prietors of the foil, and few tenants: most people cultivate their own lands, or follow fome handicraft or merchandife; very few rich enough to live idly upon their rents or incomes, or to pay the high prices given in Europe for printing, ftatues, architicture, and the other works of art that are more curious than ufeful. Hence the na

tural geniufes that have arifen in America, with fuch talents, have uniformly quitted that country for Europe, where they can be more suitably rewarded. It is true that letters and mathematical knowledge are in efteem there, but they are at the fame time more common than is apprehended; there being already exifting nine colleges, or uni verfities, viz. four in New-England, and one in each of the provinces of New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, all furnished with learned profeffors; befides a number of fmaller academies: these educate many of their youth in the languages, and thofe fciences that qualify men for the profeffions of divinity, law, or phyfic. Strangers indeed are by no means excluded from exercising those profeffions; and the quick increase of inhabitants every where gives them a chance of employ, which they have in common with the natives. Of civil officers, or em ployments, there are few; no fuperfluous ones as in Europe; and it is a rule eftablished in fome of the ftates, that no office fhould be fo profitable as to make it defirable. The 36th article of the conftitution of Pennsylvania runs exprefsly in thefe words: "As every freeman, to preferve his independence, (if he has not a fufficient eftate) ought to have fome profeffion, calling, trade, or farm, whereby he may honestly subsist, there can be no neceffity for, nor use in establishing offices of profit; the ufual effects of which are dependence and fervility, unbecoming freemen, in the poffeffors and expectants; faction, contention, corruption, and disorder among the people. Wherefore, whenever an office, through increase of fees or otherwife, becomes fe profitable as to occafion many to apply for it, the profits ought to be leffened by the legislature."

These ideas prevailing more or lefs in all the United States, it cannot be worth any man's while who has a means of living at home, to expatiate himself in hopes of obtaining a profitable civil office in America; and as to military offices, they are at an end with the war, the armies

being disbanded. Much lefs is it adviseable for a person to go thither, who has no other quality to recommend him but his birth. In Europe, it has indeed its value; but it is a commodity that cannot be carried to a worse market than to that of America, where people do not enquire concerning a ftranger, What is he? but, What can he do? If he has any ufeful art, he is welcome; and if he exercifes it, and behaves well, he will be refpected by all that know him; but a mere man of quality, who on that account wants to live upon the public by fome office or falary, will be defpifed and difregarded. The husbandman is in houour there, and even the mechanic, because their employments are useful. The people have a faying, that God Almighty is himself a mechanic, the greateft in the univerfe; and he is refpected and admired more for the veriety, ingenuity, and utility of his handiworks, than for the antiquity of his family. They are pleased with the observation of a negro, and frequently mention it, that Boccarorra (meaning the white man) make de black man workee, make de horse workee, make de ox workce, make ebery ting workee, only de hog. He de hog, no workee; he eat, he drink, he walk about, he go to fleep when he please, he libb like a gentleman. According to these opinions of the Americans, one of them would think himself more obliged to a genealogist, who could prove for him that his ancestors and relations for ten generations had been ploughmen, smiths, carpenters, turners, weavers, tanners, or even fhoe-makers, and confequently that they were useful members of fociety; than if he could only prove that they were gentlemen, doing nothing of value, but living idly on the labour of others, mere feuges confumere nati*, and otherwife good for nothing, till by their death their eftates, like the carcafe of the negro's gentleman-hog, come to be cut up.

With regard to encouragements for ftrangers from government, they are really only what are derived from good laws and liberty. Strangers are welcome because there is room enough for them all, and therefore the old indabitants are not jealous of them; the laws protect them fufficiently, so

born

Merely to eat up the corn.

WATTS.

that they have no need of the patronage of great men; and every one will enjoy fecurely the profits of his industry. But if he does not bring a fortune with him, he must work and be induftrious to live. One or two years refidence give him all the rights of a citizen; but the government does not at prefent, whatever it might have done in former times, hire people to become fettlers, by paying their passages, giving land, negroes, utenfils, ftock, or any other kind of emolument whatsoever. In fhort, America is the land of labour, and by no means what the English call Lubberland, and the French Pays de Cocagne, where the streets are said to be paved with half-peck loaves, the houses tiled with pancakes, and where the fowls fly about ready roafted, crying, Come eat me!

Who then are the kind of perfons to whom an emigration to America would be advantageous? And what are the advantages they may reasonably expect?

