y ■ •:'-Ti I '6C 'il BURLINGTON LIBRARY CO. ^»î ' 1 No. Ji Ï i ^ DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Treasure'V^om NEW TRAVELS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. NEW TRAVELS Ï N THE UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. PERFORMED IN 17? By J. P. BRISSOT DE WARVILLE, TRANSLATED TROM THE FRENCH. A People without Morals may acquire Liberty, but without Mor.ils thty cannot preferve it. Nemo ilÙc viiia ridct, nee corriirvpere, nee corriir.ipi fecuîum mocaiur . . . , PlufqLum ibi tori ijiores "valent, quam alibi honte li'ges, Tacitus. DUBLIN. PRINTED BY W. CORBET, For p. Byrne, A. Gruf.ber, W. M'Kenzie, J. Moore, W. Jom: R. M'Allister, and J. Rice. ÏS'S'ÎN CONTENTS. Letter Page I, From M. Claviere to M, WarviJle, hinting a Plan of Obfervation on the political, civil and military Exiftence of the United States ----_. ^ç II. Soil, Produdtions, Emigrations, - I'm III. Plan of each Settlement lo be formed in the United States - - . ^^ IV. Enquires on the beft Mode of emigrating 68 V. On the Purchafe of Lands, and the American Funds - - - _ • VI. Method of Obfervations to be purfued in thefe Travels - - _ I. From M. Warvilie to M. Claviere, from Havre de Grace II. Obfervations on Boflon III. Journey from Bofton to New- York through Conne£ticut - _ _ ^^^ 122 IV. From Bofton to New-York by Providence 14, V. On New- York - - . VI. Journey from New- York to Philadelphia Vil, Vifit to Burlington, and to the Houfe of M Franklin - - _ VIII. Vifit to the Farm of a Quaker - jg,- IX Vifit from Warner Miflin > jSq X. FiiueraJ 72 75 93 152 172 181 ^Vb' ^0 j'h i CONTENTS. ■Letter Page X. Funeral of a Quaker. A Quaker Meeting 194 XI. The Bettering- Hoiife - - 201 XII. Hofpital of Lunaticks - - 212 _^I1I. On Benjamin Franklin - 216 XIV. Steam Boat. Reflexions on the Character of the Americans and the Englifh - 235 XV. The Agricultural Society. The Library 240 XVI. On the Market of Philadelphia - 243 XVII. On the General Aflembly of Pennfylvania and the Farm of Mr. L. - - 247 XVIII. Journey of M. Saugrain to the Ohio - 258 XIX. The School for Blacks at Philadelphia 262 XX. The Endeavours uftd to aboli/li Slavery 269 XXI. The Laws made in the different States for the Abolition of Slavery - - 274 XXII. General State of the Blacks in the Uftited States. Their Manners and Character, 8cc. .. 2S2 Addition to the preceding Letter, on ti«e Labours of I'le différent Societies in Favour of the Blacks 294 XXIII. On fubftituting the Sugar of Maple to the Sugar of Cane ; and its Confequences on the Fate of the Blacks - - 301 XXIV. A Project for re-tranfporting the Blade's to Africa „ _ _ ^07 XXV. Philadelohia, its Building, Police, Manners, &c. - - - 312 XXV!. On the Progrefs of clearing and cultivating Land - - - - 330 XXV^II. Climate of I'hiladclpwia ; its Difeafes, &c. 340 XXVIII. 'l he Difeafes moft comriion in the United States 346 XXIX. Longevity — Calculations on the Probabilities of Life in the United Stales — Their Popula- tion - - - 353 XXX. Prifuns in Philadelphia, and Prifons in genj^ r.-il - - - 369 XXXÎ. On the Quakers; their private Morals, their Manner:, Cudoras, &c. - " 37S XXXII. On CONTENTS. iettsr P?.g; XXXII. On the Reproaches call upon the Qviakcrs by different Writers - - 328 XXXIII. Religious Principles of the Quakers 400 XXXIV. Political Principles of the Quakers. Their Refufal to take Arms, pay Taxes, for War 412 XXXV. Journey to Mount Vernon - 421 XXXVI. General Obfervations on Maryland and Vir- ginia - - - - 43a XXXVII. The Tobacco, and Tobacco Notes of Vir- ginia - _ - _ 450 XXXVIII. The Valley of Shenadore - 44.3 XXXIX. Journey from Bofton to Portfmouth 447 XL. The Debt of the United States - 454 XLI. Importations into the United States 461 XLII. Exportations from the United States 465 XLIII. Their Trade to the Eaft-Indies, and their Navigation in general - - 469 XLIV, The Weftcrn Territory, and the different Settlements in it. - _ _ 474 N. B. TAh Volume comprifes M. de Warville's two firj} Volumet. His third, on the Commerce of America, has been before publijbed in EngHji. ^^çOt'V'\ PREFACE OF THE TRANSLATOR. JNO traveller, I believe, of this age, has made a more ufeful prefent to Europe, than M. de Warville in the publication of the followi'ng Tour in the United States. The people of France will derive great advantages from it ; as they have done from a variety of other labours of the fame induftrious and patriotic author. Their minds are now open to enquiry into the effedts of moral and political fyftems, as their commerce and manufaâiures are to any im- provements that their unembarrafled^ fitua- tion enables them to adopt. b Many 11 PREFACE. Many people read a little in the preface, before they buy the book ; and I Ihall pro- bably be accufed, of being in the intereft of the Bookfeller, and of making an affertion merely to catch this fort of readers, when I fay that the Englilh have more need of in- formation on the real character and condition of the United States of America, than any other people of Europe ; and efpecially when I add, that this book is infinitely better calcu- lated to convey that information, than any other, or than all others of the kind that have hitherto appeared. 1 do not know how to convince an Eng- lifh reader of the firft of thefe remarks j but the latter I am fure he will find true on pc. rufing the work. The fact is, we have always been fur- [)rizingly ignorant both of the Americans and of their country. Had we known either the one or the other while they were co- lonies, they would have been fo at this day," and probably for many days longer ; did we know them now, we fhould endeavour to PREFACE. m to draw that advantage from them that the natural and adventitious circumftances of the two countries would indicate to reafonable men. There is no fpot on the globe, out of England, fo interefting for us to ftudy under all its connexions and relations, as the territory of the United States. Could we barter all the Canadas and Nova-Scotias, with all their modifica- tions and fubdivifions, for fuch an amicable intercourfe as might have been eftabliflied with that people fmce the clofe of the war, we would have every reafon to rejoice in the change. Minifters, as wicked as they are, do more mifchief through ignorance, than from any lefs pardonable caufe. And what are the fources of information on this fubjedt, that are generally drawn from in this kingdom ? Thofe Americans, who befl; know their own country, do not write ; they have always been occupied in more important affairs. A few light fuperlicial travellers, fome of whom never appear to have quitted Europe, who have not knowledge enough even to b 2 begin IV PREFACE. begin to enquire after knowledge ; a few mi- nifterial governors of royal provinces, whofe bufinefs it always was to give falfe informa- tion : fuch are the men whofe errors have been uniformly copied by fucceeding writers, fyflematized by philofophers, and aâ:ed out by politicians, Thefe blunders afTume different fhapes, and come recommended to us under various authorities. You fee them muilered and embodied in a gazetteer or a geographical grammar*, marching in the fplendid re- tinue of all the fciences in the Encyclope- dia; you find them by regiments preffed jnto the fervice of De Paw, tortured into difcipline and taught to move to the mufic of Raynal, and then mounted among the heavy armed cavalry of Robert! on. Under * Perhaps no work, that is not fyftematically falfe, con- tains more errors than the Geographical Grammar publifhed under the name of William Guthrie; F fpeak only of that part which refpefts the United States. To thofe who wiiTi to be informed on this fubjedt, I would recommend Morje's Atntrican Geography, publiilied in America, and now reprinted for Stockdale in London, It contains more information rela- tive to that country, than all the books ever writen in Europe. fuch PREFACE. V ùich able commanders, who could doubt of their doing execution ? Indeed their opera- tions have been too fatal to us. Cur falfe ideas of the Americans have done us more injury, even fmce the war, than twenty Ruf- fian or Spaniihi armaments. But the evil ftill continues ; and every day leflens the opportunity of profiting from their acquain- tance. We have refufed, ever fmce the war, to compliment them with an envoy ; \vz have employed, to take care of our confular inte- refts, and reprefent the epitomized majefty of the Britilh nation, an American Royalift, who could be recommended to us only for his ftupidity, and to them only for his fuf- peâed perfidy to their caufe. The book that bears the name of Lord Sheffield on the American trade, has ferved as the touchflone, the flateman's confeffion of faith, relative to our political and commer- cial intercourfe with that country. It is faid to have been written by an American who had Vi PREFACE, had left his country in difgrace, and therefore intended to write againft it. And the book really has this appearance ; it has pafied for a long time in England as a moft patriotic and ufeful performance ; it has taught us to defpife the Americans in peace and com- merce, as the works of other men of this caft had before told us to do in war and politics. The details in it, furnifhed by the clerks of the cullom-houfe, are doubtlefs accurate, though of little confequence ; but the reafon- ing is uniformly v/rong, the predidions are all falfe, and the conclufions which he draws, and which of coui fe Vv'^ere to ferve as advice to ilie government, are calculated to flatter our vanity, to confirm us in our errors, and millead us in our condud;. Had the ableft foplijil in Europe been employed to wTite a hook profeiledly againll Great-Britain and in favour of America, he could not have fuc- cceded fo well. It perfuaded us to refufe any kind of commercial treaty with them ; which forced them to learn u lelfon, of which they might oll\ervvilc have ])eoii ignorant for half a century, PREFACE. VU a century, That after beating our armies they could rival our inanufadiories ; that they could do without us much better than \vc could without them. M. de Warville has taught his countrymen to think very diiferently of that people. I believe every reader of thefe travels, v/ho underftands enough of America to enable him to judge, will agree with *me in opinion, that his remarks are infinitely more judicious, more candid, and lefs erroneous than thofe of any other of the numerous obfervers that have vifited that country. Mod of them have been uniformly fupcrficial, often fcurri- lous, blending unmerited cenfure with ful- fome praife, and huddhng together, to form the whole piece, a parcel of unfinifhed images, that give no more a piclure of that people, than of the Arabs or the Chinefe. Their only object, iil;e that of a novel writer, is to make a book that will fell ; and yet they preferve not even that confiftency with themfelves, which is indifpenfable in tlie wildcft romance. M. dc Vlii PREFACE. M. de Warville is a fober, uniform, inde- fatigable, and courageous defender of the rights of mankind ; he has certainly done much in his own country in bringing forward the prefent Revolution. His great objedl in thefe travels, feems to have been, to obferve the cfFeds of habitual liberty on man in fo- ciety ; and his remarks appear to be thofe of a w^ell-informed reafoner, and an unpreju- diced inquirer. LoNDOM, Feb. I, 179Z. NEW PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR. 1 HE publication of Voyages and Travels will doubtlefs appear, at lirft view, an operation foreign to the prefent circumftances of France. I fhould even myfelf regret the time I have fpent in reducing this Work to order, if I did not think that it might be ufeful and necefTary in fupporting our Revolution, The object of thefe Travels was not to fludy antiques, or to fearch for unknown plants, but to ftudy men who had juft acquired their liber- ty. A free people can no longer be ftrangers to the French. We have now, likewife, acquired our li- berty. It is no longer necelTary to learn of the Americans the manner of acquiring it, B but X PREFACE. but we miift be taught by them the fecret of preferving it. This fecret confifts in the mo- rals of the people ; the Americans have it ; and I fee with grief, not only that we do not yet poflefs it, but that we are not even tho- roughly perfuaded of its abfolute necelTity in the prefervation of liberty. This is an impor- tant point ; it involves the falvation of the revolution, and therefore merits a clofe exa- mination. What is liberty ? It is the mod perfeâ: ftate of fociety : it is the flate in which man depends but upon the laws which he makes ; in which, to make them good, he ought to perfect the powers of his mind ; in which, to execute them well, he muft employ all his reafon ; for coercive meafures are difgraceful to freemen — ^they are almoft ufelefs in a free State ; and when the magiftrate calls them to his aid, liberty is on the decline, morals are nothing more than reafon applied to all the adions of life ; in their force confifts the exe- cution of the laws. Reafon or morals are to the execution of the laws among a free peo- ple, what fetters, fcourges, and gibbets arc among flaves. Deftroy morals, or pradical reafon, and you muft fiipply their place by fet- ters PREFACE. XI ters and fcourges, or elle fociety will no longer be but a ftate of war, a fcene of de- plorable anarchy, to be terminated by its de- ftrudion. Without morals there can be no libertv. Tf you have not the former, you cannot love the latter, and you will foon take it away from others ; for if you abandon yourfelf to luxury, to oftentation, to exceflive gaming, to enormous expences, you neceflarily open your heart to corruption ; you make a traffic of your popularity, and of your talents ; you fell the people to that defpotifm which is al- ways endeavouring to replunge them into its chains. Some men endeavour to diftinguifh publie from private morals ; it is a falfc and chi- merical diftinO:ion, invented by vice, in order to difguife its danger. Doubtlefs a m in may poflefs the private virtues without the pub- lic ; he may be a good father, without being an ardent friend of liberty ; but he that has not the private virtues, can never pofTefs the public; in this refpeâ: they are infeparable; their bafis is the fame, it is pra5î'ical reafon. What ! within the walls of your heufe, you B 2, trample XU PREFACE. trample reafon under foot ; and do you re- aped: it abroad, in your intercourfe with your fellow-citizens ? He that refpe6ts not reafon in the lonely prefence of his houfchold gods, can have no fmcere attachment to it at all ; and his apparent veneration to the law is but the effe£t of fear, or the grimace of hypo- crify. Place him out of danger from the pub- lic force, his fears vanifh, and his vice ap- pears. Befides, the hjpocnfj of public vir- t^ entrains another evil ; it fpreads a danger- ous fnare to liberty over the abyfs of defpo- tifm. What confidence can be placed in thofc men who, regarding the revolution but as their road to fortune, aflume the appearance of virtue but to deceive the people ; who de- ceive the people but to pillage and enflave them ; who, in their artful difcourfes, where eloquence is paid with gold, preach to others the facrifice of private intereft, while they themfelves facrifice all that is facred to their own ? men whofe private condud: is the afiaifin of virtue, an opprobrium to liberty, and gives the lie to the dodtrines which they preach : ^yi Curiuf Jtmtdanty et b ace an all a vivunt, Happy PREFACE. Xm Happy the people who defpife this hypocrify, who have the courage to degrade, to chaf- tifc, to excommunicate thefe double men, pof- fefling the tongue of Cato, and the foul of Tibe- rius. Happy the people w^ho, well convinced that liberty is not fupported by eloquence, but by the exercife of virtue, efteem not, but rather defpife, the former, when it is fepara- ted from the latter. Such a people, by their fevere opinions, compel men of talents to ac- quire morals ; they exclude corruption from their body, and lay the foundation for liberty and long profperity. Bat if this people, improvident and irrefo- lute, dazzled by the eloquence of an orator who flatters their paffions, pardon his vices in favour of his talents ; if they feel not an indignation at feeing an Alcibiades training a mantle of purple, lavifhing his fumptuous repafls, lolling on the bofom of his miftrefs, or ravilhing a wife from her tender hufband ; if the view of his enormous wealth, his ex- terior graces, the foft found of his fpeech, and his traits of courage, could reconcile them to his crim.es ; if they could render him the homage which is -due only to ta- lents united with virtue ; if they could laviili upoa XIV FRBFACE=. upon him praifes, places, and honours ;, then it is that this people difcover the full mea- fure of their weaknefs, their irrefolution, and their own proper corruption ; they become their own executioners ; and the time is not diflant, when they will be ready to be fold, by their own Alcibiades, to the great king^ and to his fatraps, I« it an ideal picture which I here trace, or, is it not ours ? I tremble at the refem- blance ! Great God ! fliall we have atchieved a revolution the moft inconceivable, the moft unexped:ed, but for the fake of drawing from nihility a few intriguing, low, ambitious men, to w^hom nothing is facred, who have not even the mouth of gold to accompany their foul of clay ? Infamous wretches ! they endeavour to excufe their weaknefs, their venality, their eternal capitulations with àd- potifm, by faying, Thefe people are too much corrupted to be trufted with complete liberty. They themfelves give them the example of corruption ; they give them new fhackles, as if Ihackles could enlighten and ameliorate men. G Providence ! to what deftiny refcrveft thou the people of France ? They are <^ood but PREFACE. XV but they are flexible ; they are credulous, they are enthuliaftic, they are eafily deceived. How often, in their infatuation, have they applauded fecret traitors, who have advifed them to the moft perfidious meafures ! In- fatuation announces either a people whofc aged weaknefs indicates approaching diiTolu- tion, or an infant people, or a mechanical people, a people not yet ripe for liberty : for the man of liberty is by nature a man of rea- fon, he is rational in his applaufes, he is fparing in his admiration, if, indeed, he ever indulges this paffion ; he never profanes thefe efFufions, by lavifhing them on men who dif- honour themfelves. A people degraded to this degree, are ready to carefs the gilded chains that may be offered them. Behold the peo- ple of England dragging in the dirt that par- liament to whom they owed their liberty, and crowning with laurels the infamous head of Monk, v/ho fold them to a new tyrant. I have fcrutinized thofe men, by whom the people are fo eafily infatuated. Kow few patriots was I able to number among them ! How few men, who fmcerely love the peo- ple, who labour for their happinefs and ame- lioration. XVI PREFACE. lioration, without regard to their perfona] in- tereft ! Thefe true friends, thefe real brothers of the people, are not to be formed in thofe infamous gambling houfes, where the repre- fentatives fport with the blood of their fellow citizens ; they are not found among thofe vile courtifans who, preferving their difpofi- tion, have only changed their mafk : they are not found among thofe patriots of a day, who, while they are preaching the Rights of Man, are gravely occupied w^ith a gilded phsEton, or an embroidered veil. The man of this frivolous tafte has never defcended into thofe profound meditations, which make of humanity, and the exercife of reafon, a confiant pleafure and a daily duty. The fim- plicity of wants and of pleafures, may be taken as a fure fign of patriotifm. He that has few wants, has never that of felling him- felf ; while the citizen, v^ho has the rage of oflentation, the fury of gambling, and of ex- penfive frivolities, is alv^^ays to be fold to the higheft bidder ; and every thing around him betrays his corruption ! Would you prove to me your patriotifm ? Let me penetrate into the interior of your houfe. What ! I fee your anticliamber full of PREFACE. XVn of infolent lackies, who regard me with dif- dain, becaufe I am like Carius, incomptis ca-r pillîs : they addrefs you with the appellatiou of lordjlj'ip ; they give you ftill thofe vain titles which liberty treads under foot, and you fuffer it, and you call yourfelf a patriot ! — I penetrate a little further : your cielings are gilded ; magnificent vafes adorn your chim- ney pieces ; I walk upon the richeft carpets ; the moft coftly wines, the moft exquifite diflies, cover your table; a crowd of fervants furround it ; you treat them with liaughti- nefs : — No, you are not a patriot, the moft confummate pride reigns in your heart, the pride of birth, of riches, and of talents. With this triple pride, a man never believes in the doctrine of equality : you belie your confci- ence, when you proftitute the word patriot. But whence comes this difplay of wealth ? you are not rich. Is it from the people? they are flill poor. Who will prove to me that it is not the price of their blood ? Who will affiire mc that there is not this mo- ment exifting, a fecret contrad: betvccen you and the court ? Who will allure me that you have not faid to the court, Truft to me tlie power which remains to you, and Ï vAW bijiiijx XVIU PREFACE. bring back the people to your feet ; I will attach them to your car ; I will enchain the tongues and pens of thoi'e independent men who brave you. A people may fometimes be fubjugated without the aid of baftilles. I do not know if fo many pidures as every day ftrike our eyes> will convince us of the extreme difficulty of conneâiing public in- corruptibility with corruption of morals ; but I am convinced, that if we wifh to preferve our conftitution, it will be eafy, it will be neceflary, to demonftrate this maxim : " With- " out private virtue, there can be no public " virtue, no public fpirit, no liberty." But how can \wq create private virtue among a people v/ho have juft rifen fuddenly from the dregs of fervitude, dregs which have been fettling for twelve centuries on their heads ? Numerous means offer themfelves to our hands ; laws, inftruûion, good examples, edu- cation, encouragement to a rural life, parcel- ing of real property among heirs, refpc6t to the ufeful arts. Is PREFACE. XIX is it not evident, for inftance, that private morals aflbciate naturally with a rural life ; that, of Gonfequence, manners w^ould much iinprove^ by inducing men to return from the city to the country, and by diiccuraging them from migrating from' the country to the city ? The'reafon why the Americans polïefs fuch pure moraJs is, becaufe nine-tenths of them live difperfed in the country. I do not fay that we fliould make laws direâ; to force people to quit the town, or to fix their limits ; all prohibition, all reftraint is unjuft, abfurd, and ineireâ:ual. Do you wifli a per- fon to do well ? make it for his interell to do it. Would you re-people the country? make it his intereft to keep his children at home. Wife laws and taxes well diltributed will produce this efFc£l:. Laws which tend to an equal diftribution of real property, to difiufe a certain degree of eafe among the peo- ple, will contribute mucli to tl^^ refur- redlion of private and public morals ; for mifery can take no interell in the public good, and want is. often, the limit of vir- tue. Would you cxtond public fpirit through all France? Into all the departments, all the vil- lages, favour the propagation of knowledge, the XX PRE FACE. the low price of books and of newfpapers. How rapidly would the revolution confoli- date, if the government had the wifdom to frank the public papers from the expence of poftage ! It has often been repeated, that three or four millions of livres expended in this way, w^ould prevent a great number of diforders which ignorance may countenance or commit ; and the reparation of which cofts many more millions. The communication of knowledge would accelerate a number of ufeful undertakings, which greatly difFufe public profperity. I will ftiil propofe another law, which would infallibly extend public fpirit and good morals ; it is the fhort duration of pub- lic fundlioners in their office, and the im- poffibility of re-eleâ:ing them without an in- terval. By that the legillative body would fend out every tw^o years, into the provinces, three or four hundred patriots, who, during their abode at Paris, would have arifen to the horizon of the revolution, and obtained infl:rud:ion, aair PREFACE. XXI repair the defed with which reprefentative re- publics are reproached, that the commonwealth is the bufmel's of but few. I cannot enlarge upon all the means ; but it would be rendering a great fervice to the Revolution, to feek and point out thofe which may give us morals and public fpirit. Yet I cannot leave this fubject without in- dulging one refieâion, which appears to me important ; Liberty, either political or indivi- dual, cannot exifl a long time without perfonal independence. There can be no independence without a property, a profcfTion, a trade, or an honeft induftry, which may infure againft want and dependence. I afllire you that the Americans are and will be for a long time free; it is becaufe nine tenths of them live by agriculture ; and when there fhall be five hundred millions of men in Ame- rica, all may be proprietors. We are not in that happy fituaticn in France ; the productive lands in France amount to fifty millions of acres ; this, equally divided, would be two acres to a perfon ; thefc XXll PREFACE. thefe two acres would not be fuflicient for his fubfidence ; the nature of things calls a great number of the French to live in cities. Com- merce, the mechanic arts, and divers kinds of induftrv, procure their fubfiftence to the inhabitants ; for we muft not count much at prefcnt on the produce of public offices. Salaries indemnify, but do not enrich ; nei- ther do they infure againft future "want. A man who fhould fpeculate upon falaries for a living, would only be the flave of the people, or of foreign powders : eveiy man, therefore, who wifhes fmcereiy to be free, ought to ex- ercife fome art or trade. At this word, trade ^ the patriots ftill fliiver ; they begin to pay fome refpeâ: to commerce ; but though they pretend to cheriih. equality, tliey do not feel themfelves frankly the equals of a mechanic. They have not yet abjured the prejudice which regards the tradefman, as below the banker or the merchant. This vulgar arifto- cracy will be the mod difficult to deftroy *. If * It extends even to" elTlcers chofcn by the people. With what drfdain they regard an artifan from head to foot ! "U'ith what feverity many of our national guards treat thofe wretches who are arrefted by them ! With what infolence they execute their orders: — Obferve the greater part of the public o3icers ; They are as haughty in the exercife of their funttions, PREFACE. XXlll ,....If you wlfh to honour the mechanic arts, give inftrudion to thofe who exercile them : choofe among them the beft inftruded, and advance them in pubUc employments ; and difdain not to confer upon them diftinguiihcd places in the aflemblies. I regret that the National Affembly has not yet given this falutary example ; that they have not yet crowned the genius of agricui- ture, by