the fummers much warmer, in that part of China, than at Philadelphia. Dr. Rufli attri- butes the difference to this circumftauce, that Pennfylvania is bordered with a vaft extent of foreft, and that the country about Pekin is ge- nerally and highly cultivated. My friend Myers Fiflier, who endeavours to explain the charadters of men fiOm the phyfical circumftances that furround them, has com- municated to me an obfervation which he has made in that refped ; it is, that the activity of the inhabitants of a country may be meafured -i^M^ 'v:*k4*f ::>, ^rr^ffUiJfti^ffri .-imyn m^ * He could fee the duhiefs and indecifion of the Virginians in the flow movement of the Potowmac ; while the rapid current of the ri-* vers of the North painted to him the adivity of the people of New -England, He told me, likewife, that the health of the people might very well confift with the vari- ations of the air, provided that wife precautions were taken. This, as he affured me, was a part of the difcipline of the Quakers. Thus, according to him, you may meafure the longe- vity of the people of Pennfylvania by the fedt to which they belong. That of the Quakers ought to be placed at the head of this table of longevity ; that of the Moravians next ; the Prefbyterians next, &c, >->>*.. >^- ^^.^.^ - Dodtor Rufh, whofe obfervations in this re- fped are numerous, has told me, that fudden variatioiis caufed more difeafes and deaths than either heat or cold conftantly excelTive. He in- flanced the rigorous winter of 1780, the burn- ing fummer of 178^, and the rainy fummer of 1788. There were then few or no difeafes; and thofe that happened were occafioned by im- prudence, fuch as cold water drunk in heat, or fpirituous liquors in cold. Pleurifies and inflam- W:'"^' U 4 matory IV 296 NEW TRAVELS IN THE matory diforders are much diminilhed within ' fifty years. The months of May and June are confidered as the moft falubrious, and the vale- tudinarians are obferved to be better in fummer and in winter. ' ^.. ■■■ <. I- ■» ».< '^Yi: ■:')TmMM •^rii '> 'C A ■..j.Lfii. LETTER XXVIII. ,,,: DISEASES THE MOST COMMON IN THE UNITED .s..,-r ■ ■ • •■ . ■ - STATES. .-, . ^,,,,.v MONG the difeafes of the United States, the confumption doubtlefs makes the greatcft ravages. It was unknown to the origi- nal inhabitants of the country ; it is then the refult of European habits of life tranfported to this new Continent, It is more common in the towns than in the country; it deftroys more women than men ; it is a languid diforder, which drags, by flow fteps, its victim to tLe tomb ; each day plunges the dagger deeper in his breafl:, and renders more vifible the incurable wound. Death, without ceafing, flares him in the face, and throws a funeral fhrowd over the remainder of his days. The world, and its pleafures difappear ; the ties of friendfhip^afe the 1 only "■^ mmm mmmm wmmm UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 207 only ones that are ftrengthened and endeared,* and which double the bitterncfs of his approach- ing diflblution. The confumption, in a word, is a long continued agony, a flow tormenting death. '.■■r., '"j-" --.i i .■;*.■ ;r,.>>w. a movement which, varying the fpe£lacle of nature, gives a refreshment to the fenfes, a new fpring to the blood, and a new vigour to the foul* '3' ^Aa»Mm:m. A particular caufe of confumptions amongft the Quaker women is doubtlefs the habit of gravity and immobility which they contradl in early life, and which they prefervc for hours together in their filent meetings. The wonien^ of the other fedls are equally attacked by con- fumptions, but it is attributed to different caufes: I 298 NEW TRAVELS IN THE they are fond of exceflive dancing 5 heated with this, they drink cold water, eat cold unripe fruits, drink boiling tea, go thinly clad in win- ter, and givre no attention to the fudden changes of weather. The Quakers are more reafonablc in thefe refpe6ls i but they balance thefe advan- tages by a fatal negled of exercife. To preferve good health, a female fliould have the gaiety of a woman of fa(hion, with the prudence and pre- caution of a Quaker. '^" A moral or political caufe may likewife aid us in explaining why women are more fubjedt to confumptions than men. It is the want of a will, or a civil exiftence. The fubmiffion to which women are habituated has the efFedt of chains, which comprefs the limbs, caufe ob- ftru6lions, deaden the vital principle, and impede the circulation. The depreffion of the mind has a tendency to enfeeble the body. This fubmiffion to fathers and hu{bands is more re- ma»*kable among the Quakers than among the other feds. The time will doubtlefs come, when we (hall be convinced that phyfical health, as well as political happinefs, may be greatly V promoted by equality and independence of opi- ' nions among all the members of fociety. ^ Confumptions, however, are not fb numerous in America as is generally imagined. This aame ■-M^h IS VM VNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 299 is ignorantly given to many other diforders which reduce the body to the fame meagre ftate which follows a decay of the lungs. This ap- pearance deceives, and may eafily deceive the at- tendants of the fick, who give information to thofe who keep the bills of mortality. Another difeafe very common here is the fore- throat ; when putrid, it is mortal. It generally proceeds from exceflive heats, cold drinks, and careleflhefs in clothing. When we refled that Europe was formerly ^ubjedl to thefe epidemical difeafes, and that they have difappeared in proportion to the pro- grefs of cultivation, we are tempted to believe that they belong to new countries in the infancy of cultivation. The difeafe known in Europe by the name of influenza, is likewife common in America: it made great ravages in 1789. It began in Ca- nada, pafled through New York, and very (bon infedled Pennfylvania and the Southern States. Its fymptoms are laffitude, feeblenefs, chills, heats, and the headach. It refpedls no age or fex, and efpecially precipitates to the tomb thofe who were attacked by the confumption. ^ ' The fever and ague may be ranked in the clafe of thefe cruel epidemics ; but it is more terrible, as its returns are annual. It not only vifits the marihy .* ■^:'»i!"T'«?' '.' ::*"«r''i.^. rs,3!..' ■■♦>WWWt»»ni»»wS»*«5ff*-*T ^' mmmmm !■■ 66 J Kew travels in the s » marihy countries and the fea-coaft, but it is feen even in the healthy region of Albany. It is combated by the Peruvian bark ; but the moft fuccefsful remedy is a journey among the mountains, or into the northern States. This fever, more humane than men, fubjeds not to its empire the black flaves. This exemption is attributed to a cuftom they preferve v^ith obfti- nacy, of keeping fires always in their cabins, even in the hotteft feafon. The negroes are ac- cuftomed to confider exceflive heat as a guaran- tee of health; and you will fee a negrefs, whil^ (he labours in the field, in the ardour of a burn- ing fun, expofe her infant to its fires, rather than lay it under the refrefhingfliade of a tree. This negrefs has not heard of the curious experi- ments of Dr. Inginhoufe on the fatal efFe£ls of (hades and the night air, but you fee that fhe knows their efl^eds. ' Among the maladies common in the United States muft be reckoned the pleurify and the peripneumony, though they are lefs frequent than formerly. The fmall-pox, which former- ly made fuch havocks in the United States, is lefs formidable fince the general pradice of in- oculationc . '" There ar^e many phyficians at Philadelphia, and you will perhaps afligu this as the caufe of ¥ .KS.»-fc^' HP^ ^V '■ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 3OI So many difeafes. You will be wrong. They are faid to be fkilful ; they are generally Grangers to quackery, I know fome of them who are highly refpedlable, as well for their virtues as for their knowledge ; fuch as Rufh, Griffiths, Wifneer ; the two laft are Quakers* The greateft part of thefe phylicians are, a(; the fame time, apothecaries. They continue to unite thefe two faiences out of refpedl to the people, who wifh that the man who orders the medicine fhould likewife prepare it. There are, however, other apothecaries, of whom the phy- sicians purchafe their drugs. yf The pra6bice of this country is the English practice; that is, they are much in the ufe of violent remedies. Laxatives are little in ufe. Almoft all the phyficians of this country are formed at the fchool of Edinburgh, ana this is the caufe of their predilection for the Englini pradlice. ' * I know a Dr. Bailey of this country, a man of good abilities, but perhaps too inflammable and too caullic, who, much irritated at the pre- ference given by his countrymen to the Englifh pradice, was refolved to open a communication between this country and the fchools of France. This refolution did him the more honour, as -^ , he .^•- >■ ^ V". ':■ i. -A ■M»; **»,. BV 30a NEW TRAVELS IN THE he was known in politics for an Anglican, and a decided royalift. ■mo-':,'\^'m~ ■• f ■ib w <,-' LETTER XXIX. • f %^ fe' LONGEVITY, AND CALCULATIONS ON THE ' PROBABILITIES OF LIFE IN THE UNITED - STATES. rs; YOU may think, perhaps, after the account that 1 have ojiven vou of the maladies which afBi£t America, that human life is fhorter here than in Europe. It is a prejudice ; and as it has been accredited by many writers, and by fome even who have travelled in America, it becomes a duty to deftroy it. , , The Abbe Robin, one of thefe travellers, has declared, that after the age of twenty-five, the American women appear old ; that children die here in greater proportion than in Europe ; that there are very few old people, &c. &c, M. Paw, I believe, had uttered thefe fables before him. Nothing is more falfe. I have obferved with , care the women between thirty and fifty years of age : they have generally a good appearance, * ' good UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. JOJ good healthy and are even agreeable. I have feen them of dftyy with fuch an air of frefli- r-^fs, that tkey woijld not have been taken by an European for more than forty. I have feen women of fixty and feventy, fparkling with health. I fpeak here efpecially of the women of New Hampfliire, Maflachuflets, and Connec- ticut. In Pennfylvania you do not fee the fame tints adorn the interefting vifages of the daughters and wives of the Quakers ; they are generally pale. I have paid attention to their teeth. I have feen of them that are fine ; and where they are otherwife, it is, as in England, more owing to hot drinks than to the climate. Not only the number of aged perfons are more confiderable here than in Europe, as I am; going to prove to you, but they preferve gene- rally their faculties, intelle6lual and phyfical. I was told of a minifter at Ipfwich in Maffa- chufets, who preached very well at ninety walked »6^j years or age ; anotner, oi tne lam on foot to church on Sunday twenty miles. A' Mr. Temple died at the age of an hundred in 1 765, and left four daughters and four fons of the following ages, 86—85 — 83 — 81 — 79 — 77^ V 2. The abundance and goodnefs of the ali- ments. 3. A life regular, a6live, and happy. We muft, then, confider the exterior cir- cumftances as relative to the occupations of men, to their morals, to their religion, and their government. Wherever property is centered in a few hands, where employment is precarious and de- pendent, life is not fo long ; it is cut off by crrief and care, which abridge more the princi- ple of life than even want itfelf. Wherever the government is arbitrary, and tyranny de- fcends in divifions from rank to rank, and falls heavy on the lower clalles, life muft be fhort '.,. amono: tNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 305 among the people, becau.fe they are flaves ; and a mifcrable flave, trampled on at every moment, can enjoy neither that eafe, nor that regularity, nor that interior fatisfadlion, which fuftains the principles of life. The excefles and morti- fications attending on ambition, abridge, in an equal degree, the life of the clafs which tyran- nizes. f'.t ■.j.„j^" On applying theft moral and political confi- derations to the United States, you may con- clude, that there can be no country where the life of man is of longer duration ; for, to all the advantages of nature, they unite that of a liberty, which has no equal on the Old Con- tiiient ; and this liberty, let us not ceafe to re- peat it, is the principle of health. . ;ij.(y If any government (hould wifh to revive the (peculation of life annuities on feledled heads, I ihould advife to feledl them in the north of the United States. It is difficult here to obtain regular tables of births and deaths. There are fome fedls w^ho do not baptife their children, and whofe regif- ters are not carefully kept ; others who baptife only their adults. Some of the fick have no phyficians or furgeons, and their attendants who give the information are not exad. The con- ftant fluduations occafioned by emigrations and Vol. I. X immigra- •s? 'i^i ■f ;".'.■ .*■. i^il 306 •' l^EW TRAVELS IN TlfB * immigrations, ftill increafe the difficulty. Yet we may approach near the truth, by taking for examples i'uch fea- ports as are more occupied in the coafling trade than in long voyages ; it is for this reafon that I have ehofen the towns of Sa* lem and Ipfvvich in Malfachufetts. I take thefc tables from the Memoirs of the Academy of Bofton — Memoirs little known in France. Dodor Hal ley, for the ftandard of his tables of mortality, chofe Breda w in Germany, oU account of its interior fituation and the regular employment of its inhabitants. By the calcu-^ lations of thefe political arithmeticians, {ive perfons in twelve die at Breflaw before the age of five years; . -, r ... At Ipfwichv a village at the northward of Bofton, fix only in thirty- three die witMn that age. At Breflaw, one in thirty atuins the age of eighty years ; at Ipfwich, on€ in eight. This difproportion is enormous ; and this longevity is found in many other parts of Maffachufetts and New Hampfliire. •^■VP k. -I t/ii^r\:f At Woodflock, in Connecticut, one hundred and thirteen perfons have died in eleven years ; of thefe twenty- one were feventy years old sfnd upwards, and thirteen were eighty and upwards. This gives fomething niore than the proportion ■y-.i .♦te J' 4 •■ "united states of AMERICA. 307 of an oftogeiiary in nine. Thefc fa(fls arc takcu from authentic regifters. ^ The minifter of Andover in Now Hampfhire, a rcfpe(flable and well informed man, has af- fured me, that more than one in eight males and females in his neighbourhood pafs the age of feventy years ; and that this obfervation is the refult of long experience in that and the neighbouring parishes. Compare thefe fa£ls to thofe ftatcd by M« Moheau *. He fays, that in the iQand of Ole- ron, of 14,000 inhabitants, there are but five or fix o£logenaries, and but one for forty-two in the lifl of deaths in the Ifle of Rhe, which is reckoned remarkably healthful. The mjnifler of Andover made to me ano- ther obfervation, which tends to confirm a fyf- tem advanced by an author whofe name I for- get — It is, that men of letters enjoy the great- efl longevity. He told me, that the oldeft men were generally found among the miniflers. This fa6l will explain fome of the caufes of longevi- ty ; fuch as regularity of morals, information, independence of fpirit, and eafy circumftances. But you will be better able to judge of the '■•.•?.. ■■■■'> "^^ . ■^^::< * See Recherches et Conjideratlons fur la Population de la France y page ipa. - > - .* x*'^ - ',*■'■ X 2 longevity v'^:.w imimmmm ^^s^s 368 • NEW TRAVELS IN THE longevity in the United States, by the table 0/ the probabilities of life given to me by the re- fpe£lable Dr. Wiglefworth, of the Univerfity of Cambridge. It contains a comparifon of thefc probabilities in New England, in England, in Sv^eden, in Gerniany, in Holland, and in France. ' '''-' '^^^^^^ ■' p-^' " The firft column gives the ages ; the follow- ing one gives, by years, and decimal parts of a year, the probabilities of life among the inha- bitants of the different places mentioned. Yoii will fee in this table, that the probabilities of life in this part of the United States, furpafs thofe of England and Sweden, even thofe of the annuitants whofe lives ferved for the bafis ' to the tables of Kerfboom ; and that they al- nioft equal thofe of the annuitants which ferved as the bafis to the calculations of M. de Par- cietix, for the eftablifhment of life annuities *. The fecond column is appropriated to the graduates of the Univerfity of Cambridge, the nurfery of minifters and ftatefiuen for that part 6f the. country. The probabilities in this co- • lumn are calculated on the whole lift of gra- duates, receivfed fince the year 1711. - ♦ V^tf readily conceive that the probabilities of common 9lfc in France and Holland, are much inferior to thefe tables of annuitants. Hingham, -'V lE b IN EUROPE. ;>?' R.::~ Tofl -V*"*-!'**.'.: Nt > 25 30 35 .40 45 5^ 55 60 65 70 '"5 80 8r pa. 38 33 ^7 1^ 1^8 9 I 3 7 Th the in near J (hire. GERMANY. HOL- LAND. ?1 n ^ B w ? s? w 1 f 1 1 s. ? c? 1. 1 30.88 3»-76 33-27 27.80 28.70 30.92 24.92 25.56 28.36 22,13 22.65 25.49 19.56 19.65 22.34 17.07 16.55 19.41 »477 I3.6d 10.72 12.30 11.28 14.10 9.86 9.15 11.56; 7.45 7-4« 9-15 5-51 6.17 6.81 ; 4.08 5.06 5.05: 2.36 4.18 3*38, FRANCE O n n c H o s. r. sr 37.01 33-96 30-73 27.30 23.77 20.24 16.88 13-86 11.07 8.34 5-79 473 3-45 ear, the probabilities of life among f Harvard College, at Cambridge, ms the fourth, is in New Hamp- ••1- A COMPARAI OF Tl PROBABILITIES OF LIFE IN NE\\ To face p. 308. ^ NEW ENGLAND. ENGLAND. ^ X 3* ffO r 1 CHESTER. a ^ a- £1 §- ^ s (/) a 3 1 1 3 »ti c/> n S i •T3 en H S • 1 n B 1 o_ n* P» E e ? 5» rft rr ■-t S c 25 • V* • * • 36.07 35-46 37.89 26.1 31.56 30.85 32.00 34-78 35-5^ 30 33-40 33.81 34-97 23.6 28.93 28.27 29.25 32.27 32.66 35 30.70 3o«3 31.H9 21.5 26.05 25,68 25.97 29.26 29-42 ,40 2645 28.28 28.74 19.6 23.i« 23.08 27.92 26.37 26.4c 45 22.9 25»«i 25.80 17.8 20.78 20.52 20.20 23.50 23-35 5^ 19.86 22.08 22.79 16.0 17-55 17.99 17.64 20.62 20.49 55 17.75 1847 19.22 14.2 14.87 15.58 15.14 17.52 17-47 60 1463 15.20 15.49 12.4 12.36 13.21 12.36 14.30 1486 ^5 11-31 12.29 12.98 10.5 '0.05 10.88 10.79 11.94 12.3c 70 lO.OI 9.68 10.4^ 8.8 8.12 8.60 8.05 8.81 1 0.0c 7? 8.39 7.63 8.40 7-2 6.44 6.54 7.00 7.14 7.8'y 80 6.96 6.03 6.87 J.O 5.14 4-75 5-43 5.20 5-7^ «? 