i^WJlWJlf WU'^ '(!'. HISTORICAL, TOPOGRAPHICAL, AND DESCRIITJVJ: VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND OF UPPER AND LOWER CANADA. WITH AN APPENDIX, . Containing a brief and comprehensive Sketch of THE PRESENT STATE OF MEXICO AND SOUTH AMERICA, AND ALSO OF THE NATIVE TRIBES OF THE NEW WORLD. COLLECTED, ARUANGED, AND DIGESTED, /worn ihe lest recent Authorities and original Cam-munieations, BY Ef MACKENZIE, Author of the History of Egypt, and Editor of the History of Northumberland, Select Biography, Statistic Tables, Modern Geography, &c. &c. Embellished and illustrated hy a large correct Map, a Plan of' the Citu of Wasliington, arid seven Jine Engravings. Newcastle upon Tijiie : rHINTED AND PUBLISHED BY MACKENZIE A KD DENT, i^T. Nicholas's church-yard. . ^ PREFACE. America, since she conquered her independence, has risen into importance with a rapidity unparal- leled in the history of mankind. In her plains and forests an industrious, enterprising, and intelligent population are daily creating new and extensive communities, and exhibiting the whole mystery of the generation as well as the growth of nations. The spectacle is imposing and instructive, notwith- standing the senseless ravings of animosity, or the affected sneers of a despicable enmity. This marvellous empire already embraces a range of territory above thirty times the extent of Great Britain ; and will, within one hundred and twenty years, if population increases in the same ratio as it has lately done, contain upwards of four hundred millions of human beings ! Yet, even then it would not be equally populous with England. Without IV , PllEFACE/. supposing the intervention of some great and im- probable political convulsion, no rational argument can be assigned why the capital and population of the Americans should not progressively accumulate, until the boundless extent of their fertile and unoc- cupied land be brought into cultivation. ' Where,' exclaims a popular journalist, ' is this prodigious increase of numbers, this vast extension of dominion, to end? What bounds has Nature set to the progress of this mighty nation ? Let our jealousy burn as it may ; let our intolerance of America be as unreasonably violent as we please; still it is plain that she is a power, in spite of us, rapidly rishig to supremacy ; or, at least, that each year so mightily augments her strength, as to over- take, by a most sensible distance, even the most formidable of her competitors. In foreign com- merce, she comes nearer to England than any other maritime power; and already her mercantile navy is within a few thousand tons of our own ! If she goes on as rapidly for two or three years, she must overtake and outstrip us.' But instead of viewing every step America ad- vances in renown with absurd and groundless dis- may, England ought to rejoice in the growing strengtli and happiness of her daughter, who has become respectable and glorious by exercising the virtues of her parent. Their interests, whether mi>ra1, political, or commercial, are inseparably PREFACE. * V united;* and should hordes of barbarians again threaten the existence of liberty and civilization in the west of Europe, America may become the right arm of British strength, or perhaps the last asylum of British liberty.. 'When the nation,' says Dr. Smollett, 'is enslaved by domestic despotism, or foreign dominion; when her substance is wasted, her spirit broken, and the laws and constitution of England are no more ; then these colonies, sent off by our fathers, may receive and entertain their sons, as hopeless exiles and ruined refugees.' The writer has no intention of exhibiting emi- gration in a tempting and illusive point of view. Such attempts are certainly blameable, though their consequences are far from being alarming; for, under ordinary circumstances, the emigrants from any community must always bear a small propor- tion to the whole population. After all, says Dr. Smith, man is of all luggage the most difficult to be transported. 'In truth, he takes such root wherever he has been planted, that, long after al- most all nourishment has been extracted from it, we find him cling to the bare rocks, and rather * 'I'he eminent importance of the American trade is evinced by the fact, that of the whole exports from the United States in 181 6, one hidf went to Great Britain and her dominions ; and in 1815 the amount of goods imported was eighty-six millions of dollars, of which seventy-one millions was imported from Great Britain and her dependencies ! VI PREFACE. wither than be torn away. It is in vain to remind him how bleak the sky, how scanty the nutriment, how exposed to tempests tlie position. We find him rebuilding his cottage upon the half-cooled lava which has swept all his possessions away, and obsti- nately refusing to quit a spot of earth which the perpetual conflicts of the elements hardly leave at rest for a day.' He knows all his privations, his sufferings, his risks; but he deems it all not too high a price for the endearing idea of home — the love of country — and the thousand ties of society and friendship. Thus has Providence, by a power- ful instinct, provided against an excess of emigration. Let not the dissipated, the ambitious, the petu- lent, or the discontented, deceive themselves, and wander into other climates and situations in search of happiness. ' The wilds of America will yield no repose to their perturbed spirits. The fiends will migrate with them.' However, the industrious labourer, the mechanic, the farmer, the man of moderate capital, and the father of a family who feels solicitous about settling his children ; in short, all those who are prepared to encounter the numerous privations and inconve- niences of emigration, in order to enjoy the great and acknowledged advantages which America offers to adventurers, will find this work a Faithful AND Useful Guide. And this is extremely difii- cult to obtain, notwitlistanding the numerous, ex- PREFACE. Vll pensive, and valuable works recently published on the subject. Travellers and emigrants have viewed America with different feelings. Some observe every object with delight and admiration, while others experience all the chagrin of disappointment. It, however, has been the aim of the editor to com- pare with candour the contradictory evidence of different writers, and to draw such conclusions as the case seemed to justify. The editor has also paid particular attention to the rate of wages and of tbe markets, the expences of living, the comparative advantages of different states and settlements, and the cautions necessary to be observed by new settlers. The present state of the wealth and resources, and of the commercial regulations of the United States, is drawn entirely from authentic documents. The judicious reader will readily appreciate the attention and diligence employed in compiling this work, and acknowledge the value of the original matter which it contains ; and which embraces the substance of upwards of one hundred Letters lately received by different individuals from their corres- pondents in America. Some gentlemen have been in the habit of collecting copies of interesting letters from the New World; and the liberality with which the editor has been favoured with the loan of their MSS. merits his best thanks, and will in the proper place be acknowledged. Vm PREFACE. In collecting materials for this compilation, the editor has consulted every recent and valuable pub- lication on the present state of North America, and to which references will occasionally be made. Ex- clusive of the information derived through private channels, he has been most indebted to the following able and instructive works, viz. — Morse's American Geography. Maclure's Geology of the United States of America. Imlay and Filson's Account of Kentucky. Travels through the United States and Canada, by Isaac Weld, jun. Michaux's Travels in North America, 1 802. Grey's Letters from Canada, 1806, 7j and 8. Lambert's Travels through Canada and the United States, 1808. Travels in North America in 1809, 10, and 11, by John Brad- bury, F. L. S. Travels in Canada and the United States in 1816-7, by lieutenant Hall, 14th light di-agoons. Palmer's Journal of Travels in the United States of North America and in Lower Canada. Bristcd's Resources of the United States. Mellish's Travels and Directory through the United States for 1 81 8. Statistical View of the United States, by T. Pitkin, Representative from the State of Connecticut, 1817. Hints to Emigrants, by the Shamrock Society of New York, 1816. A Year's Residence in the United States, by Mr. Cobbett, 1818. Morris Birkbeck's Notes on a Journey in America, 1818. Letters from the Illinois, 1818. Fearon's Sketches in America, 1818. CONTENTS. Page GENERAL View of America I North America . 10 South America . 18 Pase Discovery and ancient popu- lation of America . 25 UNITED STATES. Bounc^aries 35 Cataracts 49 Extent 36 Canals 52 Divisions 37 Forests 53 Climate 3Q Swamps . . 54 Seasons 40 Mineralogy . ib. Face of the Country ib. Mineral Waters 64 Soil . 41 Botany . ib. Agriculture . 42 Zoology 68 Rivers ib. Natural Curiosities 78 STATES AND TERRITORIES . - New England. Extent and Boundaries 80 Natural Productions 84. Face of the Country 81 Manners and Customs 86 Rivers 83 History Nexv Hampshire. 89 Natural Geography . 93 Trade and Resources 96 Population 94 Religion ib. Manners, &c. ib. Government ib. Ctief Towns 95 History 97 CONTENTS. Massachusetts. Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towns Trade and Resources Page 100 ib. 102 ib. 109 Religion Education Government Islands History District of Maine. Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners 116 ib. 118 Trade Government History Vermont. 119 Chief Towns ib. Trade and Resources 120 Government Page 109 110 ib. Ill 1J2 118 ib. ib. 121 ib. ib. Rhode Island. Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towns Ti'ade and Resources 123 Education ib. Religion 124 Government 125 History 127 Connecticut. 127 128 ib. ib. Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towns Education 129 Trade and Resources ib. Religion 131 Government ib. History 133 New York. 133 134 ib. ib. Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towns Trade and Resources 136 Education . ib. Religion 138 Government 140 Islands 149 History New Jersey. 149 150 151 ib. 152 Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towns 154 Trade and Resources lb. Education and Religi 155 Government ,156 History 157 on 158 ib. ib. CONTENTS. xr Pemisylvama, Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towns Situation and Extent Natural Geography Canal Population . Chief Towns Situation and Extent Natural Geography Divisions Situation and Extent Natural Geography Situation and Extent Natural Geogi'aphy Population and Manners Chief ToAvns Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towns Trade and Resources PffgC 159 160 164 166 Trade and Resources Education and Religion Government History Delaware. 188 Trade and Resources 189 Education . ib. Religion ib. Government 190 History State of Ohio. 191 Population . ib. Trade and Resources 1 Q5 Government Indiana. 208 Towns, &c. ib. Government Maryland. 210 Trade ib. Education and Religion 212 Government 213 History Virginia. 217 Education ib. Religion 220 Government 222 History 224 Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towns Kentvclcy. 228 Trade and Resovu-ces ib. Education and Religion 229 Government 231 History Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towns North Carolina. 239 Trade and Resources ib. Education and Religion 241 Government 243 History Page 184 ib. 186 ib. 190 ib. ib. ib. 191 206 ib. ib. 209 ib. 215 ib. ib. 216 224 225 226 ib. 236 237 ib. ib. 243 ib. 244 ib, Xll CONTENTS. South Carolina. Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towiis Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towns Trade and Resources The Florklas Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towns Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population and Manners Chief Towns Upper Louisiana Situation aiid Extent Natural Geography Population Page 246 ib. 252 254 Trade and Resources Education and Religion Government History Georgia. 260 ib. 262 263 265 Education Religion Government Histoiy Tennessee. 272 Trade and Resources ib. Education and Religion 273 Government 274 History Louisiana. 276 Trade and Resources ib. Religion 279 Government 280 History Mississippi. 288 Chief Towns ib. Trade and Resources 290 Government Alibama Territory. Situation and Extent 292 Commerce Natural Geography ib. Government Population . 294 History Towns . . 295 Illinois. 296 Towns ib. Government 299 History Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population Page 257 258 ib. 259 266 ib. 267 ib. 269 274 275 ib. ib. 283 ib. 284 ib. 287 291 ib. ib. 295 296 ib. ^99 300 ib. Situation and Extent Natviral Geography Population Michigan. 301 Chief Town^s . 303 ib. Manufactures and Commerce ib. 303 History - . • 304 CONTENTS. xm Situation and Extent Natural Geography Population Missouri Territory. Page 304 Chief Towns 305 Commerce 306 Government Pase 306 308 ib. North-west Territory. Situation and Extent 309 Population and Manners 312 Natural Geography Columbia Settlement ib. Towns 313 313 Columbia Territory. Situation and Extent 316 Georgetown . 328 Natural Geography 317 Alexandria . ib. Population . 318 General Description of Wash- City of Washington ib. ington . . 329 State and Resources of the United States. 337 Post-office Establishment 339 Federal Government 34-7 Territorial Governments 374 Judiciary 385 Revenue and Debt 388 War Department 395 Navy Department . 400 Mint Establishment Historical Summaiy Population Education, Arts, &c. Manners and Habits Religion Public Lands Agriculture Manufactures Commerce Canals and Turnpike Roads 413 respecting the Directions Voyage On the Preservation Health . . 454 The best Mode of Settling 456 Prices of Land, Labour, and Provisions . 463 — at New York „ ib. Philadelphia . 470 Alexandria . 472 Pittsburg . ib. Ohio . . 473 — — Albany . 474 ■ Western Country ib. State of New York 477 Advice to Emigrants. Prices in Pennsylvania 445 Kentucky of Illinois New England Civil Rights of Settlers Prospects of Emigrants — Gentlemen — Farmers — Merchants and Manufac- turers — Mechanics — Labourers — Artists Conclusion 415 416 420 423 425 428 431 435 436 477 479 480 481 482 494 ib. 504 531 533 5S4> 54>2 544 Xk^ CONTENTS. BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. Divisions . . Page 54^ Canada. Extent Climate and Seasons Natural Geography Population Manners and Customs Language Towns Commerce . 546 ib. 549 551 552 556 ib. 562 Religion Government Military Force Revenue History District of Gaspe Remarks 563 ib. 565 ib, ib. 567 568 New Brunswick . 569 Nova Scotia . 570 Cape Breton Prince Edward's Island • 571 572 Neiofoimdland Bermudas 5 573 575 SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. Extent Climate Face of the Country Rivers Lakes Mountains Botany and Zoology Mineralogy Natural Curiosities Population . Manners and Customs 576 Language 577 Education ib. Cities ib. Trade 578 Religion 579 Government 580 Army 581 Navy 582 Revenue 583 History ib. 587 ib. 588 590 592 59^ 595 591 ib. 598 SOUTH AMERICA. Spanish Dominions. Extent and Boundaries Zoology Botany 606 607 608 Language Cities Commerce . 6l4r 615 631 Mineralogy Population . Manners and Customs 609 611 612 Government History 635 636 CONTENTS. XV Portuguese Dominions. Extent and Boundaries Mines Agriculture Population and Manners Chief Towns French Dominions Demerary Essequebo Page Page 666 Trade and Commerce 685 667 Government and Revenue 687 672 Army . . ib. 676 History . . ib. 677 689 English Dominions. 691 Berbice 6Q5 Surinam Paraguay Patagonia Islands 695 696 6'98 ib. 699 NATIVE TRIBES 701 DIRECTIONS FOR PLACING THE PLATES. Map oftlie United States^ To face the Title. •Falls of Niagara - 49 The Rock Bridge - 75 Country round Pittsburg - 177 Mount Vernon - 224 City of Washington - 319 'Capitol of Washington - - 320 Bank of the United States - 325 American Stage Waggon ~ 416 GKNERAL VIEW OF AMERICA. "PREVIOUS to entering upon a detailed description of the great American commonwealth, it will be proper to take a general view of the extensive continent of which it forms a part, and of the epochg of the various discoveries. America, or, as it is frequently denominated by way of emi- nence, the New World, has, in many respects, been pecu- liarly favoured by nature; and seems destined, in the course of human affairs, to assume an important rank, both natural and political. The first circumstance that strikes us on viewing the New World is its immense extent. It constitutes a new hemisphere, larger than either Europe, Asia, or Africa, the three noted dinsions of the ancient condnent; and is not much inferior in dimensions to a third ^art of the habitable globe. The division of this continent into two parts, called North and South America, is strongly marked by the hand of nature, in a narrow isthmus, and by a great variety in the languages and manners of the original inhabitants. The general consi- deration of this quarter of the globe will, therefore, receive far more clearness and precision by being thus divided. Those authors who blend the whole into one description confound their topics by a heterogeneous mixture. B 10 GENERAL VIEW The southern limit of the American continent is clearly esti- mated from the strait of Magellan ; -but the northern extent is not ascertained with equal precision. Its limit may extend to 80 degrees, or perhaps to the pole. The journies of Hearne and Mackenzie have, indeed, imparted some idea of its confines on the Arctic ocean ; but Baffin's bay remains to be explored, except the late discovery ships have effected part of this desi- dei'atum in geography. Amidst existing uncertainties, it will, however, be sufficient to estimate the northern limit of America from the 72d degree of north latitude ; a space of 126 degrees. In South America the greatest breadth is from cape Blanco in the west to St. Roque in the east, which, according to the best maps, is 48 degrees. But in the north the breadth may be computed from the promontory of Alaska to the most eastern point of Labrador, or even of Greenland, which would add more than a third part of the estimate. In British miles the length of America may be estimated at 8800 ; and the breadtli of North America at 4400, and that of the southern continent at 3200. NOllTH AMERICA. Climate. — The climate of North America is extremely va- rious, as may be conceived in a region extending from the, vicinity of the equator to the arctic circle. In general, the heat of summer, and the cold of winter, are move intense than in most parts of the ancient continent. The predominant winds are here from the west ; and the severest cold is from the north-west. The middle provinces are remarkable for the unsteadiness of the weather, particularly the quick transitions from heat to cold. Snow falls plentifully in Virginia, but sel- dom lies above a day or two; yet after a mild, or even warm day, James river, where it is two or three miles in breadth, has in one night been clothed with ice, so as to be passed by travellers. Such surprising alterations seem to proceed from the sudden change of the wind to the north-west. The pro- vinces of South Carolina and Florida ai'e subject to unsuft'era- ble heat, furious whirlwinds, hurricanes, tremendous thunder. OF AMERICA. 11 and fatal lightnings ; and the sudden changes of the weather are alike pernicious to the human frame. A violent tufFoon happened near Charlestown in 1761, appearing like a column of smoke, with a noise like thunder, ploughing the very beds of the rivers, and diffusing universal destruction throughout its progress. Few opportunities have yet arisen for accurate accounts of the climate in the western parts of North xVmerica. That of California seems to be in general moderate and plea- sant, though somewhat incommoded by the heat of sunmier. In lat. 59 deg. the land has a most barren and Avintry appear- ance, even in June : the gloom is increased by frequent fogs, and the glaciers seem perpetual. Inland Seas. — Among the inland seas of North America may be mentioned the gulfs of Mexico, California, and St. Lawrence; with Hudson''s and Baffin's bays. Of all these seas the gulf of Mexico is the most celebrated, as lying in a more favourable climate, and presenting at its entrance that grand archipelago of North American islands called the West Indies. From this gulf a singular current sets towards the north-east : this current, called the gulf stream, passes to the banks of Newfoundland, and is supposed to proceed from the accumulation of waters by the trade wind. It is distinguished from other parts of the ocean by the gulf weed ; is eight or ten degrees warmer ; never sparkles in the night ; and, when it arrives in cool latitudes, produces thick fogs. The trade wind, or diurnal sea breeze, is from the east and its collateral points, with little intermission, for nine months in the year. To the south of the gulf of Mexico is the bay of Honduras, well known in the annals of English commerce. The opposite shore presents the gulf of California, which seems an estuary of two large rivers. The gulf of St. Lawrence is the well known estuary of a river of the same name, generally frozen from December to April. This noble gulf is closed by the island of Newfound- land, and by numerous sand-banks, particularly what is called the Great IJank. This celebrated fishing station is more than 400 miles in length, by about 140 in breadth ; the water being from ^2 to 50 fathoms, with a great swell, and frequently a 12 GENERAL VIEW thick fog. The chief fishery begins on the 10th of May, and continues till the end of September ; the greatest number of cod fish taken by a single fisherman being twelve thousand, but the average is seven thousand : the largest fish was four feet three inches in length, and weighed forty-six pounds. More than 500 English vessels commonly fish on the bank. By a late regulation, the Americans are prohibited from fishing here ; but permission is given to the subjects of Louis XVIII. There are also great fisheries on the banks which lie off the coasts of Nova Scotia. Hudson sea ext€nds from the entrance westward 1050 Bri- tish miles; thus exceeding the Baltic in length as well as breadth. The shores are generally rocky and precipitous, and the climate almost the perpetual abode of winter. Davis' gulf or sea may be considered as part of Hudson's sea, and proba- bly joins the arctic ocean. Bafihi's bay is 870 British miles in length, and nearly as much in breadth. Lakes.-^The lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron, consti- tute one large inland sea, which might be called the sea of Canada, or that of Huron. This expansion of water is about 350 miles in length, and more than 100 at its greatest breadth. Lake Superior is not less than 1500 miles in circumference. The greater part of the coast seems to consist of rocks and uneven ground. The water is pure and transparent ; and the bottom generally composed of large rocks. There are several islands, one of which called Miiiong is about 60 miles in length : the savages suppose that these islands are residences of the Great Spirit. More than thirty rivers fall into this lake, some of them of considerable size. The chief fish are stursreon and trout; the latter beinu" cahghtat all seasons, and said to weigh from twelve to fifty pounds. This part of the Bca of Canada opens into the lake Huron, by the straits of St. Mary, about 40 miles in length, and in some places only one or two miles in breadth ; with a rapide towards the north-west extremity, which may, however, be descended by canoes ; and the prospects are here delightful. The storms on this large expanse of water are as dangerous as those on the ocean, the waves breaking more quick, and rumiing nearly as high, The OF AMERICA. 13 circumference of that part called lake Huron is said to be about 1000 miles ; and on the northern side are some islands called Manatulan, implying the place of spirits. Another short strait leads into the third lake, called Michagan, also navigable for ships of any burthen. When the population of North America shall have diffused itself towards the west, these lakes may become the seats of flourishing cities, and of arts and sciences now unknown in Europe. Their latitude corresponds with that of the Black sea and the gulf of Venice ; nor are the rigours of the Baltic here to be apprehended. From the descriptions, it does not appear that these lakes are ever impeded with ice. The lake of Winnipeg or Winipic may also well aspire to the name of an inland sea : but it yields considerably to the great Slave lake, or rather sea, a recent discovery, from which Mackenzie's river extends its course to the arctic ocean. The Slave sea, according to ]\Ir. Arrowsmith's maps, is about 200 miles in length, by 100 at its greatest breadth. The smaller lakes shall be briefly described in the divisions of territory to which they belong. It may here suffice to ob- serve, that there are probably above two hundred lakes of considerable size in North America ; a singularity which dis- tinguishes it, from any other portion of the globe. Rivers. — All the features of nature in America are upon a grand scale. The rivers are peculiarly noble. The source of the Mississippi has been traced to three small lakes above lat. 47 deg. and it enters the sea in lat. 29 deg. after a comparative course of about 2000 British miles. Nay, of late, the sources of the Missouri (the chief stream) have been detected abouC 3000 British miles more 'remote. The account of this noble river shall be transcribed fi*om a recent system of American geography, by Mr. Morse, wlio must have had several oppor- tunities of being well informed. ' The Mississippi receives the waters of the Ohio and Illi- nois, and their numerous branches from the east ; and of the Missouri and other rivers from the west. These mighty streams united are borne down with increasing majesty, through vast forests and meadows, and discharged into the gulf of 14 GENERAL VIEW Mexieo. The great length and uncommon depth of this river, says Mr. Hutchins, and the excessive muddiness and salu- brious quality of its waters after its junction with the Missouri, are very singular. The direction of the channel is so crooked, that from New Orleans to the mouth of the Ohio, a distance which does not exceed 460 miles in a straight line, is aboiit 856 by water. ' In the spring floods, the Mississippi is very high, and the current so strong, that it is with difficulty it can be ascended ; but this disadvantage is remedied in some measure by eddies, or counter currents, which are generally found in the bends close to the banks of the river, and assist the ascending boats. The current at this season descends at the rate of about five miles an hour. In autumn, when the waters are low, it does not run faster than two miles ; but it is rapid in such parts of the river as have clusters of islands, shoals, and sand banks. The circumference of many of these shoals being several miles, the voyage is longer, and in some places more dangerous, than in the spring. The merchandise necessary for the commerce of the Upper Settlements, on or near the Mississippi, is con- veyed in the spring and avitumn, in batteaux, rowed by eighteen or twenty men, and carrying about forty tons. From New Orleans to the Illinois the voyage is commonly performed in eight or ten weeks. A prodigious number of islands, some of which are of great extent, intersperse that mighty river. Its waters, after overflowing its banks below the river Ibber^. ville on the east, and the river Rouge on the west, never re- turn within them again, there being many outlets or streams * by which they are conducted into the bay of Mexico, more especially on the west side of the Mississippi, dividing the country into numerous islands. These singularities distinguish it from every other known river in the world. The island of New Orleans, and the lands opposite, are to all appearance of no long date, having evidently been formed by the mud and trees carried down the river, and having an appearance similar to the Delta in Egypt. < Nothing can be asserted with certainty respecting the length of the rivef. Its source is not known, but supposed to be ujv OF AMERICA. 15 wards of three thousand miles from the sea as the river runs. We only know that from St. Anthony's falls in lat. 45 deg. it glides with a pleasant clear current, and receives many large and tributary streams, before its junction with the Missouri, without greatly increasing the breadth of the Mississippi, thougli they do its depth and rapidity. The muddy waters of the Missiiuri discolour tho lower part of the river, till it empties into the bay of Mexico. The Missouri is a longer, broader, and deeper river than the Mississippi, and affords a more extensive navigation ; it is, in fact, the principal river, contributing more to the common stream than does the Mis- sissippi. ' The slime which the annual floods of the river Mississippi leave on the surface of the adjacent shores, may be compared with thjit of the Nile, which deposits a similar manure, and for many centuries past has insured the fertility of Egypt. When its banks shall have been cultivated, as the excellency of its soil and temperature of the climate deserve, its population will equal that of any other part of the world. The trade, wealth, and power of America may at some future period depend, and perhaps centre, upon the Mississippi. Whoever will for a moment cast his eye over a map of the town of New Orleans, and the immense country around it, and view its advantageous situation, must be convinced that it, or some place near it, must in process of time become one of the greatest marts in the world. ' The Ohio is a most beautiful river. Its current gentle, waters clear, and bosom smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids, a single instance only excepted. It is one quarter of a mile wide at fort Pitt; 500 yards at the mouth of the Great Kanaway ; 1200 yards at Louisville ; and the rapids half a mile in some few places below Louisville: but its general breadth does not exceed 600 yards. In some places its width is not 400 ; and in one place particularly, far below the rapids, it is less than SOO. Its breadth in one place exceeds 1200 yards ; and at its junction with the Mississippi, neither river is more than 900 yards wide.' 16 GENERAL VIEW Mr. Morse states the precise measurement of the length of the Ohio, with all its windings, from fort Pitt to Its junction with the Mississippi; amounting to 1188 miles. The inun- dations commonly begin with April, and subside in July. A vessel drawing twelve feet water might safely navigate from Pittsburg to the sea. Two great rivers unite to form the Ohio, namely, the Monongahela and the Allegany, both of them subservient to navigation. From this it appears that the Missouri is the chief river of what is called the Mississippi. Charlevoix has described the confluence as the grandest in the world. Each river is about half a league in breadth ; but the Missouri is the broadest and most rapid ; and Mr. Hutchins observes, that the natives still call it Meschasipi. The same author adds, that the Mis- souri ' affords a more extensive navigation, and is a longer., broader, and deeper river than the Mississippi.' The noble river of St. Lawrence is universally regarded as the second in North America, being not less than 90 miles wide at its mouth, and navigable for ships of the line as far as Quebec, a distance of 400 miles from the sea. Near Quebec it is five miles in breadth ; and at Montreal from two to four. Though there be some rapids, yet this grand river may be considered as navigable to Kingston, and the lake Ontario, 743 miles from the sea. It is difficult to define the precise source of the St. Lawrence, though that name be generally confined to the river issuing from lake Ontario; while the Niagara, which flows from the lake Erie, is regarded as a dis- tinct stream. The lengtli of the St. Lawrence may therefore be above 700 British miles, the breadth being the grand cha- racteristic. The other chief rivers in North America are the Saskashawin, the Athabasca, the Unjiga or Mackenzie's river, the Rio Bravo, which flows into the gulf of Mexico ; that of Albany, which joins Hudson's bay : Nelson river and Churchill river are also considerable streams which flow into that sea;. but their geo- graphy is far from being perfect. The same observation must be extended to the Oregan, or great river of the west, which OF AMERICA. 17 confined by a chain of mountains, runs south, till by a western bend it join the Pacific. But the discovery of the western re- gions of America raav disclose some considerable streams in that quarter. Mountains. — The centre of North America seems to present a vast fertile plain, watered by the Missouri and its auxihary streams. On the west, so far as discovered, a range of moun- tains proceeds from New Mexico in a northern direction, and joins the ridge called the Stoney Mountains, which extend to the vicinity of the arctic ocean. The Stoney Mountains are said to be about 3500 feet above their base, which may per- haps be 3000 feet above tlie sea. In general, from the ac- counts of navigators who have visited this coast, it seems to resemble that of Norway, being a wide alpine country of gi-eat extent ; while the shore, like that of Norway, presents innu- merable creeks and islands. This -alpine tract, from the Stoney Mountains and Mackenzie's river westwards to the source of the Oregan and Beering's strait, may perhaps contain the highest mountains in North America, when explored by the eye of science. On the north-east, Greenland, Labi-ador, and the countries around Hudson sea, present irregular masses covered with eternal snow, with black naked peaks, resembling in form the spires of the Alps, but of far inferior elevation, mountains generally decreasing in lieight towards the pole. Mr, Mackenzie observes, that a high ridge passes south-west from the coast of Labrador to the source of the Utawas, divid- ing the rivers that fall into the St. Lawrence and Hudson's bay. The Stoney Mountains run paral'lcl with the Pacific ocean from Cook's entry to the river Columbia, where diey are more distant from the coast and less elevated. The most celebrated mountains in North America are those called the Apalachian, passing through the territory of the United States from the south-west to the north-east. Accord- ing to the best maps, they comnience on the north of Georgia, where they give source to many rivers running south to tlie gulf of Mexico ; and to the Tenassee and other i-ivers running north. There are several collateral ridges, as the Iron or Bald Mountains, the White Oak Mountains, and others ; the exte- C 18 GENERAL VIEW rior skirt on the north-west being the Cumberland Mountains^ The Apalachian chain thence extends through the western territory of Virginia, accompanied with its collateral ridges^ the breadth of the whole being often seventy miles, and pro- ceeds through Pennsylvania; then passes Hudson river; and afterwards rises to more elevation, but seems to expire m the country of New Brunswick. The chief summits appear to be in the province of New Hampshire, where the White Moun- tains are by some reported to be 9000 feet above the sea. But it may well be affirmed that they cannot much exceed 4000 feet : and the glaciers of the Pyrenees at 9000 feet shew the futility of the calculation. The Apalachian chain may thus extend about 900 geogra- phical miles, a length imrivalled by any European mountains, except the Norwegian alps. In no chain perhaps are the col- lateral ridges more distinct; and a naturalist would at once pronounce that the central, or highest, must be granitic, the next schistose, and the exterior belts calcareous. The height of the chief summits does not appear to be precisely ascertain- ed, but probably does not exceed 3000 feet above the sea ; and they are often clothed with forests. The mountains in the isthmus, as well as those in the west- ern part of North America, are certainly of far superior eleva- tion : and in most maritime divisions of the old and new continents, the highest mountains are towards the west, as their most pi'ecipitous sides uniformly front the west and south. But of the isthmus, the kingdom of Mexico, and California, the natural history and geography are far from being clearly illustrated. Such are the most striking and peculiar features of natin-e in the North American continent. The botany, mineralogy, and zoology of this grand division of the New World, will be detailed when we come to exhibit the natural history of the United States. SOUTH AMERICA. Climate. — The boundaries and extent of this division of ihe »ew continent have been already explained. The climate of OF AMEBICA. 19 the southeni extremity, extending far beyond that of Africa, is exposed to all the horrors of the antarctic frosts ; and Terra del Fuego in the south lat. of 55 deg. seems exposed to the almost perpetual winter of Greenland in north lat. 70 deg. Patagonia, consisting mostly of opeh deserts and savannas, with a few willow trees on the rivers, seems to enjoy a tempe- rate but rather cool climate. On proceeding towards the north, the great chain of the Andes constitutes real zones and climates, which strangely contradict the theories of ancient geographers ; the chief inconveniences of the torrid zone being extreme cold on the mountains, and extreme moisture in the plains. Near Callao the months of October and November form the spring. In Peru what is called summer is the dry season, often extremely cold ; and the rainy season is called winter. The former begins in May, which is nearly the be- ginning of winter in the lower parts, and continues till Novem- ber, w4ien the slight fogs, called winter in the vales, begin to disperse. On the mountains winter begins in December, which in the plains is the first month of summer ; and a journey of four hours conducts the traveller from one season to another. At Quito, situated between two chains of the Andes, on a plain, of remarkable elevation, the months from September to May or June constitute the winter, and the other months the sum- mer ; the former being exposed to almost constant rains, which are also frequent, but at longer intervals, during the summer season. At Carthagena the winter, or rainy season, extends, on the contr-ary, from May to November ; and the summer, or dry season, from December to April. At Panama the summer begins rather later, and ends sooner. At Lima, in a southern latitude corresponding with the northern of Cartha- gena, the heat is far more moderate ; and spring begins with December, winter with July : the sunmier is iu February, th« autumn in May. In general, the confined regions on the west of the Andes are dry, the clouds being arrested by their summits; while the wide countries on the east of the chain are exposed to tor- rents of rain, from the eastern or trade winds blowing over the Atlantic. In Brazil the rainy se^ason begins in March or 20 GENERAL VIEW April, and ends in August, when the spring begins, or rather the summer ; the distinction being only between wet and dry seasons. LaJiCS.—lSio part of the globe displays so great a number of lakes as North America ; and the southern part of the new continent is perhaps equally remarkable by their rarity. Many supposed lakes, as that of Zarayos or Sharayos, in the course of the river Paraguay, only exist during the annual inunda- tions, which are on a far grander scale than those of the Gan- ges, and may be said to deluge whole provinces. In the most northern part the lagoon of Maracaybo is remarkable, being a circular bason about 100 British miles in diameter, receiving numerous rivers and rivulets, and communicating with the sea by a considerable creek. The celebrated lake Parima, called also Paranapitinca, or the White sea, is represented by La Cruz as more than 100 British miles in length by 50 in breadth. This size, and even its existence, have been doubted, as it was the seat of the noted city El Dorado, the streets of which were paved with gold ; a fable which seems to have arisen from a rock of talc reflecting, like a mirror, the golden rays of the sun. In Amazonia and Brazil there do not appear to be any lakes of consequence. That of Titiaca, in the kmgdom of Peru, is regarded as the most important in Soutli America. Ulloa says tliat it is of an oval figure, the circumference about 240 miles; and the depth 70 or 80 fathoms. It receives ten or twelve rivers and several rivulets ; but the water, though not saline, is nauseous, being probably tainted with sulphur or bitumen. It contains two kinds of fish, and is frequented by geese and wild fowl. In an isle of this lake, Mango Capac, thelbunder of the Peruvian monarchy, reported that the sun, his father, had placed him, with his sister, and consort, Oello; and l^ere a temple was dedicated to the sun, the most splendid in the kingdom, and profusely decorated with plates of gold and silver. On the Spanish invasion, these treasures are said to have been thrown into the lake. \ few small lakes are found near the course of the river Parana; and towards the south of Chih there are some of considerable size. OF AMERICA. 21 Rivers. — The river of Amazons, so called from a female tribe inured to arms, discovered ou its banks by the first navi- gators, but more properly by a native term, the Maranon, is celebrated as the most distinguished river, not onlv in South America, but in the whole world : and this reputation is no doubt just, when its magnitude is considered. The source is not yet absolutely ascertained. The original and proper Ma- ranon is supposed to be the Apurimac, which joins another large river west of the great lake Titicaca, south lat. 16 deg. 30 min. This iioble river, in struggling through the Andes, must afford many striking scenes still lost to scientific observa- tion. Ulloa calculates the course of the Maranon at 3800 miles ; but it is probably much more. Like the Missouri and St. Lawrence, the Maranon is discoloured with mud. The breadth at the Portuguese boundary is said to be a league, but it is generally about two miles ; and no bottom is found at 103 fathoms. The effect of the tides is perceivable at the dis- tance of 600 miles, but Condamine thinks that the swell is occasioned by the progress of the tide the preceding day. The banks are generally crowned with vast forests of lofty trees, among which are many of a rare and medicinal nature. Ser- pents of prodigious size are found in the marshes, and allio-a- tors ai'e also common. It seems certain, from the disquisition of Condamine, that some female warriors still exist towards the north of this great river. After it has received the Shino-u. the breadth from shore to shore cannot be discovered by the eye. Near its mouth the Bore rises from twelve to fifteen feet in height ; and the noise of this irruption is heard at the dis- tance of two leagues. The Rio de la Plata, or river of Silver, is the conjunct flood of the Paraguay, the PilcomayO, the Parana, and the Urucuay, The main sti-eams are the Paraguay and the Parana ; and it would seem that the latter is the longest and most considerable, rising in the great mine mountains of Brazil, lat. 19 deo-., and bending south, then west, till it receive the Iba Parana, after which it bends south-west till it is joined by the Paraguay, while the "conjunct rivers are still called the Parana by the na- tives, and the Rio de la Plata by the Spaniards. The grand 22 GENERAL VIEW cataract of the Parana is in lat. 24 deg. not far from the city of Cuayra ; but is rather a series of rapids, for a space of twelve leagues, amidst rocks of tremendous and singular forms. This noble river is also studded with numerous islands ; and the Spanish vessels navigate to the town of Assumption, about 1200 miles from the sea. The breadth of the estuary is such, that the land cannot be discovered from a ship in the middle of the stream. The third great river in South America is the Orinoco, of a most singular and perplexed course. According to La Cruz, it rises in the small lake of Ipava, north lat. 5 deg. 5 min. ; and thence winds almost in a spiral form, until it enter the Atlantic ocean by an extended delta opposite to the isle of Trinidad ; but the chief estuary is considerably to the south- east of that island. Many rivers of great size flow into the Orinoco ; and in addition to its singular form, there are other remarkable peculiarities. There exists a communication be- tween the Orinoco, the Maranon, and the Black river ; a cir- cumstance so uncommon, that when it only had been asserted by Spanish authors, it was rejected by geographical theorists as contrary to the usual course of nature. Little doubt can now remain concerning diese wonderful inland navigations, thus prepared by the hand of nature, and which, in the pos- session of an industrious people, would render Guiana, or New Andalusia, one of the most flourishing countries in the wovld. The other rivers of South America are comparatively of small account, the chief being the Magdalena, running north to the Caribbean sea ; and that of St. Francis, which waters a great part of Brazil. To the south of the great Parana there is the river Mendoza, and the Rio de los Sauzes, or river of Willows ; followed in the furthest south by the Chulclau and the Gallegos, the last entering the Pacific opposite to the Ma- louin or Falkland islands. Mountains. — The mountains of South America constitute some of the grandest objects in natural geography, being not only the most lofty on the face of the globe, but intermixed, with volcanoes of the most sublime and terrific description. The extent is also prodigious, the Andes stretching in one line OF AMERICA. 2S from the capes of Isidro and Pilares, in the southjern extremity of the continent, to the west side of the gulf of Darien, a space of not less than 4600 miles, as they generally follow the wind- ings of the coast, at the medial distance of about 100 miles. The chief summits are near the equator, not far from the city of Quito. The highest part of the American alps is Chimborazo, about 100 miles south of Quito. It is computed to be 20,280 feet above the level of the sea. The next in height is supposed to be tlie volcano called Cotopasha, estimated at about 18,600 feet, about twenty-five miles to the south-east of Quito. — Humboldt, a French naturalist, says there are three remarka- ble chains of mountains, which proceed from west to east, parallel to the equator. Several branches extend northward from the great chain in the high plain of Quito. The greatest height in the province of St. Marta is 14,000 feet. Several mountains of this chain are perhaps equal in height to Mont Blanc ; perpetually covered with snow, and often pouring from their sides streams of boiling sulphureous water : and the high- est peaks are solitary amidst mountains of little height. That of Merida is near the plain of Caracas, which is only 260 feet above the sea. The second chain divides the waters that fall into the Esquibo and Orinoco ; and is inhabited by a number of savage tribes, little or not at all known in Europe. The third chain unites the Andes of Peru and Chili with the mountains of Brazil and Paraguay. Between these three great ridges are, according to our au- thor, three immense vallies ; that of Orinoco, that of the river of Amazons, and that of the Pampas of Buenos Ayres, from 19 to 52 deg. south lat., all opening to the east, but shut on the west l)y the Andes. The middle valley, or that of the Amazons, is covered with forests so thick, that the rivers alone form roads ; while those of Orinoco and Pampas are savannas, or grassy plains, with a few scattered palms; and so level, that sometimes tor 800 square leagues there is no inequality above eioht or ten inclics in height. On reviewing the grand physical features of the New V/orld, its fine adaptation lor commercial intercourse is very striking. 24 GENERAL VIEW * The gulf of Mexico," says Dr. Robertson, ' which flows °m between North and South America, may be considered as a Mediterranean sea, which opens a maritime commerce with all the fertile countries by which it is encircled. The islands scattered in it are inferior only to those in the Indian archipe- lago, in number, in magnitude, and in value. As we stretch along the northern division of the American hemisphere, the bay of Chesapeake presents a spacious inlet, which conducts the navigator far into the interior parts of provinces no less fertile than extensive ; and if ever the progress of culture and population shall mitigate the extreme rigour of the climate in the more northern districts of America, Hudson's bay may become as subservient to commercial intercourse in that quar- ter of the globe, as the Baltic is in Europe. The other great portion of the New World is encompassed on every side by the sea, except one narrow neck, which separates the Atlantic from the Pacific ocean ; and though it be not opened by spa- cious bays or arms of the sea, its interior parts are rendered accessible by a number of large rivers, fed by so many auxili- ary streams, flowing in such various directions, that, almost without any aid from the hand of industry and art, an inland navigation may be carried -on through all the provinces from the river de la Plata to the gulf of Paria. Nor is this bounty of nature confined to the southern division of America; its northern continent abounds no less in rivers which are naviga- ble almost to their sources, and by its immense chain of lakes provision is made for an inland communication, more extensive and commodious than in any quarter of the globe. The countries stretching from the gulf of Darien on one side, to that of California on the other, which form the chain that binds the two parts of the American continent together, are not destitute of peculiar advantages. Their coast on one side is washed by the Atlantic ocean, on the other by the Pacific. Some of their rivers flow into the former, some into the latter^ and secure to them all the commercial benefits that may result from a communication with both.' OF AMERICA. DTSCOVERY AND ANCIENT POPULATION OF AMEltlCA. America was first discovered by the Norwegians in the year ^82, when these adventurers visited Greenland, which, it is now universally admitted, forms a part of this grand division of the eai-th. This was followed, in the year 1003, by the dis- covery of Vinland, which seems to liave been a part of Labra- dor, or Newfoundland, The colony of Mnland was soon destroyed by intestine divisions ; but that in Greenland conti- nued to floui'ish till maritime intercourse was impeded by the encroaching shoals of arctic ice. Though the first European colonies in America were thus lost, the Danes asserted their right by settlements on the western coast, called New Green- land, to distinguish it from the original colony on the eastern shores, or what is called Old Greenland. After this there seems a long pause, for no further discovery in Amei'ica has hitherto been traced, by the utmost exertion of learned research, till the time of Colon. But the Portuguese discoveries in the fifteenth century had gradually enlarged knowledge and encouraged enterprise. The Canary islands appear to have been faintly known to the Spaniards about the middle of the fourteenth century : and the Normans of France, in the usual enterprising spirit of their progenitors, had made piratical excursions as far as these isles. Their discovery, so far to the west, proved an important motive to the further re- searches of Colon ; who was also instigated by the numerous Portuguese discoveries in Africa, where the cape of Good Hope had been seen by Diaz in 1486. Colon, or, as he is usually called, Columbus, sailed from Spain in quest of the New, World on Friday the 3d day of August, 1492. On the 1st of October he was, by his reckon- ing, 770 leagues west of the Canaries, His men began to mu- tiny, and he was forced to promise to return in three days, if land did not apiicar. Fortunate presages soon arose, as land birds, a cane newly cut, a carved piece of wood, and the branch of a tree with fresh red berries. These and other symptoms 2 D 26 GENERAL VIEW induced Colon to order the ships to He to in the eveningof the 11th of October, in the certainty of seeing land on the approach of daylight. The night was passed in gazing expectation ; and, a light having been observed in motion, the cry of land ! land i resounded from the headmost ship. With the dawn of Friday, October 12th, a beautiful isle appeared, two leagues to the north. Te Deum was sung with shouts of exultation, and every mark of gratitude and veneration to the admiral. Colon was the first who landed, to the great astonishment of the na- tives, who regarded their visitors as children of the sun, the astonishment on both sides being; indescribable. The first dis- covery was one of the group called the Bahama isles, being the Cat island of our mariners. In his second voyage he discovered several of the Caribbee islands ; and in his third voyage he fell in with an island which he called Trinidad, and viewed the estuary of the Orinoco. He then returned to Hispaniola, or St. Domingo ; and in Oc- tober, 1500, was sent back to Spain in chains ! When Colon arrived at the West Indies, he conceived that he was in the neighbourhood of Japan ; and the name of India was imposed in a new and improper sense. The discovery of Vinland could scarcely have been known to him ; and that of Greenland was so remote, that there was no room for a sug- gestion that this region formed a part of a prodigious continent. As to the Atlantis of Plato, and the ridiculous Welsh tale of Madoc, which Sovithey has succeeded in rendering interesting, they cannot deprive Colon of one atom of his glory. Ojeda, an officer who had accompanied Colon in his second voyage, sailed to America Vvith four ships in 1499, but disco- vered little ryore than Colon had done. One of the adven- turers was Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine man of science, eminently skilled in navigation, who perhaps acted as chief pilot, an office on such expeditions of high account, and pro- bably only inferior to that of commodore. On his return, Amerigo published the first description that had yet appeared of any part of the new continent : and the caprice of fame has assigned to him an honour above the renown of the greatest conquerors; that of indehbly impressing his name upon tliis OF AMERICA. ^t vast portion of the earth. It is idle to accuse his vanity, which never could have established such a claim : it was, on the con- trary, the ignorant and thoughtless gratitude of others, which alone could have imposed the appellation, from regard to the first man of letters who had disclosed this discovery to the ge- neral eye, as it seems before to have been concealed by jealousy and intrigue ; and the name is, at any rate, better than that of New Holland, or New South Wales, assigned in our own more enlightened times : nor do we esteem it any want of gratitude to Cook that no land has yet received its denomination from his name. As the titles of the three other quarters of the world spread, by mere accident, from small districts, so vvhen the name of America was imposed there was not the most dis- tant idea of the prodigious extent of the territory ; and it was only understood that this appellation was given to a large island. If any continent were adjacent, it was understood to be the large land of India. Cabral, on his voyage to the East Indies in 1500, accident- ally discovered Brazil : and in 1513, Vasco Nugnez de Balboa descried, from the mountains of the isthmus, the grand Pacific ocean ; and he afterwards waded into the waves, and took pos- session of it in the name of the Spanish monarch. This disco- very seems to have terminated the vain expectation that America formed part of Asia. It seems unnecessary to trace with minuteness the other epochs of discovery in this quarter. In 1515 the continent was explored as far as Rio de Plata ; but even in 1518 little was known concerning its western parts ; and twenty-six years had elapsed since the first voyage of Colon, before the existence was rumoured of the empires, or kingdoms, of Mexico and Peru. Hispaniola and Cuba still continued to be the chief seats of the Spanish power. In 1519, Cortez, with eleven small vessels, containing 61T men, proceeded to the conquest of Mexico, which was accomplished in 1521. Magalhaens, at the same time, having explored the Pacific ocean, the discovery of the western coast of America became a necessary conse- quence. After many reports concerning the riches of Peru, that country was at, length visited in 15S6 by Pizarro, at the 28 GENERAL VIEW head of 36 cavalry and 144 infantry : and in ten years that empire was divided among his followers. In 1543 the first Spanish viceroy appeared in Peru. lu North AMEPacA the epochs of discovery were more slow. In 1497, Giovanni Gaboto, a Venetian, called by the Eng- lish John Cabot, who had received a commission from Henry VII., in the view of tracing a nearer passage to India, discovered Newfoundland, so called by his sailors; and in- spected the American shore as far as Virginia : but this land forming merely an obstacle to his wishes, he returned to England. In 1500, Corte de Real, a Portuguese captain, in search ot a north-west passage, discovered Labrador, which he appears to have so called from the seeming industry of the natives. Florida was discovered by Ponce, a Spanish captain, in 1513. The powerful kingdom' of France had hitherto taken no share in these discoveries; but in 1524, Francis I. sent Vere- zano, a Florentine, who examined a great part of the coast of North America. In 1534, Francis I. sending a fleet from St. Maloes, to esta- blish a settlement in North America, Cartier the commander, on the day of St. Lawrence, discovered the great gulf and river to which he gave the name of that saint. In the following year he sailed about 300 leagues up this noble stream to a great cataract, built a fort, and called the country New France. The Spanish captain Soto proceeded in 1539 from Cuba to complete the conquest of Florida. He travelled northward to about lat. 35 deg., but died in 1542, and was buried on the bank of the river Mississippi. In 1540, Jean de la Roque, lord of Roberual, a gentleman of Picardy, was appointed lieutenant-general of the new lands of Canada, Hochelaga, and Saguenay, who soon returned without success. Roberual again went in 1543. In 1556 the French also attempted a settlement in Brazil. The industrious and venerable Hakluyt has published the accounts of these French voyages; and though merely a private clei-gyman, perhaps did n'lore than any potentate to promote a similar spi- OF AMERICA. 29 lit in England. The other French voyages during this cen- tury were of little moment. It will now be proper to consider the progress of the chief settlements. In 1576, Frobisher, in search of a north-west passage, dis- covered the straits which retain his name. In 1578, Sir Humphrey Gilbert obtained a patent for set- tling lands in America ; and, in 1583, he discoyered and took possession of the harbour of St. John and the country to the south, but was lost on his return. The voyage of Drake round the world served to kindle the enthusiasm of the English ; and Raleigh obtained a patent similar to that of Gilbert. Two small vessels dispatched by Raleigh in 1584 unfortu- nately bent their course to that country now called North Ca- rolina, instead of reaching the noble bays of Chesapeake or Delawar. They touched at an island, probably Ocakoki, si- tuated on the inlet into Pamlico sound ; and afterwards at Roanoke, near the mouth of Albemarle sound. These vessels returned to England, with two of the natives ; and Elizabeth assigned to this region the name of Virginia, an appellation which became laxly applied to the British settlements in North America, till it was confined to a different country from the original Virginia. In 1585, Raleigh sent a small colony, under the command of Sir Richard Grenville, who settled in the isle of Roanoke, a most incommodious and useless station, whence they returned in 1586. He made other unsuccessful attempts to colonize the country, and afterwards resigned his patent to some mer- chants, who were contented with a petty traffic. At the death of Elizabeth, 1603, there was not one Englishman settled in America ; and the Spaniards and Portuguese alone had formed any establishment on that vast continent. The venerable Hakluyt, anxious that his countrymen should partake of the benefit of colonies, procured an association of men of rank and talents for this purpose ; and a patent was granted by James I., April the 10th, 1606, that monarch be- ing wholly unconscious that he was about to establish an inde- pendent and mighty empire. The bay of Chesapeake was 30 GENERAL VIEW • * discovered in 1607 ; and the first lasting settlement was found-' ed at James Town, in modern Virginia. Captain Smith, who afterwards published an account of his voyages, displayed re- markable spirit and enterprise : yet the colony was about to return to England when lord Delawar arrived in 1610 ; and though he remained only a short time, yet his prudent 'conduct firmly established the settlement. The discovery and progress of the other English settlements will be noticed when we come to the description of the different American states. Here it may be sufficient briefly to state the epochs of a few other remarkable discoveries, rather uncon- nected with these settlements. In 1585, John Davis, an ex- perienced navigator, visited the western coast of Greenland, and explored the narrow sea, absurdly enough called Davis's strait, while it is as wide as the Baltic. On another voyage he proceeded as far north as the island of Disko, and the opposite shores of Greenland, which he named London coast. He also discovered Cumberland strait ; and, upon the whole, the three voyages of this navigator are of great consequence. His fur- thest point of discovery appears to have been Sanderson's Hope, lat. 72 deg., whence turning to the west he was impeded by fields of ice. In 1607, Hudson made his first voyage ; and is said to have proceeded along the eastern coast of Greenland as far as lat. 82 deg. ; but probably not above lat. 80 deg., or the furthest ex- tremities of Spitzbergen. On his voyage in 1610, Hudson , discovered the straits which bear his name ; and that inland sea, approaching the Baltic in size, which has, however, been called Hudson's bay. In 1616, some public-spirited gentlemen sent captain Bilot to attempt a north-west passage. William Baffin sailed with him as pilot : and this voyage is one of the most singular in the whole circle of geography. He is said to have proceeded in an inland narrow sea as far as 78 deg. ; though the accurate and learned Pinkerton doubts the fact. Some curious disco- veries have, however, been just made in the arctic seas by captain Ross, who fell in with a party of Indians that were so ignorant of the world, and the existence of other men, OF AMERICA. 31 as to suppose that the Enghsh had descended from the moon ! Mr. Hearne, under the direction of the Hudson's bay com- pany, in an expedition which lasted from the 7th of December, 1770, to the 30th of June, 1772, proceeded from Prince of Wales's fort, on the Churchill river, in lat. 58 deg. 47| min, north, and long. 94 deg. 7| min. west of Greenwich, to the mouth of the Copper-mine river, which, according to some accounts, is in lat. 72 deg. north, and long. 119 deg. west from Greenwich ; but is laid down by others in lat. 69 deg. north, and long. 112 deg. west from Greenwich. But the Hudson's bay company, acting upon a contracted policy, did not render all those services to the subject of American geography which might have been expected. The enterprising spirit, however, of certain Canadian traders, afterwards united under the name of the North-west company, amply supplied the deficiency. Prior to the year 1789, they had extended their discoveries and establishments along the numerous lakes and rivers situ- ated north of that high tract of country which divides the Mississippi and Missouri waters from those which run towards the north and east, to within a short distance of the Rocky mountains. In the summer of the year 1789, Mr. M'Kenzie made a voyage from fort Chepavyan, on the lake of the Hills, in lat. 58 deg. 40 min. north, and long. 110 deg. 30 min. west from Greenwich, by the way of the Hare river. Hare lake, and a river by which this lake discharges its waters, since called M'Kenzie's river, to the mouth of that river, where it falls into the North sea, in lat. 69 deg. 14 min. north, and long. 135 deg. west from Greenwich. Mr. M'Kenzie again, in the year 1793,* penetrated from an estabUshment on the Peace river, in lat. 56 deg. 49 min. north, and long. 117 deg. 35 min. west from Greenwich, to the Pacific ocean, in lat. 52 deg. 24 min. north, and long. 128 deg. 2 min. west from Greenwick. By the discoveries above alluded to, and those occasionally made during the rapid settlement of the country and the pro- gress of enterprise, the principal divisions of this northern con- SS GENERAL VIEW tinent have been explored and become known. The unknown and unexplored countries (except so far as the surveys made by navigators of the coast of the Pacific ocean, and the imper- fect accounts of the travellers who have ascended tlie Missouri, have furnished information) comprehend the tract enclosed by this line, containing, in breadth, 1000 miles, and in length about 1800 miles in a direct line ; and, by the way of the Missouri and Columbia rivers, nearly twice that distance. In the year 1804, the American government sent out a corps of discovery under the command of captains Lewis and Clarke, of the army of the United States. They passed from the mouth of the Missouri, through the interior paits of North America, to the Pacific ocean, and have materially illustrated the geography of that river. Major Pike, in 1805, successfully explored the course of the Mississippi, and in a second expe- dition, penetrated the interior of Louisiana, surveying the whole of those majestic waters which rise in the rocky moun- tains of that district, and run westward into the Missouri and Mississippi. Tiie recent and splendid contributions of M. Humboldt to our scientific information respecting the equinoc- tial regions can hardly be ranked with the expeditions of diS' covery above mentioned ; but we shall not fail to avail ourselves of them in the progress of this work. Inhabitants. — The next topic which occurs is the ancient population ; but our knowledge of the American languages is still so imperfect, that the subject is involved in great doubts. None of the native nations of America displays the smallest trace of the oblique eyes, and other remarkable features, by which the inhabitants of eastern Asia are distinguished. Far from this, Pallas, Lesseps, Tooke, and other skilful enquirers, have pronounced that the Techuks and Koriaks undoubtedly proceeded from America, as they have not one Asiatic li- neament. It is to be regretted that, neither in North nor South Ame- rica, have the languages been compared, analysed, and classed, as has b'een done with regard to the numerous tribes subject to Russia and China. Hence, instead of solid knowledge, we are overwhelmed with petty distinctions, and names without i OF AMERICA. 53 ideas. Upon one point only do investigators seem to be agreed, that the friendly and helpless people in the furthest north, called Esquimaiux, are the same race witii the Samoieds of Asia, and Laplanders of Europe. These, with the Peruvians and Mexicans, Dr. Forster chuses to consider as strangers uho have settled in America. 'The curious question concerning the population of America,"* says Pinkerton, ' can only be duly examined after the various dialects have been compared with those of Africa ; iov to those of Europe or Asia they certainly bear no resemblance. To trace the population from the north of Asia, not to mention the positive contradiction of facts, would be an unnecessary restriction of the subject, as the progeny of so cold a latitude is ever found rare^ feeble, and unenterprising; while if we consider the proximity of Africa, and the many copper colour- ed nations which are there to be found, there will be little rea- son to hesitate concerning the progress of the Africans to America, as well as to New Holland. This resource alone remains ; for it has already been seen t!iat the language of the Malays, who extended themselves so far to the east of Asia, has no connexion with that of the Americans Amidst the wonderous dreams of antiquaries, it is surprising that none has attempted to prove that the Mexicans and Peruvians were de- scendants of the Carthagenians, who fled to the Hesperides in their abhorrence of the Roman yoke.' Dr. Robertson has enumerated several strong reasons which render it highly probable that America was not peopled from any civilised part of the ancient continent. He supposes that the Esquimaux proceeded from the north-west of Europe, and the other inhabitants of America from the north-east of Eu- rope. This supposition is corroborateil by tiie ingenious cap- tain Burney, who considers Beering's strait not as the separation of two great continents, but merely as the entrance to a vast bay. Mr. Bailey, the astronomer, who, with captain Burney, accompanied the celebrated Couk in his voyage of discovery northward, also conceives that Beering's straits is an inland sea. This opinion of the actual junction of the Old and New World simplifies the question of how the latter was peopled ; E 34 GENERAL VIEW, &rc. unless it be found, on investigating the American languages, that they have, as Mr. Pinkerton conjectures, originated in Africa. The present population of this immense continent does not probably exceed thirty-six millions ; by which calculation North America will contain twenty millions, and South Ame- rica sixteen milliojis. Having exhibited all the great features of American geo- graphy, it now remains to turn ovu* attentlor! to that most im- portant portion of the North American continent called the UN'ION. Observations which cannot with propriety be intror duced in a General View, will be inserted when wf come to treat of the respective stateg and territories that compose this colossal empire. A DESCRIPTION OF THE PHYSICAL FEATURES, CUM ATE, AND NATURAL PRODUCTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES. Boundai'ies. TN the treaty of peace, concluded in 1783, the limits of the United States are thus defined : — ' And that all disputes which might arise in future on the sub- ject of the,,boundaries of the said United States may be pre- vented, it is hereby agreed and declared, that the following are und shall be their boundaries, viz. From the north-west angle of Nova Scotia, viz. That angle which is formed by a line drawn due north from the source of St. Croix river to the highlands, along the said highlands, which divide those rivers that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence, from those which fall into the Atlantic ocean, to the north-westernmost head of Connecticut river ; thence down along the middle of that river to the forty-fifth degree of north latitude; from thence by a line due west on said latitude, until it strikes the river Iroquois or Cataraquy ; thence along the middle of the said river into lake Ontario, through the middle of said lake, until it strikes the communication by water between that lake and lake Erie ; thence along the middle of said communication into lake Erie, through the middle of said lake, until it ar- rives at the water communication between that lake and lake Huron ; thence through the middle of said lake to the water 36 VIEW OF THE communication between thiit lake and lake Superior ; thence through lake Superior northward of the isles Royal and Phil- lipeaux to the Long lake ; thence through the middle of said Long lake, and the water communication between it and the lake of the AVoods to the said lake of the Woods; thence through the said lake to the most north-western point thereof, and from thence, on a due west course, to the river Mississippi ; thence by a line to be drawn along the middle of said river Mississippi, until it shall intersect the northernmost part of the thirty-first degree of north latitude. South, by a line to be drawn due east from the determination of the line last men- tioned, in the latitude of thirty-one degrees north of the equa- tor, to the middle of the river Apalachicola, or Catahouche ; thence along the middle thereof to its junction with the Fhnt river ; thence straight to the head of St. Mary's river ; and thence down along the middle of St. Mary's river to the At- lantic ocean. East, by a line to be drawn along the middle of the river St. Croix, from its mouth in the bay of Fundy to its source ; and from its source directly north, to the aforesaid highlands, which divide the rivers that fall into the Atlantic ocean from those ^hich fall into the river St. Lawrence, com- prehending all islands within twenty leagues of any part of the shores of the United States, and lying between lines to be drawn due east from the points where the aforesaid boundaries between Nova Scotia on the one part, and East Florida on the other, shall respectively touch the bay of Fundy and the At- lantic ocean, excepting such isles as now are, or heretofore have been, within the limits of the said province of Nova Scotia.' Extent. — The United States are situated between 25 deg. 50 min. and 49 deg. 37 min. north lat., and between 10 deg. east and 48 deg. 20 min. west long, from Washington. The most nortliern part is bounded by a line running due west from the north-west corner of the lake of the Woods, and the south- ern extremity is the outlet of the Rio del Norte. The eastern extremity is the Great Menan island, on the coast of Maine ; and the western extremity is cape Flattery, north of Colum- bia river, on the Pacific ocean. Their greatest extent, from north to south, is 1700 miles, and from east to west, 2700. UNITED STATES. 87 Their surface covers more than 2,500,000 square miles, or 1,600,000,000 acres In 1788, the number of square acres in the United States amounted to 283,800,000, of which only about 1,250,000 were cultivated ; and in 1808 to 600,000,000, of which about 2,500,000 were in a high state of cultivation. At the present time, the American Avriters estimate them at the enormous in- crease of 1,600,000,000 acres. Of this it can only be remark- ed, that the accession of Louisiana and the lands cleared westward hardly account for so vast an addition of territory. Divisions. — Thci'e appear to be now nineteen United States of North America, including Indiana, and six Territorial Go- vernments, so called, as not being yet regularly organized into states, but under the general government of the Union; dis- tributed into the following four grand divisions ; I. The Northern, New England^ or Eastern States. Vermont, | the District of Maine ; New Hampshire, j Rhode Island, Massachusetts, including Connecticut. II. The .Middle States. New York, | Delaware, . New Jersey, j Ohio, Pennsylvania, j Indiana. III. The Southern States. Maryland, j South Carolina, Virginia, | Georgia, Kentucky, | Tennessee, North Carolina, j Louisiana. IV. Territorial Govermncnts. District of Columbia, ( Illinois Territory, Mississippi Territory, | Michagan ditto, Missouri ditto, North-west ditto. 38 VIEW OF THE The following table will shew the extent of territory within the Union, and the increase of population which has taken place during twenty-seven recent years. States. Square Miles. Number of Inhabitants. 17ft(). 1H17. Vermont - 10,000 85,539 296,450 New Hampshire 9,800 141,885 302,733 Maine - \ Massachusetts J 31,750 96,540 318,647 8,500 378,787 564,392 Rhode Island 1,700 68,825 98,721 Connecticut 4,500 237,946 349,568 New York 54,000 340.120 1,486,739 New Jersey 6,500 184,139 345.822 Pennsylvania 48,700 434,373 986,494 Delaware - 1,800 59,094 108,334 Maryland - 14,000 319,728 502,710 Virginia - \ Kentucky - J 75,000 747,610 1,347,496 52,000 73,677 683,753 North Carolina - 49,000 393,751 701,224 South Carolina - 32,700 240,073 564,785 Georgia 64,000 82,548 408,567 Western Territories - - 35,691 _ _ _ Districtof Columbia 100 _ . _ 37,892 Tennessee - 63,000 _ _ _ 489,624 Ohio 45,000 _ _ _ 394,752 Louisiana - 49,000 _ _ _ 108,923 Indiana 38,000 - _ - 86,734 Mississippi 55,000 _ _ _ 104,550 Illinois Territory 66,000 _ _ _ 39,000 Michagan ditto 47,500 _ _ _ 9,743 Missouri ditto 1,987,000 - - - 68,794 Total - 2,814,550 8,929,336 10,405,547 In estimating the extent of such immense regions, accuracy is not attainable ; but perhaps the above calculation may not be far from the truth. However, after making every reasona- ble deduction, the survey before us offers matter for reflections UNITED STATES. 39 the most consolatory and Impressive. England contains one hundred and eighty persons to a square mile ; and when the territories at present comprehended in the Union shall become equally populous, the population will amount to Jive hundred millions! while few writers on Statistics have ventured to esti- mate the inhabitants of Europe at more than one hundred and seventy millions. This shews the futility of the European roi/al associations for the purpose of impeding the march of knowledge, and of restoring the age of ignorance and supersti- tion. The people of the Western Hemisphere will soon be qualified, whatever may happen in the Old World, to support and defend the ark of science and liberty. Climate. — The climate of the United territories, as already mentioned, is chiefly remarkable for sudden transitions from heat to cold, and the contrary. The wind from the north-east is violently cold, as it passes a wide expanse of the frozen con- tinent. In the plains on the east of the Apalachian chain the summer heats are immodenite ; and in some places even ice will not preserve poultry or fish from putrefaction. Towards the mountains the climate is salutary, even in the sout'i5ern states, as is evinced by the bloom of tlie damsels in the back settlements of Viroinia. In the northern states the winter is longer and more severe than in England, Ijut the suunner heat more intense. A north-east wind commonly attends rain, while on the west side of the A])alachian mountains a south- west has that efiect. In Georg-ia the winter is very mild, snow being seldom seen, and the east wind is there the warmest. This excessive heat of the plains must be regarded as one cause of that fatal pestilential malady called the yellow fever, which first appeai'ed at Philadelphia in 179-'', and has since too frequently repeated its i-avages in various cities of the com- monwealth. Several medical men have treated this subject with considerable care and ability ^ but do not seem to have examined whether any similar disease was before known on the continent, and what method of cure was practised. Alzate, in his fugitive remarks on the natural history of Mexico, has mentioned an epidemical distemper, called in the Mexican lan- guage mailazahualt ; but at Vera Cruz, Carthagena. and other 40 VIEW OF THE places, known by the name of the black vomit, which is the chief scourge of the kingdom of Mexico. In 1736 and 1737 it swept away above one-third of the inhabitants of the capital ; and in 1761 and 1762 it almost depopulated the kingdom. Alzate thinks that this disorder proceeds from the bile mixing Avith the blood, the patient often bleeding at the nose and mouth ; and a relapse is extremely dangerous. He dissuades purgatives and bleeding, as when used for other disorders they superinduce the matlazaJiualt, which in Mexico always begun among the Indians, and was chiefly confined to them. May not this disorder be as much allied with the yellow fever as the black and yellow jaundice ? The S})anish physicians might at any rate be consulted, as they have long been accustcmied to the American maladies ; and it is hoped that this hint may not be unsubservient to the interests of humanity. Seasons.— The seasons in the United States generally cor- respond with those in Europe, but not with the equality to be expected on a continent ; as, even during the summer heats, single days will occur which require the warmth of a fire. The latitude of Labrador corresponds with that of Stockhohn, and that of Canada with France ; but what a wide difference in the temperatui'e ! Even the estuary of the Delaware is generally frozen for six weeks every winter. Nor does the western coast of North America seem warmer than the eastern. The nume.- rous forests, and wide expanses of fresh water, perhaps contri- bute to this comparative coldness of the climate, wiuch may gradually yield to the progress of population and industry. In fact, a favourable change in the climate is already very per- ceptible. In the oldest cultivated parts of the country, the cold in winter has sensibly decreased, the snow has diminished, and the frosts are neither so severe nor of so long a continuance as formerly. Face of the Country. — The face of these extensive territories is not so minutely diversified as might have been expected, the features of nature being here on a larger and more uniform scale than in Europe. Nor are there any scenes of classical or historical reminiscence, which transport the mind to remote centuries, and impart a crowd of relative ideas. The aban- UNITED STATES. 41 dance of timber, and the diversity of the foliage, contribute greatly to enrich the landscape ; but it is here reputed a weed, and the planter seldom spares trees near his habitation, as the roots having no great room to spread or penetrate, they would be dangerous durinq; a violent wind. ' What a beautiful country, not disgraced by a single tree,' is an idea purely American. The landscape is less ennobled by lofty mountains than by rivers of great magnitude; and is frequently injured by the barren aspect of large fields, which have been exhausted by the culture of tobacco, and which scarcely produce a weed or a pile of grass. The northern provinces, called New Eng- land, are generally hilly, as they approach the skirts of the Apalachian chain, which has, by no unfit similitude, been called the spine of the United territory. The vales in these northern regions are thickly clothed with wood, and. often pervaded by considerable rivers ; and many romantic cascades are formed by rivulets falling from the rocks, while towards the shore the land is level and sandy. In Virginia, a central state, the Blue mountains, apd other ridges of the Apalachian, add great charms and variety to the prospect, which is further enlivened by many beautiful plants and birds, particularly the humming bird, sucking the honey of various flowers, and rapidly glanc- ing in the sun its indescribable hues of green, purple, and gold. Here a plain from 150 to ^00 miles in breadth, reaching from the mountains to the sea, is studded with the villas of rich proprietors, the ancient hospitable country gentlemen of the United States. Similar levels appear in the Carolinas and Georgia. Beyond the Apalachian ridges extends another rich' plain of amazing size, pervaded by the muddy waves of the Mississippi, which does not appear to be table land, but on nearly the same level with the eastern plain. In Kentucky the surface is agreeably waved with gentle swells, reposing on a vast bed of limestone ; and a track of about twenty miles^ along the Ohio is broken into small hills and narrow vales. Soil — The soil, though of various descriptions, is generally fertile, often, on the east of the Blue mountains, a rich brown loamy earth, sometimes a yellowish clay, which becomes more and more sandy towards the sea. Sometimes there are const. F 42 VIEW OF THE derable marslies, and what are called salt meadows, and spots called barrens, which, even in the original forests, are found to be bare of trees for a considerable space. On the west of the Apalachian chain the soil is also generally excellent ; and in Kentucky some spots are deemed too rich for wheat, but the product may amount to sixty bushels an acre : and about six feet below the surface there is commonly a bed of limestone. The vales in the northern states are also very productive. Agriculture. — In agriculture the Americans are well skilled, and are eager to adopt the advantages of English experience. It is computed that three-fourths of the inhabitants of the United States are employed in agriculture. This free and vi- gorous yeomanry may well be regarded as the chief glory of any state; and commerce will impart sufficient opulence to enable them to promote every possible improvement. In the year 1816, the value of agricultural products exported amount- ed to the sum oi fifty-three millionn, three hundred and Jifty- four thouMmd dollars. But this subject must be reserved until we come to treat of the present state and resources of the Union, when it will receive an attention commensurate with its vast importance. Rivers. — The chief rivers in the United States have already been described in the brief general view of North America ; but a few additional particulars may be here noticed, and an account given of those of a more confined course, which parti- cularly belong to the United territory. The Mississippi generally affords fifteen feet of water, from the mouth of the Missouri to that of the Ohio ; but, in time of flushes, a first-rate man-of-war may descend with safety. The mean velocity of its current may be computed to be four miles an hour. Its breadth is various, from one and a half to two miles : its mouth is divided into several channels, which continu- ally change their direction and depth. The Arkansaw^ which runs into this mighty river, has been recently explored by major Pike, who computes its course, from its junction with the Mis- sissippi, about north lat, 34 deg. 10 min., to the mountains, at 1981 miles, and thence to its source, 192 additional miles. It receives several rivers, navigable for upwards of 100 miles. UNITED STATES. 43 The Missou7-if with its eastern branches, waters five-eighths «f the United States. It rises in the Rocky mountains to the north-west of Louisiana, in north lat. 45 cleg. 24 min., and reckoning from its most extreme branch, the Jefferson, joins the Mississippi after a course of above 3000 miles, in west long. 90 deg. and north lat. 39 c\eg., when, forming one mighty stream, they pursue their way conjointly to the gulf of Mexico. The Ohio, less sublime and majestic in its course than those already noticed, is also less interru})ted in its navigation. Its general breadth is about 600 yards ; but it varies from 300 in the narrowest to 1200 in the widest part. The course of the Ohio, from fort Pitt to its junction with the Mississippi, fol- lowing all its windings, is, by Morse and other Americiin geo- graphers, computed at 1188 miles. This river commences at the junction of the Alleghany and Monongehala rivers. It has been describe tiio primary rocks ; but at Long island there commences an alluvial formation, which, increasing in breadth as it stretches 56 VIEW OF THE southward, covers a great part of both the Carohnas and Geor- gia, and almost the whole of the two Floridas and Lower Louisiana. This vast alluvial formation is bounded on the cast by the ocean, and by a line connnencing at the eastan end of Long island and passing through Philadelphia, Washington, Richmond in Virginia, Halifax in North Carolina, Columbia in South Carolina, Augusta on the Savannah, and thence to Nat- chez on the Mississippi. The tide water ends in all the rivers from the Mississippi to the Roanoke at the distance of from 30 to 120 miles from the western limits of the alluvial formation ; from the Roanoke to the Delaware, the tide penetrates through the alluvial, and is stopped by the primitive rocks. In all the northern and eastern rivers, the tide runs a small distance into the primitive formations. In the southern states the alluvial formation is elevated considerably above the level of the sea ; but as it approaches the north, it rises very little above it. On the western side of the great range of mountains, there is a long narrow zone of transition rocks, beginning on the eastern side of lake Charaplain, and extending in an undulating line in a south-westerly direction, to a point between the Ala- bama and Tombigbee rivers, in about 34 dog. north lat. and about 85 dcg. west long. It is generally broadest where the primitive formation is nan'owest, and vice versa; and runs from 20 to lOO miles in breadth. On the north-west of those transition rocks commences an immense region of secondary rocks, extending beyond lake Superior to the north, and some hundred miles beyond the Mississippi to the west, not far distant from the foot of the Stoney mountains, forming an area of- about 1500 miles from east to west, and about 15200 miles from north to south. The volcanic fires which constitute so grand a feature in the geological history of South America, have not extended their dominion to the northern continent, nor have any productions been discovered w liich indicate that volcanoes have at any time existed there. Of the primitive rocks granite forms but a small part; but it is found both on the tops of the mountains and in the plains. There are manv varieties of il, in regard to the size of its con- UNITED STATES. 51 Stituent parts ; and it is occasionally mixed with hornblende. The granite generally divides into rhomboidal masses, and) except in some very small-grained varieties, there is no appear* ance of stratification. It is frequently so far decomposed as to have lost the adhesion of its particles, to the depth of 30 or 40 feet below the surface ; each crystal is in its place, and looks as if it were solid ; but when you take it up, it falls into sand. Gneiss extends over a half of the primitive formation. It in- cludes in a great many places beds from three to three hundred feet thick, of a very large-grained granite, which run in the same direction, and dip as the gneiss does. Within the limits of what may be termed the primitive country, there are found several partial and detached formations of the transition and secondary rocks. A transition formation occupies nearly the whole of Rhode island, and runs from , Rhode island to Boston, fifteen miles broad. There is a range of secondary rocks, extending, with some intervals, from the Connecticut to the Rappahannock rivers, a distance of nearly 400 miles ; and in width, generally from fifteen to twenty-five miles. It appears to belong to the old red sandstone formation of Werner. A formation of transition rocks runs nearly south- west from the Delaware to the Yadkin rivei", from two to fifteen miles broad, consisting of beds of blue, grey, red, and white small-grained limestone, alternating with beds of greywacke and greywacke slate, quartzose granular rocks, and a great va- riety of the transition class. Much of this limestone contains so much small-grained sand, as to resemble a dolomite ; and, in many places, considerable beds of fine-grained white marble, fit for the statuary, occur. About ten or twelve miles west of Richmond in Virginia, there is a coal formation, lying upon, and surrounded by primitive rocks. It is situated in an ob- long basin, from twenty to twenty-five miles long, and about ten miles wide, having the whitish freestone, slaty clay, &c. with veget.able impressions, as well as most of the other at- tendants of that formation. Great varieties of inineral substances are found in the primi- tive formation ; and, from the number already found, in pro- portion to the limited researches that have been made, it is H 5» VIEW OF THE probable that, in so great an extent of rocks of a crystalline structure, almost every mineral substance discovered in similar situations elsewhere will be found in this country. Metallic substances are found in considerable abundance in the primi- tive rocks — iron, copper, manganese, and cobalt. The general nature of metallic repositories in this formation appears to be in beds, disseminated through the rock, or in lying masses. Veins to any great extent have not been discovered in any part of this formation. The immense basin to the west of the Alleghany iiiountains, through which so many mighty rivers flow, is wholly composed of secondary rocks, Avithout having their continuity interrupted by any other formation, except the alluvial deposites on the banks of the large rivers. The stratification is almost perfectly horizontal. The alluvial country, eastward ot' the Alleghany mountains, is composed of beds of sand, gravel, and clay, differing in their nature, according to that of the adjoining rocks, from the dis- ( integration of wTiich thev have been produced. They contain both animal and vegetable remains, which are found to the depth of nearly a hundred feet below the surface. Considera- ble banks of shells, mostly bivalves, run parallel to the coast». imbedded frequently in a soft clay or mud, resembling that in which the living animal is now found on the sea shore, and which makes the supposition jii-obable that they are of the same species. Coal exists in several parts of the United States in great abundance. We have already sj^oken of the vast series of coal strata westward of the Alleghany range, and of an extensive coal formation near Richmond in Virginia. In Pennsylvania, it is foimd near the w-est branch of the Suscjuehanuah ; in va- rious places west of that branch ; also on the Juniata, and oii the waters of the Alleghany and Monongehala. In Connecti- cut, a coal formation, commencing at Newhaven, crosses Con- necticut river at Middletown, and, embracing a width of several miles on each side of the river, extends to some distance above Northampton, in Massachusetts. There are also indi- catioiis of coal in the states of New York and New Jersey. Jn UNITED STATES. 59 Rhode island anthracite is found, accompanied by argillaceous sandstone, shale with vegetable impressions, &c. similar to the usual series of coal strata. The coal at Middletown, in Con- necticut, is accompanied by a slialt- \vhic!i is ]iii>hly bituminous, and burns with a bright flame. It abounds with very distinct and perfect impressions, of fish, sometimes a foot or two in length ; the head, fins, and scales, being perfectly distinguishabJe. A single specimen sometimes presents parts of three or four fish, lying in different directions, and between diffei-ent layers. The fish are some- times contorted, and almost doid)lcd. Their colour, sometimes grey, is usually black ; and the fins and scales appear to be converted into coal. The same shale contains impres-sions of vegetables, sometimes converted into pyrites. Neither Mr. Cleaveland nor Mr. Maclure"give us any in- formation respecting the extent to which the coal has l)een wrought in any of the numerous places where it has been found, or the thickness of the seams. A scarcity of Avood for fuel must be felt before coal will be sought after with much spirit ; and there is probably still wanting in the United States that profusion of capital which can be risked in the uncertain ajierations of inining. Iron is found in the United States in a great variety of forms, and is worked to a considerable extent. In the year 1810, there were 530 furnaces, forges, and bloomeries, in the United States, 69 of which were in the Slate of New York ; and the iron manufactured at Ancram, New York, i^said to be superior, for many purposes, to the Russian and Swedish iron. It is made from a hematitic brown oxide. Mr. Maclure mforms us, that there is a bed of magnetic iron ore, from eight to twelve feet thick, wrought in Franconia, near the White hills, New Hampshire ; that there is a similar bed in the di- rection of the stratification, six miles north-east of I'hilipstown, )n the Hudson river ; and, still following the direction of the stratification, tliat the same ore occupies a bed nearly of the -ame thickness at Ringwocnl, Mount Pleasant, and Suckusannv, n New Jersey ; losing itself, as it approaches the end of the pri)nitive ridge, near Black water — a range of nearly 300 miles. 60 VIEW OF THE This immense deposite of iron ore is contained in gneiss, and is accompanied by gai-net, epidote, and hornblende. In the state of New York, raiignetic iron ore is found in immense quantities on the west side of lake Champlain, in granitic mountains. The ore is in beds, from one to twenty feet in thickness, and generally unmixed with foreign substances: large beds of this ore extend, with little interruption, from Canada to the neighbourhood of New York. Clay ironstone is met with in considerable quantities. In Maryland, there are extensive beds of it three miles south-west of Baltimore, com- posed of nodules formed by concentric layers. Bog iron ore ocours in such abundance in many places, as to be smelted to a great extent. Copper in the native state, and most of its ores, have been found in different parts of the United States ; but there are no mines of this metal except in New Jersey, and these do not appear to be worked with much success. Lead has been discovered in a great variety of forms ; and there are several extensive mines of it. In Upper Louisiana, at St. GenevievCj, on the western bank of the Mississippi, there are about ten mines. The ore, which is a sulphuret, is found in detached masses of from one to five hundred pounds, in al- luvial deposites of gravel and clay, immediately under the soil ; and sometimes in veins or beds, in limeistone. One of the mines produces annually about 245 tons of ore, yielding 6(ij per cent. Tliere are mines also at Perkiomen, in Pennsylvania, 24 miles from Philadelphia, The ore is chiefly a sulphuret; but it is accompanied by the carbonate, phosphate, and molybdate. In Massachusetts, there is a vei)i of galena, traversing primitive rocks, six or eight feet wide, and extending twenty miles from Montgomery to Hatfield. The ore affords from 50 to 60 per cent, of lead. Gold has only been found in North Carolina. It occurs in grains or small masses, in alluvial earths, and chiefly in the gravelly beds of brooks, in the dry season ; and one mass was found weighing 28 lb. In 1810^ upwards of 1340 ounces of this gold, equal in value to 24,689 dollars, had been received :it the mint of the United States. UNITED STATES. 61 Native silver, in small (|uaii titles, is met with at different places, but in no other form. Mercury and tin have not been found. Cobalt occurs nea? Middletown in Connecticut ; and a mine of it was at one tivne worked. Manganese and anti- mony are found in several situations. Sulphuret of zinc is found in considerable quantity in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and ]\Iassacliusetts. In New Jersey, a new va- riety of this metal has been discovered, in such abundance, that it promises to be a very valuable acquisition to the United States. It is a red oxide, composed, of oxide 76, oxigen 16, oxides of manganese and iron 8. It is reduced without diffi- culty to the metallic state. The chromate of iron, both crystallized and araorpheus, oc- curs in different situations; particularly near Baltin)ore, and at Hoboken, in New Jersey. This mineral is employed to furnish the chromic acid, which, when united with the oxide of lead, forms chromate of lead — a very beautiful yellow {)ig- raent, of which there is a manufactory at Philadelphia. It is sold under the name of chromic yellow, and is eniployed for painting furniture, carriages, &c. We have before noticed the vast extent of limestone of dif- ferent species that is spread over the United States ; and profes- sor Cleaveland of Bawdain College, in an Elementary Treatise on Mineralogy and Geology, enumerates several varieties of the primitive limestones in the eastern states, which are used as marble in ornamental architecture and in sculpture ; but he remarks that tlie state of the arts has not yet caused them to be extensively quarried, or even sufficiently expk)red. Some of tlie ^'ermont marbles are as white as the Carrara, with a grain intermediate between that of the Carrara and Parian marbles. At Middlebury, in Vermont, during the years 1809 and 1810, 20,000 feet of slabs were cut by one mill, containing 65 saws; and the sales of marble, during the same period, amounted to about 11,000 dollars. In Rhode island it is found snow white, of a ffne grain, translucid, and perfectly re- sembles the Carrara marble. Gypsum, or plaster stone, is found in Virginia, IVIaryland, and Connecticut. It is very abundant in several parts of the m VIEW OF THE state, of New York, particularly in Onoudago and Madison counties ; also in the vicinity of Cayuga lake, whence, in 1812, 6000 tons of it were exported to Pennsylvania. In many parts of the United States, it has been found an important article of manure, in the cultivation of grasses, roots, and grain. Rock salt has not hitherto been discovered ; but there are numerous salt springs. These sometimes flow naturally ; but are more frequently formed by sinking wells in those places where the salt is known to exist, as in certain marshes and in salt Ikks, so called from having been formerly the resort of wild animals to lick the clay im])regnated with the salt. These springs are chiefly found in the country westward of the Al leghany mountains, near the rivers which flow into the Ohio. They occur also in the state of New York, near the Onondago and Cayuga lakesj associated with the great gypsum forma- tion already noticed. This brine is strong, and yields about 300,000 bushels of salt annually. The whole quantity of salt annually obtained from saline springs in the United States, ex- ceeds 600,000 bushels. Nitre of potash, or saltpetre, is met with in considerable abundance. Mr. Cleaveland gives the following description of the places where it is principally obtained. ' The calcareous caverns which abound in the state of Ken- tucky furnish large quantities of nitre. The earths which exist in these caverns, and which contain both the nitrate of potash and the nitrate of lime, are hxiviated ; and the lixivium is then made to pass through wood ashes, hy the alkali of which the nitrate of lime is decomposed. After due evaporation, the nitre is permitted to crystallize. One of the most remarkable of these caverns is in Madison county, on Crooked creek, about 60 miles south-east from Lexington. This cavern extends entirely through a hill, and affords a convenient passage for horses and waggons. Its length is 646 yards, its breadth is generally about -iO feet, and its average height about 10 feet. One bushel of the earth in this cavern connnonly yields from one to two pounds of nitre ; and the same salt has been found to exist at the depth of 15 feet: even the clay is impregnates^ with nitrate of lime. UNITED STATES. 6S • Kentucky also furnishes nitre under a very different form, and constituting what is there called the rock ore, which is in fact a sandstone richly impregnated with nitrate of potash. These sandstones are generally situated at the head of narrow valleys which traverse the sides of steep hills. They rest on calcareous strata, and sometimes present a front from 60 to 100 feet high. When broken into small fragments, and thrown into boiling water, the stone soon falls into sand, one bushel of which, by hxiviation and crystallization, frequently yields 10 lb. and sometimes more than 20 lb. of nitrate of potash. The nitre obtained from these rocks contains little or no nitrate of lime, and is said to be superior for the manufacture of gun- powder to that extracted from the afore-mentioned earths. ' Masses of native nitre, nearly pure, and weighing several pounds, are sometimes found in the fissures of these sandstones, or among detached fragments. Indeed, it is said that these masses of native nitre sometimes weigh several hundred povmds. Similar caverns occur in Tennessee, and in some parts of Vir- ginia and Maryland.' With the exception of the red oxide of zinc, and the native magnesia, discovered by Dr. Bruce, no simple minerals have hitherto been discovered in the United States that were not already known to exist in other parts of the world. There are some of the simple minerals, however, which are found in a state of great perfection, such as the cyanite, green tourmaline and rubellite, mclanite, precious serpentine, garnet, and beryl. A mass of native iron has recently been found near Red river in Louisiana. The form is irregular ; its length being three feet four inches, and its greatest breadth two feet four inches — its weight exceeds 3000 lb. Its surface is covered with a blackish crust, and is deeply indentetl. It is very malleable and compact ; but is unequally hard, some parts being easily cut by a chisel, while others have nearly the hardness of steel. Its specific gravity is 7"40. It contains nickel, and is less easily oxidated than purified iron. This is rendered particu- larly interesting, by its containing in its interior octahedral crystals, which may be easily cut by a knife, and are striated 64 VIEW OF THE like magnetic iron. The largest crystal is more than half an inch in length. Amethysts are found in Virginia ; but it is probable that the emerald mentioned by Mr. Jefferson is only a green crystal. No mineralogic discovery has been made in Georgia, besides a bank of oyster shells, 90 miles from the sea. Mineral Waters. — There are several mineral waters, of va- rious virtues, in dilfei'ent provinces of the United States, but none of distinguished eminence like Bath, or Aix-la-Chapelle. In the province of Vermont, or the Green mountain, there is a remarkable sulphureous spring, which dries up in two or three years, and bursts out in another place. There are seve- ral mineral springs in Massachu.setts, but little frequented, and there is another at Stafford in Connecticut, Those of Sarato- ga, in the province of New York, are remarkably copious, and surrounded with singular petrifactions. They are considerably frequented, as well as those of New Lebanon in the same country. New Jersey boasts of some chalybeate waters ; and near Isle creek in Pennsylvania on the river Alleghany, or Ohio, there is a spring which yields petroleum, said to be use- ful in rheumatic complaints. Two warm springs occur in Vir- ginia, one of them 112 deg. These are called the springs of Augusta ; but others more frequented are near the river Poto- mak. A bituminous spring was discovered on the estate of general Washington, which easily takes fire, and continues burning for some time. The salt springs in Kentucky also deserve mention ; and there are others in the province of Ten- nessee. In Georgia, near the town of Washington, there is a remarkable spring rising from a hollow tree, which is encrusted with matter probably calcareous. Botany. — A country tliat experiences on the one frontier the severity of the Canadian winters, and on the other basks in the full radiance of the West Indian summers, may naturally be expected to contain no small variety of native plants. So nu- merous and important indeed are they, as to render it impos- sible, in a work not devoted particularly to the subject, to notice them as they deserve ; we must therefore be contented UNITED STATES. 6^ vith the selection of such alone as, from their utility and Deauty, have the strongest claim to our attention. The botany of these states, including the Floridas, or, in )ther words, of the whole region extending eastward from the Vlississippi to the ocean, and southward from the river St. Lawrence with its lakes to the gulf of Mexico, may be divided nto those vegetables which are common to the whole country, md those that occupy only particular parts. The most generally diffused species among the timber trees ire the willow-leaved oak growing in the swariips ; the chesnut )ak, which in the southern states attains an enormous size, and s almost as valuable for its sweet farinaceous acorns as for its vood ; the white oak ; the red and the black. Next to these n rank are two kinds of walnut, the black, and the white or liccory, esteemed for its oily nuts. The chesnut and beech of Europe are also found abundantly in the American forests, rhe tulip tree and sassafras laurel, more impatient of cold than ;he preceding, appear as shrubs on the Canadian borders, rise nto trees in the midland states, and on the warm banks of the A.ltahama attain the full perfection of stateliness and beauty. rhe sugar maple, on the contrary, is seen only on the northern sides of the hills in the southern states, and increases both in iize and frequency in the more bracing climate of the New England provinces. The sweet gum tree, the iron Avood, the lettle tree, the American elm, the black poplar, and the tacca- nahacca, appear in every state of the Union wherever the soil s suitable, without being much affected by variety of climate, rhe light sandy tracts, both wet and dry, are principally inlia- jited by the important and useful family of pines : of these the :hief species are the Pennsylvanian fir, the common and the tiemlock spruce fir ; the black, the white, and the Weymouth pine ; and the larch : nearly allied to which are the arbor vitae, ind the juniperus virginiana, the red cedar of America. The smaller trees and shrubs that are dispersed in all parts of the United States, among a multitude of others, consist of the fol- lowing; the fringe tree, the red maple, the sumach and poison )ak, the red mulberry, the pei'simmon plum, and robinia pseu- lacacia, and the triple-thorned acacia. I 66 \-IF:w of the Such of the common herbaceous plants and low shrubs as are best known to tlie generality of readers, from their introduction into the gardens of Great Britain, are the collinsonia, used by the Indians against the bite of the rattlesnake, several gay spe- cies of phlox, the thorn-apple, the Pennsylvanian lily and martagon, the biennial Oenothera, with many species of aster, monarda, and rudbeckia. The mountainous ridges are not sufficiently high to be rich in alpine plants ; their climate, however, is sensibly cooler than that of the plains, on which account those of the south are in- habited by the vegetables of Pennsylvania and the northern states, while the highlands of these abound in the plants of Canada. But the glories of the American flora are principally confined to Virginia and the southern states ; it is here that the unfad- ing verdure of the wide savannas, the solemn magnificence of the primeval forests, and the wild exuberance of the steaming swamps, offer to the astonished admiration of the botanist every thing that by colour, by fragrance, and by form, can delight the senses and fix the attention. Amouff the vefjetables that inhabit the low shores of the Flo- ridas, Georgia, and South Carolina, may be distinguished the mangrove tree, the only shrubby plant that can flourish in salt water, the fragrant and snowy-flowered pancratium of Carolina, and the splendid lobelia cardinalis. The low ridges of calcareous soil running parallel with the rivers, and rising from the level savannas into extensive lawns and swelling hills, are generally covered with open or,entangled woods, except where they have been converted into tillage by the industry of the inhabitants. In these rich tracts grow the lofty palmetto, the evergreen oak, the sweet bay, the benzoe laurel, the common laurel, the white shading broom pine, and the red cedar. The strait silvery columns of the papaw fig, rising to the height of twenty feet, and crowned by a canopy of broad sinuated leaves, form a striking feature in this deli- cious scenery ; while the golden fruit and fragrant blossoms of the orange, here realize the ancient traditions of the groves of the Hesperide^. .Superior, however, to all these is the tower- UNITED STATES. 67 ng magnificence of the great magnolia: in this rich marley ioil it rises above a hundred feet, with a perfectly erect trunk, supporting a shady conical head of dark green foliage : tioni he centre of the coronets of leaves that terminate the branches expands a large rose-shaped blossom of pure white, which is iucceeded by a crimson one, containing the seefls of a beautiful ;oral red colour, and these falhng from their cells remain for ieveral days suspended from the seed-vessel by a silkv thread, iix inches or more in length, so that whether in this state or in )lossoui it is second to none for grandeur and beauty. The level plains by the sides of rivers, and therefore gene- ally in a flooded state during the whole rainy season, are called lavannas. The trees that grow upon them are of the aquatic and, such as magnolia glauca, or beaver tree, American olive, md gordonia lausianthus, silvered over with fragrant blossoms : hese are generally either single, or grouped together into small )pen groves, while the larger part of the meadow is overgrown vith long succulent herbage, intermixed with shrubs and plants ; he candleberry myrtle, with numerous species of azaleas, kal- nias, andromedas, and rhododendrons, arranged by the hand )f nature into thickets and shrubberies entwined and over- irched by the crimson granadilla, or the fantastic clitf)ria, here lisplay their inimitable beauties in full luxuriance. The sides )f the pools and shallow ])lashes are adorned by the bright laerulean flowers of the ixia, the golden blossoms of the canna utea, and the rosy tufts of the hydrantjia, while the edoes of he groves, and the dubious boundaries of the savannas, risino- mperceptibly towards the forests, are fringed by innumerable ^ay varieties of the phlox, by the shrinking sensitive plant, the rritable dionaea, the glowing amaryllis atamawco, and the im- jenctrable I'anks of the roval palmetto. \ The swamps are at all times, even in the hei|;ht of summer, or the most part under water, and are distinguished from the est of the country by the crowded stems of the cane, the lio-ht bliage of the tupelo tree, the taccamahacca, the fringe tree, md the white cedar. This last is perhaps the most picturesque ree in all Ainerica : four or live enonnous buttresses or rude pillars rise from the ground, and unite in a kind of ai-ch at the 68 VIEW OF THE height of about seven feet, and from this centre tliere springs a straight column eighty or ninety feet high, ^vithout a branch : it then divides into a fiat umbrella-shaped top, covered with finely divided leaves of the most delicate green. This platform is the secure abode of the eagle and the crane ; and the oily seeds contained in its cones are the favourite repast of the par- roquets that are constantly fluttering around. Hundreds more of interesting plants yet remain, and we might go on to describe with unabated pleasure the profusion of various coloured lupines and dwarf palmettos that relieve the dusky hue of the pine forests in which they live ; the wild vines, the gourds, the bignonias, and other climbers that dis- play to the sun their fruits and glowing blossoms above the summits of the tallest trees ; we might describe the tent-like shade of the plantanus, the regal splendour of the crimson- flowered horse-chesnut, and the humbler, less obtrusive, yet not less exquisite beauties of the mcadin, the spigelia, and gaura; but these our limits will not admit: it is enough for the present purpose to have sketched some of the characteristic features in the botanv of a country, the most accessible of all the warmer climates to the investigation of European science. Zoologij. — The domestic zoology of the United States nearly correspnnds with that of the parent country, with some few shades of diflercnce in size and colour. Among the larger wil(^ animals may be mentioned the bison, la/ge herds of which used to be seen near the Mississipj)i, and they were once very numerous in the western parts of Virginia and i'ennsyl- vania. The musk bull and cow only appear in tlie more western regions, beyond the Mivssissippi. Anwng the animal?, now lost are classed the mammoth, whose enormous bones are particularly found near the salt springs upon die Ohio; and teeth of the hippopotamus are sjiid to have been dug up in Long island: but the labours of a late French naturalist have evinced that such remai)is often belong to animals long since extirpated, and of which he has traced more than twenty kinds. The mammoth of America, thougii armed \yith tusks of ivory, has been supposed to be even five or six times larger than the elephant; but the bones are probably the same with those o^.' UNITED STATES. 69 the supposed elephant found in Siberia. The moose deer are become extremely rare, and will probably in no long time be utterly extirpated, as the wolf and boar have been in Britain. The black moose deer are said to have been sometimes twelve feet in height, wliile the species called the grey seldom exceed the height of a horse. Both have large palmated horns, weigh- ing thirty or forty pounds. Mr. Pennant mentions a pair that weighed fifty-six pounds, the length being thirty-two inches. The moose deer is only a large species of the elk, and is found in the northern parts of the United States ; while the rein deer inhabits the northern i-eg-ions of British America. The Ame- rican stag rather exceeds the European in size, and is seen in great numbers feeding in the rich savannas of the Missouri and Mississippi, where there are also herds of that kind called the Virginian deer. In the northern states are two kinds of bears, both black ; but that carnivorous animal called the ranging bear is found in all the states, as is the wolf. Several kinds of foxes are also «een f and the wolverine seems a kind of bear. The animal most dreaded is the catamount, or cat of the mountains, found in the northern and middle states, and is probably the same with the puma of Pennant, which he says is sometimes in North Anierica called the panther. One killed in New Hampsiiire was six feet in length, and the tail three ; but the length of the leg did not exceed twelve inches. The cougar is about five feet in length, and in the southern states is called the tiger : but it is well known that the ferocious animals of the new con- tinent are totally different from those of the old, there being neither lions, tigers, leopards, nor panthers, in the whole extent f>f America. A German missionary, who resided twenty -two years in Paraguay, describes the tiger of that country as marked with black spots, sometimes on a whitish, sometimes on a yel- "owisb ground ; and says that as the lions of Africa far exceed hose of Paraguay, so the African tigers greatly yield in size to he American; which may be just, as the royal tiger seems peculiar to Asia. But he adds that he has seen the skin of a iger three ells and two inches in length, or equal to that of a xrge ox. This animal easily carries oft' a horse or an ox ; and 70 VIEW OF THE seems to exceed in size any American beast of prey admitted in the system of Buffon, whose fondness for theories is often to be lamented; and his jag-uar, or American tiger, seems only a diminutive species. Captains Lewis and Clerk frequently encountered the white and brown bear in the north-west inte- rior; an animal of a most ferocious description : they also saw herds of antelopes, buffaloes, and wolves. The lynx, the ocelot, and the margay, are smaller beasts of prey, of the cat kind. These and many other animals supply furs. The beaver is well known from the fur, and the singu- lar formation of his cabin, built in ponds for the sake of secu- rity ; but he seems to feed on the twigs of trees, and not on fish, as commonly supposed. 'J'his industrious animal is found in all the states, and is somewhat imitated by the musk rat, which likewise builds his hut in shallow streams. Some kinds of monkies are said to be found in the southern states. The morse, or sea cow, and the seal, used to frequent the northern shores; and the manati, common in South America, is said sometimes to ajjpear on the southern coasts : this animal, which has fore feet like hands, and a tail like a fish, while the breasts of the female resemble those of a woman, seems to be the mcr- nlaid of fable. Among the birds there are many kinds of eagles, vultures, owls, and numerous sorts called by European names, though generally different in the eye of the naturalist. The bird called a turkey is peculiar to America, and abounds in the north. They were brought from Mexico to Spain, and from Spain to England about 1524 ; the African poultry, or mclcagrides of more ancient authors, being Guinea fowls. There are also birds which resemble the partridge, ptarmigan, and quail, of Europe. Virginia abounds with beautiful birds, among w-hich is the humming bird, as already mentioned, while the wakon resembles the bird of paradise : and it may be conceived that vast varieties of aquatic birds crowd the numerous lakes and rivers, the largest being the wild swfui, which 'sometimes weighs thirty-six povmds. Upwards of one huudreil and tJiirty American birds have f>een ennmoratfd. and manv o^ ihom described by Catesbv. UNITED STATES. 71 efferson, and Carver. The following catalogue is inserted to ratify the curious, to inform the inquisitive, and to shew the stonishing variety in this beautiful part of the creation. ?he Blackbird Razor-billed ditto Baltimore Bird Bastard Baltimore Blue Bird Buzzard Blue Jay Blue Grossbeak Brown Bittern Crested Bittern Small Bittern Booby Great Booby Blue Peter Bullfinch Bald Coot Cut Water White Curlew Cat Bird Cuckow Crow Cowpen Bird Sheldrach or Canvass Duek BufFels head ditto Spoon bill ditto Summer ditto Blackhead ditto Blue-winged Shoveller Little Brown Duck Sprigtail White-faced Teal Blue-winged Teal Pied-bill Dobchick Eagle Bald Eagle Flamingo Fieldfare of Carolina, or Robin Purple Finch Bahama Finch American Goldfinch Painted Finch Crested Fly-catcher Black-cap ditto Little brown ditto Chattering Plover or KildeeRed-eyed ditto Crane or Blue Heron Finch Creeper Yellow-breasted Chat Cormorant Hooping Crane l*ine Creeper Yellow-throated Creeper Goose Storm Finch Goat Sucker of Carolina Gull Laughing Gull Dove Ground Dove Duck Ilathera Duck Round-crested ditto Canada Goose Hawk Fishing Hawk Pigeon Hawk Night Hawk n VIEW OF THE The Swallow-tailed Hawk Hangbird Heron Little white Heron Heath-cock Humming-bird Purple Jackdaw, or Crow Blackbird King Bird King-fisher Loon Lark Large Lark Blue Linnet Mock-bird Mow-bird Purple Martin Nightingale Noddy Nuthatch Oyster-catcher Owl Screech Owl Amer. Partridge, or Quail Pheasant, or Mountain Partridge Water Pheasant Pelican Water Pelican Pigeon of Passage White-crowned Pigeon Parrot of Paradise Paroquet of Carolina Raven Rice-bird Red-bird Summer Red-bird Swan Soree Snipe Red Start Red- winged Starling Swallow Chimney ditto Snow-bird Little Sparrow Bahama ditto Stork Turkey Wild Turkey Tyrant Crested Titmouse Yellow ditto Bahama ditto Hooded ditto Yellow Rump Towhe Bird Red Thrush Fox-coloured Thrush Little Thrush Tropic Bird Turtle of Carolina Water-wagtail Water-hen Water-witch Wakon Bird AVhetsaw Large white bellied Woodpecker Large red-crested ditto Gold -winged ditto Red-bellied ditto Hairy ditto Red-headed ditto Yellow-bellied ditto Smallest-spotted ditto Wren UNITED STATES. 73 Some of the frogs are of remarkable size ; and the tortoise, r turtle, supplies a delicious food, while the alligator is not nknown in the southern rivers. Of serpents Mr. Morse enu- lerates near forty kinds found in the United territories ; Vir- itiia, in particular, producing great numbers. The rattlesnake ; the largest, being from four to six feet in length, and is one f the most dreaded. Among the fish are most of those which re esteemed in Europe ; and among those that are peculiar lay be mentioned that large kind of white trout found in the ikes. Natural Curiosities. — The natural curiosities of the United :ates are numerous, and have been investigated with that udable attention, which has been particularly directed by the nglish towards such interesting appearances. The following ;count of the irruption of the Patomak through the Blue ountains is from the pen of Mr. Jefferson. ' The passage of the Patomak through the Blue ridge is M'haps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature. You and on a very high point of land. On your right comes up le Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountain 1 hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the atomak, in quest of a passage also. In the moment of their nction, they rush together against the mountain, rend it under, and pass off to the sea. The first glance of this scene jrries our senses into the opinion, that this earth has been eated in time, that the mountains were formed first, that the i'ers began to flow afterwards, that in this place particularly ey have been dammed up by the Blue ridge of mountains, id have formed an ocean which filled the whole valley ; that •ntinuing to rise, they have at length broken over at this spot, id have torn the mountain down from its summit to its base, he piles of rock on each hand, but particularly the Shenan- )ah, the evident marks of their disruption and avulsion from eir beds by the most powerful agents of nature, corroborate e impression. But the distant finishing which nature has ven to the picture is of a very different character. It is a Lie contrast to the fore ground. It is as placid and delightful that is wild and tremendous. For the mountain being cloven 4 K 74 VIEW OF THE asTHider, she presents to your eye, through the cleft, a small catch of smooth blue horizon, at an infinite distance in the plain country, inviting you, as it were, from the riot and tumult roai'ing around, to pass tlu'ough the breach, and participate of the calm below. Here the eye ultimately composes itself; and that way too the road happens actually to lead. You cross the Patomak above the junction, pass along its side through the base of the mountain for three miles, its terrible precipices hanging in fragments over you, and vvithin about twenty miles reach Frederick town and tlie fine country round that. This scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic. Yet here, as in the neighbourhoixl of the natural bridge, are people who have passed their lives within half a dozen miles, and have never been to survey these monuments of a war between rivers and mountains, which must have shaken the earth itself to its centre.' In the township of Tinmouth in Vermont, on the side of a small hill, is a very curious cave. The chasm, at its entrance, is about four feet in circumference. Entering this you descend 104 feet, and then opens a spacious room, 20 feet in breadth and 100 feet in length. The angle of descent is about 45 de- grees. The roof of this cavern is of rock, through which the water is continually percolating. 1 he stalactites which hang from the roof appear like icicles on the eves of houses, and are continually increasing in number and magnitude. The bottom and sides are daily incrusting with spar and other mineral sub- stances. On the sides of this subterraneous hall are tables, chairs, benches, &c, which appear to have been artificially carved. This richly ornamented room, when illuminated with the candles of the guides, has an enchantitig effect upon the eye of the spectator. If we might be indulged in assigning the general cause of these astonishing appearances, we should conclude, from the various circumstances accompanying them, that they arise from water filtrating slowly through the incum- bent strata; and taking in its passage a variety of mineral substances, and becoming thus saturated with metallic particles, gradually exuding on the surface of the caverns and fissures, in a quiescent state, the aqueous particles evaporate, and leave the mineral substances to unite according to their affinities. EKGKAVED FOK MACKEICZIE'S A&IEKir.A. VlEW.OF THE jROCK BiRIOGE , //,■/(;•/,( 9/,-i /?a. Span <^0 dfi. r/firZ-nc-A? of t/u a.r.-h-4(?(io UNITED STATES. 