II & RAR.Y 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 OF ILLINOIS 
 
 974,8 
 
 I .H.S.
 
 NOTICE 
 
 AFTER CAREFUL EXAMINATION OF THE 
 INNER MARGIN AND TYPE OF MATERIAL 
 WE HAVE SEWN THIS VOLUME BY HAND 
 SO IT CAN BE MORE EASILY OPENED 
 AND READ.
 
 , 
 
 &BTTER8 
 
 FROM 
 
 THE BRITISH SETTLEMENT 
 
 IN 
 
 PENNSYLVANIA: 
 
 To which are added, 
 
 fi CONSTITUTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, AND 
 OF PENNSYLVANIA; AND EXTRACTS FROM THE 
 
 LAWS RESPECTING ALIENS AND 
 NATURALIZED CITIZENS. 
 
 BY C. B. JOHNSON, M. D. 
 
 SontJon: 
 
 PRINTED FOR JOHN MILLER, BURLINGTON ARCADE, 
 PICCADILLY^ AND FOR II. HALL, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 
 
 1819.
 
 Printed \>j W. SMITH, King Street, Seven Dials.
 
 3. \ 
 
 THE 
 
 BRITISH EMIGRANT SOCIETY 
 
 TO 
 
 THEIR COUNTRYMEN. 
 
 The British Emigrant Society t established in Sus- 
 quehanna county, have read with much attention 
 the following Letters, from one of their members. 
 They have carefully examined the statements con- 
 tained in them, and fully concur in opinion as to 
 their correctness. 
 
 The object of the Society has been to secure an 
 eligible situation for their countrymen ; and by ob- 
 taining a large tract of land, to enable them to set- 
 tle together, and, at the same time, to procure the 
 land at a low price. In this, they have been met 
 by the liberality of the proprietor, who was pleased 
 
 687983
 
 V PREFACE. 
 
 with their intentions, and desirous of promoting 
 them. As the Society disclaim all speculations, 
 they invite their countrymen to the spot, which 
 they have selected, on the terms of their contract ; 
 requiring only, as a claim to the privileges>hich it 
 ofFers, that those who come, shall bring with them 
 a good moral character. 
 
 From the following work it will be seen, that in 
 Susquehanna county the first crop usually pays 
 more than all the expenses of clearing and fencing 
 the land, and of sowing, harvesting, and threshing 
 the grain. Consequently the clearing of land is a 
 profitable business. That land encreases rapidly 
 in value. That the difference or saving of expense 
 of a family of seven persons, young and old, which 
 together with the sundry articles taken with them, 
 should weigh a ton and an half, going to Susque- 
 hanna county ; and the same family going to the 
 state of Illinois, in the western part of the United 
 States, is sufficient to purchase one hundred and 
 twenty acres of land in Susquehanna county, under 
 the Society's contract. 
 
 That the saving of a mechanic, with a family of 
 common site, bttweeu the expense of maintaining
 
 PREFACE. T 
 
 it in Philadelphia, or in Susquehanna county, will 
 in one year, purchase an hundred acres of land. 
 
 That the produce of the farmer in Susquehanna 
 county would sell for double the amount it will 
 bring in the Western states. 
 
 That the work of the mechanic is proportionally 
 more valuable. 
 
 That all imported articles are cheaper than in 
 the Western states. 
 
 That the settlement is removed from all danger, 
 in case of war. 
 
 That it has the advantage of provisions, already 
 raised within itself. 
 
 That materials for building, and for furniture, 
 are abundant and cheap. 
 
 That taxes are scarcely worth naming, and that 
 there are no poor. 
 
 That the situation is particularly eligible, from its 
 vicinity to good markets ; the soil of a good quality, 
 the water excellent, and the climate healthy. 
 
 The Society have laid off ground for a town, on 
 one of the turnpikes, which pass through their pur- 
 chase- A half acre lot on the turnpike, cleared, 
 
 will be given, free of all expense, to each of the first 
 A2
 
 Yi PREFACE, 
 
 fifty mechanics who shall build a house on the same 
 and commence his trade. Every person in the 
 town is at liberty to build his house or shop on such 
 a plan, and of such a size, as may best suit his con- 
 venience or his purse ; but as a handsome house 
 may be built at as small an expense as an homely 
 one, the Society require that the fronts of all the 
 houses and shops, &c. erected in the town, shall be 
 built on the designs furnished by their architect, 
 who wjll be careful to accommodate them to the 
 sum which each person may be desirous of invest- 
 ing in his buildings. The front must be painted. 
 The sides, back and interior, may be finished, or 
 not, as the person concerned shall desire. By this 
 regulation, the Society hope to unite utility and 
 beauty in their establishments. Ground has been 
 given for the situation of public buildings, and a 
 fund appropriated for them, which it is believed 
 will be sufficient for their erection. 
 
 It is the wish of the Society to introduce a suffi- 
 cient number of good farmers, to cultivate the 
 ground in the manner which English farmers are 
 accustomed to, and to settle industrious mechanics 
 ic towns, iu numbers sufficient to consume the far-
 
 PREFACE. Tii 
 
 mer's produce. Factors will be established in the 
 cities of Philadelphia and New York, to whom 
 waggons will be regularly sent with such of the ma- 
 nufactured articles as it may be desirable to sell m 
 those places ; and for the purpose of bringing back 
 such imported articles as shall be necessary for 
 their consumption. The advantages of such an 
 arrangement for both farmers and mechanics, must 
 be very apparent. Many of those articles of light 
 carriage, on which thousands of mechanics and 
 manufacturers are employed in the metropolis, can 
 be made at the Society's establishment, sent to the 
 city, and sold at a less price than they can be af- 
 forded by those who make them there. The supe- 
 rior comforts of the mechanic, who has his own 
 bouse, his own garden, pasture, and wood lots, over 
 him wko is pent up in the city throughout the year, 
 and lives at great expense for house rent, fuel, &c. 
 are very obvious. The manufactured articles dis 
 posed of in the country are generally sold at 
 higher price than they bring in the city. But in case 
 of the country being overstocked, the Society con- 
 template an arrangement with their factors, which 
 will enable them to make advances, if the article*'
 
 Viii PREFACE. 
 
 sent to them shall arrive at any time when the mar 
 kets are dull, so that the members of the Society 
 will have a further advantage in thpir sales, over 
 those who manufacture the same articles in the city. 
 It will be readily seen, that the result of this ar- 
 rangement must be a good market in the farmer's 
 neighbourhood for all his produce, and the profit- 
 able sale of all the result of the mechanic's labour* 
 Instead, therefore, of the necessity of taking to the 
 cities such heavy articles as flour, beef, butter and 
 cheese, they will appear there, metamorphosed 
 into some of the light effects of the mechanic's skill. 
 If the affairs of the Society shall be conducted 
 with a well-ordered exactness, and if the spirit of 
 harmony shall preside over the conduct of their 
 members, as there is good reason to hope, the 
 Society may look forward with confident expecta- 
 ion to a British settlement of unexampled pros- 
 \vJrity, where the farmer's industry, stimulated by 
 i exemption from his former burthen of taxes 
 ,jid tythes, shall be rewarded by encreasing com- 
 forts, and the consciousness of being able to bring 
 up his children with a good education, and to 
 leave them with ample possessions; and where
 
 PREFACE. IX 
 
 each mechanic, surrounded by his garden, his 
 pasture and wood lots, may rival the prosperity 
 and ease of the farmer. 
 
 The Society wish sedulously to guard their coun- 
 trymen from coming to them with the absurd hope 
 of finding a place where idleness may repose itself, 
 while the earth shall produce its fruits spontane- 
 ously. They know that many have been led to the 
 United States by such visionary expectations ; but 
 such persons they do not wish to see, and would 
 not receive as their associates; the happiness and 
 prosperity of the Society must depend on the in- 
 dustry and general good conduct of all its members.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 Arrival in the United States Settlers returning from 
 the West Cobbett's " Year's .Residence" Advanta- 
 ges of settling near a market Favourable accounts 
 of Susquehanna county Makes a large purchase- 
 Terms 1321 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 Objects in selecting a settlement Comparison between 
 the prices of produce in Illinois and Susquehanna 
 Manners of the Western people Proneness to quar- 
 rel Security of the British Settlement The port- 
 folio Erratic disposition of the Americans Grist 
 mills and saw mills Price of farms 21 31 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 Boundaries of Susquehanna county Face of the coun- 
 try Soil Forest trees Bushes Maple sugar 
 Beer Fruit Salt Iron Population 32 39 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 Rivers Valley of Wyoming ^-Campbell's Poem Fish- 
 ingWalton, the angler Lakes Canals 39 42 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 Game Deer Bears Wolves- Elks Foxes Phea- 
 sants Ducks Teal Game Laws 42 44
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 Manner of clearing land Rapid increase of value 
 Prosperity of settlers Cultivation Philadelphia So- 
 ciety for promoting Agriculture Expense of cultiva- 
 tion Profits on crops Rent, taxes, stock,&c. of a faim 
 in England, compared with the purchate of the same 
 property in Susquehanna county Mr. King's speech 
 
 4458 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 Houses Barns Mills Fences Hedges 58 62 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 Cattle Sheep Mr. B irkbeck Corn Oats Buck 
 wheat Potatoes Carelessness of American farmers 
 Rise of value The policy of Pennsylvania Go- 
 vernor's speech 63 73 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 Price of labour Expense of living in Philadelphia com- 
 pared with the cost at the British Settlement Castle 
 of Indolence Mechanics 73 79 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 Roads Road to the British SettlementLetters, how 
 to be addressed 7983 
 
 LETTER XI. 
 
 No STATE TAXES in Pennsylvania American coins 
 No poor New York The Courier Labourers En- 
 glish revenue 8386
 
 Xii CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 Climate ArthurYoung Cobbett Mortality Musqui- 
 toes Brissot Diseases of the Western Country 
 Volney, Latham, Schultz, & Breckenridge 86 97 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 Manners Literature Public Library Partiality for 
 England Yankee Marriage Education Religion 
 Slavery Robbery MendicityIndians Idleues- 
 Politics The navy The army American andBri- 
 tish Sailors Versatality of the Americans Netf 
 Orleans General Jackson Mr. Ames's speech * 
 General Packenham Mutual interest of Great Bri- 
 tain and the United States British manufactures 
 ElectionsCaucusStability and extent of the Unioi< 
 
 97_ -iir, 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 Remarks on Birkbeck's Letters Price of Land Law- 
 yersTurbulent Character Moss Troopers Con 
 tempt of Religion Unhealthiness Parching heat- 
 Expense of travelling Conclusion 116121) 
 
 Extract from the Village Record 132136 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The Constitution of the United States 1 3T 
 
 The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Penn- 
 sylvania 167 
 
 Act of Assembly enabling Aliens to hold lands 180 
 
 Directions to persons who with to become citizens ih.
 
 LETTERS, &c. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 British Settkment, Sutquehanna County, Pennsylvania^ 
 
 MY DEAR FRIEND, 
 
 MY last letter was dated at Philadelphia, a 
 short time after my arrival there, and detailed the 
 few occurrences of my voyage, and the favourable 
 impressions which were made by the appearance 
 of that city. You will have seen by that letter, that 
 my intentions with regard to a settlement in the 
 western part of the United States, were much af- 
 fected by the unfavourable accounts which I had 
 received from some of our countrymen, who had 
 returned from thence, after a journey of nearly 
 three thousand miles, (going and coming) by land. 
 I was, indeed, so disheartened by these representa- 
 tions, that I was almost tempted to commence the 
 practice of my profession in Philadelphia, and give 
 up all thoughts of the country. You will, however, 
 be surprised to find this letter dated from Susque- 
 hanna county, in Pennsylvania, instead of Phila- 
 delphia, Illinois, or Indiana. 
 B
 
 14 PRELIMINARY ENQUIRIES. 
 
 This intention of encountering so toilsome a 
 journey, in order to judge for myself of the " Wes- 
 tern Country," as it is here called, was formed 
 very much on the principles of " Hobson's choice ;" 
 for in some way, which is to me now unac- 
 countable, we had been led into an opinion, that 
 the only part of the United States for an English- 
 man to go to, was the western wilderness. Of the 
 error of this opinion I was convinced in a short time 
 after my arrival, by an inspection of the farms in 
 the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, and a reflection 
 on the great advantages of vicinity to markets; ad- 
 vantages which I readily saw a farmer must relin- 
 quish, who settles in any part of the United States^ 
 beyond the mountains. At this period, I met with 
 a little work published by Mr. Cobbett, since his 
 last visit to this country, called, "The. First Part of 
 a Year's Residence in the United States of America" 
 which I send you with this. You will find in it a 
 diary of the weather; together with many useful 
 practical observations, detailed in a plain and easy 
 manner. Mr. Cobbett has shown the advantage of 
 farming on this side of the mountains ; and while I 
 felt a growing disposition to avoid the prairies, or 
 
 flats, of the Illinois, our friend S mentioned to 
 
 me, that the lands of Susquehanua county, in this 
 state, and within a short distance of Philadelphia 
 and New-York, had been very favourably spoken 
 
 of by Mr. V , a highly respected gentleman of 
 
 Philadelphia, of whose philanthropy and benevo- 
 lence most of the Englishmen who arrive there can
 
 PRELIMINARY ENQUIRIES. 15 
 
 bear witness. Mr. S ~ directed me to a Mr. 
 
 Young, an Englishman, then in Philadelphia, who 
 had been to what he called Mr. Rose's settlement, 
 in Susquehanna county, and who could therefore 
 give me correct information about it. I called on 
 Mr. Young, and found his account to be very fa- 
 vourable respecting the soil and climate , and that 
 he intended to settle there. Mr. Y. described the 
 land as being of a good quality, the country healthy, 
 the water plentiful and excellent, and the timber of 
 great variety : that there were about five hundred 
 families, mostly from the New England States, on 
 Mr. R.'s tract ; a number of grist and saw mills, 
 and four post-offices on it : that Montrose, the seat 
 of justice for the county, was 170 miles from Phila- 
 delphia, and, by a turnpike now making, it would 
 be about 130 miles from New- York : that mea- 
 sures have been also taken for making another 
 turnpike in nearly a due south direction to Phila- 
 delphia, which will lessen considerably the pre- 
 sent distance : that the Susquehanna river was na- 
 vigable from the vicinity of the tract to Baltimore : 
 the price of the lands on the turnpikes was six dol- 
 lars, and for those back from them, five dollars 
 per acre ; that the title was indisputable, and a 
 deed of general warranty given : that several of 
 the settlers on the tract, who were desirous of get- 
 ting their neighbours to settle near them, and who 
 were, doubtless, good judges of land, had given a 
 statement of the quality, from which he bad, when 
 on the spot, copied the following :
 
 16 PRELIMINARY ENQUIRIES. 
 
 " We, the subscribers, have purchased farms on 
 the lands of Robert H. Rose. The soil is, gene- 
 rally, of a good quality, deep, and lasting; and the 
 situation very favourable, on account of a market 
 for our produce. (Signed by) 
 
 Daniel Gaige, Alpheus Finch, Isaac Howard, 
 Mortimer Gaige, Abraham Gaige, Joseph 
 Whipple, Philip GrifFeth, Peleg Butts, Charles 
 Davies, Christian Shillop, Nathan Brewster, 
 John Griffiths, Jonathan Ellsworth, Henry 
 Ellsworth, Jacob Bump, George Bump, Bela 
 More, Joseph Addison, Charles Chalker. 
 Daniel Chalker, Seth Baldwyn, Richard 
 Daniels, Ephraim Fancher, Zephania Cornell, 
 Benjamin Fancher, Caleb Bush, Asa Bald- 
 wyn, Samuel Baldwyn, Thurston Carr, Isaac 
 Soule, Hiel Tupper, Jabez A. Birchard, David 
 Owen, Jeremiah Glover, Albert Camp, H. P. 
 Corbiu, D. Taylor, Lemuel Walbridge, Leman 
 Turrel, Camfield Stone, Philo Bostwick, Sal. 
 inon Bradshaw, Billings Babcock, Robinson 
 Bolles, Zenas Bliss, Jon. C. Sherman, Philo 
 Morehouse, Reuben Faxen, Darius Bixby, 
 Asahel Southwell, Asa Brown, Edward Cox, 
 Peter Brown, Daniel Chamberlain." 
 All this seemed to be good authority, and as there 
 were at that time in Philadelphia, many of our 
 countrymen, whose object was, like our own, the 
 selection of an eligible spot for their abode, it was 
 thought prudent to call them together, and unite 
 the information we had received of various places,
 
 PRELIMINARY ENQUIRIES. 17 
 
 in the hope of being able to choose that one which 
 would be best for a tc British settlement," and in 
 which could be combined advantages for both far- 
 mers and mechanics. 
 
 For this purpose, a number of persons interested, 
 met at the Chester and Montgomery hotel, in Phi- 
 ladelphia, a house kept by Mr. Davis, an English- 
 man. The impressions amongst all who met, ap- 
 peared to be very unfavourable to a settlement in 
 the Western States, in consequence of the various 
 information that had been received, from different 
 sources, as well as from several of our own country- 
 men, who had returned dissatisfied with the priva- 
 tions of society, and the loss of many comforts to 
 which they had been accustomed, which they found 
 they would be compelled to endure in a settlement 
 there. 
 
 At this meeting, it was deemed to be of great im- 
 portance to find a suitable situation for the contem- 
 plated establishment, on the eastern side of the 
 mountains, and within a reasonable distance from 
 some of the sea-ports, in which all the surplus pro- 
 duce of the mechanic's labour might be vended, 
 where the toil of the farmer would be rewarded 
 by a good price for his produce, and where, in 
 consequence of the country not being filled with 
 settlers, land might yet be had at a low price. 
 
 I found the favourable impression I had of Sus- 
 quehanna county, corroborated by the information 
 which several who attended this meeting had re- 
 ceived of it ; aud it was resolved unanimously, that 
 B2
 
 18 PRELIMINARY ENQUIRIES. 
 
 a letter should be written to Mr. Rose, to ascertain 
 the terms on which he would sell his lands to a so- 
 ciety of British emigrants. The time that elapsed 
 before the receipt of his answer, was spent by me 
 in endeavouring to add to the information I had 
 acquired of the United States generally, and parti- 
 cularly, in reading the journals of different persons 
 who had travelled over the western parts of them, 
 on the waters of the Ohio and Mississippi, to which 
 my attention had been directed previous to my lear- 
 iug England. I found these, generally, to repre- 
 sent those portions of the country in terms very 
 different from the language of Mr. Birkbeck, whose 
 " Notes" had been, in some degree, the occasion of 
 my voyage across the ocean. On receiving an 
 answer from Mr. Rose to our communications, a 
 meeting of the British emigrants was again con- 
 vened, and it was determined that a committee of 
 five, (of whom I was one,) should immediately 
 proceed to Susquehanna county, and examine the 
 lands carefully, ascertain the quantity which could 
 be procured, and on their return, make a report 
 of the situation, soil, water, &c. and of the various 
 advantages, or disadvantages, which it would offer 
 to the contemplated settlement. In pursuance of 
 this resolution, we came here, and diligently and 
 carefully investigated the different objects to wh'ch 
 our-attention had been directed, and which, as you 
 will have perceived, v. ere precisely the same as 
 those on which my instructions had been founded, 
 before I left my native land. The result of th
 
 SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY. 19 
 
 investigation by the committee was, an unanimous 
 opinion in favour of this place, as affording all the 
 essential requisites for a British settlement. 
 
 We were treated with much kindness lay Mr. 
 Rose, who was pleased with our objects, which he 
 thought would be very useful to the county, and 
 even'to the state ; and with this view he gave us a 
 contract for his lands, at a price much below what 
 he had sold for some time past, and lower than any 
 other land is selling in the county. Since his set- 
 tlement in this county, he has made it a rule to sell 
 to none but actual settlers, and in his contract with 
 us, he has enjoined a perseverance in the same rule, 
 and the obligation, that for twelve months from the 
 date of our contract, we shall keep the land open, 
 on the same terms we received it, for any of our 
 own countrymen who may be desirous of joining us, 
 and who shall bring good moral characters with 
 them. These were precisely the intentions of the 
 meeting in Philadelphia, which in seeking a place of 
 settlement for British emigrants, disclaimed all ob- 
 jects of speculation, and sought only to procure an 
 eligible situation, in all the benefits of which their 
 countrymen might participate. The committee were, 
 therefore, much pleased that Mr. Rose had taken 
 the same view of the subject, and advised the mea- 
 sures on which they had previously resolved. 
 
 The following are the terms of our contract, 
 made 15th Nov. 1818, in distinct propositions, with 
 a view either to the whole or a part of the lands, 
 about forty thousand acres, as shall be found most 
 convenient to the society.
 
 20 PRICE OF LAND, 
 
 For the whole 
 
 1st. Four dollars per acre, [13 shil. stg.] one 
 tenth part paid, and the remainder with interest, 
 in nine equal annual instalments ; or, 2d. Three dol- 
 lars fifty certs per acre, one fifth part paid, and the 
 remainder in four equal annual instalments ; or, 3d. 
 Three dollars per acre, to be paid within one year. 
 
 Or, in parts to suit individual settlers 
 
 The lots on the turnpikes, five dollars per acre : 
 the lots back from the turnpikes, four dollars per 
 acre. Interest to commence at this date, one eighth 
 part of the principal to be paid within twelve months, 
 and an eighth part annually afterwards. If the 
 whole of the price of any lot be paid for within the 
 first year, an abatement of one dollar per acre to be 
 made. The society to proceed to settle their mem- 
 bers on the latter terms ; but to have the privilege 
 of closing the contract for the whole, should they be 
 desirous of doing so, according to either of the three 
 first propositions; provided their desire be ex- 
 pressed to that effect within twelve months. 
 
 It should be particularly noticed in this negotia- 
 tion, that we sought the proprietor, and that he 
 neither laid in wait for us, nor did he allure us by 
 captivating accounts of Elysian fields. We found 
 in him a gentleman of elegant manners and known 
 integrity ; who offered the best recommendation of 
 his lands in the simple fact that he had built an 
 elegant mansion in the midst of them, and had re- 
 sided there for several years. 
 
 I shall now proceed to lay before you all the in-
 
 SELECTION OP SETTLEMENT. 21 
 
 formation that I have acquired respecting the soil, 
 climate, manners, &c. of this interesting section of 
 the United States. 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 Selection of Settlement, fyc. 
 
 IN the selection of a place of residence in a new 
 country, it is very important to take into view the 
 ultimate market for the farmer's produce. While 
 the country is settling, there will be no difficulty on 
 this score; for the encreasing population will de- 
 mand all the supplies that can be raised. But the 
 prudent settler will look beyond that period, and 
 consider what he is to do, when every one shall 
 raise more grain than he will be able to consume. 
 In that case, vicinity to market, and facility of 
 transportation, are all important. The immense 
 distance which grain has to be sent from the wes- 
 tern states, occasions the expense to be so great, as 
 to reduce extremely the profits of the farmer. 
 This is particularly the case in all articles of much 
 weight, and all the farmer's produce comes withi' 
 that description ; so much so, indeed, that on 
 bushel of wheat here, is worth one and a half i 
 the western part of this state, and two, or more,
 
 22 VALUE OF PRODUCE. 
 
 the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois; the only 
 important market for those states is New Orleans ; 
 the distance to which is upwards of one thousand 
 miles from the nearest part of Illinois, and still fur- 
 ther from Indiana and Ohio. The value of the 
 different articles in Susquehanna and in the Illinois, 
 will be more easily seen by the following statement 
 of the prices. Those of the Illinois I collect from 
 Mr. Bhkbeck's " Notes" on that country. 
 
 SUSQUEHANNA. 
 
 D. C. 
 
 Wheat per bushel 1 60 
 
 Indian Corn do. 1 00 
 
 Oats do. 50 
 
 Hay per ton 7 .00 
 
 Butter per lb. 15 
 
 Cheese per Ib. 10 
 
 Fowls per couple 25 
 
 ILLINOIS. 
 
 D. C. 
 
 Wheat per bushel 75 
 
 Indian Corn do. 21 
 
 Oats do. 31 
 
 Hay per ton, 7 80 
 
 Butter per lb. 11 
 
 Cheese per lb. 25 
 
 Fowls per couple 20 
 
 The same cause which tends to lessen the value 
 of the articles, which the farmer raises in the wes- 
 tern states, and which he has for sale, operates 
 equally to increase the dearness of those which are 
 imported, and which he has to purchase. The 
 shop-keeper, who is at a great distance from the 
 place, where the articles he deals in are procured, 
 will add to the price, when he disposes of them, the 
 additional expense of bringing, and the time lost in 
 procuring them. To him, who is obliged to take a 
 journey of a thousand miles to procure the articles 
 that are to fill his warehouse, the cost and the 
 trouble must be very great; and that cost and
 
 VALUE OP PRODUCE. 23 
 
 trouble he expects to be paid for, by the consumer. 
 The journey which he is annually compelled to take, 
 is a very serious one, compared to that of the shop- 
 keeper of Susquehanna county, who can go to New- 
 York and back again in four days. The latter, in 
 consequence of his situation,can trade with a smaller 
 capital than the former ; because he can, at any 
 time procure a supply of those articles of which he 
 is in immediate need ; while the former can lay in 
 a supply only once a year. All these difficulties are 
 to be paid for by the farmers and mechanics, who 
 consume the articles imported ; and the difference 
 to them, in the course of a twelvemonth, by re- 
 ceiving less for the articles they sell, and paying 
 more for t/iose which they purchase, will be found to 
 be very great. It is not merely the quantum he 
 shall raise, but the sum he shall get for it, which 
 constitutes the farmer's advantage. It is not sim- 
 ply to get enough to eat and drink, that is to bound 
 the desires of the farmer; it is to procure the 
 means of converting his log cabin into a handsome 
 and convenient house ; to erect a large barn for 
 his grain, and suitable buildings for his cattle ; to 
 educate his children, and, as he grows old, to enjoy 
 the satisfaction of rinding that his industry has 
 supplied the comforts of life, and enabled him to 
 satisfy the wants of society wants to which we 
 are indebted for the amelioration of mankind. 
 Perhaps it is even worse for the morals of the set- 
 tier, distant from a market where he can exchange 
 the articles in which he abounds, for those of
 
 24 VALUE OF PRODUCE* 
 
 which he is in want, that he is placed upon a fertile 
 soil. The fertility gives him abundance ; and he 
 cannot dispose of his surplus. The consequence* 
 is, a want of stimulus to industry, He finds, that 
 the labour of three days in the week, will support 
 his family, and he will not work six ; for the pro- 
 duce of the other three will be of no service to 
 him. He cannot build his house, his bam, nor 
 his granary with it. Hence, he becomes idle. He 
 finds neighbours like himself. He takes his gun, 
 and goes into the woods to hunt, or to some neigh- 
 bouring log house at which whiskey is sold, and 
 where lie is sure to find persons in his own situa- 
 tion, led there by the same feelings which govern 
 him ; with those he consumes his time, shooting at 
 marks, or matching his miserable horse to run 
 against some other miserable horse ; and thus the 
 day, that in more fortunate situations would have 
 been spent in healthful industry, is squandered in 
 riot and intemperance. It is reasonable to expect 
 such consequences to flow from the situations I have 
 mentioned; and such, I have been assured by 
 intelligent travellers, is the case. I do not rest on 
 the narration of our own countrymen, who have re- 
 turned dissatisfied with the western wilderness. 
 American travellers themselves are obliged to ac- 
 knowledge the universal prevalence of these ruinous 
 habits. That we should find a proneness to quarrel 
 in minds that have shaken off the salutary restraints 
 of society, is to be expected. Even Mr. Birkbeck, 
 who has been so fortunate as to find quarrelling
 
 WESTERN MANNERS. 25 
 
 rare, mentions the case of a member of a religious 
 community, who/* on being brought before the spi- 
 ritual court, for indulging a propensity to boxing, 
 and hearing all the arguments derived from texts 
 of Scripture, which oppose that unchristian 
 practice, declared that he should not like to live 
 longer than he had a right to knock down any 
 man who told him he lied." Mr. Schultz, in 
 his description of the country near St. Louis, on the 
 Mississippi, ia the immediate neighbourhood of 
 Illinois, mentions that " it is a very unpleasant 
 " place of residence, as the continual broils and 
 " quarrels amongst the workmen, as well as the 
 *' proprietors, keep up a constant scene of warfare. 
 " You would certainly feel yourself in very suspici- 
 " ous company, were you to discover that most of 
 " those amongst whom you were, wore a concealed 
 " dagger, and sometimes even two, one in the bosom, 
 " and another under the coat ; whilst others carried 
 " a brace of pistols in the girdle behind the back. 
 " I have heard of a number of quarrels since I have 
 " been here, and of two or three being wounded 
 " by pistol shot, but no lives were lost; which has 
 *' rather been owing to a precipitancy of firings rhari 
 want of inclination to kill. It is not always that 
 an honourable challenge takes place on account 
 of an affront or difference of opinion ; but an in- 
 stantaneous plunge of the dirk, or a pistol to your 
 face, is the first signal of war. They have however 
 become so naturalized to these ideal dangers, that 
 of three shots made within two yards of the object, 
 C
 
 26 WESTERN MANNERS. 
 
 " none was followed by any thing more serious than 
 " the loss of three fingers on one hand, and a hole 
 " through the lower part of the crown of a hat, 
 " grazing the skin and hair. This bad, or good 
 " luck, is owing to the activity of the antagonist, 
 " who is generally aware of his opponent's inteu- 
 " tion, and prepared to knock his pistol up with his 
 " own, as soon as it is presented. Rifle barrelled 
 " pistols are altogether used at this place, and 
 " likewise at Genevieve ; and pistol shooting at a 
 " mark for wagers, seems to be a very general kind 
 " of amusement among the people." 
 
 Much more of this kind might be quoted from 
 American authors, and I should prefer quoting 
 from them ; for we cannot suspect them of having 
 any intention to deceive, especially when they speak 
 against the habits of their own countrymen, in par- 
 ticular places ; but I have already adduced enough 
 to convince you that the western part of theUnitec 
 States is a pface, if report speak correctly of it, 
 that would promise nearly as much work for a sur- 
 geon as a physician. At any rate these representa- 
 tions from so many sources, were sufficient to in- 
 duce *ne to set my face another way, and to make 
 me seek to discover a place, where a husbandman 
 might find sufficient inducements to call forth his 
 industry, 
 
 " and hear 
 
 At distance safe, the human tempest roar, 
 Wrapt close in conscious peace."
 