calling to the prefident's chair the; good cultivator, Gerard ; that the merchants and other members of the Aflembly, who ex- ercife mechanic arts, have not enjoyed the fame honour. Why this exclufion ? It is very well to infert in the Declaration of Rights, that ail men are equal ; but we muft praâ:ife this equality, engrave it in our hearts, confecrate it in all our adions, and it belongs to the Na- tional Affembly to give the great example. It would perhaps force the executive power to refped: it llkewifc. Has he ever been known to defcend into the ciafs of profeffions, there to choofe his miniilers, his agents, from men of hmplicity of manners, not rich, but well inllrudted, and no courtiers ? funôipns, as they were grovelling in the Primary AlTcmblies. A true patriSt is equal at all times; ecjiially diftant from bafe- refs at ele^lions, andinfolence inotEcc. Our XXIV PREFACE. Our democrats of the court praife indeed, with a borrowed enthuriafm, a Franklin or an Adams ; they fay, and even with a filly aftonifliment, that one was a printer, and the other a fchoolmafter ! But do they go to feek in the work-fhops, the men of informa- tion ? No. — But \vhat fignifies at prefent the conduct of an adminiftration, whofe deteft- able foundation renders them antipopular, and confequently perverfe ? they can never appear virtuous, but by hypocrify. To endeavour to convert them, is a folly ; to oppofe to them independent adverfaries, is wifdom : the fecret cf independence is in this maxim. Have few ivantSy and a ficady employment to Jatlsfy them. With thefe ideas man bends not his front? before man. The artizan glories in his trade that fupports him : he envies not places of honour ; he Knows he can attain them, if he defei*ves them: he idolizes no man; he re- fpe^s himfelf too much to be an idolator : he efteems not men becaufe they are in place, but becaufe they deferve well from their coun- tiy. The leaders of the revolution in Hol- land, in the fixtcenth century, feated on the grafs at a repaft of herrings and onions, re- ceived, with a ftern fimplicity, the deputies of PREFACE. XXV of the haughty Spaniard. This is the por- trait of men who feel their dignity, and know the fuperiority of freemen over the flaves of kings. ^uem reque panperies, neque mors, neque viticula tefrent. When lliall we have this elevated idea of ourfelves ? When will all the citizens look with difdain on thofe rdols on whom they formerly proftituted their adoration ? Indeed, when fhall we experience a general diffufioii of public fpirit ? I have no uneafmefs about the rifmg gene- ration : the pure fouls of our young men breathe nothing but liberty ; the contagious breath of perfonal intereft has not yet infed.ed them. An education truly national, will create men furpaffing the Greeks and Romans ; but people advanced in life, accuftomed to fervitude, familiarized with the idolatry of the great — What will reclaim them ? What will ftrip them of the old man ? Inflrudion j and the beft means of difFufing it, is to mul- tiply popular clubs, where all thofe citizens fo unjuftly denominated paffive, come to gain information on the principles of the Conftitution, and on the political occurrences of every day. It is there that may be placed C under XXVI PREFACE. Under the eyes of the people, the great exam- ples of virtue furniflied by ancient and mo- dern hiftory ; it is there that detached parts of the work, which I now publifh, may ferve to fhew my fellow-citizens the means of preferving their liberty. O Frenchmen ! who wifh for this valua- ble inftrudion, ftudy the Americans of the prefent day. Open this book : you will here fee to what degree of profperity the blefTmgs of freedom can elevate the induftry of man ; how they dignify his nature, and difpofe him to univcrfal fraternity : you will here learn by what means liberty is preferved ; ' that the great fecret of its duration is in good morals. It is a truth that the obfervation of the prefent ftate of America demonftrates at every ftep. Thus you will fee, in thefe Tra- vels, the prodigious efFedls of liberty on mo- rals, on induftry, and on the amelioration of men. You will fee thofe ftern prefbyterians, who, on the firft fettlement of their country, infedted with the gloomy fuperftitions of Eu- rope, could erect gibbets for thofe who thought differently from themfelves. You will fee them admitting all feds to equal cha- rity and brotherhood, rejeding thofe fuper- {litioQs PREFACE. XXVU ftitions which, to adore the Supreme Being, make martyrs of part of the human race. Thus you will fee all the Americans, in whofe minds the jealoufy of the mother country had difleminated the moft abfurd preju- dices againft foreign nations, abjure thofe pre- judices, rejeâ: every idea of war, and open the way to an univerfal confederation of the human race. You will fee independent Ame- rica contemplating no other limits but thofe of the univerfe, no other reftraint but the laws made by her reprefcntatives. You will fee them attempting all forts of fpeculations ; opening the fertile bofom of the foil, lately covered by forefts ; tracing unknown feas j eftablifhing new communications, new mar- kets ; naturalizing, in their country, thofe precious manufactures which England had referved to herfelf ; and, by this accumulation of the means of induftry, they change the balance that was formerly againft America, and turn it to their advantage. You will fee them faithful to their engagements, while their enemies are proclaiming their bank- ruptcy. You will lee them invigorating their minds, and cultivating their virtues ; reforming their government, employing only the language of reafon tp convince the re- C 2 fradorj' ; XXVlll PREFACE. refradory ; multiplying every-where moral inftltutions and patriotic eftabliihments ; and, above all, never feparating the idea of public from private virtues. Such is the confoling pidure, which thefe Travels will offer to the friend of liberty. The reverfe is net felf-confoling ; if liberty is a fure guarantee of profperity ; if, in per- feding the talents of man, it gives him vir- tues, thefe virtues, in their turn, become the fureft fupport of liberty. A people of uni- verfal good morals would have no need of government ; the law would have no need of an executive power. This is the reafon why liberty in America is fafely carried to fo high a degree that it borders on a ftate of nature, and why the government has fo little force. This, by ignorant men, is called anarchy : enlightened men, who have exa- mined the eiteÛs on the fpot, difcern in it the excellence of the government ; becaufe, not- wdthftanding its weaknefs, fociety is there in a flouriihing flate. The profperity of a fociety is always in proportion to the extent of liberty ; liberty is in the inverfe proportion to the extent of the governing power : the latter cannot in- creufc itfeif, but at the expence of the former. Can PREFACE. XXIX Can a people without government be hap- py ? Yes ; if you can fuppofe a whole people with good morals ; and this is not a chimera. Will you fee an example ? obferve the Qua- kers of America. Though numerous, though difperfed over the furface of Pennfylvania, they have paflcd more than a century, without mu- nicipal government, without police, without coercive meafures, to adminifter to the State, or to govern the hofpitals. And why ? See the pidture of their manners ; you will there find the explanation of the phenomenon. Coercive meafures and liberty never go together : a free people hates the former ; but if thefe meafures are not employed, how will you execute the law ? By the force of reafon and good morals ; — take away thefe, and you muft borrow the arm of violence, or fall into anarchy. If, then, a people wilhes to banifh the difhonourable means of coercion, they muft exercife their reafon, which will fliew them the necelTity of a conftant refpeâ: for the law. The exercife of this faculty produces among the Americans, a great number of men defig- uated by the name of principled men. This appellation XXX PREFACE. appellation indicates the character of a clafs of men fo little known among us, that they have not acquired a name. There will be one formed, I have no doubt ; but, in the mean time, I fee none but vibrating, vacillating be- ings, who do good by enthufiafm, and never by refledtion. There can be no durable re- volution, but where reflection marks the ope- ration, and matures the ideas. It is amongft thofe men of principle that you find the true heroes of humanity, the Howards, Fothergills, Penns, Franklins, Waihingtons, Sidneys, and Ludlows. Shew me a man of this kind, whofc wants are circumfcribed, who admits no luxury, who has no fecret paffion, no ambition, but that of ferving his country — a man who, as Mon- taigne fays, aie des opinions fupercelejtes^ fans avoir des mceurs fouterreines ; — a man whom re- fledion guides in every thing ; this is the man of the people. In a word, my countrymen, would you be always free, always independent in your elec- tions, and in your opinions ? ¥/ould you con- fine the executive power within narrow limits, and diminifli the number of your laws ? PREFACE. XXXI laws ? — have morals ! — hipejjlma rcpiihlicaplu- rima leges. Morals fupply perfeâly, the ne- ceffity .of laws ; laws fupply but imperfedly, and in a miferable manner, the place of mo- rals. Would you augment your population, that chief wealth of nations ? Would you augment the eafe of individuals, induftry, agri- culture, and every thing that contributes to general profperity ? — have morals ! Such is the double effed: of morals in the United States, whofe form of government ftill frightens pufillanimous and fuperftitious men. The portraits offered to view, in thefe Travels, will juftify that republicanifm which knaves calumniate with defign, which igno- rant men do not underftand, but which they will learn to know and refpect. How can wc better judge of a government than by its effeâis ? Reafoning * may deceive ; experi- ence is always right. If liberty produces good morals, and difFufes information, why do freemen continue to carp at that kind of government, which being founded on the * If you would fee excellent reafoning on this fubjeâ, read the work juft publiflied by the celebrated Paine, intided, Rlgh/t »f Man ; efpecially thenriifcellaneous chapter. grcatefl XXXll PREFACE. greateft degree of liberty, fecures the greatcft degree of profperity ? I thought it very ufeful and very neceflary to prove thefe principles from great exam- ples ; and this is my reafon for publifhing thefe Travels. Examples are more power- ful than precepts. Morality, put in adion, carries fomething of the dramatic, and the French love the drama. This, then, is my firft objeâ: ; it is national, it is univerfal : for, when it is demonftrated that liberty creates morals, and morals, in their turn, extend and maintain liberty, it is evident, that, to reftrain the progrefs of liber- ty, is an execrable proje<£l: ; fmce it is to re- ftrain the happinefs, the profperity, and the union of the human race. A fécond obje£t which guides me in this publication, is likewife national. I wifhed to defcribe to my countrymen a people with whom we ought, on every account, to con- neâ: ourfelves in the moft intimate manner. The moral relations which ought to connect the two nations, are unfolded in the two firft volumes ; PREFACE XXXliî . volumes ; the third comprifes particularly the commercial connexions. This third volume was publifhed in 1787, by Mr. ClaviCre and me. There is ftill wanting, to complete this work, a fourth volume, which ought to treat of the political connections, and of the prct- fent federal government of the United StateSv I have the materials, but I have not the time to reduce them to order. The comparative view of their conftitution with ours, requires a critical and profound examination. Expe- rience has already determined the qualities of one ; the other is ftill in |ts infancy. Per-r haps, indeed, it requires a time of more calm- nefs, lefs ignorance and prejudice in the pub- lic rriind, to judge wifely of the American conftitution. We muft prepare the way foç this maturity of judgment ; and thefe Travels will accelerate it, in fetting forth with truth the advantages of the only government which merits any confidence. If I had confulted what is called the Love of Glory, and the Spirit of Ancient Literature, I could have fpent feveral years in poliftiing this Work 5 but I believed, that though ne- ceiTary XXXIV PREFACE. celTaiy at prefent, it might be too late, and, perhaps, ufelefs, in a few years. We have arrived at the time when men of letters ought to ftudy, above all things, to be ufeful ; when they ought, for fear of lofmg time, to precipitate the propagation of truths, which the people ought to know ; when, of confe- quence, we ought to occupy ourfelves more in things than in words ; when the care of flyle, and the perfection of tafte, are but figns of a trifling vanity, and a literary ariftocracy. Were Montefquieu to rife from the dead, he would furely blulh at having laboured twenty years in making epigrams on laws : he would write for the people ; for the revolution can- not be maintained but by the people, and by the people inftruded : he would write, then, dire£tly and fimply from his own foul, and not torment his ideas to render them brilliant. When a man would travel ufefully, he {hould ftudy, firft, men ; fecondly, books ; and \\mà\y^ places. To ftudy men he ftiould fee them of all claffes, of all parties, of all ages, and in all fituations. I read in the Gazettes, that the amhafla- dors of Tippo Sultan were feafted by every body; PREFACE. XXXV body ; they were carried to the balls, to the fpedlacles, to the manufad:ures, to the arfc- nals, to the palaces, to the camps. After being thus feafted for fix months, I wonder if, on returning home, they conceived that they knew France. If fuch v/as their opinion, they were in an error ; for they faw only the brilliant part, the furface ; and it is not by the furface that one can judge of the force of a nation. The ambalTador fhould defcend from his dignity, travel in a common car- riage without his attendants, go into the fiables to fee the horfes, into the barns to fee the grain and other produdions of the country. It is thus that Mr. Jefî'erfon tra- velled in France and Italy ; he had but one fervant with him ", he faw every thing with his own eyes. I believe that few voyages have been made with fo much judgment and utility, as tliofe of that philofopher. But his modclly conceals his obiervations from the public eye. People difguife every thing, to deceive men in place. A prince goes to an hofpital ; he taftcs the foup and the meat. Does any one fappofe that the fuperintendant was fool enough XXXVl PREFACE. enough not to have givep orders to the cook that day ? True obfervation is that of every day. A traveller, before fctting out, ought to know from books and men the country he goes to vifit. He will have fome data ; he will confront what he fees, with Vv^hat he has heard. He ought to have a plan of obfervation ; if he wilhcs that nothing fhould efcape him, he fhould accuftom himfelf to felze objeâis ra- pidly, and to write, every night, what he has feen in the day. The choice of perfons to confult, and to rely upon, is difficult. The inhabitants of a country have gene- rally a prediled;ion in favour of it, and ftrangers have prejudices againft it. In Ame- rica I found this prejudice in almofl every ilranger. The American revolution con- founds them. They cannot familiarize the idea of a king-peopk and an ekâJlve chiefs who fliakes liands with a labourer, who has no PREFACE. XXXVU no guards at his gate, wlio walks on foot, &c. The foreign confuls are thofe who de- cry, with the moft virulence, the American conftitution ; and, I fay it with grief, I faw much of this virulence among fome of ours. According to them, the United States, when I landed in America, were juft falling to ruin. They had no government left, the conftitution was deteftable ; there was no confidence to be placed in the Americans, the public debt would never be paid ; and there was no faith, no juftice among them. Being a friend of liberty, thefe calamities againft the American government were re- volting to me : I combated them with rea- foning. My adverfaries, who objeded to me then their long abode there, and the fhort- nefs of mine, ought to be convinced by this time that the telefcope of reafon is rather better than the microfcope of office. They have, in general, fome abilities and fome information ; but they have generally been educated in the inferior places in the French adminiftration, .and they have well imbibed its prejudices. A republic is a monftrous thing in their fight ; a minifter is an idol that they adore ; the people, in their view. XXXVlll PREFACE. is a herd that muft be governed with ri- gour. A man who Uves upon the rapines of defpotirm, is always a bad judge of a free country ; and feel that they fhould be no- thing in fuch a ftate ; and a man does not like to fall into nothing *. I met in our French travellers, the fame prejudices as in the confuls. The greater part of Frenchmen who travel or emigrate, have little information, and are not prepared to the art of obfervation. Prefumptuous to excefs, and admirers of their own cuftoms and manners, they ridicule thofe of other nations. Ridicule gives them a double plea- fure ; it feeds their own pride, and humbles others. At Philadelphia, for inftance, the men are grave, the women ferions, no fini- cal airs, no libertine wives, no cofFee-houfes, * Judge, by the following inftance, with what Infolence the agents o!^' defpntifni treat the chiefs of refpeftable republics.— I heard M. de Mouftier boafting, that he told the prefidentof congrcfs, at his own houfe, that he was but a ta from the prefent federal form of the United States. Goverjiment of each State, To confider the com.pofition of the legif- lative body, the fenate, and executive power ; eleclions ; any abufes that may be in them. Compare the elFeds of each legiflature, to judge which is the beft. Ohfervatmis. — What are we to expeâ: from their diiTmiilarities ? In what do they confift principally UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.* 77 principally ? They all acknowledge the fu- premacy of the people ; but it is not pre- fèrved to them in an equal manner in all ; and where they cannot relume it without a fedition, there can be little certainty of peace. Peace is very doubtful, likewife, where the will of the people is fubjeâ: to the flow forms of inftrudtion. The different ftates fhould be -examined after this principle. Legiflation, Civil ^ Criminal; Police, In examining thefe objefts, fa dis only aire to be attended to. Their comparifon w^ith thofe of other countries can be made after- wards. State of the commerce betiveen each State, and the Savages, the Canadians, Neva Scotia, '* the Englljlj Ijlands, France, Spain, Holland, Northern States of Europe, Mexico, China, India, Africa. To remark the principal articles of ex- portation and importation ; the number of veflels employed ; the ftate of money ufed in commerce. Obfervatlons. — Forget not to fix well the F 3 matters 78 ÎTEW TRAVELS IN THE matters of exchange, efpecially with the Spa- nifh pofleflions ; for it is principally thence that their gold and filver muft come. Do they go by land to the weftern coaft of Ame- rica ? Do the free Americans travel among then* neighbours the Spaniards. Is their money-fyftem a fimple one ? Has it a ftandard conftant and eafy to conceive ? Is it of a permanent nature ; fo that, in a courfe of time, one may always judge of the price of things, in bringing them to a term of comparifon not liable to change ? This can only be done by having one integral metal, to which others relate, either as mer- chandize, or as a bill of credit referring to money, with regard to which it exprefles a right, but not an intrinfic value. A piece of coined copper, for inftance, is a bill of credit^ on the portion of that metal which is adopted as a ftandard of value : for coined copper has by no means the intrinfic value of that portion of money which it reprefents. Banks. Obfervations. — Banks are an important ar- ticle in the commonwealth ; the proportion which they obferve between the money they contain UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 79 contain, and the bills they circulate, is their great fccret, the criterion of their folidity. Thofe which have little or no money, and which circulate many bills, are in a precari- ous and dangerous condition. Read with at- tention in Smith, the Hiftory of Banks in Scotland. It is very natural to be led aftray on this fubjed:, which cannot be too much fimplified, if you wifli to examine it tho- roughly. Federal Reven-ae of each State — Taxes ivhich they impofe — Manner of colleSîing them — Effe£t of thefe Taxes, Ohfervations. — What is the prevailing fyl- tem of taxation ? Is land confidered as the bafis of taxes ? In that cafe, is it known that it is dangerous to difcourage the farmer ? Why have they not referved a domain to the States ? The Federal Debt of every State — Thofe of In- dividuals — Federal Expences of each State— ^ Their Accountability. Ohfervations. — The debt has been reduced ; and they juftify this reduilion by the enor- mous So NEW TRAVELS IN THE mous prices of provifions and ftores which have formed the debt. Read again the Me^ moirs of Mr. S. you will fee that there was a moment when the fcale of depreciation was unjuft. There are curious enquiries to be made on this fubjeâ:. Why did they gain fo much before they allowed a depreciation ? Becaufe they ran a rilk of another kind ; they doubt- ed of the poffibility of payment, becaufe they were not fure of the fuccefs of the revolu- tion. In this point of view, how do they juftify the fcale of depreciation, efpçcially to- wards thcfe who had no inter eft in the revo- lution ? Money was very fcarce ; this was a great caufe of difcredit. It muft have been dif- treffing to thofe who were reduced to the neceiTity of borrowing : hence great aug- . mentations in the prices of articles. In fome initances, was not the reduction unjuft ? This taken from firft to laft, muft be a very curious hiftory. It will, perhaps, teach us, that they have made a fraudulent bankruptcy. But, in this cafe, there is nothing to fear from this conclufion ; befides, fuppofmg extortion on the part of the creditors, it does not juftif^^a redud:ion UNITfD STATES OF AMERICA. 8l redudlou on the part of the debtor : nothing bnt neceffity can jufllfy this. The new En- cyclopedia fays, that the diforders which oc- cafioned the depreciation, exifled before the war. But if paper-money exifted then, that of every ftate was not in difcredit ; and yet the depreciation has ftruck at all paper-money without exception. It is faid in the Encyclopedia, that the de- preciation had not injured ftrangers. Is this a fa-a ? It is very important to obtain a juft idea of the Public expences neceiïary to the Ame- ricans in future ; and to penetrate, as much as poflible, the public opinion on this fub- j-eit. What do they think of loany ? They are fometimes a benefit ; but the wifêft go- vernments are the moit careful to avoid this r-efource. When they once begin, they know not where they can. flop. Public loans are always fo much taken from induflry ; and the theory of reftoring to it vv^hat is thus taken, is always, deceit- ful. TJU': 82 NEW TRAVELS IN THE The Americans oug|it to hold them în averiion, from the evils vç-hich they now experience from them ; at leaft, unlefs they owe their liberty to them. State of the Country near the great 'Towns — Interior Farts — Frontiers — Cultivation ; its Expences and Froditce ; clearing neiu Lands ^ ivhat encourages or ^hinders it — Money cir- culating in the Country — Country Manufac- tures, Ohfervations. — It is faid, that the lands are uncultivated near New-York ; that this town is furrounded with forefts, and that though fire-wood is cheap, they prefer coals, even at a high price» It fhould feem, that commerce was in fuch a ft ate at New- York, that agriculture is de- fpifed there, or that they purchafe provi- fions at a lower price than they can raife them. If this be true, there are iingularities to be explained, which we know nothing of in Europe. Confider the ftate of commerce and of agri- culture in America, under fuch a point of view UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. S^ view as to determine why they incline to the one rather than to the other. You will find, perhaps, that the origin of new comers determines their vocation. The Engiiili arrive with their heads filled with commerce, becaufe they have fome property ; the Scotch, Irifli, Germans, and others, who arrive poor, turn to agriculture, and are, be- fides, for the greater part, peafants. In clear- ing up thefe fads, you will tell us what a little property, the love of labour, united to fimplicity of manners, and turned to agricul- ture^ will produce. What is the true reafon of the low price of cultivated farms and houfes ? Doubtîeû chere is a great excefs of productions, com- pared with the confumptions ; in that cafe, farming renders little profit. They fpeak much of the advantages of rearing cattle. Nations have prejudices, taftes, whims, like individuals. What do they think of manufactures in the United States ? What is the prevailing mode of agriculture in America ? Do they fpeak of the great and the little culture ? Pj-'ivatc 84 NEW TRAVELS IN THE Private Morals in the Towns and in the Country. Obfervations» — Do you find manners truly American ? or do not you rather, at every inftant, find Europe at your heels ? Speak to us of education public and private. Do they, as in Europe, facrifice the time cf the youth in ufelefs and infignificant ftudies ? Make acquaintance, as far as pcfTible, with the mi- nifters of religion. Is paternal authority more refpeâied there, than in Europe ? Does the mild education of RouiTeau prevail among the free Americans ? hiequalities of Fortune, Forget not, under this head, the fubjefl: of marriages, dowers, and teftaments. Ufages, in thefe refpedls, prevent or accelerate in- equality. LETTER i UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 85 I LETTER I. From M. de W A R V I L L E. HavTs de Grace, June. 3. 