3.06 «;.02 4-Q6i 3.50 3-37 4.25 4.85 EXPLANA' The firft column gives the ages ; the following ones give, by ye the inhabitants of the different places mentioned. The fecond coli near Bofton : Hingham, which forms the third, is in Maflachufei (hire. The other columns are taken from the work of Dr. Price. ,k MPARATIVE TABLE fm^- ■:-m. or THE IFE IN NEW ENGLAND AND IN EUROPE. .AND. SWEDEN. GERMANY. HOL- LAND. FRANCE 1 a 5«l 1 2; • CHESTER. •-. ♦. •?* f 4'. tr- .r-- i^? I "v •a y. :*-■ i ^^" i .te« •^s ti i\ I y* * ■ I'j- ^ri r < J ' t":. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 309 Hingham, which forms the third column, is at the South-eaft of Bofton. The occupations and manners of life in this ^lace, are much the fame as in the reft of Maflachufetts. The pro- babilities in this column are taken from the lift of deaths, made with great care for fifty years, byDoaorGay. ' Jr - _^ / The column for Dover, fituated on the river Pifcutuay, twelve miles from the fea, in New Hampshire, is formed from the lift of deaths kept for ten years, by Dodlor Belknap, minifter of that place. ../*.'h^.* .. r,. The other columns, which regard the coun- tries in Europe, are taken from the work of Dr. Price. - .This comparative table wiU fix your ideas on the fubjedl of longevity in the United States. And it is to be hoped that fropn the care of Dr. Wiglefworth of the academy of Bofton, and that of the members of the other academies in the feveral States, we may foon have regular and complete tables foi: the thirteen States. To fatisfy your curiofity more completely, I will now give you a lift of births, marriages, and deaths in a particular town ; that you tiiay fee the proportion between the births and deaths, and the ages of the deceafed. I will take Sa- lens, which i? confidered as a very unhealthful X 3 town. aa 'i' ^: 310 NfeW TRAVELS IN THE P town. It is a fea-port, in the forty-fecond de- gree of latitude, five leagues north -eaft of Bof- ton, fituated between tv/o rivers, on a flat piece of land, elevated but twenty feet above the le- vel of the fea at high water : two littlte hills in the neighbourhood ; foil light, dry, and fandy, without marfhes ; the inhabitants not fubjedtto epidemical difeafes. They complain at prefent of fome nervous and hyfterical diforders^ which were formerly unknown to them. " ' n?*im^ii '^' Mr. Holyoke fent to the Acadertiy of Bbfton the two following tables for this town of Sa- ^'lem. ^f^: ^:"'%\ --- %i ,^mm' mk '■^>'-''"i V .... . , t. V : TABLE for 1 78 1. ^ - - 4%^.^ .yf. ^75 317 Deaths, Births, -,,.^p'>,^ -_..'i^ Baptifms,''- W'-' 'l.-h^^4:-4.^^^ Marriages, *' ^. '^''^^^m^Oii^^-^^^ Taxable pbUs ; tha!t is, males ^bbVe"^^ the age bf fixtden, ind refiding kif^ ■^^' the town, ^ ^^j*-'»^^«^ *. 8^7 y Tranfient perfbns>''^^^^^"^fri^^ y ^ ^60 ^.,. ^^ AGES of the DECEASED. W^m •li-ff : >*-(., SttU born, or died m the birth, - - o Within the firft month, 5^^., j^^ jj^ ^ J| t'T^ ACES - '/ . ^- ■■■■■■IP rNITISP 5TATE5 OF AMERICA. ^H '.(, ■^ ■-,:'r.r-^ "M^ ■ X m ' " 1^ %.r. \lr AGES of the DECEASED Continued- Bet wemrdntf tiibntfl and one year, - 30 one and two years, *w - - - — — Jtwo and five, ^^* live and ten, ten and fifteen, fifteen and twenty,'''^ ^'* - - twenty and twenty-five, - twenty-five and thirty, thirty and forty, '^W*^^^'-^; forty and fifty, - - - - fifty and fixty, - - - - fixty and feventy, W' - - feventy and eighty, ^'"^ - ' i i eighty and ninety, w^^^^y** Ages unknown, "^''^'i<^'^^ii^^"^'^t■ • 23 ^^ 2 3-r; 6 5 7 10 . 6 ^7 HfSSRa .JOS lu ,^^j^^ TABLE for 1782. Deaths, - 189 .-^ Births, about - ^«^ - - - ^ 3^5 ^Baptifms, ^:=^^':?t'^:^ffe^^^^^ ,.5^ Marriages, atbout ,- - ,- - - 84 Taxable polls, -^•|^- - • ,• ipoo , Number of inhabitants, about - 9000 ■ ■;, .-,■ X 4 ;■• ^"'"'^^ AGES 3^2 •Jk NEW TRAVELS IN THE '-N, AGES of the DECEASED. Still born. > -7,t.^> Ti . w " 1 a Zii^Ti' t)^-/: t ' 4' f •A In the firil month, - - |i*^ ^ - Between one month and one year, - one and two years, ^ - - two and five, - - - - five and ten, - - - - ten and fifteen, - ,^ - - fifteen and twenty, - - - twejity and twenty-five, twenty- five and thirty, thirty and forty, . fj.^ - -■ forty and fifty, - t. r - fifty and fixty, - ^ r - fixty and feventy, . ||^^, r - fcventy and eighty, - - eighty and ninety, - - - Ages unknown, i^^^- - «i«kk V S \ t " v.l i. It \ ^^ ••' >. ^ '• I* %9 8 8 w^ 9 7 6' 6. 2 ^*f ■;<» . You will recoiled that Salem is one of the moft unhealthful towns in America. You. do * In the.Atn.erIcan journals they give the lifts of deaths. The following is one that I took at hazard in the American Mufcum for May, 1790 :— Deaths, N. Hampfhire, one at 7q years. MafTachufetts, many at .71 — one at 106 — one at 92-— one at 87* Conne6Hcut, one at 98 — one at 91. New Yorlc^ one at 104. New Jerfey, one at 80. Peppfylvania, one at 84 — fcveral at 76. ... s ■■ . i .J' ■■a--K: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 313 not find in the above two lifts the proportion of great ages that I have mentioned in other i^'^Vl. -rr'-*- places. The year 1 78 1 gives 1 75 deaths. If you look for the population of Salem by the general rule of thirty living for one dead, the number of inhabitants would appear to be 5250— whereas it was 9000. You muft then count for Salem fifty living for one deceafed. In London there dies one for twenty-three ; and in the country in England, ^e in forty ; in Paris, one in thirty; in the country, one in twenty-fburi ^ : In 1 78 1, at Salem, the births are as one to twenty-feven of the inhabitants. In common years in France it is as one to twenty-fix. As to marriages, M. Moheau reckons for the country in France one for iii, and for Paris one for 160. In Salem you muft count, for 1 78 1, only one for 128. But this is far from being the proportion for the country in America. We have no e?a<3t.tabje for this purpofe. We muft wait. i^Hh '■»;/■■■ V--3 f$%mA-. i.i •j« I cannot termihate this long article on lon- gevity without giving you the table of births and deaths in the Lutheran congregation at Philadelphia for fourteen years, from 1 774 to 1 78 8, The proportion is cur iouSf '^ £ From w% : ^ A I I 3 '4 KEW TRAVELS IN THl . / Births. Deaths. From 1 774 to 1775 379 156 > 1775 — 1776 31"^ '^11 mm ^M ,776 _ 1777 389 „ 124 k;*p^:%^ 'i* 1777 _ 1778 298 169 r •tlxi'T'T^J ,778 — 1779 3^3 178 ■ > '1 ■^:;.^'i-\v?ly.r 1779 — 1780 348 186 t> T^">^.'^'^.|-• 1780 — 1 78 1 320 158 • t^i^&r i 1781 — 178a l'^3 ' 162 ^■lih i^nimm'^' 1782 — 1783 398 219 rb 1783 — 1784 389 215 ..I ,784 — 1785 426 153 ■kl'i ii^':^mm 1785 — 1786 420 ^57 m^^i^r 1786 — 1787 419 150 A'^ ' i J 787 — 1788 425 178 'i{ / . . ' . i*7? 2 200 You will obferve, that in years of ttie war the births were lefs numerous. This is a -na- ♦tural relfle6tion, which ought always to be made 4)y any one who makes calculations on the po- pulation of America. Finally, my friend, to give jfeu a ftirlhtr idea of the rapidity of population in Amcricj^, ^afce the tables of Rhode- Ifland and New- Jer- fey^ aiid compare them with the one I gave you on Pennfylvania. ■MX: , ^mm^-. Population *'.• If STATES OF AMERICA. 315 Population of Rhode-IJla nd. Years. Whites. •^- nsm V Blacks. '■'-'' mi ,730 — ' ^5^3^^ — 2,603 y. 1 .; '742 29.755 — 4i375 ' ' 1 1761 35»939 — 4,697 * 1 1 . , 1774 54,435 5.243 • 1783 48,538 — — 3.361 # 1 ', . ri'A::^ New Jer/ey •11. 1., » ■,",'''■ ' '738 — 43'3S8 — 3.981 ■• . ■ 1745 — 56,797 — 4,606 1784 — 139,934 — 10,501 i m-i^A, n- You obferve hy thefe tables, that the popu- lation of Rhode-Ifland, which had almoft dou- bled in twelve years, from thirty to forty-two, has diminiflied during the war. But with what pleafure do you fee the population in New Jer- fey inore than tripled in forty years, notwith- ftanding the obftrudions occafioned by the fame bloody war ! And with what pleafure do you, who are the defender of the blacks, obferve that their number has more than doubled in the fame fpace of time in New Jerfey : though the im- portation of them was prohibited in 1775* ■though the war coft the life of a great number of negroes, and though many of them were •flblen by the Engliih and fold in their iilands ! ■.,. ^ From 3l6 NEW TRAVELS IN THE From all the fa£ls and all the tables which I liave given you, it mud be concluded that the life of man is much longer in the United States . of America, than in the mofl falubrious coun« tries of Europe. /VS^'^ -^ r «^J4^^'',>; •i.' «*,; V LETTER XXX. THE PRISON OF PHILADELPHIA, AND PRISONS .,,,^^4;vJ'f^^.^^^^ . JN QENERAI,. C'^V'* "■" » iti- AND Philadelphia likewife has its prifon ! I love to believe, that for the firfl: thirty or forty years, when the Quakers were the magiftratcs, or rather, when there was no need of magiftrates, I love to indulge the belief that there was no prifon. But fince the Englifli, to deliver themfelves from the banditti that infeft- cd their ifland, have pradlifed letting them loofe ^upon the colonies, — fince great numbers of fo- reign adventurers have overfpread the colmtry, cfpecially fince the laft war, which has aug- 'tnented their number, reduced many to mifcry, and habituated others to crimes — it has been ne- ceffary to reftrain them by prifons. One fad UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. JI7 docs honour to this State ; which is, that among the prifoners of Philadelphia, not one in ten is a native of the country. During my Hay in this town, one robbery only has been commit- ted ; and this was by a French failor. 'vt-^ ^ Almoft all the other prifoners arc either Irifhmen or Frenchmen. "* This prifon is a kind of houfe of correction. The prifoners are obliged to work ; and each enjoys the profit of his own labour. This is the beft method of ameliorating men ; and it is a method ufed by the Qiiakers. ■'''■ Thofe who govern the houfe of correction in New York, on confenting to take charge of criminals condemned by the law, have ob- tained leave to fubftitute to whips and muti- lation their humane method of corredlion ; and they daily fucceed in leading back to in- duftry and reafon thefe deluded men. ^^ ^ One of thefe Quakers was afkcd, by what means it was poflible to corredl men who dif- hdnour human nature, and who will not work. *' We have two powerful inftrumcnts," (re- plied the Quaker,) *' hunger and hope." , By the fmall number of Pennfylvanians con- tained in the prifon of Philadelphia, we may conclude, that, were it not for the Grangers, the government of this town, like that of Nan- . . tucket, ^m 1: 318 NEW TRilVELS IN TIfE tucket, might have a prifbn with open doors, of which honour and repentance are the only keepers. , But, after all, what is the ufc of prifons ? why thofe tombs for living men ? the Indians have them not ; and they are not the worfc for it. If there exifts a country where it is pofli- ble, and where it is a duty to change this fyf- tem, it is America ; it is therefore to the Ame- ricans that I addrefs the following reflexions : Prifons are fatal to the health, liberty, and morals of men. Topreferve health, a man has need of a pure air, frequent exercife, and whole- fome food. In a prifon, the air is infeded, there is no fpace for exercife, and the food is often deteftable. . v fe A man is not in health but when he is with beings who love him, and by whom he is be- loved. In prifon, he is with Grangers and with criminals. There can exift no fociety between them ; or, if there does, he muft either be obliged to ftruggle without ceafing againft the horrid principles of thefe wicked men, which is a torment to him ; or he adopts their princi- pies and becomes like them. — A man by living conftantly vyith fools, becomes a fool himfelf 1 every thing in life is contagion and correl^ondf -By ^t-'i^'n-f "TIttS rffi* ispn imp mmm ■■i pnpi UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 319 By imprifonment you fnatch , man from his wife, his children, his friends ; you deprive him of their fbccour and confolation ; you plunge him into grief and mortification ; you cut him oiFfrom all thofe connexions which render his exiftence of any importance. He is like a plant torn up by the roots and fevered from its nourifhing foil ; and how will you expedl it to The man who has for a long time vegetated in a prifon, who has experienced frequent con- vulfions of rage and defpair, is no longer the fame beiiig, on quitting this abode, that he was when he entered it. He returns to his family, from whoni he has been long fequeftered ; he no more meets from them, or experiences in himfelf, the fame attachment and the fame ten- f;-' .-»*i':*-5'."i ■m dernefs. In putting a man in prifon you fubjedl him to the power of the gaoler, of the turnkey, and of the commiffary of the prifon. Before thefe men he is obliged to abafe himfelf, to difguife his ienfaticns, to conftrain his pafiions, in order that his mifery may not be increafed. This ftatc of humiliation and conftraiiit is horrible to him ; and befides, it renders his mafters impe- rious, unjuft, vexatious, and wicked. To oblige a freeman to ufe fupplication to . ' . . obtain n *' ,'f.v l y iiiiwi 326 • NEW TRAVELS IN t^E obtain juftice, is to do him a lading injury. Thd tree that is once bent from its natural form ne* ver acquires it again. The laws which ordain the habeas corpus are wife and natural. But they do not ordain it in all cafes, A prifoner for debt, who cannot ob- tain furety, muft remain a prifoner. A man accufed of a capital offence, who will be pro* bably acquitted on trial, cannot enjoy the be- nefit of this law. Thefe are abufes. Is it not much more fimple to imitate the In- dians, to grant every man the privilege of his own houfe for a prifon, though you are obliged to put a centinel at his door ? and for thofe that have no houfe of their own, eftablifli a public houfe, where they can purfue their occupations. If fuch regulations are neceflary for any fo-» ciety, it is furely for the one which has good morals, and wifhes to preferve them : if they arc any where pra£licable, it is among a people where great crimes are rare. RecoUedt, my friend, that but within a few years before the laft war, no capital punifhment had ever been inflided in Connedicut. I am furprifed then that the penalty of death is not totally abolifhed in this country. Man- ners here are fo pure, the means of living fo abundant, and mifery fo rare, that there can be no ■ppp WW mmmm VNITEti STATES OF AMERICA. ^2t fid nee(} of fuch horrid pains to prevent the commidiou of primes. Do<5lor Rufh hrs jufl: given force to all thefe arguments in favour of the abolition of the pu- nilhment of death. He has not yet fucceeded ; but it is to be hoped that the State of Pennfyl- vania, and even all the States, difengaging ^^themfelves from their ancient fuperftition for ^he Ehglifli laws, v^ill foon dare to give to Eu- i rope a great example of juftice, humanity, and, policy. Any objections that may be made tajgaiaft this ref(j|m in Europe will„npt apply iiv; , this country*!, |,_|^= '-mzmi^n k-.-- 'fumdt ^i . torfi 'Jjii^' LETTER XXXt. ^AA m , tHE QUAKERS. THEIR PRIVATE MORALS. THEIR MANNERS, &C4 ^'^K^^l'^^^t^- 1 '^-t' 'Vv.'''^^ *■'"' '■':^^;i^' ,,^^.Wfy0* I HAVE prOmifed you, my friend, i particu-s lar article on this refpedable fociety. V * this day perform my promife. ;/ . • You remember with what infulting levity M. de Chaftellux has treated them in the very ' fuperficial journal which he has publilhed. You Vol. L ♦ Y recoiled^ ''1 ' wmmnmim I I J mi ll I J22 KEW TRAVELS IN THE tcco\]e&. the energic cenfure* Which I piffk^ on his errors, his fairehoods, and his calumnies; You have not forgot the ftupid perfccviftion that this cenfiire brought on m6, and the manoeuvres J employed to ftiffe my work by that fame vi^itty ^ Marquis, and by other academicians, who wifli- * cd to tyrannize public opinion, and monopblize J reputation. , , y. t And now, niy friend, I have oeen sible t6^,: compare the portrait which I had ndadc of theni! with the origirial J arid I am convinced that it I is very nearly juft. At leaft the portrait does^ ^ not flatter them. I endeavoured to guard my- felf from the prejudices which their flattering " reception of me might have occafioncd. The t way was prepared for this reception by the f Apology which 1 had publifhed in their favour ; it was tranflated into Englifh even here, by fome refpedable members of the fociety,' and- ' diftributed every where with profufion; and I find to my fatisfadion, that it has contributed to diflipate the unhappy prejudices which the indifcrctions, boafts, and farcafms, of our fri-i volous academician had excited againfl thejy French nation. * See Examen critique dcs Voyages dam V Amerlquc Septen- tlottaU de M* k Marquis dt Cbajiellux, w^4 : ; - 7 * Simplicity,^ .#, ■ *-**»HRr-J»r f > ^M * Siriipi'cityj tandour, and good faith, charac- ' titize the aftion^ as well as the difcourfes of the QuakerSk They are not afFedled, but they arc firicere J they are not polifhed, but they are humarie i they have not that wit, that fparkling wit,— withput which a man is nothing in France, aiid with which he is every thing ; but fhey have good fenfe, a found judgment, an up- right heart, and an obliging temper of mindi If 1 ^iflied to live in fociety, it would be with the tjiiakei*s t Jf I wiflied to amufe myfclf, it would be with tny countrymen* And their women — you alk^ what are they ? They are what they • Ihiduld be, fdithful to their hufbands^ tender to their children, vigilant and economical in their houfehoid^ arid fithple in their ornaments* Their principal chara^eriftic is^ that they are not eager to pleafe all the world t negle£lful of the exte* ribr^ they rcferve all their Accomplifliments for the mindk Let us fay it, let us not ceafe to re^ peat it, it is among tnanners like thefc that we arfe to look for good houfeholds, happy familieSt and public virtues* But we, miferable wretches ! gangrened with our own civilization and polite- nefs^ we have abjured thefe manners. And who attiong lis is happy ? unlefs you can find a hiah Who has the courage to content himfelf, with a life of nature, and to live like people of I ^ lormer 324 ^ l^EW TRAVELS IN THE former ages. If you conform to nature^ fays Seneca, you will never be poor ; if to opinion^ you will never be rich, WW t .\ I will not recal to your mind all that M. Cre- vecoeur has faid of the Quakers : I only wifti to . lay to you what he has not faid. ■ Simplicity is a favourite virtue with the Qua- kers ; and the; men ftill follow, with fome ex-» adlnefs, the counfel of Penn : *' Let thy gar- ments be plain and fimple ; attend to convej:ii- - ence and decency, but not to vanity. If thou iart clean and warm, thy end is accompliflicd ; to do more, is to rob the poor*." , 1 have feen James Penibcrton, one of the 'mofl: wealthy Quakers, and one whofe virtues have placed him among the mod refpedable of iheir chiefs 5 I have feen him wear a thread-b^re coat, but it was neat. He likes better to clothe ' the poor, and to expend money in the cauft. of * »< X f"*'' the blacks, than oftei;i to change his clc^heSa j You know the drefs of the Quakers- -a roqnd hat, generally white ; cloth coat ; cotton or * See Fruits of SeUiude-i Sec. by William Penn. In thefein^ (lances of re-tranflation, it is fcarcely poiible to preferve ex- actly the cxpreflions of the original author. Any deviations of this fort are therefore to be impute6 not to a defire of chang- ing hts phrafeology, but to the misfortune of not having at hand the original work. ■ ;.