 SECURITY OF SETTLEMENT 27 
 
 This is completely the case in Susquehanna county, 
 where, I am informed, that during the late war be- 
 tween the United States and Great Britain, " its 
 disturbances were known only by the arrival of the 
 mail."* How different is this from the frontier situa- 
 tion of the western states, whose infant settlements 
 are always exposed to the scalping knife of the 
 savages ! In ruy estimation of the advantages which 
 different places might offer to settlers, security 
 would be a most important consideration. That de- 
 sideratum is, I think, possessed in the greatest pos- 
 sible degree by this place, which is equally remote 
 from dangers by sea and by land ; being surrounded 
 on all sides by countries thickly populated. A per- 
 fect wilderness should be avoided by an English- 
 man. The Americans alone appear calculated to 
 commence a settlement. They make excellent pio- 
 neers.and overcome difficulties in the "wild woods," 
 which an Englishman could not encounter. A jour- 
 ney of two or three days to a mill, is nothing to 
 them ; even a journey of a thousand miles, is but as 
 
 * This remark is quoted from a description of Mr. 
 Rose's possessions in this county, with an engraved 
 view of his mansion, which appeared in " the Port 
 Folio," for June, 1816. This miscellany, published 
 monthly, is edited by J. E. Hall, Esq. and was com- 
 menced in the year 1801. It may be procured in London, 
 of the publisher of theseLetter*,and it deserves the atten- 
 tion of an emigrant, on account of its sketches of life and 
 manners and other particulars respecting this country.
 
 28 ERRATIC DISPOSITION. 
 
 a step to visit a friend. It is fortunate for a country, 
 possessing such a boundless territory, the arm of one 
 of whose rivers extends to a distance as great as 
 from my native place to the one in which I am now 
 writing, that her children are of so erratic a dispo- 
 sition, as to consider her amplitude as a narrow 
 limit. But although all this is extremely well for an 
 American, it is much better for English settlers to 
 confine themselves to a reasonable distance from 
 the sea ports ; and to endeavour to procure a situa- 
 tion in a country, in which the toils of a first settle- 
 ment have already been encountered and overcome. 
 
 For this reason it is, that my selection has been 
 made of lands interspersed in all directions, with 
 improvements, where good roads are already made, 
 and where grist and saw mills, and other machi- 
 nery, are erected. 
 
 In the immediate neighbourhood, for which the 
 company have contracted, there are five grist mills, 
 and thirteen saw mills. The great advantage of 
 these, and of the roads, which are made in all di- 
 rections through the lands, I need not mention. 
 The English farmer having been accustomed to 
 good roads at home, can ill brook those which he 
 will find in any wilderness. Here are turnpike 
 roads leading to the two most important cities of 
 the United States, laid out and much labour done 
 on them; and there is every prospect that they 
 will be completed in another season. 
 
 There is a point of time in the settling of new 
 countries, in which purchases by such a company
 
 SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY. 2& 
 
 as ours, can be best made. To;a perfect wilderness 
 there is an objection, in the difficulty and uncer- 
 tainty of forming a settlement ; and many would find 
 it very unpleasant to endure the privations which 
 must necessarily be experienced by a residence 
 there. When nearly all the land is settled, the 
 small remainder is held at a high price ; but at an 
 intermediate point of time, when a considerable 
 part of the land is occupied, the quality of the soil, 
 and the real value of the country ascertained, the 
 difficulties of the first improvements overcome, 
 grain raised, mills built, roads made, and the n^ces- 
 saries, and many of the comforts of life to be ob- 
 tained this is, undoubtedly, the most eligible time 
 for a man to pitch his tent ; for the land which has 
 not yet been appropriated, may generally be had 
 at a price very low, in proportion to its real worth, 
 estimated by the farmer's profit, which is its in- 
 trinsic value. 
 
 I have mentioned the settlements or improve- 
 ments, with which the lands contracted for by the 
 society are interspersed. The greater part of these 
 can be purchased, at a fair price, from the present 
 occupants who, being paid for what they have done, 
 are ready to commence anew. It may be better for 
 many emigrants to purchase these improvements, 
 than to take new lands. They can be had in farms 
 of various sizes, from twenty to an hundred acres 
 of cleared land, with a house and barn t These 
 buildings are, in general, made of logs, and wheD
 
 30 PRICE OF FARMS. 
 
 that is the case, are of little value ; but in some in- 
 stances they are of a better kind, being made of 
 framed timber, and boarded. 
 
 The sum at which improvements are estimated, 
 depends upon the care with which the lands are 
 cleared, and the kind of house and barn on them, 
 in addition to the price of the land. As a general 
 rate, a farm of one huudred acres of land, one half 
 of it cleared, with a common log house and barn on 
 it, would be estimated at from 225J. to 270/. or from 
 one thousand to twelve hundred dollars. This 
 however may alter very soon ; and will be likely 
 to increase rapidly, in consequence of our settle- 
 ment, and the money which will be brought into the 
 country by us. Such is the price at which impro- 
 ved lots (of which I have made several purchases) 
 are at present sold. By the purchase of an improve- 
 ment, an emigrant will be at once able to keep his 
 cattle and horses ; he will have pasture, meadow, 
 and plough land ; and can purchase new lands ad- 
 joining, and increase his clearings to what size he 
 pleases. In this manner he may commence bis 
 farming with very little of the inconvenience, and 
 all the advantage of a new settler ; and the new 
 lands which he can purchase on the terms of the 
 society's contract will answer for the establishment 
 of his family around him. I have devoted, and shall 
 continue to devote, much of my time to the acqui- 
 sition of a thorough knowledge of the extent, 
 quality and value of these improved lots, amounting 
 to several hundreds, in order to point out to those
 
 PRICE OP FARMS. *1 
 
 of our countrymen who prefer making purchases 
 of that kind of property, such as will best suit their 
 different tastes ; so that each one may be accom- 
 modated in the way he prefers ; and I shall spare 
 no pains in the business, for I have the welfare of 
 the settlement very much at heart, which derives the 
 more interest from its being the first BRITISH 
 SETTLEMENT, attempted on a large scale, in the 
 United States. It will therefore be useful for all 
 those who are desirous of purchasing improvements, 
 to make their applications either through the society 
 at Philadelphia, or directly to me at this place. I 
 can then make the desired purchases for them, or 
 provisional contracts, to be ratified within a rea- 
 sonable length of time, after the applicants shall 
 have seen and approved of the lots.
 
 32 BOUNDARIES. 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 Boundaries Face of the country - Soil ~ Forest 
 trees Bushes Cultivated fruits Minerals, fyc. 
 
 SUSQUEHANNA county is situated in the 42c 
 degree of north latitude,, on the line which divide: 
 Pennsylvania from the state of New York. It com 
 mences about six miles from the Delaware river 
 and runs west thirty-four miles, and south twenty 
 four miles. On the north it is bounded by the stat< 
 of New York ; on the south by Luzerne county ; 01 
 the east by Wayne county ; and on the west ty 
 Bradford county. 
 
 The face of the country is very picturesque 
 There is no fiat land ; it is all in undulations. Rivu 
 lets and springs are in the greatest abundance.- 
 There is no farm and scarcely a field, without s 
 stream or spring in it of excellent water, and a: 
 clear as crystal. There are no stagnant waters 
 DO swamps, nor marshes, nor musquitoes, whicl 
 abound so much in many other parts of the Unitec 
 States. 
 
 The soil is deep that is, generally, from one t< 
 two feet ; in some places, three or four feet. Be
 
 SOIL, CULTURE. S3 
 
 neath this, there is an inferior stratum, or sub-soil, 
 composed of clay and extremely fine silicious sand, 
 intimately commingled. By us it would be called 
 stony ; but the stones lie almost entirely on the 
 surface, are easily removed, and will be very useful 
 for buildings and walls. I have taken particular 
 notice where trees have been taken out by the 
 root, and at the sides of the turnpike roads where 
 the ditches are dug, that it is rare to find any stones 
 beneath the surface. I am told that some of the 
 settlers from the eastern states, who have been ac- 
 customed to stone walls round their fields, say that 
 there are not stones enough ; I should be satisfied 
 with less. Of the fertility of the soil, the usual crops 
 offer a strong evidence ; for if a farmer in England 
 was to put his grain into the ground, in the manner 
 it is generally done here, I should calculate upon 
 his having a very diminutive harvest. In this coun- 
 try there is little or no alluvial soil deposited by the 
 overflowing of the rivers or brooks. It is a common 
 remark, and it accords with my own observations, 
 that the soil is deeper on the tops of the hills than 
 in thevallies. As it does not wash off, the hills re- 
 tain all their native fertility. You see no traces, or 
 furrows, worn by the waters. In the western part of 
 the United States, where extensive flats of alluvial 
 soil are formed on the rivers, the hills are propor- 
 tionably poor, being robbed of the soil, which is de- 
 posited on the flat, or bottom. In most of the waters 
 of the western states, during floods or freshets, there 
 is a reflux, or eddy, formed at the margin of the usual
 
 34 WESTERN RIVERS, TREES. 
 
 water courses, aiid the soil brought down from the 
 hiils i deposited in the greates oundance on the 
 bank, which usually confines the current ; conse- 
 quently, the bank is higher than the land back from 
 the river, where the bottom joins the hill. The re- 
 sult is, that when the river retires within its banks, 
 an extensive, but narrow, pond is left along the has* 
 of the hill ; and as the hot weather gradually dries 
 it up, a pestilential miasma is formed, which pro 
 duces bilious and intermittent fevers, and all then 
 train of horrors. In Susquehanna county nothing oi 
 that kind is found. I cannot learn of a single in- 
 stance of fever and ague having occurred within it, 
 I see no sallow, sickly looking complexions. Everj 
 log hut abounds with children, whose brown faces 
 indicate health and hardihood. This is a bad place 
 you will say for my profession. I am very happy thai 
 it is so. I came to seek for land ; and shall be more 
 pleased to practice farming than phlebotomy. I do 
 not however, intend to give up my profession till one 
 of my son^ shall be able to take it off my hands ; foi 
 physicians are necessary evils in all countries. 
 
 I have measured many of the forest trees, in 
 order to be exact as to their height. It is, in gene- 
 ral, about eighty feet. Many are much higher ; but 
 that is the common altitude. The white, or silver 
 pine overtops all the other timber, and grows to the 
 height of one hundred and fifty feet, and from six 
 to twelve feet in circumference. The hemlock 
 spruce also grows to a large size ; but not so high 
 as the pine. The diameter of the beech is from one
 
 TREES, BUSHES 85 
 
 > two feet ; the birch, larger. Chesnut is found 
 :arly twenty feet in circumference, very straight, 
 id sixty feet to the lowest limbs. White oak, 
 ;arly as large. The wild cherry grows large, and 
 rnifure is made from it resembling mahogany. 
 he curled maple affords also a beautiful wood for 
 rniture, of the fine and silky appearance of satin 
 aod. I have observed the following kinds of tim- 
 :r, viz. beech of two or three varieties ; sugar 
 aple (acer saccharinum) and several other species 
 5 the acer Pennsylvanicum, rubrum, 3fc.) ; hem- 
 ck spruce (pinus abies Americana) ; chesnut, 
 fferent from the English, the nuts small, but very 
 >od ; cherry of two kinds (prunus cerasus Vir~ 
 niana et montana) ; white and black ash ; oak ; 
 lite pine ; linden (tilia) ; elm ; button wood (pla- 
 nus occidental^ : cucumber tree (magnolia acu- 
 \nata) ; crab apple, dog wood (cornus Florida); 
 ckory (juglans alba ovata) ; black walnut ( jug- 
 fis nigva) ; butternut (juglans oblo?iga alba) ; 
 rnbeam (caprinus ostrya) ; locust (robinid) ; wild 
 um ; poplar; tulip treQ(liriodendrori); sassafras ; 
 d service tree (sorbus Americana). Among the 
 ishes are blackberries of several kinds, currants, 
 oseberries, raspberries, elder, hawthorn, laurel, 
 ither wood, (dirca palustris] ; hazlenut, sumach 
 two kinds, and the rose. You will observe that 
 e currants, gooseberries, and raspberries all grow 
 Id in the woods. There is also a small grape 
 lich ripens late, and is acid : perhaps those of a 
 ore generous kind would flourish if they were
 
 86 TIMBEfi, SUGAR MAPLE. 
 
 cultivated. The bills in this country are all covered 
 with timber. You see none bare. Along the Sus- 
 quehanna river, there is a belt of oak timber which 
 extends back from it for three or four miles ; you 
 then pass into what are called the beech woods, which 
 are composed of various kinds of timber, but take 
 their name from that which predominates. In the 
 latter the soil is much superior to the former, both 
 as to depth and quality ; the oak lands having a 
 thin and gravelly soil, while the beech timber grows < 
 in a deep loam. From the ashes formed by burning 
 the timber in their clearings, the new settlers might 
 derive a handsome profit, by the manufacture of 
 pot and pearl ashes ; but this is neglected, and the 
 ashes are suffered to be blown away by the winds, 
 or washed off by theTains. Great profit mightalso 
 be made by the manufacture of sugar, from the sap 
 of the sugar maple ;* and it is now made to an ex- 
 tent equal to the wants of the country ; but it might 
 be manufactured for exportation. There is a great 
 abundance of the sugar maple in this country, and 
 HI HoweH's large map of Pennsylvania, this part 
 i* designated as abounding in that valuable trte. It 
 is one of the most beautiful of the forest. But not- 
 withstanding its great usefulness, it is cut dowa in- 
 discriminately with the others. A proof of the ad- 
 vantage that may be derived from it, was exempli- 
 fied by one of our countrymen whom we found set- 
 
 * See the process in Evelyn'a " Sylva," vol. 1. p. 188.
 
 SUGAR MAPLE, FRUIT. 37 
 
 tied here. He purchased of Mr. Rose a lot of 
 eighty-four acres, and before he began his work of 
 clearing, he tapped a number of the sugar maple 
 trees on the lot ; and the price of the sugar which 
 he made in three weeks, amounted to two thirds of 
 the price he was to pay for the whole lot. This 
 you will observe was done before a tree had been cut 
 down on the lot, except what was necessary to boil 
 the sugar. Maple sugar is much like that pro- 
 duced from the cane ; but for many purposes I 
 think it pleasanter; and the person who uses it 
 has the satisfaction of knowing that it is clean, 
 which, it is probable, is frequently far from being 
 the case with that which is made by the slaves of 
 the West Indies ; or indeed, by slaves any where. 
 The usual time of making it is at the breaking up 
 of winter, when cold nights are succeeded by warm 
 days ; a season when there is but little to occupy 
 the farmer. It is not unusual for a family to make 
 half a ton in two or three weeks. The sugar mak- 
 ing season seldom lasts longer than that time. One 
 of the first things a settler should do is to plant 
 an orchard, and in a very short time he may eat 
 his own fruit, and drink his own cider. 
 
 In all the old settled parts of the United States, 
 fruit is in such great abundance that the traveller 
 is permitted to take, without ceremony, whatever 
 he pleases. 
 
 Beer is seldom made or used in the country parts 
 of the United States. We shall, doubtless, intro- 
 duce it ; which may be easily done ; for good bar- 
 D
 
 38 STONES, HALT, IRON. 
 
 ley is raised here, and hops grow wild. Apples 
 pears, plums and cherries thrive well. Peaches 
 are not so good as in the southern states, although 
 the trees last longer. Perhaps the inferiority of 
 the fruit may in some degree be in consequence of 
 want of care respecting the kind ; for I do not 
 find any grafted. The trees are all raised from the 
 stones. However, as this tree was originally 
 brought from a southern climate (mala Ptrsica), 
 the presumption is that it finds in Maryland or 
 Virginia a more congenial situation. Susquehanna 
 is in the secondary formation. The stone is prin- 
 cipally grej or reddish shistose sandstone, and 
 clay slate, in some instances mingled with a small 
 proportion of calcareous earth ; but I believe none 
 has been found in which the latter predominates. 
 
 On some of the branches of Wyal using, one of 
 the streams of this county, there is an appearance 
 of salt ; and a small quantity has been made very 
 pure and white. It is supposed, that it might be 
 manufactured extensively and profitably. Some 
 persons are now at work, in digging a well for it 
 on the waters of Silver Creek. The salt at pre- 
 sent used here, is brought from the salt works in 
 the state of New.York, a distance of eighty miles 
 to the north of this, where it is made in great 
 quantities, and sold at half a dollar per bushel. 
 
 Small specimens of iron ore have been shown to 
 me, and there is reason to believe that jnore might 
 be found if search were made below the surface. 
 In one place, for more than a mile in extent, the
 
 COAL, RIVERS. 39 
 
 needle of the surveyor's compass cannot be made 
 to traverse ; yet no one has been at the trouble to 
 search for the cause. I do not know of any coal 
 in this county ; but near the southern boundary of 
 it, coal resembling the Welch culm, or Kilkenny 
 coal, is found in great abundance. 
 
 Susquehanna was formed into a county in 1812, 
 and there are now within its limits, one thousand 
 eight hundred and ninety-seven taxables ; which, 
 at a computation of five and one third inhabitants 
 to each taxable, and which I am informed is a com- 
 mon one, give ten thousand one hundred and se- 
 venteen inhabitants within the limits of the county. 
 
 From this statement you will see, that you are 
 not invited to a wilderness. 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 llivers, Streams, and Lakes. 
 
 THE Susquehanna river rises in the state of 
 New-York, and runs nearly a south course, till it 
 passes the Pennsylvania line, about twelve miles 
 from the Delaware river. It then turns to the 
 west, and repasses the state line, near the twentieth 
 milestone ; and after receiving the Chenango and
 
 40 RIVERS, STREAMS, LAKES. 
 
 Owego rivers, it turns again to the south, and en- 
 tering Pennsylvania near the fifty-seventh mile- 
 stone, continues a general south course, passing 
 Harrisburg, the seat of government in Pennsyl- 
 vania, till it enters into the Chesapeake Bay. In 
 its course it receives several other rivers as tribu- 
 taries. It is a clear and beautiful river, but rather 
 too shallow when the waters are low. In the 
 spring and autumn, immense quantities of grain, 
 boards, timber, salt, and gypsum, are sent down it 
 to market. There are many flourishing villages 
 on its banks. One of these, called Wilkesbarre, 
 is beautifully situated in the valley of Wyoming, 
 which has been immortalized in the song of one of 
 our poets. But 
 
 " On Susquehanna's side, fair Wyoming, 1 * 
 
 is now so safe from Indian, or any other warfare, 
 that perhaps there is not an inhabitant of the val- 
 ley, who could be induced to believe that all the 
 powers in the pay of the allied sovereigns could 
 reach it, if the attempt were made in hostile array. 
 On looking at the map, you will perceive that the 
 Susquehanna makes a large bend round this coun- 
 ty, from which the streams flow into it in all direc- 
 tions. From a field within half a mile of me, the 
 eye can trace the line of hills the whole extent of 
 this great sweep, which on the north is twelve 
 miles, on the west thirty, and the same distance on 
 the south. The small streams are very abundant;
 
 RIVERS, STREAMS, LAKES. 41 
 
 and there are a number of beautiful little lakes, of 
 
 various sizes, from half a mile to a mile long. 
 
 These are generally at the heads of the streams ; 
 
 where the hills, sloping gradually, form a kind of 
 
 basin. Their waters are extremely pure, and 
 
 abound with fish of different sorts, as the trout, 
 
 perch, pike, sunfish, chub, mullet, catfish, and eel. 
 
 The rivulets, or brooks, are in the United States 
 
 called creeks ; and in this county their waters are 
 
 as pure as the springs. Trout abound in them, as 
 
 may be best seen by the result of a day's fishing 
 
 with the rod and line, in the outlet of Silver Lake, 
 
 by two gentlemen, at three different times. The 
 
 first time, they caught twenty-seven dozen ; the 
 
 second time, twenty dozen ; and the third time, 
 
 thirty-five dozen and an half. If old Walton were 
 
 alive, this would be enough to bring him to Sus- 
 
 quehanna. There is no hard water here ; every 
 
 stream will wash ; and the thirsty traveller may 
 
 drink pleasantly of every brook or lake. 
 
 It is considered to be of immense advantage to 
 Philadelphia, to draw the produce of the lands 
 watered by the Susquehanna to that city ; and dif- 
 ferent companies have been incorporated by the 
 legislature for the purpose of uniting that river 
 with the Delaware and Schuylkill, which flow by 
 the wharves of Philadelphia. Much labour has 
 been done on a canal, intended to connect their 
 branches ; and companies are now engaged in im- 
 proving the Schuylkill, Lehigh, and different rivers 
 D 2
 
 42 GAME. 
 
 on the rout, by darns and locks ; which promise to 
 be very successful in their result. 
 
 It is not, therefore, by our own labour alone, that 
 we are likely to be benefited ; the legislature, as 
 well as individuals, are actually employed in faci- 
 litating the means of transporting our produce to 
 the sea side, from which our distance is now but 
 a ride of two or three days. 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 Game. 
 
 DEER are very numerous in the woods, and 
 frequently commit depredations on the young 
 grain. Venison, indeed, is so abundant, as to be 
 the cheapest meat here. You will get the best 
 haunches for two pence per pound. Deer are 
 commonly shot with a rifle ball, or chased by dogs ; 
 in which case, it is usual, in order to avoid their 
 pursuers, to betake themselves to seme stream or 
 lake. In the latter case, they are easily overtaken 
 by means of a boat. There appears to be a great 
 certainty in talung them, whenever they are wanted, 
 in this way ; for I heard a hunter, whom Mr. 
 Rose sometimes employs, say, that he brought his 
 dog to Silver Lake, twelve times last fall, and each
 
 GAME. 43 
 
 time caught a deer. There is a good deal of 
 amusement for a sportsman in this watery chase ; 
 but I cannot say I have felt that spirit of" sublime 
 elevation of soul'* which we are told, in the Guide 
 to the Lakes of Killarney, induces a thorough 
 bred sportsman there " in his raptures and ecsta- 
 cies, so far to forget himself, as to jump out of the 
 [boat." I am assured that the deer are as abun- 
 [daut now, as they were at the first settlement of 
 the county ; and this is attributed to the disappear- 
 ance of their enemies, the wolves. Deer usually 
 have two fawns at a time ; and these are so easily 
 tamed, that on being caught when very young, 
 and carried a few hundred yards, they will imme- 
 diately follow you. The facility with which they 
 are tamed, 1 should not have credited, had I not 
 derived my information from unquestionable au- 
 thority. 
 
 Bears and wolves, which once were numerous 
 in this part of Pennsylvania, are now seldom heard 
 of. They have retired before the population ; so 
 have also the elks, which once inhabited these 
 woods, as is proved by their immense horns being 
 sometimes found. Foxes are in great numbers, 
 and, as at home, are frequent marauders in the hen 
 roosts. 
 
 Pheasaqts, different from and smaller than ours, 
 are plenty ; partridges are scarce. Wild pigeons 
 commonly visit this place in the spring and autumn, 
 when their numbers are truly astonishing. Flocks 
 of them are sometimes seen, so large as to contain
 
 44 CLEARING OF LAND. 
 
 millions ; their flesh is dark, and when fat, very 
 good. Ducks and teal, at particular seasons, fre- 
 quent the Jakes. Woodcocks are in abundance 
 amongst the bushes. As to hunting, shooting, and 
 fishing, I suppose I need not tell you that they are 
 free to all ; and that the man would be called a 
 great churl, who should forbid any one to catch 
 game on his grounds, or fish in his waters* 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 Clearing of Land, fyc. 
 
 THE common mode of clearing land in this 
 place, is by first cutting the underwood, or brush, 
 close to the ground. The timber is then cut 
 down, as much as possible in one direction, and 
 into lengths of about twelve feet. A few months 
 after, sometimes immediately after, fire is set to 
 the collected mass, which generally burns up all 
 the limbs and small stuff, leaving the logs. Two 
 or three men then go with a pair of oxen, and 
 haul the logs which ar left, into piles. They are 
 again set on fire, and in this second burning con- 
 sumed. When the timber is cut down, ready for 
 burning, it is called a fallow. The piling of the 
 logs is done during the day, and they are set on
 
 CLEARING OF LAND. 45 
 
 fire towards evening, and generally suffered to 
 burn unattended during the night ; at which time 
 the burning piles on several acres, present a very 
 t>rilliant spectacle ; and when seen with the con- 
 sciousness of this being the first step in the con- 
 version of the wild into cultivated fields, the re- 
 flection is attended with no small share of interest 
 in the scenery. 
 
 I am surprised to see so little taste shown in 
 clearing land here. No reservation, or selection, is 
 made of groves to serve hereafter, as shelter from 
 the sun, for both man and beast. These beautiful 
 woods are indiscriminately hewn down and cast 
 into the fire ; and it is left to another generation to 
 find out the inconvenience of this general destruc- 
 tion of the timber. With a little care in the com- 
 mencement of an improvement, the most delight- 
 ful groves could be left, interspersed with the fields ; 
 nothing is requisite but to leave them. What a 
 treat it would be to a landscape gardener in Eng- 
 land, to have such cutting and carving ! What 
 would not Price, Gilpin, Repton, or Capability 
 Brown have given for such materials to work with, 
 instead of being obliged to plant saplings for other 
 ages to admire as trees; or what would even your 
 burgesses and freeholders give for such logs of fine 
 timber as are here consumed, to cleave into posts 
 and rails to divide their lands at the enclosure of 
 their hills. The very refuse of an acre would be 
 worth more than is paid for hundreds of acres of 
 the land here.
 
 46 CLEARING OF LAND. 
 
 Besides the beauty of what 1 mention, much ad- 
 vantage would he derived to the farmer from the 
 practice of leaving groves interspersed with his 
 fields, for the time when timber shall become 
 scarce, as it must in a few years ; and the wood be 
 considered valuable as fuel. What delightful ave- 
 nues might be formed, what vistas cut by the hand 
 of taste ! Some traveller describes an American, 
 who, on landing on a part of England or Ireland, 
 which was remarkably destitute of trees, exclaimed, 
 if What a charming country this is, without any 
 woods to intercept one's view !** and from what I 
 see, I am induced t think the story a very true one ; 
 for I am sure there are many here that would cry, 
 ** how charming the country, if there were no woods 
 in it!" To a new settler the sound of the axe is the 
 cheering indication of comfort and competence ; and 
 if idleness, or a fondness for hunting, as is too fre- 
 quentlv the case with this class of men, seduces 
 them from their business, in a way which the indus- 
 trious habits of an English farmer would not allow, 
 it is only one of the many proofs before my eyes, of 
 the ease with which every man may support his 
 family here. The close calculations which an 
 English farmer is obliged to make of the probable 
 result of his labour, appear to these people to be in- 
 credible; and they cannot conceive a state of things, 
 in which it is necessary to ascertain the price which 
 grain is likely to bringat the ensuing harvest, in or- 
 der to know how much rent, per acre, he can afford 
 to give for his farm. Indeed, accuracy of calcula-
 
 INCREASE OF PROPERTY. 47 
 
 tion is little thought of. A common way of purchas- 
 ing a farm here is this; a person goes to the owner 
 and makes a contract for a lot of one or two hun- 
 dred acres, to be paid for in a certain number of an- 
 nual instalments. He has no money, perhaps no 
 kind of property ; he goes to work for a few days in 
 the neighbourhood, and with the profit of this he 
 purchases an axe and some provisions. He then 
 begins to cut down the trees on his own lot ; and 
 so either becomes the owner of a good farm, if 
 industrious, by gradually converting the forests 
 into fields, and his log hut into a comfortable 
 house and barn, or if idle and a hunter, after a 
 few years, he gives place to one of more application, 
 who performs on the lot that which the first ought 
 to have done. Wherever industry is found here, 
 it appears to be attended with success. I have 
 been particular in asking, as a general question, do 
 you know any industrious, prudent man, whose 
 circumstances are not improving, and I can hear of 
 none. 
 
 A few days ago, two men came into Mr. Rose's 
 office. He said to me, " Here are two of my in- 
 dustrious settlers ; ask them how they have made 
 out." I did so. One had come into the country 
 three years before ; he brought with him about 
 five hundred dollars worth of property, not money, 
 but cattle, furniture, &c. : his farm of two hundred 
 acres, which he has paid for by his industry, and 
 his stock, are now worth three thousand dollars. 
 The other came into the country eight years ago ;
 
 48 INCREASE OF PROPERTY. 
 
 he brought with him property worth six hundred 
 dollars ; he has also paid for two hundred acres of 
 land, and is now worth five thousand dollars. 
 They had scarcely gone, before a very decent 
 looking man came on some business with Mr. Rose. 
 After it was done, Mr. R. said to him, " Squire 
 Bosworth," (for he had been a magistrate,) " this 
 gentleman is desirous of procuring all the infor- 
 mation he can, respecting this county; I believe 
 your circumstances are very comfortable; I pre- 
 sume you were worth but little when you came, 
 and 1 know you have so much good sense as not 
 to be ashamed of it ; tell him how you have pros- 
 pered here." " You say right," replied the other, 
 " I am not ashamed of having been poor ; there 
 is no disgrace in that, when poverty is not attended 
 with bad conduct. I served some time with a black- 
 smith, before I came here. When I arrived, I had 
 a knapsack on my back, with some clothes in it, 
 and twenty-seven dollars in my pocket. I was in- 
 dustrious, and moderately careful. I have lived 
 very comfortably, and have never denied myself, 
 or my family, any thing in reason. When my cir- 
 cumstances permitted it, I put others into my shop, 
 and attended to my farm and other business. I do 
 not know what my property is worth, but I believe 
 I should not over rate it, to say ten or twelve 
 thousand dollars." I am not surprised that these 
 men, and others like them, should so rapidly im- 
 prove their circumstances ; but that, in this county,
 
 INCREASE OF PROPERTY. 49 
 
 many should be found with such confirmed ha- 
 bits of improvidence, that if the miracle of the 
 manna were repeated, they would scarcely take 
 the trouble of gathering it from beneath their feet. 
 This disregard of the things around them, which 
 is very conspicuous in the characters of many 
 Americans, who appear strongly impressed with 
 the notion of letting the things of to-morrow take 
 care of themselves, is a cause of much surprise to 
 an Englishman, who has found it necessary to exert 
 his faculties at all times to the utmost, to avoid 
 becoming a burthen to the parish. The only 
 difference, therefore, to him, is between having 
 enough to eat and drink, and more than enough 
 between being above want, and being far above 
 it ; and he is disposed to join with the enchanter 
 in the Castle of Indolence, and exclaim, 
 
 " O grievous folly, to heap up estate, 
 
 " Losing the days you see beneath the sun.'* 
 
 However, this is not to be considered as a general 
 character of the people ; and I believe it is less 
 seen in the old settlements than in the new. In the 
 former, there is a pride of property, which does 
 not appear to be much felt in the latter. This 
 feeling stimulates to exertion, and serves in the 
 place of that pressure, that vis a tergo, which we 
 receive in Great Britain from our taxes and tythes. 
 I believe there are few who would not think the 
 former the most agreeable. The quantity of land in 
 the farmer's occupation, even in the older settled 
 E
 
 50 CULTURE. 
 
 parts of the United States, and in the vicinity of 
 the cities, and the higli rate of labour, prevent 
 that garden -like appearance, so frequently met 
 with in England ; where a man will sometimes pay 
 as much for the manure he puts on his farm, as he 
 could purchase a farm of the same size for in the 
 United States. The culture here is unsightly ; but 
 if a foreigner objects to it, the defence of an 
 American is, look at our exports. These, indeed, 
 loudly proclaim the opulence of his soil, and the 
 rewards of his industry ; and perhaps his state- 
 ment may be true, that the labour bestowed by 
 their farmers will produce more than if expended 
 in the minute culture of England. Here, a man 
 runs over an hundred acres, in what he calls cul- 
 tivation, while an English farmer is getting over 
 ten ; while one is hoeing his crop carefully, the 
 other passes over it rapidly with the plough ; while 
 one is attentively drilling his rows, tne other scat- 
 ters his seed broadcast. To a certain extent, this 
 may be good. It is difficult to say where liberty 
 degenerates into licentiousness; but when I see a 
 woodsman here, extending his clearings beyond 
 his power to keep them in subjection ; when he 
 is cutting down trees on the one side of his farm, 
 while he is suifering the bushes to grow up on the 
 other ; then, I think, the liberty has grown into 
 licentiousness, and that the plan pursued has 
 ceased to be a proper one. It has been remarked 
 by many, and I think by Dr. Franklin amongst 
 them, that in most of the settlements, in the United
 
 SETTLERS. 51 
 
 States, there are two or three occupants before a 
 permanent settler is> found. The first is entirely 
 without property ; he comes, builds a log house, 
 clears a dozen acres, and is ready to sell his situa- 
 tion for a trifle, to any one that shall desire it. 
 Such a person at length purchases, makes an ad- 
 dition to his house, builds a barn, and increases 
 the improvement to fifty or sixty acres. Then 
 comes the last, who builds a substantial house, in- 
 creases the size of the barn and clearings, and 
 leaves them an inheritance of his children. I be- 
 lieve there will be fewer of these changes in this 
 county than common. This will be, in some degree, 
 owing to a better population than is usual in new 
 countries, and to much forbearance on the part of 
 the land owners. Mr. R. has upwards of five 
 hundred families on his lands, very few of whom 
 have paid him any thing ; yet he has never brought 
 a suit against any one, however delinquent ; and I 
 have been myself a witness of his disposition to 
 find excuses for those who go off in his debt. 
 