1788, J- AM at laft, my friend, arrived near the ocean, and in iight of the fnip that is to cany me from m^f country. I quit it without regret ; fmce the minifterial defpotifm v/hlch overwhelms it, leaves nothing to expeâ: for a long time, but frightful ftorm?, fiavery, or war. May the woes which threaten this line country, fpare what I leave in it, the moft dear to my heart ! I (hall not defcribe the cities and countries which I have paiTed on my way hither. My ima":ination was too full of the diftreffinp- fpedlacle I was leaving behind ; my mind was thronged with too many cares end fears, to be able to make obfervations. Irifenfible to all the fcenes which prefented themfelves to me, I was with difficulty drawn from this intelledlual paralyfis, at the view of fome parts of Normandy, which broug^ht England to my cvind. The S6 N*EW TRAVELS IN THE The fields of Normandy, efpecially the canton of Caux, difplay a great variety of cul- ture. The hcufes of tl^e peafants, better built, and better hghted than thofe of Picardy and Beauce, announce the eafe which gene- rally reigns in this province. The peafants are well clad. You know the odd head-drefs of the w^omen of Caux ; the cap in the form of a pyramid, the hair turned back, conftrain- ed, plaiftercd with pov/der and greaf% and the tinfel which always disfigures fimple na- ture. But we excufe this little luxury, in confidering that, if their Imfbands were as miferable as the peafants of other provinces, they would not have the means of paying the expence. The Norman peafants have that air of contentment and independence w^hlch is obfervable in thofe of the Auftrian Flan- ders ; that calm and open countenance, an infallible fign of the happy mediocrity, the moral goodnefs, and the dignity of man. If ever France (hall be governed by a free con- ftitution, no province is better fituated, or enjoys more means to arrive at a high degree of profperiiy. Bolbec and Bottes, near Havre, contain fome fituations quite pidurefque and delici- ous for the hermitage of a philofopher, or the manfion UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 87 manfion of a family who feek their happi- neù within themfelves. I fled from Rouen as from all great towns. Mifery dwells there at the fide of opulence* You there meet a numerous train of wretches covered w^th rags, with fallow complexions, and deformed bodies. Every thing announ- ces that there are manufadiories in that town j that is to fay, a crowd of miferable beings who perilh with hunger, to enable others to fwim in opulence. The merchants at Havre complain muck of the treaty of commerce between France and England ; they think it at lead prema- ture, confidering our want of a conftitution, and the fuperiority of the Englifh induftry. They complain likewife that the merchant was not confulted in forming it. I endea- voured to confole them by faying, that the confequences of this treaty, joined with other circumftances, would doubtlefs lead to a free conftitution ; which, by knocking off the Ihackles from the French induftry and com- merce, would enable us to repair our lofles ; and that fome ban.kruptcies would be but a fmall price for liberty. With regard to the indifference of the miniftry in confulting the merchants, 8S KEW TRAVELS IN THE merchants, I convinced them, that it was as much the reluit of fervile fear, and warit of public fpirit in the merchants, as of the principles of an unlimited monarchy. It ad- mits to the adminiftration none but fliort- fighted intriguers, and prefumptuous knaves ; and this kind of miniflers love not confult- ations. Havre is, next to Nantz and Bcrdeau]t, the moft confiderable place for the flave trade. Many rich houfes in this city, owe their fortunes to this infamous traffic, which in- crcafes, inftead of diminiiliing. There, is at prefent, a great demand for flaves in the colo- nies, occafioned by the augmentation of the demand for fugaj, coffee, and cotton in Eu- * rope. Is it true then that wealth increales ? You may believe it, perhaps, if you look into England ; but tlie interior parts of France give no fuch idea. Our negro traders believe, that were it not for the confiderable premiums given by the* government, this trade could not fubfifl: ; becaufe the Englifh fell their flaves at a much lower price than the French. I liave many of thefe details from an American Captain, who is well acquainted with the Indies, and with Africa. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 89 Africa. He aflures me, that the negroes are, in general, treated much better on board the French than the Engiifh fhips. And perhaps, this is the reafon why the French cannot fup- port a concurrence with the Engiifh, who nourifh them worfe, and expend lefs. I fpoke with fome of thefe merchants of the focletic8 formed in America, England, and France, for the abolition of this horrid com- merce. They did not know of their exig- ence, and they confidered their efforts as the movements of a blind and dangerous enthu- fiafm. Filled with old prejudices, and not having read any of the profound difcuffions which this philoibphical and political infur- reOiion has excited in England they ceafed not to repeat to me, that the culture of fugar could not be carried on, but by the blacks, and by black flaves. The whites, they fay, cannot undertake it, on account of the ex- treme heat ; and no work can be drawn out of the blacks, but by the force of the whip. To this objedion, as to twenty others which I have heard a hundred times repeat- ed, I oppofed the vidorious anfwers which you know* ; but I converted nobody. In- * See Clarkfon, FroiTard, &c. G terefl go NEW TRAVELS IN THE tereft ftill fpcaks too high ; and it is not enough Inftrudted. Thefe French merchants have confirmed to me a faâ, which the fociety in London has announced to us ; it is, that the EngHfh carry on this trade under the name of French houfes, and thus obtain the premiums which the French government gives to this com- merce. Thefe premiums amount to one half of the original price of the flaves. I mentioned, to them an eftablifhment form- ed at Sierra Leona, to cultivate fugar by free hands, and extend their culture and civiliza- tion in Africa. They anfwered me, that this fettlement would not long fubfift ; that the French and Engliih merchants viewed it w^ith an evil eye, and would employ force to de- ilroy their rifing colony*. Thefe merchants appeared to me to have more prejudice than inhumanity ; and that if they could be told of a new commerce more advantageous, it would not be difficult * This infernal projeft has fucceeded, but the triumph will not be long ; for two focieties are formed in London, to colo- nize in Africa, and civilize the blacks. See, on this fubjeft, an excellent pamphlet, intitled, L' Almiral refute par hi même ^ to UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 91 to induce them to abandon the fale of the wretched Africans. Write then, print, and be not weary in giving information. I fee in this port, one of thofe packets def- tined for the correfpondence between France and the United States, and afterwards em- ployed in the very ufelefs and expenfive royal correfpondence with our Iflands ; — a fyftem adopted only to favour, at the public expence, fome of the creatures of the miniftry. This fhip, called Maréchal de Cajîries^ was built in America, and is an excellent failer. This is the beft anfwer to all the fables uttered at the office of Marine at Verfailles, againft the American timber, and the American conflruc- ticn. Adieu, my friend ! the wind is fair, and we are on the point of embarking. I am im- patient ; for every thing here afflids me ; even the accents of patriotifm are alarming and fufpicious. Such is the fatal influence of arbitrary governments : they fever all connec- tions, they cramp confidence, induce fufpi- cion, and, of confequence, force men of li- berty and fenfibility to fequefter themfelves, to be wretched, or to live in eternal fear. I G 2 paint 92 NEW TRAVELS IN THE paint to you, here, the martyrdom which I have endured for fix months ; I have not feen a new face, that has not given me fufpicion. This fituation is too violent for me — in a few hours my breaft will be at eafe, my foul will be quiet. What happinefs I am going to en- joy in breathing a free air ! LETTER UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 93 LETTER II. Bofton, July 30, 1788. W ITH what joy, my good friend, did I leap to this fhore of liberty ! I was weary of the fea ; and the fight of trees, of towns, and even of men, gives a delicious refrefh- mcnt to eyes fatigued' with the defert of the ocean. I flew from defpotifm, and came at lall to enjoy the fpedacle of liberty, among a people, where nature, education, and habit had engraved the equality of rights, which every where elfe is treated as a chi- mera, with what pleafure did I contem- plate this town, which firft fhook off the Englifli yoke ! which, for a long time, refift- ed all the fedudions, all the menaces, all the horrors of a civil war ! How I delighted to wander up and down that long ftreet, whofe fimple houfes of wood border the magnifi- cent channel of Bofton, and whofe full ftores offer me all the productions of the continent which I had quitted ! How I enjoyed the aâiivity of the merchants, the artizans, and the failors ! It was not the noify vortex of Paris ; it was not the unquiet, eager mien of G 3 my 94 ^'EW TRAVELS IN THE my countrymen ; it was the fimple, dignified air of men, who are confcious of liberty, and who fee in all men their brothers and their equals. Every thing in this ftreet bears the marks of a town ftill in its infancy, but which, even in its infancy, enjoys a great profperity. I thought myfelf in that Salen- tum, of which the lively pencil of Fenelon has left us fo charming an image. But the profperity of this new Salentum was not the work of one man, of a king, or a minifter ; it is the fruit of liberty, that mother of in- duftry. Every thing is rapid, every thing great, every thing durable with her. A royal or minifterial profperity, like a king or a mi- nifter, has only the duration of a moment. Bofton is juft rifmg from the devaftations of war, and its commerce is flourifhing ; its manufaûures, produdions, arts, and fciences, offer a number of curious and interefting ob- fervations. The manners of the people are not exaâly the fame as defcribcd by M. de Crevecœur. You no longer meet here that Prefbyterian aufterity, which interdii^ed all pleafures, even that of walking ; which forbade travelling on Sunday, which perfecuted men whofe opi- nions were different from their own. The Boftonians UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 95 Boftonians unite fimplicity of morals with that French politenefs and deUcacy of man- ners which render virtue more amiable. They are hofpitabie to ftrangers, and oblig- ing to friends ; they are tender hufbands, fond and almoft idolatrous parents, and kind mafters. Mufic, which their teachers formerly profcribed as a diabolic art, begins to make part of their education. In fome houfes you hear the forte-piano. This art, it is true, is ftill in its infancy ; but the young novices who exercife it, are fo gentle, fo complaifant, and fo modeft, that the proud perfedion of art gives no pleafure equal to what they afford. God grant that the Bof- tonian women may never, like thofe of France, acquire the malady of perfection in ' this art ! It is never attained, but at the ex- pence of the domeftic virtues. The young women here, enjoy the liberty they do in England, that they did in Geneva when morals were there, and the republic exifted ; and they do not abufe it. Their frank and tender hearts have nothing to fear from the perfidy of men. Examples of this perfidy are rare ; the vows of love are be- lieved ; and love always refpedts them, or fhame follows the guilty. The 96 NEW TRAVELS IN THE The Boftonlan mothers are referved their ; air is however frank, good, and communi- cative. Entirely devoted to their families, they are occupied in rendering their hufbands happy, and in training their children to virtue. The law denounces heavy penalties againil adultery ; fuch as the pillor)'-, and imprifon- ment. This law has fcarcely ever been called into execution. It is becaufe families are happy ; and they are pure, becaufe they are happy. Neatnefs without luxury, is a charac- teriftic feature of this purity of manners ; and this neatnefs is feen every where at Bof- ton, in their drefs, in their houfes, and in their churches. Nothing is more charming than an infide view of the church on Sunday. The good cloth coat covers the man ; calli- coes and chintzes drefs the women and chil- dren, without being fpoiled by thofe gew- gaws which vHiim and caprice have added to them among our women. Pow^der and pomatum never fully the heads of infants and children : I fee them with pain, how- ever, on the heads of men : they invoke the art of the hair dreffer ; for, unhappily, this art has already croifed the feas. I {hall UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 97 I fhall never cail to mind, without emotion, tjie pleaiiire I had one day in hearing the re- fpe6table Mr. Clarke, fucceiror to the learned I>o^£lor Chauncey, the friend of mankind. His church is in clofe union with that of Doftor Cooper, to wliom every good French- man, and every friend of liberty, owes a tri- bute of gratitude, for the love he bore the French, and the zeal with which he defended and preached the American independence. I remarked in this auditory, the exterior of that eafe and content m.^nt of which I have fpoken ; that colleéled calmnefs, refulting from the habit of gravity, and the confcious prefence of the almighty ; that religious de- cency, which is equally diitant from grovel- ling idolatry, and from the light and wanton airs of thofe Europeans who go to a church as to a theatre Speftatum veniunt, veniunt fpectentur ut ipfjp. Eut, to crown my happinefs, I faw none of thofe livid wretches, covered with rags, who in Europe, foliciting cur cQmpalTion at the foot of the altar, feem to bear tellimonv againft Providence, our humanity, and the order of fociety. The difcourfe, the prayer, the worfliip, every thing, bore the fame /im- plicit). 98 NEW TRAVELS IN THE pHcity. The fermon breathed the beft mo- rality, and it was heard with attention. The excellence of this morality charaâ:e- rizes airaoft all the fermons of all the fefts through the Continent. The minifters rarely fpeak dogmas : univerfal tolerance, the child of American independence has banifhed the preaching of dogmas, which always leads to difcuffioii and quarrels. All the fed:s admit nothing but morality, which is the fame in ail, and the only preaching proper for a great fociety of brothers. This tolerance is unlimited at Bofton ; a town formerly witnefs of bloody perfecutions, eipecially againft the Quakers ; where many of this feâ: paid, with their life, for their perleverance in their religious opinions. Jufl Heaven ! how is it poffible there can exift men believing fmcercly in God, and yet barbarous enough to infliâ: death on a woman, the intrepid Dyer*', becaufe fhe theed * M. de Warville appears to have been inifinformcd with refpeét to the fcvcriiy of the perfecutions againfl the Quakers in MaiFachufetts ; and particularly the circumftances relating to Mrs. Dyer, This woman, I believe, is the only perfon ever put to death in that colony for any thing coniief^ed v.'irh reli- giouf UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 99 iheed and thoud men, becaufe flie did not believe in the divine million of priefts, becaufe (lie would follow the gofpel literally ? But let us draw the curtain over thefe fcenes of horror ; they will never again fully this new continent, deftined bv Heaven to be the afylum of liberty and humanity. Everyone gious principles. The highell penalties iriflifted by law againft the Quakers, or any other feet, on account of its religion, was b^niflunent . The Quakers then formed a fettlement at Rhod*: Ifland ; but feveral of them returned frequently to Maflachu- fetts, with fuch a zeal for making profelytes, as to difturbthe ©rder of fociety. The difobedience of returning from banifli- Hient was then interdicted by the penalty of whipping; this not anfwering the purpofe, the terrors of death were added. This unhappy woman, infpired, it feems, with the frenzy of martyrdom came to provoke the pains of this fevere law. She raved in the ftreets againft the magiflrates and the church ; went into religious aflembiies, raifed loud cries to drown the voice of the preachers, called them the worHiippers of J?aal ; defied the judges, and faid Ihe would leave them no peace till they fhould incur the vengeance of Heaven, and the down- fall ef their own fedt, by putting her to death ? The caufes on both parties, which led to this event, were doubtlefs culpable ; but, to compare the demerit of each, would require a refearch equally difficult and ufelefs at the prefent day. Perfecution and contumacy are reciprocal caufes and cfFefts of the fame evils in fociety; and perhaps thefe par- ticular perfecuted Quakers were as different in their character from the prefent refpc6tablc order of Friends in America, as the firft Puritans of Botlon were from its prefent inhabitants. The delirium about witchcraft in Maffachufetts, is fome- times igncrantly confounded with the perfecution of the Quakers. . Tr.\KSI. ATOR. .It 100 NEW TRAVELS ÎN THE at prefent wor(hips God in his own way at Bofton. Anabaptifts, Methodift«, Quakers, and Catholics, profefs openly their opinions : and ail offices of government, places and emoluments, are equally open to all fe6ts. Virtue and talents, and not religious opinions, are the tefts of public confidence. The minifters of different feds live in fuch harmony, that they fupply each other's places when any one is detained from his pulpit. On feeing men think fo differently on matters of religion, and yet poffefs fuch vir- tues, it may be concluded, that one may be very honeft, and believe, or not believe, in tranfubftantiation, and the word. They have concluded that it is beft to tolerate each other, and that this is the worfhip moft agreeable to God. Before this opinion was fo general among them, they had eftabliftied another : it was the neceffity of reducing divine worfhip to the greateft fimplicity, to difconueâ: it from all its fuperflitious ceremonies, which gav^ it tlie appearance of idolatry ; and particu- larly, not to give their prleftvS enormous fala- ries, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. lOI ries, to enable them to live in luxury and idlenefs ; in a word, to reftore the evangeli- cal fimplicity. They have fuccecded. In the country, the church has a glebe ; in town, the minifters live on collerions made each Sunday in the church, and the rents cf pews. It is an excellent practice to induce the mini- fters to be diligent in their ftudies, and faith- ful in their duty ; for the preference is given to him whofe difcourfes pleafe the moft*, and his falary is the moft confiderable : while, among us, the ignorant and the learned, the debauchee and the man of virtue, are always fure of their livings. It refults, likewife, from this, that a mode of worfhip will not be im- pofed on thole who do not believe in it. Is it not a tyranny to force men to pay for the fupp ort of a fyftem which they abhor ? * The truth of this remark ftruck me at Bofton and eKe- where in the United States. Almoft all the minifters are men of talents, or at leaft, men of learning. With thefe precar-ious falaries, the minifters of Bofton not only live well, but they marry, and rear large families of children, This hQ. confirms the judicious remarks of M. Claviere on the advantages of the priefts marrying, even when their falary is fmall. Their alli- ance would be fought after, by fathers who would wiHi to give their daughters hufbands well inftrufted, and of good morals. The fame thing will happen in France when the priefts Hiall be allowed to marry. They ought not then to dread marriage, though thsir falarie* fhould be fma'l,. The I02 ^ NEW TRAVELS IN THE The Boftonians are become fo philofophl- cal on the fubjed: of religion, that they have lately ordained a man who was refufed by the bifhop. The fed: to which he belongs have inflalled him in their church, and given him the power to preach and to teach ; and he preaches, and he teaches, and difcovers good abilities ; for the people really deceive them- felves in their choice. — ^This economical in- flitution, which has no example but in the primitive church, has been cenfured by thofe who believe Hill in the tradition of orders by the diredt defcendants of the Apoftles. But the Boftonians are fo near believing that every man may be his own preacher, that the apof- tolic doâ:rine has not found very warm advo- cates. They will foon be, in America, in the fituation where M. d'Alembert has placed the minillers of' Geneva. Since the ancient puritan aufterity has dis- appeared, you are no longer furprifed to fee a game of cards introduced among thefe good Prefoyterians. When the mind is tranquil, in the enjoyment of competency and peace, it is natural to occupy it in this way, efpe- cially in a country where there is no theatre, where men make it not a bufmefs to pay court to the women, where thev read few books, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I03 few books, and cultivate ftlU lefs the fciences. This tafle for cards is certainly unhappy in a republican ftate. The habit of them contrats the mind, prevents the acquifition of ufeful knowledge, leads to idlenefs and diffipation, and gives birth to every malignant paffion. Happily it is not very confiderable in Bof- ton : you fee here no fathers of families rifk- ing their whole fortunes in it. There are many clubs at Bollon. M. Chaftellux fpeaks of a particular club held once a week. I was at it feveral times, and was much pleafed with their poiitenefs to ftrangers, and the knowledge difplayed in their converfation. There is no coffee- houfe at Bofton, New-York, or Philadelphia. One houfe in each town, that they call by that name, ferves as an exchange. One of the principal pleafures of the inha- bitants of thefe towns, confifts in little parties for the country, among families and friends. The principal expence of the parties, efpeci- ally after dinner, is tea. In this, as in their whole manner of living, the Americans in general refemble the Englifh. Punch, warm and cold, before dinner ; excellent beef, and Spanifh and Bordeaux wines, cover their tablcï». t04 NEW TRAVELS IN THE tables, always folidly and abundantly ferved. Spruce beer, excellent cyder, and Philadelphia porter, precede the wines. This porter is equal to the Englifh : the manufad:ure of it faves a vaft tribute formerly paid to the Eng»- îifh induftry. The fame may focn be faid with refped: to cheefe. I have often found American cheefe equal to the beft Chelliirè of England, or the Rocfort of France. This may with truth be faid of that made on a farm on Elizabeth Ifland, belonging to the refpeccable Governor Bowdoin. After forcing the Engliili to give up their domination, the Americans determined to rival them in eveiy thing ufeful. This fpirit of emulation fliews itfelf every where : it has ereded at Bofton an extenfive glafs manufac- tory, belonging to M. Breek and others. This fpirit of emxulation has opened to the Bollonians, fo many channels of commerce, which lead them to all parts of the globe. ^>jl niortalibuî arduum eft; Audax japeti gcnui. Iftliefe lines could ever apply to any people, it is to the free Americans. No danger, no difbance, no obilacle impedes them. What have UNITED STATES OF AMERJCA. I05 have they to fear ? All mankind are their brethren : they wilh peace with all. It is this fpirit of emulation, which multi-* plies and brings to perfedion fo many manu- faâ:ories of cordage in this town ; which has ereded filatures of hemp and flax, proper to occupy young people, without fubjed:ing them to be crouded together in fuch numbers as to ruin their health and their morals ; proper, like wife, to occiipy that clafs of wo^ men, whom the long voyages of their fea- faring hufbands and other accidents reduce to inoccupation. To this fpirit of emulation are owing the manufactories of fait, nails, paper and pa- per-hangings, which are multiplied in this ftate. The rum diftilleries are on the decline, fmce the fuppreflion of the flave trade, in which this liquor was employed, and fmce the diminution of the ufe of flrong fpirits by the country people. This is fortunate for the human race ; and the American induftry will foon repair the fmall lofs it fuftains from the decline of this fabrication of poifons. H MalTa- Io6 NEW TRxWELS IN THE Maflachufetts wifhcs to rival, in manufac- tures, Conned:icut and Pennfylvania ; fhe has like the laft, a fociety formed for the encou- ragement of manufadures and induftry. The greateft monuments of the induftry of this ftate, are the three bridges of Charles, Maiden and EfTex. Bofton has the glory of having given the firft college or univerfity to the new^ world. It is placed on an extenfive plain, four miles from Bofton, at d." place called Cambridge ; the origin of this ufeful inftitution was in 1636. The imagination could not fix on a place that could better unite all the con- ditions eflential to a feat of education ; fuifi- ciently near to Bofton, to enjoy all the ad- vantages of a communication with Europe and the reft of the world ; and fufiiciently diftant, not to expofe the ftudents to the con- tagion of licentious m.anners, common in commercial towns. The air of Cambridge is pure, and the en- virons charming, oflering a vaft fpace for the exercife of the youth. The buildings are large, numerous, and well UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, I07 Well diftributed. But, as the number of the ftudentb augQients every day, it will be neceflary foon to augment the buildings. The library, and the cabinet of philofophy, do honour to the inftitution. The firft contains 13,000 volumes. The heart of a French- man palpitates on finding the works of P^a- cine, of Montefquieu, and the Encyclopaedia^ where, 150 years ago, arofe the fmoke of the favage calumet. The regulation of the courfe of ftudies here, is nearly the fame as that at the univer- fity of Oxford. I think it impoffible but that the laft revolution muft introduce a great reform. Free men ought to ftrip themfelves of their prejudices, and to perceive, that, above all, it is neceffary to be a man and a citizen ; and that the ftudy of the dead languages^ of a faftidious philofophy and theology, ought to occupy few of the moments of a life, which might be ufefully employed in ftudies more adrantageous to the great family of the hu- man race. Such a change in the ftudies is more pro- bable, as an academy is formed at Bofton, compofed of refped:able men, who cultivate all the fciences j and who, difengaged from H 2 religious lo8 NEW TRAVELS IN THE religious prejudices, will doubtlefs very foon point out a courfe of education more fhort and more fure in forming good citizens and philofophers. Mr Bowdoin, prefident of this academy, is a man of univerfal talents. He unites with liis profound erudition, the virtues of a magif- trate, and the principles of a republic^^n poli- tician, His condud has never difappointed the confidence of his fellow citizens ; though his fon-in-law, Mr. Temple, has incurred their univerfal deteftation, for the verfatility of his condud: during the war, and his open attachment to the Britifh fmce the peace. To recompenfe him for this, the Englifh have given him the confulate-general of America, But, to return to the univerfity of Cam- bridge — Superintended by the refpedablc prefident Willard. Among the affociates in th-; direction of the ftudies, are diftinguifhed, Dr. Wigglefworth and Dr. Dexter. The latter is profeiTor of natural philofophy, che- miftry and medicine ; a man of extenfive knowledge, and great modefty. He told me to my great fatisfadion, that he gave ledures on the experiments of our fchool of chemif- Iry. The excellent work of my refpedable maftcr UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I09 mafter, Dr. Fourcroy, was in his hands, which taught him the rapid ftrides that this fcience has lately made in Europe. In a free country, every thing ought to bear the ftamp of patriotifm. This patriot- ifm fo happily difplayed in the foundation, endowment, and encouragement of this uni- verfity, appears every year in a folemn feaft celebrated at Cambridge in honour