*.■: '. « :^ -V. ■I. . » UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 325 llvoollen (lockings; no powder on their hair, 'Which is cut fhort and hangs >6u no. ' They commonly carry in the pocket a little comb in a cafe ; and on entering a houfe, if the hair is difordered, they comb it without cercn^ony be- fore the firft mirror that they meet. . . ' ' C i ' The white hat, which they prefer, has become more common here fince Fraiiklln has proved: , the advantages which -it poffefles, and the incoii^ veniencies of theblaqk,, , ,^ , ,. i v ^^. ..^,, ..f v>i., :, , )'j:y r' rri ,0 ' ' ill The Quakers in the. country generally wear, cloth made in their own houfes. And at their 5 \ general meeting here, in Septehnber this year, | which confifted* of more than fifteen hundred, nine-tenths of the number were clothed in a American cloth? > This is an example to thei. . other leers. . v^j' 'There are fbme Quakers who drefs morelIke^^ other fedsi who wear powder, filver buckles, ■ ' and ruffles. They are called w^/ ^«^/$^rj. The,^r others regard them as a kind of fchifmatics, or feeble men. They are admitted, indeed, into their churches on Sunday, but never to their ^ monthly or quarterly meetings. It is not more than fifteen years fince it was a kind of crime in all feds in America to wear powder. In general, manners have changed fince the war, by the intercourfe of European Yi armies. ^■¥'- 326 NEW TRAVELS |N THE armies. But to the boopur of the Qu^ker^, theirs have not ghanged. This is to be at-r tributed to the rigour of their difcipline, and tp their difcarding tjiofe who violate it, ,, They put on woollen ftockings the i^thof Septeniber ; it is an article of their difcipline, which extends to their clothing ; and to this is to be attribute4 their remarkable longevity, AiVjO?ig the few companions of William Penn in 1 693, &% are now alive-r— Edward Drinker, born in i68q, has been dead but two years. It is from th^ intimate con virion of the advantages of their piaxims, that they perfevere in then^ with (ingular conftancy. Their fingularities are the cffedl of rcafon and long experience. The Quaker women drefs more comfortably than thofe of the other feds ; and this renders then^ lefs fubjcdt to iicknefs. Age and fortune, however, caufe nauch greater diftindlions in their drefe than in that of the men. The matrons wear the graveft colours, little black bonnets, and the hair (imply turned back. The young women curl their hair with great care an4 anxiety } which cofts them as much time as the mofc exquifite toilet. They wear little l^ats covered with filk or fatin.' Thefe obfervations 'iave me pain. ' Thefe young Quakereffes, whom nature nSs fo Well endowedy whofe ' ' ' charms si' ■*.,. /t ,#1 UNITED STATER OP AMjeR^CA. 327 charn(\? bavp fo little ncfid gf the borrowed hand of arty arp remarkable for their choicjs of the fincft linens, muflins, and iilks. Elegant fans play betvy^ien their fingers. Oriental lujcury itfelf would not difdain the linen they wear. Is this agreeable to the do£trine of Penn I 5* Modefty and mildnefs/* fays he, " are the richefl and finw^L ornaments of the foul. Thif more iimple the dr^fs, tbe more will be^iuty and thefe qua,litie8 appear." ' I fay it with freedom, and I pyght to fay it ^o my friends the Quakers (for J am fure they ^ill read me; and I would t^qt flc^t,ter my friends ; a hint of good advice is always w^ received by them), that if any thing can dif- credit their principles abroad, it is the relaxatio;^ infenfibly introduced iQto their mahqers and cuftpms. Their tafte in linens and fjllf,| is re- garded by others ^ a hypocritical lu^^i^ryi ilU 4ifgmfedi which is abfurd, at Ip^A among inen fo apparently devpted tp Qoiplicity aiid au^ ft<9rijty. - Lujfury begin^s \vhcr^ utility ends. Now, where is thie utility to the ^dy in the u(e pf the fineft of linen ? And how vfefuljy ipight the money be employed which is now applied tp this luxury ! There are fo many good s^pns to^ be done ! fo many perfons in want ! * y 4 Luxui-y u: :>%' mtmsmmmmm m L>'1 I 328 NEW TRAVELS IN THE Luxury difplayed in fimple things announces more vanity than when difplayed in an ordinary manner ; for it feems to be confidered as tho meafure of wealth, of which they affedl to de-r fpife the oftentation. Indeed/ it announces a mind not truly penetrated with the great prin-^ ciples of fnorality — a mind that places its happk tiefe, not in virtue, but in appearance.. ' ' ^^^^And what an ill example is thus given to the other Americans by the Quakers, who have been to them the models of finriplicity ? Their country does not, and will not for a long timei manufaldlurc thefe fine linens, thefe dditate muflins, oif which the texture is fcarcely percep- tible. They mud be purchafed in foreign coun- tries, to which* they have recourfe for fo many articles' of neceffity. Thus this luxury drains from thfeir country the*money fo nrfuch wanted for the exttfnfloir of agtitiHtirre •knd 6thcr ufeful enterprifes. Let the 'Quakers who ^read this article, meditate vipon it ;- let them i*efle<9:, that the ufe of rum, againft which they raife their voice with great energy ^nd jurficc^ cannot make more ravages in America than the intro- dudion of lyxury in their' fociety. 1 rhade the finve remark on the houffehbld furniture of thofe whb are rich gn^ong-them;' It Has tb'* appear- I,:- i <" \ ^ium-ii- ^f';t' • ■ , "'. '■ '^- ''*V ■* -'vt, -ff !•' •', VNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 329 ftnce of fimplicity ; but iii many iiiftances it is certainly expenfive. *" Happily, this luxury has not yet found its way to the tables of the Quakers. Their din- ners arefolid, fimple, and elegant, enlivened by ferene and fenfible converfation, and endeared by hofpitality. They drink beer, Philadelphia porter, cider, and finifh with a glafs of wine. None of thofe fatiguing toafts, which are rather provocatives to intoxication than accents of patriotiim. >v*;.m..n.v...M - ; Thofe who reproach the Quakers with fad- neft and morofenefs, are unacquainted with their trufc charadler, and have never lived with them, f^'vvho have been received by them as a child, and domefticated as a friend, judge them very differently. I have found among them moments of gaiety, of efFufions of the heart, of fprightly and agreeable converfation. They are not buf^ foons, but they are ferene ; they are happy, and, if gaiety confifts in the expreffion of heart-felt happinefs, they are gay* ' - '*We Frenchmen have the reputation of bemg gay, of laughing at every thing, of balancing'a misfortune by a pun. This is a folly. Td laugh is the fign of gaiety, and gaiety is the fign of agreeable fenfations. To be gay, therefore, }n the depth of mifery is a falfehood or a folly ; t- ' ' :'■- 't; t to .,;.,- .,v.:;«iiv-?v,-n;%. m^mm 330 HEW TRAVELS IN THB to be fcrcnc and unmoved, is wifdom. We ought not to be deprofl'ed by misfortunes ; nei- ther ought we to laugh at them : the one is a yvcaknefs of mind, the other is madnefs or ftupidity. > " '' » ' ^ , The calmnefs which charafterizcs the Qua- kers in their joy, accompanies them like wile in their grief, in their difcuflions, and in all their affairs. They owe it to their education ; they are tarly taught to curb their pa(fions, efpecially that of anger ; to render themfelves, as they call it, immoveable ; that is inacceflible to fudden emo- tions : it refuits from this, that on all occafions they preferve an empire over themfelves ; and this gives them a great advantage in difcuflioa over tjiofe who do not preferve the fame temper, •• The greateft fervice," fays Penn, that thou franft render to reafon, is to clothe her in calm- liefss and he that defends truth with too much h^t, does her more injury than her adverfaries themfelves." I faw an exatnple of the isffedts of this coolnefs in debate in my friend Myers l^i&er, who is a learned and virtuous pra£):itioner ©f ^e law, I he;^d him before the legiflaturc lAc^nd the caufe of the Fitots ^^inft a hil), the 9bje6t of which was, to rcduc^ t^ieir pay. Clear- ness ^ clofe reafoning, and deep erudition, dif^ tinguiOied his difcourfe ; which was followed by . .' , •/"■''■*" ^'''■''' .■^::-'' W-'-'^' ''■-{'' ■^''-'- fuccefs. p\ VNiTEp STATES OP AMfcRICA* 33I fuccefs. He prefcrved coiiftantly his calmnefi pf ^empcr amidd the frequent attacks and rud« den interruptions gn the part of the members o^ the Aflfemhly. The Quakers carry to the borders of the tomb this fame tranquillity of mind ; and it even forfakes not the women at this diftrcfliniy jmomtiit. This is the fruit of their religious principles, and of a regular virtuous life. They coniider Heaven as their country; and thej cannot conceive v^hy death, which condudls to it, fhould be a misfortune. • ' I ...This habitual ferenity does not diminish their , fenfibility. The refpecflable Pemberton re- counted to me the death of a beloved daughter, which happened the day before. I could fee the tear ftcal down his cheek, which a moment^s refledtion caufed to difappear. He loved to fpeak to me of her virtues and her refignation during her long agony. *' She was an angel," (fays he,) f' an4 (he is now in her place." This good father did not exaggerate. You will find in this Society many of thefe celeflial images, clothed in ferenity, the lymbol of eternal peace and cot^fcious virtue. I cannot explain to you the fa 51 ; but it is true, that I feel an expanfion of foul in their :iety, J meet a man of a pure mind,— I am 1 ': y' at v^> J3S ^^EW TRAVELS IN THE at once at my c?.{e, — we are like Intimate and old acquaintance, — we underftand each other without fpeaking. A corrupted man, a (harper, a man of the world, produces on me a contrary impreflion. My foul contradls and recoils upon itleli^ like a feniitive plant, r > ^ The portrait which I have given you of the Quakers, is not only the rcfult of my own ob- . fervcitions, but what has been told me by en- lightened men of the other feds. I afked one day, in company, the following queftion ; " Is there a greater purity of morals, more iimplicity, more integrity, more honefty a .atnongthe Quakers, than any other feds ?" A rV' inarj diftinguilhed for his information and his at- tachment to the new conftitution, anfwered me : ♦' I am a Prelbyterian ; but I muft declare that the Quakers excel ah' feds in the qualities you mention.*' It is not that they are all pure and irreproachable ; it is not that there are not (harp- ers among them. The reputation of the {ed:^ and the advan age that may be made of it, have naturally brought into it fome hypocritical profe- lytes and rafcals. A man would counterfeit ai guinea rather than a halfpenny, but the Quakers are very ilirid in expelling from their foclety thofe who are fouiid guilty, I do not fliy of crimes, but of thofe breaches of delicacy and ,,. . * probity ■ M UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 33J probity which the laws do not punifh. The public is often ignorant of this excommunica- tion, becaufe the excommunicated member con- tinues to go to their public meetings on Sunday* He cannot be hindered from this; but he is never admitted to their monthly or quarterly meetinors. % '^M ■■i ,h0^xMM0 Y i':;:M, 'C ti^'t^ ■^:i^L ../LETTER XXXII. .' -1' MADE AGAINST THE ON THE REPROACHES i . ,, QUAKERS BY DIFFERENT WRITERS, ^ ■> AH E fpe6lacle of virtue gave pain to the Ai' wicked ; and they avenged themfelvesby decrying it. You mufl not then be furprifed thai: writers have endeavoured to injure this lan(3:ified body. One of thofe who attempted ilfrwith the mod bitternefs, is the author of tiecherehes fur ks Etats Unis, publilhed the be- ginning of this year^ He has dilated, in a long chapter, all the calumnies which he had before uttered in a letter under the name of one of his countrymen, printed in the Paris Journal of the fixteenth of November, 1786. This author is Mr. Mazzcl, an Italian, who refided fomc, years in Virginia, and has fince ':• • ...^ u ' ■' •'^"^',:'./ ';■'■ *' ' ■ -r jfeuled mm mm mmmmmmm^ m ^54 ^tw rAAyrihi irf riii fettled in France. He might naturally, arnoiiji the planters in Virginia, , contra6l prejudices agaihft the Quakers ; friends of diffipation, ot luxury, of flavery, of pleafure, and ofofteiii^- iion, regard with an e^'il eye, a fociety who preach and pradife economy and fimplicity. Mr. Mazzei is, befides, unacquainted with thcf Quakers, having never lived in their intimacy : his teftimony then ought to have little weight. He cites as his authority, the Virginians and the French military officers. » ^^s^/;s 1 1; The French, and efpecially the French offi- cers, Cannot in general be, good judges in thid matter ; fome of them facrifice too much to the rage of ridicule : others have principles too dif- ferent from the Quakers 1 and almoft all of them are fuperficial obfervers. < *^ *t^%^n1^^m9^■^. Yet I muft fay, in praife of the French army/ that they always refpeded the Quakers. Thte^ commander in chief had made of their roeetilig- houfe at Newport, a magazine of arms. H(i gave it up to them on their requeft. An Eng*' li(h general would have conducted himfelf very* differently. ^^ In another infiance, a French officer had' quartered fome foldiers at the houfe of a Quaker;' out of refpedl; to their principles, he did not fuffer thetn to dcpofit their arms in the houfe, ' .^'^-v M. dc UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. ^jj M. de Chaftellux was far from thefe princi- . pies. The caufe of his prejudice was, that at the time when he travelled in America, the' Quakers were not treated with relped, becaufe't they refilled to take part in the war. H^t caught the general contagion of diflike, without^ . ever hearing or feeing any of therti ; and it wai^ tb pleafe thfe pretty graceful women of Paris^ that he ridiculed the interior grace of the Qi^a- ' AnidHg the writers in their favour, are Vol-' tair^, Rayrial, M*Auley, CreveccEUr. What* iiatiifes oh this fubje£l can be placed in oppofition^ to them r '.w-v--^^ .,■*... -,.. - •. .;■.::.-.■...,:: ■-jj.^^^ ^ In abufing the Quakers he is obliged to c6n-% fefs that their lingular ideas have raifed them iif^^ certain points much above other men. i He pretends, likewife, that they have defeds ;^ and where have 1 denied it ? U6i homines ^ sbr erunt vitia^ fays Tacitus. And the Quakers are men. But I fay that their principles guard them more from vice than thofe of other men. Mr. Mazzei confelTes, that for econbrily am^* application to bufinefs, their condudl is ti'ul3r - exemplary and worthy ofpraife. It is from thefe- two Iburces that flow all the private and civil vir-' tues ; for a man, who by principle is economi- ' cal and attentive to his bufinefs,' has nothing to^ '.mw^^'^'i' fear ^wwpw^pipipilll 336 NfiW TRAVELS IN THE fear from a numerous family. If he has many' children, he loves them ; for he fees the means of providing for them with eafe. Such a man is neither a gambler nor a debauchee. Such a man is a good hufband ; for, placing all his hap*| ' '; pinefs in domeftic life, he is forced to be good, in order to be beloved ; and he cannot be happy^ but by rendering thofe happy who are round him. Why did not this critic fee the confe- quences that mud follow from the truth whiciv he admits I Why did he not fee, that it ef- faced all the ill that he fays afterwards of the Quakers ? Why did he not fee that it raifcd them above every other fed ? For, with others, example, habit, or other variable circum (lances, may render men economical and vigilant iii bufinefs ; while every Quaker is fo from a prin-^ ciple in his religion ; a principle from which he cannot deviate, without ceafing to be a Quaker. Economy and induftry are with them an eflen^ tial part of their religion ; how much ftronger is fuch a motive tlian all thofe which produce th^fe in other men ! . Mr. Mazzei acknowledges, that in hofpitality and beneficence they are not inferior to other men. He ought to have faid they were fuperior^ for charity and hofpitality flow from economy ^deafycircuniilances, The man that has more * * • means, t/NlTBD STAtES OF AMERICA. 357 Itieandi le(s real wants, and no fantaftical ones» and who really loves his fellow creatures, is neceflarily beneficent and hofpitable ; and fuch is the lituation and fuch the charader of the V,, ^ If w^ort?/ hypocrify is intended, you muft'prove that they conceal libertinifm, diffipation, and cruelty to their families, under the veil of auf- terity, economy, and apparent tendernefs. Is it political hypocrify ? you muft then p::ive that they wi(h fecretly for places and dignities, which they have renounced ; that they long to Vol* I. „., . .^_Z ,,- raai&crq m'< -^■■m^-b-n. •w^^ippinn inw^" 558 ^' NEXV TRAVELS IN THE' mafllicrc their fellow creatures, while they pro fcfs a horror for the efFufioii of human blood ; that they are really felfi(h, under the malk of friends aind benefadors to the human race ; that they are proud and haughty, under the ap^ pearance of fimplicity. ^^^'i :i^nii oii^jiuMj '^ In a word, hypocrify is a vague terra; and as long as it is not applied to fads, it fignifies nothing. It does not fuffice for its juftifica:tion, to fay, that the Quakers are Protejlant Jefuits, ' This is but a new calumny, as vague as the other. I afk for fa6ts. If the Quakers refera- ble the Jefuits in mildnefs, indulgence, toler- ance, and the art of perfuafion, it is to refera- ble them on the virtuous fide. M. Mazzei fays, they do not referable thera in every thing, and be thus effaces what M. de Chaftellux had wan- tonly advanced on this charge, i^ '*-* ->;'j ^^^ J ■^« "^ I am not aftoniflied that the Quakers have the art of perfuafion. They have poffefled it for a. hundred and fifty years ; which is a proof that they merit the public confidence; they muft have lofl it bad they been charletans or 1.V4 ;^^ imii ^yirrr.ifio^ „v^/iX5:? hypocrites. ^ The cry of hypocrify is generally fet up againft the mofl grave and religious fedls, and by thofe men who are feeking to juflify their own corruption. It feems, that having re- nounced UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 339 nolinted all viftues, they like not to take the trouble to feign them ; or perhaps, to get rid of the weight of efteem which is due to virtue, they calculate, that *t is eafier to deny its ex- igence, '-.'