 I have related the common mode of clearing, by 
 burning the timber in its green stale. This is the 
 most expensive way, and generally costs about 
 twelve dollars per acre ; which expense, together 
 with all others of sowing, harvesting, &c. is usually 
 more than repaid by the first crop, which is raised 
 in this place without the trouble of ploughing; the 
 grain being merely sowed on the newly cleared 
 ground, and harrowed in. It is surprising to me 
 that the ground, treated in this way, and with all
 
 52 PROFIT OF CLEARING. 
 
 the roots and stumps left in it, produces such 
 crops as are mentioned here. It surely would 
 produce double what it does now, if it were com- 
 pletely cleared, well ploughed, and cultivated by 
 a good English farmer, in the manner he has been 
 accustomed to at home. The clearing and sowing 
 of new lands is found to be very profitable. In 
 the third volume of the Memoirs of the Philadelphia 
 Society for Promoting Agriculture, is a paper on 
 the breeding of sheep in Susquehanna county, from 
 which I shall 6opy a part which relates to the 
 clearing of lands here, and in which results of the 
 clearing, by some of the settlers, are given. The 
 calculation is made on the principle, that every 
 part of the clearing, harvesting, &c. is paid for, 
 and not done by the farmer. 
 
 Dolls. C. 
 " It is calculated with us that clearing 
 
 and fencing cost per acre 12 00 
 
 One bushel of wheat sowed on ditto- 1 50 
 
 Harrowing (we don't plough) ditto- 3 00 
 
 Harvesting ditto- 2 00 
 
 Threshing ditto" 3 75 
 
 22 25 
 
 The crop may be estimated at 20 bush- 
 els of wheat, per acre, which at Idoll. 
 50c. the price it commonly sells for, be- 
 tween spring and harvest, is 30 00
 
 PROFIT OF CLEARING. 58 
 
 Dolls. C. 
 
 Which leaves a profit (besides paying the 
 above expenses) of per acre ........ 7 75 
 
 I. Swan, I. Hiscock, and A. Pearce had the pre- 
 sent season 25 bushels of wheat, per acre. W. Ladd 
 bad 33 bushels of rye, L. Moore had 33 bushels of 
 wheat 
 
 Dollt. C. 
 Swan, Hiscock, and Pearce's crops, 25 
 
 bushels at I doll. 50c. would be 37 50 
 Deduct for clearing ditto 22 25 
 
 And they had a profit per acre of 15 25 
 
 W. Ladd's erop of rye, 33 bush, at Idoll. 33 00 
 Deduct as aforesaid 22 25 
 
 And his profit per acre, was ........ 10 75 
 
 L. Moore's crop of wheat, 33 bushels at 
 
 Udott. 55c 49 50 
 
 Deduct for clearing, &c. 22 26 
 
 And bis profit per acre, was 27 25 
 
 The foregoing statements I hare copied, as I 
 
 have mentioned, from the Agricultural Society's 
 
 Transactions ; and from my enquiries here, I am 
 
 satisfied of their accuracy. It will be seen from 
 
 2
 
 54 PROFIT OF CLEARING. 
 
 these, that the profits on clearing land are very 
 great; for, according to the least of those men- 
 tioned, the profits on clearing an hundred acres, 
 would be one thousand and seventy-five dollars, in- 
 dependant of the additional value given to the land, 
 by the clearing of it, which would be twelve hun- 
 dred dollars more, making together the sum of 
 two thousand two hundred and seventy-five dollars, 
 on an investment of two thousand two hundred and 
 twenty-five dollars, which sum was returned in the 
 crop. So that this would give, were it continued 
 with equal success, an annual income of an hun- 
 dred per cent, on the capital employed. This is a 
 fact with which every settler here appears to be 
 acquainted, and it is the source of their prosperity ; 
 and of the great increase in the value of the land 
 in new countries, where the soil is of a good qua- 
 lity, and the situation favourable for the sale of 
 the articles raised. 
 
 These calculations are made on the most expen- 
 sive mode of clearing, which is by burning the 
 timber whilst it is green. A great saving of ex. 
 pense may be made, by cutting down the timber 
 two or three years before it is burnt ; in conse- 
 quence of which it becomes dry, and one half of 
 the labour of burning is saved. 
 
 I believe the rent, taxes, tythes, manure, and 
 stock of a farm of one hundred acres, in our part 
 of England, mil purchase double the quantity of 
 land in this country, with one hundred acres of it 
 cleared , and put the same stock upon it. I have made
 
 COMPARISON. 55 
 
 the estimate very carefully, so far as it respects the 
 American side of the water : you must be a judge, 
 whether it is so on the English side. I submit both 
 to your deliberate reflection. 
 
 Rent, Taxes, Stock, fyc.for 100 acres in England. 
 
 . s. d. Dolls. 
 
 Rent, 200 or 889 
 
 Taxes and poor rates, 50 00 222 
 
 Tythes, 20 88 
 
 Manure,* 20 00 88 
 
 12 Cows, 156 693 
 
 60 Sheep, 67 10 300 
 
 4Horses, 100 00 444 
 
 6 young Cattle, 40 00 176 
 
 Waggon and Cart, .50 00 222 
 
 Ploughs and Harrows, 10 00 44 
 
 Geering,&c. 18 00 80 
 
 4 Hogs, e ... 9 00 40 
 
 740 10 3286
 
 56 COMPARISON. 
 
 Two hundred acres of land, one half cleared, with 
 a farm house and buildings on it, would in Sus- 
 quthanna county, 
 
 Dolls. . t.d. 
 
 
 64 
 27 
 63 
 18 
 50 
 10 
 18 
 900 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 999 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Sur 
 
 3106 
 plus 180 
 
 699 
 41 10 
 
 3286 740 10 
 
 Leaving a difference in favour of the Susquehanna 
 farm of forty one pounds ten shillings, or one 
 hundred and eighty dollars. I have omitted the 
 fractions of the dollar in this estimate. I have con- 
 sulted three English farmers who are here, and who 
 have had opportunities of examining the cattle, and 
 various kinds of stock ; and drawing a comparison 
 of the prices of those of the same quality in Eng- 
 land. The poor rates and tythcs will differ in dif- 
 crent parishes. But the best way for you is to
 
 MR. KING'S SPEECH. 57 
 
 draw up for yourself, a statement of the expenses 
 of the English farm : I will be answerable for the 
 American estimate. 
 
 At the beginning of the next year, and every suc- 
 ceeding year of his life, our English farmer has to 
 go over the same weary round of his rent, taxes, 
 tythcs, and poor rates ; while here, the land would 
 be his own. Here he would be the proprietor of a 
 valuable estate, sufficient to maintain him in comfort 
 and competence in his old age, and enable him to 
 establish his children handsomely about him. You 
 will probably be amused at the American tone I al- 
 ready assume ; and, indeed, lam somewhat surpri- 
 sed to find myself speaking and writing with such 
 feelings, as I might be supposed to entertain had I 
 resided here for ten years past. But why should I 
 uot feel thus ? I am among a people essentially 
 English English in their language and their laws, 
 both, perhaps, a little purer than is common in the 
 mother country. Some of these people, it is true, 
 indulge themselves in bitter feelings against our na- 
 tion, but you may rely upon, it that the best men 
 in this country entertain no such sentiments. 
 On this subject I need only quote the lan- 
 guage in which Mr. King, formerly ambassa- 
 dor to the court of Great Britain, concluded a 
 most powerful and eloquent speech in the Senate 
 of the United States, on the American navigation 
 act. 
 
 " England," said this high-minded statesman, 
 " is a great and illustrious nation, having attained
 
 58 HOUSES. 
 
 to this pre-eminence by generous and successful 
 efforts, in breaking down the civil and religious 
 bondage of former ages. Her patriots, her scholars, 
 and her statesmen have adorned her history, and 
 offer models for the imitation of others. We are 1 
 the powerful descendants of England, desiring 
 perpetual friendship, and the uninterrupted inter- 
 change of kind offices, and reciprocal benefits. 
 We have demonstrated, in circumstances the most 
 critical, constant and persevering evidence of this? 
 disposition. We still desire the impartial adjust- 
 ment of our mutual intercourse, and the establish- 
 ment of some equitable regulations, by which our 
 personal and maritime rights may be secure from 
 arbitrary violation. A settlement that, instead of 
 endless collision and dispute, may be productive 
 of concord, good humour and friendship : and it 
 depends on her whether such is to be the relation 
 between us/' 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 Houses, Bams, Mills, Fences. 
 
 THE first thing that is done by a settler in the 
 woods, is to put Up a log house. For this purpose 
 he cuts down trees of a suitable size, and of a 
 length in proportion to the dimensions he intends
 
 BARNS, MILLS. 59 
 
 his house to be. His neighbours assemble and 
 raise it for him, by laying the logs in a square form 
 with the ends notched so as to interlock with one 
 another; by which means the whole are secured 
 and bound together. The spaces for the doors 
 and windows are then cut through, and the inter- 
 stices of the logs filled with earth or inoss ; the 
 boards are laid for the floor, and the chimney built. 
 A house of this kind is made at a very trifling 
 expense. Whea time and circumstances admit, 
 a better one is erected with framed timber, covered 
 neatly with boards planed and painted. Window- 
 glass is made in a neighbouring county, and costs 
 here about fourteen ^dollars per hundred square 
 feet. 
 
 Barns are usually made of framed timber, and 
 the sides covered with rough boards. A good 
 barn of this kind, fifty feet long by forty wide, and 
 finished with stables, can be built, including the 
 cast of the materials, for two hundred and fifty 
 dollars. The expense of the house will depend on 
 its size, and the work employed on it. The ma- 
 terials cost less than the labour. 
 
 Grist mills usually cost from one to two thou- 
 sand dollars. The stones used are of the kind 
 called pudding stone, which is much inferior to the 
 French burr, or the common English mill stones. 
 
 Saw mills, which are extremely important in all 
 settlements, cost from three to six hundred dollars. 
 They are set in motion by water, and use a single
 
 60 BOARDS, FENCES. 
 
 saw, which cuts from one to two thousand feet of 
 boards in a day. 
 
 Pine boards sell at the mill for from six to ten 
 dollars a thousand square feet ; boards made of the 
 hemlock spruce^about one fifth less; cherry boards, 
 nearly equal to mahogany, sell for fifteen dollars 
 per thousand feet. 
 
 All buildings here are covered with shingles. 
 These are made of the white pine, and are laid on 
 the roof so as to lap over each other, like tiles. A 
 thousand of them, which cover somewhat less than 
 two hundred square feet, sell for two dollars. They 
 form a roof which is very close and impenetrable 
 to rain, but is much exposed to fire. They may, in 
 some degree, be preserved from that element by 
 thick coats of a composition, which is sometimes 
 applied to them. 
 
 Fences are usually made, when the land is just 
 cleared, with logs of about twelve feet long, placed 
 in a zig-zag manner, with their ends resting on 
 each other, to the height of five feet. This forms 
 a sufficient fence for a few years, and, at the same 
 time, saves the trouble of burning the logs used 
 for this purpose ; but it has a very rude appearance. 
 Those settlers who are somewhat neater in their 
 clearings, split the logs into rails, and lay them up 
 in the same manner as the other, with stakes set at 
 the angles, on which a heavy rail rests to bind the 
 fence together. Even this kind of fence has a 
 very slovenly appearance, and occupies much
 
 HEDGES. 61 
 
 ground. A better kind is called post and rail, and 
 is made in the same manner as in our country. All 
 these fences have a very bad effect, in comparison 
 with' walls or hedges. But they are quickly made, 
 and if at any time it should be desirable to alter the 
 shape or extent of the field, they can be easily re- 
 moved. There are materials, however, in sufficient 
 abundance to make the most beautiful hedges. 
 When I cast my eyes on the bushes of the hemlock 
 spruce, it immediately struck me, that they would 
 be the very thing for hedges. 
 
 On this subject an American writer makes the 
 following observations : " While my attention was 
 " turned to live fences on a great scale for our 
 " fields, it occurred to me that I had some of the 
 4< best specimens of hedges in my garden. These 
 ' have been planted at least sixty years ; I have 
 " some planted about six years, they are composed 
 ' of the hemlock spruce of our forests. The old 
 " hedges are now as vigorous as they could have 
 " been in the first years of their being set out. 
 " They are close, strong, and impervious ; and 
 ' never like the cedar, die at bottom. They have 
 " out-grown the dimensions in which I formerly 
 " wished to confine them ; being about six feet in 
 " thickness, and five feet in height. These hedges 
 " bear plashing, cutting, and clipping, without 
 " injury ; and nothing of the kind can be neater 
 " than their appearance, when newly clipped. 
 " They retain their verdure through the winter, 
 " far beyond most of the resinous tribe ; none 
 F
 
 62 HEDGES, 
 
 ' whereof are subject to be eaten by mice or other 
 *' vermin, or browsed by cattle, as the deciduous 
 " trees or shrubs. They were planted in a single 
 " rew ; the stalks about a foot from each other. 
 " They permit wearing or training in any way ; 
 " being hardy, pliant, and tough. They can be 
 " raised with little trouble from the cones. I 
 " never saw any other ever-green hedge equal to 
 " one of hemlock spruce ; when in blossom, it is 
 " the handsomest of all its tribe, the limbs are 
 " horizontal ; layers will strike out and fill the 
 " bottom."* 
 
 The white thorn is a native of this countrv, and 
 easily procured. Mr. Cobbett speaks 01 some 
 white thorn brought from England, which he saw 
 growing near Philadelphia, and observes, that they 
 clearly proved that the white thorn would, with lets 
 care, make as good hedges as they do at Farnham, 
 in Surry. 
 
 * See a letter from the HON. RICHARD PE'/EHS, in 
 the Transactions qf the Philadelphia Agricultural Society.
 
 GRASS. 63 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 Cattle, Grain, fyc. 
 
 SUSQUEHANNA county is peculiarly well 
 adapted to the raising and fattening of cattle. The 
 grass which is sown, grows abundantly ; but the 
 settlers are not careful to procure the best kinds. 
 Almost the only one raised here is timothy, which 
 is of little worth for pasture. Red clover, where it 
 is sowed, grows luxuriantly. The white clover ap- 
 pears to be a natural grass of the country ; for al- 
 though never sowed, it covers every field and road 
 side, where the land has been neglected. No care 
 is taken of the meadows ; or rather, no selection of 
 ground ; any field, which the cattle are kejrt from 
 in the summer, becomes a meadow, and will pro- 
 duce about a ton and a half of timothy per acre, 
 at a mowing. It must be observed, that the slo- 
 venly mode called clearing, in which neither root 
 nor stone is removed from the surface, (and the 
 beech timber throws its roots over the surface) 
 prevents the mower from cutting more than two 
 thirds of the crop on the ground. But this he 
 cares little about ; for he says, the cattle will eat 
 the rest ; but the cattle will not eat the strawey stems 
 of the timothy in the summer time ; and the part 
 left, is lost. The cattle here are greatly neglected ; 
 but I suppose this must be the case in all new 
 settlements. The cows are seldom put under any 
 shelter during the winter ; and it frequently occurs,
 
 64 CATTLE. 
 
 the first winter after a man has commenced his im- 
 provement, that his cattle are fed principally with 
 the branches of trees, which he cuts down for that 
 purpose, and which they appear to relish tolerably 
 well ; this is called browsing. 
 
 There appears to be but little difference made 
 between the price of a good and a bad cow. The 
 consequence must be, indifferent and small cattle 
 generally. And yet, here are some fine large oxen, 
 that convince me nothing is wanting but care in the 
 breed, to raise as fine cattle here as in any part of 
 the world. In a newspaper which I picked up yes- 
 terday, I saw an account of a cattle fair, in one of 
 the states to the north of this, in which is mentioned 
 the weight of nine oxen, the average of which is 
 2283lbs. ; the heaviest weighed 2784lbs. He who 
 is not satisfied with these weights must be desirous 
 of introducing elephants. Grazing would undoubt- 
 edly be very profitable her, if pursued in a proper 
 manner. Large droves of cattle, raised in the 
 northern parts of the state of New York, are driven 
 through this country to Philadelphia, where they 
 are sold to the graziers, and fattened on farms in 
 the neighbourhood of that city ; and many of the 
 cattle thus fattened, are sent to the market of New 
 York ; where, from that circumstance, I presume 
 they bring a higher price than at Philadelphia. 
 The farms in the neighbourhood of the latter city, 
 sell for one hundred dollars and upwards per acre ; 
 and some of the grazing farms on the margin of the 
 Delaware, below Philadelphia, I was assured, had
 
 SHEEP. 65 
 
 sold as high as three hundred dollars per acre. 
 Now, as the soil of this country is peculiarly well 
 calculated for grazing, and as a farm here may be 
 purchased for less than the cost of manuring one 
 near Philadelphia, I am persuaded that great pro- 
 fits may be made by the farmer here, following the 
 example of the grazier there, and fattening cattle 
 for the New York market. There can be no doubt 
 of his being able to undersell any rival, in conse- 
 quence of the cheapness of the land. The settlers 
 here are not yet sufficiently aware of the advan- 
 tages of their situation , but these must become 
 more apparent as the improvements increase. 
 
 In speaking of the sheep of the western country, 
 Mr. Birkbeck says that " there is not a district, 
 " and scarcely a spot that he has travelled over, 
 " where a flock of fine wooled sheep could be kept 
 " with any prospect of advantage, provided there 
 " were even a market for the carcase." This cir- 
 cumstance, which is owing to the flatness of the 
 country, he must have found very inconvenient to 
 an English palate. We, you know, are so fond of 
 mutton, that the phrase " take your mutton with 
 me," has become synonymous with an invitation to 
 dinner. This difficulty cannot be complained of 
 here ; for I kave eaten as fine mutton in this coun- 
 ty as is to be found in any part of England. On 
 praising a quarter of mutton, of which I was par- 
 taking a few days ago, I was informed, that the 
 sheep had been taken from among the flock, that 
 usually ran in the woods or roads, without any par- 
 F2
 
 G6 INDIAN CORN. 
 
 ticular feeding; and, that the value of the tallow 
 was equal to the whole price paid for the sheep. 
 This, I was assured, was frequently the case. 
 
 There is an Essay on the advantage of raising 
 sheep in Susquehanna county, inserted in the Phi- 
 ladelphia Agricultural Society's Transactions, but 
 the limits of my communication to you will prevent 
 my quoting it ; however, you shall see it when you 
 arrive amongst us, aad eat your mutton with me ; 
 which I hope you will relish as much as any essay 
 on the subject. In this place are raised the differ- 
 ent kinds of grain which we are accustomed to in 
 England, together with the Indian corn, or maize, 
 which we have not. When corn is spoken of here, 
 this kind is always understood to be meant: Other 
 grain is called by its specific name. Indian corn 
 is planted in hills, about three feet apart, some- 
 thing like our hop yards. Two or three stalks 
 grow in each hill, to the height of six, eight, or ten 
 feet, and bear on their sides, each, three or four 
 ears, nearly a foot long and as thick as a man's 
 wrist, enveloped in a husk. The top of the stalk is 
 surmounted with a tassel, and the plant, when 
 growing, has a very rich and beautiful appearance. 
 The hills are ploughed or hoed. When the ears 
 are in a milky state, before the grain is ripe, they 
 are boiled, and the green corn eaten with butter 
 and salt, is considered as a great delicacy. When 
 ripe, it is ground, and made into bread or cakes ; 
 and by some the, meal is mixed with rye, and made 
 into bread. Many are fond of the meal boiled to
 
 GRAIN, POTATOES. 67 
 
 the consistency of a hasty pudding, and eaten 
 with milk, or molasses and butter. The grain is 
 sometimes ground very coarsely, so as to break it 
 into three or four parts, and used in soups. In this 
 state it is called hominy ; or the hull or bran is 
 taken off, by steeping it in a lie of wood ashes. If 
 an American was suffered to preserve only one 
 kind of grain, it would be Indian corn. The stalk 
 and leaves afford an excellent fodder for cattle. 
 
 Oats, I believe, are never used here as a food 
 for man. The grain is generally smaller than the 
 English oats; but I have heard of upwards of sixty 
 bushels being raised per acre. I should observe, 
 that the acre here is the same as the statute acre 
 of England, and contains one hundred and sixty 
 perches, of five and a half yards square. 
 
 Buck wheat, or French wheat, as it is called in 
 England, is raised on the river hills, where the 
 timber is oak ; but the soil in the beech woods is 
 considered too rich for it. The flour is made into 
 thin cakes. 
 
 Potatoes are very good here, and considered a 
 certain crop. This root is destroyed by the hot 
 summers of the southern states, and the most fari- 
 nacious kinds, when taken there, become viscous 
 and watery. A very usual way of raising them 
 here is this, after the timber has been burnt off, a 
 slight hole is made with a stroke of a hoe in the 
 ground, which has never been ploughed ; into this 
 a potatoe is dropped, and the earth turned back 
 upon it, la that way it is left to take its chance,
 
 68 CARELESSNESS. 
 
 without further notice, till it is time to gather the 
 crop. " What a strange mode of culture !" you 
 exclaim. But an American woodsman would be 
 as much surprised at the nice cultivation of an En- 
 glish farmer, as the latter at the want of care in 
 the former. Our fields would be American gar- 
 dens. Even Mr. R.'s farm, where one might ex- 
 pect to see more care than is usually found here, 
 has never had a plough in it, until since 1 came 
 here, when ploughing was commenced by an En- 
 glish farmer, whom he has employed to take charge 
 of his grounds. If this man works the ground in 
 the manner, and with the care, he must have done 
 at home, I think the farm will bring very different 
 crops from any thing it yet has done. 
 
 There are three barns on the farm, one of which 
 had been deserted by the former tenant, who found 
 himself unable to get into it, in consequence of the 
 great quantity of dung about it, which had been 
 accumulating since the commencement of the im- 
 provement. The first thing that the new farmer 
 did, was to get the dung thrown into heaps. This 
 labour appeared to excite much curiosity in the 
 neighbourhood. " What are you doing that lor?" 
 was asked b\ almost every one who passed. And 
 on his replying, that he intended to put it on the 
 fields, the usual observation was " Why, now, I 
 suppose that would be worth something if you 
 had it in England." 
 
 Notwithstanding all this waste, the American 
 farmer grows rich. Indeed it appears as if all that
 
 VALUE OF LAND. 69 
 
 a man has to do in order to become so, is to go to a 
 new settlement, where the soil is of a good quality. 
 . In that situation, if he can purchase and pay for an 
 hundred acres of land, while it is cheap, and be 
 almost quiescent, merely maintain himself on it, 
 j the rapid rise in value of his land, will, in a few 
 i years, make him wealthy. This rise of value in 
 jland is truly astonishing; and if good selections of 
 j situation are made, it appears to be as certain as 
 ; rapid. Mr. R. sold one hundred acres of land, 
 where Montrose now stands, for one hundred and 
 .'fifty dollars, and the person to whom he sold it, 
 before the time expired in which he was allowed 
 to pay for it, sold half an acre of the same ground 
 for five hundred dollars. This, to be sure, was a 
 village ; but farms rise in value astonishingly. One 
 i lot I saw, which Mr. R. sold to a young man for 
 one hundred and fifty dollars, and gave him seve- 
 ral years to pay it in. The person who bought it, 
 and who had little or no property, went to work, 
 and by his industry cleared a part, and built a log 
 house and frame-barn on it ; and before he had 
 paid any thing for k, sold it for two thousand dol- 
 lars. I could mention many other instances of 
 this kind, which are very common to those who are 
 industrious and careful. And is it wonderful that 
 such a country should improve and settle fast! 
 What a blessing it would be for the industrious 
 poor of England if they could be transported hither, 
 where there is room for them all and ample rewards 
 for their industry ! How cheerfully would they
 
 70 POLICY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 toil for a competency, when they should find 
 
 " O'er their labour, liberty and law 
 Impartial watch," 
 
 while, instead of their former state of vassalage, 
 they became the independent proprietors of the 
 soil ; and that in a country which is emphatically 
 the land of freedom. 
 
 It is peculiarly pleasing to see the enlightened 
 policy of Pennsylvania, which has ever been consi - 
 dered as one of the most important states of the 
 union, and which instead of squandering its wealth 
 in the destruction of mankind, is solicitous only for 
 the welfare of its citizens ; and directs its revenue 
 and resources to the improvement of its roads, the 
 making of canals, the erection of bridges, and the 
 improvement of the various means of facilitating 
 the intercourse between all its parts. In a pampklet 
 on the internal improvement of Pennsylvania, lately 
 published, the author shows that this state alone 
 has expended on roads, bridges, canals, rivers, and 
 schools, upwards of eleven millions of dollars, and 
 the continuance of the same wise policy is recom- 
 mended by the present governor. In his address to 
 the legislature now in session, he says " The reve- 
 *' nues will be sufficient to defray the expenses of 
 " the government, sustain the plighted faith of the 
 " commonwealth, liberally patronize agriculture 
 " and education, and aid internal improvements." 
 Instead of addresses to the Lords and Cbmuion.s, 
 calling upon his Majesty's dutiful subjects for new 
 supplies of millions, we find the chief magistrate
 
 GOVERNOR'S SPEECH. 71 
 
 of this Commonwealth saying to his fellow citi- 
 zens, who have been elected members of the 
 legislature by the free choice of the people, " As 
 " agriculture and manufactures are the great 
 " sources of wealth, and the only solid foundation 
 " of owr comforts and independence, they areparti- 
 " culiarly entitled to the fostering care of govern- 
 " ment. The power of cherishing and protecting 
 " manufactures, on an extended scale, or beyond 
 ** those of the household, directly connected with 
 " agriculture, belongs more immediately to the 
 *' general, than the state government. Agriculture, 
 " the basis of manufactures, and the most essen- 
 *' tial of all the arts to the general welfare, is fully 
 * within the scope of our constitutional powers to 
 ' aid and encourage, and has a strong claim to 
 " legislative patronage. Pennsylvania, from the 
 ' free principles of her political institutions, her 
 " genial climate, the fertility of her soil, and the 
 *' enterprise of her citizens, without having received 
 *' any direct support from the government, more 
 " than the common protection afforded to labour 
 and property, deservedly suitains the character 
 ' of an agricultural state. The knowledge, how- 
 ' ever, of the art of husbandry may be improved ; 
 and it is not only the interest, but should be the 
 ' pride of the representatives of au agricultural 
 " people to promote its advancement. Though 
 " the art may be enlightened and assisted by 
 " science, it is not from speculations and theories 
 " alone ; but from various and repeated experi- 
 " ments, together with close observations, that a
 
 72 GOVERNOR'S SPEECH. 
 
 " proper knowledge of it is to be obtained. The 
 " expense of making those experiments, frequently 
 '* uncertain in their results, few individuals have 
 *' the ability or inclination to encounter. It might 
 " therefore be advantageous, if the commonwealth 
 44 were to purchase within her limits, several saiall 
 44 farms, embracing various qualities of soil, and 
 " place them under boards of managers, or voluntary 
 44 societies, formed for the purpose, (with directions 
 44 respectively to make experiments of the effects of 
 " the native manure ; of the differentmodes of tillage ; 
 " of the cultivation of grains and grasses ; of breed- 
 " ing domestic animals ; of rearing fruit trees ; of 
 44 the preservation of fruits , of the utility of newly 
 " invented implements of husbandry, intended to 
 " facilitate or abridge labour; of the cheapest and 
 "most durable mode of fencing; and whatever 
 " else may be connected with agriculture; andpe- 
 " riodically to publish the result, with observations 
 44 thereon. The expenses of such establishments 
 44 would be trivial, when compared with the know- 
 " ledge that might be thereby acquired and dif- 
 ' fused, on a subject in which every citizen is 
 " deeply interested. To encourage and stimulate 
 " industry, the great spring of the improvement 
 " and extension of agriculture, easy and safe 
 44 channels of transportation for the products of 
 41 the soil to a certain market are indispensable, 
 44 By the bounty of former legislatures, and 
 44 the meritorious exertions of companies in- 
 44 corporated for the purpose, about nine hun- 
 " dred aiid eighty miles of turnpike road have
 
 PRICE OF LABOUR. 73 
 
 fi been completed, and numerous elegant and sub- 
 " stantial bridges erected across our principal 
 " streams." 
 
 How praise worthy, and yet how unusal, to see 
 the governor of a powerful state directing his ef- 
 forts to promote the blessings of peace, and the 
 enjoyments of domestic comforts; and instead of 
 a pompous harangue on the destrution of armies, to 
 rind him simply observing, " that in witnessing the 
 protection which every worthy man enjoys in his 
 person, his religion, his labour and his property ; 
 and in tracing tbe rapid progress of the improve- 
 ments in the state, a fair occasion is presented 
 to us for mutual congratulations.'* 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 Price of Labour. 
 