of the Sci- ences. This feaft, which takes place once a year in all the colleges of America, is called the commence?nent : it refembles the exercifes and diftribution of prizes in our colleges. It is a day of joy for Bofton ; almoft all its inha- bitants affemble in Cambridge. The moft diftinguifhed of the ftudents difplay their talents in prefence of the public ; and thefe exercifes, which are generally on patriotic fubje£ts, arc terminated by a feaft, where reign the freeft gaiety, and the moft cordial fraternity. It is remarked, that, in countries chiefly devoted to commerce, the fciences are not carried to any high degree. This remark applies to Bofton. The univerfity certainly contains men of worth and learning ; but fci- ence is not diffufcd among the inhabitants of H 3 the no NEW TRAVELS IN THB the town. Commerce occupies all their ideas, turns all their heads, and abforbs all their fpeculations. Thus you find few eftimable works, and few authors. The expence of the firft volume of the Memoirs of the Aca- demy of this town, is not yet covered ; it is two years fnice it appeared. Some time fmce was publifhed, the hiftory of the late troubles in Maflachufetts *, it is very well written. The author has fouriid much difficulty to indemnify himfelf for the expence of printing it. Never *has the whole of the precious hiftory of Nev/ Hampfhire, by Belnap, appeared, for want of encouragement. Poets, for the fame reafon, muft be more rare than other writers. They fpeak, how- ever, of an original, but lazy poet, by the name of Allen. His verfes are faid to be full of warmth and force. They mention particu- larly, a manufcript poem of his, on the famous battle of Bunker-Hill ; but he will not print it, He has for his reputation and his money the careleflnefs oî La Fontaine, They publifh a Magazine here, though the number of Gazettes is very confiderable. The multiplicity of Gazettes proves the aâ:ivity of commerce, and the tafte for politics and news J UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Ill news; the merits and multiplicity of Literary and Political Magazines are figns of the cul- ture of the fciences. You may judge from thefe details, that tlic arts, except thofe that refpeâ: navigation, do not receive much encouragement here. The hiftory of the Planetarium of Mr. Pope is a proof of it. Mr. Pope is a very ingenious artift, occupied in clock-making. The ma- chine which he has conftrudted, to explain the movement of the heavenly bodies, would aftonifh you, efpecially when you confider that he has received no fuccour from Europe, and very little from books. He owes the whole tQ himfelf ; he is, like the painter Trumbull, the child of nature. Ten years of his life have been occupied in perfecting this Planetarium. He had opened a fubfcrip- tion to recompenfe his trouble, but the fub- fcription was never full. This difcouraged artift: told me one day, that he was going to Europe to fell this ma- chine, and to conftruâ: others. This coun- try, faid he, is too poor to encourage the arts. Thefe words, tJj'is country is too poor^ ftruck me. I reflected, that if they were pro- nounced 112 KEW TRAVELS IN THE nounced in Europe, they might lead to wrong ideas of America ; for the idea of poverty carries that of rags, of hunger ; and no coun- try is more diftaut from that fad condition. When riches are centred in a few hands, thefe have a great fuperfiuity ; and this fuperfluity may be applied to their pleafures, and to fa- vour the agreeable and frivolous arts, When riches are equally divided in fociety, there is Very little fuperfiuity, and confequendy little means of encouraging the agreeable arts. But which of thefe two countries is the rich, and which is the poor ? According to the Euro- pean ideas, and in the fenfe of Mr. Pope, it is the firft that is rich ; but to the eye of rea- fon, it is not ; for the other is the happieft, Hence it refults, that the ability of giving en- couragement to the agreeable arts, is a fymp- torn of national calamity. Let us not blame the Boftonians ; they think of the ufeful, before procuring to them- felves the agreeable. They have no brilliant monuments ; but they have neat and com- modious churches, but they have good houfes, but they have fuperb bridges, and excellent Ihips. Their ftreets are well illuminated at night; while many ancient cities of Europe, containing UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. II3 containing proud monuments of art, have ne- ver yet thought of preventing the fatal effects of noâ:urnal darknefs. Befides the focieties for the encouragement of agriculture and manufadures, they have another, known by the name of the Humane Society. Their objeâ: is to recover drowned perfons. It is formed after the model of the one at London, as that is copied from the one at Paris. They follow the fame methods as in Europe, and have rendered important fuccours. The Medical Society is not lefs ufeful, than the one laft mentioned. It holds a correfpon- dence with all the country towns ; to know the fymptoms of local difeafes, propofe the proper remedies, and give inftrudtion there- upon to their fellow-citizens. v Another cftablifhment is the alms-houfe. It is deftined to the poor, who, by age and infirmity, are unable to gain their living. It contains at prefent about 150 perfons. Another, called the work-houfe, or houfc of corrcâiion, is not fo much peopled as you might imagine. In a rifmg country, in an adlivc 114 NEW TRAVELS IN THE aâ:ive port, where provlfions are cheap, good morals predominate, and the number of thieves and vagabonds is fmall. Thefe are vermia attached to milery ; and there is no mifery here. The ftate of exports and imports of this in- duftrious people, to prove to you how many new branches of commerce they have opened fince the peace, I refer to the general table of the commerce of the United States, which I propofe to lay before you. An employment which is, unhappily, one of the moll lucrative in this ftate, is the pro- fefTion of the Law^ They preferve ftill the expenfive forms of the Englilh pra6lice, which good fenfe, and the love of order, ought to teach them to fupprefs ; they render advOf cates neceiFary ; they have hkewife borrowed from their fathers, the Englilh, the habit of demanding exorbitant fees. But, notwith- ftanding the abufes of law proceedings, they complain very little of the Lawyers. Thofe with whom I have been acquainted, appear to tnjoy a great reputation for integrity ; fuch as Sumner, Wendell, Lowell, Sullivan. Thev UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. II5 They did themfelves honour in the affair of the Tender Ad, by endeavouring to prevent it from being enadted, and aftervv^ards to dimi- niû\ as much as pofîible its unjuft effeds. It is in part to their enlightened philanthro- py, that is to be attributed the Law of the ;26th of March, 1788, \vhich condemns to heavy penalties, all perfons who fliall import or export flaves, or be concerned in this infa- mous traffic. Finally, they have had a great part in the Revolution, by their writings, by their dif- courfes, by taking the lead in the affairs of Gongrefs, and in foreign négociations. To recall this memorable period, is to bring to mind one of the greateft ornaments of the American bar, the celebrated Adams ; who, from the humble ftation of a fchool-mafter, has raifed himfelf to the firft dignities ; whofc name is as much refpefted in Europe, as in his own country, for the difficult embaffies with which he has been charged. He has, finally, returned to his retreat, in the midft of the applaufes of his fellow-citizens, occu- pied in the cultivation of his farm, and for- getting what he was when he trampled on the Il6 KEW TRAVELS IN THE the pride of his king, who had put a price upon his head, and who was forced to re- ceive him as the ambafTador of a free country. Such w?re the generals and ambafTadors of the beft ages of Rome and Greece ; fuch were Epaminondas, Cincinnatus, and Fabius. It is not poflible to fee Mr. Adams, who knows fo well the American confliiutions, without fpcaking to him of that which appears to be taking place in France. I don't know whether he has an ill opinion of our characr ter, of our conftancy, or of our underftand- ing ; but he does nor believe that we can efta- blifh a liberty, even equal to what the En^ glifh enjoy* ; he does not believe, even that we have the right, like the ancient States-Ge- neral, to require that no tax fhould be im- pofed without the confent of the people. I had no difficulty in combating him, even by authorities, independent of the focial compadt againfl which no time, no concefiions can prefcribe. Mr. Adams is not the only man diftin- guiflied in this great revolution, who has retired to the obfcure labours of a country * The event has proved how much he was deceived. lifç. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. II 7 life. General Heath is one of thofe worthy- imitators of the Roman Cincinnatus ; for he likes not the American Cincinnati : their ea- gle appears to him a gewgaw, proper only for children. On (hewing me a letter from the immortal Wafhington, whom he loves as a father, and reveres as an angel — this letter, fays he, is a jewel which, in my eyes, fur- pafles ail the eagles and all the ribbons in the world. It was a letter in which that Gene- ral had felicitated him for his good condud: on a certain occafion. With what joy did this refpeftable man fhew me all parts of his farm ! What happinefs he enjoys on it ! He is a true farmer. A glafs of cyder, which he prefented to me with franknefs and good hu* mour painted on his countenance, appeared to me fuperior to the mofl exquifite wines. With this fnnplicity, men are worthy of liber- ty, and they are furc of enjoying it for a long time. This fimplicity charadterifes almoft all the men of this flate, who have aâ:ed diftinguiili- ed parts in the revolution : fuch, among others, as Samuel Adams, and Mr. Hancock the prefent governor. If ever a man was fin- cerely an idolater of republicanifm, it is Sa- muel AdamSj and never a man united more virtues il8 NEW TRAVELS IN THE virtues to give refpeâ: to his opinions. Hç has the ,excefs of republican virtues, untaint^ ed probity, fimplicity, modefty*, and, above all, firmnefs : he will have no capitulation with abufes ; he fears as much the defpotifm of virtue and talents, as the defpotifm of vice. Cherifliing the greateft love and rei'peâ: for Wafhington, he voted to take from him the command at the end of a certain term ; he recolledted, that Csefar could not have fuc- ceeded in overturning the republic, but by prolonging the command of the army. The event has proved that the application was falfe ; but it was by a miracle, and the fafety of a country fliould never be rifked on the faith of a miracle. ^ Samuel Adams is the befl fupporter of the party of Governor Hancock. You ktiow the great facrifices which the latter made in the revolution, and the boldnefs with which he declared liimfelf at the beginning of the infur- redion. The fame fpirit of patriotifm ani- mates him flill. A great generofity, united * When I compare aiir legiflators, '.vith their airs of im- portance, always fearing they iliall not make noife enough, that they rtiall not be fiifficiently praifed ; when I compare them to thefe modern republicans, 1 fear for the fuccefs of the revulu- tion. 1 he vaid man can never be far from flavery. to UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 119 to a vafl ambition, forms his charaûer : he has the virtues and the addrefs of popiilarifm ; that is to fay, that, without effort, he lliews himfelf the equal, and friend 01 all. I fup- ped at his houfe with a hatter, who appeared to be in great familiarity with him. Mr, Hancock is amiable and polite, when he wifhes to be ; but they fay he dees not al- ways chufe it. He has a marvellous gout, which diljpenfes him from all attentions, and forbids the accefs to his houfe. Mr. Hancock has not the learning of his rival, Mr. Bow- doin ; he feems even to difdain the fciences. The latter is more efteemed by enlightened men ; the former more beloved by the peo- ^h. Among the partizans of the gover- nor, I diftinguilhed two brothers, by the name of Jarvis ; one is comptroller general of the ftate; the other, a phyfician, and mem- ber of the legiflature. The firll: has as much calmnefs of examination and profunditv of thought, as the latter has of rapidity in his penetration, agility in his ideas, and vivacity in lus expreffion. They refemble each other intone point, that is, in fimplicity — the firft of republican virtues ; a virtue born with the Americans, and only acquired with us. If I were to paint to you all the -eftimable charac- ters which I found in this charming town, my portraits would never be fmiihed. I found every i20 NEW TRAVELS IN THE every where, that hofpitality, that affability, that friend fhip for the French, which M. Cal^ tellux has fo much exalted. I found them ef- pecially with MefTrs. Breck, Ruflel, Gore, Barrett, &c. The parts adjacent to Bofton, are charming and well cultivated, adorned with elegant houfes and agreeable fituations. Among the furrounding eminences you diftinguilh Bun- ker-hill. This name will recall to your mind the famous Warren ; one of the firft martyrs of American liberty. I owed an homage to his generous manes ; and I was eager to pay it. You arrive at Bunker-hill by the fuperb bridge at Charlefton, of which I have fpoken. This town was entirely burnt by the Englilh, in their attack of Bunker-hill. It is at prefent rebuilt with elegant houfes of wood. You fee here the ftore of Mr. Gorham, formerly prefident of Congrefs. This hill offers one of the moft aftonifhing monuments of American valor ; it is impoffible to conceive how feven or eight hundred men, badly armed, and fa- tigued, having juft conftrucfted, in hafte, a few miferable intrenchments, and who knew no- thing, or very little, of the ufe of arms, could refift, for fo long a time, the attack of thou- fands of the Englilh troops, frefh, well difci- plined, fucceeding each other in the attack. But UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 121 But fuch was the vigorous refiftance of the Americans, that the Englifh loft 1200 men, killed and wounded, before they becam.e maf- ters of the place. Obferve that they had two frigates, which, crofling their fire on Char- left on, prevented the arrival of fuccour to the Americans. Yet it is "very probable that the Englifti would have been forced to retire, had not the Americans failed in amunition. While the friend of liberty is contemplat- ing this fcene, and dropping a tear to the me- mory of Warren, his emotions of enthufiafm are renewed on viewing the expreftive piâure of the death of that warrior, painted by Mr. Trumbull, whofe talents may equal, one day, thofe of the moft famous mafters. I muft finifh this long, and too long, letter. Many objects remain ftill to entertain you with in this ftate, fuch as the conftitution, debts, taxes ; but I refer them to the general table which I fhall make of them for the United States. The taxable heads of this ftate are upwards of 100,000, acres of arable land 200,000, pafturage 340,000, unculti- vated 2,000,000, tons of Shipping at Bofton 60,000. I LETTER 122 NEW TRAVELS IN THE LETTER III. younuy from Bojlon W^New-Tork^ by land. 9th. Aug. 1788. 1 HE diftance of thefe towns is about two hundred and fifty miles. Many perfons have united in eftabliiliing a kind of diligence, or public ftage, which paiTes regularly for the convenience of travellers. In the fummer feafon, the journey is performed in four days. We fet out from Boflon at four o'clock in the morning, and pafied through the handfome town of Cambridge. The country appears well cultivated as far as "Wefton, where we breakfafted ; thence we pafTed to Worcefter to dinner, forty-eight miles from Bofton. This town is elegant, and well peopled : the printer, Ifaiah Thomas, has rendered it fa- mous through all the continent. He prints moft of the works which appear ; and it m.uft be granted that his editions are corre(5l. Thomas UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I23 Thomas is the DUot of the United States, The tavern, where we had a good American dinner*, is a charming houfe of wood, well ornamented ; it is kept by Mr. Peafe, one of the proprietors of the Boflon flage. He has much merit for his aâivity and induftry ; but it is to be hoped he will change the prefent plan, fo far as it refpeâs his horfes : they are over-done v/ith the length and difficulty of the courfes, which ruin them in a fhort time, be- fides retarding very much the progrefs. We flept the firft night at Spenfer, a new village in the midft of the woods. The houfe of the tavern was but half built ; but the part that was finifhed, had an air of cleanlinefs which pleafes, becaufe it announces that de- gree of competence, thofe moral and delicate habits, which are never feen in our villages. The chambers were neat, the beds good, the jQieets clean, fupper paflable; cyder, tea, punch, and all for fourteen pence a-head. There w^ere four of us. Now, compare, my friend, this order of things with what you have a * If I fometimes cite dinners and flippers, it is not in memo- ry of eating and drinking, but it is to fliow the manntr of liv- ing of the country, and likewife to fpeak of the prices of provi- fions, lo much exaggerated by Chaftcllux. I 2 thoufand 124 ^^^^ TRAVELS IN THE tîioufand times feen in our French taverns — chambers dirty and hideous, beds infeded with bugs, thofe infedts which Sterne calls the rightful inhabitants of taverns, if indeed long pofTefTion gives a right ; Iheets ill waflied, and exhaling a fetid odour ; bad covering, wine adulterated, and every thing at its weight in gold ; greedy fervants, who are tomplaifant.only in proportion to your equi- page ; grovelling towards a rich traveller, and infoient towards him whom they fufpe£t of mediocrity. Such are the eternal torments of travellers in France : add to this, the fear ' of being robbed, the precautions neceflary to be taken every night to prevent it ; while, in the United States, you travel without fear, as without arms* ; and you fleep quietly among the woods, in an open chamber of a houfe whofe doors fhut without locks. And now judge which country merits the name of ci- vilized, and which bears the afpe£t of the greatefl: general happinefs. We left Spenfer at four o'clock in the morning. New carriage, new proprietor. It * I travelled with a Frenchman, who, thinking he had much to fear in a favage country, had furniHied himfelf with piftols- The good American finiled at his precautions, and advifed him to put his pillols in his trunk: he had wit enough to believe him, « was UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 125 was a carnage without fprings, a kind of wag- gon. A Frenchman, who was with me, be- gan, at the firft jolt, to curfe the carriage, the driver, and the country. Let us wait, faid I, a Httle, before we form a judgment ; every cuftom has its caufe ; there is doubtlefs fome reafon why this kind of carriage is pre- ferred to one hung with fprings. In fad", by the time we had run thirty miles among the rocks, we were convinced that a carnage with fprings would very foon have been overfet and broke. The traveller is well recompenfed for the fatigue of this route, by the variety of roman- tic fituations, by the beauty of the profpeds which it offers at each (lep, by the perpe- tual contraft of favage nature and the efforts of art. .Thofe vafl ponds of water, which lofe themfelves in the woods ; thofe rivulets, that wafli the meadow, newly fnatched from uncultivated nature ; thofe neat houfes, fcat- tered among the forefts, and containing fwarms of children, joyous and healthy, and vv^ell clad ; thofe fields, covered with trunks of trees, whofe deftrudion is committed to the hand of time, and which are covered under the leaves of Indian corn ; thofe oaks, I 3 which 126 NEW TRAVELS lî^ THE "which preferve ftill the image of their ancient vigour, but which, girdled at the bottom, raife no longer to heaven but dry and naked branches, which the firft ftroke of wind muft bring to the earth : — all.thefe objeds, fo new to an European, arreft him, abforb him, and plunge him into an agreeable reverie. The depths of the forefts, the prodigious fize and height of the trees, call to his mind the time "when the favages w^ere the only inhabitants of this country. This ancient tree has be- held them ; they filled thefe forefts : they have now given place to another generation. The cultivator fears no more their vengeance ; his mufket, formerly his neceflary companion at the plough, now refts fufpended in his houfe. Alone, with his wife and children, in the midft of the forefts, he lleeps quietly, he labours in peace, and he is happy. Such were the ideas which occupied me the greater part of my journey : they fometimes gave place to others, arifing from the view of the country houfes, which are feen at fmall dif- tances through all the forefts of Maftachu- fetts. Neatnefs embellifhes them all. They have frequently but one ftory and a garret ; their v/alls are papered : tea and coffee ap- pear on their tables ; their daughters, clothed in callicoes, difplay the traits of civilty, frank- nefs. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I27 nefs, and decency ; virtues which always follow contentment and eafe. Almoft all thefe houfes are inhabited by men who are both cultivators and aitizans j one is a tan- ner, another a fhoemaker, another fells goods ; but all are farmers. THe country ftores are well afTorted ; you find in the fame fhop, hats, nails, liquors. This order of things is necelfary in a new fettlement : it is to be hoped that it will continue ; for this general retail occupies lefs hands, and de- taches fewer from the great objeQ of agri- culture. It is not fuppofed that one third of the land of Maflachufetts is under cultiva- tion : it is difficult to fay when it will ail be fo, confidering the invitations of the wcf- tern country and the province of Maine, But the uncleared lands are all located, and the proprietors have inclofed them with fences of different forts. Thefe feveral kinds of fences are compofed of different materials, which announce the different degrees of cul- ture in the country. Some are compofed of the light branches of trees ; others, of tlie trunks of trees laid one upon the other j a third fort is made of long pieces of wood, fupporting each other by making angles at the end ; a fourth kind is made of long pieces of hewn timber, fupported at the ends by palTmg into holes made in an upright pofl ; a fifth 128 NEW TRAVELS IN THE a fifth is like the garden fences in England ; the lafl: kind is made of ftones thrown to- gether to the height of three feet. This laft is moft durable, and is common in Mafla- chu'etts. From Spenfer to Brookfield is fifteen miles. The road is good as far as this lad town. A town you know in the interior of America, defignates an extent of eight or ten miles, where are fcattered a hundred or two hundred houfes. This divifion into towns, is neceffary for aflembling the inhabi- tants for elections and other pupofes. — Without this divifion, the inhabitants might go fometimes to one affembly, and fometimes to another, which would lead to confufion. Befides, it would render it impoflible to know the population of any particular canton ; this ferves for the bafis of many regulations. No people -carry their attention to this particu- lar, fo far as the Americans. The fituation of Brookfield is piâ:urefque. While breakfaft was preparing, I read the gazettes and journals, w^hich are diftrlbuted through oil the country. Our breakfafi: con- fifted of cofiee, tea, boiled and roafted meat ; the whole for ten-pence, New England cur- rency, for each traveller. From this place to Wilbraham the road is covered with rocks, and bordered with woods. At this place, a new UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 129 a new proprietor, and a n&w carriage. A fmaîl light carnage, well fufpended, and drawn by- two horfes, took place of our heavy waggoa. We could not conceive how five of us could fit in this little parilian chariot, and demanded another. The condud:pr faid he had no other : that there were fo few travellers in this part of the road, that he could not afford to run with more than two horfes ; tliat mort: of the travellers from New- York flopped in Connecticut, and moft of thofe from Bof- ton at \Vorcefl;er. We were obliged to fubmit. We ftarted like lightning ; and arrived, in an hour and a quarter, at Springfield, ten miles. This road appeared really enchanting ; I feemed the whole way to be travelling in one of the alleys of the Palais-royal This man was one of the mort: lively and indufiirious, at the fame time the moll patient, I ever met with. In my two journies through this place, I have heard many travellers treat him with very harfh language: he either anfwxrs not^at all, or anfv/ers by giving good reafons. The greater part of men of this profefiion, in this country, obferve the fame conduct in fuch cafes ; while the lead of thefe injuries in Europe would have occafioned bloody quar- rels. This fad proves to me, that, in a free country, reafon extends her empire over all clafl^es of men. Springfield, 13^) NEW TRAVELS IN THE Springfield, where we dined, refembles an European town ; that is, the houfes are placed near together. On a hill that over- looks this town, is a magazine of ammunition and arms belonging to the ftate of MafTachu- fetts. This is the magazine that the rebel Shays endeavoured to take, and was fo hap- pily defended by General Shepard. We fet out from Springfield, after dinner, for Hart- ford. We pafled in a ferry-boat, the river that waflies the environs of Springfield. I have pafi'ed twice through Hartford, and both times in the night ; fo that I cannot give an exad: defcription of it. It is a con- fiderable rural town ; the greater part of the inhabitants live by agriculture ; fo that eafe and abundance univerfally reign in it. It is confidered as one cf the moft agreeable in Conneâ:icut, on account of its fociety. It is the refidcnce of one of the moft refpe6lable men in the United States, Colonel Wadf- wêrth. He enjoys a confiderable fortune, which he owes entirely to his own labour and induftry. Perfeâly verfed in agriculture and commerce ; univerfally known for the fervice he rendered to the American and French armies during the war ; generally efteemed and beloved for his great virtues ; he crowns UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I31 crowns all his qualities by an amiable and fingular modefty. His adJrefs is frank, lis countenance open, and his difcourfe fimple. Thus you cannot fail to love him as loon as you fee him ; efpecially as foon as you know him. I here defcribe the imprelîîon he made on me. M. de Chaflcllux, in making; the culojrium of this refpeâable American, has fallen into an error which I ought to redlify. He fays, that he has made many voyages to the coaft of Guinea. It is incredible that this writer Ihould perfift in printing this as a fa6l, after Colonel Wadfworth begged him to fupprefs it. " To advance," faid he, " that I have " carried on the Guinea trade, is to give the " idea that I. have carried on the flave trade : *' whereas I always had the greateft abhor- " rence for this infamous traffic. I prayed " M. de Chaftellux, that in the edition he " was about to publifh in France he would " fupprefs this, as well as many other ilriking; " errors which appeared in the American ** edition of his work ; and I cannot conceive *' why he has redlified nothing." ' The environs of Hartford difplay a charm- ing cultivated country -, neat elegant lioufes, vaft I 132 NEW TRAVELS IN THE vafl meadows covered with herds of cattle of an enormous fize, which furnifh the mar- ket of New York, and even Philadelphia. You there fee fneep refembling ours ; but not, lil^e ours, watched by fliepherds, and tor- mented by dogs : hogs of a prodigious fize, furrounded with numerous families of pigs, wearing on the neck a triangular piece of wood invented to hinder them from pafTmg the barriers which inclofe the cultivated fields ; geefe and turkeys in abundance, as well as potatoes and all other vegetables.