^^^J *. . .,,-s ..."r:'..'.. ■ : fv,f, i.^.>':4^'i::^.. ^ .^,'^ M. Mazzei accufes the Quakers of want of punBuality and equity in their commerce ; he adds, that it is their national chara6ler, Obferve, my friend, that neither Mazzei nor Chaftellux adduces a fingle fa£t, nor a iingle authority for this aflertion. It muft then be a pure calumny. If this was the charadler of the Quakers, would fads be wanting to prove it ? ^^^^^^ .,^ — I have too often heard repeated this accufa- tion of knavery againft them ; I have, with the greateft care, confulted Englifli and Americans of all fe£ls, and French merchants who have had dealings with them ; and I have not been able to hear of a fingle fa£b as an inftance of difhonefty. The worft that has been told me, is, that they are cunning, ftrid, and inflexible; that they have no refpedl: for perfons or feds. 1 was told too, as M. Mazzei has printed, that they underftand very well how to fell, that they fell dear. I have fhewed in my anfwer to Chaf- tellux, the abfurdity of any reproach like this. To underftand the art of felling, does not fup- pofe a want of probity ; it is the fpi»-it of com- iml Z 2-^v - merce; ^:- ... -4 :feV '^ 34a NEW TRAVELS IN THE mercc ; I will fay more, it is the general cba* fa£ler of the Americans ; they are artful : I will explain the caufe of it hereafter. Mr, Bingham, one of the moft opulent citi- zens of Philadelphia, and one who, from his oftentation and luxury, cannot be very favour- able to the Quakers, fpoke of them to me in the higheft praife. He faid, that they were extremely pundlual in fulfilling their engage- ments, and that they never live beyond their income. '■ ' "'■ ^H'--^- -''-'' ^^' ■ And this will explain the common faying that you fo often hear repeated at Philadelphia, that the Quakers are fo cunning that the Jews them- felves cannot live among them. Ufurious Jews can never live among economical men, who have no need of borrowing money at enormous intereft ; for a fimilar reafon, a feller of pork cannot live among Jews. * ^ '^ ; ; «•;; iv M. Mazzei accufes the Quakers of a defire of gain ; though he is not fo formal in this ac- cufation as M. de Chaftellux. I will take this opportunity to make a remark on this common reproach, with which it is fo fafliionable to re- vile, not only the Quakers, but commercial peo- ple in o;eneral. i,!t ,:-^'^'^ * The author of Philofophical Travels in Eng- land fays, " We are luckily exempted in France t S fVom r:-n:fi. m§ mm tTNlTED STATES OP AMERICA. 34X from that Ipirit of avarice, that defire of gain 1 and we owe this exemption to the pride of a numerous body of nobles/'—More luckily, however, we are at prefent exempted from this very uieful body. But I would aik this noble traveller, with what fpirit thefe honourable no« bles beg and fawn for lucrative places and pen- iions ? With what fpirit do they engage, Tinder borrowed names, in all fpeculations and (lock- jobbing? With what fpirit do they require large gratifications for their patronage, fecret bribes from the Farmers- General, and a covered interefl in every enterprise that is carried on in the kingdom ? Is this the fame fpirit ; or is it better or worfe than the defire of gain^which appears to them fo vile in a merchant ? In two refpeds thefe men are infinitely below the mer- chant ; in the hypocrify of pretending to de- fpife a metal which they burn to poiiefs, and in the ufe which they make of it. Money gained in commerce, is generally employed in extend-* ing commerce and ufeful fpeculations ; money gained by a noble, is fpent in luxury, vanity, debauchery, and creating new poifons in fbciety. . The defire of gain in a merchant, confifts in amaffing wealth, in prefcrving it, and in watch- ing over his affairs with a conftant attention. Such then is the cringe of the Quakers. But Z 3 . in ■I: .K W r^' :%' 342. ' ;^" WEW TRAVELS IN THE ih reproaching them with it, we ought to con fider attentively the circiimftanccs of that fo- ciety': their religious priiiciples exclude them from all ambitious views, from all places and employments ; they muft then attend wholly to their induflry, to the fupport and eftablifh- ment of their children. They have, therefore, more need of amafling property than other ci- tizens, who may find the means of placing their children in public offices, in the army, the navy, or the church. > ^ « Finally, the Quakers, having renounced the occupations of intrigue, of amufements, and even of literature and the fcicnces, muft be occupied wholly in bufinefs ; and confequently appear more vigilant, that is, in the language of lazy nobility, mdre avaricious. • > - -M. Mazzei agrees, that the Quakers are vir- tuous ; but does not allow them to rank in this refpedt above other feds. He believes, that other feds have produced men as perfed as this. I believe it as well as he : the image of Fenelon gives me as agreeable an impreffion as that of Fothergill or Benezet. But I maintain, — ift, that the fe6l of the Quakers^ in proportion to their number, has produced more of thefe pro- digies. 2d, that no fed prefents to us a totali- ty fo perfed and harmonious, and an affemblagc .?. . . UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 343 of men fo pure and virtuous, or fo conftant a fcries of great and good adions. To prove this laft affertion, I will only call to your mind the emancipation of (laves, executed by them with unanimity, with the fame fpirit, and fol- lowed by numerous efforts to abolifli flavery, and to meliorate and educate the blacks. Let any one rite to me in all other fedls a flmilar inftance of difintereftednefs and humanity. Let a fe£t be mentioned which, like this, has made it a law never to take any part either in priva- teering*, or in contraband trade, even in a fo- reign country ; for they will not tempt a fo- reigner to violate the laws of his own country .^^ During the laft war, the Quakers palled a refolution, that whoever of their fociety Ihould pay a debt in paper money (then depreciated) fhould be excommunicated ; while, at that time, it was a crime to doubt of the goodnefs of this paper ; and the Quakers, like all other citizens, were obliged to receive it from their debtors at the nominal value. /ilc^i :. AlA", . .. "■ *'4. * I ought to mention the condu£^ of a Quaker, who in the laft war reftored to the original owner his part of a prize ac- cidentally taken by a merchant's ibip, in which be was btereft- edL ■ • ■ •* . ., ■ , , r* Z4 LETTER '^C:^',-£L:^ -ife;--. „ .'V-.-*:-- .- ±:rh« mm 344 .jf ' KIBW TRAVELS IH THf ^^rivj/i tii^d"'' 1-- •^l ■'■^^'■^.'LiT^r -■?.'•. r J.ETTER XXXIIT. y^^' THE EXTENT OF THE SOCIETY OF OyAKERS, ^^'^, THEIR REtlGIOUS PRJNCI?LE8, &C, t ** ■f' ■ 'y?yr /i/i' A SOCIETY, iimplc in its manners, ccono* mical, and devoted principally to agricul* ture and commerce, mud neceflarily increafo with great rapidity, Pennfylvania may be con- fidered as the mother country of the Quakers, who form a majority of its population. They are numerous in the States of New-York, New- Jerfcy, Maryland, and Rhode-Ifland ; fome in New^Hampfhire and Maflachufetts, Many of the Quakers have planted their tabernacles in that delightful valley which is waihed by the ghenadore, beyond the firft chain of mountains* They have no flaves ; they employ negroes as hired fervants, and have renounced the culture of tobacco : and this valley is obf^rve4 as thp bcft cultivated part of Virginia. They have pufhed their fettlements likewifp into the two Carolinas and Georgia. They gre beginning eflabliihments near the Ohio, and have A UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 345 have a confiderable one already at ReddonCy on the Monongahcla, i '' • It is to be wi(hed, for the happincfs of the Indians, and the peace of America, that all the planters of the frontiers poflefled the pacific principles of the Quakers : a lading union would foon be formed between them ; and blood would no longer flain the furrows which American indudry traces in the forefts. , The religion of the Quakers is the (impleft imaginable. It confifls in the voice of confci- ence, the internal fentiment, the divine inflind, which, in their opinion, God has imparted to every one. This inftindt, this light, this grace, which every perfon brings into the world with him, appears to them the only guide neceflary for the condudl of life. But to underftand the guide, it is neceflary to know it ; to be known, it ihould often be interrogated. Hence the ne- ceflity of frequent meditations ; hence the nul- lity of all formal worfhip, and the minidration of priefts^ for they coniider forms as fo many obftacles, which turn the attention from the voice within 1 and priefls pofleffing no more of the Divine Spirit than other men, caimot fup<- ply the want of meditation. jt, I have (hewn in my Critique on the Travels pf Cbaftellux, how ipuch this meditative wor- ''kty^'T'--'- \ ' imp ■ t*^' . -i^^iti^^-'i.-^.. ..J.'3 •.' ■ .i ., ^^ ;; s ••346 .!< NEW TRAVELS IN THE ' ' 4h'vp of the Deity is fuperior to the mechanical worflilp of other feds. I have proved that the roan who adores his Creator by meditating on his own duties, will neceflarily become good, tolerant, jui% and beneficent. You have here the key both of the moral chara£ler of the Qim- kers, and of oits extraordiiiary duration. Their virtue is an habit, a fecond nature. The Quakers have been much ridiculed for their belief in this interior printiple. For their Calumniators, fome of whom have called them- felves philofophers, are ignorant that this belief is not peculiar to the Quakers. We find it in a great number of fages, who have merited the homage of mankind. With Pj^Lhagoras, it was thd Eternal JVord^ the Great Light ^^^wiih. Anax- 'agoras, the Divine Soul^ — with Socrates, the -Good Spirit^ or £)^;/w;^,— with Timeus, the Uh- created Principle, — with Hieron, the Author of Delight, the God within the Man, — with Plato," the eternal ineffable and perfect Principle of Truths, L^vnxh Zeno, the Creator and Father of all, — and with Plotinus, the Root of the SouL Wheii thefe philofophers endeavoured to charaderife the ir.fluencc of this principle Within us, they ufed correfpondent exprefficns. Hieron called it a domcfic God, an internal God, — Socrates and Timeus, the Genius, or Angel, — Plotinus, the Divine UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 347' Divine Principle in Man^ — and Plato, the Rule of the Soul, the Internal Guide^ the Foundation of Virtue, ^.. ,: ' ,i ;^:^f I do not pretend to explain to you all the re- ligious principles of the Quakers; this would lead me too far ; not that their dogmas arc very numerous, for their dodlrine is more fimple and more concife than their morals. But this article, as well as their hiftory, ought to be treated at large. I can affureyou, that all the French au- thors who have written on them, without ex- cepting Voltaire, have been ignorant of the true fources of information. They have contented themfelves with feizing the objeds to which they could give a caft of ridicule, and have thrown afide every thing that could render that fbciety refpedable. . ; >j5ii:Mam: One inviolable practice of theirs, for inftance, is, never to difpute about dogmas. They have oCut off an endlefs chain of difputations, by not admitting the authority either of the Old or New Teftament to be fuperior to that of the internal principle, and by not hiring a clafs of men for the fole purpofe of difputing and tyrannizing, tinder the pretext of intruding. What torrents of blood would have been fpared, if the Cathohcs and Proteflants had adopted a rule of condud fo wife ; if inftead of quarrelling about unintelli- gible 3 ■ iM' r ,€. 348 NEW TRAVELS IN THE ? ~ gible words, about writings that may be chang- ed, about the authority of the Church and the Pope, they had believed in the internal Spirit, which for each individual msy be the fecret guide ! This guide has little concern with dogmas, and much with morals. .. Among the political principles of the Quakers, the moft remarkable are, never to take an oath, and never to take arms. I fliall fpeak of the latter in an article by itfelf ; as to their refufing to take an oath, it may be faid, that an oath adds no weight to the declaration of an honeft man; and perjury has no terrors for a knave. -? .^ ,. .Their difcipline is as fimple as their dodrine. In their marriages, thair births, and interments, they ufe only the forms neceffary to verify the exiftence of the fa(Sl. A Quaker cannot marry a perfon of another fe£t ; I aiked the reafon of this ; as it appeared to me a fign of intolerance. " The prefervation of our fociety," (replied a Quaker,) ♦* de» pends on the prefervation of the cuftoms which diftinguifh us from other men. This fingularity forces us to be more honeft ; and if we (hould unite our families with ftrangers, who are not of our fociety, individuals would fwervc from our ufages, and confound them with others. A Quaker woman- who (hculd marry a Prefby* ;. , . terian, Vf UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ^^^ tefiah, fubmits herfelf to the authority of a man over whom we have no influence ; and the fo- ciety fubfifts only by this domeftic voluntary and reciprocal influence." - -^- ^ > This influence is diredled by their different aflemblies. The monthly afiemblies are in general compofed of feveral neighbouring con- gregations. Their fundlions are to provide for the fubfiftence of the poor, and the education of their children ; to examine the new converts, and prove their morals; to fuftain the zeal and the religion of others ; to hear and judge their faults by means of fuperintendants appointed for this purpofe; to decide and fettle any difpute that may arife either between Quakers, or be- tween a Quaker and a ftranger, provided the latter will fubmit to their arbitrament. This latter objedl is one of the moft important; it pre- vents that cruel fcourge, (o ravaging in other countries, the fcourge of lawyers, the fource of fo much corruption, and the caufe of fuch fcan^alous divifions. This cuflom muft be of great advantage to Grangers who live in the neighbourhood of Quakers. The fociety ej^- communicates a member who will not fubmit to this arbitration. < .v "- -v-^ti^v Appeals are fometimes carried from the monthly to the quarterly aflemblies ; the prin- -• 7 • cipal fiw MM v.. 350 ../ NEW TRAVELS IN THE ij ^ -^ cipal bufinefs of the latter is to iuperiatend the operations of the former. ' ' t But the fuperintendance of the whole fociety belongs to the annual aflemblies. Thefe receive reports from the inferior bodies refpedling the flate of all parts of the fociety, give their advice, make regulations, judge definitively on the ap- peals from the lower aflemblies,. and write letters to each other, in order to maintain a fraternal correfpondence. - '" v; \^- There are feven annual aiTemblies. One at London, to which the Quakers in Ireland fend deputies ; one in New England, one at New York, one for Pennfylvania and New Jerfey, one in Maryland, one in Virginia, one f- r the two Carolinas and Georgia. -^ - ^ r As the Quakers believe that women may be called to the minidry as well as men, and as there are certain articles of difcipline which only concern the women, and the obfervance of which can be fuperintended only by them, they have likewife their monthly, quarterly, and annual meetings. But they have not the right to make regulations. This method is much more proper to maintain morals among women, than that of our Catholic ConfelTors; which fubjeds the feeble fex to the artifice, the fancie", and the empire of particular men; which opens the door* ,;J.t^^'i^ ta ,}l-i AM-'ifl.,-' ',-i,!A^:.'!'^'!^-^ .-.^vv^ftW^-. "- " UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 351 to the fftoft fcandalous fcenes, and often carries inquifition and aiffenfion into the bofom of families. ' • ^'''''■' '''•'^-.■- ■■"'■'■-'" -'"''■ •''*^' * The Quakers have no falaried prlefts ; theii* minifters are fuch men as are the mod remark- able for their zeal ; they fpeak the mod fre- quently in their meetings ; but all perfons, male and female, have an equal right to fpeak when- ever they feel an inclination. ' -- ^^v? .VV.4 Thefe minifters, 'with fome approved elders, hold monthly meetings, by themfelves, for tlieir own inftru£lion. In thefe meetings they revife, and order to be printed, fuch works as they choofe to have diftributed ; and they never fail to take fuch meafures, as that ufeful w^orks fhould be fold at a low price. ^^ , ,f. In ail thefe aflemblies, fome of which are very numerous, they have no prefident, nor any perfon who afTumes the leafl: authority. Yet the greateft order and harmony are always ob- ferved. You never hear two perfons fpeak at once in any of their mofl interefting delibera- ' tions. '^•- *A ■ ■ . ■■? f'nr:$m But what will furprife you more is, that in their numerous aflemblies, nothing is decideJ but by unanimity. Each member has a kind of fufpenifive negative. He has only to fay, / Jbave not clearnefs ; the queftion is then ad- si^f ^ journed. \\ •>.. f\ ...i;:vi.1\i.i,-. 'Ji A^^ii-i. j; r 352 ' NEW TRAVELS IN THE j I journed, and not decided till every membef i& agreed. ■'■* • '^ , ^^"'- ■ ■■'•■■-- '■ ^-.tJ.::.:.. This iifage appears to me highly honourable to the fociety ; it proves a wonderful union among this band of brothers ; it proves that the fame fpirit animates them, the fpirit of reafon, of truth, and of the public good. Deliberative affemblies in general would not be fubje£t to fuch long and violent difcuffions, if, like the Quakers, they were difengaged from all per- fonal ambition ; and if, to refolve doubts, the members addrefled themfelves only to the con- fciences of men. You will, perhaps, conclude from this, that this fociety c:in do but little bufinefs. This will be a m/alake ; no fociety does more for the public good. It is owing to them, that Phila- delphia has hitherto been preferved from the danger of theatres. Their petition this year, to prevent permidion being obtained to creft one, has been fuccefsfuL .! , .• ,. A thorough knowledge of the Qu^akers, my friend, is not to be obtained by going, likeChaf- tellux, for an hour into one of ':heir churches* Enter into their houfes ; you will find them the abodes of peace, harmony, gentlenefs, and fru- gality ; tender nefs to children, humanity to fer- vants. Go into their hofpitals ; you will there fee lit - wmm .,?