 A LABOURER gets from three quarters of a dollar 
 to a dollar per day ; a carpenter, or mason, from 
 one dollar and a quarter to one dollar and three 
 quarters per day. A dollar will purchase twenty 
 pounds of beef, or sixteen pounds of mutton or 
 veal, or one bushel of rye or Indian corn, or two 
 thirds of a bushel of wheat. Thus, three or four 
 days' works of a common labourer, will supply 
 G
 
 74 PRICE OF LABOUR. 
 
 liiin with provisions for a month. Hence it is, 
 that the poorer classes of the Americans live bet- 
 ter, and consume more animal food, than any other 
 people of the same description. An English la- 
 bourer may sing about the roast beef of Old Eng- 
 land, but it is a dainty which he is rarely permitted 
 to taste. An American labourer may dine on roast 
 beef every day in the year, unless he prefers some 
 other dish. The agricultural exports from Europe, 
 are in general what the persons employed in rearing 
 them cannot afford to eat : in America they con- 
 sist of the surplus beyond what they can consume ; 
 and the quantity would be immense, if the labour- 
 ing part of the community here would be satisfied to 
 put up with the same kind of fare, which millions 
 of his Majesty's subjects would be glad to obtain. 
 With you, it is only a privileged class who are 
 
 born to live on the fat of the land -frvges con- 
 
 sumere nati; here the phrase extends to every 
 
 class. Indeed, this is carried to a very improper 
 and wasteful profusion. I am told that there is 
 not at family in this county, that would use a sheep's 
 head ; and of a bullock's the only parts used are 
 the tongue and lower jaw ; the rest is thrown away, 
 as is the case with the liver, heart, and feet of all 
 animals. One of our countrymen observed to me 
 the other day, these people are the greatest eaters, 
 and the least workers that I ever saw ; I have been 
 in {bur houses to-day, and I found the men all sit- 
 ting quietly within, instead of being on their farms 
 at work ; and yesterday, when I went to purchase 

 
 OST OF LIVING. 75 
 
 some meat, I found a man who had just killed five 
 fat hogs, and on my offering to purchase some of 
 them, he said, I have none to sell, I want to buy 
 some myself: his family consisted of himself, 
 his wife, and three small children. 
 
 As it is of importance to the mechanics who 
 wish to settle here, to make an estimate of the ad- 
 vantages of the situation, I have endeavoured to 
 do it with all the care in my power. Here are two 
 of our countrymen, one a mechanic, the other a 
 farmer, both have large families, and are men of 
 good judgment. They say that a family may be 
 maintained in provision much better than they 
 were accustomed to live on at home, at an expense 
 of one dollar per week for each grown person ; or 
 rating children in a proper proportion. One of 
 these (the farmer) has his wife, two sons grown up, 
 and four other children, rating the latter as two 
 grown persons, they are altogether equal to six. 
 On these I have made the estimate, and the cost 
 of the same number in Philadelphia. 
 
 Dolls. 
 
 Rent of a small house in Philadelphia, fit for 
 a mechanic with the above named family 200 
 
 Cost of provision on an estimate of two dol- 
 lars per head per week, for one year 624 
 
 Extra cost of clothing, 10 dollars each 60 
 
 10 cords of fire wood at 6 dollars per cord* -60 
 
 Dolk. 944
 
 76 COST OP LIVING. 
 
 Dolls. 
 
 Amount brought forward Dolls. 944 
 House rent in Susquehanna county* 24 
 Maintenance of family at 1 dollar 
 
 per week each - 312 
 
 20 cords of wood 15 
 
 351 
 
 Difference, or annual saving Dolls. 593 
 
 A very comfortable house may be built in Sus- 
 quehanna county for 400 dollars. I have, there- 
 fore, rated the rent at the interest of the principal 
 employed in it ; but it must be observed, that in a 
 new and thriving country, all the houses are occu- 
 pied, and you find none to be rented. You must 
 build for joarself. Supposing the above state- 
 ment, which I have been careful in making, to be 
 over-rated, then form it on the supposition of a 
 small family, or throw off, in the calculation, one 
 third of the supposed saving, and there remains 
 enough to pay for one hundred acres of land under 
 the society's contract ; and that land in three years 
 will be worth double the price we are to pay for it. 
 A few years' settings, without saying any thing of 
 profits, appropriated in this way, would ensure to 
 the mechanic a valuable farm, and a comfortable 
 retirement from the toils of his business in his old 
 age. Even the author of the Castle of Indolence, 
 who speaks in such a contemptuous tone of the 
 " scoundrel maxim" that % a penny saved is a penny 
 got," might be disposed to view the annual saving
 
 MECHANICS. 77 
 
 of one hundred acres of good laud as a very dif- 
 ferent affair. It is certainly one of great impor- 
 tance in the calculations of the industrious artisan, 
 upon whose labour the comforts of his wife and 
 children are to depend. 
 
 The society in their selection of land for a set- 
 tlement, have had in view the advantages of me- 
 chanics, as well as farmers. They have seen the 
 disadvantages which many of the former labour 
 under in the cities of America, where house rent 
 and fire wood are very expensive ; and the advan- 
 tages which would be derived from a situation such 
 as has been chosen, where the country round can 
 be supplied with the work of the mechanics ; and 
 any surplus may be sent, at small expense, to fac- 
 tors established in the cities of Philadelphia or 
 New-York. If the work be intended entirely for 
 those cities, when the articles are not bulky, they 
 can be sent from Susquehanna county at a very 
 trifling expense. Let the tanner, for instance, 
 make his estimate at what he can afford to sell lea- 
 ther when he tans it in a place where he may h#ve 
 his bark for the trouble of taking it off the* trees, 
 and where the materials for his establishment are 
 all to be had on the lowest terms. Let the shoe- 
 maker, who manufactures the leather, estimate the 
 advantage to him, when he gets a higher price for 
 his shoes here than he does in the cities, and if he 
 wanted to send them there, to be sold by whole- 
 sale, he can do it, at an expense of perhaps a half- 
 penny per pair. Letthetawer or leather dresser, 
 G 2
 
 78 MECHANICS. 
 
 and the glover, calculate upon the advantages of 
 establishing these trades where the skins of deer 
 are procured at from three quarters of a dollar to 
 a dollar each, and where, at present, sheep skins 
 are thrown away. Let every mechanic, and espe- 
 cially those who manufacture the lighter articles to 
 be sold at wholesale, calculate for himself the 
 cheapness at which they can be made here, and the 
 trifling expense of carriage, if even they are to be 
 sent to the cities, and he will see the advantages of 
 the establishment which we contemplate. 
 
 The intention of the society is to lay off a suffi- 
 ciency of ground, on one of the turnpikes, for a 
 handsome village, and to g\ve,Jreeofall expense, a 
 half acre lot, cleared, to each of the first fifty me- 
 chanics who shall build a house thereon, and com- 
 mence their trade. And, in order to ensure a sale 
 for all articles manufactured, they will establish a 
 factor in Philadelphia, and another in New-York, 
 to receive and sell, on the most advantageous 
 terms, all articles sent to them. For this purpose 
 regular waggons will be employed to ply between 
 those cities and the society's establishment. In ad- 
 dition to the half acre lot, given to the mechanics, 
 and others, lots of from five to ten acres, already 
 cleared, sufficieut to keep some cows and a horse 
 if needed ; and also wood lots for firewood, will 
 be laid out, and sold at very low rates. And the 
 general .arrangement of the village, and the erec- 
 tion of schools and other public buildings, will be 
 placed under the care of the inhabitants of the
 
 ROADS. 79 
 
 village, to be managed in such manner as they 
 shall deem best ; the object of the society being 
 merely to make arrangements for the general good, 
 in the commencement of the establishment. 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 Roads, 4*c. 
 
 THERE are several important turnpike roads in 
 the county of Susquehanna, of which one is finish- 
 ed, and the others have a ftir prospect of being 
 so, the next season. The one finished is from 
 Newburg, on the Hudson river, to the Susque- 
 hanna. On this road the stage passes daily. From 
 the city of New- York to Newburgh, the commu- 
 nication is by a steam boat. In forty-eight hours 
 by this route, a passenger arrives in Susquehanna 
 from the city of New-York. Another road, called 
 the Milford and Owego turnpike, passes diagon- 
 ally through the county. At Milford, on the De~ 
 laware river, it unites with three turnpikes, all lead- 
 ing to the city of New- York, by different routes. 
 On the west it is connected at Owego, with a turn- 
 pike which leads to the great lakes. The greater
 
 80 ROADS. 
 
 part of this road is finished, and when completed, 
 it will form the most extensive and important con- 
 nexion of turnpike roads in the United States ; 
 opening the way for the trade and travel of rich 
 and populous districts, with the city of New-York. 
 Another turnpike, which will be connected with 
 roads leading to Sacket's harbour, on lake Ontario, 
 and the St. Lawrence river, is laid out, and partly 
 made, from the 28th mile stone, on the state line, 
 to Wilkesbarre ; from which place, there is one 
 finished to Easton, on the way to Philadelphia. 
 
 The Philadelphia and New-York turnpikes in- 
 tersect each other at Montrose. The state of Penn- 
 sylvania has been very liberal in its grants of 
 money to the making of roads. There are two 
 other turnpikes laid out, but on which the com- 
 pany have not yet commenced their work. The 
 one is from the Newburgh turnpike to Wilkes- 
 barre ; the other a short one to connect the New- 
 burgh and Owego turnpikes. Besides these, the 
 state has opened a road which commences in Sus- 
 quehanua, and extends through all the counties on 
 its northern line. From this statement, you will 
 see how rapidly improvements are made in this 
 place; and as the public attention appears to be 
 much given to these objects of national importance, 
 the connexion by roads and canals, of the differ- 
 ent parts of the republic with each other, will be 
 persevered in, till the national enterprise, inge- 
 nuity and perseverance, shall have made it but as 
 a step to pass from one extremity of this widely
 
 ROADS. 81 
 
 extended empire to the other. It is readily per- 
 ceivedi that this facility of communication adds 
 greatly to the strength of the nation ; and this 
 government is too wise not take advantage of the 
 means which nature has placed in its hands, to 
 render the country powerful at home, as well as 
 respected abroad. 
 
 The common or private roads, made by the 
 settlers, are in general very bad. They are made 
 by cutting down the trees close to the ground, 
 leaving the roots in, which makes them very un- 
 pleasant for a horse or waggon ; hi addition to 
 which, the depth of the soil renders them very 
 dirty on being much used. But when the roots 
 have remained long enough to be in some mea- 
 sure decayed, it is found to be easy to make good 
 roads, by ploughing a furrow or ditch on the out- 
 sides and throwing the earth out of it into the mid- 
 dle of the roads. The labour necessary for this, 
 would however be thought too great by Americans, 
 on their first settlement, whose object it is to cut 
 down the trees in order to get scope enough to 
 raise grain for their families, and who are contented 
 with any road that will enable them to get about, 
 until they find the means of support springing from 
 their industry. It is not till the settler begins to feel 
 his abundance, that he cares for the improvement 
 of his roads. The turnpikes which I have men- 
 tioned, will open good roads to the cities of Phila- 
 delphia and New York ; from the former of which 
 pla^e to Montrose, the capital of this county, it is
 
 82 ROADS. 
 
 one hundred and seventy miles ; and from New- 
 York, one hundred aud thirty miles. The Susque- 
 hanna river, which nearly surrounds this county, 
 offers a conveyance by water to Baltimore ; which 
 is one of the best markets in the United States, for 
 the produce of the dairy. Between the Society's 
 settlement and Baltimore all the land carriage is 
 from ten to twenty miles. 
 
 It xvill be useful here to mention the roads by 
 which settlers had better come to this county from 
 Philadelphia or New York, which are the usual 
 landing places for emigrants, one of which you will 
 endeavour to arrive at. From Philadelphia the 
 road is by Bethlehem and Wilkesbarre, unless you 
 take the stage, in which case you go by Easton. 
 From New-York, the best way is to go by steam- 
 boat or other vessel, to Newburgh, from thence by 
 a turnpike, which is finished, you come to within 
 ten miles of Montrose. 
 
 In the winter, if the steam boats are prevented 
 from passing by the ice, the best way is to come 
 from New- York by Easton and Wilkesbarre, to 
 Montrose. The stages now come to within ten 
 miles on the north, and twenty miles on the 
 south, and I expect by next season, they will pass 
 by Montrose in all directions. 
 
 The society have desired me to answer all let- 
 ters that shall be written to me on the subject of 
 the settlement, which I will do very cheerfully, as 
 well as give every aid in my power to all our de- 
 serving countrymen, who wish to join us. Letters
 
 TAXES. 83- 
 
 should be directed to me at Silver Lake, Susquc- 
 luinna county, Pennsylvania. 
 
 LETTER XI. 
 Taxes. 
 
 THERE are no state taxes in Pennsylvania. 
 Tiie funds of the government are sufficient, not 
 only to pay all the expenses of her legislation, 
 judges, &c. but to enable her to contribute largely 
 to the making of canals, roads and bridges, the 
 erection of colleges and academies, and various 
 other improvements throughout the state. The 
 only taxes paid here are two ; a county and a road 
 tax. The former is raised for the purpose of pay- 
 ing the fees of juries, the expenses of laying out 
 roads, and some other trifling county expenses, 
 and seldom exceeds one dollar on an hundred 
 acres of land. 
 
 You will observe that the coins used here, are 
 dollars and cents, the dollar being equal to four 
 shillings and six-pence sterling, and the cent a 
 small copper coin, one hundred of which are equal 
 to one dollar; each cent therefore is about an 
 halfpenny. The road tax is for the purpose of 
 opening and improving the common roads, and is
 
 84 TAXES* 
 
 about the same in amount as the connty tax. The 
 county tax is levied by three commissioners ap- 
 pointed by the people to superintend the affairs 
 of the county, one of whom is chosen annually. 
 They each serve three years. Is is their duty to 
 estimate the probable expense of the county for 
 the ensuing year and to levy a tax accordingly. 
 The roads are under the inspection of two super- 
 visors, chosen annually by the people of each 
 township. Their duty is to open the roads, and 
 to keep them in repair; and for this purpose they 
 have the power of levying the tax which I have 
 mentioned. This tax is paid by labour, and is so 
 far from its imposing any burthen, that in some 
 townships the settlers have voluntarily doubled the 
 amount of labour which the law permitted to be 
 imposed upon them. 
 
 I have mentioned these as being the only taxes ; 
 an act of assembly provides that overseers of the 
 poor shall be annually elected in the respective 
 townships and boroughs ; but this is useless where 
 there are no poor. I say no poor, for Mr.^ R. who 
 is the largest proprietor "in the county, and whose 
 lands extend into eight different townships, in 
 forms me, that all the poor tax assessed on him 
 during the nine years which he has resided here, 
 amounts to but six dollars and ninety eight cents, 
 and this was for the purpose of conveying a person, 
 not an inhabitant of this county, home. When 
 you look over your list of taxes, how many will 
 you find omitted Iiere4 What a glorious country
 
 V 
 LABOURERS. 5 
 
 this would be for some of your financiers to com- 
 mence their operations in ! What a crop they 
 might reap, if the American citizen would suffer 
 them to put their sickles into the harvest ! 
 
 The people here listen as to a romance, when I 
 tell them of our tythes, poor rates, window tax, 
 horse duty, dog tax, game Jaws, excise laws, &G.&C. 
 Or when I say that a farmer in England is not suf- 
 fered to make his own soap and candles, distill his 
 own spirits, make his own malt, or grow his own 
 hops, without being taxed for it. 
 
 And yet the editor of the Courier tells the peo- 
 ple of England, " the thinking people of England" 
 that America is heavily taxed ; that New-York is 
 full of distressed poor, &c. There are doubtless 
 poor in New-York, ys there must be in all cities, 
 but as long as a man able to work, can earn one 
 dollar per day, and obtain a bushel of rye, or 
 Indian corn, or 20 pounds of beef, for that dollar, 
 I ask how can that man be poor. A labourer in 
 this country can always have six days' work in the 
 week, for which he will receive six dollars: in 
 England propably he cannot obtain more than two 
 or three days' work in the week, and he receives 
 perhaps Is. 6d. per day. How great the contrast ! 
 Would an industrious English labourer complain 
 of poverty, if he could earn twenty-seven shillings 
 per week ; and buy his provisions at the above 
 prices, and that in a country where he conld buy 
 good land at or under a pound per acre ! would he 
 complain? No. The question is, how long he 
 II
 
 86 CLIMATE. 
 
 would continue a labourer. He would soon be- 
 come a proprietor ; he and his family would be 
 rendered comfortable in his old sge, without the 
 unpleasant reflection of becoming a burthen to 
 the parish. 
 
 This same newspaper tells c ' the people of Eng- 
 land" that the revenue has increased three millions 
 sterling, this last quarter. How many poor 
 wretches have suffered for this increase, 1 leave 
 you to judge, who are in the centre of taxation. 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 Climate. 
 
 THE winter here is cold, keen, and dry. This 
 last particular is a great advantage, both for health 
 and labour; nothing is more disagreeable than that 
 kind of weather, in which snow, sleet, and rain are 
 all mingled. Here the winter snows usually com- 
 mence about Christmas, or New Year, and con- 
 tinue on the ground till the beginning of March ; 
 forming an excellent defence for the roots of the 
 grain and grass. Little or no rain falls during 
 that time ; and then it is that the farmer threshes 
 out his grain, and takes it to market. This is 
 usually done in sleds or sleighs, which are much
 
 CLIMATE. 87 
 
 easier for the horse, and pleasanter to the rider, 
 than waggons. It is also the time of visitation and 
 hilarity. People then visit their distant friends or 
 relations ; and a sleighing frolic is highly delight- 
 ful to the younger part of the community. You 
 are driven along like the liquid lapse of a boat 
 down the stream, or the transition of Milton's 
 Angels, " smooth sliding without step;" at least 
 so it is described to me, who have not yet had 
 an opportunity of enjoying its pleasures. The sum- 
 mer is much warmer than in England, or there 
 would be no Indian corn, or maize ; a most impor- 
 tant grain, the growth of which Arthur Young con- 
 siders the test of a good climate. It is not, how- 
 ever, so hot here as, at Philadelphia; and still less 
 so than in the unsheltered plains, or flats, of the 
 south western states. I am told, that no day is too 
 hot here for a man to work in the harvest fields ; 
 and if so, I am sure I shall never object to the 
 sun-beams on my hay or corn. 
 
 In consequence of the southern latitude of this 
 place, the difference in the length of the winter and 
 summer day, is not so great as in England. The 
 summer day, being here, one hour and forty 
 minutes shorter, and the winter day one hour and 
 thirty minutes longer than in England. 
 
 In Mr. Cobbett's publication, which I send, you 
 will see his diary of the weather during the last 
 year. The weather you will find mentioned there, 
 is, 1 have reason to think, very much like what is 
 experienced here. You will remark, that he pre.
 
 CLIMATE. 
 
 fers the weather of this country to that of Great 
 Britain. It has been observed in all countries that 
 the winter becomes milder as the forests are cleared 
 away. Virgil, Horace, Pliny, and Juvenal, all 
 speak of the ice in Italy in their day ; and the 
 rivers of ancient Gaul were as much frozen iu the 
 time of Julius Caesar, as the American rivers are 
 now. From the enquiries which I have made, I 
 believe the length of time the farmers fodder their 
 cattle here, to be much about the usual time we 
 have for the same business in England. The spring 
 commences sooner in England than it does here ; 
 but the gra^s grows with more rapidity in this 
 country than in that, when the winter is gone, 
 
 From an examination of meteorological tables, 
 long kept, it appears that more rain falls in the 
 United States, in a year, than in Europe, during the 
 same time; but there are not so many rainy days 
 here; in other words, less of mist and vapour. 
 The spring much resembles our English spring, 
 where in spite of all that is said or sung by our 
 Poets, it very frequently happens, that 
 
 " Winter lingering chills the lap of May." 
 
 When the spring commences here, the influence 
 of the sun, in consequence of the more southern 
 situation, is more decisive than in England. The 
 American autumn is much finer than in our island ; 
 and there is none of that misty, foggy, raining, 
 soul-subduing weather, over which all the blue 
 demons hover, like an assemblage of Fuseli's night- 
 mares ; and to which some Frenchman alludes,
 
 SALUBRITY. 89 
 
 when he begins his romance with, " It was in the 
 " gloomy month of November, when Englishmen 
 ' hang themselves." Here the sun is bright and 
 beaming, and the November which I have passed 
 here, was as fine as an English September. 
 
 I was desirous of procuring a statement of all the 
 births and deaths which had occurred in this town- 
 ship (Silver Lake) since its first settlement , but as 
 no such record had been kept, and as the early set- 
 tlers are little careful to remember these events, I 
 found this impossible. My next attempt was to 
 learn who amongst all the heads of families had 
 died within that time ; and in this I was more suc- 
 cessful. Mr. Bliss, the near neighbour of Mr. R., 
 a vej y respectable man, and a magistrate, was the 
 earliest settler, after him, in the township. He as- 
 sures me, that among the heads of families only 
 one had died since the first settlement, which was 
 nine years ago. There are now seventy families, 
 or one hundred and forty heads of families, settled 
 in the township. As the increase of settlement has 
 been pretty regular, it would be fair to suppose 
 this equal to the residence of half that number for 
 the whole time; or seventy multiplied by nine, 
 which would give 630 for one year. Now, it is 
 calculated in Europe, that of one thousand persons 
 living in large cities, thirty-five or thirty* six die 
 annually; and in country places, twenty -eight or 
 thirty die out of that number, in the same space 
 of time ; while, according to the above statement, 
 the deaths in this township have been only as one 
 H 2
 
 90 SALUBRITY, MUSQUITOES. 
 
 in six hundred and thirty. If it be said, that in 
 this estimate of from twenty-eight to thirty deaths 
 happening in a thousand, it is meant to be extended 
 to young and old, of whom, indiscriminately, more 
 would die than of heads of families, taken at the 
 most vigorous period of life ; then, let us make 
 an estimate on that ground, and take thirty as the 
 age to make the calculation on. A person if thirty 
 will, probably, live thirty-two years ; divide six 
 hundred and thirty by thirty-two, and we find the 
 chance is, that twenty will die in a twelve month 
 out of that number. According to Dr. Price's 
 calculations of life, the chance of a person thirty 
 years, old is twenty-three years and six months ; 
 which would give nearly twenty-seven deaths in 
 six hundred and thirty ; while here there has been 
 hut one death. This is a very surprising statement ; 
 but I am well satisfied of its correctness. Indeed 
 the aspect of the country gives promise of its 
 healthiness : 
 
 The fountain's fall, the rivers flow, 
 The woody vallies, warm and low, 
 The windy summit wild and high, 
 
 all so opposite to the stagnant waters, and dead 
 levels of the western " prairies," indicate the purity 
 of its streams, and the salubrity of its air. 
 
 Its exemption from musquitoes, is indicated by its 
 freedom from the " green mantle of the standing 
 " pool," so common in the western countries, whose
 
 MUSQUITOES, BRISSOT. 91 
 
 musquitoes and frogs chase sleep from the eyes of 
 many a weary traveller. 
 
 " Mali culices ranaeque palustres avertunt sonmos," 
 
 unless they are grossly misrepresented by many of 
 our disappointed countrymen, who, " through 
 " brake, through bog, through bush, and through 
 ' brier," have plodded to those distant regions, 
 in search of a new Utopia, and who, on their re- 
 turn, spoke of the musquitoe's buz in a tone 
 which would justify the exclamation of the poet, 
 
 Hark, his shrill horn its fearful larum flings ! 
 I wake in horror, and dare sleep no more ! 
 
 But though this tormentor is diminutive, he is not 
 the less to be dreaded ; besides his buz and bite, 
 his presence indicates the neighbourhood of the 
 pestilential marsh, from which he sprang. The 
 number of musquitoes, that I was assured 1 should 
 meet on the western waters, was a strong induce- 
 ment for me to turn my course to a higher and 
 drier country, in which I and my friends might 
 hope to forget the toils of the day in tranquil re* 
 pose. 
 
 In the commencement of the French Revolution, 
 Brissot was sent to the United States by some of 
 his co-patriots, to select a body of land for them 
 to settle on, if they should be so fortunate as to 
 keep their necks from under the national axe.
 
 92 BRISSOT, DISEASES OF THE WEST. 
 
 They desired him to be particularly careful to avoid 
 every place where there were musquitoes. However 
 visionary they were in some of their instructions, 
 there was much sound sense in this caution. I do 
 not know whether Brissot found what he sought. 
 Instead of remaining here in safety, he returned 
 to France, and was sent to the guillotine, by the 
 sanguinary demon who "rode in the whirlwind, and 
 directed the storm" of the revolution, at its most 
 desolating period. Alas ! the sound of the toscin 
 was worse than even the buz of the niusquitoe, 
 and the axe's edge sharper than its bite. A 
 strongly marked passage in the letter of instruc- 
 tions given to me by my friends in England is 
 
 " LET NO CONSIDERATION TEMPT YOU TO 
 " SELECT AN UNHEALTHY SITUATION.'* 
 
 This appears to me to be decisive against a flat 
 and low country. 
 
 Volney, who travelled through them, speaking 
 of the flat countries in the western parts of Ame- 
 rica, says, " Autumnal intcrmittents prevail to a 
 " degree scarcely credible. In a journey of seven 
 " hundred miles, I scarcely found twenty houses 
 " free from agues and fevers. Ail the banks of the 
 " Ohio, and a great part of Kentucky, of Lake 
 ft Erie, the Genesee country, and its lakes and 
 " rivers, are annually infested with them. In a 
 " journey of two hundred and fifty miles, from 
 " Cincinnati to Detroit, began on the eighth of 
 " September, in a company of twenty-five persons, 
 " we did not encamp one night without one, at
 
 DISEASES OF THE WEST. 93 
 
 " the least, of the party being seized with a peri' 
 " oclical fever. At Greenville three hundred per- 
 " sons, out of three hundred and seventy, were 
 " sick of fevers. On arriving at Detroit, only three 
 *' of our party were in health; and on the ensuing 
 " day, our commander, Major Swan, and myself 
 " were both seized with a malignant fever. This 
 " fever annually visits the garrison of Miami Fort, 
 " where it has more than once assumed the form 
 " of yellow fever." Those who are most inter- 
 ested in giving a favourable report of the western 
 country, cannot avoid its uuhealthiness being dis- 
 covered. I have before me a publication by a 
 Mr. Latham, who keeps an office for the sale of 
 land in Chilicothe, in the state of Ohio, dated on 
 the 2nd of November last. He is anxious to in- 
 duce settlers to purchase lauds there, and, conse- 
 quently, may be supposed to be inclined to think 
 as favourable as he can of the climate, and to 
 speak as favourably as he thinks. At least he who 
 acts as an auctioneer, will not display the worst 
 side of his goods. Mr. Latham says, " If we have 
 " any diseases which we may consider endemical, 
 " they are those of a bilious and febrile character. 
 -*' In the first settlement of this country bilious and 
 " intermitting fevers are not unfrequent. The 
 " cause is obvious: the people in most instances 
 " locate themselves on the borders of the streams, 
 " often subject to inundations, and perhaps in the 
 ' immediate vicinity of stagnant ponds of water, 
 " pr wet marshy ground, and they mostly lived in
 
 94 DISEASES OF THE WEST. 
 
 " open cabins, exposed to the damp night air. 
 " In such situations, and under such circumstan- 
 " ces, it was hardly possible to escape a ' season- 
 " ing.* On the contrary, when emigrants have 
 " selected scites for their dwelling on eminences, 
 " or on high and dry land, removed from the in- 
 " undated bottoms, from ponds of stagnant waters, 
 " and from wet marshy ground ; and have not 
 " unnecessarily exposed themselves to the damp of 
 " the evening air : during the summer season there 
 " are but very few (if any) instances which are 
 " referable to climate." 
 
 The bilious and febrile diseases which Mr. L. 
 mentions as endemic, are those to be most sedu- 
 lously avoided. They are, necessarily, attendants 
 on those situations which border on the streams 
 subject to inundations; or those which are in the 
 vicinity of stagnant ponds and marshy grounds. 
 These are so common in the western states, that a 
 " seasoning" is spoken of as such a matter of 
 course, that to have any chance of avoiding if, it 
 is necessary to seek out particular situations, and 
 even then the poor settler must be careful to avoid 
 exposure to the " damp of the evening air during 
 " the summer season." Is it expected, that in 
 the most healthy parts of Ohio, a settler, must, 
 after dusk, confine himself to the house? If so, 
 the condition of the inhabitants of that part of the 
 country must be very deplorable. And if Ameri- 
 cans themselves are so likely to undergo the " sea- 
 " soiling," what might not an Englishman dread !
 
 DISEASES OF THE WEST. 95 
 
 But this exposure to bilious fevers is far from 
 being confined to the lands watered by the Ohio; 
 it extends, with few intermissions, along the Mis- 
 sissipi to its entrance into the Gulf streams, in 
 consequence of the flat and marshy state of the 
 country on its banks. Mr. Schultz, a very intelli- 
 gent traveller, himself an American, speaking of the 
 Walnut Hills, says, " the men generally had a sickly 
 " appearance, but the women and girls looked fresh 
 " and sprightly. From their own account, bow- 
 " ever, they considered the situation as unhealthy. 
 " If this is the case, it is my opinion that there is 
 " flot a spot on the whole Mississipi, below the 
 " /nouthof the Ohio, fit for the residence of man." 
 And in a late work on Louisiana, by Mr. Brecken- 
 ridge, of the Maryland legislature, this gentleman 
 observes : " The settlements of this territory have, 
 " in some measure, attained the character of being 
 " unhealthy. It is a prevailing notion, that to be 
 " sick the first summer is what every settler must 
 " expect. In some parts of the territory, this 
 " seasoning is severely paid ; but in other parts of 
 *' the territory, I can say with confidence, that 
 " not more than one tenth undergo it. From the 
 " first of August to the last of September, is con- 
 " sidered the most unhealthy. The last season 
 " was uncommonly unhealthy throughout the wes- 
 " tern country, and this territory experienced it 
 " in a degree not much less than many other places. 
 " The natives and the oldest inhabitants were at- 
 " tacked, as well as strangers* This season did
 
 96 FIRST QUESTIONS OF AN EMIGRANT. 
 
 " great injury to the commencing emigration to 
 " this country. Many who had suffered retired 
 " from it; and others who had determined to 
 " come, changed their minds." What must we 
 think of a situation where an apologist for the 
 territory is obliged to concede, that in the most 
 healthy parts of it, one tenth of its settlers have 
 to undergo what he very ominously calls a season- 
 ing! somewhat more serious than that of Cole- 
 man's ' fat single gentleman." If the natives of 
 the western states, and even those born in the 
 *' western country," experience the ill effects of 
 the unhealthiness of the climate, how much more 
 are they to be apprehended by a foreigner. But 
 in some parts of the United States, idleness is 
 considered so great a blessing, that I am not sure if 
 many would not purchase it at the expense of a 
 bilious or intermitting fever. How strange it is, 
 that the father of a family will take that family to 
 a situation where he knows they will be exposed 
 to an enemy, against whom here can be no pro- 
 tection ! One would suppose that such a person 
 must believe firmly in the fatalism of the Turks 
 which induces them to die of the plague by thou- 
 sands, rather than use the salutary precautions o 
 their Frank neighbours. Is the country healthy ? 
 should be the first question of an English settler 
 when about to establish his habitation. Is the 
 water good? should be his second. Wherever the 
 eountfy is flat, the water must be stagnant, ant 
 consequently impure. Wherever the water is im
 
 MANNERS, RELIGION, POLITICS. 97* 
 
 pure, the country must be unhealthy. If the pain 
 of sickness could be disregarded, the advantages 
 of health are all important to the farmer. Of 
 what use is the greatest fertility of soil, if he is 
 too ill to sow his grain ! Of what advantage is 
 the most abundant crop, if his debility prevents 
 his taking hold of the sickle! And yet, his own 
 sickness is but a part of his sufferings : his wife 
 and children have also to participate iu the dan- 
 gers and diseases that pervade his abode. 
 