7^ At the end of this cave is a circular hole, fifteen feet deep, ap- parently hewn out, in a conical form, enlarging gradually as you descend, in the form of a sugar loaf. At the bottom is a spring of fresh water, in continual motion, like the boiling of a pot. Its depth has never been sounded. In the county of Rockbridge is a remarkable natural bridge of rock, from which the county takes its name. ' This bridge,' says Mr. Weld, ' stands about ten miles from Fluvanna river, and nearly the same distance from the Blue ridge. It extends across a deep cleft in a mountain, which, by some great con- vulsion of nature, has been split asunder from top to bottom, and it seems to have been left there purposely to afford a pas- sage from one side of the chasm to the other. The cleft or chasm is about two miles long, and is in some places upwards of 800 feet deep ; the depth varies according to the height of the mountain, being deepest where the mountain is most lofty. The breadth of the chasm also varies in different places : but in every part it is uniformly wider at the top than towards the bottom. That the two sides of the chasm were once united appears very evident, not only from projecting rocks on the one side corresponding with suitable cavities on the other, but also from the diflPerent strata of earth, sand, clay, &c. being exactly similar from top to bottom on both sides : but by what great agent they were separated, whether by fire or by water, remains hidden amongst those arcana of nature which we vainly endeavour to develope. *The arch consists of a solid mass of stone, or of several stones cemented so strongly together that they appear but as one. This mass, it is to be supposed, at the time that the hill was rent asunder, was drawn across the fissure, from adhering closelv to one side, and beins: loosened from its bed of earth at the opposite one. It seems as probable, I think, that the mass of stone forming the arch was thus forcibly plucked from one side, and drawn across the fissure, as that the hill should have remained disunited at this one spot from top to bottom, and that a passage should afterwards have been forced through it by water. The road leading to the bridge runs through n, thick wood, and up a hill ; having ascended which, nearly at n't? VIEW OF THE the top, you pause for a moment at finding a sudden disconti- nuance of the trees at one side ; but the amazement which fills the mind is great indeed, when on going a few paces towards the part which appears thus open, you find yourself on the brink of a tremendous precipice. You involuntarily draw back, stai'e around, then again come forward to satisfy yourself that what you have seen is real, and not the illusions of fancy. You now perceive that you are upon the top of the bridge ; to the very edge of which, on one side, you may approach with safety, and look down into the abyss, being protected from falling by a parapet of fixed rocks. The walls, as it were, of the bridge, at this side, are so perpendicular, that a person leaning over the parapet of rock might let fall a plummet from the hand to the ver}' bottom of tiie chasm. On the opposite side this is not the case, nor is there any parapet ; but from the edge of the road, which runs over the bridge, is a gradual slope to the brink of the chasm, upon which it is somewhat dangerous to venture. This slope is thickly covered with large trees, principally cedars and pines. The opposite side was also well furnished with trees formerly, but all those which grew near the edge of the bridge have been cut down by dif- ferent people, for the sake of seeing them tumble to the bot- tom. Before the trees were destroyed in this manner, you might have passed over the bridge without having had any idea of being upon it ; for the breadth of it is no less than eighty feet. The road runs nearly in the middle, and is fre- quented daily by waggons. ' At the distance of a few yards from the bridge, a narrow path appears, winding along the sides of the fissure, amidst immense rocks and trees, down to the bottom of the bridge. Here the stupendous arth appears in all its glory, and seems to touch the very skies. To behold it without rapture, indeed, is impossible ; and tiie more critically it is examined, the more beautiful and the more surprising does it appear. The height of the bridge to the top of the parapet is 213 feet by admea- surement with a line ; the thickness of the arch 40 feet ; the | span of the arch at top 90 feet ; and the distance between the abutments at bottom 50 feet. The abutments consist of a. UNITED STATES. V solid mass of limestone on either side, and, together with the arch, seem as if they had been chiselled out by the hand of art. A small stream, called Cedar creek, running at the bot- tom of the fissure, over beds of rocks, adds much to the beauty of the scene. * The fissure takes a very sudden turn just above the bridge, according to the course of the stream, so that when you stand below, and look under the arch, the view is intercepted at the distance of about 50 yards from the bridge. Mr. Jefferson's statement, in his notes, that the fissure continues straight, ter- minating with a pleasing view of the North mountains, is quite erroneous. The sides of the chasm are thickly covered in every part with trees, excepting where the huge rocks of lime- stone appear. ' Besides this view from below, the bridge is seen to very great advantage from a pinnacle of rocks, about 50 feet below Lhe top of the fissure ; for here not only the arch is seen in all its beauty, but the spectator is impressed in the most forcible manner with ideas of its grandeur, from being enabled at the same time to look down into the profound gulf over which it passes.' In Vermont there is a remarkable impendent ledge of rocks, ibout 200 feet high, on the west bank of the river Connecticut. Rattlesnake hill, in New Hampshire, presents a stalactitic cave ; md near Durham is a rock so poised on another, as to move ivith one finger ; a natural remain of a ruined hill, though in England it would be called druidical. The rivulet in Massa- •husetts, called Hudson's brook, has excavated in a fantastic nanner a large rock of white marble. The falls of the river ^owow, in the same province, are not only curious in them- elves, but present many grotesque mills, and other mormments f industry; and a similar appearance occurs on the river 'autukit in Rhode island. In Connecticut is a cave which as for some time the retreat of Whaley and Goffe, two of the idges of Charles I. : and in the town of Pomfret is another, ^^ndered remarkable by a humourous adventure of general utnam. 78 VIEW OF THE In the province of New York a rivulet runs under a hill about 70 yards in diameter, forming a beautiful arch in the rock ; and there is a stalactitic cave in which was found the petrified skeleton of a large snake. The falls of the Mohawk river, called Cohez, are more remarkable for the width of the stream, than from the height of the descent. There is a beau- tiful cascade in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, over a semicir- cular rock of marble. In Pennsylvania there are also some remarkable caves, one of which resembles a church with pillars and monuments. In the territory on the north-west of the Ohio, the savannas, or rich plains, extend for 30 or 40 miles without any tree ; they are crowded with deer, wild cattle, and turkeys, and often visited by bears and wolves : but this dis- trict is, chiefly remarkable for a number of old forts, of an ob- long form, with an adjoining tumulus or tomb. As the Mexicans have a tradition that they passed from the north, these forts may perhaps be remains of their first residence, or of some nation which they subdued. In the western part of Maryland there are said to be some remarkable caves : and others occur in Virginia, particularly that called Madison*'s cave, on the north-west side of the Blue ridge, extending about 300 feet into the solid limestone. The blowing cave emits a strong current of air, particularly in frosty weather. In Ken- tucky, the banks of the river so called, and of Dick's river, are sometimes 400 feet in height of limestone, or white marble ; and there are said to be caverns of some miles in length, thus rivalling the celebrated cave in Carinthia. The territory on the south of the Ohio (Tennessee) presents a remarkable ledge of rocks in the Cumberland mountains, about 30 miles in length, and 200 feet thick, with a perpendicular face to the south-east. The whirl is more grand than the irruption of the Patomak through the Blue ridge : the Tennessee, which a few miles above is half a mile wide, contracts to 100 yards, and forces its way through this outer ridge of the Apalachian, forming a whirlpool by striking against a large rock. In Georgia the chief curiosity is a large bank of oyster shells, 90 miles from the sea, to which it runs nearly parallel : if the UNITED STATES. 79 river Savannah never passed in that direction, it is probable that the land has gained so far on the ocean. So late as the year 1771 there was an excellent harbour, which might receive one hundred ships in a good depth of water, at cape Lookout, North Carolina. It is now entirely filled up, and is solid ground. Such are the most striking features of nature in this exten- sive empire ; where, if there be no interesting objects of anti- quity, yet the lovers of the sublime and beautiful in the creation may find sufficient to contemplate and admire. PARTICULAR ACCOUNT OF THE SEVERAL STATES AND TERRITORIE.^ COMPREHENDED IN THE UNITED STATES. NEW ENGLAND. SEVERAL things are common to all the states east of New York. Their history, religion, manners, customs, and cha- racter; their climate, soil, productions, and natural history, are in many respects similar. These considerations have led to the following general description of New England. Extent. — This fine province is in length 350 miles, by a me- dial breadth of 140. Boundaries. — New England is bounded, north by Canada; east by Nova Scotia and the Atlantic ocean ; south by the At- lantic and Long island sound ; and west by New York. It lies in the form of a quarter of a circle. Its west line, begin- ning at the mouth of Byram river, which empties into Long island sound, at the south-west corner of Connecticut, latitude 41 deg., runs a little east of north, until it strikes the 45th de- gree of latitude, and then curves to the^ eastward almost to the gulf of St. Lawrence. Civil Divisions. — New England is divided into five states, viz. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode island, Connecti- VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 81 cut, and Vermont. These states are subdivided into counties, and the counties into townships. Face of the Country^ Mountains, ^c. — New England is a high, hilly, and in some parts a moimtainous country, formed by nature to be inhabited by a hardy race of free, independent republicans. The mountains are comparatively small, running nearly north and south in ridges parallel to each other. Be- tween these ridges flow the great rivers in majestic meanders, receiving the innumerable rivulets and larger streams which proceed from the moimtains on each side. To a spectator on the top of a neighbouring mountain, the vales between the ridges, while in a state of nature, exhibit a romantic appearance. They seem an ocean of woods, swelled and depressed in its surface like that of the great ocean itself. A richer, though less romantic view, is presented, when the vaUies, by industrious husbandnien, have been cleared of their natural growth ; and the fruit of their labour appears in loaded orchards, extensive meadows covered with large herds of sheep and neat cattle, and rich fields of flax, corn, and the various kinds jof grain. These vallies, which have i-eceived the expressive name of interval lands, are of various breadths, from two to twenty miles ; and by the annual inundations of the rivers which flow through them, there is frequently an accumulation of rich, fat soil, left upon their surface when the waters retire. There are four principal ranges of mountains passing nearly from north-east to south-west, through New England. These consist of a multitude of parallel ridges, each having many spurs, deviating from the course of the general range ; which spurs are again broken into irregular, hilly land. The main ridges terminate sometimes in high bluff heads, near the sea coast, and sometimes by a gradual descent in the interior part of the country. One of the main ranges runs between Con- necticut and Hudson's rivers. This range branches, and bounds the vales through which flows the Housatonick river. The most eastern ridge of this range terminates in a bluff head at Meriden. A second ends in like manner at Willingford, and a third at New Haven. I. S2 VIEW OF THE In Lyme, ou the east side of Connecticut river, another range of mountains commences, forming the eastern boundary of Connecticut vale. This range trends northerly, at the dis- tance generally of about ten or twelve miles east from the river, and passes through Massachusetts, where the range takes the name of Chicabee mountain ; thence crossing into New Hamp- shire, at the distance of about twenty miles from the Massachu- setts line, it runs up into a very high peak, called Monadnick, which terminates this ridge of the range. A western ridge continues, and in about latitude 43 deg. 20 min. runs up into Sunipee mountains. About 50 miles further, in the same ridge, is Mooscoog mountain. A third range begins near Stonington in Connecticut. It takes its course north-easterly, and is sometimes broken and discontinued ; it then rises again, and ranges in the same di- rection into New Hampshire, where, in lat. 43 deg. 25 rain., it runs up into a high peak, called Cowsawaskoog. The fourth range has a humble beginning about Hopkinton, in Massachusetts The eastern ridge of this range runs north, by Watertown and Conco)d, and crosses Merrimack river at Pantucket falls. In New Hampshire it rises into several high peaks, of whicli the White mountains are the principal. From these White mountains a range continues north-east, crossing the east boundary of New Hampshire, in lat. 43 deg. 30 min., and forms the height of land between Kennebeck and Chau- diere rivers. These ranges of mountains are full of lakes, ponds, and springs of water, that give rise to numberless streams of various sizes, which, interlocking each other in every direction, and falling over the rocks in romantic cascades, flow meandering into the rivers below. No country on the globe is better wa- tered than New England. On the sea coast the land is low, and in many parts level and sandy. In the vallies, between the foremen tioned ranges of mountains, the land is generally broken, and in many places rocky, but of a strong rich soil, capable of being cultivated to good advantage, which also is the case with many spots even on the tops of the mountains. UNITED STATES. 83 Rivers. — The only river which will be described under New England is Connecticut river. It rises in a sv/amp on the height of land, in lat. 45 deg. 10 min. After a sleepy course of eight or ten miles, it tumbles over four separate falls, and turning west, keeps close under the hills which form tiie north- ern boundary of the vale through which it runs. The Amo- noosuckand Israel rivers, two principal branches of Connecticut river, fall into it from the east, between the latitudes 44 and 45 deg. Between the towns of Walpole on the cast, and Westminster on the west side of the river, are the great falls. The whole river, compressed between two rocks scarcely 30 feet asunder, shoots with amazing rapidity into a broad bason below. Over tliese falls, a bridge 160 feet in length, was built in 1784, under wliich the highest floods may pass without de- triment. This is the first bridge that was ever erected over this noble river. Above Deerfield, in Massachusetts, it re- ceives Deerfield river from the west, and Miller's river from the east ; after which it turns westerly in a sinuous course to Fighting falls, and a little after tumbles over Deerfield falls, which are impassable by boats. At Windsor, in Connecticut, it receives Farminopton river fronj the west : and at Hartford, meets the tide. From Hai'tford it passes on in a crooked course, until it falls into Long island sound, between Saybrook and Lyme. The length of this river, in a straight line, is nearly 300 miles. Its general course is several degrees west of south. It is from 80 to 100 rods wide, 130 miles from its mouth. At its mouth is a bar of sand which considerably obstructs the na-s'igation. Ten feet water at full tides is found on this bar, and the same depth to Middleton. The distance of the bar from this place, as the river runs, is 36 miles. Above Middleton are several shoals which stretch quite across the river. Only six feet water is found on the shoal at high tide, and here the tide ebbs and flows but about eight inches. About three miles below ^liddleton, the river is contracted to about 40 rods in breadth, by two high mountains. Almost every where else the banks are low, and spread into fine extensive meadows. In the spring floods, which generally happen in 84 VIEW OF THE May, these meadows are covered with water. At Hartford the water sometimes rises 20 feet above the common surface of the river, and having all to pass through tlie above-mentioned strait, it is sometimes two or three weeks before it returns to its usual bed. These floods add nothing to the depth of water on the bar at the mouth of the river ; this bar lying too far off* in the sound to be aifected by them. On this beautiful river, whose banks are settled almost to its source, are many pleasant, neat, well-built towns. It is navi- gable to Hartford, upwards of 50 miles from its mouth ; and the produce of the country, for 200 miles above, is brought thither in boats. The boats which are used in this business are flat-bottomed, long, and narrow, for the convenience of going up the stream, and of so light a make as to be portable in carts. They are taken out of the river at three different carrying places, all of which make iifteeu miles. Sturgeon, salmon, and shad are caught in plenty, in their season, from the mouth of the river upwards, excepting sturgeon, which do not ascend the upper falls ; besides a variety of small fish, such as pike, carp, perch, &c. Natural Productions.— The soil, as may be collected from what has been said, must \ye very \anous. Each tract of dif- ferent soil is distinguished by its peculiar vegetation, and is pronounced good, middling, or bad, from the species of trees which it produ-ces ; and one species generally predominating in each soil, has wiginated tlie descriptive names of oak land ; birch, beecli, and chesnut lands ; pine barren ; ma})le, ash, and cedar swamps, as each species happeji to predominate. Inter- mingled widi these predcmiinaling species are walnut, firs, elm. hemlock, magnolia, or moose wood, sassafras, &c. istc. Tlie best lands produce walnut and cliesnut ; the next, beech and oak ; the lands of the tlilid quality produce fir and pitch pine ; the next, whortuberry and barberry bushes ; and the poorest produces noticing but poor marshy imperfect shrubs, which is the lowest kind of ^iijfnde.v vegetation. Among the flowering trees and shrubs in the forests, are the red -flowering maple, the sassafras, the locust, the tulip tree. t\\o chesnut, the wild cherry, prune, crab, sloe, pear, honey- UNITED STATES. 85 suckle, Avildrose, dogwood, elm, leather tree, laurel, hawthorn, &c. which in the spring of the year give the woods a most beautiful appearance, and fill them with a delicious fragrance. Among the fruits which grow wild, are the several kinds of grapes, which are small, sour, and thick skinned. The vines on which they grow are very luxuriant, often overspreading the highest trees in the forests. These wild vines, without doubt, might be greatly meliorated by proper cultivation, and a wine be produced from the grapes equal, if not superior, to the celebrated wines of France. Besides these, are the wild cherries, white and red mulberries, cranberries, walnuts, hazle- nuts, chesnuts, butter nuts, beech nuts, wild plums and pears, whortleberries, bilberries, gooseberries, sti'awberries, &c. The soil in the interior country is calculated for the culture of Indian corn, rye, oats, barley, flax, and hemp, for which the soil and climate are peculiarly proper ; buck-wheat, beans, peas, &c. In many of die inland parts wheat is raised in large quantities ; but on the sea coast it has never been cultivated with success, being subject to blasts. Various reasons have been assigned for this. Some have supposed that the blasts were occasioned by the saline vapours of the sea ; others have attributed them to the vicinity of barlierry bushes ; but per- haps the sandiness and poverty of the soil may be as efficacious a cause as either of the others. The fruits which the country yields from culture are, apples in the greatest plenty ; of these cider is made, which consti- tutes the principal drink of the inhabitants ; also, pears of va- rious sorts, quinces, peaches, from which is made peach brandy, plums, cherries, apricots, &c. The culinary plants are such as Jiave already been CMumerated. New England is a fine grazing country ; the vallies betwewi the hills are generally intersected with brooks of water, tlie banks of which are lined with a tract of rich meadow or inter- val land. The high and rocky ground is, in many parts, co- vered with honey-suckle, and generally affords the finest of pasture. It will not be a matter of wcmder, therefore, that New England boasts of raising some of the finest cattle in the world ; nor will she be envied, when the labour of raisinff them 86 VIEW OF THE is taken into view. Two months of the hottest season in the year, the farmers are employed in procuring food for their cattle ; and the cold winter is spent in dealing it out to them. Manners and Customs. — New England is the most populous part of the United States; the greater proportion of which consists of a strong and healthy veDmanry and cultivators of the soil. They are almost universally of English descent. Learning, from the establishment of schools in every township, is very generally diffused among all ranks of people; so that a person who cannot read and write is rarely to be found. Like all people who are confined to a domestic life, they have been accused of an hnperthient Inquisltiveness. Their politics ren- der them independent, proud, and dictatorial ; from which ori- ginates that restless, litigious, complaining spirit, which forms a dark shade in the character of New Englandmen. They have been depicted in the following manner by an American writer. ' The New Englanders are generally tall, stout, and well- built. They glory, and perhaps with justice, in possessing that spirit of freedom, which induced their ancestors to leave their native country, and to brave the dangers of the ocean, and the hardships of settling a wilderness. Their education, laws, and situation, serve to inspire them with high notions of liberty. Their jealousy is awakened at the first motion toward an invasion of their rights. Thev are indeed often jealous to excess; a circumstance which is a fruitful source of imaginary grievances, and of innumerable groundless suspicicms, and un- just complaints against government. But these ebuUitions of jealousy, though censurable and productive of some political evils, shew that the essence of true liberty exists in New Eng- land: for jealousy is the guardian of liberty, and a character- istic of free reTinblieans. A law, respecting the descent of estates which are generally held in fee simple, winch for sub- stance is the same in all the New ]]ngland states, is the chief foundation ;uul ])rotection of this liberty. By this law, the possessions of the father arc to be equally divided among all the children, exceptiiig tlie eldest son, who has a double poiv t'on. In t?>,i? way is preserved that happy medioo'ity among UNITED STATES. 87 the people, which, by inducing economy and industry, removes from them temptations to luxury, and forms them to habits of sobriety and temperance. At the same time, their industry and frugaUty exempt them from want, and from the necessity of submitting to any encroachment on their hberties. * The people of New England generally obtain their estates by hard and persevering labour : they of consequence know their value, and spend with frugality. Yet in no country do the indigent fare better. Their laws oblige every town to provide a competent maintenance for their poor, and the ne- cessitous stranger is protected and relieved from their humane institutions. It may in truth be said, that in no part of the world are the people happier, better furnished with the neces- saries and conveniences of life, or more independent than the farmers of New England. As the great body of the people are hardy, independent freeholders, their manners are, as they ought to be, congenial to their employment, plain, simple, and impoUshed Strangers are received and entertained among them with a great deal of artless sincerity, friendly and un- formal hospitality. Their children, those imitative creatures, to whose education particular attention is paid, early imbibe the manners and habits of those around them ; and the stranger, with pleasure, notices the honest and decent respect that is paid him by the children as he passes through the country. * As the people, by representation, make their own laws and appoint their own officers, they cannot be oppressed ; and living under governments in which few have lucrative places, they have few motives to bribery, corrupt canvassings, or intrigue. Real abilities and moral character unblemished, are the qualifi- cations requisite in the view oi" most people for officers of public trust. The expression of a wish to be promoted is the direct way to be disappointed. ' The inhabitants of New England are generally fond of the arts, and have cultivated them with great success. Their col- leges have flourished beyond any others in the United States. The illustrious characters they have produced, who have dis- tinguished themselves in politics, law, divinity, the mathematics- 88 VIEW OF THE and philosophy, natural and civil history, and in the fine arts, particularly in poetry, evince the truth of these observations. ' Many of the women of New England are handsome. They generally have fair, fresh, and healthful countenances, mingled with much female softness and delicacy. Those who have had the advantages of a good education (and they are consi- derably nimierous) are genteel, easy, and agreeable in their manners, and are sprightly and sensible in conversation. They are early taught to manage domestic concerns with neatness and economy. Ladies of the first rank and fortune make it a part of their daily business to superintend the affairs of the family. Employment at the needle, in cookery, and at the spinning wheel, with them is honourable. Idleness, even in those of independent fortune, is universally disreputable. The women in the country manufacture the greatest part of the clothing of their families. Their linen and woollen cloths are strong and decent. Their butter and cheese is not inferior to any in the world. ' Dancing is the principal and favourite amusement in New England ; and of this the young people of both sexes are ex- tremely fond. Gaming is practised by none but those who cannot, or rather will not find a reputable employment. The gamester, the horse-jockey, and the knave, are equally despised, and their company is avoided by all who would sustain fair and irreproachable characters. The odious and inhuman practices of duelling, gouging, cock-fighting, and horse-racing, are scarcely known here, ' The athletic and healthy diversions of cricket, foot-ball, quoits, wrestling, jumping, hopping, foot-races, and prison- bass, are universally practised in the country, and some of them in the most populovis places^ and by people of almost all ranks. Squirrel-hunting is a noted diversion in country places, where this kind of game is plenty. Some divert themselves with fox-hunting, and others with the more profitable sports of fishing and duck-hunting : and in the frontier settlements, where deer and fur game abound, the inhabitants make a lu- crative sport of hunting them. UNITED STATES. 89 * In the winter season, while the ground is covered with snow, which is commonly two or three months, sleighing is the general diversion. A great part of the families throughout the country are furnished with horses and sleighs. Tiie young people collect in parties, and with a great deal of sociability, resort to a place of rendezvous, where they regale themselves for a few hours with dancing and a social supper, and then re- tire. These diversions, as well as all others, are many times carried to excess.. To these excesses, and a sudden exposure to extreme cold after the exercise of dancing, physicians have ascribed the consumptions, which are so frequent among the young people in New England.' History. — New England owc^ its first settlement to religious persecution. Soon after the conuiiencement of the reformation in England, which was not until the year 1534, the protestants were divided into two parties ; one the followers of Luther, and the other of Calvin. The former had chosen gradually, and almost imperceptibly, to recede from the church of Rome; while the latter, more zealous, and convinced of the importance of a thorough reformation, and at the same time possessing much firmness and high notions of religious liberty, were for effect- ing a thorough change at once. Their consequent endeavours to expunge from the church all the inventions which had beeai brought into it since the days of the apostles, and to introduce the ' Scripture purity,' derived for them the name of Puritans. From these the inhabitants of Nevv England descended. During the successive reigns of Henry VIII., Mary, Elizar beth, and James I., tlxe protestants, and especially the puritans, were the objects of bloody persecution ; and thousands of thera were eitlier inhumanly burnt, or left more cruelly to perish iu prisons and dungeons. In 1602, a number of religious people in the north of Eng- land, finding their ministers urged with subscription., or si- lenced^ and themselves greatly oppressed with the commissary courts and otherwise, entered into a solemn covenant with each other, ' to walk with God and one another, in the enjoyment of the ordinances of God according to the primitive pattern,' whatever it might cost them. M 00 VIEW OF THE Among the ministers who entered into this association, was Mr. Robinson, a man of eminent piety and learning, and the father of New England. In 1608, Mr. Robertson's church moved to Amsterdam in Holland, and the next year to Leyden, where they lived in great friendship and harmony among themselves and their neighbours, until they removed to New England. As early as 1617, Mr. Robinson and his church meditated a removal to America. Their motives for this were, to pre- serve the morals of their youth ; to prevent them, through want of employment, from leaving their parents, and engaging in business unfriendly to religion ; to avoid the inconveniences of incorporating with the Dutch; and to la}' a foundation for propagating the gospel in remote parts of the world. Such were the true reasons of their removal. Their agents went to England, and in 1619 obtained of the Virginian company a patent of the northern parts of Virginia ; but the king could not be prevailed upon to grant them liberty of conscience. However, at last he agreed to connive at their nonconformity. Mr. Brewster, a minister, headed the first band of adventurers, wlio on the 9th of November, after a dangerous vo%'age, arrived at cape Cod. It is alleged by the historians of the time, that the Dutch had bribed the master to create various delays, and to land them thus far north, to discourage them from venturing to the place of their destination. As they were not within the limits of their patent, and con- sequently not under the jurisdiction of the Virginia company, they concluded it necessary to establish a separate government for themselves. Accordingly, before they landed, having on their knees devoutly given thanks to God for their safe arrival, they formed themselves into a body politic, by a solemn con- tract, to which they all subscribed, thereby making it the basis of their government. They chose Mr. John Carver, a gentleman of piety and approved abihties, to be their governor for the first year. This was on the 11th of November. Their next object was to fix on a convenieut place for settle- ment. In doing this they were obliged to encounter numerous difficulties, and to suffer incredible hardships. Many of tliem UNITED STATES. 91 were sick in consequence of the fatigues of a long voyage — their provisions were bad — the season was uncommonly cold — the Indians, though afterwards friendly, were now hostile — and they were unacquainted with tiie coast. These difficulties they surmounted ; and on the 31st of December they were all safely landed at a place, which, in grateful commemoration of Ply- mouth in England, the town which they last left in their native land, they called Plymouth. This is the first English town that was settled in New England. In some of their excursions in search of a suitable place for settlement, they found buried several baskets of Indian corn, to the amount of ten bushels, which fortunately served them for planting the next spring, and perhaps was the means of presei'ving them from perishing with hunger. They made diligent enquiry for the owners, whom they found, and after- wards paid the full value of the corn. Before the end of November, Susanna, the wife of William White, was delivered of a son, whom they called Peregrine. He is supposed to have been the first child of European ex- tract born in New England. I'he whole company that landed consisted of but 101 souls. Their situation was distressing, and their prospect truly dismal and discouraging. Their nearest neighbours, except the ria- tives, w&i'fi a French settlement ai Port Royal, and one of the English at Virginia. The nearest of these was 500 miles from them, and utterly incapable of affording them relief in a time of famine and danger. To add to their distresses, a general and very mortal sickness prevailed among them, which swept off forty-six of their number befoi'e the opening of the next spring. On the 3d of November, 16^0, king James signed a patent incorporating the duke of Lenox, the marquisses of Bucking- ham and Hamilton, the earls of Arundel and Warwick, Sir Francis Gorges, with thirty-four others, and their successors- styling them, ' The council established at Plymouth in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering, and go- verning of New England in America.'' To this council he granted all that part of America which lies between the 40th 92 VIEW OF THE and 45th degrees of north latitude. This patent is the great civil basis of all the grants and patents by which New England was afterwards divided. The Plymouth council retained the power vested in them by the crown until the year 1635, when they resigned their charter. Previous to this, however, the council had made se- veral grants of land to adventurers, who proposed to settle in New England. They granted New Hartipshire to captain John Mason, in 1621 ; the province of Maine, to Sir R. Gor- ges, in 1622; and Massachusetts bay to Sir Henry Roswell and five others, in 1627. In defiance of every difficulty, the colony gradually increased in strength. The Indians were conciliat the borders. The lower part of the building is constructed in a plain and simple style of architecture, with red brick, and sur- mounted by a large circular dome of the same materials, co- loured yellow. The whole has a neat and ornamental appear- 104 VIEW OF THE ance ; but if stone had been substituted for brick, it would then have been a structure worthy of admiration, and honour- able to the people of Boston. The park was formerly a large common, but has recently been enclosed, and the borders planted with trees. On the east side there has been for many years a mall, or walk, plant- ed with a double row of large tress, somewhat resembling that in St. James"'s pai'k, but scarcely half its lengtA. It affords the inhabitants an excellent promenade in fine weather. At the bottom of the park is a branch of the harbour ; and along the shore, to the westward, are several extensive rope-walks built upon piers. At hioh water, boats and barges can be ad- mitted between the walks, wliich are all roofed in, and have large brick warehouses at the eastern end. Considerable quan- tities of excellent cordage are manufactured at these walks, and form an article of exportation to the other states. In the street next the mall, at the upper end of the park, there is a stand of hackney coaches, superior in every respect to vehicles of that description in London. The other part of Boston, which may with propriety be called the Old Town, is the seat of trade and commerce, and contains numerous streets, lanes, and alleys, crowded with stores, shops, warehouses, wharfs, and piers ; taverns, coffee- houses, and porter-houses ; insurance offices, banks, and state buildings ; churches, chapels, and meetings. Of late years, considerable improvements have taken place in East Boston. Towards the harbour, an extensive range of lofty wai'ehouses have been erected upon India wharf: they are built of red brick, with much neatness and uniformity. Offices for the merchants are below, and the upper part of the ])uilding is appropriated' to the reception of goods. A short distance from these warehouses to the northward, is Long wharf, or Boston pier, which extends from the bottom of State- street, upwards of 1750 feet into the harbour. Its breadth is above 100 feet. On the north side of this immense wharf is a range of large warehouses,extending the whole lengtli of the pier. Along the water side there is a great number of other piers, "hich extend a considerable wav into the harbour; these form UNITED STATES. 105 as many open clocks, or slips, which admit vessels of almost every size and draught of water up to the very doors of the houses. Viewing this sight from an eminence, it has a singu- lar and beautiful effect ; the crowded masts and rigging of the vessels appear in the midst of the streets, and the colours of all nations are seen flying over the tops of the houses. Boston is well paved, and has excellent foot-paths of flag stones. The streets, which in the old town are generally nar- row and irregularly laid out, are for the most part clean and in good order. The markets are situated near each other, close to the water side ; and are supplied with every descrip- tion of provisions in the greatest plenty, and at a moderate price. But tliey are crowded and confined by the surrounding buildings, and the narrow lanes in the vicinity. This, together with the number of shabby shops and ale-houses in the neigli- bourhood, gives to this part of the town an unseemly appear- ance, which is still further increased by the litter and confusion unavoidable in a market place. The bridge connecting Boston and Charlestown is a sur- prising work. It is of wood, with a draw for the admission of vessels, and is 3483 feet in length, and 40 feet wide. On the same river, and not above two miles further up the country, is another bridge of this nature, 1503 feet long, and 42 in width. The principal manufactures. of Boston are, sail-cloth, cordage, hats, wool and cotton cards, pot and pearl ashes, paper hang- ings, plate and connnon glass, loaf sugar, tobacco, chocolate, and an immense quantity of playing cards, on which they coun- terfeit the English figures with great exactness. Above forty distilleries are employed in making that detestable spirit called Yankee rum ! which is used in preference to that agreeable and nutritious beverage, malt liquor, two breweries for which can barely be supported by this large town and its populous ricinity. The population of Boston, according to the census of 1800, was 24,937; about three years after, it amounted to 28,000; and very lately was computed to be up-vards of 35,000. The majority of the people are congregationaHsts ; the remainder sonsist of episcopalians, baptists, quaktrs, universalists, Roman O 106 VIEW OF THE catholics, and Sandemanians. They have twenty places of worship, of which nine belong to the congregationalists, and /bur to the episcopalians, ' Sundays are observed,' says a late traveller, ' with the strictest decorum ; the town appears as if completely deserted ; and scarcely a person is seen walking the streets, except in go- ing to or coming from a place of worship. This strict observ- ance of religious duties disposes a stranger to judge favourably of the moral character of the people ; nor has he any reason to alter his opinion, until he hears of so many unfortunate females in the cities."" The inhabitants are distinguished for their domestic habits, regularity of living, integrity in their deahngs, hospitality to strangers, strict piety and devotion, and respect for the moral and social virtues ; upon which depend the happiness and well being of a community. Several daily and weekly newspapers, and a few magazines and reviews, are published in Boston. Like those of other towns, the newspapers are attached to the principles of the two parties which at present divide the people ; and in their poli- tical animadversions, they are by no means tender of rhe cha- racter of their opponents. The fanatical spirit of this city seems giadually to subside ; and Mr. Burke observes, after narrating the witchcraft delusion, .169S, in which so many in- nocent people perished by tiie bigotry of two clergymen called Encrease and Cotton Mather, ' that the people there are now grown somewhat like the rest of mankind in their manners, and have much abated of their persecuting spirit.' This city is even already ranked by some among the most pleasing and sociable iii the United States. The amount of tonnage owned by the port of Boston in 1810 was 149,121. The number of vessels that enter and clear out annually is immense, carrying on a trade to Europe, the East and West Indies, and China, besides a very extensive coasting trade. The exports annually from this port probably amount to upwards of 8^000,000 dollars. There are in Bos- ton three incorporated banks, besides a branch of the United States' bank, whose joint capitals amount to upwards of UNITED STATES. 107 3,000,000 dollars ; and there are three or four insurance of- fices, with capitals of 3 or 400,000 dollars each. There are a number of pubhc societies in Boston, among which may be mentioned the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston Library Society, Agricultural Society, Mechanic Society, Marine So- ciety, Charitable Fire Society, Humane Society, Medical So- ciety, Dispensary, and the Female Asylum. Public education is on an excellent footing; there are eight or nine public schools, supported at the expence of the town, which are ac- cessible to all the members of the community, free of expence ; they are managed by a committee of twenty-one gentlemen, chosen annually, and are under good regulations. Besides these, there are a number of private seminaries, at which all the various branches of education are taught ; and, upon the whole, Boston may challenge a competition on this branch with any city in Europe, Edinburgh in Scotland perhaps excepted. Solera is, next to Boston, the largest town in Massachusetts, and one of the earliest settled in the state. It is situated on a peninsula formed by two branches of the sea, called North and South rivers, and consists of about 1500 houses, and contained, in 1800, 9547 inhabitants. The houses are built partly of wood, and partly of brick ; and many of them are uncommonly elegant. The principal public buildings are a court-house, five congregational churches, and, one each for quakers and episcopalians, Salem carries on a very extensive shipping trade, more business being done here in that line than in any town in the New England states, Boston excepted. There is a ship-yard in Salem, and a considerable manufactory of sail- cloth. A bank has been long established. The inhabitants are said to be industrious and frugal, and the appearance of the town indicates a considerable accumulation of wealth. Sa- lem is remarkable as being the residence of Mr. Gray, reputed the greatest ship-owner in America, having a vast number of square-rigged vessels, many of which are in the India trade. Cambridge is handsomely situated, and contains a univer- sity, which is reputed the best literary institution in the United States. It was established in 1638, and has now four large 108 VIEW OF THE buildings, with accommodations sufficient to contain upwards of 200 students, who attend it annually, and are instructed in all the various branches of human knowledge. The library is very extensive, and the philosophical apparatus is said to be the most elegant and complete of any in America. Five pro- fessors and four tutors discharge the duties of the university, which is generally well attended by students. The village of Cambridge contains about 1000 inhabitants. The houses are mostly built of wood. The public buildings are, besides the university, a court-house, an episcopal and a congregational church. Worcester is a pretty place, and said to be one of the largest inland towns in the state. It is the capital of a county to vvhich it gives the name, and is situated in a pleasant valley, mostly on one street, which is broad and handsome. The houses are generally of wood, painted white; and are in num- ber about 400. The inhabitants amount to about 2500. The jiublic buildings are, a court-house, jail, and two congregational churches. They have a pretty extensive inland trade at this place, and the printing business has been long established here by a Mr. Thomas, who is reputed to be the oldest printer in America. It is proposed to open an inland navigation between this place and Providence, distant about 40 miles ; and if it should take place, it is supposed that it will be attended with fjreat advantage. Sprhigjield is a hand.some and thriving town, situated on tlie east side of the Connecticut river, 97 miles from Boston, It contains about 1500 inhabitants, who carry on a considerable inland trade, and have established a respectable manufactory of fire-arms. The public buildings are a court-house and a congregational church. Brookfiekl is a beautiful town, situated on the Quebang river, and in a rich, fertile country, Avhich also contains great (juantities of iron ore. Of the remainder of the towns, the most important is Marblehead, a sea-port, containing upwards of 5000 inhabitants. Newburyport is a handsome sea-port, containing nearly 6000 inhabitants, and has several manufac- tories, and a large shipping trade. Ipswich contains 3000 UNITED STATES. 109 inhabitants ; and Concord, a flourishing town on Concord river, is remarkable as being the place wliere the provincial congress held their deliberations during the war. Taunton, North- ampton, Stockbridge, Plttsficld, and Barnstaple, are all towns of considerable note. The state is intersected in every direc- tion with good roads, and the bridges are numerous and very important. Trade and Resot(,rces.—The amount of the internal revenues rf Massachusetts in 1815 was 528,455 dollars, and the num- ber of carriages taxed was 14,184. The value of lands and houses, as stated by the assessors, amounted to 143,765,560 dollars, which made the average value of land equal to 18 dol- lars per acre. By the returns of the same year, the gross amount of duties on merchandise was 6,168,448 dollars. The registered ton- nage employed in foreign trade was 199,659, and the enrolled tonnage employed in the coasting trade was 2995, besides ves- sels under 20 tons. The greater part of the manufactures have already been 'enumerated in the account of Boston ; but it may be noticed, jthat, in the interior, there is a vast variety of domestic rruum- \factures; and several others upon a larger scale, particularly of woollen and cotton. The exports of the state are, provisions, timber, ashes, flax- Iseed, bees' wax, fish, oil, saddlery, cabinet work, boots and I shoes, nails, tow-cloth, iron utensils, glass, spirits, &c. The imix)rts are, British manufactures, tea, wine, silks, spirits, coff^ee, cotton, &c. Commerce is pursued with an ardent spirit in the state ; and it is said that Massachusetts owns more ship- Iping than any other state in the Union. The state has very I extensive fisheries, the product of which is annually of great [value. I ReUgim.—llic legislature of this state are empowered to ' require of the several towns to provide, at their own cxpence, for the Derformance of public worship, and to require the at- I tendance of the subject on the same. But these affairs are ' managed by each religious sect in its own way, who are not I suffered to interfere with the civil rights of their neighbours, 110 VIEW OF THE so that the sting is drawn out of the tail of the scorpion of re- ligious discord. No sect is elevated above another; and all have reason to be thankful for the blessings they enjoy, in the protection of equal laws. The great body of the churches are established on the congregational plan. Education, S^c. — Dr More says, ' According to the laws of ' this commonwealth, every town having 50 householders or up- wards, is to be provided with one or more schoolmasters, to \ teach children and youth to read and write, and instruct them \ in the English language, arithmetic, orthography, and decent behaviour ; and where any town has 200 families, there is also . to be a grammar school set up therein, and some discreet per- son, well instructed in the Latin, Greek, and English languages, procured to keep the same, and be suitably paid by the inha- bitants. The penalty for neglect of schools, in towns of 50 famiUes, is 10/. ; those of 100 families, 20/. ; and of 150, 30/. Besides the college of Cambridge before mentioned, there are ,' several respectably endowed academies. Those established at l Newbury, Andover, Leicester, and Hingham, deserve particu- ' lar mention. Government. — The commonwealth of Massachusetts is di- vided into 14 counties, and subdivided into 355 townships. The whole country is divided into districts, of about six miles square each, and these are called towns, whether they be thickly settled or not. The arrangement of these towns is somewhat assimilated to the parishes in Scotland, having each a separate jurisdiction within itself, which regulates the affairs of religion and of education, and makes provision for the poor. They are also of great importanqe in the elections, which are conducted throughout the whole state in one day, the people voting in their respective towns, which has a tendency to pre- vent all bustle and confusion. The state government is vested in a senate and house of re- presentatives, styled the General Covu't; a governor, lieute- nant-governor, and council. The senators are 40 in number, and are elected annually in districts ; and the voters must be possessed of a freehold estate of the value of 3/. or any estate of the value of 60/. The representatives are elected annually, UNITED STATES. Ill m townships: evei'y corporate town containing 150 rateable polls elects one, those containing 375 elect two, those contain- ing 600 elect three, and so on, making 225 the number for every additional representative. The electors must be pos- sessed of the same property as for senators The governor is styled his earellenci/, and must be possessed of a freehold of 1000^. He is elected annually by those qualified to vote for senators and representatives. The lieutenant-governor is styled his • 7io7iou?; and must have the same qualifications, and be elected in the same manner as the governor. The council consists of nine persons, chosen from the senators by joint bal- lot of the senators and. representatives. Islands. — Among the islands that border upon the extensive coast of this state are, Kappawak, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. Kappawak, now Duke's county, and the neigh- bouring isles, were discovered as early as 1602, by Bartholo- mew Gosnold. In honour of queen Elizabeth, he called a cluster of small islands near the cape, Elizabeth isles. To an- other neiahbourino' island he gave the name of Martha's Vine- yard. Duke's county is 20 miles in length, and about four in breadth. It contains seven parishes. Edgarton, which in- cludes the island Chabaquidick, is the shire town. This little island is about half a mile from the harbour, and renders it very secure. This county is full of inhabitants, who, like their neighbours at Nantucket, subsist principally by fishing. They send three representatives to the general assembly, and one senator. Nantucket lies south of cape Cod, about 30 miles from the coast, and is about 15 miles in length, and two or three in breadth. Before the revolutionary war, this small island had 65 ships, of 4875 tons, annually employed in the northern, and 85 ships of 10,200 tons, in the southern fishery. From 1787 to 1789, it had only 18 ships, of 1350 tons, in the north- ern, and 18 ships, of 2700 tons, in the southern fisheiy. For many years past, this fishery has been carried on from this island, and from New Bedford, a large commercial and flou- rishing town on the coast, in its neighbourhood, and has em- llg VIEW OF THE ployed from 15,000 to 18,000 tons of shipping, principally in the Southern seas. H'lstwy. — In 1628, the first regular settlement was made in the Massachusetts near Salem by Mr. Endicot. Two years after this, 1500 people arrived from England, amongst whom were several persons of distinction. These were followed by several others, amongst which were Messrs. Cotton, Hooker, and Stone, three of the most famous pillars of the church. Mr. Cotton settled at Boston, and the other two at Cambridge. Mr. Hooker and 100 others removed in 1636, and settled at Hartford, on Connecticut river. ' In 1636,'' says Mr. Morse, ' Mrs. Hutchinson, a very ex- traordinary woman, who came to New England with Mr. Cot- ton, made great disturbances in the churches. Two capital errors with which she was charged were, " That the Holy Ghost dwells personally in a justified person ; and that nothing of sanctification can help to evidence to believers their justifi- cation.'^ Disputes ran high about the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, and involved both the civil and religious affairs of the colony in great confusion. The final result was, a synod was appointed to be held at Cambridge, in August, 1637, where were present both ministers and messengers of churches and magistrates, who, after three weeks' disputing, condenmed, as erroneous, above eighty points or opinions, said to have been maintained by sonte or other in the country. The result was signed by all the members but Mr. Cotton. In consequence of this, Mrs. Hutchinson and some of her principal followers were sentenced to banishment. She, with her husband and family, shortly after removed to Aquidnick, (Rhode island) where, in 164^2, Mr. Hutchinson died. She being dissatisfied with the people or place, removed to the Dutch country, beyond New Haven ; and the next year, she and all her family, being sixteen souls, were killed by the In- dians, except one daughter, who was carried into captivity.' The year 1637 was dist^guished by the Pequot wars, in which were slain five or -six hundred Indians, and the tribe almost wholly destroyed. This struck such terror into thr UNITED STATES. 113 Indians, that for forty years succeeding, they never openly commenced hostilities with the English. In 1640, the motives for emigration to New England ceased, by a change in the affairs of England. The population of this colony then amounted to 21,000; and the present inhabitants are mostly the offspring of these original settlei's. The religious prejudices of the colonists were the;source of violent disputes and great cruelties. In 1648, they were in- fected with the fear of witchcraft; and Margaret Jones, of Charleston, Avas accused of having so malignant a quality, as to cause vomiting, deafness, and violent pains by her touch. She was accordingly tried, condemned, and executed. The scrupulousness of the people appears to have arisen to its height in 1649, and was indeed ridiculous. The custom of wearing long hair, ' after the manner of ruffians and barbarous Indians,' as they termed it, was deemed contrary to the word of God, ' which says it is a shame for a man to wear long hair.' This expression of the apostle Paul induced this pious people to think this custom criminal in all ages and nations. In a clergyman it was peculiarly offensive, as they were required in an especial manner to go palentibus au7'ibus, with open ears. The use of tobacco was prohibited under a penalty ; and the smoke of it, in some manuscripts, was compared to the smoke of the bottomless pit. The sickness frequently produced by smoking tobacco was considered as a species of drunkenness, and hence what we now term smoking, was then often called ' drinking tobacco ' At length, some of the clergy fell into the habit of smoking, and tobacco, by an act of government, * was set at liberty.' This was succeeded, 1656, by a persecution against the quakers; and though none were actually put to death by public execution, yet many were confined in prisons where they died in consequence of the rigour of the law. King Charles II. also, in a letter to the colony of Massachusetts, approved of their severity. The quakers were undoubtedly enthusiasts, as the following instances will testify. ' Thomas Newhouse went into the meeting-house at Boston with a couple of glass bottles, and broke them before the congregation, and P 114. VIEW OF THE threatened, Thus mil the Lord break you in pieces. Another time M. Brewster came in with her face smeared as black as a coal. Deborah Wilson went through the streets of Salem naked as she was born.' But the quakers were used with the most unjustifiable severity, which, from exciting sympathy, in- creased their numbers. These unhappy disturbances conti- nued until the friends of the quakers in England interposed, and obtained an order from the king, September 9, 1661, re- quiring that a stop should be put to all capital or corporal punishments of his subjects called quakers. This order was prudently complied with, and the disturbances by degrees subsided. In 1692, the colony obtained, after many disputes with the mother country, a new charter, which was productive of much good, particularly in diminishing the power of the clergy. During the same year, the spirit of infatuation respecting witchcraft was again revived in New England, and raged with uncommon violence. Several hundreds were accused, many wei'e condemned, and some executed. Various have been the opinions respecting the delusion which occasioned this tragedy. Some pious people have believed there was something super- natural in it, and that it was not all the effect of fraud and imposture. Many are willing to suppose the accusers to have been under bodily disorders which affected their imaginations. It is very possible that the whole was a scene of fraud and im- posture, began by young girls, who at first thought of nothing more than exciting pity and indulgence, and continued by adult persons, who were afraid of being accused themselves. The one and the other, rather than confess their fraud, suffered the Jives of so many innocents to be taken away through the cre- dulity of judges and juries. At last, the witch-finders grew bold, and accused some of the judges of exercising infernal arts. The rich were now struck with alarm, and the persecu- tion ceased. From 1675, when Philip's war began, to 1713, five or six thousand of the youth of the country had perished by the enemy, or by distempers contracted in the service of their country. The colonies, which usually doubled their inhabit- UNITED STATES. 115 ants in five and twenty years, had not at this time double the number which they had fifty years before. In 1721, the small-pox made great havock in Boston and the adjacent towns. Of 5889, who took it in Boston, 884 died. Inoculation was introduced upon this occasion, contrary, how- ever, to the minds of the inhabitants in general. All orders of men, in a greater or less degree, condemned a practice which is now universally approved, and to which thousands owe the preservation of their lives. In 1745, according to a proposal and plan of the governor of this colony, Louisburg was besieged and taken. The pos- session of this place appeared necessary for the security of the English fishery, and prevented an attack upon Nova Scotia, which the French had meditated and threatened. The reduction of Louisburg by a British colony surprised Great Britain and France, and occasioned both powers to form important plans for the next year. Great Britain had in view the reduction of Canada, and the extirpation of the French from the northern continent. France, the recovery of Louis- bui'g, the conquest of Nova Scotia, and the destruction of the English sea coast from Nova Scotia to Georgia. Great prepa- rations were accordingly made by both monarchs. A very formidable French fleet sailed for the American coast ; a Bri- tish squadron was long expected to oppose them, and to pro- tect the colonies ; but expected in vain. The colonies were in immediate and imminent danger. Fortunately for them, the French fleet was rendered unfit to accomplish their design, by a violent storm, which damaged most of the ships so much, that they were obhged to return to France, or retire to the West Indies to refit. After this, nothing material occurred in the colony until the general revolution, in which Massachusetts acquired a consi-, derable share of glory. 116 VIEW OF THE DISTRICT OF MAINE. Situation and Extent, HTHIS district is bounded on the north-west by the high lands which separate the rivers which fall into the St. Lawrence, from those which fall into the Atlantic ocean ; on the east by the river St. Croix, and a line drawn due north from its source to the said high lands, which divides this territory from Nova Scotia; on the south-east by the Atlantic ocean ; and on the west by New Hampshire. This division is of great extent, being about 250 miles long by about 192 broad, and contains 31,750 square miles. Natural Geography. — St. Croix is a short and inconsidera- ble river, forming the eastern boundary of the United States. It falls into Passamaquoday bay. Penobscot river rises in some ponds in the heart of the country, and passing through several small lakes, it tumbles for near two miles over falls, which effectually prevent any further marine navigation. To these falls, which are about 50 miles from the sea, this river is navigable for vessels of 100 tons. It empties into Penobscot bay. Kennebek river rises from a little pond in the high lands, in north lat. 45 deg. 20 min. Its oeneral course is from north to south. It is navigable for vessels of 100 tons to Hallowell, 50 miles from Small point, at the mouth of the river. Sagadahok, which, properly speaking, is but the main west- ern branch of the Kennebek, rises in lat. 44 deg. 50 min. north-eastward of the White hills, in lake Umbagoog. Pea- body river and another branch fall into this main stream from the east side of the White hills. Its course is south about 26 miles, then east-north-east 60, when it meets a second main stream from the north-east, 34 miles from its source. Hence the river runs into Merry Meeting bay ; from thence, with the UNITED STATES. 117 waters of the Kennebek, Avhicli likewise fall Into this bay, with several other small streams, it passes off to the sea, 16 miles, by the name of Kennebek, or Sagadahok river. Saco river has two sources, which soon unite ; and the river, keeping in a genera) south-eastern course for 60 or 70 miles, passes between Pcpperillborough and Biddeford townships, into Saco bay, near Winter harbour. Marine navigation is stopped by Saco falls, seven or eight miles from the sea. At these falls, which are about 20 feet in height, are the greatest board-works in this part of the country. The river here is broken by small islands in such a manner as to afi'md a num- ber of fine saw-mill seats. Besides these are a number of smaller rivers. The sea coast is indented with innumerable bays. Those worth noticing are Penobscot bay, at the mouth of Penobscot river, which is long and capacious. Its east side is lined with a cluster of small islands. Casco bay is between cape Eliza- beth and cape Small Point. It is 25 miles wide, and about 14) in length. It is a most beautiful bay, interspersed with small islands, and forms the entrance into Sagadahok. It has a suf- ficient depth of water for vessels of any burden. ^Vells bay lies between cape Neddik and cape Porpoise. Agamemticus, a noted land-mark for sailors, is about eight miles from the sea, in lat. 43 deg. 16 min., and hes in the township of York, a few miles westward of Wells. The heat in summer is intense, and the cold in winter equally extreme. All fresh water lakes, ponds, and rivers, are usually passable on ice, from Christmas until the middle of March. The longest day is fifteen hours and sixteen minutes, and the shortest eight hours and forty-four minutes. The climate is very healthful. Many of the inhabitants live ninety years. On the high lands are oak in some places, but not plenty, maple, beech, and white birch. The white birch in this part of the country is unlike that which grows in other parts. It is a fine large tree, fit for many uses. Its bark, which is composed of a great number of thicknesses, is, when separated, smoother and softer than any paper. The clay lands produce 118 VIEW OF THE fir. The timber of this tree is unfit for use, but it yields the balsam which is so much admired. Iron and bog-ore are found in many places, in great plenty, and works are erected to manufacture it into iron. There is a stone in Lebanon, which yields copperas and sulphur. Population. — The population of this district in 1817 amount- ed to 318,647, which is ten persons to a square mile. Manners^ ^~c. — The inhabitants are a hardy, robust race ; and being early taught the use of the musket, are expert marksmen, and form a very useful militia. Chief' Towns. — Portland is the most considerable town, and contains nearly 5000 inhabitants. It is situated on a penin- sula, and has an excellent and capacious harbour. Ship-build- ing and the fishery constitute the chief employment of the inhabitants. York is the second in importance, and is a place of considerable business. Hallowell, Wiscasset^ and Mackias are considerable places, to say nothing of Passamaquoddy, a sort of Land"'s End in Cornwall, or Johnny Groat's House, at the very extremity of the Union, and which sends out a consi- derable number of small vessels. Trude and Remurces. — The principal trade consists in lum- ber and fish, of which the inhabitants carry great quantities to the sea-ports of America, and to the West Indies. The ma- nufactures are principally of the domestic kind. Government. — The District of Maixe is politically con- nected with Massachusetts ; but as the population is rapidly in- creasing, a separate government may probably be soon demanded. History.— The first settlement made in the province of Maine was about the year 1630. Disputes with the proprie- tors and the Massachusetts court, and war with the Indians, harassed the colonists so much, that in 1675 all the settlements were in a manner bi')ken up and destroyed. Several rein- forcements arriA^ed after this ; but the whole country, down to the year 1702, exhibited a continued scene of killing, burning, and destroying. Even so late as the year 1748, persons were murdered and captivated by the Indians in many of the towns on the sea coast. Since that time, the inhabitants have lived in peace, and their numbers and property are rapidly augmenting. UNITED STATES. 119 VERMONT. Situation and Extent. TTERMONT is bounded north, by Canada; east, by Connecticut ri- ver, which divides it from New Hampshire; south, by Mas- sachusetts ; west, by New York. It is situated between 42 deg. 42 min. and 45 deg. north lat , and 3 deg. 38 min. and 5 deg. 27 min. east long. It is 166 miles long, and its great- est breadth is 93 miles. Its area is about 10,000 square miles, or 6,400,000 acres. Natural Geography. — This state, on the east side of the mountain, is watered by Paupanhoosak, Quechoy, Weld's, White, Black, and West rivers, which run from west to east into Connecticut river ; and west of the mountains by the river Lamoil, over which is a natural stone bridge, seven or eight rods in length, by Onion river and Otter creek, which empty by one mouth into lake Champlain, 20 or 80 miles south of St. John'^s. Otter creek is navigable for boats 50 miles. The lands adjacent are of an excellent quality, and are annually enriclved by the overflowing of the water, occasioned by the melting of the snow on the Green mountains. A chain of high mountains, running north and south, divides this state nearly in the centre between Connecticut river and lake Champlain. The height of land is generally from 20 to 80 miles from the river, and about the same distance from the New York line. The natural growth upon this mountain is hemlock, pine, spruce, and evergreens ; hence it has always a green appearance, and on this account has obtained the de- scriptive name of Mo?i.<} Ver^ Green mountain. On some high ■parts of this mountain, snow lies till May, and sometimes till June. • The country is generally hilly, but not rocky. It is finely watered, and affords the best of pasturage for cattle. On the 120 VIEW OF THE banks of the lakes, rivers, and rivulets, are interspersed raanv fine tracts of rich land. T]ie heavy growth of timber, which is common throughout the state, evince the strength and fertihty of the soil. Elm, black birch, maple, ash, and bass-wood, grow in the moist low ground ; and the banks of the rivers are timbered principally with white pine, intermingled with vales of beech, elm, and white oak. The inhabitants cultivate wheat, rye, bai-ley, oats, Indian corn, &c. The corn, however, is frequently cut off by the early frosts, especially on the moun- tains and hiiis. That which grows on the banks of the rivers is not so frequently injured. Flax is raised in considerable quantities, and the soil is good for hemp. Potatoes, pumpkins, and garden roots and vegetables, grow here in great plenty. Large quantities of sugar, of a good quality and flavour, are made from the sugar maple. Iron is found in abundance throughout the state. Lead, copperas, flint, and vitriol have been found ; and the west side of the state abounds with marble. This state is extremely healthy. Snow begins to fall com- monly in the beginning of November, and is generally gone by the middle of April. During this season, the inhabitants usually enjoy a serene sky, and a keen, cold air. The ground is seldom frozen to any great depth, being covered with a great body of snow before the severe frosts begin. In the spring, the snow, in common, is gradually dissolved by the warm in- fluences of the sun. In this way the earth is enriched and moistened, and spring advances with surprising quickness. Population. — The population of Vermont in 1817 amounted to 290,450, which is above 29 persons to a square mile. Al- though it is off the sea coast, far from a market, and without any populous towns, yet its inhabitants have nearly doubled within the last 20 years. Manners. — Most of the inhabitants of this state consist of emigrants from Massachusetts and Connecticut, except one settlement formed by people from Scotland. The Vermonters are represented as being hardy, robust, full-featvired, and florid in their complexions : as they are mostly all agriculturalists or mechanics, thev are independent in their s^entiments ; and their UNITED STATES. 121 wants being mostly supplied among themselves, they are not subject to great vicissitudes of fortune, and are generally wealthy in proportion as they are industrious. Chief Towns. — Bennington is the principal town in Vermont. It is situated in the south-west corner of the state ; near the ffine view of the town, bay, shipping, and country for many miles round. The building is of brick, with a slated roof, 150 feet long, 46 wide, and four stories high ; and contains lodgings fojr upwards of 100 students. It has a valuable philosophical ap- paratus, and a library containing upwards of 3000 volumes. Providence has a pretty extensive shipping trade, and sends very large ships to the East Indies and other distant parts of the world. The other principal towns are, SoutJi Kingston., situated on the west side of Narragansett bay, nearly opposite Newport, and contains 3000 inhabitants. Bristol is pleasantly situated on the bay, about half way between Providence and Newport, and contains 1673 inhabitants. It has a little shipping trade. IVanrn is a flourishing little town, containing about 1600 in- liabitants. It is on the west side of the bay, on the Warren river, and carries on a brisk coasting and foreign trade. Little Cnmpton, East Greenxcich, and Compton, are also growing UNITED STATES. 127 towns. The state is supplied with good roads and bridges, some of which have been constructed on an ingenious plan, and at great expence. No canals have yet been made, but se- V eral are proj ected . Trade and Resources. — This state is very favourably situ- ated for commerce, of which it has a large share. The exports ! are grain, flax-seed, lumber, iiorses, cattle, beef, pork, fish, poultry, onions, butter, clieese, spirits, and cotton and linen goods. The imports are European aud India manufactures, ! West India produce, and logwood. The manufactures are cotton and linen goods, bar and sheet iron, steel, nails, anchors and other iron work for shipping, sail-cloth, paper, rum, &c. The cotton manufacture is ex- ' tending ; but it is yet in its infancy, and, being subject to a competition with the organized manufjictures of Britain, it must be attended with a considerable degree of inconvenience, and perhaps of risk. The writer above mentioned says, ' At Pautucket, four miles from" Providence, are 13 cotton manufactories; six of which are on a large scale. They are not the property of individuals, but of companies. I visited three of these. They had excellent machinery ; not more than one half of which was in operation. Children from six to ten years of age, of both sexes, are paid Qs. 9f/. per week ; ditto eleven to sixteen, lO*". per week ; women, \9.s. ; men, 27.?. to 81*. Qd. Very few of the latter are employed. Several of the manufac- tories of this place are situated on a fine fall of water, 50 feet in length, and passing through several chasms in a rock which extends across the river.' The value of houses and lands in Rhode island, as equalized by the assessors in 1815, was 20,907,766 dollars. The value of land was estimated at 39 dollars an acre. The gross amount of the duties of merchandise, at the same time, was 287,167 dollars. The registered tonnage in foreign trade was 29,019, and the tonnage employed in the coasting trade 539- Education. — The state of education is. said to be considera- bly l)ehind that of the other New England states, but is im- proving. The chief seminary is the college at Providence, 128 VIEW OF THE already mentioned ; and there is an academy at Newport, un- der good regulations, besides various seminaries throughout the state. Religno7i.— There is no distinction made on account of reli- gious opinions ; but every man worships God in any way his conscience dictates, witliout interfering with his civil rights. There are several benevolent and useful societies in the state, among which may be noticed one ' for the abolition of the slave- trade, and for the improvemeut of the African race.' Government. — The state is divided into five counties and 30 townships. The legislature consists of a governor, deputy governor, ten senators, and a representative from each town- ship. They are chosen by the people twice every year, and they hold two sessions annually. History. — The men who fled from their native homes to Massachusetts, to avoid persecution for their religious senti- ments, were no sooner settled than they began to imitate their tyrants, by enforcing an uniformity of opinions. This induced Mr. Roger Williams, a minister, and twenty others to fly from their Christian brethren, and to seek an asylum amongst the more merciful Indians in Rhode island, about the year 1635. These fugitives built a village, which they called Providence, and were soon joined by many others, particularly quakers and baptists. But being destitute of a patent, or any legal autho- rity, Mr. Williams went to England as agent in 1643, and by the assistance of Sir Henry Vane, jun. obtained of the earl of Warwick (then governor and admiral of all the plantations) and his council, « a free and absolute charter of civil incorpora- tion, by the name of the incorporation of Providence planta- tions in Narragansett bay.' This lasted until the charter granted by Charles II. in 1668, by which the incorporation was styled, ' The English colony of Rhode island and Provi- dence plantations in New England.' The free and liberal toleration established in this island soon brought it into a highly flourisliing state. The inhabit- ants, during the revolution, acted with great spirit, and pro- duced the second general in the field. UNITED STATES. 129 CONNECTICUT. Situation and Extent. T^HIS state is bounded on the north by Massachusetts; on the east by Rhode island ; on the south by the sound, which divides it from Long island ; and on the west by the state of New York. It is situated between 4*1 and 42 deg. north lat,, and 3 deg. 20 min. and 5 deg. east long. Its greatest length is 83 miles, and its greatest breadth 72. Its area is 4500 square miles, or 2,880,000 acres. Natural Geography. — The principal rivers in this state are, Connecticut, Housatonick, the Thames, and their branches. One branch of tiie Housatonick passes through a number of pleasant towns, and empties into the sound between Stratford and Milford. It is navigable twelve miles to Derby. A bar of shells at its mouth obstructs its navigation for large vessels. In this river, between Salisbury and Canaan, is a cataract, where the water of the whole river, which is 150 yards wide, falls about 60 feet perpendicularly, in a perfectly white sheet. A copious mist arises, in which floating rainbows are seen in various places at the same time, exhibiting a scene exceedingly grand and beautiful. The Thames empties into Long island sound at New Lon- don. It is navigable 14 miles to Norwich landing. Here it loses its name, and branches into Shetucket on the east, and Norwich or Little river on the west. Little river, about a mile from its mouth, has a remarkable and very romantic ca- taract. A rock, ten or twelve feet in perpendicular height, extends quite across the channel of the river. Over this the whole rivei' pitches, in one entire sheet, upon a bed of rocks below. Here the river is compressed into a very narrow chan- nel between two craggy cliffs, one of which towers to a consi- derable height. The channel descends gradually, is very crooked, and covered with pointed rocks. Upon these the R 130 VIEW OF THE water swiftly tumbles, foaming with the most violent agitation, 15 or 20 rods, into a broad bason which spreads before it. At the bottom of the perpendicular falls, the rocks are curiously excavated by the constant pouring of tlie Avater. Some of the cavities, which are all of a circular form, are five or six feet deep. The smoothness of the water above its descent ; the regularity and beauty of the perpendicular fall ; the tremen- dous roughness of the other ; and the craggy, towering clifF which impends the Avhole, ])resent to the view of the spectator a scene indescribably delightful and majestic. On this river are some of the finest situations for mill seats in New England, and those inmiediately below the falls, occupied by Lathrop''s mills, are perhaps not exceeded by any in the world. Across the mouth of this river is a broad, conmiodious bi'idge, in the form of a wharf, built at a great expence. Shetucket river, the other branch of the Thames, tumbles over many falls, and affords a vast number of mill seats. This river is fed by numberless brooks from every part of the adja- cent country. At the mouth of Shetucket is a bridge of tim- ber, 124 feet in length, supported at each end by pillars, and kept up in the middle by braces on the top, in the nature of an arch. Naugatuk, Farmington, Mill, and West river, and North Haven river, are too small to merit a particular description. The face of the country is agreeably uneven. To the south the coast extends along the sound the whole length of the state, and has many fine inlets, which are highly advantageous to commerce. Towards the north-west the country swells out into high, broken, hilly lands, but there are no mountains. This hilly country is said to be very romantic. The state is remarkably well watered, abounding in small streams. The soil is various, some parts being poor and sandy, and some very fertile ; generally speaking, there is a great deal of good land, and the state is remarkably well calculated for grazing. The climate is subject to great and sudden changes, passing to the extremes of heat and cold ; but it is very healthy, and .the state abounds with remarkable instances of longevity. UNITED STATES. 131 Iron ore Is found in the state in great abundance ; and lead, copper, and zinc, have also been discovered, though in no great quantities. Pit-coal has been found, but not in sufficient quan- tity to induce the inhabitants to dig for it. There arc a num- ber of mineral springs in the state : the most important is in Lichfield county, which is highly impregnated with carbonic acid gas and sulphurated hydrogen gas, and is said to be very useful in curing various diseases, particularly dyspepsia, rheu- , «iatism, and those of the cutaneous kind. Population.-— The number of the inhabitants in this state in 1817 was 349,568, which is nearly 78 persons to a square mile. Manner*.— The population of Connecticut consists of farm- ers, mechanics, manufacturers, ministersof religion, instructors of youth, doctors of medicine, and lawyers. There are no idle peo])le to be seen, although it is said that too many are engaged in the learned professions ; and Connecticut sends out a full proportion of luminaries annually, to enlighten other states. The absence of want and poverty in this state, dearly evinceii the evils that arise from the feudal system, and the law of pri- ■ moo-eniture. It contains no overgrown estates, and exhibits no revolting scenes of wretchedness and misery. The cultivators are a hardy, industrious race, whose labour is rewarded in * peace, and health, and sweet content."" It must, however, be confessed, that they have created evils which tend to embitter the happiness which a superficial ob- server might conclude they possessed. The clergy are nume- rous, and constitute a Kind of selfish, overbearing aristocracy; while their rage for theological disputation generates the worst passions amongst their fiocks. This infatuation is, however, rapidly abating ; but it has probably been the origin of that litigious disposition, which rages here as well as in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode island. Every trivial dispute must be settled according to law; which renders it an inviting profi'ssion. Chief To:i-7hs.-r-Harfford is a handsome city, the capital of Connecticut, and is, alternately with Newhaven, the seat of legislation for the state. It is situated on Connecticut river, at the head of sloop navigation, 50 miles (ibove Lowg island 1^2 VIEW OF THE sound. It is regularly laid out, the streets crossing one ano ther at right angles ; but they are not paved. The city con- sists of about 400 houses, and contains between 3 and 4000 inhabitants. The public buildings are, the state-house, an elegant edifice, two congregational churches, and one episcopal church. The citizens carry on an active commerce, in all the products of the state, to the southern states and the West In- dies ; and they have a large share of country trade. Consi- derable manufactures are carried on with spirit, and are increasing. The markets are well supplied with wholesome provisions, which are sold at reasonable rates, Nexvhaven is a handsome city. The surrounding scenery is very fine, and the situation pleasant, and favourable for commerce. It is built on a considerable bay, on Long island sound, and covers part of a pretty extensive plain, having a river on each side of it. The streets cross one another at right angles, and there is a square in the middle, round which are the public buildings, which have a very handsome appearance. They are, the colleges, state-house, three congregational, and one episcopal church. The college is esteemed one of the best seminaries in the United States, and, by the citizens of New- haven, is considered the very best. The city contains nearly 6000 inhabitants, who carry on a very active trade with New York and the West Indies ; and they have established consi- derable manufactures, which are said to be in a thriving state. There are three other incorporated cities, viz. New London, Norwich, and Middletown. New London is handsomely situ- ated on the Thames, and has an excellent harbour and exten- sive trade. It contains upwards of 3000 inhabitants, and has a bank, and three houses for public worship. Norwich is on the same river, at the head of navigation, and has numerous manufactures and an extensive trade. It contains nearly 3000 inhabitants, and has a court-house, a bank, an insurance com- pany, an academy, and three places for public worship. Mid- dletown, situated on Connecticut river, 15 miles below Hartford, contains about 2000 inhabitants, and carries on a considerable trade. There is a bank, an insurance company, a court-house, and two places for public worship in the city. Liclijield is a UNITED STATES. 138 fine town, containing upwards of 4000 people. It is beauti- fully situated in an elevated part of the.state, and has a court- house, meeting-house, and academy. W ether. sjield is the oldest town in the state, and is remarkable for the culture of onions. The other villages are numerous, the whole state being studded with them, containing from 500 to 1500 or 2000 inhabitants -. among others may be mentioned Danhury, Windham, Had- dam, and To/ten J. The houses are generally built of wood, on a handsome plan, and are painted white; which gives the country an air of great cleanliness and neatness. This enter- prising little state first set the example of making turnpike roads In New England ; and these and other good roads are so abundant, that travelling is facilitated in all directions. There are a number of bridges in the state, some of them constructed at great expence, which are of great utihty. Education.— Edi\xc?iiion is upon an excellent footing, and the school fund is more ample than that of any other state. The \ college at Newhaven, which is named Yale college, was found- ed in 1700. The present college edifice, which is of brick, i was built in 1750, and is 100 feet long, and 40 feet wide, three j stories high, and contains 33 chambers, and 64 studies, conve- j nient for the reception of 100 students. The college thapel, I which is also of brick, was built in 1761, being 50 feet by 40, i with a steeple 125 feet high. In this building is the public I library and the philosophical apparatus. The college museum, I to which additions are constantly making, contains some great i natural curiosities. 1 Academies have been established at Greenfield, Plainfield, Canterbury, Norwich, Wimlham, and Pomfret. The law directs that a grammar school shall be kept in every county town throughout the state ; but the great, popular, and per- ! manent advantage on this branch, arises from the establishment I of schools in every township, being an arrangement similar to the parish schools in Scotland, and which produced similar ef- I fects ; a general diffusion of knowledge, ' steady habits,' and I sobriety of maimers. ) Trade and Resources.— The farmers of Connecticut and I their families are generally dressed in cloth of their manufac- 134 VIEW OF THE tare, which is Substantial and good ; and there are considera- ble and very important manufactures, on a larger scale, throughout the state, viz, woollens, linens, cottons, leather of every description, hats, stockings, paper, wire, bells, soap, candles, oil, clocks and watches, earthen and stone ware, chaises, harness, &c. The state has a very considerable coasting and foreign trade. The exports are principally to the West India islands, consist- ing' of live stock, timber, grain, fruit, fish, and provisions. The imports consist of manufactured piece goods of the finer kinds, wines, and groceries. The value of houses and lands, according to the return of the assessors in 1815, amounted to 88,534,971 dollars; the land being valued at 34 doUars per acre. The duties on mer- chandise was 247,283 dollars. There was employed in foreign trade 33,472 tons, and in the coasting trade 1675. Religion. — In religion, the form of church government is. generally congregational or presbyterian ; but every other form may be freely exercised without molestation, if it is not in direct variance with the general opinion. The episcopalians are respectable ; and the baptists are numerous. There is scarcely any other sect worth mentioning. Government. — The form of government is derived from the ancient charter ; by which the legislative authority is vested ia a governor, deputy governor, twelve assistants or counsellers, and the representatives of the people, styled the General As- sembly. They are divided into two branches, of which the governor, deputy governor, and assistants form one, and the representatives the other : and no law can pass without the concurrence of both. 'J.'he governor and assistants are chosen annually ; and the representatives, who must not exceed two for each town, are chosen twice each year. The suffrage is universal, every freeman vrho is of age having a vote, without regard to property. History. — The first grant of Connecticut Avas made by the Plymouth council, to the earl of Warwick, in 1630, and con- firmed by his majesty in council the same year. The year following, the earl assigned this grant to lord Say and Seal, UNITED STATES. 185 lord Brook, and nine others. No English settlements were attempted in Connecticut until the year 1633, when a number of Indian traders, having purcliased of two principal sachems a tract of land at t!ie mouth of Little river in Windsor, built a house and fortified it, and ever after maintained their right of soil upon the river. The same year, a little before the arrival of the English, a company of Dutch traders came to Hartford, and built a house which they called the H'lrse of Good Hoj)c, and erected a small fort, in which they planted two cannon. The remains of this settlement are still visible on the bank of Connecticut river. This was the only settlement of the Dutch in Connecticut in those ancient times. In 1634^ lord Say and Seal, &:c. sent over a small number of men, who built a fort at Say brook, and held a treaty with the Pequot Indians, who, in a formal manner, gave to the English their right to Connecticut river and the adjacent coun- try. In the year following, a number of persons came and settled in Hartford, AVethersfield, and Windsor. In the year 1637, the colonists took the field against the Indians. All the males of a whole tribe were killed, except a few that escaped ; and the women and children were sent to Bermudas, and sold for slaves ! Two years after, the first church was formed at Newhaven, the members of which had all things in common, and formed themselves into a civil court, which decided all things according to the law of Moses. The history of Connecticut exhibits the same intolerance, ignorance, and mistaken zeal, as that of their neighbours. They prohibited the use of tobacco, and persecuted tiie quakers. In 166^2, this state obtained a charter from Charles II.; but so ignorant were the Europeans of geography, that the patents I often extended they knew not where ; and the people of Con- \ necticut construed their charter literally, and passing over New j York, made purchases of land from the Indians on tlie Dela- ware river, within their supposed limits, v.-hich they conceived ; extended to the South sea. But after many disputes, this i state ceded to congress all their lands west of Pennsylvania, 1 except a reserve of 20 miles square. 136 VIEW OF THE In 1672, the laws of the state were revised, printed, and every family was obliged to purchase a copy. They have since been judiciously revised and simplified. During the re- volution, the people were very active and suffered greatly. ■ NEW YORK. SiUiatimi and Extent. T^HIS interesting state is situated be- tween 40 deg. 33 min. and 45 deg. north lat., and 3 deg. 43 min. east, and 2 deg. 43 min. west long. ; its extreme length, from east to west, being 340, and extreme breadth, from north to south, 317 miles; but it is very irregular. The square contents amount to about 54,000 square miles, or 34,560,000 acres. This flourishing state is larger than both England and Wales, the extent of which is computed at 49,450 square miles. New York is bounded on the south-east by the Atlantic ocean ; on the east by Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Ver- mont ; on the north by the 45th degree of latitude, which di- vides it from Canada ; on the north-west by the river Iroquois, . or St. Lawrence, and the lakes Ontario and Erie ; and on the south-west and south by Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Natural Geography. — There is a vast variety in the face of the country. From the highlands, about 50 miles above New York, the state is hilly, in many places mountainous ; and the hills continue to the extremity of the state northward, and to Utica westward : from thence to its western extremity, nearly 300 miles, there is a most elegant country, rich and well wa- tered, having spurs of the Alleghany mountains on the one side, and on the other the lakes Ontario and Erie, two of the finest sheets of water in the world. The lakes are so nume- rous, and having been before described, the bare mention of UNITED STATES. 187 the names of the most important must suffice in this place. Besides the large lakes, there are lake Champlain, lake George, Oneida, Onondago, Skeneateless, Owasca, Cayuga, Seneca, Canandagua, and Chataughque. The principal rivers are the Hudson, the Mohawk, the Oneida, and the Genesee. The head waters of the Alleghany, Susquehanna, and Delaware rivers, are also in the southern part of this state. The state abounds with iron ore and lead ; copper and zinc have been found in various places. Silver has been found, but in no great quantity. Marble abounds, and is of an ex- cellent quahty. Freestone and slate are in plenty. Plaster of Paris is found in great variety, and is used with good effect as manure. Isinglass and sulphur are common in many places: and coal has also been found, but in no great quantity. The salt springs at Onondago are very strong, and produce an im- mense quantity of that useful article. There are many sul- phur springs, and several air springs, which last are probably the gas arising from the combustion of pit coal : there is a me- dicinal spring at Lebanon, which affords a pleasant bath, at the temperature of 72 deg., and is much frequented ; but the most remarkable springs in this state, or indeed in the United States, are those of Ballston and Saratoga. These waters ar6 highly medicinal, and are of great efficacy in dyspepsia and other complaints; and are much frequented in the summer season. The soil, in such an extent of country, must be various. The southern and eastern part is a dry gravel, mixed with loam, and is not very rich ; the mountainous part is pretty well adapted for grazing, and there are rich valleys on the rivers. The whole of the northern and western part is rich and fertile, except- a small portion bordering on the state of Pennsylvania, which, however, is interspersed with fertile lands. The climate is various. In that part which lies to the south of the highlands, it is remarkably changeable ; it experiences all the vicissitudes of heat and coldj and sometimes a change of 30 degrees in the course of 24 hours. Among the moun- tains, and along lake Champlain, towards Canada, the winters S 1S8 VIEW OF THE are long and severe, and the summers are sometimes very sultry and hot. In the western district, the climate is more temperate, and the winters are subject to a good deal of rain ; but the whole country is healthy, the neighbourhood of ponds and undrained morasses excepted. The winter commences about Christmas, and ends with February ; but March and April are sometimes cold months. Population. — The total population of this state in 1817 amounted to 1,486,739, which is ,*27 persons to a square mile. In 1790, the population was only 340,120, so that in 27 years it has been more than quadrupled. Manners and Customs. — The society in this state is very much mixed. To the west the majority are New Englanders ; while the city and southern part of the state, and along the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, are mostly of Dutch, Scottish, and Irish extraction. Kalm, in describing the Dutch in this state, observes, that this people ' are every where well known for their avarice and selfishness. They are unhospitable, and never disposed to oblige beyond a prospect of interest.' An American writer on this passage says, ' The design of the Dutch, in comiriif to this country, was not to improve their minds, nor to erect public seminaries of science, but to increase their fortunes. Thus did their darling passion, and the un- happy circumstance of their situation, debar them from emi- nence, or even progress, in the field of science. A want of schools and seminaries furnished with able instructors of their own nation ; their ignorance of the English language ; and their national pride, have all conspired to keep them in their native ignorance of every mental improvement. This will account for many unfavourable peculiarities in their man- ners and customs."' ^ It is not to be doubted,' continues this writer, ' that there are many bright geniuses among them, who, through the dif- ficulties of obtaining an education, have remained unpolished and unimproved. There are many indeed who, by their assi- duous application, surmount every obstacle, burst through the cloud that overshadows them, and shine with distinguished lustre in the first offices of church and state ; and their lustre UNITED STATES. 139 Is brightened by being contrasted with the total darkness in which others are involved; for, fi'om the causes already as- signed, no people are so ignorant as the lower class. ' Another cause of" their unsociability and apparent reserve, in encouraains: and associating with strangers, is their want of enterprise. Their neighbours, more enterprising, emigrate and reap the fruit of those advantages which their local situa- tion puts in their own power. This excites jealousy and rival- sliip. The balance of this rivalship they see is against them. The preservation of their interest and of their dignity calls them to unite in opposing their rivals. But it is evident that their union and friendship, in this regard, have too often their prime source in interest, are continued through interest, and have interest for their ultimate object. The intended effect of this union is in a great measure lost, through the natural jea- lousies and clashing iuterests of heads of families and their parties ; for although they are all combined by the general bond of national prejudice, national customs, and national reli- gion, they are split hito numerous and warm parties. And among them, he who has the greatest interest and the strong- est party, not he who has the most merit, is the greatest man, the most honourable man, and the best qualified for public office. In their meetings, they are ever led to think and say the worst of their opponents, and recal all the little circum- stances of burlesque, malice, or mistake in them, which persons of more liberal sentiments would wish charitably to veil and bury in oblivion. Thus it is that the practice of slandering and injuring each other's charaaters becomes common, and furnishes a great part of their daily conversation ; while that sweet and friendly intercourse which mends the heart, and that dignified and sensible conversation that improves t|ie inind, are ahnost wholly neglected.*' The labouring classes are generally well clothed, and have an air of independence and carelessness not usually seen in England. 'I'he dress of the genteeler classes is more slovenly and loose than that of men in the same rank in this country. The ladies are handsome, but have not that animated glow of Ijcalllj which distinguishes the British fair. But this subject 14^ VIEW OF THE will be considered more at length, when we come to draw a portrait of the American character. Chief Towns. — New York, the capital of the provmce, is situated on a promontory, on the extremity of York island, at the mouth of Hudson river, a noble and picturesque stream. The bay is about nine miles long, and three broad, without reckoning the branches of the rivers on each side of the toM n. From the ocean at Sandy Hook to the city is not more than 28 miles. The water is deep enough to float the largest ves- sels. Ships of 90 guns have anchored opposite the city. There they lie land-locked, and well secured from winds and storms ; and fleets of the greatest number liave ample space for mooring. New York is the first city in the United States for wealth, commerce, and population ; as it also is the finest and most agreeable for its situation and buildings. It has neither the narrow and confined irregularity of Boston, nor the monoto- nous regularity of Philadelphia, but a happy medium between both. When the intended improvements are completed, it will be a very elegant and commodious town. The Broadway and the Bowery road are the two finest ave- nues in the city, antl nearly of the same width as Oxford street in London. The first commences from the Grand Battery, situate at the extreme point of the town, and divides it into two unequal parts. It is upwards of two miles in length, though the pavement does not extend above a mile and a quarter : the remainder of the road consists of straggling houses, which are the commencement of new streets already planned out. The Bowery road commences at Chatham street, which branches off* from the Broadway to the right, by the side of the park. After proceeding about a mile and a half, it joins the Broadway, and terminates the plan which is in- tended to be carried into effV^ct for the enlargement of the city. The houses in the Broadway are lofty and mcII built. They are constructed in the English style, and differ but little from those of London at the west end of the town ; except that they are universally built of red brick. In the vicinity of UNITED STATES. 141 the Battery, and for some distance up the Broadway, they are nearly all private houses, and occupied by the principal mer- chants and gentry of New York ; after which the Broadway is hned with large commodious shops of every description, well stocked with European and India goods, and exhibiting as splendid and varied a show in their windows as can be met with in London. There are several extensive book stores, print shops, music shops, jewellers, and silversmiths ; hatters, linen drapers, milliners, pastry cooks, coach-makers, hotels, and coffee-houses. The street is well paved, and the foot- paths are chiefly bricked. In Robinson street, the pavement before one of the houses, and the steps of the door, are com- posed entirely of marble. This fine street and the other principal ones are thus de- scribed by Mr. Melish. ' Broadway is the finest street in the city ; and from its importance and great beauty, it merits a particular description. It commences at the Battery, on the south-west point of the city, and runs in a north-east direction about two miles and a half, where it forms a junction with the Bowery road. The breadth of this street, including the side pavements, is about 80 feet, and it is regular, during its whole length. It is ornamented with rows of poplar trees on each side, and a number of public buildings are situated on it, par- i ticularly, the custom-house, trinity church, St. Paul's church, the city public buildings, the mechanics' hall, and theihospital. The street rises by a gradual ascent from the Battery, about half a mile, and is at its greatest elevation opposite the city buildings. Its course is through the highest part of the island. Greenwich street is next in importance : it rises also at the Battery, and, running nearly due north upwards of two miles, connects the city with the village of Greenwich. Pearl street is one of the most important in the city, in point of trade : it rises also near the Battery, and runs nearly parallel with the East river to Cherry street ; from thence it runs to the north- ward, and falls into Chatham street. Cherry street is a conti- nuation of Pearl street, and runs along the East river till it is terminated by a bend of the river. Bowery lane is upwards of 100 feet wide, rises at Chatham street, and, connected with 142 VIEW OF THE the Boston road, forms a junction with Broadway, as before mentioned. Tlie other most important streets are Wall street, where the most of the banks and public offices are situated, Chatham-street, where the theatre is situated. Front street, Water street, and Broad sti'eet. ' That part of the city which lias been recently laid out on East river is constructed on a handsome plan, the streets cross- ing one another at right angles ; and there are several pubhc squares. Of these there are by far too few in the city, and tliey hardly merit notice. The Battery before mentioned is a pretty piece of ground, and commands an elegant view of the bay, islands, narrows, and shipping ; but it is quite small, consisting of a few acres only.' A court-house on a large scale, and worthy of the improved state of the city, has recently been built at the end of the park, between the Broadwa>' and Chatham street, in a style of mag- nificence unequalled in many of the larger cities of Europe. The exterior consists wholly of fine marble, ornamented in a very neat and elegant style of architecture; and the whole is sumiounted by a beautiful dome, which forms a noble orna- ment to that part of the town, in which are also situated the theatre, mechanic hall, and some of the best private houses in New York. The park, though not remarkable for its size, is, however, of service, by displaying the siu-rounding buildings to greattt* advantage ; and is also a relief to the confined ap- pearance of the streets in general. It consists of about four acres, planted with elms, planes, willows, and catalpas ; and the surrounding foot-walk is encompassed by rows of poplars : the whole is inclosed by a wooden paling. This city has its \'auxhall and Ranelagh ; but they are poor imitations of those near London. They are, however, pleasant places of recrea- tion for the inhabitants. The other pqblic buildings are, the Federal liall, college, eoffee-house, hospital, prison, bridewell. There are seven episcopal churches; five presbyterian, two Dutch, three me- thodist, two baptist, and two quaker meeting-houses; one German, one Lutheran, and one French Calvinistic church; one seceder and one Scots refof med church ; one chvirch each UNITED STATES. 143 for unlversalists, congreoatlonalists, Moravians, and Africans ; and one Jewish synagogue. There are thirty-one benevolent institutions in New York. Upwards of twenty newspapers are pubHshed in this city, nearly half of which are daily papers ; besides several weekly and monthly magazines and essays. A public library is also established here, which consists of about 10,000 volumes, many of them rare and valuable books. The building which contains them is situated in Nassau street, and tJie trustees are incorporated by an act of the legislature. There are also three or four public reading-rooms and circulating libraries, which are supported by some of the principal booksellers, from the annual subscriptions of the inhabitants. There is a mu- seum of natural curiosities in New York, but it contains no- thing worthy of particular notice. There are a number of schools in the city, and the college, in which two of the professors are Scotsmen, is reckoned a very excellent seminary of education. ']\) the north of the city, near Greenwich, stands the state prison, modelled upon the plan of that of Philadelphia ; and it is said to be one of the most benevolent institutions ever established in any country. The water side is lined with shipping, which lie along the wharfs, or in the small docks called slips, of which there are upwards of twelve towards the East river, besides numerous piers. The wharfs are large and coannodious, and the ware- houses, which are nearly all new buildings, are lofty and sub- stantial. The merchants, ship-brokers, &:c. have their offices in front on the ground floor of their warehouses. These ranges of buildings and wharfs extend from the Grand Battery, on both sides of the town, up the Hudson and East rivers, and encompass the houses with shipping, whose forest of masts gives a stranger a lively idea of the immense trade which this city carries on with every part of the globe. New York ap- pears to him the Tyre of the new world. An intelligent English traveller thus describes his first im- pressions on landing in New York. ' I have walked alone through the streets, for the purpose of forming an independent judgment. Every object is new. I hardly dare trust myself 144 VIEW OF THE in forming conclusions : one most cheering fact is indisputable, the absence of irremediable distress. The street population bears an aspect essentially different from that of London, or large English towns. One striking feature consists in the number of blacks, many of whom are finely dressed, the females very ludicrously so, showing a partiality to white muslin dresses, artificial flowers, and pink shoes. I saw but few well-dressed white ladies, but am informed that the greater part are at pre- sent at the springs of Balstan and Saratoga. The dress of the men is rather deficient in point of neatness and gentility. Their appearance, in common with that of the ladies and chil- dren, is sallow, and what we should call unhealthy. Our friend D tells me that to have colour in the cheeks is an infallible criterion by which to be discovered as an Englishman. In a British town of any importance, you cannot walk along a lead- ing street for half an hour without meeting with almost every variety of size, dress, and appearance among the inhabitants ; whilst, on the contrary, here they seem all of one family ; and though not quite a " drab-coloured creation," the feelings they excite are not many degrees removed from the uninteresting sensations excited by that expression. The .young men are tall, thin, and solemn : their dress is universally trowsers, and very generally loose great coats. Old men, in our English idea of that phrase, appear very rare. ' Churches are numerous and handsome : the interior of one which I have just visited in Broadway is truly elegant, being fitted up with more taste, splendour, and, I presume, expencc, than many in London. Several hotels are on an extensive scale ; the City Hotel is as large as the London Tavern ; the dining, and some of the private rooms, seem fitted up regard- less of expence. The price of boarding at this establishment is, I understand, cheaper than where I reside. The shops (or stores, as they are called) have nothing in their exterior to re- commend them : there is not even an attempt at tasteful dis- play. The linen and woollen drapers (dry good stores, as they are denominated) leave quantities of their goods loose on boxes in the street, without any precaution against theft. This practice, though a proof of their carelessness, is also an UNITED STATES. 145 evidence as to the political state of society worthy of attention. Masses of the population cannot be unemployed, or robbery would here be inevitable. A great number of excellent pri- vate dwellings are built of red painted brick, which gives them a peculiarly neat and clean appearance. In Broadway and Wall street trees are planted by the side of the pavement. The city-hall is a large and elegant building, in which the courts of law are held. In viewing this structure, I feel some objections which require farther observation either to remove or confirm. Most of the streets are dirty : in many of them sawyers are preparing wood for sale, and all are infested with pigs, — circumstances which indicate a lax police. ' Upon the whole, a walk through New York will disappoint an Englishman : there is, on the surface of society, a careless- ness, a laziness, an unsocial indifference, which freezes the blood and disgusts the judgment. An evening stroll along Broadway, when the lamps are alight, will please more than one at noon-day. The shops then look rather better, though their proprietors, of course, remain the same : their cold indif- ference may by themselves be mistaken for independence, but no person of thought and consideration will ever concede to them that they have selected a wise mode of exhibiting that dignified feeling. I disapprove most decidedly of the obse- quious servility of many London shopkeepers ; but I am not prepared to go the length of those in New York, who stand with their hats on, or sit or lie along their counters, smoking segars, and spitting in every direction, to a degree offensive to any man of decent feelings. * The prevalence of Dutch names tells me I am here a stranger ; but this impression is often counteracted by viewing the immense quantities of British manufactured goods, "with which the shops are crowded, as also the number of English works which are advertised, and such placards as " Hone's Riot in London," " Prince's Russia Oil,'' " Reeves and Wood- yer's Colours," and " Day and Martin's Blacking."" ' Another traveller observes, ' The situation of New York I should reckon very healthy ; yet it is sometimes dreadfully afflicted with sickness ; which circumstance, I am rather in- 7 T 146 VIEW OF THE clined to think, arises from a defect in the police, which does not seem to be conducted in a manner becoming the wealth and spiendonr of this iinc city. The buildings are, in many places, too crowded : many of the wharfs are ill constructed, and some of the docks project into the city, especially from the East river, to the gi-eat annoyance of the inhabitants. The common sewers are incomplete, and there is no supply of fresh water to vsweeten and purify the streets; but, beyond all, they have adopted the system of sinking necessaries, which accumulates such a collection of latent filth, that the steams of it are some- tiiTies perce])tible at two miles distance.*" The ctnnmerce of New York is of great importance, and is in a high state of prosperity and progressive improvement. There are frequently about 600 vessels in the harbour at one time. The monies collected in New York, for the national treasury on the imports and tonnage, have for several years amounted to one-fourth of the public revenue. The popula- tion at present is estimated at 120,000 ; though in the year 1697 it only amounted to 4302. The number of deaths is at least one ihrrtieiJi, whereas the deaths in London are only about a fif'iieili part of its population. It must, however, be observed, that suicides are much more numerous in New York than in London. There are about 4000 negroes and people of colour in New York, 1700 of whom are slaves. These people are mostly of the methodist persuasion, and have a chapel or two of their own, widi prcacliers of their colour ; though some attend other places of worship, according to their inclination. Albany is the seat of government of the state of New York, and is situated on the west side of the Hudson river, at the head of tide water, 180 miles fi-om tlie sea. It runs nearly a mile along the river, and about half a mile back from it. The city is divided into streets, some of which are spacious, but others rather narrow and in-egular. They are, however, pretty convenient, and there is a line of excellent wharfs and warehouses. The houses amount to about 1500, and the in- habitants to nearly 12,000. The liouses are mostly built of ferick, and many of them are elegant. The state-house stands UNITED STATES. 147 on an elevated situation at the head of State street, and is a very handsome building, with most splendid and convenient apartments for the legislature to meet in. The old state-house is also in State street, and is occupied by the several different public offices. The other public buildings are the arsenal, powder-house, city library, three banks, ten churches, two market-houses, two masonic lodges, a theatre, and Cook's reading-room, an institution probably better supplied with Mewspapers, and other periodical publications, than any other in the United States. The city is well supplied with water. There are two excel- lent springs three miles to the westward, from whence it is conveyed in pipes to every part of the city. Lots in tiie prin- cipal streets are as high as in New York, and the rent of houses and stores is in proportion. This being the great mart, in which the trade of an extensive back country centres, it is well supplied with provisions ; but the outlet to the great commercial city, New York, is so easy, by the fine river Hud- son, that all articles which can be easily shipped are kept pretty high. The principal manufactures of Albany are those of grain, brewing, and distilling. There are no manufactories of cloth in the city, but there are several in the neighbourhood, and there is a disposition in the citizens to encourage them, thougii apparently against their interest, the trade of the city being almost wholly commercial. The principal trade is by the river, on which is sent down grain and provisions, timber, malt liquors, and spirits ; and they receive in return groceries, dry goods, hardware, and crockery, to supply a great part of the country. American manufactincd glass, howevei', begins to make a prominent appearance in the warehouse; and they will, no doubt, feel the advantage of other articles of American manufacture soon. Albany, from its situation, must be always a place of extended commerce. At present it suffers by the re-action of an overstrained foreign commerce; but that will be but temporary. Internal manufactures and commerce, be- ing once organized, will more than compensate for the loss of the other. 148 VIEW OF THE The citizens of Albany are very mixed. The original set- tlement was by the Dutch, and their descendants form a very prominent part of the society. Of Scottish settlers there are a great many, and the rest are principally New Englanders. In such an assemblage, we may naturally look for industry and enterprise, and a general attention to education and the im- provement of the mind J all of which are very perceptible in the citizens. There are good mechanics in all the different branches. The schools are numerous ; the library and read- ing-room have been already noticed. Two newspapers are published, each twice d. week, which have a pretty extensive circulation. That the place is healthy, appears in the counte- nances of the ladies, many of whom are handsome, with beau- tiful florid complexions. That it is cold in winter is indicated by the general use of stoves, and the quantities of fuel that are collected for sale. Hudson is of modern construction, and consists of one vei*y long street. The houses are of wood or brick ; many of them buih' with taste, and all spacious and commodious. Shops and warehouses are numerous, and there are several large inns. It has every appearance of a thriving settlement ; and its si- tuation is elevated and advantageous for commerce. There are several large brick warehouses near the wharfs for the re- ception of goods ; and a great many small vessels sail continu- ally upon the river between this town and New York. Ship- building is carried on here ; and vessels of 3 or 400 tons come uito the harbour. The population of this flourishing place is at present estimated at about 5000. Skenectadfj is 16 miles north-west of Albany, in Albany county, situated on the banks of the Mohawk river. The town is compact and regular, built principally of brick, on a rich flat of low land, surrounded with hills. The windings of the river tlirough the town and the fields, which are often overflowed in the spring, afibrd a beautiful prospect about harvest time. As it is at the foot of navigation on a long river, which passes through a very fertile country, and is the medium of all the western trade through the lakes, that comes down the Hudson, it must grow rich in proportion as the country UNITED STATES. 149 west of it populates. It at present contains between 6 and 7000 inhabitants. I The other most important towns and villages are Nexvhiirg, Poughkeepsie^ Trtyy, Lansingbivrgh, and Watcrfbrd, on the I Hudson ; Utica^ Herkimer, and Rome, on the Mohawk ; and J Skeneateless, Geneva, Canaiidagua, and Bujf'alo, to the west- ward. The houses are generally substantially built, and are a good deal similar to those in the New English states. The roads, bridges, and canals are numerous, and of great im- portance. Trade and Resources. — The manufactures of the state are considerable and increasing ; particularly the articles of glass, ashes, iron ware of various descriptions, leather of all kinds, hats, carriages, paper and printing, pottery ware, umbrellas, mathematical and musical instruments. From what has been said of New York, it will be seen that the commerce of this state is very extensive. The internal revenue in 1815 amounted to 1,223,231 dol- lars, and the value of houses and lands to 273,120,600 dollars ; land being valued ut C| dollars per acre. The increase of the value of property in this state, in the course of fifteen years, has been from 100,000,000 to 270,000,000. In 1815, the gi'oss amount of duties on merchandise was 14,867,311 dollars. The registered tonnage employed in fo- reign trade was 180,664, and the tonnage in the coasting trade 2240. Education. — There are many flourishing academies and grammar schools, lately established in the state; but many parts of the country are either unfurnished with schools, or the schools which they liave are kept by low ignorant men. King's college, in the city of New York, was principally founded by the voluntary contributi(ms of the inhabitants of jhe province, assisted by the general assembly, and the corpo- ration of Trinity church, in the year 1754, a royal charter be- ing tiien obtained, incorporating a luuiiber of gentlemen therein mentioned, by the name of "■ The Governors of the College of the Province of New York, in the City of New York, in America T and granting to them and their successors for ever. 150 VIEW OF THE amongst various other rights and privileges, the power of con- ferring all such degrees, as are usually conferred by either of the English universities. The building consists of an elegant stone edifice, three complete stories high, with four stair-cases, twelve apartments in each, a chapel, hall, library, museum, anatomical theatre, and a school for experimental philosophy. It is situated on a dry gravelly soil, about 150 yards from the bank of Hudson's river, which it overlooks; commanding a most extensive and beautiful prospect. This college is now called CoLUjiBiA college, and, since the revolution, has been placed under the superintendence of ^4i trustees. There are s-everal academies in the state. One is at Flat- bush, in King\s county, on Long island, four miles from Brooklyn ferry. It is situated in a pleasant, healthy village. The building is large, handsome, and convenient, and is called Erasmus hall. I'here is another very flourishing academy at East Haujpton, on the east end of Long Island. Besides these, the state can boast of several excellent grammar schools. There is one at Kingston, in Ulster county ; one at Goshen, in the county of Orange ; two at Albany ; one at Skenectady ; one at Lansingburgh ; and another at West Chester. There are also schools erected in many jiarts of the state, which are maintained by the voluntary contributions of the parents. Religion. — A late writer thus expresses himself upon this interesting topic. ' There is no state religion, and no goAcrn- mcnt prosecution for conscience sake. The presbyterian and episcopalian, or church of England, sects take the precedence in numbers and in respectability. Their ministers receive from 52 to 8000 dollars per annum. All churches are well filled : they appear the fashionable places for dlsplai} ; and the sei-jnons and talents of the minister offer never-ending subjects of interest when soc-ial converse has been exhausted. The perfect equality of all sects seems to have deadened party fcel- in<-' : controversy is but little known. Tlie great proportion of attendants at any particular church appear to select it either because tliey are acquainted with the preacher, or that it is frequentet! b}^ fashionable company, or their great grandmo- ther went there before the revolutioUj or because (who-t will UNITED STATES. 151 generally have a greater weight than all these reasons) their interest ic'ill he promoted by so doing. * Licences are not necessary for either the preacher or place of meeting. According to the constitution of the state of New York, no minister of the gospel, or priest of any clenon)ination, can ever hold any civil or military ofRce or place M'ithin the state. In 1806, a law was passed, authorising any religious denomination to apj)oint trustees, for the purpose of superin- tending the temporal concerns of their respective congregations. These trustees become by that act a body corporate, and ca- pable of all legal transactions, on behalf of the congregation: they are allowed, on the part of the whole, to hold estates, which may produce 3000 dollars annually. The episcopalians differ, I believe, in nothing from their established brethren in England, except that they do not form a part of the state: they have tbeii* bishops, S:c. as in Great Britain. Ministers of all parties are generally ordained : they are exempt from mili- tary service."' Government. — The govennncnt of the state is vested in a governor, lieutenant-governor, senate, and house of representa- tives. The governor and lieutenant-governor are elected for three years, the senators for four, and the assembly-men are chosen annually. The necessary qualifications for the electors are, six months residence in the state previous to the election ; the possession of a freehold of 20/. value, or to have rented a tenement of the value of 40.?. yearly; and to have been rated on the polls, and actually paid taxes to tlie state. Islands. — Long island, a part of the state of New York, is chiefly occupied by farmers: their populous capital affords a ready market ff)r produce. This island in length is 120, and in breadth 12 miles. It is divided iiUo counties, two of which retain the names of i-oyalty; the first being called King's, and the second Queen's county — such invc^terate tyrants are ancient customs. The west end has a good soil, and is in a state of moderate cultivation : the east has a considerable portion of sandy plains. The introduction of gypsum, and otb-er im- provements in tiicir mode of agriculture, have much increased the annual produce. Widiin the last 14 years, farms have 152 VIEW OF THE risen in value 25 per cent. Land is worth from SI 7s. 6d. to ' SSI. 15s. per acre. A choice of farms may now be purchased in this island at from 151. 15s. to 22/. 