- Piodudions of every kind are excellent and cheap : the fruits, however, do not partake of this excellent quality, becaufe they are lefs attended to. Apples ferve for making cyder ; and great quantities of them are likewife exported. To defcribe the neighbourhood of Hart- ford, is to defcribe ConnecSticut ; it is to defcribe the neigbourhood of Middleton, of Newhaven, &c. Nature and Art have here difplayed all their treafures ; it is really the Paradife of the United States. M. de Creve- cœur, who has been fo much reproached with exaggeration, is even below the truth in his defcription of this part of the country. Read again his charming pidurc, and this reading will UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I33 will fupply the place of what it would be ufe- lefs here to repeat. This ftate owes all its advantages to its fituation. It is a fertile plain, inclofed between two mountains, which render difficult its com- munications by land with the other ftates. It is wadied by the fupcrb river Connedicut, which f*ills into the fea, and furnilhes a fafe and eafy navigation. Agriculture being the bafisofthe riches of this flate, they are here more equally divided. There is here more equality, lefs mifery, more fimplicity, more virtue, more of every thing which conftitutes republicanifm. Conne^Sticut appears like one continued town. On quitting Hartford you enter We- thersfield, a town not lefs elegant, very long, confifting of houfes well built. They tell me it gave birth to the famous Sihs Deane, one of the firft promoters of the American revolution; from a fchoolmafter in this town, elevated to the rank of an Envoy from Congrefs to Eu- rope ; he has fmce been aecufed of betraying this glorious caufe. Is the accufation true, or falfe ? It is difficult to decide. But he has been for a long time miferable in London : and it is in favour of the goodnefs of heart of the 134, NEW TRAVELS IN THE the Americans, to recount, that his bed friends and benefadlors are ilill among the ancient American Whigs. Wethersfiehl is remarkable for its vaft fields uniformly covered with onions ; of which great quantities are exported to the \Veft- Indies. It is hkewife remarkable for its ele- gant meeting-houfe, or church. On Sunday- it is faid to offer an enchanting fpedtacle, by the number of young handfomc perfons who aiTemble there, and by the agreeable mufic with which they intermingle the divine fervice, Newhaven yields not to Wethersfield for the beauty of the ^ir fex. At their balls during the winter, it is not rare to fee an hundred charming girls, adorned with thofe brilliant complexions feldom met v/ith in journeying to the South, and dreffed in ele- gant fnnplicity. The beauty of complexion is as flriking in Connedticut, as its numerous population. You will not go into a tavern without meeting with neatnefs, decency, and dignity. I'he tables are ferved by a young girl, decent and pretty : by an amiable mother, whofe age has not effaced the agreeablenefs of her features ; by men who have that air cf dig- nitv UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I35 nity which the idea of equality infpires ; and wijo are not ignoble and bafe, like the greateil part of our tavern-keepers. On the road you often meet thofe fair Conneâiicut girls, either driving a carriage, or alone on horie-back, galloping boldly ; v/ith an elegant hat on the head, a white apron, and a calico gown ; — ufages which prove at once the early cultiva- tion of their reafon, fince they are trufted fo young to themfelves, the fafety of the road, and the general innocence of manners. You will fee them hazarding themfelves alone, without protedlors, in the public ftages — I am wrong to fay ha%arding ; who can offend them ? They are here under the protecStion of public morals, and of their own inno- cence : it is the confcioufnefs of this inno- cence, which renders them fo complaifant, and fo good ; for a ftranger takes them by the hand, and laughs with them, and they are not offended at it. Other proofs of the profperity of Connec- ticut, are the number of new houfes every- where to be feen, and the number of rural manufaâiories arifmg on every fide, of which I fhall fpeak hereafter. But even in this flate there are many lands to fell. A principal caufe of this is the tafte for emigration to the wxftern 136 NEW TRAVELS IN THE weftern country. The defire of finding bet- ter, embitters the enjoyments even of the in- habitants of Connedicut. Perhaps this tafte arifes from the hope of efcaping taxes, v/hich though fmall, and almoft nothing in compa- rifon with thofe of Europe, appear very heavy. In a country hke the United States, every thing favours the forming of new fettle- ments. The new comers are fure, every- where, of finding friends and brothers, v;^ho fpeak their own language, and admire their courage. Provifions are cheap the whole way ; they have nothing to fear from the fearch of cuftom-houfe clerks, on entering from one province to another, nor river-tolls, nor imports, nor vexations ; — man is free as the air he breathes. The tafte for emigration is every day augmenting, by thô accounts in the public papers of the arrival of different families. Man is like fheep every-where : he ■ fays. Such an one has fucceeded^ why fiall not I fucceed ? I am nothing here^ I Jloall he fomething on the Ohio ; I work haj'd ha^e^ I Jhall not tvorkfo hard there. Before arriving at Middleton, where we were to breakfail, we flopped on the hill which overlooks that town and the immenfe valley en which it is built. It is one of the finefl: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I37 lineft and richeft profpedts that I have feen in Americai I could not fatiate myfelf with the variety^ of the fcenes which this larldfcape laid before me. Middlcton is built like Hartford : broad ftreets, trees on the fides, and handfome houfes. We changed horfes and carriages at Durham ; and after admiring a number of pidturefque fituations on the road, we arrived at Newhaven, where we dined. Theuniver- fity here enjoys a great reputation through the continent ; the port is much frequented j the fociety is faid to be very agreeable. New- haven has produced the celebrated poet, Trumbull*, author of the immortal poem M'Fingal, which rivals, if not furpaffes, in keen pleafantry, the famous Hudibras. Colonel Humphreys*, whofe poem, much cfteemed in America, is tranflated by M. de Chaftelîux, is likewife a native of this town. The uni- verfity ii> prefided by a refpectable and learn- ed man, Mr. Stiles. We were obliged to quit this charming town, to arrive in the evening at Fairfield. We paffed the incon- venient ferry at Stratford ; afterwards, aflailed by a violent ftorm, we were well enough * M. de Warville is here mifinformed. Mr. Trtimbull is a native of V/acetburj, and Mr. Humphreys of Derby. K defended 1^8 NEW TRAVELS IN THE defended from it by a double curtain of lea- ther which covered the carriage. The dri- ver, though pierced through with the- rain, continued his route through the obfcurity of a very dark night. Heaven preferved us from accident, at which I w^as much aftonifh- ed. We pafled the night at Fairfield, a town unhappily celebrated in the laft war. It ex- perienced all the rage of the Englifh, who burnt it. You perceive ftill the veftiges of this infernal fury. Moft of the houfes are rebuilt ; but thofe who have feen this town before the war, regret its ancient ftate, and the air of eafc, and even opulence, that then didinguidiedit. They fliewed me the houfe of the richeft inhabitant, where all travel- ler? of dirtin6tion met an hofpitable reception ; and where was often feafted, the infamous Tryon, who commanded this expedition of cannibals. Forgetting all fentiments of gra- titude and humanity, he treated with the laft extremity of rigour the miftrefs of this houfe, who had received him as a friend ; and after having given her his word for the fafety of her houfe, he ordered it to be fet on fire. At Fairfield finifhed the agreeable part of our journey. From this town to Rye, thirty- three miles, we had to ftruggle againft rocks and precipices. I knew not which to admire moil UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I39 moft in the driver, his intrepidity or dexte- rity. I cannot conceive how he avoided twenty times dafhing the carriage in pieces, and how his horfes could retain themfelves in defcending the ftair-cafes of rocks. One of thefe is called Horfeneck ; a chain of rocks fo fteep, that if a horfe fhould flip, the car- riage muft be thrown into a valley two or three hundred feet. From Horfeneck we pafled to New Ro- chelle, a colony founded the laft century by fome French emigrants, which appears not to have profpered. Perhaps this appearance refults from the laft war ; for this place fuf- fered much from the neighbourhood of the Englifh, whofe head-quarters were at New- York. This place, however, will always be celebrated for having given birth to one of the moft diftingultlied men of the laft revolu- tion — a republican remarkable for his firm- nefs and his coolnefs, a writer eminent for his nervous ftyle, and his clofe logic, Mr. Jay, at prefent minifter of foreign affairs. The following anecdote will give an idea of the firmnefs of this republican : at the time of laying the foundation of the peace in 1783, M. de Vergennes, aduated by fccret- K 2 motives, 140 NEW TRAVELS IN THE motives, wifhed to engage the embafladors of Congrefs to confine their demands to the fifheries, and to renounce the weflern terri- tory ; that is, the vaft and fertile country be- yond the Alleganey mountains. The Mini- fter required particularly, that the indepen- dence of America fhould not be confidered as the bafis of the peace ; but, fimply, that it fhould be conditional. To fucceed in this projeâ:, it was neceflary to gain over Jay and Adams. Mr Jay declared to M. de Vergen- nes, that he would fooner lofe his life than fign fuch a treaty ; that the Americans fought for independence ; that they would never lay down their arms, till it fhould be fully confecrated ; that the Court of France had recognifed it, and that there would be a con- tradiâ:ion in her conduct, if fhe fhould de- viate from that point. It was not difficult for Mr. Jay to bring Mr. Adams to this deter- mination ; and M. de Vergennes could never fhake his firmnefs*. Confider here the flrange concurrence of * Tlie talents of Mr. Jay fhoie wirh dtftinguinied luftre in the convention of the ftate of New- York for examining the new federal conftitution. Mr. Clinton the Governor, at thç head of the Antifcderialifts, had at firft a great majority; but he could not refift the logic of Mr. Jay, and the elo- quence of Mr, Hamilton. events. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I4I events. The American, who forced the Court of France, and gave laws to the En- giifh minifter, was the grandfon of a French refugee of the laft century, who fled to New- Rochelle. Thus the defcendant of a man, whom Louis XIV. had perfecuted with a foolifh rage, impofed his decifions on the defcendent of that fovereign, in his ovrn palace, a hundred years after the haniihment of the ancellor. Mr. Jay, was equally immoveable by all efforts of the Englifh rainiiler, whom M. de Vergennes had gained to his party. He proved to him, that it was the interefl of the Engliih themfelves, that the Americans fhould be independent and not in a fituation which fhould render them dependent on their ally. He converted him to this fentiment ; for his reafoning determined the court of St. James's. When Mr. Jay pafTed through England to return to America, Lord Shel- bourne defired to fee him. Accufed by the nation of having granted too much to the Americans, he defired to know, in cafe he had perfifted not to accord to the Americans the weftern territory, if they would have continued the war? Mr. Jay anfwered, that K 3 he 142 NEW TRAVELS IN THE he believed it, and that he fhould have ad- vii ^ed it. It is thirty-one miles from Rye to New- York. The road is good, even, and gravelly. We flopped at one of the heft taverns I have feen in America. It is kept by Mrs. Havi- land. We- had an excellent dinner, and cheap. To other circumftances very agree- able, which gave us good cheer at this houfe, the air of the miftrefs was infinitely graceful and obliging ; and fhe had a charming daugh- ter, genteel and well educated, who played very well the forte-piano. Before arriving at new York, we pafTed by thofe places which the Englilh had fo well fortified while they were mafters of them. You ftill fee their different redoubts and fortifications, which atteft to the eye of the obferver the folly of this fratricidious war. LETTER UNITErr STATES OF AMERICA, 143 LETTER IV. yourney from Bojîon to New-Yo'k, by Providence^'. VyN the 12th of Odober, we fet out from Bcfton at half paft feven in the morn- ing, and arrived by fix in the evening at Providence. It is forty-nine miles ; the road good, the foil ftony, gravelly and fandy, . and, as ufual for fuch a foil, co/ered with pines. The country bordering the road, ap* pears neither fertile, nor well peopled : you may here fee houfes in decay, and children covered with rags. They had, hov/ever, good health, and good complexions. The iîlence which reigns in the other American towns on Sunday, reigns at Providence even on Mon- days Every thing here announces the de- cline of bufmefs. Fe*vv veileis zxq to be i^ dred good dwelling houfes, a court-houfe, public fountains, &c. More than fifty fliips are owned there, which export the American produdions to the Iflands and to Europe. Two whaleing fhips are of the number. Their vefiels do not winter idly, like thofc of Alba* ny, in the port. They trade in the Weft In- dies during this feafon. Poughkeepfie, on the fame river, has doubled its population and its commerce fmce the war. The inat-* tention of the people of Albany to foreign commerce, may be atributed to the fertility of their lands. Agriculture abounds there, and they like not to hazard thcmfclves to th« dangers of the fea, for a fortune which they can draw from the bounty of the foil which furrounds them. The fertility of the unculti-» vated lands, and the advantages which they" offer, attract fettlers to this quarter. New fettlements are forming here ; but flowly, be- caufe other ftates furnifh lands, if not as fer- tile, at leaft attended with more advantages for agriculture, as they are lefs expofed to the cxcefTive. rigours of fo long a winter. L When 154 NEW TRAVELS IN THE When this part of America fhall be well peopled, the north river will offer one of the fineft channels for the exportation of its pro- du(flions. Navigable for more than two hun- dred miles from the ocean, it communicates with the river Mohawk, with the lakes One- ida, Ontario, Erie, and all that part of Cana- da. The falls which are found in this route, may be ealdy vanquiihed by canals, fo eafy to conftru6t in a country abounding with men and money. This river communicates with Ca- nada in another quarter, by the lakes George and Champlaine. It is this fituation which will render New- York the channel of the fur- trade, at lead during the exiftencc of this kind of commerce, which fuppofes the exif- tence of favages, and great quantities of un- cultivated lands. By the Eaft River, New-York communi- cates with Long-lfland, and with all the Eaf- tern States. Ships of the line anchor likewife in this river, and near the quay, where they are fheltered from the ftorms which fometimes ravage thefe coafts. 1 his happy fituation of New-York will explain to you the caufes why the Englifh give it the preference over the other f)arts of America. Being the great market for Connedicut and New-Jerfey, it pours UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I55 pours in upon thofe States the produâiions of the Eaft Indies, and of Europe. It is difficult to obtain an account of the exportations and importations of this State. Colonel Lamb, who is at the head of the cuflom-houfe, inve- lopes all his operations in the moft profound myftery ; it is an effeO: of the Dutch fpirit, which ftill governs this city. The Dutchman conceals his gains and his commerce ; he lives but for himi'elf. I have been able, however, to procure fome details, which you will find in the general table, of the commerce of the United States. The Englifh have a great predilection for this city, and for its pro- dudlions ; thus its port is always covered with Englifh (hips. They prefer even its wheat ; fo that the American merchants bring wheat from Virginia, and fell it for that of New-York. The prefence of Congrefs with the diploma- tic body and the concourfe of flrangers, con- tributes much to extend here the ravages of luxury. The inhabitants are far from complaining at it ; they prefer the fplendour of wealth, and the fliow of enjoyment, to the fimplicity of manners, and the pure plea- fures refulting from it. The ufage of fmok- ing has not difappeared in this town, with L 2 the 156 NEW TRAVELS IN THE the other cuftoms of their fathers, the Dutch. They fmoke cigars, which come from the Spanifh iflands. They are leaves of tobac- co, rolled in form of a tube, of fix inches long, which are fmoked without the aid of any inftrumenf. This ufage is revolting to the French. It may appear difagreeabk to the women, by deftroying the purity of the breath. The philofopher condemns it, as it is a fuperfluous want. It has, however, one advantage ; it accui^ toms to meditation, and prevents loquacity. The fmoker afks a queftion ; the anfwer comes two minute^ after, and it is well founded. The cigar renders to a man the fervice that the philofopher drew from the glafs of water, which he drank when he was in anger. The great commerce of this city, and the facility of living here, augments the popula- tion of the State with great rapidity. In 1773, they reckoned 148,124 whites; in 1786, the number was 219,996. If there is a town on the American conti- nent v/here the Engllih luxury difplays its follies, it is Nsvv-Yod. You will lind here the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I57 the Engliih fafhions. In the drefs of the wo- men, you will fee the moil brilliant filks, gauzes, hats, and borrowed hair. Equipages are rare ; but they are elegant. The men have more fnnplicity in their drefs ; they dif- dain gewgaws, but they take their revenge in the luxury of the table. Luxury forms already, in this town, a clafs of men very dangerous in fociety — I mean bachelors. The expence of women caufes matrimony to be dreaded by men. Tea forms, as in England, the bafis of the principal parties of pleafure. Fruits, though more attended to in this State, are fir from pofTeffing the beauty and goodnefs of thofe of Europe. I have feen trees; in September, loaded at once with apples and with flowers. M. de Crevecœur is right in his defcription of the abundance and good quality of provi- fjons at New-York, in vegetables, flefli, and efpeciaily in fifh. It is difficult to unite fo many advantages in one place. Provilions are dearer at New-York, than in anv other of the northern or middle States. Many things, efpeciaily thofe of luxury, are dearer here than in France. A hair-drcfler afksVwenty L 3 millings 158 NEW TKAVELS IN THE Shillings per month ; wafhing cofts four fliil- lings for a dozen pieces. Strangers, who, having lived a long time in America, tax the Americans with cheating, have declared to me, that this accufation muft be confined to the towns, and that in the country you will find them honeft. The French are the moft forward in making thefç complaints ; and they believe that the Ame- ricans are more trickifh with them than with the EngUih. If this were a fad, I fliould not be aftonifhed at it. The French, whom I have feen, ^re eternally crying up the fervices which their nation has rendered to the Ame- ricans, and oppofing their manners and cuf- toms, decrying their government, exalting the favours rendered by the French govern- ment towards the Americans, and diminifhing thofe of Congrefs to the French. One of the greateil errors of travellers is to calculate prices of provillons in a country, by the prices in taverns and boarding-houfes. It is a falfc bafis ; we fliould take, for the town, the price at the market, and this is about half the pries that one pays at the ta- vern. This bafis would be ftill fidfe, if it were jipplied to the country. There are many ar- ticles UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 159 tides which are abundant in the country, and are fcarcely worth the trouble of collefting and bringing to market. Thefe refleâ.ions appear to me necefîary to put one on his guard againft believing too readily in the prices efti* mated by fcafly travellers. Other circum- ftances likewife influence the price ; fuch, for example, as war, which Mr. Chaft^llux takes no notice of in his exaggerated account of American prices. Thefe prices were about double in New- York during the war, to what they are now. Boarding and lodging by the week, is from four to fix dollars. The fees of lawyers are out of all proportion ; they are, as in England, exceffive. Phyficians have not the fame ad- vantage in this refped: as lawyers : the good health generally enjoyed here, renders them little neceflary ; yet they are fufhciently nu- merous. I converfed with fome of them, and afked what were the difeafes moft common ? They told me, bilious fevers ; and that the greateft part of difeafes among them, were occalioned by exceffive cold, and the want of care ; but there are few difeafes here, added they. The air is pure ; the inhabitants arc tolerably tem- perate J l6a NEW TRAVELS IN THE perate ; the people in good c^rcumflances, are not fufFiciently rich to give themfelves up to thofe debaucheries which kill fo many in Eu- rope ; and there are no poor, provifions being fo cheap. Let thofe men who doubt the prodigious cfTetts that liberty produces on man, and on his induftry, tranfport themfelves to America. What miracles will they here behold ! Whilft every-where in Europe the villages and towns are falling to ruin, rather than augmenting, new edifices are here arifmg on all fides. New- York was in great part confumed by fire in the time of the war. The velliges of this ter- rible conflagration difappear ; the adivity which reigns every where, announces a rinng pofterity ; they enlarge in every quarter, and extend their flreets. Elegant buildings, in the Englifh ftyle, take place of thofe fharj)- roofed floping houfcs of the Dutch. You find fome ftill ftanding in the Dutch ûylc ; they afford fome pleafure to the European ob- ferver ; they trace to him the origin of this colony, and the manners of thofe who inhabit it, whilft they call to his mind the ancient Belgic State. I walk out by the fide of the North River ; what UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. î6l what a rapid change in the fpace of fix weeks ! The river is forced back !200 feet-, and, by a fimple mechanifin, they have con- ftruded a kind of encafement, compofed of large trunks cf trees crofTmg each other at convenient diftances, and fliftened together by flrong beams. They condiiâ: thi? ficating dyke to the place where it is to be fixed, and where there i^ often forty ieet of water. Ar- rived at its deftination, it is funk with an enormous weight of ftones. On all fides, houfes are rifing, and ftreetis extending : I fee nothing but bufy workmen building an^ repairing. At the fame time they are ereâing a build- ing for Congrefs. They are likev/ife repair- ing the hofpital ; this building is in a bad condition ; not a fick perfon could be lodged in it at the end of the v/ar ; it was a build- ing almofl abandoned : they have reftored the adminiftration of it to the Quakers, from whom it had been taken away during the war ; they have ordered it to be repaired, and the reparation^ are executing with the great- eft vigour. This building is vaft ; it is of brick, and perfetlly well-fituated on the bank of the North River. It enjoys every advantage : air the moft falubricus, that may be renewed at pleafure ; l52 NEW TRxWELS IN THE pleafure ; water in abundance ; pleafant and extenfive walks for the fick ; magnificent and agreeable profpedts ; out of the town, and yet fufficiently near it. It is Ukewife to the Quakers, to thefe men fo muck calumniated, of whom I (hall fpeak more fully hereafter, that is owing the order obfervable in the work-houfe, of which they have the fuperintendance. It is to their zeal that is to be attributed the formation of the fociety for che abolition of llavery. As I ihall confecrate to this import- ant article a particular chapter, I Ihall not Ipeak of it here. A fociety of a more pompous title, but whofe fervices are lefs real, has been lately formed. Its object is the general promotion of fcience and ufeful knowledge. They aiTembîe rarely, and they do nothing. They have, however, eight hundred pounds in the bank, which remain idle. Their prefident is Governor Clinton ; and he is any other thing rather than a man of learning. This fociety will have little fuccefs here — • the Dutch are no lovers of letters. But UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 163 But though men of learning do not abound in this city, the prefence of Congrefs atracts from time to time, at leafl: from all parts of America, the moil celebrated men. I have feen particularly , Meffrs. Jay, Maddifon, Hamilton, King, and Thornton. I have al- ready fpoke to you of the firft. The name of Maddifon, celebrated in America, is well known in Europe, by the merited eulogium made of him by his country- man and friend, Mr. Jeffcrfon. Though ftlU young, he has rendered the greateft fervices to Virginia, to the American confederation, and to liberty and humanity in general. He contributed much, with Mr. White, in reforming the civil and criminal codes of his country. He diftinguiflied him- felf particularly, in* the conventions for the acceptation of a new federal fyltem. Vir- ginia balanced a long time in adhering to it. Mr. Maddifon determined to it the members of the convention, by his eloquence and his logic. This republican appears to be but about thirty-three years of age. He had, when I faw him, an air of fatigue ; perhaps it was the eïTeâ: of the immenfe labeurs to which he has devoted himfelf for fome time pafL 164 NEW TRAVELS IN THE paft. His look announces a cenfor ; his con- verfation difcovers the man of learning: ; and his referve was that of a man confcious of his talents and of his duties. During the dinner, to which he invited me, they fpoke of the refufiil of North Caro- Hna to accede to the new conftitution. The majority again il it was one hundred. Mr. MaJdifon believed that this refufal would have no weight on the minds of the Ameri- cans, and that it would not impede the ope- rations of Congrefs. I told him, that though this refufal might be regarded as a trifle in America, it would have great weight in Eu- rope ; that they would never enquire there into the motives which dilated it, nor con- fider the fmall confequence of this State in tlie confederation ; that it would be regard- ed as a germe of divifion, calculated to retard the operations of Congrefs ; and that certain- ly this idea would prevent the refurreûion of the American credit. Mr. Maddifon attributed this refufal to the attachment of a great part of the inhabitants of that State to their paper-money, and their tender-aâ:. He was much inclined to be- lieve, that this difpofition would not remain a longtime. Mr. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.^ 165 Mr. Hamilton is the worthy fellow- labourer of Mr. Maddifon : his figure an- nounces a man of thirty-eight or forty years ; he is not tall j his countenance is decided ; his air is open and martial : he was aid-de- camp to General Wafliington, who had great confidence in him ; and he well merited it. Since the peace, he has taken the profeffion of the law, and devoted himfelf principally to public affairs. He has dif^inguifhed him- felf in Congrefs, by his eloquence, and the folidity of his reafoning. Among the works which have come from his pen, the moft diltinguifhed are, a number of letters inferted in the Federalift, of which I fhall have occa- fion to fpeak hereafter; and the letters of Phocion, in favour of the royalifts. Mr. Hamilton had fought them with fuccefs dur- ing the war. At the eftablifhment of peace, he was of opinion, that it was not heft to drive them to defpair by a rigorous perfecu- tion. And he had the happinefs to gain over to thefe mild fentiments, thofe of his compatriots, whofe refentment had been juft- ly excited againfl thefe people, for the woes they had brought on their country. This young orator triumphed again in the convention of the State of New-York, where the 1 66 KEW TRAVELS IN THE the antlfederal party was numerous. When tl\Q convention was formed at Poughkecpfie, three quarters of the members were oppofed to the new fyftem. Mr Hamilton, joining his efforts to thofe of the celebrated Jay, fuc- ceeded in continuing the moft obflinate, that the refufal of New- York would entrain the greateft misfortunes to that State, and to the Confederation. The conftitution was adopt- ed ; the feaft which followed the ratification in New-York, was magnificent ; the fhip Fe- deraiifl, which was drawn in proceffion, was named Hamilton, in honour of this eloquent fpeaker. He has married the daughter of General Schuyler, a charming woman, who joins to the graces all the candour and fimplicity of an American wife. At dinner, at his houfe, I found General Miflin, who diftinguifhed himfelf for his adivity in the laft war. To the vivacity of a Frenchman, he appears to unite eveiy obliging charaderiftic. Mr. King, whom I faw at this dinner, pafles for the moft eloquent man of the United States. What ftruck me moft in him, was his modcfty. He appears ignorant of his own worth. Mr. Hamilton has the de- termined UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 167 termined air of a republican. Mr. Maddifon, the meditative air of a profound politician. At this dinner, as at moft others which I made in America, they drank the health of M. de la Fayette. The Americans confider him as one of the heroes of their liberty. He merits their love and efteem ; they have not a better friend in France. His generofity to them has been manifefted on all public occafions, and ftill more in private circunrr- ftances, where benefits remain unknown. It is not, perhaps, to the honor of France, or the Frenchmen who have been in America, to recount the fadt. That he is the only one who has fuccoured the unhappy fufferers in the fire at Bofton *, and the only one whofc doors are open to the Americans. Dodor Thornton, intimately conneded with the Americans whom I have mention- ed, runs a different career, that of humanity. Though, by his appearance, he does not be- long to the fociety of friends, he has their principles, and pradlifes their morals with regard to the blacks. He told me the ef- forts which he has made for the execution of a vaft projedt conceived by him for their * He gave j^. 300 fterling. benefit. l68 NEW TRAVELS IN THE l>€nefit. Perfuaded that there never can exift a fincere union betvveen the whites and the blacks, even on admitting the latter to the rights of freemen, he propofes to fend them back, and eftaWifh them in Africa. This plan is frightful at the firft afpeâ: ; but, on ex- amination, it appears to be neceffary and ad- vantageous. I lliall not enter upon it here, but referve it for my letter on the ft ate of the blacks in this country. — Mr. Thornton, who appears, by his vivacity and his agree- able manners, to belong to the French na- tion, was born at Antigua : his mother has a plantation there. It is there that, inftead of hardening liis heart to the fate of the ne- groes, as moft of the planters do, he has ac- quired that humanity, that compaflion for them, with which he is fo much tormented. He told me, he fhould have fet his flaves at liberty, if it had been in his power ; but not being able to do this, he treats them like men. I cannot finifli this letter without fpeaking of another American, whofe talents in finance are well known here ; it is Colonel Duer, fê- crctary to the board of treafury. It is diffi- cult to unite to a great facility in calculation^ more extenfive views and a quicker penetra- tion UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 169 tion into the mofl: complicated projects. To thefe qualities he joins goodnefs of heart ; and it is to his obhging charadter, and his zeal, that I owe much valuable information on the finances of this country, which I fhall communicate hereafter. I fhould ftill be wanting in gratitude, fhould I negleO: to mention the politenefs and at- tention fhewed me by the Prefident of Con- grefs, Mr. Griffin. He is a Virginian, of very good abilities, of an agreeable figure, affable and polite. I faw at his houfe, at dinner, feven or eight women, all drefl^ed in great hats, plumes, &c. It was with pain that I remarked much of pretenfion in fome of thefe women ; one acted the giddy, viva- cious ; another, the woman of fentiment. Thi» laft had many pruderies and grimaces. Two among them had their bofoms very naked. I was fcandalized at this indecency among republicans. A prefident of Congrefs is far from being furrounded Vy^ith the fplendor of European monarchs ; and fo much the better. He is not durable in his ftation ; and fo much the better. He never forgets that he is a fimple citizen, and will foon return to the ftation of M one. lyO NEW TRAVELS IN THE one. He does not give pompous dinners ; and fo much the better. He has fewer para- fîtes, and lefs means of corruption. I remarked, that his table was freed fro.m many ufages cbferved elfewhere ; — no fatigu- ing prefentations, no toails, fo defpairing in a numerous fociety. Little wine was drank after the women had retired. Thefe traits will give you an idea of the temperance, of this country ; temperance, the leading virtue of republicansr I ought to add qne Xvotà on the finances of this State. The facility of raifmg an im- poft on foreign commerce, puts them in a fituation to pay, with pundtuality, the ex- pences of the Government, the intereft of their State debt, and their part of the civil lift of Congrefs* Their revenues are faid to amount to ;^. 8 0,000, money of New York, The expenccs of the city and county of New- York amounted, in 1787, to one-eighth of this fum, that is, to ^\io,iro. I will add liere a ftate of thefe expenfcs Salaries - - - - - - - £' 3710 — ^ Eledions ------ 62 12 — Carried over — X* ^ ^^ - ÛNIT'ED STATES OF AMERICA. 17t. Brought over — ^.100 2 — Pumps and wells ----204 8 4 Roads and ftreets - - - - y^^ 2 i Poor houfes ----- 3,791 14 4 Bridewell,' or houfe of corrreâiion 899 11 4 Lamps ------ 1,439 19 — Night watch ----- 1,931 2 — Prifoners - ----- 372 18 10 Repairs of public building - 342 15 11 Quays ------- 25 — — City of New-York - - - 137 19 — - County of New York - - 130 9 — j^*. I o, 1 1 o I 10 The bank of New-York enjoys a good re- putation ; it is well adminiftered. Its cafhier is Mr. William Seton, to whom Mr. de Cre- vecceur has addrefTed his letters ; and what will give you a good idea of his integrity, is, that he was chofen to this important place notwithftanding his known attachment to the Englifh caufe. This bank receives and pays, without reward, for merchants and others, who choofe to open an accompt with it. M 2 LETTER 172 NEW TRAVEIS IN THE LETTER VI. youniey from New-York to Philadelphia, I WENT from New-York the 25th of Au- guft, at fix o'clock in the morning ; and ha^ the north river to pafs before arriving to the ftage. We pafled the ferry in an open boat, and landed at Paulus Hook : they reckon two miles for this ferry, for which we pay fixpence, .money of New-York. The carriage is a kind of open waggon, hung with double curtains of leather and woolen, which you raife or let fall at plea- fure : it is not well fufpended. But the road was fo fine, being fand and gravel, that wc felt no inconvenience from that circumftancc. The horfes are good, and go with rapidity. Thefe carriages have four benches, and may contain twelve perfons. The light baggage is put under the benches, and the trunks fixed on behind. A traveller who does not choofe to take the ftage, has a one-horfe car- riage by himfelf. Let UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I73 Let the Frenchmen who have travelled in thefe carriages, compare them to thofe ufed in France ; to thofe heavy diligences, where eight or ten perfons are fluffed in together ; to thofe cabriolets in the environs of Paris, where two perfons are clofely confined, and deprived of air, by a dirty driver, who tor- ments his miferable jades: and thofe carriages have to run over the fineft roads,, and yet make but one league an hour. If the Ameri- cans had fuch roads, with what rapidity would they travel ? fmce, notwithftanding the inconvenience of the roads, they now run ninety-fix miles in a day. Thus, with only a century and a half of cxiftence, and op- pofed by a thoufand obftacles, they are al- ready fuperior to people who have been un- difturbed in their progrefs for fifteen centu- ries. You find in thefe ftages, men of all profef- fions. They fucceed each other with rapi- dity. One who goes but twenty miles, yields his place to one who goes farther. The mo- ther and daughter mount the ilage to go ten miles to dine ; another ftage brings them them back. At every inflant, then, you arc making new acquaintances. The frequency M 3 of 174 ^EW TRAVELS IN THE of thefe carriages, the facility of finding places in them, and the low and fixed price, invite the Americans to travel. Thefe car- riages have another advantage, they keep up the idea of equality. The member of Con- grefs is placed by the fide of the flioemakcr who eled:ed him : they fraternize together, and converfe with familiarity. You fee no perfon here taking upon himfelf thofe im- portant airs, which you too often meet with in France. In that country, a man of con- dition would blufli to travel in a diligence : it is an ignoble carriage ; one knov/s not with whom he may find himfelf. Befides, it is in ftyle to run pojl ; this fi:yle ferves to humiliate thofe who are condemned to a fad mediocrity. From this inequality, refult envy, the tafte for luxury, oftentation, an avidity for gain, the habit of mean and guilty meafures to acquire wealth. It is then fortunate for America, that the nature of things prevents this diftinc-* tion in the mode of travelling. The artizaii, or the labourer, who finds himfelf in one of thefe ftages with a man in place, compofes himfelf, is filent ; or if he endeavours to rife to the level of others by taking part in the converfation, he at leaft gains UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I75 gains inftrud:ion. The man in place has lefs haughtinefs, and is faciUtated in gaining a knowledge of the people. The fon of Governor Livingfton-was in the ftage with me ; I fliould not have found him Oiit, fo civil and eafy was his air, had not the tavern-keepers from time to time ad- drelTed him with refpeûful familiarity. I am told that the governor himfelf often ufes thofe ftages. You may have an idea of this refpec- table man, who is at once a writer, a gover- nor, and a plowman, on learning that he takes a pride in calling himfelf a new Jerfey far- mer. The American ftages, then, arc the true political carriages. I know that the petits maîtres of France would prefer a gay well-fuf- pended chariot ; but thefe carriages roll in countries of Baflilics, in countries afflidled with great inequality, and confequently with great mifer)'. The road from New-York to Newark is in part over a marfh : I found it really afto- nifhing ; it recalls to mind the indefatigable induftry of the ancient Dutch fettlers, menti- oned by Mr. de Crevecceur. Built wholly of 176 NBW TRAVELS IN THE of wood, with much labour and perfeverance in the midft of water, on a foil that trembles under your feet, it proves to what point may be carried the patience of man, who is deter- mined to conquer nature. But though much of thefe marfhes are drained, there remains a large extent of them covered with ftagnant waters, which infeâ: the air, and give birth to tjiofe mufquitoes with which you are cruelly tormented, and to an epidemical fever which makes great ra-» vages in fummer ; a fever known like wife in Virginia and in the Southern States, in parts adjacent to the fea. I am alfured that the upper parts of New-Jerfey are exempt from this fever, and from mufquitoes ; but this State is ravpged by a political fcourge, more terrible than either; it is paper money. This paper is Hill, in New-Jerfey, what the peo- ple call a legal tender ; that is, you are oblig- ed to receive it at its nominal value, as a legal payment. I faw, in this journey, many inconveniencies refulting from this fiâ:itious money. It gives birth to an infamous kind of traffic, that of buying. and felling it, by deceiving the igno- rant ; a commerce which difcourages induf- try. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I77 try, con-upts the morals, and is a great detri- ment to the pubUc. This kind of ftock-job- ber is the enemy to his fellow-citizens. He makes a fcience of deceiving ; and this fci- ' ence is extremely contagious. It introduces a general diftruft. A perfon can neither fell his land, nor boirow money upon it ; for fellers and lenders may be paid in a medium which may ftill depreciate, they know not to what degree it may depreciate. A friend dares not truft his friend. Inftances of per- fidy of this kind have been known, that are horrible. Patriotifm is confequently at an end, cultivation languiihes, and commerce declines. How is it poihble, faid.I to Mr, Livingfton, that a country, fo rich, can have recourfe to paper-money ? New Jerfey fur- nilhes productions in abundance to New- York and Philadelphia. She draws money, then, conftantly from thofe places ; fhe is their creditor. And fhall a creditor make ufc of a refource which can be proper only for a miferabie debtor ; How is it that the mem- bers of your legiflature have not made thefc refiedions ? The reafon of it is very liinple, replied he : At the clofe of the ruinous war, that we have experienced, the greater part of our citizens were burdened with debts. They faw in this paper-money, the means of ex- tricatlnir lyS NEW TRAVELS IN THE tricating themfelves ; and they had influence enough with their reprefentatives to force them to create it. — But the evil falls at length on the authors of it, faid I ; they mull be paid themfelves, as well as pay others, in this lame paper ; and why do they not fee that it difhonours their country, that it ruins all kinds of honeft induftry, and corrupts the morals of people ; Why do they not re- peal this legal tefider f A ftrong intereft op- pofes it, replied he, of ftock jobbers and fpe- culators. They wifli to prolong this mifer- able game, in which they are fure to be the winners, though the ruin of their country fhould be the confequence. We exped: re- lief only from the new conftitution, which takes away from the States the power of making paper-money. All hpneft people wilh the extinction of it, when filver and gold would re-appear ; and our national induftry would foon repair the ravages of the war. From Newark we went to, dine at New- Brunfwick, and to fieep at Trenton. The road is bad between the two laft places, efpe- cially after a rain ; it is a road difficult to be kept in repair. We palfed by Prince-Town ; this part of New Jerfey is veiy well culti- vated. Mr. de Crevecœur has not exagge- rated UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I79 rated in his defcription of it. All the towns are well built, whether in wood, (lone, or brick. Theie places are too well known in the militar)'- annals of this country, to require that I fliould fpeak of them. The taverns are much dearer on this road, than in Maffachu- fetts and Conneâ:icut : I paid at Trenton, for a dinner, three fhillings and fixpen^ce, money of Pennfylvania, "We pafled the ferry from Trenton at ieven in the morning. The Delaware, which fepa- rates Pennfylvania from New-Jerfey, is a fii- perb river, navigable for the*largeft fliips. Its navigation is intercepted by the ice during two months in the year. Veflels are not at- tacked here by thefe worms, which are fo de- ftrudtive to them in rivers farther fouth. The profpeâ: from the middle of the river is charming : on the right, you fee mills and manufadories ; on the left, two charming little towjjs, wbich overlook the water. The borders of this river are ftill in their wild ftate. In the forefls which cover them, are fome enorm.ous trees. There are likewife fome houfes; but they are not equal, in point of finiplc elegance, to thole of Maflachufetts. We l8o NEW TRAVELS IN THE We breakfafted at Briflol, a town oppofite to Burlington. It was here that the famous Fenn firft pknted his tabernacles. But it was reprefented to him, that the river here did not furniih anchoring ground fo good and fo fafe as the place already inhabited by the Swedes, where Philadelphia has fmce been built. He refolved, then, to purchafe this place of them, give them other lands in exchange, and to leave Briftol. Pafiing the river Shammony, on a new bridge, and then the village of Frankford, we arrived at Phihidelphia, by a fine road bor«- dercd with the beft cultivated fields, and ele- gant houfes, which announce the neighbour- hood of a great town. LETTER UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. l8l LETTER VIL yourncy to Burlington, Aug. 27, 178.S. 1 HAD palled but few hours at Philadelphia, when a particular bufinefs called me to Bur- lington, on the borders of the Delaware. It is an elegant little town, more ancient than Philadelphia. Many of the inhabitants are Friends, or Quakers : This was formerly their place of general rendezvous. From thence I went to the country-houfe of Mr. Temple Franklin. He is the grand- fon of the celebrated Franklin ; and as well known in France for his amiable qualities, as for his general information. His houfe is five miles from Burlington, on a fandy foil, covered with a forejR; of pines. His houfe is fimple, his garden is well kept, he has a good library, and his fituation feems deftined for the retreat of a philofophcr. I dined here with five or fix Frenchmen, who began their converfation with invedives acrainli i82 NEW Travels in the againft America and the Americans, againft their want of laws^ their paper^money, and their ill faith. I defended the Americans, or rather I defired to be inftructed by fadts ; for I was determined no more to beheve in the Opinions of individuals. You wifh for faâis, faid one of them, who had exifted in this country for three years : I will give you fome. — I fay that the country is a miferable one. In New-Jerfey, where we now are, there is no money, there is nothing but paper. The money is locked up faid Mr. Franklin. Would you have a man be fool enough to exchange it for depreciated rags ? Wait till the law fhall take the paper from circulation. — But you cannot borrow money on the beft fecurity. I believe it, faid Mr. Franklin ; the lender fears to be paid in paper. — ^Thefe fads prove not the fcarcity of money, but the prudence of thofe who hold it, and the influence that debtors have in the legiflature. They pafîed to another point. Your lawâ are arbitrary, and often unjuR : for inftance, there is a lav/ laying a tax of a dollar on the fécond dog ; and this tax augments in pro- portion to the number that a man keeps. Thus UNlTÉD STATES OF AMERICA. iSi^ Thus a labourer has need of dogs j but he is deprived of their fuccour. He has no need of them, faid Mr. Franklin, he keeps them but for his pleafure ; and if any thing ought to be taxed, it is pleafure. The dogs are in- jurious to the Iheep ; inftead of defending them, they often kill them. I was one of the firft to folicit this law, becaufe we are infeft- ed with dogs from this quarter. To get rid of them, we have put a tax on them, and it has produced falutary efFedls. The money arifmg from this tax, is deftined to indemni- fy thofe whofe {heep are deftroyed by thefe animals. My Frenchmen returned to the charge : — But your taxes are extremely heavy. You ihall judge of that, fays Mr. Franklin ; I have an eftatc here of five or fix hundred acres : my taxes laft year amounted to eight pounds, in paper money ; this reduced to hard mo* ney, is fix pounds. Nothing can be more conclufive than thofe replies. I am fure, however, that this French- man has forgot them all ; and that he will go and declare in France, that the taxes in New- Jerfey are diftreffingly heavy, and that the impofition on dogs is abominable. Burlington 184 I^'EW TRAVELS IN THE Burlington is feparated from Briftcl only by the river. Here is fome commerce, and fome men of confiderable capital. The chil- dren here have that air of health and de- cency, which charad:erifes the fed: of the Quakers. LETTER UÎÏITED STATES OF AMERICA. 185 LETTER VIIÏ. Auguft, 28, 1788. \)N returning from Burlington, I went with Mr. Shoemaker to the houfe of his father-in law, Mr. Kichartiron, a farmer, who Hves near Middleton, twenty-two miles from Philadelphia. Mr. Shoemaker is thirty years of age ; he was not educated in the feâ: of Friends : he declared to me that, in his youth, he was far from their principles ; that he had lived in pleafure ; that growing weary of them, he refledted on his condud, and refclved to change it ; that he ftudicd the principles of the Quakers, and fooxi became a member of their fociety, notwithftanding the railleries of his friends. He had married the daughter of this Quaker, to whofe houfe we were going. I wiihed to fee a true American farmer. I was really charmed with the order and neatnefs of this houfe, and of its inhabitants. They have three fons and feven daughters. N one l86 NEW TRAVELS IN THE One of the latter only is married ; three others are marriageable. They are beautiful, eafy in their manners, and decent in their deportment. Their drefs is fimple ; they wear fine cotton on Sunday, and that which is not fo fine on other days. Thefe daughters aid their mother in the management of the family. The mother has much activity ; Ihe held in her arms a little grand daughter, which was carelied by all the children. It is truly a patriarchal family. The father is oc- cupied conftantly in the fields. We con- . verfed much on the Society of Friends, the Society in France for the abolition of flavery, the growing of wheat, &c. No, never was I fo much edified as in this houfe ; it is the afylum of union, friendihip, and hofpitality. The beds were neat, the linen white, the coverirtg elegant ; the ca- binets, defies, chairs, and tables, were of black walnut, well poliflied, and fiiining. The gar- den furnifhed vegetables of all kinds, and fruits. There were ten horfes in the fiable ; the Indian corn of the laft year, ftill on the cob, lay in large quantities in a cabin, of which the narrow planks, placed at fmall diftances from each other, leave openings for the circulation of the air. The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ïSy The barn was full of wheat oats, Man to be true and honeft as to himfelf, can you imagine him to be in concert with knaves ? This would be an ab- furd contradidion. Finally, on hearing this man, full of good fenfe, and endowed with a folid judgment, reafoning with fo much force, can you believe tha£ he has been, for all his life, the dupe of a band offharpers, when he is at the fame time in all their moll: fecret counfels, and one of their chiefs? Yes, my friend, I repeat it, the attachment of an ajngel like Warner Miflin to the feâ: of Quakers, is the fai reft apology for that fociety. He took me one day to fee his intended wife, Mifs Ameland, whom he was to marry in a few days. She is a worthy companion of this reputable quaker. What mildnefs ! what modefly ! and, at the fame time, what entertainment UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I93 entertainment in her converfation ! Mifs Ameland once loved the world. She made verfes and mufic, and was fond of dancing. Though young ftill, fhe has renounced all thefe amufements, to embrace the life of an anchorite. In the midft of the world, fhe has perfifted in her defign, notwithftanding the pleafantries of her acquaintance LETTER 194 NEW TRAVELS IN THE LETTER X. ^be Funeral of a ^lakc?' — A ^aker Meeting, i WAS prefent at the funeral of Thomas îîolwell, one of the elders of the Society of Friends. James Pemherton conducted me to it. I found a number of friends affembled about the houfe of the deceafed, and waiting in filence for the body to appear. It appear- ed, and was in a coffin of black walnut, without any covering or ornament, borne by four Friends ; fome women followed, who, I was told, were the nearefl relatives, and grand-children of the deceafed*. Ail his friends followed in filence, two by two. I was of the number. There were no place» defignated ; young and old mingled together ; but all bore the fame air of gravity and atten- tion. The burying ground is in the town ; but it is not furrounded with houfes. I faw near fome cfthe graves, fome pieces of black ftones, on which the names only of the dead * None of them were dreft in black. The Q^ikers regard this teftimony of gritf as caildi/li. were UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I95 were engraved. The greateft part, of the Quakers difllke even this ; they fay, that a man ought to Uve in the memory of his friends, not by vain infcriptions, but by good actions. The grave was fix or feven fee: deep ; they placed the body by the fide of it. On the oppofite fide were feated, on v/ooden chairs, the four women, who appeared to be the moft affedted. The people gathered round, and remained for five minutes in profound meditation. All their countenances marked a gravity fuitable to the occafion, but nothing of grief. This interval being elapfed, they let down the body, and covered it with earth ; when a man advanced near the grave planted his cane in the