 In the country in which we have fixed ourselves, 
 we have a good soil, pure water, and a climate 
 which accords well with an English constitution. 
 We have therefore only to use that industry, which 
 English farmers boast of possessing at home, and 
 we shall hope to contribute in some degree to the 
 abundance of the country of which we have become 
 citixens, and by doing so to give a stimulus to some 
 of the many shuttles and hammers of old England! 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 Manners, Religion, Politics. 
 
 You will expect me to say something of the so- 
 ciety and manners of the people among whom you 
 are invited to reside. This is a more difficult task 
 than that of analysing the quality of the soil, or 
 classing the varieties of the timber. Many of our
 
 08 LITERATURE, EDUCATION. 
 
 countrymen ridicule the manners of the higher 
 classes of the people of the United States, with a 
 view I believe of having it supposed that they 
 moved in a superior station at home. For my 
 part, 1 have experienced much politeness and 
 urbanity ; and so far as my testimony will go, it 
 is in favour of the frank and courteous demeanour 
 of the gentlemen of this country ; among whom 
 there is to be found an abundant share of good 
 sense and liberal feelings.* As to the * very 
 learned,' they are not to be expected to abound 
 here, as in Europe, where learning is a trade, 
 which numbers are brought up to. The Americans 
 suffer us to manufacture books for them, as well 
 as the cutlery and cottons which they consume. 
 But although they write little on general topics, 
 they read much ; and you see no house without 
 books in it. 1 was pleased to find in this new town- 
 ship a public library, which was commenced by a 
 donation of books from Mr. R. and some of his 
 friends, and is supported by a small annual contri- 
 bution from those who enjoy its advantages. An 
 institution of this nature is peculiarly advantage- 
 ous to youth, among whom I have always obser- 
 
 * In corroboration of this remark, Mr. Hall, whom 
 I have already mentioned, permits me to extract the 
 following passage from a letter which he received from 
 Lord Selkirk, dated Huntingdon, 8th June, 1810 : " It 
 is truly gratifying to a Briton to find that the most 
 estimable part of your nation are those who are the 
 most partial to the land of thtir auqestors.''
 
 LITERATURE, EDUCATION. 99 
 
 ved that a taste for reading is very generally at- 
 tended with propriety of behaviour and sound 
 morals. 
 
 I had formed an erroneous opinion of a woods- 
 man. I expected to find rude manners ; but the 
 people here behave with great civility and propri- 
 ety. I have not heard a single instance of profane 
 language, or indecent expression, in this settle- 
 ment. An air of comfort pervades the habitations 
 of the humblest kind ; and in general, the demea- 
 nour of the wife shews her to have her full share 
 of the family controul. These people are almost 
 all from the New England states; by which name 
 is designated the section of country north and 
 east of New York, which has always been re- 
 marked for the enterprise and good moral conduct 
 of its citizens. To the inhabitants of this section 
 of the United States, who ' are also distinguished 
 by their shrewdness, the term Yankee is applied ; 
 and not as it is understood in England, to all the 
 states a Yankee, therefore, means a native of 
 New England. The civility of disposition in which 
 they are educated at home, is taken abroad with 
 them ; and they are said to form a class of settlers 
 far superior to those who emigrate from the 
 southern states to the western wilderness. 
 
 As the means of supporting a family are within 
 the reach of every one; people here marry young, 
 and look out for habitations afterwards. They dis- 
 play a very commendable attention to the education 
 of their children, and as soon as half a dozen houses
 
 100 EDUCATION, RELIGION. 
 
 are built in a new settlement, a school js established, 
 where, in the summer, the younger children arc 
 taught by a girl ; and in winter those that are 
 somewhat older by one of the settlers, who takes 
 upon himself the task of school-master. All ciu 
 read, write and cypher. The equality of rights 
 which they possess, naturally produces an equality, 
 or similarity of manners ; and as they enjoy the 
 same latitude in religion as in political opinions, 
 there is, so far as I have observed, very little dis- 
 cord between the various sects. What a happiness 
 it would be to the world, if all who read the ex- 
 hortation of the apostle, to Faith, Hope, and 
 Charity, would impress upon their minds his de- 
 claration, that the greatest of these is Charity ; 
 and the necessity of " avoiding foolish questions 
 " and genealogies, and, contentions and strivings 
 " about the law ; for they are unprofitable and 
 " vain !" and yet, although this is said by one of 
 the greatest of the apostles to a bishop of the 
 church, I fear it has often been overlooked, and 
 its meek and Christian spirit neglected. 
 
 In this township there is no minister yet estab- 
 lished. It is customary for the settlers to assemble 
 on Sundays : prayers are said by some one, with 
 much apparent devotion ; a hymn or psalm is sung 
 in parts, for most of them have been taught 
 psalmody, accompanied by instrumental music, as 
 a violincello, flutes, &c. A sermon from some ap- 
 proved divine is read ; and I must say, that this 
 simple family worship has effects upon me, as 
 powerful as a discourse in a cathedral.
 
 SLAVERY, ROBBERIES, &C. 101 
 
 No slavery is permitted in Pennsylvania; the 
 toleration of which in the southern states, is of in- 
 calculable mischief; and it is an evil which it is 
 extremely difficult to get rid of; for even those 
 who are opposed to slavery, dread the effects of an 
 universal emancipation of the blacks. A society 
 has been established by some of the most dis- 
 tinguished men in the United States for colonizing 
 them, from whose efforts much may be hoped. 
 
 In the country robberies are almost unheard 
 of; and when they occur in the cities, they are 
 generally found to be committed by some abandoned 
 outcast from Europe, whom justice has driven from 
 her shores. It is a fact, that of the criminals in 
 American courts of justice, a very great proportion 
 are foreigners. Indeed, an American to whom the 
 means of support are abundant, has no excuse for 
 being a knave. 
 
 Mendicity is so rare in this state, that from my 
 landing at Philadelphia to the present time, I have 
 not seen a beggar. Perhaps no better proof can be 
 given of the general prosperity of its inhabitants. 
 
 The native Indians of this country are said to 
 have a great capability of action, but to be much 
 addicted to idleness. I cannot help thinking this a 
 part of the character of the people whom lam among. 
 I find a man, whose enterprise has led him from the 
 home of his parents, many hundred miles into the 
 forests, to make a home for himself ; but after cut- 
 ting down a few trees, that he may enjoy the rays 
 12
 
 102 IDLENESS, POLITICS. 
 
 of the sun, he contents himself with the exertions 
 he has made, and sits down to bask in its beams. 
 Here are persons capable of any thing, but the 
 steady plodding labour, so necessary for the pros- 
 perity of the farmer, or mechanic. This may in a 
 great degree, arise from the want of an early appli- 
 cation to one particular pursuit. Every one chooses 
 his own occupation, and is any thing, or nothing, 
 just as it happens, or inclination leads. The result, 
 however, of this laxity of discipline, is a far greater 
 degree of general knowledge, than can be found 
 among the same class of society, in any other 
 country. 
 
 On the subject of politics but little is heard out 
 of the large cities. In all popular governments 
 there must be some who are striving to get into 
 place, and others who are endeavouring to retain 
 it. There will, therefore, be collisions ; and where 
 the press is free, we may expect altercation between 
 adverse parties. Of this we have abundant evi- 
 dence at home. While Buonaparte swayed the 
 French sceptre, the parties in the United States 
 were violent, and ranged themselves under the 
 name of federalists and democrats ; the one being 
 stigmatised as an English, the other as a French 
 faction. They are, however, both Republicans, 
 and differ only in a slight degree in their opinions 
 on the administration of the government. The 
 federalist advocated a navy, for the support of the 
 pommerce of the country ; a small body of troops, 
 to garrison the forts on the frontiers, as a security
 
 NAVY. 103 
 
 against Indian incursions ; and a direct tax, com- 
 petent to sustain the expences which these es- 
 tablishments require. The democratic party op- 
 posed these. Bat the late unfortunate war between 
 our country aud the United States, destroyed all 
 political differences and harmonized the parties. 
 All now appear to be convinced of the necessity 
 of a navy, as a guard for the ocean frontier; and 
 of a body of troops, as a barrier against the^ 
 Indian depredations, on the side of the woods. It 
 was found that calling a farmer from his plough, 
 and making him inarch to the frontier, was a most 
 expensive and oppressive mode of defence ; and 
 against an enemy invading on the sea side, the 
 militia of the country could be of litlle service, 
 A thousand regular troops conveyed in transports, 
 that one day could make their attack in one place, 
 and in a week's time could attack in another, a 
 thousand miles off, could keep an hundred thou- 
 sand militia in employ, at an enormous expense to 
 the government. I believe all parties unite now 
 in one sentiment, as to the best modes of offence 
 and defence ; and that there is no back-woods- 
 man to be found, who is not aware, that it is 
 cheaper and better for him to pay his proportion 
 of the expense of a sailor's maintenance, than to 
 turn out with his rifle, to defend the sea board 
 against the attack of line of battle ships. The 
 perfection to which the Americans have brought 
 their naval armament, has been seen with surprise 
 by all the nations of Europe, and is a necessary
 
 104 AMERICAN TARS. 
 
 consequence of their activity and extended com- 
 merce. 
 
 The success of most of their different combats 
 against our vessels of war, has also tended to make 
 the navy a favourite with the people ; and the 
 merits of their victorious officers have been in- 
 dustriously proclaimed by public dinners and en- 
 tertainments, songs, speeches, &c. Their portraits 
 adorn the public offices, splendid swords and 
 medals incite their emulation, and the freedom of 
 the city, immortalizes their achievements. You 
 will remember the mortification we used to feel, 
 at reading the accounts of the capture of our ships 
 of war, and the great unwillingness with which we 
 gave credit to the facts , but 1 can now readily see 
 the causes of our defeats, and should be surprised 
 if such had not been the result of the different 
 actions. The American ships are larger than ours 
 of the same grade ; in most instances they have 
 had a greater number of guns ; and in all cases, 
 were manned with selected crews. Many of the 
 sailors on board American ships are British sub- 
 jects, and of whatever country they may be, they 
 have all gone on board voluntarily for in this 
 country our disgraceful system of impressment is 
 unknown. We opposed all these advantages, by 
 ships of a less size, fewer guns, and smaller crews ; 
 and even those in most instances, were composed, 
 in great part, of persons who had been compelled 
 to serve. In such cases the result must ever be as 
 it was. Wars are always unfortunate, and disaste-
 
 AMERICAN TARS. 106 
 
 rous ; but they are particularly so when they occur 
 between nations ot the same language, religion, 
 habits and morals. The Americans deserve great 
 credit for the urbanity and kindness which they 
 displayed after victory' ; and this was not confined 
 to the officers, but extended to the rough tars, 
 whose hearts melted at the sufferings of their foe. 
 When the Peacock was sunk by the Hornet, and 
 the crew of the former vessel escaped witb nothing 
 but their clothes, the sailors of the Hornet pre- 
 sented each man with another suit from their 
 purser's stores, Wiieri the captured crews were 
 landed on the shores of the United States, they 
 were in many instances, permitted to mingle as 
 they pleased with the citizens, and to become 
 citizens themselves. The crew of the Guerrier, 
 captured by the Constitution, was landed at New 
 London, and many of them proceeded immediately 
 into the country, and became farmers or labourers 
 of different kinds. A gentleman who was at 
 New London at the time they were landed, met a 
 dozen of them some miles out of town, proceeding 
 merrily along, with their bundles on their backs ; 
 he asked them where they were going: " to see 
 our uncles," said one of them laughing. Indeed, 
 I fancy they found more " uncles" in this country, 
 if hospitality could create a relationship, than (jhey 
 Jeft behind them in Old England. Is it any wonder, 
 therefore, that our sailors should not fight with 
 their accustomed spirit against such a country as 
 this ; when they felt that a defeat might bestow
 
 106 VERSATILITY OF THE AMERICANS. 
 
 upon them an invaluable blessing, by placing! 
 them on a soil which is emphatically the hind of 
 freedom ? 
 
 The versatility of disposition and facility \vilh 
 which an American passes from one thing to anotherj 
 lias been remarked by every one who has visited;- 
 their country. The pioughboy becomes a lawyer ;, 
 the doctor, a divine ; the mechanic, a member off 
 Congress; the school- master, a statesman; the| 
 merchant, an ambassador. This versatility is very'' 
 conspicuous in their naval officers. Captain 
 'M'Donongb, who took the British fleet on Lake 
 Champlain, was a merchant ; Capt. Lawrence, 
 who in the sloop Hornet sunk the Peacock, was a, 
 lawyer; Capt. Jones, who in the Wasp took the 
 Frolic, was a doctor; and probably, most of the 
 others commenced with some business or profes- 
 sion equally discordant to their present pursuit. 
 
 If this occurs in the navy, you may readily ex- 
 pect to find the same thing taking place in the 
 army. The most decisive action in the late war, 
 and the one that we had the most signal cause to 
 lament, was the battle of New Orleans, in which 
 the Americans were commanded by General 
 Jackson, who was a judge, and who left the; 
 beifch to assume the General's truncheon. 
 What would be thought of one of our judges, 
 throwing ofF his robes and wig, and offering 
 to head an army? When the frontier inhabitants 
 were scalped and tomahawked by the savages, 
 of whose merciless ravages an Englishman can
 
 GENERAL JACKSON. 107 
 
 form , no idea, unless he will imagine his own 
 family exposed to a troop of wolves or tygers, infu- 
 riated by hunger, Judge Jackson took the com. 
 mand of a hastily raised troop of militia, with 
 which, together with a few regular troops, he 
 marched against the Indian towns ; and in a cam- 
 paign, which rather resembled a triumphal march 
 across the country, he put an end to the war. He 
 has been accused of unnecessary severity ; but 
 I'hat can be called unnecessary severity, against 
 n enemy whose mode of warfare is an indiscri- 
 ninate massacre of every age, and to whom the 
 nother and the infant plead alike in vain. Speak- 
 ng of this savage ferocity, it has been said by an 
 minent American Statesman, who was distinguish- 
 d as a friend to Great Britain, as well as to his 
 Avn country, " On this theme my emotions are 
 inutterabie. If I could find words for them, if 
 ny powers bore any proportion to ray zeal, I 
 vould swell my voice to such a note of remon- 
 trance, that it should reach every log house be- 
 'oud the mountains. I would say to the inhabi- 
 ants, wake from your security, your cruel danger, 
 our more cruel apprehensions are soon to be re- 
 lewed ! The wounds yet unhealed, are to be torn 
 >pen again ! In the day time your path through 
 he woods will be ambushed; the darkness of 
 nidnight will glitter with the blaze of your dvvel- 
 ings ! Are you a Father 1 The blood of your 
 ons shall fatten your corq fields. Are you a mother ? 
 he war whoop shall waken the sleep of the cradle I"
 
 108 GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Jackson, 'tis true, retaliated severely ; but his ven- 
 geance fell on the warriors alone ; no woman or 
 child was touched ; and had he ordered otherwise, 
 no American militia man could have been found 
 to execute his commands 
 
 \Vhen General Packenham led the flower of the 
 British Army ngainst New-Orleans, as to a certain 
 conquest ; a place without walls, troops, or can- 
 non, Jackson was sent there. He found a few 
 militia, hastily collected ; more were expected. In 
 the scattered state of population, some had to 
 come above a thousand miles. These were mostly 
 volunteers, without skill or tactics, unable to forii 
 or to march by rule ; but marksmen, whose aim 
 was almost a fatal certainty. In this situation, 
 which called for the most prompt decision, ii 
 when it .was more than suspected, that there wer< 
 persons in the city deeply in the Bristish interest 
 Jackson did the only thing which could have save( 
 the place; he seized the power of the bench, am 
 placed the town under military law. At this mo 
 ment the advance of the British army was land! 
 ing, accompanied by custom-house and policJ 
 officers, already arranged to organize a government 
 of the place, in the good old way to which they liaJ 
 been accustomed in their warfare with other enel 
 mies. 
 
 Without giving them time to pitch their tents! 
 Jackson attacked them at night with the few troopl 
 he had. Our officers were surprised by such a rel 
 ceptioDj at a place where they had expected n<|
 
 GENERAL JACKSON. 109 
 
 resistance, and they halted till the rest of our 
 troops joined them ; by which time numbers of 
 the militia had arrived. The cotton bags were 
 taken from the warehouses, and placed round the 
 town as a rampart. How this would have been 
 ridiculed by a Cohorn or a Vauban ! and proba- 
 bly it was equally ridiculed by our officers, accus- 
 tomed to the entrenchments on the European con- 
 tinent. They led on their troops with the valour 
 of British officers, under a heavy cannonade, and 
 with clouds of rockets. 
 
 Who could believe that the result should be, 
 the defeat of our troops, with the loss of nearly 
 three thousand men killed, wounded, and prisoners; 
 and that the raw militia, behind the ramparts of 
 cotton bags, should have only thirteen men killed 
 and wounded ! Yet so it appears to have been. 
 Our troops retreated to the swamps, by which 
 New Orleans is surrounded, where they had ano- 
 ther enemy to encounter, the diseases attendant on 
 such a situation. When they were gone, Jackson 
 restored to the judges their suspended power (ce- 
 dunt arma tog<e\ and was called before them and 
 fined for suspending it. Before he could leave the 
 court house, the grateful citizens had paid the fine 
 for their deliverer. He, has been again lately 
 called into activity. The Indians on the Florida 
 frontier had begun their massacres. Jackson 
 inarched against them ; they fled into the Spanish 
 province ; he followed them there ; he found them 
 protected ; he did not hesitate, but attacked and 
 K
 
 110 BRITAIN AND AMERICA. 
 
 captured the Spanish forts, and sent the governor 
 and garrison off in transports, which he hired to 
 receive them. At the same time he told the go- 
 vernor that when the king of Spain should send 
 a sufficient force to quell the Indians, and keep 
 them in subjection, the province should be restored 
 to him. 
 
 Fortunately our situation is far removed from 
 Indian, or any other warfare. I have been led 
 into a long disgression in showing that a peaceful 
 citizen may at the same time be a good soldier. It 
 has been observed by Talleyrand, that there was a 
 natural connexion between England and America, 
 which must operate in favour of the former, and 
 against France. This I believe to be strictly the 
 case j and wars between Great Britain and Ame- 
 rica can only arise, from an astonishing ignorance 
 in the British ministry of the feelings and habits 
 of this country. The more I see of America, the 
 more I am convinced, that instead of an absurd jea- 
 lousy of the growing power of this country, we 
 ought rather to promote it. It has been very cor- 
 rectly observed, by one of our statesmen, " that 
 not an axe falls in an American forest which does 
 not put in motion some shuttle, hammer, or wheel, 
 in England." This is truly the case. The amount 
 of British manufactures consumed even in this 
 place, so lately established, is wonderful. In the 
 village of Montrose are already six or eight shop- 
 keepers. One of these lately sent off nine wag- 
 gons to bring in goods from one of the maritime
 
 BRITISH MANUFACTURES. Ill 
 
 cities : and these goods are principally of British 
 manufacture, and to be consumed by back-woods- 
 men ! It is usual for the store-keepers to supply 
 themselves twice a year, spring and autumn ; 
 therefore, it is probable that this storekeeper sells 
 eighteen loads of goods in a year. Multiply eighteen 
 by six, and you have one hundred and eight loads 
 of goods sold in the village of Montrose alone ; 
 besides shops in other parts of the country. In- 
 stead of prohibiting the emigration of farmers and 
 mechanics to this country, an enlightened ministry 
 would urge it. A man who for want of employ- 
 ment with you, is a burthen to the parish, here pur- 
 chases a lot of new lands ; his labour supplies his 
 family with food and raiment, and the latter is 
 principally British manufacture. As his children 
 increase, his wealth increases, and his demand on the 
 shops, or, as they are here called, stores, increases 
 with it. These stores are supplied from Great Bri- 
 taain with the articles he consumes. The result is 
 obvious ; the man who is a weight on his fellow sub- 
 jects at home, when abroad, becomes one of those 
 who enhance the prosperity of his native country, 
 by the consumption of its manufactures. These 
 things are too plain to be mistaken; aad a British 
 minister must shut both his eyes and ears, who 
 does not perceive that the increase of population 
 here, is of the utmost importance to the interest 
 of the mother country. The concourse of idle 
 and expensive paupers in England, if sent to this 
 country, would become a fountain of wealth,
 
 BRITAIN AND AMERICA. 
 
 pouring its fertilizing stream on yon from a lavish 
 urn. It is mortifying to know, that these sources 
 of prosperity should have been prevented from 
 flowing upon our country by the sneering letters 
 of Canning, or the unbending pride of Castle- 
 reagh, and a host of others of the same cha- 
 racter. 
 
 When the French decrees denationalized the 
 vessels of America, for suffering the search of a 
 British cruiser, what a fortunate time it would 
 have been for our country, had our minister been 
 sufficiently wise to have seen that his true policy 
 should have led him to protect and guard the 
 American vessel ; to do every act of kindness, and 
 to afford every protection in his power, while our 
 enemy was absurdly provoking the hostility of the 
 nation, whose agriculture was at the very moment 
 affording him the most important aid. What 
 would have been the result of such conduct? Un- 
 doubtedly a war between France and America ; and 
 a league between the latter and Great Britain ; 
 between the parent and the child, as it ought to 
 have been. In monarchical governments, if an in. 
 jury is done by one to another, a calculation may 
 be made coolly and deliberately, of the sum neces- 
 sary to quiet all animosity. This is not the case 
 in a government of the people. Here their voice 
 is heard ; it is all powerful : and if such a case had 
 happened, as 1 have supposed, the people would 
 have compelled the government to declare war 
 against France. The flow of the heart of these
 
 FREEDOM OF ELECTION. 113 
 
 people is naturally towards their English relations. 
 An Englishman, if he behaves himself, has a thou- 
 sand advantages, which no other countryman pos 
 sesses ; and if he is conscious of proper feeling 
 towards the country of his adoption, he may at 
 once consider himself at home among its citizens ; 
 by whom he will be received with every attention 
 which cordiality and kindness can bestow. 
 
 In Pennsylvania the freedom of election is ex- 
 tended to all citizens who have paid the trifling 
 county tax. In some other states the regulation is 
 different. It is not necessary to enter into the ques- 
 tion of the expediency, or inexpediency, of univer- 
 sal suffrage; nor how far it would be useful to 
 have property represented in a political body ; it 
 is sufficient to know, that it is protected here by 
 fair and equal laws. There are no rotton bo- 
 roughs in the United States ; and the bribery and 
 corruption common at English elections are here 
 unknown. It must be confessed, however, that a 
 system is suffered to prevail which the good sense of 
 the citizens should long since have banished ; and 
 which tends to preserve and perpetuate power in 
 the hands of a few leaders of a dominant party; 
 and who, instead of being actuated by "that first 
 paternal virtue, public zeal," are perhaps held toge- 
 ther-by the thirst of wealth, or the pride of office. It 
 is common for half a dozen men who possess a lit- 
 tle influence, to assemble in a county, and nomi- 
 nate certain persons to represent it in the state le- 
 gislature, and in the congress of the United State*; 
 K 2
 
 114 ELECTIONS. 
 
 th nommation of these self-created leaders fe 
 usually followed by the voters at the election. The 
 persons named are elected. The members of the 
 state assembly, before they return to their homes, 
 meet in caucus, (as a private political meeting is 
 here termed,) and name some one as a candidate for 
 the chair of government. An agreement is entered 
 into, previous to a vote being taken, that he who 
 shall have the majority shall be supported by all 
 present ; and it would be considered as the great- 
 est proof of political apostacy to act contrary to 
 the opinion of the majority of this meeting. The 
 same thing is done by the members of the con- 
 gress, in the selection of a person for the prece- 
 dency; a measure calculated to give undue influ- 
 ence to persons, who may ill deserve the public 
 confidence. This is almost equivalent to giving 
 the president or governor the power of appointing 
 his successor, in consequence of the influence 
 which, during the sessions of the legislature, he 4 
 may obtain over those who take it upon themselves 
 to select, or nominate to .the public, the candi- 
 dates for those offices ; and who, from the ramifi- 
 cations of political influence, have it in their power 
 to render their candidate successful. In this way, 
 the power of party becomes, in fact, the power of 
 the leaders of it ; and may be very dangerous to 
 the freedom of election, and destructive of equal 
 representation. I have seen so much evil from the 
 borough-rnongering system of England, that I 
 shrink with dread from any thing which may be
 
 ELECTIONS. 115 
 
 supposed to endanger the fair and full expression 
 of the public will, as must be the case when the 
 right of nomination is assumed by a few political 
 leaders, instead of being most carefully preserved 
 by the whole of the people. In the present in- 
 stance, the danger may be more imaginary than 
 real, at least while property is so generally pos- 
 sessed, and so equally divided in these states ; but 
 in this country, the only asylum of freedom in the 
 world, whatever may be supposed to endanger her 
 safety, should be guarded against or averted, with 
 the most jealous care ; and we should remember 
 how often the liberty of the people has been de- 
 stroyed by those who assumed the character of its 
 most devoted supporters. In this country there 
 appears to be no danger from any open attack. It 
 is not the impulse of the battering-ram, but the 
 insidious approach of the miner that is to be 
 f , feared. 
 
 Politicians have apprehended much danger to 
 f the permanency of the general government of this 
 t country, from the jealousy and power of the indi- 
 t^idual states composing the confederacy ; but this 
 I is lessened every day, by the rapidity with which 
 [ new states are formed, and added to the Union, 
 and which have the effect of rendering the whole 
 more and more powerful in proportion to the num- 
 ber of its fractional parts. Among any consider- 
 able number of these it is not easy to form a coali- 
 tion of interests in opposition to the rest. The 
 danger of disunion is passed. The eastern states,
 
 REMARKS ON 
 
 which formerly exhibited some instances of local 
 jealousies, in opposition to the general government, 
 appear now to be willing to place their pride in the 
 combined strength of the whole, and to view the 
 increase of states, which I think amount to twenty- 
 one, as an augmentation of their individual secu- 
 rity. In proportion to the number of parts of 
 which the Union is composed, will the danger of 
 opposition from any of them be lessened ; and it 
 is probable, that this march to power will be 
 bounded only by the Pacific Ocean, on the shores 
 of which a colony is already planted, and a line 
 of connexion, by a chain of strong military posts 
 across the continent, about to be established. 
 Should not Great Britain look with exultation at 
 the gigantic growth of her offspring at the extent 
 to which her language and her code of laws are car- 
 ried by Anglo-Americans! 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 Remarks on Birkbeck's Letters. 
 
 SINCE writing my last, I have seen a late work 
 by Mr. Birkbeck, entitled " Letters from Illinois: 1 
 I have read it with attention, and find much in it to 
 confirm the satisfaction with which I contemplate 
 our settlement.
 
 BIRKBECK'S LETTERS. 117 
 
 There appears to be a great inequality of fer- 
 tility in the western states, a natural consequence 
 of what I have mentioned, the washing of the. rains 
 robbing the hills of their soil, and depositing it on 
 the river flats. He says, " We found nothing at- 
 " tractive on the eastern side of Indiana ; the situ- 
 " ations to the south, on the Ohio river, bounding 
 " that state, were so well culled, as to be in the 
 " predicament above described ; offering no room 
 " for us, without great sacrifices of money and so- 
 " ciety. The western side of Indiana, on the banks 
 " of the Wa*bash, is liable to the same and other 
 " objections. The northern part of Indiana is 
 " still in possession of the Indians." And in the 
 state of Ohio, he observes, " We must have paid 
 " from twenty to fifty dollars per acre for land, 
 41 which is technically called, improved; but is in 
 ' fact deteriorated ; or have purchased at an ad- 
 '* vance of 1,000, or 1,500 per cent, unimproved 
 ' land from speculators ; and in either case, should 
 " have laboured under the inconvenience of set- 
 " tling detached from society of our own choice, 
 and without the advantage of choice as to soil 
 or situation. We saw many eligible scites and 
 fine tracks of country ; but these were precisely 
 the tracks which had secured the attachment of 
 their possessors." 
 
 These circumstances, therefore, which appear to 
 be of sufficient weight, induced Mr. B. to seek a 
 settlement still further west, to which the white in- 
 habitants had not yet been attracted. I have no 

 
 118 REMARKS ON 
 
 doubt that they will soon be round him there ; but 
 a frontier position had certainly be better left en- 
 tirely to the Americans, and avoided by English- 
 men. I do not wonder at some of his countrymen, 
 in his own words, " wanting faith, thinking they 
 " should never reach an abode so far west." Ac- 
 cording to the distance given it appears to be 
 
 From Philadelphia to Pittsburgh 320 miles. 
 
 From the Pittsburgh, down the Ohio, 
 to Shawanoe town 1,200 
 
 From Shawanoe town to Birkbeck's 
 Settlement 50 
 
 1,570 miles. 
 
 The extensive settlement of Englishmen, in his 
 neighbourhood, which Mr. B. at first contemplated 
 appears to be given up ; as he has not been able to 
 procure the land according to his original wishes. 1 
 He observes, " I am therefore going on steadily* 
 " with my own settlement, without reference to 
 " that plan." That large plan thought of by Mr. 
 B. alone, so far oft' as Illinois, will, I trust, be 
 carried into effect by the British Emigrant Society 
 here; in a country much more congenial to a 
 British constitution. 
 
 These letters seem to have been principally writ- 
 ten at Princeton, in the state of Indiana ; where, it j 
 is probable, Mr. B. was obliged to reside until he 
 could have some accommodations made at his set- ! 
 tlement in Illinois ; from which it appears, by the ; 
 map, to be about twenty-five or thirty miles distant. !
 