10^. per acre, including necessary buildings. Farmers do not live extravagantly : few of them have money in reserve. The high price of labour^' indifference of the soil, and general want of capital, must cause a long continuance of this state of things. The agriculturist, who alone can, in this island, entertain rational hopes of profit, must have sons that will work, and be himself among the fore- most by labouring with their own hands. Their being no tax upon horses, their labour is preferred, and mules and asses are seldom if ever used. This interesting island, which is called the garden of Ame- rica, is separated from the city of New York , by East river, which, at the ferry, is about one-third wider than the Thames at Greenwich. Staien islmid lies nine miles south-west of the city of New York, and forms Richmond county. It is about 18 miles in length, and between six and seven in breadth. The land, in general, is hilly and uneven ; but there is some good level ground on its southern extremity. Yorlh island is 13 miles long, and from one to two miles wide. The port and city of New York is situated on its southern end, and is closely built from shore to shore. This is a most delightful district ; and the scenery, particularly on the margin of the East river, is pleasing and diversified. It is thickly studded with country seats and gardens ; and the fruit is so plentiful, that people are at liberty to pull apples, &c. on the road side. As most of the genteel families have country retreats, where they reside during the hot or sickly season, beautiful and b.andsome seats are rapidly multiplying, and the value of property increasing. HistorTj. — HudsQ^i river was first discovered by Henry Hudson, an Englishman, who sold his clnlm to the Dutch. A few years after, several merchants in Holland joined and built a fort near xUbany, which tliey called fort Orange. In 1615, a fort was built on the site of the present city. But, in 1664, the colony was surrendered to colonel NicoUs, who landed at UNITED STATES. 15S the head of 300 British soldiers. The name of the city was now changed from New Amsterdam to New Vork, and fort Orange was called Albany, in honour of his royal highness James duke of York and Albany. In the year 1673, the Dutch retook this settlement ; but it was restored at the peace in the following year. The English had happily succeeded in retaining the friendship of the six Indian tribes inhabiting the territory west of Albany ; but in the winter of 1690, the French sent 200 soldiers and a party of Indians to attack Skenectady, in order to detach the confe- derate tribes from the British interest. For twenty days they marched through the snow, carrying their provisions on their backs. Such was the extreme distress to which they were re- duced, that they had thoughts of surrendering themselves pri- soners of war. But their scouts, who were a day or two in the village entirely unsuspected, returned with such encouraging accounts of the absolute security of the people, that the enemy ' determined on the attack. They entered, on Saturday night about eleven o'clock, at the gates, which were found unshut ; and, that every house might be invested at the same time, di- vided into small parties of six or seven men. The inhabitants were in a profound sleep, and unalarmed, until their doors were broke open. Never were people in a more wretched consternation. Before they were risen from their beds, the enemy entered their houses, and began the perpetration of the most inhuman barbarities. No tongue can express the cruel- ties that were committed. The whole village was instantly in a blaze. Women with child were ripped open, and their in- fants cast into the flames, or dashed against the posts of the doors. Sixty persons perished in the massacre, and 27 were carried into captivity. The rest fled naked towards Albany, through a deep snow which fell that very night in a terrible storm ; and 25 of the fugitives lost their limbs in the flight, through the severity of the frost. The news of this dreadful tragedy reached Albany about break of day, and universal dread seized the inhabitants of that city, the enemy bein^ re- ported to be 1400 strong. A party of horse was immediately dispatched to Skenectady, and a few Moliawks then in town, U 154 VIEW OP THE fearful of being intercepted, were with difficulty sent to apprise their own castles. In 1709, this province expended large sums in preparations to reduce Canada; but not being properly seconded by the ]^,nglish government, the enterprise was abandoned. In the following year, governor Hunter arrived with 3000 Germans, who had fled from a religious persecution, which opened the road for emigration from that part of Europe. Excepting internal disputes between the episcopalians and presbyterians, and struggles against the extension of the French interest amongst the Indians, nothing material occurred in this state until the revolution. NEW JEKSEY. Situation and Extent. "VTEW JERSEY is situated between 89 deg. and 41 deg. 20 min. north lat., and 1 deg. 30 min. and 3 deg. 5 min. east long. It is bounded on the east by Hudson's river and the sea; on the south by the sea; on the west by Delaware bay and river, which divide it from the states of Delaware and Pennsylvania ; and on the north by a line drawn from the mouth of Mahak- kamak river to a point in Hudson's river in lat. 41 deg. Its length is 145 miles, and its breadth 6*0. It contains 6500 square miles, being 4,160,000 acres. Natural Geography. — The state extends along the sea-coast upwards of 100 miles, which, with the exception of the high- land of Never Sink, is low and sandy ; but it is more elevated and more diversified towards the interior. The northern part swells out into high lands, and, towards the extremity of the state, there are considerable mountains. The principal rivers UNITED STATES. 155 have been already noticed, and there are no other of any note, though small streams are numerous, and supply the state abundantly with mill seats. The climate is strikingly different in the different sections of the state. In the northern part there is clear settled weather. and the winters are excessively cold, but the whole is very healthy : in the southei-n part, particularly towards the extre- mity, the climate approaches to that of the southern states, and is subject to very sudden changes. About one-fourth part of the state is sandy and barren: there are in the southern parts extensive pine barrens, and cedar swamps. Large tracts of salt meadow run along Dela- ware bay, and the rivers which fall into the Atlantic. Along the rivers and small streams in the interior of the state there is much good land ; and the hilly district abounds with fertile valleys. The state abounds with minerals ; producing iron, lead, copper, gypsum, coal, and slate ; and there are several useful clays and ochres. Population. — The population of New Jersey in 1817 amounted to 345,8!22, Avhich is above 53 persons to a square mile. Manners, <§-c. — The inhabitants of this state are a collection of Low Dutch, Germans, English, Scotch, Irish, and New Engianders, or their descendants. National attachments and mutual convenience have generally induced these several kinds of people to settle together, which has tended to preserve their peculiar national manners, customs, and character. Religion has also contributed to render this difference more striking : the presbyterian, the quaker, the episcopaUan, the baptist, the German and Low Dutch Calvinist, the methodist, and the Moravian, have each something peculiar in their worship, dis- cipline, or dress. Besides, the people in West Jersey trade to Philadelphia, and of course imitate their fashions, and im- bibe their manners. The inhabitants of East Jersey trade to New York, arid regulate their fashions and manners according to those of New York: so that the difference in reffardcto fashions and manners between East and West Jersey, is nearly 156 VIEW OF THE s& great as between New York and Philadelphia. On the ■whole, the people of this state are in general sober, frugal, and industrious ; though not remarkable for activity and in- telhgence. Chief Towns. — Trenton is the capital of New Jersey, and is situated on the Delaware river, 30 miles from Philadelphia, and 66 from New York. It is a handsome little town, con- taining about 200 houses. The public buildings are the state- house, a court-house, an episcopal church, a presbyterian church, a quaker meeting-house, and methodist meeting-house. Trenton bridge, which crosses the Delaware, being one of the most elegant in the United States, merits a particular descrip- tion. It consists of five arches of 194 feet span each, built of white pine, and supported on strong stone piers : the whole length is 970 feet, the breadth 36. The arches are elevated over head by substantial rafters, and the platform, or carriage way, is suspended by these arches, and forms a plane the whole length of the bridge. Above the top of the arches the roof is covered in, so as to setHire the whole froiy the weather ; and the carriage way is divided into two sections, each of which is appropriated to travellers in one direction. At the entrance, passengers are directed to take the road on the right hand. Upon the v/hole, this is a very elegant piece of architecture. It was commenced in 1804, and is the plan of a mechanic of the name of Burr. In the neighbourhood of this state are se- veral pleasant seats, finely situated on the banks of the Dela- ware, and ornamented with taste and elegance. Burlmgton extends three miles along the Delaware, and is 20 miles above Philadelphia by water, and 17 by land. The river is here about a mile wide, and under shelter of Mittinni- cunk and Burlington islands, affords a safe and convenient harbour. Part of the city is built upon the latter island, which is connected by bridges and causeways with the main land. The principal streets are spacious and ornamented with trees. Here is an excellent jail, a court-house, and two mar- ket-houses. This port is well situated for trade; but is too near the opulent city of Philadelphia to admit of any consider- able increase. UNITED STATES. 157 Perth Amhoy took its name from James Drummond, earl of Perth, and Ambo, the Indian word for point ; and stands on a neck of land included between llaritan river and Arthur KuU sound. Its situation is high and healthy. It lies open ito Sandy Hook, and has one of the best harbours on the con- itinent. Vessels from sea may enter it in one tide, in almost any weather. Great efforts have been made, and legislative encouragements offered, to render it a place of trade, but with- out success. It was formerly the capital of East Jersey. Brunsxinck is an incorporated city, containing about 3000 inhabitants. The greater part of it is low, and it is not very handsome, but seems to be improving. It was originally set- tled mostly by Dutch people, and there are three Dutch churches. The other public buildings worthy of notice are, jthe court-house and academy; wjiich last is said to be a very thriving seminary. The lands in the neighbourhood appear rough and rocky ; but they raise pretty good crops, particu- larly of grass, which has, throughout the whole of this district, flourished very much of late, in consequence of the application of plaster of Paris. Newark is a beautiful town, regularly laid out in broad streets, on a fine plain, and contains nearly 2000 inhabitants. The public buildings are two places for public worship, a court-house, and "academy. Considerable manufactures are carried on here, particularly of leather. The inhabitants have likewise a pretty extensive inland trade ; and have a bank to facilitate their commercial operations. The country is well cultivated in the neighbourhood, and Newark is remarkable for the goodness of its cyder, of which a large quantity is made annually. Six miles from Newark is Eli::ahethtozcn^ containing two churches and an academy. It is a pretty little place, and the 'and in its neighbourhood is fertile and Avell cultivated. Trade and Resources. — This is neither a manufacturing nor » commercial state. Though many attempts have been made :0 encourage the trade at Amboy and Biu'lington, yet the Tierchants of New York and Philadelphia continue to be the factors for New Jersey. The principal articles of manufacture 158 VIEW OF THE are iron, leather, glass, and paper, of which large quantities ai'e exported. But the resources of the state consist mostly of agricultural pi'oduce ; though the unenterprising habits of the fai'mers prevent the adoption of new and useful improvements. The produce of the state is M'heat, rye, barley, oats, Indian corn, potatoes and other vegetables, and a vast quantity of fruit ; and butter and cheese are made in great quantities, for the supply of the New York and Philadelphia markets. The value of houses and lands, by tlie returns of the as- sessors in 1815, was 98,612,083 dollars ; the average value of land being 35 dollars per acre. The internal revenue amounted to 211,705 dollars; the gross amount of duties upon merchandise was only 17,666 dollars, the tonnage em- ployed in foreign trade 2465, and in the coasting trade 2668. Education. — The oeneral disseminationof knowledoe through the state has not been attended to according to its importance, There are numerous seminaries for the higher bi'anches of li- terature ; but the state seems defective in common schools. Religion. — The presbyterians, quakers, and baptists, are very numerous in this state. There are also many that belong to the episcopalian, Moravian, methodist, and Dutch reformed chiu'ches. But, according to the law, none are compelled to attend or support any worship contrary to their own judgment: Government. — The state is divided into 13 counties and 100 townships. The government is vested in a governor, le- gislative council, and general assembly. The council consists of one member, and the assembly of three members, from each county, ciiosen annually by the }X?ople. The governor is chosen annually by the council and assembly. 1'he qualifi- cation for a voter is 50/. The state is pros})enng, and in- creasinp; in population and wealth. History. — The lirst settlers of New Jersey were a number of Dutch emigrants from New York, who came over between the years 1014 and 1620, and settled in the county of Bergen. Next after these, in 1627, came over a colony of Swedes and Fins, and settled on the river Delav.'are. The Dutch and Swedes, though not in harmony with each other, kept posses- sion of the country many years. .1 UNITED STATES. 159 In March, 1634, Charles II. granted all the territory, called by the Dutch New Netherlands, to his brother the duke of York, who, in 1674, had this grant confirmed by a new patent. In the same year, New Jersey was divided : West Jersey was granted to the assigns of lord Berkeley, and East Jersey to Sir G. Carteret. In the following year, a factory was settled at Salem in West Jersey, and these were the first Enalish settlers in AVest Jersey. In 1682, East Jersey was sold to 24 pro- prietors ; which division caused so much confusion, that the proprietors surrendered the government to the crown in 1702, in which state it continued till the revolution. PENNSYLVANIA. Situation and Extent. HP HIS fine state is situated between 39 deg. 43 min. and 42 deg. north lat., and 2 deg. 20 min. east, and 3 deg. 30 min. west long. It is bounded on the east by Delaware river ; on the north by the parallel of 42 deg. north lat., which divides it from the state of New York ; on the south by the parallel of 39 deg. 43 min. 18 sec. north lat., which divides it from the states of Delawai'e, Maryland, and Virginia ; and on the west by a me- ridian line, drawn from the termination of 5 degrees of longi- tude, from a point on Delaware rivei', near Wilmington, in the parallel of 39 deg. 43 min. 18 sec, to intersect the parallel of 42 deg. This line divides the state from a part of Virginia, the Western Territory (so called), and from a tract of land, 20 miles square, which was confirmed to Connecticut by con- gress. The north-west corner of Pennsylvania extends about one mile and a half into lake Erie, and is about 20 miles west of the old French fort at Presque isle. This state is 320 miles 160 VIEW OF THE long from east to west, and 162 miles broad ; and contains 48,700 square miles, being 31,168,000 acres. Natural Geogra/phy. — The face of the country is remarka- bly diversified. The south-east part, to the distance of about 60 or 70 miles from Philadelphia, is an undulating country, swelling in some places into considerable hills ; but it is not mountainous. The mountainous region then commences, and extends across the country about 120 miles. The mountains are generally in long chains, running north-east and south-west. Between the chains, the country is rough and hilly ; but there are many fine vallies, and the whole abounds with picturesque scenery. To the north and west of the mountains, the coun- try is elevated, abounding with hills, valleys, and rich scenery, which continue about 120 miles, to the extremity of the state. The country is remarkably well watered. Lake Erie is si- tuated on the north-west, and the Delaware bay on the south- east, by both of which there ai'e fine outlets, the one affording direct and speedy communication with the Atlantic ocean, the other communicating with it by the more advantageous course of the river St. Lawrence ; while it is a link in the chain of an inland navigation, extending through the lakes upwards of a thousand miles. To the south-west the state communicates with the Ohio, having an outlet, through the Mississippi, to the gulf of Mexico ; and from the middle there is an outlet through the Susquehannah to the Chesapeake bay. The Delaware is the principal river of this state. From the mouth of Delaware bay, at cape Henlopen, to Philadelphia, is reckoned 118 miles. So far there is a sufficient depth of water for a 71* gun ship. From Philadelphia to Trenton falls is 35 miles. This is the head of sloop navigation. The river is navigable, for boats that carry eight or nine tons, 40 miles further, and for Indian canoes, except several* small falls akers, tobacconists, soap-boilers, candle-makers, cx)mb-makers, painters, pot and pearl ash- makers. These branches are mostly all increasing, and afford good wages to the journeymen. Carpenters and cabinet-makers have one dollar per day and their board ; masons have two dollars per 1000 for laying bricks and their board ; when they board themselves, they have about four dollars per 1000. Other classes have from one to one dollar twenty-five cents per day, according to the nature of the work. Porter brewing could be augmented, but it would first be necessary to have bottles, as the people here prefer malt liquor in the bottled state. A manufactory of wool hats would pro- bably succeed, and that of stockings would do remarkably well, provided frame smitii-work were established along with it — not else. As the people are becoming wealthy and polished in their manners, probably a manufactory of piano-fortes would do upon a small scale. The ViiioiNiAx Military Lands are bounded by the In- dian boundary line on the north, by the Ohio on the south, by the Cincinnati district and Symmes' purchase on the west, and by the Chillicothe district on the east. It is about 120 198 VIEW OF TH£ miles long, and nearly 60 broad; and contains upwards of 6000 square miles, or nearly 4,000,000 of acres. The princi- pal settlers are from Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Jersey ; the inhabitants amount to about 48,000, and are ra- pidly increasing in number, in wealth, and improvements. The country in the immediate neighbourhood of Chillicothe is really beautiful. The plain on which it stands, consisting of about 10,000 acres, is as level as a bowling-green ; and it is bounded on the west, north-west, and south-east by pretty high hills, from whence there are charming views. The Sciota is a clear stream, about 200 yards broad, with a gra- velly bottom, and abounds with fish, so that it is both useful and ornamental to the town. The town Chillicothe is built on these lands, and is laid out on a pretty large scale, and a great number of out-lots are attached to it. The plan is regular, the streets crossing one another at right angles, and every square is divided into four parts by lanes crossing one another also at right angles, and at equal distances between the streets. This must be a great advantage, as it gives the possessor of every lot a back entry. The streets are 66 feet wide, the alleys 16A ; the lots contain four acres each. Chillicothe was one of the first settled towns in the state of Ohio, and was for a considerable time the seat of government ; it now consists of about 250 houses, and contains 1360 inha- bitants, of whom 126 are free people of colour. The public buildings are a court-house, jail, academy, three churches, and a market-house.' 'J 'here are two rope walks, one cotton factory, one wool factory, one nail factory, one pot- tery, several distilleries, and four tan yards, and these are all thriving establishments. There are good mechanics in all the odier branches calculated for the country. There are six ta- verns and nineteen stores ; and this is a very general market for the surplus produce of the country, consisting mostly of flour of an excellent quality, pork, &c. A great proportion of the inhabitants are from Virginia and Maryland, and a num- ber from Pennsylvania ; there are but few New Englanders or foreigners. UNITED STATES. 199 Chillicothe District is bounded by Cantoh district on the north ; by Zanesville district and the Ohio company's pur- chase on tlie east ; by the Ohio river south ; and by the \'ir- ginia miUtiiry lands on" the west; which are divided from Chilhcothe district by the Scioto river. The length from north to south is 145 miles, and the breadth from east to west 42 : it contains about 5000 square miles, or about 3,200,000 acres. The northern part, being nearly one-third of this dis- trict, is part of the United States military lands, and is gene- rally a good soil. Part of it is level and marshy ; but it is free from swamps, and, being nearly all appropriated to agricul- ture, will soon be drained and healthy. It abounds with springs of excellent water, and numerous rivulets. To the south of this runs a stri})e of land about three miles broad, and 42 miles long, which vvas appropriated to the relief of such as had to abandon their settlements in the time of the war, and take refuge in other places, and is thence called refugee land. It is also good land ; but there is a large swamp in the middle of it, between Walnut creek, a branch of the Scioto, and Lick- ing creek, a branch of the Muskingum. From thence to Chillicothe is an undulating country, abounding in hill and dale, and so continues to the Ohio, the hills increasing in size as the country approaches that river. The soil is in generai good throughout the whole tract, the best of it being along tlie Ohio and Scioto rivers, which for that reason has the greatest number of settlements; but the whole is settling rapidly. There are large beds of limestone and freestone in the district, and these are interspersed with beds of clay, which retain the water, and this circumstance gives the country a preference over Kentucky. Iron ore is plentiful, and it is supposed the hills abound with coal. The whole is well watered, abounding in springs and small streams, having excellent situations for mill seats ; the Ohio washes it on the south, a distance of 60 miles ; and the Scioto washes it on the west its whole length. The Scioto is a very beautiful stream. It has a fine gentle current throughout its whole course, and is navigable for keel-boats to Chillicothe, and for smaller craft ncarlv to its source. There are several 200 VIEW OF THE mineral springs in the district ; the chief are a salt spring, and a sulphur spring, not far from Chillicothe. The Ohio Company's Purchase extends along the Ohio river, including its windings, about 140 miles, but in a direct line it is only about 70. It extends west from Marietta 48, and north about 12 miles, the whole length from south to north being 80 miles. The area is about 1700 square miles, containing about a million of acres. The territory is laid out into townships of six miles square, and in each there is a re- servation of 640 acres of land for a church, and as much for a .school ; and two townships near the centre of the pui-chase, on Hockhocking river, have been reserved for a college. On this reserve Athens is now built. This tract was purchased from the United States for one dollar an acre, and the company were principally guided in their choice of the situation, by the commercial advantages which appeared to result from having the command of several fine rivers, particularly the Ohio and Muskingum ; without perhaps duly reflecting that agriculture takes the precedence of commeree. Before there can be trade there nuist be some- thing to trade in. Certain it is they fixed upon one of the worst situations in the state of Ohio, and, notwithstanding the dieapness of the purchase, most of the proprietors have found it a losing concern. The population is increasing, but not nearly in an equal degree to other parts of the state. The inhabitants amount at present to about li2,000. The climate is very agreeable, and is quite healthy. The whole district abounds with finely variegated scenery. The largest town in this district is Galliopolis, which is beautifully situated on a second bank of the Oiiio. It is laid out on a good plan : there is a square of eight acres in the centre, and the building ground is divided into squares of five acres each, by streets of 63 feet wide, crossing each other at right angles. The number of houses is about 70, and the in- habitants 300. The public buildings are a court-house, and the acadeniy ; which last is to contain a room for a church, one for a railitarv acadeniy. and one for a masonic hall. UNITED STATES. 201 Marietta District is situated between the Steubenville district and the Ohio company's purchase. It extends into the interior of the country about 30 miles, and contains about 860 square miles. The Ohio washes it on the south-east about 60 miles. The soil here is much superior to the Ohio company's lands. It is handsomely watered, the principal river being the Little Muskingum ; and though it is only about half as large as the company's purchase, it contains nearly as many inhabit- ants, and is more likely to increase. The town of Marietta is very handsomely situated at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, of both of which it commands a fine view. That part of the town which lies next the Ohio is elevated above the bed of the river 45 feet ; and yet, such is the rise of the water in some seasons, that it has been twice flooded ; on which account the town has lately increased most towards the north-west, on a second bank, and a considerable number of buildings have lately been erected on the opposite side of the Muskingum, which is some feet higher than the lower bank on the east side. The whole is handsomely laid out, and there is a greater portion of public ground for walks than is to be found about most of the towns in this country. Marietta, for a number of years, flourished in a very emi- nent degree, increasing in commerce, wealth, and splendour; and, though nearly 2000 miles from the ocean, ship-yards were erected, and ship-building carried on with spirit. But, of late, its commerce and ship-building has ceased, and it is now a dull place, though inhabited by a gay, lively people, mostly natives of Massachusetts. Its population is 1463. It contains a number of handsome buildings on the Massachusetts plan, which is elegant, light, and comfortable. The principal pub- lic building is a very handsome church. A bank was esta- blished in 1807, and also a steam-mill. There are several taverns and stores. Zaxesvili-e District is bounded on the north by Canton district, on the south by the Ohio company's purchase, on the east by Steubenville and Marietta districts, and on the west by Chillicothe district. Its length, from south to north, is about 2 C 202 VIEW OF THE 72 miles ; its breadth is about 50 miles ; and its area about 3600 square miles, or 2,304,000 acres. Upwards of two-thirds of this district is occupied by the army lands, and a small portion is refugee lands. The face of the country is beautifully diversified. To the south, along the Muskingum, the hills are pretty high and rough ; to the north the surface is agreeably uneven, with some pretty high hills ; to the north-west it is more level. The soil is various, but a great portion of it is good ; the bottoms on the rivers are very rich, and the hills are generally covered with a strong mould, which answers well for wheat. The whole is abundantly sup- plied with freestone, limestone, iron ore, and inexhaustible beds of coal. The district is remarkably well watered. The Muskingum runs through it from one extremity to the other. The natural timber is very fine, and of great variety. The chief kinds may be noticed : oak, walnut, hickory, cherry, sugar-maple, poplar, elm, ash, sycamore, honey-locust, &c. Fruit-trees of every kind thrive remarkably well : peach trees, raised firom the stone, bear fruit in three years. Grain, grass, and vege- tables, are raised in abundance. The climate is healthy and agreeable. People from the eastern state say that the summers are not so oppressive as in Vermont and Massachusetts, while the winters are generally so mild, that cattle mostly graze in the fields. It is little more than twelve years since this district began to settle, and it now contains about 20,000 inhabitants. The people are very mixed. The greater part are from Pennsyl- vania, and the remainder mostly from Virginia, Maryland, Jersey, and New England. Zanesville, the chief town, is situated on the Muskingum river, about 64 miles from the Ohio by land, and from 70 to 80 by water. This town was laid out in the j'ear 1804. Five years afterwards it contained 92 houses, and 600 inhabitants : it now contains about 250 houses, and upwards of 1200 inha- bitants. The whole township contains 2154. Many of the houses are built of brick, and a few of stone. UNITED STATES. 203 Steitbenville District extends from the Connecticut re- servation on the north to the Marietta district on the south, a distance of 72 miles ; and its extreme breadth at the north end is 60 miles, at the south end 42. Its area is about 2900 square miles, and embraces nearly four counties, containing about 42,000 inhabitants, all settled here within 20 years. The Ohio river washes the eastern part of the district upwards of 60 miles, and in all this distance, except in the bottoms, the country on the margin of the river is rather rough ; but fur- ther back there is much good land, and the settlements on it are numerous and very important ; it is remarkably well wa- tered, there being upwards of 20 streams that run into the Ohio, besides those that run into the Muskingum and lake Erie ; and the head waters of all these being situated in the district, shows that it must be an elevated country. These rivers are mostly fed by springs, and they drive a great quan- tity of machinery. The timber is oak, hickory, walnut, ma- ple, cherry, locust, &c. The town of Steubenville is situated on an elevated second bank of the river. It was laid out in 1798, and consists now of nearly 200 dwelling-houses, and 880 inhabitants. The buildings are handsome and commodious, a great many of them being of brick. The public buildings are, a court-house, jail, church, a bank, a land-office, post-office, and printing- office. There are seven taverns, and twelve stores ; and the town is increasing, but not rapidly. Canton District was lately purchased from the Indians, and extends from the Tuscarawa river about 68 miles to the westward, and from the Connecticut reservation to the north boundary of Zanesville and Chillicothe districts, its average breadth being 28 miles. Its area is about 1800 square miles, or 1,152,000 acres. The district is nearly all level, and fit for cultivation, but it is in many parts very muddy, a circumstance common in the districts situated on the head waters of the rivers in this state. On this account it is difficult to make good roads, and it re- quires a pretty thick population to drain the country, and make it agreeable ; but tliere is a sufficient descent for carry- 204. VIEW OF THE ing off the water, and this will be a very desirable country some time hence. It is abundantly supplied with springs, and streams of pure water. There is a great deal of prairie or meadow land interspersed through it. The principal timber is walnut, poplar, ash, elm, oak, sugar maple, and hickory. The soil is well adapted to the culture of grain, grass, tobacco, hemp, &c. The Connecticut Western Reservation is bounded by lake Erie on the nortli ; by Steubenville and Canton dis- tricts on the south ; by Pennsylvania on the east ; and by a line drawn through the middle of Sandusky bay on the west. It is in length about 122 miles, its average breadth about 45 ; and its area is about 5349 square miles, or 3,423,360 acres. The face of the country is generally level, in some places nearly flat, and in others swelling out into gentle hills, of which the greatest is the ridge that divides the waters of the lakes from those of the Mississippi. To the south of these is a gentle descent towards the Ohio ; and in the tract to the north, which is by far the greatest, there is a similar descent towards lake Erie. The soil is generally loam intermixed with clay, and sometimes with gravel. Very little of it can be called the best, but it is nearly all fit for cultivation, and it answers well for grazing : it also raises grain, vegetables, and fruit, in abundance. There are considerable beds of freestone throughout the district, and coal and iron are also found, but in no great abundance ; though several iron-works are in ope- ration, and it is presumed that a plentiful supply of both could be found if properly sought for. It is most beautifully watered on the north by the lake, and there are a number of very useful rivers. Tiie principal stream that runs to the south is Beaver creek, a very import- ant one, which drives a great quantity of machinery. The whole distinct is well supplied with springs of good water, and there are several salt springs, sulphur springs, and one of a bituminous substance, that burns like oil. Tlie principal timber is oak, chesnut, beech, maple, walnut, hickory, sycamore, and in some places pine ; but the last is not common here, and is hardly to be found any where else in UNITED STATES. 205 the state. The climate is temperate, and the seasons are nearly assimilated to others ah'eady noticed in the state ; but there is a circumstance which renders the country here not so healthy as that farther south. The prevailing winds are from the south, particularly in sunmier and fall, and these, as they blow over the high lands of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia, are clear and elastic in all the southern part of the state, which is hilly and undulating. Towards the head waters of the rivers, however, the country becomes flat and marshy, in some few places, indeed, swampy, and the south winds reach this district loaded with the effluvia arising from these marshes and swamps. The efifect produced is greatest about the Cayahoga river, op- posite to which the lands at the head waters are most flat ; to- wards the w-est they get more elevated, and the elevation is greater still to the eastward ; and this may in part account for the fever being more conniion in Portage county and Cayahoga county, than any where else in the district. There are, how- ever, no marshes or swamps but what may and will be drained, when the country is settled up ; and the whole will then be a very fine climate, and a most agreeable place of residence. The claim of Connecticut to this territory was founded upon the charter of the stale, granted by king Charles II. of England, in 1662; which defined their boundaries to be the line of Massachusetts on the north, Narraganset bay on the east, and thence 120 miles broad to the South sea. This was interpreted to be the Pacific ocean, and of course included a part of the state of New York, a considerable portion of Penn- sylvania, and thence along the state of Ohio and the territories to the westward. The state of New York resisted the claim, and succeeded. In Pennsylvania a number of settlements were made under Connecticut titles, which occasioned a dis- pute, that was referred to congress, and by them to commis- sioners, who reported against the Connecticut claim. To the westward Connecticut yielded her claim to the United States, with the exception of the territory in question, which being accepted by congress, the matter was settled. In 1793, the legislature granted 500,000 acres of the western part of it to indemnify the sufferers by fire during the war, and this tract 206 VIEW OF THE is called the Fire lands. In 1795, they sold the remainder to Oliver Phelps and others, for 1,200,000 dollars; which is ap- propriated for the support of schools within the state. The purchasers of the lands made a division of the property, and the settlements commenced a short time after, and have been going on pretty rapidly since the year 1799, by emigration from the New England states, principally from the state of Connecticut. The district is now divided into six counties, and contains 16,042 inhabitants The people have generally the frugal, industrious habits of the New England stated, and are civil -in their manners, and moral in their deportment. Education is generally attended to, and they seem also Ic^je religious, although the thin state of society does not admit of many churches or clergy. There are as yet but few villages in this district. Warren is the chief, and it is but a small place. The houses arc mostly of wood, a great part of them indeed being log houses. Popuhition. — In 1817, the inhabitants of this state amount- ed to 394,752 persons, which is nearly four persons to a square mile. The population is rapidly increasing, and it is supposed will be nearly doubled in ten years. A considerable part of the state is still inhabited by the Indians; but as dally en- croachments are making upon their territory, their numbers must naturally decrease. Trade and Resources. — This being a new settled country, the manufactures are mostly of the domestic kind. The im- ports are nearly every description of English goods, and some French and India. They are received by way of New Or- leans, Baltimore, or Philadelphia. The exports are flour, beef, pork, and butter. The value of houses and cleared land in this state, in 1815, was stated at 61,347,215 dollars; and 505 dollars were ex- pended above the sum collected for duties imposed upon mer- chandise. The vessels belonging to this state are all small, and employed in internal tvadc. Government. — The government is legislative and executive, with power to provide for, and regulate the judicial and mili- tary authority. UNITED STATES. Wl The legislature consists of two branches ; a senate and house of representatives. The representatives must not exceed 72 members, and are chosen annually by the people, in which every free white male who is a citizen of the United States, and has resided a year in the state, and paid taxes, shall have a vote. The representatives must have the same qualifications, and be 25 years of age. The senators are chosen biennially by qualified voters for representatives, and one half vacate their seats every year. They shall never be less than one-third nor more than one-half of the representatives. They must, besides the other qualifi- cations of the representatives, have resided two years in the country, and be 30 years of age. The governor is chosen by the electors for the members of the general assembly for the term of two years, and is not eli- gible for more than six years in eight. He must be 30 years ©f age, and have been a citizen of the United States 12 years, and an inhabitant of the state four years. The judicial power is vested in a supreme court, in courts of common pleas for each county, in justices of the peace, and such other courts as the legislature may appoint. The su- preme court consists of three judges, appointed by the assem- bly, who hold their offices for seven years. The courts of common pleas consist of a president and associate judges, chosen in like manner, and for the like terra. A justice court is held in each township, and the justices are elected bv the inhabitants of the respective towns, and continue in office three years. The powers and duties of the justices are from time to time regulated and defined by law. This last regulation is a peculiar feature in the local jurisprudence of the state, and goes far to do away all petty litigation. The justices originally had cognizance of all cases where the sums did not exceed 30 dollars. Bv an act of the leaislature their powers were extended to cases not exceeding 50 dollars, which gave rise to a very singular transaction in the state. Tic judges of the supreme court refused to put the law in execution, alleging that it was contrary to the constitution of the United States. They were impeached by the house of re- 208 VIEW OF THE presentativcs ; but it requires two-thirds of the senate to con^ vict, and they were saved by a very narrow majority. The legislature, to mark their disapprobation of the conduct of the judges, raised the sum from 50 to 70 dollars ; and when the seven years for which they were appointed expired, they were not re-elected. The justice courts have now cognizance of all cases where the sums do not exceed 70 dollars. The legislature of this state, like many other similar ones, are too fond of making laws, and interfering with the private affairs of individuals. Swearing is prohibited by law, at the rate of a dollar for an oath ; and the law is strictly put in ex- ecution. Illegitimate commerce between the sexes is also pro- hibited, under pretty heavy penalties; and a law has lately been enacted to enforce the marriage covenant, in cases where people are disposed to plead a disannullment on the score of religion. INDIANA. Situation and Extent. INDIANA is situated between north lat. 37 deg. 47 min. and 41 i\eg. 50 min., and west long. 7 deg. 40 min. and 10 deg. 45 min. Its greatest lensth is 284 miles, and its breadth 155. Its area is 38,000 square miles, or 24,320,000 acres. Natural Geography. — The face of the country is hilly, not mountainous ; and the scenery is said to be rich and varie- gated, a})ounding with plains and large prairies. The principal river is the Wabash, which is said to be a beautiful stream, 280 yards broad at its outlet, and navigable upwards of 220 miles. It rises near the boundary line between tlie state of Ohio and Indiana, about 100 miles from lake Erie, where there is a portage of only eight miles between it and the UNITED STATES. 209 Miami of the lakes. Its course is nearly south-west, and the distance it runs, including its windings, is not less than 500 miles, A great many tributary streams flow into it, the chief of which is White river, upwards of 300 miles long. Tippa- canoe river, near which are the largest settlements of Indians in the territory, falls into the Wabash ; and it is near the out- let of that river where the Prophet is at present collecting his forces. The soil is said to be generally rich and fertile. The cli- mate is delightful, except in the neighbourhood of marshes, chiefly confined to the lower parts of the territory. The settlements commenced about 22 or 23 years ago, and have made considerable progress, though they have been retarded by the settlement of the fertile and beautiful state of Ohio, which is situated between this and the old states. The greater part of the territory is yet subject to Indian claims. Where they have been extinguished, and the white settlements have been made, it is divided into four comities, and 22 townships, the greater part of which*are on the Ohio ; and some few on the Wabash and White-water river. The inhabitants amounted, by the census of 1800, to 5641 ; they now amount to 86,734, being an increase of 81,093 in 17 years. The agriculture of the territory is nearly the same as that of the state of Ohio. Every kind of grain, grass, and fruit comes to maturity ; and towards the southern part of it consi- derable crops of cotton are raised, though only for domestic use. Towns. — The principal town is Vincennes, on the Wabash. It is an old settlement, and the inhabitants are mostly of French extraction ; they amounted, by last census, to 670. Trade. — As the inhabitants make nearly all their own cloth- ing, they have little external trade. What little they have is down the river to Ne\V Orleans, Government. — The constitution or government in this new country is similar to that of the other neighbouring states, — excellent in theory, but too often vile and corrupt in practice. It declares, in pompous language, that all men are free ; but if their skins be black, they are not included in this declara- * 2 D 210 VIEW OF THE tion, slaves being necessary for the ease and comfort of the freemen of Indiana. We will now proceed to view the Southern States of the Union, agreeably to the arrangement we have adopted. MAKYLAND. Situation and Extent ^'Rl'^ state is situated between 38 and 39 ^Qg- 43 min. north lat.y and 2 deg. east and 2 deg. 30 min. west long. Its extreme length from east to west is 212 miles, and its extreme breadth from north to south is 123 ; but it is very irregular. It is computed to coiMin about 14,000 square miles, or 8,960,000 acres, of which about one-fourth is water. Natural Geography. — The face of the country is remarka- bly variegated. It is bounded on the south-west by the river Patomak to its extremity ; and the fine Chesapeake bay, with its numerous waters, passes through the middle of it. On the east side it presents a coast of about 35 miles to the Atlantic ocean : the eastern shore is low, level, and sandy. The coun- try continues to rise by a very gentle ascent, but is generally level to Baltimore -, it then swells out into a hilly country, and the western part stretches across the mountains. The Chesapeake bay has already been noticed ; but it merits a more particular description, from its vast importance to this state, and indeed to the United States generally. This bay is formed by the outlet of the Susquehannah river, where it re- ceives French creek, and a number of smaller streams; it is there about seven miles broad, and so continues to near the branch that leads up to Baltimore; from thence it assumes various breadths, from ten to fifteen miles, during a course downwards of about 70 miles, to near the Patomak river: UNITED STATES. Sll from thence it stretches out to 25 or 30 miles, during a passage of 90 miles more, and finally passes into the Atlantic ocean by an outlet of 20 miles broad : the whole course, from north to south, is nearly 200 miles, and it receives in its passage the whole waters of this state, nearly the whole of the eastern part of Virginia, a great part of those of Pennsylvania, and some of Delaware ; exhibiting, upon the whole, a greater confluence of watei-s than is to be seen in the United States, or almost in the world. The principal rivers in Maryland that run into this bay, besides the Susquehannah and Patomak, are the Patapsco and Patuxent, on the west side; and on the east side. Elk river, Sassafras, Chester, Choptank, Nanticoke, and Poco- moke, the last of which issues out of Cyprus swamp. There are numerous islands in the bay, and the waters abound with various kinds offish. The state is generally well watered, and abounds with mill-seats. The soil is very various, and a great portion of it is but poor : towards the eastern shore it is low and sandy, abound- ing with swamps : in the interior there are many fertile spots ; but the greater part of the land is poor until you pass the first ridge of mountains, where there is a fertile valley of twelve or fourteen miles broad : fi-om thence the soil is pretty much as- similated to the mountainous district of Pennsylvania. The climate is as various as the soil: the eastern part is pretty similar to Delaware, indicated by a pale, sickly colour in the inhabitants. It improves as the land gets hilly, and among the mountains is delightful, the summers being cooled by fine breezes, while the winters are tempered by a southern latitude, which renders them much more mild than to the northward. Maryland is well supplied Avith iixm ore, and some coal has been found, but not in sufficient quantity to make it an object of importance. This is the first state in which there is a material difference of agriculture from the northern states: still, however, the staple crop is wheat ; but they raise a considerable quantity of tobacco, and some cott(m, though none of the latter for ex- portation. All the other grains, grasses, and roots, that grow 212 VIEW OF THE ill the northern state, flourish here ; and the sweet potatoc, a root belonging to a warm climate, comes to considerable maturity. Population. — According to the returns made in 1817, the population of this state amounted to 502,710, which, when the proportion of water is subtracted, will be about 45 persons to a square mile. Manners, ^-c. — The inhabitants of this state are distin- guished for that gaiety, extravagance, and hospitality, which is usually exhibited by slave masters; but this character is only applicable to the inhabitants of the most populous dis- tricts. Those who resiile in the more remote parts of the state ' live (says an American writer) very retired and unsocial lives. The effects of this comparative solitude are visible in the countenances, as well as in the manners and dress, of the country people. Yen observe very little of that cheerful sprightliness of look and action which is the invariable and genuine offspring of social intercourse. Nor do you find that attention paid to dress, which, is common, and which decency and propriety have rendered necessary, among people who are liable to receive company almost every day. Unaccustomed, in a great measure, to these frequent and friendly visits, they often suffer a negligence in their dress which borders on slo- venliness. There is apparently a disconsolate wildness in their countenances, and an indolence and inactivity in their whole behaviour, which arc evidently the effects of solitude and sla- very. As the negroes perform all the manual labour, their masters are left to saunter away life in sloth, and too often in ignorance. These observations, however, must in justice be limited to the people in the country, and to those particularly whose poverty or parsimony prevents their spending a part of their time in populous towns, or otherwise mingling with the world.' The Baltiraorians lay claim to a superior reputation for en- terprise and bravery ; and, it must be confessed, they appear entitled to it, judging from their shipping, much of which is engaged in hazardous pursuits, together with the speculative improvements of their town,' and their having, by superior ac- UNITED STATES. 213 tivity, supplanted Philadelphia in pai't of the western country trade ; yet the merchants of this city are said to be deficient in capital. Of their bravery, history will speak when recording their gallant and successful defence of their city, though at- tacked by the combined naval and military forces of England. Chief Towns. — Baltimoi'e stands on the north side of the river Patapscc, which may rather be regarded as a creek of the great bay of Chesapeake, and has rapidly risen to its pre- sent consequence. The situation is rather low, but it has been rendered by art tolerably salubrious. A creek divides it into two parts, Baltimore town and Fell's point, to the latter of which vessels of 600 tons can sail ; but only small vessels can come up to the town. The bason, as it is called, is very capacious, and capable of holding 2000 sail. At the commencement of the American war, Baltimore was but an inconsiderable village ; but such has been the rapidity of its growth, that it is now the fourth commercial city in the United States. The houses are mostly built of brick, and many of them are elegant : the principal public buildings are, thirteen places of public worship, a court-house, a jail, three market-houses, a poor-house, the exchange, theatre, observa- tory, assembly-rooms., and library. The manufactures of Bal- timore are considerable, and consist chiefly of ships, cordage, iron utensils, paper, saddlery, boots and shoes, hats, wool and cotton cards, &c. In the adjoining country there are nume- rous mills, furnaces, and forges, which contribute much to the trade of the city. There are several religious sects, the most numerous of which are Roman catholics. Episcopalians^, baptists, presby- terians, mcthodists, ^id quakers, have each a respectable num- ber of partisans ; and an unitarian chui'ch is now building. The architecture of several of the churches displays first-rate talent; and it seems not a little surprising, that such ability should have been overlooked by the conductors of the national buildino-3 at Washington. Although this city 70 years ago consisted of only ten houses, it now contains 60,000 inhabitants ; and as it is the emporium of the state, it must necessarily inci'ease in wealth and import- 214 VIEW OF THE ance. A great portion of the export trade is flour, much of which is received from the state of Pennsylvania, through the medium of the Susquehannah river; and the citizens have a brisk trade in importing and reshipping foreign articles, parti- cularly West Indian produce — rum, sugar, and coffee. A great portion of the imports are manufactured goods from Britain, and, having the supply of an immense back country, this is an increasing trade. Many of the people in the western states give Baltimore the preference to Philadelphia ; it is 50 miles nearer to Pittsburg than the latter city, which has a na- tural tendency to secure a preference ; and the inhabitants of Maryland, who seem to appreciate the importance of this trade, have acted with a laudable zeal in making good roads. The trade of Baltimore is facilitated by three banks, having all ample capitals. One is a branch of the bank of the United States. The affairs of the city are under the management of a city council, consisting of two branches, and a mayor. The police seems to be under good regulations, and the streets are kept very clean, which secures good health to the citizens. Educa- tion is pretty well attended to ; and the citizens are said to be hospitable and industrious. The men rank as correct men of business. North and east of the town the land rises, and affords a fine prospect of the town and bay, Belvidera exhibits one of the finest landscapes in nature. The town, the point, the shipping both in the bason and at FelFs point, the bay as far as the eye can reach, rising ground on the right and left of the harbour, a grove of trees on the declivity at the right, a stream of water breaking over the rocks at the foot of the hill on the left, all conspire to complete the beauty and grandeur of the prospect. Annapolis is the capital of Maryland, and the wealthiest town of its size in America. It is situated just at the mouth of Severn rivei*, 30 miles south of Baltimore. It is a place of little note in the commercial world. The houses, about SOO in number, are generally large and elegant, indicative of great wealth. The design of those wi)o planned the city, was to have the whole in tin* form of a circle, with the streets, like UNITED STATES. 215 yadii, beginning at the centre where the stadt-house stands, and thence diverging in every direction. The principal part of the buildings are arranged agreeably to this awkward plan. The stadt-house is the noblest building of the kind in America. There is a college, a theatre, and two places of public worship in the city. It has a harbour, though no great commerce ; but, being a pleasant place, it is the residence of a great many wealthy people. Frederichtown is a large inland town, containing a court- house, jail, academy, market-house, and seven places of public worship. The inhabitants are about 6000 ; and the town has considerable manufactures and inland trade. Hagerstoxmi, situated beyond the mountains, contains 2100 inhabitants. Besides these, there are a greater number of smaller towns and villages, containing from 100 to 1000 inhabitants. A great number of the farm-houses are built of wood, and they are not so substantial, nor so elegant, in general, as those in Pennsylvania. Trade, ^c. — The value of houses, lands, and slaves, in this state, in 1815, was estimated at 122,577,573 dollars ; the land being valued at 20 dollars per acre. The trade and manufactures of this state have been noticed in the account of Baltimore. The duty on merchandise in 1815 produced 4,202,463 dollars. The tonnage employed in foreign trade amounted to 88,161, and in the coasting trade to 8529. Educatioji. — There are considerable funds appropriated to the support of education. There are five colleges, and a number of very respectable academies in the state, and com- mon schools in every county. Religion. — The Roman catholics, who were the first settlers in Maryland, are the most numerous religious sect. Besides these, there are protestants, episcopalians, English, Scotch, and Irish presbyterians, German Calvinists, German Luther- ans, friends, baptists, methodists, Mennonists, Nicolites, or new quakers. Government. — The state is divided into 19 counties. The civil government is vested in a governor, senate, and house of 216 VIEW OF THE delegates, all chosen annually. The qualification to vote for delegates is a freehold of 50 acres of land, or property to the value of SOI. currency. The principles of government are si- milar to those of Pennsylvania. History. — Maryland was granted by Charles I. to Cecilius Calvert, baron of Baltimore, in Ireland, June 20, 1632. The government of the province was, by charter, vested in the pro- prietary ; but it appears that he either never exercised these powers alone, or but for a short time. The hon. Leonard Calvert, esq., lord Baltimore's brother, was the first governor, or lieutenant-general. His lordship evinced his wisdom, and the liberality of his religious opinions, by providing for the free exercise of all other religious opinions in the colony. In 1642, one Ingle excited a rebellion, and three years passed before order was restored. Under the government of Cromwell, the exercise of the Roman catholic religion was restrained ; which must have been felt extremely oppressive, as the first and prin- cipal inhabitants were Catholics. In 1692, the protestant re- ligion was established by law. At the commencement of the revolutionary war, the state was declared to belong to the citi- zens, who delegated five of their number to the first congress. The state constitution was framed in 1776, which, with a few trifling amendments, still continues. When the independence of the United States was acknowledged by England, Henry Harford, esq., the natural son and heir of lord Baltimore, pe- titioned the legislature of Maryland for his estate; but his petition was not granted. Mr. Harford estimated his loss of quit-rents, valued at twenty years purchase, and including arrears, at 259,488/. 5^., dollars at 7*. 6d ; and the value of his manors and reserved lands at 327,441/. of the same money. UNITED STATES. 217 VIKGINIA. Situation and Extent. "Y'lRGINIA* is situated between 36 deg. 30 min. and 39 deg. 43 min. north lat., and 1 deg. east and 6 deg. 25 min. west long. The extreme length of the state from east to west is 442 miles, and the extreme breadth from the North Carolina line to the Penn- sylvania line is 235 ; but it may be observed that there is a small part of the state that stretches along the banks of the Ohio, to the west of Pennsylvania, about 60 miles long, and on an average 10 broad ; and there is another small part, about 55 miles long and 12 broad, to the east of the Chesa- peake. The area is computed at 75,000 square miles, being nearly as large as the whole island of Britain, computed at 77,243. The number of acres in Virginia is 48,000,000. Natural Geograplvy. — The face of the country is somewhat assimilated to Pennsylvania, including Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. The eastern part extends along the sea coast about 115 miles, of which the outlet of the Chesapeake, al- ready noticed, occupies 20 ; and this elegant confluence of waters, so often referred to, forms a great variety in this part of the state. From the sea coast to the head of the tide wa- ters, about 100 miles, the country is mostly level, and abounds with swamps. From thence to the mountains it is agreeably uneven, and affords delightful prospects. The mountainous district is about 100 miles in breadth, and the ridges contmue, as in Pennsylvania, to range from north-east to south-west. Beyond the mountains the country is much variegated, here swelling out into considerable hills, there subsiding into agree- • The geography of this important state I.as been ably illustrated in Mr. Jeffer- son's Notes, written in 1781. Though many alterations have been made in the circumstances of the state since that time, still this work contains much vjiluable «nd interesting information. 10 2 !■ 218 VIEW OF THE able vallies; and so continues to the Ohio, about 60 miles. The Alleghany chain is the ridge which divides the waters of the Atlantic from the IMississippi, and its summit is more ele- vated above the ocean than that of the others : but its relative height, compared with the base on which it stands, is not so great, because the coiuitry rises behind the successive ridges like steps of stairs. The whole of the Atlantic rivers have been already noticed ; the others are but few. The state is watered to the westward by the Ohio upwards of 240 miles, and the Great Sandy river forms the boundary, for upwards of 100 miles, between it and Kentucky. The most important river to the westward is the Great Kanhaway, ' a river of considerable note for the fertility of its lands, and still more, as leading towards the head waters of James river. Nevertheless, it is doubtful whether its great and numerous falls will admit a navigation but at an expence to which it will require ages to render its inhabitants equal. The great obstacles begin at what are called the great falls, 90 miles above its mouth, below which are only five or six rapids, and these passable, with some difliculty, even at low water. From the falls to the mouth of Greenbriar is 100 miles, and thence to the lead mines 120. It is 280 yards wide at its mouth.'' The little Kanhaway is 150 yards wide at the mouth, and is navigable for 10 miles only. The Shenandoah river rises in the interior of the countrv, and running a north-east course, of about 250 miles, through the great Limestone valley, parallel to the mountains, falls into the Patomak just above the Blue ridge. The junction of the rivers, and the passage through the Blue ridge, is said to be one of the finest scenes in nature, and has been described in our general view of the United States. There are a great variety of minerals and mineral springs in the state. Iron is very plentiful, and several mines of lead have been opened. Some copper, black-lead, and precious stones have been found, and in one instance gold was disco- vered. Limestone is plentiful, and coal is abundant at Rich- mond, in some places among the mountains, and in the western UNITED STATES. 219 coiintry. Of the mineral springs, the warm and hot springs and the sweet spring, are the most remarkahle. They are situated near the sources of James river, at the foot of the Al- leghany mountains, about 42 miles apart. They are now well known, and much resorted to. There are sulphur springs in several places ; and on the Kanhaway river, 67 miles from its outlet, there is a very remarkable air spring. The soil in the low part of the state is sandy, except on the banks of the rivers, where it is very rich. Between the head of the tide- waters and the mountains, it exhibits a great variety, and a considerable portion is good. Among the mountains there is a great deal of poor land, but it is interspersed with rich vallies. Beyond the mountains the soil is generally rich and fertile. The climate of Virginia is very various, and is subject to great and sudden changes. In the greater part of the country below the head of the tide-waters, the summers are hot and sultry, and the winters mild. From thence to the foot of the mountains the air is pure and elastic, and both summers and winters are several degrees of temperature below the low country. Among the mountains, the sunmiers are delightful, though sometimes the heat is very great. To the westward the climate is temperate, the .summers being cooler and the winters warmer than on the sea coast, Except in the neiglu bourhood of stagnant waters in the low country, Virginia has, upon the whole, a healthy climate. The state has of late been considerably improved by roads, but in that branch much remains to be done. The canal con- tompL'ited by Mr. Jefferson between the waters of the Chesa- peake and ^Vlbemarle sound has been ciit. It is 16 miles in length, and answers a most valuable pui-pose. Considerable improvements have been made upon the navigation of the Shenandoah river; and there are several very important roads and canals projected. The principal branches of agriculture for exportation are wheat and tobacco; and the farms produce in plenty, Indian corn, rye, barley, buck-wheat, &c. Hemp and flax are abun- dant, and considerable quantities of cotton are raised in the VIEW OF THE southern part of the state. Indigo is cuhivated with success, and the silk-worm is a native of the country, though not much attended to. The fields likewise produce potatoes, both sweet and connnon, turnips, parsnips, carrots, pumpkins, and ground nuts ; and of grasses, there are clovers, red, white, and yellow, timothy, ray, greensward, blue grass, and crab grass. The orchards abound in fruit ; apples, pears, peaches, quinces, cherries, nectarines, apricots, almonds, and plums. The do- mestic animals thrive well, horses, cows, sheep, hogs, poultry ; and there is a great variety of wild game. Population. — The population of this state in 1817 amounted to 1,34<7,496, which is 18 persons to a square mile. Manners, ^c, — The character of the Virginians has been often described ; but all writers agree in ascribing most of their errors and crimes to the system of slavery established amongst them. An English writer says, that < the climate and external appearance of the country conspire to make them in- dolent, easy, and good-natured ; extremely fond of society, and much given to convivial pleasoi-es. In consequence of this, they seldom show any spirit of enterprise, or expose themselves willingly to fatigue. Their authority over their slaves renders tliein vain and imperious, and entire strangers to that elegance of sentiment which is so peculiarly character- istic of refined and polished nations. Their ignorance of n)an- kind and of learning exposes them to many errors and preju- dices, especially in regard to Indians and negroes, whom they scarcely consider as of the human species ; so that it is almost impossible, in cases of violence, or even murder, committed upon those unhappy people by any of the planters, to have the delinquents brovight to justice; for either the grand jury refuse to find the bill, or the petit jury bring in their verdict, not guilty. ' The display of a character thus constituted will naturally be in acts of extravagance, ostentation, and a disregard of eco- nomy : it is not extraordinary, therefore, that the Virginians outrun their incomes; and that having involved themselves in difficulties, they are frequently tempted to raise money by bills of exchange, which they know will be returned protested, with UNITED STATES. 221 10 per cent, interest. The public or political character of the Virginians corresponds with their private one: they are haughty and jealous of their liberties, impatient of restraint, and can scarcely bear the thought of being controled by any superior power. ' 'J.'he women are, upon tlie whole, rather handsome, though not to be compared with our fair countrywomen in England. They have but few advantages, and consequently are seldom accomplished ; this makes them reserved, and unequal to any interesting or refined conversation. They are immoderately fond of dancing, and indeed it is almost the only amusement they partake of: but even in this they discover great want of taste and elegance, and seldom appear with that gracefulness and ease which these movements are so calculated to display. Towai'ds the close of an evening, wjien the company are pretty well tired of country dances, it is usual to dance jigs; a prac- tice originally borrowed, I am informed, from the negroes. These dances are without any method or regularity. A gen- tleman and lady stand up, and dance about the room, one of them retiring, the other pursuing, then perhaps meeting, in an irregular fantastical manner. After some time, another lady gets up ; and then the first lady must sit down, she be- ing, as they term it, cut out. The second lady acts the same part which the first did, till somebody cuts her out. The gentlemen perform in the same manner. The Virginian la- dies, excepting their amusements, and now and then a party of pleasure into the woods to partake of a barbacue, chiefly spend their time hi sewing and taking care of their families. They seldom read, or endeavour to improve their minds. However, they are in general good housewives ; and though they have not, I think, quite so much tenderness and sensibility as the English ladies, yet they make as good wives, and as good mo- thei-s, as any in the world.' This character was drawn from personal observation, and, in general, appears to be just. * The young men,' another traveller observes, ' generally speaking, are gamblers, cock-fighters, and horse-jock ies. To hear them converse, you would imagine that the grand point of all science w.is properly to fix a gaff, and touch, Avith dexte- 522 VIEW OF THE rity, the tail of a cock while in combat. He who won the last match, the last game, or the last horse-race, assumes the airs of a hero or German potentate. The ingenuity of a Locke, or the discoveries of a Newton, are considered as iniinitelv in- ferior , to the accomphshments of him who knows when to shoulder a blind cock, or start a fleet horse.*' A spirit for lite- rary enquiries, if not altogether confined to a few, is, among the body of the people, evidently subordinate to a spirit of gaming and barbarous sports. At almost every tavern or or- dinary on the public road there is a billiard table, a backgam- mon table, cards, and other implements for various games. To these public houses the gambling gentry in the neighbour- hood resort, to kill time, which hangs heavily upon them ; and at this business they are extremely expert, having been accus- tomed to it from their earliest youth. The passion for cock- fio'hting, a diversion not only inhumanly barbarous, but infinitely beneath the dignity of a man of sense, is so predo- mmant, that they even advertise their matches in the public newspapers This dissipation of manners is the fruit of indo- lence and luxury, which arise from the system of African slavery. Cliief Toxons. — Kiclimond'x^ handsomely situated on James river, innnediately below the falls. It is a large elegant city, consisting of more than 1200 liouses, and contains about 10,000 inhabitants. The state-house stands on an eminence, and is considei'ed the handsomest building in the state, having spacious apartments for the meetings of the legislature, and commodious rooms for the transaiition of the public business of the state. The other public buildings are, the court-house, jail, and theatre, two places for public worship, a free mason's hallj and three tobacco warehouses. Richmond is situated in a fertile healthy country, and is well supplied with ])rovisions ; and it is flourishing in manufactures and commerce. There is an armoury in the neighbourhood, said to be the best in the United States. The city is remarkably well situated for mill- seats;, some of the finest flour-mills in the state have lately been erected, and the quantity of flour manufactured annually is innnense. There are also rolling and slitting mills, oil-mills. UNITED STATES. 223 and several others; and several extensive distilleries and breweries. Richmond carries on a considerable trade, princi- pally in tobacco and flour, with many places of the United States, particularly New York, which in return supplies it with drv jjoods and oroceries. The inhabitants here, like those in the sea-ports, are mostly dressed in British manufactures, and are very gay. Gambling is the favourite diversion of the peo- ple, and is constantly practised without the smallest degree of secresy. ' On alighting at a tavern,'' says Mr. Weld, ' the landlord immediately asked what game was most congenial to my inclinations, as he could conduct me, according to my wish, either to a faro, hazard, or billiard table. These apartments are always crowded with gamesters, and the doors are only shut to exclude the lowest order of the people, who, however, contrive to find a similar amusement at some petty house of accommodation. The taverns beins; thus infested is a disasree- able circumstance to a traveller who is blest with a different bent of inclination, as every room is considered common, and the place where a stranger wishes to seclude himself from the eye" of public observation, is always the most frequented."* Norfolk is a large town, containing nearly the same number of inh.abitants as Richmond. It is a place of very extended commerce, principally in flour and tobacco, and its conuirerce and population will probably continue to encrease for a long period. Mr. Jefferson remarks, in his Notes, 'that it will probably be the emporium for all the trade of the Chesapeake bay and its waters, and a canal of eight or ten miles will bring tu it all that of the Albemarle sound and its waters.' But it is to be observed, that the Chesapeake bay and its waters are navigable a long way into the interior of the country, in conse- ([uence of which, probably no single town or city will be the emporium for all the trade; it will be divided among many. We accordingly find numerous towns upon these waters, of which the following may be noticed. On Rappahannoc, Urbamia, Port Rmjal, Falmouth. Frc- der'ul:shurg is situated on the south-west side of this river. It is regularly laid out, the streets crossing one another at right angles, and consists of about 'JOO houses, containing about S24 VIEW OF THE 1600 inhabitants. The principal pubhc buildings are an epis- copal church, an academy, court-house, and jail. It carries on a considerable trade, principally in floiu' and tobacco. On Patomak and its A\aters, Dumfries, Colchester, Winches- ter, Staunton. On York river and its waters, Yorlx, Newcastle, Hanover. On James river and its waters, Fortsmoufh, Hampton, Siif- Jhlk, SmitJifield, Williamsburg, Manchester., Charlottesville. Petersburg is situated on this river, immediately below the falls, and is a place of considerable wealth and importance, carrying on a great trade in tobacco and flour, a considerable portion of which is with New York. The population, in 1800, was 2034 free people and 1481 slaves. The population is said to be composed principally of Irish "people, and they are distinguished for frank liberal manners, and high-spirited patriotism. The principal public buildings are, two places for public worsliip, a court-house, jail, and free mason''s hall. The market is well . supplied with provisions; and there are numerous mills in and about the town. There is no very important town in the western part of the state. Wheeling, on the Ohio, will probably increase more than any othei*. Trade and Resources, — The interior trade of this state was never o^ much importance. The manufactures are mostly of the domestic kind ; and such is the attachment of the Virgi- nians to agriculture, that there is no doubt they will continue for a considerable time to exchange the raw material for the manufacture of foreign nations. The value of houses, lands, and slaves, in this state in 1815, by the assessors' return, was 26^5,737,6*99 dollars ; the average value of land being estimated at 4 dollars 15 cents per acre. The gross revenue ari^^ing from (hities on merchandise was 1,254,144 dollars. The shipping employed in foreign trade amounted to 31,152 tons, and in the coa.sting trade to 6549 tons. Education. — There are two colleges in the state; one of them the college of William and Mary, very liberally endowed. There are several academies and schools in each county ; and UNITED STATES. 225 there are numerous teachers hi private families, as tutors. The means, in short, for educating the wealthy are ample, and extensively applied ; but the system seems to be defective, so far as the mass of the people are concerned, and that im- portant branch deserves the early attention of an enlightened legislature; as the pride, the independence, and the indo- lence of one class, and the thoughtlessness and poverty of the other, present foi-midable obstacles to the progress of knowledge. Relig'ioji. — The first settlers in this state were English epis- copalians, and they seemed to emulate the bigotry and intole- rance of their presbyterian brethren in New England. But the vigilance and activity of the government in supporting the established church begot security and indolence in the clergy ; people of vai'ious religious opinions began to creep into the state ; and, within a century, the episcopalians found them- selves subdued by superior spirit and determination. An act passed the Virginia assembl}^, in the beginning of 1786, in which it is declared, tliat, being ' well aware that Al- mighty God hath created the mind free ; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the holy Au- thor of our religion, who being Lord over both body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions in either, &c. Be it therefore enacted by the general assembly, That no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious wor- ship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, re- strained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by arguments to maintain their opinions in matters of religion ; and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."' The episcopalians, or, as Mr. Jefferson calls them, the ' Anglicans,"' have, comparatively, but few ministers among them ; and these few, when they preach, which is seldom more than once a week, preach to very thin congregations. The 2 F VIEW OF THE presbvterians, in proportion to their numbers, have more mi- nisters, who officiate oftener, and to larger audiences. The baptists and methodists are generally supplied by itinerant pi'eachers, who have large and promiscuous audiences, and preach almost every day, and often several times in a day. The bulk of these religious sects are of the poorer sort of peo- ple, and many of them are very ignorant, (as is indeed the case with the other denominations,) but they are generally a moral, well-meaning set of people. They exhibit much zeal in their worship, which appears to be composed of the mingled effu- sions of piety, enthusiasm, and superstition. Government. — The following are the outlines of the form of state government : ' The executive powers are lodged in the hands of a go- vernor, chosen annually, and incapable of acting any more than three years in seven. He is assisted by a council of eight members. The judiciary powers are divided among several courts. Legislation is exercised by two houses of assembly ; the one called the House of Delegates, composed of two mem- bers from each county, chosen annually by the citizens pos- sessing an estate for life in 100 acres of uninhabited land, or 25 acres with a house and lot on it, or a house or lot in some town. The other, called the Senate, consisting of 24 members, chosen quadrenially by the same electors, who, for this pur- pose, are distributed into 24 districts. The concurrence of both houses is necessary to the passing of a law : they have the appointment of the governor and council, the judges of the superior courts, auditors, attorney-general, treasurer, register of the land-office, and delegates to congress."" The state is divided into an eastern and western district, and 90 counties. History. — We have already noticed the first settlement of Virginia. On the arrival of lord Delaware in 1610, the colony acquired permanency and respectability, which was further increased by a young gentleman named Rolf, who married the daughter of an Indian chief. In 1621, the company of pro- prietors obtained a charter for settling the government of the state ; but shortly after, the king and company quarrelled, UNITED STATES. m and, by a mixture of law and force, the latter were ousted of all their rights, without retribution, after having expended 100,000/. in establishing the colony, without the smallest aid from government. King James I. took the govei*nment into his own hands. Both sides had their partisans in the colony : but the people of the colony in general thought them- selves little concerned in the dispute. But they did not re- main so long. The northern parts of their country were granted away to the lords Baltimore and Fairfax, the first of these obtaining also the rights of separate jurisdiction and go- vernment. And in 1650, the parliament, considering itself as standing in the place of their deposed king, and as having succeeded to all his powers, without as well as within the realm, began to assume a right over the colonies, passing an act for inhibiting their trade with f^/reign nations. This suc- cession to the exercise of the kingly authority gave the first colour for parliamentary interference with the colonies, and produced that fatal pi'ecedent which they continued to follow after they had retired, in other respects, within their proper functions. When this colony, therefore, which still maintain- ed its opposition to Cromwell and the parliament, was induced, in 1651, to lay down their arms, they previously secured their most important rights, by a solemn convention. This convention was, however, infringed by subsequent kings and parliaments, until the revolution, which the Virgi- nians supported with great energy and success. They still maintain great influence in the public councils, and have thereby incurred the jealousy of their neighbours. 228 VIEW OF THE KENTUCKY. Situation and Extent. JJ^ENTUCKY is situated between 36 dcg. 30 min. and 39 deg. north lat, and 5 and 12 deg. west long. Its greatest length is 328 miles, and its greatest breadth 183. Its area is 52,000 square miles, or 33,280,000 acres. Natural Gcographij. — The face of the country is generally uneven, some of it rough and hilly ; and towards the east there are considerable spurs of the Alleghany mountains, which di- vide the state from Virginia. The Ohio river washes the state to the north and north-west, 874 miles ; and the Mississippi on the west, 57; the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers pass partly through it. Big Sandy river forms the boundary line a considerable way on the east ; and Licking river, Kentucky river, Rolling river, and Green river, are all very considerable streams. There is a vast variety of small streams, and the state has the appearance of being well watered ; but in some places it is not. The stratum under the soil is limestone, throughout the whole state : it has a great depth, and seems to be chequered with innumerable fissures, which let the water pass. On this account, there are some places where water is not to be found in summer, and the greater part of the rivers have Avorn down their beds I'rom 100 to 300 feet below the surface of the earth. From the circumstance of the rivers being so confined between high banks, they roll down their waters to a great depth in freshets : it is no uncommon thing for the Kentucky river to rise from 40 to 50 feet. The state is said to be rather defective in iron, the most useful of all the metals : but there are, notwithstanding, nu- merous iron forges. Marble is found in the state, but is not plentiful : coal is found in some places ; and a few specimens of lead, copperas, and alum have been found : limestone is a UNITED STATES. 229 most plentiful commodity. There are various mineral springs, but the most useful are the salt springs ; though they are now of less importance, since the discovery of the valuable salt springs upon the Kanhaway. The soil in this state has all the gradations from the very best to the very worst ; but there is, upon the whole, a great body of good soil in the state. The general character is chalk, covered with a stratum of vegetable earth from eight to twelve feet in depth. A want of water in the summer season is much felt, except in the vicinity of great rivers and their principal dependent streams. Indian corn is raised here in vast abundance, and almost without labour. Stock of various kinds is raised for the New Orleans, southern, and Atlantic markets. Pork is well fed, and of excellent quality. Beef is also of good quality, and tlie stock has received considerable attention by the mixturfe of English breeds. The climate is more steady than in the eastern states, and is upon the whole favourable. Heat and cold do not go to ex- tremes; the thermometer in summer being seldom above 80 degrees, or in winter below 25. The climate is said to agree well with English constitutions. Population. — The population of this state in 1817 amounted to 683,753, which is rather more than 13 persons to a square mile. In 1790, the population was estimated at 73,677. As the emigrations are still going on, and likely to continue, par- ticularly from the southern states, the inhabitants will yet greatly increase, though probably not so rapidly as heretofore. The Insecurity of the land-titles, and the slave trade, are so many barriers in the way with the people from the northern states, from whence there is the areatest degree of emiiiration : and there being so much fine land to the westward, a number of the poorer people will go there, where they can get land cheap. However, it is to be presumed that this latter circum- stance will have a tendency to improve the morals of the state, as it will purge it of many o^ i\\c pionecj-s. Manners^ y a council of state, consisting of seven persons, elected by the as- sembly annually. The judiciary consists of a supreme court, a court of equity, and a court of admiralty. The judges are appointed by the assembly. This state is divided into eight districts and 60 counties. History. — The history of North Carolina is less known than that of any of the other states. The first permanent settle- ment was made about the year 1710, by a number of Palatines from Germany, who had been reduced to circumstances of great indigence by a calamitous war. The proprietors of Ca- rolina, knowing that the value of their lands depended on the strength of their settlements, determined to give every possible encouragement to such emigrants. Shij)s were accordingly pi'ovided for their transportation ; and instructions were given to governor Tynte to allow 100 acres of land for every n)an, woman, and child, free of quit-rents for the first ten years ; but at the expiration of that term, to pay one penny per acre, annual rent for ever, according to the usages and customs of the province. Upon their arrival, governor Tynte granted them a tract of land in North Carolina, since called Albemarle and Bath precincts, where they settled, and flattered themselves with having found, in the hideous wilderness, a happy retreat from the desolations of a war which then raged in Europe. UNITED STATES. S45 In the year 171 2^ a dangerous conspiracy was formed by the Coree and Tuscorora tribes of Indians, to murder and expel this infant colony. They managed their conspiracy with great- cunning and profound secresy. They surrounded their principal town with a breast-work, to secure their fami- lies. Here the warriors convened to the number of 1200. From this place of rendezvous they sent out small parties, by different roads, who entered the settlement under the mask of friendship. At the change of the full moon, all of them had agreed to Ijegin their murderous o]ierations the same night. When the night came, they entered the houses of the planters, demanding provisions, and pretending to be offended, fell to murclering men, women, and children without mercy or dis- tinction. One hundred and thirty-seven settlers, among whom were a Swiss baron, and almost all the poor Palatines that had lately come into the country, were slaughtered the first night. Such was the secresy and dispatch of the Indians in this expe- dition, that none knew what had befallen his neighbour until the barbarians had reached hfs own door. Some few, how- ever, escaped, and gave the alarm. The militia assembled in arras, and kept watch da}' and night, until the news of the sad disaster reached the province of South Carolina. Governor Craven lost no time in sending a force to their relief. The assembly voted 4000/. for the service of the war. A body of 600 militia, under the command of colonel Barnwell, and 866 Indians of different tribes, with different commanders, march- ed with great expedition through a hideous wilderness to their assistance. In their first encounter with the Indians, they" killed 300, and took 100 prisoners. After this defeat, the Tuscororas retreated to their fortified town, which was shortly after surrendered to coltmel Barnwell. After this, the infant colony remained in peace, and conti- nued to flourish under the general government of South Caro- lina, till about the year 17!i9, when the proprietors vested their property and jurisdiction in the crown, and the colony was erected into a separate province, by the name of North Carolina, and its present limits established, by an order of George II. In 1785, the inhabitants of the counties of Sulli- 246 VIEW OF THE van, Washington, and Greene, erected themselves into a new state, by the name of the New State of Franklin ; but, after many warm disputes, which lasted nearly three years, their pretensions to independence were relinquished. North Caro- hna was greatly distinguished for spirit, activity, and bravery, during the revolutionary war. SOUTH CAKOLINA. Situation and Extent. HP HIS state is situated between north lat. 32 deg. 6 min. and 35 deg., and west long. 1 deg. 30 min. and 6 deg. 25 min. Its extreme length from east to west is 236, and breadth from north to south 210 miles; and it is computed to contain an area of 32,700 square miles, being 20,928,000 acres. Natural Geography. — South Carolina has a sea coast on the Atlantic, extending nearly 200 miles, to which all its rivers flow. The angle of the coast is from north-east to south-west ; and nearly parallel with this, at about 120 miles from the coast, the first high land commences. The whole of the inter- mediate space is nearly a continued level, the angle of ascent being so trifling, that the rise at the extremity does not exceed 15 or 20 feet. From the commencement : enjoyment of any civil right, merely on account of religious principles.'' Government. — The state is divided into 24 counties, and these compose two judiciary districts. The civil government is vested in an assembly, consisting of a senate and house of representatives, a governor, and a judiciary. The assembly are elected annually, and all free white persons, who are of age, and who have paid taxes, have a vote. The governor is appointed for two years by the legislature. The judges are elected by the legislature for three years. History. — The settlement of a colony between the rivers Savannah and Altahama, was meditated in England in 1.732, for the accommodation of poor people in Great Britain and Ireland, and for the further security of Carolina. Private compassion and public spirit conspired to promote the benevo- lent design.- Humane and opulent men suggested a plan of transporting a number of indigent families to this part of America, free of expence. For this purpose they applied to the king, George II. and obtained from him letters patent, bearing date June 9th, 1732, for legally carrying into execu- tion what they had generously projected. They called the new province Georgia, in honour of the king, who encouraged the plan. A corporation, consisting of 21 persons, was con- stituted by the name of the trustees, for settling and establish- ing the colony of Georgia, which was separated from Carolina by the river Savannah. — The trustees having first set an ex- ample themselves, by largely contributing to the scheme, un- dertook also to solicit benefactions from others, and to apply the money towards clothing, arming, purchasing utensils for cultivation, and transporting such poor people as should con- sent to go over and begin a settlement. They did not confine their charitable views to the subjects of Britain alone^ but wisely opened a door for the indigent and oppressed protestants of other nations. To prevent a misapplication of the money, it was deposited in the bank of England. The trustees for Georgia granted land as a military fief, and established such regulations as proved most pernicious to the growth and prosperity of the colony. Besides the lai-ge 268 VIEW OF THE sums expended for its settlement by these gentlemen, 36,000/ was granted by parliament for the same purpose. A numbei of Scotch and German labourers were sent over ; but all the hopes of the corporation were vain. Their injudicious regula- tions and restrictions — the wars in which they were involved with the Spaniards and Indians — and the frequent insurrections among themselves, threw the colony into a state of confusion and wretchedness too great for human nature long to endure. Their oppressed situation was represented to the trustees by repeated complaints ; till at length, finding that the province languished under their care, and weary with the complaints of the people, they, in the year 1752, surrendered their charter to the king, and it was made a royal government. Great had been the expence which the mother country had already in- curred, besides private benefactions, for supporting this colony ; aiid small have been the returns yet made by it. The vestiges of cultivation was scarcely perceptible in the forests, and in England all commerce with it was neglected and despised. At this time the whole annual exports of Georgia did not amount to 10,000/. sterhng. In the year 1740, the Rev. George Whitefield founded an orphan house academy in Georgia, about 12 miles from Savan- nah. — For the support of this, in his itinerations, he collected large sums of monev of all denominations of Christians, both in England and America. He afterwards made his assignment of the orphan-house in trust to the countess of Huntingdon. Soon after his death a charter was granted to his institution in Georgia, and the Rev. Mr. Percy was appointed president of the college. Mr. Percy accordingly came over to execute his office, but, unfortunately, on the 80th of May, 1775, the orphan-house building caught fire, and was entirely consuvnedj except the two wings. From the hme Georgia became a royal government, in 1752, till the peace of Paris, in 1763, she struggled under many diffi- culties, arising from the want of credit, friends, and the frequent molestations of enemies. The good effects of the peace were sensil)ly felt in the province of Georgia. From this time it began to flourish, under the fatherly care of governor Wright. UNITED STATES. 269 During the late war, Georgia was over-run by tlie Britisli froous, and the inhabitants were obhged to flee into the neigh- bouring states for safety. The sufferings and losses of her citizens were as great, in pi'oportion to their numbers and wealth, as in any of the states. Since the peace, the progress of the population of this state has been astonishingly rapid. Its growth in improvement and population has been checked by the hostile irruptions of the Creek Indians. THE FLORIDAS. npHE Floridas has now become a province of the United States ; and must prove an invaluable acquisition, whether we consider the cecession in a natural, or political point of view. It has been effected by a master-piece of policy, and must cause some agitations in many of the European courts. The American government dispatched agents to visit the states in South America, which were shaking off" the Spanish yoke, and lest this should be a precursor to the acknowledgment of their independence, Spain agreed to surrender the Floridas. This event was also no doubt accelerated by a party of the American army, by way of employing themselves, seizing upon the key of this country, which shewed, that whenever the order was issued, its conquest could be easily effected. What makes this bargain more valuable to the States, is, that the purchase- money is to be paid by the government to its own citizens for past injuries received from Spain. What the consequence of this immense addition of empire and sea-coast may be, it would not be difficult to conjecture. Commanding the gulf of Mexico, and brought now into the neighbourhood of the West India islands, and with a powerful and growing navy, these colonies would fall within the grasp 270 VIEW OF THE of America, or be revolutionized at the beginning of the very first war that may commence between the two countries. At least, the soil and climate of the Floridas are so excellently si- tuated for the growth of West India produce, that the enter- prising citizens of the United States will soon become powerful competitors with the English planter in the markets of Europe. Florida is bounded on the north by Georgia, on the east by the Atlantic, on the south by the gulf of Mexico, and on the west by the Mississippi. East Florida extends much fur- ther south than West Florida ; the gulf of Mexico washing the western coast from 25 to 30 deg. north lat. ; whereas the most southern part of West Florida is in north lat. 29 deg. 30 min. The form of East Florida is triangular, the base towards the north being 160 miles in breadth from east to west, near the southern extremity about 40, and about 350 from north to south. Along the coasts the bays of small islands are nume- rous. The soil near the sea coast is sandy and barren, but further inland it improves. The productions are chiefly rice and indigo. West Florida is about 320 miles from east to west, and from 40 to 80 in width from north to south ; on the west it is bounded by the river Mississippi, and on the east by Appalachicola. The country is pleasant, and the soil is exceedingly fertile, so that the inhabitants have sometimes two or three harvests of maize in the same year. Towards the coast it is flat, but rises gradually into hills, which are covered with verdure and large trees, such as white and red oak, mul- berry, magnolia, pine, hiccory, cypress, red and white cedar, &c. Orange and lemon trees grow here without cultivation, and produce better fruit than in Spain and Portugal. They have also vines, which yield grapes equal in size and flavour to the best muscadine ; and they have abundance of other fruits of excellent flavour. The cabbage tree furnishes a food that is pleasant and wholesome. Cotton is produced in great plenty ; as well as flax and hemp. Among the richer productions of the country we may reckon cochineal and indigo. The coasts furnish oysters and amber. The rivers abound in fish, but are molested by alligators. In the western parts are nume- rous herds of cattle and flocks of sheep : hogs also, whose UNITED STATES. 271 flesh acquires an excellent flavour from the acorns and ches- nuts on which they feed, are numerous. In the forests and deserts are found several species of wild beasts, and also a variety of birds. In summer the air is very hot, but in seve- ral places it is pure and wholesome ; the winter is commonly temperate, though the cold sometimes destroys the orange trees. The rivers are covered with ice. The principal town in West Florida is Pensaeola, and in East Florida St Augustine. The population of West Florida is very inconsiderable; Mobile and Pensaeola together not containing above 1500 souls. The interior of East Florida is little known, and only inhabited by a few Creeks or Seminols. — The town of St. Augustine in East Florida is less healthy than some have supposed it to be ; but the climate, and also the general appearance of the country, would be much im- proved, if industry and labour were bestowed upon it, and the inland marches properly drained. This country is said to been discovered by Sebastian Cabot in the year 1496, 18 years before it was known to the Spani- ards; but received its name from John Ponce, who, sailing from Porto Rico in 1-513, landed here ]n April, when the country appeared in full verdure and bloom. Florida has frequently changed its master; in 1564, the French took pos- session of some part of it, but they were driven from their settlements in the following year by the Spaniards, who then began to form establishments for themselves. In the year 1763 Florida was ceded to Great Britain in exchange for the Havannali, which had been taken from the Spaniards. AVhilst the English were in the possession of it they divided it into two governments, viz. East and West Florida, separated by the Appalachicola. During the American war, both the Flo- ridas were reduced by the Spaniards, and guaranteed to the crown of Spain by the definitive treaty of 1783. This country has now added more splendour to the star "Spangled banner of the United States. 272 VIEW OF THE TENNESSEE. Situation and Extent. ^HE state of Tenessee is situated be- tween 35 deg, and 36 deg. 30 min. of north lat. and 4 deg. 26 min. and 13 deg. 9 min. west long, from Washington. It is bounded on the north by the states of Kentucky and Virginia ; south by the states of Mississippi and Georgia, and the AUbama territory ; east by North Caro- hna, and west by the river Mississippi. The boundary Une on the south side is the parallel of 35, on the north side the parallel of 36, 30, and on the east the Alleghany mountains, which separate the state from North Carolina. Its length from east to west is 445 miles, and its breadth from north to south 104. Area 63,000 square miles, or 40,320,000 acres. Natural Georaphy. — The state of Tennessee is marked by bold features. It is washed by the Mississippi on the west, and the fine rivers Tenessee and Cumberland, pass through it by very serpentine courses. The western part is mostly level, the middle, like Kentucky, hilly but not mountainous ; the eastern part, known by the name of East Tennessee, is wholly araona: the mountains. These mountains are a continuation of the ridges which pass through the northern states, and are said to be very beautiful ; the country among them forming the most delightful residence of any in the state, in consequence of which it is rapidly settling. Besides the principal rivers already alluded to, there arc a great number of lesser rivers and small streams, but they are all tributary to the Tennessee and Cumberland, except a few of no great length that run into the Mississippi. None of the waters of this state run to the eastward, but the head waters of the Tennessee interlock with the rivers of Georgia, wliich determines the boundaiy be- tween those states and North (!aro!ina to be the highest land in this part of the United States. UNITED STATES. 273 Iron ore is found in abundance in this state, and a consider- able part of the country is, like Kentucky, bedded on lime- stone. Copperas, alum, nitre, lead, and some silver have been found ; and pit-coal is supposed to be plenty through the state, but, owing to the quantity of wood, it is not much sought for. Saltpetre is an article of commerce, and there are several salt-springs which supply the state with that necessary article. Some other mineral springs have been discovered. The soil is different in different parts of the country. In East Tennessee the land is good along the banks of the river, and in the valleys; the mountains are poor in soil, but they afford good pasture for sheep and cattle. In the middle part, the soil is pretty similar to that in Kentucky, and the low lands in the western parts are composed of a rich black vegetable earth. The climate in East Tennessee, among the mountains is delightful. The heats of summer are so tempered by the mountain air, that in point of climate this is among the most desirable residences in all the United States. The middle part has a climate very similar to Kentucky, but, being farther to the south, it is warmer, and more congenial to the culture of cotton, and other articles raised in the southern states. The western part being low, the air in summer is hot and moist, and the people are a good deal subject to fever and ague, and bilious fever, during the fall. Population. — In the year 1817, the number of inhabitants in this state amounted to 489,624, which is above 7f persons to a square mile. Amongst these there are about 50,000 slaves. Manners, ^c. — The population of this state, consisting chiefly of emigrants from the Carolinas, Virginia, and ' Georgia; from the New England states and Europe, has scarcely any uniform character. They are said to be some- what rough in their manners, but high-spirited and hospitable. A taste for reading prevails among many of them ; and be-' sides the Bible and newspapers, Salmagundy, the Olive Branch, and the History of the Late War, are works in great request. They cherish in their hearts a love of hberty, and a strong 2 M ^m VIEW OF THE attachment to their country. They are all good horsemen;, and expert at the rifle. Their stockings, clothes, and bed- ding, and even their candles and shoes, are generally of do- mestic manufacture. Gaming is not so common as it was, since the law was passed, disqualifying persons convicted of practising it from holding any civil or military office for five years, and fining him in fifty dollars besides. Licensed tavern- keepers take an oath not to permit gaming in their houses. The practice of duelling has ceased, since the act passed against it by the assembly, subjecting the parties to outlawry. Chief Towns. — The principal towns are Knoocville, in East Tennessee, and Nashville, in West Tennessee. Knoxville is the seat of government, and contains about 1000 inhabitants. Nashville is situated on the Cumberland river, and is a place of considerable commerce particularly in dry goods, groceries, and cotton. There are a considerable number of smaller towns, but they are of no great importance. Trade and Reso^irses. — The value of houses and lands in this state in 1815, was estimated at 34,415,971 dollars, and the gross value of manufactures in the preceding year was stated at 4,000,000 of dollars. The exports consist of cotton, tobacco, hemp, horses, live cattle, Indian corn, pork, fowls, potatoes, flour, saltpetre, flax, deer skins, ginseng, lumber, iron. The great staple produc- tions are saltpetre, tobacco, cotton, hogs, and cattle. The imports consist chiefly of dry goods and groceries imported in waggons to East Tennessee from Philadelphia and Baltimore, and to West Tennessee by land to Pitsburgh, and thence ilown the Ohio and up the Cumberland river. Orleans sugar, and some articles of groceries, are imported thence by the Mississippi : the freight was 5| dollars per hundred Aveight by common boats, but is probably reduced since steam-boats were established. Nashville, situated on the south side of the Cumber- land river, 190 miles from its mouth, with a population of 800 inhabitants, has 27 mercantile stores. The great channel of trade is the Mississippi, and New Orleans the place of de- posit. Other channels of shorter communication with the Mobile tide water have been projected ; between the Hudassee UNITED STATES. 275 «nd Coosee rivers for the country of East Tennessee, and be- tween, the Occachappo and Tombeckby for West Tennessee. Education. — There are four Incorporated colleges, three of which in East Tennessee were incorporated by the territorial government, and a donation of 100,000 acres of land was granted by congress for their support. Religion. — The religious denominations in this state are presbyterians, baptists, Roman catholics, j^rotestants, episco- palians, and methodists. According to the report of the general convention of baptists, held at Philadelphia, in May 1817, the number of their churches in Tennessee was 1G9, of members 9704. Government. — This state is divided into East and West Tennessee. East Tennessee is only one fourth part of the state, and is subdivided into 17 counties. West Tennessee is subdivided into 21 counties. The constitution of this state declares, that all power is in- herent in the people — that all men have a right to worship God according to the dictates of their consciences, and that no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious esta- blishment — that elections shall be free and equal; — and that the trial by jury shall remain inviolate. The government is legislative, executive, and judicial. — The legislature consist of representatives and senators, who are chosen for two years, and must be possessed of 200 acres of land in the county for which they are chosen. The gover- nor must be possessed of 500 acres of land, and is also elected for two years. All free males of 21 years of age, who pay taxes, have a vote. The judiciary is vested in such superior and inferior courts as the legislature may appoint; the judges are appointed by the legislature, and hold their offices during good behaviour. History. — This country, which formed a part of Carolina, according to the second charter of Charles II. was inhabited by the Cherokee Indians, by whom the first colonists, consist- ing of above GO families, in the year 1754, were nearly de- stroyed. Their settlements were not renewed till 1774, when the Indians, refusing to join the British standard, were at- ^76 VIEW OF THE tacked and driven towards the Kenhawa. The country then belonged to North Carolina, and delegates, in 1776, were sent from this district to the convention held for the purpose of forming a state constitution. In 1789 it was ceded by Carohna to the United Stales, and in 1796 was received into the federal union, and a constitution formed and ratihed by the free inhabitants. LOUISIANA. Situation and Extent. HP HIS is an immense territory, bounded by the Mississippi on the eaSt ; by the Spanish possessions on the west ; by Orleans tjerritory and the gulf of Mexico on the south, and on the north by the British possessions. It extends from the gulf of Mexico, in lat. 28 de^. to 48 deg. north, and from west long. 12 deg. 50 min. to 35 deg. ; being 1494 miles long, from north to soutlu and, though the western boundary has not been clearly ascertained, the breadth "may be assumed at 886 miles. Its area may be computed at nearly 985,250 square miles ; but the state of Louisiana proper contains only 49,000 square miles. The following estimate was made in 1814, the state being divided into three great sections: 1. The north-west section, including Red river and the Washita country, of 21,649 square miles, 12,700 inhabitants ; 2. The south-west, includ- ing those of Opelousas and Atakapas, 12,100 square miles, 13,800 ; 3. The south-east, including New Orleans and West Florida, 12,120, 75,200. In all, 101,700. Natural Geography. — In such an amazing extent of terri- tory the face of the country must be exceedingly diversified. Towards the south the land is low, and in many places over- flowed by rivers. To the north it becomes elevated, in many UNITED STATES. 377 places swelling out into large hills ; and towards the west there are very lofty mountains. The rivers are numerous and extensive, and form a remark- able feature in the geography of this country. The Mississippi washes it on the east, including its windings, upwards of 2000 miles, and it has in the interior some of the finest rivers in the world. The principal river is the Missouri, which, indeed, is the largest branch of the Mississippi. The sources of this river are still unknown, although one of its branches was navigated by Lewis and Clarke 3090 miles, where it is inclosed by very lofty mountains. Below this 242 miles, there is a confluence of three different branches of the head waters, in lat. 45 deg. 23 min. ; from thence the river appears to bend considerably to the north- ward, the great falls being in lat, 47 deg. 3 min., distant from the mouth of the river 2575 miles. These falls are 18 miles long, and in that distance descend 362 feet. The first great pitch is 98 feet, the second 19, the third 48, the fourth 26, -and other pitches and rapids make up the quantity above mentioned. In lat. 47 deg. 24 min., the river forms a junction with another nearly as large, and it is here 372 yards broad. In lat. 47 deg., 2270 miles from its outlet, it is clear and beautiful, and 300 yards wide. At 1888 miles from its out- let it is 527 yards wide, its current deep, rapid, and full of sand bars. At 1610 miles a fort has been erected, called fort Mandan. in lat. 47 deg. 21 min. ; and here the winters are represented as being very cold. From thence to the mouth the navigation is very good, the current being deep and rapid, and the water muddy. Its breadth is various, from 300 to 800 yards ; and at the outlet in 38 deg. 45 min. it is about 700 yards broad. In its progress it is augmented by a vast number of streams, the principal of which are Yellow Stone,. Little Missouri, Piatt, Kanzas, and Osage. The Moin, a very considerable river, falls into the Missis- sippi about 200 miles above the Missouri, and below the falls of St. Anthony, in lat. 45 deg., St. Peter's river, a very large 'Stream, falls into the Mississippi. §78 VIEW OF THE St. Francis rises near St. Louis, and running nearly a south course, upwards of 350 miles, falls into the Mississippi, in lat. 44 deg. 45. min., by a channel 200 yards broad. It is said to be navigable 200 miles. Arkansas is a very large river, rising in Mexico, and run- ning a south-east course, falls into the Mississippi, in lat. 33 deg. 45 min. ; being navigable 300 or 400 miles. Red river, and Black river, are two very large streams, rising between the lat. of 35 and 36 deg., about 100 miles apart; and running nearly 600 miles, they form a junction about 23 miles from the Mississippi, which they enter in lat. 31 deg. 5 min., 1014 miles below the Missouri. There are a great number of rivers to the westward, falling into the gulf of Mexico ; but owing to the country being little known, they do not seem to have excited much interest. One of the principal is the Sabine, the western boundary of the Orleans territory. The territory is said to abound in valuable minerals, of every description : but the branch that seems to have excited greatest attention is the lead mines, near St. Genevieve, which yield annually a vast quantity of that useful commodity. The soil and climate of Louisiana are said to be similar in every respect to that of the countries lying parallel to it east of the Mississippi. Near that river the soil is rich, and the climate temperate ; but it becomes more cold to the westward, and towards the mountains the cold is represented as being very severe; the soil being sterile, and the brooks in many places strongly impregnated with salt. The climate of this country varies in different parts. From the sea to point Coupee it seldom snows, nor does it ever freeze, except in the months of December and January and when the wind is from the north or north-west. It appears to be well ascertained, that there is here less heat and more moisture than in similar latitudes on the eastern continent, and the climate is generally very mild. In winter the thermometer seldom falls more than two degrees below the freezing point. In July there are heavy rains and thunder, and the heat is UNITED STATES. 279 then at its maximum ; but it continues without much diminu- tion till the close of September, the thermometer ranging be- tween 80 deg. and 87 deg., and sometimes rising above 90 deg. The most unhealthy months are August and September, when the miasma exhaled from decaying animal and vegetable mat- ters are most abundant, and most injurious to the human frame. At this season bilious disorders prevail, especially in new settlements. A more familiar idea of the climate of this country may be derived from the developement of its vegetable productions. About the 1st of February peach and plumb trees, peas, and strawberries, are in blossom. About the 1st of March, the trees generally are in leaf, or in blossom. Peas are ripe towards the middle of June, and the earlier fruit be- fore the close of July. Spring regularly commences with southern breezes, the warmth of which is so favourable to vegetation, that it is here more advanced in April than in May, in the northern states. Hurricanes were experienced in 1780 and 1794, in the month of August. The wind blew with violence during twelve hours, and so retarded the current of the Mississippi, that it overflowed its banks, and inundated the country from two to ten feet, as high as the English turn. These storms were accompanied with thunder, and with hail- stones of uncommon size. In 1802 the engineer who directed the works of fort Plaquemines, situated at the distance of twelve or thirteen leagues from the sea, was drowned in his cabin, by a sudden rising of the waters. The workmen and garrison found refuge in the most elevated part of the fort, where there was from two to three feet water. Population. — In the year 1712 the colony of Louisiana consisted of 400 whites and 20 negro slaves. In 1817 the population was estimated at 108,923, which is not much above two persons to a square mile. Manners, S^c. — The character of the people in this coun- try will be given in our description of the capital. New Or- leans. They are gay and lively, and their manners are pretty much assimilated to those of the French. But the brutalizing efl^ects of slavery tend to corrupt the morals of all classes. 280 VIEW OF THE Chief Towns. — Neto Orlecms is situated in lat. S9 deg. fiT min., and it is regularly laid out, the streets crossing one another at right angles ; but they are narrow, being generally not more than 40 feet in breadth. The houses in the princi- pal streets are built of brick, but the others mostly of wood. The middle of the streets are unpaved, and, in wet weather, are very muddy ; but the town is well supplied with good side pavements. The city extends nearly a mile along the river, and is about half a mile broad. There is a square in the centre, which is covered with grass, and contains the cathedral and town-house. There is a market-house of con- siderable extent, and it is well supplied with vegetables, but the meat and fish are said to be poor. The city lies below the surface of the river, on which there is an embankment, called a levee to defend it and the adjacent country from being overflowed. This levee, is of great extent, running more than 130 miles up the country, and on the top of it there is an excellent dry road. A plan has lately been agreed upon for supplying the city with water from the Mis- sissippi, which will add much to the comfort and health of the inhabitants. A winter residence in this city is said to be very pleasant ; but it is generally sickly in summer, arid many of the people leave it for two or three months. As it is, however, the great mart for receiving the commodities which are shipped from the Mississippi river, it will always continue to be a place of great trade, and will increase, probably, to a greater extent than any sea-port in America. Except in domestic manufactures, which do not appear to be carried on to a great extent, there are no material manufac- tures here, and in all probability the trade of this place will continue for a long time to be an object of solicitude to the manufacturing districts; particularly Pittsburg, and Lexing- ton, in Kentucky ; and on the other hand, from the increase of cotton and sugar, a great trade will always be supported between New Orleans and the cities on the Atlantic. The direct exports of 1810 amounted to 1,897,522 dollars; but it is to be observed, that the greatest part of the exports are by UNITED STATES. «81 the way of tlie eastern states, np part of which is entered at the custom-house. ' The French language,'' says a recent traveller, ' is still predominant in New Orleans. The population is said to be 30,000 ; two-thirds of which do noj spealc English. The appearance of the people too was French, and even the ne- groes evinced, by their antics, in rather a ludicrous manner, their connection with the natives of that nation. ' The general manners and habits are very relaxed. The tirst dav of my residence here was Sunday, and I was not a little surprised to find in the United States the markets, shops, theatre, circus, and public ball-rooms open. Gambling-houses throng- the city : all coffee-houses, together with the exchange, are occupied from morning until night by gamesters. It is said, that when the Kcntuckians arrive at this place, they are in their glory, finding neither limit to, nor punishment of their excesses. The general stylo nl" living is luxurious. Houses are elegantly furnished. The ball-room, at Davis^s hotel, I have never seen exceeded in splendour. Private dwellings partake of the same character ; and the ladies dress Avith expensive elegance. The sources of public amusement are numerous and varied. * I visited tlie theatre : it is an old building, about two- thirds the size of the little theatre in the Haymarket. The play was John of Calais, well performed by a French com- pany to a French audience At a tavern opposite I witnessed a personal confiict, in v/hich I supj)ose one of the parties was d'lrlvd. These things are of e very-day occurrence; and it is not often that they are taken cognizance of by the police. ' I was present at a criminal trial : the pleadings were a mixture of French and English. 'J'he jury consisted of ten French, and two Americans. The counsel were equally divided, being two of each language : tlve judge was American. The French counsel requested leave to (juote the code Napoleon, which was granted, on condition that he should explain to the French piu't of the jury that it was not law, and that he adduced it on the same principle that he would the works of a poet, merely to illustrate his ideas. Tlio 282 VIEW OF THE English law is the law of Louisiana, with such additions as local circumstances have rendered necessary ; one of which that was cited upon this occasion, is a law against biting off" the ear, the nose, tearing out the eyes, &c. 'Provisions are of very bad quality, and most enormously dear. Hams and cheese from England, potatoes, butter, and beef from Ireland, are common articles of import. Cabbages are now ten-pence per head ; turkeys, three to five dollars each. Rents ai-e also very extravagant. Yet to all men whose desire only is to be rich, and to live a short life but a merry one, I have no hesitation in recommending New Orleans.' In 1808, the professions and trades at New Orleans were as follows ; merchants, 60 ; printers, 7 ; innkeepers, 9 ; pro- fessors, 6 ; apothecaries, 5 ; lawyers, 24 ; physicians and sur- geons, 18; dentists, 2. The inhabitants of this city arc sensible of the advantages resulting from their connection with the United States, and though composed of men of every country in Europe, they are united by tlie strongest zeal in support of the government. Free trade is found to be far more advantageous than mono- poly ; trial by jury is acknowledged to be preferable to military law ; and elective authority far more desirable than the abso- lute rule of a military commander. In the course of a vei'y few years, the poj^ulation of the city of New Orleans has in- creased from 10,000 to 30,000 ; and many ol' the j)roprietors who were in a state of indigence under thedominion of Spain, have I'isen to sudden wealth by the rise on the value of land, which followed the change of government. Among the new buildings are a legislative hall, a Imll of justice, and an office of insurance. Two banks and an inland navigation company have been established ; and what is still of greater importance, a college or seminary of learning. There are five weekly newspapers ; the Courier, and the Ami des Loi.s\ in French, and the Loitisiana Gazette^ the Orleans Gazette, and a Price Current, or Commercial Register, in English. This city enjoys the most advantageous situation of any place upon the face of the earth, and as it nuist become the ^rand <'niporium of all the interior regions of North America, UNITED STATES. 28^ it will probably surpass the most flourishing city in ancient times and dispute the palm of eminence with the proudest capital in P^urope. The English ministry in their late bold, though unsuccessful attempt to seize upon this place, seemed to acknowledge its vast importance. Trade and Resources. — The surplus productions of an im- mense country watered by the Ohio, Missouri, Red river, and other great branches of the Mississippi, will naturally descend to New Orleans, and be thence transported to Mexico or the West Indies. Besides, there will be a constant exchange of commodities with the more northern states. In 1804, the exports from New Orleans amounted to 1,600,362 dollars. The quantity of sugar imported into the United States, in 1802, from Louisiana and the Floridas, amounted to 1,576,933 pounds. In 1809, the exports were, cotton, 3500 bales; sugar, 12,000 barrels; tobacco, 3000; flour, 250,000. The exports of this state, says the author of the Western Gazetteer, already exceed those of all the New England states, by more than 150,000 dollars a-year. Between 300 and 400 sea vessels arrive and depart annually ; 937 vessels of all de- nominations departed during the year 1816, from the Bayou St. John, a port of delivery in the district of Mississippi. The tonnage of these vessels is calculated at 16,000 tons; they are chiefly employed iii carrying the produce of that part of the Floridas belonging to the United States, consisting of barks, coals, cotton, corn, furs, hides, pitch, planks, rosin, skins, tar, timber, turpentine, sand, shells, lime, &c. The produce received at this city from the upper country is im- mense, 594 flat-bottomed boats, and 300 barges, have arrived within the last year from the western states and territories. The quantity of sugar made on the Mississippi alone, is esti- mated by a late writer at 10,000,000 of pounds; 20,000 bales of cotton were exported in 1812. Religion. — The clergy, before the late cession of Louisiana, consisted of a non-resident bishop, who had 4000 dollars a-year, from the revenue of certain bishoprics in Mexico and the isle of Cuba ; of two canons, with a levenue each of 600 dollars ; 28i V lEW OF THE and of 25 cures, of which five were for New Orleans, and 20 for the difl'erent parishes of the provinces, having each from 360 to 480 dollars a-year. All these disbursements, except the pay of the bishop, and the expences of the chapel, were paid bv the treasury of New Orleans, and amounted annually to tlie sum of 13,000 dollars. The convent of Ursulines, established in 1727, by the Company of the West, for the education of female orphans, contained, a few years ago, 28 nuns. The establishment is under the direction of 13 religieu- 4t'S. In the same building, a public school has been established for the instruction of day-scholars, at a dollar a-year, of whom the number, at the above period, was 80. Government. — The territory of Louisiana, as ceded to the United States, has been divided into two territorial govern- ments, tapper and Lower Louisiana. It is the latter which we are now treating upon, and which is also called the Orleans Territory. It is divided into 12 counties. In January 1812, a convention of the representatives of Slie people met at New Orleans, and framed and signed a constitu- tion, which was afterwards approved by the congress of the United States. This constitutiou resembles those of the other states of the Union, though more precautions seem to have been taken against corruption and abuse of power. Tlie legis- lative authority is vested in a luiuse of representatives and a senate. The electors consist of every free white male citizen, who has attained the age of 21 years, who has resided in the county in which he votes one year next preceding the election, and who has paid state tax the last six months prior thereto; The judicial power is vested in a supreme court and inferior court. The jurisdiction of the former extends to ail civil cases, when the matter in dispute exceeds the sum of 300 dollars. The judges of both hold their office during good behaviour. The supreme court consists of not less than three, nor of more than five judges, the majority forming a quorum. The .salary of each is fixed at 5000 dollars. The state is divided into two districts of ;i})pe!ate jurisdiction, the eastern and western. Jlh'toj-^'. — The existence of the Mis.sissippi was first made known to the French colonists in Canada, by the Indians^ UNITED STATES. 