Land being cheap in that country, from the vast forests Atill void of inhabitants and not likely to be occupied in an age to come, infomuch that the property of an hundred acres of fertile foil full of wood may be obtained near the frontiers in many places, for eight or ten guineas, hearty young labouring men, who understand the husbandry of corn and cattle, which is nearly the fame in that country as in Europe, may eafily establish themfelves there. A little money faved of the good wages they receive there while they work for others, enables them to buy the land and begin their plantation, in which they are affifted by the goodwill of their neighbours, and fome credit. Multitudes of poor people from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Germany, have by this means in a few years become wealthy farmers, who in their owu countries, where all the lands are fully occupied and the wages of labour low, could never have emerged from the mean condition wherein they were born.

From the falubrity of the air, the healthiness of the cli mmate, the plenty of good provifions, and the encouragement to early marriages, by the certainty of fubfiftence in cultivating the earth, the increafe of inhabitants by natural generation is very rapid in America, and become still more so by the acceffion of strangers; hence there is a continual demand

for more artifans of all the necessary and useful kinds, to fupply thofe cultivators of the earth with houses, and with furniture and utenfils of the groffer forts, which cannot fo well be brought from Europe. Tolerable good workmen in any of those mechanic arts, are fure to find employ, and to be well paid for their work, there being no restraints preventing ftrangers from exercising any art they understand nor any permiffion necellary. If they are poor, they begin first as fervants or journeymen; and if they are sober, induftrious, and frugal, they foon become masters, establish themselves in business, marry, raise families, and become refpectable citizens.

Allo, perfons of moderate fortunes and capitals, who having a number of children to provide for, are defirous of bringing them up to industry, and to fecure eftates for their pofterity, have opportunities of doing it in America, which Europe does not afford. There they may be taught and practise profitable mechanic arts, without incurring disgrace on that account; but on the contrary acquiring respect by fuch abilities. There fmall capitals laid out in lands, which daily become more valuable by the increase of people, afford a folid profpect of ample fortunes thereafter for those children. The writer of this has known feveral inftances of large tracts of land, bought on what was then the frontier of Pennsylvania, for ten pounds per hundred acres which, after twenty years, when the fettlements had been extended far beyond them, fold readily, without any improvement made upon them, for three pounds per acre. The acre, in America, is the fame with the English acre, or the acre of Normandy.

Those who defire to understand the ftate of government in America, would do well to read the conftitutions of the feveral ftates, and the articles of confederation that bind the whole together for geneneral purposes, under the direction of one affembly, called the Congrefs. These constitutions have been printed, by order of Congress, in America; two editions of them have alfo been printed, in London; and a good tranflation of them into French, has lately been publifhed at Paris.

Several of the princes of Europe having of late, from an opinion of advantage to arife by producing all commodities

and manufactures within their own dominions, fo as to diminish or render useless their importations have endea voured to entice workmen from other countries, by high falaries, privileges, &c. Many perfons pretending to be skilled in various great manufactures, imagining that America must be in want of them, and that the Congress would probably be disposed to imitate the princes above mentioned, have proposed to go over, on condition of having their paffages paid, land given, salaries appointed, exclusive privileges for terms of years, &c. Such perfons, on reading the articles of confederation, will find that the Congress have no power committed to them, or money put into their

hands for fuch purposes; and any fuch encourage

ment is given, it must be by the government of fome particular state. This, however, has rarely been done in America; and when it has been done, it has rarely fucceeded, fo as to establish a manufacture, which the country was not yet fo ripe for as to encourage private perfons to fet it up; labour being generally too dear there, and hands difficult to be kept together, every one defiring to be a mafter, and the cheapnefs of land inclining many to leave trades for agriculture. Some indeed have met with fuccefs, and are carried on to advantage; but they are generally fuch as require only a few hands, or wherein great part of the work is performed by machines. Goods that are bulky, and of fo fmall value as not well to bear the expence of freight, may often be made cheaper in the country, than they can be imported; and the manufacture of fuch goods will be profitable wherever there is a fufficient demand. The farmers in America produce indeed a good deal of wool and flax; and none is exported, it is all worked up; but it is in the way of domestic manufacture, for the use of the family. The buying up quantities of wool and flax, with the defign to employ spinners, weavers, &c. and form great establishments, producing quantities of linen and woollen goods for fale, has been feveral times attempted in different provinces but thofe projects have generally failed, goods of equal val-" ue being imported cheaper. And when the governments have been folicited to fupport fuch schemes by encouragements, in money, or by impofing duties on importation of fuch goods, it has been generally refused, on this principle, that if the country is ripe for the manufacture, it may be carri