 BIRKBECK'S LETTERS. 119 
 
 If the state of society, and the inconvenience of 
 travelling, are to be taken from Mr. B.'s account, 
 they are, to say the least, quite as bad as what may 
 be gathered from other travellers. The following 
 are his vords : 
 
 ^ " In the early state of society, where the couii- 
 " try is savage, and many of the people just emer- 
 " ging from that condition, much intrepidity of 
 " mind, and hardihood of body, are indispensable 
 " requisites in the administration of justice. Brass 
 " for the face wont suffice ; there must be steel 
 " from head to foot. Your military, or fox hunting 
 " experience, has, I dare say, furnished adventures 
 " similar to those which are constantly occurring 
 " here to the gentlemen of the long robe, on their 
 " progress from court to court. The judge and 
 " the bar are now working their way to the next 
 " county seat, through trackless woods, over snow 
 " and ice, with the thermometer about Zero. In 
 " last November circuit, the judge swam his horse, 
 " I think, seven times in one day, and how often in 
 " the whole circuit, is not on record. What would 
 " our English lawyers say to seven such ablutions 
 " in one November day ? and then to dry their 
 " clothes on their back by turning round and 
 " round before a blazing fire, preparatory to a 
 " night'* lodging on a cabin floor, wrapped in their 
 " blankets ; which, by the bye, are the only robes 
 " used by the profession here." 
 
 Why, I believe the English lawyers would not 
 be surprised, in such a situation, to be told (p. 69)
 
 120 REMARKS ON 
 
 of an enraged barrister, with a hand-whip or cow- 
 hide, cutting to ribbons the jacket of the foreman 
 of the grand jury : or of a judge shooting a no. 
 torious offender, while on horseback in the street, 
 with a pistol ball through the body. 
 
 I have alluded to the turbulent character, given 
 by travellers, of some of the western settlers. 
 This character however cannot be considered a ge- 
 neral one; and it would be very unjust to give it 
 that application; doubtless there must be many es- 
 timable characters there, and we. should be aware 
 that the deformity of moral evil, like the depth of 
 shade in a picture, is calculated to make a first and 
 powerful impression. This impression is not les- 
 sened by the letters in question, and when we are 
 told, that " tbe decision of character which pre- 
 " vails among the new settlers, renders their soci- 
 " ety very interesting, and there is a spirit of fear- 
 " less enterprise, that raises even the v icious above 
 " contempt; not a family, scarce an individual, 
 " whose adventures would not highly amuse and 
 " astonish the groups assembled round the fire sid* 
 " of our old country." 
 
 We see the anxiety and dangers which are ne- 
 cessarily connected with advanced settlements, ex 
 posed to savage inroads, and which it may be mud 
 pleasanter to hear recounted, by the fire-side, 
 than to participate in. And it is unfortunate, that 
 even when the situation of affairs change, the cha- 
 racter acquired by Indian warfare and intercourse, 
 is too apt to continue. The state of those persona
 
 BIRKBECK'S LETTERS. 121 
 
 who live in such a condition, much resembles that 
 of the ancient borderers between England and 
 Scotland ; and many an American frontier settler, 
 not only resembles Watt Tinlinn in appearance, 
 
 Who was of stature passing tall, 
 But sparely formed, and lean withal: 
 
 But after an Indian inroad, might exclaim with 
 him, 
 
 " Thy crossed at the curfew hour, 
 And burned my little lonely tower; 
 The fiend receive their souls therefore! 
 It had not bten burned this year and more. 
 Barn yard and dwelling, blazing bright,^ 
 Served to light me in my flight; 
 But I was chased the live long night." ) 
 
 Walter Scott would experience no want of " Stark 
 " moss troopers" there. 
 
 Mr. B. says, " There is nothing I anticipate with 
 " so much satisfaction and security, as the rapid 
 " development of society in our new country. Its 
 " elements are rude, certainly, and heterogeneous. 
 " The first settlers, unprotected and unassisted, 
 " amid dangers and difficulties, have been accus- 
 " tomed, from early youth, to rely on their own 
 " powers ; and they surrender with reluctance, and 
 49 only by halves, their right of defence against 
 *' every aggression, even to the laws which tr ey 
 *' themselves have constituted. They have been 
 " anxiously studious of mildness in the forming of 
 
 Iw 
 
 fli
 
 122 REMARKS ON 
 
 " these laws ; and when in practice they seem in- 
 " efficient, they too frequently proceed, with In- 
 " dian perseverance, to acts of vengeance incon- 
 " sistent with the duty or forbearance essential to 
 " social man. Hence, deeds of savage and even 
 " ferocious violence are too common to be viewed 
 " with the abhorrence due to them. This dispo- 
 " sition is evinced continually, and acted on with- 
 " out any feeling of private or personal animosity. 
 " If a man, whom the public voice has proclaimed 
 " a thief, or a swindler, escape from justice, for 
 " want of legal proof of his guilt, though the law 
 " and a jury of his fellow citizens hare acquitted 
 <c him, ten to one but he is met with before he can 
 " quit the neighbourhood, and, tied up to a sapling, 
 " receives a scourging that marks him for the rest 
 " of his life." 
 
 Such a state of society needs no comment. An 
 Englishman, accustomed to the administration of 
 the laws, will suspect that Mr. B. has a mind to 
 deter, instead of invite, his countrymen to adven- 
 ture " so far west," to a country, where, when 
 a prejudice is raised against one, it is not uncom- 
 mon for a riotous assemblage to become judges 
 and executioners, and scourge, so as to mark for 
 the rest of his life, him who has been declared in- 
 nocent by a jury. 
 
 I regret to see in Mr. B.'s letters an aversion to 
 religion, which is calculated not only to injure his 
 reputation, but most of those who may follow him. 
 He mentions, v.ith the tone of commendation, that
 
 BIRKBECK'S LETTERS. 123 
 
 where he is, " children are not baptized, or [not] 
 " subjected to any superstitious rite ; parents name 
 " them, and that is all ; and the last act of the 
 " drama is as simple as the first. There is no con- 
 " secrated burial or funeral service. The body is 
 " enclosed in the plainest coffin, the family of 'the 
 " deceased convey the corpse to the woods ; some 
 " of the party are provided with axes and some 
 " with spades ; a grave is formed and the body 
 " placed quietly in it; then trees are felled over 
 " the grave to protect it from the wild beasts. 
 " These simple monuments of mortality are not un- 
 " frequent in the ivoods." 
 
 Surely this is not a desirable situation to live in. 
 If Mr. B. has no belief in religion, still his observa- 
 tions must have convinced him how important its 
 observances are to the tranquillity and peace which 
 we must suppose him desirous of enjoying in this 
 world. In vain will he fly to the solitude of his 
 prairie, if that solitude may be interrupted by 
 those who have shaken off all the restraints that 
 withhold mankind from violence and rapine. He 
 should consider the injury which his example may 
 do to society, when he declares of the church, that 
 he does " not believe in its doctrines;" and sneer- 
 ingly asks his correspondent, " when we shall have 
 " settled ourselves in our cabins, and fixed our- 
 " selves to our minds as to this world, what sort 
 " of garb think you we shall assume as candidates 
 ' for the next?" With Mr. B.'s religious or irre- 
 ligious opinions I have nothing to do ; this govern-
 
 124 REMARKS ON 
 
 ment wisely suffers every man to choose his own 
 path, and lie may walk in any direction he pleases, 
 however eccentric, provided he does not jostle 
 too rudely against the decorums of society: but I 
 fear that the rapid development of society, which 
 Mr. B. says he anticipates with so much " satis- 
 " faction and security," may not be of the most 
 desirable kind, if it is matured under such auspi- 
 ces. Mr. B. should be aware of the slight assu- 
 rance which the safety of himself and his family 
 depends on, in the exposed situation in which 
 they are placed ; and it is worse than rashness in 
 him to be careless of the salutary restraints of 
 law and religion. 
 
 The alleged insalubrity of the climate appears 
 to derive confirmation from the frequent mention 
 which is made in these letters of the necessity of 
 a settler bringing medicines with him; This appears 
 to be considered as the staff of life in Illinois. 
 " The English of both sexes," Mr. B. says, " and 
 ' strangers in general are liable to bilious attacks 
 on their first arrival. These complaints seem, 
 however, simple and not difficult to manage, if 
 taken in time." In another part he observes, " that 
 clothing, bedding, household linen, and simple 
 medicine of the best quality, and sundry small ar- 
 ticles of cutlery and light tools, are the best 
 things for a settler to bring.out with him." And 
 again : " a few simple medicines of the best quality, 
 " are indispensable ; such as calomel, bark in pow- 
 *' der, castor oil, calcined magnesia and laudanum.
 
 BTRKBECK'S LETTERS. 125 
 
 *' They may be of the greatest importance on the 
 " voyage and journey, as well as after your arri- 
 " val." 
 
 From these passages, which indicate a necessity 
 for every settler to bring his own apothecary shop 
 with him, and account sufficiently for the simple 
 monuments, so frequent in the woods of Illinois, 
 you will think, that in following the instructions of 
 my friends, to " let no consideration tempt me to se- 
 et lect an unhealthy situation" I kould have little 
 prospect of fixing them comfortably in Mr. B/s 
 neighbourhood; and that, waving all other objec- 
 jections, there was in this enough to deter me from 
 going so far west. 
 
 I had been told of the parching heat of the wes- 
 tern prairies ; but had not heard much of their 
 winters. Mr. Schultz, indeed, says, in a letter 
 from St. Genevieve, in the immediate vicinity of 
 Illinois, and dated in February : " From the expe- 
 " rience I have had, I assure you, that the cold 
 " for six weeks past, has been every way as severe as 
 " in the city of New- York." Mr. B. says " extreme 
 " cold does not seem to belong to us ; but we have 
 *' some very severe paroxysms of it, when the wind 
 " sets from the north west, the thermometer falling 
 " rapidly to 7 a 8 below Zero ;" and in another 
 part he says, " we have had an unusual severe 
 " winter. The mercury has once been 12 below 
 w Zero, and several times approaching that ex- 
 *' treme." This is a degree of cold that might 
 not have been expected in that latitude ; and is to 
 L 2
 
 REMARKS ON 
 
 be accounted for only by the flat, unsheltered 
 situation of the country, which receives the 
 piercing north west wind, in its full force, and 
 with all its collected cold, from the icy mountains, 
 at the heads of the Mississippi and Missouri. 
 These extremes of heat and cold, 
 
 " Extremes by change more fierce,'* 
 
 to which the inhabitants are exposed, must, un- 
 doubtedly, be one cause of the unhealthiness of 
 the country. 
 
 Ill the 8th letter it is observed, ' there are no 
 <f very good mill seats on the streams in our neigh- 
 " bourhood, but our prairie affords an eligible site 
 " for a wind-mill." A want of mill seats on the 
 streams, must be the casein all flat countries, and 
 it is extremely inconvenient to the settler, not only 
 as it occasions much difficulty and delay, in the 
 grinding of grain ; but as, without falls of water 
 for saw mills, he is unable to procure boards for 
 his buildings, unless at prices which he can ill 
 afford to pay. 
 
 The difference of expense in going from Phila- 
 delphia or. New- York to Illinois, or in coming 
 here, from either of those cities, is an object 
 worthy of consideration. One of our party, Mr. 
 Lee, has just arrived from Philadelphia, with his 
 family, consisting of seven persons, and thirty 
 hundred weight of goods. The carriage of his 
 goods cost him three dollars per hundred, delivered
 
 BIRKBECK'S LETTERS. 127 
 
 here. His family came in the same wajrgon, and 
 their expenses on the road were twenty-four dol- 
 lars, in all one hundred and fourteen dollars. 
 The cost of carriage to Pittsburg, is eight dollars 
 per hundred, which would be on the above load 
 240 dollars, and supposing the expenses on the 
 road double, or forty eight dollars, then the sum 
 expended in getting to Pittsburg, would be 288 
 dollars. From Pittsburg it is by water, 1200 
 miles to Shawanoe town ; and by land fifty miles 
 further to the prairie at Mr. B's." In going down 
 the river, it would be necessary to purchase an 
 ark, or boat, and to hire hands who are acquainted 
 with the channels of the river, who must be paid 
 not only for going down with the family, but for 
 returning. Supposing all these expenses to amount 
 to two thirds of the expense of the journey to 
 Pittsburg, or 192 dollars, this makes altogether 
 480 dollars, besides the loss of time in going to Illi- 
 nois ; or three hundred and sixty-six dollars more 
 than will be expended in coming here. This 366 
 dollars will procure, under the Society's contract, 
 122 acres of land. So that, climate and markets 
 out of the question, a British emigrant of the 
 above description, will come here, and pay for 
 one hundred and twenty-two acres of land, for 
 what it will cost him to go to the Illinois, at the 
 most favourable season of the year. But in the 
 winter, when the Ohio river is frozen, to get a 
 family and furniture from Pittsburg or Illinois, is, 
 I conceive, beyond the power of any British emi- 
 grant 

 
 128 REMARKS, &C. 
 
 The cost of a voyage from New-Orleans up the 
 Mississippi and Ohio, to Illinois, is three times that 
 of a voyage from England to the United States. 
 The following are the rates charged from New 
 Orleans to Illinois: For a grown person, twenty- 
 eight pounds, two shillings, and sixpence: children 
 fiom two to ten years old, half price; those under 
 two, one fourth; servants, half price; way passen- 
 gers, sixpence a mile. 
 
 In travelling by land to Pittsburg, and then des- 
 cending the Ohio, to reach the Western Country, 
 the emigrant must make his calculations for the 
 expenses of a delay which may take place at 
 Pittsburg, by want of water in the river. The 
 
 family of a Mr. G , who lately removed thither 
 
 from Philadelphia, was detained one month at 
 Pittsburg, and another month was spent on the 
 water before they arrived at Shawanoe town. 
 
 To the traveller who is detained at Pittsburgh, 
 it is no slight alleviation to reflect, that he is at 
 the very abode of hospitality ; but to most of the 
 emigrants, this " availeth little," in comparison 
 with the consequences of an expensive journey. 
 
 I have marked many places for your observation 
 in Mr. B/s work, which I send you. I shall also 
 transmit an extract from the foliage Record, a 
 very ably conducted newspaper, published at 
 West Chester, near Philadelphia, by Mr. Miner, 
 lately a member of the Legislature of this Com- 
 monwealth.
 
 129 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 IN the preceding statement, I have endeavoured 
 to guard my expressions, in such a waj, that they 
 should not raise extravagant expectations of the 
 country in which we have placed our settlement. 
 I believe it will answer your wishes ; for I think 
 our opinions on this subject will agree, as they do 
 in most others. But 1 wish every one who reads 
 the description which I have given, to consider it 
 with the same deliberation with which it has been 
 written. I believe I see, very clearly, the difficul- 
 ties which every person has to encounter, who 
 settles in a new country ; for they are before my 
 eyes, wherever I turn : but I see that where industry 
 is applied, first competency and then abundance 
 follows. An Englishman, by coming here, may 
 shake from his heavily laden shoulders, the immense 
 burthen of his taxes ; but he must not expect to 
 lay aside his industrious habits, and to indulge in 
 indolence, unless he brings a fortune with him. 
 This I wish to impress upon the mind of every 
 one. You who are happily blessed with a com- 
 petency, will find a pleasure in looking over the 
 improvements of your farm, or amusing yourself 
 in rural sports. It will be better for many English- 
 men, to purchase an improvement, than to begin 
 in the woods, as the phrase is, for a commencing 
 improvement. This will enable him immediately
 
 L30 CONCLUSION. 
 
 to keep his cattle, and he may add such quantity 
 of land as his circumstances shall render proper, 
 and extend his clearing and improvements accord- 
 ing to his industry or his purse. All his clearings, 
 if he is careful, will doubly repay the toil and ex- 
 pense of making. Still, however, at first, he must 
 not expect to see the smooth surface of his native 
 island, where the cheapness and abundance of 
 labour enables the farmer to till his fields with 
 more care than is used here in a garden. Here 
 are the materials of beauty, as well as happiness; 
 but they must be fashioned and shaped into order 
 and symmetry. He who has not exertion to do 
 this, had better stop and slumber at home. The 
 idle should not come here, but to the industrious 
 man, every thing necessary for his comfort is 
 offered. With pure air, and excellent water, he 
 may count upon health. With a fertile soil, and 
 good markets, and the blessings of Providence, 
 which usually follow the use of proper means, he 
 may calculate on prosperity ; while, to crown and 
 preserve all, he is blessed with 
 
 " Kind, equal rule, the government of laws, 
 And all protecting FREEDOM, which alone 
 Sustains the Dame and dignity of man." 
 
 It just occurs to me to add that no female can 
 be arrested or imprisoned for debt, in this com- 
 monwealth. 
 
 In order that you may be able to judge for your- 
 self of the excellence of the government of which
 
 CONCLUSION. 131 
 
 we arc invited to become citizens, I shall transmit 
 along with these sheets, the Constitution of the 
 United States, and of the state of Pennsylvania, 
 which is among the most powerful of the Union in 
 wealth and resources. I shall add also an abstract 
 of the laws respecting naturalization, and the act 
 to enable aliens to hold lands in this common- 
 wealth. 
 
 I remain, my dear friend, with many wishes for 
 the happy arrival of yourself and the rest of our 
 party, &c. 
 
 C. B. JOHNSON.
 
 132 REMARKS ON 
 
 From the Village Recorder of 18th Nov. 1818. 
 
 NOTICE OF MR. BIRKBECK'S LETTERS. 
 
 WE have before noticed Mr. Birkbeck's letters 
 from Illinois. His calculations, showing the rapidity 
 with which independence may be obtained, and 
 even wealth accumulated, are well contrived to 
 lead the sanguine in flocks to his neighbourhood.- 
 "Whether all who go will realize the happiness and 
 prosperity which their fancies have pictured, our 
 deliberate judgment leads us much to question. 
 That the prairies of which he speaks are rich in 
 soil, and will be prolific of produce, we entertain no 
 doubt ; but fine land and good crops are not the 
 only considerations which a prudent man will take 
 into the account, when be is about to remove his 
 family, and to settle in a new situation. Health is 
 better than riches ; and the finest prairie in Illinois 
 would poorly compensate for the sacrifice of half 
 his family, and the reduction of the rest to debility 
 and disease. 
 
 New countries are generally healthy. When 
 they are not so, when diseases make their appear- 
 ance with the first settlers, the climate must be 
 radically bad, and the situation extremely insalu- 
 brious. These observations have arisen from an 
 impression left upon my mind by Mr. Birkbeck's 
 book. In letter fourth, h speaks of
 
 MR. BIRKBECK'S LETTERS. 133 
 
 right enough, deaths take place every where but 
 when he adds, " These simple monuments of mor- 
 " tality, [graves over which trees have been felled] 
 " are not'wifrequent in the woods," it strikes me as 
 quite unusual, and indicates a sicklincss of climate 
 justly alarming. To this when it 13 added that he 
 enjoins it on his friends again and again, as a thing 
 of much importance, pressing from its necessity, 
 constantly upon his mind, that they should bring 
 with them calomel and bark Physic, physic, phy- 
 s j c l I must confess that I am quite willing to give 
 up all claim to his prairies, aud to be content with 
 lain Pennsylvania hills and valleys, uplands and 
 bottoms, that will yield fifty bushels of corn, or twenty 
 of wheat, to the acre. 
 
 Another thing in Mr. Birkbeck's letters impressed 
 me with no very favourable idea of his situation. 
 He speaks of erecting a wind-mill on his prairie ! 
 What ! arc there no mill seats in Illinois ? Is the 
 land so low ; are the waters so sluggish, that fall 
 enough cannot be found to turn a mill ? Such we 
 have reason to think is the fact. Is it then to be 
 wondered at, if fevers and ague bilious fever- 
 yellow fever, and fifty other diseases, should bo 
 rife where the lands are low and the waters stag- 
 nant. 
 
 For my own part perhaps it is the effect of pre- 
 judice, but I can't help it I prefer the running 
 stream the pure, sweet, lively water that gushes 
 from the hill side, and the occasional cataract, all 
 foaming and bounding, like a flock of white sheep 
 from the mountain, imparting cheerfulness and health. 
 I wish I had room to extract from a late work enti- 
 tled " Rambles in Italy," a description of a spot, 
 the uiost beautiful to the eye, but fatal to the occu- 
 II
 
 134 REMARKS ON 
 
 pant. The summer and autumn it was abandonedj 
 for the miasma that rose from its putrid waters? 
 blighted human life as the frost withers the leavea 
 of the forest. Such, I apprehend, will be the future^ 
 description of many a fair promising prairie in tho. 
 west. 
 
 Well, there is one consolation : There are new 
 lands enough nearer home excellent in soil, having* 
 pure water, and advantageously situated. How apt 
 we are to look at a great distance for happiness^ 
 overlooking the advantages near us ! Nearly ono 
 half of Pennsylvania is yet uncultivated. From jjj 
 point, beginning a few miles north of Easton, run ;t\ 
 line longitudinally so as to intersect the western! 
 line of the state, passing a few miles north ofl 
 Pittsburg, we divide Pennsylvania into two equal! 
 parts. South of this line 83 members of Assembly 
 reside; north of it 15. Suppose the state to contaiiij 
 900,000 inhabitants 750,000 live in the south half,; 
 and only 150,000 in the North. Yet the north part 
 will admit a population greater than that which now 
 exists in the south. There is ample room, therefore,! 
 for 600,000 inhabitants, or 100,000 families to settle^ 
 in Pennsylvania, and lands can be obtained on terms 
 quite as reasonable as in the west. 
 
 Some parts of this territory are settling wifh 
 great rapidity. Of Susquehanna county I can speak \ 
 from personal knowledge, having been one among 
 the first who made a settlement near where the^ 
 present seat of justice, (Montrose,) is established. 
 It was, 18 years ago, a wilderness ; there was no 
 road within eight miles of the spot which is now a 
 handsome town. It has not, it is true, like some of 
 the Alabama towns, increased 200 houses in a 
 season ; such places, of unnatural growth, will go !
 
 MR. BIRKBECK'S LETTERS. 135 
 
 I line Jonah's gourd, as suddenly as they came ; I have 
 ! no confidence in them. But the growth of Montrose 
 and the settlement of the country in the neighbour- 
 hood, have been natural and healthful. This county, 
 
 lying within two days journey of the Hudson, and 
 | three of Philadelphia, and being nearly in a direc- 
 tion between those cities and the fine and flourishing 
 
 5 Genessce country, rendered it an object deserving 
 
 attention. Robert H. Rose, Esq. took an active 
 
 1 part in its settlement. Enterprising, liberal, and 
 
 intelligent, he has, with the aid of several other 
 
 gentlemen, produced an astonishing revolution in 
 
 those forests. Various turnpikes extend through 
 
 the county. At the seat of justice are erected very 
 
 : handsome public buildings; a Eank of superior 
 
 [ credit, which has been some time in operation, is 
 
 I there established, and at the last election, they 
 
 polled upwards of 200 votes at Montrose. 
 
 The soil is of an excellent quality, favourable for 
 . all sorts of grain: and particularly productive of 
 [. grass, promising to be one of the finest grazing 
 !. countries in the Union. The timber is chiefly Su- 
 | gar Maple, Beech, Ash, Hemlock and Birch. In 
 r its hills and valleys the land lies much like that of 
 5 Chester county; the water abundant, lively, and 
 clear. In this fine county, lands may be bought 
 on the turnpikes for five dollars per acre ; or at a less 
 I price some distance from them. Mill seats are 
 1 numerous and excellent; and, above all, in point of 
 t health it cannot be surpassed. With the advantages 
 1 of good roads, schools, and society, and land at 
 a moderate price so near ; what thinking man 
 
 would remove, with a pack load of calomel and 
 jalap at his back, to the fever prairies of Illinois ? 
 
 I have spoken particularly of Susquehanna county;
 
 136 REMARKS, &C. 
 
 but the description, as it respects soil, products, 
 timber, water, &c. will apply to all the counties 
 on the north line of the state. But I have no 
 more room at present. This subject must be re- 
 sumed. The settlement of this great extent of 
 territory is a subject of the highest importance to 
 the state, and ought to engage its most serious 
 attention.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
 
 WE, the People of the United States, in order to 
 form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, in- 
 sure domestic Tranquillity, provide for the common 
 Defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure 
 the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Pos- 
 terity, Do ordain and establish this Constitution for 
 the United States of America. 
 
 ARTICLE I. 
 
 SECTION I. All legislative powers, herein granted, 
 shall be vested in a CONGRESS of the United 
 States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of 
 Representatives. 
 
 SECT. II. 1. The House of Representatives shall 
 be composed of members chosen every second 
 year, by the people of the several states ; and the 
 electors in each state shall have the qualifications 
 requisite for electors of the most numerous branch 
 of the state legislature. 
 
 M2
 
 138 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 2. No person shall be a Representative who shall 
 not have attained to the age of twenty-five years, 
 and been seven years a citizen of the United States, 
 and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of 
 that state in which he shall be chosen. 
 
 3. Representatives and direct taxes shall be ap- 
 portioned among the several states which may be 
 included within this Union, according to their re- 
 spective numbers, which shall be determined by 
 adding to the whole number of free persons, includ- 
 ing those bound to service for a term of years, and 
 excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other 
 persons. The actual enumeration shall be made 
 within three years after the first meeting of the 
 Congress of the United States, and within every 
 subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as 
 they shall by law direct. The number of Repre- 
 sentatives shall not exceed one for every thirty 
 thousand, but each state shall have at least one re- 
 presentative ; and until such enumeration shall be 
 made, the state of New Hampshire shall be en- 
 titled to choose three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode 
 Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut 
 five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania 
 eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, 
 North-Carolina five, South-Carolina five, and Georgia 
 three. 
 
 4. When vacancies happen in the representation 
 from any state, the executive authority thereof shall 
 issue writs of election, to fill such vacancies. 
 
 5. The House of Representatives shall choose 
 their Speaker, and other officers, and shall have the 
 sole power of impeachment. 
 
 SECT. Ill, l. The Senate of the United States 
 shall be composed of two Senators from each state,
 
 THE UNITED STATES. 139 
 
 chosen by the legislature thereof for six years ; and 
 each .Senator shall have one vote. 
 
 2. Immediately after they shall be assembled, in 
 consequence of the first election, they shall be di- 
 vided, as equally as may be, into three classes 
 The seats of the Senators of the first class shall be 
 vacated at the expiration of the second year ; of the 
 second class at the expiration of the fourth year ; 
 and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth 
 } ear ; so that one third may be chosen every second 
 3 7 ear ; and if vacancies happen b} r resignation, or 
 otherwise, during the recess of the legislature of any 
 state, the executive thereof may make temporary ap- 
 pointments, until the next meeting of the legislature, 
 which shall then fill such vacancies. 
 
 3. No person shall be a Senator, who shall not 
 have attained to the age of thirty years, and been 
 nine years a citizen of the United States, and who 
 Shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that 
 state for \vhich he shall be chosen. 
 
 4. The Vice-President of the United States shall 
 be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, 
 unless they be equally divided. 
 
 5. The Senate shall choose their other officers, and 
 also a President pro (empore, in the absence of the 
 Vice-President, or when he shall exercise the office 
 of President of the United States. 
 
 6. The Senate shall have the sole power to try all 
 impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, they 
 shah 1 be on oath or affirmation. When the President 
 of the United states is tried, the Chief Justice shall 
 preside. And no person shall be convicted, with- 
 out the concurrence of two-thirds of the members 
 present 
 
 r. Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not
 
 140 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 extend further than to removal from office, an J dis- j 
 qualification to hold and enjoy any office of honour, 
 trust, or profit, under the United States ; but the ; 
 party convicted shall, nevertheless, be liable and j 
 subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punish- 
 ment, according to law. 
 
 SECT. IV. 1. The times, places, and manner of ' 
 holding elections for Senators and Representatives, 
 shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature 
 thereof ; but the Congress may at any time, by law, 
 make or alter such regulations, except as to the 
 places of choosing Senators. 
 
 2, The Congress shall assemble at least once in 
 every year, and such meeting shall be on the lirst 
 Monday in December, unless they shall, by law, ap- 
 point a different day. 
 
 SECT. V. 1. Each House shall be the judge of the 
 elections, returns and qualifications of its own mem- 
 bers, and a majority of each shall constitute a quo- 
 rum to do business ; but a smaller number may ad- 
 journ from day to day, and may be authorised to 
 compel the attendance of absent members, in such 
 manner, and under such penalties, as each House 
 may provide. 
 
 2. Each House may determine the rules of its 
 proceedings, punish its members for disorderly be- 
 haviour, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, 
 expel a member. 
 
 3. Each House shall keep a journal of its pro- 
 ceedings, and from time to time publish the same, 
 excepting such parts as may in their judgment re- 
 quire secrecy ; and the yeas and nays of the mem- 
 bers of either House on any question shall, at the 
 desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered on 
 the journal.
 
 THE UNITED STATES. 141 
 
 I 4. Neither House, during: the session of Congress, 
 shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for 
 more than three days, nor to any other place, than 
 that in which the two Houses shall be sitting 1 . 
 
 SECT. VI. 1. The Senators and Representatives 
 shall receive a compensation for their services, to 
 be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury 
 of the United States. They shall in all cases, ex- 
 cept treason, felony, and breach of the peace, be 
 privileged from arrest during their attendance at 
 the session of their respective Houses, and in going 
 to, and returning form, the same; and for any 
 speech or debate in either House, they shall not be 
 questioned in any other place. 
 
 2. No Senator or Representative shall, during 
 the time for which he was elected, be appointed to 
 any civil office under the authority of the United 
 Slates, which shall have been created, or the emo- 
 luments whereof shall have been increased, during 
 such time ; and no person holding any office under 
 the United States shall be a member of either House, 
 during his continuance in office. 
 
 SECT. VII. 1. All bills for raising revenue shall 
 originate in the House of Representatives ; but the 
 -Senate 'may propose or concur with amendments, as 
 on other bills. 
 
 2. Every bill, which shall have passed the House 
 of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it 
 become a law, be presented to the President of the 
 United States; if he approve, he shall sign it; but 
 if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to that 
 House in which it shall have originated, who shall 
 enter the objections at large on their journal, and 
 prooceed to re-consider it. If, after such re-consi- 
 deration, two-thirds of that House shall ngreo to
 
 142 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the obJ 
 jections, to the other House, by which it shall liked 
 wise be re-considered, and, if approved by t\voi 
 thirds of that House, it shall become a law. But 
 in all such cases, the votes of both Houses, shall be 
 determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the] 
 persons voting for and against the bill shall be en*j 
 tered on the journal of each House, respectively* 
 If any bill shall not be returned by the President 
 within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall 
 have been presented to him, the same shall be a 
 law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless 
 the Congress, by their adjournment, prevent its re- 
 turn, in which case it shall not be a law. 
 
 3. Every order, resolution or vote, to which the 
 concurrence of the Senate and House of Represerir 
 tatives may bo necessary (except on a question of 
 adjournment) shall be presented to the President of 
 the United States, and, before the same shall take 
 effect, shall be approved by him, or, being disap- 
 proved by him, shall be re-passed by two-thirds of 
 the Senate and House of Representives, according 
 to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case 
 of a bill. 
 