■■ ' UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 3^53 fee the more touching effects of charity, in their unexampled clearilinefs, iii their aliments, ia their beds, and in their fcrupulous attentions. Vifit the afylums of old age and decrepitude ; you will find the cloth antl linen of the poor as decent as that of their benefadlors. Each one has his chamber, and enjoys not only the necef- faries, but many of the agreeables of life. ^ If you would quit the town, and walk over the farms of the Quakers, you will difcover a greater degree of neatnefs, order, and care, among thefe cultivators, than among any other. If you examine the interior organization of the fociety, you will find, in every church, a trea- fury for charity, containing more orlefs money, according to the wealth of the congregation. This is employed in aflifting young tradd'men, in fuccouring thofe who have failed jn buliiiefs through misfortune, thofe who have fufFered by fire and other accidents. You will find many rich perfons among them, who make it a con- ftant rule to give to this treafury one-tenth of their revenue. , ,. ■;,, „,^. ?..,,,. .^«.,.,. .,..'4:#. I am perfuaded, my friend, that, after having well examined this fociety under all thefe de-, tails, /ou would cry out. If to-morrow I v/ere reduced to poverty, and to be deftitute of the fuccour of my friends, God grant that I might t Vol. I. A a finifii 554." NEW TRAVELS IN THS ^^ finifh my days in a Quaker hofpital : if to-mor*f row I were to become a farmer, let me haVif'' members of this fociety for my neighbours;' they would inftrudl me by their example and ' advice, and they would never vex me with law- ^ lUltS* --"• '-•■.. - nf . > ;.,..., rf . ■ .. . r vii jfifwijF.»7> ^ v'^^'^^^^i. E T T E R XXXIV. ^niR :;fft THE REFUSAL OF Q^TAKERS TO TAKE ANY riuj iU iJi-»iJ/,:vi PART IN WAR.' , K'5 IJOy ll •\ ...» THESE wife men have feen that the great balls of univerfal happinefs muft be uni-' verfal peace ; and that to open the way to that peace, we mufl pronounce an anathema againft the art of war. Sacred writings have taught' ■"■'?'*■ tis to believe, that the time will come when nation fhalt no more lift the fword againft na- tion : and to lead to the accomplifhment of fo confoling a prophecy, this people believe that example is more powerful than words ; that kings will always find the fecret of perpetuating wars, as long as they can hire men to murder each other ^ and that it is their duty, as a fo- ciety, to refolve never to take arms, or contri- bute ^1 e UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 355 I- bute to the expenccs of any war. They have been tormented, robbed, imprifoned, and mar- tyred ; they have liiffered every thing ; till ty- ranny itl'elf, wearied with their perfeverance, has exempted them from military fervice, and has been driven to indirect meafures to force contributions from their hands. - ' '* Hi^t^ -*^-'m6 t:: What then would become of our heroes and our conquerors, our Fredericks and our Potem- kins, if all religious fe6ts ha J adopted the fame pacific fpirit, and no man could be found who would confent to be trained like an automaton to the infernal art of killing his fellow creatures ? V' If we wifh for the happinefs of mankind, let us pray, that this fociety may cover the whole globe ; or let us endeavour, at lead, to procure the adoption of their humane principles by all,, men. Then would be realifed that univerfal peace which the Quakers have already realifed in thofe countries where they have influence, i • In Pennfylvania, they found the fecret of de- fending themfelves from the fcourge of mili- , tary flaughter until the war of 1755, between France and England. Though mingled with the Indians, no quarrels arole amongft them which extended to the fpiUing of blood. '*?l •, The government of England, with all its manoeuvres, could never engage the Quakers to "T>il:/ A a 2 give »» 35* ''-' »BW TRAVELS IW THB'T/MJ give any afliftancc to the military before this war. They not only refufed it, but they re- iigned all the places which they had held in the government of the colony 5 for it v^as before aU moft entirely in their hands ; and fuch was their economy, that the produce of the cuftom- houfe, and a fmall excife, were always fufficient to defray the public expences ; fo that no other tax was known in the colony. • ^ •■''> f^^^' The war of 1755 changed this order of things, and occafioned heavy expences, which- the colonies were obliged to pay. The Qua- kers were fubje£led to them, as well as others i but they not only refufed, as a fociety, to pay tiixes, of which war was the object:, but they excommunicated thofe who paid them. They perfevered in this practice in the lall war. t'--mi ^ At this time an animolity was kindled againft tliem, which is not yet extinguifhed. Faithful to their principles, they declared, that they would take no part in this war, and they ex- H ; communicated all fuch as joined either the Ame- lican or the Britifh aimy.^ •¥r : -..t ',V4-M , .:—r,l j '•*.■■•/:* ■ " «■ i »* I am well convinced of the facred and divine ^principle which authorifes reliftance to oppref- iion ; and I am well convinoed, that oppreffion was here manifeft ; I muft therefore blame the neutrality of the Quakers on this occafiont^ , ^.i .^ .-. -^^ ^ when UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 357 when their brethren were Tightiiig for iiidc* pcndence. But I believe, likewife, that it was wrong to perfecute them fo violently for their pacific neutrality. • ' i^ If this inftance of refufal had been the firft of the kind, or if it had been didlated by a fee ret attachment to the Britifh caule, certainly they would have been guilty, and this perfecutioa would perhaps have been legitimate. But this- neutrality was commanded by their religious opinions, conftantly profefled, and pra£lifed by the fociety from its origin. , 1 ,.., ^i^i.^ No perfon hr.s fpoken to me with more im- partiality refpeding the Quakers than General Waftiington, that celebrated man, whofe fpirit of juftice is remarkable in every thing. He de- clared to me, that, in the courfe of the war, he had entertained an ill opinion of this fociety; he knew but little of them, as at that time ' there were but few of that fed in. Virginia ; and he had attributed to their political fenti- ments, the efFcdl of their religious principles. He told me, that having fince known thent better, he acquired an efteem for them ; and that, confidering the fimplicity of their man- ners, the purity of their morals, their exempla- ry economy, and their attachment to the con- . ftitution, he conlidered this fociety as one of A a 3 the >■ 't.^ ^.'.'. ■•«<.■ > IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) {■/ 4r 1.0 1.1 £[ ua 12.0 u 2.5 2.2 11-25 III 1.4 U4 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WBT MAIN STRiiT WtUTER.N.Y. MSM (716) •72-4503 iV ^ ■ 'i?:' 358 '» NEW TRAVELS IN TttK the beft fupports of the new government, which requires a great moderation, and a total banifh- ment of luxury. as5»*,n * ^ It was not under this point of view that they were* regarded by the Congrefs which laid the foundation of American independence. This Congrefs joined their perfecutors, and banifhed fome of their moft noted leaders to Staunton in Virginia, two hundred miles from their fami- lies. My friend, Myers Fifher, was of the number. M. Mazzei quotes the violent Ad- drefs publi(hed by Paine againft them, but takes care not to quote the Anfwer made to it by Fiflier. But fuch is the logic of this calumni- ator of the Quakers. Since the peace, they have been fubjeded to another kind of vexa- tion. Each citizen, from fixteen to fifty- five years of age, is obliged by law to ferve in the militia, or to pay a fine. The Quakers will not ferve nor pay the fine. The colledor, whofe duty it is to levy it, enters their houfes, takes their furniture, and fells it ; and the Qua-* kers peaceably fubmit. ,„-. ,.x.; , a; This method gives great encouragement to knavery. Colledlors have been known to take goods to the amount of fix times the fine, to fell for a (hilling what was worth a pound, never to return the furplus, nor even to pay the ftate, but .*> w ^. J.J UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 359 fcHtifterwards becomJ bahkfbpts. Their fuc- rcfbrs would then cgme and demand the fine already paid ; but the Quakers have complained of thele abufes to the legiflature, and an ad is paiTed fufpending thcfe colle£tions till Septem- ber 1780. ' '" ^ \. It wo\dd be very eafy to reconcile the wants of the flate, and the duty of the citizen, with the religious principles of the Quakers. You might fubjedl them only to pacific taxes, and require them to pay a larger proportion of them. This is already done in Virginia, in ubolifhing, with refpe<5l to them, the militia fervice. With this view of their chara£ter, you will agree with me, my friend, that our government ought to haften to naturalize this purity in France. Their example might ferve to rege- nerate our manners ; without which we cannot certainly preferve our liberty for a long time, though we (hould be able to acquire it. The Catholic religion, which predominates in France, can be no obje*5lion to it ; for the Quakers hate no fedt, but are friendly to all. They have ever lived in particular harmony with the Catholics of Pennfylvania and Maryland. James Pem- berton told me, that in the war of 1 740, he knew a mob of fanatical Prefbyterians, with axes in their hands, going to deftroy a Catholic *'-*■ A a 4 chapel. ■JT ' 360 MtW TRAVttS 5tW T»» chapel. Tea or twelve Qj^^ers flopped them, exhorted them, and they difperfed without ef?- Jeftiiig their defign. / Living in harmony with aU other fe6ts, they preferve no refentment againd the apoftates from their own, notwithftanding the troubles which they experienced from them. Reafon is the only weapon which they ufe. .v , j^ i«.|5s%^^ / , '*** - Pojifcript written in 1790, ^ If the old government had an intereft in in- viting Qnakers to France, this intereft is doubled lince the Revolution. The fpirit of that fociety agrees with the fpirit of French liberty in the following particulars : That fociety has made great eftablifhments without effufion of blood ; the National Affem- bly has renounced the idea of conqueft, which is almoft univerfally and conftantly the caufe of war. That fociety pradifes jniverfal tolerance ; the Aflembly ordains it. The fociety obferves fimplicity of worihip ; the Aflembly leads to it. The fociety pra6lifes good morals, which arc the ftrongeft Supports of a free government ; the political regeneration of France, which the Aflembly is about to confummate, condudls neceflarily to a regeneration of morals. \ .-■-'■.- " If :l!3 :.*:. VNIT«0 STATES QP AMBIlfCA. ^| If the French are armed from North to South, it is for liberty, it is for the terror of defpotifm, it is to obey the commands of God ; for God has willed that man (lioukl be free, fince he has endowed him with reafon ; he has willed that he ihoukl ufe all efforts to d^end himfelf from that tyranny which defaces the only image of the Deity in man, his virtues and his talents. j.:.;v^*«i^ But not withftanding this ardour in the French to arm themfelves in fo holy a caufe, they dp npt lefs refpeft the religious opinions of the Quakers, which forbid them to fpill the blood of their enemies. This error of their huma«- nity is fo charming, that it is alqioft as good as a truth. We are all ftriving'for the famq ob- jed, univerfal fraternity j the Quakers by geHr tlenefs, we by reiiftance. Their means ar^ thofe of a focicty, pijr^ thiQjfe of ^powerful jja* tioiu \- .,. 1 -* '• .^§|ii^!W::;;*^ ,'^.^u/i.H;^/i..^*#.. •■^|ii ''*^y^r •fM-^ ■i ■'•■ LETTER 3«2 NEW TRAVELS I W *HE ,«v. !■.*• ^'^-^It LETTER XXXV. « '*•- ^|i^^^. T?^^V JOURNEY TO MOUNT VERNON IN VIRGINIA. ^k'-^^btr '> If fi^/'il 'i ON the 15th of NovembeK 1788, I fet out from Philadelphia for Wilmington, dif- tance twenty-eight miles, and road tolerably good. The town of Chefter, fifteen miles from Philrdelphia, is a plaqe where ftrangers like to reft. It ftands on a creek, which falls into the Delaware. It enjoys fome commerce, and the taverns here are good. *'' J. ! i ? M It »|y M•i:^/^)l^:,.^^a»i4 ^"^ Wilmington is much more confiderable ; it ftands likewife on a creek near the Delaware ; the bafis of its commerce is the exportation of flour. One mile above Wilmington, you pafs the town of Brandy wine ; the name of which will callto your mind a famous battle gained by the Englifti over the Americans, eight miles from this town, on a river of the fame name. This town is famous for its fine mills ; the moft confiderable of which is a paper-mill belonging to Mr. Gilpin and Myers Fifher, that worthy orator and man of fcience, whom I have often mentioned. Their procefs in making paper, ef- pecially k a J. ■4 Wf ' * UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 363 pecially in grinding the rags, is much more fimple than ours. I have feen fpecimens of their paper, both for writing and printing, equal to the fineft made in France. ui Wilmington is a handlbme town, well-built, and principally inhabited by Q^iakers. I have feen many refpedlable perfons among them, particularly Dodtor Way. The celebrated Mr, Dickinfon, who refides here, was, unfortunate- ly for me, out of town. ^ r »j^ . I pafl'ed two evenings in company with Mift Vining, that amiable v/omon, whom the licen- tious pen of Chaftellux has calumniated, as hav- ing too m.uch tafte for gallantry. If we believe the teftimony of all her acquaintance, this trait which he has give her is an inexcufable libel. The Quakers themfelves, to whom her gaiety cannot be pleafing, declare that her condudl has been uniformly irreproachable. But I believe, that this malicious and cowardly (haft, hurled in fecurity from the other fide of the Atlantic, has eflentially injured her. At nine miles from Wilmington, I paftChrif- tine-Bridge, a place of fome commerce. From thence to the head of Elk, you fee but few plantations, you run through eight miles of woods, only meeting with a few log-houfes, jyhen you arrive at Kenderfou's layern, a very *» good !»Ifl!" X •^tm J64 NkW TRAVBr.S IN THE good intii aloue in the rn'uKl of vafl ibrcds. It i$ twciity-tvvo miles from thence to the ferry of the Suiquchautiah. 1 he town licre is called Havre dc Grace, a name given it by a French* man wlio laid the foundation of the town. It i$ at prcfent an irregular mafs of about 150 houfcs ; but there is no doubt, when the en- trance c*^ the river Ihnll be rendered navigable, but this will be an iuterclVing fituation, and a populous town. Here is a charming garden be- ^ longing to the proprietor of the ferry, from which 1 had a delicious proipeiSl: of that magni* ficent river ; which in this place is more than » cnilc and a half wide, interfperfed with idands. From thence to Baltimore are reckoned fixty miles. The road in general is frightful, it is QTcr % clay foil, full of deep ruts, always in the midft of fbreils ; frequently obftrudcd by trees Qverfet by the wind, which obliged us to feek H new paflage among the woods. I cannot con- ceive why the ftage does not often overfet. Both the drivers and their' horfes difcover great fltill and dexterity, being accuftomed to thefc iroads. .-^.*^i » But why arc they not repaired ? Overfecrs of the roads are indeed appointed, and fines are fometimes pronounced on delinquencies of this kind ; but they arc ill collected. Every thing 18 -.» VNITBD STATBS OV AMBUICA. 365 II here degraded ; it la one of the effects of flavery* The (lave works as little as poflibla } and the maftcr, eager of vile enjoy meivts^ find* other (Kcupations than fending hi:, negroes to repair the roads. ,. ,^; Hffr,fH> n> . Some vaft fields of Indian corn, but bad cuU tlvation, pale faces vvuni by the fever and aguei naked negroes, and mil'erablc huts, arc themoft ftriking images olTcrcd to the eye of the tra** vellcr in Maryland. * • ^^ :•*- ^.r,u We arrived at Baltimore in the night ; but I viewed this town on my return, It contains near two thoufand houfcs ; and fourteen thou* fand inhabitants. It is irregularly built, and on land but little elevated above the furface of Pa^ tapfco Bay, on the north of which it forms a crcfccnt. The bay is not fufficiently deep to receive the. largefl fliips ; they anchor near Feirs Point, two miles from the centre of the town. There are flill (lagnant waters in th« town ; few of the fireets are paved ; and t^c great quantities of mud after rain, annoi^kice that the air mud be unhealthy ; but alk the in* habitants, and they will tell you no. You may fay here^ like the Swifs, ia the heat of a battle, ^* If you believe thefe people, nobody can dio here!" 4_^^< Baltimore was but a village before the war ^ * but '.fl:- 366 *^ N2W TRAVELS IN THE but during that period, a confiderable portion of the commerce of Philadelphia was removed to this place. The greateft fhips come as far as here ; but can go no farther ; vaft quantities of proviiions defcend the Sufouehannah, and when that river fhall be navigable, Baltimore muft be a very confiderable port. ' ,Mc»fe»;; /^j - The quarrel about federalifm divided the town at the time I was in it ; and the two par- tics almoft came to blows on the eledion of their reprefentatives. '- ^'^ '■*■ ' ■ V' We left Baltimore for Alexandria at four in the morning; diftant about fixty miles, bad roads, a rude waggon, excellent horfes, Ikilful condudors, poor cultivation, miferable huts, and miferable negroes. ^^J;^^**^^ -^ They fhewed me a plantation belonging to a Quaker ; there were no (laves upon it. I faw BruOitown, a new village that the State of Ma- ryland has pointed out for the feat of a college] This edifice is nearly completed ; it is on an eminence, and enjoys a good air. We break- faded in this village, and dined at Bladenfbury^ iiztcen miles from Alexandria. It is fituated on a little river, which difcharges itfelf into the Potowmack, and which admits Bateaus of twenty or thirty tons. We could find nothing to drink but brandy or rum mixed with water. H^u In UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 367 In countries cultivated by flaves there is no in«^ duftry, nor domeftic economy. The people' know neither the advantage nor the method of making beer or cyder on their farms. -*.