ground, fixed his hat upon it, and began a difcourfe relative to this fad ce- remony. He trembled in all his body, and his eyes were flaring and wild. His difcourfe turned upon the tribulations of this life, the neceffity of recurring to God, &c. When he had finifhed, a woman threw herfelf on her knees, made a very fhort prayer, the men took off their hats, and all retired. I was at firfl: furprifed^ I confefs, at this trembling of the preacher. We are fo accudom- ed, by our European phiiofophy, to confider tliefe ig6 NEW TRAVELS IN THE thofe appearances as the effed: of hypocriry, and to annex to them the idea of ridicule, that it was difficult to prevent myfelf from being feized with a like impreffion : but I rc- coUeded that fomething fimilar had happened to me a hundred times ; when I had been v*'armed with a fubjeâ:, and drawn into an interefling difcuffion, I have been tranfported out of myfelf to fuch a degree, that I could neither fee nor hear, but experienced a con- iiderable trembling. Kence I concluded, that it might be natural, efpecialiy to a man con- tliiually occupied in meditation on the Al- mighty, on death, and a future ftate. I went from thence with thefc Friends to their meet- ing. The moft profound filence reigned for near an hour ; when one of their minifters, or elders, who fat on the front bench, rofe, pronounced four words — then was (ilent for a minute, then Ipoke four words more ; and his wîiole difcourfe was pronounced in this manner, "^fhis m.cthcd is generally followed by their preachers ; for, another who fpoke after liira, obferved the fame intervals. Whether I judged from habit or reafon, I know not ; but this manner of fpeaking ap- peared to mc not calculated to produce a great eiTefl : for the f^nfe of the phrafc is perpetu- ally UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I97 lually interrupted ; and the hepirer is obliged to guefs at the meaning, or be in fufpenfe ; either of which is fatiguing. But before forming a decifive opinion, we ought to en- quire into the reafons which have led the Qiîakers to adopt this method. Certainly the manner of the ancient orators and modern preachers, is better imagined for producing the great etîcâ. of eloquence. They fpeak by turns, to the imagination, to the pallions, and to the reafon ; they pleafe in order to move ; they pleafe in order to convince ; and it is by pleafure that they draw you after them. This is the eloquence neccliaiy for men enervated and enfeebled, who wifh to fpare themfelves the trouble of think- ing. The Quakers are of a difîerent cha- radler ; they early habituate themfelves to meditation ; they are men of much rejec- tion, and of few wrords. They have no need, then, of preachers with founding phrafes and long fermons. They difdain elegance as an ufelefs amufem.ent ; and long fermons appear difproportioned to the force of the human mind, and improper for the divine fervice. The mind fliould not be loaded with too many truths at once, if you wifh they Ihould make a lafting impreffion. The objeâ: of preaching being to convert, it ought rather to 198 KEW TRAVELS IN THE to lead to refledion, than to dazzle and amufe. I obferved, in the countenances of all this congregation, an air of gravity mixed with fadnefs. Perhaps I am prejudiced *, but I fliculd like better, while people are adoring their God, to fee them have an air which would difpofe perfons to love each other, and to be fond of the worfhip. Such an air would be attracting to young people, whom too much feverity difgufts, Befides, why fhould a perfon with a good confcience, pray to God with a fad countenance ? The prayer which terminated this meeting was fervent ; it was pronounced by a mini- ller, who fell on his knees. The men took oft their hats; and each retired, after having Ihaken hands with his neighbour. What a difference between the fimplicity of this, and the pomp of the catholic worfliip ! Reformation, in all ftages, has diminifhed the formalities : You will find this regular dimi- nution in defcending from the Catholic to the Lutheran, from tlie Lutheran to the Prefby- terian, and from thence to Quakers and Me- thodifts. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I99 thodifts. It is thus that human reafon pro- grelFes towards perfeâion. Ill coniidering the fimplicity of the Qua- ker's woilhip, and the air of fadneis that in the eyes of Itrangers appears to accompany it, an air which "one would think difgufting to young people even of their ov/n fecc, I have been furprifed that the Society (hould main- tain a concurrence with more brilliant feds, and even incr^afe by making profelytes from them. This efleâ; is principally to be attri- buted to the fmgular image of domeftic hap- pinefs which the Quakers enjoy. Renounc- ing all external pleafures, mulic, theatres, and fhows, they are devoted to their duties as ci- tizens, to their families, and to their bufmefs ; thus they are beloved by their wives, cherifh- ed by their children, and efteemed by their neighbours. Such is the fped:acle which has often drawm to this Society, men who have ridiculed it in their youth. The hiftory of the Quakers will prove the falfity of a principle often advanced in poli- tics. It is this: that, to maintain order in fociety, it is neceiTary to have a mode of wor- Oiip ftriking to the fcnfes ; and that the more ihow and pomp arc introduced into it, the DCLt.CI . 200 NEW TRAVELS IN THE better. This is what has given birth to, and ftill juflifies, our full chants^ our fpiritital concerts^ our frocejjions^ our oi-naments^ &c. Two or three hundred thoufand Quakers have none of thefe mummeries, and yet they ob- ferve good order. This faâ: has led me to another conclufion, the foUdity of which has been hitherto dis- puted. It is, the poflibiUty of a nation of Deijls^. A nation of Deifts maintaining good government, would be a miracle in political religion. And why fhould it not exift, when knowledge fhall be more univerfally extended, when it fhall penetrate all ranks of fociety ? What difference would there be between a fociety of Deifts, and one of Quakers, aflem" bling to hear a difccurfe on the immortality of the foul, and to pray God in fimple lan- guage ! * Neither the Englifli nor Americans attach the fame idea to this word that a Frtnchman does. They confider a Deifl as a kind of Materialift. — I undcriland by a Oeift, a man that be- lieves in God, and the ininiortality of the foul. LETTER UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 201 LETTER XI. Vijtt to a Betterîng-Houfe^ or Hotife of Cor» re^io7t^\ 1 HIS hofpital is fituated in the open coun- try, in one of thofe parts of the original plan of Philadelphia not yet covered with houfes. It is already divided into regular ftreets ; and, God grant that thefe projedled ftreets may never be any thing more than imaginary ! If they fliould one day be adorned with houfes, it would be a misfortune to the hofpitals, to Pennfylvania, and to all America. This hofpital is conftrucfted of bricks, and compofed of two large buildings ; one for men, and the other for women. There is a feparation in the court, which is common to them. This inftitution has feveral objeds ; * This Iioufe is properly named ; bccaufe, contrary to the prdinary efleft of hofpitals, it renders the prifoners better. O they 202 NEW TRAVELS IN THE they receive into it, the poor, the fick, or- phans, women in travail, and perfons at- tacked with veneral difeafes. They likewife confine here, vagabonds, diforderly perfons, and girls of fcandalous lives. There exifts then, you will fay, even in Philadelphia, that difgufting commerce of dif- eafes, rather than of pleafures, which for fo long a time has empoifoned our continent. Yes, my friend, two or three of the moft con- fiderable maritime towns of the new conti- nent are afflidted by this leprofy. It was al- moft unknown before the revolution ; but the abode of foreign armies has naturalized it, and it is one of thofe fcourges for which the free Americans are indebted to us. But this traffic is not carried on fo fcandaloully as at Paris or London. It is reftrained, it is held in contempt, and almoft imperceptible. I ought to fay, to the honour of the Ameri- cans, that it is nourifhed only by emigrants and European travellers ; for the fandtity of marriage is ftill univerfally rel'peded in Ame- rica. Young people marrying early, and without obflacles, are not tempted to go and difhonour, and empoifon themfelves in places of proftitution. But, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 203 But to finifh my account of this hofpital, there are particular hails appropriated to each clafs of poor, and to each fpecies of ficknefs ; and each hall has its fuperintendant. This inftitution was rich, and well adminiftered be- fore the war. The greater part of the admi- niftrators were Quakers. The war and pa- per-money introduced a different order of things. The legiflature refolved not to admit to its adminiftration, any perfons but fuch as had taken the oath of fidelity to the iState. The Quakers were by this excluded, and the management of it fell into hands not fo pure. The fpirit of depredation was manifeft in it, and paper-money was ftill more injurious. Creditors of the hofpital were paid, or rather ruined by this operation. About a year ago, on the report of the infpeâ:ors of the hofpitals, the legiflature, confidering the abufes praâ:ifed in that adminiftration, confided that of the bettering-houfe again to the Quakers, With- out any refentment of the affronts they had received during the war, and only anxiou to do good and perform their duty, the Friends accepted the adminiftration, and exercife it, as before, with zeal and fidelity. This change has produced the effed: which was expeded. Order is vifibly re-eftabliftied ; many adminiftratcrs are appointed, one of O 2 whom, 204 NEW TRAVELS IN THE whom by turns, is to vifit the hofpital eveiy day : fix phyficians are attached to it^ who perform the fervice gratis, I have feen the hofpitals of France, both at Paris, and in the provinces. I know none of them, but the one at Befançon, that can be compared to this at Philadelphia. Every fick, and every poor perfon, has his bed well furnifhed, but without curtains, as it fhould be. Every room is lighted by windows placed oppofite, which introduce plenty of light, that great confolation to a man confined, of which tyrants for this reafon are cruelly fpar- ing. Thefe windows admit a free circulation of air : moft of them open over the fields ; and as they are not very high, and are with^ out grates, it would be very eafy for the pri- foners to make their efcape ; but the idea never enters their heads. This fadt proves that the prifoners are happy, and, confe-^ quently, that the adminiftration is good. The kitchens are well kept, and do not exhale that fetid odour which you perceive from the befl kitchens in France. The eat- ing-rooms, which are on the ground floor, are equally clean, and well aired : neatnefs and good air reign in every part. A large jrarden UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 205 garden at the end of the court, furnifhes vege- tables for the kitchen. I was furprifed to find there, a great number of foreign fhrubs and plants. The garden is well cultivated. In the yard they rear a great number of hogs ; for, in America, the hog, as well as the ox, does the honours of the table through the whole year. I could fcarcely defcribe to you the differ- ent fenfations which, by turns, rejoiced and afflicted my heart, in going through their dif- ferent apartments. An hofpital, how well fo- ever adminiftered, is always a painful fpec- tacle to me. It appears to me fo confoling for a fick man to be at his own home, at- tended by his wife and children, and vifited by his neighbours, that I regard hofpitais as vaft fepulcres, where are brought together a crowd of individuals, ftrangers to each other, and feparated from all they hold dear. And what is man in this lituation ? — A leaf de- tached from the tree, and driven down by the torrent — a fkeleton no longer of any conflft- ence, and bordering on dilfolution. But this idea foon gives place to another. Since focieties are condemned to be infefted with great cities, fmce mifery and vice O 3 arc 206 NEW TRAVELS IN THE are the neceflary offspring of thefe cities, a houfe like this becomes the afylum of benefi- cence ; for, without the aid of fuch inflitu- tions, what would become of the greater part of thofe v/retches who here find a re- fuge ? fo many women, blind, deaf, rendered difguiling by their numerous infirmities. They mull: very foon perifh, abandoned by all the world, to whom they are ftrangers. No door but that of their common mother earth would receive thefe hideous figures, were it not for this provifion made by their common friend. Society. I faw in this hofpital, all that mifery and difea/e can afiembh. I faw women fuffering on the bed of pain ; others, whofe meagre vifages, roughened with pimples, atteft the effect of fatal incontinence ; others, who waited with groans the moment when Hea- ven would deliver them from a burden which difhonours them ; others, holding in their arms the fruit, not of a legal marriage, but of love betrayed. Poor innocents ! born under the ftar of wretchednefs ! Why fhould men be born, predeftinated to misfortunes ? But, blefs God, at leaft, that you are in a country where baftardy is no obftacle to refpedlability and the rights of citizenfliip. I faw wi,th plea- fure UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 207 fure, thefe unhappy mothers carefîïng their infants, and nurfing them with tendernefs. There were few childrefn in the hall of the little orphans ; thefe were in good health, and appeared gay and happy. Mr. Shoemaker, who conduced me thither, and another of the directors, diflributed fome cakes among them, which they had brought in their pock- ets. Thus the directors think of their charge even at a diftance, and occupy themfelves with their happinefs. Good God ! there is, then, a country where the foul of the gover- nor of an hofpital, is not a foul of brafs ! Blacks are here mingled with the whites, and lodged in the fame apartments. This, to me, was an edifying fight ; it feemed a balm to my foul. I faw a negro woman fpinning with adtivity by the fide of her bed. Her eyes feemed to expedt from the director, a word of confolation — She obtained it ; and it feemed to be heaven to her to hear him. I fhould have been more happy, had it been, for me to have fpoken this word : I fhould have added many more. Unhappy negroes \ how much reparation do we owe them foif the evils we have occafioned them-^the evils we ftill occafion them ! and they love us ! The 208 NEW TRAVELS IN THE The happinefs of this negrefs was not equal to that which I faw fparkle on the vifage of a young blind girl, who feemed to leap for joy at the found of the diredor's voice. He afked after her health : (he anfwered him with tranfport. She was taking her tea by the fide of her little table — Her tea ! — My friend, you are aftonilhed at this luxury in an hofpital — It is becaufe there is humanity in its adminiftration, and the wretches are not crowded in here in heaps to be ftifled. They give tea to thofe whofe conduâ: is fa- tisfadlory : and thofe who by their work are able to make fome favings, enjoy the fruits of their induftry. I remarked in this hofpital, the women were much more numerous than the men ; and among the latter, I faw none of thofe hideous figures fo common in the hofpitals of Paris — figures on which you tracé the marks of crimes, mifery, and indolence. They have a decent appearance : many of tliem afked the director for their enlargement, which they obtained. But v^rhat refources have they, on leaving this houfe ? They have their hands, anfwered the director, and they may find ufeful occu- pations. But the women, replied I, what can they do ? Their condition is not fo fortunate, faid UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 20rretchc3 in France ! where they are rigoroufly confined, and their difor- ders fcarcely ever fail to increafe upon them. The Turks, on the contrary, manifefl a An- gular refped; to perfons infane : they are eager to adminifter food to them, to load them v/ith careffes. Fools in that country are never known to be injurious ; whereas, with us, they are dangerous, becaufe they are un- happy. The view of thefe perfons affeded me more than that of the fick. The laft of human UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 213 human miferies, in my opinion, is confine- ment ; and I cannot conceive how a fick perfon can be cured in prilbn, for confinement itfelf is a continual malady. The exercife of walking abroad, the view of the field, the murmur of the rivulets, and the finging of birds, with the aid of vegetable diet, appear to me the beft means of curing infanity. It is true, that this mxethod requires too many attendants ; and the impoffibility of following it for the hofpital of Philadelphia, makes it neceflary to recur to locks and bars. But why do they place thefe cells beneath the ground-floor, expofed to the unwho'fome hu- midity of the earth ? The enlightened and humane Dr. Rufh told me, that he had en- deavoured for a long time, in vain, to intro- duce a change in this particular ; and that this hofpital was founded at a time when little at- tention was thought neceflary for the accom- modation of fools. I obferved, that none of thefe fools were naked, or indecent ; a thing very common with us. Thefe people prc- ferve, even in their folly, their primitive cha- raderiflic of decency. I could not leave this place without being tormented with one bitter refledion. — ^A man of t 214 NEW TRAVELS IN THE of the moft brilliant genius may here finifh his days. If Swift had not been rich, he had dragged out his laft moments in fuch an hof- pital. O ye who watch over them, be gentle in your adminiftration ! — perhaps a benefac- tor of the human race has fallen under your care. LETTER UNITED STATES OF AMERICA., 2I5 ^ LETTER XIII. On BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Thanks to God he mil exiUsî— This great man, for fo many years the preceptor of the Americans, who fo glorioufly contribu- ted to their independence, death had threat- ened his days ; but our fears are diffipated, and his health is rellored. I have juft been to fee him, and enjoy his converfation, in the midft of his books, which he ftill calls his beft friends. The pains of his cruel iniirmity change not the ferenity of his countenance, nor the calmnefs of his converfation. If thefe appeared fo agreeable to our Frenchmen, who enjoyed his frienddiip in Paris, how would they feem to them here, where no diplomatic fundions impofe upon him that mafk of re- ferve which was fometimes fo chilling to his guefts. Franklin, furrounded by his family, appears to be one of thofe patriarchs whom he has lb well defcribed, and whofe language he has copied with fuch fimple elegance. He feems one of thofe ancient philofophers, who at times defccnded from the fphcre of his ele- vated 2l6 >JEW TRAVELS IN THE vated genius, to inftrinSt weak mortals, by accommodating himfelf to their feeblenefs. I have found in America, a great number of enlightened politicians and virtuous men ; but I fmd none v/ho appear to poflefs, in fo high a degree as Franklin, the charaderiftics of a real philofopher. You know him, my friend. A love for the human race in habi- tual exercife, an indefatigable zeal to ferve them, extenfive information, fimplicity of manners, and purity of morals ; all thefe fur- nifh not marks of diftinction fufficiently ob- fervable between him and other patriot poli- ticians, unlefs we add another charaâerillic ; it is, that Franklin, in the midft of the vaft fcene in which he acted fo diftinguifhed a part, had his eyes fixed without ceafing on a more extenfive theatre — on heaven and a fu- ture life ; the only point of view which can fuftain, difmtereft, and aggrandife man upon earth, and make him a true philofopher. All his life has been but a continued ftudy and pra(llice of philofophy, 1 willi to give you a fketch of it from fome traits which I have been able to colled:, as his hiftory has been much disfigured. This iketch may ferve to redify fome of thofe UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 2ÏJ tliofe falfe anecdotes which circulate in Eu- rope. Franklin was born at Bofton, in 1706, the fifteenth child of a man who was a dyer and a foap-boiler. He wiflied to bring up this fon to his own trade ; but the lad took an invincible diflike to. it, preferring even the life of a failor. The father dilliking this choice, placed him apprentice with an elder (bn, who was a printer and publifhed a news- paper. Three traits of charader, difplayed at that early period, might have given an idea of the extraordinary genius which he was afterwards to difcover. The puritanic aufterity which at that time predominated in MafTachufetts, impreffed the mind of young Benjamin in a manner more oblique than it had done that of his father. The old man was in the pradife of making long prayers and benedidions before all his meals. One day, at the beginning of winr ter, when he was falting his meat, and lay- ing in his provifions for the feafon, " Father," fays the boy, " it would be a great faving of time, if you would fay grace over all thefe P barrels 2l8 N£\V TRAVELS lî^ THE barrels of meat at once, and let that fuffice for the winter. Soon after he went to live with his brother, he began to addrefs pieces to him for his paper, in a difguifed hand-writing. Thefe eflays were imiverfally admired : his brother became jealous of him, and endeavoured, by fevere treatment, to cramp his genius. This obliged him foon to quit his fervice, and go to feek his fortune at New-York. Benjamin had read a treatife of Dr. Tryon on the Pythagorean regimen ; and, fully con- vinced by its reafoning, he abftained from the ufe of meat for a long time ; and became irreconcilable to it, until a cod-lifh, which he caught in the open fea, and found its ftomach full of little filh, overturned his whole fyftem. He concluded, that fmce the fifhes eat each other, men might very well feed upon other animals. This Pythagorean diet was econo- mical to the printer's boy : it faved him fome money to lay out for books ; and reading was the firft and confiant paflion of his life. Having left his father's houfe without re- commendation, and almoft without money, depending only upon himfelf, but always confident UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 219 confident in his own judgment, and rejoic- ing in his independence, he became the fport of accidents, v;hich fei*ved rather to prove him, than to difcourage him. Wandering in the ftreets of Philadelphia, with only five fliillings in his pocket, not known to a perfon in the town, eating a cruft of bread, and quenching his thirft in the waters of the Delaware ; who could have difcerned in this wretched labourer, one of the future legif- lators of America, one of the fathers of mo- dern philofophy, and an ambaflador covered with glory in the moft wealthy, the moll powerful, and the moft enlightened country in the world ? Who could have believed that France, that Europe, would one day ere£t ftatues to that man who had not where to lay his head ? This circumftance reminds me of a fimilar one of RoufTeau : — Having for his whole fortune fix liards ; harrafled with fatigue, and tormented with hunger ; he hefitated whether he fhould facrifice this little piece to his re- pofe, or to his ftomach. He decided the con- flict by purchafing a piece of bread, and re- figning himfelf to fleep in the open air. In this abandonment of nature and men, he ftill enjoyed the one, and defpilcd the other. The P 2 Lyonnefe, 220 NEW TRAVELS IN THE Lyonnefe, who difdained Roufleau bfecaiife he was ili drefled, has died unknown ; while altars are now ereded to the man ill-drefîed. Thefe examples ought to confole men of ge- nius, whom fortune may reduce to the necef- lity of ftruggling againft want. Adverfity but forms them, and perfeverance will bring its reward. Arriving at Philadelphia did not finifh the misfortunes of Benjamin Franklin. He was there deceived and difappointed by governor Keith, who, by fine promifes for his future eftablilhment, which he never realized, in- duced him to embark for London, w^here he arrived without money and without re- commendations. Happily he knew how to procure fubfiftence. His talent for the prefs, in W'hich no perfon excelled him, foon gave him occupation. His frugality, the regula- rity of his condud, and the good fenfe, of his converfation, procured him the efteem of his comrades : his reputation in this refpeft, exifted for fifty years afterwards in the print- ing-offices in London. An employment promifed him by a Mr. Derham, recalled him to his country in 1726, when fortune put liim to another proof. His UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 22 1 His protedor died ; and Franklin was obliged, for llibliftence to have recourfe again to the prefs. He found the means foon afterwards to eftablifh a printing-prefs himfelf, and to publiih a gazette. At this period began his good fuccefs, which never afterwards aban- doned him. He married a Mifs Read, tP whom he was attached by a long friendfliip, and who merited all his efteem. She par- took of his enlarged and beneficent ideas, and was the model of ?i virtuous wife and a good neighbour. Having arrived at this degree of indepen- dence, Franklin had leifure to purfue his fpe- culations for the good of the public. His gazette furnifhed him with the regular and canftant means of inftru(^ing his fellow-citi- zens. He made this gazette the principal ob- jed of his attention j fo that it acquired g vaft reputation, was read through the whole country, and may be confidered as having contributed much to perpetuate in Pennfyl- vania thofe excellent morals which ftill diftin- guifh that State. I poiTefs one of thefe gazettes, compofcd by him, and printed at his prefs. It is a precious relique, a monument which I wiili to m 222 NEW TRAVELS IN THE to preferve with reverence^ to teach men to bhifh at the prejudice which makes them del- pife the ufeful and important profeffion of the editor of daily papers. Men of this profef- fion, among a free people, are their firft pre- ceptors, and heft friends ; and when they unite talents with patriotifm and philofophy, when they ferve as the canal for communi- cating truths, for diffipating prejudices, and removing thofe hatreds which prevent the human race from uniting together in one great family, thefe men are the curates, the mifli- onaries, the angels deputed from heaven for the happinefs of men. Let it not be faid, in ridicule of this profef^ fion, that an ill ufe is fometimes made of it, for the defence of vice, of defpotifm, of er- - rors. Shall we profcribe eloquence and the ufe of fpeech, becaufe wicked men pofTefs them? But a work which contributed ftill more to diffufe in America the pradife of fruga- lity, economy, and good morals, was Poor KickarcCs Almanack, You are acquainted with it ; it had a great reputation in France, but ftill more in America. Franklin conti- nued it ibr twenty-five years, and fold an- nually UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 223 nually more than ten thoufand copies. In this work, the itioft weighty truths are deli- vered in the fimpleft language, and fuited to the comprehenfion