285 about 1660. In the year 1680, De la Salle, in hopes of find- ing an easy route to the Southern ocean, by this great river, passed down the Illinois, and descended with some of his party to the Mexican gulf; while father Hennepin, a Fran- ciscan friar, Ducan, and others, ascended 300 leagues to the falls of St. Anthony, by the Ohio. The former took posses- sion of the country in the name of the king ; and returning to Montreal, he proceeded to France to solicit his pennissi m to enter the Mississippi by sea. Encouraged in this enterprise, he sailed for the gulf of Mexico, but, owing to the low situa- tion of the coast arid strength of the current, he was carried considerably to the west of this river, and disembarked at the mouth of the Guadaloupe, in the bay of St. Bernard, in the year 1684. He planted the French standard on the river Colorado, or the Aux Cannes, and shortly after fell a victim to the perfidy of his men ; but some of his companions return- ed to Canada. In the year 1696 the Spaniards, jealous of the discoveries of the French, established Pensacola, to the east of the river Perdido. The first who entered the Mississippi by sea was Le Moine d'Hibberville, a Canadian naval officer of great reputation, who, in 1699, laid the foundation of the first co- lony at Biloxi. In order to people the country there were sent from France a number of young women, and soldiers who had been labourers; who received cattle and grants of land, and were provided with cattle, poultry, and grain. The colony was transferred in 1702 from Biloxi, to the isle of Dau- phin, but did not prosper. In 1708 new colonists were sent from France inider the direction of the commissary D'Artag- nette, and two years afterwards isle Dauphin was plundered by the English. Several different settlements were afterwards f()rmed in these vast regions; and in 1718, New Orleans, which previoiisly consisted of a few hovels was extended under the direction of De la Tour. For some time, French criminals and women of bad fame were imported ; but this practice was soon discontinued. At length the impolitic expulsion of the Jew.s, and the hostihty of the Indians caused a dissolution of the company who claimed this colony. 28a VIEW OF THE In 1762, the cabinet of Versailles, fearing that the loss of her northern possessions in Canada would bring about that of the country of Louisiana, the colony, by a secret treaty, Avas ceded to Spain, as an indemnity for expences incurred during the war ; and at the same time, the Floridas were made over to England. In 1764, Don Antonio de Uiloa arrived at New Orleans in quality of Spanish governor, with a detachment of troops ; and finding that the inhabitants were strongly inclined to remain under the French domination, and that the expences of the government would far exceed the amount of revenue, he wrote to his court against the cession, and remained two years in the country without taking possession of it in a formal manner. In the year 1769, O'Reilly, in quality of governor and intendant general, arrived with 4500 regular troops, a good train of artillery, stores, and annmmition, with which he drove away all the English protestants and Jews, prohibited all commerce except with Spain and her islands, and established a court martial for the trial of the French officers who remain- ed, five of whom were shot, and seven sent to confinement for ten years in the Moro castle at the Havannah. This conduct inspired a general indignation against him, and the colony was happily delivered from his violence by his removal in 1770. In 1780, the English fort of Mobile surrendered to the Spanish governor, which led lo the reduction of Peusacola, in conse- quence of which, West Florida fell into the hands of Spain. In 1795, a treaty was entered into between the United States and Spain, by which a line of boundary was agreed to, and the free navigation of the river secured. In 1798, all the Spanish posts to the north of the 31st degree were evacuated; and the year following, the line of demarcation between Spain and the United States was settled by commissioners. Not- withstanding these treaties, Spanish privateers and ships of war com.mitted spoliations on the commerce of the United States ; and the free navigation of the Mississippi, and the right of deposit at New Orleans, was refused. This induced the president of the United States to prepare a force on the river Ohio to act against this colony, which, however, from a UNITED STATES. 287 change of political circumstances, was disbanded in 1800. The year following, Mr. Jefferson, who was called to the pre- sidency, demanded from Spain the execution of the treaty ; and she, unwilling to comply, and fearing a rupture, sold the colony to the French republic, on the 21st of March, 1801. The French expedition, prepared in the ports of Holland for the purpose of taking possession of this country, was prevent- ed from sailing by an English squadron ; and the French go- vernment sold it on the 3d of April, 1803, to the United States, for the sum of 60,000,000 of francs, in which sum was to be included the amount of debts due by Fi'ance to the citizens of the United States. « Upper Louisiana. This territory in agriculture and })roduce does not vary from the neishbourino- countries. It is divided into the fol- lowing districts : St. Charles, St. Louis, St Genevieve, cape Gerardeau, New Madrid, Hopefield, and St. Francis, and the settlements on the Arkansas. The territory of Oilcans being more favourably situated for trade, and a disposal of their produce, this territory has as yet made no very rapid progress in improvements. The chief settlements are near the Missouri, and along the Mississippi to New Madrid ; with some on the Arkansas and St. Francis. St. Louis is the capital, and contains 1500 inhabitants. It is situated on the Mississippi, in lat. 38 deg. 38 min., in a fine healthy country, on a bed of limestone, having rich settle- ments around it. It is increasing in population and wealth ; and several manufactories have been recently established. St. Charles, a handsome village, is situated on the left bank of the Missouri, 18 miles from St. Louis, by an excellent road, leading through a rich country. In 1807, it contained 500 inhabitants, chiefly French ; but many Americans have lately settled in it. St. Genevieve contains about 1200 inha- bitants, and is increasing in population and wealth ; having about 20 stores, and being the deposite of the })roduce of the lead mines. 288 VIEW OF THE Gerardeau is a small town, situated on an eminence on the right side of the Mississippi, and contains from 30 to 40 houses only ; but it has a fine back country, and is improving. There is a post road from this place to fort Massac and the mouth of the Cumberland river. Ne%o Madrid is beautifully situated on the Mississippi ; but contains a few houses only. The government is the same as the territories east of the Mississippi, and to accommodate the white inhabitants, black men are kept in slavery by the laws. MISSISSIPPI. Situation and Extent. 'piIIS state was admitted into the Union on the 1st of March 1817. It is situated between 30 Aeg. and 35 deg. of north lat., and between 11 deg. and 14 deg. 30 min. west long, from Wash- ington. Its boundaries, as determined by the act of congress, are North by the southern boundary line of the state of Ten- nessee to the river of the same name, following its channel to the junction of Bear creek. East, by a direct Une drawn from this point to the north-west corner of the county of Washington ; and thence running due south to the gulf of Mexico. South by the Mexican gulf to the most eastern junction of Pearl river with lake Borgne, (Including all islands within six leagues of the shore,) up this river to the 31st deg. of lat., and along this parallel to the Mississippi river. West, by the Mississippi river. Length, from north to south about 340 miles ; Breadth, 150, containing nearly 55,000 square miles. Natural Geography. — A chain of islands stretch along the coast, which is indented with bavs, and intersected by numc- UNITED STATES. 289 rous water courses. From the mouth of Pearl river to the entrance of Mobile bay, tlie distance is about 100 miles. Twenty-five miles east of the former is the bay of St. Louis, 10 miles in length, and four in breadth. In general, the soil and appearance of the country are very uninviting, and have been described by the French writers in the most un- favourable colours. But these accounts apply only to the sea-coast, where the banks of the rivers, to the distance of SO or 25 miles, are nearly on a level with its waters, and the surface being sandy or marshy, and liable to inundation, it is ill fitted for agricultural purposes ; but beyond this dis- tance, or the 31st deg. of lat., the soil along the Pearl and Pascagoula rivers, from one to three miles in breadth, and known in the country bv the name of Swamp, is rich and productive, covered in its natural state with a fine growth of different trees, cotton-wood, gum, oak, bay, laurel, and mag- nolia, intermixed, in the more elevated parts, with lofty cane, and, in the low, with cypress. Between these borders the soil, to the distance of 100 miles, is generally sandy, and covered with the long-leaved pine; but above this again the surface gradually rises with a deep vegetable mould, which nourishes a fine growth of poplar, oak, hickory, black walnut, sugar maple, buck-eye, elm, hack-berry, &c. Towards the northern line of demarcation, the surface is more unequal, and more fertile; it is of the colour of ashes, and capable of yield- ing many successive crops without manure. The rocks are calcareo\is, with some mixture of flint, slate, and sandstone. The whole surface between the Mississippi river and Yazoo branch, to the Tennessee river, is rich, well watered, and healthy. The author of the Western Gazetteer considers the country bordering on this last river, for 100 miles above and below the Mussel Shoals, and for 40 north and south, as the garden of North America, and unquestionably the most fa- vourable to longevity and human enjoyment. The soil i» adapted to corn, sweet potatoes, indigo, cotton, esculent vege- tables, and fruit. Even wheat will yield a good productive crop. But it is the excellence of the waters, mildness and healthfulness of the climate, and proximity to the navigablf 18 2 O 290 VIEW OF THE waters of Tennessee and Tombigbee, that render it the most desirable to new settlers of any of the states or territories with- in the limits of the Union. The course of the river Mississippi, along the western fron- tier, is 572 miles. The Tennessee river forms the north- eastern boundary, to the junction of Bear creek, a distance of about 50 miles. PascaQvula river runs south 250 miles through the central parts of the state to the gulf of Mexico, where it forms a broad bay. Pearl river, which separates this state from that of Louisiana, is navigable to the distance of 150 miles from its moutli, but its entrance is obstructed by trees and logs, and has only seven feet water. Yazoo river rises from several sources near the northern boundary of this state, and runs in a south-west course to the Mississippi, ■which it enters nearly at right angles in lat, 32 deg. 28 min., 112 miles above Natchez, with an outlet 280 yards wide. The Bayou Pierre runs into the Mississippi 40 miles above Natchez ; and above this two other streams, called Cole's creek and Catharine^s creek, each 40 yards wide. Homochitto river rises near Pearl river, south-east of Natchez, and falls into an old channel of the Mississippi above Loftus''s heights in lat. 31 deg. 12 min. It is a fine stream 60 yards wide. There are a number of other streams and creeks. The whole navigable waters of this territory form a total extent of 2742 miles. Coal is said to be found on the Tombigbee, Tennessee, Black Warrior, and other streams. The two great articles of culture are cotton and Indian corn. Cotton is planted in the latter end of February and beginning of March. The average pioduce per acre is 1000 pounds in the seed. Maize is planted from the 1st of March to- the 1st of July, and is of a fine quality in this state, the bushel in many parts weighing 70 pounds. Rice is raised in the southern parts. Wheat, rye, and oats, do not thrive so well as in the northern states, and are not cultivated except for the use of the establishment. Horned cattle are so numerous, that some farmers have from 500 to 1000 head. Population. — The population of this territory does not ex- ceed 50,000 persons, of whom nearly one half are slaves. UNITED STATES. 291 CJdef Towns. — NatcJiez, situated on the bank, of tlie Mis- sissippi, in lat. 31 deg. {53 min., about 300 miles above New Orleans, contains about 150 houses, belonging chicfl}- to cotton planters, some of whom have a revenue of from 5000 to 30,000 dollars a-year. The plantations extend to the distance of 20 miles. East of this town, and near to the possessions of the Choctaw Indians, the progress of society is evinced by the publication of two weekly newspapers. To the north-east of Natchez, on the upper branches of St. Catherine's creek, is Sefterstorvn, or EUicotvilk\ consisting of 15 or 20 houses. On the middle, and between the two principal branches of Cole's creek, which unite 15 miles from its entrance into the Mississippi, stands the town of Greenville, the capital of Jef- ferson county, consisting of between 60 and 70 buildings, including the court-house, church, and post-office. A few miles, in a south-western direction, is the village of Union- town^ which is yet inconsiderable. Two miles below the mouth of the Bayou Pierre is Broronshnrg^ where a few fami- lies live: and, at the distance of 30 miles from its junction with the Mississippi, is Port Gibson, the chief town of Clai- borne county, containing about 60 houses, with an academy. On Big Black river, which is 12 miles above the former, the settlements extend to the distance of 40 miles along its branches. Twenty-seven miles above the junction of this river, on the upper side of the great western bend of the Mississippi, is situated the village of Palmyra, established by emigrants ft'om New England, Twenty-hve miles higher up, on the undu- lating fertile surface of the Walnut Hills, are fine cotton plan- tations. Trade ami Resourscs. — Natchez is the only place of con- siderable commerce. Beef, pork, and corn, are sent to Mobile and Pensacola, from the eastern parts, through the channel of the Tombigbee. The surplus productions of the western parts pass through the Mississippi. Government. — The convention, for the purpose of forming a constitution and state government, was composed of repre- sentatives from each county, chosen by all the free white male citizens, of 21 years of age, who had resided within the terri.? 292 VIEW OF THE tory one year prievous to the election, and paid county or territorial tax. This convention, consisting of 48 members from the 14< counties, met at the town of Washington, on the first Monday of July, 1817. The constitution is similar to that of the neighbouring states. ALIBAMA TEKKITORY. Situation and Extent. "T^HIS territory, including nearly one half of the former Mississippi terri- tory on the eastern side, and situated between the 30th and 85th deg. of north lat., was established b}^ an act of the American congress, dated the 3d of March, 1817, with the following boundaries : From the point where tiie Perchdo river intersects the 31st degree of latitude, in an easterly direction, to the western boundary line of the state of Georgia ; along this line to that of the southern boundary of tl>c state of Ten- nessee ; thence westerly to the Tennessee river, and by its channel to the mouth of Bear creek ; thence by a direct line to the north-west corner of Washington county ; and from this point, in a southern direction, to the gulf of Mexico, including all the islands within six leagues oi' the shore. It has the state of Mississippi on the west, Tennessee on the north, Georgia on the east, and the province of West Florida on the south. Its area is not properly ascertained, but probably exceeds 40,000 square miles. Naiural Geography. — The largest river of this territory, running from north to south, is the Mobile. It is a fine stream between 300 and 400 yards in width ; the current clear, and running at the rate of two miles an hour. Its tM^o great branches, which are known by the names of Tallapoosu and Coose, unite at the distance of about 415 miles trom the UNITED STATES. 293 outlet of the Mobile. It has from four to five feet water to the junction of the Alibama and Tombigbee, a distance of 45 miles. The Alibama branch is always navigable for vessels drawing six feet water to Fort Claiborne, 60 miles ; and there is from four to five feet water 150 miles higher up to the mouth of the Cawhaba, which falls in on the western side, and thence to the junction of the Cooseand Tallapoose, 160 miles, there is three feet of water in the shallowest places, affording a good navigation, except along two ripples, which skilful wa- termen pass safely by directing the boat with poles. Above one half of this territory is poor pine land. To the east of the Alibama river, the soil is generally sandy, and co- vered with pines, except along the water courses ; and in some places it is intersected with rich limestone meadows, and ridges of well-timbered land. Colonel Parmentier remarks, that, ascending the river from the town of Mobile, you see the lands on both sides constantly overflowed. The first dry lands are 21 miles above the mouth of the river. Here are traces of clay, mixed in layers, or rather in oblique veins, with the sand. Throughout the 31st degree of latitude the swamps are amazingly productive. Between these marshes or swamps and the ferruginous hills, there is a middle tract, rising by a gentle ascent, the soil of which is a blackish earth, thickly spread with small flint stones, or round quartz. The upper region contains an infinite number of siliceous stones, covered %vith iron in a sulphureous state. The streams also, which flow through it, contain this mineral in a dissolved state. The soil of the borders of the Alibama (called pine lands) produces maize, cotton, and sugar. Above and below the confluence of this river with the Tombigbee there are extensive swamps, liable to inundation; and a tract of poor stiff" clay extends along their borders, a mile in breadth, terminating in a sandy soil. About 50 miles above the union of these two rivers, the high broken lands commence, and extend 60 miles northward, covered with oak, hickory, cedar, and poplar. The best soil for agriculture is between the Alibama and Tombigbee rivers. Between the waters of the Alibama and those of the Conecah there is a waving plain, 30 miles in length and 20 in width, ^294> VIEW OF THE with ;i dark clayey rich soil, well timbered and watered. Be- low this it is gravelly and broken, to the extent of 20 miles, where the pine barrens cornnieuce. Around the sources of Limestone creek there is a tract of rich land, '20 miles in length and eight in breadth, well watered, and covered with various kinds of trees, of which the dogwood is the most abun- dant, and hence the lands are known b}' this name. A chain of mountains runs across this territory on the south- ern side of the Tennessee river, from its banks near the mouth of Bear creek to Fort Deposit on the eastern side, where it takes a northern direction across the river and the northern line of boundary. The breadth of this chain opposite INIusscl shoals is about 50 miles, in many places it rises to half a mile above its base, and is every where impassable for waggons. The hills and mountains are all calcareous, exce})t the summit of the last, which consists of sandstone. The hills contain a gi'eat quantity of iron ore. In the low southern parts of this country the heat is very great. The climate of the inland and upper parts resembles that of Georgia. The wild animals are, the panther, bear, wild cat, deei, beaver, otter, fox, racoon, squirrel, hare, and rabbit. Alliga- tors, from twelve to fifteen feet long, abound in the rivers ; snakes in the marshy and wdody places. The Creek Indians, known also by the name of Muscogees, reside chiefly on the waters of the Alibama and Chatahouche ; where, before the late war, they counted 30 towns ; but, du- ring that period, their number was greatly reduced. The po- pulation is now about 20,000. Population. — The present population of the territory is estimated at 50,000. The emigration is chiefly from Georgia, the Carolinas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The American government lately ceded 100,000 acres of land on the Tom- bigbce, near the junction of the Black Warrior branch, to a French company, at two dollars an acre, payable in fourteen years, on condition of their introducing and cultivating the vine and the olive ; but this colony has since removed to thc^ frontier country between the United States and Mexico. UNITED STATES. 295 Towns. — The chief town is Mobile. It is situated at the entrance of the river of the same name, on a fine plain, about 20 feet above the usual rise of the water. When taken pos- session of by the Americans, it contained about 200 houses. Since that period the population has increased daily, and it will probably become a great commercial place, the centre of trade of an immense country, extending to Tennessee and to the frontiers of Georgia. In July, 1817, the population was between 1000 and 1500. Tlie houses are of wood, and gene- rally one story high. Pensacola, however, affords a better road for vessels, as they are sheltered from every wind ; and the depth of water on the bar at its entrance, which is never less than 21 feet, will admit men-of-war of 60 guns. The port of Mobile is the only place in the whole bay which vessels drawing twelve feet water can approach. Those that draw from ten and a half to eleven feet water sail up Spanish river about two leagues, and descend Mobile river to the town, which requires but a few hours. Vessels of greater draught come within one or two leagues of the town, where they dis- charge and take in their cargoes. A quay is now constructing, at" the eastern extremity of which there will l3e nine feet water at low tide. Between ^lobile bay and Pensacola, a distance of TO miles, the country is yet a desert. A village has been lately planned, at the mouth of the Tensaw river, on a dry elevated surface, where there are fine springs. St. S'tepJwn's, the present government, is situated on the west side of Tom- bijibee river. 80 miles above the town of Mobile, and at the head of sloop navigation ; it contains about .50 houses. There is an academy, with 60 or TO students, a j)rinting-office, and fifteen stores. The situation, which is well fitted for trade, is found to be healthy. Commerce. — It was stated in the American journals of April, 181T, that the importations of the preceding year, at Mobile, from Boston, New York, and Xev.- Orleans, chiefly by sea, were estimated at 1,000,000 of dollars; that, during the la.st six months, 1700 bales of cotton had been shipped there. The trade of Maddison county will centre in this place. 296 VIEW OF THE Government. — The country watered by the Alibama is formed into a district, under the name of Washington, the extent of which, excluding Indian lands, is estimated at 83,000 square miles. It is subdivided into eight counties. The governor and secretary are appointed by the president of the United States, with the advice and consent of the senate. History. — In 1800, this country (including the present state of Mississippi) was placed under a separate territorial govern- ment. In 1813 (April) the country situated to the west of Perdido river, being included in the cession of Louisiana, was taken possession of by the United States; and that portion east of Pearl river was annexed to the Mississippi territory. In September, 1816, a tract of 13,000 square miles, situated on both sides of the Mussel shoals of the Tennessee river, was ceded by the Indians to the United States. ILLINOIS. Situation and Extent. T^HIS territory is situated between 36 deg. 57 min. and 42 deg. 30 min. north lat., aad contains an area of 66,000 square miles, or 42 millions of acres. Its length from north to south is 380 miles, and its breath from east to west 206 miles. It has the north- west territory on the north ; the state of Kentucky and the Missouri territory on the south and west ; and the state of In- diana on the east. Natural Geography. — The cliief rivers are the Illinois, Kaskaskias, and Stony rivers, all admitting of boat navigation ; and tlie Wabash, wliich divides this territory from Indiana, The Illinois river rises ner.r the south end of lake Michigan, and is fonned by the waters of the Theakiki and Plein rivers. UNITED STATES. 297 which unite in north lat. 41 deg. 48 min. Thence it pursues a south-west course of nearly 500 miles to its junction with the Mississippi, 18 miles above that of the Missouri, and 84 north of the mouth of the Kaskaskias. The Illinois is 400 yards wide at its mouth, is boatable to the Little Rocks, 60 miles from the Forks or extreme branches, and 270" from its outlet. The next river of this territory, in point of magnitude, is the Kaskaskias, which issues from the meadows to the south of lake Michigan, and falls into the Mississippi 84 miles south of the Illinois, after a south-south-westerly course of 200 miles, 130 of which from its mouth it is navigable for boats and small craft. It runs through a rich country abounding in extensive meadows covered with the richest pasture. The southern part of this territory between the Mississippi and the Ohio is very level, and is, in some parts, subject to inundation. This increases the depth and fertility of the soil, and renders it even too rich for many agricultural purposes. A tract extending from the mouth of the Wabash, and along the Mississippi, 80 miles in length and five in breadth, is of this description, and is very unhealthy. The rest of the coun- try is very similar to Indiana, but more picturesque, particu- larly between Vincennes and St. Louis, where rich meadows and beautiful woods alternately present themselves. Along the Little Wabash, the soil of the prairies is a rich fine black mould, inclining to sand, from one to three or four feet deep, lying on sandstone or clayey loam, and remarkably easy of cultivation. Between the Kaskaskias and Illinois rivers, 84 miles distant, the surface is level till within fifteen miles of the latter, where it terminates in a high ridge. Charlevoix de- scribes the north-western parts which he visited as rich, beau- tiful, and well watered. The climate being very temperate, cattle and sheep would multiply prodigiously ; and the wild buffaloes might be tamed, and great advantages might be drawn from a trade in their wool and hides. The high grounds continue along the eastern side of the Kaskaskias river, at a small distance from it, to the Kaskaskias village, five miles and a half The sides of some of these hills fronting the river are in many places perpendicular, and appear like solid pieces 2 P 29S VIEW OF THE of stone masonry of various colours, figures, and sizes. The low land between these hills and the river Mississippi is level; the soil rich, yielding shrubs and fragrant flowers, which, added to the number and extent of meadows and ponds inter- spersed through the valley, render it exceedingly beautiful and agreeable. The lands between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers are rich almost beyond parallel, covered with large oaks, walnut, &c. and not a stone is to be seen except upon the sides of the rivers. Above the Illinois lake, the land on both sides, to the distance of 27 or 30 miles, is generally low and full of swamps, some a mile wide, bordered with fine meadows ; and in some places the high land approaches the river in points or narrow necks. The alluvial soil of the rivers, the breadth of which is generally in proportion to their magnitude, varying from 300 or 400 yards to more than two miles, is so wonder- fully fertile, that it has produced fine crops without manure for more than a century. Beyond this, the dry meadow land without trees, rising from 30 to 100 feet above the former, stretches to the distance of from one to ten miles. The whole meadow ground of the Illinois river is supposed to contain an area of 1,200,000 acres. The north-western parts are hilly and broken, abounding in ponds and swamps, called wet prai- ries^ but well watered and wooded, and containing tracts of fertile soil. Copper ore is said to have been discovered on Mine river, which joins the Illinois, 120 miles from its mouth. Millstones Avere formerly made by the French, of a rock which forms a rapid in the Illinois river. Alum was found on a hill, near Mine river. Coal was observed extending half a mile along the high bank of the north-western side of the Illinois river. According to Hutchins, quarries of limestone, freestone, and marble, exist along the Mississippi, from between the Ohio and the Kaskaskia. White clay is found in the beds of the Illinois and Tortue. The? salt works, on the Saline river, (26 miles below the mouth of the Wabash,) furnish annually between 200,000 aiid 300,000 bushels of salt, which is sold at the works, at from 50 to 75 cents per bushel. UNITED STATES. 299 What was said of the climate of Indiana applies almost equally to Illinois. Winter is on the whole an agreeable sea- son. Extreme cold occurs only when the wind sets in from the north-west, the thermometer then falling to 7 or 8 deg. below zero; but when it shifts to any other quarter, mild Aveather and sunshine return, with the thermometer frequently above 50 deg. in the shade. Population. — In 18] the population was estimated at 12,282 persons. In 1819 it was estimated at 30,000; the ra- tio of increase being 30 per cent, per annum. Toxons. — This being a newly settled territory, it contains no towns of any consequence. Sluixonoctoxvn, or Shcm'aiwtonm, where once stood a village of the Indians of this name, is situ- ated on the Ohio, below the Wabash, and was laid out at the expence of the United States. It was injured by an inunda- tion in the spring of 1813, which swept away the log-houses and drowned the cattle. The inhabitants escaped in boats. It now contains 30 or 40 families, who live in cabins formed of trees or logs, and subsist by the manufacture of salt. There are several other villages, wliich may soon become places of some importance. In the autumn of 1817, Mr. Birkbeck, an intelligent and enterprising English farmer, removed to this country, and set- tled in the south-east parts, between the Great and Little Wa- bash, at a spot to which he has given the name of English Prairie. In his ' Notes on America,' and ' Letters from Illi- nois,"' he has given a just and striking description of the face of the country, its soil, productions, mode of culture, and capaci- ties of improvement ; and he has pointed out the great advan- tages it offers to settlers, especially to labourers, and farmers of small capital. The extensive circulation of these works has attracted an extraordinary degree of attention to his settlement ; and the very favourable account he lias given of the country, with the confidence reposed by those who know him, and by those who have read his Notes, in his judgment and agricul- tural skill, have induced numbers to emigTate to the neigh- bourhood, both from England and the United States. It 300 VIEW OF THE appears, from a variety of notices in the American journals^ that population is increasing in this quarter with great rapidity. Commerce. — Numbers of cattle are raised in the fertile soil called ' the Great American Bottom,' between the Kaskaskia and Illinois river, for the markets of Baltimore and Philadel- phia. Horses of the Spanish breed are also raised for sale. Government. — The government of tliis territory was esta- blished by acts of congress, dated 3d of February, 1809 ; and i congress passed an act on the 18th of February, 1818, author- izing the inhabitants of this territory to form a constitution and state government, and- to be admitted into the Union, on an equal footing with the original states. The convention to be chosen for this purpose, were to meet on the first Monday of August, 1818. Slavery is abolished by law, and by act of 5th February, 1813. History. — The first settlements were made by the French at Kaskaskias, Kahokia, Fort Massac, and other places, which are still inhabited by their descendants, tliough the country was under the dominion of the British from the year 1756 to the treaty of peace with the United States. The Indians then inhabiting and claiming this territory were the Kaskaskias, the Sacks and Foxes, and the Piankashaws. In 1806, the first tribe ceded to the United States a tract of 12,000 square miles from the mouth of the Ohio to that of the Illinois, and 80 miles in breadth from the Mississippi. Since this time several other secessions have taken place, until the state swelled to its present extent. UNITED STATES. 301 MICHIGAN Situation and Exteni.WflCHlGAN, formerly Wayne coun- ty, was ex'ected into a teri'itory with a separate government in 1805, with the following limits: north, by the straits of Michillimakinac ; west, by lake Michi- gan ; south, by a line running from east to west, which sepa- rates it from the states of Ohio and Indiana ; east, by lakes Huron and St. Clair, to lake Erie. The southern line has not yet been accurately fixed. It is situated between 41 deg. 50 niin. and 45 deg. 20 min. of north lat., and 5 deg. 12 min. and 9 deg. west long, from Washington. It includes a surface of 47,500 square miles, 30,400,000 acres. Its length from south to north is 250 miles, its breadth from east to west 160 miles. This territory forms a peninsula bounded on the north, east, and west sides by the great lakes Michigan and Huron. Natural Geography. — This territory is nearly environed by the great lakes Erie, Huron, and Michigan, and a great num- ber of small pieces of water are interspersed throughout the interior parts. The total extent of navigable waters, including rivers, is 1789 miles. The surface has a gentle elevation from the western and northern borders towards the middle, which is generally level, and without hills or mountains. Extensive meadow lands stretch from the banks of the St. Joseph's to lake St. Clair, some of which, called ' high prairies/ are equal in quality to those of Indiana, and are of very different soil from the low prairies, which are sandy or marshy. Other parts are covered with extensive forests. The lands on Saganaum river are of a good quaUty ; meadow lands extend from its banks to the dis- tance of four or five miles. Thence to Fhnt river, fifteen miles, the country is level, the soil excellent, and covered with trees; thence to the Huron river the surface is waving, cover- 302 VIEW OF THE ed with oak without underwood, and interspersed with lakes, resembhng the county of Cayuga in the state of New York. From Huron to Detroit the soil is rich, but low and marshy. The soil of the banks of the rivers St. Joseph's and Saganaum is of an excellent quahty. Along the straits of St. Clair there are fine meadows interspersed with rich wood lands. The banks of the Huron and Rouge rivers are also very fertile and well wooded. Those of Swan creek are low and unhealthy within a mile of the lake, beyond which there is high and good soil. That of the uplands of Rocky and Sandy creeks is poor and sandy. The alluvial soil of the rivers Raisin and Miami is excellent near their outlets ; but at some distance becomes light and sandy. Along a considerable part of the coast of lake Michigan are sandy eminences, formed near the mouths of the rivers by the action of their current operating against the swell of the lake. Along the western shore of lake Huron there is a narrow tract of poor soil, from half a mile to a mile in breadth. It is believed that this territory contains twenty millions of acres of excellent soil, of which eight millions have been ceded by the Indians to the United States, who have sold above 200,000 to different individuals. The banks of Rocky creek and other streams are calcareous. On two branches of the Saganaum river there are salt springs, which, it is believed, will be sufficient for the use of the terri- tory, and all the settlements on the upper lakes. The northern situation of this country would seem to indi- cate a considei'able degree of cold ; but it is found to be so modified by the waters of the lakes, that the winter is warmer than in some more southern latitudes. The season commences about the middle of November, and lasts till the middle of March ; and the ice on the rivers and borders of the lakes, during this period, is generally strong enough to support sledges. There is but little snow. Towards the state of In- diana, the cUmate resembles that of the western counties of New York and Pennsylvania; but along the coast of lake Huron, the winter commences two weeks eai'lier than at De- troit. Lake St. Clair is frozen over every year from Decem- ber to February. According to the observations of generiii UNITED STATES. 303 Wilkinson, made in 1797, the thermometer between St. Clair and Michillimackinac never rose higher at noon than 70 deg., and in the morning and evening it often sunk to 46 deg. Population. — The population of this territory, which is chiefly of French origin, has not increased so rapidly as might have been expected from its salubrity and advantageous com- mercial situation. In 1800 there were about 3000 inhabitants ; in 1810 the number did not amount to 5000. In 1816 it was estimated at 12,000, exclusive of Indians. Chief Towns. — Detroit, situated on the western side of the strait, eighteen miles above Maldon, and six below the outlet of lake St. Clair, contains more than 300 buildings. About half the population is of French origin, the rest from different parts of Europe and the United States. It was originally de- fended by a strong stockade, which was burnt down in 1806. Several wooden quays, or wharfs, project into the river. That of the United States is 140 feet long, and the water is deep enough for a vessel of 400 tons burthen. The public build- ings consist of a council-house, prison, and store. The last is of three stories, 80 feet in length, and 30 feet wide. Another store is now building. The present Roman catholic chapel is to be replaced by a new one of a large size. A college is to be established here, and the building has already commenced. There is a printing office, and formerly a newspaper, called the ' Michigan Essay,' was issued from Utica, but it has been discontinued for want of encouragement. Manufactures and Commerce. — The manufactures of this territory, in 1810, amounted to 37,018 dollars ; but their pro- gress was checked during the war by the ravages of the In- dians. Sides of leather, 2720 ; saddles, 60 ; hats, 600 ; whis- key, 19,400 gallons; brandy, 1000; soap, 37,000 pounds; candles, 6500; woollen cloth, 2405 yards; flax stuffs, 1195; hemp mixed, 20. From Detroit the exports in 1810 amounted to 3615 dollars. In 1817 the exports in cyder, apples, and fish, amounted to 60,000 dollars. Detroit and Michillimackinac are ports of entry. The imports are from the state of Ohio, and consist of beef, pork, cheese, butter, and whiskey. 304 VIEW OF THE History. — This country, when first discovered by the whites, was occupied by the Hurons, many of whom, about the year 1648, were converted to Christianity by the Jesuit missiona- ries, who erected a chapel at the falls of St. Mary, and another on the island of St. Joseph. About the year 1670, the Efu- rons were defeated and dispersed by their implacable enemies, known by the name of Six Nations ; and at the close of the American war, this territory was occupied by different tribes, whose warriors amounted to 3500. In 1663 Louis XIV. sent a small number of troops to this territory to protect the trade in furs, and some years afterwards a fort was built at Detroit, and another at Michillimackinac, by which means the traders were enabled, notwithstanding the opposition of the Iroquois, to extend this commerce to the borders of the Mississippi ; but these advantages were lost by the war of 1756, which deprived the French of all their North American possessions ; and this territory falling into the hands of the English, was ceded to the United States by the peace of 1783, and was placed under the protection of a governor, with temporary regulations ex- tending to all the country north-west of the Ohio. The Eng- lish fort of Detroit was also ceded in 1796, and the peninsula received the name of Wayne county. In 1805, a distinct, government was establislied under its present name. MISSOURI TERRITORY. Situation and Extent. 'THE Missouri territory extends from the Mississippi on the east, to the Rocky mountains on the west, and from the gulf of Mexico on the south, to Canada on the north. It lies between 29 and 49 deg. of north lat., and \% deg. 50 min. and 32 deg. of west long, from Washington. Its length, from south to north, is UNITED STATES. 305 about 1400 miles, and its breadth, from east to west, 88G miles ; containing an area of about 985,250 square miles, or 630,560,000 acres. Natural Geography. — The country upon the north side of the Missouri river consists of fine rich meadows, or hills covered with a tolerable good soil, and thinly wooded. For the distance of 200 or 300 miles, from the river Mississippi to the base of the Rocky mountains, the whole country is one continued prairie, or level surface, except along the rivers, the alluvial soil of which is considerably lower than the surround- ing country, and the breadth in proportion to the magnitude of the river. The Missouri river is generally from 150 to 300 feet below the level otthe surface. The country south of the Missouri, and along the Missis- sippi, from the mouth of the Arkansas to the head of Ti- wappaty Bottom about the mouth of the Ohio, a distance of nearly 450 miles, is low and level. The high grounds commence about twelve miles below cape Girardeau, from which a chain of hills stretches across the country to the St. Francis, dividing the lower from the upper country The low lands are generally well wooded, the high grounds very thinly, and scarcely a shrub is seen on the natural meadows. On the northern bank of the Osage river there is an extensive tract of rich alluvial soil ; that on the ojDposite side is inferior, but it opens into a fine fertile plain, which is seen to great advantage from the summit of some high mounds or insulated hills near the Indian village. ' From this eminence,' says Mr. Brown, a surveyor, ' I am persuaded that, turning round, I could sur- vey 500 square miles, and nearly all of the first quality ; tim- ber and springs only are wanting to make this the finest part of the world I have yet seen.' From this point towards the woody country, a distance of 130 miles, the land becomes gradually less fertile to the streams of the Grand river of the Arkansas, which runs in a western direction. But, upon the whole, this immense tract of country is wild and uninviting. Lead ore is very abundant in this country ; it is said to ex- tend through a surface 600 miles in length, and 200 in breadth, from St. Genevieve to the mines of the Sack and Fox Indians, 2 Q ^06 VIEW OF THE on tlie Mississippi. Iron ore on the rivers St. Francis, Mara- mek, and Osage, and in the country watered by White river. Above Cedar island, 1075 miles from the mouth of the Mis- souri, where the alluvial soil terminates, the brown iron ore appears on the surface, and prevents vegetation. Copper, a short distance below the falls of St. Anthony. Zinc. — The blend ore of this metal is found in the pits ft)rmed for working the lead mines. Pyrites are found on the borders of the Wa- shita river. Spar crystallized in caves and subterraneous places from the river Missouri to that of the St. Francis. Limestone abounds in the elevated country. Coal, a large body near the mouth of the Missouri, and at the foot of the bluffs on the Osage river ; and, according to hunters, on the Little Missouri and Yellov/ Stone rivers. Alum, nitre, salt- petre, ochres, salt, &c. is found in various parts. Deer and wild horses are numerous in this country, and ti'avellers say that flocks of buffaloes, from 40,000 to 50,000, are seen together. The soil is well adapted for the growth of wheat and maize. Hemp is indigenous, and grows to the height of eleven feet. About 1500 weight may be obtained from an acre. The climate of the parts of this territory already settled, si- tuated between the 33d and 40th degrees of north lat., is Sub- ject to extremes of heat and cold, similar to those which are experienced in the Atlantic states ; but they are here of much shorter duration, and the general temperature is mild and agreeable. The changes are not so sudden as in the eastern states, and the north-west wind, which brings a chilling cold, seldom continues more than eight hours. Spring opens with heavy rains, which are frequent till the 1st of May, when they cease till the 1st of August; and, during this period, the wea- ther is warm, with frequent thunder and lightning. Population. — The population of this territory in 1817 was estimated at 68,794, including slaves and civilized Indians. Chief Towns. — The town o^ St. Louis, situated in 38 deg. 89 niin. north lat., and 12 deg. 51 min. west from Washing- ton, extends two miles along the western side of the Mississip- pi, at tlie distance of 14 miles below the mouth of the Missouri, UNITED STATES. 307 and 18 above that of the Maramek, and about 13r50 above New Orleans. It was founded in 1764. There are three streets parallel with the river. Most of the houses are built of limestone, with a garden or park inclosed with a stone wall. In 1816, the population of the town of St. Louis was about 2000. The number of dwelling-houses in March, 1817, was from 350 to 400. Some of the lands near St. Louis are ex- tremely fertile. Herculaneiim, a village of 200 inhabitants, established by colonel Hammond and major Austin, is situated on the borders of the jMississippi river, at about an equal distance from St. Louis and St. Genevieve, at the mouth of the Joachim river. Boats are built here ; there are several mills in the vicinity ; and a patent shot factory has been lately established by Mr. Matlock, on the edge of a rock, where there is a fall for the shot of 200 feet perpendicular. The village of St. Genevieve, situated about three miles above the mouth of Gabane creek, in lat. 57 deg. 51 min., contained, in 1816, 850 houses, an academy, eight or ten stores, and it had a road leading to the lead mines. The an- nual imports were then estimated at 150,000 dollars. A tract, extending five miles along the bank of the river, and containing 7000 acres, is owned by the inhabitants in common, and called the ' Common Field.'' On Big river, which traverses the tract where the lead mines are wrought, there are several compact settlements, of which the largest is Bellevuc, situated at the distance of 50 miles west of the town of St. Genevieve. Other small establishments extend 50 miles up the Maramek, and to the waters of the St. Francis. Farm-houses are established on the navigable streams of this district ; the la Vase, Saline, and Apple creek. Lead and salt are the chief articles of export. The annual produce of the former is estimated at 1,525,000/. The village of Si. Charles, on the borders of the Missouri, about 24 miles from its mouth, and 25 from St. Louis by land, contains about 1000 inhabitants. The houses extend a mile along the river, under a hill, which prevents an extension «f the town in an opposite direction. This establishment was 308 VIEW OF THE founded in 1780, by Creoles and Canadians. It is the resi- dence of a numerous class of watermen, called engagees. The prosperity of Next) Madrid^ situated on the west bank of the Mississippi, in 36^ deg. north lat., was impeded in 1811 by an earthquake. There are several other settlements and villages in this territory, which do not merit a particular de- scription. Commerce. — Peltry is the principal article of trade in this district. The annual average quantity of this article, from the year 1789 to 1804, a period of fifteen years, was as follows : Castors, 36,900 lbs., valued at 66,820 dollars. Otters, 8000 —37,100. Bear skins, 5100—14,200. Buffalo skins, 850— 4750. Racoon, wild cat, and fox skins, 28,200—12,280. Martins, 1300—3900. Lynx, 300—1500. Deer skins, 158,000—63,200. Total, 203,750. The average yearly va- lue of the goods sent up the Missouri river, during the same period, was 61,250 dollars, which yielded an annual profit of 27 per cent. Government. — The act of the congress of the United States, providhig for the government of this territory, was passed in June, 1812. The executive power is vested in a governor, appointed by the president and senate of the United States. for the term of three years. This magistrate is commander- in-chief of the ^nilitia, superintendent of Indian affairs, and is invested with power to appoint and commission all public offi- cers, not otherwise provided for by law; to grant pardon for offences against the territory, and reprieves for those against the United States; and to convene the assembly on extraordi- nary offences. Delegates to congress are to be elected by the citizens at the time of electing their representatives to the ge- neral assembly, to have the same powers, privileges, and com- periusation, as are granted to delegates of other territories. UNITED STATES. 309 NORTH-WEST TERRITORY. Situation and Extent. nHHIS territory is bounded on the north by lake Superior, and the ■water communication between this lake and the Woods, and from the north-west corner of the lake of the Woods by a direct line to Red river, which it strikes a little below the junction of the Assiniboin ; on the south by the Illinois terri- tory, from which it is separated by the parallel of 42 deg. 30 min. ; on the east by lake Michigan and the channel between lake Huron and lake Superior ; and on the west by the Mis- sissippi river to its sources, and thence by the waters of the Red river to the junction of the Assiniboin, which separates it from the Missouri territory. It is situated between 42 deg. 30 min. and 49 deg. 37 min. of north lat., and between 7 deg. and 20 deg. west lono['. from Washinelon. Its breadth, at the Of? O ^ latitude of 46 deg., from east to west, is 480 miles. Its length is very unequal. Area, about 147,000 square miles, or 94,080,000 acres. Natural Geogra'pluj. — It is difficult to imagine a finer situa- tion, with regard to water communication, than that of the North-west territory. Lake Superior, on the north, is con- nected with lake Michigan on the east, and with a chain of small lakes, extending to the lake of the Woods. The Mis- sissippi extends along the western side ; and beyond its sources is Red river of lake Winnipig, running in an opposite direc- tion. The interior is intersected by numerous rivers, flowing in different directions, from sources near each other, into lakes Superior and Michigan, and the river Mississippi, and admit- ting of an easy communication, by means of short canals. The upper parts are studded with small lakes. Fox river, a branch of the Iliinois, which rises in the south- eastern parts, is navigable 330 miles. jChicago river is an arm 310 VIEW OF THE of lake Michigan, at the distance of a mile from which it di- vides into two branches, both of which, as well as the main channel, are from 15 to 50 yards wide, and have water suffi- cient for the passage of large vessels, except on the b^r at the entrance. Green bay, the northern extremity of which is called Noquet's bay, is an arm or branch of lake Michigan, running parallel with it, 1^0 miles: the interjacent land is from 20 to 40 miles broad. The breadth of Green bay varies from six to 30 miles. This bay has water sufficient for vessels of 200 tons burden, and affords an easy and safe navigation. Fox river, (called sometimes Outagamy,) which it receives at the south-western extremity, is 400 yards wide at its entrance, with three fathoms water, and is navigable 160 miles to Win- nebago lake, through which this river passes to its outlet in Green bay. The river St. Louis, which falls into West bay, at the bottom of the lake, rises near some of the eastern ex- treme branches of the Mississi})pi, and is navigable 150 miles from its mouth, near which, and towards its source, the North- west company have established several trading houses. The Red, Swan, Muddy, and a number of other rivers, in- tersect this country in every direction. The Ouisconsin takes its rise about the 45th degree of latitude, near the source of the Montreal river of lake Superior, and north of that of the Fox river, with which it runs in a southern direction, separated by a high ridge to near the Carrying place, where it takes a south-western direction, to its junction with the Mississippi, in lat. 43 deg. 23 min,, a distance, in following its course, of 240 miles. It is more than 100 yards wide at the Carrying place, and about half a mile near its outlet; and, throughout all this distance, it 'flows with a smooth, but strong current." When the water is low, the navigation is impeded in some places by bars of sand. The traders of Michilliniackinac send their Poods throush the channel of the Fox and Ouisconsin rivers to the IMississippi. The southern parts of this territory are watered by Rock river, whicli is said to rise near Green bay of lake Michigan, and run a course of 450 miles, for 300 of which it is navigable. Numerous lakes are interspersed throughout the interior of this territory, which are generally UNITED STATES. 311 the sources of the principal rivers. The whole extent of na- vigable waters exceeds 8100 miles. This territory, stretching across 13 degrees of longitude and 7 of latitude, encircled and intersected by lakes and large ri- vers, lias a great variety of soil. Near the north-western parts must be the most elevated point of land between the Atlantic coast, the gulf of Mexico, and Hudson's bay ; for here, within 30 miles of each other, the St. Lawrence, Red, and Mississippi rivers have their sources, from which they flow to those seas in an eastern, northern, and southern direction respectively, each traversing a space of more than 2000 miles. Carver de- scribes ' the land on the south-east side of Green bay of lake Michigan as but very indifferent, being overspread with a heavy growth of hemlock, pine, spruce, and fir trees ; but ad- joining to the bottom of the bay, it is very fertile, the country in general level, and affording many fine and extensive views.* On the western side of the territory, below the falls of St. An- thony, the high lands and prairies have the appearance of a tolerably good soil ; but above this parallel, Pike has remark- ed, that it gradually becomes poorer. Two-thirds of the ad- jacent country between the river Des Cor beaux, or parallel of 45 deg. 50 min,, and Pine river, is so covered with small lakes, that it is impassable except in bark canoes. Along the water courses are clumps of oak, ash, maple, and lynn ; and num- bers of elk deer and buffalo are seen. From Leech lake to the sources of the Mississippi river, the whole face of the country is described by Pike ' as an impenetrable morass, or boundless savannah.' The highest mountains are those south of the CaiTying place, between the Fox and Ouisconsin rivers, which Carver ascended, and ' had an extensive view of the country. For many nules nothing was to be seen but sepa- rate hills, which appeared at a distance like hay cocks, being without trees. Grroves of hickory and stunted oaks covered some of the vallies.' Silver ore has been found on the south side of lake Superior. The lead miiies of Dubuque (the name of the proprietor) ex- tend from within a few miles of the Mississippi, to the distance of 27 or 28 leagues between the Ouisconsin and Rocky 312 VIEW OF THE branches, occupying a breadth of from one to three milesr. The annual produce of metal is from 20,000 to 30,000 pounds. Copper ore and native copper seem to abound on the southern coast of lake Superior, and on the banks of some of its tri- butary streams. The elevation and northerly situation of a great portion of this territory indicate a considerable degree of cold, whichj however, is modified by the great masses of water of lakes Su- perior and Michigan. Carver was struck with the luxuriant growth of the wild rice, which is not seen to the east of lake Erie, and scarcely ripens near its waters. On leaving Michil- limackinac, in the spring season, though the trees there have not even put forth their buds, yet you arrive here in 14 days, and find the country around the bay covered with the finest verdure. According to the same traveller, the north-west wind, which brings intense cold to the New England states, is much less severe in this country. Population. — The number of white inhabitants of this terri- tory is yet inconsiderable, but no enumeration was made in 1810, and we have not been able to procure satisfactory in- formation on the subject. A tract of about 8,000,000 of acres of this territory is claimed by the heirs of the late captain Jo- nathan Carver, in virtue of a deed in their possession, granted and signed by two of the chiefs of the Naudowessie Indians, the 1st of May, 1767. Manners^ <§*c. — The people belonging to the colony on Green bay are extremely polite and courteous, strictly pre- serving the manners of their forefathers, the French. The women, nine-tenths of whom are of Indian origin, are modest in their manners. Their costume is grotesque, wearing print- ed calico short gowns, petticoats of strouds, and mocassins. The men, with few exceptions, have partly adopted the man- ners of the Indians. Their dress is that worn by the French people of Detroit. At the carrying place, between the Fox and Ouisconsin rivers, 350 miles east of the falls of St. An- thony, two or three familes of French origin are established, who charge the extravagant sum of -iO cents per cwt. for the transportation of goods; for a canoe, five dollars; a boat. UNITED STATES. 313 three. It is said that the United States propose to establish a miUtary post here. Towns. — Here are no towns of any consequence. The Prairie des Chiens, or Dog meadow establishment,, on the east bank of the Ouisconsin, and about a mile from its outlet, con- sists of 60 houses, or about 400 inhabitants, who are chiefly of French origin, with a mixture of In iian blood. These houses form a village of two streets, though some of them are scattered along the surface, to the distance of four or five miles. In spring and autumn this is a place of resort for the white traders and Indians, whose numbei* is sometimes equal to that of the inhabitants. THE COUNTRY BETWEEfJj THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 'pHESE vast regions will, soon be settled by the enterprising and restless inhabitants of the United States. Already has a settlement been formed at the mouth of the Columbia, where it joins the Pacific ocean, and which promises to become a place of great importance. The area of this country is esti- mated at 224,000 square miles. The Rocky mountains were so named by the hunters, on account of their steep and rugged appearairce. They form a part of the great chain which extends from the straits of Ma- gellan, nearly to the polar circle. The American exploring 14 2 R ;U4 VIEW OF THE party not having a barometer, were unable to ascertain their heights ; but the perpetual snow on their summits indicates an elevation of 8000 or 9000 feet. Another great chain of mountains, nearly parallel to the former, and distant from them about 80 leagues, stretches across the country, near the coast. The most elevated parts of this chain, Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood, between the 44th and 45th parallels, are also covered with perpetual snow. These mountains, which have been seen by all the navigators who have visited this coast, extend more than 3000 miles from Cook's Entry to California. Between these two great ridges runs another less elevated range, in a south-west direction, towards the 45th deg. of north lat , where it terminates in a level plain. Another stretches, in a north-western direction, across the Columbia river, towards the great chain which runs parallel to the coast. Between the Rocky .mountains and those near the sea, the country is a wide and extensive plain, without woods, except along the narrow elevated borders of the water courses. Towards the 46th parallel, this tract ex- tends nearly 400 miles from east to west ; near the 53d paral- lel, where it was obseived by Mackenzie, it is contracted to 200 miles ; and hei'e the uneven surface and woods commence. Columbia river, which traverses the country situate between the two great chains of mountains, runs first in a north-west, and afterwards southern direction, to the 46th deg. of lat., where it takes a westerly course to the Pacific ocean, into which it discharges its waters, a little above the 46th deg. of lat. The great tributary streams of the Columbia are Clarke's, Lewis, and the Multnomah rivers. The Columbia, receiving- its waters through these different channels, and from very re- mote sources, is of considerable magnitude, several hundred miles from its mouth. At tlie junction of Lewis river, which is nearly 400 miles from the sea, in lat. 46 deg. 15 niin., its width is 960 vards ; and farther down it is from one to three miles, embracing a number of islands, some of which are of considerable extent. Above the rntnith of Lewis river thcr« are remarkable falls, where the descent, in 1200 yards, is 3T feet 8 indies, and the rapids extend from three to four miles^ UNITED STATES. 615 In this descent the whole mass of waters passes through a channel of black rock, half a mile long, and not more than 45 yards in width. Beyond the limits of the tide the waters were 12 feet higher in spring than in November. The Columbia, like the Missouri river, has, in some places, washed away its banks, and formed new channels ; and this, perhaps, accounts for the remarkable fact noticed by Lewis and Clarke, that near the Kieshowee river the trunks of large pines are found stand- ing upright in tlit bed of the river, rooted in the soil at the bottom, though the waters were 30 feet in depth at the time, (the middle of April,) and are in no season less than 10. Near Lewis river the waters of the Columbia are so clear, that tlie salmon are seen at the depth of from 15 to 20 feet. The other rivers which discharge their waters into the Pa- cific ocean in the adjacent country south of the Columbia, are the Clatsop, Chinnook, and Killamuck. The last, which is 100 yards wide, is rapid, but navigable its whole length, and serves as the great channel of trade. On the west side of the Rocky mountains, the country, for several hundred miles in length, and about 50 in breadth, is a high level plain, thinly interspersed with groves of the long- leaved pine. In descending, the soil gradually becomes more fertile, and, in many parts, is of an excellent quality. The soil, in general, throughout this country is very good. The Columbian valley, watered by the river, is shaded with groves of trees. The temperature is mild, and the soil so fertile, that it is supposed to be capable of giving sul)sistence to 40,000 or 50,000 persons. The atljacent highlands are also fertile, having a dark rich loamy soil, and susceptible of cultivation. One great advantage is the wood, which is sufficiently abun- dant to supply the wants of a considerable population. The shore of the Pacilic is low and open, with a grassy sur- face; but -the inner side of the ridge of mountains which runs parallel therewith, is covered with thick timber The climate of this region is mikirr than in the san)e pai'al- lel of the Atlantic states. The length ol' the route by which Lewis and (^larke travel- •cd to the Pacific ocean was 41;/4' miles: but on their retiuii. 316 VIEW OF THP: in 1806', they came from Travellers' Rest creek directly to the falls of the Missouri river, which shortens the distance from the Mississippi to the Pacific ocean to 3555 miles. Two thou- sand five hundred and seventy-five miles of this distance is up the Missouri to the falls of that river ; thence passing through the plains, and across the Rocky mountains, to the navigable waters of the Kooskooskee river, a branch of the Columbia, is 340 miles. Two hundred miles of this distance is a good road ; 140 miles over a mountain, steep and broken, 60 miles of which was covered several feet deep v.'ith snow, at the end of June. From the navigable part of the Kooskooskee, they de- scended that rapid river 73 miles, to its entrance into Lewis river, passed down that river 154 miles, to the Columbia, and which conducted them to the Pacific ocean, at the distance of 413 miles. The tide-water met them in the Columbia, 180 miles from the sea. The total distance descending the Co- lumbia waters was 640 miles, making a total of 3555 miles, on the most direct route from the mouth of the Missouri to the Pacific ocean. , COLUMBIA TEERITOKY Situation and Extent. HpHE territory of Columbia, which formed a part of the states of Vir- ginia and Maryland, became the permanent seat of govern- ment in the year 1801. This territory, extending on both sides of the Patomak, contains a surface of ten miles square, of which the diagonals are north and south, and east and west. The south angle is at Fort Columbia, situated at Jones's point, at the mouth of Hunting creek, on the left bank of the Patomak. UNITED STATES. 317 Natural Geography. — The Patomak, which has already been described, traverses the territory of Columbia. From Washington to its mouth, in the Chesapeake bay, it is navi- gable for the largest frigate, a distance, in following its course, of about 200 miles. The tide water flows to the distance of three miles beyond Washington city, where the common tide rises to the height of four feet. By a survey of the Patomak, made in 1789, it was ascertained, that at the distance of 15. miles above the city of Washington, this river is 143 feet higher than at tide water ; that from the mouth of Savage ri- ver, near the- western limits of Maryland, to Fort Cumber- land, a distance of 31 miles, the descent is 445 feet, or 14i per mile ; and from Fort Cumberland to tide water, a distance of 187 miles, the descent is 715 feet, or 3-82 per mile. By a survey, made in 1806, at the expence of the Patomak com- pany, it was ascertained, that the Shenandoah river, from its mouth to Port Republic, has nearly the same breadth du- ring all this distance of 200 miles, in which the descent is but 435 feet. The Patomak company, by whom the navigation of the river has been opened, was incorpoiated for this purpose, by acts of the states of Maryland and Virginia, passed in the year 1784, which authorised the fimd to be disti-ibuted in shares, and raised by subscription. The original capital, or stock, consisted of 701 shares, which at 444| dollars, the value of each, amounted to 311,560 dollars. In 1807, the expences of the improvement of the Patomak amounted to 375,648 dollars ; of the Shenandoah, to 65,000 ; and of the Coneo-ocheaffue creek, to 500 dollars. T"he annual i-epairs, when the work shall have been completed, have been estimated at 20,000 dollars. In a national point of view, this work will be of great ad- vantage in accelerating the progress of agriculture, arts, and manufactures, diminishing the price of carriage, and facilitat- ing the exchange of the producti,n()(J barrels of her- rings are caught annually, of which a considerable quantity are cured and exported. They are salted without being gut- ted, and the blood mixes with the brine, which in a few days is poured off, when tlie herrings are tiiken out, washed, and salted anew. The fisheries continue during the montli of April. Tn 1768 an act was passed by the legislature, which, IDDI ICGD ^.m. u) ^:lDc::IlDC□CL>.v|C7**p!E:)Cl□o ' □ □□DOG DQD Dc^^l'i.r'j'ri | c mi - i DDDi - o ■ ^ nnr JOQDtJtJ DDDDDDI '^ Z' ^.OD^ZODDDDODDDGDc:. E<3'|il7GDDDDDDClDDDDD r^l7SL^aDDD«7 UNITED STATES. 319 in 1798, became a permanent law, to prevent the destruction of voung fish by wears or dams. It is a prevailing opinion throughout the United States, that the climate t)f the district of Washington is unhealthy; but this opinion is not formed on good grounds, for it is certain, that in no season is it visited by habitual or endemical disease. The best proof of the salubrity of a place is the longevity of its inhabitants. During autumn bilious fever sometimes pre- vails ; but, at this season, it is common to other parts of the United States. In winter chronical diseases often occur, occa- sioned by the sudden changes of weather, which check perspi- ration ; but these are not confined to this city. In July the heat is often oppressive ; but it is believed, on good grounds, tliat the climate has been improved by the clearing of the country, and that the extremes both of heat and cold are now less violent than formerly. During the last ten years, the average depth of the snow has not exceeded eight or ten inches, though it was much greater in the memory of persons still living. Population. — The population of the territory of Columbia in 1800 was 14,093; in 1810 it amounted to S4,023; that of the city was 8208 ; of Georgetown, 4948 ; of Alexandria, 7227; of Washington county, exclusive of towns, 2135 ; that of Alexandria county, 1325. In 1817 Georgetown and Washington were supposed to contain 20.000 inhabitants, and the whole district 30,000. City of Washington. The city of Washington is situated on the Patomak, at the t'onfluence of this river with its eastern branch, which formerly bore the name of Annakostia, in lat. 38 deg. 55 min. north, and in long. 76 deg. 53 min. from Greenwich. From \^'ashington to Philadelphia the distance is 144 miles. To Baltimore, _ _ . . _ 43 To Richmond, 132 To Annapolis, , - » _ - 40 Sm VIEW OF THE The meridional line which passes through the capitol was drawn by Mr. Ellicot. The longitude was calculated by Mr. Lambert. It is scarcely possible to imagine a situation more beautiful, healthy, and convenient, than that of Washington. The gen- tly undulating surface produces a pleasing and varied effect. The rising hills on each side of the Patbmak are truly pic- turesque; the river is seen broken and interrupted by the sinuosities of its course, and the sails of large vessels gliding through the majestic trees which adorn its banks, give addi- tional beauty to tlie scenery. The site of the city extends from north-west to south-east about four miles and a half, and from north-east to south-west about two miles and a half. The houses are thinly scattered over this space ; the greatest number are in the Pennsylvania avenue between the capitol and the president's house, from the latter towards Georgetown, and near the barracks and navy- yard on the eastern branch. ^ The public buildings occupy the most elevated and convenient situations, to which the waters of the Tiber creek may be easily conducted, as well as to every other part of the city not already watered by springs. The streets run from north to south, and from east to west, cross- ing each other at right angles, with the exception of fifteen, named after the different states, and which run in. an angular direction. The Pennsylvania street, or avenue, which stretches in a direct line from the president's house to the capital, is a mile in length, and 160 feet in brea(Jth ; the breadth of the narrowest streets is from 90 to 100 feet, * The plan of this city, of which we have given an engraving, is universally admired. The most eligible places have been sel^ted for public squares and public building. The capitol is situated on a rising ground, which is elevated about 80 feet above the tide water of the Patomak, and 60 or 70 above the intermediate surface. This edifice will present a front of 650 feet, with a colonnade of 260 feet, and 16 Corinthian columns 314 feet in height. The elevation of the dome is 150 feet; the basement story 20 ; the entablement 7 ; the parapet 6^ : the centre of the building, from the east to the west portico, is UNITED STATES. 321 240 feel. The ceiling is vaulteci, and the whole edifice is to be of solid masonry of hewn stone, wliich, in appearance, re- sembles that known by the name of the Portland stone. The centre, or great body of the building, is not yet commenced, but the two wings are nearly finished. The north wing, ■ which contains the senate chamber, has the form of a segment, with a double-arched dome, and Tonic pillars. It* is adorned with portraits of Louis XVI. and Mary Antoinette. Under the senate chamber are commodious rooms for the library, and the judiciary courts of the United Stales. The south wing, cc.itaining the hall of representatives, and rooms for transact- ing business by committees, is of a circular form, adorned witl) 24 Corinthian pillars, behind which are galleries and lobbies for the accommodation of those who listen to the debates. The foundation wa* laid in 1794, the north wing was finish- ed in 1801, the south wing in 1807. The interior was origi- nally of wood, which soon decayed ; and to substitute stone, it became necessary to change the whole arrangement. This magnificent edifice is the j'>int composition of several artists ; Thornton, Latrobe, Hallct, and Hatfield. .» The post-office is a large brick building, situated at about equal distances from the president's house and the capitol. Under the same roof is the patent-office, and also the national librarv, for the use of members of conoress. In the first of these departments are upwards of 900 specimens of native me- chanical genius. This would appear to afford decisive proof, that Americans are not deficient in inventive talent. The library is small, consisting of but 3000 volumes; but it is se- lect and well chosen, and includes various classes of literature, having been the property of Mr. Jefferson, for which he ob- tained from the United States 20,000 dollars. The former library, containing from 7 to 8000, \vas deslroved by our en- Ughtened country inen. So great has been, at some periods, the depreciation of pn)perty in this city, that in 1802, what had originally cost 200,000 dollars, was sold for 25,000. This decav continued to go on, until the visit of general Ross, and the subsequent signature of peace : since that time it seems to have risen, like the phoenix from the flames, and is once more 2 S 322 VIEW OF THE partially increasing in prosperity. There are now a number of two and three story brick buildings, none of which are un- inhabited; and also some small wooden houses, tliough, ac- cording to the original plan, none were to be built less than three stories high, and all to have marble steps. But the childish folly of this scheme was soon subverted by the natural course of events ; and though the existence of ' loxcer orders^ even in the capital of the republic, may not accord with the vanity of its legislators, they ought to be told, that neither prosperity nor population can be possessed by any nation witli- out a due admixture of the natural classes of society. The president's house consists of two stories, and is 170 feet in length, and 85 in breadth. It resembles Leinster- house, in Dublin, and is much admired. Even the poet Moore styles it a ' grand edifice,'' a ' noble structure.' The view from the windows fronting the river is extremely beautiful. One of the objects embraced by the original plan was the establishment of a university, on an extensive scale, for the whole Union. A communication ^vas made on this subject by the president to the congress in 1817. The public offices, the treasury, department of state, and of war, are situated in a line with, and at the distance of 450 feet from, the president's house. These buildings, of two stories, have 120 feet in front, 60 in breadth, and 16 feet in height, and are ornamented with a while stone basement, which rises six or seven feet above the surface. It was originally proposed to form a communication between these offices and the house of the president, a plan which was afterwards abandoned. The jail consists of two stories, and is 100 by 21 feet. The infa*mai*y is a neat building. There are three commodious market-places, built at the expence of the corporation. The public buildings at the navy-yard are the barracks, a work-shop, and three lai'ge brick buildings for the reception of naval stores. The barracks, constructed of brick, are 600 feet in length, 50 in breadth, and 20 in height. At the head of the barrack-yard is the colonel's house, which is neat and com- modious. The work-shop, planned by Latrobe, is 900 feet in length. UNITED STATES. 323 The patent office, constructed according to the plan of J. Hoban, esq. (who gained the prize for that of the president's house,) consists of three stories, and is 120 feet long, and 60 feet wide. It is ornamented with a pediment, and six Ionic pilasters. From the eminence on which it stands, the richly wooded hills rise on every side, and present a scene of un- equalled beauty. The inhabitants of the city form a body, politic and corpo- rate, under the title of ' Mayor and Council of Washington.' The council, consisting of 12 members, not under 25 years of age, is elected annually by the free white male inhabitants aged 21 or upwards, who have paid taxes the year preceding the election, and is divided into two chambers, the first of which has seven, and the second five members. The fines, penalties, and forfeitures imposed by the council, if not exceeding 20 dollars, are recovered, like small debts, before a magistrate ; and if greater than this sum, by an action of debt in the dis- trict-court of Columbia. In 1806, the corporation passed an act to establish an infirmary, for which the sum of 2000 dollars was appropriated, and trustees appointed for the superinten- dence of this establishment. In August, 1810, a sum not ex- ceeding 1000 dollars was appropriated, for the support of the infirm and diseased; and the corporation have allotted certain squares (numbered 109 and 1026) for places of interment, which are situated at a proper distance from the populous part of the city. Two dollars are the price of a grave. The canal, which runs through the centre of the city, com- mencing at the mouth of the Tiber creek, and connecting the Patomak with its eastern branch, is nearly completed. Mr. Law, (brother to the late lord Ellenborough,) the chief pro- moter of this undertaking, proposes to establish packet-boats, to run between the Tiber creek and the navy-yard, a convey- ance which may be rendered more economical and comfortable than the hackney-coach. This canal is to be navigable for boats drawing three feet water. If the nett profits exceed 15 per cent, on the sum expended, the excess is to be paid to the mayor and city council. 324 VIEW OF THE The Patomak bridge was built under the direction of a company, or board of commissioners, and the funds were I'aised by a subscription consisting of 2000 shares, at 100 dollars per share. The expences of the work amounted to 96,000 dollars, and consequently the real value of a share was 48. Th6 bridge, which is covered with planks of white and yellow pine, is a mile in length, and is supported by strong piles, from 18 to 40 feet, according to the depth of the water. A neat rail- ing separates the foot from the horse-way. By means of a simple crank and pulley, the draw-bridge, for the passage of vessels, is raised by the force of one individual. The tolls ai'e high : a four-horse carriage, 1 i dollar ; a two- horse carriage, 1 dollar ; a four-horse waggon, 62| cents ; a two-horse waggon, 37g ; a gig, 36^; a horse, 18^; a man, 6^. The toll of 1810 amounted to 9000 dollars. The inte- rest of the stock has risen to eight per cent. After the lapse of 60 years, the corporation will be dissolved, and the bridge become the property of the United States. It was an unfortunate circumstance, that, in planning this city, some provision was not made for preserving the fine trees which covered the soil, in those situations where they would have been useful or ornamental. The whole of the natural wood has been cut down, and its place is very poorly supplied by some few Lombardy poplars, which afford neither shade nor shelter. This is an error wliich nothing but time can repair. The patent office is under the direction of Dr. Thornton, a native of the West Indies, now a citizen of the United States, who has a salary of 2000 dollars per annum. To obtain a patent for an art or machine, the inventor, if at'itizen of the United States, declares upon oath, before a justice of the county where he resides, that he believes himself to be the true inventor ; and he gives a description of this art or ma- chine, and the use to which it is applied, accompanied, if ne- cessary, with a drawing, in a letter addressed to the secretary of state of the United States ; and this description is inserted in the patent, for which the sum of 30 dollars is paid to the UNITED STATES. 325 treasury department. If the applicant is not a citizen of the United States, he must declare on oath, that he has resided therein more than two years. The copy-right of books, prints, maps, 8ec. is secured by depositing a copy thereof in the clerk's office of the district court, where the author or proprietor re- sides. This is recorded and published in one or more news- papers, during four weeks, commencing within two months of tlie date of the record. The right is thus secured, for the space of 14 years, to the citizens or residents of the United States ; and by a renewal of those formalities, it is extended to their executors, administrators, and assigns, for another term of 14 years. Tiic patents issued from the 1st of August, 1790, to the 1st of January, 1805, were 698; and the amount received at the treasury department for patents, from 1801 to 1809 inclusive, was upwards of 27,000 dollars. Exclusive of the bank of the United States, there are seven banks in the district of Columbia. The Marine Insurance Company of Alexandria was incorporated in 1789, with the power of having a capital of 12,500 shares, at 20 dollars a share, or 250,000 dollars. By an act of the city council, in December, 1804^ the pub- lic schools of the city are placed under the direction of a board .of thirteen trustees, seven of whom are elected annually by the joint ballot of the council, and six by individuals who contri- bute to the support of the schools. The net proceeds of taxes on slaves and dogs, of licences for carriages, and hacks for or- dinaries and taverns, for selling wines and spirits, for billiard tables, for hawkers, and pedlars, for theatrical and other pub- lic amusements, are employed for the education of the poor of the city. There are two academies in the city, under the direction of the corporation, which were established by the voluntary con- tributions of the inhabitants, and are supported by the corpo- ration. In these two seminaries there are generally from 120 to 1.50 scholars, including those who pay for their tuition. The houses are large and commodious, and were intended to be the germ of a national university, in conformity to the plan described in the last will of general Washington. There are, me VIEW OF THE besides, twelve or more schools in different parts of the city, where the terms of tuition are under five dollars per quarter. The catholic college of Georgetown, which was erected, and is supported, by subscription, commenced in the year 1790, under the direction of the incorporated catholic clergy of the state of Maryland. It is a fine brick building, consisting of three stories, in length 153 feet, and 33 in breadth, and is fit- ted for the reception of 200 students. The terras of tuition are as follows : Students above twelve years of age pay 250 dollars; and under that age, 200; those who attend the classes pay 250, owing to extraordinary expences, and some particular indulgencies. The payments are made half-yearly in advance. To be admitted as a pensioner, the student must be a Roman catholic. If a protestant, he boards in a house convenient to the college, where he enjoys equal advantages with the catholics, except as to admission to the instruction and exercises of the Roman religion. The students are in- structed in the English, French, Latin, and Greek languages; in geop-raphy, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and the different branches of classical education. Public examinations are holden four times a year. A free school has been lately established by subscription, to be conducted according to the plan of Mr. Lancaster, who has engaged to send two masters from England for its superin- tendence and direction. A public library has been lately established, by the sub- scription of 200 individuals, at twelve dollars each ; and the directors of this association have obtained an act of incorpora- tion, with powers suitable to the direction of the establishment. Mr. Boyle, a painter from Baltimore, collects objects of natural history, to form a museum. There is no reading-room at Washington, which is perhaps owing to the profusion of newspapers received there by mem- bers of congress, from all parts of the Union. In 1817, seven newspapers were published in the district. In one of these, the National Inielligencer^ the acts, and sometimes the opi- nions, of the government are first communicated to the public ; and it is owing to this circumstance, that, in Europe, it is ge- UNITED STATES. 327 nerally considered as the organ of the executive authority. This paper is published thrice a week. Other two are on the same scale ; two appear weekly, and two daily. Of societies there are, the Humane Society, the Washington Whig Society, two mason lodges, the Columbian Institute founded in 1817, and the Columbian Agricultural Society. This last consists of 200 members, who pay one dollar a year each, which is expended in premiums for the best cattle, cloth, flannels, stockings, carpets, &c. The American Society for Colonising Free People of Colour was established in the end of 1816. Its object is to procure a situation on the western coast of Africa, to which free people of colour may, with their own consent, be transported. There are different sects, and a gi-eat variety of religious opini(ms, but no dissension The annual salary of a clergyman at Washington is about 1000 dollars, with a small n)ansion and lot of land, — a provision which is said to be inadequate to the support of a family; and it is probai)ly owing to this cir- cumstance, that two clergymen, the one a presbyterian, and the t)ther a baptist, have clerkships in the treasury department. The laws of Virginia and Maryland, in relation to the clergy, admit of no external badge or distinction of their order in the ordinary intercourse of life, but only in the exercise of their sacred functions in their respective places of divine worship. Elsewhere, and at other times, it is as impossible to distinguish them from the crowd, as to recognize their places of worship, which are witliout steeple, cross, bell, or other distinctive sign of religious appropriation. By an act of December, 179 -, for the suppressicm of vice, and punishing the disturbers of reli- gious worship, persons offending in these respects are liable to fine and imprisonment, and to be bound over to good behavi- our. For profane swearing and drunkenness, the penalty is 83 cents ; and for labouring on Sunday, 1 dollar and 75 cents, applicable to all persons, and especially to apprentices, servants, and slaves. For adultery (of which there is scarcely an ex- ample) the punishment is 20 dollars; lor fojiiication (which n too common) one half of this sum. 328 VIEW OF THE In 1815, there were in Washington nine physicians, and two apothecaries, who were also physicians ; their fee in the city is a dollar a visit ; in the country it is regulated by the distance. Georgetown is finely situated on the north-east side of the Patovnak river. It is divided from Washington by Rock creek, over which there are two bridges. The distance of Georgetown from Alexandria is ten miles; and there is a daily communication between these two places by means of a packet-boat. In 1810, the population of Georgetown was upwards of 7000. Some trade has been carried on between this port and tl)e West Indies. Mr. Scott, in his Geographical Dictionary, informs us, that the exports of 1794 amounted to 128,924 dollars. Flour and other articles are transported to Alexan- dria in vessels which do not draw more than nine feet water. The houses of Georgetown, which ai'e cliiefly of brick, have a neat appearance. Several were built before the streets were formed, which gave rise to an observation from a French lady, that Georgetown had houses without streets, — Washington streets without houses. The bank is a neat building. The churches, under the direction of trustees, are plain and with- out ornament. Alexandria may be considered the port of Washington, from which it is distant only about seven miles. It was for- merly named Belhaven, and is pleasantly situated on the Vir- ginia, or Avest side of the river Patomak. The streets, Uke those of Philadelphia, run in straight lines, and intersect each other at riaht angles. The houses are of a neat construction. Those erected at the expence of the public are, an episcopal church, an academy, court-house, bank, and jail. Alexandria has carried on a considerable commerce with New Orleans, and also with the East and West Indies, and some European ports. • The warehouses and wharfs are very commodious. Vessels of 500 tons lie in the basons. Some have sailed from this port with 1200 hogsheads of tobacco on board. . There have been many failures among the principal mer- chants of this place, in consequence of losses abroad, or unfor- UNITED STATES. 829 tunate speculations. Those who carry on business at present employ their capitals in a more cautious manner. Manufactures are yet in their infancy. Two manufactories of cut nails have been lately established, and several of woollen and other cloths. House rent is cheap, for, except along the basons, it is not more than six pei" cent., and in some places not half that sum. By a census taken in 1817, the inhabit- ants were found to be, — whites, 5518 ; blacks, 26*46, (of whom 104)7 were free.) Total, 8153. In this year a lottery was authorised by congress, to raise funds for building a peniten- tiary, a city-hall, and two Lancastrian schools. There are already five churches, protestant, presbyterian, catholic, niethodist, and baptist. ly the academy there are 40 scholars, 35 of whom learn Latin and classical literature, and 21 reading, writing, and arithmetic. There are nine or ten physicians, but there is no medical society. Any person may exercise this profession. In the town the usual fee is a dollar per visit ; and five dollars to and within the distance of ten miles. Having noticed Alexandria and Georgetown, which may justly be considered as appendages to Washington, we will now return to the description of this city. The celebrated Moore has humourously described the fede- ral city : ' This famed metropolis, where fancy sees Squares in morasses, obelisks in ti^ees.' And even Mr. Mellish, who panegyrises every thing Ameri- can, says, ' Being told that we were entering "Washington city, I continued looking for the houses for some little time ; but seeing none, I thought I had misunderstood the gentleman who made the remark^ and turning round for an explanation, he told me, laughing, that we were ahnost in the very middle of it, and asked if I did not see the capitol a little before us. I did, indeed, see a stately edifice, but no other appearance of a city. Soon after this, the stage stopped, at Steele's hotel, nearly opposite the capitol, where I took lodgings.'' 2 T 330 VIEW OF THE However, this city is not so despicable as has been repre- sented ; though its increase cannot be rapid. ' Here/ observes an English traveller, ' is fine natural scenery, but no decidedly great natural advantages ; little external commerce, a barren soil, a scanty population, enfeebled too by the deadly weight of absolute slavery, and no direct means of communication with the western country. For the apparently injudicious se- lection of such a spot, upon which to raise the capital of a great nation, several reasons are given. Some have even gone so far as to attribute to general' Washington the influence of pecimiary interest, his property being in the neighbourhood. But the most common argument adduced in support of the chuice is that it is central, or rather that it was so; for the recent addition of new states has removed the centre very far west, so much so indeed, that the inhabitants of Lexington affirm, that tJteir town must on that ground soon become the capital; and even the people of St. Louis, in the Missouri, put in their claim, that city being said to be geographically the exact centre of the Union. But assuming that Washing- ton were central, I do not see much validity in the argument ; — at least if we are to be influenced in our judgment by any country in the old world — where is the important nation whose capital is placed exactly in the centre of its dominions ? Spain is perhaps the only country which can be adduced, and no very favourable conclusion can be drawn from such an instance : though unquestionablv if rivers and soil, if roads and canals, all united to recommend that situation, it would be in some other respects extremely convenient ; but this not being the case, the knowledge of Euclid must be dispensed with for something of more practical, though perhaps more vulgar utility. * There may be other objections to this capital : among them I would venture to suggest, that the legislators and rulers of a nation ought to reside in that city which has the most direct communication with all parts of their country, and of the world at large ; they ought to see with their own eyes, and hefir vvith their own ears, without which, though possessed ■of the best intentions, they must often be in eiror. News- UNITED STATES. , S31 paper communications, letters, and agents, are but substitutes, and sometimes very poor ones ; besides which, I conceive thai mere expedients should not be admitted in national legislation. Unless the city increases with a rapidity, unsanctioned by the most sanguine anticipation, the American law-makers will be half ;i century behind what they would become by a residence in New York or Philadelphia. Another objection to Wash- ington may suggest itself to some minds, in its neighbourhood to Virginia. The " Virginian dynasty," as it has been called, is a subject of general, and I think very just complaint throughout other parts of America. This state has supplied four of the five presidents, and also a liberal number of occu- pants of every other government office. The Virginians very modestly assert, that this monopoly does not proceed from corrupt influence, but is a consequence of the buoyancy and vigour of their natural talent. Without entering into the controversy, whether or not seventeen states can supply a de- gree of ability equal to that of Virginia single-handed, I must express my want of respect for a state in which every man is either a slave-holder, or a defender of slavery — a state in which landed property is not attachable for debt — a state in which human beings are sold in the streets by the public auctioneer, are flogged without trial at the mercy of their owner or his agents, and are killed almost without punishment ; —yet these men dare to call themselves democrats, and friends of liberty ! — from such democrats, and such friends of liberty, good Lord deliver us I" A late intelligent traveller, (lieutenant Hall,) speaking of the city and the proposed university, says, ' The plan sup- poses an immense growth ; but even if this were attainable, it seems doubtful how iar an overgrown luxurious capital would be the fittest seat for learning, or even legislation. Perhaps the true interest of the Union would rather hold Washington sacred to science, piiilosophy, and the arts ; a spot in some de- gree kept holy from commercial avarice, to which the members of the different states may retire to breathe an atmosphere un- tainted with local prejudices, and find golden leisure for pur- suits and speculations of pubUc utility. Such fancies would aS2 VIEW OF THE be day dreams elsewhere, and are so perhaps here ; but Ame- rica is young in the career of knowledge ; she has the hght of former ages, and the sufferings of the present to guide her ; she has not crushed the spirits of the many to build up the tyranny of the few, and the eye of imagination may dwell upon her smilingly.' The ground of Washington was originally the property of private individuals, who, by an arrangement with the govern- ment, ceded one half to the public, in consideration of the en- hanced price of the other, by virtue of this cession. Four thousand five hundred lots, each containing 6265 superficial feet, are the property of the nation, and have been estimated at 1,500,000 dollars. Some of these lots have been sold at 45 cents per foot, though the common price is from 8 to 15 cents, depending on the advantages of situation. Near the centre market several have been purchased at 25 cents. The ori- ginal price of lots was from 200 to 800 dollars each, which shows that their value has considerably diminished. This has been owing to different causes, and particularly to the project of some eastern members of congress to transfer the seat of government to some other place. The value of this property has also suffered by litigation. In 1804, several purchasers refused to pay to the commissioners of the government the sums stipulated in the deed of sale, which were to be dis- charged, according to agreement, at certain fixed dates. In consequence of this refusal, the commissioners ordered the lots to be sold to the highest bidder, and they were repur- chased by the former proprietors for one-tenth of the original cost; by which circumstance the government experienced a loss of 70,000 dollars. The supreme court, to whom the case was submitted, decided in favour of the proprietors, alleging, that, as a remedy had been sought in the sale of the lots, the government could not have recourse to another, and it also became responsible for the expences of the law-suit, amounting to 2000 dollars. The proprietors united in support of their mutual interests, which were defended by the ablest lawyers, except the attorney-general, who stood alone in the behalf of the government. UNITED STATES. 33S A house, consisting of three stories, 26 feet in front, and 40 feet deep, completely finished, costs from 4000 to 6000 dollars. A house of two stories, of the same length and breadth, is va- lued at from 3000 to 4000 dollars. The rate of house-rent is proportioned to the expence of the materials of its construction, and the advantages of its situa- tion. Bricks cost from 5| to 6| dollars per thousand. Their dimensions, as fixed by an act of the corporation, are 9|, 4|, 2f inches. Calcareous stone, of a bluish colour, is brought from the neighbourhood of Georgetown, and purchased at a cheap rate. Unslacked lime costs from 2 to 2i dollars per barrel. Wood is cheap ; pine and oak are brought from the eastern shore of the Chesapeake. A good bricklayer is paid at the rate of three dollars for every thousand bricks. Some of the houses are covered with slate, though generally with boards, called shingles, the use of which ought to be prohibited, on account of their combustible nature. Wood is chiefly employed for fuel, and oak and hickory are preferred, which are sold at the rate of four dollars per cord, except during an unusually se- vere winter, when the price has been from six to seven dollars. By an act of the corporation, a cord of wood must be eight feet in length, four in breadth, and ' well stowed and packed.' A good dray-horse can be purchased at Washington for 60, a saddle-horse for 130, and a milch-cow for Q5 dollars. The whole exports for the district of Columbia, for the year ending 30th September, 1817, were 1,768,658 dollars, of which 1,689,102 were domestic produce, and 79,556 foreign. The inhabitants of Washington are social and hospitable. Respectable strangers, after the slightest introduction, are in- vited to dinner, tea, balls, and evening parties. Tea parties have become very expensive, as not only tea, but coffee, negus, cakes, sweetmeats, iced creams, wines, and liquors, are often pre.sented; and, in a sultry summer evening, are found too palatable to be refused. In winter, there is a succession of family balls, where all this species of luxury is exhibited. Both sexes, whether on horseback or on foot, wear an um- brella in all seasons : in summer, to keep off the sun-beams ; 334 VIEW OF THE in winter, as a shelter from the rain and snow ; in spring and autumn, to intercept the dews of the evening. Persons of all ranks canter their horses, which movement fatigues the animal, and has an ungraceful appearSince. At dinner, and at tea parties, the ladies sit together, and seldom mix with the gen- tlemen, whose conversation naturally turns upon pohtical sub- jects. In almost all houses toddy is offered to guests a few minutes before dinner. Gentlemen wear the hat in a carriage with a lady as in England. Any particular attention to a lady is readily construed into an intention of marriage. Boarders in boarding-houses, or in taverns, sometimes throw off the coat during the heat of summer ; and in winter the shoes, for the purpose of warming the feet at the fire ; customs which the climate only can excuse. In summer, invitation to tea parties is made verbally by a servant, the same day the party is given ; in winter, the invitation is more ceremonious. The barber arrives on horseback to perform the operation of shaving ; and here, as in Europe, he is the organ of all news and scandal. On the subject of manners, Mr. Fearon says, ' Tea parties, and private balls, are now very frequent. Mr. Bagot, the English ambassador, and his lady, are particularly assiduous in their attentions to all classes, and maintain a strict conform- ity with the habits of the place. Their cards of invitation are left at my boarding-house for diiFereut gentlemen every day. The speaker (Mr. Clay) gives public periodical dinners. A drawing-room is held weekly at the president's house : it is generally crowded. There is little or no difficulty in getting introduced on these occasions. Mr. Munroe is a very plain, practical man of business. The custom is shaking, and not the degrading one of kissing, hands. Conversation, tea, ice, music, chewing tobacco, and excessive spitting, afford employ- ment for the evening. The dress of the ladies is very elegant, though that of the gentlemen is too frequently rather ungen- tlemanly. 'The theatre is a miserable building. I have attended se- veral representations in it by the same company which I saw when in Pittsburgh. Incledon has been here— the Washing- ton critics think him too vulgar, and also an indifferent singer ! UNITED STATES. 335 * In this city I witnessed also tlie exhibitions of Sema Sama, the Indian juggler, from London. My chief" attention was directed to the audience ; their disbelief of the possibility of performing the nomerous feats advertised, and their incon- ceivable ast the whole number of newspapers in the United States was about 500, the number printed weekly, 250,000. In 1792, the whole number of newspapers in Great Britain and Ireland was 213. The expeditions under Lewis and Clarke, and major Pike, have made valuable additions to geography ; and the vessel now (May, 1819) ready to sail on a voyage of discovery, shews the anxiety of the government to promote the interests of sci- ence. The congress has also ordered a trigonometrical and maritime survey of the American coast. In mechanics the Americans have been particularly inven- tive. The number of patents issued at the patent office, from UNITED STATES. 348 the 1st of January, 1812, to the 1st of January, 1813, amounted to 235. The machinery of flour-mills has several ingenious contrivances not known in Europe, The machines for making cotton cards, and for the manufacture of nails, are no less useful to the country than creditable to the inventors. Two Americans are candidates for the prize of a million of francs, offered by the French government for the best machine for spinning flax. The saving of manual labour by one of the American machines is said to be four-fifths, but the conditions of the prize require nine-tenths. The ginning machine, for separating cotton from the seed, has been of incalculable value in reducing the cost of cotton by a vast saving of manual la- bour. The method employed of lighting the interior of Ame- rican merchant vessels, and vessels of war, by means of cylin- ders of glass placed in the deck, is found to be very useful at sea. A new apparatus for the distillation of salt water on board of vessels at sea, invented by major Lamb of New York, has been found so superior to the contrivances formerly in use, that it has been adopted by the English navy board for the public ships. The American machinery for making boots and shoes by means of iron wire or nails has been lately employed in England ; and an idea may be formed of its eco- nomical advantages from the circumstance of its beinif able to furnish a pair of shoes in a quarter of an hour. Perhaps, of all the American inventions, the application of steam to inland navigation is the most splendid, and promises to be the most useful, especially to ihe country which gave it birth. Steam-boats now ply on the Hudson, Delaware, Patomak, Savannah, Ohio, Mississippi, and nearly all the other navigable streams in the United States. Boats of 150 feet in length, and 30 to 50 in breadth, are propelled at the rate of eight or ten miles an hour in still water. The slowness of navigation on the great rivers by sails and oars renders the steam-boat invaluable. Among other purposes, it is employed to tow large vessels against the wind and current, and it is used as a ferry-boat at New York and other ports. The steam frigate, constructed at New York according to the plan of the late Mr. FuUon, is 145 feet long, 55 feet broad, and 344. VIEW OF THE has an engine of 120 horse power, moving with a velocity backwards or forwards at the rate of three miles and a half an hour. The wheel is placed in the centre, and is protected by the sides, which are six feet in thickness ; in other parts they are four and a half. This frigate is to carry 30 cannon, and is considered as impregnable. The steam-engine of Evans, now employed in the United States, is considered both more economical and more simple than that of Watt and Bolton. The Americans excel in the erection of bridges : and in ship-building they are now decidedly superior to the European nations, even to those most renowned for skill in maritime affairs. Their public buildings are not numerous, because they are yet but young as a nation. Even foreigners admit, however, that the capitol at Washington, the ])ank of Penn- sylvania, and the city-hall of New York, are very fine edifices. The last was lately finished, and cost 538,000 dollars. The coin of the United States rivals that of France or of England in neatness of execution. Dramatic exhibitions have made a rapid progress in the United States within the last ten years. Twenty years ago, great struggles were made against this species of recreation. The clergy of various denominations petitioned several state legislatures to suppress theatrical amusements, as immoral and profane. In Connecticut this opposition had complete success. The principal theatre of that state, in the city of Hartford, was converted into a church, and actors are still subject to ex- communication. In Massachusetts the church and the stage for a long time maintained a doubtful struggle. Plays were interdicted, but recitations or lectures were allowed ; and the players, obliged to accommodate their proceedings to this ab- surd restriction, announced plays under the name of lectures. Thus a tragedy or comedy was advertised in such terms as these : ' A Moral Lecture ; tlie affecting History of Jane Shore, as narr-ited" in dialogue by the celebrated Rowe ;' ' The entertaining tale of the Poor Soldier, as told in song and dia- logue by the facetious O'Keefe."" By a spirited effort, how- ever, in the legislature, the laws against plays were abolished ; and a theatre was erected in Boston in the year 1798. About UNITED STATES. 345 1808, great improvements were made in the style of building and decoration in the American theatres, which began then to rival the theatres of the old world. All the best new pieces on the British stage are transmitted to America with great rapidity ; and in dresses, decorations, and style of criticism, a great similarity obtains between the tw« countries. There are slight differences, however, in the customs of the audience. Ladies and gentlemen are never expected, as a point of etiquette, to wear full dress in the best boxes, it is usual for females to sit in the pit in the southern states, but in the northern and middle states they are never permitted to be seen there. The passion for spectacle, and for the exhibition of horses and elephants on the stage, is as prevalent in America as in London. In propriety of decora* tion and costume the Americans are particularly defective ; they dress with great splendour, but seldom correctly. The late celebrated Mr. Cooke, who died in America, remarked that the Americans timed their applauses better than any peo- ple in the world. With respect to original plays they are very deficient; and, indeed, this species of production cannot be expected to thrive in a country whei'e all the branches of au- thorship) lie under great discouragement. Besides, the ma- nagers can procure plays without difficulty from England, and have nothing to pay for the copyright ; yet many plays have been written and acted with success in America. The pay of authors is governed by the same rules as in England, but there is a great preference given to plays from the mother-country ; and the sterling dramas of the English stage, especially the works of Shakespeare, seldom fail to bring full houses The celebrated actors on the American stage have almost exclusively emigrated from England. The first of any decided reputation was the late Mr. Hodgkinson, ori- ginally from Bath, who was excellent in every variety of the scene, from the highest tragedy to the lowest farce. The late Mrs. Warren, celebrated as Miss Brunton in Covent- Garden, was the female wonder of tragedy in America for many years; and two comedians, lately deceased, by the names of T waits and Harwood, were long at the head of the comic department. 2 X 34.6 VIEW OF THE Mr. Fennel was a very deserving tragedian, and for some years contested tlie palm of superiority with Mr. Cooper, who remained master of the field, and at present takes the lead in the American drama. Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Blissot, Mr. Ber- nards, Mrs. Hilson, and Mrs. Darby, all from England, also enjoy a high rank at present on the American boards. Mr. John Howard Payne, the young tragedian known in Europe and America under the title of the American Roscius, is the only native who has ever enjoyed a very high degree of suc- cess. His first appearance at New York, February 24, 1809, at the age of sixteen, produced an effect equalled by a similar debut a short time before in England. The pay given to the best regularly engaged actors does not exceed from 30 to 40 dollars per week. The benefits of such performers may pro- duce them from 800 to 1500 dollars in addition. Mr. Cooper receives 125 dollars weekly, and half the profits of every se- venth night, on his regular engagement at New York. When he travels, of course the profits vary with t!ie attraction ; sometimes he has received 3000 dollars for thirteen nights' perforn)ance. Mr. Howard Payne has gained for 26 succes- sive nights' performance in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Rich- mond, above 5000'dollars. The English language is spoken with as great purity by the different classes of society in America as by the corresponding classes in England ; while the strongly-marked dialects of Scotland and England, and even of the English counties, the source of so many barbarisms and corruptions, have no paral- lel in the United States. A Yorkshire or Lancashire peasant is scarcely intelligible to a Londoner ; but in no district of America, not even in the extreme west, where savage and ci- vilized life mingle, is there a language spoken not perfectly Intelligible to an English ear. There are, however, some peculiar phrases in general use, which may properly be called Americanisms. The following is given as a specimen from Mr. MeUish : 'I was diverted,"" says he, ' by a dialogue between the two drivers, in which the word giie.is occurred so frequently, that I could hardly hear any thing else, " I guess this string's not long enough.'' UNITED STATES. 847 "'■ O yes, I guess it is.'" " O yes, I gu^ss Ell make it do," *' There, — I guess you have fixed it."" " Yes, I g^ess you guess right.'"' But the departure of tlie learned from the pure idioms of the EngUsh language is not considerable. When the antipathy against this country ran high during the American revolution, it was proposed to drop the use of the English tongue and chuse another, when a wag recommended the adoption of the Hebrew. Of all foreign countries, it is only in America that the choice productions of English genius are sought after and appreciated. On the continent of Europe nothing but English works of sci- ence and practical utility are extensively known, as in fact it is these alone which, in any language, can be thoroughly un- derstood by foreigners. Courses of lectures on English litera- ture are to this day read in continental universities, in which none of the distinguished authors who have appeared within the last 50 years are ever mentioned. Long before the title of an English work, in some untranslated quotation from a re- view, is announced at Leipsig, at Paris, or at Rome, it is re- printed at Boston, Philadelphia, or New York, and read on the banks of the Ohio or Mississippi. This community of language the American ought also to prize ^ one of his noblest privileges, since it affords him access to a literature more ad- vanced than his own can be in the nature of things ; and if it be his first boast that he is the countryman of "Washington and Franklin, it should be his second, that his forefathers were countrymen of Shakespeare and Milton, and ' that Chatham's language is his mother-tongue.' MANNERS AND HABITS. The people of the United States have not that uniform cha- racter which belongs to ancient nations, upon whom time, and the stability of institutions, liave imprinted a particular and individual character. The general physiognomy is as varied as its origin is different. English, Irish, German, Scotch, French, and Swiss, all retain something of the first stamp, which belongs to their ancient country. A markecl distinction. 348 VIEW OF THE however, exists between the inhabitants of the maritime and commercial towns, and those of the country. The former perfectly resemble the citizens of the great towns of Europe. They have all the luxury and vices of an advanced civilization, Tliose of the country, who lead an agricultural life, enjoy all that happiness which is procured from the exercise of the so- cial virtues in their priraitivg purity. Their affections are constant; felicity crowns the conjugal union; respect for pa- ternal authority is sacred ; infidelity on the part of the wife is almost unknown ; divorce is rare ; mendicity and theft un- common. An Englishman may easily be distinguished by his gait and appearance from an American. The latter have a heavy, lounging, indifferent kind of manner, indicative of ease and carelessness. ' Their whole appearance,"' says a judicious ob- server, ' is sallow, and what we should call unhealthy. Our friend D tells me that to have colour in the cheeks is an infallible criterion by which to be discovered as an English- man. In a British town of any importance, you cannot walk along a leading street for half an hour without meeting with almost every variety of size, dress, and appearance among the inhabitants ; whils4| on the contrary, here they seem all of one family; and though not quite a "'drab-coloured creation,^ the feelings they excite are not many degrees removed from tlie uninteresting sensations generated by that expression. The yovmg men are tall, thin, and solemn : their dress is uni- versally trowsers, and very generally loose great coats. Old men, in our English idea of that phrase, appear very rare."" In such an extensive country, partaking of very different local circumstances, the manners and morals of the community must exhibit a great variety. Generally speaking, every state has its own peculiar features : and the subjects alluded to have been noticed in the view of the various states and territories. There is a material difference in point of chaiacter between the people of the northern states and those to the southward ; there also exists a considerable spirit of rivalry, jealousy, and opposition between them The former (speaking in general terms) are a plain, honest, and industrious people ; regular UNITED STATES. 849 m their habits, punctual in their payments, and strongly at- tached to agricultural and commercial pursuits. But the southern planter acquires his wealth not by the sweat of his brow like the -New Englander, but by the labour of his ne- groes. He lolls at his ease in the shady retreat, drinking, smoking, or sleeping, surrounded by his slaves and overseers, who furnish him with the luxuries of life, without the neces- sity of his leaving the piazza- The northern merchant, on the contrary, is strenuously exerting himself from morning till night; exercising his faculties, expanding his mind, and en- larging his ideas by continual intercourse with people of every nation, and correspondence in every quarter of" the globe. The planter is deprived of these opportunities of mixing with the world, and acquiring an extensive knowledge of the inte- rests of trade. Hence he supposes, that to raise a crop and sell it sufficiently benefits the country; nor can he eonceire what difference it will make, whether it is taken away in a ship of his own nation or that of a foreign state. He also looks upon the merchant or trader with contempt, as a mere plodding fellow who is making a fortune by his assistance ; he even hates him, when by careful industry and economy the merchant can leave off business, and becomes, t)y the aid of his superior wealth and abilities, a more ini]>ortant personage in society than himself Such are, in all probability, the causes which have created the existing spirit of rivalry, jealousy, and opposition, between the northern and southern states ; and which, if not quickly extirpated, may one day or other occa- sion a separation of the Union. The higher and middling classes of the Americans, who reside chiefly in the large towns or their neighbourhood, live, generally speaking, in a more luxurious manner than the same description of people in England. Not' that their tables are more sumptuou.^ly furnished on particular occasions than ours; but that their ordinary meals consist of a greater variety of articles, many of which from too frequent use may, perhaps, become pernicious to the constitution. The constant use of segars by the young men, even from an early age, may also tend to impair the constitution, and create a stimulus l^eyond 350 VIEW OF THE that which nature requires, or is capable of supporting. Theif dread of the yellow fever has induced a more frequent use of tobacco of late years ; but it is now grown into a habit that will not be easily abandoned. The other classes of the com- munity, who reside in the interior and back part of the coun- try, are often obliged to live upon salt provisions the greatest part of the year, and sometimes on very scanty fare ; besides which, they generally dwell in miserable log huts, incapable of defending them effectually from the severity of the weather. Those who have the means of living better are great eaters of animal food, which is introduced at every meal; together with a variety of hot cakes, and a profusion of butter: all which may more or less tend to the introduction of bilious disorders, and perhaps lay the foundation of those diseases which prove fatal in hot climates. The effects of a luxurious or meagre diet are equally injurious to the constitution, and, together with the sudden and violent changes of the climate, may create a series of nervous complaints, consumption, and debility, which in the states bordering on the Atlantic carry off" at least one-third of the inhabitants in the prime of life. The general mode of living for those who do not keep house, is at hotds, taverns, or private boarding-houses. There are generally two public apartments, one for a sitting, the other a dining room. The lady of the house presides ; the other ladies, who are boarders, being placed on her left. The hours are, — breakfast, eight o'clock ; dinner, half past three ; tea, seven ; supper, ten. American breakfasts are celebrated for their profusion ; presenting eggs, meat of various kinds, fish, and fowls. The charge is usually two dollars per diem, ex- clusive of wine. The Americans are much addicted to dissipation. Mecha- nics and tradesmen swallow daily an enormous quantity of spirits, so that a temperate man will, even in the morning, feel the smell of liquor emitted from almost every person he meets in the streets. Even in the country, peaches grow in such profusion that brandy is made at a small expence ; and as almost every house is furnished with a still, inebriation is very common. Those who can resist the temptations to in- UNITED STATES. 351 temperance possess great advantages over their less prudent neighbours. Mr. Lambert gives the following account of dram-drinking, which he received from general Bradley. ' A gum-ticJcler is a gill of spirits, generally rum, taken fasting. J phlegm-cutter is a double dose just before breakfast. An antifogmatic is a similar dram before dinner. A gall-breaker is about half a pint of ardent spirits. When they enquire how such-a-one does, the answer is, "Oh, he h on\y dLVinkmg guvi-ticklcrs T If he is drinking phlegm-cutters, or anti/bgmatics, the case is not so good, and he is soon expected to get to gall-breakers ; but if he is drinking the latter, they consider him as a lost sheep, — say it is all over with him, — and pity his desperate case. Indeed, a man seldom lives above six months after he has commenced the gall-breaking dram ! Rum, brandy, or gin sling, is a common beverage for travellers through the States ; and the stage-coachmen, in the course of a journey, take " a special good quantity of it.'''' Sometimes it consists only of the liquor and water, sweetened with sugar, and drank cold ; bvit in general it is made of milk, with ginger or nutmeg grated into it.' Another traveller says, that in New York vast quantities of ' Yankee"" rum are sold. ' All spirits,' he continues, *are com- monly drunk mixed with cold water, without sugar. The price per glass, at the dirtiest grog-shops, is two-pence, where the liquor is of the most inferior description. At the more respectable, for a superior quality three-pence halfpenny. At what are called taverns and porter-houses, establishments si- milar to our second-rate public houses, six-pence halfpenny. The size of the glass is half a gill. It is estimated that there are 1500 spirit-shops in this city ; a fact opposed to my first impressions of American habits, which, on the point of sobrie- ty, were favourable, judging from the absence of broils and of drunkard^ in the streets : but more attentive observation, aided by the information of old residents, enables me to state that the quantity of malt-liquor and spirits drunk by the inhabit- ants of New York, much exceeds the amount consumed by the same extent of Englbjh population. The beastly drun- 852 VIEW OF THE kard is a character unknown here; yet but too many are throughout the day under the influence of hquor, or what is not inappropriately termed "half and half!" a state too pre- valent among the labouring classes and the negroes. Many date the source of this to the extremes of the climate. Ano- ther and a leading cause is, that numbers of the lower orders are European emigrants. They bring their habits with them. They are here better employed and better paid than they were in the country which gave them birth ; and they partake too largely of the infirmities of our nature to be provident during the sunshine of prosperity.'' Duels are very frequent throughout the States, and all at- tempts to prevent them have hitherto failed. At New York, a law was passed to prohibit the sending of challenges, and the fighting of duels, under severe penalties ; but it answered no other end than to produce a smart piece of satire on the sub- ject of duels. A shght provocation produces a challengCj and if the parties consider themselves of what is called 'equal standing,"" that is, of families and in worldly circumstances of equal respectfibility, they rarely decline the combat ; and the Americans being generally good shots, and as remarkable for their cool deliberation as, too frequently, for deadly malignity, it is seldom that both parties escape with life. The Americans are uncommonly jealous of their indepen- dence; and although this be a useful feeling, its excess is productive of very serious evils. In schools, no species of correction is allowed, subordination being, as foreign to the comprehension of the youth as to that of the aged. Servants also feel themselves independent of their employers. This may be attended with some advantages : it may please when contrasted with the degrading slavery of the European world ; but it is not free from serious and peculiar evils. It increases selfish feelings and pursuits ; it individualizes society, and prevents a developement of those social qualities which are of important benefit to, as well as the greatest ornament of our nature. Servants are usually engaged by the week. Enquiry as ta character is not practised Blacks and whites are seldom kept UNITED STATES. Q5B in the same house. In the middle and southern states they are chiefly blacks; and, though held in the most degraded estimation, do almost as they please. Servants are called ' helps f if you call them servants they leave you without notice. Englishmen often incur their dis- pleasure by negligence in continuing to use this prohibited word. ' The ditference, however,*' observes a recent writer, " would appear merely verbal ; for indeed I should misrepre- sent the impressions I have received on the subject, if 1 stated that the Americans reallu shewed more feelinir, or were more considerate in their conduct towards this class of society than the English : every one who knows them will, I think, pro- nounce the direct contrary to be the case. A friend of mine, the other dav, met with a rebuff at his hotel, which tauffht him the necessity of altering — not his ideas indeed, but his words. Addressing the female " help,"' lie said, " Be kind enough to tell your mistress that I should be glad to see her." " Mi' mistress. Sir! I tell you I have no uiistress, nor master either. I will not tell her, Sir, I guess ; if you want Mrs. M you may go to her yourself, I guess. I have no mis- tress, Sir. In this country there is no mistresses nor masters ; I guess I am a woman citizen." The term " boss" is substi- tuted for that of master : but these, I would remark, are not the only instances in this country of the alteration of names^ while things remain tlie same : indeed some very absurd, and even indelicate changes have been made which cannot well be (iionmiunicated on paper."" A traveller to whom we have frequently referred says, 'When the vessel in which I sailed from England had anchored at New York, a boy procured us two hackney coaches, from a distance of about a quarter of a mile. I offered liim an English shilling, having no other small coin in my possession. He would not take so little ; " For as how I guess it is not of value. I have been slick in going to the stand right away." This was said with a tone of independence, whici), although displeasing to my pride, was not so to my judgment. Mr. Adams satisfied the young republican by giving him half-a- doUar, {9.s. ?jd.) There was no sense of having received a o Y 354 VIEW OF THE favour in the boy's countenance or manner ; a trait of charac- ter which, I have since learned, is by no means confined to the youth of America. A simple "I thank you, Sir," would not, however, derogate from a free man's dignity ; but I must not be too fastidious. We should not expect every thing ; and, after all, even cold independence is preferable to warm servility. Another question, and one of leading importance, suggested itself to me on this occasion ; naraelv. Is not labour here well paid .'