*»- ^-4 George-town terminates the State of Mary- land : it overlooks the Potowmack, has an agr^- able lituation, and a confiderable commerce. Regulations and imports, inconfiderately laid on commerce by the State of Virginia, have ba- nifhed to George-town a confiderable part of the commerce of Alexandria. ^ t'^ ^^ -Amut *m This place is eight miles below George- town, on the oppofite fide of the Potowmack. Alex- andria has grown from nothing to its prefent^ fize within thefe forty years. It is not fo con-' fiderabie as Baltimore, which it ought to fur-; pafs. It is almod as irregular and as deftitute' of pavements. You fee here a greater pa- 1*^. rade of luxury ; but it is a miferable luxury ;' fervants with filk ftockings in boots, women elegantly dreffed, and their heads adorned with feathers. .>{ irfM*ii* k ;** ^^ ». The inhabitants, at the clofe of the war, ima- gined that every natural circumftance conipired to render it a great commercial, town,— ^the fa- lubrity of the air, the profundity of the river admitting the largeft (hips to anchor near the ' quay, an immenfe extent of back country, fer- tile 4 ^/» •'* 368^ ;lfIW TRAVELS IN TBB tUc and abounding in pfoviiions. They havtf* therefore built on every fide, comitiodious (lore- houfes and elegant wharfs ; but commejce ftill languidies on account of the r^(lra* 374 NEW TRAVELS JN THE mans, they fhall one day give law to the whole north. There is a glafs mr.nufadory forty miles from Alexandria, which exported iaft year to the amount of ten thoufand pounds in glafs ; and .pptwithftanding the general character of indor, lencc in this State, the famous cafial of the Pq- towmack advances with rapidity. Crimes are more frequeqt in Virginia than ii^ the norther^. States. This refults from the qpequal divifioa of property, and from flavery, ^ -f ^ Wherever you find luxury, and efpecially a miferable luxury, there provifions, e/en of the firft neceflity, will be dear. I experienced this in Virginm. At a tavern there I paid a dollar for a fupper, which in Penniylvania would have coft me two (hillings, in Conne£licut one. For- ter, wine, and every article, bear an exceffivc price here. Yet this dearnefs is owing in pari \0 other caufes hereafter to be explair^etj, .^ i' i *" T.5 ' ' ij : f% ' :■ * '' J 4 ' "kjf'H' '' i ■m^ ^' '■'' l'-*: mi ff^ :i^M^ >. ■■^'H jTjr&^-V Wl0j^%^^^^^'^^^Mrm0^^ >»■ ^t' ^a.n^^ M jfi ^A '^ l,eTTER VNITED STATES OP AMERICA. ^i; ■ v: ^ J \- LETTEH XXXVU. THE TOBACCO OF VIRGINIA, AND THE TOBACCO NOTES. ! A- ti Jt. I HAVE found, with pleafure, that your excel- lent article on thg tobacco, inferted in our work Je la France et des Etats Unist is nearly exa61: in all its details. It is true that tobacco requires a ftrong fertile foil, and an uninterrupt- ed care in the tranfplanting, weeding, defend- ing from inieds, cutting, curing, rolling, and packing. - *■ ' '■^^'•'■' '-' '' v-* .^:..^..- ..^j ^ Nothing but a great crop, and the total ab- negation of every comfort, to which the ne- groes are condemned, can compenfate the ex- pences attending this production before it arrives at the market. Thus in proportion as the good knds are exhaufted, and by the propagation, of the principles of humanity, lefs hard labour is required of the flaves, this culture muft decline. And thus you fee already in Virginia fields en- ciofed, and meadows fucceed to tobacco. Such is the fyftem of the proprietors who beft under- B b 4 . {land ^r^il .^* K 376 NEW TRAVELS IN THE ftand their intereft j among whom I place Ge- neral Wafliiiigton, who has lately renounced the culture of this plant. If the Virginians knew our wants, and what articles would be moft profitable to them, they would pay great attention to the culture of cot- ton i the confumption of which augments fo prodigioufly in Europe, l^will not enlarge here oh the fubjedl of tobacco, which many authors have explained ; but I will give you fome ideas on that kind of paper-currency called tobacco- money ; the ufe of which proves, that nations need not give themfelves fo much inquietude as they ufually do on the abfence of fpecie. In a free and fertile country, the conftant produce of the land may give a Hxed value to any kind of reprefentative of property. \ v '^^ ,^vj; /f);^ >| / This State has public magazines, where the tobacco IS depofited. Infpcdors are appointed to take charge of thefe magazines, and infpe(f^ the quality of the tobaceoj which, if merchant- able, is received, and the proprietor is furaiiihcd with a note for the quantity by him depofited. This note circulates freely in the State, accord- ing to the known value of the tobacco. The price is different, according to the place where it is infpefted. The following places are rank-i (id according to the rigidity of the infpedlion ; i ■ -r tianover* :-.'.• .»' 7 ^ UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 377 Hanover-Court, Pittfburg, Richmond, Cabin- Point. When the tobacco ia worth (ixteen (hillings at Richmond, it is worth twenty-one at Hanover- Court. The tobacco travels to one place or the other, according to its quality; and if it is refufed at f».ll places, it is exported by contraband to the iflands, or confumed in the country. There are two cuttings in a year of this crop ; the firft only is prefented for in- fpedljon, the fccond confumed in the countr or fmi'ggled to the iflands. " '** As Virginia produces about eighty thoufand hogfheads, there circulates in the State about eight hundred tbouland pounds in thefe notes ; thts is the reafon why the Virginians have not need of a great quantity of circulating fpecie, nor of copper coin. The rapid circulation of this tobacco- money fupplies their place. This fcarcity, however, of fmall money fub- je£l:s the people to great inconveniences, and has given rife to a pernicious pradice of cut- ting pieces of iilver coin into halves and quar- ters ; a fource of many little knaveries, A perfon cuts a dollar into three pieces, keeps the middle piece, and paifes the other two for half dollars. The perfon who receives thefe with- out weighing, lofes the difFerehce, and the one who takes them by weight, makes a fraudulent V profit ■;•:•?■■■,■ 37^ NEW TRAVELS IN THE profit by giving them again at their pretended value ; and fo the cheat goes round. But notwithftanding this pitiful refource of cutting the filver, fociety fufFers a real injury for want of a plentiful copper coin ; it is calculated, that in the towns the fmall expences of a family are doubled, on account of the impoflibility of finding fmall change. It fliews a flriking want of order in the government, and increafes the mifery of the poor. Though tobacco exhaufts tiie land to a prodigious degree, the proprietors take no pains to reftore its vigour ; they take \yhat the foil will give, and abandon it when it gives no longer. They like better to clear new lands, than to regenerate the old. Yet theft abandoned lands would ftill be fertile, if they V^erp properly manured and cultivated. The Virginians take . no tobacco in fubftance, either jn the nofe or mouth ; fome of them fmokc, but this pra£lice is not fo general among them 9S in the Carolinas. * - , „. .; , . ; The. American^ wifli for the free commerce of tooacco with France; and they complain much of the monopoly of the .farmers -general. If this monopoly were remove(J, and the tobac- CO. fub'iefled only to a fmall duty on importation into Prance, there is no doubt but; that the Ame- ricans would mate our country the ftore-houfe .. . ■' ^ ' , of k j^fM Ml. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 379 of thofe itnmenfe quantities with which they inundate Europe. You know that they are now carried chiefly to England ; where about the tenth part is confumed, and the refl is ex- ported. England pays the whole in her own merchandize. Judge then of the profit flic muft draw from this exchange ; then add the commifHon, the money expended in England by a gicat number of Americans whom this commerce leads thither, and the profits of other branches of bufinefs that are the confequence of this* ' * *♦ •f'-*trt Such are the advantacres which it is in the power of France to acquire over England ; but we muft abolifh the farms, and content our- felves with a fmall duty on the importation. The high duty paid in England on tobacco, will prevent the Americans from giving the preference to that country. It amounts to fif- teen pence fterling on the pound. Though jEngland confumes little tobacco, (he draws from it a revenue of 600,000 pounds flerling, The ftate of the finances of that ifland will not admit of her diminifhing this duty in order to rival France, Cofitifjue thei^ •iny friend, to preach your dodtrin^. t The great confumption of tobacco in all cbun- - \\\p^i ^nd the pi;olybitiYPJ'egulasio|is of ^moft .••'■5Si., V < 380 NEW TRAVELS IN THE . all governments, may engage tlie Americans to continue this culture ; for ar> they can furnifh it at a low price, as they navigate at fmall ex- pence, as no people equal them in cnterprife and induftry, they may undertake to furnifh the whole earth. Spain, for inftancc, will doubtlefs become a market for them. The author of the Nouveau Voyage en Efpagne makes the revenue which the king draws from this article amount to twenty millions of livres (X^33^333t ^erling). The greater part of this tobacco is brought from Brafil by the Portuguefe, fold to the king at five •• pence fterling the pound, and then fold by him at eight (hillings and four- pence. At the expiration of the prefent contrail:, fays the fame author, the Americans will offer a more advantageous one, and it is fajd they will have the preference. ^ , . ^: .\^ This high price encourages a confiderablt contraband in Spain, though interdi£led by the pains of death. The law is '00 rigid to be exe-t cuted. '*' ' The tobacco of the Miffiflipi and the Ohio" will, doubtlefs, one day furnifh the greater part of the confumption of Spain as well as of France ; which, if the fyftem of liberty (hould be adopted, will become immenfe. For it is • : r. ' proved. mi: UNITED STATES. OF AMERICA. 381 proved, by thofc who know the fecrcts of the farm, that the confumptloii of the latter amounts to more than thirty millions of pounds aiaiually, indead of fifteen, as we have been commanded to believe. / . •I -,' ■ I..:-' V.,' >"f ■ ; %''^''(\* :, r. •h-^ LETTER XXXVIII. i' \ ■■•^■•'4 '/ittl^^ '■^' ilw^r'-H^'ili 1-: !»' -J THE VALLEY OF SHENADORE IN VIRGINi,A. •^T PROPOSED, my friend, on quitting Alex- ' X andria, to vifit that charming valley, wafhed by the Shenadore, of which JefFerlbn and Crc- vecoeur have given us fo feducing a defcription. From thence I intended to return by the vale of Lancafter, and pay my refpeds to the virtuous Moravians. But the approaching revolution in France haftening niy return, I am obliged to content rayfelf with giving you fome idea of that country where we have been invited to fix our tabernacles ; and to borrow the obfervations "of different travellers, who have this year ob- fervcd, vith great attention, the lands fituated between the difFerent chains of mountains .,which feparate Virginia from the wellern ter- :^^itorv^7m- 4*,-- mm * '■.y-- -^"^ i f /i^k 382 NEW TRAVELS IN THE The valley of Shcnadore, which lies between the fouth mountain and the north, or endlefs mountain, is from thirty to forty miles wide ; chalky bottom, a fertile foil, and a good air. This (ituation offers almoft all the -advantages of the weftern country, without its inconveni- ences. It is almofl in the centre of the United States, and has nothing to fear from foreign enemies. It lies between two confiderable ri- vers, which fall into the Chefapeak ; and though the navigation of thefc rivers is inter- rupted for the prefent, yet there is no doubt, from the progrt fs of the works on the Potow- mack, that this inconvenience will foon be re- moved, r .-•■'■;:.;_ ..,■..» ■ X:. ..■ll;».fw,Tt;p t The price of lands here, as elfewhere, varies according to their quality ; you may purchafe at any price, from one to five guineas the acre, land of the fame quality as in Pen nfylvania from four to twenty guineas. '■'^'^* ^-^^ - -^ -■-'-■ "^^ 4 ^^:i'0$:t^::,.': The average diflance of thefe lands frdm com- mercial towns is as follows : fifty miles from George- town, about fifty miles from Alexan- dria, eighty or an hundred from Richmond and from Baltimore. But this part of the country is ftill more inviting for its future profpedts. " Of all the rivers that difcharge into the Atlan- tic, the Potowmack offers the mofl dirt&. com- y -V » municatio|)t ,# UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. jtfj munication with the rivers of the wed. This circumftance will make it one day the great channel of intercourfe for almoft all the United States ; and its fituation renders it fccure againft Being interrupted by war. ^ But to realize the advantages wTiich the (itu- - ation of this country feems to promile, requires a reformation of manners, and the banilhment ' of luxury, which is more confiderable here than in Pennfylvania. You muft banilh idlenefs and ' the love of the chace, which are deeply rooted in the foul of the Virginians ; and, above all things, you muft bani(h flavery ; which infalli-* bly produces thofe great fcourges of fociety, lazinefs and vice, in one clafs of men, uninduf- trious labour and degrading miiery in another. The view of this deforming wound of huma- nity will difcourage foreigners of fenfibility from coming to this ftate, while they have not to dread this difgufting fpedacle ia Pcnn- ij^lvania. .-. ^,v... -,..■.„-.- ..-;.,.,:........ ,..,.,-^^i, ■•; ^ But it is in a co;untry life in America, that true happihefs is to be found by him who is wife enough to make it confift in tranquillity of foul, in the enjoyment of himfelf, and of nature. . What is the fatiguing agitation of our great ci- ties, compared to this delicious calmnefs ? The trees, my friend, do not calumniate ; they revile t^'- :^\^^,<'i ■ ■ . ■• ''': ■■■■ • . '^^ . liot ■# M t * P'^% -t 384 . NEW TRAVELS IN THE not their benefadors ; men of the greateft merit cannot always fay this of their fallow creatures. 't ■ • ■>■ ; ' ?{'■. i^/i-'; ^ ';'^*^':'*f. ■ ;i Iff''' ■ >"■ i LETTER XXXIX. JOURNEY FROM BOSTON TO PORTSMOUTH. •■*^, ^-y- i^'i\\,. 4''- ,!'', -t/V :i«J v'. ^ r . .. Oaober, 1788. I LEFT Bofton the 2d of Oaober, after din- ing with my worthy friend Mr. Barret * ; to whom I cannot pay too lincere a tribute of praife for his amiable qualities, or of gratitude for the readinefs he has manifefted on all occa- lions in procuring me information on the obje£ls of my refearch. We flept at Salem, fifteen miles from Bofton ; an excellent gravelly road, bordered with woods and meadows. This road paffes the fine bridge of Maiden, which I men- tioned before, and the town of Linn remarkable for the manufadure of women's fhoes. It is calculated that more than an hundred thoufand pairs are annually exported from this town. At Reading, not far from Linn, is a fimilar manu- fa^ure of men's (hoes. * He is of a rcfpeftable fgmily in Bofton. He is lately named Conful of the United States in France. Salem, ,,. UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 385 Sa^em, like all other towns in America, has a printinp: prcfs and a gazette. I read in thi\ gazette the difcourfe pronounced by M. D'Epre- minil when he was arreftcd in full parliament in Paris. What an admirable invention is the prefs ! it brings all nations acquainted with each other, and eleflrizes all men by the recital of good actions, which thus become common to all. This difcourfe tranfported the daup^hters of my hoftefs : D'Epreminil appeared to them a Brutus *. It was cold, and we had a fire in a Franklin ftove. Thefe are common here, and thofe chim- neys that have them not, are built as defcribed by M. de Crevecoeur : they rarely fmoke. The miftrefs of the tavern (Robinfon) was taking tea with her daughters ; they invited us to par- take of it with them. — I repeat it, we have no- thing like this in France. It is a general re- mark through all the United States ; a tavern- keeper muft be a rcfpe£lable man, his daughters are well dreft, and have an air of decency and civility. We had good provifions, good beds, attentive fervants ; neither the fervants nor the coachmen a(k any money. It is an excellent pradice ; for this tax with us not only becomes 4 ■4 , ■: 1*t-^i|,^^|, ,. * Ileuf quantkf$ mutatus ah ilTd / i^ Vol. I. C c infupport^ -^ ^- K ' <^ %, % 5&6 , N^W TRAVELS IN THE infupportable on account of the pcrfccution* which it occaiions, but it gives 'men an air of .bafenels, and accufloms to the fcrvility of ava- : rice. Salem has a conliderable commerce to the iflands, and a great a^ivity of bufinefs by the cod fiflicry* "■■•.,,.. ft,.. -— \.^ ''^i-;yi/ ■" • - At Londonderry, a town chiefly inhabited by Irilh, is a confiderable nianufafture of linen. We dined at Newberry with Mr. Tracy, who formerly enjoyed a great fortune, and has iince been reduced by the failure of diiFcrent enter- prifes, particularly by a contradl to furnifli mafts for the marine of France. The mifcar- riage of this undertaking was owing to his^ having employed agents in procuring the firfl: cargo, who deceived him, and fcnt a parcel of . ^ lis irft of tufe UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 387 , 'irefufe mafts that were only fit for fire-wood. .Though the manner in which Mr. Tracy had been deceived was fufficiently proved ; yet, for the clerks of t|je marine at Verfailles, whofe ir»- tereft it was to decry the American timber, this fad was fufficient to enable them to caufe it ever after to be rejeded. And Mr. Tracy's firfl: cargo was condemned and fold at Havre for 250I. He lives retired ; and, with the confola- tion of his refpedable wife, fupports his misfor- tunes with dignity and firmnefs. -'-- ^^'^-v'^ Newberry would be one of the beft ports in the United States, were it not for a dangerous bar at the entrance. The bulinefs of (hip- building has much declined here. In the year 1772 ninety veffels were built here, in, 1788 only three. This town ftands at the mouth of the fine river Marrimak, abounding in fifli of different kinds. ^ ,,^ ,. ,^ / Twenty-four miles of fine road brings you from Newberry to Portfmouth, the capital of New Hampfhire. There is little appearance of a£livity in this town. A thin population, many houfes in ruins, women and children in rags ; every thing announces decline. Yet there are. elef^ant houfes and fome commerce. Portfmouth is on the Pifcatuay, a rapid and deep river, which never freezes till four miles above the ■A^m Cc 3 town. % ,^:-' 3U8 NEW TRAVELS IN THfi " • town. This was formerly one of the greatest markets for (hip-timber. Colonel Wentwortb, one of the moft intelligent and efteemed citi- zens, was the agent of the Englilh government and of the EaPt- India Company for that article. -This company is now renewin^g its demands for this timber. Every thing in this town is com>- merce and (hip-building. ' ' ^'-'^m--' <-W^: -K'^'^ Prefident Langdon himfelf is a merchaiit ; he is extremely well informed in every thing that concerns his country. You may recoiled:, that at the time of the in-vafion of Burgoyne, he was the firft to mount his horfe and lead off his fel- low citizens to fight him. He appears well perfuaded, as well as Colonel Went worth, that the furefl road to the profperity of their coun- try, is the adoption of the new federal govern- ment.