THE subw bbw&bibo " Get the out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee : and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great.” . Gen xii. 1, % BY AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. Neto : PRINTED BY WILLIAM STOKER, JtJN. No. 9 Glebe Building. 1840 . [ Price 12| Cents .] 3 l 637 3 hi A-| v. 4 — ^ o : TO THE REV. CLERGY OF NORTH AMERICA, THIS PAMPHLET I S RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. % THE NEW SETTLER. The age in which we live seems to be character- ized as an age of colonization. The study of geogra- phy has been much attended to of late years. The size of the globe has been ascertained. The propor- tions of land and water which cover its surface, and their various positions, are now generally known. The capability of this globe to sustain inhabitants, in all its various climates, is becoming daily more devel- oped. The new system of government has substitut- ed peace and plenty for war and famine. Those who have attended to the study of geogra- phy have ascertained that a large portion of the earth remains yet uncultivated. Hence the desire to en- courage colonization. Those who are enjoying hap- r 6 * piness are desirous that others may be happy also. The tendency of population is to concentrate in large cities, where they must necessarily depend upon one another. The wittiest over-reach the simple, and take from them the means of living. Poverty and crime and suffering ensue. Hence the necessity of large annual contributions to supply the necessities of the poor; and various systems have been devised to ameliorate their condition, few of which outlive their generation. The system which our fathers establish- ed when they fled from the persecution of the old world, was based upon the principles of our holy reli- gion, and supported by equality of rights and equality of responsibilities. This system is capable of extent commensurate with the globe. An ingenious calculator has estimated that this globe is capable of nourishing 320 hundred millions of inhabitants, and the present population is estimated at 8 hundred millions ; so it appears there is ample room for the increase of the human race. When the vast extent of America is taken into view, (and the small extent of population.) where the Christian religion may be planted, and its capability of supporting many millions of inhabitants; who does not wish to see the Christian religion planted and nourished, and democratic liberty made the foundation 7 of civil government in all these vast regions? It be- hooves every man on this continent to do something towards colonizing this vast region with intelligent be- ings, who will carry with them the arts and sciences of civilized life, the principles of free government, and, above all, the glorious liberty of the gospel. To make the contributions of each person effectual, it is necessary to proceed upon a system, feasible in it- self, easily to be accomplished, and permanent in its operation. The churches of America are peculiarly fitted for carrying this system into execution, extend their own usefulness, and be an additional means of diffusing happiness to mankind. Let a congregation purchase a section of govern- ment land, and establish a society of their own upon it. The section contains six hundred and forty acres, and costs eight hundred dollars. Divide it into forty- eight parts, like the plan annexed. This will accom- modate forty-eight families with thirteen acres each, which at two dollars per acre, will refund the money to the congregation. It will not be a great effort for a society to assist forty-eight families to remove to a new settlement — families who are worthy members of society, but who 8 have here no means of procuring* an independent liv- ing. Each church will act independently within it- self, and the society which is established will be the object of its care ; so that if only one religious society undertakes to establish a colony, it will be perfect within itself. The church will receive donations for this object, and many will contribute for love of liberty, and their desire to see the cause of human rights extended. Many will contribute from a holy zeal to spread the true religion. The rich man will contribute, because it places the poor man in a situation to help himself. The poor man will throw in his mite, because it will be a means of making his fellow laborer happy. Many a wealthy individual will give something to the new town, if it may be called after his own name, thus handing down his name to posterity in the early records of the place. The government will encour- age the settlements, because it derives a revenue from the sale of the public lands. Suppose there are twenty thousand churches in the United States, each of which will undertake to plant a colony. Here is provision made for nine hundred and sixty thousand families, all instructed in the Chris- tian religion, and all practical missionaries. 9 > A community should consist of a clergyman, and such artisans and mechanics as can prepare the things necessary for a civilized life — a physician — store keep- er — farmers — laborers, and others, to make up the number required. To produce the forty-eight divisions, the section is divided into twelve parts of four hundred and forty feet, parallel to each other, and crossed at right angles with a street of one hundred and twenty feet — thirty feet each side to be used as a public highway, and six- ty feet in the center to be reserved for public squares, for the location of the church, school-house, and other public buildings. At right angles from the main street, are twelve streets of forty feet each, at the dis- tance of four hundred feet from each other — thus di- viding the section into twenty-four blocks of four hun- dred and forty feet front and twenty-six hundred and forty feet deep, half the streets inclusive, and contain- ing each twenty-six acres and two-thirds. Each block is divided length-wise into two equal parts, so that one block will support two families, and give free ac- cess to the premises on the side and front. The section may be subdivided, by running streets parallel with the main street, (if the location should be found favorable for business,) into one hundred and forty-four squares of four hundred feet, containing 10 « three and two-thirds acres each, exclusive of streets ; but this must be for the advantage of the original set- tlers, as their business or occasion may require. That the produce of thirteen and one-third acres is fully sufficient to support a family of five or six per- sons, may be easily demonstrated. If planted with potatoes, it will produce from one thousand to fifteen hundred bushels ; with wheat, corn, rye, barley,