* A great number of people were on the wharf looking at us and our vessel. Many of them were of the labouring class. They were not better clothed than men in a similar condition in England ; but they were more erect in their pos- ture, less care-worn in their countenances ; the thought of " the morrow" did not seem to form a part of their ideas ; and among them there were no beggars. ' Funerals are uniformly attended by large walking proces- sions. In the newspapers I have frequently observed adver- tisements stating the deaths, and inviting all friends to attend the burial. The dead are seldom kept more than two days. At the time appointed, intimate friends enter the house, others assemble outside, and full into the procession when the body is brought out. Sorrow d^)es not seem depicted in the counte- nances of any, but few wear mourning, and many smoke segars ; none appear chargeable with the hypocrisy described by the poet of " mocking sorrow with a heart not sad."' Fair complexions, regular features, and hne forms, seem to be the prevailing characteristics of the American fair sex. They do not, however, enjoy their beauty for so long a period as English women, neither do they possess the blooming coun- tenance and rosy tinge of health so predominant among our fair countrywomen, whose charms never stand in need of cos- metics. The beauty of the American women partakes more of the l\ly than the rose ; though the soft glow of the latter is sometimes to be met with. Their climate, however, is not so favourable to beauty as that of England, in consequence of the excessive heat and violent changes of the weather peculiar to America. UNITED STATES. S55 Most travellers who have visited Ainerica have charged the ladies of the United States universally with having bad teeth. This accusation is certainly very erroneous when ap- plied to the whole of the fair sex, and to them alone. That the inhabitants of the States are often subject to a premature loss of teeth is allowed by themselves; and the cause has even been discussed in the papers read before the American Philo- sophical Society ; but it does not particularly attach to the females, who are much more exempt from that misfortune than the men. Dancing is an amusement that the ladies are passionately fond of; and many of them are well accomplished in music and drawing, which they practise with considerable success: but they do not excel in those acquirements, as they do in dancing. Among the young men these accomplishments are but little cultivated. Marriages are conducted in the most splendid style, and form an important part of the winter's entertainments. For some years it was the fashion to keep them only among a se- lect circle of friends ; but of late the opulent parents of the new-married lady have thrown open their doors, and invited the town to partake of their felicity. The young couple, at- tended by their nearest connexions and friends, are married at home in a magniticent style; and if tjie parties are episco- palians, a bishop is always procured, if possible ; as his pre- sence gives a greater zest to the nuptials, For three days after the marriage ceremony, the new-married couple see com- pany in great state, and every genteel person who can procure an introduction may pay h.is respects to the bride and bride- groom. It is a sort of levee; and the visitors, after their introduction, partake of a cup of coffee or other refreshments, and walk away. Sometimes the night concludes with a con- cert and ball, or cards, among those friends and acquaintance who are invited to remain. A late writer thinks that the ease with which the necessa- ries of life may be obtained, the want of social subordination, and the desire to be independent, conspire to produce some inconveniences in the married life. ' Early marriages,' says 356 VIEW OF THE he, ' partly proceed perhaps from this state of things, though the great source of their frequency is certainly in conformity with a well-known theory, — the ease with which the necessa- ries of life can be obtained. Arguments are not wanting in favour of youthful matrimonial engagements; and, without considering the matter in an individual point of view, it cer- tainly contributes to the more rapid advancement of a country requiring population. Yet, strong as such reasons may be, 1 should, if morally considered, hesitate in bearing my testimony to their solidity. The youth of twenty, and the female of fourteen, are ill fitted for the cares, anxieties, and education of a family : neither their bodily nor mental strength has attained maturity. Those days also which ought to be devoted to the acquirement of solid information, and to the improving, per- haps it may be said, to the creating the character, are necessa- rily devoted to other objects. The cares of life, under such circumstances, begin to press upon individuals who have not previously had time or opportunity to learn its duties. No provision has been made for the support of a rising family — to this therefore every other object will generally be sacrificed : by these vneans a sordid and calculating spirit is engendered — the more generous feelings of our natui'e acquire neither strength nor stability ; and every mental and ennobling pur- suit is abandoned with a view to the getting on in life. * The American female character requires our attention : in mental pui'suits it would appear to be at present but little ad- vanced. This proceeds no doubt from a variety of causes ; all that has been said of the male population, by a natui'al re-ac- tion affecting the femall? also. The demand, too, (if I may be excused a mercantile phrase u])on such a subject,) exceeding the supply, together with the comparatively less value set upon domestic c(mi(i;)rt, may pcriiaps have tended to produce the extreme attention to mere personal ornament, and the uni- versal neo-Iect of either mental or domestic knowiedoe, which appears to exist among the females here, as compared with those of England.' In the article of cleanliness the American ladies are certainly inferior to Europeans, which may perhaps be owing, not so UNITED STATES. 357 much to the mixture of people from different nations, as to the want of authority over servants, with the laziness in vvhich domestics indulge who set a high value on their services. An Englishman thus describes an American boardine-house : — ' After a residence of three days at the hotel, I removed to a private boarding-house, in one of the bed-rooms of which I am now writing. The dining-room of this establishment is genteel ; but the other apartments, and more particularly the kitchen, are of a kind not much to excite admiration. I per- ceived here what — unpleasant as may be the discovery, I think I have observed elsewhere, and — worse still, what I fear pervades this new world, an affectation of splendour, or what may be called styJe^ in those things which are intended to meet the public eye ; with a lamentable want even of cleanliness in such matters as are removed Jrom that ordeal. To this may be added, an appearance of uncomfortable extravagance, and m ignorance of that kind of order and neatness which consti- tute, in the sight of those who have once enjoyed it, the prin- cipal charm of domestic life. I should rejoice to find myself n an error in this judgment; but all I have seen myself, and ill I have collected from the observation of others most com- petent to form a correct opinion, tend to its confirmation. 'Last evening I drank tea at a genteel private house, rhe furniture was splendid, the table profusely supplied, be- ng loaded with fish, dried beef, and sausages ; the bread and jutter \vas roughly cut in huge hunks piled zig-zag. The jhildren's faces were dirty, their hair uncombed, their disposi- ions evidently untaught, and all the members of the family, rom the boy of six years of age up to the owner (I was going o say master) of the house, appeared independent of each )ther. I have seen the same characteristics in other families —in some indeed decidedly the contrary ; but these latter vould seem to be the exceptions, and the former the general ule; The women in sea-port towns dress very gay, and rather in he French style ; but from the high wages paid for labour, md the speculating habits of the merchants, they do not feel he neces.sity of being industrious equally with Enghshwomen. 3^58 VIEW OF THE On the contrary, they are in general idle and careless ; and the practice of snuff-taking, and even the disgusting one of chewing tobacco, which is practised by many of the poorer sort, render them objects of aversion to strangers accustomed to the neatness and delicacy of female manners. They also evince a share of that freedom of expression and conduct prac- tised by the men ; but which in England would be condenmed as extremely gross and improper. This remark will be par- tially illustrated b}' the following advertisement, extracted from the ' Kentucky Reporter/ published at Lexington. 'TAKE NOTICE, 'And beware of the swindler JESSE DOUGflERTY, who mar- ried me in November last, and .some time after marriage informed me that he had another wife alive and before I recovered, the vil- lain left me, and took one of my best horses — one of my neighbours ■was so good as to follow liim and take the horse from him, and bring him back. The said Dougherty is about forty years of age, five feet ten inches high, round-shovddered, thick lips, complexion and hair dark, grey eyes, remarkably ugly and ill-natured, and very fond of ardent spirits, and by profession a notorious liar. This is therefore to Avarn all widows to beware of the swindler, as all he wants is their property, and they may go to the devil for him after he gets that. Also, all persons are forewarned from trading with the said Dougherty, with the expectation of receiving pay from my property, as I consider the marriage conti*act null and void agreea- bly to law : you will therefore pay no attention to any lies he may tell you of his property in this county. The said Dougherty has a mmnber of wives living, perhaps eight or ten, (the number not positively known,) and will no doubt, if b.e can get them, have eight or ten more. I believe that is the way he makes his living. 'MARY DODD.^ 'Livingston county, Ky. Sept. 5, 18 3 7.— 38 at (ch. W. G.)' The Americans are evidently destined to become a powerliil people, and to exercise a great iniluence over the councils of Europe. The perception of their growing strength and im- portance generates a high degree of national vanity, which blazes out on all occasions, in their conversation, newspapers, pamphlets, speeches, and books. They assume it as a self- UNITED STATES. 359 evident fact, that they surpass all other nations in virtue, wisdom, valour, liberty, government, and every other excel- lence. Europeans they despise, as ignorant paupers and das- tardly slaves. On this subject a recent writer thus expresses himself: — ' There are perhaps no people, not even excepting the French, who are so vain as the Americans ; their self-estima- tion and cool-headed bombast, when speaking of themselves or their country, are quite ludicrous. An anecdote is told of general Morcau, who, at the commencement of the late war' with England, was in America: a friend, addressing him, ob- served that his military talents would be of essential service to the republic. He replied in the negative ; adding, that there was not a druanmer in the American army who did not think himself equal to general Moreau. This fact will apply to all oc<;upations with an equal degree of faithfulness. Every man here thinks he has arrivetl at the acme of perfection ; the me- chanics themselves possess the same feeling. When at Nevvark, I was informed that some choice designs in chair-japanning and coach-plating were lately produced by two emigrants; the natives turned upon their heels, "Ay, they guessed them ""ere were fashions they had left off." Every American considers that it is impossible for a foreigner to teach him any thing, and that his head contains a perfect encyclopaedia. This excessive inflation of mind must be attended with many disadvantages; though when I look at the various causes which have com- bined to produce it, I am not much surprised at its existence. As a people, they feel that they have got to gain a character, and, like individuals under similar circumstances, are captioiis and conceited in proportion to their defects. They appe€«' to aim at a standard of high reputation, without the laborious task of deserving it, and practise upon themselves the self-de- oeption of believing that they really are that which they only wish to \ie. This feeling has not been lessened by their suc- cesses in the late e owtoat - Avith Great Britain; for, although in several engagements on our favourite element they had an overwhelming superiority, yet there were instances when that was not the case; and the defeat of English frigates, with 360 VIEW OF THE even any disparity of force, was too great an honour to be es- timated exactly as it merited. The boasting upon this subject is so extravagant that it burlesques the object of its praise. " America is now the ruler of the waves ;"" and every song and joke, fact and falsehood, that we have bestowed upon our tars, are transferred to the " Star-spangled banner, and the brave sons of Columbia," with the characteristic fidelity of a national intellect, rendered barren for want of culture." The tyrannical conduct of the British government in naval aft'airs, their system of impressment and of flogging, and the absurd and insolent claim of the right of search, might Avell, particularly the last, have exasperated the American nation, and more especially her seamen ; still the Americans are de- serving of great honour for what they really achieved. School- boys in the art of war, they were yet better prepared for it, and evinced more practical dexterity, than our hoary-headed practitioners. But with tliis limited degree of praise they are not content ; they are, forsooth, ' the lords of the ocean !** ' Neptune's choicest sons I"" ' Victorious, though the English had great superiority of foi'ce !' ' The star-spangled banner is the astonishment, the admiration, and the glory of the world !' — with volumes more of such frothy, senseless bombast. Other causes of their great national pride and vanity sug- gest themselves to the mind. One may consist in their beuig so far from the seat of the arts and sciences, that their acquire- ments are not tried by the only effectual standard — comparison. They are left in undisputed possession of the belief that in- fancy is manhood ; that puerility is superiority ; and that me- diocrity is first-rate talent. They have a political republic within themselves ; but they send scarcely one representative to the general republic of letters. European writers too, who have never actually visited America, taking their ideas of the inliabitants, their manners and institutions, from the laws and political constitution of the country, have frequently been pro- fuse in their eulogies. • Speculating emigrants, from inte- rested motives, have followed in the same track. American authors, in the sincerity of their hearts, have re-echoed these praises; and they would be more than human, were they not UNITED STATES. 361- injured by this powerful combination against their national improvement. The old governments of Eui'ope are careful to foster a spirit of national vanity, as an auxiliary to their schemes of war and aggrandizement; and perhaps there are few stronger symp- toms of the increase of knowledge in England, than the weak- ened feeling of enmity towards the French people. It is much to be regretted that circumstances should have so powerfully conspired to engender such a ridiculous and pernicious vice amongst the Americans. From this source arises also a dislike to strangers.^ This feeling is very general in America ; and, however unpleasant this remark may be to those who have formed a false estimate of the American character from the lying reports of interested individuals, it is our duty to exhibit things as they are, and to disregard the clamours of those who think that a degree of moral excellence exists in the United States utterly incompa- tible with the circumstances of the people. Mr. Birkbeck says, ' National antipathies are the result of bad political insti- tutions, and not of human nature. Here, whatever their ori- ginal, whether English, Scotch, Irish, German, French, all are Americans ; and of all the unfavourable imputations on the American character, jealousy of strangers is surely the most absurd and groundless. The Americans are sufficiently alive to their own interest, but they wish well to strangers, and are not always satisfied with wishing, if they can promote their interest by active services.' Now, opposed to the authoi'ity of this popular writer, we will offer an address, unanimously voted in 1809, at a meeting in New York of 500 adopted citizens, from which the follow- in£c are extracts : — 'At a respectable meeting, consisting of about five hundred Adopted Republican Citizens of the city of New York, held at Lyon's Hotel, Mott-Street, — yir. Archibald Taylor being unanimously called to the chair, and Dr. Stephen Dempsry appointed secretary, the subjoined address was unanimously adopted, a)id ordered to he publisher!. 16 9 Z 362 VIEW OF THE ' To the Adopted Republican Citizens of the citij of New York. ' Fellow Citizens, ' A long train of disagreeable circumstances have called us toge- ther, and induced us to address you on a subject which, for years, we have acately felt and deeply deplored. Some of youj groaning under oppression in your native land, have voluntarily emigrated from it, whilst others, more afflicted by despotism, and less favoured by propitious events, find yourselves in the condition of involuntary exile. All, however, have chosen, as a resting-place in the journey through life, this " asylum for the oppressed of all nations." Here, perhaps, mistaking the character of human nature, we pleasingly anticipated, fi'ora those who avow themselves the friends of freedom, exemption from that religious persecution and civil tyranny, whose inexorable I'eign had forced us from our native country. Alas! how greatly were we mistaken ! how egregioushj have we been disap- pointed ! Our constitutions and gooernmejits are indeed free, but be- tween these admirable institutions and ourselves a tyranny is intervened 7nuch less tolerable than that from which we Jled We have made permanent settlements in the land of our forefathers ; we admire and we are attached to our republican institutions ; we have com- plied with the injunctions of the constitutions and the laws, and we will support them upon equal terms, with our lives aiid our for- tunes. But how are we treated ? What has been our reception ? Has good faith been observed? Have the promises been performed? Are not we, who are citizens by all the solemnities and obligations of law, treated as aliens — stigmatized as foreigners ? We complain not of the constitutions and the laws ; they are liberal in principle and benign in operation. They enjoin an abjuration of foi-mer allegi- ance ; have we not with alacrity complied with the injtmction ? They require an oath of fidelity to the Union and to the States : devoted in spirit and in truth to both, we have eagerly taken it. What more is required .^ What more can be expected ? The laws require no more. Shall an under-plot, a counter opera/ion, indivi- dual Jealousy, and pale-faced cabal, fro7V7ied upon by the very elements of the state, subvert the law — put it at defiance — trample if under foot ? The law places upon the same undistinguishable level, the citizen of native and the citizen of foreign birtii. Are we to be told, in this enlightened age, that the law is not to govern ; that the essence of a well-ordered society is not a government of laws, but a government of the worst passions } Go back then to a state of anarchy ; tear out the bowels of society ; revert to the rude con- UNITED STATES. 363 dition of untutored nature, and let the strongest govern. We have never ceased to cherish and to inculcate those opinions which are most consonant to the civil and sociiil state. We have remonstrated .'■gainst distinctions, at once impolitic and unjust, between native and adopted citizens ; but have not our remonstrances and efforts been in vain ? No zeal, no exertions, no services, however disiiiterested, unremitted, or great, have been sufficient to shield us from an epi- thet which, while it poisons the social and impairs the enjoyment of political life, must ultimately terminate in the ruin of the repub- lican party in this city. Alas ! has our republic turned upon itself, and in the short period of a few years from the adoption of the constitution ?' ' Resolved unanimously, that 500 copies of the above address and resolution be printed in hand-bills, for the benefit of our fel- low republican and adopted citizens. 'ARCHIBALD TAYLOR, Chairman. 'S. DEMPSEY, Secretary.' Nothing can excite in the mind of an emigrant such surprise and indignation as this ridiculous and selfish antipathy to strangers, which must originate in the most contracted views. Liberal uiinded men must, in America as in other countries, be above such prejudices; but we here speak of the general sentiment. Some excuse, however, may in this case be made for tlie Americans, as many strangers join their community chiefly to escape the consequences of their dishonesty in their native land : but the national dislike to strangers is shewn in instances where this cannot possibly be admitted as an excuse. The celebrated Mr. Emmett, notwithstanding his high re- putation at the American bar, is often mentioned with con- tempt, as being a foreigner. A similar accusation was brought against the amiable general Hamilton ; and such ' ■sentiments are always rapturously applauded in the public forum of New York, where young men of talent exercise their oratorical powers. In all infant colonies, each individual is so dependent upon his neighbour, that self-interest breaks down minor feelings ; but in old settled parts, this check does not operate. Hence it is that in Pennsylvania there exists between the Americans of 66i' VIEW OF THE Irish and of German extraction the most deadly animosity. In the mind of a German American, the term ' Irishman' is one of the most foul reproaches with which the range of his ideas supplies him. Indeed, Irishmen, as well as Dutchmen, are very generally despised ; and it is a high offence to insi- nuate to an American that he is not of English descent. Yet his jealousy of Englishmen is as great as his contempt for the natives of other countries. Some travellers, possessing a name and property, have met with a liberal reception, and have not therefore noticed this trait in the American character ; for in no country are riches more sought after and esteemed than in America. The Americans are very covetous of the few titles which are allowed by the laws. In Massachusetts a vote is peculiarly valuable, because an office there makes a man hcmourahle du- ring life. This and other titles are always ostentatiously pub- lished. But man is the same in all countries. The following extract from the ' Boston Sentinel,'' of August 27th, 1817, will illustrate tliis idea. ' Dinner to Mr. Adams. — Yesterday a public dinner was given to the Hon. John Q. Adams, in tlie Exchange coffee-house^ by his fellow-citizens of Boston. The Hon. Wm. Gray presided, assisted by the Hon. Harrison Gray Otis, Georr and lodging in jail, or delivering to the subscriber, the following slaves, belonging to JOSEPH IRVIN, of/6f^m7/e.•— "TOM, a very light Mulatto, blue eyes, 5 feet 10 inches high, appears to be about 35 years of age, an artful fellow — can read and write, and preaches occasionally. "CHARLOTTE, a black wench, round and full faced, tall, stri:ight, and likely — about 2;:> years of age, and wife of the above- named Tom. " These slaves decamped from their owner's plantation, on the night of the 14th September inst. "WILLIAM KENNER & Co."* But perhaps the estimation in whicli the unfortunate ne- groes are held by the free-born Americans, will be best illus- trated by the following official document, published at New Orleans. 'CITY COUNCIL OF NEW ORLEANS. 'An ordmancc in relation lo slaves in the citjf and suburbs of New Orleans, as also in the neighbourhood thereof, a?id to no other per- sons herein mentioned. ' The city council ordains as follows; ' Art. 1. No slave or slaves within the city and suburbs of New Orleans, and the neighbourhood thereof, shall have, hold, occupy, reside or sleep in any house, out-house, building, or enclosure, other than his or her owner's, or his or her owner's representatives, or of the person whom he is or they are serving for hire, without first obtaining a ticket or tickets from his, her, or their owner or owners, expressly describing the place which such slave or slaves is or are allowed respectively to occu]\y, reside, or sleep in ; and specifying also the time during which the aforesaid permission or permissions is or are granted ; and every slave, holding, occupying, residing or sleeping in any house, out-house, building, or enclosure, without obtaining the permission aforesaid, shall be committed to the jail by any officer of police, or any other white person, there to receive twenty lashes, on a warrant from the mayor, or from a jus- tice of the peace, unless the owner or owners of such slaves shall ' previously pay a fine of Jive dollars for each of them, with all costs and charges. 368 VIEW OF THE ' Art. 6. The assemblies of slaves for the purpose of dancing or other merriment, shall take place only on Sundays, and solely in such open or public places as shall be appointed by the mayor ; and no such assembly shall continue later than sunset ; and all slaves who shall be found assembled together on any other day than Sun- day, or who, even on that day, shall continue their dances after sunset, shall be taken up by the officers of police, constables, watchmen, or other white persons, and shall be lodged in the pub- lic jail, where they shall receive from 10 to 25 lashes, on a wariant from the mayor or a justice of the peace ; the clauses specified in the preceding article against all owners or occupants of houses or lots, forming or tolerating such assemblies on their premises, being in full force against them. ' Art. 7- No person giving a ball to free people of colour shall, on any pretext, admit or suffer to be admitted to said ball any slave, on penalty of a fine from 10 to 50 dollars ; and any slave admitted to any such ball shall receive 15 lashes. ' Art. 8. Every slave, except such as may be blind or infirm, who shall walk in any street or open place with a cane, club, or other stick, shall be carried to the police jail, where he shall receive 25 lashes, and shall moreover forfeit every such cane, club, or other stick, to any white person seizing the same ; and every slave car- rying any arms whatever, shall be punished in the manner pre- scribed by the Black Code of this state. ' Art. p. If any slave shall be guilty of whooping or hallooing any where in the city and suburbs, or of making any clamorous noise, or of singing aloud any indecent song, he or she shall, for each and every such offence, receive at the police jail, on a warrant from the mayor, or any justice of the peace, a number of 20 lashes or stripes; and if any such oifence be committed on board any vessel, the master or commander thereof shall forfeit and pay a sum of 20 dollars for every such offence. 'Art. 10. Every slave who shall be guilty of disrespect towards any white person, or shall insult any free person, shall receive 30 lashes, upon an order from the mayor, or justice of the peace. ' Art. 13. The present ordinance shall be printed in the usual gazettes, and shall moreover be published by drum-beat, within the city and suburbs, twice every week during fifteen days, and once every month after that time. * Approved, October 15th, 1817. ' .7. SOULIE, Recorder ^Nov. .■?. AUG. MACARTY, Mavor UNITED STATES. 369 What points out very forcibly the degrading effects of sla- very upon the mind is, that the Americans, even in worship- ping the common Father of all, refuse to permit the approach of coloured people. They are obliged to have churches of their own. In Philadelphia, ' the three " African churches,'" as they are called, are for all those native Americans who are black, or have any shade of colour darker than white. These persons, though many of them are possessed of the rights of citizenship, are not admitted into the churches which are visit- ed by whites. There exists a penal law, deeply written in the minds of the whole white population, which subjects their co- loured fellow-citizens to unconditional contumelv and never- ceasing insult. No respectability, however unquestionable — no property, however large — no character, however unblemished — will gain a man, whose body is (in American estimation) cursed with even a twentieth portion of the blood of his Afri- can ancestry, admission into society ! ! ! They ai'e considered as mere Pariahs — as outcasts and vagrants upon the face of the earth !' The diversity of laws in separate states, by which acts con- sidered as a crime in one part are not punishable in another, and also many confused impressions of right and \Vrong, gene- rate much evil, while the state of the bankrupt laws, and an immense and complicated paper currency, are universal and increasing evils ; each of these having opened an extensive field to the calculations of avidity and the speculations of the dishonest. The list of insolvencies is enormous. Failure in trade, so far from being a cause of loss, or a subject of shame, is generally the means of securing a fortune ; and so callous upon this subject has the public mind become, that no kind of disadvantage or disgrace attaches to the individual, who takes, therefore, little pains to disguise the source of his wealth. Although pauperism has not arrived at English maturity, nor does it often attract the public eye, yet it does exist, and that to a great extent, which may be seen in governor Clinton's most able address to the New York legislature. He there re- marks, ' Our statutes relating to the poor are borrowed from the English system. And the experience of that country, as 3 A 370 VIEW OF THE well as our own, shows that pauperism increases with the aug- mentation of the funds applied to its relief. This evil has proceeded to such an alarming extent in the city of New York, that the burdens of heavy taxation which it has imposed, me- nace a din)inution of the population of that city, and a depre- ciation of its real property. The consequences will be very injurious to the whole state ; for the decay of our great market will be felt in every department of productive labour. Under the present system the fruits of industry are appropriated to the wants of idleness ; a laborious poor man is taxed for the support of an idle beggar ; and the voice of mendicity, no longer considered degrading, infects a considerable portion of our population in large towns. I am persuaded that the sooner a radical reform takes place, the better. The evil is contagious, and a prompt extirpation can alone prevent its pernicious extension.' To pauperism may be added lotteries, which are nume- rous in all the states ; and in many the English exploded ini- quity of insurance, and ^little goes^ exist in full operation. To such an extent is this scandalous mode of gaming carried, that one traveller mentions a lottery, when he was in the Illi- nois, for building a presbyterian church ! The ' scheme' was preceded by a long address upon the advantages of religion, and the necessity of supporting Christianity by purchasing- tickets in this lottery ! All these drawbacks upon the general character of the Ame- ricans are the natural result of the materials of which they are composed. The first civilized population of the States were emigrants from the several European nations, particularly England ; the most respectable class of which were those who fled from religious persecution ; no inconsiderable number of transports ; and the rest were, as emigrants ever are, — the most enterprising, the most needy, but by no mccins the most intelligent of their native country. Such then were the seeds of American society ; let us look at the circumstances in which these men were placed ; in a country where civilization had made no progress ; where every man, both in mind and body, was fully occupied in obtaining the bare means of subsistence ;» UNITED STATES. 371 and where their relative sitviation towards the natives of the soil was calculated to deaden every just, benevolent, and hu- mane sentiment. As society advanced, indeed, the whole po- pulation no longer remained ' hewers of wood and drawers of water.* Classification commenced; but still those whose views, means, oi- habits could be mental, were extremely limited in number. They left Europe at a dark period, not themselves the finest specimens of the national picture ; even those amongst them who had leisure for literary objects, met with obstacles at every step — the want of books, the want of so- ciety, and of conmiunication with learned individuals or of scientific bodies. There was besides no history attached to their country ; they lived indeed in a new world, ' which was endeared to them by no recollections, and which could neither excite nor gratify their curiosity, by the records of the past.' The first accessions of strength from the ^old country^'' fur- nished little besides an increase of the manual labour. The colonial government introduced some men of information : public education was attended to ; riches increas^ed ; the slave- trade was encouraged; negroes were introduced in every American colony ; the extermination of Indians went on, the invaders gradually seizing on their country. Literature was now in some respects advancing, though the colonists depended for their mental as well as bodily clothing upon the mother country ; English, Dutch, Irish, Scotch, Germans, and their several descendants, were becoming to speak one language, and have one common interest. They were, as colonists ever and necessarily are, inferior to the parent country in the first class of its intelligence, but above its grosser ignorance. So- ciety had at this time acquired stability. The Revolution now took place. This struggle, chiefly in consequence of Paine"'s * Commtm Sense,' terminated in a ' Declaration of Indepen- dence.'' The friends of liberty in Europe now crossed the Atlantic to fan their darlin'j flame. Others also emigrated of a more dubious cliaracter : America became the receptacle for speculators and fortune-hunters, for adventurers and base and demoralized characters of every shi»dc and description. The peaceful pursuits of agriculture were exchanged for those of SV^ VIEW OF THE the sword ; society was shifted from its base, and every thing became disorganized. Peace was at length proclaimed, but it failed to bring with it those halcyon days, of which the olive- branch is generally considered the precursor, America was now a chaos, bankrupt alike, it was feared, in morals and in finances ; and it required all the coolness and ability of Wash- ington to preserve the public peace. A reversion of the prin- ciples of the federal union seemed to become necessary, in order to increase the powers of government. This question gave rise to two parties, who still foster in their breasts the most implacable hatred. Those v;lio advocated a reversion of the constitution took the name of Federalists, and their oppo- nents that of Democrats. America, ii) the mean time, in her political capacity, was making rapid advances towards taking her standing as a first- rate power. Hef internal resources were boundless; her geographical situation secured her from attack during the weakness, as it were, of infancy ; her population went on in- creasing in a ratio not paralleled in modern times, but easily to be accounted for upon well-known principles of political economy. At this time it was that the disturbed state of Eu- rope threw into lier hands the carrying trade of the world, and enabled her to erect a mei-cantile marine, only second to that of Great Britain. This unexpected, and unprepared^or influx of wealth, demoralized, while it enriched ; with the peo- ple, there was no preparation, no pupillage, no gradation, no step from the primitive log-house to the splendour of the pa- lace. European luxury and vice, unadorned by European knowledge, and not ameliorated by European habits of refine- ment, rapidly overspread the land, and produced their natural and unavoidable consequences. The pursuits of the whole people assumed also a hazardous and specidairve cast; oppor- tunities for indulging which were constantly presented by the disturbed state of European commerce, and by their own vast unpeopled continent. The means of living were in the hands of every man, with the occupation of but one-fourth pait of bis time. They were in possession of political and domestic ease, the sources, or the value of which, their want of reflectiou UNITED STATES. 373 prevented them from estimating; and having at once the means, the time, and the opportunity of gi'atifying their pas- sions, or indulging their indolence, they have not pursued learning bevond their school-books. Thus, neglecting to en- courage any pursuits, either individually or collectively, which may be called mental, they appear, as a nation, to have sunk into habits of indolence and indifference; they are neither lively in their tempers, nor generous in their dispositions. Looking fairly therefore at all these circumstances, we ought not to be surprised to find that American theory is at least txvo centuries in advance of American practice. We have usually connected with our ideas of republicanism and unpolished manners, a simpUcity and honesty of mind which more than compensate for all minor defects. That we should not meet with even an approach to these characteristics in America is by no means extraordinary, when we reflect upon their origin and the materials from which their present charac- ter is derived. Upon the whole, it will be seen that the Americans are not possessed of a superior degree of intelligence and moral feel- ing. With regard to information, men are almost upon a dead level, that o;radation of intellect which exists in England being unknown. The American labourers possess more intel- ligence than those of the same class in England; but the mid- dle ranks fall short, from the causes before mentioned, of our standard. What is here said relative to the character of the inhabitants of America, does not apply to the circumstances of the coun- try. As to America generally, it possesses some most im- portant advantages, among which are to be enumerated, an extensive and, in parts, a very fertile country — a population not filled up — and, above all, a reasonable and a cheap go- vernment. These give to the poor man a recompense for his labour proportionate to his deserts : they also open numerous sources for the valuable employment of capital ; and they give a solid satisfaction, as to the future, in the mind of a man of family or of property, which it is impossible to derive from a 374 VIEW OF THE contemplation of the present condition, and tiie present policy, of any of the old governments. In forming an estimate of the American character, it is ne- cessarv to take into the account the prejudice and the interests of those who have undertaken to enlighten us on the subject. Some emigrants, in order to increase the population in their neighbourhood, and consequently the value of their property ; and others from a deep-rooted dislike to the governments un- der which tliey have suffered, describe America as a political elysium, and its inhabitants as exempt from the failings and vices that they imported from Europe. Others again, in tra- velling through the States, exclaim that all is barren. An in- telligent traveller met an Englishnian in New England. ' My fellovv-countryman,'' says he, ' was so full of tlie importance and superiority of England, that any thing American did not» in his eyes, seem worthy of notice. A man passed us on horseback without bowing or speaking ; mij friend exclaimed, *' There, you see they have neither manners nor common sense in this country ; if we were in England, you know, and a man passed the stage, he would bow and say, How do you do T"" To this gentleman the old story was strictly applicable of two Englishmen and an American travelling in a stage from Boston. They indulged their patriotism by abusing every thing Ame- rican. The butter was not so good as the English — nor the beef — nor the mutton — nor the peaches — nor the laws — nor the people — nor the climate — nor the country. Their fellow- traveller was displeased, but he remained silent. At length there came on a tremendous storm of thunder and lightning. He then burst forth, boiling with rage, " There, d you ! I guess that that thunder and lightning is as good as any you have in England."" "" RELIGION. An estimate has been lately made of the proportion of churches and clergymen to the population, by the rev. Mr. Beecher, in his Address to the Charitable Society for the edu- UNITED STATES. 375 cation of pious young men for the ministry of the gospel. This author proceeds on the assumption that there should be a regular pastor for every 150 families or 1000 souls. The present ratio in the New England states is one to every 1500 persons. In Great Britain and Ireland, the proportion of ministers to the number of souls is found to be one to every 800 or 900. An American population of eight millions would, of course, i-eqnire 8000 ministers; but the whole number of regular well educated ministers does not exceed 8000. In New York, the actual number of pastors is about 500, the population of a million would require double this number. la New Jersey, there is a deficiency of at least 50 pastors. In Pennsylvania and Delaware the deficiency is very considerable. Virginia, with a population of 974,000, has but 60 regular ministers, consequently, 914,000 persons are without adequate religious instruction. The situation of Maryland is similar to that of Virginia. With respect to the state of religion in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, no accurate information was obtained. North Carolina, vvith a population of 555,500, which would require 550 clergymen, has but 20. South Carolina, with a popula- tion of 415,000, has but 36 ministers. Georgia has but ten clergymen. Mr. Beecher's enumeration, it is to be observed, includes only regularly educated clergymen ; but there are, besides, a number of itinerant pieachers in the United States, and many persons among the different sects, who officiate occasionally as religious teachers, though they derive their subsistence from other professions. The same author informs us, that one-third of all ministers who receive a rej»:ular collegiate education in the United States, are educated at Harvard and Yale colleges. The highest clerical stipend in the United States is 5000 dollars, with a dwelling-house, and the fees of marriage, which, though voluntary, are always liberal. The common salary of a respectable clergyman in New York, Philadelphia, and Bal- timore, is 2500 dollars; and the value of the house and fees varies from 300 to 500 dollars and upwards. In the country 376 VIEW OF THE the stipend is much lower. In the state of Connecticut it sel- dom exceeds 1000 dollars per annum, but with a house and small glebe, and occasional presents. This affords a very de- cent support to a clergyman, and enables him to give his sons a college education. The principal religious denominations in the United States are, congregationalists, presbyterians, episcopalians, friends or quakers, methodists, baptists, German Lutherans, Dutch re- formed, Roman catholics, Moravians, Mennonists, jumpers, universalists, and shakers. If the whole population \yere divided into twelve parts, three of these would be Calvinists, chiefly of the congregational and presbytcrian sects ; two bap- tists ; two methodists ; one episcopalians and Lutherans ; the rest include persons of many various forms of belief, and a considerable number who follow no religious profession. Of the Congregationalists^ a few years since, there were 1000 congregations in New England, and 200 in the middle and southern states, with 120 ministers and candidates for the ministry. Their system of church discipline, is derived chiefly from that which was established in 1700, and is known by the name of the Say Brook Platform. Each church chuses its own minister, but is associated with others for mutual advan- tage, and the termination of disputes. Meetings are held for this purpose twice a year. Presbyterians. — In the year 1810 there were 772 congrega- tions of presbyterians, with 434 ministers, and a number of licentiates. This denomination prevails in the middle and southern states. Their highest ecclesiastical court is siyled the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, under which are synods, presbyteries, and church sessions. In 1810 there were five synods and 36 presbyteries. At Princeton there is a theological school for Calvinists, well endowed, with a good library. The Episcopalians^ before the revolution, were obliged to send their preachers to England for ordination, at the average expence of 100/. sterling each. Dr. Chemeler, in his appeal to the public in behalf of the church of England, stated, ' that, of 52 who went home for orders, only 42 returned in safety, UNITED STATES. 377 owing to sickness, or the accidents of the voyage.' This ab- surd regulation kept many of the churches unprovided with clergymen In the year 1808, the number of episcopalian churches in New England was 65, that of ministers, 48; in the middle states, bS churches, and 66 ministers; in the southern, 105 churches, and 101 ministers; in all, 238 churches, and 215 ministers. The churches are under the general direction of the Convention of the Protestant Episco- pal Church, which is composed of two houses; the one of bishops, the other of delegates, consisting of clergymen and laymen. Of the Quakers or Friends there were about 400 congrega- tions some years ago, and chieflv in the middle states. In the northern there are few, except in Rhode island. In North Carolina there is a quaker settlement at New Garden, and congregations at Pasquotank and Wood creek. Methodists. — The number of methodists in 1809 amounted to 159,500. Thev are more numerous in the middle and southern than, in the northern states. Their churches are as- sociated under the title of the United Societies of the Method- ist Episcopal church. The whole country is divided into religious districts and circuits ; the former under the direction of a presiding elder, the latter under the inspection of an iti- nerant preacher ; both of whom are appointed at the annual conference. The seeds of methodism were first sown in this country by the celebrated Whitefield. It is believed that this sect is increasing very considerably. . Baptists. — ^In the year 1793, there were 45 baptist associa- tions in the United States, 1032 churches, 1^91 ministers, and 73,471 members. In May, 1817, the general convention of the baptist denomination in the United States held their first triennial meeting at Philadelphia ; and in their report the number of churches and of members was thus estimated : 2727 churches; ministers, 1936; members in fellowship, 183,245. In the state of New York the number of churches was 321, of members, 23,558; in Kentucky, 421 churches, and 22,432 members; in Georgia, 202 churches, and 16,834 members; in Virginia, 314 churches, and 11,838 members, 3 B S78 VIEW OF THE Lutherans. — In the states of New York and Pennsylvania, the Lutherans, chiefly of German origin, have a hundred con- gregations ; the German Caivinists nearly the same number. Several of the clergymen of this denomination have distin- guished themselves by their literary and scientific attainments ; the late Dr. Muhlenburg of Lancaster, as a botanist, Dr. Kunzie of New York, as an oriental scholar and mathemati- cian, Mr. Melsheimer of Pennsylvania, as an etymologist. The Dutch Reformed church, under the name of the Re- formed Synod of New York and new Jersey, consists of about 80 congregations. The canons of Dordrecht are adopted as a rule of discipline, and the Heidclburg Catechism as the rule of faith. Roman CathoUcs. — This denomination is more numerous in Maryland and in Louisiana than in any of the other states. The Roman catholics of Maryland are chiefly of Irish, those of Ijouisiana of French origin. Some years ago, the number in Maryland was 75,000. In Baltimore there is an archbishop and four bishops, and three churches; in Boston, a church and a bishop; in New York, two churches and a bishop; in Philadelphia, lour churches and a bishop ; in Bardstown, one ; in Kentucky, one ; in Louisiana, one, with two canons, and 25 curates, who receive each about oOO dollars a year. Moravians, or United Brethren. — In the year 1788, the number of this denomination was about 2000. Their princi- pal establishments are at Bethlehem and Nazareth in Pennsyl- vania, at Hope in New Jersey, and at Wachovia, on the Yadkin river, in North Carolina. In the last state they pur- chased 100,000 acres of land from lord Granville. They are styled the United Brethren of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The first person of this sect arrived in the United States in 1741, under the protection of count Zinzendo1"f. At Bethlehem, in Pennsylvania, the Moravians have a large society, occupying a numbei- of fjuins. There is a great hall in which all daily assemble for the purpose of public worship. The single men and women have each a separate dwelling. The latter are occupied in various domestic employments, — in fancy a;)d ornamental works, and occasionally in musical UNITED STATES. 379 practice under the direction of a superintendent. The walla of the large hall where the society dine are adorned with paintings, diiefly Scripture pieces, executed by members. Va- rious branches of trade and manufacture are carried on, the profits of which go to the general stock, from which all are supplied widi the necessaries of life. Their whole time is spent in labour and in prayer, except an hour in the evening, which is allotted for a concert. Marriage is contracted in a singular manner. The young man who has an inclination to marry makes application to the priest, who presents a young woman designated by the superintendent as the next in rota- tion for marriage. Having left the parties together for an boiu-, the priest returns, and if they mutually consent to Jive together, they are married the next day ; if otherwise, each is put at the lx)ttom of the list, containing, perhaps, 60 or 70 names, aiid, on tlie part of the girl, there is no chance of mar- riage, unless the same young man should again feel disposed for matrimony. When united, a neat habitation, with a plea- sa:it garden, is provided, and their children, at the age of six, are placed in the seminary. If either of tlie parents die, the other returns to the apartment of the single people. In the Moravian establishment there is a tavern witli large and excel- lent acconimodations. There are Moravian establishments also in South Carolina, al Bethania, Salem, and other places on the Moravian branch of the river Yadlin. Universalists, — We have not been able to pi'ocure any esti- mate of the number of persons of this persuasion. They form two divisions ; the followers of Dr. Chincry, and those of Mr, • John Murray. JShalcers. — The first of this sect came from England in 1774. Their number is inconsiderable. Their principal establish- ments are at Nisqiteunah, and New Lebanon, in the state of New York ; at Enfield in Ciwnecticut, and at Canterbury in Ne*v Ilampslnre. The TuaiJcers, a sect in Pennsylvania, took their origin from a G«r«jan, v>\w, weary of the busy world, retired to a solitary place about 50 miles from riiiladelphia, where he ^xm^ a <5Qilony ob a river nauied Euphrates. T\mx religious 380 VIEW OF THE practices resemble those of the quakers, none but those who feel the divine influence having a right to preach and exhort. The women hve separate from the men, and never associate except for the purpose of pubUc worship, or public business. Divine service is performed twice a day ; and the whole time, except a few hours given to sleep, is spent in labour and in prayer. They hold as injurious the doctrine of original sin, and deny the eternity of future punishment ; though they admit of a hell and a paradise. They believe that the souls of Christians are employed in the next world in the conversion of those who left this without enjoying the light of the gospel. In their conduct they show a stoical indifference to the good and evil of life. They never complain or. retaliate, even when insulted or robbed of their property. The dress of both sexes consists of a long white hooded gown, a coarse shirt, and thick shoes. The men wear w ide breeches i-esembling those of the Turks ; and never cut the beard, which, in some, reaches to the waist. Their food consists of vegetables only, the produce of their own labour, which is deposited in a common stock for the wants of the society. Sandemanian,'}. — Of this sect there is a small society at Portsmouth, in New Hampshire. Mennonists, who derive their name from Simon Menno, a German baptist, live in Pennsylvania. In the year 1770, their number amounted to 4000, forming thirteen churches, and 40 congregations. In New England clerical gentlemen have an astonishing hold upon the minds of men : the degree of reverential awe for the sanctity of their office, and the attention paid to the exter7ial forms of religion, approach almost to idolatry : these feelings are, perhaps, never encouraged without becoming the substitute of real religion^ and expelling the active and mental principles of Christianity. A man who values his good name in Boston, hardly dare be seen out of church at the appointed hours ; — this would be viewed as a heinous crime by men who would consider the same individuaPs cheating his creditors as of small import. Indeed, throughout the whole of the United States, there exists a kind of cold indifference in matters rela-, UNITED STATES. S81 live to religion, as far as concerns discussion and controversy. Every man is expected quietly to choose one of the churches; and when that is done, he must abide by it as solemnly and as regularly as he does his segar, his rum, and his business. Whatever degree of religious intelligence exists, is conjincd to the clergy ; who, perhaps, have lost no advantage by the abo- lition of a state religion. Religious fanaticism is very general in the States, and is carried to a degree of extravagance almost inconceivable in this country. We have before us some account of Camp Meetings, which are occasionally held in different states ; but the description is too indecent and gross to bear repetition. We will, however, as a specimen of these improprieties, relate a few such like occurrences from the pen of two recent and respectable travellers. ' The Sunday after my arrival at Savannah,' says Mr. Lambert, ' I was passing a methodist meeting, and was in- duced, by the vehemence of the preacher, to go in and hear his discourse. He uttered such terrible imprecations upon sinners unless they were born again in faith, that one half of his congregation were groaning and weeping in the mosfpiti- able manner. Such an assemblage of wretched looks, and pale, ghastly countenances, I never before saw ; they seemed, indeed, to have suffered severe castigation for their sins even in this world. Instead of benefiting by the mild and consolatory pre- cepts of Christianity, these people appeared to be lost in a sea of doubt and perplexity ; and seemed to think of nothing but everlasting damnation, unless perchance they construed a grip- ing of the boivels into the workings of divine grace.'' Another writer describes the mode in which the artful and designing impose upon the ignorant and unwary in the fol- lowing words : — ' Having heard that American methodists were distinguished for an extreme degree of fanatical violence in their religious exercises, I visited the African church, (all houses of religious assembly being denominated churches,) in which were noiie but blacks ; and in the evening, " Ebenezer church,"" in which S82 \'IEW OF THE were only whites. As the latter possessed all the characteris- tics of the former, with considerable additions of its own, to dial mily it k lieoessarj tliat I should call your attention. I went at eigiit oclock in the evening. The door was locked ; but the windows being open, I placed myself at one of them, eujd saw that the churcli within was crowded almost to suffo- cation. The preacher indulged in long pauses, and occasional loud ele\'a.tions of voice, which were always answered by the audience with deep groaos. When tiie prayer which followed the sermon liad ended, the minister descended from the pulpit, tlie dooi^s were thrown open, and a considerable number of the audience departed. Understanding, however, tiaat something was yet to follow, with considei'aWe difficulty I olotaiaed ad- mission. The minister had departed, the doors were again closed, but about four hundred persons remained. One (ap- parently) of the leading members gave out a hymn, then a bj'othei" was called upon to pray : he roareil and ranted like a «aaniac ; tiie male part of ths audience gi'oajied, fclae female shrieked ; « wan sitting next to me shouted ; a youth stand- iiig befoi-e me continued for half an hour bawling, " Oh Jesus ! -come idow», come dwwn, Jesus ! my dear Jesus, I see you ? bless me, Jesus ! Oh ! oh ! oh i Come down, Jesus r A small space 'farther on, a girl about eleven years of age was in convulsions : an oikl woman, wbo I concluded was her tnotber, stood on the seat, holding her up in her arms, that her exta- des might be visible to the whole assembly. In anotlier place tliere w^as ^ convocation of bdly sisters, sending forth most awful yells. A brother now stood forward, stating, tliat, "although numlxTs bad gone, he trusted tl>e Lord would that oig'lit work some signal favours among fcis dear lambs." Two sistci's advanced towards him, refusing to be comforted, *' for the Lord was with them :"" another brother prayed — and aJM^ber. ■*' ^aikec Macfaddin" was now called upon, a«d he addressed tl^jin with a voice wbich miglit rival a peal of thun- der, the whole congregatiaii occasionally joining responsive to bis notes. Tlie madness now became threefold increased, and sitd\ a isceue ptiesented its'elf as I could aiever ihave pictured- to UNITED STATES. S8S my imagination, and as I trust, for the honour of true religion and of human nature, I shall never see again. Had the inha- bitants of Bedlam been let loose, they could not have exceeded it. From forty to fifty were praying aloud and extemporane- ously at the same moment of time : some were kicking, many jumping, all clapping their hands and crying out in chorus, " Glory ! glory ! glory ! Jesus Christ is a very good friend ! Jesus Christ is a very good friend ! Oh God ! oh Jesus * come down! Glory! glory! glory! Thank you, Jesus ! thank you, God ! Oh, glory ! glory ! glory ! ! !" Mere ex- haustion of bodily strength produced a cessation of madness for a few minutes. A hymn was given out and sung; pray- ing then recommenced ; the scene of madness was again acted, with, if possible, increased eflbrts on the part of the performers. One of the brothers prayed to he he pt J rom enthusiasm! A girl of six years of age became the next object of attention. A reverend brother proclaimed that she "had just received a visit from the Lord, and was in awful convulsions — so hard was the working of the spirit !" This scene continued for some time; but the audience gradually lessened, so that by ten o''clock the field of active operations was considerably con- tracted. The women, hovvever, forming a compact column at the most distant comer of the church, continued their shriek- ings with but Uttle abatement. Feeling disposed to get a nearer sight of the beings who sent forth such terrifying yells, I endeavoured to approach them, but was stopped by several of the brethren, who would not allow of a near approach to- wards the holy sisterhood. The novelty of this exhibition had, at first sight, rendered it a subject of amusement and in- terest ; but all such feelings soon gave way to an emotion of melancholy horror, when I considered the gloomy picture it represented of human nature, and called to mind that these maniacal fanatics were blaspheming the holy name of Christi- anity. Notwithstanding my warm love of liberty, 1 felt that, were I an absolute lawgiver, I would certainly punish and re* strain men who thus degraded their nature, who set so wicked an example of religious blasphemy, and so foully libelled the name and character of revelation. 384 VIEW OF THE *I have since understood that one of the female converts upon this occasion had been turned away from her situation the previous evening for steahng five dollars. ' A gentleman informed me that he was at " Ebenezer"" a few days since, when the preacher stopped in the midst of his discourse, and directed those among his audience who were for King Jesus to stand up. Numbers of men and women imme- diately rose, shouting " I am for Jesus." " I am for Jesus.*" " I am for King Jesus." " Oh, that I could press him to my bosom !" " There he comes." " I am for King Jesus." I am informed that these exhibitions are neither singular in oc- currence nor partial in extent, and feel at a loss to account for such fanatical enthusiasm in this country : it is by no means an essential part of the creed of either Wesley or Whitefield ; and, in Great Britain, few bodies of men conduct their meet- ings with more order than the methodists. In Wales, I un- derstand, and perhaps in some country parts of England, there may be occasional exhibitions of the same kind; but they are of rare occurrence, and comparatively moderate in their excesses. In Ireland I have also witnessed occasional violence ; but never any thing at all equal to that exhibited at *' Ebenezer." In the latter counti-y, too, we make some al- lowance for national character : they are all fire — all feeling ; but with Americans, whatever may be their excellences or defects, they are certainly not chargeable with possessing a superabundance of warm blood : they are, on the contrary, most remarkable for complete and general coldness of charac- ter and disposition. That, therefore, they should be enthusi- astic, even in matters of religion, would appear a matter of difficult solution. In the individuals, it would seem to burst forth upon prepared occasions, and to exist in common with — perhaps actually to spring from, a cold-blooded callousness of disposition. The general theory which attributes warmth of feeling to the fanatic is perhaps, after all, a false one. Who so bigoted, so exclusive, so illiberal towards others, so wholly devoid of every generous sentiment ? The extreme fanaticism of these maniacal saints may perhaps therefore actually spring UNITED STATES. :i85 fi-om the absence of real enthusiasm, combined, of course, with gross and excessive ignorance.' PUBLIC LANDS. Before we enter upon the important subject of agriculture, it will be necessary to notice the regulations adopted respecting the sale and occupation of lands belonging to the States. The United States have obtained, by cession from the dif- ferent states of the Union, all their respective rights to public lands. The Indian title to extensive tracts has been extin- guished by treaty, and all the vacant lands of Louisiana have become national property. According to the statement of the commissioner of the general land office, dated the 30th De- cember, 1813, there are upwards of 400,000,000 of acres oi national domain undisposed of 1. Lands of which the Indian title has been extin- guished, .... 56^22r>,000 2. Lands of which the Indian title has not been ex- tinguished eastward of the Mississippi, - .148,876,000 3. Lands of which the Indian title has not been ex- tinguished in Louisiana and the Missouri tei'ri- tory, estimated at - - - 200,000,000 Total, - - 405,101,000 This land is of every quality of soil, and extends through almost every variety of climate. The law for the sale of public lands was passed in the year 1800, and has since undergone some modifications. The lands having been surveyed, are divided into townships of six miles square, each of which is subdivided into 36 sections, of one mile square, or 640 acres. The dividing lines run in the direction of the cardinal points, and cross one another at right angles. This business is under the direction of two surveyors, the one having the title of ' Surveyor-general,' the other that of ' Surveyor of the public lands south of the state of Tennes- see.' The powers and duties of the first extend over all the public lands north of the river Ohio, and over the territory of 17 3 C 386 VIEW OF THE Louisiana ; those of the second over the territories of Orleans and Mississippi. A return of tlie surveys is transmitted to the proper land-office, and also to the treasury-office at Wash- ington. A 36th part, or 640 acres of each township, is allotted for tlie support of schools within its limits ; and seven entire townships have been given in perpetuity, for the support of seminaries of learning; two in the state of Ohio, and one in each of the territories of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missis- sippi, and Louisiana. In every act or deed, lead mines and salt springs are reserved, and may be leased by government. The rivers Mississippi and Ohio, and all the navigable streams that lead into either, or into the St. Lawrence, remain as com- mon highways, and free from all tax, to all the citizens of the United States. The lands are offered at public sale, in quar- ter sections of 160 acres each. The minimum price is two dollars per acre. The lands not purchased at public sale may be sold privately at this price. In either case the purchase- money is paid in foui* equal instalments ; the first within 40 days, and the others within two, three, and four years, after the date of the j)urchase. If the payment be not made ac- cording to the terms, interest is paid at the rate o{' six per cent. per annum. On each instalment a discount of eight per cent, is allowed for prompt payment ; so that, if the amount be paid at the time of purchase, the price is reduced to a dollar and 64 cents per acre. If the whole of the purchase- money be not paid within five years after the date of the pui'chase, the lands are offered at public sale, but cannot be disposed of for less than the arrears of principal and interest due thereon. If this amount cannot be obtained, they revert to the United States, and the partial payments are forfeited. If they sell for a greater sum, the surplus is returned to the original purchaser. The lands purchased from the Indians are divided into dis- tricts, and a land-office established in each, under the dii'ection of two officers ; a register, who receives the applications and sells the land ; and a receiver of public monies, to whom the purchase-money is paid, if not transmitted to the treasury de- partment. The patent is not issued until the whole purchase- money, with interest, is paid. The president of the United UNITED STATES. 387 States is authorised, if necessary, to remove intruders from the public lands, by military force. Rights of pre-emption, mili- tary bounties, and donations, are regulated by acts of congress. From the opening of the land-offices to the 1st of October, 1812, the sale of public lands in the districts of Marietta, La- nesvilie, Steubenville, Canton, Chillicothe, Cincinnati, Jetfer- sonville, and Vincennes, amoimted to 4,006,488 acres, and produced 8,508,294 dollars. The lands sold in the Missis- sippi territory, in Madison county, and west and east of Pearl river, from the 1st of October, 1812, to the 30th of September, 1813, amounted to 514,422 acres, which produced 1,063,831 dollars. From the 1st of July, 1800, to the 1st of the same month, 1810, the whole quantity of land sold amounted to 3,386,000 arres, which produced" 7,062,000 dollars, of which 4,880,000 dollars had been received in payment, and the ba- lance remained due bv the purchasers. In 1812, the committee on public lands recommended the repeal of such part of the public laws as allows a credit on part of the purchase-money, and that in future the lands be offered for sale in tracts of 80 acres, at a dollar and 25 cents per acre, which would prevent their monopoly by large capi- talists, and enable the industrious poor man to become a pur- chaser. In the state of Ohio alone, the receipts, on account of forfeitures in 1811, amounted to nearly 50,000 dollars. The forfeiture is generally one-fourth of the purchase-money. If the purchaser take the credit allowed by law on the three in- stalments, he pays interest of more than ten per cent, per an- num ; and if he have no other resources than those arising from the land, he forfeits tlie whole amount of money paid, and all his agricultural improvements are finally lost. This circumstance induced the congress of the United States to pass an act, in February, 1814, in favour of the purchasers of pub- lic lands, who had not completed their payments, according to which, those who, prior to the 1st of April, 1810, had pur- chased lands not exceeding 640 acres, portional sections ex- cepted, were allowed the further time of three years for completing the payment. 388 VIEW OF THE A proposition for increasing the price of public lands \va& under the consideration of congress in 1817 ; but the commit- tee, in their report, felt somewhat apprehensive, that the United States, so far from being enabled to increase, would find themselves compelled to lessen the price of the public lands, or to forego the golden dreams they indulge of an enor- mous revenue to arise from their sale. AGRICULTURE. .The United States, over their whole extent, are truly an agricultural country. The number of persons engaged in commercial pursuits is very small, in proportion to the popu- lation ; and the manufactures are chiefly carried on by farmers. Agriculture is and must long continue the first and principal object both of the natives and of foreign emigrants. Immense fertile regions, yet uncleared, with every variety of soil and temperature, invite settlers ; and the low price of lands enables every industrious man, with a very small capital, to purchase some few hundred acres, and establish himself in a comfortable and independent situation. During the late war, the exclusion of British goods gave a great stimulus to domestic manufac- tures, and the disposition to embark in them was encouraged by the government ; but, since the return ol" peace, the Influx of foreign articles, at inferior prices, has occasioned a great proportion of them to be abandoned. The progress of Ame- rican agriculture, since the year 1800, has been very consider- able. Immense tracts of forests have been brought under the plough. The principles of agriculture have also become an object of attention ; and several societies have been established for its improvement. That of Philadelphia has published three octavo volumes. Those of New York, Boston, and Columbia, have also published useful memoirs. For the purpose of diffusing agricultural knowledge through- out the United States, an association was formed, in 1803, under the uanse of the ' American Board of Agriculture,' com- posed chiefly of the members of both houses of congress. UNITED STATES. 389 Sulphat of lime, or gypsum, so useful as a manure, has been lately found, and of a very fine quality, in the state of New York, in the counties of Onandago and Madison, on the bor- ders of tlie Cayuga and Seneca lakes, and in the territory of Missouri. Sulphuret of barytes has been successfully em- ployed as a manure, and is manufactured for this purpose, at the rate of 25 cents per bushel. The cultivation of the sugar- cane has been introduced into Louisiana, and lately into the islands on the coast of Georgia. It is believed that all the land favourable to the cultivation of sea island cotton, may be converted into sugar plantations. During the late war, the agricultural system underwent various changes, depending on new kinds of industry to which it gave birth. In the southern states, the culture of wheat has been substituted for that of tobacco, which, in time of peace, was one of the great articles of exportation. It was found that, at the close of the war, there was about 25,000 hogsheads in the state of Maryland, and from 35,000 to 40,000 in Virginia. The whole value exported in 1813 did not exceed 320,000 dollars. In the state of Pennsylvania an association has been formed for the purpose of encouraging the cultivation of the vine. A species brought from the Cape of Good Hope, of which the wine is agreeable, and the brandy of a superior quality, thrives in the open field. Other species are cultivated in the same state by Mr. Legaux, the wine of which -is also of a good quality. It is observed by this gentleman, that in the United States the temperature and vegetation in the 40th degree of latitude, are similar to those of the 48th and 49th of Europe. It is believed, that the vine will succeed well in Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, and upper parts of the Carolinas, parti- cularly in the natural meadows or barrens, where the wild grape is similar to that of the suburbs of Paris in France. The white Italian mulberrv was long since introduced into the southern states, and the silk-worm was found to thrive ; but the high price of labour renders the manufacture of silk un- profitable. The Sesmnum Oricntnic, or benny-seed^ is now cultivated in Virginia and the Carolinas for domestic purposes. The oil which the seed affords is equal to olive oil of the best 390 VIEW OP THE quality, and it is difficult to distinguish the one from the other by the taste. Sugar is now cultivated in Georgia, and to a great extent in Louisiana. The quantity made in Louisiana, in 1810, was estimated at ten millions of pounds; and in the same year, according to the reports of the marshals, more than nine millions and a half of sugar were made from the maple- tree in the United States. In 1814, the quantity of sugar made in Louisiana was not less than fifteen millions of pounds ; and in 1816, 10,833,704 pounds were exported coastwise from New Orleans, principally to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, and this was in addition to the quantity carried up the Mississippi, and consumed in the state of Louisiana. It has lately been ascertained, that several species of plants, from which barilla, or carbonat of soda, is extracted, grow sponta- neously in different parts of the United States. The Salsola Icali, in the island of New York, near the East river, in the environs of Boston, at Richmond in Virginia, and on the bor- ders of the Rappahanoc. The Salicomia Jructkosa, one of the materials of the fine Alicant barilla, grows in almost all the salt marshes, and fuci of different species abound on the sea-shore. The rearing of sheep has become a great object of rural economy. The Merino species, of a pure as well as mixed breed, are now multiplied throughout the whole extent of the United States. The first that were imported were sold at 1000 dollars each, and the present average price does not exceed 45 dollars. It is a curious fact, that in the United States they are not subject to the fatal disease so well known in Europe under the name of rot. In the western parts of the state of New York, they thrive remarkably well, and it would appear that the ravages of the wolf are not more destructive there than those of the dog in counti-ies peopled at an earlier period. They do not require as much food as the common sheep ; and it is well known that the wool is not only finer, but more abundant. Hemp is now cultivated in certain dis- tricts of the states of New York and Kentucky ; some of the low or bottom grounds have yielded 600 pounds per acre. The breed of American horses has been improved by inter- mixture with those of Europe. In the northern states they UNITED STATES. SQl partake of the qualities of the Norman and English hunter ; in those of the south, of the Arabian, or English race-horse. The breed of oxen has also been improved for the purpose of agricultural labour. Dr. Mease, in his introductory dis- course on the diseases of domestic animals, states, that, in South Carolina and Georgia, cattle brought from Europe, or from the interior to the vicinity of the sea, were invariably at- tacked by a disease which is generally fatal, and that those from a particular district of South Carolina, infect all others with which they mix in their passage to the north, although the former are in perfect health. The hogs of the s ^uthern are smaller than those of the northern states, and the pork is sweeter, particularly in Virginia and Maryland, though some of those animals, in the southern states, grow to an enormous size. A hog was killed at Augusta in Georgia, in 1814, four years old, which weighed 698 pounds net. The beef and mutton of the northern states are of a better quality than those of the south. lu the former the cattle have also multiplied in a wonderful manner. In the state of New York, the number of neat cattle, in 1814, was 86.S,298 ; that of sheep, 1,410,044; of horses, 527,570 ; of fattcnied swine killed annually, 140,000 ; of beeves slain or driven to market, 220,000; according to Mr. Blodgctt's calculation, the number of horned cattle in 1809 was 3,660,000. The failure of European projects for agricultural establish- ments in the United States has excited very unfavourable im- pressions against such enterprises. This failure is generally ascribable to two causes. 1st, The impostures practised by companies and their agents ; and, 2dly, To the habits of the purchasers or occupants, who were strangers to agricultural pursuits. The speculation of the Scioto company was infa- mous beyond expression. Lands belonging to Indians, or other proprietors, were sold to French emigrants at the rate of six livres per acre. IMany of the unfortunate purchasers, who were watchmakers, jewellers, hairdressers, finding no em- ployment in the way of their profession, were obliged to seek refuge and subsistence in the sea-port towns, , S93 VIEW OF THE Land is sometimes partially cleared, by what is rather ludi- crously termed a.Jrolic. A man having purchased a quarter, or half section, for the purpose of settling down, his neigh- bours assemble upon an appointed day : one cuts the trees ; a second lops them ; a third drags them to the spot upon which a log mansion is to be erected ; others cross the logs, roof the habitation, and in three days the emigrant has a ' house over his head C — thus ends the American frolic. The raising of food is the next point with the new settler : in this he must rely upon his own i-esources. If he be strong-handed, (has property,) he has the trees felled, about one foot from the earth, dragged into heaps, and made into an immense bonfire. Should he be weak-handed, (poor,) he is compelled to be con- tent with what is termed girdling ; which consists in cutting the bark, thereby, of course, killing the trees ; and he after- wards clears away the underwood, which is seldom considera- ble. These preliminary operations being effected, according to either mode, grain is sown, and the produce reaped with a fruitfulness of production, and a dexterity truly extraordinary, considering that tliese operations are carried on amidst stumps, (which decay in from eight to twelve years,) stones, and sur- rounded by entire trees. The beauty of an Indian corn crop cannot be exceeded. When cut and carried home, the neigh- bours assemble to assist in husking; this is called a 7M^,sA:ir?g' Jrolic. In some parts of the country the loxva frolic admits of a different application ; — the religious females present their minister with a variety of gifts, each according to their taste or means: some send a coat, others a hat, and some a goose. They are invited to the preacher's house, to partake of a sup- per, as a return for their liberality : this is termed a knitting Jrolic. Very little agricultural labour is performed by women. The slender means of many settlers not enabling them to pur- chase British goods at the high price at which they are sold, the females are therefore chiefly employed in making articles of domestic clothing. The interior population may perhaps be divided into three classes : First, the squatter, or man who ' sets himself down'' UNITED STATES. 393 upon land which is not his own, and for which he pays no- thing; cultivates a sufficient extent to supply himself and fa- mily with the necessaries of life ; remains until he is dissatis- fied with his choice, has realized a sufficiency to become a land-owner, or is expelled by the real proprietor. Second, the small farmer who has recently emigrated, had barely suf- ficient to pay the first instalment for his 80 or 160 acres of two-dollar land ; cultivates, or what he calls improves, ten to thirty acres; raises a sufficient 'feed' for his family ; has the females of it employed in making or patching the wretched clothing of the whole domestic circle; is in a condition which, \i compelled hy legislative acts, or hy external force to endure, would be considered truly wretched ; but from being his own master, having made his own choice, from the having ' no one to make him afraid,' joined with the consciousness that, though slowly, he is regularly advancing towards wealth ; the breath of complaint is seldom heard to escape from his lips. Third, the wealthy or ' strong-lianded'' farmer, who owns from five to twelve hundred acres, has one-fourth or one-third under culti- vation, of a kind much superior to the former; raises live stock for the home, and Atlantic-city markets; sends beef, pork, cheese, lard, and butter to New Orleans ; is perhaps a legislator, at any rate a squire (magistrate) ; is always a man of plain business-like sense, though not in possession, nor de- sirous of a very cultivated intellect; understands his own in- terest, and that of his country ; lives in sufficient affluence, and is possessed of comfort, according to the American ac- ceptation of the term, but to which ' old country'' folks must feel inclined to take an exception : but in conclusion, and a most important conclusion it is, the majority of this class of men were, ten or fifteen years ago, inhabitants of the eastern states, and not worth, upon their arrival in Ohio, twenty dollars. 3 D 394. VIEW OF THE A Table of the Value of the Exports of the proceeds qfjgrii- culture in 1812. Products of Animals. Dollars. Beef, tallow, hides, live cattle, - 524,000 Butter and cheese, - 329,000 Pork, pickled bacon, lard, live hogs. 604,000 Horses and mules, - - - - 191,000 Sheep, ------ 9,000 ], 657,000 Products of Vegetables. Wheat, flour, and biscuit. 13,687,000 Indian corn and meal. 1,939,000 Rice, ------ 1,544,000 Rye, oats, pulse, potatoes. 627,000 17,797,000 Tobacco, - - - - - 1,514,000 Cotton, 3,080,000. 22,391,000 Indigo, ------ 5,000 Flax-seed, - - - - - 455,000 Maple sugar, - - - - - 13,000 Hops, ------ 7,000 Poultry, flax, mustard, - - - 7,000 Sundries, - - - - - 20,000 507,000 Total amount, - ^ 24,555,000 The value of the flour exported in the year ending 30th Septem- ber, 1817, was 17,751,376 dollars; of the cotton, 22,627,614; to- bacco, 9,230,020; rice, 2,378,880; timber and lumber of all descriptions, 3,381,349; pot and pearl ashes, 1,967,243. The value of the whole products of agriculture, in all the states, was estimated to amount to 511,000,000 dollars yearly. The value of houses, lands, and slaves, as revised and equal- ised by the principal assessors in 1814 and 1815, was stated at UNITED STATES. S95 1,902,296,961 dollars, exclushe of Louisiana. Such calcula- tions cannot be made with great precision ; but they afford a sufficient data for ascertaining the progress of the States, and establishing the quota of taxes which each ought to pay to- wards the support of the general government. MANUFACTURES. The restrictive commercial regulations of Europe, and the late war with England, gave a great stimulus to American manufactures, and their progress during the course of a few years was almost incredible. Many new branches were intro- duced, and these which had been already established were car- ried to a much greater extent. The principal cause of the neglect of manufactures formerly was the great profits afforded by agriculture, with the high price of labour. All the mate- rials for manufactures are found in America. Fuel is inex- haustible; the ores of the most useful metals are in great abundance, and dyes of all kinds are procured from the vege- table and mineral kingdoms. In the year 1809, the secretary of the treasury unfolded the resources of the country in rela- tion to the raw material, and proposed various means for the promotion of manufactures, protecting and prohibitory duties, drawbacks, premiums, bounties, encouragement to new inven- tions, arrangements for facilitating pecuniary remittances, &c. In 1810, the secretary of the treasury of the United States presented to congress a report on the manufactures, in which the following are mentioned as being adequate to the con- sumption of the United States: — Manufactures of wood, or those of which wood is the principal material; leather, and manufactures of leather ; soap and tallow candles ; spermaceti oil and candles ; flax-seed oil ; refined sugar ; coarse earthen ware; chocolate and mustard; snuff and hair-powder. The following branches are menti 259,720 20. Manufactures of tobacco, - - - 1,260,378 21. Drugs, dye stuffs, paints, and dyeing, - 500,382 22. Cables and cordage, _ _ - 4,243,168 23. Manufactures of hair, _ _ - 129,731 24. Various and miscellaneous manufactures, - 4,347, 6OI Total, - 127,694,602 Tlie articles which have been considered as of a doubtful nature, in relation to manufactures, are work done by cotton presses, wheat-mills, grist-mills, fulling-mills, mills for pearled barley, wind-milJs, clover-seed mills, horse-mills, hemp-raills, 400 VIEW OF THE mahogany saw-mills, common saw-mills, maple tree, sugar camps, cane planters'* sugar-works, also molasses, rosin and pitch, pot and pearl ashes, slate quarries, brick kilns, tiles, salt-pelre caves, indigo works, red ochre, yellow ochre, fishe- ries, lime-kilns, plaster of Paris mills, tobacco hogsheads. The total value of manufactures exported in 1812 was esti- mated at 1,841,000 dollars, and in 1817 at 3,847,693 dollars, COMMERCE. Mr. Pitkin, in his invaluable work upon the Statistics of the United States, has given the most ample information on this important subject; and to which we refer such of our readers as wish to obtain a minute and detailed account of the rise and progress of the different branches of trade. Another Ameri- can writer says, ' In commerce and navigation, the progress of the United States has been rapid beyond example. Besides the natural advantages of excellent harbours, extensive inland bays, and navigable rivers, it has been greatly in favour of their commerce, that it has not been fettered by monopolies or exclusive privileges. Goods or merchandise circulate through all the states free of duty, and a full drawback, or restitution of duties of importation, is granted upon articles exported to a foreign port, in the course of the year in which they have been imported. Commerce is considered by all those engaged in it as a most honourable employment. In the sea-port towns, the richest members of society are merchants. Youths of sixteen are sent abroad as factors, or supercargoes, to every commercial country, intrusted with the management of great concerns. Stimulated by the prospect of independence, they study the manufactures and markets of foreign states; the quality, value, and profits of every commercial aricle; while the youth of other countries, of the same age and rank, have not formed a thought of a provision for future life. Maritime and commercial business is executed with more celerity and less expence than in any other country. Vessels in the ports of the United States are laden and unladen in the course of a few days ; whilst in those of other countries, as many months UNITED STATES. 401 are required for the same purposes, owing to tedious regula- tions and less enterprise. Merchant vessels are built and pre- pared for sea in the course of four or five months, and they sail faster than those of an}' other country. We have seen it announced in an American newspaper, that, on the 11th of April, 1814, a ship was launched at V^ergennes, on lake Cham- plain, of 150 feet keel, measuring 500 tons ; the timber of which was cut down in the forest the 2d of March preceding. The Peacock, of 18 guns, was built at New York in 18 days. The Wasp, at Portsmouth, in 20 days. The Superior, of 64 guns, on lake Ontario, in 30 days The schooners constructed at Baltimore^ and known by the name of " pilot-boat schoon- ers,'" have often sailed with a cargo from an American to an English or French port in 17 or 18 days. The American seamen are extremely active and enterprising. Sloops of 60 tons, and eleven men, have sailed from iUbany, (160 miles up the Hudson's river,) to the coast of China. The first of this description which arrived there was believed by the natives of the country to be the long-boat of a large merchant vessel, which they vainly looked for during several days. Nantucket sloops of 8(^ tons, with ten men, double cape Horn, and pur- sue the whale fishery in tlie South Seas. With similar ves- sels, numerous voyages have been made from the port of New York to the cold remons of southern Georoia, for the skins and oil of seals and sea-elephants. The American whalemen, after visiting the south-western coast of New Holland, and California, the Malouin, or Falkland, and other isles, touch for refreshments at the Cape of Good Hope, at the Sandwich islands, or ports of Chili. A commerce with the Fegee islands has been carried on by small vessels in trifling articles of hard- ware, which they exciianged for sandal-wood ; and with this article they proceeded to Canton, Avhere it was sold for the purpose of incense in religious ceremonies, at the rate oi" 400 dollars per ton. The American pilot-boats have lately visited the ports of Santa Fe, Caraccas, and Buenos Ayres, for the commerce in dollars and raw materials. Without any pre- vious knowledge of routes, winds, tides, or harbours, the American whalemen and pilot -boat seamen have visited every 3 E 402 VIEW OF THE coast, and, to the astonishment of Europe, have made shorter voyages than old and experienced navigators. Falkland's island, which seemed too remote and romantic an object for the grasp of national ambition, is but a stage and resting place in the progress of their victorious industry, " No sea but what is vexed with their fisheries, no climate that is not wit- ness to their toils." Since the commencement of the war in 1812, the American public and private armed vessels have visited every sea, from Kamschatka to the Irish channel, and have captured British merchant ships at the very mouths of British harbours. The great injury done to the commerce of England during that war, notwithstanding her powerful navy, bears strong testimony to the activity and enterprise of Ame- rican seamen. More than 1700 of her vessels were captured during the course of the war; and it has been stated, that only one out of three American vessels employed in commerce were taken by the English during the same period. The state of European warfare, from the year 1802 to 1812, gave to America almost all the carrying trade, or freight of the commercial world, valued at ten per cent, upon the capital. The United States also gained five per cent, by exchange, so that the annual profits of commerce and foreign navigation have been estimated at fifteen per cent, upon the capital.' Summary qftlie Value of Exports from each State in 1817. STATES. Domestic. Foreign. Total. New Hampshire, 170,599 26,825 197,424 Vermont, 913,201 913,201 Massachusetts, 5,908,416 6,009,581 11,927,997 Rhode Island, 577,911 372,556 950,467 Connecticut, 574,290 29,849 604,189 New York, 13,660,733 5,046,700 18,707,433 New Jersey, 5,849 5,849 Pennsylvania^ 5,538,003 3,197,589 8,735,592 Delaware, 38,771 6,083 44,854 Maryland, 5,887,884 3,046,046 8,933,930 District of Columbia, 1,689J02 79,556 1,768,658 UNITED STATES. 403 STATES. Domestic. Foreign. Total. Virginia, 5,561,238 60,204 5,621,442 North Carolina, 955,211 1,369 956,580 South Carolina, 9,944,343 428,270 10,372,613 Georgia, 8,530,831 259,883 8,790,714 Ohio, 7,749 7,749 Louisiana, 8,241,254 783,558 9,024,812 Michigan territory, 64,228 ^ 64,228 Mississippi do. 43,887 43,887 These exports in 1817 were : — Domestic. Foreign. To the northern countries of Europe, 3,828,563 2,790,408 Dominions of the Netherlands, 3,397,775 2,387,543 do. of Great Britain, 41,431,168 2,037,074 do. of France, 9,717,423 2,717,395 do. of Spain, 4,530,156 3,893,780 do. of Portugal, 1,501,237 333,586 To all other countries, 3,907,178 5,198,283 68,313,500 19,358,069 In the year 1808, the tonnage of the United States was 1,227,000, and the number of seamen 50,000. In 1816, the tonnage amounted to 1,372,218. In the same year, the ton- nage of vessels built in the states amounted to 131,667. In 1815, there was employed in the foreign trade 700,035 tons of American vessels, and 212,501 of foreign vessels, of which 142,710 tons belonged to Britain. The proceeds of the customs in 1811 was 36,303,231 dol- lars ; but in 1816 it fell to 27,569,769 dollars. The nett re- venue of 3260 post-offices in 1816 amounted to 155,579 dollars. The extent of the post roads was 48,976 miles. im VIEW OF THE Duties payable hy Law on all Goods, Wares, and Merchan- dise, imported into the United States of' America, commenc- ing on the 30th June, 1816. Alum, 1 dollar per cwt. Ale, beer, and porter, in bottles, 15 cents per gallon. Ale, beer, and porter, imported otherwise than in bottles, 10 do. Almonds, 3 cents per lb. Anchors, 1 dollar 50 cents per cwt. Animals imported for breed, free. Antimony, regains of, do. Apparatus, philosophical, instruments, books, maps, charts, statues, busts, casts, paintings, drawings, engravings, speci- mens of sculpture, cabinets of coins, gems, medals, and all other collections of antiquities, statuary, modelling, painting, drawing, etching, or engraving, specially imported by order, and for the use of any society, incorporated for philosophi- cal or literary purjioses, free. Arms, fire and side, and muskets, 20 per cent, ad val. Articles imported for the use of ihe United States, free. Brass wire, and articles of whicji brass is the material of chief value, 20 per cent, ad val. Brass, old^ free. Bristles, 3 cents per lb. Blank books, 30 per cent, ad val. Bonnets and caps for women, 30 do. Boots, 1 dollar 50 cents per pair. Bottles, black glass quart, 1 dollar 44 cents per gross. Bristol stones, or paste work, and all articles composed wholly or chiefly of gold, silver, pearl, and precious stones, 7-7 per cent, ad val. Buckles of all kinds, 20 do. Buttons, and button moles, 20 do. Brushes, 30 do. Burrstones, unwrought, free. Bullion, and gold and silver coin, free. Cabinet wares, and all manufactures of wood, 30 per cent, ad val. Cables and cordage, tarred, 3 cents per lb. UNITED STATES. 405 Candles of tallow, 3 do. of wax and spermaceti, 6 do. Cannon, 20 per cent, ad val. Carriages of all descriptions, and parts thereof, 30 do. Cards, playing, 30 cents per pack. Canes, walking sticks, and whips, 30 per cent, ad val. Capers, 30 do. Cassia, Chinese, 6 cents per lb. Cheese, 9 do. China ware, 20 per cent, ad val. Chocolate, 3 cents per lb. Cinnamon and cloves, 25 do. Clay, un wrought, free. Coal, 5 cents per heaped bushel. Cocoa, 2 do. per lb. Coffee, 5 do. Cordage, untarred, yarns, twines, packthread, and seines, 4.do. Comfits, or sweetmeats, preserved in sugar or brandy, 30 per cent, ad val. Copper and brass in plates, pigs, and bars, suited to the sheathing of ships, free. Copper, articles manufactured of, or of which copper is the material of chief value, 20 per cent, ad val. Copper rods, bolts, spikes, or nails, aqd composition rods, bolts, spikes, or nails, 4 cents per lb. Copper, in any shape, for the use of the mint, free (Copper, old, fit only to be remanuf9,ctured, free. Copperas, 100 cents per cwt. Cork tree, bark of, manufactured, free. Cotton, 3 cents per lb. Cotton manufactures of all descriptions, or of which cotton is the material of chief value ; and on cotton twist, yarn, or thread, as follows : for 3 years next ensuing the 30th June» 1816, a duty of 25 per cent, ad val. Cotton, after the expiration of the 3 years aforesaid, a duty of 20 do. Cosmetics, 30 do. Clothing ready made, 30 do. 406 VIEW 01" THE Currants, 3 cents per lb. Cutlery, 20 per cent, ad val. Drugs for dyeing, and materials for composing dyes, not sub- ject to other rates of duty, 7| do. Duck, Russia, not exceeding 52 archeens each piece, 2 dollars per piece. Duck, Ravens, do. 1 dollar 25 cents do. Duck, Holland, do. 2 dollars 50 cents do. Earthenware, 20 per cent, ad val. Embroidery, 7| do. Epaulettes, 7| do. Fans, 30 do. Feathers, and other ornaments for head dresses, 30 do. Figs, 3 cents per lb. Fish, foreign caught, 100 cents per quintal. Fish, mackerel, 1 dollar 50 cents per barrel. Fish, salmon, 200 cents do. all other pickled, 100 do. Flowers, artificial, 30 per cent, ad val. Floorcloths, painted, 30 do. Furs, of every kind, undressed, free. Glass, window, not above 8 by 10 inches, 2 dollars 50 cents per 100 square feet. Glass, not above 10 by 12, 2 dollars 70 cents do. Glass, above 10 by 12, 3 dollars 25 cents do. Gold leaf, 15 per cent, ad val. Goods, wares, and merchandise, not free, and not subject to any other rate of duty, 15 do. Glue, 5 cents per lb. Gunpowder, 8 do. Gum Arabic, and gum Senegal, 7| per cent, ad val. Hairpowder, 8 cents per lb. Hats or caps of wool, fur, leather, chip, straw, or silk, 30 pei cent, ad val. Hemp, 15 per cent, ad val. Hides and skins, raw, free. Indigo, 15 cents per lb. Iron or steel ware, not exceeding No, 18, 5 do. UNITED STATES. 407 Iron or steel ware, over No. 18, 9 do. Iron sheets, rods, and hoops, 2 dollars 50 cents per cwt. Iron bars and bolts, excepting iron manufactured by rolling, 45 cents do. Iron bars and bolts when manufactured by rolling, and on anchors, 1 dollar 50 cents do. Iron, cast, and all manufactures of which iron is the material of chief value, 20 per cent, ad val. Jewellery, 7^ do. Laces, 7 1 do. of gold and silver, 7^ do. Lace veils, lace shawls, or shades of thread or silk, 7^ do. Lapis calaminaris, free. Leather, and all manufactures of leather, or of which leather is the material of chief value, 30 per cent, ad val. Lead in pigs, bars, or sheets, 1 cent per lb. Lead, manufactures of, or of which lead is the chief article, 20 per cent, ad val. Lead, red and white, dry, or ground in oil, 3 cents per lb. Mace, loo cents per lb. Mats of grass or flags, 30 per cent, ad val. Millinery of all sorts, 30 do. Molasses, 5 cents per gallon. Mustard, 30 per cent, ad val. Nails, 3 cents per lb. Needles, 2() per cent, ad val. Nutmegs, 60 cents per lb. Ochre, dry, 1 cent per lb. in oil, 1 1 cent. Oil, olive, in cask, 25 cents per gallon. Oil, spermaceti, foreign fishing, 25 do. Oil, whale and other fish, do. 15 do. Olives, and sallad oil, 30 per cent, ad val. Paper of every description, 30 do. Paper hangings, 3'^ do. Parchment and pasteb^mrds, 30 do. Pewter manufactures, 2 do. old, free. 408 VIEW OF THE Pepper, 8 cents per lb. Perfumes, washes, balsams, 30 per cent, ad val. Pimento, 6 cents per lb. Pickles, 30 per cent, ad val. Pins, 20 do. Plums and prunes, 3 cents per lb. Plaster' of Paris, fi*ee. Porcelain and glass manufactures, other than window glass, and black quart bottles, 20 per cent, ad val. Precious stones and pearls of all kinds, set or not set, 7| do. Prussian blue, 20 do. Raisins, Muscatel, and raisins in jars and boxes, 3 cents per lb. Raisins, other kinds of, 2 do. Rags of any kind of cloth, free. Saddles, bridles, and harness, 30 per cent, ad val. Salt, 20 cents per bushel of 56 lb. Saltpetre, 7| per cent, ad val. Sail or hempen cloth, except Russian and German linen, and duck, 20 do. Segars, 2 dollars 50 cents per lOOO. Shoes and slippers of silk, 30 cents per pair. Shoes and slippers of leather, 25 do. Shoes and slippers for children, 15 do. Shot manufactured of lead, 2 cents per lb. Specimens in natural history, botany, mineralogy, anatomical preparations, models of machinery, and other inventions., plants, and trees, free. Silver ware, 7^ per cent, ad val. lace, 7^ do. Snuff, 12 cents per lb. Spirits from grain, first proof, 42 cents per gallon. Spirits from grain, second proof, 45 do. Spirits from grain, third proof, 48 do. Spirits from grain, fourth proof, 52 do. Spirits from grain, fifth proof, 6*0 do. Spirits from grain, above fifth proof, 75 do. From other materials, first and second proof, 38 do. From other materials, third proof, 42 do. UNITED STATES. 4od Fi'om other materials, fourth proof, 48 do. From other materials, fifth proof, 57 do. From other materials, above fifth proof, 70 do. Spikes, 2 cents per lb. Steel, 1 dollar per cwt. manufactures, or of which steel is the article of chief value, 20 per cent, ad val. Stockings of wool or cotton, 20 do. Stoneware, 20 do. Soap, 3 cents per lb. Sugar, brown, 3 do. — white, clayed, or powdered, 4 do. lump, 10 do. loaf, and sugar-candy, 12 do. Sulphur, or brimstone, free. Tallow, 1 cent per lb. Teas from China in ships or vessels of the United States, Tea, Boliea, 12 cents per lb. Tea, Souchong, and other black, 25 do. Tea, imperial, gunpowder, and gomee, 50 do. Tea, hyson, and young hyson, 40 do. Tea, hyson, skin, and other green, 28 do. Teas from any other place, or in any other than ships or ves- sels of the United States, Tea, Bohea, 14 do. Tea, Souchong, and other black, 34 do. Tea, imperial, gunpowder, and gomee, 68 do. Tea, hyson, and young hyson, 56 do. Tea, hyson, skin, and other green, 38 do. Tin manufactures, or of which tin is the material of chief value, 20 per cent, ad val. Tin in pigs or bars, free. Tobacco manufactured other than s^nuff and segars, 10 cents per lb. Types for printing, 20 per cent, ad val. Umbrellas and parasols, or sticks and frames for either, 30 per cent, ad val. Vellum, 30 do. 18 3 F 410 VIEW OF THE Wafers, 30 do. Wares, gilt, plated, and japanned, 20 per cent, ad vah Watches, gold, silver, and other, and parts of watches, 7| do. Wearing apparel, and other personal baggage in actual use, and the implements or tools of trade of persons arriving in the United States, free. Wines, Madeira, Burgundy, Champaigne, Rhenish, and To- kay, loo cents per gallon. Wines, Sherry and St. Lucar, 60 do. Wines, on other wine not enumerated, when imported in bottles or cases, 70 do. Wines, Lisbon, Oporto, and other wines of Portugal and Sicily, 50 do. Wines, Teneriffe, Fayal, and other wines of the Western islands, 40 do. Wine, all other, when imported otherwise than in ^ases and bottles, 25 do. Whiting and Paris white, 1 cent per lb. Wood, unmanufactured, of any kind, free. Wood, Nicaragua, Barilla, Brazil-wood, Brazilletto, red-wood, cam-wood, fustic, log-wood, and other dye-woods, free. Woollen manufactures of all descriptions, or of which wool is the material of chief value, excepting blankets, woollen rags, and worsted or stuff goods, after the SOth June, 1816, un- til the SOth June, 1819, pay a duty of 25 per cent, ad val. Wood, on tlie same after June, 1819, 20 dp. Zinc, teutanague, or spelter, free. A commercial treaty, formed between England and the United States, was signed the 3d of July, 1815, to remain in force during four years, according to which each country is to enjoy reciprocal freedom of commerce. No higher duties to be imposed than those which extend to all other nations, in relation to articles imported and exported, and the vessels which carry them to be subject to the same duties, and en- titled to the same bounties. Drawbacks to a foreign nation to be regulated by the parties respectively. The trade with the East Indies to be free for American vessels, which are to UNITED STATES. 411 be treated as vessels of the most favoured nation, entitled to go from one port to another witli the original cargo, or part thereof, and to touch for refreshments at the Cape of Good Hope, the island of St. Helena, or other places in the African or Indian seas. The American trade to be excluded from the West Indies ; and the privilege of fishing, and of drying the fish within the British jurisdiction, granted by the treaty of peace of 1783, to cease entirely. With regard to consuls, the laws and statutes of each country to be strictly observed. The consul to be approved or admitted by the government to which he is sent, but subject to its laws, and punishable for illegal or improper conduct; or to be sent back, the oftelided government assigning to the other the reasons for this proceed- ing ; each country reserving, at pleasure, particular places free from consular residence. The contracting parties to put an end to hostilities with the Indians, and to restore them all the possessions, rights, and privileges, which they enjoyed in 1811, provided they observe a peaceable conduct. An act concerning the navigation of the United States, sanctioned by congress the 1st of March, 1817, and to operate from the 1st of October following, is as follows: No goods, wares, or merchandise, are to be imported into the United States from any foreign port or place, except in vessels of the United States, or in foreign vessels truly and wholly belonging to the citizens or subjects of that country of which the goods are the growth, production, or manufacture, or from which such goods, wares, or merchandise, can only be, or most usually are, first shipped for transportation. But this regula- tion is not to extend to the vessels of any foreign nation which, has not adopted a similar regulation. The infringement of this act to involve the forfeiture of the vessel and cargo. 2. The bounty and allowance granted to the owners of boats and vessels engaged in the fisheries to be paid to those only of which the officers, and at least three-fourths of the crew, are citizens of the United States, or persons not the subjects of any foreign prince or state. The proof to be exhibited to the collector of the district to which the boat or vessel belongs. 3, No goods, wares, or merchandise, to be imported in foreign 41^ VIEW OF THE vessels from one port of the United States to another. 4. A duty of 50 cents per ton to be paid upon every ship or vessel of the United States which shall be entei'ed in the district of one state from that of another. The exceptions are : 1. An adjoining state on the sea-coast, or a navigable river or lake. 2. Coasting vessels going from Long island, in the state of New York, to the state of Rhode island, or the contrary, with a cargo taken in one state to be delivered in another. 8. Ves- sels having a license to trade between the different districts, or to carry on the bank or whale fisheries more than once a year. 4. If it be proved, to the satisfaction of the collector, that three-fourths of the crew are American citizens, or persons not the subjects of any foreign prince or state, the duty to be only fcix cents per ton. 5. Every ship or vessel entered in the United States from any foreign port or place, of which the officers, and at least two-thirds of the crew, are not proven to be American citizens, or persons not the subjects of any fo- reign prince or state, to pay 50 cents per ton. In a circular letter, issued from the treasury department, for the purpose of explaining and enforcing this measure, ' the term country is considered as embracing all the possessions of a foreign state, of which the productions and manufactures may be imported into the United States in vessels owned by the citizens or sub- jects of such state, without regard to their place of residence within its possessions.' Gold and silver coin and bullion are not considered as goods, wares, and merchandise ; and may be imported in foreign vessels, without regard to the place of production or coinage. The chambers of commerce of the ports of the United States receive and pass gold and silver coin at the rates established by the banks. Bills of exchange drawn upon any part of Eu- rope, and returned protested for non-payment, are paid on demand, with 20 per cent, of damages, at the current exchange then given for bills on the place drawn upon. Bills of ex- change drawn upon any of the West India islands, Newfound- land, or the foreign possessions in America, and returned protested for non-payment, are subject to ten per cent, da- mages on demand, with the amount of the bill. When no UNITED STATES. 413 special agreement exists, the following commissions are charged : Inland Commissions.— On sales, exclusive of storage, two and a half per cent, ; on returns from a state to any part of the United States, two and a half per cent. Foreign Commis- sions. — On sales, exclusive of storage, five per cent. ; on re- turns, if in produce, five ; on returns, if in cash or bills, two and a half; on making insurance, one half; on recovering losses, two and a half; on outfit of vessel, five; on soliciting and procuring freight, five ; on collecting freight, two and a half In 1817, the value of flour and wheat exported was 17,968,000 dollars; the produce of the forests, 6,484,000 dollars ; the cotton of domestic growth, 22,628,000 dollars ; the tobacco, 9,511,000 dollars; and the produce of the sea, 1,671,000 dollars. CANALS AND TURNPIKE ROADS. The United States possess the advantages of inland naviga- tion in a remarkable degree. Many of the large rivers are navigable almost to their sources, and some of them, v^'liich have their efflux at points remote from one another, are (inly separated by short portages at particular parts of their course. Several of the rivers have a sufficient depth of water generally for boats, but have their channels obstructed by rocks and falls at certain places. By running canals over the spaces where these portages and obstructions occur, the most discant sections of the Union may be united by a system of water communications; and where this is impracticable, the trans- portation of commodities may still be much facilitated oy forming good roads. This subject occupied much attention in the early part of ]\Ir. Jefferson's administration ; and Mr. Gallatin, at the request of the senate, dre(V up a report on this subject, which was presented to that body in 1808. The outlines of the plan of internal communication suggested in the report are as follows : 1. Canals fronj north to south, in a direction parallel to the sea-coast, which would open a communication for sea-vessel. 414 VIEW OF THE from Massachusetts to North Carolina, cxtendiDg along all the principal capes, except cape Fear, a distance of more than two-thirds of the Atlantic coast. The expence is estimated at three millions of dollars. 2. A great turnpike road from Maine to Georgia, extending along the Atlantic coast, a distance of 1600 miles. The ex- pences are calculated at 3000 dollars per mile, making, with the former charge, 7,800,000 dollars. 3. A communication Irom east to west across the mountains, between the Atlantic and western rivers ; and, for this pur- pose, to improve the navigation of the great Atlantic rivers, by constructing parallel canals and locks when necessary. The expence is estimated at 1,500,000 dollars. It is aliso proposed to form four turnpike roads from the four great western rivers, the Alleghany, IMonongahela, Kenhawa, and Tennessee, to the nearest correspcmding Atlantic rivers, to the Susquehannah, or Juniata, the Patomak, James river, and either the Santee or Savannah. The distance of each route is about 100 miles, which, at the estimated expence of 7000 dol- lars per mile, (the road being through a mountainous country,) amounts to 2,800,000 dollars. The construction of a canal alons the falls of the Ohio is also recommended, and a corn- er ^ pany has lately been incorporated for carrying it through. The construction of roads to Detroit, St. Louis, and New Or- leans, is also recommended, of which the cost is estimated at SOOjOOO dollars ; the whole expence of all this extent of com- munication amounting to 4,800,000 dollars. 4. Inland navigation, in a northern and north-western direc- tion, between the Atlantic sea-coast and the great lakes, and the St. Lawrence, of which the expence is estimated at 12,600,000 dollars. The chain of mountains known by the name of Alleghany, or Apalaches, of which the mean breadth is somewhat more tlian 100 miles, and their elevation about 3000 feet above the level of the sea, render a direct conimuni- cation impracticable ; but, on the north, it can easily be formed by the circuitous route of the Mohawk valley and lake Onta- rio; and, on the south, by the way of Georgia and the rivers which open on the gulf of Mexico. The expence of the in^ UNITED STATES. 415 land navigation between the North river and lake Champlain is estimated at 800,000 dollars ; canals from the North river to lake Ontario at 2,200,000 dollars; canals along the falls and rapids of Niagara, opening a sloop navigation from lake Ontario to tlie upper lakes as far as the extremities of lake Michigan, a million of dollars; in all, four millions of dollars. The whole amount for general improvements is estimated at 16,600,000 dollars; and for those of a local nature, at 3,400,000; making an aggregate of twenty millions of 'dol- lars. It has been suggested, that, in time of peace, this great plan could easily be executed by the annual appropriation of two millions of dollars of the existing revenues for the space of ten years. Of Turnpike Roads.— S'mce the year 1800, a great number of turnpike roads have been formed, particularly in the north- ern, eastern, and llie middle stales. The capital of all the turnpikes and canals in the United States, in 18()9, was 11,500,000 dollars; that of toll bridges, 5,600,000 dollars. In 1813 the post-master-general of the United States was au- thorised, by an act of congress, to contract for the reo-ular transportation of the mail in steam-boats, provided that the expence do not exceed what is paid for it by stages on the ad- jacent post-roads, taking into consideration distance, expedi- tion, and frequency. In 1801, there were 957 post-offices; m 1809, 2000. At the former period, the length of post-roads was 21,840, at the latter, 34,000 miles. In 1801, the amount of the yearly transportation of mails in the United States was 3,057,964 miles ; in 1809, 4,962,516. The post-roads, with- in this interval, have increased nearly 45 per cent., and the establishment of mail coaches nearly 70 per cent. POST-OFFICE KSTABI.ISHilEXT. The general post-office is established at Washington, the seat of the federal government, and is under the direction of a post-master-general, who is authorised to establish branches in such places as he may deem expedient. In his report it is observed, that the expences of the office, in 1808 and 1809, 416 VIEW OP THE during the suspension of foreign commerce, had exceeded the amount of postage due to the United States, by nearly 7000 dollars, which was defrayed out of the proceeds of previous years. The two great postage roads are, 1. That which extends from Robinstown, on the north-eastern extremity of the coast of the United States, lo St. Mary's, on the south-eastern ex- tremity; and, 2. The road which extends from Washington to New Orleans. The length of the first is 1733,- that of the second, 1233 miles. The mail travels on the great roads at the rate of from 60 to 120 miles a day ; on the cross roads its progress is about 40 miles in the same time. The following regulations concerning this establishment were adopted by an act of the American congress, on the 9th of April, 1816. Rates of Poslagc-'-hetter of one sheet. MUes. 30 Cents. 6 80 10 150 12i 400 18i 25 Any greater distance. Double letter, the double of those rates. Triple letter, the triple. Miles. The yearly transportation of the mail in stages amounts to 2,41 1,760 Ditto on sulkies and on horseback, 3,180,892 Total, 5,592,652 Averaging one office to fifteen miles and a half of post-road, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. The president and vice-president of the United States are elected for the term of four years, commencing on the 4th day of March, and necessarily remain at Washington during the session of congress ; but, during the recess, they retire to their usual places of residence. The president, when at the seat of government, lives in the house destined for him, which is fur- UNITED STATES. 417 nished at the expence of the nation. The vice-president, who is president of the senate, has no similar mark of distinction, but lodges at an inn, or private house, hke other members ot congress. The yearly salary of the former is 25,000 dollars ; that of the latter 5000 only ; but he is not subject to any ex- traordinary expence, while the president, according to esta- blished custom, spends more than his salary in the expences of his table. In case of the death, resignation, or removal of the president from office, his powers devolve upon the vice-president. Tiie president is commander-in-chief of the army and navy of tlie United States, and also of the militia, when called into actual service. He is authorised to require, when he thinks proper, the written opinion of any of the chief officers of the executive de- partments, upon any subject which has relation to the duties of their respective offices. Except in cases of impeachment, he is authorised to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States. He is empowered, by and with the advice and consent oi the senate, to make treaties, to appoint ambassadors, ministers, and consuls, judges of the supreme court, and all military and other officers, whose appointments are not otherwise provided for by law. His appointment or decision must be approved by two-thirds of the senators present in congress. He has also power to fill up vacancies during the recess of the senate, which, during the next session, are submitted to their decision. On extraordinary occasions, he may 'convene or adjourn either or both houses of congress. He is authorised by usage, though not by the constitution, to suspend, annul, or revoke the powers of a minister, consul, or other officer, without the advice of the senate, and even without giving any reason for such suspension or removal. The president himself, or any other officer of the United States, 'may be removed from office for treason, bribery, or otlier high crimes and misdemeanour.^, for wbi^h. they must previously be im})cached and convicted. 3 G il8 VIEW OF THE All commissions are signed by the president and secretary of state. The national council is composed of these two officers, and the heads of the treasury, war, navy, and post-office esta- blishment. The Congress of the United States, in whom all legislative powers are vested, consists of a senate and house of represen- tatives. The members of the house of' representatives are chosen by the people every second year. They must have attained the age of 25, and been citizens of the United States during the same space of time, and inhabitants of the state in which they are elected. The number of representatives for the year 1815 is 187, or nearly one representative for every 40,000 persons, accoi'ding to the last census. When the number shall amount to 200, it is so regulated, that there shall not be more than one for every 50,000 persons. Vacancies are filled by writs of election, issued by the exe- cutive authority. The house of representatives choose their speaker and other officers, and have the sole power of impeachment. The senate is composed of two senators from each state, chosen by the legislature of that state for the term of six years; and the seats are so vacated, that one-third are chosen everv second year. A senator must be 30 years of age, nine years a citizen of the United States, and an inhabitant of the state in which he is elected. The present number of senators is 88. The president of the senate has no vote, unless the votes be equally divided. The senate has the sole power of trying all impeachments. In case of the trial of the chief magistrate, the chief justice is to preside. Senators and members of the house of representatives re- ceive a compensation of eight dollars per day during the ses- sion, besides travelling expences, fixed at the rate of a day's pay for every 20 miles. UNITED STATES. 419 Pay of the Officers of the General Gove?"nment. — In pursu- auce of a resolution of congress, of the S7th of April, 1816, the secretary of state is required to compile and print, once in every two years, a register of all officers and agents, civil, mi- litary, and naval, in the service of the United States, exhibit- ing the amount of compensation, pay, and emoluments allowed to each, the state or country in which he was born, and the place of employment. The secretary of the navy is to furnish the name, force, and condition of all the ships and vessels be- longing to the United States, and the place and date of their construction. This register is to be made up to the last day of September of each year, before the opening of the new con- gress. Five hundred copies are to be printed, and to be dis- tributed among the members of congress and heads of the departments of the general government. This work is entitled, A Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the service of the United States, on the 30th of September, (1816 ;) together with the names, force, and condition of all the Ships and Vessels belonging to the United States, and when and where built. Dollars per an. Dollars per an. President of the United Additional Accountant, 2,000 States, - - 25,000 Superintendent-general of Vice president, - 5,000 military supplies, 3,000 Secretary of state, 5,000 Secretary of navy, 4,500 Secretary of the treasury, 5,000 Three navy commission- Comptroller, - 3,500 ers, each, - 3,500 Auditor, - - 3,000 Accountant of navy, 2,300 Register, - 3,000 Postmaster-general, 3,000 Treasurer, - 3,000 Secretary of senate, 3,000 Commissioner of revenue, 3,000 Clerk of house of repres. 3,000 Commissioner of landoffice, 3,000 Commissioner of claims, 2,000 Secretary of war departm. 4,500 Superintendent of Indian Paymaster-general, 2,500 trade, - - 2,000 Accountant, - 2,000 Dollars per an. The governors of the four territories, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, and Michigan, each, - _ , 2,000 The secretaries, each , - , . 1,000 420 VIEW OF THE Dollars per an. Chief justice, - - - - „ 4,000 Six associate justices, - - _ _ 3,500 Attorney-general, - ~ - - - 3,000 Clerk, -_._.- fees, &c. Seven ambassadors to the following states : — England, France^ Russia, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Sweden, each 9000 dollars, with an allowance of 9000 for outfit. Six secretaries of legation, each 2000 dollars. Dollars per an. Consul at London, _ - > _ 2,000 Consul in France, ----- 2,000 Consul-general in Denmark, _ _ _ 2,000 Consul-general in Barbary, - - - 4,000 Three consuls ditto, each - - - - 2,000 Director of the mint, - - - - 2,000 Commissioners of loans, five in number, whose pay is from 500 to upwards of 2000 dollars. Each has two oi* three clerks. Their pay varies from 500 to 1000 dollars. Collectors of customs, 98 in number, with salaries proportionate to the trade of the place, from 150 to upwards of 7000 dollars. TEKKITORIAL GOVERNMENTS. By tlie constitution and certain laws of the congress of the United States, a territory cannot be admitted into the Ameri- can union until its population amounts to 60,000 free inhabit- ants. In the mean time, it is subject to a provisional form of government prescribed by law, which, though not emanating entirely from the choice of the inhabitants, still does not de- prive them of the personal rights and privileges of freemen. The administration of the government of the territory is en- trusted to a governor, appointed by the president and congress, and invested with extensive powers, similar to those of a Eu- ropean viceroy, for the protection of the interests of the United States, and partfcularly the observance of strict faith towards the Indians, in the exchange of commodities and the purchase of their lands. The act or ordinance of congress, of the 13th July, 1787, for the government of the territory north-west of the river Ohio, has served as a model for the organization of UNITED STATES. 421 the temporary governments of new territories established since that epoch. Governor. — By this act, the congress reserved to itself the power of appointing a governor for the term of three years, unless revoked before the expiration of that time, who is to reside in the district, and have therein a freehold estate of 1000 acres of land. Secretary. — The secretary, also appointed by congress for the term of four years, with a commission liable to be revoked, was likewise obliged to reside in the district, and to have a freehold estate therein of 500 acres of land. His duty is to keep and preserve the public records, the acts and laws of the leorislature, and the proceedings of the governor in his execu- tive department, and to transmit authentic copies of all these documents, every six months, to the secretary of congress. The judicial authority is vested in a court consisting of three judges, whose commissions continue in force during ffood behaviour. Any two of them form a court with a com- mon law jurisdiction. It is required that each judge shall reside in the district, and be proprietor of a freehold estate of 500 acres of land, while in the exercise of his office. The go- vernor and judges are authorised to adopt and pvit in force in the district, such laws of the original states, criminal and civil, as they may think suited to its circumstances, which are to continue until the organization of the general assembly, unless disapproved of by congress. The governor, who is command- er-in-chief of the militia, is empowered to appoint and grant commissions to all officers therein, except general officers, who are appointed and commissioned by congress. The governor is authorised to appoint such magistrates and other civil offi- cers, in each county or township, as he might judge necessary, until the organization of the general assembly, by which their }K)\\crs and diuies are to be regulated and defined. He is also authorised to make proper divisions of the district into counties and townships, for the execution of civil and criminal process. The free white male inhabitants of full age, as soon as their number amounts to 5000, are authorised to elect re- presentatives in their counties or townships, to represent them ¥22 VIEW OF THE in the general assembly of the territory, in the proportion of one representative for every 500 inhabitants, until their num- ber exceed 26 ; after which, their number and proportion are regulated by the legislature. To be eligible to this office, the person must have been a citizen of one of the United States, and a resident in the district, and if he has resided three years therein, the quality of citizen is dispensed with ; but in either case, he must be proprietor, in fee simple, of 200 acres of land within the territory. To be an elector, the following qualifi- cations are required : he must be a freeholder in the district, of 50 acres of land, a resident thereof, and a citizen of one of the states, or, what is considered as equivalent, resident for two years therein. The representatives are elected for the term of two years; and in case of death, or removal from office, their place is supplied for the residue of the term by a writ from the governor to this effect. The general assembly, or legislature, consists of a governor, legislative council, and a house of representatives. The legislative council to consist of five members, elected for five years, unless sooner removed by congress, three of whom form a quorum. The members of the council are nominated in the following manner : The re- presentatives, after their election, assemble at a certain place indicated by the governor, and nominate ten persons, residents in the district, each possessed of a freehold of 500 acres of land, whose names are returned to congress, by whom five are appointed to serve as members for the council for the term of five years ; and vacancies, in consequence of death or removal from office, are supplied by two persons nominated by the house of representatives, one of whom is appointed and com- missioned by congress for the rest of the term. All bills, ^fter having passed by a majority in the house, and also in the council, are referred to the governor for his assent, without which they remain without effect. This general assembly is convened, prorogued, and dissolved by the governor, who is obliged to take an oath or declaration of fidelity before the president of congress, and himself to require the same of all officers appointed in the district. The legislature and council are authorised to elect, by jtjint ballot, a delegate to congress, UNITED STATES. 