- •-^••viv,-'*';:.;* -^ •■■■■■' ,. .':r -,.!- j'-T -. ■ ,- .■.. v,ri:«i-'^-r--"-"T We left Portfmouth on Sunday, and came to dine at Mr. Dalton's, five miles from Newberry, on the Marrimak : this is one of the finefl: Citu^ ations that can be imagined. It prefents an agreeable profped of feven leagues. This farm is extremely well arranged ; I faw on it thirty cows, numbers of flieep, &c. and a well-fur- nifhed garden. Mr. Dalton occupies himfelf much in gardening, a thing generally negkded in America. He has fine grapes, apples, and ■i# Al %-^^ ,.3 VNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 389 pears; but he complains that children ftcal them ; an offence readily pardoned in a free • country. A proprietor here, who, to prevent thefe little thefts, fhould make ufe of tliofe in- fernal mantraps invented by the Englifh, would JTjftly be execrated by his fellow creatures. * Mr. Dalton received me with that franknefs which befpeaks a man of worth and of talents ; with that hofpitality which is more general in Maffachufetts, and New Hampfhire, than in the other States. '■^^''-' u,,m^^^^^^^ '•-''' The Americans are not accuftomed to what we call grand feafts ; they treat Grangers a;> they treat themfelves every day, and they live well.? ' They fay they are not anxious to ftarve them- felves the week, in order to gormandife on Sun- day. This trait will paint to you a people at their cafe, who wifli not to torment themfelves for (how. - ^ » . ^ '^' Mr. Dalton's houfe nrefented me with the image of a true patriarchial family, and of great domeftic felicity ; it is compofed of four or five handfome young women, dreft with decent fimplicity, his amiable wife, and his venerable father of eighty years. This refpedtaMe old man preferves a good memory, a good appetite, and takes habitual exercife. He has no wrinkles in his face, which feems to be a c ;iarafleriftic of '^t0;k . ' . . Cc 3 " American *,■ w ^ 39Q NEW TRAVELS IK THE ' t American old age ; at leaft I have often obfcrv* ed it. From ^Ir. Dalton*s we came to Andover, where my companion prefented me to the re- fpeftable paftor of the parifli, Do£lor Symmes, in whom I faw a true model of a miniftcr of ^religion, purity of morals, fimplicityin his man- ner of life, and gentlenefs of charadler. He cheers his folitude with a refpedlable wife, by whom hd has had many children. And the cultivation of his farm occupies thofe moments which are not neceflarily devoted to ftudy, and to the care of the fouls. committed to his charge. *', \; <• ■■-' :.;'■ V- ■' ,s i^^^J^ rf^ .vj LETTER XL. - ...•■' ' .. n DEBT OF THE UNITED STATES, ;.;^;,,-| •ft f-t.* J:r--^r- , -^■f^i.rt ^ ^'-^^^'.v^l^'^-^M^ OU have feen, my friend, in the Ency* clopedia, a ftate of the American debt' l^xbught down to the year 1784. This article, iivhich I believe was furniftied to the compilei:$ ))y.the learned Mr. JefFerfon, contains fome fc\y errors. You may, however, draw from it {onx9 juft ideas relative to the origin of the continisn- ^ tal debt, T^iere is no work which treats of^ i't^l4^iii' ^• ■M}'' the ^ ■■^ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 391 the changes made in it iince 1 784, which i^ the principal objedl of my prefent letter*. You who are fo well verfed in finince, will doubtlefs be (truck with the errors committed bj the Congrefs in laying the foundation of this debt, and with the fterility of their plans to remedy the waut qf uioney. Buf. your fuprife will vanish when you examine the critical cir- cumftances of that body of men to whom America owes her independence. > They muft be fuppofed ignorant of the prin- •ciples of finance; a fcience which their former lituation had happily rendered vinneceflary. They were prefled by the imperious neceffity of a formidable invafion, to fubmiflion, or to combat ; and they muft pay thofe who (hould fight their battles. 1 ^ ^ ^ ■. ' The idea of paper money was the firft, and perhaps the only one that could ftrike them.' Its obje«9: was fo fublime, and patriotifm fo fer- vent, that every thing was to be expe£led from it. The Congrefs believed in it ; and in multi- plying this paper, even in the midft of a rapid depreciation, they are not to be accufed of ill faith ; for they expedl to redeemthe whole. *? * Since writing this iketch, I have incorporated into it the operations of the new Congrefs on Mr. Hamilton's report of 5eptemiber 1789. Cc4 ^ The v^^^-^^ f /, ''*. -■■■- %■ m J'.,. I >>';'.', 392 NEW TRAVELS IN THE The people manifefted the fame confidence; But the unexpedled accumulation of the quan« tity, the coufequent depreciation, and the gra- dual difappearance of danger, were the natural and united caufes of a revolution of fentiment. To believe that this paper would not be redeem- ed at its nominal value, was in 1777 a crime. To fay that it ought to be fo redeemed, was in 1784 another crime. - • ., !v*,Mfj.k > Since the eftabliihment of the new federal • fyftem, the opinion, with refped to the debt,*, has undergone a third revolution. Among a free people, it is impoflible but truth and ho- nour (hould fooner or later predominate. Al- moft all the Americans are at prefent convinc- ed, that to arrive at the high degree of prof- perity, to wliich the nature of things invites them, and to acquire the credit neceffary for this purpofe, they muft fulfil, with the moit fcrupulous pundtuality, all their engagements. And this convidion has determined the new. Congrefs to make the finance the firft great ob- , je£i: of their attention. ■'■'^' ■ The debt of the United States is divided into 1^0 clafles, foreign and domejlic. The foreign debt is compofed, in capital, of a loan made in ^ France of 24,000,000 * of livres at 5 per cent.} another n^. **%:•■ jf'fi ■r^^jM' • If the fecrct hiftory of this debt contracted in France were ' , * . publiflied, s ■x^C:>J.: "^<- rV <>#*■■■ .ili'iii ifc ■»riiii«Mfa'i /' UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 393 another made in Holland, under the guarantee of France, of 10,000,000 at 4 percent, both anfiouiiting in dollars to 6,296,296 ; another in Spain, at ^ per cent. 174,011 dollars. '>*;-*•' " ■ .::' ■ :}'^\^::'\ "'-■— In publifhed, It would difcover the origin of many fortunes which have afloniflied us. It is certain, for indance, that M. de Vergennes difpofed of thefe loans at pleafure, caufed military (lores and merchandife to be furniHied by perfons attached to him, and fuffered not their accounts to be difputed. It is a fa£t, that in his accounts with Congrefs, there was one million of livres that he never accounted for, after all the demands that - were made to him. It is likcv/ife a faiSl, that out of the forty- feven millions pretended to be furnilhed in the above articles by France to Congrefs, the employment of twenty-one mil- lions is without vouchers. Many fortunes may be made frctii twenty-one millions. ;-•. M. Beaumarchais, in a memoir publifhed two yea^^ ago,. pretends to be the creditor of Congrefs for millions. I have, in my hands, a report made to Congrefs by two refpedable members, in which they prove, that he now owes Congrefs;^ 742,413 livres, and a million more, if the wandering million above mentioned has fallen into his hands. Thefe reporters make a ftriking pi<^ure of the manoeuvres pradlifed to deceive the Americans. Will not the National Aflembly caufe fome account to be rendered of the fums fquandered in our part of the American war f or rather the fums which, inllead of going to fuccoup^ thofe brave ftrugglers for liberty, went to adorn the bed-cham- bers of an a£lrefs ? Adeline did more mifchief to the Ame- ricans, than a regiment of HpflSans. Where are the accounts of her favourite Veymerange ? Why ha^ not M. Neckar 4nwn the impenetrable veil which fcreens them from the pub- % V 1' ■(. • " V ■*■, . 394 NEW TRAVELS IN TUB In Holland, in four different loans Total capital Intereft to Dec. 31, 1789, 3,600,000 ivi 0,070,307 dolL 1,651,257 Total, capital and intereft, ^•*»^ Domeftic debt liquidated, ca- ;* pital and intercd:, to the ' 31ft of Z)^f. 1790 Not liquidated, eft i mated at 11,721,564 > ' i- . .>:;fm^. '«,; ^%4 14,085 2,000,000 '^ *- f^! Total, foreign and domeftic, 54,124,464 dolU In the profecution of the war each indivi- dual State had occafion to contrail a debt of its own, which, for a variety of rcafons, it was thought beft that the Congrefs ftiould aflume and add to the general mafs of the debt of the United States. The fums thus afTumed, which arc fuppofed ■. -., ? ■ - --- -- #■■ lie ? And he himfclf, has he nothing to anfwer for the choice he made of corrupted, weak, and wicked agents, and the faci> iity with which he ratilicd their accounts ? ' Mr. Morris and Dr. Franklin have been cenfured in the American papers on account of thefe robberies. I am far from joining in the accufations againft the latter ; but I could wilh he had given pofitivc anfwers to the writer under the fig- nature of CentineL to UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 395 to abforb nearly the whole of all the State debts, amount in the whole to 25,000,000 dolL So that the total amount of the prefent debt of the ^, . United States is - 79,124,464 doll. Annual intereft of this fum, as flipulated -. , •? 4*587,444 To complete the lift of what is annually tO be paid, we muft add the annual expences of the federal government. The following is the amount of the year 1 790 : Civillift V ' . Department of war Military penfions ">'y'} ■li. ■.\- •^■'■J=-rM'^ 254,892 ^55^537 96,979 507,408 i'h ■'*h : You fee, my friend, from thefe details, that the expences of government among a free peo- ple, are far from that extravagance and pomp which are pretended to be neceflary in other go- ments to delude the people, and which tend but to render them vicious and miferable. '^You fee, that with one hundred and ten thoufand fterling, a government is well admi- xy:' ,.::--' . - 7 ■-. •- vv,-.- nifted 3^6 NEW TRAVELS IN THE niftered for four millions of people, inhabiting an extent of country greater than Germany, Flanders, Holland, and Switzerland united *. And finally, you fee that the Americans pay lefs than a million fterling a year for having maintained their liberty ; while the Englifh pay more than four millions fterling additional annual expence for having attempted to rob them of it. By the meafures taken by the new govern- ment, the Americans are in a fair way not only to pay their intereft, but to fink the principal of their debt ; and that without diredl taxation. LETTER XLI. IMPORTATIONS INTO THE UNITED STATES, IF you doubt, my friend, of the abilities of the United States to pay their debt, and the expences of their government, your doubts will be diffipated on carting your eye over the tables of their annual exportations. v Many publications give, as an inconteftiblc maxim, *• ui nation mujl import as little as pofft- I rpeak only of the fettled parts of the United States. JS'. r>*4.«.4*i Itk, 0^''i:'\'l''\v' -■ m' VNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 59^7 'ikf an J export as much as poffibky If they mean by this that (he ought to produce as much as pollible at home, it is true ; but if they under- ftand that a nation is neceflarily poor when (he imports much, it is falfe. For if fhc imports, fhc cither confumcs, and of confequence has wherewith to pay, or fhe re-exports, and con- fequently makes a profit. This maxim, ^Ike moft of the dogmas of commerce, fo confidenc- ly preached by the ignorant, is either trivial or . falfe. The importations into the United States have much increafed fince the peace, as you will !fee by the following account of them, compared with the tables of Lord Sheffield, which repre- fent periods antecedent to the war. : The following is the flatement of the princi- pal articles : /' •^.'?l«'""'' »* . *..hfc^ '. M. >-■ .TV?>; Rum, brandy, and other fpirits — » Wine — — — Hyfon tea —• — — Sugar — — — Coffee, cocoa, and chocolate — Molaflcs — ^„. ,p^5^,^ , n- ■3-1 1-:? ^jei .•MtLM '■?■ ■i\-i',' t'l*.. . 4,ooc,ooo gaU. 1,000,000 125,000 lb. 20,0C0,C00 - . 1,500,000 '^; J 3,000,000 gaH. 2,000,000 barrl. f,;: Befides the above articles, the importations ^of dry goods amount to more than twenty mil- lions of dollars annually. - This general eftimate is calculated from the cufton^- • 1 w ■f'i h 398 NEW TRAVELS IN THfi cuftom-houfe books at New York for three years. Taking for bafis that New York makes one-fifth of the general importations of the United States, it is believed that moft of thefe articles are eftimated much too low ; and this idea is fupported by the amount of duties cpl- ledted fince the new federal fyftem has begun its operations. r ,-|*^l('«.#t:;^.vj',;'' 'j^^fl-r*!; ■ , *v'SA"v-\''F*V1 A great proportion of thefe articles, you will be convinced, might be better imported from France than from any other country ; and they will be, whenever we ihall underfland our inte- ^eft, Mr. Swan fays, that a million and a half of gallons of brandy might be brought annual- ly from France ; that it is cheaper than the rum of Jamaica, and altogether preferred by the Americans to the rum of our iilands. He is like- wife of opinion, that French wines might be introduced in abundance ; but he recommends to our merchants, to obferve good faith in this particular, as they have inundated the United States with bad "Bourdeaux wine, which has refledled general difcredit on all the wines of France. He gives the preference to the white wines of Grave^ PontaCy St, Brtfe : and then to the Sauterney Prlgnacy Barfac : among the red wines, he prefers the Chateau Maigo/j the 5^- gury the Haut Hejfs, the La Fite, &c. I drank excellent Champagne at Bofton and New York ; and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 399 and Burgundy at Philadelphia ; which is a proof that thefe wines will bear the fea. The quan- tity of twenty millions of imported fugar is thought to be Bve millions below the realty ; we may add to this five millions of maple fu- gar made in the United States. What a dif- ference between this confumption and ours ! According to a calculation on the comparative number of inhabitants, France ought to con- fume two hundred millions ; whereas our con- fumption is but eighty millions. By this fal^ 1:'*^^ " Jif .i^it^!l^J:mr-k:i.,^' ^^^^-^h^^v'-i^Mm-' %l^ ,•* ■ : \m f' A '''!J?/i.,J5t: LETTER : = i1 400 Kew travels, in ths w j:-.:i.i^itl LETTER XUI. '':jf'S'. .■-■'.r> ";,^;:?i/ ,/-^: ;€->^'- ■'■& EXPORT ATIONS AND MANUFAC TURKS* f t'p-^^^'^ ^'''^'^' IF any thing can give an idea of the high de- gree of profperity to which thefe confede- rated republics are making rapid ftrides, it is the contennplation of thefe two fubjeds. It is im- poflible to enumerate all the articles to which they have turned their attention ; almoft one half of which were unknown before the war* Among the principal ones are fhip-building, flour, rice, tobacco, manufadlures in woollen, linen, hemp, and cotton; the fifheries, oils, forges, and the different articles in iron and fleel; in- ftruments of agriculture, nails, leather, and the numerous objeds in which they are employed ; paper, pafleboard, parchment, printing, pot-a(h, pearl-a(h, hats of all qualities, fhip-timber, and other wood of conftrudlion ; cabinet work, cordage, cables, carriages ; works in brafs, cop- per, and lead; glafs of difFerent kinds; gun- powder, cheefe, butter, callicoes, printed linen, indigo, furs, kc. Ship- building is one of the mod |',V'<;->1'/ , u :? ::%Xi ^mi « III W W tJNItED STATES OP AMERICA. ^Ot hibft profitable branches of bufinefs in America, They built (hips hefe beforfc the war ; but they were not permitted to manufa£iure the articles neceflary to equip them ; every article is now made in the country* A fine fhip, called the Maffachufetts^ of eight hundred tons, belonging to Mr. Shaw, had its fails and cordage wholly from the manufadlure of Bofton ; this fingle ef- tabliihment gives already two thoufand yards of fail- cloth a week. Breweries augment every where, and take place of the fatal diftilleries. There are no lefs than fourteen good breweries in Philadelphia. The infant woollen manufactory at Hartford, from September 1788 to September 1789, gave about five thoufand yards of cloth, forae of which fells at five dollars a yard ; another at Watertown^ in Maflachufetts, promifes equal fuccefs, and engages the farmers to multiply their Iheep. Cotton fucceeds equdly Well. The fpinning iti^chines of Ark w right are well known here^ and are made in the country. ^4^4 k.vv,fe. We have juftly remarked in our work on the United States, that naturfe invites the Ameri- cans to the labours of the forge, by the profufe manner in which (he has covered their foil with wood, and interfperfed it with metal and coals. Vol* L D d Pennfylvania, i^ *f:^ I •1-' ..^wJm-m,. 40t NEW TRAVltd IN TH^ Pennfylvania, New jerfcy, and Delaware, makd annually three hundred and fifty tonr of ftecl, and fix hundred ^ns oP nails and nail rods. Thefe articles are already exported from Ame- rica ; as are machines for carding wool and cot- ton, particularly common cards, which arc cheaper than the Englifli, and of a fuperior qua- 'My, In thefe threv'i States are iixty-three pa- per-mills, which manufacture annually to the amount of 250,000 dollars. The State of Con- nedicut laft year made five thoufand reams, which might be worth nine thoufand dollars. The prodigious ronfumption of all kinds of glafs multiplies the eftablifhment of glafs works. The one on the Potowmack employs five hun* dred perfonsr They have begun with fuccefs^ ait Philadelphia, the printing of callicoes,^ cotton » and lineti^ Sugar refiners are increafing every where. In Peniifylvania are twenty-one pow- der-mills, which are fuppofed to produce annu- ally 625 tons of gunpowder. Among the princiipal articles of exportation are wheat and flour. To form an idea of the augmentation of exports in the article of flour, take the following fafts : Philadelphia export«4 iii the year 1786 - 150,000 barrels. , ^7^7 " 202,000 1788 - 220,000 1789 - 360,000 .'. . . ... / '.A • .' Many , I ^Wf^ tJNltED iSTATES OF AMERICA. 46^ Many well-informed men in Amefica have Written different pamphlets on the augmentatioa of the commerce and manufadtures in the Unit* ed States, which deferve attention ; fuch as, ** Enquiries into the Principles of a Commercial Syftem, By Tench Coxe:' " Letter on the Work f&fLord Sheffield. By Mr. Bingham^ " Natimi^.