 SECT. VIII. The Congress shall have power 
 
 1. To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and 
 excises, to pay the debts, and provide for the com- 
 mon defence and general welfare of the United 
 States; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be 
 uniform throughout the United States ; 
 
 2. To borrow money on the credit of the United 
 State* ; 
 
 3' To regulate commerce with foreign nations, 
 and. among the several states, and with the Indian 
 tribes ;
 
 THE UNITED STATES. 143 
 
 4. To establish an uniform rule of naturalization 
 ind uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies, 
 throughout the United States; 
 i 5. To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and 
 of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and 
 measures ; 
 
 ' 6. To provide for the punishment of counter- 
 feiting the securities and current coin of the United 
 States ; 
 ' 7. To establish post-offices and post roads ; 
 
 8. To promote the progress of science and useful 
 arts, by securing for limited times, to authors and 
 inventors, the exclusive right to their respective 
 writings and discoveries ; 
 
 9. To constitute tribunals inferior to the supreme 
 court ; To define and punish piracies and felonies 
 committed on the high seas, and offences against 
 the law of nations ; 
 
 10. To declare war, grant letters of marque and 
 reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land 
 and water ; 
 
 11. To raise and support armies; but no appro- 
 priation of money to that use shall be for a longer 
 term than two years ; 
 
 12. To provide and maintain a navy; 
 
 13. To make rules for the government and regu- 
 lation of the land and naval forces ; 
 
 14. To provide for calling forth the militia to exe- 
 cute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, 
 and repel invasions ; 
 
 13. To provide for organizing, arming and disci- 
 plining the militia, and for governing such part of 
 them as may be employed in the service of the United 
 States, reserving to the states, respectively, the ap- 
 pointment of the officers, and the authority of training
 
 144 CONSTITUTION OP 
 
 the militia according to the discipline prescribed by 
 Congress. 
 
 16. To exercise exclusive legislation, in all casea 
 whatsoever, over such district (not exceeding tem 
 miles square) as may, by cession of particular 
 siates, and the acceptance of Congress, become the 
 seat of the governmeHt of the United States, and 
 to exercise like authority over all places, purchased 
 by the consent of the legislature of the state in 
 which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, 
 magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful 
 buildings ; and 
 
 17. Te mako all laws which shall be necessary 
 and proper, for carrying into execution the fore-* 
 going powers, and all other powers vested by this 
 constitution in the government of the United States,] 
 or in any department or office thereof. 
 
 SECT. IX. 1. The migration or importation or 
 such persons, as any of the states now existing shall 
 think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited bv the 
 Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hun- 
 dred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed! 
 on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for* 
 each person. 
 
 2. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus! 
 hall not be suspended, unless when in cases of re-) 
 bellion, or invasion, the public safety may require itj 
 
 3. No bill of attainder, or ex post facto law, shali 
 be passed. 
 
 4. No capitation, or other direct tax, shall be laid,' 
 unless in proportion to the census, or enumeration,! 
 herein before directed to be taken. 
 
 5. No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported! 
 from any state. No preference shall be given, byf 
 any regulation of commerce or rctenue, to the porti |
 
 THE UNITED STATES. 145 
 
 of one state over those of another ; nor shall vessels 
 bound to or from one state he obliged to enter, clear, 
 or pay duties, in another. 
 
 6. .No money shall be drawn from the treasury, 
 but in consequence of appropriations made by law ; 
 and a regular statement and account of the receipts 
 and expenditures of all public money shall be pub- 
 lished from time to time. 
 
 7. No title of nobility shall be granted by the 
 United States ; and no person, holding any office of 
 profit or trust under them, shall, without the eon- 
 stnt of the Congress, accept of any present, emo- 
 lument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from 
 any king, prince, or foreign state. 
 
 SECT. X. 1. No state shall enter into any treaty, 
 alliance or confederation ; grant letters of marque 
 and reprisal ; coin money ; emit bills of credit ; 
 make any thing but gold and silver coin a tender in 
 payment of debts ; pass any bill of attainder, ex- 
 post facto law, or law impairing' the obligation of 
 contracts ; or grant any title of nobility. 
 
 2. No state shall, without the consent of the Con- 
 gress, lay any imposts or duties 011 imports or ex- 
 ports, except what may be absolutely necessary for 
 executing its inspection laws; and the net produce 
 of alt duties and imposts, laid by any state on im- 
 ports, or exports, shall be for the use of the treasury 
 of the United States; and all such Jaws shall be sub- 
 ject to the revision and controul of the Congress. 
 No state shall, without the consent of Congress, 
 lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops or ships of war 
 in time, of peace, enter into any agreement or com- 
 pact with another state, or with a foreign power, 
 or engage in war, unless actually invadwl, or in such 
 imminent danger as will not admit of delay. 
 N
 
 146 CONSTITUTION OP 
 
 ARTICLE II. 
 
 SECT. I. 1. The executive power shall be vested 
 in a President of the United Slates of America. He 
 shall hold his office during the term of four years, 
 and, together with the Vice-President, chosen for 
 the same term, be elected as follows: 
 
 2. Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the 
 legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, 
 equal to the whole number of Senators and Repre- 
 sentatives to which the state may be entitled in the 
 Congress; but no Senator or Representative, or 
 person holding an office of trust or profit under the 
 United States, shall be appointed an elector. 
 
 3. The Congress may determine the time of 
 choosing the electors, and the day on which they 
 shall give their votes, which day shall be the same 
 throughout the United States. 
 
 4. No person, except a natural born citizen, or a 
 citizen of the United States at the time of the adop- 
 tion of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the 
 office of President ; neither shall any person be eli- 
 gible to that office, who shall not have attained to the 
 ge of thirty-five years, and been fourteen year's a 
 resident within the United Slates. 
 
 5. In case of the removal of the President from 
 office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to dis- 
 charge the powers and duties of the said office, the 
 same shall devolve on the Vicc-President, and the 
 Congress may, by law, provide for the case of re- 
 moval, death, resignation, or inability, both of the 
 President and Vice-President, declaring what officer 
 shall then act as President, and such officer shall 
 act accordingly, until the disability be removed, or 
 a President shall be elected.
 
 THE UNITED STATES. 147 
 
 6. The President shall, at stated times, receive for 
 his services a compensation, which shall neither be 
 increased nor diminished during the period for 
 which he shall have been elected; and Ue shall not 
 receive, within that period, any other emolument 
 from the United States, or any of them. 
 
 7. Before he enter on the execution of his office, 
 Le shall take the following oath or affirmation : 
 
 " / do solemnly swear (or affirm) that f willfaith- 
 " fully execute the office of President of the United 
 " States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve 
 " protect, and defend the Constitution of the United 
 " States." 
 
 SECT. II. 1. The President shall be commander 
 in chief of the army and nary of the United States, 
 and of the militia of the several states, when called 
 into the actual service of the United States ; he 
 may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal 
 officer in each of the executive departments, upon 
 any subject relating to the duties of their respective 
 offices ; and he shall have power to grant reprieves 
 and pardons for offences against the United States, 
 except in cases of impeachment. 
 
 2. He shall have power, by and with the advice 
 and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provi- 
 ded two thirds of the Senators present concur ; and 
 he shall nominate, and, by and with the advice and 
 consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, 
 other public ministers and consuls, judges of the su- 
 preme court, and all other officers of the United 
 States, whose appointments are not herein other- 
 wise provided for, and which shall be. established by 
 law. But the Congress may, by law, vest the ap- 
 pointment of such inferior officers as they think pro*
 
 148 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 per in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in 
 the hads of departments. 
 
 3. The President shall have power to fill up all 
 Vttcancies that may happen during the recess of the 
 Senate, by granting commissions, which shall expire 
 at the end of their next session. 
 
 SECT. III. He shall, from time to time, give to the 
 Congress information of the state of the Union, and 
 recommend to their consideration such measures, as 
 Ate shall judge necessary and expedient j he may, on 
 Extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or 
 either of them, and, in case of disagreement between 
 them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he 
 may adjourn them to such time as he shall think 
 proper ; he shall receive ambassadors and other 
 public ministers ; he shall bike care that the laws be 
 faithfully executed, and shall commission all the 
 officers of the United States. 
 
 SECT. IV. The President, Vice-President, and all 
 civil officers of the United States, shall be re- 
 moved from office on impeachment for, and convic- 
 tion of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and 
 misdemeanors. 
 
 ARTICLE III. 
 
 SECT. I. The judicial power of the United States, 
 shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such 
 inferior courts as the Congress may, from time to 
 time, ordain and establish. The judges, both of the 
 supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices 
 during good behaviour, and shall, at stated times, re- 
 ceive for their services a compensation, which shall 
 not be diminished during their continuance in office.
 
 THE UNITED STATES. 149 
 
 SECT. II. 1. The judicial power shall extend to all 
 eases in law and equity, arising under this Consti- 
 tution, the laws of the United States, and treaties 
 made, or which shall be made, under their autho- 
 rity ; to all cases affecting ambassadors, or other 
 public ministers and consuls; to all cases of admi- 
 ralty and maritime jurisdiction ; to controversies to 
 which the United States shall be a party; to con- 
 troversies between two or more states, between a 
 state and citizens of another state, between citizens 
 of different states, between citizens of the same 
 state claiming lands under grants of different states, 
 and between a state, or the citizens thereof, and 
 foreign states, citizens, or subjects. 
 
 2. In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public 
 ministers and consuls, and those in which a state 
 shall be party, the supreme court shall have original 
 jurisdiction. In all the other cases before mentioned 
 the supreme court shall have appellate jurisdiction 
 both as to law and fact, with such exception, 
 and under such regulations, as the Congress shall 
 make. 
 
 3. The trial of all crimes, except in oases of im- 
 peachment, shall be by jury ; and such trial shall be 
 held in the state where the said crimes shall have 
 been committed ; but when not committed within 
 any state, the trial shall be at such place or places as 
 the Congress may by law have directed. 
 
 SECT. III. 1. Treason against the United States 
 shall consist only in levying war against them, or in 
 adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and com- 
 fort. No person shall be convicted of treason, unless 
 on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt 
 act, or on confession in open court. 
 N2
 
 150 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 2. The Congress shall have power to decfcire th 
 punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason 
 shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except 
 during the life of the person attainted. 
 
 ARTICLE IV. 
 
 SECT. I. Full faith and credit shall be given in 
 each state to the public acts, records, and judicial 
 proceedings of every other state. And the Congress, 
 may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in vrhich 
 such acts, records and proceedings shall be proved, 
 and the effects thereof. 
 
 SECT. II. 1. The citizens of each state shall be 
 entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens 
 in the several states. 
 
 2. A person charged in any state with treason, 
 feJony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice, 
 and be found in another state, shall on demand of 
 the executive authority of the state from which he 
 fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the state, 
 having jurisdiction of the crime. 
 
 3. No person held to service or labour in one 
 stale, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, 
 shall, in consequence of any law or regulation there- 
 in, be discharged from such service or labour, but 
 shall be delivered up, on claim of the party to whom 
 such service or labour may be due. 
 
 SECT. III. 1. New states may be admitted by the 
 Congress into this Union; but no new state shall be 
 formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any 
 other state, nor any state be formed by the junction 
 of two or more states, or parts of states, without 
 the consent of the legislatures of the states con- 
 cerned as Mell as of the Congress.
 
 THE UNITED STATES. 151 
 
 '>. The Congress shall have power to dispose of 
 and make all needful rules and regulations respect- 
 ing the territory, or other property, belonging: to Ihe 
 United States ; and nothing hi this Constitution 
 shall be so construed, as to prejudice any claims of 
 the United States, or of any particular state. 
 
 SECT. IV. The United States shall guarantee to 
 every state in this Union a republican form of go- 
 vernment, and shall protect each of them against 
 invasion ; and, on application of the legislature, or 
 of the executive (when the legislature cannot be 
 convened) against domestic violence. 
 
 ARTICLE V. 
 
 The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses 
 shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments 
 to this Constitution, or, on the application of the 
 legislatures of two-thirds of the several states, shall 
 call a Convention for proposing amendments, which, 
 in either case, shall be valid, to all intents and pur- 
 poses, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by 
 the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states, 
 or by Conventions in three-fourths thereof, as the 
 one or the other mode of ratification may be propo- 
 sed by the Congress: provided that no amendment, 
 which muy be made prior to the year one thousand 
 eight hundred and eight, shall in any manner affect 
 Ihe first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of 
 the first Article ; and that no state without its con- 
 sent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the 
 Senate. 
 
 ARTICLE VI. 
 
 1. All debts contracted, and engagements entered 
 into, before the adoption of this Constitution, shall
 
 152 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 be as valid against the United States under this Con- 
 stitution, as under the Confederation. 
 
 2. This Constitution, and the laws of the United 
 States which shall he made in pursuance thereof, 
 and all treaties made, or which shall he made, un- 
 der the authority of the United States, shall be the 
 supreme law of the land ; and the judges in every 
 state shall b bound thereby, any th np in the Con- 
 stitution or laws of any state to the contrary not. 
 withstanding. 
 
 3. The Senators and Representatives before men- 
 tioned, and the members of the several state legis- 
 latures, and all executive and judicial officers, both 
 of the United States and of the several states, shall 
 be bound, by oath or affirmation, to support this Con- 
 stitution ; but no religious test shall ever be required 
 as a qualification to any office, or public trust, under 
 the United States. 
 
 ARTICLE VII. 
 
 The ratification of the Conventions of nine states 
 shall be sufficient for the establishment of this Con- 
 stitution, between the states so ratifying the same. 
 
 AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION. 
 
 Article the First. 
 
 Congress shall make no law respecting an estab- 
 lishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise 
 thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of 
 the press ; or the right of the people peaceably to 
 assemble, and to petition the government for a re- 
 dress of grievances.
 
 THE UNITED STATES. 153 
 
 (Article the Second. 
 A well regulated militia being: necessary to the 
 security of a free state, the right of the people to 
 keep and bear arms shall not t*e infringed. 
 
 Article the Third. 
 
 No soldier shall in time of peace be quartered in 
 any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in 
 time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by 
 law. 
 
 Article the Fourth. 
 
 The right of the people to be secure in their per- 
 sons, houses, papers and effects, against unreason- 
 'able searches and seizures, shall not be violated ; and 
 too warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause sup- 
 Jorted b} T oath .or affirmatiou r and particularly de- 
 scribing the place to be searched, and the persons 
 or things to be seized. 
 
 Article the Fifth. 
 
 No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or 
 (otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment 
 or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising 
 in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when 
 in actual service in time of war or public danger : 
 nor shall any person be subject for the same offence, 
 to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor 
 shall be compelled, in any criminal case, to be a 
 witness against himself; nor be deprived of life, li- 
 berty, or propert}', without due process of law ; nor 
 shall private property be taken for public use, with- 
 out just compensation.
 
 154 CONSTITUTION,^ 
 
 Article the Sixth. 
 
 In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall en- 
 joy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an im- 
 partial jury of the state and district wherein the 
 crime shall have been committed, which district 
 shall have been previously ascertained by law ; and 
 to be informed of the nature and cause of the accu- 
 sation to be confronted with the witnesses against 
 him ; to have compulsory process for obtaining wit- 
 nesses in his favour, and to have the assistance of 
 counsel for his defence. 
 
 Article the Seventh. 
 
 In suits at common law, where the value in con- 
 troversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of 
 trial by jury shall be preserved ; and no fact tried 
 by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any 
 court of the United States, than according to the^ 
 rules of the common law. 
 
 Article the Eighth. 
 
 Excessive bail shall not be required, nor exces-; 
 sive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punish* 
 incuts inflicted. 
 
 Article the Ninth. 
 
 The enumeration in the Constitution of certain 
 rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage , 
 others retained by the people. 
 
 Article the Tenth. 
 
 The powers not delegated to the United States by 
 the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, 
 are reserved to the states respectively, or to the 
 people.
 
 THE UNITED STATES. 155 
 
 Article the Eleventh. 
 
 The Judicial Power of the United States shall not 
 be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, 
 commenced or prosecuted against one of the United 
 States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or 
 subjects of any foreign state. 
 
 Article the Twelfth. 
 
 1. The electors shall meet in their respective 
 states, [and vote by ballot for President and Vice- 
 president, one of whom, at least, shall not be an in- 
 habitant of the same state with themselves ; they 
 shall name in their ballots the person voted for as 
 President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for 
 as Vice-President ; and they shall make distinct 
 lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all 
 persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the 
 number of votes for each, which lists they shall 
 sign and certify, and transmit, sealed, to the seat of 
 the government of the United States, directed to 
 the President of the Senate ; the President of the 
 Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and 
 House of Representatives, open all the certificates, 
 and the votes shall then be counted ; the person 
 having the greatest number of votes for President, 
 if such number be a majority of the whole number 
 of electors appointed ; and if no person have such 
 majority, then from the persons having the highest 
 numbers, not exceeding three, on the list of those 
 voted for as President, the House of Representa- 
 tives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the Presi- 
 dent. But in choosing the President, the votes shall 
 be taken by states, the representation of each state 
 having one vote ; a quorum for this purpose shall
 
 156 CONSTITUTION, &C. 
 
 consist of a member, or members from tvro-tbirds of 
 the states, and a majority of all the states shall b 
 necessary to a choice. And if the House of Repre- 
 sentatives shall not choose a President whenever 
 the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before 
 the fourth day of March next, following, then lm 
 Vice -President shall act as President, as in the easb 
 of the death, or other constitutional disability of the 
 President. 
 
 2. The person having the greatest number 
 YOtes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-PresH 
 dent, if such number be a majority of the \\ holt : 
 number of electors appointed; and if no person have 
 a majority, then from the two highest numbers o| 
 the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-Presidenl| 
 a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two tliirdi 
 
 f the whole number of Senators, and a majority of* 
 he whole number shall be necessary to a choice. 
 
 3. But no person constitutionally ineligible to th* 
 >ffice of President, shall be eligible to that of Yicet 
 President of the United States. 
 
 Article the Thirteenth. 
 
 If any citizen of the United States, shall accepfl 
 claim, receive, or retain any title of nobility or ijJ 
 nour, or shall, without the consent of Congress, acl 
 cept and retain any present, pension, office, OB 
 emolument of any kind whatever, from any Kmpoi 
 ror. King, Prince, or foreign power, such person! 
 shall cease to be a citizen of the United States, ami 
 shall be incapable of holding any office of trust, od 
 profit, under them, or cilher of them. 
 
 [N.B. This article has been ratified by some oil 
 the Slates, but not by a number sufficient to make 
 t a part of the Constitution, ireb. 1319.]
 
 157 
 
 THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 COMMONWEALTH of PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 \ 
 
 WE, the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- 
 vania, ordain and establish this Constitution for its 
 Government. 
 
 ARTICLE I. 
 
 SECTION I. The legislative power of this com- 
 monwealth shall be vested in a General Assembly, 
 which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Re- 
 presentatives. 
 
 SECT. It. The Representatives shall be chosen 
 annually, by the citizens ef the city of Philadelphia, 
 and of each county respectively, on the second 
 Tuesday of October. 
 
 SECT. III. No person shall be a Representative, 
 who shall not have attained the nge of twenty-one 
 years, and have been a citizen and inhabitant of the 
 state three years next preceding his election, and 
 the last year thereof an inhabitant of the city or 
 county in which he shall be chosen; unless he shall 
 have been absent on the public business of the 
 O
 
 158 CONSTITUTION OP 
 
 United States, or of this state. No person, residing 
 within any city, town or borough, which shall be 
 entitled to a separate representation, shall be elected 
 a member for any county ; nor shall any person, re- 
 siding without the limits of any such city, town, or 
 borough, be elected a member thereof. 
 
 SECT. IV. Within three years after the first meet- 
 ting of the General Assembly, and within every 
 subsequent term of seven years, an enumeration of 
 the taxable inhabitants shall be made, in such man- 
 ner as shall be directed by law. The number of 
 Representatives shall, at the several periods of ma- 
 king such enumeration, be fixed by the legislature, 
 and apportioned among the city of Philadelphia and 
 the several counties, according to the number of 
 taxable inhabitants in each ; and shall never be less 
 than sixty, nor greater than one hundred. Each 
 county shall have, at least, one Representative ; but 
 no county, hereafter erected, shall be entitled to a 
 separate representation, until a sufficient number of 
 taxable inhabitants shall .be contained within it, to 
 entitle them to one Representative, agreeably to the 
 ratio which shall then be established. 
 
 SECT. V. The Senators shall be chosen, for four 
 years, by the citizens of Philadelphia, and of the 
 several counties, at the same time, in the same man- 
 ner, at the same places, where they shall vote for 
 Representatives. 
 
 SECT. VI. The number of Senators shall, at the 
 several periods of making the enumeration before- 
 rncntioned,. be fixed by the legislature, and appor- 
 tioned among the districts, formed as hereinafter di- 
 rected, according to the number of taxable inhabi- 
 tants In each; and styall never be less than one 
 four- h, nor greater than one third, of the number of 
 Representatives.
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 159 
 
 SECT. VII. The Senators shall be chosen in dis- 
 tricts, to be formed by the legislature, each district 
 containing such a number of taxable inhabitants as 
 shall be entitled to elect not more than four Sena- 
 tors. When a district shall be composed of two or 
 mere counties, they shall be adjoining:. Neither the 
 city of Philadelphia nor any county shall be divided, 
 in forming a district. 
 
 SECT. VIII. No person shall be a Senator, who 
 shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years, 
 and have been a citizen and inhabitant of the state 
 four years next before his election, and the last year 
 thereof an inhabitant of the district for which he 
 shall be chosen ; unless he shall hare been absent 
 on the public business of the United States, or of 
 this state. 
 
 SECT. IX. Immediately after the Senators shall 
 be assembled, in consequence of the first election, 
 subsequent to the first enumeration, they shall be 
 divided, by lot, as equally as may be, into four 
 classes. The seats of the Senators of the first class 
 shall be vacated at the expiration of the first year, 
 of the second class at the expiration of the second 
 year, of the third class at the expiration of the third 
 year, and of the fourth class at the expiration of the 
 fourth year; so that one fourth may be chosen every 
 year. 
 
 SECT. X. The General Assembly shall meet on 
 the first Tuesday of December in every year, unless 
 sooner convened by the Governor. 
 
 SECT. XI. Each house shall choose its Speaker 
 and other Officers ; and the Senate shall also choose 
 a Speaker, pro tempore, when the Speaker shall 
 exercise the office of Governor.
 
 160 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 SECT. XII. Each House shall judge of the quali- 
 fications of its members. Contested elections shall 
 be determined by a committee, to be selected, 
 formed, and regulated in such a manner, as shall be 
 directed by law. A majority of each House shall 
 constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller 
 number may adjourn from day to day, and may be 
 authorised, by law, to "compel the attendance of 
 absent members, in such manner, and under such 
 penalties, as may be provided. 
 
 SECT. XIII. Each House may determine the rules 
 of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly 
 behaviour, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, 
 expel a member; but not a second time for the same 
 cause ; and shall have all other powers necessary for 
 a branch bf the legislature of a free state. 
 
 SECT. XIV. Each House shall keep a journal of 
 its proceedings, and publish them weekly, except 
 such parts as may require secrecy : And the yeas and 
 nays of the members on any question shall, at the 
 desire of any two of them, be entered on the jour- 
 nals. 
 
 SECT- XV. The doors of each House, and of com- 
 mittees of the whole, shall be open, unless when the 
 business shall be such as ought to be kept secret. 
 
 SECT. XVI. Neither House shall, without the con- 
 sent of the other, adjourn fur more than three days, 
 nr to any other place, than that in which the two 
 Houses shall be sitting. 
 
 SECT. XVII. The Senators and Representatives 
 shall receive a compensation for their services, to 
 be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury 
 of the commonwealth. They shall, in all cases, ex- 
 cept treason, felony, aad breach or surety (if the
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 161 
 
 peace, be privileged from arrest during their attend- 
 ance at the session of the respective Houses, and in 
 going to and returning from the same: And for 
 any speech or debate in either House they shall not 
 be questioned in any other place. 
 
 SECT. XVIII. No Senator or Representative shall, 
 during the time for which he shall have been elected, 
 be appointed to any civil office under this common- 
 wealth, which shall have been created, or the emolu- 
 mcnts of which shall have been encreased, during 
 such time; and no member of Congress, or other 
 person holding any office (except of attorney at law 
 and in the militia) under the United States, or this 
 commonwealth, shall be a member of either House 
 during his continuance in Congress, or in office. 
 
 SECT. XIX. When vacancies happen in either 
 House, the Speaker shall issue writs of election to 
 fill such vacancies. 
 
 SECT. XX. A 11 bills for raising revenue shall ori- 
 ginate in the House of Representatives, but the 
 Senate may propose amendments, as in other bills. 
 
 SECT. XXI. No money shall be drawn from the 
 treasury, bit in consequence of appropriations made 
 by law. 
 
 SECT. XXII. Every bill, which shall have passed 
 both Houses, shall be presented to the Governor: 
 If he approve, he shall sign it ; but if he shall not 
 approve, he shall return it, with his objections, to 
 the House in which it shall have originated, who 
 shall enter the objections at large upon their jour- 
 nals, and proceed to re-consider it: If, after such 
 re-consideration, two-thirds of that House shall 
 agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, with the ob- 
 jections, to the other House, by which likewise it 
 shall be re-considered; and if approved by two- 
 O 3
 
 162 CONSTITUTION OP 
 
 thirds of that House, it shall be a law. Bat in such 
 cases the votes of both Houses shall be determined 
 by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons 
 voting for or against the bill shall be entered on the 
 journals of each House respectively. If any bill 
 shall not be returned by the Governor within ten 
 days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been 
 presented to him, it shall be a law, in like manner 
 as if he had signed it, unless the General Assembly, 
 by their adjournment, prevent its return ; in which 
 ease it shall be a law, unless sent back within three 
 da}'s after their next meeting. 
 
 SECT. XXIII. Every order, resolution, or vote, 
 to which the concurrence of both Houses may be 
 necessary (except on a question of adjournment) 
 shall be presented to the Governor, and, before it 
 shall take effect, be approved by him, or, being dis- 
 approved, shall be re-passed by two-thirds of both 
 Houses, according to the rules and limitations pre- 
 scribed in case of a bill. 
 
 ARTICLE II. 
 
 . 
 
 SECTION I. The Supreme Executive power of 
 this commonwealth shall be vested in a Governor. 
 
 SECT. II. The Governor shall be chosen on the 
 second Tuesday of October, by the citizens of the 
 commonwealth, at the place* where they shall res- 
 pectively vote for Representatives. The returns of 
 every election for Governor shall be sealed up, and 
 transmitted to the seat of government, directed to 
 the Speaker of the Senate, who shall open and pnb- 
 lish them in the presence of the members of both 
 Houses of the Legislature. The person having the
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 163 
 
 highest number of votes shall be Governor. But if 
 two or more shall be equal and highest in votes, one 
 of them shall be chosen Governor by the joint vote 
 of the members of both Houses. Contested elec- 
 tions shall be determined by a committee, to be 
 selected from both Houses of the Legislature, and 
 formed and regulated iii such manner as shall be 
 directed by law. 
 
 SECT. III. The Governor shall hold his office du- 
 ring three years from the third Tuesday of December 
 next ensuing his election, and shall not be capable of 
 holding it longer than nine in any term of twelve 
 years. 
 
 SECT. IV. He shall be, at least, thirty years of 
 age, and have been a citizen and inhabitant of this 
 state seven years next before his election ; unless he 
 shall have been absent on the public business of the 
 United States, or of this state. 
 
 SECT. V. No member of Congress, or person 
 holding any office under the United States, or this 
 state, shall exercise the office of Governor. 
 
 SECT. VI. The Governor shall, at stated times, 
 receive, for his services, a compensation, which 
 shall be neither increased nor diminished during the 
 period for which he shall have been elected. 
 
 SECT. VII. He shall be coramander-in-chief of the 
 army and navy of this commonwealth, and of the 
 militia ; except when they shall be called into the 
 actual service of the United States. 
 
 SECT. VIII. He shall appoint all officers, whose 
 offices are established by this Constitution, or shall 
 be established by law, and whose appointments are 
 not herein otherwise provided for ; but no person 
 shall be appointed to an office within any county, 
 who shall not have been a citizen and inhabitant
 
 164 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 therein one year next before his appointment, if the 
 county shall have been so long erected ; but if it 
 shall not have been so long erected, then within -the 
 limits of the county or counties out of which it shall 
 have been taken. No member of Congress from 
 this state, nor any person holding or exercising any 
 office of trust or profit under the United States, shall, 
 at .the same time, hold or exercise the office of 
 Judge, Secretary, Treasurer, Prothonotary, Register 
 of Wills, Recorder of Deeds, Sheriff, or any office in 
 this state, to which a salary is by law annexed, or 
 any other office, which future legislatures shall de- 
 clare incompatible with offices or appointment* 
 under the United States . 
 
 SECT. IX. He shall have power to remit fines and 
 forfeitures, and grant reprieves and pardons, except 
 in cases of impeachment. 
 
 SECT. X. He may require information, in writing, 
 from the officers in the executive department, upon 
 any subject relating to the duties of their respective 
 offices. 
 
 SECT. XI. He shall from time to time, give to 
 the General Assembly information of the state of the 
 commonwealth, and recommend to their consi- 
 deration such measures as he shall judge expedient. 
 
 SECT. XII. He may, on extraordinary occasions, 
 convene the General Assembly ; and in case of dis- 
 agreement between the two Houses, with respect 
 to the time o *' adjournment, adjourn them to such 
 *ime as Ke shall think proper, not exceeding four 
 months. 
 
 SECT. XIII. He shall take care that the laws be 
 faithfully executed. 
 
 SECT. XIV. In case of the death or resignation of 
 the Goyernor, or of his removal from office, the
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 165 
 
 Speaker of the Senate shall exercise the office of 
 Governor, until another Governor shall be duly qua- 
 lified. And if the trial of a contested election shall 
 continue longer than until the third Tuesday in De- 
 cember next ensuing the election of a Governor, the 
 Governor of the last year, or the Speaker of the 
 Senate, who may be in the exercise of the exe- 
 cutive authority, shall continue therein until the de- 
 termination of such contested election, and until a 
 Governor shall be qualified as aforesaid. 
 
 SECT. XV. A Secretary shall be appointed and 
 commissioned during the Governor's continuance in 
 oflice, if he shall so long behave himself well. He 
 shall keep a fair register of all the official acts and 
 proceedings of the Governor, and shall, when re- 
 quired, lay the same, and all papers, minutes, and 
 vouchers, relative thereto, before either branch of 
 the legislature, and shall perform such other duties 
 as shall be enjoined him by law. 
 