423 with the right of debating, but not of vojing therein, during this temporary government. JUDICIARY. The judiciary syslem qf the United States is as follows: The sujjreme court of the United States consists of a chief judge, and six associate judges. This court holds a session annually, at the city of Washington. The states of the Union form districts, (with the exception of Massachusetts and Ten- nessee, each of which is divided into two,) 20 in number, and in every one of these districts there is a court named the Dis- trict Court, except the state of Mew York, which has two, and East and West Tennessee, which have but one. These courts are held four times a year, at the two principal towns of the district alternately, except in the states of Pennsylvania and Maryland, where they are always held at tlie chief town of each. The United States are also divided into seven dis- tricts, and in each division there is a circuit court, which is held twice a year, under the direction of a judge of the su- preme court, or the assot'ia;e judge residing within the district, and the judge of that district wjiere the court is holden. The clerk of each district court is also clerk of the circuit court within the district. The courts are created and organized by « the legislature. The federal judges are appointed by the ex- ecutive, with the approbation of the senate, and are not to be removed from office during good behaviour. The judges^ after their appointment, allot themselves as they think proper, at the session succeeding their appointment; otherwise, they are allotted by the president of the United States until another allotment is made. The di.>trict and territorial judges are obliged, by act of congress, to reside within their districts, and not to exercise the profession or employment of attorney or lawyer. The infraction of this act constitutes a high misde- meanour. There is an attorney -general of the United States, who is the public prosecutor before the supreme court. In each district there is also an attorney and marshal, appointed by, and removable at the pleasure of the president. The su- 424. VIEW OF THE pernumerary marshals and district attorneys have been dk- continued. The district attorney is the pubUc prosecutor before the circuit and district courts. The marshal attends these courts, in relation to which he has the powers of a she- riff. The clerks of the courts are appointed by the respective courts. Men in the profession of the law are very numerous in the States, and are, in general, well supported. This arises from the prevalence of a litigious spirit, which extends from the towns to the country, and has even reached new establishments in the bosom of the woods. This unfortunate disposition is thus described by an accurate and faithful observer, the late judge Cooper, in his 'History of the First Settlements in the Western Counties of New York :' — ' The Scotch succeed in the woods, or elsewhere, being frugal, cautious in their bar- gains, living within their means, and punctual in their en- gagements. If a Scotsman kills a calf, he will take the best part of it to market, and husband up the price of it; if he consumes any part' at home, it will be the coarsest and the cheapest. The American will eat the best part himself, and if he sells any, will lay out the money upon some article of show. The odds are, that when the Scotsman buys a cow, he pays ready money, and has her for a low price. The Ameri- can pays with his note, gives more, and is often sued for the payment. AVhen this happens, his cause comes to be tried before the squire, and six jurors empannelled. Here much pettifogging skill is displayed. If the defendant has address enough to procure a note, bond, or other matter to be offered in set-off, he perhaps involves his adversary in costs to the amount of three or four dollars, and gains celebrity for hi?; dexterity and finesse. This cunning talent, which they call outwitting, gives him such reputation and lead, that he stands fair to be chosen a petty town-officer. It is to be regretted that so mischievous a spirit of litigation should be encouraged by some of the justices, who, for the sake of a paltry fee, for- get the great duty of their office, that of preserving peace; and that it should have increased, as it has done of late years, to a shameful extent. I have known morethan 100 precepts UNITED STATES. 425 issued in one day by some of these squires. A magistrate who becomes so ready an instrument of contention, may be considered as a living calamity. Some, however, I have known of a quite different stamp, who have carried the spirit of peace-making and benevolence so far, as to leave their own business, and travel miles for the sake of reconciling parties, and putting an end to quarrels, and who sought for no other reward than the satisfaction of doing good.' PUBLIC REVENUE AND NATIONAL DEBT. In time of peace the revenue of the United States is derived from two sources : 1st, From indirect taxes, or duties on ton- nage, and on goods, wares, and merchandise, at the time and place of their importation. 2d, From the sale of public lands. In a state of free commercial intercourse, the first formed the great source of revenue, and was more than adequate to all the wants of the government ; but in a state of war, the sup- ply from this source was greatly diminished, and recourse was had to other sources ; — to treasury notes, loans, internal taxes, and an increase of duties on imported articles. The plan of finance proposed at the commencement of the war was to pro- vide for the expences of the war by loans, and to make the yearly revenue sufficient to defray the ordinary expences of the goverinnent, to pay the interest of the existing debt, and that of future loans. Bui the commercial restrictions, the stoppage of payment in speck by the banks, and its exporta- tion and concealment, destroyed the circulation of notes, para- lyzed the fiscal operations of the government, and obliged it to have recourse to new taxes. In the summer of 1813, duties wore laid on the following articles, to commence 1st January, 1814; and for the purpose of collecting them, each state was divided into collection districts : 1. Duties on licences for stills and boilers. 2. Duties on carriages for the conveyance of persons. 3. Duties on licences to retailers of foreign merchandise, wines, and spirituous liquors. S H 426 VIEW OF THE 4. Duties on sales by auction. 5. Duties on refined sugar. 6. Duties on stamped paper of a certain description. In the session of 1814-15, duties were laid on the following manufactured articles : pig-iron, castings, bar and rolled iron, nails, candles, hats, caps, umbrellas and parasols, paper, cards, saddles and bridles, boots and shoes, beer, ale, and porter, leather, plate, jewellery, and on household furniture, gold and silver watches. After the termination of the war, the most of these duties were repealed; those remaining in 1817 were on licences for stills and boilers, on licences to retailers, on car- riages, on refined sugar, on sales by auction, on stamp paper and bank notes. On the 2d August, 1813, a direct tax of three millions was laid on ' lands, houses, and slaves,' on the same plan as the direct tax imposed in 1798. The lands and houses with their improvements, and the slaves, were to be enumerated and va- lued by the respective assessors, at the rate each of them was worth in money. The proportions allotted to each state being determined by a fixed scale, any state was at liberty to assume and pay its proportion without submitting to the valuation. Several states assumed their proportions in this way. Dollars. The net revenue for 1815 is stated to be - 49,532,852 of which that derived from customs, 36,303,251 The revenue for 1816", - - - 36,743,574 of which that derived from customs, 27,569,769 The direct tax and internal duties have been abolished, and the permanent annual revenue is estimated at 24,500,000 Namely, — Customs, - - 20,000,000 Internal revenue, - 2,500,000 Public lands, - - 1,500,000 Bank dividends, and incidental rec. 500,000 24,500,000 The expenditure for the support of the civil govern- ment, and the army and navy, . . 11,800,000 Sinking fund, - . - - 10,000,000 21,800,000 UNITED STATES. 427 ProgVess of the Debt. — The debt of the United States, created by suppHes, forced loans, and paper money, during the revolutionary war in 1783, amounted to forty-two millions of dollars ; the annual interest to nearly two millions and a half The debt contracted by each individual state was as- sumed by congress, and made a part of the national debt, which was to be redeemed by the proceeds of national do- mains ; and the interest of several species of stock, transferred to the United States, and appropriated by law for this pur- pose, under the direction of the commissioners of the sinking fund. According to a report of the secretary of the treasury of the 28th February, 1816, the public debt, on the 12th of Febru- ary, 1816, amounted to 123,630,692 dollars, consisting of 1. The public funded debt before the war, 38,335,832 2. The public funded debt contracted since, 68,374,744' 3. Floating outstanding debt, - - 16,920,115 123,630,691 The sum set apart as a sinking fund since 1803 was an an- nual appropriation of eight millions of dollars, arising from the sale o^ public lands, from the interest of the debt previously extinguished, which is paid to the commissioners, in whose name the stock remains, and of as much from the proceeds of the duties of customs as makes up the balance. The amount of debt redeemed, up to 1st January, 1814, under this system, was 33,873,463; and the interest on this debt, which was passed to the credit of the commissioners in 1813, as part of the sinking fund, was 1,932,107. On the 3d March, 1817, an act was passed, appropriating ten millions annually as a sinking fund, and discontinuing the practice of paying interest on the discharged debt to the com- missioners. A further special appropriation was made for that year, amounting to nine millions, with an advance upon the next year of four millions, so that, after paying the annual interest of the debt, (amounting to about six millions,) there would be paid off seventeen millions of the debt in 1817- 428 VIEW OF THE WAR DEPAUTMENT. In 1801, the regular army of the United States was reduced to a few thousand men, who were chiefly employed in the gar- risons and at points on the frontiers. The militia, consisting of the adult males from 18 to 45 years of age, with the excep- tion of clergymen, public functionaries, &c., formed the mili- tary force of the country. In 1808, rules and regulations were drawn up for the armies of the United States. The president was authorised to call upon the executive govern- ment of the several states, to organize and equip their respec- tive proportions of a hundred thousand militia, and a million df dollars were appropriated to their pay and subsistence. The president has also the power of selecting any number for actual service, and of apportioning the field-officers among the respective states and territories. The officers are appointed by the state constitutional authorities. The militia have the same pay and subsistence as the regular army, and the period of their service is limited to six months from the time of their arrival at the place of destination. In the same year, an ad- ditional military force was raised for the term of five years, consisting of five regiments of infantry, one of riflemen, one of artillery, and one of light dragoons. During the recess of the senate, the president was authorised to appoint the inferior, but not the general officers, and such appointments were after- wards to be submitted to the senate for their advice and con- sent. The annual sum of 200,000 dollars was appropriated for arms and military equipments, to be distributed according to the regulations of each state or territorial legislature. In 1812, a bounty of sixteen dollars vvas given to each able-bodied man recruited for five years, with three months'' additional pay, and IGO acres of land to non-commissioned officers and soldiers who should have faithfully performed their duty. At this time an additional military force was raised, consisting of ten regiments of infantry, two of artillery, and one of light dragoons. Laws were passed for tiie better organization of the army, with an increase of pay. Twenty additional regi- UNITED STATES. 429 ments of cavalry were raised, and two dollars allowed to the recruiting officer for each man enlisted. It was enacted in June, 1813, that five of the regiments authorised to be raised might be engaged during the period of the war. In the month of Auoust following it was enacted, that the widows and orphans of the militia killed in war should be entitled to a pension of half-pay for the space of five years. Disabled and non-commissi(ined officers were to be jolaced on the pension list. An advance of 24 dollars was granted to each recruit on account of pay, in addition to the existing bounty of sixteen dollars, together with 160 acres of land. The pay of the private soldier was raised from six to eight dollars per month ; the premium for recruiting officers was also increased from two to four dollars The militia-men were authorised to enlist into the regular service, without providing substitutes. Re- cruits were at liberty to serve during five years, or till the end of the war, with the same bounties of money and land. The president of the United States was authorised to raise ten ad- ditional companies of rangers for the protection of any state or territory threatened with invasion by the Indians, to be armed and organized as he might think proper, subject to the rules and articles of war, and entitled to the same compensation as persons serving in the military establishment. It was also enacted, that the president might accept the services of volun- teers, not exceeding 50,000 in number, who might be orga- nized and clothed as artillery, infantry, or cavalry, except that the latter were to furnish horses at their own expence ; other- wise to be treated as regular troops. A law was also passed for the organization of a corps of artificers, to be attached to the quarter-m aster-general's department, and subject to the and Crown point. These fortresses were taken without the loss of a man on either side ; and the provincials found in the forts a considerable number of pieces of cannon, besides mor- tars, and sundry kinds of military stores. However, the force of Great Britain in America was now augmented, by the arri- val at Boston from England of generals Howe, Burgoyne, and Clinton, with considerable reinforcements. On the 17th of June, 1775, a bloody action took place at Bunker's Hill, near Boston, in which the king's troops had the advantage, but with the loss of 226 killed, and more than 800 wounded, including many officers. But after this action, the Americans immediately threw up works upon another hill, opposite to it, on their side of Charlestown neck ; so that the troops were as closely invested in that peninsula as they had been in Boston. About this time, the congress appointed . George Washington, esq. a gentleman of large fortune in Vir- ginia, of great military talents, and who had acquired consi- derable experience in the command of different bodies of provincials during the last war, to be general and commander- ili-chief of all the American forces. During these transactions, the royal army at Boston was reduced to great distress for want of provisions ; the town was bombarded by the Americans, and general Howe, who now ! commanded the king's troops, which amounted to upwards of 7000 men, was obliged to quit Boston, and embark for Hali- I fax, leaving a considerable quantity of artillery and some stores behind. The town was evacuated on the 17th of IVfarch, 440 VIEW OF THE 1776, and general Washington immediately took possession of' it. On the 4th of Jul}' following, the congress published a solemn declaration, in which they assigned their reasons for withdrawing their allegiance from the king of Great Britain. In the name, and by the authority of the inhabitants of the United Colonies, they. declared that they then were, and of right ought to bQ, ' free and independent States ;' that they Were absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the kingdom of Great Britain was totally dissolved ; and also that, as free and independent states, they had full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish cnnnnerce, and do all other acts and things^ which independent states may of right do. They likewise published articles of confederation and perpe- tual union between the united colonies, in which they assumed the title of ' The United States of America.' An attack upon Charlestown was ably repelled by the Ame- ricans under general Lee ; but the British, under general Howe and his brother vice-admiral lord Howe, compelled the Americans to evacuate Long island, from whence their retreat was conducted with great address by general Washington. New York was soon after abandoned, several forts were lost, the British troops covered the Jerseys, and the period for ser«. vice in the American army had expired. This was the crisis of American danger. But their army being recruited by vo- lunteers, Washington, in the night of the 25th of December, 1776, amidst snow, storms, and ice, crossed the Delaware, and surprised a brigade of Hessians at Trenton; and while the British were preparing to attack him at this post, he, by a happy stroke of generalship, retreated in the night, carried the British post of Princetown, and resumed his former position. In September, 1777, after two actions between the armies of general Howe and general Washington, in both of which the former had the advantage, the city of Philadelphia surren- dered to the king's troops. But an expedition, that had for some time been concerted, of invading the northern colonies by way of Canada, proved extremely unsuccessful. The UNITED STATES. 441 command of this expedition had been given to lieutenant- genei'al Burgoyne, a very experienced officer. He set out from Quebec with an army of near 10,000 men, and an extra- ordinary fine train of artillery, and was joined by a considera- ble body of the Indians. For some time he drove the Americans before him, and made himself master of Ticonde- rago; but at length he encountered such difficulties, and was so vigorously opposed by the Americans vmder Gates and Arnold, that after two severe actions, in which great numbers fell, general Burgoyne and his army of 5600 men were obliged to lay down their arms, October 17, 1777. After several aifairs, by which the animosity of the Ameri- cans to the British governnient was increased, the British army found it necessary to evacuate Philadelphia. General Howe returned to England, and was succeeded in the com- mand of the army by general Clinton. By this time tlie Bri- tish ministers began to be al-irmed at the fatal tendency of the war ; but the congress refused to treat with the commissioners which his majesty sent to settle all disputes, and the war con- tinued with unabated animosity. The emissaries of France had long been actively employed in formin"; and widening the breach between America and England ; and, in 1778, that country openly espoused the American cause. Shortly after, Spain and Holland joined the confederacy, and co-operated with the Americans. In the mean time, lord Cornwallis gained some advantages in Caro- lina ; but, by a well-concerted scheme, general Washington suddenly surrounded his army, which was obliged to capitu- late ; and this event may be considered as the closing scene oi the continental American war. The war against the colonies, which had never been popular in Britain, had now become so unsuccessful and expensive, that the government was compelled to listen to the public voice. Accordingly, the treaty of peace was signed on the SOth November, 1782 ; by which the independence of the United States was solemnly acknowledged, after a struggle of seven years ; while that between Spain and the United Pro- vinces continued, with some intermissions, for about GO years: Ji K 442 VIEW OF THE but the profuse expence of modern warfare counterbalances its brevity. The constitution of the United States having been found imperfect, a new plan was submitted to the several states, and received their approbation. On the 30th of April, 1789, George Washington was inaugurated president of the United States. The. firmness with which that illustrious man opposed the insolence and impositions of the venal directory of France, added much to the glory of his name and the prosperity of his country. When Bonaparte, flushed with victory, contemplated tlie ruin and ultimate subjugation of Britain, and to effect which declared it in a state of blockade, the British ministry, in reta- liation, pubHshed certain orders, declaring the ports of France and her dependencies to be blockaded. In this state of things the trade of the United States suffered, by the hostile powers, several vexatious interruptions. Yet the American govern- ment shewed a marked partiality to France, and became ex- tremely clamorous against Great Britain, accusing her naval officers of impressing their seamen, whom the latter claimed a British subjects. This dispute, in some instances, occasioned hostihties between the sliips of the two powers. In order to' avoid the insults which the American flag had suffered, con- gress passed a non-intercourse act, by which a stop was put to all trade with foreign powers ; but this absurd and impolitic measure was, in a short time, abandoned. After much discussion between the governments of England and the United States, the former revoked the obnoxious orders in council; but before the intelligence of this concilia- torv measure reached America, Mr. Maddison, the president, had issvted a declaration of war against England, dated the 18th of June, 1812; and circumstances appeared so favour- able to success, that he persisted in his resolution to try the fortune of war. ^ The Americans commenced the war by fitting out a great number of privateers, and sending an army to invade Canada. But as the Canadians refused to listen to the revolutionary proclamation' of the American general; Hull, he was obliged ^ UNITED STATES. 448 to surrender with his whole army. Various other attempts were made hy tlie Americans upon Canada, in which the su- perior discipUne and tactics of the Enghsh soldiery compen- sated for want of numbers, and ensured the defeat of the invaders, who were also much incommoded by the Indians, that had for some time been in a state of warfare with the United States. The spirit of the Americans was, however, supported by some successes which their ships obtained over the British, in which they certainly displayed the skill and gallantry of their progenitors. The war Hngered for some time, until the peace of Paris placed a strong body of veterans at the disposal of the Enghsh ministry. The British ships of war now blockaded the poi'ts of the United States, kept the whole coast in continual alarm, sailed up the Chesapeake and Delaware, imposed contributions upon several towns, and even penetrated to Washington, the seat of government. A similar attempt was made upon Baltimore, but failed. However, the Americans Avere unsuccessful upon the lakes, except on lake Champlain, where'the whole British squadron was captured. But this war, so hurtful to both parties, was at last happily terminated by a treaty of peace signed by the English and American commissioners at Ghent. Before the signing of this treaty was known in America, a body of about 5000 English troops made an unsuccessful attack upon New- Orleans, and suffered the loss of Sir Edward Pakenham, about (iO officers of rank^ and 2600 men in killed, wounded, and prisoners. According to a statement published by the war depart- ment, the aggregate number ol' militia, in 1816, amounted to 748,566. The following comparative view of the loss of the American and British armies, in the last war, is extracted from Nile''s Weekly Register. American: — Killed, 1422; wounded, 3044; killed and wounded, 4466; missing, 555; prisoners, 4687; total, 9888. British :— Killed, 2809 ; wounded, 5393 ; killed and wound- ed, 8202; missing, 251; prisoners, 2434; total, 11,387. 444 VIEW OF THE, kc. British National Vessels captured during the War. British national vessels captured^ - 66 Carrying, in all, guns, - - 91 In those cases where the force of the contending parties is cer- tainly known; it appears, in the aggregate, that The Bi-itish fought - 6l5guns. Americans, - 599 General balance in favour of the British, 1 6" But the difference between the Essex, 46, and the Alert, 26, being deducted, for the affair between them does not de- serve the name of a battle, 20 And the real advantage on the side of the British was S6 American National Vessels captured or destroyed during tht War. American government vessels captured, 25 Carrying in all, , _ - 350 guns. From those cases where the force of the contending parties is certainly known, these aggregates appear : The British fought, - 197 guns. Americans, - - 142 In favour of the British, 55 Recapitulation. American national vessels captured or destroyed by the British, ----- 350 gun? V AA. n±( destroyed at Washington city, to pre- Argus, l8-22\ „y., hands, ^ 76 Adams, 24 — 28, destroyed at Hampden as above, 28 Wasp, .18—22, lost, - - - - 22 Two vessels on lake Ontario, lost, .- - l6 Grand total. - - 495 ADVICE AND DIRECTIONS to EMIGRANTS. TXrE will now proceed to give some plain and useful instruc- tions to such of our countrymen as may hereafter emi- grate to the United States of America, and which will fall under the following heads, viz. 1. Directions respecting the voyage. 2. Precautions for preserving the health in a new climate 3. On the best mode of settling. 4. The prices of land, labour, and provisions. 5. The rights and duties of a permanent settler. 6. The prospects of various classes of emigTants. These particulars comprise every thing necessary to be known by the adventurer, and will be detailed with strict impartiality and a minuteness commensurate with their im- portance. I. DIRECTIONS RESPECTING THE VOYAGE. It is always advisable, before embarking for a long voyage, to have all business transacted in good time, so as to spare a few days, which may be devoted to friendship and an atten- ■^on to the little necessaries that may be requisite on the voyage. It is not always in a person's power to choose a captain, al- though a good deal of the comfort of the passage depends upon this choice. The chief requisites are, that he be a good 446 VIEW OF THE seaman ; attentive, careful, and active in the management of* ' his vessel : and of these circumstances, and indeed all others relative to the passage, you must satisfy yourself before setting out, for there is no use in making complaints at sea. It is still more difficult to make choice of sociable fellow-passengers. A ship is like a stage-coach, it must accommodate all comers ; I and one surly fellow may molest a whole ship''s company. , But a person, by having resources of his own, may make him- self, in a great measure, independent of other people ; and it will be well, before going .on board, to take measures to ac- complish that desirable object. For this purpose, a small . library of books will be found very entertaining, and if you i have any turn for the study of mathematics and drawing, you will have a good opportunity to practise on board ; and a case of mathematical instruments, and a box of paints, will be ne- cessary. Cfboice of a Vessel. — A ship is preferable to a brig, as the sea motion in the former will be less felt, and the accommoda- tions are generally superior. The English ships in the Ame- rican trade are not equal to those in other trades ; whilst, ou the contrary, the best American vessels are in the British trade; so that it is well to select an American ship, the sq/e age of which will be according to the quality of the timber and the building, and these can only be known by persons very conversant in those subjects. There are certain ships of esta-- blished reputation, a few of which go to the port of London, ' and a greater number to Liverpool. From the port of Liver- pool there are a very considerable number of first-rate ships for Philadelphia, Boston, and New York ; among the latter is what are called the 'Packet Line."' One of these vessels sails punctually on the first of every month from Liverpool. The charge for passage is, in the cabin, 45 guineas, which includes wine, and indeed almost every luxury ; in the steerage, 9^. exclusive of every thing but water. The house of Crapper, Benson, and Co. at Liverpool, are the agents for these ships, which are first-rate in every respect, and all their commanders are men of great experience. There are several others of a superior class: but it would be judicious in every peri5on ta UNITED STATES. 447 «iake minute enquiries as to the character of the ship and captain with which they propose engaging ; for it should be known that there are some very indifferent American ships, which go to both Liverpool and London, and particularly the latter port. A regular trader Is generally to be preferred to a chance ship. The prices (with the exception of the packet ships) will vary according to circumstances ; for the cabiij from 30 to 45, and for the steerage from 7 to 10 guineas. It should be remarked that even this is a subject of barter. A few ships sail from Bristol and Greenock for New York — the Fanny from the latter port is rather celebrated. A passage '•from Havre, in France, to America, is often to be obtained much cheaper than from this country. Should a large party engage the same vessel, they would act prudently to procure an extra boat, for in case of accident or shipwreck, the two ship-boats would not be found sufficient ; and upon such me- lancholy occurrences the crew commonly escape, and the pas- sengers are lost. Cabin passengers^ though supplied by the captain, would find a small private stock desirable. A plum cake, soda pow- ders, a few good apples and oranges (the latter will keep if not previously bruised, and if each orange is carefully rolled in paper), preserves of several kinds, and cider, which will be found particularly pleasant at sea. Steerage passengers should provide for 70, though they may not be out more than 50 days. They are compelled by law to take 80 lbs. of meat. A variety will be advisable; say 30 lbs. of beef, 20 of ham, 20 of tongue, 10 of bacon : herrings are pleasant, and salt cod particularly sq, Avhen eaten with egg-sauce ; 50 lbs. of bread, of the best bis- cuit, and loaves cut in slices' and toasted : rusks will be found very pleasant in tea : 30 to 40 lbs. of flour ; a few pounds of oatmeal ; ditto of rice ; ditto of groats ; ditto of arrow-root ; 10 lbs. of dieese; 100 lbs. of potatoes. Have a small net bag to boil thetn in : this will prevent confusion with the cook, and also their being exchanged for others of, perhaps, an infe- rior quality. 5 lbs. of coffee, ground, and kept corked in a bottle, for the purpose of excluding the atmospheric aif : 1 lb. 448 VIEW OF THE o£ tea ; 14 lbs. of sugar ; a small quantity of spirits, of wine, and bottled porter : the latter, mixed with an equal quantity of water, with sugar and nutmeg, will be found very agreea- ble. Have a definite understanding for the quantity of water per day. A filtering machine can be bought at 79, Titchfield- street, London, for 20s. Eggs to be kept in bran, and fre- quently turned. 10 lbs. of butter. Milk will keep, if boiled, and mixed with sugar, in the proportion of 2 lbs. to the quart. If the articles enumerated under the head Cabin passengers can be afforded, they would be found particularly pleasant. If there are females in the party, there should be some fowls. A few tin articles for the purposes of cooking, &c. In choosing a birth, either in the cabin or steerage, the middle of the vessel, or as near to it as can be procured, is desirable, on account of the ship's motion being- there less- felt. Books will be an occasional, and but an occasional, relief to the monotony of a sea voyage. Those of a light and amusing character are the most suitable. Reading for more than half an hour at any one time produces the head-ache, and sensil ly affects the eyes. Medicines are an important article of sea stores: they should be in pills, and taken frequently, with great exactness, at stated periods, and in as small quantities as can possibly produce the effect. Steerage passengers should have a specific agreement with th©^ captain far the use of the place of convenience : this is an important consideration, and great inconvenience is sometimes experienced by such persons in being denied this. A flute, a violin, and a pack of cards, are pleasant companions. A short time after setting sail, the passengers generally get sea-sick. This complaint, though lightly esteemed, because not dangerous, is often very severe while it lasts, and, if treated improperly, it may cause a relaxation of the stomach, that will be very troublesome. While the sickness continues, people have an aversion to all kinds of food and drink. Many abstain from both three or four days. This is a bad plan.. The stomach should never be allowed to get entirely empty. A little chicken broth or water gruel should be freely used ; and people should go upon deck as soon as possible. Breath- UNITED STATEi?. 449 Iiig the foul air of the cabin or steerage promotes the disease; whereas exercise and free air on deck reheve it. A httle soda water will at this time be very exhilirating ; and as soon as the stomach is so far cleansed as to keep free from retching, a little Peruvian bark will be very beneficial as a restorative. Care should be taken to guard against costiveness, a very trouble- some complaint at sea. Attention to diet and exercise will often prevent it ; but wh^re that fails, a httle laxative medi- cine, such as rhubarb, cream of tartar, or castor oil, should be resorted to. But as sea-sickness is viewed with considerable alarm by people unaccustomed to the sea, particularly females, we will enter into this subject more at large. This disorder, so far from being Injurious to asthmatic and consumptive people, has, in general, a beneficial effect ; and the instances in which it has proved fatal are extremely rare. It appears to be a spasmodic affection of the stomach, occa- sioned by the alternate pressure and recess of its contents against its lower internal surface, accordinij; as the rise and fall of the ship oppose the action of gravity. The motion of the Atlantic ocean between Great Britain and America produces sea-sickness with the greatest violence, as the waves have an uninterrupted freedom of action, which causes that regular vacillation that renders the head giddy, A person feels less inconvenience from the disorder in a small vessel on the wide ocean, on which the slightest motion of the waves makes a strong impression. He is also less exposed to it in a large vessel deeply laden, as the waves, in this case, scarcely affect the vessel. It is in ships of an ordinary size, and which carry but a light cargo, that the passenger suffers most from the sea-sickness. The sooner it takes place after embarkation, the continuance of it becomes the more probable. It does not always cease immediately on landing, but in some cases continues for a considerable time. Many methods of preventing, or at least of mitigating this disorder, have been recommended, of which the most eflfica- «ioas appear to be the following : 3 L 450 VIEW OF THE 1. Not to go on board immediately after eating, and not i(y cat, when on board, any large quantity at a time. 2. To take much exercise, with as little intermission as pos- sible ; as indolent passengers are always the greatest sufferers from the disorder. 3. To keep much upon deck, even wlien the weather is stormy ; as the sea breeze is not so apt to affect the stomach as the impure air of the cabin, rendered so for want of proper circulation. 4. Not to watch the motion of the waves, particularly when strongly agitated with tempest. 5. To fix the eye steadily on the mast, cabin, or some other object on deck. This is an excellent method for preventing this disorder. 6. Carefully to shun all employments by which the mind may be harassed, as reading, studying, gaming, &c., and to seek all opportunities of mental relaxation. 7. To drink occasionally liquids containing carbonic acid, as the froth of beer strongly fermented, or wine and Seltzer water mixed together, and sweetened with pounded sugar. 8. It will also be beneficial to take sulphuric acid dulcified, dropped on a bit of sugar, or in peppermint water, or ten drops of ether. The proper diet consists of bread and fresh meat, to be eaten cold with pepper. All sweet savoured food should be carefully avoided, and the passenger ought to refrain from faty and particidarly from such meat as is in the smallest degree tainted. Even the smell of flowers is injurious, for which reasons marine productions ought not to be examined ; but the fumes of vinegar may be advantageously inhaled. The drink should consist of lemonade or tart wines, but never of common water. An accidental diarrhoea has often relieved the patient from sea-sickness, and therefore a gentle laxative in such a disorder seems to be indicated as proper. It will also be found useful to apply a tonic anodyne plaster to the pit of the stomach, spread upon leather, and covered with linen. UNITED STATES. 451 When symptoms of vomiting appear, tliey may often be re- medied by the patient placing himself in a horizontal position on his back or belly, and lying perfectly still. If the fits of vomiting are too violent to be repressed, they should be pro- moted by a strong dose of salt water; not, however, to be often repeated, as it debilitates the stomach. When the eme- tic operates, the patient should bend his body, bringing his knees towards his breast, and supporting his l)ead against a firm resting-place. His gartei's and cravat must be untied, a precaution which will secure him from the danger of a rupture. The vomiting having sub.sided, a state of repose will pre- vent its return, and the eyes may be kept shut lor a consider- able time. The patient must make choice of a cool ventilating place, remembering to keep himself warm and well clothed, as perspiration is highly beneficial. A gargle of sugar dissolved in vinegar is to be taken in the morning, accompanied with frequent and spare eating. Water must never be taken in its pure state, but mixed with wine, vinegar, or brandy. A glass of wine may be taken in the morning, with an infusion of orange peel, gentian root, or Peruvian bark. A glass of punch, occasionally taken«, will be extremely beneficial, by which perspiration is promoted. Dr. Trotter recommends a* glass of brandy, as the best cure for a slight attack of this dis- agreeable disorder. Persons accustomed to smoke tobacco, will find the use of the pipe salutary on such occasions, but the practice of smok- ing will be injurious to all others. We may add that warm clothing, flarniei shirts, caps, trowsers, &e. are powerful retne- dies against excessive expectoration, with every other symptom of this dreadful malady. When the weather is good, people should rise early. The air of the cabin is not only affected by the respiration of the passengers, but it is often contaminated by the bilge water ; while the sea air on deck is always pure and healthy. ■ The breakfast hour at sea is eight o'clock, dinner one, and supper six or seven. It is a general rule amongst the passengers, to have them sclvei^s washed and dressed before sitting down .to breakfast. Betwixt breakfast and dinner, the time may be io^ VIEW OF THi: profitably employed in walking, reading, drawing, &c. ; and such as have a taste for navigation will have a good opportu- nity for practical improvement, as they can have access to the log-book ; and the captain and mates are generally very oblig- ing, in lending their navigation books and instruments to those who wish them. Temperance at table is necessary every where, and espe- cially at sea, where the exercise is necessarily Hniited. Where wine is used, three or four glasses will generally be found more beneficial than a larger quantity ; and people ought, on no account, to indulge themselves at the table a whole after- noon, though it is frequently done. It is much better to take exercise in the open air on deck. Pacliing up. — A selection should be made in a box by themselves of clothes intended to be worn at sea. Those of the most inferior kind will do as well as the best. A warm great coat will be found useful. The provision casks should be written on, ' Stores.' Baggage must be entered at the cus- tom-house; and in procuring a cocJcet, care should be taken that the whole of the packages are enumerated : if this is neg- lected, an additional expence will be incurred. Articles desirable to be talcen out. — Clothing of every kind, except silks and silk pocket handkerchiefs. Females would do well to take no article of dress particular in appearance. Men's trowsers should be of the Wellington kind only. The American fashions differ in some things from ours ; and any deviation from them is much remarked upon. Most conve- nient and unbreakable articles of domestic utensils. No cabi- net furniture. A ffood stock of table-linen and bedding: "whether feather-beds are desirable or not is questionable. Carpeting, if it can be cut to suit other sized rooms ; station- ery of every kind ; agricultural implements ; musical and phi- losophical instruments. Fees qf Officers. — To the collectors and naval officers, Every port entry, 2 dollars. Permit to land goods, SO cents. Every bond taken officially, 40 cents. Bill of health, 20 cents. (There is commonly a demand of two dollars made for this by the captain : this is, of course, an imposition.) UNITED STATES. 453 Passengers' Baggage, S^c. — Entry is to be made by passen- gers of all clothes, tools or implements of ti-ade or profession, arriving in the United States to settle, which articles are ex- empted from duty. The form of such entry, and oath re- specting the same, as follows : ' Entry of baggage, wearing apparel, Sfc. imporfed by in the " master, from New York, (Here the pnrtmdavi to he inserted.) ' District of ' Port of ' \, do solemnly, sincerely, and truly swear, (or affirm,) that the entry subscribed by me and hereto annexed, contains, to the best of my knowledge and belief, a just and true account of the contents of the several mentioned in the said entry, imported in the from and that thej' contain no goods, wares, or merchandise whatever, other than the Avearing apparel and other personal baggage (or if the case re- quire) and the tools of the trade of all which are the property of who has, or have arrived, who is, or are shortly expected to arrive in the United States, and are not directly or indirectly imported for any other person or persons, or intended for sale. . ' So help me God.' If the articles shall be entered by any other person than the owner, bond to be given in a sum equal to thie amount of what the duties would be, if imported subject to duty ; that the owner shall within one year verify such entry on oath, or the collector may direct such baggage to be examined ; and if any article is contained therein, which ought to pay duty, entry must be made thereof; and if an entry is made as aforesaid, and upon examination thereof, any article is found thereiri suiiject to duty, (7iot Juiving been expressed at the time of making the entry,) it is ibrfieited, and the person in whose baggage the same shall be found, forfeits and shall pay treble the value thereof. Before we close this division of the subject of emigration, it may also^be proper to observe, that before an^ emigrant can 454 VIEW OF THE pass any custom-house in Great Britain, it is necessary for him to be furnished with a certificate, to the following purport : ' Wej the undersigned churchwardens and overseers of the parish of in the county of do hereby certify and declare unto the officers of his majesty's customs, and all others whom it may concern, that we have known A B of the parish of aforesaid, for several years last past ; and that the trade or business of the said A B, during all the time that we have known him, hath been that of a And we do further particularly certify and de- clare, that the said A B is not, nor hath ever been, a manufacturer or artificer in wool, iron, steel, brass, or any other metal, nor is he, or hath he ever been, a watch-maker, or clock-maker, or any other manufacturer or artificer whatsoever. And we do further certify, that the said A B is about years of age, stands feet and inches, or thereabouts, in height, hath hair, eyes, com- plexion, is of a appearance. ' As witness our hands, this day of [^To be signed by two churchwardens and two overseers.] 'I, CD, esq. one of his majesty's justices of the peace for the county of do hereby certify and declare, that the several . persons whose names are subscribed at the foot of the above- writ- ten certificate, are respectively the churchwardens and overseers of the parish of aforesaid ; and that the statement contained, in the same certificate is true, according to the best of my know- ledge, information, and belief. ' As witness my hand this day of II. PRECAUTIONS FOR PRESERVING THE HEALTH IN A NEW CLIMATE. The change of climate is almost sure to affect the health ; but the temperate will scarcely feel any effect, either from the extreme heat of summer, or the severe frosts in winter. Rich- mond in Virginia, Charlestown in Carolina, and the distant city of New Orleans, are places where an enterprising adven- turer, who chuses to risk his h^lth and his morals, may easily accumulate a fortune. The northern and middle states are more healthy, and better adapted to the heai|h of an Enghsh- man. Perhaps there is no place in the Union where the tcm- UNITED STATES. 455 perature is so similar to that of old England as Long Island. On this subject we subjoin the advice given by the Shamrock Society of New York, which seems to comprise almost all the precautions necessary to be observed. 'Emigrants from Europe usually arrive here during sum- mer ; and, every thing considered, it is best that they should ; for, in the middle and eastern states, the winter is long, fuel very dear, and employment comparatively scarce at that sea- son. In winter they will expend more, and earn less. But if arriving at this time bear more upon their pocket, the heats of the summer are undoubtedly more trying to their health. In the middle states, namely. New- York, New Jersey, Pennsyl- vania, and Maryland, a northern European usually finds the cUmate intensely hot, from about the middle of June till to- wards the 1st of October. The thermometer frequently ranges from 84 to 90, and sometimes to 96 in the middle of the day ; this, to a stranger who works in the open air, exposed to the burning sun, is certainly dangerous, and requires some pre- cautions on his part. ' First of all, he should regulate his diet, and be temperate in the quantity of his food. The American labourer, or working mechanic, who has a better and more plentiful table than any other man in the world of his class, is, for the most part, a small eater; and we recommend to you his example. The European of the same condition, who receives meat, or fish and coffee, at breakfast, meat at dinner, and meat or fish, and tea, at supper — an abundance of animal food to which lie was unaccustomed — insensibly falls into a state of too great reple- I tion, which exposes him to the worst kind of fever during the heats of summer and autumn. He should, therefore, be quite j as abstemious in the quantity of food as of strong drink ; and, j in addition to this method of preventing sickness, lie should jtake a dose of active physic, every now and then, especially in the hotter months of July and August. By this prudent i course an ardent climate will have no terrors ; and, after some residence here, he may preserve his health by regimen and xercise alone. 456 VIEW OF THE "' The labourer or mechanic should put off his ordinary clothes, and wear next his skin a loose flannel shirt, while he works : it should be taken oif again when he is done, ' The stranger, as well as native, must be particularly care* ful not to drink cold water after being heated by exposure to the sun or exercise. Sudden and severe pain at the stomach, ^nd even death, are frequently the consequence of such impru- dence. The Humane Society of this city has published the following directions to be observed in such cases : ' Ist. To avoid drinking water while the body is heated,- or during profuse perspiration. '2d. Wash the hands and face with cold water before drinking. '3d. If these precautions have been neglected, and cramps or convulsions have been induced, let a tea-spoonful of lauda- num be given immediately in a cup of spirits and water, and repeat the dose in half an hour, if necessary. '4th. At the same time apply hot fomentations of spirits and water to the stomach and bowels, and to the lower extre- mities, covering the body with a blanket ; or immerse the body in a warm bath, if it can be immediately obtained. ' 5th. Inject into the bowels a pint of Warm spirits and wa- ter, mixed in the proportion of one part of the former to two of the latter.' III. ON THE BEST MODE OF SETTLING. Mechanics, intending to continue as such, would do well to remain in New York, Baltimore, or Philadelphia, until they become familiarised with the country. Persons designing to settle in the western states will save some expences by landing in Philadelphia. Those to whom a few pounds is not an 6b- ject, will shorten their voyage two or three days by arriving at New York. The summer route from thence to Philadel- phia is particularly pleasant, with the exception of 25 niile,s land-carriage, and sleeping one night on the road: the whole' can be completed for about ten dollars. In winter, there are UNITED STATES. 457 excellent stages (by far the best in America) from New York to Philadelphia : the fare is from eight to ten dollars, and the journey is completed in fourteen hours, — distance, 96 miles. The route to the western country, by way of New Orleans, is attended with many disadvantages : it is much longer, and more dangerous, in consequence of a great deal of coasting, and the difficulties of the gulf of Florida. The voyage from the Balaize, at the junction of the Mississippi with the gulf of Mexico, to New Orleans, though but 100 miles, is always te- dious, and sometimes vessels are three weeks in getting up that distance. The yellow fever is of annual occurrence at New Orleans. The steam-boats, though numerous, cannot proceed at stated periods, and a residence at New Orleans may be long, and must be expensive ; and to take passage in a keel-boat up the stream, would be an almost endless un- dertaking. The best mode is to proceed from Philadelphia by way of Pittsburg. Horseback is very preferable to the stage, parti- cularly on the Alleghany mountains. A poor family would have their baggage conveyed in the cheapest way by the regu- lar stage-waggons, — themselves walking; and this they will find in crossing the mountains to be better than riding (except on horseback). They should take with them as good a stock of eatables as they can with convenience, the charges on the road being very extravagant. Those who have their own waggons should have them made as strong as possible, and their horses should be in good condition. Small articles of cutlery, and all the machinery necessary for repairs on the road, are of first necessity. When arrived at Pittsburg, the cheapest and easiest mode of travelling is to float down the river ; for which purpose there are boats of almost every va- riety, (steam-boats excepted,) from 9,s. Sd. upwards, per hun- dred miles. Warm clothing should be taken, as tliere is sure to be some severe weather in every part of America. The articles required in floating down the river will be nearly as follows: — The 'Pittsburg Navigator,' a small volume, and which may be had at Cramer and Spears; nails, hammer, hatchet, tinder-box, box for fire, gridiron, iron pot, cofl^ee-pot, 20 3 M 458 VIEW OF THE coffee-mill, tea-pot, plates, spoons, knives and forks, mugs, candles, coffee, tea, sugar, spirits, meat, potatoes, bread, pens and ink, paper, medicine, and a gun. If there is what is called 'a good stage pf water,' that is, if the waters of the Ohio are high, which they always are in the spring and au- tumn, boats will be taken by the stream, without rowing, from three to four miles per hour. Except in cases of dense fog-, they can be allowed to float at night in the Ohio. In the Mississippi this would not be safe, the navigation of the latter river being both difficult and dangerous. Unless the waters of the Ohio are very higli at its falls near Louisville, a pilot should be enjjaged to navigate the boat over them. Mr. Mellisli says that families moving to the western coun- try usually travel by waggons of their own, in which case they provide food for themselves and their horses, and are ac- commodated with lodgings at the different houses where they stop all night. The charge for this accommodation is gene- rally very moderate, -and when the moving family is poor, the payment is often dispensed with. There are so many different points from whence emigrants set out, and to which they go, that it is difficult to form an estimate that will apply to them all. Probably the following view may be the most intelligible. A waggon with two horses can accommodate seven persons, and can travel with tolerable ease 20 miles a day, the Sundays being devoted to rest ; and, by travelling economically, the whole expence will not exceed two dollars per day, or fourteen dollars per week, in which the family can travel 120 miles. At this rate, a family of seven can travel from Connecticut to Cleveland, 600 miles, for 70 dollars ; or from Philadelphia to Zanesville, in the interior of the state of Ohio, 425 miles, for about 60 dollars. On the latter route, a great many waggons travel between Philadelphia and Pittsburg, waggon-hire being about five dollars per cwt. for both persons and property. The carriage of a family of seven, by this conveyance, would cost about 45 dollars, besides their board; which appears more in proportion than by the other mode ; but it is to be .observed, that in this way it is unnecessary to purchase horses UNITED STATES. 459 or waggons, which, in the eastern states, are pretty dear, and there is no wear and tear. A considerable saving can fre- quently be made on both routes by water conveyance : on the north by lake Erie, and on the south by the Ohio river. The stage between Philadelphia and Pittsburg is the most agreea- ble and expeditious mode of 1 ravelling on that road, and is preferred by such as can afford the expence. Many emigrants, particularly those who sail from Leith, Shields, Sunderland, Hull, and other ports on the east of the kingdom, find it prudent, either on account of the cheapness of conveyance, or the strictness of the custom-house officers, to sail direct to Quebec or Montreal. Those who may chuse this route to New York will find the distances and expence as follows : Dollais. Hours. Miles. From Quebec to Montreal, by steam-boat, 10 Montreal to St. John, _ _ - 3 St. John to Whithall, steam-boat, - 9 Whithall to Albany, by stages, fare 5 dol- lars, expences 3, - - - - 8 12 70 Albany to New York, steam-boat, - 7 24 l60 From Quebec to New York, - - . 37 90 603 Or 8/. 6s. 6d. expence, performed in 3 days 1 8 hom's ; or from Montreal, 61. 1 s. 6d, expence, performed in 2 days 1 8 hours, dis- tance 517 miles. Clements Burleigh, esq,, who resided upwards of 30 years in the United States, has given the following judicious direc- tions to poor emigrants on landing in America. ' I will take the liberty, as an introduction, to point out some stumbling blocks that have been in the way of many emigrants to this country. We conceive the vessel coming to anchor, and the passengers preparing for going ashore. On setting their feet on land, they look about them, see fine houses, gardens, and orchards, the streets crowded with well- dressed people, every one pursuing his own business. Well, the question now is, where shall I go .'' I meet a person pass. 24 186 4 37 26 150 460 VIEW OF THE ing, and address myself to liim, requesting him to inform me where I can have accommodations for some short time. He ■will point out a house which he thinks may answer my appear- ance, &c. I get my goods conveyed to this house. The landlord and his family receive me as a foreigner, and so long as I liave cash will have a watchful eye over me, and treat me according to what money I spend with them. In the mean time, on the arrival of an Irish ship, a crowd of poor Irish, who have been in that country for a number of years, are al- ways fond of meeting their countrymen on landing, and of encouraging them to take a share of grog or porter, &c. The feelings of the open-hearted Irishman are alive to the invita- tion, and some days are spent in this way, in the company of men who are a disgrace to the country they came from, and who are utterly incapable to procure themselves work, much less the poor emigrant. I warn emigrants, therefore, to be upon their guard. ' The plan, therefore, which I would recommend, is that upon landing, as soon as convenient, they should divest them- selves of any heavy luggage, such as chests or boxes; and in the mean time, if they are deficient of money to carry them to the inland parts of the country, stop some time, and if they can get work apply to it, and use what they earn with econo- my, and keep clear of all idle company, and also be particular in keeping clear of a certain description of their own country- men. When they have acquired as much money as may help to bear their expences, let them put their bundles on board one of the waggons, loaded with merchandise foi the western country. By being active and obliging to the carrier on the way, he will charge little or nothing on your arrival at Pitts- burg, or Greensburg, or any other town in the western parts of Pennsylvania. You then take your property from tli€ waggon, if it suits, and make inquiry for labour.' Emigrants from Switzerland and Germany are numerous, and from patience and industry generally succeed. People of certain districts sometimes form themselves into a society a year or two before they leave, and contribute to a general fund, which enables them to send a few of the most intelligent UNITED STATES. 461 of their number before them in order to select and prepare a settlement. Others are so poor as to be obliged to sell or in- denture themselves to a captain, who carries them out tan speculation. Such is also frequently the case with poor ad- venturers from Ireland ; and sometimes Scotch Highlandmen are carried out on the same plan. The hardships suffered by the poor creatures who are conveyed in this way to America have been feelingly described by an English traveller, to whom we have frequently referred. * A practice,'' says he, ' which has been often referred to in connection with this country, naturally excited my attention. It is that of individuals emigrating from Europe without mo- ney, and paying for their passage by binding themselves to the captain, who receives the produce of their labour for a cer- tain number of years. ' Seeing the following advertisement in the newspapers, put in by the captain and owners of the vessel referred to, I visited the ship, in company with a boot-maker of this city (Philadelphia) : "THE PASSENGERS " On board the brig Bubona^ from Amsterdam, and who are will- ing to engage themselves for a limited time, to defray the expences of their passage, consist of persons of the following occupations, besides women and children, viz. 13 farmers, 2 bakers, 2 butchers, 8 weavers, 3 tailors, 1 gardener, 3 masons, 1 mill-sawyer, 1 white- smith, 2 shoe-makers, 3 cabinet-makers, 1 coal-burner, 1 barber, 1 carpenter, 1 stocking-weaver, 1 cooper, 1 wheelwright, 1 brewer, 1 locksmith. — Apply on board of the Bubona, opposite Callowhill- street, in the river Delaware, or to W. Odlin and Co, No. 38, South Wharves. " Oct. 2." *As we ascended the side of this hulk, a most revolting scene of want and misery presented itself. The eye involun- tarily turned for some relief from the horrible picture of human suffering, which this living sepulchre afforded. Mr. enquired if there were any shoe-makers on board. The captain advanced : his appearance bespoke his office ; he is an American, tall;, determined, and with an eye that flashes with 462 VIEW OF THE Algerine cruelty. He called in the Dutch language for shoe- makers, and never can I forget the scene which followed. The poor fellows came running up with unspeakable delight, no doubt anticipating a relief from their loathsome dungeon. Their clothes, if rags deserve that denomination, actually per- fumed the air. Some were without shirts, others had this article of dress, but of a quality as coarse as the worst packing cloth. I enquired of several if they could speak English. They smiled, alid gabbled, " No Engly, no Engly — one En- gly talk ship." The deck was filthy. The cooking, washing, and necessary departments were close together. Such is the mercenary barbarity of the Americans who are engaged in this trade, that they crammed into one of those vessels 500 passengers, 80 of whom died on the passage. The price for women is about 70 dollars, men 80 dollars, boys 60 dollars. When they saw at our departure that we had not purchased, their countenances fell to that standard of stupid gloom which seemed to place them a link below rational beings. From my heart I execrated the European cause of their removal, which is thus daily compelling men to quit the land of their fathers, to become voluntary exiles in a foreign clime : — yet Americans can think and write such sentiments as the following: "We rejoice with the patriotic Hollanders at the return of the illus^ trious house of Orange to their first magistracy, and do not wonder at their enthusiastic joy upon the occasion, when they remember that this ancient family have been always the gal- lant and zealous defenders of the rights and liberties of ilie Dutch people!" ' An interesting occurrence is said to have taken place the other day, in connection with the German Redemptioners (as by a strange misnomer the Dutch are denominated). A gen- tleman of this city wanted an old couple to take care of his house ; — a man, his wife, and daughter were offered to him for sale ; — he purchased them. — They proved to be his fathers' his mother, and sister ! ! !' UNITED STATES. 46S IV. THE PRICES OF LAXD, LABOUR, AND. PROVISIONS. On this important subject it is necessary to state particulars, and to leave the conclusion- to the reader's judgment. But as there is such a considerable difference in the value of money, and the price of laboiu- and provisions, in different states, we will consider each place separately. New Yo?-Ji. Prices. — The comparative expenditure for domestic Avants may be estimated from the following list of prices : — Beef is from 3^d. to 6d. per pound ; mutton, 3ld to S^d. ; veal, 5d. to G^d. ; ham and bacon, 7|ld. per bushel ; cabbages, 2|c?. each ; turnips, 2s. 2^d. per bushel ; peas, 6|c?. to lOd. per peck ; salt, 3*. 3d. per bushel ; milk, S^d. per quart; cpmmon fish, 2d. to 3ifZ. per pound ; salmon, 1*. l^d. to 3*. 4d per pound; brown soap, 6|d ; white ditto dressed, 8jd per pound; cau- dles, 8^d. per pound ; moujd ditto, 1^. ; flour per barrel (weighing 196 pounds) is, of the best New York, 46.?. 6d. to 49.S. 10|5. ; iTiiddling ditto, 36s. to 40*. 6d, ; rye, 31*. 6d. ; Philadelphia flour, 46*. l^d. to 47*. 3d. ; Indian ditto, 38*. dd. to 41*. 6d. ; hogshead of ditto, weighing 800 pounds, 148*. 6d. to 153*. ; whejit, 7*. lO^cZ. to 9*. per bushel ; rye, 6s. 4s. 6d. per thousand feet, to M'hich is to be added a duty of 15 per cent. Honduras mahogany is 5irf. to K^d. the superficial foot ; and St. Domingo, 9ld. to ITgc/. Mahogany is used for cupboards, UNITED STATES. 465 doors, and banisters, and for all kinds of cabinet work. Curl maple, a native and most beautiful wood, is also much ap- proved. Veneer is in general demand, and is cut by ma- cliinerv. Chests of drawers are chiefly made of St. Domingo mahogany, the inside being faced with box-wood: shaded veneer and curl maple are also used for this purpose. The cabinet work executed in this city is light and elegant, supe- rior indeed to English workmanship. Some have cut glass, instead of brass, ornaments, which have a beautiful effect. The retail price of a three feet six inch chest 0d. to 9*. Id. ; coffee, 9.0d. ; potatoes, 2*. 3J. to 3*. 4|e built, with good management, in the country for 4000 dollars (1)00^.), as the bricks can be made upon the land, and the ' help' boarded in the house. In towns, a similar building will cost 6000 dollars (1350/.) exclu- sive of the ground, which, in particular situations, as of all towns that promise well^ is dearer than the most choice spot in the city of London ! JieutucJci/. The price of lands in this state dejx^nds on a variety of cir- cumstances, such as the convenience of shipping produce, the contiguity of the same to some populous town, the quality of the land, its water privileges, and the permanency of such streams. A general estimation may be made as follows: — Those within 5 miles of" its capital are from 20 to 40 dol- lars per acre; 5 to 10 miles, lO to 2() dollars; lO to 15 miles, from 5 to 15 dollars. This statement supposes no improvements to have been made on the land. , Such land is computed to produce from 50 to 75 bushels of Indian corn per acre, and very frequently 100 bushels when well tilled As wheat requires land not so rich, its produce is less, being from 20 to 30 bushels per acre ; 30 to 40 of oats ; 20 to 30 of rye; 1000 to 1500 pounds of tobacco, and about the same quantity of hemp, may be taken as fair averages, although frequently a much greater quantity is produced. ' The price of good field negroes is now about 800 dollars. The annual cxpence of such hands may be estimated at from 75 to 100 dollars ; ditto for clothing, at from 12 to 15 more ; — sav toge- 480 VIEW OF THE ther 87 to 115, or an average of 100 dollars per annum. Their provisions diifer but little from hired white servants." In general, farmers command a ready cash sale for their pro- duce. The old custom of carrying it to the New Orleans market is nearly superseded by the creation of a new order of tradesmen, who are a medium between the western farmer and the Orleans merchant. Ohio. In the state of Ohio, the United States' lands sell at two dollars per acre. ' Taxes on wild land,' says Fearon, ' are, on first-rate 2 dollars per hundred acres; 1| dollar on second- rate ; one dollar on third-rate. There is also a county-tax of' half the above amounts, as the case may be. These taxes of Gs. 9d. to 13-s. 6d. on an hundred acres are certainly very small, at least with our English ideas of taxation and of pro- duce ; yet you would be astonished to witness the numerous lots of land which are sold at auction in all the states on ac- count of non-payment of taxes. I have seen lists in the news- papers, and at the taverns, which could not contain less in each than four hundred names of defaulters, whose property was to be transferred to the highest bidder.' Well-prepared land in this state produces, per acre, 30 bushels of wheat ; 50 to 75 of Indian corn ; 50 to 75 of rye. Horses are worth from 40 to 100 dollars (9^. to 22?. 10,9.) Cows, (four years old,) 12 to 20 dollars (54*. to 90*.) The yearly wages of a labouring man is from 58/. 10*. to 651. ; of a woman, 31/. 10*. Illinois. Private sales at the land-office are here, as in all other parts of the Union, fixed at 2 dollars, or 1 dollar 64 cents for prompt payment. The public sales by auction have not, for the most choice tracts, exceeded six dollars per acre : the old French settlements are from 1 to 50 dollars per acre. The land-tax is levied on the same principle as described in Ohio. The military bounty lands in this state amount to 3,500,000 acres. They are appropriated to the soldiers who were en- UNITED STATES. 481 gaged in the late war, and are frequently sold by them in the eastern states, for a quarter and a half dollar per acre. In- dian corn (maize) is the leading article of produce. There are some fields of 500 acres, cultivated in common by the peo- ple of a whole settlement. Wheat is abundant, except where the soil is too rich. Flax, hemp, oats, potatoes, and cotton are also productive, giving very considerable crops. The 1 French have made excellent wine from a wild grape, which I grows here luxuriantly. Indian corn produces, with moderate care, and in a favourable soil, 50 to 70 bushels per acre ; wheat, 20 to 30 ; barley, 20 to 30 ; oats, 30 to 50 ; tobacco, 10 to 13 hundred. Indian corn sells from 13d to I6i . _ - Other, expences - - - - . Wood (firing) . - - , Shoes ------ Other expences . - - - - Schooling (for two boys) 80 19 76 9 50 199 f} 21 18 li9 2 39 39 25 50 221 36 15 65 496 VIEW OF THE Wine and spirits Aurora newspaper Schooling (eldest boy) Wood (firing) Ditto ditto Other expen'ces Schooling (for two boys) Dollars. Cents 15 5 21 50 50 39 50 388 37 12 0. Total, 1st Sept, 1817; to March, 1818 1313 79 'This account does not include the expenditure for house- hold furniture: they have paid for Scotch carpeting, yard wide, (commonest qualities) 170 cents per yard ; stair carpet- ing, narrow, strong, and common, of domestic manufacture, 100 cents per yard ; oil-cloth, yard wide, 175 cents per yard ; Windsor chair, 216 cents each ; fancy rush bottoms, light and genteel, 375 cents each.' But the celebrated Cobbett enters into this subject with his usual precision and boldness ; and which we will beg leave to offer in his own strong and impressive language. ' In the great cities and towns,"" says he, ' house rent is very high-priced ; but then nobody but mad people live there ex- cept they have business there, and then they are paid back, their rent in the profits of that business. This is so plain a matter, that no argument is necessary. It is unnecessary to. speak about the expences of a farm-house ; because the farmer eats, and very frequently wears, his own produce. If these be high-priced, so is that part which he sells. Thus both ends meet with him. * I am, therefore, supposing the case of a man, who follows no business, and who lives upon what he has got. In Eng- land he cannot eat and drink and wear the interest of his mo- ney ; for the borough-mongers have pawned half his income, and they will have it or his blood. He wishes to escape from this alternative. -He wishes to keep his blood, and enjoy his money too. He would come to America; but he does not know whether prices here will not make up for the robbery of UNITED STATES. 497 the borough-villains ; and he wisiies to know too wliat sort of society he is going into. * The price of house-rent and fuel is, when at more than three miles from New York, as low as it is at the same dis- tance from any great city or town in England. The price of wheaten bread is a third lower than 'it is in any part of Eng- land. The price of beef, mutton, lamb, veal, small pork, hoo-meat, poultry, is one-half the London price ; the first as o-ood, the two next very nearly as good, and all the rest far, very far, better than in London. The sheep and lambs that I now kill for my house are as fat as any that I ever saw in all my life; and they have been running in wild ground, wholly uncultivated for many years, all the summer. A lamb, killed the week before last, weighing in the whole thir- ty-eight pounds, had five pounds of loose fat and three pounds and ten ounces of suet. We cut a pound of solid fat from each breast ; and after that it was too fat to be pleasant to eat. My flock being small, forty, or thereabouts, of some neigh- bours joined them; and they have all got fat together. I have missed the interlopers lately : I suppose the " Yorkers'" have eaten them up by this time. What they have fattened on except brambles and cedars, I am sure I do not know. If any Englishman should be afraid that he will find no roast beef here, it may be sufficient to tell him, that an ox was killed, last winter, at Philadelphia, the quarters of which weighed tzoo thousand^ tzco hundred, mid some odd pounds, and he was sold to the butch kh for ofie thousand three hun- dred dollars. This is proof enough of the spirit of enterprise, and of the disposition in the public to encourage it. I believe this to have been the fattest ox that ever was killed in the world. Three times as much njoney, or perhaps len times as much, might have been made if the ox had been shewn for money. But this the owner would not permit; and he sold the ox in that condition. I need hardly say that the owner was a quaker, New Jersey had the honour of pr their creeks, and with pigeons caught on the land itself. It will be a long while before you will see such beautiful corn-fields as I saw there. Yet nothing but the danger and disgrace which at- tended their return to Connecticut prevented their returning, though there they must have begun the world anew. I saw them in their log huts, and saw them in their frame houses. They had overcome all their difficulties as settlers ; they were under a government which required neither tax nor service from them ; they were as happy as people could be as to ease and plenty ; but still they sighed for Connecticut ; and especially the women, young as well as old, though we, gay fellows with worsted or silver lace upon our bright red coats, did our best to make them happy by telling them entertaining stories about Old England, while we drank their coffee and grog by gallons, and eat their fowls, pigs, and sausages, and sweetmeats by wheelbarrow loads; for though we were by no means shy, their hospitality far exceeded our appetites. I am an old hand at the work of settling in wilds. I have, more than once or twice, had to begin my nest and go in, like a bird, making it habitable by degrees ; and if I, or if such people as my old friends above mentioned, with every thing found for them and brought to the spot, had difficulties to undergo, and sighed for home even after all the difficulties were over, what must be the lot of an English farmer's family in the lUinois?"* This experienced writer next gives his own ideas on the mode of settling proper for an English farmer. * All this,' he says, ' I told you, my dear sir, in London just before your departure. I be;;ged ol" you and Mr, Riciii.rd Flower both, not to think of the wildernesses. I begged of you to go to within a day's ride of some of these great cities, where your ample capital and your great skill could not fail to place you UNITED STATES. 619 upon a footing, at least, with the richest amongst the most happy and enlightened yeomanry in the world ; where you would find every one to praise the improvements you would introduce, and nobody to envy you any thing that you might acquire. Where vou would find society as good, in all re- spects, as that which you had left behind you. Where you would find neighbours ready prepared for you far more gene- rous and hospitable than those in England can be, loaded and pressed down as they are by the inexorable hand of the bo- rough-villains. I offered you a letter (which, I believe, I sent you) to my friends the Pauls. " But," said I " you want no letter. Go into Philadelphia, or Bucks, or Chester, or Montgomery county ; tell any of the quakers, or any body else, that you ai'e an English farmer, come to settle amongst them ; and I'll engage that you will instantly have friends and neighbours as good and as cordial as those that you leave in England."" ' At this very moment, if this plan had been pursued, you would have had a beautiful farm of two or three hundred acres. Fine stock upon it feeding on Swedish turnips A house overflowing with abundance ; comfort, ease, and, if you chose, elegance, would have been your inmates; libraries, public and private, within your reach ; and a communication with England much more quick and regular than that which vou now have even with Pittsbu^'g. ' You say that " Philadelphians know nothing of the West- ern countries "" Suffer me then to say, that you know nothing of the Atlantic states, which indeed is the only apology for your saying that the Americans have no mutton fit to eat, and regard it only as a thing fit for dogs. In this island every farmer has sheep. I kill fatter lamb than I ever saw in Eng- land, and the fattest mutton I saw, I saw in company with Mr. Harline in Philadelphia market last winter. At Brighton, near Boston, they produced, at a cattle show this fall, an ox of hvo thousand seven hundred pounds weight, and sheep much finer than you and I saw at the Smithfield show in 1814. Ml. J idge L vrence, of this county, kept for seven years an average of five hundred Merinos on his farm of one 520 VIEW OF THE hundred and fifty acres, besides raising twenty acres of corn and his usual pretty large proportion of grain ! Can your Western farmers beat that ? Yes, in extent, as the surface of five dollars beats that of a guinea. * I suppose that Mr. Judge Lawrence's farm, close by the side of a bay that gives him two hours of water carriage to New York ; a farm with twenty acres of meadow, real prairie ; a gentleman's house and garden ; barnSj sheds, cider-house, stables, coach-house, corn-cribs, and orchards that may pro- duce from four to eight thousand bushels of apples and pears ; I suppose that this farm is worth three hundred dollars an acre ; that is, forty-five thousand dollars, or about twelve or thirteen thousand pounds. ' Now then let us take a look at your estimate of the ex- pences of sitting down in the prairies. * Copy from my Memorandum Book. ' Estimate of money required for the comfortable establishment of my family on Bolting house, now English prairie ; on which the first instalment is paid. About 720 acres of woodland, and 720 prairie — the latter to be chiefly grass : — Dollars. Second instalment, August, 1819, 720 dollars; Third, Au- gust, 1820, 720 dollars; Fourth, August, 1821, 720 dollars 21(i0 Dw5felling-house and appurtenances - - - - 4500 Other buildings 1500 4G80 rods of fencing, viz, 3400 on the prairie, and 1280 round the woodland - - - - - - 11 70^ Sundry wells, 200 dollars; gates, 100 dollars; cabins, 200 dollars 500 100 head of cattle, 900 dollars; 20 sows, &c. 100 dollars; sheep, 1000 dollars 2000 Ploughs, waggons, &c. and sundry tools and implements 270 Housekeeping until the land supi)lies us - - - 1000 Shepherd one year's wages, herdsman one year, and sun- dry other labourers _--_-- 1000 One cabinet maker, one wheelwright, one year, making fm-niture and implements, 300 dollars each - - fiOO UNITED STATES. 521 Dollars. Sundry articles of furniture, iron-mongery, pottery, glass, &c. 500 Sundries, fruit trees, &c. - - - - - - 100 First instalment already paid . _ w - . 720 Five horses on hand worth . . _ . _ 300 Expence of freight and carriage of linen, bedding, books, clothing, &c. - - 1000 Value of articles brought from England _ _ . 4500 Voyage and jouniey _---__ 2000 23,820 L5359 sterling. Allow about 600 dollars more for corn and seed 141 L5500- ^ ' So here is more than one-third of the amount of Mr. Judfje La\vrence''s farm. To be sure, there are only about 18,000 dollars expended on land, buildings, and getting at them; but what a life is that which you are to lead for a thousand dollars a year, when two good domestic servants will cost four hundred of the money ? Will you live like one of the yeomen of your rank here ? Then, I assure you, that your domestics and groceries (the latter three times as dear as they are hei*e) and crockery-ware (equally dear) will more than swallow up that pitiful sum. You allow six thousand dollars for buildings. Twice the sum would not put you, in this respect, upon a footing with J\Ir. Lav/ronce. His land is all completely fenced, and his grain in the ground. His apple trees have six thousand bushels of apples in their buds, ready to come out in the spiing ; and a large part of these to be sold at a high price to go on ship-board. But what is to give you his market? What is to make your ])ork, as soon as killed, sell for nine or ten dollars a hundred, and your cows at 45 or 50 dollars each, and your beef at seven or eight dollars a hun- dred, and your corn at a dollar and wheat at two dollars a bushel ? ' However, happiness is in the mind ; and if it be necessary for the gratification of your mind to inhabit a wilderness, and be the owner of a large tract of land, you are right to seek 3 II 522 VIEW OF THE and enjoy this gratification. But for the plain, plodding Eng- lish farmer, who simply seeks safety tor his little property, with some addition to it for his children ; for such a person to cross the Atlantic states in search of safety, tranquillity, and gain in the Illinois, is, to my mind, little short of madness. Yet to this mad enterprise is he allured hy your captivating statements, and which statements become decisive in their effects upon his mind, when they are reduced to figures. This, my dear sir, is the part of your writings which has given me most pain. You have not meant to deceive ; but you have first practised a deceit upon yourself, and then upon others. All the disadvantages you state ; but then you ac- company the statement by telling us how quickly and how easily they will be overcome. Salt, Mr. Hulme finds, even at Zanesville, at two dollars and a half a bushel ; but you tell us that it will soon be at a quarter of a dollar. And thus it goes all through. ^ I am happy, however, that you have given us figures in your account of what an English farmer may do with two thousand pounds. It is alluring, it is fallacious, it tends to disappointment, misery, ruin, and broken hearts ; but it is open and honest in intention, and it affords us the means of detecting and exposing the fallacy. Many and many a family have returned to ;i.New England after having emigrated to the west in search of fine estates. They, able workmen, exem- plary livers, have returned to labour in their native states, amongst their relations and old neighbours ; but what are our poor ruined countrymen to do when they become pennyless P If I could root my country from my heart, common humanity would urge me to make an humble attempt to dissipate the charming delusions, which have, without your perceiving it, >^one forth from your sprightly and able pen, and which delu- sions are the more dangerous on account of your justly high md well-known chai'acter for understandino; and inteftrity. 'The statement to which I allude stands as follows, in your tenth Letter from the Illinois. ' A capital of 2000/. sterling, (8889 dollars.) may be invested on a section of such land, in the following manji(M\ viz UNITED STATES. 523 Dollars. Purchase of the land, 640 acres, at 2 dollars per acre 1280 House and buildings, exceedingly convenient and comfort- able, may be built for .... 1500 A rail fence round the woods, 1000 rods, at 25 cents per rod 250 About 1 800 rods of ditch and bank, to divide the arable into 10 fields, at 33i .... 600 Planting 1800 rods of live fence . . . 150 Fruit trees for orchard, &c. . . . . 100 Horses and other live stock .... 1500 Implements and furniture .... 1000 Provision for one year, and sundry incidental charges 1000 Sundry articles of linen, books, apparel, implements, &c. brought from England .... 1000 Carriage of ditto, suppose 2000 lbs. at 10 dollars per cwt. 200 Voyage and travelling expences of one person, suppose 309 8889 Note. — The first instalment on the land is 320 dollars, therefore 960 dollars of the purchase money remain in hand, to be applied to the expences of cultivation, in addition to the sums above stated. Expenditure ofjirst Year. Bi-eaking up 100 acres, 2 dollars per acre . . 200 Indian corn for seed, 5 barrels (a barrel is five bushels) 10 Planting ditto . . . . . 25 Horse-hoeing ditto, one dollar per acre . . 100 Harvesting ditto, 1^ dollar per acre . • . 150 Ploughing the same land for wheat, 1 dollar per acre 100 Seed wheat, sowing, and harrowmg . . . 175 Incidental expences ..... 240 1000 Produce qf^rst Year. 100 acres of Indian corn, 50 bushels (or 10 barrels) per acre, at 2 dollars per barrel .... 2000 Net produce 1000 Expenditure of second year. Breaking up 100 acres for Indian corn, with expences on that crop ...... 485 Harvesting and threshing wheat, 100 acres . . 350 524 VIEW OF THE DoIIarg. Ploughing 100 acres for wheat, seed, &c. . . 275 Incidents ' . . " . . . . 290 1400 Produce of second year. 100 acres Indian corn, 10 barrels per acre, 2 dollars per barrel ..... 2000 100 acres wheat, 20 bushels per acre, 75 dollars per barrel . . . . . 1500 3500 Net produce 2100 . Expenditure of third year. Breaking up 100 acres as before, with expences on crop of Indian corn . , . ... 485 Ploughing 100 acres wheat stubble for Indian corn . 100 Horse-hoeing, harvesting, &c. ditto . . . 285 Harvesting and threshing 100 acres wheat . , 350 Dung-carting 100 acres for wheat, after second crop of In- dian corn ...... 200 Ploughing 200 acres wheat, seed, &c. . . 550 Incidents . . . . . . 330 2300 Produce of third year. 200 acres Indian corn, 10 barrels per acre, 2 dollars per barrel . . . . . 4000 100 acres wheat, 20 bushels per acre, 75 dollars per barrel ' . • . , . 1500 5500 . Net produce 3200 Expenditure of fourth year. As the third ...... 2300 Harvesting and threshing 100 acres more wheat . 350 Additional incidents .... 50 2700 Produce of fourth year. 200 acres Indian corn, as above . . 4000 200 acres wheat . . . . 3000 7000 Net produce 4300 Expences. Produce, Dollars. Dollars. 1000 2000 1400 .^500 2300 .5500 2700 7000 18,000 4000 11,400 UNITED STATES. 525 Suvivmrif. First year Second .... Third .... Fourth .... Housekeeping and other expences for four years . . * Net proceeds per annum .... l650 Increasing value of land by cultivation and settlements, half a dollar per annum on 640 acres . , 320 Annual clear profit 1 970 " Twenty more: kill 'em ! Twenty more: kill them too !" No : I will not compare you to Bobadil ; for he was an inten- tional deceiver ; and you are unintentionally deceiving others and yourself too. But really there is in this statement some- thing so extravagant, so perfectly wild, so ridiculously and staringly untrue, that it is not without a great deal of difficulty that all my respect for you persoixally can subdue in me the temptation to treat it with the contempt due to its intrinsic demerits'. ' ' I shall notice only a few of the items. A house, you say, " exceedingly convenient and comfortable, together with farm buildings, may be built for 1500 dollars." Your own intend- ed house you estimate at 4500, and your out-buildings at 1500. So that if this house of the farmer (an English farmer, mind) and his buildings are to be "exceedingly convenient and comfortable '"* for 1500 dollars, your house and buildings must be on a scale, whicli, if not perfectly princely, must savour a good deal of aristocratical distinction. But this if relieves us; for even your house, built of pine timber and boards, and covered with cedar shingles, and finished only as a good plain farm-house ought to be, will, if it be thirty-six feet front, thirty-four feet deep, two rooms in front, kitchen and wash-house behind, foiw rooms above, and a cellar be^ 526 VIEW OF THE neath; yes, this house alone, the bare empty house, with doors and windows suitable, will cost you more than six thou- sand dollars. I state this upon good authority. I have taken the estimate of a building carpenter. "What carpenter i*" you will say. Why, a Long Island carpenter, and the house to be built within a mile of Brooklyn, or two miles of New- York. And this is giving you all the advantage, for here the pine is cheaper than with you ; the shingles cheaper ; the lime and stone and brick as cheap or cheaper ; the glass, iron, lead, brass, and tin, all at half or a quarter of the prairie price ; and as to labour, if it be not cheaper here than with you, men would do well not to go so far in search of high wages ! ' Let no simple Englishman imagine that here, at and near New York, in this dear place., we have to pay for the boards and timber brought from a distance; and that j^du, the happy people of the land of daisies and of cowslips, can cut down your own good and noble oak trees upon the spot, on your own estates, and turn them into houses without any carting. Let no simple Englishman believe such idle stories as this. To dissipate all such notions, I have only to tell him, that the American farmers on this island, when they have buildings to make or repair, go and purchase the pine timber and boards, at the very same time that they cut down their own oak trees, and cleave up and burn them as fire- wood ! This is the uni- versal practice in all the parts of America that I have ever seen. What is the cause? Pine wood is cheaper, though bought, than the oak is without buying. This fact, which nobody can deny, is a complete proof that you gain no advan- tage from being in woods, as far as building is concerned. And the truth is, that the boards and plank, which have been used in the prairie, have actually been brought from the Wa- bash, charged with ten miles rough land carriage: how far they may have come down the Wabash I cannot tell. < Thus then the question is settled, that building must be cheaper here than in the Illinois. If, therefore, a house, 36 by 34 feet, cost here 6000 dollars, what can a man get there for 1500 dollars ? A miserable hole, and no more. But here UNITED STATES. 527 nre to be farm buildings and all in the 1500 dollars"' worth ! A barn, 40 feet by 30, with floor, and with stables in the sides, cannot be built for 1500 dollars ; leaving out waggon- house, corn-crib, cattle-hovels, yard fences, pig-sties, smoke house, and a great deal more ! And yet you say that all these, and a farm-house into the bargain, all "exceedingly comfortable and convenient," may be had for 1500 dollars ! ' Now you know, my dear sir, that this is said in the face of all America. Farmers are my readers. They all understand these matters. They are not only good, but impartial judges ; and I call upon you to contradict, or even question, my state- ments, if you can. ' Do my eyes deceive me ? Or do I really see one hundred and fifty dollars put down as the expence of " planting one thousand eight hundred rod of live fence P"" That is to say, three-quarters of a cent, or three-quarters of an English half- penny a rod ! The " enchantress, Liberty,'' must have had you wholly to herself here ; or rather she must have taken the pen out of your hand, and written this item herself; for so great a liberty with truth never was taken by any mortal be- ing. What plants ? Whence to come ? Drawn out of the woods, or first sown in a nursery ? Is it seed to be sown ? Where are the seeds to come from ? No levelling of the top of the bank; no drill; no sowing; no keeping clean for a year or two : or all these for three-quarters of a cent a rod, when the same works cost half a dollar a rod in England i Oh, monstrous tale ! To dwell upon such a story is to insult the good sense of the reader. My real opinion is, that you will never have any thing worthy of the name of a live fence in the prairies ; and that the itlea only makes part of a delu- sive dream. No labourer in America will look at a rod of your banks for three-quarters of a cent. ' Manure, too ! And do you really want manure then ? And where, I pray, are you to get manure for 100 acres? But supposing you to have it, do you seriously mean to tell us that you will carry it on for two dollars an acre .'' The carry- ing on, indeed, might perhaps be done for that ; but who pays for the filling and for the spreading ? Ah, my dear sir ! I 528 VIEW OF THE can well imagine your feelings at putting down the item of dung-carting, trifling as you make it appear upon paper. You now recollect my words when I last had the pleasure of seeing you, in Catherine-street, a few days before the depar- ture of us both. 1 then dreaded the dung-cart, and recom- mended the Tullian system to you, by which you would have the same crops every year without manure ; but, unfortunately for my advice, you sincerely believed your land would be al- ready too rich, and that your main difficulty would be, not to cart on manure, but to cart off the produce !"* Having thus cut up the Transalleghanian romance, he pro- ceeds to notice an item or two of the produce. • The farmer,'' says he, 'is to have 100 acres of Indian corn the first year. The minds of you gentlemen who cross the Alleghany seem to expand, as it were, to correspond with the extent of the horizon that opens to your view; but I can assure you, that if you were to talk to a farmer on this side of the mountains of a field of corn of a hundred acres during the first year of a settlement, with grassy land and hands scarce, you would frighten him into a third-day ague. In goes your corn, how- ever ! " Twenty more : kill 'em !" Nothing but ploughing : no harrowing: no marking: and only a horse-hoeing, during the summer, at a dollar an acre. The planting is to cost only a quarter of a dollar an acre, "^'he planting will cost a dollar an acre. The horse-hoeing in your grassy land, two dollars. The hand-hoeing, which must be well done, or you will have no corn, two dollars; for in spite of your teeth, your rampant natural grass will be up before your corn, and a man must go to a thousand hills to do half an acre a day. It will cost two dollars to harvest a hundred bushels of corn ears. So that here are about 400 dollars of expences on the corn alone to be added. A trifle, to be sure, when we are looking through the Transalleghanian glass, which diminishes out-goings and mag- nifies in-comings. However, here are 400 dollars. ' In goes the plough for what ? " In him again .' Twenty more !" But this is in October, mind. Is the corn off? It may be ; but where are the four hundred waggon loads of corn stalks.^ A prodigiously fine thing is this forest of fod- UNITED STATES.- o<2c< der, as high and as thick as an English coppice. But though it be of no use to you, who have the meadows without bounds, this coppice must be removed, if you please, before you plough for wheat ! 'Let us pause here then; let us look at tiie battalion who are at work ; for there must be little short of a Hessian batta- lion. Twenty men and twenty horses may husk the corn, cut and cart the stalks, plough and sow and harrow for the wheat ; twenty two-legged and twenty four-legged animals may do the work in the proper time; but, if they do it, they must work well. Here is a goodly group to look at, for an English farmer, without a penny in his pocket ; for all his money is gone long ago, even according to your own estimate ; and here, besides the expence of cattle and tackle, are 600 dollars, in bare wages, to be paid in a month ! You and I both havr forgotten the sheihng of the corn, which, and putting it up. will come to 50 dollars more at the least, leaving the price of the Ijarrel to be paid for by the ))urchaser of the corn. 'But what did I say.'* Shell the corn .^ It must go into the cribs first. It cannot be shelled imn)ediately. And it must not be thrown mto heaps. It must be put into ci-ibs. I have had made out an estimate of the expence of the cribs for ten thousand bushels of corn ears: that is the crop; and the cribs will cost 570 dollars ! Though, mind, the farmer''s house, barns, stables, waggon-house, and all, are to cost but 1500 dollars ! But the third year our poor simpleton is to have 200 acres of corn ! " Twentv more : kill Vm ■" Ano- ther 570 dollars for cribs ! • However, crops now come tumbling on him so fast, that he must struggle laard not to be stifled with his own super- abundance. He has now got 200 acres of corn and 1 00 acres of wheat, v/hich latter he has indeed had one year before ! Oh, madness! But to proceed. The hands to get in these crops and to sow the wheat, first taking away 200 atrts of English coppices in slalks, will, with the dunging for the wheat, require, at least, fifty good men, and forty good horses or oxen, for thirty days. Faith i when farmer Simpleton .sees all this (in hi* fireiuns I mean), he will think hiniself a farmer 530 VIEW OF THE • of the rank of Job, before Satan beset that example of patienif ., so worthy of imitation smd so seldom imitated. ' Well, but Simpleton must bustle to get in his wheat. In^ indeed I What can cover it but the canopy of heaven ? A barn ! It will, at two English waggon loads of sheaves to an acre, require a barn a hundred feet long, fifty feet wide, and twenty-three feet high up to the eaves; and this barn, with two proper floors, will cost more than seven thousand dollars. He will put it in stacks ; let him add six men to his battalion then. He will thrash it in the field ; let him add ten more men ! Let him, at once, send and press the Harmonites into his service, and make Rapp march at their head ; for never will he by any other means get in the crop ; nnd even then, if he pay fair wages, he will lose by it. 'After the crop is in and the seed sown, in the fall, what is to become of Simpieton^s men till corn ploughing and planting time in the spring? And then when the planting is done., what is to become of them till harvest time ? Is he, like Bayes in the Rehearsal, to lay them down when he pleases, and when he pleases make them rise up again ? To hear you talk about these crops, and at other times to hear you advising others to bring labourers from England, one would think you, for your own part, able, like Cadmus, to make men start up out of the earth. How would one ever have thought it pos- sible for infatuation like this to seize hold of a mind hke yours ? ' When I read, in your Illinois Lettei's, that you had pi'e- pared horses, ploughs, and other things, for putting in a hun- dred acres of corn in the spring, how I pitied you ! I saw all your plagues, if you could not see them. I saw the grass choking your plants ; the grubs eating them ; and you turn- ing from the sight with all the pangs of sanguine baffled hope. I expected you to have ten bushels, instead of fifty, upon an acre. I saw your confusion, and participated in your mortifi- eation. From these feelings I was happily relieved by the Journal of our friend Hulme, who informs the world, and our countrymen in particular, that you had not, in July last, any corn at all jirowinir. • UNITED STATES. 531 ' Thus it is to reckon one's chickens before they are hatched : and thus the Transalleghanian dream vanishes. You have been deceived. A Warm heart, a hvely imagination, and I know not what caprice about repubhcanism, have led you into sanguine expectations and wrong conclusions. Come, now, confess it like yourself; that is, like a man of sense and spirit ; like an honest and fair-dealing John Bull. To err belongs to all men, great as well as little ; but to be ashamed to confess error belongs only to the latter.' 8. Merchants and Manufacturers. There is not now any great scope for mercantile specula- tions ; though those who possess a large capital, and could become importers, might succeed ; particularly those who un- derstand the principles of business. The manufacturers in America have long struggled against numerous difficulties, in consequence of the government feeling averse from granting high prohibitory duties, which -would operate to cause an injurious re-action upon the trade of the country. The general arguments against manufactures are, that their encouragement will enhance the price of clothing : that this will operate as a heavy tax upon the whole community, for the benefit of but a few : that the revenue of the United States would be materially injured, as its chief supply is from duties on imports : that in an extensive country, with but a scanty population, it is most beneficial to direct the mass of labour to the clearing of new lands, and other agricultural pursuits: that by so doing they will make greater and more rapid ad- vances in extent of population and amount of national wealth, than by drawing off a part of their capital and labour, and devoting it to purposes of manufacture ; more especially while most of the articles wanted can be imported from England 30 to 50 per cent, cheaper than it is possible for them to be pro- duced within the Union : that as labour is so high and land so cheap, there is an ever-existing inducement for men to leave factories, and free themselves from masters, to become lords of their own domain : and that this has been uniformlv found to oii'-Z VIEW OF THE be the case, — the slow advance of" manufactures, and the con- sequent high price of the articles, having been a natural result of the situation of the country : that, in a word, it is the true interest of America to continue supplying Europe with raw material and with agricultural produce, both of which iind there a certain market, while labour is from 25 to 50 per cent. higher than in England, and from 50 to 75 more than on the European continent. On the manufacturers*' side of this truly great national ques- tion is Mr. J)e Witt Clinton, governor of New York : in a speech which has had few equals in comprehensive and philo- sophic views, addressed to the legislature, he makes the fol- lowing able reflections : ' The excessive importation of foreign fabrics was the signal of ruin to institutions founded by enterprising industry, reared by beneficial skill, and identified with the general welfare. The raw materials of iron, woollen, and cotton manufactures are abundant, and those for the minor and auxiliary ones, can, in most cases, be pi'ocured at home with equal facility. No- thing is wanting to destroy foreign competition but the steady protection of the government, and the public spirit of the country. High duties, and prohibiting provisions applied to foreign productions, afibrd the most efficient encouragement to our manufactures: and these measures appertain to the legiti- mate functions of the national government. But much may- be done by the state government, by liberal accommodations, by judicious exemptions, and by the whole weight of its influ- ence ; and much more may be accomphshed by the spirit of the community. For I am persuaded, tliat if" every citizen who adopts the fabrics of other nations, would seriously consi- der that he is not only paying taxes for the support of foreign governments, but that he participates in undermining one of the main pillars of our productive industry, he would imitate the honourable practice which you have this day evinced in favour of American manufactures.'' ' Upon the whole, it seems that it is not now the interest of" the United States, artificially to encourage the growth of ma- iiijfaclures, by granting them peculiar advantages. It appears UNITED STATES. 533 at any rate certain, that in the present state of things, hone could engage in the cotton or woollen estaWishments without a certainty of loss. ' In a great many trades or professions,"* says the writer of the Emigrant's Guide, ' the emigrant who has a capital, and a trade or proibssion, may not meet with much difficulty, if he act with caution. Much in this case depends on making a judicious choice in determining where to establish his business. In most trades, the country beyond the Alleghany mountains, say Ohio, Kentucky, or Tennessee, hold out greater advan- tages than the rest of the Union ; the profits in business being greater, and the expence of living much less : the climate also is more suitable to European constitutions, as the extreme be- twixt the heat of summer and cold of winter is much less than in the Atlantic states. In some trades he may be expected to keep journeymen, perhaps Americans ; from whom he is ad- vised not to exact that servility of deportment expected from subordinates in other countries. He may be faithfully served without it. He loses nothing by this, as those who are his employers or customers will make no such exactions from him.'' 4. Mechanics. On landing, the emigrant who is too poor to enter into bu- siness himself must of course seek employment. ' The com- modity he has to dispose of,' says the above-mentioned writer, ' is labotcr, for which he wants a market. So much of this is daily brought into the sea-ports, by the arrival of emigrants, that they are always over-stocked ; he must look for a better chance: — this chance the country will afford him. If his trade or profession be such as is followed in a city, he may re- main two days before he goes into the country ; if unsuccess- ful in his enquiries for work, he ought not to remain longer. During his stay, he ought to enquire amongst those of his- own profession, where he may hope to obtain employment ; it is very likely they may furnish references which will be very useful to him. In travelling, this man ought not to be sparing in his enquiries ; he is not in the least danger of receiving a rude or an uncivil answer, even if he should address himself 534 VIEW OF THE to a squire (so justices are called). It is expected, in America. that eveiy man sliall attend to his own concerns ; and if a man who is out of work asks for employment, it is considered as a very natural thing. * He ought to make his situation and profession known at the taverns where he stops, and rather to court than to shun conversation with any that he may find assembled there. He will seldom or never meet with a repulse, as it gives them an opportunity of making inquiries respecting the " old country^^'' (the term usually applied to the British islands). ' Should he fail in procuring employment at his own busi- ness, he has all the advantages of the agriculturist. The countries west of the Alleghany mountains afford the greatest advantages, of any pait of the United States, to emigrants of this description ; and when they arrive at the head of the Ohio, the facility of descending that river opens to them a vast field, in which labour must, for ages to come, find a good market, as the vast tract of fine land yet unsettled will induce such an avidity for farming, that labourei's, or men who have trades or professions, will adopt that line of life whenever they can raise the means of purchasing land. For this reason a very long time must elapse before there can be such a redun- dancy of labour as to reduce its value.' Mechanics may form their own judgment from the preced- ing statements. Weavers, stocking-makers, and others, ac- quainted only with the cotton, woollen, hardware, and linen manufactures^ would find employment very difficult to obtain. Those whose trades are of the first necessity will do well. In the western country mechanics complain of the difficulty which they experience in getting jpaicf for their labour, much of what they receive being given them in orders upon shops for neces- saries and clothing; the extra price charged by the store- keeper, under these circumstances, causing a clear loss to some amount. 5. Labourers. This class of emigrants are almost sure to obtain the means of subsistence ; but they have some difficulties to encounter. UNITED STATES. 53.5 The following contains Mr. Cobbetf s opinion on this subject, which exhibits a lively picture of the advantages enjoyed b>: the American poor, though perhaps it is overcharged. ' Labour is the great article of expence upon a farm ; yet it is not nearly so great as in England, in proportion to the amount of the produce of a farm, especially if the poor-rates be, in both cases, included. However, speaking of the positive wages, a good farm-labourer has twenty-five pounds sterling a year and his board and lodging ; and a good day-labourer has, upon an average, a dollar a day. A woman servant, in a farm-house, has from forty to fifty dollars a year, or eleven pounds sterling. These are the average of the wages through- out the country. But then, mind, the farmer has nothing (for really it is not woi'th mentioning) to pay in poor-rates, which in England must always be added to the wages that a farmer pays ; and sometimes they far exceed the wages. ' It is too of importance to knovv what sort of labourers these Americans are; for, though a labourer is a labourer, still there is some difference in them ; and these Americans are the best that I ever saw. Tiiey mow four acres of oats, wheal, rye, or barley in a day, and, with a cradle, lay it so smooth in the swarths, that it is tied up in sheaves with the greatest neatness and ease. They mow two acres and a half of grass ill a day, and they do the work well. And the crops, upon an average, ai*e all, except the wheat, as heavy as in England The Enolish farmer will want nothino- more than these facts to convince him, that the labour, after all, is not so very dear. ' The causes of these performances, so far beyond those in England, is, first, the men are tall and well built ; they are bony rather than fleshy ; and they live, as to food, as well as man can live. And, secondly, they have been educated to do much in a day. The farmer here generally is at the head of his " boys," as they, in the kind language of the country, are called. Here is the best of examples. My old and beloved friend. Mi*. James Paul, used, at the age of nearly sixty, to go at the head of his mowers, though his fine farm was his own, and though he might, in other respects, be called a rich man ; and I have heard that Mr. Elias Hicks, the famous quaker 53(j VIEW OF THE preacher, who lives about nine miles from this spot, has this year, at seventy years of age, cradled down four acres of rye in a day. I wish some of the preachers of other descriptions, especially our fat parsons in England, would think a little of this, and would betake themselves to " work with their hands the things which be good, that they may have to give to him who needeth," and not go on any longer gormandizing and swilling upon the labour of those who need. * Besides the great quantity of work performed by the American labourer, his skill, the versatility of his talent, is a great thing. Every man can use an axe, a saw, and a liam- mer. Scarcely one who cannot do any job at rough carpen- tering, and mend a plough or a waggon. Very few indeed who cannot kill and dress pigs and sheep, and many of them oxen and calves. Every farmer is a neat butcher; a butcher for market ; and, of course, "■ the boys'" must learn. This is a great convenience. It makes you so independent as to a main part of the means of housekeeping. All are ploughmen. In short, a good labourer here can do any thing that is to be done u})on a farm. ' The operations necessary in miniature cultivation they are very awkward at. The gardens are ploughed in general. An American labourer uses a spade in a very awkward manner. They poke the earth about as if they had no eyes ; and toil and muck themselves half to death to dig as much ground in a day as a Surrey man would dig in about an hour of hard work. Banking, hedging, they know nothing about. They have no idea of the use of a bill-hook, which is so adroitly used in the coppices of Hampshire and Sussex. An axe is their tool, and with that tool, at cutting down trees or cutting them up, they will do ten times as much in a day as any other men that 1 ever saw. Set one of these men on upon a wood of timber trees, and his slaughter will astonish you. A neighbour of mine tells a story of an Irishman, who promised he could do any thing, and whom, therefore, to begin with, the employer sent into the wood to cut down a load of wood to burn. He staid a long while away with the team, and the farmer went to him fearing some accident ha to 7 dollars per week, exclusive of, board and lodging. The causes which generate so great a number of " legal friend*," lie be- yond the sources of my penetration. Perhaps we may date the frequency of litigation to the intricacy of the profession, which is bottomed on English practice ; while the cheapness of college instruction, and the general diffusion of moderate wealth among mechanics and tradesmen, enable them to gra- tify their vanity by giving their sons a learned education 544 VIEW OF THE, &c. This also opens the door to them for an appointment ; andy by the way, the Americans are great place-hunters."' From the tenor of these remarks, it is evident that the poor man will be most benefited by emigration. Man does not transplant easily. In the land of his nativity he acquires as- sociations, and forms connexions that are pleasing and profit- able. The surrender of these advantages requires great resolution, and, where hope is blasted, his disappointment must be severe. The emigrant will, no doubt, find much ig- norance, illiberality, and selfishness mixed up in the American character : but on the other hand, he will find a country pos- sessed of the most enlightened civil and political advantages ; a people reaping the full reward of their own labours ; a peo- ple not paying tythes, and not subjected to heavy taxation without representation ; a people with a small national debt ; a people without spies and informers ; a people without an enormous standing army ; a people in possession of an extent of territory capable of sustaining an increase of millions and tens of millions of population ; and a people rapidly advancing towards national wealth and greatness. BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. sa>C:'QJ!;^«SSB npHOSE parts of North America which still belong to Great Britain are extensive, and of considerable importance, though so thinly peopled, and in such a disadvantageous cli- mate, that they sink into insignificance when compared with the great and flourishing colony belonging to Spain, or with the territories of the United States. Divisions. — The chief of these possessions is Canada, now divided into two provinces, called Upper and Lower Canada, the former being the western division, on the north of the great lakes or sea of Canada ; while the lower division is on the river St. Lawrence towards the east, and contains Quebec^^ the capital, and the chief city of our remaining settlements. On the east of Canada, to the south of the river St. Law- rence, is Nova Scotia; which in 1784 was divided into two provinces, that of Nova Scotia in the south, and New Bruns- wick in the north. What is called New Britain comprehends the most northern parts towards Hudson's bay, and the coast of Labrador. The large island of Newfoundland ; that called Cape Breton ; and the neighbouring isle St. John ; complete the chief denomina- tions of British territory. The regions around Hudson's bay, with Labrador and Greenland, are, from the intense severity ^ Z 546 BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. of the climate, declared free by nature. The present short description shall therefore only comprise Canada, and the other British provinces in the south, which form actual pos- sessions or colonies. ,-! CANADA. Extent. 'pHIS country is computed to extend from the gulf of St. Lawrence, and the isle of Anticosti, in the east, to the lake of Winnipeg in the west, or from long. 64^ deg. to 97 deg. west from London, 33 degrees, which in that latitude may be about 1200 geographical miles. The breadth, from the lake of Erie in the south, or lat. 43 deg., may extend to lat. 49 deg., or 360 geographical miles ; but the medial breadth is not above 200. Climate and Seasons. — Mr. Weld, who is a great admirer of ice, depicts the Canadian climate in the most favourable colours, and would persuade us that, though considerably further to the north, it is at least equal to that of New Eng- land. But even by his account the extremes of heat and cold are amazing; the thermometer in July and August rising to 96, while in winter the mercury freezes. The snow begins in November ; and in January the frost is so intense that it is impossible to be out of doors for any time without the risk of what is called a frost-bite, which endangers the limb : and the warm inter\-als only increase the sensation and the jeopardy. But winter, as in Petersburg, is tlie season of amusement; and the sledges, drawn by one or two horses, afford a pleasant and speedy conveyance. Several stoves are placed in the hall, whence flues pass to the apartments; and there are double windows and doors. On going abroad, the whole body is co- BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. 54.7 vered with furs, except the eyes and nose. In May the thaw generally comes suddenly, the ice on the river bursting with the noise of cannon, and its passage to the sea is terrific, espe- cially when a pile of ice crashes against a rock. Spring is summer, and vegetation instantaneous. The month of Sep- tember is one of the most pleasant. Mr. Gray, a recent traveller in this country, gives the follow- ing picturesque and amusing account of a Canadian winter: — 'A Canadian winter is truly a subject of curiosity to the natives of Britain, or of any of the southern countries of Eu- rope. It presents a view of nature perfectly new, and a va- riety of phenomena so highly interesting, that they cannot fail to arrest the attention of any one at all conversant in natural philosophy. ' In Canada there cannot well be said to be more than two seasons of the year, summer and winter. The earth hath scarcely laid aside her mantle of snow, when you begin to feel tlie force of summer heat; and although the weather in Sep- tember is mild and pleasant, it partakes more of the summer tlian of the autumn of temperate climates. The season of ve- getation seems kindly prolonged, till surprised in a manner at once by the return of winter, without much of what may be called autumn weather. Frost is tielt in October; but the ^un still retains enough of power to make the weather, during the day, tolerably warm. During the month of November the frost becomes daily more severe, and snow begins to fall. ' There is something very awful and terrific in a Canadian snow storm. A heavy fall of snow is generally accompanied by a violent gale of wind, which driving along the snow Avith immense velocity, and forming a thousand eddies and turn- ings, according to the inequalities of the surface, and resist- ance consequent thereon, you are able to form an idea of the velocity of the wind — it becomes, as it were, visible. The most severe snow storms they experience in Caaada come from the north-east, the frozen regions of' Hudson's bay an^ Labrador. ' The range of the thermometer in Canada is very extensive. The heat in summer runs into as great an extreme as the col4 548 BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. in winter. The range, during the last twelve months, has been no less than 120 degrees; and what is not a little sur- prising, it has reached 60 degrees pi'ecisely, on each side of the freezing point (32). In summer the thermometer rose to 92, and in winter it fell to 28 below zero. I have been told, that the cold has been known in this country to freeze mer- cury, the thermometer having fallen below 40 under zero. *The effects of frost in this country are with difficulty guarded against, and are really in themselves very curious. I made an experiment which, to most people, will appear very surprising. I burnt my hand with a cold iron. This may seem incredible ; but a little explanation will convince you of the truth of what I have asserted. ' In one of those very cold mornings we had in the montji of January, when the thermometer had fallen near 60 degrees below the freezino- point, I put my hand to a piece of iro7i that had been exposed to the frost in the open air all night. At first, I felt the sensation arising from extreme cold ; m a few seconds I felt the sensation of heat ; and it soon became so strong, and so painful, that I was as glad to quit my hold as if it had been a hot iron. Indeed, I found that I had kept it too long, because the part that had been in contact blistered in the same manner it would have done had it been a hot iron, and it was cured in the same way. No surgeon in Englandj,* had he been called in, could have suspected that it was not' the effect of coming in contact with a hot iron. In truth, heat was the cause of the wound; and you will readily allow that I am correct, when I have explained to you a few circumstances. 'Burning by a hot iron is produced by the heat, or what is technically called caloric, pa.ssing in such quantity, and with such rapidity, into the part in contact with thp iron, that the continuity and arrangement of the pnrt is destroyed. Burning with a cold iron arises from the heat passing in such quantity, and with such rapidity, out of the part of the body in contact with the cold iron, as to produce the same effect. Heat, in both cases, is the cause ; and its going into the body from the iron, or into the irony?-o;« the body, does not alter the nature of the effect. BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. 549 * There is another effect very frequently produced by cold in this country, which bears no analogy (as in the preceding example) to any thing produced by external heat; and a dreadful effect it is — I mean frost-bitten. ' When the Aveather is very cold, particularly when accom- panied by a smart wind, instances of people he'mg J'rost-l)iite7i frequently occur. Not a season passes without some of the sentinels being frost-bitten on their posts. Sometimes their hands and face, sometimes their feet, are affected ; and a mor- tification of the part generally follows, if the proper remedy is not applied in time. The remedy will seldom be applied if you are attacked in the dark, which is often the case with those who travel at night, as well as with sentinels. Their OWN feelings do not inform them of the presence of the enemy ; and they are not likely, in the dark, to have him discovered by other people. He insidiously makes a breach; and, if he can keep his ground but for a short time, it is in vain after- wards to think of dislodging him. In the towns, during the day, there is less danger, because you will be stopped by the first person who oKserves the symptoms. This is readily and easily done, as the part frost-bitten becomes white, while the rest of the face is very red. ' In so critical a moment, people do not stand on any cere- mony, as you may suppose. They know you are not con- scious of your situation ; and they also know, that before they could convince you that you are frost-bitten, and on the point of losing your nose perhaps, it might actually be too late to apply the remed}^ they instantly take a handful of snoAV, and either rub the part themselves, or make you do it. ' It certainly is enough to startle a stranger, to see a person, perfectly unknown to you, come running up, with a handful of snow, calling out, " Voter nose, Sir, — ]//our nose, — you are frost-bitten ;"" and without further ceremony, either themselves rubbing it without mercy, or making you do so.' Rivers. — The great river St. Lawrence has been already described in the general view of North America. The Utawas is the most important of all its tributary streams, issuing from various lakes, towards the centre of Canada ; its waters are of 550 BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. a bright greenish colour, while the St. Lawrence is muddy. Many rivers of smaller consequence flow into the river St. Lawrence from the north. Lakes. — The large lakes have been also already mentioned : there are many others of which the enumeration would be te- dious; and some difficulty arises from the want of any precise boundary in the north of Canada. Mountains.— l^ov have the mountains been examined by any geologist, who could indicate their ranges or illustrate their structure. The chief ridge seems to be in the northern part of the province, in a direction south-west and north-east, giving source to the many streams which flow south-east, while a ^ew pass to Hudson's bay. But there are many mountains between Quebec and the sea, while towards the Utawas only a few are scattered, and to the south-west there are ample plains. Zoology. — The chief singularities in zoology are the moose, the beaver, and some other animals, for which Mr. Pennant''s Arctic Zoology may be consulted. The rein-deer appears in the northern part, and the puma and lynx are not unknown. Both the Canadas are much infested with rattlesnakes. The humming bird is not unconnnon at Quebec. Mineralogy. — The mineralogy isof liltie consequence; and even iron seems to be rare. There are said to be lead mines which produce some silver; and it is probable that copper may be found, as it appears in the south-west of lake Supe- rior. Coal abounds in the island of Cape Breton, but this valuable mineral has not been discovered in Canada. If so wide a territory were properly examined by skilful naturalists, which ought always to be a primary care with every govern- ment, for the most advantageous position of settlements, and that every advantage may be secured, it is highly probable that important discoveries might be made. Little is said of warm springs, or mineral waters. SoU and AgricioUure. — The face of the country is generally mountainous and woody; but there are savannas, and plains of great beauty, chiefly towards Upper Canada. In the lower province the soil mostly consists of a loose blackish earth of BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. 551 ten or twelve inches, incumbent on cold clay. This thin mould is, however, very fertile, and manure was seldom or never used by the French settlers ; but of late marl has been employed, and is found in considerable quantities on the shores of the river St. Lawrence, A little tobacco is cultivated for private use, with many culinary vegetables, and considerable crops of grain, wheat being reckoned among the exports : a kind of vine is indigenous, but the grapes are sour, and little 'larger than currants. Ras])berries are also indigenous; and there are good currants and gooseberries. A great variety of trees is Ibund in the forests ; beech, oak, elm, asli, pine, syca- more, chesnut, walnut. Sec. The sugar maple tree also abounds, and the sugar is generally used in the country. Of this tree there are two kinds, the swamp and the mountain maple. Mr. Weld points out some diificulties in the tenures of land, which ought to be removed, as in such a climate there is no occasion for a barrier against colonization. Population. — The population of Canada, at the time it came into the possession of the British in 1759-60, amounted to 75,600 souls, as appears from general Murray's report to the British government, immediately after the conquest. At that time the extensive country now called Upper Canada was not inhabited by any Europeans. At present the two Canadas contain at least 400,000 inhabitants : of these, Lower Canada contains about 240,000. The descendants of the old Cana- dians constitute at least nine-tenths of the population of Lower Canada. In Upper Canada, the population amounts to about 160,000. These are all British, at least they speak English, and are governed entirely by the laws of England, both in civil and criminal matters; and in questions relative to real I property, as well as in questions relative to personal property. From the preceding statement of the population, it is evi- dent that the increase in Lower Canada i'or these last fifty "■ years has been very great; it has, in fact, nearly tripled. In Upper Canada the increase has been very rapid, as several years elapsed after the conquest before any part of Upper Canada was settled or cultivated. Thirty years ago. Upper Canada was nearly a continued forest; — that a population of 552 BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. 