^ al Arithmetic, By Mr, Swan^^ author of the Work cited in my laftietter* ,A- ^.^ Letter xliil "i^. American f rade to the east-ikuiesf* " IN this commence, m^ friend, you naay fee difplayed the enterprifing fpirit of the Americans ; the fifft. motive to it, was the hope of economizing in the price of Eaft-India goods, which they formerly imported from England, iand this economy muft be immenfe, if we judge of it by the great confumption of tea in Ame- rica^ and the high price it bears in England. In the year 1761, the EngUfh American colonies fent to England 85,000!. ftcrling in Spanidi dol- lars for this (ingle article, and fince that time the confumption of it has at leaft tripled. D d 2 Another w ft*. 4^4 NEW TRAVELS IN THfi Another motive which encouraged thcmr tO puth this commerce, was the hope of being able to fupply South-America, the Spanifh arid other iflands, aiwl even the markets of Europe, with the goods of the Eaft ; and to obtain every where the preference-, by the low price at which they might be afforded. And this proje(fl is not without foundation. The nature of things in- vites the Americans to become the firft carriers in the world. They build fhips at two- thirds of the expence that they are built at in Europe : they navigate with lefs feamen, and at lefs ex- pence, although they nourifh their feamen bet- ter: they navigate with more fafety, with more cleajnlinefs, and with more intelligence, becaufe the fpirit of equality, which reigns at home, at- tends them likewife at fea. Nothing ftimulates inen to be good failors like the hope of becoming captains # The produdions of their country are more favourable to this commerce than thofe of Eu-* rope. They carry ginfeng to China; plank, fhip- timber, flour ^ and falted provifions to the Cape of Good Hope, and to the ifles of France and Bourbon. They are not, therefore, obliged! to export fo great a proportion of fpecie as the Europeans, who have eftabliflimcnts in the Eaft* ^hcy are not obliged, like them, to maintain. at 'T-f-r "''^"*"^*^"W^"""'«M"IMill""l"*"l>*<«^ •4r VNITED STATES OF AMERttA. ^OJ it an enormous expence, troops, forts, ihips of war, governors, intendants, fccretaries, clerks, and all the tools of defpotifm, as ufelefs as they are expenfive; of which the price muft be added to that of the articles of this commerce. No fea is impenetrable to the navigating ge- nius of the Americans. You fee their flag erecfT where dilplayed ; you fee them exploring all iflaiids, fludying their wants, and returning ta flip ply them. Oui* languifhing colony of Cayenne would have periftied ten times with famine, if it de- pended on the regular promifed fupplies of the mother country I But it is provilioned by the Americans ; who remedy thus the murderous calculations of European mafters. - A floop from Albany, of fixty tons and ele* ven men, had the courage to go to China. The Chinefe, on feeing her arrive, took her for the cutter of fome large veflel, and alked where was the great fhip ? We are the great (hip, an-* fwered they to the Chinefe^ ftupified at their hardinefs. • Our public papers vaunt the magnificence of the European nations, who make discoveries and voyages round the world : the Americans do the fame thing ; but they boaft not of their ipxploits with fo much emph^fis. In September - Pd 3 J 790, .T5'' 'i^'^l^f- 1r mp W \4.. ;> 406 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 1 790, the (hip Columbia, Captain Gray, failed to difcover the north-weft of this continent} this is his fecond voyage round the world : the brig Hope has failed for the fame objeift. Our papers have refounded with the quarrels of the Englifh and Spani'^rds of Nootka Sound, The Americans make no quarrels; but they have already made a confiderable commerce on the fame coaft in furrs and peltry. They were there trading in the year 1789, in good intelliT? gence with both parties. In the fame year, no Icfs than ibrty-four veffels were fent from the fingle town of Bofton to the north- weft of America, to India, and to China. Thsy bound pot their hopes here : they expert, one day, to X)pen a communication more dired: to Nootka Sound, It is probable that this place is not far from the head waters of the Miffiffippi ; which the Americans will foon navigate to its fource, when they ftiall begin to people' Lou ifiana an4 the interior of New Mexicoc This will be a fortunate epoch to the humai^ race, when there (hall be a third great change in the routes of maritime commerce. The Cape of Good Hope wrll then lofe its reputation, and its afflux of commerce, as the Mediterranean bad loft it before. The paflage w hich the free Americans are called upon to ppen, which 'is VNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 407 ftiW tifiknown, which, hbwever, is eafy to efta- bliOi, and which will place the two oceans, the Atlantic and the Pacific, in communication, is by the paflage by the lake of Nicaragua *. Na- ture fo much favours this communication, which is deftined to fliorten the route to the Eaft- Indies, that the obftinacy of the natioi^ which now poflefles the country cannot long wJthftand its being opened. The Spaniards wi(h to monopolize every thing. The free Americans, on the contrary, fcek the ad van- la^cs of the great family of the human racfet ,« ■■':t ^ LETTER XLIV. THE WESTERN TERRITORY. I HAVE not the time, my friend, to defcribc to yoa die new country of the weft ; which, though at prefent unknown to the Europeans, muft, from the nature of things, very foon me^ rit the attention of every commercial and manu-"- faduring nation. I (ball lay before you at pre-t • This projeft cxifts 5 its length prevents my givmg it dere. The Americans exped one day to open this paiTjige. ^Pd 4 feat m w '*» ^■1 4.08 KEW TRAVELS IN THE fent only a general view of thefc aftoniflhing fcttlements, and refer to another time the de-* tails which a fpeculaftive philofopher may be able to draw from them. At the foot of the Alle- ganies, whofe funiraits, however, do not threat- en the heavens, like thofe of the Andes and the Alps, begins an immenfe plain, interfcdled with nills of a gentle afcent, and watered every where with ftreams of all fizes; the foil is from three to feven feet deep, and of an aftonilhing ferti- lity : it is proper for every kind of culture, and it nJliltiplies cattle almoft without the care of inan. It. is there that thofe eftablifhments are form- ed whofe profperity attracts fo many emigrants^ fuch as Kentucky, Frankland, Cumberland^ Holfton^^l^ufi^ingum, and Scioto. The oldeft and moft flouri(hing of thefe is Kentucky, which began in 1775, had eight thoufand inhabitants in 1782, fifty thoufand m 1787, and feventy thoufand in 179Q*. It will foon be a ftate. Cumberland, fituated in the neighbourhoo4 ♦ By a letter from Colonel Fowler, a reprefentative. in the legiflature of Virginia from Kentucky, of the 16th of Decem- ber, 1790, which the tranflator has feen, it appears that the inhabitants of Kentucky at that time amounted to one hun-^ ^red and feventy-three thoufand. ■r '■»»■' =?v VNITBD STATES OF AMERICA, 409 of Kentucky, contains 8000 inhabitants, Hol- fion 5000, and Frankland 25,000. On beholding the multiplication and happi- liefs of the human fpecies in thefe rapid and profperous fettlcments, and comparing them with the languor and debility of colonies farmed by defpots, how auguft and venerable does ih^^ afpe£t of liberty appear ! Her power is equal to her will : (he commands, and forefts are overturned, mountains (ink to cultivated plains, and nature prepares an afylnm for numerous ge- nerations ; while the proud city of Palmyra pe- riflies with its haughty founder, and its ruins atteft to the world that nothing is durable but what is founded and foftered by freedonrt, ' It appears that Kentucky will preferve its advan- tage over the other fettlcments ontheibutb; its territory is more extenfive, its foil more fer- tile, and its inhabitants more numerous ; it is (ituated on the Ohio, navigable at almoft all fea- fons : this lad advantage is equally enjoyed by the two fettlcments of which I am goins to fpeak. The eftablifhment at Mulkingum was formed in 1788, by a number of emigrants from New-England, belonging to the Ohio company. The Mulkingum is a river which falls into the Ohio from the Weft. Thefe people have an f xcellenit foil, and every profpe£l of iuccels. From . t V fi.V ■W"^ •^■v 410 NEW TRAVELS IN THE From thcfc proprietors is formed another af- fociation, whofe name is more known in France; it is tbat of the Scioto Company *, a name taken from a river which, after having traverfed the two millions of acres which they poflefs, falls into the Ohio, Z*^ This * This company has been much calumniated. It has been accufed of felling lands which it does not poflefs, of giving ex- aggerated accounts of its fertility, of deceiving the emigrants, of robbing France of her inhabitants, and of fending them to be butchered by the favages. But the title of this aflbciation is inconteflable ; the proprietors are reputable men j the dc- fcription which they have given of the lands is taken from the publip and authentic reports of Mr. Hutchins, geographer of Congrefs. No perfon can difpute their prodigious fertility. Certainly the ariftocrats of France, who may emigrate thi- * ther under the foolifh idea of forming a monarchy, would be fatally deceived in their expedlations. They would fly from the French government, becaufe it eftablidies the equality bf rights, and they would fall into a fociety where this equality is confecrated even to the nature of things ; where every man is folicited to independence by every circumilance that fur- rounds him, and efpecially by the facility of fupplying his wants; they would fly to preferve their titles, their honours, their jn-ivileges ; and they would fall into a new fociety, where the titles of pride and chance are defpifed, and even unkno^vn. This enterprife is fuitable to the poor of Europe, who have neither property nor employment, and who have flrength to labour. Th^y would find at Scioto the means of fupplying their w^ts ; the foil would give them its treafures, at the ex- pefice of a flight cultivation ^ tl^c bcafts of the forefts would ^w^ ^W^BHH^M m UNITED STATES OF AMIRICA. 4II *' This fcttlcment would foon rife to a high de«» grec of profpcrity if the proper cautions wero Ukeii iti the embarkation and the ncceflary means employed to folace them, and to prepare them for a kind of life fo different from that to w ich they are accuftomed. | The revolution in the American goveribcfjt will, doubtlefs, be beneficial to the fiivagcs, for the government tends efl'entially to peace. But /as a rapid increafe of population mufl: neceflarily be the confequence of its opera|:ions, the favages fpud either blend with the Americans^ or 4 pover heir tables, until they could rear cattle on their farmSt It would be then rendering afervice to the unfortunate people^ yfho are deprived of the means of fubfiftence by the Revolu- Ition, to open to them this afylum, where they could obtain 4 property. But, fay the oppofers, the poor may find thefe advantages ii| France. We have great quantities of uncultivated land : yes ; but will the proprietors fell it for almoft nothing ? will it pro- duce equally with that of Scioto ? are proviacms as cheap here as there ? No ; why then declaim fo much againft an emigra- tion, ufeful at the fame time to France, to the individuals, and to the United States ? The man who without much expence, ;ind in a manner that ihould make it voluntary, could find the means of tranfporting to the forefts of America the thirty thou- fand mendicants whom fear, as well as humanity, obliges Ui to fupport in idlcnefs in the neighbourhood of Paris, that man ^ould merit a ftatue. For he would at once cure the capital pf a leprofy, and render tljirty thouffti^d people to happinefs l^d gopd mor^ls^ jhoufand X4 ■-«a ■« 4 T ■^ ^. i"4fe J 4lZ NEW TRAVELS TN THE thoufand caufes will fpeedily annihilate that racO €f men. There is nothing to fear, that the danger from the favages will ever arreft the ardour of the Americans for extending their fettlements. They all exped that the navigation of the Mif- fi^f^pi becoming free, will foon open to them the markets of the iflands, and the Spanifti colonies for the productions with which their country overflows. But the quefi on to be folved is, whether t.ie Spaniards will open this navigation willingly, or whether the Americans will force it. A kind of negociation has been carried on, without effect, for four years ; and it is fuppofed' that gertain States, fearing to lofe their inhabi- tants by emigratipn to the weft, have, in con- cert with the Spanifti minifter, oppofed it ; and that this concert gave rife to a propcfition, that Spain ftiould fliut up the navigation for twenty- ^ve years, on condition that the Americans ihould have a free commerce with Spain. Vir- ginia and Maryland, though they had more to^ fear from this emigration than the other States,' were oppofed to this propofition, as derogatory to the honour of the United States ; and a ma-p jority of Congrefs adopted the fentiment. A degree of diffidence, which the inhabitants pf the weft have Ihewn relative to the fecret delign^ . mmvi/i .' >i "■own ■-^A-m m "c: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 4!^ ^figns of Congrefs, has induced many people to believe that the union would not exifl: a long time between the old and new States ; and this probability of a rupture, they fay, is ftrengthen- ed by fome endeavours of the Englifh in Canada to attach the weftern fettlers to the EagUfli government. But a number of reafons determine me to be-'' lieve that the prefent union will for ever fub- fift. A great part of the property of the weft- ern land belongs to people of the eaft j the un- Cjj^flng emigrations ferve perpetually to ftrength* ta their connexions ; and as it is for thejntereft hoth of the eaft and weft to open an extenfive commerce with South-America, and to overleap the Miffiffippi, they muft, and will, remain united for the accomplilhment ofi^his pLJedl. The weftern inhabitants are convinced that this navigation cannot remain a long time clofed. They are determined to open it by good will or by force ; and it would not be in the power of Congrefs to moderate their ardour. Men who have ftiook off the yoke of Great- Britain, and who are mafters of the Ohio and the Miftiflippi^ cannot conceive that the infolence of a handful of Spaniards can think of ftiutting rivers and feas againft a hundred thoufand free Americans. The flighteft quarrel will be fufficient to throw them into il^-'j.i i ■0fl^ > w :*v Hn, 4l4* K£W TRAVELS IN THIJ into a flame ; and if ever the Americans (ha inarch towards New Orleans, it will infallibly feU into their hands. The Spaniards fear this moment ; and it cannot be far off. If they had ttid policy 16 open the Miffiflippi, the port of* New»Orleans would become the centre of a lu- crative commerce. But her narrow and fuperfti* tious policy will oppofe it ; for flie fears, abov6 all things, the communication of thofe princi- ple^i of independence which the Americans preach wherever they go ; and to which theif own fuccefs gives an additional weight. f In or(!erto avcirt the efFedls of this enterprif- ing chara£ler of the free Americans, the Spa-^ niA government has adopted the phiful project of 'attracting thj^m to a fettlemeiiffc^On the weft of the MiiiJmppi*, and by granting to thofd who (hall eftablilh themfelves there the exclu- five right of trading to New Orleans. This colony is the firft foundation of the conqueft of* Louifiana, and of the civilization of Mexico antl teru. How defirable it is, for the happinefs of the human race, that this communication fhould extend ! for cultivation and population here ^ill augment the profperity of the manufaClur- ' * Colonel Morgan is at the head of this fettlemcnt. jng UNITED STATUS OF AMERICA. 415 ing nations, of Europe- The French and Spa- niard?, fettled at the Natches, on the moft fer- tib foil, have not, for a century, cultivated a fingle Lcre ; while the Americans, who have lately made a fettlemcnt there, have at prefeiJt three thoufand farms of four hundred iteres each ; which furniOi the greater part oPiiw provifions for New Orleans. O Liberty ! how great is thy empire; thou crcateft induflry^ which vivifies the dead, "^ I tranfport myfelf fometimes in imagination to the fuccecding century. I fee this whole extent of continent, from Canada to Quito, co- vered with cultivated fields, little villages, and country houfes *. I fee Happinefs and Induf- try fmihng iide by fide. Beauty adorning the daughter of Nature, Liberty and Moral? render* ing almoft ufelefs the coercion of Government and Laws, and gentle Tolerance takiag pladc of the ferocious Inquifition. I fee Mexicans, Peruvians, men of the United States, French- men, and Canadians, embracing each other, curfing tyrants, and blefiingthe reign of Libci- N. '■ ;-ly ;* * America will never have enormous cities like London zni Paris ; which would abforb the means of induftry, and vitiate morals. Hence it will refult, that property will be more equal- ly divided, popu-lation grqa^os, maOiM^irs.Ufs. corrupted, and in« duftry and hipptp;^ [mqrt.wnjvqrTjij.; ^ ; ;•, ♦, .* • ^ •: *» A : :. : • :5 ;••::. ."*::•• t • - ty, :*^, iif^- !-*'' ? ,■ *, \M 416 NEW TRAVELS, SzCi ty, which leads to univerfal harmony. But tfee mines, the (laves, what is to become of them ? The mines will be clofed, and the flavcs will become the brothers of their mafters. As to gold, it is degrading to a free country to dig for it, uiilefs it can be done without flaves ; and a f^ people cannot want for iigns to ferve as a **medium in exchanging their commodities. Gold bas always ferved more the caufe of defpotifm than that of liberty ; and liberty will always find lefs dangerous agents to ferve in its place. Our {peculators in Europe are far from ima- gining that two revolutions are preparing ovk this continent, which will totally overturn the ideas and the commerce of the old : the open- ing a canal of communication between the two oceans^ and abandoning the mines of Peru* Let the imagifiation of the philofopher contemplate the confequences. They cannot but be happjr for the human race. > ri END OF THE FIRST V0LUME< . M » i ♦ * . .J ,, ' •' » »■•■ » i ■< < ■ • • />' • «■« ' I. , t •* « t • ' • _ • _ • « ' ■',<■' ' • *•" ■» ... I • - ,'• • >iWli'liit iHiii »i«W»»fini«"ii;itifriiM(ii'-i#i)iiiri,fiii > V r m '^Viii^i^tetM^;'