 ARTICLE III. 
 
 SECTION I. In elections by the citizens, every 
 freeman of the age of twenty-one years, having re- 
 sided in the state two years next before the election, 
 and within that time paid a state or county tax, 
 which shall have been assessed at least six months 
 before the election, shall enjoy the rights of an elec- 
 tor : Provided, that the sons of persons qualified as 
 aforesaid, between the ages of twenty-one and twen- 
 t3 r -two years, shall be entitled to vote, although they 
 shall not have paid taxes. 
 
 SECT. II. All elections shall be by ballot, except 
 those by persons in their representative capacities, 
 who shall vote viva voce.
 
 166 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 SECT. III. Electors shall, in all cases, except 
 treason, felony, and breach or surety of the peace, 
 be privileged from arrest during their attendance on 
 elections, and in going to and returning from them. 
 
 ARTICLE IV. 
 
 SECTION I. The Honse of Representatives shall 
 have the sole power of impeaching. 
 
 SECT. II. All impeachments shall be tried by the 
 Senate : When sitting for that purpose, the Senators 
 shall be upon oath or affirmation. No person shall 
 be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds 
 of the members present. 
 
 SECT III. The Governor and all other civil officers, 
 under this commonwealth, shall be liable to impeach- 
 ment fur any misdemeanor in office : But judgment, 
 in such cases, shall not extend further than to re- 
 moval from office, and disqualification to hold any 
 office of honour, trust, or profit, under this common- 
 wealth : The party whether convicted or acquitted, 
 shall nevertheless be liable to indictment, trial, judg- 
 ment, and punishment, according to law, 
 
 ARTICLE V. 
 
 SECT. I. The Judicial power of this common- 
 wealth shall be vested in a Supreme Court, in Courts 
 Oyer and Terraiuer and General Gaol Delivery, in a 
 Court of Common Pleas, Orphan's Court, Register's 
 Court, and a Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace 
 for each county, in Justices of the Peace, and in 
 such other Courts as the legislature may, from time 
 to time, establish. 
 
 SECT. II. The Judges of the Supreme Court and
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 167 
 
 of the several Courts of Common Pleas, shall hold 
 their offices during good behaviour : But for any 
 reasonable cause, which shall not be sufficient 
 ground of impeachment, the Governor may remove 
 any of them, on the address of two-thirds of each 
 branch of the legislature. The Judges of the Su- 
 preme Court and the Presidents of the several Courts 
 of Common Pleas shall, at stated times, receive, for 
 their services, an adequate compensation, to be 
 fixed by law, which shall not be diminished during 
 their continuance in office ; but they shall receive no 
 fees or perquisites of office, nor hold any other office 
 of profit under this commonwealth. 
 
 SECT. III. The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court 
 shall extend over the state, and the Judges thereof 
 shall, by virtue of their offices, be Justices of Oyer 
 and Terminer and General Gaol Delivery in the 
 several counties. 
 
 SECT. IV. Until it shall be otherwise directed by 
 law, the several Courts of Common Pleas shall be 
 established in the following manner. The Gover- 
 nor shall appoint, in each county, not fewer than 
 three, nor more than four, Judges, who, during their 
 continuance in office, shall reside in such county : 
 The state shall be divided by law into circuits, none 
 of which shall include more than six, nor fewer than 
 three counties : A president shall be appointed of 
 the Courts in each circuit, who, during his con- 
 tinuance in office shall reside therein : The Presi- 
 dent and Judges, any two of whom shall be a quorum, 
 shall compose the respective Courts of Common 
 Pleas. 
 
 SECT V. The Judges of the Court of Common 
 Pleas in each county, shall, by virtue of their offices, 
 be Justices of Oyer and Terminer and General Gaol
 
 168 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 Delivery, for the trial of capital and other offenders 
 therein : Any two of the said Judges, the President 
 being one, shall be a quorum ; but they shall not 
 hold a Court of Oyer and Terminer or Gaol De- 
 liver} 7 in any county, when the Judges of the Su- 
 preme Court or any of them, shall be sitting in the 
 same county. The party accused, as well as the 
 commonwealth, may, under such regulations as shal! 
 be prescribed by law, remove the indictment and 
 proceedings, or a transcript thereof, into the Su- 
 preme Court. 
 
 SECT. VI; The Supreme Court and the several 
 Courts of Common Pleas shall, beside the powers 
 heretofore usually exercised by them, have the 
 power of a Court of Chancery, so far as relates to 
 the perpetuating of testimony* the obtaining of evi- 
 dence from places not within the state, and the care 
 of the persons and estates of those, who are non 
 compotes mentis: And the legislature shall vest in 
 the saW courts such other powers to grant relief in 
 equity, as shall be found necessary ; and may, from 
 time to time, enlarge or diminish those powers, or 
 vest them in such other courts, as they shall judge 
 proper tor the due administration of justice. 
 
 SECT VII. The Judges of the Court of Common 
 Pleas of each county, any two of whom shall be a 
 quorum, shall compose the Court of Quarter Ses- 
 sions of the Peace and Orphan's Court thereof; and 
 the Register of Wills, together with the said Judges, 
 or any two of them, shall compose the Register's 
 Court of each county. 
 
 SECT. VIII. The Judges of the Courts of Com- 
 mon Pleas shall, within their respective counties, 
 have the like powers with the Judges of the Su- 
 preme Court, to issue writs of Certiorari to the Jus-
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 169 
 
 licesof the Peace, and to cause their proceedings to 
 be brought before them, and the like right and justice 
 to bo done. 
 
 SECT IX. The President of the Courts in each 
 circuit, within such circuit, and the Judges of the 
 Court of Common Pleas, within their respective 
 counties, shall be Justices of the Peace, so far as 
 relates to criminal matters. 
 
 SECT.X. The Governor shall appoint a compe- 
 tent number of Justices of the Peace, in such con- 
 venient districts, in each county, as are or shall be 
 directed by law : They shall be commissioned du- 
 ring good behaviour, but may be removed on con- 
 viction of misbehaviour in office, or of any infa- 
 mous crime, or on the address of both Houses of the 
 legislature. 
 
 SECT. XI. A Register's office for the probate of 
 wills and granting letters of administration, and an 
 office for the recording of deeds, shall be kept in each 
 county. 
 
 SECT. XII. The style of all process shall be, The 
 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; all prosecutions 
 shall be carried on in the name and by the authority 
 of the coramonuealth of Pennsylvania, and conclude, 
 ayainst the peace and the dignity of the same. 
 
 ARTICLE VI. 
 
 SECTION I. Sheriffs and Coroners shall, at the 
 times and places of election of Representatives, be 
 chosen by the citizens of each county : Two persons 
 shall be chosen for each office, one of whom for each 
 respectively shall be appointed by the Governor. 
 They shall hold their offices for three years, if they 
 shall so long behave themselves well, and until a suc- 
 P
 
 170 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 cessor be duly qualified ; hut no person shall be twice 
 chosen or appointed Sheriff in any term of six 
 years. Vacancies, in either of the said offices, shall 
 be filled by a new appointment, to be made by the 
 Governor, to continue until the next general elec- 
 tion, and until a successor shall be chosen arid qua- 
 lified as aforesaid. 
 
 SECT. II. The freemen of this commonwealth 
 shall be armed and disciplined for its defence. 
 Those, who conscientiously scruple to bear arms, 
 shall not be compelled to do so ; but shall pay an 
 equivalent for personal service. The militia officers 
 shall be appointed in such manner, and for such 
 time, as shall be directed by law. 
 
 SECT. III. Prothonotaries, Clerks of the Peace and 
 Orphan's Courts, Recorders of Deeds, Registers of 
 Wills and Sheriffs, shall keep their offices in the 
 county town of the county in which they respec- 
 tively shall be officers, unless when the Governor 
 shall, for special reasons, dispense therewith for any 
 term, not exceeding five years after the county shall 
 have been erected. 
 
 SECT. IV. All commissions shall be in the name 
 and by the authority of the commonwealth of Penn- 
 sylvania, and be sealed with the state seal, and 
 signed by the Governor. 
 
 SECT. V. The State Treasurer shall be appointed 
 annually, by the joint vote of the members of both 
 Houses. All other officers in the treasury depart- 
 ment, attorneys at law, election officers, officers re- 
 lating to taxes, to the poor and highways, constable*, 
 and other township officers shall be appointed, in 
 such manner as is or shall be directed by law.
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 171 
 
 ARTICLE VII. 
 
 SECTION I. The Legislature shall, as soon as con- 
 veniently may be, provide, by law, for the establish- 
 ment of schools throughout the state, in such manner 
 that the poor may be taught gratis. 
 
 SECT. II. The arts and sciences shall be promoted 
 in one or more seminaries of learning. 
 
 SECT III. The rights, privileges, immunities, and 
 estates of religious societies and corporate bodies 
 shall remain, as if the constitution of this state had 
 not been altered and amended. 
 
 ARTICLE VIII. 
 
 Members of the General Assembly, and all offi- 
 cers, executive and judicial, shall be bound, by oath 
 or affirmation, to support the Constitution of this 
 coin nit -nwealth, and to perform the duties of their 
 respective offices with fidelity. 
 
 ARTICLE IX. 
 
 That t/ic general, great, and essential Principles of 
 Liberty and free Government may be recognized 
 and unalterably established, we declare, 
 
 SECTION I. That all men are born equally free 
 find independent, and have certain inherent and in- 
 defeasible rights, among which are those of enjoying 
 and defending life and liberty, of acquiring, posses- 
 sing, and protecting property and reputation, and of 
 pursuing their own happiness.
 
 172 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 SECT. II. That all power is inherent in the people, 
 and all free governments are founded on their autho- 
 rity, and instituted for their peace, safety, and hap- 
 piness: For the advancement of those ends they 
 have, at all times, an unalienable and indefeasible 
 right to alter, reform, or abolish their government, 
 in such manner as they may think proper, 
 
 SECT. III. That all men have a natural and inde- 
 feasible right to worship Almighty God according to 
 the dictates of their own consciences ; that no man 
 can of right be compelled to attend, erect or support 
 any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry 
 against his consent; that no human authority can, 
 in any case whatever, controul or interfere with the 
 rights of conscience ; and that no preference shall 
 ever be given, by law, to any religious establish- 
 ments or modes of worship. 
 
 SECT. IV. That no person, who acknowledges the 
 being of a God and a future state of rewards and 
 punishments, shall, on account of his religious sen- 
 timents, be disqualified to hold any office or place of 
 trust or profit under this commonwealth. 
 
 SECT. V. That elections shall be free and equal. 
 
 SECT. VI. That trial by jury shall be as heretofore, 
 and the right thereof remain inviolate. 
 
 SECT. VII. That the printing presses shall be free 
 to every person who undertakes to examine the 
 proceedings of the legislature, or any branch of go- 
 vernment : And no law shall ever be made to re- 
 strain the ri& ht thereof. The free communication of 
 thoughts and opinions is one of the invaluable rights 
 of man ; and every citizen may freely speak, write, 
 and print, on any subject, being responsible for the 
 abuse of that liberty. In prosecutions for the publi- 
 cation of papers investigating the official conduct
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 173 
 
 of officers, or men in a public capacity, or where the 
 matter published is proper for public information, 
 the truth thereof may be given in evidence ; and, in 
 all indictments for libels, the jury shall have aright 
 to determine the law and the facts, under the direc- 
 tion of the court as in other cases. 
 
 SECT. VIII. That the people shall be secure in 
 their persons, houses, papers, and possessions, from 
 unreasonable searches and seizures: And that no 
 warrant to search any place, or to seize any person 
 or things, shall issue, without describing them as 
 nearly as may be, nor without- probable cause sup- 
 ported by oath or affirmation. 
 
 SECT. IX. That, in all criminal prosecutions, the 
 accused hath a right to be heard by himself and his 
 council, to demand the nature and cause of the accu- 
 sation against him, to meet the witnesses face to face, 
 to hnve compulsory process for obtaining witnesses 
 in his favour, and, in prosecutions by indictment or 
 information, a speedy public trial, by an impartial 
 jury of the vicinage : That he cannot be compelled to 
 give evidence against himself, nor can he be deprived 
 of his life, liberty, or property, unless by the judg- 
 ment of his peers, or the law of the land. 
 
 SJECT.X. That no person shall for any indictable 
 offence, be proceeded against criminally by informa- 
 tion, except in cases arising in the land or naval 
 forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in 
 time of war or public danger, or by leave of the court, 
 for oppression and misdemeanour in office. No 
 person shall, for the same offence, be twice put in 
 jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall any man's pro- 
 perty be taken or applied to public use, without the 
 consent of his representatives, and without just com- 
 pensation being made. 
 
 P2
 
 ]74 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 SECT. XI. That all courts shall he open, and every 
 man, for an injury done him in his lands, goods, per- 
 son, or reputation, shall have remedy hy the due 
 course of law, and right and justice administered, 
 without sale, denial, or delay. Suits may be brought 
 against the commonwealth in such manner, in such 
 courts, and in such cases, as the legislature may by 
 law direct. 
 
 SECT. XII. That no power of suspending laws 
 shall be exercised, unless by the legislature, or its 
 authority. 
 
 SECT. XIII. That excessive bail shall not be re- 
 quired, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel pu- 
 nishments inflicted. 
 
 SECT. XIV. That all prisoners shall be bailable by 
 sufficient sureties, unless for capital offences, when 
 the proof is evident or presumption great ; and the 
 privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be 
 suspended, unless when, in cases of rebellion or in- 
 vasion, the public safety may require it. 
 
 SECT. XV. That no commission of Oyer and Ter- 
 miner, or Gaol Delivery shall be issued. 
 
 SECT. XVI. That the person of a debtor, where 
 there is not strong presumption of fraud, shall not be 
 continued in prison, after delivering up his estate 
 for the benefit of his creditors, in such manner as 
 shall be prescribed by law. 
 
 SECT. XVII. That no ex post facto law, nor any 
 law impairing contracts shall be made. 
 
 SECT. XVIII. That no person shall be attainted 
 of treason or felony by the legislature. 
 
 SECT. XIX. That no attainder shall work corrup- 
 tion of blood, nor, except during the life of the offen- 
 der, forfeiture of estate to the commonwealth : that 
 the estates of such persons as shall destroy their own 

 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 175 
 
 lives shall descend or vest as in case of natural 
 death ; and if any person shall be killed by casuality, 
 there shall be no forfeiture by reason thereof. 
 
 SECT. XX. That the citizens have right, in a 
 peaceable manner, to assemble together for their 
 common good, and to apply to those invested with 
 the powers of government for redress of grievances, 
 or other proper purposes, by petition, address, or 
 remonstrance. 
 
 SECT. XXI. That the right of citizens to bear 
 arms, in defence of themselves aud the state, shall 
 not be questioned. 
 
 SECT. XXII. That no standing army shall, in 
 time of peace, be kept up without the consent of the 
 legislature, and the military shall, in all cases, and 
 at all times, be in strict subordination to the civil 
 power, 
 
 SECT. XXIII. That no soldier shall, iu time of 
 peace, be quartered in any house, without the con- 
 sent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a man- 
 ner to be prescribed by law. 
 
 SECT. XXIV. That the legislature shall not grant 
 any title of nobility or hereditary distinction, nor 
 create any office, the appointment of which shall be 
 for a longer term than during good behaviour. 
 
 SECT. XXV. That emigration from the state shall 
 not be prohibited. 
 
 SECT. XXVI, To guard against transgressions of 
 the high powers which we have delegated, n-e de- 
 clare, That every thing in this article is exceptcd 
 out of the general powers of government, and shall 
 for ever remain inviolate.
 
 176 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 SCHEDULE. 
 
 That no Inconvenience may arise from the Alterations 
 and Amendments in the Constitution of this Com- 
 monwealth, and in order to carry the same into com- 
 plete operation, it is hereby declared and ordained t 
 
 I. That all laws of this commonwealth, in force 
 at the time of making the said alterations and aniejid- 
 ments in the said Constitution, and not inconsistent 
 therewith, and all rights, actions, prosecutions, 
 claims and contracts, as well of individuals as of 
 bodies corporate, shall continue as if the said altera- 
 tions and amendments had not been made. 
 
 II. That the President and Supreme Executive 
 Council shall continue to exercise the executive 
 authority of this commonwealth, as heretofore, until 
 the Third Tuesday of December next ; but no inter- 
 mediate vacancies in th Council shall be supplied 
 by new elections. 
 
 III. That all officers in the appointment of the 
 executive department shall continue in the exercise 
 of the duties of their respective offices until the first 
 
 day of September, one thousand seven hundred and 
 ninety-one, unless their commissions shall sooner 
 expire by their own limitations, or the said offices 
 become vacant by death or resignation, and no 
 longer, unless reappointed and commissioned by the 
 Governor; except that the judges of the supreme 
 court shall hold their offices for the terms in their 
 commissions respectively expressed. 
 
 IV. That justice shall be administered in the se- 
 veral counties of the state, until the period aforesaid, 
 by tie same justices, in the same courts, and in the 
 name manner, 05 heretofore.
 
 "ENNSYLVAN1A. 177 
 
 V. That no person now in commission as sheriff 
 shall be eligible at the next election for a longer 
 term than will, with the time which he shall have 
 served in the said olfice, complete the term of three 
 years. 
 
 VI. That, until the first enumeration shall be made, 
 as directed in the fourth section of the first article 
 of the Constitution, established by this Convention, 
 the city of Philadelphia and the several counties 
 shall be respectively entitled tt> elect the same num- 
 ber of Representatives as is now prescribed by 
 law. 
 
 VII. That the first Senate shall consist of eighteen 
 members, to be chosen in districts formed as follows, 
 to wit: The city of Philadelphia and the counties of 
 Philadelphia and Delaware shall be a district, and 
 elect three Senators: The County of Chester shall 
 be a district, and shall elect one Senator: The county 
 of, Bucks shall be a district, and shall elect one 
 Senator: The county of Montgomery shall be a 
 district, and shall elect one Senator: The county of 
 Northampton shall be a district, and shall elect one 
 Senator: The counties of Lancaster and York shall 
 be a district, and shall elect three Senators: The. 
 counties of Berks and Dauphin shall bfr a district, 
 and shall elect two Senators: The counties of Cum 
 berland and Miftlin shall be a district, and shall 
 elect one Senator: The counties of Northumberland, 
 Luzerne, arid Huntingdon, shall be a district, and 
 shall elect one Senator: The counties of Bedford 
 and Franklin sliall be a district, and shall elect 
 one Senator: The counties of Westmoreland and 
 Allegheney shall be a district, and shall elect oue 
 Senator: And the counties of Washington and 
 1'ayetle shall be a district, and shall elect two Sena-
 
 178 CONSTITUTION OF 
 
 tors; Which Senators shall serve until the first enu- 
 meration before mentioned shall be made, and the 
 representation in both Houses of the legislature shall 
 be established by law, and chosen as in the Consti- 
 tution is directed. Any vacancies which shall hap- 
 pen in the Senate, within the said time, shall be sup- 
 plied as prescribed in the nineteenth section of the 
 fiist article. 
 
 VIII. That the elections of Senators shall be con- 
 ducted, and the returns thereof made to the Senate, 
 in the same manner as is prescribed by the election 
 laws of the state, for conducting and making return 
 of the election of Representatives. In those dis- 
 tricts, which consist of more than one county, the 
 judges of the district elections within each county, 
 after having formed a return of the whole election 
 within that county, in such manner as is directed by 
 law, shall send the same, by one or more of their 
 number, to the place hereinafter mentioned within 
 the district, of which such county is a part, where the 
 judges so met shall compare and cast up the several 
 county returns, and execute, under their hands and 
 seals, one general and true return for the whole dis- 
 trict, that is to say ; the judges of the district com- 
 posed of the city of Philadelphia; and the counties of 
 Philadelphia and Delaware shall meet in the state- 
 house in the city of Philadelphia, the judges of the 
 district composed of the counties of Lancaster and 
 York shall meet at the court-house in the count) of 
 Lancaster ; the judges of the district composed of 
 the counties of Berks and Dauphin shall meet atMid- 
 dletown, in the county of Berks; the judges of 
 the district composed of the counties of Cumber- 
 land and Mifflin shall meet in Greenwood township, 
 county of Cumberland, at the house now occupied
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 179 
 
 by David Miller ; the judges of the district com- 
 posed of the counties of Northumberland, Luzerne, 
 and Huntingdon, shall meet in the town of Sunbury; 
 the judges of the district composed of the counties 
 of" Bedford and Franklin shall meet at the house now- 
 occupied by John Dickey, in Air township, Bedford 
 county ; the judges of the district composed of the 
 counties of Westmoreland and Allegheney shall 
 meet in Westmoreland county, at the court-house 
 in the town of Greensborough \ and the judges of 
 (he district composed of the counties of Washing- 
 ton and Fayette shall meet at the court-house in 
 tbe town of Washington, in Washington county, on 
 the third Tuesday in October, respectively, for the 
 purposes aforesaid. 
 
 IX. That the election of the Governor shall be 
 conducted in the several counties, in the manner 
 prescribed by the laws of the state for the election 
 of Representatives ; and the returns in each county 
 hall be sealed by the judges of the elections, and 
 transmitted to the President of the Supreme Exe- 
 cutive Council, directed to the Speaker of the Se- 
 nate, as soon after the election as may be.
 
 180 
 
 Extract from an Act to enable Aliens to purchase and hold 
 Real Estates, within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 
 pushed '24th March, 1818. 
 
 SECT.]. From and after the passing of this act, it 
 shall and may be lawful for all and every foreigner and 
 foreigners, alien or aliens, not being the subject or 
 subjects of some sovereign state or power which is or 
 shall be at the time or times of such purchase or pur- 
 chases at var with the United States of America, to 
 purchase lands, tenements, and hereditaments within 
 this Commonwealth, not exceeding five thousand acres, 
 and to have and to hold the same to them, iheir heirs 
 and assigns for ever, as fully to all intents and pur- 
 poses as any natural born citizen or citizens may or 
 can do. 
 
 INSTRUCTIONS TO ALIENS, 
 
 arriving in the Untied States, vhr may be desirous of becom- 
 ing citizens thereof. 
 
 Three things are indispensable to the naturalization 
 of an alien, namely ; 
 
 1. A repoit of himself on his arrival in the United 
 States. 
 
 2. A declaration of lona fide intention to become a 
 citizen. 
 
 3. A declaration, upon oath or affirmation, to support 
 the constitution of the United States, and a renunciation j 
 of all foreign allegiance. 
 
 first A report of himself, if of the age of twenty-] 
 one-years ; or, if under that age, the report to be made 
 for him by his parent, guardian, muster, or mistress Itj 
 must be made to the clerk of the district court of thej 
 district where the alien arrives, or to some other court| 
 of the United States, or of either of the territorial dis- 
 tricts, or of a particular state.
 
 INSTRUCTIONS TO ALIENS. 181 
 
 No. 1. Form qf Report. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4) 
 
 13 
 
 
 c> 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 C ^J 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 "S*s 
 
 -^ C 
 
 Name. 
 
 M 
 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 rt 
 
 ?! 
 
 
 M 
 
 1 
 
 a 
 fc 
 
 I 
 
 S' 
 
 j! 
 
 James Alvin. 
 
 Cork, 
 
 40 
 
 Ireland. 
 
 King of G. 
 Britain and 
 
 Eng 
 
 Bait 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ireland. 
 
 
 
 Sarah Alvin, 
 
 Tyrone, 
 
 35 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 Joseph Alvin, 
 
 Cork, 
 
 10 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 Mary Alvin, 
 
 do. 
 
 9 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 John Alvin 
 
 Dublin, 
 
 7 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 Tho. Jones, } 
 a parent. \ 
 
 Armagh, 
 
 45 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 at the place of arriral, or qf > TAMFS AT VTNT 
 , icAen f At report u anadt, 5 J S ALVIN 
 for himself and family. 
 
 The foregoing is an example of a report for a whole 
 family. Individuals of twenty-one years of age, having 
 no family, may, of course, report themselves separately, 
 observing the same form. In the case of a minor ar- 
 riving alone, and having no parent, guardian, master, 
 or mistress, he should be reported by some adult friend, 
 residing in the United States. The clerk will receive 
 and register the report; and his fee, for so doing, is 
 fifty cents. 
 
 Secondly. Two years after the date of the preceding 
 report, (but no sooner,) the aliens mentioned therein 
 may proceed to take the second preparatory step, which 
 Q
 
 182 INSTRUCTIONS TO ALIENS. 
 
 is a declaration oflonafide intention to become citizens, 
 and must be made before the supreme superior district, 
 or circuit court of some of the states, or of the ter- 
 ritorial districts of the United States, or a circuit 
 or district court of the United States, in the following 
 form : 
 
 2V, . 2. Form of a declaration of bonafide intention to become* 
 a citizen. 
 
 I, JAMES ALVIN, a native of Cork, in Ireland, of the 
 age of 42 years, and now or lately owing allegiance to j 
 his Majesty the Ring of the United Kingdom of Great 3 
 Britain and Ireland, do hereby declare, that it is oona 
 fide my intention to become a citizen of the UnitecR 
 States, and to renounce, for ever, all allegiance and 
 fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or 
 sovereignty whatever ; and particularly to renounce,^ 
 for ever, all allegiance and fidelity to his said Majesty^ 
 the King of the United Kingdom of Great Biitain and! 
 Ireland. 
 
 JAMES ALVIN. ; 
 Sworn to, or affirmed, in open court. 
 
 Thirdly. Declaration, upon oath, or affirmation, to] 
 support the constitution, and renunciation of foreign! 
 allegiance. This is the final step. It may be made 
 three years after the declaration, (No. 2 ; ) but no sooner.;] 
 When ihe alien is about to make it, he must apply to 
 the clerk of the court with whom he filed his report, 
 (No. ],) who will furnish him with a certificate thereof,' 
 for a fee of fifty cents j and also to the clerk of the! 
 court wherein his declaration (No.2,) has been made] 
 and recorded, from whom he may likewise procure ai 
 certificate of such declaration having been made. The 
 alien must then apply to a supreme superior district,! 
 or circuit court of some one of the state.*, or of 
 *he territorial districts of the United States ; or a circuij
 
 INSTRUCTIONS TO ALIENS. 183 
 
 or district court of the United States ; and with the two 
 certificates mentioned, present the following applica- 
 tion : 
 
 No. 3. Form of the Application. 
 
 To the honourable the district court of the United States 
 for the district of Pennsylvania, now sitting in the 
 city of Philadelphia. 
 
 The application of James Alvin respectfully sheweth: 
 The said applicant has made report, and caused 
 registry to be made of himself, with a view to his natu- 
 ralization, according to the law of the United States in 
 that case enacted ; a certificate of which report and 
 registry, is herewith exhibited ; and has, moreover, 
 made the declaration of his bonafide intention to become 
 a citizen of the United States, as required by law, of 
 which a certificate is likewise herewith presented 
 Wherefore the said applicant respectfully prays the 
 honourable the court that he may, in the usual form, be 
 admitted a citizen of the United States. 
 
 JAMES ALVIN, 
 
 Upon this application the court must be satisfied 
 
 1st. That the alien has resided within the United 
 States five years at least. 
 
 2d. That he has resided within the state or territory, 
 where the court is at the time held, one year at least. 
 
 3d. That, during the five years, the alien has behaved 
 as a man of good moral character attached to the 
 principles of the constitution of the United States, and 
 well disposed to the good order and happiness of the 
 same. 
 
 The oath of the applicant will in no case be allowed 
 to prove his residence. 
 
 Upon being satisfied upon these points, the court will 
 admit the alien to citizenship, upon his making thf 
 following declaration :
 
 184 INSTRUCTIONS TO ALIENS. 
 
 No. 4. Form of the final declaration. 
 
 I, JAMES ALVIN, do hereby declare, that I will sup* 
 port the constitution of the United States, and that I do 
 absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegi- 
 ance and fidelity to every foreign Prince, Potentate, 
 State, or Sovereignty whatever ; and particularly I da 
 hereby absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all 
 allegiance and fidelity to the King of the United 
 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 
 
 JAMES ALVIN. 
 Sworn to, or affirmed, in open court. 
 
 If the alien, applying for admission, has borne any 
 hereditary title, or been of any of the orders of nobility, 
 he must add to the next preceding declaration as 
 follows : And, furthermore, I do hereby expressly renounce 
 all claim to any hertditary title, or order of nobility, and es- 
 pecially to the title of Viscount, Earl, or Marquis, (as the case 
 may be,) which I have heretofore borne. 
 
 The clerk of the court will record all these proceed- 
 ings, and will furnish, on application, a certificate of. 
 citizenship, which will be evidence that the alien has 
 been duly naturalized. 
 
 General Observations. 
 
 Every court of record, in any individual state, having 
 common law jurisdiction, and a seal, and clerk or 
 prothonotary, is considered as a district court, within 
 the meaning of the act concerning: naturalization. 
 
 The provisions of the act respecting naturalization 
 have reference to free white aliens only. 
 
 Aliens residing within the limits and under the juris- 
 diction of the United States, between the 18th day of 
 June, 1798, and the 14th day of April, 1802, and who 
 have continued so to reside, may be admitted citizens 
 without a compliance with that provision of the law 
 require! a declaration of bona fide intention. 

 
 INSTRUCTIONS TO ALIENS. 185 
 
 Any alien who has made report on his arrival in the 
 United States, (as in No. 1,) and who has made a declara- 
 tion (as in No. 2,) ofbonafide intention, dying before he 
 is actually naturalized, his widow and children are con- 
 sidered as citizens, and will be entitled to all rights and 
 privileges as such upon taking the oath prescribed by 
 law, (as in No. 4.) 
 
 The children of persons duly naturalized under any 
 of the laws of the United States ; or who previously to 
 the passing of any law on that subject by the govern- 
 ment of the United States, [i. e. previously to the 26th 
 of March, 1790,] may have become citizens of any one 
 the states, under the laws thereof, being under the age 
 of 21 at the time of their parent's being naturalized, 
 are, if dwelling in the United States, considered 
 citizens.
 
 London, October, 1810. 
 A 
 
 CATALOGUE 
 
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 AMERICAN BOOKS, 
 
 IMPORTED AND FOR SALE, BY 
 
 JOHN MILLER, 
 BURLINGTON ARCADE, PICCADILLY. 
 
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 PENNSYLVANIA, to which are added, The Consti- 
 tution of the United States and of Pennsylvania ; 
 and Extracts from the Laws respecting Aliens and 
 Naturalized Citizens, by C. B. JOHNSON, M. D. 
 Preceded by an Address from the British Emigrant 
 Society to their Countrymen, 4*. 6d. boards. 
 
 ORIGINAL LETTERS from the Rev. JOHN NEW- 
 TON, A. M. late Kector of St. Mary Wolnoth, 
 Lombard Street, to the Rev. W. Barlass, late Minis- 
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 TRANSACTIONS of the HISTORICAL and LITE- 
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