160,000 sliould in that time accumulate, is a proof that the country and climate are propitious. The Canadas owe much of their increase of population to emigrations from the United States of America, and from Europe. These emigrations, to a greater or less extent, take place every year. The emigrants generally prefer settling in Upper, rather than in Lower Canada, as well those from the United States as those from Europe. There are man}^ rea- sons for the preference given to Upper Canada, which will continue to draw a great augmentation to the natural increase of the population and wealth — whilst the Canadian French population will )ad, and therefore take in so much of the surface of the snow, that they sink but a very few inches. The military in Canada are all provided with snow-shoes, and are marched «ut on them, that it may be no novelty in case of their taking the field in winter. For the saiuc reason they are sometimes encamped amongst the sik)\v. Could the husbandman, the labourer, and all those whose trade or profession in Canada lead them to work in the open air, follow their occupations all the year round, it certainly would be of great advantage to the country, and to the people. 55G BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. At present, a great pi-oportion of the people are obliged to live twelve mon,ths on six months'" work, which implies their receiving double wages. This is certainly the case ; wages are very high ; 4.?., 5-?., to 6s. a day are given, according to the kind of work, and merit of the workman. The idleness of their winter life has other bad effects. It generates habits prejudicial to exertion ; so that, even in summer, they do not perform so much work as men who are in habits of industiy all the year round ; and the desire thev evince for spirituous liquors is strong and ruinous. Yet, under all these disadvan- tages, Canada, as well as Russia, may become a great, trading, and populous country. Language. — The French language is still retained by the descendants of the French settlers in Lower Canada. It is evidently the intercRl of the British government, as well as of the Canadians, that the English language only shoidd be spoken ; but the means of effeciing this desirable change have been strangely neglected. English schools have indeed been established in some parts of the country ; but few or none of the Canadians have ever sent their ciiildren to them. ~' Toxcns. — Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec in the year 1608, deserves immortal honours for the judiciousness of his choice. It ever has been considered, and prol)ably ever will be cons'id^red, as the capital of the Canadas. It certanily is the key of the river St. Lawrence, which contracts suddenly opposite to the city, being onlv about a mile in breadth ; and widens immediately above the city. The grand battery of Quebec is opposite to the narrowest part of the river, and is an exten.4ve range of very heavy ordnance, which, if properly served, must destroy any vessels which might attempt to pass, or come near enough to injure the town. The river opposite to Quebec is about 100 feet in depth, and affords good an^ chorage : for a considerable way above Quebec it is navigable for ships of any size. The site of Quebec seems to have been destined by nature for the capital of an empire. Above the island of Orleans, the St. Lawrence' expands, and a bason is formed by the junction of a river called the St. Charles, which takes its BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. 557 course througli a plain, separated from the great river by a ridge of high land, about nine miles in length, from a place called cape Rouge, to cape Diamond. The general breadth of tJiis ridge is from one to two miles. Cape Diamond is a bold promontory, advancing into the river St. Lawrence, of an elevation of 350 feet above the river, nearly perpendicular ; and the bank the whole way to cape Rouge is. nearly of the same elevaticm, rising from the river almost perpendicular: the ridge slopes towards the north till it reaches the valley through which the river St. Charles runs. This ridge of land has evei'y appearance of having been an .island, surrounded by the great river. On the north-east, or lower end of the peninsula, Quebec is situated; and tlie line of its fortifications runs from the river St. Charles, across, to the top of the bank which overlooks the St. Lawrence; the distance is about half a mile: and from the line of fortification to the point of^cape Diamond the distance is about a quarter of a mile : within this space stands the city of Quebec. It consists of an Upper and Lower Town : the Upper Town is much elevated above the Lower Town, and separated from it by a line of steep rocks. Formerly the river St. Lawrence, at high water, came up close to these rocks ; but as the tide rises and falls here about fifteen feet, it gave an opportunity of taking from the river a considerable space ; wharfs* Avere built at low water mark, and even at some places beyond it, and the intermediate ground filled up to such a height that it remained dry at high water. LTpon this situa- tion streets were laid out, and houses built. They are of con- siderable breadth, and the houses are large and commodious ; those next the river have attached to them very extensive warehouses, and vessels come close to the wharfs to discharge their cargoes. The Lower Town is not included in the fortifications, but the passes to it are commanded bv the batteries in the line of fortification which surrounds the Upper Town ; so that the approach by land to the Lower Town will hardly be attempted b}' an enemy. The communication from the Lower Town to the Upper Town is by a winding street ; at the top of which 558 BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. is a fortified gate. At the entrance of this gate is a large area, in which is situated the house (dignified with the title of a pa- lace) in which the bishops of Quebec formerly resided : at present it is used for public offices, and accommodates the su- preme council and house of assembly. Beyond the palace is the grand battery. To the left, not far from the entrance of the gate, is another area or square ; and on the side next the river is the Chateau de St. Louis, in which the governor re- sides. Opposite to the chateau, on the other side of the square, is the English church, a very elegant building; and the court house, where elegance is not so conspicuous. On the north side of the square is a very handsome building, erected for, and used as a tavern, hotel, and assembly room. From the area of the market-place different streets diverge, leading to the different gates of the city. There are three nunneries in Quebec, the Hotel Dieu, the UrsuHnes, and the General Hospital. The nuns here are not so useless, however, as those in the south of Europe; they employ themselves in teaciiing young girls reading and needle- work. No where do the Roman catholics and protestants live on better terms than here. They go to each other's mar- riages, baptisms, and burials witliout scruple ; nay, they have even been known to make use of the same church for religious worship, one party using it in the forenoon, and the other in the afternoon. The monasteries are mostly extinct, and many of the catholic clergy are distinguished for mtelligence and liberality. There arc few objects of curiosity in Quebec. The houses are generally of stone; small, ugly, and inconvenient. A large garrison is maintained, but 5000 soldiers would be ne- cessary to man the works. The inhabitants are supposed to be 10,000, about two-thirds being French ; and the presence of the governor, courts, and garrison, conspire to render it gay and lively. The Upper Town of Quebec being very elevated, enjoys fine air, and a most commanding view of the surrounding country. ' I have seen most of the fine views, of Europe,"" writes Mr. Gray; 'and I can safely say, they do iwt surpass. BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. 560 perhaps they do not equal, that from the flagstaff of Quebec on cape Diamond, The majestic St. Lawrence under your feet, receiving the waters of the river St. Charles, and forming the bason of Quebec, from three to four miles across ; — further on you see the river dividing itself into two branches, forming the beautiful island of New Orleans;— on the opposite side of the great river, a finely wooded country, terminating at point Levi, conceals the course and bed of one of the branches of the river; — the island of Orleans, the falls of Montmorency, strike the observer; and the villages of Beauport, Charle- bourg, and Lorctte, appear at a distance, and render the woods in which they are embosomed more interesting. The eye follows the northern branch of the St. Lawrence till it is lost amongst the distant mountams. To the soutiiward you look over a level country for upwards of sixty miles, till the view is bounded by mountains. This extensive tract is still in a great measure in a state of nature ; — nothing to be seen but the stately forest in all its majesty. It is difficult to imagine a more happy blending of art and nature; — villages, country houses, cottages, corn fields, — are combined with primeval woods, fine rivers, beautiful islands, magnificent waterfalls, towering hills, and lofty mountains.' Commerce has made, and will continue, Quebec as the first city in the Canadas ; perhaps it may become the first in Ame- rica, for it has a much more extensive communication with the interior of America than the new city of Washington, or any other city in America. Neither the Patomak, Chesapeake, Delaware, nor Hudson's river, are at all to be compared to the St. Lawrence, either in magnitude or extent of back country. It is worthy of notice, that a person may go from Quebec to New Orleans, at the mouth of the Mississippi, by water the whole way, except about the space of one mile from the source of the Illinois river, to the source of a river which falls into lake Michigan. Montreal is situated on an island ; but the island is so large in proportion to the water which surroiuids it, that you are not sensible of its insularity. A branch of the river IJtawas, which falls into the St. Lawrence above Montreal, takes a northerly 560 BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. direction, and forms the island, which is about 30 miles in length by 10 in breadth. The city of Montreal is situated near the upper end of it, on the south side of the island, at the distance of about 180 miles from Quebec. Montreal was once surrounded by a wall, which served to defend it against any sudden attack from the Indians ; but as this is now no longer to be dreaded, the wall is about to be removed, that the town may be enlarg-ed with the greater fa- cility. The St. Lawrence comes close to the town on the south side, where there is a great depth of water, but \essels have much difficulty to get at it. Montreal may be said to be a handsome town. Its streets are regular and airy, and contain many handsome and commo- dious houses. It is fully as large and as populous as Quebec, containing about 10,000 people, the great mass of whom are Canadians. Its suburbs, too, are extensive. It has suffered greatly from fire at different times, and the precautions taken to prevent the spreading of conflagration exceed even those of Quebec ; for, in addition to the roofs being generally covered with tinned plates, the windows have outside shutters, covered with plate iron. The island of Montreal is wholly in a state of cultivation ; and it is surrounded by a countiy generally cultivated. What adds much to its consequence is, its being situated near the emhouchure of several rivers, which bring down from the coun- tries through which they flow a great deal of very valuable produce. Although the St. Lawrence is navigable for large vessels as high up as Montreal, yet the navigation above Quebec is at- tended with so many inconveniences, that in general it is found more advantageous for the vessels to stop at Quebec, and for such of their cargoes as come from Montreal, to be brought down in river craft. The chief trade is in furs. The north-vvest company con- sists of a number of merchants associated for the purposes of trading with the Indians in furs. They formed the associa- tion in the year 1784; and have carried on the trade with great spirit and success. Those who manage the concerns of BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. 661 the company reside in Montreal ; they receive a compensation for their trouble, besides their share of the profits of the con- cern. From Montreal they send up the country iarge quanti- ties of goods, to be bartered with the Indians for furs. For the conveyance of these goods, and for bringing back the furs, they have employed, generally, about 50 canoes, and upwards of 1000 people ; such as canoe-men (stvled voijageurs j, guides, clerks. Sic. The capital employed m this trade, in goods alone, is upwards of 100,000/. At the grand egress of the river St. Lawrence, on the lake Ontario, near what is called the lake of a thousand islands, stands the town of K'lnfrston, more remarkable from its position than any other circumstance. The forts of Niagara and De- troit belong to the southern side of the boundary. The little town of Trois Rivieres, or Three Rivers, stands between Quebec and Montreal, and is chiefly remarkable for the resort of the savages : but though it contains little more than 250 houses, it is considered as the third town in British America. Sorelle was founded in 1787 for the American loyalists, but contains only 100 scattered houses: it is at the distance of fifteen leagues from Montreal towards Quebec; and the chief business is ship-building. York, the capital of Upper Canada, is a small pleasant town, containing a good many frame houses ; but the land is rather low and unhealthy in its neighbourhood. Newark contains about 500 inhabitants, and many of the buildings are hand- some, being composed of brick and stone. It has two churches, a jail, and academy; six taverns, and about 20 dry-goods stores, where every article can be had on as good terms as in Montreal. The fort here is garrisoned with 500 men, of the 4:vS»^:^'^s from Peru and Chili; after which the noted galleon, laden with the wealth cf America, pursued her course to IVIanilla. Other arrangements are now followed, and smaller vessels employed. The galleons were laid aside in 1748 ; and the late Spanish monarch instituted commercial regulations on a more liberal plan. In 1764, monthly packets were established between Corunna and Ha- vanna, whence smaller vessels pass to Vera Cruz, and to Por- tobello in South America; and an interchange of productions by these vessels is also permitted. In the following year, the trade to Cuba was laid open to all Spain ; and the privilege was afterwards extended to Louisiana, and the provinces of Yucatan and Campechy. In 1774, free intercourse was per- mitted between the three viceroyalties of Mexico, Peru, and New Granada. The courts of justice were also reformed, and a fourth viceroy alty was estabhshed, 1776, on Rio de la Plata. By a singular policy a free trade is permitted between New Spain and the Philippines, which adds considerably to the wealth of the former country. Tlie English trade in the bay of Honduras may now be considered as terminated, the log- wood on the opposite side of Yucatan being found to be of a superior quality. Religion. — The religion of the Spanish settlers in these provinces is well known to be the Roman catholic, and of such a sort as greatly to impede industry or prosperity, for it is computed that one-fifth part of the Spaniards consists of eccle- siastics, monks, and nuns ; and that country must be misera- bly defective in which the Jesuits were of distinguished industry. The establishment of the inquisition, and the strange fanaticism of the Spaniards, who disgrace the Eu- ropean name, have not only crushed all spirit of exertion, but have prevented the admixture of other Europeans, whose in- dustry might improve tlieir settlements, and whose courage might defend them. New Spain is divided into four archbishoprics, viz. Mexico, Guadalaxara, Durango, and St. Luis Potosi ; under these again are the sub-bishoprics, deacons, curates, &c. each of SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. 593 ■whom is subject and accountable to his immediate chiefs for the districts committed to his charge, and the whole are again subject to the ordinances of the high court of inquisition, held at the capital of Mexico. ' The salaries of the archbishops,"" observes a late writer, ' are superior to those of other officers, that of the bishop of Mexico being estimated at 150,000 dol- lars per annum, while the viceroy has but 80,000, and 50,000 allowed for his table, falling short of the bishop SO.OOO dollars. These incomes are raised entirely from the people, who pay no tax to the king, but give one-tenth of their yearly income to the clergy ; besides the fees of confessions, bulls, burials, baptisms, marriages, and a thousand other sources. The infe- rior clergy being generally Creoles by birth, and always kept in subordinate grades, without the least shadow of a probabi- lity of rising to the superior dignities of the church, their minds have been soured to such a degi'ee, that they will pro- bably lead the van whenever the standard of independence is raised in the country."" The religion of the ancient Mexicans appears to have been chiefly founded on fear, the temples being decorated with the figures of destructive animals ; and fasts, penances, voluntary wounds, and tortures, formed the essence ot their rites. Hu- man sacrifices were deemed the most acceptable ; and every captive taken in war was cruelly tortured and sacrificed. The heart and head were the portion of the gods ; while the body was resigned to the captor, who, with his friends, feasted upon it. The extinction of such a ferocious people may not be worthy of much regret : but modern philosophy is apt to de- cide on a slight and imperfect view. Thus, instead of a benevolent deity, the worship of the Mexicahs may be said to have been directed to the evil princi- ple of some oriental nations, whom all their efforts were stretched to appease. In the Mexican language, Teotl was a general term for any divinity; and in obscure theory they be- lieved in a creator, whom they styled Ipalnemoajii, that is, * He by whom we live :"* but their supreme deity was rather that evil spirit called Klacatecolototl, or the raticynal owly whose deligJbt was to injure and terrify. They believed in 4 F 594 SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. the immortality of the soul, ami a kind of transmigration ; the good being transformed into birds, and the bad into creeping animals. The principal deities were thirteen in number, among whom were the sun and nioon ; and Tlaloc, the god of water, was the master of paradise; but Mexilti, the god of war, received the chief aduralion. There were other gods of the mountains, of conmierce, &c. ; and the idols, rudely form- ed of clay, wood, or stone, sometimes decorated with gems and gold, were numerous. One was composed of certain seeds, pa.sted together with liuman blood. The priests wore a black cotton mantle, like a veil ; and there seem to have been order? of monks, as among die eastern nations of Asia. The austeri- ties and vohuitary wounds of the priests, their poisonous oint- ments, and other abominable rites, even as related by Clavigero, evince that the entire system was the most execrable that has ever appeared on the fac^ of the earth, alike blasphemous to God and pernicious to man. The whole is so totally unhke any system ever practised in any part of Asia, that there is additional cause to believe that the people were either indige- nal, or have proceeded from Africa, in which alone (as among the Giagas) such cruelties may be traced. The Asiatic reh- gions seem universally mild, and even gay, as natural in the worship of a being who is benevolence itself; while in Africa the preponderance of the evil spirit seems to have been ac- knowledged by many nations. Goverinncnt. — The ancient government of Mexico was an hereditary monarchy, tempered, however, by a kind of election not unknown in the barbarous ages of Europe, by which a brother or ne})hew of the late king was preferred to his sons. Despotism seems to have begun with the celebrated Montezu- ma. There were several royal councils, and classes of nobility, mostly Iiereditary. The nobles were styled ^j??'///, or tlatoam ; but the S})aniards introduced the general term oi cazili, which Clavigero says signifies a prince in the language of Hispaniola ; but is by some asserted to imply a priest among the Maho- metan Malays. Land was not supposed to belong to the mo- narch, but W71S alienable by the proprietors. A.s .writing was unknown, there was no code of laws, but Clavigero has pre- SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. 595 served some traditions on the subject. Their armour and tactics appear to have been extremely rude. The Spanish government is vested in the viceroy of Mexico, whose rank and power are far supeiior to those of Peru, and the new kingdom of Granada. 'I'he legal salary of the vice- roys of Mexico and Peru is now -10,000 ducats; but tlje dis- posal of lucrative offices, monopolies, connivances, jircsents, &c. sometimes swell them to an enormous amount. Tlie court of the viceroy is formed on tlie regal model, with horse and foot guards, a grand household, and numerous attendants. In the provinces there are tribunals called Audiences, of which there are eleven for Spanish America ; and the Council of the Indies, resident in Spain, controls even the viceroys. Some of the provinces seem to be merely geographic, or ecclesiastic de- nominations of sees, without any municipal or peculiar juris- diction : but some have governors appointed by the viceroy. Besides the laws of Spain, there are ])articular codes and sta- tutes, which are consulted in legal decisions. The government of these provmces may be termed military, the judgments of the inferior civil officers being subject to a reversion by tlie nnlitary commandants of districts. The ec- clesiastics indeed divide the government with the military ; but there exists the most perfect understanding between them, and they mutually assist each other in defending and extending their peculiar interests. Army. — The European troops are of the choicest regiments from Spain. The regular troops of the kingdom, whq are in the vioeroyalty, acting from the stiraidus of ambition and envy, i are supposed to be equal to them. The militia with the regu- ( jar officers are likewise good troops, but are not held in such high estimation as the other corps. These three corps, form- ing a body of 23,200 men, may be called the regular force of the kingdom, as the militia, which amount to 139,500, would be of no more consequence against the regular troops of any civilized power, than the ancient aborigines of tlie country were against the army of Cortes. The appearance of the Spanish troops is certainly (at a distance) a la mUitaire. Their lances are fixed to the side of the saddle under the left 596 SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. thigh, and slant about five feet above the horse; on the right the carbine is slung in a case to the front of the saddle (or pummel) crossways, the breech to the right hand, and on each side of the saddle, behind the rider, is a pistol ; below the breech of the carbine is slung the shield, which is made of sole leather trebled, sewed together with thongs, with a band on the inside, to slip the left arm through ; those of the privates are round, and about two feet diameter. The dragoons of the viceroyalty do not make use of the lance or shield, but are armed, equipped, and clothed after the modern manner, as are also the dragoons of the eastern provinces. Their dress is a short blue coat, with a red cape and cuff without facings, leather or blue cotton velvet small clothes and waistcoat; the small clothes always open at the knees: the wrapping boot, with the jack boot and permanent spurs over it; abroad brimmed high crowned wool hat, with a ribbon round it of various colours, generally received as a present from some female, which they wear as a badge of the favour of the fair sex, and a mark of their gallantry. Their horses are small and slender limbed, but very agile, and are capable of enduring great fatigue. The equipments of the horses are, to our ideas, awkward, but perhaps superior to the English. Their bridles have a strong curb, which gives them a great mechanical force. The saddle is made after the Persian model, with a high projecting pummel, or, as, anciently termed, bow, and is likewise raised behind ; this is merely the tree. It is then covered by two or three coats of carved leather, and embroidered workmanship, some with gold and silver in a very superb manner. The stirrups are of wood closed in front, carved generally in the figure of a lion's head, or some other beast ; they are very heavy, and to us present a very clumsy appearance. The horseman, seated on his horse, has a small bag tied behind him, his blankets either under him or lying with his cloak between his body and the bow, which makes him at his ease. Thus mounted it is im- possible for the most vicious animals to dismount them. They will catch another horse, when both are running nearly at full speed, with a noose and hair rope, with which they will soon SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. 597 choak down the beast they are pursuing. In short, they are probably the most expert horsemen in the world. The discipline of their troops is very different from ours: as to tactics, or military manoeuvres, they are not held in much estimation. On a march, a detachment of cavalry gene- rally encamp in a circle. Their mode of attack is by squa- drons on the diff'erent flanks of their enemies, but without regularity or concert, shouting, halloing, and firing their car- bines, after which, if they think themselves equal to the ene- my, they charge with a pistol and then the lance. Such was the state of the army of Mexico previous to the invasion of Spain by Bonaparte. Since that period, the army has been completely disorganized, and is now incapable of maintaining the authority of the government. When the pre- sent tottering system is destroyed, the military spirit of the Mexicans may revive, and render this fine region respectable amongst nations. Navy. — The navy is that of the parent country ; but there are many guard ships and commercial vessels solely appropri- ated to the American colonies. Four corvettes of twelve guns, and one goletta, are stationed at Monterey, to supply the pre- sidencies of North California with necessaries. These vessels performed the Spanish expeditions to the north-west coast of America. Revenue. — The revenue which Mexico yields to the Spanish crown has been shewn by Dr. Robertson to amount to above a million sterling, but there are great expences. By the most recent account the total revenue derived by Spain from America and the Philippines is 2,700,000/. ; of w hich one half must be deducted for the extravagant charges of administra- tion. It has been asserted that the king''s fifth of the mines of New Spain only was two millions sterling, which would swell the annual produce of the Mexican mines to ten millions. Dr. Robertson shews, from Campomanes, that the whole produce of the American mines is 7,4.25,000/., of which the king''s fifth, if regularly paid, would be 1,485,000/.: and it is probable tliat the njines of New Spain or Mexico, prior to the opulent ^98 SPANISH NOIITH AMERICA. discoveries in the north-west provinces, did not yield above one haH'oftlie whole amount. H'l.story. — The original population of these extensive rcjJions was various, consisting of Mexicans, and other tribes; coiisi- derably civilized in the centre, while to the north and south were savage races. The origin of the Mexicans remains in great obscurity, after the fruitless researches of many inge- nious and learned men. Tiieir language appears to be totally different from that of the Peruvians; but the Pdexican voca- bularies are very imperfect. There seems not, however, to be any resemblance between either of these languages, and that of the Malays, who })eopled the numerous islands in the Paci- fic ocean ; nor are the Tartarian, or Mandshur features to be traced in any account of the Mexicans or Peruvians, though singularly distinct from those of othei* races : yet Dr. Forster, in his history of the voyages of the north, supposes that these kingdoms were founded in the thirteenth century, by the troops contained in some of the ships sent by Kublai Khan from China, to sulxlue Japan; that great fleet having been scattered, and supposed to have been lost in a severe tenipest. But the animals of America are mo.stly distinct from those of the old continent, and could in no case have descended from them. If it cannot be allowed that the great Creator, in like manner, ordained a distinct race of men for this continent, it will be necessary, before this curious question be determined, to collect vocabularies of the African languages, as there are on that continent several nations of a copper colour, resem- bling the Americans ; and the Mexicans and Peruvians might become more civi!i;ced from mere advantages of situation and accident. It is, however, deeply to be regretted that these American empires, or kingdoms, were destroyed ; as, not to mention the cause of humanity, they would have afforded cu- rious objects for philosophic observers of human nature. The general opinion seems to be that the Mexicans and Peruvians were a distinct race from the other Americans; and, amidst a variety of conjectures, it might be enijuired if they did not proceed from Japan, or be haply of the same race with the SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. 599 people of the large island of Tclioka, or Sagalian, whose fea- tures, as delhieatcd by I^a Perouse and the literary men who accompanied him, bear no resemblance to the Tartaric. In this case, we may conceive that tliev are remains of a people in eastern Asia, who were expelled by the I\Iandsijurs, on their progress from more western settlements. The historical epochs of Mexico have been of little moment since it was conquered by the Spaniards in 15.'21. when the last monarch Guatiraozin perished, Montezuma having died in the preceding year. According to the Mexican traditions, their ancestors consisted of several savage tribes, who about the tenth or eleventh ccntin-y of the Christian era moved in successive n)igrations iVom unknown regions towards the north and nortii-west, and settled in Anahuac. About the begin- ning of the thirteenth century, a tribe, more polished than the rest, advanced from the borders of the Californian gulf, and took possession of the plains adjacent to the great lake near the centre of the country. Tliey were for a time governed by chiefs or judges, till the territories becoming more extensive, the supreme authority centred at last in a single person. Even fi'om the most extensive accoimts the monarchical government had not lasted above 197 years ; that is, it commenced alwut A. D. 1324, the jSrst monarch being Acamapitzin. Wars and rebellions, famines and inundations, constitute the chief fea- tures of Mexican hi.story ; and the Spanish government presents few events of moment, the natives being confined between the two seas, and more easily cliecked than m South America, where tiiere is a wide extent of territory for retreat and conspiracy. The extensive peninsula of California was discovered by Cortez in 1536, but was so completely neglected, that in most charts it was represented as an island. The Jesuits afterwards explored this province, and acquired a dominion there as com- plete as in Paraguay. On their expulsion in 1766, it was found to be a not unfertile region, with some mines of gold and a valuable pearl fishery. The countries of Cinaloa and Sonora, on the east side of the ^'ermillion sea or gulf of Cali- fornia, as well as the immense provinces of New Navarre, and others of New Mexico, never were subject to the iMexican 600 SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. sceptre, but now acknowledge the power of Spain, though the settlers be {"ew. In 1765, a war broke out with the savages, which ended in their submission, 1771. During their marches the Spaniards discovered at Cineguilla, in the province of So- nora, a plain of fourteen leagues in extent, in which vast quan- tities of gold were found in large lumps, at the depth of only sixteen inches. Before the end of the year 1771, above 2000 persons were settled at Cineguilla ; and other mines, not infe- rior in wealth, have been discovered in other parts of Sonora and Cinaloa. It is probable that these discoveries have insti- gated other settlements in the northern parts of New Spain, and in New Mexico. These colonizations, and the settlement of Santa Fe, and others in that vicinity, are important events in the history of the Spanish territories. It is, however, to be lamented, that the progress of these settlements has not been explained with more care and accuracy, for no small obscurity attends their chronology. The Mexicans have long evinced a disposition for indepen- dence. In 16^24, they made a feeble attempt at a revolution. In 1797, they proclaimed the count de Galves king of Mexico, in the streets of the capital, and 130,000 souls were heard proclaiming, ' Long live Galves, king of Mexico."" It was then only for him to have willed it, and the kingdom of Mexico was lost to Charles IV. for ever. But preferring his loyalty to his ambition, he rode out to the mob, attended by his guards, ■with his sword in hand, crying out, ' Long live his catholic majesty Charles the fourth," and threatening to put to instant death, with his own hand, any persons who refused immedi- ately to retire to their houses. This dispersed the people. In another quarter of the kingdom an immense number had col- lected and proclaimed him king : he sent 10,000 men against them, dispersed them, and had four beheaded. These firm measures saved the country at that period. Galves received the greatest honours from the court of Spain, but was poisoned in a short tin^e after, fulfilling the maxim, ' That it is danger- ous to serve jealous tyrants.*" The news of the overthrow of the Spanish monarchy by Bonaparte was received in Mexico with great indignation ; and SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. -601 the inhabitants of the city of Mexico in eleven days subscribed about 700,000/. to aid their patriotic bretliren in Europe. But as most of the high offices in Spanish America were filled by the creatures of the Prince of Peace, a tool of Bonaparte'^s, the dread of French influence and intrigue in many places produced a civil war : nor did the impolitic conduct of the Spanish central junta tend to reconcile the enraged colonists. In the year 1808, t}J"e viceroy of Mexico, Harngary, was ar- rested and deposed by one party of the inhabitants; while the other party espoused and endeavoured to support his autho- rity : but what is very strange, the junta took part, in this in- stance, with the insurgents. Mexico had felt long and severely the impolitic and unjust Tneastues of Spain ; she had been inundated by men sent from tlience, in order to retrieve or make their fortunes by the plunder and oppression of the colonists The Creoles were neglected; and, as if neglect were not enoug'h to irritate and alienate them, their hopes and expectations were repeatedly raised by the Spanish government, and then dashed to the ground. Had the Spanish government been actually desirous of disgusting and separating the Mexicans entirely from the mother country, they could not have done it more effectually thsm by the whole tenour of the conduct they adopted. While things were in this critical state, an insurrection broke out, in September, 1810, at Dolores, a town in the pro- vince of Guanaxueato, in the middle of the mining district of Mexico. This insurrection was begun, spread, and headed principally by the priests ; afterwards several lawyers and mi- litary officers joined it; and the latter brought over some yegiments of the militia. This insurrection spread rapidly and widely : in a short time more than half the province was overrun by the insurgents or had joined them. Upwards of 40,000 men were in arms ; and though they were repeatedly defeated, they constantly rallied and appeared with undimi- nished force. In the month of November they advanced with great confi- dence, and in great force, against the city of Mexico itself: they had previously taken the populous town of Guanaxueato. 26 4 G 602 SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. and been received as friends by the inhabitants of Valladolid. Their expectations of gaininf^ possession of Mexico arose more from the power and intrigues of the partizans within the city than the force of tbeir army. But in these expectations they were mistaken ; for while affairs were in this precarious state, Venegas arrived from Spain, as viceroy of Mexico. He was a man pecuharly fitted for the management of the government at this period ; for he was possessed in an eminent degree of activity, firmness, and energy. He soon detected the partizans of the insurgents within the city of Mexico : he watched all their movements : he thwarted all their measures ; so that they had no opportunity to be of the least service to the army that was advancing against the city. At this period, too, the influence of superstition was called in ; the archbishop threat- ened to exconmumicate all who had joined the insurgents, if thev did not immediately desert them: this kept back their partizans within the city, and even thinned the ranks of their army. Venegas, however, did not depend entirely upon these measui'es; he collected as many troops as he could ; and, by his masterly dispositions, succeeded in baffling all the move- ments of the insvn-gents, whom he drove before him, and greatly weakened as well as dispirited their troops. At length in March, 1811, the principal leaders of the insurrection, their army being greatly reduced by defeat and desertion, were surprised at Saltillo. Notwithstanding all these disasters, the spirit still existed, for within a very t^ihort period of the battle of Saltillo, a body of 12,000 insurgents were collected near Queretaro, and again defeated. It would appear thai Venegas used his victories with great cruelty: he inflicted the most severe and barbarous punisli.- ments upon such of the insurgents as fell into his hands. In- deed the civil war in Mexico was attended with greater slaughter and cruelty than in other parts of Spanish America: in this province the jealousy and hatred existing between the Europeans and Creoles is very great; and when this jealousy and hatred was increased, and found room and opportunity to operate without restraint during the civil commotions, it may *»asily be supposed that their effects would be dreadful in the SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. 60;i extreme. The country was laiil waste : every thing was de- stroyed that could be destroyed : houses, plantations, and even the miners suffered , so that even if" tranquilUt}'^ were restored, of which though the prospect is more Hkely, it is still very distant and uncertain, many years must elapse, much labour and capital must be expended, before the country will resume its former condition, or the inhabitants be restored to their former wealth and comforts. The destruction of the mines is principally to be deplored : it must necessarily require a great outlay of money before they can be put into a condition again to be wrought with ease, advantage, and profit ; and they will be unproductive at the very time when the mother country stands most in need of their wealth. But notwithstanding the cruelty and activity of the Spanish officers, the spirit of the people was not subdued. They again took arms, and appeared in the field against the old Spanish troops, which they defeated in several rencontres. In 1816, they became complete masters of the ])rovince of Valladolid, and summoned a junto, or assembly of the representatives of the people. They, however, were greatly in want of arms, and the ports on the gulf of Mexico were held by the royal troops. Several enterprising individuals in the western states of the Union associated together, and formed a rifle corps to assist the independents; but before they could arrive at the scene of action, the patriots were overpowered, and their armies dispersed. Still the determination to oppose the imbe- cile and tyrannical sway of the despicable Ferdinand continues to operate, and large bodies of men are yet traversing this fine and fertile country, defying all attempts to reduce them to subjection, and offering a point of union for all the resolute and dissatisfied that chuse to join them. But our accounts from this country are extremely meagre and unsatisfactory, and such as cannot afford any proper materials for an histo- rical detail. The situation of this opulent empire has, no doubt, occupied the attention of different governments ; but the critical state of affairs, both in Eiu'ope and America, has prevented the adoption of any measures which might throw the riches of 604 SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. Mexico into their power. Captain Pike, an American, who was sent in 1807 by his government to explore Louisiana, was arrested by the Spaniards, and conveyed into New Spam, an account of which he pubhshed on his return. In his remarks on th« poUtical situation of the Mexican dominions, he ob- serves, that the conduct of England, in her late descent at La Plata, has induced the Mexicans to turn their views for assist- ance to other quarters. ' They have,' he proceeds, « directed their eyes towards the United States, as brethren of the same soil in their vicinity ; who have within their power ample re- sources of arms, ammunition, and even men, to assist in se- curing their independence; and who in that event would secure to themselves the almost exclusive trade of the richest country in the world for centuries, and to be her carriers as long as the two nations exist. For Mexico, like China, will never become a nation of mariners, but must receive the ships of all the world into her ports, and give her bullion in ex- change for the productions of their different countries. What would not be the advantages the United States would reap from this event ? Our numerous vessels would fill every poi"t, and from our vicinity enable us to carry off at least nine-tenths of her commerce. Even on the coast of the Pacific no Eu- ropean nation could vie with us : there would also be a brisk inland trade carried on with the southern provinces by the Red river; and having a free entrance into all their ports, we should become their factors, agents, guardians, and, in short, their tutelar genius; as the country fears but hates France and all French men and measures. It therefore remains for the government of the United States to decide, whether they will hold out a helping hand, to emancipate another portion ot the western hemisphere from the bonds of European tyrarm) and oppression, or by a different policy suffer 600,000 people to become, in the hands of French intrigue, enterprise, and tactics, a scourge to our south-western boundaries, which would oblige us to keep up a large and respectable militaiv force, and continually render us liable to a war, on the weake.-t •md most vulnerable part of our frontiers.' SPANISH NORTH AMERICA. 605 Such are the opinions of an American writer, though they do not coincide with the present pohtics of the United States. Mr. Cobbett has also addressed a memorial to the prince re- gent of England, pointing out the advantages which would result from the Mexicans conquering their independence, and the ease vvith which it might be accomplished with the assist- ance of England. Such views, however, under existing cir- cumstances, are quite inadmissible. If the aiFairs of Spain were conducted upon the principles of wisdom and sound policy, the emancipation of Mexico would be instantly and voluntarily declared, for which an an- nual tribute might be procured even more considerable than the present revenue. The resources of this rich and extensive country are in a great measure absorbed by useless offices and emoluments, and the extortions of powerful individuals; and the remainder is swallowed up by vast bodies of priests, who, in return, endeavour to amuse'and stupify the people by reli- gious processions, festivals, and a variety of holy mumvnerlcs. The march of knowledge is, however, though gradual, sure and irresistible, and the people are beginning to perceive the nature of their rights and duties. Their attempts to conquer their political independence will not, in the present state of things, be easily repressed. The success of the patriots in South America will be a sure prelude to their own triumph. Were they to remain subject to the creature which at present rules in Spain, it is probable that they would ultimately be compelled to receive the law from their more politic, coiu'age- ous, and enterprising neighbours, the inhabitants of the States. SOUTH AMERICA. -=--!SS:!^::^; S: «:!::i™n r[^HIS vast continent has now become an object of peculiar interest, and the theatre of the most gaHant acliievements. We will first take a view of the natural and civil state of its various divisions, and then describe the different governments into which it is now divided, Avith the efforts making to pro^ mote the general cause against Spain. SPANISH DOMINIONS. Extent and Boundaries. 'PHE possessions of Spain in the southern part of America, are of prodigious extent, from the Caribbean sea to the most south- ern promontory, according to the Spanish geographers; but the English maps seem justly to regard the regions to the south-east, inhabited by the Tehuels and other tribes confess- edly independent, as excluded from the Spanish domain. In this point of view, the eastern shore, from the south of the SOUTH AMERICA. 607 great river Parana, is open to the settlements of any foreign nation ; and on the west the Spanish boundary ends at the gulf of Chonos, south lat. 44 deg. The remaining length may be 3360 geographical miles ; but the medial breadth is not above 900. The whole length of the Spanish possessions in America may thus be computed at more than 5000 geogra- phical miles ; though not equal in extent, yet far superior, in every other respect, to the Asiatic empire of Russia. On the east, the boundary between the Spanish possessions and those (jf the Dutch and Portuguese is sometimes ascertained by ridges of mountains and rivers, but often consists of an ideal line, observed upon a map at one glance, while a verbal de- scription would be unnecessarily prolix. In general, the Por- tuguese territory in South America is perhaps equal in extent to the Spanish, compensating by its breadth, which includes the far greater part of the Maranon, for the deficiency in length. Zoology. — The chief topics of natural geography have al- ready been discussed in the general view of South America. A singular circumstance in the zoology is the great abundance of horses and cattle, though originally unknown to the new continent ; these surprising herds having been multiplied from a few that were turned loose by the first settlers. The cattle are so numerous that they are hunted merely on account of the hides. An author, who resided twenty-two years in Pa- raguay, informs us, that they equal the Hungarian in size, the standard length of the hide being three ells. The great num- bers have lately been thiimed by the thoughtless avarice of the hunters. Horses are also very numerous: and mules being indispensible in the alpine countries, where they cannot be reared, about 80,000 are annually sent from the plains of Paraguay to Peru. To procure this mixed breed, young asses are clothed in the fresh skins of foals, and introduced to the mares as their own offspring. Flocks of European sheep also abound ; but of this animal some species are peculiar to America. Such is the llama, or more properly ru7ia, for llama merely implies a beast or quadruped, which resembles a small camel, and will carry any load under a hundred weight. 608 SOUTH AMERICA. The vicuna is somewhat smaller, with shorter and finer wool ; and of a brown colour, while the others are various. The guanaca, on the contrary, is a larger and coarser animal th^n the runa, and chiefly employed in the minhig countries, where other animals could not pass the precipitous paths. Among the ferocious animals are distinguished those called by BafFon the jaguar, by other writers the tiger ; and the cougar, by some called the American Uon. The latter is of a reddish brown colour, while the former is marked with black spots upon a yellowish ground. But from Buftbn''s account of the jaguar, it is evident that he only judged from a small animal, probably sent from French Guiana ; but Dobrizhoff'er informs us, that as the lions of Africa far exceed those of Paraguay (the cougars) in size and ferocity, so the Afi'ican tigers yield in magnitude to those of Paraguay. He saw the skin of one killed the day before, which was three ells and two inches in length, or equal to that of a large ox ; but he adds, the body is more slender than that of an ox. According to the same author, they kill and carry off oxen and horses ; and he gives such singular instances of their strength as 'to evince the error of Buifbn's theory. Other animals are, the wild cat, the elk, the huanaeo, or guanaca, already mentioned, the ant-bear, &e. In the great river Maranon there appears to be a species of liippopotamus. In the alps towards Tucuman the condor is not unfrequent, seemingly a kind of vulture, with a red crest, the body being black, spotted with white. The ostrich is also found in the wide plains of Paraguay. Botany. — The natural productions of the country east of the Andes is as yet nearly unknown to European science. We know, from the reports of navigators and occasional travellers, that the vicinity of the coast produces many of the tropical fruits and vegetables, such as the cabbage palm, the cocoa nut, the chocolate nut, the cotton shrub, the pine apple, the canna, amomum, turmeric, plantain, and sugar-cane. But in the more temperate climate of the high plain of Quito, and upon the sides of the Andes, it is natural to expect plants of a har- dier constitution. Perhaps the best known and most generally interesting of the trees are the several species of cinchona, from SOUTH AMERICA. 609 two of which at least that valuable niMiclne the Peruvian or Jesuits' bark is procurer!. The cardana alliodora is a large timber tree, remarkable for the strong smell of garlic emitted from the leaves and fresh wood. A kind of coffee, the coffiea rccemosa, is met with in the mountainous groves of the inte- rior, whose berries are applied to the same use as the culti- vated species. The large flowered jasmine and datura arborea diffuse their evening fragrance round the neighbourhood of Lnna, and braided in the hair of the women give and receive a reciprocal charm. No^ less than twenty-four species of pep- per, and five or six of capsicum, are reckoned among the Pe- ruvian natives, besides ss^eral esculent kinds of solanum, of which the S. lycopersicon or love-apple, and S. tuberosum or potatoe, are the best known and most esteemed. The tobacco and jalap abound in the groves at the foot of the Andes, and many of the ornamental flowers of our English gardens and green-houses, such as" the singular and beautiful calceolaria, the resplendent salvia longiflora, the graceful trapoelum, or nasturtium, and the simple nolana prostrata, are indebted to these countries for their orio-in. Mineralogy.— The mineralogy of these extensive regions is universally celebrated as the most important in the world. In most accounts the mines of silver have been described at great length, while Brazil is considered as the chief country of American gold. But the noblest metal also abounds in the Spanish possessions here, as well as in Mexico: and Gmelin has specially enumerated the following places in Peru and Chill : Copiapo, Quasco, Coquimbo, Petorca, Ligua, Tiltil. ,Putaendo, Caren, Alhue, Chibato, and Huilli-Patagua. Ull Ilea informs us that the department of Popayan abounds in I mines of native gold; the richest being those of Cali, Buo-a, lAlmaguer, and Barbacoas; and there ai-e also several mines 'in the noted district of Choco, some of which were abandoned !Dh account of the abundance of platina, a more l-are and sin- singular metal than gold, but at first, as appears from Bouguer, j-nistaken for an obdurate pyrites. Other gold mines were hear Zaruma, wdthin the jurisdiction of Loxa; and some in lie government of Jaen Bracamoros. Near tlie village of 4 H 610 SOUTH AMERICA. Angamarca, in the jurisdiction of Latacunga, was a mine of prodigious value. Gold is also found in the sand of many rivers that flow into the INIaranon. But the state of the mines of Buenos Ayres, as published by Helms, will convey a com- plete idea of this subject ; and it thence appears that the silver mines are there far more productive than those of gold, except the produce returned to St. Jago de Catagoita, about 30 miles to the south of Potosi. Those of silver being more numerous, and more easily worked, have excited the chief attention of the indolent colonists. The celebrated mountain of Potosi has presented, for two centuries and a half, inexhaustible treasures of silver; while the gold seems thinly scattered by nature, and has no where been discovered in such enormous masses. Hence, if the noted plain of Cineguilla in North America be excepted, there is hitherto no example of any gold mine eminently rich, far less rivalling the proud reputation of Potosi. This mountain, of a conic form, is about 20 British miles in circumference, and perforated by more than 300 rude shafts, through a firm yel- low argillaceous schistus. There are veins of ferrumnous quartz, interspersed with what are called the horn and vi- treos ores. Of a pecuHar dark reddish colour, this mountain rises void of all vegetation, blasted by the numerous furnaces, which in the night form a grand spectacle. This surprising mine was discovered, 1545, by Hualpa, a Peruvian, who in pursuing some chamoys pulled up a bush, and beheld under the root that amazing vein of silver afterwards called la rica, or the rich. He shared this discovery with his friend Huanca, who revealed it to a Spaniard his master ; and the mine was formally registered 21st April, 1545. Another celebrated mine is that of mercury, indispensible in amalgamating tlie precious metals. While Mexico is supplied from Spain, Peru has the native product of Guancavelica, a district and town not far to the south-west of Lima, near the great bend of the old Maranon. The cinnabar had been used by the Peruvians as a red paint; and the quicksilver was first detected about 1567. The mine is now so large that there are said to be streets, and chapels where mass is celebrated. SOUTH AMERICA. 611 This mineral seems also to be in argillaceous schistus of a pale red. Platina is chiefly found in tlie mines of Choco and Barbacoas, in tlie vicerojalty of New Granada. Tin, according to Helms, is found at Chajanza and Paria ; and there are also several mines of copper and lead. The chief copper mine was at Aroa ; but the colonies are mostly supplied from the mines of Cuba. Among the' other minerals may be mentioned the gal- linazo stone, so called from its black colour, being a volcanic glass or obsidian, sometimes confounded with the Inca stone or mirror of the Incas, both being used as looking-glasses. According to Ulloa, the Inca stone is of a leaden colour and soft, being probably a marcasite or pyritical mixture, not yet analyzed. In the time of the Incas emeralds were also com- mon, chiefly on the coast of Manta, and in the government of Atacames, where it is said that there are mines which the In- dians will not reveal, as they must encounter the labour of working them. The river of Emeralds flows from the Andes to the north of Quito : and others of inferior quality are found near Bogota, where are the chief modern mines of Peruvian emeralds, justly preferred to all others, since those of Egypt have been neglected. Those found in the tombs are Avorked into spheres, cylinders, cones, and other figures, and pierced with great precision ; but in what manner this was accom- plished reniains unknown. According to Ulloa, rubies have also been observed in the jurisdiction of Cuenza, It is unne- cessary to mention the abundance of sulphur, bitumen, and vitriol, or sulphate of iron, commercially called copperas. Population. — It is probable that the population of the Spa- nish possessions in South America is about 9,000,000. The use of spirituous liquors, and the small pox, with another en- demial disease, which acts at intervals like a pestilence, ob^ struct the increase of the natives. The Spaniards and Creoles are far more numerous in New Spain than in South America, where it is probable they do not exceed 2,000,000. The ne- groes may constitute about a twentieth part of the population. As the Spaniards have no settlements in Africa, their colonies were chiefly supplied by the Dutch and English; but since 612 SOUTH AMERICA. the abolition of the slave trade in England, the Portuguese and Spaniards have carried slaves to their own settlements. Manners and Customs. — Among the native nations, the Peruvians are by far the most interesting, having in some in- stances advanced nearer to civilization than* the Mexicans. The llama, which may be called a small camel, had been ren- dered subservient to their industry; and their buildings, erected of stone, still remain, while of the earthen edifices of the Mexicans, even the ruins have perished. The history of the Peruvian monai'chs is indeed vague and unsatisfactory, the noted quipos somewhat resembling the wampum of the North Americans, being brief and transitory records. The government of the Incas was a kind of theocracy, and the in- habitants revered a divine descent, not claimed by the Mexican monarchs. The religion of the Peruvians was that of love and beneficence ; while the Mexicans seem, in their cruel rites, / to have been wholly influenced by the fear of malignant deities/ Some sacrifices of the smaller animals, and offerings of fruits and flowers, formed the chief rites of Peruvian superstition. The Mexican monarchy was founded by the sword, the Pe- ruvian by superiority of wisdom ; and the captives taken in war were not immolated, but instructed in the arts of civiliza- tion. An excellent writer justly pronounces, that the Pe- ruvians had advanced far beyond the Mexicans, both in the necessary arts of life, and in such as have some title to the name of elegant. Manures and irrigation were not unknown, though a kind of mattock formed the chief instrument of agri- culture. Their edifices were sometimes of bricks hardened in the sun ; but others were constructed of large stones, the W'alls, however, never exceeding twehe feet in height. The great roads between Cuzco and Quito are indeed slight and perisha- ble when compared with European exertions; yet become wonderful, when estimated witii the other parts of savage America. Their weapons and ornaments also display np small degree of skill, particularly in cutting and piercing eme- ralds, a gem of great hardness. Amidst all these laudable qualities, it is to be regretted, that superstition led them to sacrifice numerous victims on the death of a chief; and a fa- SOUTH AMERICA. 613 vouvite monarch was sometimes followed to the tomb by a thousand slaughtered servants. Had the conquest of America been effected by the Spaniards at a period like the present, when European warfare has lost half its ferocity, the Peruvian monarchy might have been respected and preserved, for in the other parts of South America tlierc is a superabundance of the precious metals to satiate the utmost wish of avarice. Whe- ther the ruHng people be chiefly cut off, or from the mere de- pression of slavery, it is impossible to discover in tlie manners of the Peruvian natives any marks of their ancient advance- ment. The methodical tyranny exercised over them is very severe. They are reduced to become even the slaves of slaves ; for the Spaniards encourage their negroes to treat them with the greatest insolence; and they pohtieally keep up a rancour, now grown inveterate, betvveen these two races of people. They are forbidden, under the severest penalties, to marry, or to have an unlawful intercourse together. Division is the great instrument to which the Spaniards trust for the preser- vation of their colonies. The native Spaniard alone has all the hicrative offices, civil, ecclesiastical, and military. He de- spises the Creolian, The Creolian hates and envies him. Both condemn and maltreat the Indians, who, on their side, are not insensible of the indignities they suffer. The blacks arc encouraged to trample on the Indians, and to consider their interests as altogether opposite ; while the Indians, in their nominal freedom, look with an envious disdain upon the slavery of the negroes, which makes them their masters. What is extraordinary, the S])aniards, not content with re- ducing this unhappy nation under so cruel a yoke, as if they thought it nothing unless they were thoroughly sensible of its vv-'eight, suffer the Indians to celebrate an annual festival, in which plays are represented, commemorating the overthrow of their own state. These are acted with ail the horrid and ag- gravating clrcmnstances which attended this event; and the people are at this time so enraged, that the Spaniards find it dangerous to go abroad. In the city of Lima, there is annu- ally celebrated a festival of this kind, with a grand procession, wherejn they can-y in a sort of triumph the i-emaining de- 614. SOUTH AMERICA. scendant of the Incas of Peru, and his wife ; who at that time receive all imaginable honours in the most melancholy pomp, from a race bowed down with the sense of the common bond- age of prince and people. This throws the most affecting gloom over the festival, that renews the image of their former freedom. To this remaining Inca the viceroy of Peru does homage when he enters upon his government. The Inca sits upon a lofty stage, and the viceroy makes his obeisance upon a horse, who is taught to kneel upon the occasion. This manner of proceeding may be thought of the most refined strain of insolent tyranny, and to be as impolitic as it is insult- ing; but it is not impossible that those vents, which they suffer the indignation of the people to take, may carry off a spirit that might otherwise break out in a much more fatal manner. Whether by the division they keep up, or by these vents, or by the management of the clergy, or by whatever means, the Spaniards preserve their conquests with very little force : the Indians are even armed, and make a considerable part of their militia : it is true they are interdicted the use of weapons Avithout licence ; but licence is procured without much difficulty. They have likewise a large number of free blacks, and they too are formed into companies in their militia. Certain it is that, both in the Spanish and Portuguese colo- nies, they find slavery compatible enough with great licence in some respects, and both with the security of the masters. Things deserving our consideration ; as we do not seem to excel in the conciliating arts of government in our colonies, nor to think that any thing is to be effected by other instru- ments than those of terror and rude force. The manners of the Spaniards in South America are similar to those in Mexico; and do not partake of any peculiar trait worthy of observation. Language. — The language of the ruling people in Peru was called Quichua, and it is still cultivated by the Spanish clergy, as indispensable in the conversion of the natives. The sounds 6, d,f^ g, r, are wanting ; but when the Spanish grammarians add the x and z, they forget tliat their x is an h, or sh, and their s is equally expresed by c. The grammar of this Ian- SOUTH AMERICA. 615 guage, and it is said even that of the Tehuels, is nearly as varieoated and artificial as the Greek, whence our wonder at the refinement of the Sanscrit may perhaps suffer considera- ble abatement. Cities and Tozvns. — In describing the chief cities in the im- mense regions of Spanish America, it will be most conducive to perspicuity, to arrange them according to the grand divi- sions to which they belong. A brief account of these divisions will also, with propriety, precede the account of the cities which they contain. Peru. — The viceroyalty of Peru comprehends the audiency of Lima, the province of La Paz, and the ])residency of San Yago. This presidency is, however, separated from the other parts of the viceroyalty by the ^pudiency of Charcas, which belongs to the viceroyalty of Buenos Ayres. The two former occupy the principal part of the ancient Peru. This great empire, the foundation of which by the Incas remains enveloped in the obscurity of a series of fables, and of an uncertain tradition, has lost much of its local grandeur since the time when it was stripped, on the north side, of the provinces which form the kingdom of Quito, and afterwards of those which, towards the east, constitute the viceroyalty of Buenos A3a'es. Its present extent in length runs, north and south, over a space of from 1260 to 1350 miles, from 2 deg. to nearly 23 deg. of south lat. ; and its greatest breadth is from 800 to 360 miles, east and west, i. e. about 13 degrees of west long. The river of Guayaquil divides it from the new kingdom of Grenada on the north side. The depopulated territory of Atacama separates it from the kingdom of Chili towards the south. Another horrible desert, of more than 1500 miles extent, separates it towards the east from the pro- vinces of Paraguay and Buenos Ayres ; and, last, the Pacific ocean washes its western shores. A chain of barren and rugged mountains; several sandy plains, which in a manner reach from one extremity of the coast to the other ; and several lakes, of many leagues in ex- tent, some of which are situated on the summits of the above chain of mountains, occupy a great part of the Peruvian terri- 616 SOUTH AMERICA. tory. Throughout, the breaks and tlie vallies, which enjoy the benefit of h'rigation, present to the view an extensive range of dehghtful plains, replete with villages and towns, and the climate of which is highly salubrious. That of the elevated spots of La Sierra is extremely cold. In the pampas, or plains, of Bombou, Fahrenheit''s thermometer is constantly at from 34 to 40 degrees above zero. There are three cities in Peru famous for their opulence and trade ; Uma, Cusco, and Quito, Lima lies in the north- ern part of Peru, in the latitude of 12 deg. south, and 299 east longitude from TcnerifFe. It stands about two leagues from the sea, upon a river called Rimac, small and unnaviga- ble. This city is the capital of Peru, and of all South Ame- rica; it extends in length alaout two miles, and in breadth about one quarter ; its distant appearance, fi^om the multitude of spires and domes, is extremely majestic ; and when you enter it, you see the streets laid out with the greatest regular- ity, cutting each other at equal distances and right angles ; the houses, on account of the equality of the climate, are slightly roofed, as they are built low and of light materials, to avoid the consequences of earthquakes, frequent and dreadful in this country] But they are elegantly plastered and painted on the outside, so as to have all the appearance of freestone. To add to the beauty and convenience of this city, most houses have a garden, watered by cuts drawn from the river; each man commands a little running stream for his own use ; in a hot and dry country, as this is, no small matter of conve- nience and delight. Here is a grand walk by the river side, 200 fathoms long, consisting of five rows of fine orange trees. To this the company resorts at five in the evening, drawn in their coaches and calashes. Such is the opulence of this city, that, exclusive of coaches, there are kept in it upwards of 5000 of these carriages. The royal square is extremely handsome, and in the middle is placed a beautiful fountain of bronze, surmounted by an image of Fame, executed in a very good style. This s(|uare is from 500 to 600 feet in length, and is surrounded by superb edifices. SOUTH AMERICA. HIT The climate is here healthy, and extremely agreeable ; ami though no rain falls, the ground is watered by a gentle dew- termed garna ; a variety of the most delicious fruits abound in the vicinity of Lima ; and, in short, nothing is here wanting which can contribute to the comfort or the luxury of the in- habitants. Lima is divided into four quarters, and contains 'ABo streets and 3641 houses. The population is estimated at 57,627 souls; of which number, 17,215 are Spaniards, 3219 Indians, 8960 negroes, and the remainder people of colour. It is evident that the number of inhabitants bears no pro- portion to the extent of the place, which in this climate is at first matter of surprise; but the cause becomes pretty obvious, when the great mortality of children, the frequent earthquakes, and total want of productive means of livelihood in this appa- rently brilliant metropolis, are taken into consideration. Lima has fifty -four churches, taking in the cathedral, the parochial, and conventual ; thirteen monasteries of men (be- sides six colleges of Jesuits), one of which contains 700, and another 500 friars and servants ; twelve nunneries, the princi- pal of which has not less than 300 nuns ; and twelve hospitals, besides foundations for the portioning of poor girls. There is one university in Lima, dedicated to St. Mark. This city is the residence of a viceroy, who is president of the royal audience : besides an ecclesiastical tribunal, there is also a supreme tribunal of audience, composed of a president, a fiscal, and two examiners. A treasury is established here for receiving the duty on the produce of the mines, as well as all the taxes paid by the Indians to the king of Spain. Two newspapers ai'e published at Lima. The * Gazeta de Lima,' which appears twice a week, and is exactly similar to the * Gazeta de Madrid,' and the annual ' Quia Politica, Ecclesias- tica, y MiUtar," in 12mo., which, besides the calendar, and a list of civil and military officers, contains much valuable geo- graphical and statistical information. Nothing can give a true idea of the vast wealth of Lima, except the churches, which the most judicious travellers speak 4 1* 618 SOUTH AMERICA. of with astonishment, and seem incapable of describing, on ac- count of tliat amazing profusion of gold, silver, and precious stones with which every thing (even the walls) is in a manner totally covered. The tide of this vast wealth is fed from sources as copious ; this city being the great magazine for all the plate of Peru, which is coined here ; for the large manu- factures and natural products of that kingdom ; for those of Chili ; and for all the luxuries and conveniences brought fi'om Europe and the East Indies. The trade carried on by the merchants of Lima, is repre- sented by Alcedo to be very extensive ; but this author appears to have overlooked the great decay of this trade, occasioned by the growing prosperity of Buenos Ayres, which is much more conveniently situated for the European commerce. Besides, the government has established at this last place, a magazine for the produce of the mines of Potosi and La Plata; these are now conveyed thither by the Pilomayo, and the river La Plata, which is a much shorter and more secure route than that of Lima. The beauty of the situation^ the fertility of the soil, the mildness of the climate, and the riches of the inhabitants of Lima, ai'e not, however, sufficient to compensate for the conti- nual dangers with which they are menaced. Lima continued in great splendour luitil the year 1747, when a most tremen- dous earthquake, which entirely devoured Callao, the port be- longing to it, laid three-fourths of this city level with the ground. The destruction of Callao was the most perfect and terrible that can be conceived ; no more than one of all the inhabitants escaping, and he by a providence the most singular and extraordinary imaginable. This man was on the fort that overlooked the harbour, going to strike the flag, when he per- ceived the sea to retire to a considerable distance ; and then swelling mountain high, it returned with great violence. The inhabitants ran from their houses in the utmost terror and confusion ; he heard a cry of Miserere rise from all parts of the city ; and immediately all was silent ; the sea had entirely overwhelmed this city, and buried it for ever in its bosom : SOUTH AMERICA. GW but the same \va\ e which destroved the city, dro\'G a httle boat by the place where the man stood, into which he threw him- self, and was saved. Whilst this town subsisted, it contained about 3000 inha- bitants of all kinds, had five convents, and possessed the finest port of all Peru. Here were the rich warehouses furnished with all the goods of Europe, which being landed by the gal- leons at Porto Bello, were brought over land to Panama, and thence transported bv the armadillo, or Heet, with a convoy of three men of war reserved for tiiis purpose. To this poi't ar- rived the annual ship from Acapulco, loaden with all the pro- ducts of the east ; from Chili it received vast quantities of corn, dried beef and pork, leather, tallow, plank, and several sorts of woollen goods, particularly carpets like those of Turkey. Fiom the southern ports of Peru wei*e brought sugars, wine and brandy, naval stoi-es, cacoa, Virginia wool, and tobacco. From Mexico it had pitch and tar, woods for dyeing, and that balsam which we improperly call of Peru, since it comes fron^ Giiatimala. The province of Quitu is perhaps one of the most singular and interesting countries in the universe. The valley of Quito is situated 1460 toises above the level of the sea, which is higher than the tops of the most elevated mountains of Pyre- nees. A double range of mountains surround this delightful valley ; though under the equator, an eternal spring reigns in this favoured spot ; the trees are perpetually clothed with lux- uriant foliage, and loaded with fruits of every species; it abounds with animals, the wool of which is employed in the manufiictiue of stuffs, which form its principal article of com- merce with Peru. They likewise manufacture in this city cotton cloth, ecjual in fineness to that w Inch they receive fi"om England. The province every where aboundsSvith mines of gold, silver, copper, and other metals ; there are also several mines of quicksilver, rubies, amethysts, emeralds, rock crystal, and of beautifid marble of different qualities. The labouring classes of the inhabitants of the city of Quito are industrious, and have attained to considerable perfection in ipany arts and manufactures, particularly in those of woollen C^H) SOUTH AMERICA. and cotton cloths, which they dye l)lue, and dispose of in the different cities and villages of Peru. The number of the in- habitants of this city is estimated at 50,000, of which the ma- jority are Mestizes, the offspring of native Indians and Spa- ninrds. It is governed by a president, and in it is held the supreme court of justice: it is likewise a bishop's see. The inequalities of the ground on which it stands are so great, as to render the use of carriages inadmissible. The houses are constructed of brick, and seldom exceed two stories in height. But this fertile and smiling country is not the abode of safety and tranquillity. ' Unfortunate people V says the elo- quent Marmontel, when sj)eaking of the inhabitants of Quito; ' Unfortunate people ! whom the fertility of this deceitful land has drawn together; its flowers, its fruits, and its luxuriant harvests, cover an abyss underneath their feet. The fecundity of the soil is produced by the exhalations of a devouring fire; its increasing fertility fore})odes its luin, and it is in the very bosom of abundance that we behold engulphed its thoughtless and happy possessors.' M. Humboldt, who visited the city of Quito in 1802, de- scribes the effects })roduced in its vicinity by the dreadful earthquake which occurred in 1797. ' Quito,'' says this tra- veller, ' is a handsome city, but the atmosphere is always cloudy ; the neighbouring mountains are o)ily covered with a scanty verdui'c, and the cold is very considerable. The tre- mendous earthquake of February, 1797, which desolated the whole province, and swallowed up from 35 to 40,000 indivi- duals, was also fatal to the inhab/itants of this capital. Such was the change produced l)y it on the temperature of the air, that Reaumar's thermometer, which at present fluctuates from 4 to 10 deg., and rarely ascends to 16 deg. or 17 deg., con- stantly stood, previous to that catastrophe, at 15 or 16 deg. Since this period, likewise, the province under consideration has been constantly subject to more or less violent shocks; and it is not improbable that all the elevated parts of it form a single volcano. The mountains of Cotopaxi and Pinchincha are only small summits, of which the craters form the different funnels, all terminating in the same cavity. The earthquake SOUTH AMERICA. 621 of 179T unfortunatelv affords but too convincing a proof of the justness of this hypothesis, since, during that dreadful occur- rence, the earth opened in all directions, and ejected sulphur, water, &c. Notwithstanding the recollection of this afflicting event, and a probability of a recurrence of similar dangers, the inhabitants of Quito are said to be gay, lively, and amiable ; their city is the abode of luxury and voluptuousness, and in no other place can there be displayed a more decided taste for amusements of every description.'' Cusco, the capital of the ancient empire, is still a very con- siderable city ; it is at a good distance from the sea, and situ- ated in the "mountainous part of the country: it has not less than 40,000 inliabitants, three parts Indians, who are very in- dustrious and ingenious. Though little instructed in the art, a taste for painting prevails, and some performances of the In- dians of Cusco and Quito have met with applause in Italy. An incredible quantity of pictures are painted here, and are dispersed all over Peru and Chili. They have here likewise manufactures of bays and cotton, and they work largely in leather. New Grenada.— This viceroyalty was established in 1718. It comprehends Terra Firma, Panama, Veraguay, to which has also been added the province of Quito. This immense di- vision presents a great variety of surface. Terra Firma, though on the coast, is the most unpleasant and most un- healthful country in the torrid zone : yet the plain grounds are remarkably fertile, and produce corn enough when culti- vated, all kinds of the tropical fruits, rich drugs, cacoa, vanilla, indigo, pimento, guaiacum, sar.saparilla, and balsam of Peru. No country abounds more in rich and luxuriant pasturage, or has a greater stock of black cattle. Their rivers have rich golden sands; their coasts have good pearl fisheries; and their mines formerly yielded great quantities of gold : but at present they are neglected or exhausted ; so that the principal wealth of this kingdou) arises from the commerce of Carthage- na ; and what treasure is seen there is mostly the return for European commodities which are sent from that port to Santa Fe, Popayao, and Quito. Its chief city is Panama. 62a SOUTH AMERICA. The city of Panama is situated upon one of the best har- bours, in all respects, of the South seas. Ships of burden He safe at some distance from the town ; but smaller vessels come up to the walls. In the bay is a pearl fishery of great value. The town, one of the largest in America, is said to contain 5000 houses, elegantly built of brick and stone, disposed in a semicircular form, and enlivened with the spires and domes of several churches and monasteries. It is covered on the land side with an agreeable country, diversified with hills, valleys, and woods. The town stands upon a dry and tolerably healthful ground, and has a great and profitable trade with Peru, Chili, and the western coast of Mexico, chiefly for pro- visions of every sort, both of the animal and vegetable kinds ; corn, wine, sugar, oil, with tallow, leather, and Jesuits' bark. In the neighbourhood of this city they raise nothing; and yet, by traffic and their convenient situation, there are few cities more abundantly supplied with all things for necessity, conve- nience, or luxury. Their trade with the Terra Firma and with Europe is carried on over the isthmus of Darien, and by the river Chagra. Carthagcna is the second town of consideration in Terra Firma, and stands upon a peninsula, that encloses one of the best defended harbours in all Spanish America. The town itself is well fortified, and built after the elegant fashion of most of the Spanish American towns, with a square in the middle, and streets running every way regularly from it, and others cutting these at right angles. This town has many rich churches and convents, that of the Jesuits is particularly magnificent. Here it is that the galleons on their voyage from Spain put in first, and dispose of a considerable part of their cargo ; which from hence is distributed to St. Martha, the Caraccas, Venezuela, and most of the other provinces and towns in the Terra Firma. yiceroyaUy of La Plata. — This portion of South America may be said to consist of four distinct and grand divisions ; viz. that of Buenos Ayres; the government of Paraguay pro- per, and Tucuman ; the audiency of Charcas, or the detached provinces adjoining Peru ; with New Chili, or the provinces SOUTH AMERICA. of Chili which lie to the east of the Andes, and do not belong to the presidency of St. Jago. The province of Buenos Ayres, which is sometimes called after the Rio de la Plata, comprises a vast space of ten-itory on the banks of the great river of La Plata. The eastern part is crossed by the Uraguay, and it contains a number of moun- tains, particularly in the interior : the other part is an im- mense plain, which extends to the bases of the Andes, and is in many parts impregnated with salt and nitre. Since the period when this province was separated from Peru, and united to the new viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata, (1778.) agriculture, manufactures, and trade, have made an incredible progress. Its prosperity is likewise roiisidorably promoted by its excellent climate, its vast extent, and wonder- fully fruitful soil, which is intersected by a multitude of large and small rivers, whose streams not only serve for the purpose of irrigation and interior circulation, but also to maintain, by means of their common influx into the Rio de la Plata, an in- tercourse v.ith the ocean ; and its maritime communications are aided by the excellent harbours of Buenos Ayres, Monte Video, Maldonado la Colonia, and the bay of Barragau. Buenos Ayres is the capital of the whole province of the river La Plata. Its site is very handsome. From the north side may bo seen the river, the width of which is beyond th*; reach of the eye. The environs consist of nothing but exten- sive and beautiful fields, always covered with verdure. The port is always exposed to the winds, on account of which ves- sels cannot approach vciv near to the town ; while the boats or small craft which go to it, are obliged to make a detour, and enter a stream which empties itself into the main river; the water in this is two or three fathoms deep ; but when the tide has ebbed in the great river, the branch in question can- not be entered. Buenos Ayres is the residence of a viceroy and a bishop, and may be considered as the second city of South America. It is supposed to contain JiOOO houses, and 40,000 inhabitants. This city is now the grand emporium of all the commerce of the provinces of Peru ; and the goods are conveyed thither in 624 SOUTH AMERICA. waggons drawn by horses. The conductors travel in caravans, on account of the l*ampas Indians, who are very troublesome to travellers. This city is watered by several large rivers, all of which empty themselves into that of La Plata. It has a fine square surrounded with superb buildings, and a ibrtress on the river, which is the residence of the governor. The streets are perfectly regular, with foot-paths on each side. That the climate of Buenos Ayres is very salubrious, ap- pears from the proportion of the births to the deaths; and consequently the city has not been improperly named. In June, July, August, and September, however, fogs arise from the river, which affect the lungs and breast. The vehement winds too which blow from the pampas, or plains, and are therefore called pampo'os, prove very troublesome to the inha- bitants. Neither in the city of Buenos Ayres, nor in Tucu- man, does any snow ever fall : sometimes it freezes a little, so as to cover the water with a thin coating of ice, which is col- lected and presei'ved with gieat care, for the purpose of cool- ing their liquors. Formerly the citizens of Buenos Ayres had no country houses; and, except peaches, none of the finer sorts of fruit were produced there. At present, there are few persons of opulence but have villas, and cultivate in their gardens all kinds of fruit, culinary plants, and flowers. The houses are in general not very high ; but most of them are built in a light and beautiful manner, and their interior exhibits great neatness and an abundant supply of good furniture. The city is well supplied with provision^ ; of fresh meat, in parti- cular, there is so great an abimdance, that it is frequently dis- tributed gratis to the poor. The river water is rather muddy, but it soon becomes clear and drinkable by being kept in large tubs or earthen vessels. Of fish too there is great abundance. At Buenos Ayres, the men as well as tlie women drcsh after the Spanish mode; and tlie lashions of Cadiz are ge- nerally copied here, but usually some years after their pre- valence in the mother country. The ladies m Buenos Ayres are reckoned the most agreerible and handsome of all Soutli Americtt. SOUTH AMERICA. 625 Until the year 1747, no regular post was established either in Buenos Ayres, or the whole province of Tucunian, not- withstanding the great intercourse and trade with the neigh- bouring provinces : but, in 1748, the viceroy Don Andonaegui instituted regular posts. In the villages round Buenos Ayres, it is not uncommon to meet with people in their eig^itieth year, who still retain the full vigour and health of middle age. Epidemics or other dangerous diseases are wholly unknown ; and were not the peasants, and those persons whose avocations expose them to such hazards, liable to so many dangerous casualties from the cattle and horses, people of an hundred years old, or upwards, would be nothing remarkable in this country. Monte Video is a town upon the river of La Plata, about 60 miles from its mouth. It has a large and convenient harbour, and the climate is mild and agreeable. The markets are plen- tifully supplied with fish and meat at a very cheap rate. Its principal trade is in leather. Don Pernetti has given a curious picture of the Spaniards of Monte Video. To sleep, talk, smoke a segar, and ride on horseback, are the occupations in which they pass three-fourths of the day. The great abundance of provisions gives facility to their idleness ; besides which, there are amongst them many persons of property, so that they all appeal- anxious to live in style, and have nothing to do. The women, during the whole of the morning, sit on stools in their entrance halls, having under their feet, first, a cane mat, and over that a piece of the stuff made by the Indians, or a tiger's skin. They amuse themselves with playing on a guitar, or some similar instrument, which they accompany with their voice, while the negresses prepare the dinner. In these countries jealousy does not disturb either sex. The men publicly acknowledge their illegitimate children, who be- come the heirs of their fathers. There is no shame attached to bastardy ; because the laws so far authorise promiscuous in- tercourse, as to grant to the diildren which result from it the title of gentlefolks, 27 4 K 626 SOUTH AMERICA. The women, though covered by a veil in public places, live at home with as much freedom, to say the least of it, as females do ip France ; they receive company as they do in France ; and do not suffer themselves to be pressed to dance, sing, or play on the harp, guitar, or mandoline. In this respect they are much more complaisant than French women, if we may credit the assertion of Don Pernetti. When they are not oc- cupied in dancing, they sit continually on the stools already mentioned, which they sometimes place outside the door. The men are not allowed to sit among them unless they are invited, and such a favour is considered as a great familiarity. At Monte Video, a lively and very lascivious dance is much practised : it is called caknda ,• and the negroes, as well as the mulattoes, whose constitutions are sanguine, are excessively fond of it. This dance was introduced in Amei'ica by the ne- groes who were imported from the kingdom of Ardra, on the eoast of Guinea; and the Spaniards have adopted it in all their establishments. It is, however, so indecent, as to shock and astonish those who have not been in the habit of seeing it performed. The accounts which have been given of this licen- tious recreation are so different from what is conceived in Eu- rope, that a particular detail of them would resemble a story of La Fontaine, rather than a matter of fact. The common people, in which are included the mulattoes and negroes, wear, instead of a cloak, a piece of stuff, in stripes of different colours, which appears like a sack, having only a hole at top for the admission of the head ; it hangs over the arms down to the wrist, and reaches, both before and behind, down to the calf of the leg ; it is fringed all round at the bot- tom. The men of every class wear it when they ride on horseback, and find it much more convenient than the common cloak. The governor shewed one of these habiliments to Messrs. Bougainville, Pernetti, &c., which was embroidered with gold and silver, and had cost him upwards of 300 pias- tres. The same dresses are made at Chili, in such a style as to cost 2000 ; and it is from that country that they have been imported at Monte Video. This dress is known by the name SOUTH AMERICA. 627 of poncho or chony : it secures the wearer from rain, is not ruffled by the wind, and not only serves him for a coverlid at night, but also for a carpet when he rests in the fields. Paraguay. — The subdivisions of this great province are very imperfectly known. The upper part of the country, which lies along the rivers of Paraguay, Pilcomayo, and Ver- mejo, consists of fine plains, watered by a great number of ri- vulets, agreeable hills, and thick forests ; but the lower part contains a series of barren or swampy countries, in which there are large saline plains. To the east of Parana, the ground is hilly. The state of the towns in Paraguay is but little known. Assunc'ion, in English Assumption, is the capital of the pro- vince: it is situated 840 miles from Buenos Ayres, on the river of Paraguay. Though the residence of a bishop and a governor, it is but thinly inhabited. Ncemboucou is a pretty town, situated, according to M. d'Azzara, 99 miles from the town of Assumption. Couroug'uatl, another town mentioned by d'Azzara, is 108 miles east-north-east of Assumption. Tucuman. — Tucuman is a very extensive province; its length by the post roads is about 1580 miles, of which 1306 are very fruitful soil, and 274. waste; the first part is passable with waggons, but in the latter only saddle-beasts are employed. The principal towns in this province are, the Salta of Tu- cuman, which is the residence of a governor, and is situated in a very fertile valley ; Jujui, Rioja, San Fernando, Saint Jaques de TEsterro, San Miguel, and Cordova. Cordova is the residence of a bishop, and the best town iu the province. It lies on a small sandy plain, between a thick forest and the Rio Primero, and forms nearly a regular square. The houses in general have only one story, but are tolerably good, and arc neatly and solidly constructed. The city con- tains three men's, and an equal number of women''8 convents, called ' Collegios ;' one of which has the title of ' University,"' and formerly belonged to the Jesuits. Many wealthy indivi- duals reside here, who carry on a lucrative trade in mules. They purchase the young foals in the neighbourhood of Bue- nos Ayres, Santa l^e, and Corrientes, bringing them up at first 628 SOUTH AMERICA. in their own fields, from which at a more advanced growth they remove them to those near Salta, and sell them a year and a half or two years afterwards, to the mule-dealers from Peru at eight or ten piastres the head. Sant lago del Estero is a poor place, which lies on a river of the same name, in a marshy country that is frequently over- flowed. The inhabitants pass for the best soldiers in the whole province ; but, with the exception of some mule-dealers, live in great poverty. Exclusive of a magnificent Jesuits' college, that would lodge the whole place with convenience, there are nothing but miserable huts in the town. The women belong- ing to it make very good woollen carpets, but unfortunately there is not much demand for them. St. Miguel is situated in a most beautiful country, amongst fertile plains of figs and citrons, vying with the pomegranate and lively orange trees. The inhabitants carry on a good trade in mules, particularly those destined for draught, which are wanted for the land-carriage to Buenos Ayres and Jujui; and the vehicles so employed are also constructed here. They are a sort of iofty two-wheeled caravan, railed round with cane, and covered on the outside with ox-hides. Salta del Tuciiman lies in an extremely fenny situation ; it is scarcely possible to dig three feel without finding water; and, on the other hand, the vale of I.erma, at whose issue the city is situated, is beautifully covered with meadows and fields. Salta does not probably contain more than SOOO inhabitants, yet it is of considerable importance on account of its extensive trade in mules, but more particularly its great annual fair, which is held in the months of February and March, and at- tracts an extraordinary number of strangers. The sellers from Buenos Ayres, Cordova, Santa Fe, Corrientes, &c., and the purchasers out of Peru, come hither in crowds ; and there are often seen at that period about Salta, 60,000 mules, and 4000 hoises, all of which go to Peru. This fair would in all probability be still more brilliant, were it not held in the rainy months, when the neighbourhood is scarcely better than a vast morass, and the number of strangers, who are obliged to take up a temporary residence outside the town, can hardly find a SOUTH AMERICA. 629 spot of ground whereon to fix their tents. It is not Improba- ble but to these marshy exhalations may be attributed the hi- deous goiters with which the female sex is here so fi'equently afflicted. As beautiful as the women are, and distinguished for their fine complexions, and particularly the fine growth of their hair, no sooner have they attained their twenty -fifth year, than their necks progressively increase in size, till they at length attain to a most disgusting protuberance ; and in order to conceal this deformity, these poor women envelope them*- selves up to the chin in a thick handkerchief. Charcas. — This audxency is divided into several large pro- vinces. The climate, in general, is hot and moist ; and the soil very fertile. Great part of this region is inhabited by hordes of Indians, some of whom are on friendly terms with the Spaniards, and others are so barbarous that they eat their enemies. Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the capital of the province of that name. It is a modern built place, for the old town, which was more towards the south, is destroyed. It is a large city, well peopled, and has a governor and a bishop; the latter, however, resides at Misque Pocona. La Plata is the capital of the province of Chuquisaco, and was first called La Plata on account of a famous silver mine, which was in the mountain of Porco, near the city in question, and from which the Incas derived innnense sums. The nobi- lity of this place are the most distinguished of any in Peru, and they still retain many privileges. The number of the in- habitants is about 14,000, amongst whom are many Spaniards. This city is the residence of an archbishop, whose authority extends over the whole viceroyalty. There are several other large towns in this audiency, which do not merit a particular description. Potosi. — This corregidory contains the famous silver mines which have been so often mentioned. These mines afforded, between the years 1545 and 1648, the enormous sum of 80,000,000 of pounds sterling; and they are still far from ex- haustion. The metal continues to be abundant, though the most accessible part has been taken away, and the Spaniards 630 SOUTH AMERICA. will not give themselves the trouble to sink these mines very deep, because there are in Peru, and even in the vicinity of Potosi, many others which can be more easily worked. The city or toMn of Potosi contains, according to Helms, 100,000 souls, inclusive of slaves; but other writers state the numbers at not more than 50,000. AVe ought, however, to prefer the testimony of Helms, because he resided many years in that country. Potosi is the seat of the administration of the mines, and the tribunals that relate thereto : it is the cen- tre of a very considerable counnerce, which is conveyed by the river Pilcomayo. Chili proper. — This division of Spanish America is in length from north to south between 1500 and 1650 miles; and its width from east to west about 240 miles, which comprises the chain of the Andes. It is bounded to the west by the Pacific ocean, to the north by Peru, to the east by Tucuman, and to the south by the countries of Magellan. It is separated from all these regions by the Andes. The climate of Chili proper is temperate and salubrious, its soil fertile, and it always has a clear sky. The cold of winter is moderate, and the heat of summer is cooled by the winds that blow from the sea and the Andes. It contains every metal, semi-metal, and mineral, that has hitherto been dis- covered. Sant lago, the capital of the whole kingdom of Chili, is si- tuated in 38 deg. 40 min. 11 sec. south lat., and is 90 miles from the port of Valparayso. The town is said to be more than three miles in circumference. The streets intersect each other at right angles, and some of them are tolerably wide, and three-quarters of a mile long. Its population is estimated at 30,500 souls. Some of the edifices in Sant lago are worthy of mention, on account of their magnificence, though the rules of architectui-e have not been exactly observed in their con- struction : the principal are, the mint, the new cathedral, and some churches, though there are several splendid houses be- longing to individuals. These all consist only of a ground floor, though the apartments are capacious and lofty. This manner of building, which is, as has been observed, adopted SOUTH AMERICA. 631 from the fear of earthquakes, is probably in the end more convenient, salubrious, and even more magnificent, than the European method of building- several floors above each other. Sant iago is the residence of a captain-general, who is like- wise the civil magistrate of the kingdom of Chih ; of a bishop, who enjoys a large revenue, and a still greater degree of re- spect; of a supreme tribunal, an university, and a college of nobles. There are twelve monasteries and seven nunneries in this capital. The manner of living at Sant Iago exhibits all the charac- tCL-lstics of gaiety, hospitality, and good nature, whicli so ad- vantageously distinguish the Spaniards in the New World, as well as in Europe. The women there are handsome brunettes, but a Gothic dress rather disfigures them. The conversation in the first circles of the town seems to partake of the simpli- city and freedom which prevail in the country parts of Europe. Dancing and music are here, as well as throughout America, the favourite amusements of both sexes. The luxury of dress and equipages is carried to a great height ; but in the furnish- ing and fitting up of houses, more regard is had to pomp than to neatness and elegance. The town of La Conception having been overwhelmed by the sea, in consequence of an earthquake, a new one has been built at some distance from the shore, which is indiscriminatelv called La Mocha, or New Conception. The inhabitants are about 10,000 in number. It is the residence of an intendant and a military commander, and the authority of these two officers extends over the province of La Conception, which comprises the south of Chili ; but its limits are not precisely known. Commerce. — The inhabitants of these immense territories have, during three centuries, groaned under the severest des- potism, so that commerce has been injured, agriculture neg- lected, and the exertions of industry paralysed, and in a great measure rendered abortive. Galleons, and afterwards register- ships, were exclusively permitted to carry out European mer- chandise to the colonies, and in return brought back the gdld and silver drawn from the mines of the New World, which the 692 SOUTH AMERICA. indolent Spaniards saw with perfect apathy go to enrich the neighbouring commercial nations. Spain did not, however, succeed in her projects of monopoly ; as the other European nations, which were prohibited by the most severe laws from entering any of her colonial ports, ne- vertheless contrived, with a boldness and perseverance equal to the importance of the object they had in view, to supply these countries with every article of which they might stand iti need. In particular, our own merchants, as well as those of Holland, employed by turns gold and the force of arms to counteract the vigilance of the Spanish g'narda castas, stationed along the coast, to prevent such contraband traffic. The idea was in- deed equally absurd and impolitic to endeavour to shut out the one half of the world from all connection with the other. From these and other circumstances, few advantages have hithei'to been derived from the precious metals, either by America herself, or the mother country ; since the former is not permitted to exchange her gold and silver for those com- modities of which she may stand in need, and the latter is at no pains to supply those wants. In 17T8, Galvez, at that time minister of American affairs, endeavoured to produce some changes in their absent colonial system. Under his administration, thirteen prirtcipal ports in Old Spain were successively permitted to engage in a free trade with the colonies. Since this period, the manufactures of Old Spain have been greatly improved and multiplied : the linens of Navarre and of Arragon, the cloths of Segovia, the silks of Valencia, besides various other articles, render the Spanish commerce less dependent on foreign importations. From 1778 to 1788, the number of fi-ee ports in the mother country had been increased from seven to twelve. The ex- portations of Spanish merchandise had also, during the same period, been more than quintupled, the exports of foreign products in Spanish bottoms more than tripled, and the im- ports from America in return augmented by more tiian nine- tenths. From a table given by Mr. Bourgoing, it appears that the total value of the imports from South America, during 1788. SOUTH AMERICA. 633 amounted to 22,667,320/. 9*., and the total of the exports to 7,493,933/. 5*. ; so that the imports exceed the exports by 15,173,387/. 4*. From various authorities, it appears certain, that Spain has, since 1788, exported to South America more wines, fruits, and manufactured productions, than formerly; it is equally certain, thai she has also since imported a greater quantity of tobacco, sugar, coffee, and other commodities, from her Ame- rican possessions, though these are still far from having ob- tained that degree of perfection of which they are susceptible ; that, in short, the intercourse between the mother country and her colonies has become much greater than at any former pe- riod. Previous to 1778, twelve or fifteen vessels only were engaged in the colonial trade, and these never performed more than one voyage in the course of three years; but in 1791, 89 ships cleared out from different Spanish ports for South America. It is not easy to ascertain the exact quantity of gold and silver drawn by Spain from the mines in her Ajnerican colo- nies. Part of these metals is converted into current coin at Lima, Santa Fe, Carthagena, and especially in Mexico ; but a part is also sent under the form of ingots, either clandes- tinely or legally, to the mother country. The most accurate information respecting this matter is, perhaps, to be found in the statement given by M. Helms, which makes the produce almost FIVB MILLIONS, in 1790,^ nearly three of w^hich were in Mexico. The following are the official registers of the coinage in Spanish America, from the first day of January to the last day of December, 1790 : In Gold. In Silver. Total. At Mexico, 628,044 17,4S5,6'44 18,063,688 piastres. At Lima, 821,168 4,341,071 5,162,239 At Potosi, 299,846 3,983,176 4,283,022 At St. Jago, 721,754 116,132 867,886 Total 2,470,812 25,906,023 28,376,835 4 L 634 SOUTH AMERICA. To account for the great difference of produce from the mines of Mexico, and from those of Peru, Chili, and Buenos Ayres, Mr. Hehiis alleges the following reasons : 1. Because the kingdom of Mexico is much more populous than any other of the American provinces. 2. It is scarcely half the distance from the mother country, whence it is enabled the better to enforce obedience to the laws and regulations, habits of indus- try, good police, and economy. 3. The want of royal and private banks in Peru, where every thing is still in its primi- tive and chaotic state. And, lastly, on account of the great encouragement which the industrious miner readily obtains in every commercial house of Mexico. If, concludes Helms, the provinces of Peru, Chili, and Buenos Ayres, were in a similar favourable situation as that of iNIexicoj there is no doubt that in Pei'u alone, on account of its incomparably richer and more numerous gold and silver mines, f()ur times the quantity of these noble metals might be obtained, and perhaps a still greater proportion, than what Mexico affords at present. Since the discontinuance of the galleons, and of the great fairs at Panama and Porto Bello, the commerce of Peru has been augmented by the arrival of merchant vessels from Spain by the way of cape Horri. Yet, according to Helms, the freedom of the trade has overstocked the market with Spanish goods. From the \dceroyalty of La Plata hides and tallow form a considerable article of ex}X)rt. In 1792, there were shipped to the Spanish ports alone 825,(^00 hides; and in 1798 there were collected in Buenos Ayres and Monte Video a stock of three millions of hides. The tea^ or herb of Paraguay, con- stitutes a principal branch of the ti'ade of that country. Of this plant there ai'e sent to Peru alone about 100,000 parcels, called arfobes, each weighing 25 lbs. of 16 oz. to the lb. ; and the price of the arrobe is equal to 28 French livres, or 1/. 3.9. 4f/. sterling, which makes the total value of this merchandise sent to Peru, 116,666/. \^s. 4J. The people boast of innumerable virtues which this tree possesses : it is certainly aperient and diuretic ; but the other qualities attributed to it are doubtful. The Chapetons, or European Spaniards, do not make much use of this drink ; SOUTH AMERICA. 635 but the Creoles are passionately fond of it, insomuch that they never travel without a supply of the herb ; they never fail to drink an infusion of it at every meal, preferring it to all sorts of food, and never eating till they have ttiken this favourite beverage. Instead, however, of drinking it separately, as we drink tea in Europe, they put the plant in a calabash, mounted with silver, which they call mate: they add sugar to it, and pour on it hot water, which they drink off directly without waiting for a maceration, because the liquor would then be- come as black as ink. In order not to swallow the fragments of the plant which swim at the surface, they use a silver pipe, the top of which is perforated into a number of small holes, through which they suck the liquor without drawing in the plant. J\. whole party is supplied with the tea by handing round the same pipe and bowl from one to another, and filling the vessel up with water as fast as it is drunk out. The re- pugnance of Europeans to drink after all sorts of people, in a country where siphylitic diseases are very prevalent, had caused the introduction of small glass pipes, which had begun to oet into use at Lima in the time of Frezier. On an average of five years, ending in 1799, the total value of imports into Peru, taken at the European invoice prices, was 32,397,453 piasters. The exports in the produce of the country amounted, in an average of five years, ending in 1789, to 31,386,357 piasters. We have no late- returns of the state of the exports and im- ports of Spanish South America; but from various circum- stances it may safely be concluded, that the commerce of these colonies is nearly doubled. Government. — Spanish America is, or rather was, divided into FOUR viceroyalties, of unequal dimensions ; viz. That of jMexico, or New Spain, comprehending New Galli- cia. New IJiscay, New Navarre, New Leon, New Mexico, the Floridas, and the two Californias. That of New Grenada, compreliending Terra Firma, Pa- nama, V'eraguay, and the pi-ovince of Quito. That of Lima, comprehending Peru and Chih, 636 SOUTH AMERICA. And that of La Plata, or Buenos Ayres, comprehending Paraguay, Tucuman, and a part of the former Peru. In order to facilitate the administration of justice, these pro- vinces were divided into audiencies, which were again subdi- vided into partidos. They were also divided into military districts, which were under the authority of captains-general, governors, and commanders. The viceroys maintained a splendid court, though their power was extremely limited, from the authority pt)ssessed by the judges, and from their not being pennitted to interfere with the colonial treasures, or the military or marine forces. The military department was much neglected in all the Spanish possessions ; the militia being found sufficient to keep the Indians in subjection: and the marine was confined to ten corvettes, or armed galleons, stationed along a coast extending from 9 to 12,000 miles ! All colonial affairs are finally referred to the council of tJie Indies, which holds its sittings at Madrid, and of which the mimstcr of the Indies is the perpetual resident. History. — Peru and Mexico were the only countries in America that deserved the name of civilised kingdoms. Three citizens of Panama, Francis Pizarro, Almagro, and Ferdinand Locqucs, a priest and a man of considerable fortune, imdertook the conquest of Peru. Pizarro, after a tedious navigation of two years, landed on the northern extremity of Peru ; but was obliged to return without effecting any thing considerable. But, having obtained the approbation of the Spanish govern- ment, he again proceeded to the conquest of Peru, with 180 men. The empire of Peru was at that time governed by a race of kings, which they called Incas, and which, claiming descent from the sun, wei'e respected as divinities. When PizaiTO landed, the unusual appearance of his men caused a general alarm. As usual in frightl'ul rumours, new superstitions be- gin, or old ones are revived, to increase the confusion. There subsisted a tradition amongst the Peruvians, that one of their ancient princes had a dream, which he ordered carefully to be SOUTH AMERICA. 637 recorded. He imagined that he saw a man clothed all over even to his feet, with a long beard, leading in his hand an ani- mal, such as he had never seen before; and that at the. same time he was clearly informed of the will of the gods, that such a man should rule that country. A Spaniard, whom Pizarro had sent upon an embassy to Atabalipa, as soon as he was dis- covered leading his horse upon some occasion that made him dismount, am-eed so well with this dream, that it is incredible how soon it spread into the the remotest parts of the countiy, and with how great a terror it struck the whole nation. Atabalipa, the reigning Inca, sent ambassadors to Pizarro; and even went out to meet him with a vast number of attend- ants, to whom he gave the strictest charge upon no account to offer the least injury to the strangers, as they were those of whom his predecessor had foretold, and of the same divine ori- ginal, children of the sun. But Pizarro, wiio advanced with other notions to the interview, soon convinced him that a con- trary caution was more necessary. They met near a celebrated temple, the Spaniards drawn up in order of battle, and a party in ambuscade. This circumstance leaves us in no doubt as to the designs of Pizarro. The first person who addressed him- self to the Inca was father Vincent, a friar, who was not ashamed to make his character the instrument of so base a crime. He advanced with a cross in his hand, and began a most unseasonable discourse upon the birth and miracles of Christ, exhorting him to become a Christian, on the pain of eternal punishment. Then he spoke with equal eloquence of the emperor of the Romans, pressing him with the same strength of argument to become a subject of that emperor; threatening him, in case of obstinacy, that God would harden his heart as he did Pharaoh's, and then punish him with the plagues of Egypt; with other miserable stuff, worse inter- preted. The Inca, though utterly astonished at a matter so unaccountable, behaved with decency and gravity, telling him, that he believed that he and his companions were children of the sun; recommended himself and his subjects to their pro- tection ; and made no doubt but they would behave to them in a manner worthy the offspring of so beneficent a deity. 638 SOUTH AMERICA. ■ Whilst these discourses continued, the Spanish soldiers, whose least business to Peru was to hear sermons, observing a considerable quantity of gold in the neighbouring temple, had their zeal immediately stirred up, and a party of them began to pillage it. The priests made some opposition. A disturb- ance ensued, and a great noise, which so alarmed our adven- turing apostle, that he let fall his cross and bre^ iary in his fright, and turned his back upon his intended proselyte. Those Spaniards who were not concerned in the pillage, seeing liim fly, either that they judged the heathens had offered their priest some violence, or that Pizarro made use of this signal to them to fall on, immediately drew their swords, attacked the guards and attendants of the Inca, defenceless through a reli- gious obedience to their sovereign's command, and, with every circumstance of the most deliberate and shocking barbarity, slaughtered 5000, which was near the whole number of the Indians, who fell without any anxiety for their own lives, pressing forward with all the zeal and officiousness of a most heroic loyalty to the chair of their prince, to expire at his feet ; and as fast as one set of his supporters were slain, the others succeeded with eagerness to supply their places, and share their fate. The Inca was at last dragged down, and made a prisoner, by an act of the most unparalleled treachery, exe- cuted with a cruelty that has hardly any example and can ad- mit of no excuse. The plunder of his camp, rich beyond the idea of any European of that time, was their reward. The valuable ornaments and furniture amassed by a long line of magnificent kings, with the hallowed treasures of the most venerated temples, wTre given up as a ransom for the Inca. But still Pizarro detained him a prisoner ; and divided iiis immense spoils with the soldiers of Almagro, who having now joined him, his force was considerable ; and all were elated with the golden prospects that were opened before them. But this vast treasure, the capital object of all their labours and villanies, no sooner came into their possession, but in its con- sequences it was very near being the utter ruin of their affairs. It is said, and not improbably, that the whole exceeded the sum of 1,500,000/. sterling, a sum vast at the present time; SOUTH AMERICA. 6^b then it was a prodigy. On a dividend, after deducting a fifth for the emperor, and the shares of the chief commanders and officers, each private soldier had about 2000Z. EngHsh money. They had now made a fortune even beyond their imaginations ; but the soldiery was ruined, the greatest part of the army in- sisted upon being discharged, that they might enjoy their for- tunes in quiet. This proposal ill suited with the ambitious views of the commanders. Almagro was for proceeding in the usual way to enforce obedience by the severity of military discipline ; but Pizarro opposed him. 'Let them go,' says he; 'they cannot do us better service : here we shall have them mutinous and cowardly soldiers, at home they will act for us as recruiting officers with creat success : for when it shall be seen that com- mon soldiers, of so little merit as they, have made such large fortunes, we shall not long want better men to supply their places."" The desire of the soldiers was complied with, and as many as chose to go, who were no inconsiderable number, departed. In due time, the sagacious pro])hecy of Pizarro was accom- plished, and their army never wanted reinforcements. In the mean time, the unfortunate AtabaHpa, the greatness of whose ransom only convinced the Spaniards of the necessity of never releasing him, endeavoured to take advantage of his captivity, to know the genius and manners of this people. Amongst all their accomplishments, there was none he so much admired as the art of reading and writing. This ap- peared almost incomprehensible to him, though he saw clearly the use of it. He was at a loss to know whether he should consider it as a natural endowment, or an acquisition of art. To discover this, he one day desired a soldier to write the name of God ivpon his nail : he carried this about the army, desired several to explain it, which they all did, to his wonder and satisfaction. At last lie shewed it to Pizarro, but Pizarro blushed, and could make nothing of it. The Inca then per- ceived it was no natural gift, but owing to education ; the want of which he thus discovered in Pizarro, and slighted Iiim for it. This mortified the general, and his disgust, joined to 640 SOUTH AMERICA. his natural cruelty and a policy he thought he saw in the pro- ceeding, made him hasten the fate he had some time before determined for his unhappy prisoner. That nothing might be wanting to the boldness and atrociousness of their barbarity, they proceeded against him by way oi" trial and by the forms of law. A charge was exhibited, digested under several heads. 1st, For being an idolator. 2dly, For having many concubines, 3dly, For wasting the treasures of the kingdom, and raising taxes since the coming in of the Spaniards. And, lastly. For the murder of his brother Huescar. An attorney-general was appointed to manage the accusation, and an advocate appointed from amongst themselves assigned for his defence. In vain did tlie more numerous and better part of the army protest against this proceeding, and lodge an appeal to Spain ; in vain did they allege their want of power to judge a foreign prince for any crimes, and the absurdity of the crimes with which this prince was charged. Before such judges, and with such an advocate to defend him, the Inca was condemned to be burned alive. To complete this violation and mockery of all laws, human and divine, the same fathei* Vincent, who had so sig- nalised himself u})on a former occasion, was sent to comfort and instruct him in his last moments. The chief argument which he used to convert him to Christianity was, that, on his embracing the faith, instead of being burned, his sentence should be mitigated to strangling. The prince submitted to baptism, and was immediately strangled in prison. Pizarro gave the final stroke to his hardened and shameless villainy, by giving him a magnificent funeral, and going into mourning. The death of the Inca induced the Peruvians to take arms against the Spaniards, who were obliged to listen to a treaty. During this interval of peace, Pizarro founded the famous city of Lima. But having received reinforcements, he recom- menced the war, and took Cusco, the capital of the empire. After this, the Peruvians again revolted, and besieged Cusco with 200,000 men, which was defended by Pizarro with a garrison of TO men till he was relieved by Ahnagro. The conquerors, who had quarrelled respecting the division of the SOUTH AIMERICA. mi plunder, had recourse to arms, and Pizarro was routed and fled with about 100 followers. But this man, with the most consummate cunning, recovered the shock, defeated the brave hut credulous Almagro, who, at the age of 73 years, fell a vic- tim to the barbarous policy of his fellow adventurer. Whilst this civil war raged, the reigning Inca took a very extraordinary resolution. He disbanded his troops and retired to the mountains ; ' because,' says he, ' whilst we are in arms, tlieir fear of us will be the means of uniting the Spaniards; but if we disperse, they will certainly destroy each other.' A resolution this, which at first view has something masterly, but it is only when viewed in one light. It was also very ruinous to the Peruvians, that, happening to be divided amongst themselves when the Sj;)aniards came in, they suffered tliem to interfere in their parties ; but it was of yet worse con- sequence that, when the Spaniards were afterwards divided, they interfered themselves in the Spanish parties. Almagro and Pizarro had armies of Indians, by which those people were habituated to obey them, and to be interested in tiieir success : this, joined to the want of any regular plan of defence on the part of their king and commanders, subdued that em- pire to Pizarro. But having achieved so great a conquest, it only made Pizarro acquainted with other great tracts which were rich, and might be added to them. He followed the tracks of Almagro into Chili, and reduced a considerable part of the country. Orellana, one of his commanders, passed the Andes, and sailed down to the mouth of the river of Amazons ; an immense navigation, which discovered a very rich and de- lightful country ; but, as it is mostly flat, and therefore not abounding in minerals, the Spaniards then, and ever since, neglected it. Pizarro, not content with a territory upwards of 800 leagues long, and of a prodigious breadth, riches such as none of the kings of his country had ever possessed, a jurisdiction little less than royal, and an absolute security from the extinction of the orily person who had any pretensions against him, took a resolution entirely to cut off all that had ever adhered to his tival. Not satisfied with putting many to death, he issued a 4 M 642 SOUTH AMERICA. proclamation, inhibiting, under the same penalty, that any person should harboui*, or even relieve an Almagrian with the necessaries of life. This party was yet numerous, though dis- persed and lurking about the country. The heads of them, findmg Pizarro implacable, entered into a conspiracy to mur- der him. They did not want adherents in the city, so that they found means of concealing themselves until their plot should be ripe for execution ; but by some means Pizarro dis- covered their designs, and suffered them to know he had dis- covered theui. Alarmed at this Information, they saw nothing could happen but death at any side. Twelve of the chiefs marched into the streets at noon-day, with their swords drawn, crying out, ' Long live the king ! but let the traitor die ;"* and, crossing the great square of Lima, made directly to Pizarro''s palace ; the rest followed in different parties. The people all the while suspended, and in that inactive amazement which the execution of a bold and sudden enterprise generally in- spires, made no opposition. The conspirators secured the avenues ; and Pizarro, not alarmed until he was surrounded by his enemies, fell under their swords, after having sold his life dearly. When Pizarro had fallen, the natural son of Almagro was proclaimed governor. Shortly after, Vaca di Castro, who was appointed governor by the emperor, arrived, by whom young Almagro was defeated, taken, and beheaded. The severity, inflexibility, and disinterestedness, of the new governor, re- duced the Spaniards to an entire subjection. But in the end disputes arose, and the coiony became unsettled. Gonzalo, the brother of Pizarro, availed himself of the general discon- tent, and set himself at the head of a party, by which he ac- quired the government of Peru. Refusing to return to his allegiance, Peter de la Gasca, the governor of Mexico, landed in Peru with a strong force, defeated the insurgents, and exe- cuted Gonzalo and his associates. Thus fell the last of those tl^at had a share in the reduction of the Peruvian empire. The new governor, having by necessary severities quieted his province, took effectual care to heal its disorders by the arts of peace, and to complete what Castro had been obliged SOUTH AMERICA. 643 to leave unfinished. He settled the civil government, the army, and the mines, upon such a basis as made the province worthy to be plundered by future viceroys. He carried over two millions to the royal treasury, paid all his debts, and sate down as poor in Spain as he had left it. The reduction of the great empires of Peru and Mexico makes almost the only thing worth insisting upon in the Ame- rican history. A few skirmishes with a savage people, and some voyages and discoveries exactly resembling each other, changing only the names and situations, is matter which con- tains very little of either curiosity or instruction. But as the convulsions that lately agitated Europe have also reached and affected the regions of South America, and portend some im- portant change, it becomes necessary to notice these interesting movements. In the month of June, 1806, a squadron vmdcr Sir Home Popham, having on board general Beresford and 1100 troops, appeared in the river La Plata, and after a feeble resistance from the Spaniards, took possession of Buenos Ay res. This town, at the time of its capture, possessed in its treasury and warehouses a large quantity of specie and valuable merchan- dise, belonging to the public companies or to the king of Spain, which was reasonably deemed fair booty to the conquerors, and a great part of which, to the amount of more than a mil- lion of dollars, was almost immediately embarked in the Nar- cissus, and dispatched, with intelligence of the success of the expedition, to England, Two hundred thousand dollars re- mained in the royal treasury, .and the property in the public depots was estimated to amount to two or three millions. The proceedings of Sir Home Popham and general Beres- ford were attended with a sense of honour and equity, highly gratifying to the feelings of Englishmen. Private property was held sacred by them. That part of the shipping in the river which consisted of coasting vessels, freighted with mer- chandise belonging to individual proprietors, and which was supposed worth nearly a million and a half of dollars, was de- livered up with the most scrupulous and honourable correct- ness. Besides this security of private property, guarantepd in 644 SOUTH AMERICA. the capitulation, and by a proclamation which speedily followed, the free exercise of religion was allowed to the inhabitants ac- cording to the established modes, the possession of their civil rights and immunities, and their forms of municipal and judicial administration were continued ; heavy duties were taken oif, or mitigated ; a free trade was granted to them as it was enjoyed by the inhabitants of Trinidad, whose happiness under his Bri- tannic majesty ""s government was held fortli as an example of what might result to his new subjects of Buenos Ayrcs: — all were invited to join in promoting the public order and tran- quillity, which the troops were in no instance suffered to mo- lest ; and the grand object of the new possessors appeared to be, to create that happy state of the public feeling, with respect to the government, which might supersede all exercise of vio- lence, and which would flow from mild authority, and lead to willing obedience. After these arrangements, every thing appeared very quiet ; but Puiridon, one of the municipality, and colonel Liniers, a French officer in the Spanish service and on his parole, were actively employed in organizing an insurrection. Favoured by the weather, several thousands of armed men entered the town in different directions; and, avoiding an open engage- ment, joined the inhabitants in annoying the British troops from the churches and the tops of the houses. General Be- resford, after a spirited resistance against the most overwhelm^ ing numbers, agreed to evacuate the town, and that his troops should be embarked for England as prisoners of war : but, contrary to the terms of capi'.ulation, they were marched up the country. Sir Home Popham, after this disaster, made an unsuccessful attack upon Monte Video. He next landed a detachment, which reduced the harbour and peninsula of Maldonado ; a place which, from its strength and situation, was well calculated for assembling the ships and troops that were exjjected from England. On the 5th of January, 1807, Sir Samuel Auchmuty landed with a strong force at Maldonado ; and, after refreshing his troops, sailed, with a squadron under admiral Sterling, to the SOUTH AMERICA. 645 attack of Monte Video; which, after a vigorous siege, was gallantly carried by storm. This victory was followed by the arrival of general Whitlock, with a strong reinforcement; and who immediately proceeded, with the fleet under admiral Murray, to attempt the re-capture of Buenos Ayres. The troops were lantled about 20 miles from the town ; but being unprovided with guides, and the commissary department being also improperly conducted, much fatigue and delay en- sued ; which gave the Spaniards time to collect their forces, and to strengthen their defences. The Spaniards' advanced posts were gallantly attacked and defeated. The troops, how- ever, on entering the town, experienced the most determined resistance, being opposed by a heavy and continued fire of musketry from the tops and windows of the houses; the doors of which were barricadoed in so strong a manner, as to render them ahnost impossible to force. The streets were intersected by deep ditches, in the inside of which were planted cannon, pouring showers of grape on the advancing columns ; this was accompanied by musketry, hand-grenades, bricks, and stones, from the tops of all the houses ; every householder, with his negroes, defended his dwelling, which was in itself a fortress : yet in defiance of this opposition, several columns took the im- portant positions appointed them, though with the loss of 2500 men, in killed, wounded, and prisoners. After a pause, gene- ral Whitlock signed a treaty with general Liniers, the Spanish commander, whereby the British agreed to evacuate Monte Video, with all their other conquests in the La Plata, within two months from the date of the treaty. Thus ended the impolitic attempt to add these vast and po- pulous colonies to the crown of Great Britain. Had the Bri- tish proclaimed the independence of this country, the result might have been very different : or even had they been content to hold Monte Video, from which commanding the trade of the interior, Buenos Ayres would, in the end, have found it necessary to come to terms of accommodation, highly to the advantage of ]Jritish commerce. The disposition to emancipate South America was first com- niunicated to a British minister in the beginning of 1790, when 646 SOUTH AMERICA. the measure was proposed to Mr. Pitt by general Miranda. It met, from that minister, witli the most cordial reception ; and, as the dispute respecting Nootka Sound was then subsist- ing, it was resolved, if Spain did not prevent hostilities by submission, to carry the plan into immediate execution. When an accommodation was effected, and peace at last decreed, Mr. Pitt still assured the general, that the scheme of emancipating South America was a measure that would not be lost sight of, but would infallibly engage the attention of every minister of this country. The man by whom this important suggestion was made, and in whose breast the scheme of emancipation, if not first conceived, seems at least to have been first matured, is a native of Caraccas in South America; descended from one of the principal families of the country. At the early age of seven- teen, he repaired to Spain, and, by the influence of his family, obtained a commission in the Spanish army. Early smit by the love of letters, lie was anxious to proceed to France for the prosecution of his education ; but permission was denied him ; and he was forced to bring the masters, whom he could not procure in Spain, from France at his own charges. It is an anecdote not unworthy of record, that when the inquisition ordered his books to be taken from him and burnt, he applied to count O'lleilly, inspector general of the Spanish army, to see if the order could not be recalled ; but the inspector told him, that all he could do was to condole w-ith Jiim, for that the same misfortune had happened to himself. When France and Spain resolved to take a share in the war which was carried on between Great Britain and her American colonies, it happened that Miranda was in that part of the Spanish army which was destined to co-operate with the French. Acting thus, and conversing with the members of a more enlightened nation than any he had yet seen, the ideas of the young American received that improvement after which he aspired ; and, in a scene where the cause of liberty was the object of all men's zeal and enthusiasm, and in a country the situation of which in so many respects resembled his own, a similar destiny for this last was naturally presented to his SOUTH AMERICA. 647 wishes. So deeply was the impression struck, that he has de- dicated to this one design ahiiost the whole of his life, and has been the prime mover in every scheme that has been proposed for the emancipation of the Spanish colonies in America. At the termination of the American war, he resigned his situation in the service of Spain, and repaired to Europe, with a view to study the institutions of the most enlightened nations, and to draw from them instruction for the benefit of his native country. For this purpose, he came first to Great Britain, and proceeded afterwards to Prussia, Austria, Italy, Greece, and a part of Turkey. He then proceeded to Russia, where he met with prince Potemkin at Cherson, whose notice he at- tracted ; and by him was introduced to the empress at Kiow. A native of Spain, travelling in search of knowledge, and im- proved by it, appeared to her in the light of a phenomenon. She invited him to remain in Russia; for, in Spain, she said, he would be burnt; — Spain was not a country for him. When Miranda opened to her, in reply, the views to which he had devoted himself in behalf of his country, she manifested the strongest interest in the accomplishment of his scheme, and assured him, in case of his success, she would be the foremost to support the independence of South America. She trans- mitted a circular letter to her ambassadors in Europe, to afford him her imperial protection every where ; and gave him an in- vitation to draw upon her treasury for his personal support. It was after this tour through Europe, in which Miranda spent several years, that he returned, by the m ay of France, to England ; and being, by his friend governor Pownal, intro- duced to Mr. Pitt, proposed to him the plan, of which the submission of Spain on the question at issue })revented the ex- ecution. At the time when the prospect was thus, for an in- definite period, closed upon him in England, and the first promising movements of liberty in France were attracting the curious from every quarter of the world, iNIiranda returned to witness the great scenes that were there passing, and to obtain, if possible, from France, in her new situation, the same favour to South America, Avhich in her old she had bestowed upon the United States. By his companions in anys, whom he had 648 SOUTH AMERICA. recently known in America, he was speedily drawn into some connexion with the great leaders at that time in public affliirs, and when the revolution was first called upon to draw the sword, he was invited and prevailed upon to take a command in her armies. It was while he was serving with Dumourier in the Nether- lands, that the scheme for revolutionising Spain and her colo- nies was first conceived by the republican leaders. But Miranda thought the republicans were proceeding too hastily, and refused his co-operation. During some years subsequent to this occurrence, the matter was sunk in oblivion amid the violent struggles which agitated Europe. Many months had not elapsed when the reign of Robespierre began ; and Mi- randa, Avith so many other virtuous men, were buried in the dungeons of the revolution. Though tried, and clearly ac- quitted by the revolutionary tribunal, which declared that not a shadow of suspicion attached to him, he was still detained in prison, and escaped the guillotine only by one of those acci- dents by which so many others were delivered up to it. About the same time, or a little after, Miranda was met at Paris by deputies and commissioners from Mexico, and the other principal provinces of South America, who had been sent to Europe for the purpose of concerting with him the measures to be pursued for accomplishing the independence of their country. It was decided accordingly, that Miranda should, in their name, again repair to England, and make such offers to the British government as, it was hoped, might induce it to lend them the assistance requisite for the great object of their wishes ; and it accorded with the plans of Mr. Pitt, at that time, to enter with promptitude into the sclieme proposed for the emancipation of South America. The pro- posal was, that North America should furnish 10,000 troops, and the British government agreed to find money and ships. But the president Adams declined to transmit an immediate answer, and the measure was, in consequence, postponed. In the bemnnino; of 1801, during lord Sidmouth's adminis- tration, the project was again revived. The plans of govern- ment to be recommended to the people of South America, SOUTH AMERICA. 649 were considered and approved ; even the military operations were sketched and arranged; and the preparations far ad- vanced for the expedition. The preliminaries, however, of the peace of Amiens were signed ; and the measure was put off to a future opportunity. When war was again declared against France in 1803, the bu- siness of South America formed one of the principal designs of ministers : and measures were taken to carry it into effect, the moment that the peace which still subsisted with Spain should be broken. This event did not occur till 1804, when Mr. Pitt was again at the head of administration. The measure was now prosecuted with zeal ; lord Melville and Sir Home Pop- ham were employed in arranging with general Miranda the whole details of procedure ; when the execution was again suspended by the affairs of Europe, and by the hopes and ex- ertions of the third coalition. The prospect thus appearing shut upon them in Europe, the South American exiles from the provinces of Caraccas and Santa Fe, residing in the United States of America, and in the island of Trinidad, pressed general IMiraiida, and at last pre- vailed upon him, to quit his residence in this country, and make an effort in their behalf through the medium of America alone. But on arriving there, the public aid of the govern- ment was refused, lest offence should be given to France. The hesitating and wavering policy of the British court also deprived Miranda of the succours he expected from the go- vernor of Trinidad. He sailed from Trinidad on the S-ith of July, with nine ships of war, and arrived on the Sd of August oft' the city of Coro, where his troops were landed under cover of the vessels, and with very slight resistance. Coro was taken by assault, and some other trifling advantages were gained ; but the pro- gress of this enterprising general was soon checked by an irre- sistible force. Most of his adherents were taken, and he him- self with difficulty escaped. This expedition, however, revived and strengthened the desire of independence, which had been long cherished in the Spanish colonies; and which received additional stimulus, 9S 4 N 650 SOUTH AMERICA. from the degraded and hopeless state the mother country ex- hibited. This disposition was first evinced in the latter end of 1809, by the deposition of the archbishop of La Plata, who held the highest civil authority in La Paz ; and the formation of a de- mocratic government. This was followed by a movement of the inhabitants of the Caraccas, who seized their public func- tionaries, and forced them on board ship. The revolutionary spirit spread rapidly through the vast regions of Terra Firma, and reached the western confines of the continent. At Quito, upwards of 4000, of all sexes and ages, perished in the strug- gle; but the revolutionists at last triumphed. The adherents of Old Spain, however, which comprehended all the regular troops, and most of the priests and civil officers, formed a strong party, and kept possession of several important places. When the Spanish nation rose in arms against the usurpa- tion of Bonaparte, they were enthusiastically seconded by the South Americans. But the Cortes treated their generous fel- low citizens in the colonies with neglect and contempt. They even manifested unequivocal symptoms of drawing tighter the bonds in which they had long been kept. The emissaries of Bonaparte in the colonies were thus enabled to form a strong party. Besides this, there were two other parties ; one of in- dependents, and a party desirous of retaining their allegiance to Ferdinand. While the people of tlie Caraccas were still angry and dis- appointed by the imbecility, tyranny, and impolicy of the re- gency, intelligence arrived that all who had countenanced or adhered to the late revolutionary proceedings were proclaimed traitors ; and that the ports were to be in a state of blockade till the province shoidd acknowledge, not -merely Ferdinand VII., but that the regency at Cadiz were his only true and legitimate representatives. In order to support this bold and obnoxious measure, the regency, to complete the proofs of their folly and imbecility, dispatched a lawyer of the name of Catavania, who, afraid to take up his abode in the Caraccas, eame no further than Porto Rico; and from thence issued his SOUTH AMERICA. 651 proclamations, which were impotent, and of no avail in any other respect, but in provoking and alienating the colonists. That party in the Caraccas, which had long entertained the design of separating the province from the mother country, now conceived that the time was arrivetl when they could easily and safely carry their design into execution ; for this purpose, they summoned a general congress of delegates from all the principal towns and districts which were favourable to their views. This congress met at Caraccas on the 2d of March, 1811. As it was still necessary, for some time at least, to preserve the appearance of loyalty and attachment to their sovereign, they took the oath of fidelity to Ferdinand VII., and declared their wish and resolution to continue con- nected and in amity with the mother country. At this con- juncture Miranda made his appearance; he had been long- ambitious to bring about and secure the independence of the Spanish colonies ; hitherto his attempts had not been success- ful; he was therefore eager to avail himself of these circum- stances and events so favourable to his plans ; and having procured himself to be elected for one of the most inconsidera- ble towns in the province, his influence and spirit soon began to manifest themselves. Before he appeared to animate and direct the insurrection, it had been marked with great mildness and moderation ; and the movers and first leaders of it were content in cautiously and gradually advancing towards tlie at- tainment of the objects they were desirous to attain and secure. Fai' different was the character of the insurrection, and the behaviour of the leading members of the congress, after Mi- randa gained access to it. One of the first fruits of this change of character appeared in the deputies, who so lately had renewed their oatii of fide- lity to Ferdinand, abjuring his authority; declaring them- selves, and their country at the same time, absolved from all dependence upon or allegiance to the crown of Spain ; while tliey constituted the provinces, of which they were deputies, into free and independent states, under the title and designa- tion of the limited provinces of Venezuela, 652 SOUTH AMERICA. A civil war with all its horrors and cruelties now com- menced : each parly proscribed the other, and inflicted the most summary punishment on those who fell into their power. Many persons were arrested and thrown into prison on suspi- cion ; some were banished; others put to death ; and in short all those scenes which characterised and disgraced the com- mencement of the French revolution, were acted in the Carac- cas, with equal violence and ferocity, though in a more confined theatre. The European and Creole families in general, natu- rally were disposed to resist these proceedings ; they of course felt the power and vengeance of Miranda and his partisans. Valencia, which is principally inhabited by old Creole families, at the commencement of the insurrection, had sent deputies to the congress ; but afterwards disapproving of their proceedings, and especially of the declaration of Independence, it deserted the party of Miranda. To punish it for this defection, he marched against it with a large body of troops, and inflicted on its inhabitants a most severe punishment. These disturbances and violent proceedings naturally alarm- ed the governors of the neighbouring provinces. On their first breaking out, the viceroy of Santa Fe de Bogota ordered, in the most strict and peremptory manner, that all communi- cation should be closed and cut off between his government and the insurgents. But his efforts to guard the provinces subject to his jurisdiction from the spreading and overwhelm- ing evil were unavailing. In them the same causes existed, which had existed in the Caraccas, and produced there a sepa- ration from the mother country and a civil war: one party were afraid and suspicious of their magistrates and governors, as attached to the French interest ; while another party were desirous of shaking off the authority of Spain. Under such circumstances, gi*eat caution, prudence, and moderation were neccssaiy in order to preserve the public peace : unfortunately these qualities did not exist. On the contrary, the corregidor of Socono, actuated by a rash and violent spirit, ordered the troops under his command to fire upon the populace, who had assembled, unarmed, but mutinous. Thus was the' spark set SOUTH AMERICA. 653 to the inflammable materials, which had been long accumulat- ing. The insurrection broke out and spread rapidly. The inhabitants of the neighbouring district, having learnt the outrage which the corregidor had committed against the peo- ple of Socono, came into the town in great numbers; and having compelled him to take refuge in a convent, starved him into surrendering. The town now threw off its depend- ance and allegiance; appointed a junta; and transmitted to the government of Santa Fe an account and vindication of its proceedings. Nearly at the same time, the populace of the capital of this province had manifested strong symptoms of disaffection and tumult ; the viceroy therefore, unable to put down by force of arms the insurgents of Socono, consented that they should establish a junta, of which he was appointed the president. For a very short time after these proceedings in Santa Fe, the insurgents appeared disposed to retain the show of allegiance to Ferdinand VII. : but an event which took place at Quito, and which excited universal detestation throughout Spanish America, made them throw aside the mask, and avow their determination to be free and independent of the crown of Spain. This event, so fatal to the cause and character of the mother country, was the massacre at Quito of a great number of the principal Creoles of that city, by a body of troops under the direction and in the service of the viceroy of Lima. As soon as intelligence of this massacre reached Santa Fe, the viceroy was deprived of his situation and authority, both as president of the junta and governor of the province. In order to follow the revolutionary course regularly and completely, the ancient name of New Granada was changed into Cundina- marca. The insurgents of this province, however, still stop- ped short of the proceedings of those of the Caraccas; for though they abjured the provisional governments of Spain, they acknowledged Ferdinand VII. as their legitimate sove- reign : this remnant of loyalty so much displeased the insur- gents of the Caraccas, that they remonstrated with them on the subject; declaring that they will acknowledge no form of government but what they make for themselves. 65^ SOUTH AMERICA. The events which have occurred in the province of Buenos Ayrcs afford another proof and example of tlie mischief and evil which have resulted from this revolutionary spirit. The town of Buenos Ayres had many peculiar causes of complaint against the government of Spain, besides causes which ope- rated on her, as well as on the rest of Spanish America. The greatest number of its inhabitants are merchants : of course the absurd restrictions placed upon the commerce of her colo- nies by Spain were severely felt by them ; and as t!ie, articles which they export arc chiefly of a perishable nature, whatever suspends or interrupts commerce must fall heavilv on them. Suffering from these circumstances, they had frequently com- plained of the monopoly of the mother country, as pressing on them with peculiar severity ; nor were the other inhabitants of Buenos Ayres without their grievances and cause of complaint against the mother country. Creoles of the oldest families, and of the highest rank and character, saw themselves de- prived of the offices of the state, in order that they might be filled by men of very doubtful character, of mean rank, and destitute of talents, from old Spain. In short, at Buenos Ayres, as in every other part of Spanish America, the conduct of the government of Spain was the same: it is difficult to pronounce. or ascertain whether it was more unjust or impolitic ; whether it was more calculated to injure the colonies or the mother country ; whether it was the result of extreme folly or of extreme wickedness, or of both combined. It is not to be wondered at, that in the town of Buenos Ayres the revolution was brought about and completed with- out any difficulty or resistance. The viceroy either perceiving objection and resistance useless, or disposed to coincide with the principles and views of the insurgents, gave up his autho- rity quietly ; but it was otherwise in the other parts of the province : they did not feel so acutely and extensively an Bue- nos Ayrf s the oppression of the mother country ; nor were the inhabitants in general so much inclined to the principles on which the revolutionists of Buenos Ayres acted. This differ- ence of opinion and conduct was principally visible at Monte Video ; the town recognised the regency of Cadiz ; a civil war SOUTH AMERICA. 655 commenced between it and Buenos Ayres ; and while the lat- ter besieged Monte V'ideo by land, Monte Video, aided by the Spanish marine, the presence and influence of which had at first induced it to acknowledge the regency at Cadiz, threat- ened Buenos Ayres from the river. In the midst of this civil war, the British admiral and the British naval officei's on that station, had a diflicult and delicate task to execute : they were applied to by both parties, but very judiciously declined tak- ing part with either; contenting themselves with protecting the Britisii ships and merchants. Besides Monte Video, Cordova, another town in the viceroy- alty of Buenos Ayres, about 500 miles from it, in the interior, became the scene of a counter-revolution, under Liniers and other adherents of Spain. On many accounts this counter-re- volutionary party was dreaded by the insurgents of Buenos Ayres ; the leader of it, Liniers, was a person of great influ- ence and considerable talents, he also was deservedly popular at Buenos Ayres. Many attempts were made to gain him over, but these failing, a large body of troops was dispatched from Buenos Ayres against Cordova: on their approach, the leaders of the counter-revolution, apprehensive either that the people were not able to cope with regular forces, or suspicious of their steadiness and attachment, precipitately fled, and at- tempted to reach the frontiers of Peru. In this attempt, however, they did not succeed : they were pursued and taken ; and, without even the foi'ni of trial, put to immediate death. Liniers surrendered himself; but this did not save his life: two days after his surrender, he was shot through the head. In the mean time, the viceroy of Lima, having received in- formation of the revolutionary proceedings at Buenos Ayres, determined to crush them if possible ; for this purpose he raised a considerable army, and marched towards the Andes. The army sent from Buenos Ayres to attack Cordova heard of the approach of the viceroy while they were at that city ; and having completely succeeded in the object for which they were sent, their leader resolved to advance and meet the vice- roy of Lima. The hostile armies met at Suipacha, in the be- ginning of November, 1810; an action took place, and the 656 SOUTH AMERICA. insurgents were victorious : the consequence and the reward of their victory was, the possession of Potosi, and of the greater part of the upper provinces. The army of Peru, however, though defeated, was not destroyed, nor even greatly weakened or discouraged : they rallied ; and on the 10th of June, 1811, completely defeated and dispersed the army of Buenos Ayres at Desaguedro. But the state of the Spanish provinces in America was such, that no permanently beneficial effects to the counter-revolu- tionists could arise from their victories ; for while they were pursuing or defeating one hostile army, another rose up : the victorious army of Peru were prevented from pursuing their advantage, and regaining possession of the country which they had lost in November, 1810, by the intelligence that an insur- rection had broken out at Arequipa on the South sea, against tvhich it was judged expedient that they should immediately proceed. In the mean time, the war between Buenos Ayres and Monte Video continued, and was carried on with great exer- tion and implacability. We have already mentioned that the English wisely preserved a strict neutrality ; at the same time they conducted themselves in such a manner, as fpr some time to prevent the hostilities from becoming violent and cruel. For a considerable length of time, Buenos Ayres seemed to gain upon Monte Video ; although the latter, by her superi- ority at sea, and consequent command of the navigation of the river, frequently distressed Buenos Ayres very much. In the beginning of 1811, affairs took a different turn and assumed a different aspect. The regency sent out Elio, an officer of ma- rine, a man of great activity and resolution, but of a violent temper and character : he at first attempted to persuade the junta of Buenos Ayres to receive and recognise him as viceroy of the province; failing in this attempt, he attacked their ships, destroyed their commerce, menaced the city itself with bombardment, and threatened to call in a Portuguese army from the Brazils to assist him in his designs, and in the sup- port of his authority. He did not, however, content himself with these open and spirited measures ; he had also recourse SOUTH AMERICA. 657 to Intrigue, and contrived to introduce or secure partisans in Buenos Ayres itself. The junta found themselves in a most critical and perilous situation ; threatened by a hostile army from without, and surrounded within by men whom they could not trust, and who were ready to betray the city into the power of Elio. In this emergency they recalled an army which they had sent to the Portuguese frontier of Paraguay, and sent it against Monte Video ; and banished all Europeans who could not find security for their good behaviour. After this the war languished. Several affairs took place, but nothing decisive occurred. At length, the government of Buenos Ayres succeeded in establishing a respectable marine, which was put under the connnand of one Brown, an English- man. But subsequently this adventurer betrayed his trust, and sailed to the West Indies. However, the principal enemy of this republic was now unexpectedly subdued from another quarter, for an army of Portuguese took possession of Monte Video. The partisan Artigas on this moved around the sur- rounding country, from which he collected subsistence for his army. At length, when the Bourbons were restored to the thrones of Spain and France, Ferdinand sent a formidable expedition under Morilla to deliver South America. But although the royal general commanded a body of veterans, he failed in re- ducing the more high-minded patriots, who foiled him in several engao-ements. However, having received some rein- forcements, he succeeded in capturing the city of Carthagena, when he obeyed the mandates of his master, by sacrificing hundreds of the patriots, without distinction of age or sex. But this cruelty only tended to unite and exasperate the peo- ple, who flew to arms in every direction, and the victorious general found himself blockaded in this city. After a despe- rate conflict, he extricated himself, and retired into winter quarters. In the mean time, thousands of gallant men, particularly Englishmen, whom peace had left without employment, flocked to the independent standard, and strengthened the army of Boliver. Admiral Biron also was indefatigable in organising 4 658 SOUTH AMERICA. the Venezuelian fleet, which rode triumphant on the coast, and even carried the terror of the patriotic arms to the entrance of the harbour of Cadiz. In few instances durst the Spaniards engage the repubhcan vessels, which were mostly manned by English and American seamen. The government of Buenos Ayres now found themselves at liberty to adopt measures in furtherance of the general cause ; and accordingly an army was equipped and sent to liberate Chili, which had been subdued by an expedition sent from Spain. They were met on the frontiers by the royal army, and a battle took place: but the enthusiasm of the patriots was irresistible ; the royalists were defeated and dispersed, aiid the fine province of Chili was instantly liberated. Early m January, 1818, the hostile armies in the north of South America again came into contact, and the bloody Mo- rilla was defeated near Calaboya, into which place he retired. He afterwards retreated upon Sombrero, followed by the victo- rious Boliver, who again defeated him in two actions, and then blocked him up in a most exposed and unhealthy position. The royalists made a most vigorous effort to extricate their main army ; but a reinforcement of 3500 men were met upon their march, and the Avhole were either killed or taken. Such is the situation of the principal armies at present ; and from the weakness and unpopularity of the Spanish government, the insubordination manifested by the troops, and the formida- ble supplies of men and arms procured by the patriots in Eng- land and Ireland, there remains but little doubt that the next campaign will establish the independence of the South Ameri- cans upon a firm basis. During the successful eareei- of Boliver m 1817, Sir Gregor Maco-regor took Amelia island; but tlie government of the United States refused to recognise his authority,- and this con> quest was -abandoned. The general then i-eturned to England, purchased a great quantity of military stores, and raised a ■strong body of men, with which he again sailed to the scene of action. At Jamaica he was joined by great part of a dis- banded regiment, and from hence he proceeded to Porto Bello, 'jiljieh })e took by surprise Jlnwever, in a short time, either SOUTH AMERICA. 659 through negligence or treachery, lie in his turn was surprised by the Spanish troops, and narrowly escaped on board of a vessel. Macgregor at the present is at Aux Cayes, with a fine brig and 1^0 men. The revolution in Peru first broke out in La Paz, and afterwards in El Cusco, the ancient city of the Incas. But the patriots seem safe on the side of the South seas, being protected by lord Cochrane, one of the most able and gallant warriors that ever drew a sword. Lord Cochrane has conimenced that teasing sort of warfare for which he is so well qvialified, and by which he kept the whole French coast in the Mediterranean seas in a state of alarm and anxiety all last war. His movements are made with the rapidity of an eagle; he has scarce pounced upon the place and made it his victim, before he replumes his wing and descends upon another, carrying all before him. His lord- ship's vessels, although heavy in guns, are light in their hulls, and incapable of laying alongside of batteries; therefore his attacks are more diversions and excursions for plunder, to ac- custom his men to harass and be harassed, than any serious desire t^" occupying the place he assails. He is incessantly training his men lo the use of the pike, tomahawk, and broad- sword, deternuned when he meets with an old Spanish ship, to attempt her by boarding at once, the sides of his ship being too weak for withstanding a cannonade. It is not forgotten bv his men, that his lordship, in the Speedy brig of 14 guns and 45 men, boarded and carried the Elgama Spanish frigate of 32 guns and 300 men, and they prognosticate they will be now equally successful. The squadron of his lordship bombarded Lima three times, with a hope of inducing the Spanish s([uadron to come out and give the attack, but the wily Dons chained their ships to the shore, and very quietly saw the houses knocked to pieces and the inhabitants killed, over their own mast heads. During the last attack, a gun vessel, mounting six carronades, pushed out of the harbour, and attempted to cover a ship of 400 tons burthen, whose cables had been cut by the shot from the O'Higgins, and was drifted into the open bay. Lord Coch- 600 SOUTH AMERICA. rane, in command of the boats of his squadron, captured the ship and sent her off to sea ; he then made a dash at the gun, vessel, and succeeded in bringing her off wlien she had taken shelter within pistol s.hot of a twelv e gun battery ; on board of the vessel were 212 men, in the boats with his lordship 42, and several of them boys. The loss on his part was 17 killed, and wounded. Tlie gun vessel, coppered and schooner-rigged, was immediately manned and conmiissioned by a lieutenant. The merchant ship was taken out to sea, her cargo was found to be very valuable, and she liad in boxes nearly two million dollars, these were removed, a party of men sent on board, with a lieutenant, who has proceeded to the^general rendezvous for more guns and hands ; she is called the Nostra del Carmen, and is in effect a trading frigate, will mount 36 guns, and be a fine cruiser. His lordship harangued his nien, a motley crew of English, Spanish, niulattoes, and Americans, and distributed to each 100 dollars per man, saying he would trust to fortune for his share at a future day ; the enthusiasm of his crews is only ex- celled by the state of discipline they are in. His lordship has burnt and de«troyed six small armed vessels, and upwards of 20 traders, previously taking out of them every thing of value ; he has also destruyed several small batteries on the coast and watch-towers. He is in daily expectation of the arrival of a frigate from the United States, formerly a British East India- man; it is saitl she carries 61 guns and 500 men, and will bring with her 15,000 stand of arms, and a complete battering train of artillery , thus a competent force awaits the arrival of old Spain"'s lazarettos and sinking hulks, of whom his lordship speaks with the greatest contempt. Attached to lord Coch- rane's squadron, and spread over an extent of coast of more than 500 leagues, ai-e 40 small half-decked vessels with a gun in the bow, commanded by petty officers, and about 20 men in each ; these effectually enforce the blockade of the ports, and are known to have taken several valuable prizes. A writer in the Edinburgh Review says, that in looking around for barriers to resist the spirit of military aggrandise- ment in Europe, and resources to supply those the channel of SOUTH AMERICA. 661 which are closed upon us, every eye, we believe, will vest on South America. ' A country,' he proceeds, ' far surpassing the whole of Europe in extent, and still more perhaps in na- tural fertility, which has been hitherto unfortunately excluded from the beneficent intercourse of nations, is, after a few pru- dent steps on our part, ready to o[)en to us the immense re- sources of her territory, of a population at present great, and likely to increase with most extraordinary celerity, and of a position unparalleled on the face of the globe for the astonish- ing combination of commercial advantages which it appears to unite. From the maturity for some beneficent change, which circumstances and events have for a series of years been work- ing in those magnificent regions, and from the mighty effects thev are capable of yielding for the consolation of afilicted hu- manity, it seems as if that Providence, which is continually bringing good out of evil, were about to open a career of happi- ness in the new world, at the very moment when, by the mys- terious laws of its administration, it appears to have decreed a period of injustice and calamity in the old. ' For the mighty benefits to be expected from a just and wise arrangement of the affairs of Spanish America, we are not left to the results of speculation, clear and unambiguous as they are ; we can appeal to experience and to fact. We have the gi-and experiment of North America before us, which the inhabitants of the South are so ambitious to imitate. The states of North America were our own colonies, and they had been always beneficently administered ; yet has their indepen- dence been far more profitable to us than their subjection. What is the result with regard to commerce alone? — the very extraordinary fact, that for several past years we have export- ed more goods of British growth and manufacture to the United States of America, than to the whole of Europe taken together. If such are the benefits resulting from the prospe- rity of the United States, how many times greater will be those which must necessarily flow from the prosperity of South Amei'ica.'* How many times more extensive is the country which the Spanish Americans possess ? That country, from enjoying a much greater diversity of climate compared with G62 . SOUTH AMERICA. Europe than North America, is much more richly provided with those commodities for which Europe presents the most eager demand. Of the soil of South America, a great part is much more favourable to cultivation, much more fruitful, and cleared by nations who had made some progress in civilization. Of all the countries in the world, South America possesses the most important advantages in respect to internal navigation, being intersected in all directions by mighty rivers, which will bear, at little cost, the produce of her extensive provinces to the ocean. If the population of the United States, amounting perhaps to 6,000,000 souls, afford so extraordinary a demand for British commodities, what may not the population of South America, extending already to no less than 16,000,000, be expected to afford f It is no doubt true, that the moral and intellectual habits of the people of South America are not so favourable to improvement as were those of North America. Their industry has been cramped, — their minds have been held in ignorance by a bad government ; hence they are indo- lent and superstitious. But remove the cause, and the effects will cease to follow. So sweet are the fruits of labour, Avhere- ever the labourer enjoys them unimpaired, that the motives to it are irresistible, — and his activity may be counted upon with the certainty of a law of nature. The deduction, therefore, is so very small which, on this score, it will be requisite to make, that a very subordinate proportion of the superior advantages in soil and climate which the South American enjoys, will suf- fice to compensate the better habits with which the inhabitant of the United States commenced his career. ' In respect to wants, the two countries eminently resemble one another. From the immense extent of uncultivated soil, which it will require many ages to occupy, the whole bent of the population will be turned to agriculture; and it will be their interest, and their desire, to draw almost the whole of the manufactured goods, which their riches will enable them to consume, from other countries. The country to which the greater part of this prodigious demand will come, is unques- tionably Great Britain. So far before all other countries, in respect to manufacturing advantages, does she stand, that SOUTH AMERICA. 663 'Were the circumstances of Europe much more likely to encou- rage industry than unhappily thev are, we could meet with no rival; and as we supply North America, so could we South, on terms which would infallibly draw to us the greater part of her custom. ' In enumerating, however, the advantages of a commercial nature, which would assuredly spring from the emancipation of South America, we have not yet noticed the greatest per- haps of all, — the mightiest event, probably, in favour of the peaceful intercourse of nations, which the physical circum- stances of the globe present to the enterprise of man : — we mean, the formation of a navigable passage across the isthmus of Panama, — the junction of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is remarkable, that this magnifiuent undertaking, pregnant with consequences so important to mankind, and about which so little is known in this country^ is .so far from being a ro- mantic and chimerical project, that it is not only practicable but easy. The river Chagrc, which falls into the Atlantic at the town of the Siune name, about eighteen leagues to the westward of Porto Bello, is navigable as far as Cruzes, within five leagues of Panama. But though the formation of a canal from this place to Panama, facilitated by the valley through which the present road passes, appears to present no very for- midable obstacles, there is still a better expedient. At the distance of about five leagues from the mouth of the Chagre, it receives the river Trinidad, which is navigable to Embarca- dero; and from that place to Panama is a distance of about 30 miles, through a level country, with a fine river to supply water for the canal, and no diriiculty to counteract the noble undertaking. The ground has been surveyed, and not the practicability only, but the facility of the work, completely ascertained. In the next place, the imjxntant requisite of safe harbours, at the two extremities of the canal, is here sup- plied to the extent of our utmost wishes. At the mouth of the Chagre is a fine bay, which received the British 7i gun ships, in 1740, when captain Knowles bombarded the castle of St. Lorenzo ; and at the other extremity is the famous harbour 664 SOUTH AMERICA. of Panama. Nor is this the only expedient for opening the important navigation between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Further north is the grand lake of Nicaragua, which, by itself, almost extends the navigation from sea to sea. Into the At- lantic ocean it falls by a navigable river, and reaches to within three leagues of the gulf of Papagayo in the Pacific. Mr. Jeffery's tells us, it was the instruction of the king of Spain to the governor of St. John's castle, not to permit any British subject to pass either up or down this lake ; " for if ever the English came to a knowledge of its importance and value, they would soon make themselves masters of this part of the country." > ' We are tempted to dwell for a moment upon the prospects which the accomplishment of this splendid, but not difficult enterprise, opens to our nation. It is not merely the immense commerce of the western shores of America, extending almost from pole to pole, that is brought, as it were, to our door ; it is not the intrinsically important, though comparatively mode- rate branch of our commeice, tiiat of the South sea whalers, that will alone undergo a complete revolution, by saving t!ie tedious and dangerous voyage round cape Horn : — the whole of those immense interests which we hold deposited in the re- gions of Asia, become augmented in value, to a degree which, at present, it is not easy to conceive, by obtaining direct access to them across the Pacific ocean. It is the same thing as if, by some great revolution of the globe, our eastern possessions were bi'ought nearer to us. The voyage across the Pacific, the winds both for the eastern and western passage being fair and constant, is so expeditious and steady, that the arrival of the ships mav be calculated almost with the accuracy of a mail coach. Immense would be the traffic which would immedi- ately begin to cover that ocean, by denomination Pacific. All the riches of India and of China would move towards America. The riches of Europe and of America would move towards Asia. Vast depots would be formed at the great commercial towns which would immediately arise at the two e;ome consumption. The farm-houses are miserable hovels of one story, the floor neither paved nor boarded, and the walls and partitions formed of wieker-work plastered with mud, and never under-drawn. For an idea of the kitchen, which ought to be the cleanest and most comfortable part of the dwelling, the reader may figure to himself a filthy room with an uneven muddy floor, inter- spersed with pools of slop-water, and in different parts fire- places formed by three round stones to hold the earthen pots that are used for boiling meat ; as green wood is the chief fuel, the place is almost always filled with smoke, which, find- ing no chimney, vents itself through the doors and other aper- tures, and leaves all within as black as soot. The horses are very fine, and in general docile ; when well trained they make excellent chargers. Their size is from 12^ to 14i hands, and they vary in price from three pounds to twelve. Muleg arc considered as more useful beasts of burden. The breed of sheep is quite unattended to, and mutton is rarely or never eaten. Here is a very fine and large breed of goats, whose milk is generally used for domestic purposes. The dogs are very indifferent, and of no distinct race. The market is generally well supplied ; and in the fruit seasons is stored with pines, grapes, peaches, guavas, bananas, a i^ew apples, and an enormous quantity of quinces. Esculent plants are grown in great profusion and variety. Here is a favourite bulbous root called the cara^ which is equal to the best potatoe, and even more farinaceous ; it grows to about five inches in diameter, and affords excellent food either boiled or roasted. Here are fine cabbages, sallad-herbs, turnips, cauliflowers, artichokes, and potatoes ; the latter, though very good, are little used : the sweet potatoe is in greater request among the natives. ]\Iaize, beans, green peas, and every spe- cies of pulse, flourish amazingly. Fowls are cheap, being from three-pence to six-pence each ; sjnall pigs from one to two shillings ; and flitches of bacon, cured after the mode of the country, at about two-pence per pound. Turkies, geese, 676 SOUTH AMERICA. and ducks, are abundant, and reasonable in price ; the latter are of the Muscovy breed, enormously large, some weighing ten or fourteen pounds. Here is a singular breed of cocks : they resemble the common English in plumage and shape, but they crow very loud, and continue their last note for a minute or two ; when their voice is good, they are much esteemed, and are sent for as curiosities from all parts of Brazil. The cattle are in general good, considering that so little attention is paid to feeding them ; when their pastures are full of grass, they are tolerably fat, but when otherwise they become lean. A drove may be bought at twenty-four or thirty shillings a head ; beef at about a penny or three halfpence per pound. The curriers have a singular method of blackening cow-hides and calf-skins : when they have prepared them for that opera- tion, they search for some mud-hole at the bottom of a ferini- ginous stratum, a ditch for instance ; with the mud they cover that side of the skin required to be stained; and they prefer this material to the solution of copperas, probably with reason, as the sulphate of iron, formed by the deconiposed pyrites, acts more mildly in this state tlian when applied in the com- mon way. Population. — The population of this large portion of South America has not been accurately detailed. According to Staunton, the whites in the Brazils were computed at 200,000, and the negroes at 600,000. Pinkerton supposes that the Portuguese and their descendants cannot amount to half a million, and the natives three or four millions. But, from the observations of Mr. Mawe, it would seem that the Portuguese are more numerous, and the natives considerably less, than this statement would make them. Manners. — The manners of the European settlers will be noticed in describing the towns which they inhabit. The in- digenes are said to be irreclaimable savages, under the middle size, muscular, but active ; of a light brown complexion, straight black hair, and long dark eyes. They chiefly subsist apart, on the coast between Janeiro and San Salvador. Their language has not been investigated by the incurious Portu. SOUTH AMERICA. 67Y <*uese, who seem destined by nature to covei* the faults of the Spanish colonists, and to evince that even European nations may be found destitute of knowledge and intelligence. Cities and Tozons. — The city of Rio Janeiro^ or St Sebas- tian., is charmingly situated on a projecting quadrangular pro- montory of an irregular form, three of whose sides are opposed to the harbour, and the fourth sheltered from the prevailing westerly blasts by a skreen of high hills well covered with wood. The side of the town, which is next to that part of the harbour where the shipping usually lie a1 anchor, is nearly a mile and half in length, and the depth inwards about three- fourths of a mile. The northern angle of the promontory is a bold broken eminence, on one point of which there is a regular fortification, and on the other a convent of Benedictine monks, which, being also surrounded with lines of defence, is actually as well as metaphorically a church militant. These heights completely command the town and the anchorage; and they appear to command also, at least they are upon a level with, the strono-est work in the harbour, on which the defence of the place is thought principally to depend. This is the Ilha dos Cobras, or Snake island, a rock about 80 feet higli at the point on which the citadel stands, and slanting to eight at the opposite end : its length is 300 yards ; and it is detached by a narrow but very deep channel from the eminence on which the Benedictine convent is situated. Round every side of this strongly fortified island, and close to its shores, ships of the greatest draught of water may lie in perfect security. Here also are a commodious dock-yard, an arsenal of naval stores, a sheer hulk, and a wharf for heaving down and careening ship- ping. The largest fleets, however, may anchor in this capa- cious harbour, entirely out of the reach of any of the guns that are mounted on the forts. On landing from the harbour, the first object in the town that catches the attention is a handsome square, surrounded on three of its sides with buildings, and the fourth open to the water. Along this side is erected a noble stone quay, with flights of steps at each extremity and in the centre, the last of which is the common landing-place, When this line of ma- 678 SOUTH AMERICA. sonry shall be extended the whole length of the town, which is intended to be done, it will serve not merely as an ornament and convenience, but as a considerable defence against the at- tempt of an enemy to land. Near the central flight of stairs is a quadrangular obelisk, throwing, from each of its four fronts, a constant sti-eam of pure limpid water, for the use of the lower part of tiie town and of the shipping in the harbour. The upper side of the square, facing the harbour, is entirely occupied by the palace of the viceroy, a long plain building, neither remarkable for elegance of design nor peculiarity of construction. The palace, the obelisk, and the pier^ are all built with hewn blocks of granite ; and the surface of the square is a solid floor of the same material, sprinkled over with quartzose sand. The granite being of that kind which contains a large propor- tion of glistening mica, is highly injurious to the eye, which is scarcely able to bear the dazzling rays of the sun playing throughout the whole day on one side or other of this open area — glaring emblem of the brilliant exploits of the Portu- ffucse nation in earlier times ! o Many of the houses in St. Sebastian are far from being con- temptible : tkiey are mostly two stories high, covered with tiles, and have wooden balconies extending in front of the upper stories ; but the best of them wear that dyll and gloomy ap- pearance, which all buildings must necessarily have whose lat- ticed windows supply the want of glass. The streets are in general tolerably straight, some of considerable width, though mostly narrow. The principal ones are paved on both sides •with broad flag stones of granite. The refinement of a trot- toir, so rarely met with out of England, was not expected to be found in a foreign settlement of Portugal. The shops are large and commodious, generally well stocked with the manu- factures of Europe, chiefly those of Great Britain, which, after being exhibited in the windows of the capital and the principal cities and towns of the empire till their fashion is out of date, are shi})ped ofl' to the trading nations on the continent, and from thence to tlieir foreign settlements. In the catalogue of wares exhibited in the 'shops of Ilio dc Janeiro, English quack SOUTH AMERICA. 679 medicines and caricature prints are not the least esteemed nor the least abundant. This place is said to be unhealthy ; and instances of longe- vity are very rare. The unhealthiness may arise, however, more from local and tempt)rary circumstances, than from the necessary intluence of the climate. Water is suffered to stag- nate in marshes near the town, tliough they might easily be drained, or filled with earth. Strangers, particularly, feel their tormenting consequences in the infinite swarms of mus- quitoes, or large gnats, which attack them for some time after their arrival. This is not ttic only annoyance to strangers, in the night, at Rio ; for there, as in Lisbon, according to the observation of lord Kainis, the wheels of carts are purposely constructed to n)ake a most harsli and croaking noise, to pre- vent the devil from harming the cattle that are yoked to them. The fertile powers of the imagination could scarcely have de- vised a more effectual method of producing a horrid din. No real cr fancied danger, however, curbs the propensity ol" all classes of society here towards gaiety and pleasure. There are three convents for men, and two for women, in this place; ])ut little is said to be practi.sed, in any of them, of the auste- rity and self-denial supposed to be intended by their original institution. Though the conquest of the country originally was undertaken with the professed intention of converting the natives to Christianity, and ample endowments have been made for maintaining friars to preach the gospel to those infi- dels, yet not one of the former was now engaged in such a troublesome, unsafe, and, perhaps, hopeless enterprise. In- deed, a few Italian missionaries residing here, took pains to send amongst the Indians such of that tribe who frequent Rio, aft they were enabled to gain over to their faith, by presents as well as by persuasion, in order, by that means, to endeavour at converting the Indians dispersed throughout the country. Neither the friars nor the nuns of this place seem at all dis- posed to run into the gloomy excesses of devotion ; and no- thing can be more sprightly than the conversation of the latter -with strangers at the convent grates. The men are, certainly, not corrupted by the writings of free-thirtkers. No such exist eSO SOUTH AMERICA. in the language of the country ; and few Portuguese are ac- quainted with any other. There are but two booksellers in Rio, whose shops contain only books of medicine and divinity. But the religious system, which held its empire there with such happy effects so long, bears now some resemblance to a machine, of which the spring, by its own internal working, is slackened at length, and wearing out. No inquisition, or tri- bunal of the holy office, as it is called, is established in the Brazils. The ceremonies of religion are, however, regularly kept up, and even multiplied. In the day time, bells and sometimes sky-rockets announce, at every hour, some solem- nity performing in the churches; and after sunset the streets are crowded with processions. At every corner is stuck up, in a glass case, the image of the Virgin Mary, to which ho- mage is regularly paid by those who pass it. 'In one part of the harbour of Rio,' says Staunton, 'not far from the town, at a place called Val Longo, are the ware- houses for the reception, and preparation for sale, of the slaves imported chieflv from Angola and Benguela on the coast of Africa. This spot was appropriated to the purpose of cleans- ing, anointing, fattening, rendering sleek and saleable, and concealing the defects of, this class of beings, who seemed little sensible of the humiliation of their condition. About 5000 were usually sold, every year, at Rio, out of 20,000 purchased for the whole of the Brazils. The average price was about twenty-eight pounds sterling each, before they were shipped from Africa. A duty of 10,000 reis a head is paid to the queen of Portuo-ars agent there. The whole amounted to about 60,000/. a year, which goes into her privy purse, and is not considered as part of the public revenue. In the whole of the Brazils there were supposed to be, at least, 600,000 slaves, born in Africa, or descended from those who were. The whites were computed to amount to about 200,000. The proportion of blacks to whites in the town of Rio was sup- posed to be at least 40,000 of the former, including such as had been emancipated, to about 3000 of the latter.' St. Salvador is the capital of the capitania of Bahia, and is also called Cidade de Bahia ; it was originally the seat of the SOUTH AME^vICA. 68l supreme government of Brazil. It consists of two parts, one hmh on low ground near the shore, where the commerce is carried on, and the other on a high hill, wliich being consider- ed the most healthy, is the residence of all the people of con- sequence. Its population is said to be nearly equal to that of Rio de Janeiro, and is stated at not less than 70,000 souls. The houses are built with latticed windows and balconies, si- milar to those in Rio de Janeiro The churches are the pub- lic buildings most worthy of notice : thev are said to be richly ornamented within. The government of the city is vested in a viceroy, or governor, who is nominated by the court for three years. Here all law proceedings, civil and criminal, come before the respective magistrates, whose sentence is in general final, though appeals in certain cases may be made to the court at Rio de Janeiro. The town is tolerably defended, also the bay, as well as cir- cumstances will permit. On the shore is a royal arsenal, and numerous houses for stores, &c. The custom-house and wharfs are conveniently situated. Ships of war have been biiilt here, also many large and fine vessels for the merchant service. For these purposes, a large supply of fine timber was readily obtamed from the interior by the number of fine rivers which flow into the bay. The wood holds iron better, and is superior to our oak. The manners and customs of the people difl^er little from those of the inhabitants of the capital ; but it is said that in the best societies here, more gaiety and refinement prevail, and the higher classes are more sociable, than in Rio de Janeiro. A taste for music is general : there are few houses without the guitar, and all the more respectable families have piano-fortes. The ladies dress in the English style, and ornament theniselves with gold chains : they wear very few diamonds ; their fa- vourite gem is the chrysolite. For dishabille at home they wear a kind of loose dress; over which they throw a veil on the entrance of strangers. They are considered as far less in- dustrious than the females of the southern districts. The do- mestic dress of the men consists of a jacket and loose trowsers. made of hght printed cotton. Religious processions take place 4 R 683 SOUTH AMERICA. here, as in Rio de Janeiro, on great festivals and rejoicing days ; and these festive occasions are distinguished by various amusements which continue from morning to- night. At these times the Brazilians have a custom of covering the walls and balconies of their houses with beautiful silks made and orna- mented for the purpose. One of the most memorable seasons of rejoicing, of late years, was when the prince touched at this city on his voyage to Rio de Janeiro, and remained several days. The inhabitants testified their loyalty and attachment to him by every public demonstration of joy, and by a display of all the grandeur and magnificence which they had means to furnish. As a more solid proof of their attachment and re- gard, they unanimously voted to subscribe a sum equal to halt a million sterling to build a palace for the royal family, if the prince would condescend to reside among them. The climate is always warm, but is refreshed by the sea- breeze, and is in some degree tempered by the long absence of the sun, the nights being almost of uniform length throughout the year. Though hotter than Rio de Janeiro, Bahia is con- sidered much more healthful, having a more airy situation, and being better supplied with water. The practice of bath- ing is very general, and most of the houses have conveniences for this purpose. Pernamhuco, the capital of the capitania of that name though situated nearly in the latilude of eight degrees, is consi- dered very healthy. The town is built on a rising gi'ound, much exposed, and constantly refreshed by the sea-breeze. It has many excellent edifices, and is supposed to contain more opulent merchants, in proportion to the population, than any other place in Brazil. It produces vanilla, cocoa, and a consi- derable quantity of sugar ; but the chief article of its trade is cotton, which for many years had the reputation of being su- perior to any other, but of late it has much deteriorated, from neglect, either in the growth, or in the gathering the pods and cleaning it from the seeds, or probably from general inattention to the whole management of it. Para is also the chief town of a capitania, and is situated ©n the river TcJcantins, the navigation of which is difficult. SOUTH AMERICA. 683 and is seldom attempted, except by small craft: the Confiance sloop of war with great care sailed up it, and anchored near the town, several days previous to the expedition against (Ca- yenne. The town may contain 10,000 inhabitants, who are in general very poor, probably from want of commerce. The port of Rio Grande is situated about 32 deg. soutii ; it is dangerous to enter, first from its being shoal water, and next, from a violent sea always running, and from the shifting of the sands. Notwithstanding these inconveniencies, there is a great trade canned on from this place to all the ports of Bra- zil, in brigs and small vessels that do not draw above ten feet water. After passing the bar, which is long, they enter into an inland sea, or lagoon, of deep water, and navigate to the north and west to its head, M-here the principal river runs into ii. To the southward is the lagoon Meni, and the neutral ground, a little to the southward of whicli is the Spanish for- tress of Santa Teresa, lately put in repair. The vicinity of Rio Grande is extremely populous. The principal occupations of the inhabitants are, the breeding of cattle, for which the • immense tract of pasture land is so well calculated ; the drying and preparing of hides ; and the making of cliarque, or what is called, in the river Plata, jug-beef The quantity of hides exported from hence is almost incredible : they furnish many vessels with entire cargoes, w)iich are carried to the northern ports, and from thence embarked for Europe. The annual average may be estimated at not less than 300,000. Santos is a place of considerable trade, being the store-house of the great captaincy of St. Paul's, and the resort of many vessels trading to the Rio de la Plata. It is tolerably well built, and its population, .consisting chiefly of merchants, shop- keepers, and artificers, amounts to 6' or 7000 souls. The situation is by no means healthy, as the country around it is low, woody, and frequently deluged with rain, by reason of the high mountains in its vicinity, which impede the passage of the clouds. St. PauVs is situated on a pleasing eminence of about two miles in extent, surrounded tin three sides by low meadow land, and washed at the base by rivulets, which almost insu- 684 SOUTH AMERICA. late it in rainy weather ; it is connected with the high land by a narrow ridge. The rivulets flow into a pretty large stream called the Tieti, which runs within a mile of the town, in a south-west direction. Over them there are several bridges, some of stone and others of wood, built by the late governor. The streets of St. Paul's owing to its elevation (about 50 feet above the plain), and the water which almost surrounds it, are in general remarkably clean. The popul "tion amounts to full 15,000 souls ; perhaps nearly 20,000 : the clergy, including all ranks of religious orders, may be reckoned at 500. Here are few manufactures of any consequence : a little coarse cot- ton is spun by the hand, and woven into cloth, which serves for a variety of wearing apparel, sheets, &c. Santa Cruz is situated on the island St. Catherine, which is separated from the continent, in south lat. 27 and 29 deg., by a narrow strait, in some places scarcely half a league wide. The produce of the island consists in rice, maize, mandioca, coffee of excellent quality, oranges, perhaps the finest in the world, and a variety of other fruits. There are ^e\v towns of any consequence in the Inierlor. Those that have been formed owe their settlement to the mines, and amongst which Tejuco is the most considerable. Tejuco being situated in a sterile district, which produces nothing for the maintenan(je of its inhabitants, in number about 6000, depends, for a supply of provisions, on farms si- tuated several leagues distant. At no place are there seen a greater proportion of indigent people, particularly of females. Yet, notwithstanding the idleness of the inhabitants, Tejuco may be called flourishing, on account of the circulation of pro- perty created by the diamond works. The annual sum paid by government for the hire of negroes, salaries of oflicers, and various necessaries, such as nitre and iron, does not amount to less than 35,000/. ; and this, added to the demands of the in- habitants of the town and its vicinity, occasions a considerable trade. The shops are stocked with Enghsh cottons, baizes, and cloths, and other manufactured goods ; also hams, cheese, butter, porter, and other articles of consumption. Mules from from Bahia and Rio de Janeiro come loaded with th^m, SOUTH AMERICA. 685 Trade and Commerce. — Since the establishment of the treaty of commerce between the British government and that of Bra- zil, the contraband trade has been almost done away ; for the duties are now much reduced, and the accommodation which the judge and subordinate officers of the custom-house are disposed to allow is such, as to render that nefarious practice unnecessary. Iron and steel are articles for which there is a general and constant demand. The smiths prefer Swedish iron, as they have been always accustomed to it, and do not know how to heat and work the English. The next article to be mentioned is salt, in which the Bi*azilians are by no means nice. It is made and loaded at one or two places on the coast; but that which is most esteemed comes from the Cape de Verd islands : that brought from Liverpool is generally used in the sea-ports. Common woollens, baizes, and some stout fine cloths, particu- larly blue and black, are generally worn ; also kerseymeres. Cotton goods of almost every description, especially if low priced, meet with ready sale. Hats of all sorts (particularly dress-hats), and boots and shoes of English manufacture, have of late been sold in great quantities : the leather is much pre- ferable to that made in Brazil. Common and finer earthen- ware, and glass; some sorts of fine and coarse hardware; some plated goods, as candles now begin to be used instead of lamps. Bottled porter, Cheshire cheese, butter, cheap furni- ture, tin-plate, brass, lead in various shapes, shot of all sizes, gunpowder, drugs, some philosophical instruments, books, low-priced paper, watches, telescopes, salt provisions, as hams, tongues, and barrelled pork, low-priced sadlery, and, most of all, India and other goods fit for the African coast. Marble mortars, mirrors, and many fancy articles of less note. Silk and cotton hosiery, fashionable dresses for ladies, particularly fine stockings and shoes. It is to be observed, that the mother country still continues to send oil, wine, brandy, linens, cottons, some silk, and a variety of articles of inferior consequenv^e. India goods, con- sisting chiefly of cottons, are sent from the Malabar coast, and China goods are in great plenty. From North America are 686 SOUTH AMERICA. "' imported flour, salt provisions, turpentine, tar, staves, house- hold furniture, &c. Naval stores, clothing for sailors, arms, &c. may be said to be generally in demand. The staple articles of trade from lirazil and the river Plate which are most in demand in England, when its markets are not overstocked, are cotton, coffee, hides, tallow of good qua- lity, horns, hair, fur-skins, and feathers. Sugar cannot be enumerated among them, as existing colonial regulations pre- vent it from being generally used : but Brazil is well calculated for growing it, having every convenience of situation, and all the materials requisite for machinery. To the above may be added some wood; that beautiful species called jacafanda, here denominated rose-wood, is subject to so high a duty in this country, that it cannot be generally introduced for cabinet use, that from the East Indies excepted. Indigo is in general inferior. Rice of excellent quality is cultivated to great ex- tent. Tobacco, it is to be hoped, will be better cured, to suit the Enghsh market ; for no where can a soil and climate be fovmd more favourable to the production of that plant than in Brazil. Since the emigration of the court from Lisbon, Rio de Ja- neiro may be truly called the mart of South America, and is likely to become a general depot of goods from the four quar- ters of the globe : vet its commerce to Africa, to India, and the islands in the Indian sea belonging to the crown of Portu- gal, as well as its intercourse with China, has scarcely been entered into. So many disappointments, caused by the poli- tical events in the mother country, and so unexpected an in- flux of goods from England, occasioned such a stagnation in commercial dealings, that the opulent merchants were deter- mined not to speculate. When trade shall have resumed its regular channel, Rio de Janeiro will, no doubt, be a grand and general market for the prorluce of all the ancient Portu- guese possessions : it will be a kind of half-way house between Europe and India, and every description of Asiatic produce will be found- in lis warehouses. Brazil, freed from colonial restrictions, will soon become doubly populous ; its gold, in- stead of being transported to foreign countries as heretofore, SOUTH AMERICA. 687 will circulate among the inhabitants ; and, under a wise legis- lature, it is reasonable to hope, that in twenty years this great country will rise in prosperity more than any other in the same space of time. ^ Governrnent. — The government of this important country is at present directed by the prince regent of Portugal, who has not yet evinced any disposition to return amidst the stormy politics of Europe. The^ country is divided into captaincies, over each of which a governor presides, who has a military force to support his measures. Several useful regulations and important improvements have been made in the government, since the emigration of the Portuguese court. Revenue. — A fifth upon all gold obtained m the mines, and ten per cent, upon the products of the land, form the principal branches of the revenue. The duties upon imports and ex- ports are also considerable. Army. — The military establishment of Brazil is consideralile compared with the population. Every Portuguese and Cre- ole, besides a great number of free blacks, are enrolled in the militia, which, aided by the nature of the country, might offer a formidable opposition to an invading enemy. • History. — The discovery of the Brazils was merely acci- dental. It was first settled by convicts ; but afterwards ad- venturers of diffei"ent descriptions joined the colony, which was increased by the importation of slaves from Africa. In a short time, the whole sea coast, upwards of 2000 miics, was in some measure settled. But when Portugal fell into the power of Spain, the Dutch, who had revolted from the tyranny of that power, turned their arms upon Brazil : and they would have overrun the whole, if Don Michael de Texiera, the archbishop, had not taken arms, and at the head of his monks and a few scattered forces, put a stop to the torrent of the Dutch conquest. He made a gallant stand until succours arrived ; and then resigned the commission with which the public necessity and his own virtue had armed him, into the hands of a person appointed by authority. By this stand he saved seven of the captainships, or provinces, out of fourteen, ijito which Brazil is divided ; the rest fell into the hands of 688 SOUTH AMERICA. the Dutch, who conquered and kept them with a bravery and conduct, which would deserve more applause if it had been governed by humanity. The famous captain, prince Maurice of Nassau, was the person to whom the Dutch owed this conquest, the estabhsh- ment of their colony there, and that advantageous peace which secured them in it. But as it is the genius of mercantile peo- ple to desire a sudden profit in all their designs ; and as this colony was not under the immediate inspection of the States, but subject to the company called the West India company, the latter acted in such a manner as compelled the prince to resign. The impolitic economy and severity of the company at length encouraged the Portuguese, vvho reconquered the Brazils; but not till after a struofwle in which the States dis- played great vigour, though too late. Since this struggle for the sovereignty of Brazil, nothing remarkable occurred in its history, except a feeble attempt of the Creoles to throw off the Portuguese yoke, until the arrival of the court from Portugal in 1807. The adoption of this measure, in any case of extreme necessity, had frequently been suggested. But at the period of the French invasion, the prince regent evinced the most extreme reluctance to quit the shores of that country he had so long governed ; though lord Strangford was indefatigable in his attempts to confirm the resolution of the court, and was perpetually contrasting the independence and glory of the new empire in South America, with tile abject vassalage and contemptible insignificance which alone could be expected were the prince to remain in Europe. At last, Bonaparte"'s declaration, that the house of Braganza had ceased to reign, removed every objection ; and according- ly, on the morning of the 29th of November, the Portuguese fleet sailed out of the Tagus, with the whole of the royal fa- mily of Braganza, and a considerable number of faithful counsellors, and respectable and opulent adherents. The fleet consisted of eight sail of the line and four large frigates, and several other vessels of war, besides a number of Brazil ships, and amounted in all to 36 sail, containing about 18,000 Portuguese subjects. As they passed through the British SOUTH AMERICA. 689 squadron, a reciprocal salute was fired, and the spectacle was, in several respects, grand and interesting. On the arrival of the court at Rio de Janeiro, several public measures were suggested by the conde de Linhares, and adopted by the prince regent, that have eminently tended to accelerate the progress of improvement in this grand division of South America, which seems destined to form one of the most wealthy, populous, and powerful empires on earth. An unsuccessful attempt was lately made at Pernambuco to revolutionize the Brazils : but although it failed, the example of the patriots in the neighbouring countries must tend to keep alive the desire for independence, which the imbecile and stu- pid court at Rio de Janeiro is little calculated either to sooth or to repi'ess. FRENCH DOMINIONS. T^HE French settlements in Guiana were first formed about the year 1635, and extend from the mouth of a small river called Araano on the west, to another called Aracara on the east ; though recently the limit was attempted to be ex- tended, at the expence of the Portuguese, to the estuary of the Maranon. On the south the line seems arbitrary ; but the whole extent does not exceed 350 British miles in length, by 240 in breadth. The chief town is on a small isle called Cayano, whence the whole territory is commonly styled Ca- yenne. The soil and climate in general seem unexceptiona- ble; but the situation of the town being ill chosen, in a swampy isle, its disadvantages have been laxly ascribed to the whole possession. The inland parts remain obstructed by thick forests and underwood , and during the rains many 4 S 690 SOUTH AMERICA. parts are inundated. The dry season is from June till Octo- ber, and the heaviest rains in our winter months. Different French companies were formed, but successively failed in their attempts to improve this colony. The English took it in 1667, and it was afterwards taken by the Dutch in 1676, but at peace restored to the French. In 1688, the co- lonists undertook a plundering expedition, which failing, gave a severe shock to the prosperity of the colony, which has ever suice languished at Cayenne. Soon after the peace of 1763, the French court made vigorous efforts to give importance to this settlement. Twelve thousand men, engaged in France as laboui'ers, were landed ; but as no habitation or proper provi- sion had been made for them, ten thousand of these wretched beings in consequence perished, and the survivors demanding to return to Europe, were unwillingly brought back. About a million sterling was uselesslv expended on this enterprise. The fugitive planters, who had fled from St. Domingo at the revolution, have, however, done som.e good to the colony. Cayenne was recently occupied by a Portuguese garrison, but restored to France in 1814. The first production of Cayenne was arnotto, a red dye. Cotton, indigo, and sugar, were next introduced; and, in 1721, coffee was brought from Surinam. Twelve years after, they planted cocoa. In 1763, the population and production stood thus : 500 whites, who employed 1500 negroes and 1200 native Indians, and produced about 260,000 lbs. of ar- notta, 80,000 lbs. of sugar, 18,000 lbs. of cotton, 27,000 lbs. of coffee, 92,000 lbs. of cocoa, and this is still nearly the situation of the colony. The cultivation of indigo, which at one time was carried on successfully, has greatly fallen off. Cayenne pepper is the most noted product of this coinitry ; and, the inhabitants using it to excess, a considerable quantity is always imported from Peru. The town contains about 1200 white inhabitants, exclusive of the garrison. During the French revolution, several eminent men were banished to this inhospitable colony. SOUTH AMERICA. 691 ENGLISH DOMINIONS. npHESE valuable possessions in Guiana, which Great Bri- tain recently obtained, were originally settled by the Dutch. English Guiana is situated to the north-west of the French settlement. The length, south-east to north-west, is about 350 British miles along the shores of the Atlantic ; but the breadth only 160. It is divided into three different go- vernments, Sux'inam, Berbice, and Essequebo, which it may be proper to notice separately, after taking a general view of the whole. Climate. — Some have reported the climate of Guiana to be mild and wholesome, in consequence of receiving the trade wind fresh from the ocean. All the disorders known in hot countries are, however, very prevalent. Animals. — The laubba, about the size of a large cat, is pe- culiar to this part of America. Snakes are numerous. The aboma, Avhen full grown, is 30 feet in length, and three feet in circumference at the middle of the body. The red and yellow mackaw are also peculiar to Guiana. The galvanic eel is often found in the river Essequebo. This country likewise abounds with those dangerous animals and tormenting insects that usually inhabit the hot regions of South America. Botany. — In consequence of the swampy soil and moist at- mosphere of this region, vegetation presents a vigour and wild exuberance perhaps without parallel. Here are two peculiar species of palm, the annotta, the quassia, several medicinal plants, and fatal poisons. The silk-cotton-tree of Guiana ge- nerally grov/s to the height of 100 feet. Its trunk is about twelve feet in circumference. The trunk is often made use of for canoes, which are formed by hollowing them with fire. Demerary. — This province derives its name from the river 60 called. Its extent of sea coast is nearly 100 miles, running 692 SOUTH AMERICA. west and by north, and west : it is bounded on the east by Berbice, and to the westward by Essequebo. The river, at its entrance, is nearly a mile and a half broad, and has a bar four miles without of mud, over which no vessel drawing more than nine feet, can pass until half flood : but at high water and spring tides, there are eighteen feet on this bar. Within the entrance is a battery called Fort William Frederic, mount- ing eighteen heavy pieces of cannon. Haifa mile east from it is a block-house, which has a commanding view of the sea, and a communication by signal with Berbice, which gives im- mediate notice of any vessel being off the coast. The river Demerary is navigable for large vessels about 100 miles above its mouth. It is settled for nearly another 100 miles further inland. At that distance are cataracts, or rapids, which obstruct navigation ; but which, on account of the ro- mantic mountainous scenery around, are occasionally visited by parties of pleasure. This settlement was formed by the Dutch in 166.3 ; but four years afterwards they were expelled by the English, whose descendants form part of the colony. It was resumed by the Dutch in 1676. Demerary was first considered a de- pendency of Essecjuebo ; but in 1774, having extended itself to a surprising degree, and offering a superior harbour to the other, it was determined to make that the residence of the go- vernor, and capital of the two colonies : for that purpose the town of Stabroek was commenced about a mile from the fort, and on the same side the river ; whilst a commandeur, or de- puty governor, was now appointed for the Essequebo. Seven years after this change, an English privateer took possession of the two colonies, in the name of his Britannic majesty ; such was the weak state in which Holland left her colonies. The Britisli coiTimanders at Barbadoes were on the eve of sending troops to the garrison, in order to fortify them, when informa- tion was received that the English, in their turn, had been obliged to capitulate to a French corvette. In 1783, at the general peace, the colonies were ceded tq the Dutch. During the kte war, these, with the other possessions of the Dutch in the West Indies, were entirely neglected. SOUTH AMERICA. 693 In 1795, the burghers joined with the rangers and a body of Indians in subduing the bush negroes, who had become very troublesome. In the following year, the colony surren- dered to an expedition dispatched by Sir Ralph Abercromby, in conformity to a secret application from several opulent planters. The British capital now invested in the colonies made them of serious importance, and a grand object with the mercantile and monied interest of Great Britain to retain ; the mere claims on them being estimated, at the time of the peace of Amiens, at ten millions sterling. Yet, notwithstand- ing these possessions were given up, and on the 3d of Decem- ber were taken possession of by the Batavian troops, the go- vernor, who evinced the most ostentatious dislike to the British, inflicted many serious evils upon the colony; which, however, were but of short continuance, as, on the renewal of the war, the British flag once more waved over these colonies, which were ceded in perpetuity to England, at the peace of Paris, in 1814. The origin of Stabroek has been already explained. It is the principal seat of exchange for the produce of all the coun- tries adjacent to the Demerary and Essequebo, and is situated on the east side of the river Demerary. Its site is low and level. It has an oblong form, being about one-fourth of a mile broad, and one mile long. The principal streets are quite straight, with carriage roads. A navigable canal on each side of the town, which fills and empties with the tide, affords a great convenience to those houses which are not si- tuated near the water side. The population in Stabroek con- sists of about 1500 whites, 2000 free people of colour, and 5000 negroes. Dutchmen, and other foreigners, differ in some points of their living and household economy from the English. Their general hour of rising is with the sun, about a (juarter before six, when they make their appearance in a morning gown and slippers, in the portico or piazza of the house, where a female negro is in waiting with the coffee equipage. After a Dutch planter has taken a dish or two of strong coffee, with litde or no sugar in it, the yonge, or boy, brings him his jMpe, tobacco. 694 SOUTH AMERICA. and flask of gin : with these he enjoys himself till between nine and ten oVlock, when he is visited by the baas, or over- seer of the estate, who reports progress, and receives orders. He then dresses himself, and calls for a glass of water and a napkin to wash his hands and face with. About eleven o'clock, the Dutchman sits dow^n to a table covered with various kinds of animal food, vegetable soups, and fruit. Pepper-pot, a soup flavoured with the juice of the bitter cassada, and made pungent with red and green pepper, is a constant concomitant. Madeira wine and water, and malt liquor, are substituted for tea. After this, he orders his horse and pays a visit to some of his neighbours, or rides round the estate to see the negroes at work ; in either of which cases a negro boy follows liim on foot, with a pouch of segars and a stick of fire. It is his constant practice, whether on horseback, walking, or riding in a carriage, to smoke, and be supplied through the medium of a servant. He dines about three or four o'clock, and, after taking a portion of claret, retires for his afternoon's nap, where he sleeps away the fatigues of the day. He grows tired of the hammock towards evening, when he comes down and takes his coff^ee, after which, a walk round the buildings, to enquire into the state of the negroes and their work, concludes the day. The general hour for retiring to rest in the country, is about eight or nine o'clock ; the inter- mediate time between this and sunset is occupied by smoking and drinking gin. The population presents a strange mixture of Europeans. Dutch, Germans, Prussians, Russians, Swedes, Danes, Spa- niards, French, and Americans, may be incorporated as one- third of the white population, and Great Britain claims the other two. All national enmity seems to be forgotten, while the pursuits of the motley group are directed unanimously to climbing the ladder of fortime. When an European arrives, he finds it necessary to provide himself with a housekeeper, or mistress. The choice he has an opportunity of making is va- rious ; a black, a tawney, a mulatto, or a mestee ; one of which can be purchased for 100/. or 150/. sterling, fully competent to fulfil all the duties of her station: sonie of them ar« so SOUTH AMERICA. 6d5 much educated as to be able to read and write. They are tasty and extravagant in their dress; but when once an at- tachment takes place, it is inviolable. They embrace all the duties of a wife, except presiding at table ; so far decorum is maintained, and a distinction made. They employ themselves in needle- work, and other domestic affairs. Their usefulness in preserving the arts and diffusing the habits of cleanliness is felt and allowed by all, tlicre being very few civilized Eu- ropean women. ' The produce cleared from the port of Demerary, since the last establishment of the British custom-house, is as follows, viz. — From the 5th of January, 1806, to the 5th of January, 180T, in 221 vessels, 19,337 hogsheads, 474 tierces, and 801 barrels of sugar ; 4722 puncheons and 17 hogsheads of rum ; 23,604 bales raid 2 bags of cotton; 12,390,102 pounds of coffee; and 1694 casks of molasses. Essequebo. — Nine miles west of the Demerary is the river Essequebo, which at its mouth, commencing from Borasierri, and extending to Kapoeja creek, is 21 miles broad ; the for- mer serves as a boundary to the two colonies. The navigation here is vei*y dangerous and difficult, even for small craft, which arises from banks of sand running in different directions across the entrance. Many estates and settlements are already made on its banks, and it is also the residence of several timber-cut- ters and brick -makers, the soil for which is particularly good. The settlements of Essequebo and Demerary, from their conjunction witli each other, are inider the directions of one governor, though two distinct colonies : but each has its court of justice and subordinate officers. Berhlce. — Berbice river is at the mouth a mile and a half broad, and in the centre is an island called Crab island. A bar of sand five miles without the river, running from east to west, prevents vessels drawing more than fourteen feet from entering the river; this navigation is more dangerous than that of the Demerary, from the obstructions to it being of sand. Berbice, by the old boundary, is bounded on the east by the Devil's creek, and on the west by Abarry creek, which se- 696 SOUTH AMERICA. parates that colony from Demerary. The river Berbice is shallow, but broad; nearly an hundred plantations have been formed on its banks. The directors of the colony obtain from it chiefly sugar. It also supplies cotton, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, and a dyeing stuff called rokou. The goods carried thither are the same as those traded with in the rest of the West Indies. Nezv Amsterdam, the name of the town, is built on the south side of the Canje river, running in that direction up the banks of the Berbice a mile and a half, with the houses facing the water. The houses are different from those of Stabroek : they are not more than a story and a half high, very long and narrow, with galleries on either side, for the purpose of walk- ing and smoking in the shade. When Surinam capitulated to the British in August, 1799, it conceded to Berbice the tract of country between the DeviPs creek and the Courintine. This addition of territory was a favourable circumstance for Berbice. The sea coast, extend- ing nearly 50 miles, and the west bank of the Courintine, were iimnediately surveyed and laid out into regular allot- ments. British capital, industry, and perseverance, had ac- complished, in eight years, what would not have been done by any other means in half a century. Surinam. — This valuable settlement is bounded on the east by the river Marawina, and on the west by the river Courin- tine : it is about 150 miles from east to west, and 60 from north to south. The liver, from which it derives its name, has sand banks at its mouth, over which there is about three fathom water at high tide ; but above these banks the water is much deeper, and the river navigable for large vessels above 90 miles up the country. This colony was first settled in 1634 by the English and a party of French. In 1667, it was taken by the Dutch, when 1200 of its oldest inhabitants removed to Jamaica. The pros- perity of this colony has been much impeded by the inhuman wars carried on by the settlers against the Maroon negroes. Since it was taken by the English, peace and commerce, have flourished. SOUTH AMERICA. 697 The principal town in Surinam, and the capital of the Eng- lish Guiana, is Parimaribo, situated on the right side of the river Surinam, at about 16 or 18 miles from its mouth. It is built on a sand-reef, well arranged, and the streets include beautiful alleys of orange and lemon trees. The houses are of wood, and have no chimnies ; the kitchens, for coolness sake, are detached ; it is a town far advanced in the arts of civilised life, above a mile in length, wide in proportion, and swarming already with an ever-thickening crowd of many-coloured inha- bitants. The population of Parimaribo is estimated at IS or 20,000 persons. Of these, the larger half, at least 10,000 persons, are negro and mulatto slaves. The free people of colour are supposed to be about 4000. There are from 2 to 3000 German and Portuguese Jews ; and about 1800 English and Dutch Europeans. The number of temporary residents, as in all sea ports, varies with the season. The products of this settlement, in 1775, amounted to 822,905/. ; but the present amount is above four times this sum. The population, at the same period, amounted to 100,000. Since the possession of this and the adjoining set- tlements was guaranteed by treaty to Great Britain, several regulations have been established, highly advantageous to the trade of Holland, and favourable to the Dutch colonists. English Guiana is rising rapidly into consequence. Several millions sterling have recently been employed in forming new plantations, and in facilitating the communication between the different settlements. Nor is it at all improbable, but that, at no very distant period, this fertile country may excel the West Indies in riches, population, and political consequence. 30 4 T 698 SOUTH AMERICA. PARAGUAY. 'T^HE wide regions so called, and which border on the Ura- guay, is celebrated as the seat of" the wonderful labours of the Jesuits, who established their power both over the bodies and the minds of the inhabitants of this province. In 1767, the Jesuits were driven from America by order of the king of Spain, and their unfortunate converts degraded to the same footing as the other indigenous inhabitants of the country. PATAGONIA. 'PHE aspect of this countryis very singular. There is an immense tract of territory impregnated with nitre, about 600 miles in length and 150 wide, on the south and west of the river Parana, and even to the junction of the Paraguay; all the springs and rivulets being more or less saline. No productive mines have yet been discovered, except some of silver, near Mendoza, at the bottom of the Andes. The rivers that wash this country all come from the high moun- tains of Yacanto, or Sacanto, Champachin, and Achala on the west of Cordova, which are little inferior in height to the Andes of Chili, and are a kind of branches of those of Peru. That part of the Andes which lies west of Mendoza is of a vast height, and always covered with snow ; and there are nu- merous volcanoes in the southern part of the Andes, as that of St. Clement, lat. 46 deg., and others in a continued progress to lat. 31 deg. SOUTH AMERICA. 699 The Patagonians are represented to be a large and robust race. Both men and women are dextrous riders. They sub- sist chiefly by hunting, in which they are assisted by dogs. They eat raw flesh, and, like iilost miserable savages, have little reo-ard for cleanliness. ISLANDS. Margaretta. npHIS mountainous island, situated opposite the city of Cumana in the Caraccas, is sup- posed to be a volcanic production. It is about 30 leagues in circumference, and is celebrated as being one of the first dis- coveries of Columbus, Juan Fej'tiandez. — Juan Fernandez lies to the west of South America, about 300 miles from the coast of Chili. This romantic isle, diversified with woods and water, with craggy hills and fertile spots, is famous for having given rise to the celebrated romance of Robinson Crusoe. It appears that Alexander Selkirk, a seaman and a native of Scotland, was put ashore, and left in this solitary place by his captain, where he lived some years, and was discovered by Woodes Rogers in 1709. Chiloe. — There are two remarkable archipelagos towards the southern extremitj^ of this continent: that styled the gulf of Chonos, or the archipelago of Guaytecas ; and that called the gulf of the Hvoly Trinity, or the archipelago of Toledo. The most remarkable isle in the former is that of Chiloe, about 140 British miles in length by 30 in breadth, but almost di- vided in the middle by bays or creeks. The chief harbour is Chacao on the north, and at Calbuco there is a corregidor, nominated by the president of Chili : there are also two mo- ^00 SOUTH AMERICA. nasteries and a church. The isle of Chiloe is said to be well peopled with Spaniards, mulattoes, and converted savages. Terra del Fiiego. — This island, although never visited by European navigators but in the summer months, is described as among the most dreary and desolate spots on the habitable earth, and the few inhabitants upon it as the most miserable and destitute of the human race. FalMand Islands. — There are two islands of this name, each about 40 miles square. The soil and climate do not appear to be good ; but there is a considerable variety of fowls and fish, and the plants seem somewhat to resemble those of Canada. In 1764", commodore Byron was sent to take possession of these islands, which were undoubtedly first discovered by the English ; and a little establishment was made at a place called Port Egmont; but being found of little or no value, they were in a few years ceded to Spain. Fernando de Norhonha. — This small Portuguese island is situated nearly four degrees southward of the line, and is about 15 miles in length and five or six in breadth. It is remarka- ble on account of a very lofiy peak, supposed to be about TOO feet above the level of the sea. It is a bare rock or column of granite, nearly perpendicular, but slopes a little to its base to- wards the north. The soil of this island is fruitful ; and it possesses a good open bay, with good anchorage in ten fathoms water, which is protected by a fort built upon an adjoining chff, But as this island is singular in its natural appearance, so it is perhaps no less remarkable for being the only inhabited spot, of simi»lar extent, on the surface of the globe, where no women are allowed to come, it being allotted to male criminals, who, with a small garrison and a number of priests, compose the whole population. Perhaps also there is not any equal body of men on earth, that exhibit at once so much holy mummery, and so much human depravity. This island, from being almost in the direct track of vessels trading from Europe to the Brazils, and its vicinity to the main land of South America, would, if possessed bv a naval power, disturb the whole commerce of this part of the continent. DESCRIPTION OF THE NATIVE TRIBES OF AMERICA. •T^HE aborigines of America, throughout the whole extent of the two vast continents which they inhabit, and amongst the infinite number of nations and tribes into which they are divided, differ very Uttle from each other in their manners and customs ; and they all form a very striking picture of the most distant antiquity. By taking a general view of the whole, the peculiarities that distinguish the most important tribes will be more easily perceived and understood. The people of America are tall, and straight in their limbs beyond the proportion of most nations : their bodies are strong ; but of a species of strength rather fitted to endure much hard- ship, than to continue long at any servile work, by which they are quickly consumed ; it is the strength of a beast of prey, rather than that of a beast of burthen. Their bodies and heads are flattish, the efi'ect of art ; their features are regular, but their countenances fierce; their hair long, black, lank, and as strong as that of a horse. The colour of their skin a reddish brown, admired amongst them, and improved by the constant use of bear's fat and paint. When the Europeans first came into America, they found the people quite naked, except those parts which it is common for the most uncultivated people to conceal. Since that time, they have generally a coarse blanket to cover them, which they buy from us. The whole fashion of their lives is of a piece ; 4 702 NATIVE TRIBES OF AMERICA. hardy, poor, and squalid ; and their education from their infancy is solely directed to fit their bodies for this mode of life, and to form their minds to inflict and to endure the greatest evils. Their only occupations are hunting and war. Agriculture is left to the women. Merchandise they contemn. When their hunting season is past, which they go through with much patience, and in which they exert great ingenuity, they pass the rest of their lime in an entire indolence. They sleep half the day in their huts, they loiter and jest among their friends, and they observe no bounds or decency in their eating and drinking. Before we discovered them, they had no spirituous liquors; but now, the acquirement of these is what gives a spur to their industry, and enjoyment to their repose. This is the principal end they pursue in their treaties; and from this they suffer inexpressible calamities; for, having once be- gun to drink, they can preserve no measures, but continue a succession of drunkenness as long as their means of procuring liquor lasts. In this condition they lie exposed on the earth to all the inclemency of the seasons, which wastes them by a train of the most fatal disorders; they perish in rivers and marshes; they tumble into tlie fire; they quarrel, and very frequently murder each other; and, in short, excess in drink- ing, which with us is rather immoral than destructive, amongst this uncivilised people, who have not art enough to guard against the consequence of their vices, is a public calamity. The few amongst them, who live free from this evil, enjoy the reward of their temperance in a robust and healthy old age. The character of the Indians is striking. They are grave even to sadness in their deportment upon any serious occasion ; obsei'vant of those in company; respectful to the old; of a temper cool and deliberate ; by which they are never in haste to speak before they have thought well upon the matter, and are sure the person who spoke before them has finished all he had to say. They have therefore the greatest contempt for the vivacity of the Europeans, v.'ho interrupt each other, and frequently speak all together. Nothing is more edifying than their behaviour in their public councils and assemblies. Every man there is heard in his turn, according as his years, his NATIVE TRIBES OF AMERICA. 703 wisdom, or his services to his country, have ranked him. Not a word, not a whisper, not a murmur, is heard from tlie rest while he speaks. No indecent condemnation, no ill-timed applause. The younger sort attend for their instruction. Here they learn the history of their nation ; here they are in- flamed with the songs of those who celebrate the warlike ac- tions of their ancestors; and here they are taught what are the interests of their country, and how to pursue them. There is no people amongst whom the laws of hospitality are more sacred, or executed with more generosity and good- will. Their houses, their provision, even their young women, are not enoug-h to oblige a guest. To those of their own na- tion they are likewise very humane and beneficent. But to the enemies of his country, or to those who have privately offended, the American is implacable. He conceals his senti- ments, he appears reconciled, until by some treachery or sur- prise he has an opportunity of executing an horrible revenge. No length of time is sufficient to allay his resentment: no dis- tance of place great enough to protect the object : he crosses the steepest mountains, he pierces the most impracticable forests, and traverses the most hideous bogs and deserts for several hundreds of miles, bearing the inclemency of the sea- sons, the fatigue of the expedition, the extremes of hunger and thirst, with patience and cheerfulness, in hopes of surprising his enemy, on whom he exercises the most shocking barbarities, even to the eating of his flesh. To such extremes do the Indians push their friendship or their enmity ; and such in- deed in general is the character of all stronsj and uncultivated minds. Notwithstanding this ferocity, no people have their anger, or at least the shew of their anger, more under their command. From their infancy they are formed with care to endure scofls, taunts, blows, and every sort of insult patiently, or at least with a composed countenance. This is one of the principal objects of their education. They esteem notliing so unworthy a man of sense and constancy, as a peevish temper, and a proneness to sudden and rash angei*. And this so far has an effect, that quarrels happen as rarely amongst them when they 704 NATIVE TRIBES OF AMERICA. are not intoxicated with liquor, as does the chief cause of all quarrels, hot and abusive language. But human nature is such, that, as virtues may with proper management be en- grafted upon almost all sorts of vicious passions, so vices natu- rally grow out of the best dispositions, and are the consequence of those regulations that produce and strengthen them. This is the reason that, when the passions of the Americans are roused, being shut up, as it were, and converging into a nar- row point, they become more furious ; they are dark, sullen, treacherous, and unappeasable. A people who live by hunting, who inhabit mean cottages, and are given to change the place of their habitation, are sel- dom very religious. Some appear to have very little idea of God. Others entertain better notions : they hold the existence of the Supreme Being, eternal and incorruptible, who has power over all. Satisfied with owning this, which is tradition- ary amongst them, they give him no sort of worship. There are indeed nations in America, who seem to pay some religious homage to the sun and moon ; and, as most of them have a notion of some invisible beings, who continually intermeddle in their affairs, they discourse much of demons, nymphs, fairies, or beings equivalent. Though without religion, they abound in superstitions ; as it is common for those to do, whose sub- sistence depends, like theirs, upon fortune. Great observers of omens and dreams, and pryers into futurity with great eagerness, they abound in diviners, augurs, and magicians, Avhom they rely much upon in all affairs that concern them, whether of health, war, or hunting. Their physic, which may be rather called magic, is entirely in the hands of the priests. The loss of any one of their people, whether by a natural death or by war, is lamented by the whole town he belongs to. In such circumstances, no business is taken in hand, however important, nor any rejoicing permitted, however interesting the occasion, until all the pious ceremonies due to the dead are performed. These are always discharged with the greatest solemnity. The dead body is washed, anointed, and painted, so as in some measure to abate the horrors of death. Then the women lament the loss with the most bitter cries, and the NATIVE TRIBES OF AMERICA. 705 most hideous bowlings, intermixed with songs, which celebrate the great actions of the deceased, and those of his ancestors. The men mourn in a less extravagant manner. The whole village attends the body to the grave, where it is interred, ha- bited in their ir.ost sumptuous ornaments. With the body of the deceased are placed his bow and arrows, with what he va- Jued most in his life, and provisions for the long journey he is to take : for they hold the immortality of the soul universally, but their idea is gross. Feasting attends this, as it does every solemnity. After the funeral, they who are nearly allied to the deceased conceal themselves in their huts for a considerable time, to indulge their grief The compliments of condolence are never omitted, nor are presents wanting upon this occasion. After some time, they revisit the grave ; they renew their sor- row; they new clothe the remains of the body, and act over again the solemnities of the first funeral. Of all their instances of regard to their deceased friends, none is so striking as what they call the feast of the dead, or the feast of souls. The day of this ceremony is appointed in the council of their chiefs, who give orders for every thing which may enable them to celebrate it v/ith pomp and magni- ficence. The riches of the nation are exhausted on this occa- sion, and all their ingenuity displayed. The neighbouring people are invited to partake of the feast, and to be witnesses of the solemnity. At this time, all who have died since the last solemn feast of that kind are taken out of their graves. Those who have been interred at the greatest distance from the villages are diligently sought for, and brought to this great rendezvous of carcases. It is not difficult to conceive the horror of this general disinterment. ' Without question,' says Lafitau, ' the opening of these tombs displays one of the most striking scenes that can be conceived ; this humbling portrait of human misery, in so many images of death, wherein she seems to take a pleasure to paint herself in a thousand various shapes of horror, in the several carcases, according to the de- gree in which corruption has prevailed over them, or the manner in which it has attacked them. Son>e appear dry and withered ; others have a sort of parchment upon their bones ; 4 TT 706 NATIVE TRIBES OF AMERICA. some look as if they wei'e baked and smoked, without any ap- pearance of rottenness; some are just turning towards the point of putrefaction; whilst others are all swarming with worms, and drowned in corruption. I know not which ought to strike us most, the horror of so shocking a sight, or the tender piety and affection of these poor people towards their de})arted friends ; for nothing deserves our admiration more, than that eager diligence and attention with which they dis- charge this melancholy duty of their tenderness; gathering up carefully even tHe smallest bones ; handling the carcases, dis- gustful as they are, with every thing loathsome; cleansing them from the worms, and carrying them upon their shoulders through tiresome journies of several days, without being dis- couraged by their insupportable stench, and without suffering any other emotions to arise, than those of regret, for having lost persons who were so dear to them in their lives, and so lamented in their death."* This strange festival is the most magnificent and solemn which they have ; not only on account of the great concourse of natives and strangers, and of the pompous reinterment they give to their dead, whom they dress in the finest skins they can get, after having e^cposed them for some time in this pomp; but for the games of all kinds which they celebrate upon the occasion, in the spirit of those which the ancient Greeks and Romans celebrated upon similar occasions. In this manner do they endeavour to soiith the calamities of life, by the honours they pay their dead ; honoui's which are the more cheerfully bestowed, because in his turn each man expects to receive them himself Though amongst these sa- vage nations this custom is impressed with strong marks of the ferocity of their nature ; an honour for the dead, a tender feeling of their absence, and a revival of their memory, are some of the most excellent instruments for smoothing our rug- ged nature into humanity. In civilised nations ceremonies are less practised, because other Instruments for the same purposes are less wanted ; but it is certain a regard for the dead is an- ciant and wniversal. NATIVE TRIBES OF AMERICA. 707 Though the women in America have oenerally the laborious part of the economy upon themselves, yet tliey are fai" trom being the slaves they appear, and are not at all subject to the great subordination in which they are placed in countries where they seem to be more respected. On the contrary, all the honours of the nation are on the side of the women. They even hold their councils, and have their share in all delibera- tions which concern the state ; nor are they found inferior in the part they act. Polygamy is practised by some nations, but it is not general. In most tliey content themselves with one wife ; but a divorce is admitted, and for the same causes that it was allowed amongst the Jews, Greeks, and Romans. No nation of the Americans is v/ithout a regular marriage, in which there are many ceremonies ; the principal of which is, the bride's presenting the bridegroom with a plate of their corn. Incontinent before wedlock, after marriage the chastity of their women is remarkable. The punishment of the adultress, as well as that of the adulterer, is in the hands of the husband himself; and it is often severe, as inflicted by one who is at once the party and the judge. Their marriages are not fruit- ful, seldom producing above two or three children, but they are brought forth with less pain than our women suffer upon such occasions, and with little consequent weakness. Probably, that severe life, which both sexes lead, is not favourable to procreation. And the habit unmarried women have of pro- curing abortions, in which they rarely fail, makes them more unfit for bearing children afterwards. This is one of the rea- sons of the depopulation of America ; for whatever losses they suffer, either by epidemical diseases or by war, are repaired slowly. Almost the sole occupation of the American i^.-war, or such an exercise as qualifies him for it. His whole glory consists in this ; and no man is at all considered until he has increased the strength of his country with a captive, or adorned his house with a scalp of one of its enemies. When the ancients resolve upon war, they do not always declare what nation it is they are determined to attack ; that the enemy, upon whom they really intend to fall, may be off his guard. Nay, they 708 NATIVE TRIBES OF AMERICA. even sometimes let years pass over without committing any act of hostility, that the vigilance of all may be unbent by the long continuance of the watch, and the uncertainty of the danger. The day appointed for their departure being arrived, they take leave of their friends ; they change their clothes, or what- ever moveables they have, in token of mutual friendship ; their wives and female relations go out before them, and attend at some distance from the town. The warriors march out all drest in their finest apparel, and most shewy ornaments, regu- larly one after another, for they never march in rank. The chief walks slowly on before them, singing the death song, while the rest observe the most profound silence. When they come up to their women, they deliver up to them all their finery, put on their worst clothes, and then proceed as their commander thinks fit. The qualities in an Indian war arc vigilance and attention; to give and to avoid a surprise ; and patience and strength, to endure the intolerable fatigues and hardships which always attend it. The nations of America are at an immense distance from each other, with a vast desert frontier, and hid in the bosom of hideous, and almost boundless forests. These must be traversed before they meet an enemy, who is often at such a distance as might be supposed to prevent either quarrel or danger. But, notwithstanding the secresy of the destination of the party that first moves, the enemy has frequent notice of it, is prepared for the attack, and ready to take advantage in the same manner of the least want of vigilance in the aggres- sors. Their whole art of war consists in this : they never fight in the open field, but upon some very extraordinary oc- casions; not from cowardice, for they are brave; but they despise this method, as unworthy an able warrior, and as an affair in which fortune governs more than prudence. The principal things which help them to find out their enemies, ai'e the smoke of their fires, which they smell at a distance al- most incredible ; and their tracks, in the discovery and distin- guishing of which, they are possessed of a sagacity equally astonishing; for they will tell in the footsteps, which to us NATIVE TRIBES OF AMERICA. 709 would seem most confused, the number of men that have passed, and the length of time since they iiave passed ; they even go so far as to distinguish the several nations by the dif- ferent marks of their feet, and to perceive footsteps where we could distingnish nothing less. A mind diligently intent upon one thing, and exercised by long experience, will go lengths at first view scarcely credible. When they discover an army of their enemies, their way is to throw themselves flat on their faces among the vvithered leaves, the colour of which their bodies are painted to resemble exactly. They generally let a part pass unmolested; and then, rising a little, they take aim, for they are excellent marksmen, and setting up a most tremendous shout, which they call the war-cry, they pour a storm of musket-bullets upon the enemy ; for they have long since laid aside the use of arrows : the party attacked returns the same cry. Every man in haste covers himself with a tree, and returns the fire of the adverse party, as soon as they raise themselves from the ground to give the second fire. After fighting some time in this manner, the party which thinks it has the advantage rushes out of its cover, with small axes in their hands, which they dart with great address and dexterity ; they redouble their cries, intimidating their enemies with menaces, and encouraging each other with a boastful dis- play of their own brave actions. Thus being come hand to hand, the contest is soon decided ; and the conquerors satiate their savage fury with the most shocking insults and barbari- ties to the dead, biting their flesh, tearing the scalp from their lieads, and wallowing in their blood like wild beasts. The fate of their prisoners is severe and cruel. The people of every village shew their attachment to their fi-iends by their barbarous treatment of these unhappy victims. After mourn- ing for the loss sustained in the war, they rush into an extra- vagance and frenzy of joy for their victory. In the mean time, the fate of the prisoners remains unde- cided, until the old men meet, and determine concerning the distribution. It is usual to offer a slave to each house that has lost a friend ; giving the preference according to the greatness 710 NATIVE TRIBES OF AMERICA. of the loss. The person who has taken the captive attends him to the door of the cottage to which he is dehvered, and with him gives a belt of wampum, to shew that he has fulfilled the purpose of the expedition, in supplying the loss of a citizen. They view the present which is made them for some time ; and, according as they think him or her, for it is the same, proper or improper for the business of the famil}', or as they take a capricious liking or displeasui'e to the countenance of the victim, or in proportion to their natural barbarity or their resentment for their losses, they destine concerning him, to receive him into the family, or sentence him to death. If the latter, they throw away the belt with great indignation. Then it is no longer in the power of any one to save him. The na- tion is assembled, as upon some great solemnity. A scaffold is raised, and the prisoner tied to the stake. Instantly he opens his death-song, and prepares for the ensuing scene of cruelty with the most undaunted courage. On the other side, they prepare to put it to the utmost proof, with every torment which the mind of man, ingenious in mischief, can invent. They begin at the extremities of his body, and gradually ap- proach the trunk. One plucks out his nails by the roots, one by one ; another takes a finger into his mouth, and tears off the flesh with his teeth ; a third thrusts the finger, mangled as it is, into the bole of a pipe made red-hot, which he smokes like tobacco. They then pound his toes and fingers to pieces between two stones; they cut circles about his joints, and gashes in the fleshy parts of his limbs, which they sear imme- diately with red-hot irons, cutting and searing alternately ; they pull off this flesh, thus mangled and roasted, bit by bit, devouring it with greediness, and smearing their faces with the blood, in an enthusiasm of horror and fury. When they have thus torn off the flesh, they twist the bare nerves and tendons about an iron, tearing and snapping them ; whilst others are employed in puUing and extending the limbs them- selves, in every way that can increase the torment. This con- tinues often five or six hours together. Then they frequently unbind him, to give a breathing to their fury, to think what new torments they shall inflict, and to refresh the strength of NATIVE TRIBES OF AMERICA. 711 the sufferer, who, wearied out with such a variety of unheard- of torments, often falls immediately into so profound a sleep, that they are obliged to apply the fire to awaken him, and re- new his sufferings. He is again fastened to the stake, and again they renew their cruelty : they stick him all over with small matches of wood that easily takes fire, but burns slowly ; they continually run sharp reeds into every part of his body ; they drag out his teeth with pincers, and thrust out his eyes; and lastly, after having burned his flesh from the bones with slow fires ; after having so mangled the body that it is all but one wound ; after having mutilated his face in such a manner as to carr3r nothing human in it ; after having peeled the skin from the head, and poured a heap of red-hot coals or boiling water on the naked skull; they once more unbind the wretch, who, blind and staggering with pain and weakness, assaulted and pelted upon every side with clubs and stones, now up, now (iown, falling into their fires at every step, runs hither and thither, until one of the chiefs, whether out of compassion or weary of cruelty, puts an end to his life with a club or a dag- ger. The body is then put into the kettle, and this barbarous employment is succeeded by a feast as barbarous. The women, forgetting the human as well as the female na- ture, and transformed into something worse than furies, act their parts, and even outdo the men, in this scene of horror. The principal persons of the country sit round the stake, smoking and looking on without the least emotion. What is the most extraordinary, the sufferer himself, in the^ little inter- vals of his torments, smokes too, appears unconcerned, and converses with his torturers about indifferent matters. In- deed, during the whole time of his execution, there seems a Contest between him and them wiiich shall exceed, they in in- fecting the most horrid pains, or lie in enduring them with a firmness and constancy almost above human. They are governed by a council of elders; but business of consequence is determined in a general meeting of the whole tribe. Murder is either revenged, or compromised by the parties concerned; and each family claims a iiiU right of judg- 712 NATIVE TRIBES OP AMERIciV * ment relative to crimes committed in the same cabin. The Indians that have had a long intercourse with Europeans seem to be greatly degenerated, both in physical and mental qualities. Those of different nations, and from different parts of America connected with Canada, come annually to Quebec, to Montreal, and to other military posts, to receive the pre- sents which the governments annually distribute amongst them ; and they are thus described by a recent traveller : — ' Conceive to yourself a parcel of men, women, and children, huddled together under a wigwam, formed of pieces of wood, .seven or eight feet in length, the ends fixed in the ground, *and meeting at the top, form a kind of sloping frame, which is covered with the bark of the birch-tree, to keep out the in- cjemencies of the weather — a very poor covering indeed. They are /t«//"naked, xoliolly covered with dirt and oily paints, and swarming with vermin ; diminutive, and weakly in their persons and appearance ; and having a physiognomy, in which you look in vain for ti'aces of intelligence. I do not mean to say that they are without the reasoning faculty, but they cer- tainly are very stupid. I understand that their numbers de- crease every year, — if they were wholly extinct, I do not think that human nature would be a great sufferer by it.' The ravages occasioned amongst the aborigines of America by the effect of spirituous liquors and the small-pox, added to the gradual encroachments of civilized states, must, at no very distant period, annihilate the whole race. Several tribes have already become extinct ; and others, once very powerful, are much reduced. The Society of Friends, in the United States, have lately sent proper persons amongst the Ifidians, in order to teach them the arts of agriculture and civilized life. Those who resign the practice of war and hunting, and apply them- selves to the culture of the soil, may preserve the existence of a part of the native race, long after their peculiar habits are lost and forcjotten. FINIS. Priiftt'd hy Mackenzie and Dc".i.