of all the world. In 1736, Franklin began his public career. He was appointed Secretary of the General AfTeinbly of Pennfylvania, and continued in that employment for many years. In 1737, the Englifh government confided to him the adminiftration of the general poft- office in America. He made it at once lucra- tive to the revenue, and ufeful to the inhabi- tants. It ferved him particularly, to extend every where his ufeful gazettes. Since that epoch, not a year has palled without his propoTmg, and carrying into exe- cution, fome projed ufeful to the colonies. To him are owing the companies of afliu- ance againft fire ; companies fo neceflary in countries where houfes are built with wood, and where fires completely ruin indi-viduals ; while, on the contrary, they are difaftrous in a country' where fires are not frequent, and not dangerous. «24 NEW TRAVELS IN THE To him is owing the eftabliftiment of the Philofophlcal Society at Philadelphia, its li- brary, its univerfity, its hofpitals, &c. Franklin, perftiaded that information could not be extended but by firft coUeding it, and by alTembling men who are likely to poffefs it, was always extremely ardent to encourage literary and political clubs. In one of thefe clubs, which he founded, the following quef- tions were put to the candidate : — *' Do you love all men, of whatever religion they may be ? Do you believe that we ought to perfecute or decry a man for mere fpecula- tive opinions, or for his mode of worfhip ? Do you love truth for its own fake ? and will you employ all your efforts to difcover it, and make it known to others ?" Obferv^e, again, the fpirit of this club in the queftions put to the members at their meetings. — " Know you any citizen who has lately been remarkable for his induftry ? Know you in what the Society can be ufeful to its brethren, and to all the human race ? Is there any ftranger arrived in town ? In what can the Society be ufeful to him ? Is there any young perfon beginning bufmefs, who UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 225 who wants encouragement ? Have you ob- ferved any defeâis in the new adls of the legillature, which can be remedied ? How can the Society be ufeful to you ?" The attention which he paid to thefe infti- tutions of Hterature and humanity, did not divert him from his public functions, nor from his experiments in natural philofophy. His labours _on thefe fubjedts are well known; I fhall therefore not fpeak of them., but confine myfelfto the fad: which has been little remarked : it is, that Franklin always direded his labours to that kind of public utility which, without procuring any great eclat to its author, produces great advantage to the citizens at large. It is to this popular tafte, which charadterifed him, that we owe the invention of his eledlrical conduûors, his economical ftoves, his diifertations, truly philofop.hical, on the means of preventing- chimneys from fmoking, on the advantages of copper roofs to houfes, the eftabliiliment of fo many paper-mills in Pennfylvahia*, &:c. The * Dr. Franklin told me that he had eftablilTi.'d about eighteen paper-miils. His grandfon, Mr. T. Franklin wiil doubilcf: piibliiji 226 NEW TRAVELS IN THE The clrcumftances of his political career are likewife known to you ; I therefore pafs them over in filence. But I ought not to omit to mention his conduâ: during the war of 1755. At^that period he enjoyed a great reputation in the Englifh colonies. In 1 754 he was appointed one of the members of the famous Congrefs, which was held at Albany ; the object of which was to take the necef- fary meafures to prevent the invafion of the French. He prefented to that Congrefs an excellent plan of union and defence^ which was adopted by that body ; but it was re-. je<£ted in London by the department for the colonies, under the pretext that it was too democratical. It is probable that, had this plan been purfued, the colonies would not have been ravaged by the dreadful war which foUowe'd. During this war, Franklin per- formed many important functions. At one time he was fent to cover the frontiers, to raife troops, build forts, &c. You then fee him contefting with the governor, to force him to give his confent to a bill taxing the family of Penn, who were proprietors of publifli a coliedtion of his ufeful letters on the falutary or per- nicious efit£ts of different procefles in the arts. Thefe letters are fcattered in the American gazettes. The colieftion of them would be curious. one- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 227 one-third of the lands of Pennfylvania, and refufed to pay taxes. He then was fent deputy to London, where he was fuccefsfiil in fupporting the caufe of the colony in the Privy Council againft that powerful family. The fuperior fkill and management which he difcovered in thefe négociations, were the forerunners of the more important fuccefs which attended him during the war of in- dependence, when he was fent ambafTador to France. On his final return to his country, he ob- tained all the honours which his important fervices merited. His great age, and his in- firmities, have compelled him at laft to re- nounce his public career, which he has run with fo much glory. He lives retired, with his family, in a houfe which he has built on the fpot where he firfl landed, fixty years before, and where he found himfelf wander- ing without a home, and without acquaint- ance. In this houfe he has eftabliihed a printing-prefs and a type-founder}^ From a printer he had become amb.iflador ; from this he has now returned to his beloved prefs, and is forming to this precious art his grandfcn, Mr.' Bache. Fie has placed liim 228 NEW TRAVELS IN THE him at the head of an enterprife which will be infinitely ufeful ; it is a complete edition of all the claffic authors, that is, of all thofe moral writers whofe works ought to be the manual for men who wiih to gain inftruciion, and make themfelves happy in doing good to others. It is in the midft of thefe holy occupa- tions, that this great man waits for death with tranquility. You will judge of his philofophy on this point, which is the toueh- ftone of philofophy, by the following letter, written thirty years ago on the death of his brother John Franklin, addrelTed to Mrs. Hubbard, his daughter-in-law. " My dear child, " I AM grieved with you ; we have loft " a friend, who, to us, was very dear, " and very precious. But it is the will " of God and of nature, that thefe mortal " bodies fhould be laid afide, when the foul " is ready to enter into real life; for thi» " life is but an embryo ftate, a preparation '• for life. A man is not completely born, *' until he his dead. Shall we complain, then, " that a new-born has taken his place among *' the immortals ? We are fpirits. It is a " proof UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 229 " proof of the goodnefs of God, that oiu* " bodies are lent us fo long as they can be " ufeful to us, in receiving pleafurc, in ac- " quiring knowledge, or in doing good to " our fellow-creatures ; and he gives a new " proof of the fame goodnefs in delivering *' us from our bodies, when, inftead cf plea- " fure, they caufe us pain ; when inftead of " aiding others, we become chargeable to ". them. Death is then a bleifrng from God ; " we ourfelves often prefer a partial death " to a continued pain ; it is thus that we " confent to the amputation of a limh, when " it cannot be reftored to life. On quitting " our bodies, we are delivered from all kinds " of pain. Our friend and we are invited " to a party of pleafure which will endure " eternally : he has gone firft ; why Ihould " we regret it, fmce we are fo foon to fol- " low, and we know where we are to meet ?" Appendix to the precedhig chapter^ zvrittm in December 1 790, FRANKLIN has enjoyed, this year, the bleffrng of death, for which he waited fo long a time. I vrill here repeat the refledions which I printed in my Gazette of the 13th of June laft, on this event, and on the de- cree 230 NEW TRAVELS IN THE crée of the National AiTembly on this oc- calion. I will introduce them with the difcourfe of M. Mirabeau in that aflembly. " Gentlemen, " Franklin is dead — he has returned to " the bofom of God — the genius who has " liberated America, and flied over Europe " the torrents of his light ! " The fage of two worlds— the man for " whom the hiftory of fciences and the hif- " tory of empires contend, Ihould doubtlefs " hold an elevated rank in the human race. " Too long have political cabinets been " accuftomed to notify the death of thofe " who are great only in their funeral pomp ; " too long has the etiquette of courts pro- " claimed hypocritical mourning. Nations " ought to mourn only for their benefadtors ; " the reprefentatives of nations ought to re- " commend to their homage, none but the " heroes of humanity. *' The Congrcfs has ordained a mourning " of two months for the death of Frar.klin ; " and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 23! " and America, at this moment, is rendering " this tribute of veneration to one of the fa- ** thers of her conftitution. " Would it not be worthy of you, gentle- " men, to join them in this truly religious *' ad:, to participate in this homage rendered " in the face of the univerfe to the rights of " men, to the philofopher, who has contri- " buted the moft to extend their empire over " the face of the earth ? " Antiquity would have raifed altars to that *' powerful genius, who, for the benefit of " men, embracing heaven and earth, could " have curbed the thunders of the one, and " the tyrants of the other. Europe, enlight- " ened and free, owes at leaft a teftimony of " gratitude to the greateft man that ever " adorned philofophy and liberty ! " I propofe that it be decreed, that the Na- " tional AfTembly go into mourning three " days for Benjamin Franklin." The AfTembly received with acclamation, and decreed with unanimity, the propofal of M. Mirabeau. The 232 NEW TRAVELS IN THE The honour thus done to the memory of Franklin, v/ill reûeÔ: glory on the National Afl'embly. It will give an idea of the im- menfe difference between this legillature and other political bodies ; for, how many preju- dices muft have been vanquifhed, before France could bring her homage to the tomb of a man, who, from the ftation of a journey- man printer, had railed himfelf to the rank of legiflator, and contributed to place his coun- try on a footing among the great powers of the earth. This fublime decree was pronounced, not only without hefitation., but with that en- thufiafm which is infpired by the name of a great man, by the regret of having loft him, by the duty of doing honour to his afhes, and by the hope, that rendering this honour m:ay give rife to like virtues and like talents in others. And, oh ! may this Affembly, pe- netrated with the greatnefs of the homage which {he has rendered to genius, to virtue, to the pure love of liberty and humanity ; may fhe never tarnifii this homage, by yield- ing to the folicitations of men who may wifh to obtain the fame honours for the manes of ambitious individuals, who, miftaking art for genius, UNITED , STATES OF AMERICA. 233 genius, obfcure conception for profound ideas, the deiire of abafino; tyrants for the love of huî'ïianity, the applaufe of a volatile people for the veneration of an enlightened world, may think proper to afpire to the honour of a national mourning. This hope fhould doubtlefs infpirè the man of genius, the man of worth ; but ye who fmcerely indulge the wiih to place yourfelf by the fide of Franklin, examine his life, and have the courage to imitate him. Franklin had genius : but he had virtues ; he was good, fimple, and modeft ; he had not that proud afperity in difpute, which repulfes with dil- dain the ideas of others ; he liftened — he had the art of liftening — he anfwered to the ideas of others, and not to his own. I have feen him attending patiently to young people who, full of frivolity and pride, were eager to make a parade before him, of fome fuperficial knowledge of their own. He knew how to eilimate them ; but he would not humiliate them, even by a parade of goodnefs. Placing himfelf at once on a level with them, he would anfwer w^ithout having the air of iaftrudling them. He knew that inflructiou iu its pompous ap- C^ parel, 234 NEW TRAVELS IN THE parel, was forbidding. Franklin had know- ledge, but it was for the people ; he was al- ways grieved at their ignorance, and made it his confiant duty to enlighten them. He ftudied for. ever to leiTen the price of books, in order to multiply them. In a word, genius, fnnplicity, good nefs, tolerance, indefatigable labour, and love for the people — thefe form the character of Franklin ; and thefe you muft unite, if you wiih for a name like his. LETTER UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 2;^^ LETTER XIV. Steam-boat — Refle£îtons on the CharaEler of the Americans^ and the Englijh, Sept. I, 1788. , I BREx\KFASTED with Samuel Ameland, one of the richeft and moft beneficent of the Society of Friends. He is a pupil of Anthony Benezet ; he fpeaks of him with enthufiafm, and treads in his fteps. He takes an active part in every ufeful inftitution, and rejoices in the occafion of doing good ; he loves the French nation, and fpeaks their language. He treats me with the greateft friendfhip ; offers me his houfe, his horfes, and his carriage. On leaving him, I went to fee an experiment, near the Delaware, on a boat, the objed of which is to afcend rivers againft the current. The inventor was Mr. Fitch, who had found a company to fupport the expence. One of the moft zealous affo- ciates is Mr. Thornton, of whom I have fpoken. This invention was difputed be- 0^2 tween 2^6 NEW TRAVELS IN THE tween Mr. Fitch and M. Rumiey of Vir- ginia*. However it be, the machine which I faw, appears well executed, and well adapt- ed to the defign. The fleam-engine gives motion to three large oars of confiderable force, which were to give fixty ftrokes per minute. I doubt not but, phyfically fpeaking, this machine may produce part of the efFeâs which are expeâ:ed from it : but I doubt its utility in commerce ; for, notwithftanding the aflurances of the undertakers, it muft require many men to manage it, and much cxpence in repairing the damages occafioncd by the violence and multiplicity of the fric- * Since v/riting this letter, I have ieen Mr. Rumfey in England. Ke is a man of great ingenuity ; and, by the ex- planation which he has given me, it appears that his difcovery, though founded on a fimilar principle with that of Mr. Fitch, is very different from it, and far more fimple in its execution. M. Rumfey propofcd then (Feb. 1789) to build a^veflel which fhou'd go to America by the help only of the fteam-engine, and without fails. It was io make the paffige in fifteen day». I perceive with pain that he has not yet executed his projedl ; which, when executed, will introduce into com- merce as great a change as the difcovery of the cape of Geod Hope author. The tranflator is informed, that M. Rumiey is purCuing his operations with greater vigour, and more excenfive expetU- tions, th;in ever. tlon. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 237 tion. Yet I will allow, that if the move- ments can be fimplitied, and the expence leiTened, the invention may be ufeful in a country where labour is dear, and where the borders of rivers are not acceffible, like thofe in France, by horfes to draw the boats. This idea was confoling to Dr. Thornton, whom- I faw aflailed by railleries on account of the Jleani-boat. Thefe railleries appear to me very ill placed. The obftacles to be con- quered by genius are every where fo con- fiderable, the encouragement fo feeble, and the neceffity of fupplying the want of hand- labour in America fo evident, that I cannoc, without indignation, fee the Americans dif- couraging, by their farcafms, the generous efforts of one of their fellow-citizens. When will men be reafonable enough. to encourage each other by their mutual aid, and increafe the general ftock of public good, by mutual mildnefs and benevolence ? It is for republics to fet the example : you fee more of it in America than elfewhere ; it is vifibly taking root, and extending itfelf there. You do not fmd among the Ameri- cans, that concealed pride which acquitvS a benefit, and difpenfes with gratitude ; that felfifh rudcnefs which makes of the Engliih Q^ 3 a nation - ÏmJ^ 238 NEW TRAVELS IN THE a nation by themfelves, and enemies to all others. You will however, find fometimes veftiges of their indifference from other peo- ple, and their contempt for ftrangers who travel among them. For example, a Granger in a fociety of Americans, if he has the mis- fortune not to fpeak their language, is fome- times left alone ; no perfon takes notice of him. This is a breach of humanity, and a negleâ: of their own intereft ; of humanity, becaufe confolation is due to a man diftant from his friends, and his ordinary means of amufement ; of their own intereft, becaufç ftrangers, difgufted with this treatment, haften to quit the country, and to prejudice others againft it. I fay that this inattention to ftrangers is above all remarkable in the Englifh. I do not think that I am deceived ; I have lived long among them, and am generally accufed of too much partiality for them. This fame fault is obfervable in the Englifh iflands, I have remarked it in many of them ; and I fear that the vices in general of the inhabi- tants of the iflands will corrupt the Ameri- cans, who appear to be remarkably fond of extending their connexions with them. I liearcl ope of them put the following queftion to ÉÊÊt. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 239 to feveral Americans, at a review of the volunteers of Philadelphia : " Can you tell me whether thefe brave officers are barbers or coblers ?" This vulgar pleafantry difcovers the man of prejudice, the infolent and bafe European, the valet of a defpot. Such rail- leries tend to deftroy that idea of equality which is the bafis of republics. But why do not men of fenfe, who are witnefles of thefe follies, refute them with vigour ? Why that cowardly fupplenefs which is decorated with the name of politenefs? Is it not evident that it hardens the corrupted man, and fufFers to grow up in feeble minds, prejudices which one vigorous attack would deftroy ? LETTER 240 NEW TRAVELS IN THE LETTER XV. ^he Society of Agriculture — -TLe Library, Sept. 2, 1788. 1 WAS prefent at a meeting of the Agri- cultural Society. It is not of long ftand- ing, but it is numerous, and pofl'efles a con- iiderable fund. If fuch a fociety ought to receive encouragement in any country, it is in this. Agriculture is the firft pillar of this State ; and though you find many good farmers here, yet the great mafs of them want information ; and this information can only be procured by the union of men well verfed in theory and practice. The fubjeét of this meeting was an im* portant one. The papillon, or worm, called ^he HeJJian Fly^ had, for feveral years, ra- vaged the wheat in many parts of the United States. The King of England, fearing that this infeâ: might pafs into his iHand, had juft prohibited the importation of the Ame riçaii wheat. The Supreme Executive Coun- cil UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 241 Cil of Pennfylvania, in order to counteraQ: the efFects of this prohibition, by gaining in- formation on the fubjeâ:, applied to the So- ciety of Agriculture ; they dcfired to know if this infect attacked the grain, and whether it was poflible to prevent its ravages. Many farmers prefent at this meeting, from their own experience, and that of their neigh- bours and correfpondents, declared, that the infed: depofited its eggs, not in the ear, but in the ftalk ; fo that they were well convinc- ed, that, on threfliing the wheat, there could be nothing to fear that the eggs would mix with the grain ; and confequently they could not be communicated with the grain. Mr. Polwell, and Mr. Griffiths, prefident and fecretary of this fociety, do equal honour to it ; the one by the neatnefs of his compoli- tion, and the elegance of his ftyle ; the other by his indefatigable zeal. Among the ufeful inRitutions which do honour to Philadelphia, you diftinguiih the public library *, the origin of which is owing to the celebrated Franklin. It is fupported by fubfcription. The price of entrance into this fociety is ten pounds* Any perfon has the 242 ^EW TRAVELS IN THE the privilege of borrowing books. Half of the library is generally in the hands of readers ; and I obferved with pleafure, that the books were much worn by ufe. At the fide of this library is a cabinet of natural hiftory. I obferved nothing curious in it, but an enormous thigh-bone, and fome teeth as enormous, found near the Ohio, in a mafs of prodigiojs bones, which nature feems to have thrown together in thofe ages whofe events are covered from the eye of hif- tory by an impenetrable veil. LETTER UNITED STATES OF AMERICA* 243 LETTER XVL On the Market of PbUadelphhu Sept. 3, 1 7 88. IF there exlfts, fays Franklin, an Atheift in the univerfe, he would be converted on feeing Philadelphia — on contemplating a town where every thing is fo well arranged. If an idle man Ihould come into exiftence here, on hav- ing conftantly before his eyes the three amia- ble fillers, Wealth, Science, and Virtue, the children of Induftry and Temperance, he would foon lind himfelf in love with them, and endeavour to obtain them from their pa- rents. Such are tlie ideas offered to the mind on a market-day at" Philadelphia. It is, without contradidion, one of the fmeft in the uni- verfe. Variety and abundance in the articles, order in the diftribution, good faith and tran- quillity in the trader, are all here united. One of the effential beauties of a market, is 244 NEW TRAVELS IN THE IS cleanlincfs in the provifions, and in thofe who fell them. Cleanlinefs is confpicuous here in every thing ; even meat, whofe afpeâ: IS more or lefs difgufting in other markets, here ftrikes your eyes agreeably. The fpec- tator is not tormented with the fight of little- flreams of blood, which infeâ: the air, and foul the ftreets. The women who bring the produce of the country, are drefled with de- cency ; their vegetables and fruits are neatly arranged in handfome, well-made bafl^:ets. Every thing is affembled here, the produce of the country, and the works of induftry ; fleih, fifh, fruits, garden-feeds, pottery, iron-ware, fhoes, trays, buckets extremely well made^ &c. The ftranger is never wearied in con- templating this multitude of men and women moving and eroding in every direction, with- out tumult or injury. You would fay, that it was a market of brothers, that it was a rendezvous of philofophers, of the pupils of the filent Pythagoras ; for filence reigns with- out interruption ; you hear none of thofe piercing cries, fo common elfewhere ; each one fells, bargains, and buys in filence. The carts and horfes which have brought in the fupplies, arc peaceably arranged in the next ilreet, in the order in which they arrive ; when difengagcd, they move off in filence : no UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 245 no quarrels among the carmen and the por- ters. You fee none of our fools and maca- ronies galloping with loofe reins in the ftreets. Thefe are the aftonifhing efFedts of habit ; a habit infpired by the Quaksrs, who planted morals in this country ; a habit of doing every thing with tranquillity and with reafon ; a habit of injuring no perfon, and of having no need of the interpofition of magif- trates. To maintain order in fuch a market in France, would require four Judges and a do- zen foldiers. Here, the law has no need of mufkets ; education and morals have done every thing. Two clerks of the police walk in the market. If they fufpeâ; a pound of butter of being light, they v^reigh it : if light, it is feized for the ufe of the hofpital. You fee, here, the fathers of families go to > market. It was formerly fo in France : their wives fucceeded to them ; thinking them- felves difhonoured by the tafk. City have re- figned it to the ferv^ants. Neither œconomy nor morals have gained any thing by this chans:c. The 246 NEW TRAVELS IN THE The price of bread is from one penny to two pence the pound, beef and mutton from two pence to fourpence, veal from one penny to twopence ; hay from twenty to thirty (hil- lings the ton ; butter from fourpence to fix- pence the pound ; wood from feven pence to eightpence the cord. Vegetables are in abun- dance, and cheap. Wines of Europe, parti- cularly thofe of France, are cheaper here than any where elfe. I have drank the wine of Provence, faid to be made by M. Bergafie, at ninepence the bottle ; but the taverns are ex- tremely dear. Articles of luxury are expen- five : a hair-drefler cofts you eightpence a-day, or twelve fhillings the month. I hired a one- horfe chaife three days : it coft me three louis d'ors. LETTER UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 247 LETTER XVIL General Ajjembly of Fennfylvania — A Farm owned by a Frenchman, Sept. 6, T788- 1 HAD made an acquaintance at New-York with General Miflin, who was then Speaker of the Houfe of Reprefentatives of Pennfyl- vania. I met him again at Philadelphia. His charaâier was well drawn by M. de Chaf- tellux. He is an amiable, obliging man ; full of aâiivity, and very popular. He fills his place with dignity and firmnefs ; an enemy to artifice and dilguife ; he is frank, brave, difinterefted, and warmly attached to demo- cratic principles. He is no longer a Quaker ; having taken arms, he was forced to quit the Society ; but he flill profeffes a great efceem for that feâ:, to which his wife has always re- mained faithful. The General had the com- plaifance to conduâ: me one day to the Gene- ral Affembly. I faw nothing remarkable in it : the building is far from that magnificence attributed to it by the Abbe Raynal : it is cer- tainly 24^ NEW TRAVELS IN THE tainly a fine building, when compared with the other edifices of Philadelphia ; but it can- not be put in competition with thofe public buildings which we call fine in Europe. There were about fifty members prefent, feated on chairs inclofed by a baluftrade. Be- hind the baluftrade, is the gallery for fpeâia- tors. A Petit Maître, who fliould fall fud- denly from Paris into this Aflembly, would undoubtedly find it ridiculous. He would feoff at the fimplicity of their cloth coats, and, in fome cafes, at the negligence of their toilettes ; but every man who thinks will de- fire that this fimplicity may for ever remain, and become univerfal. They pointed out to me, under one of thefe plain coats, a farmer by the name of Findley, whofe eloquence difplays the greateft talents. The eftate of General Mifiin, where we went to dine, is five miles from town, by the falls of the Skuylkill. Thefe falls are formed by a confiderable bed of rocks : they are not perceivable when the water of the river is liigh. The General's houfe enjoys a moft ro- mantic, profped. This route prefents the vcftigcG of many houfes burnt by the Englifh, who UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 249 who had likewife deftroyed all the trees, and left the country naked. I faw at General Miflin's, an old Quaker, who ihook me by my hand with the more pleafure, as he faid he found in my air a refemblance of Anthony Benezet. Other Quakers told me the fame thing. There is no great vanity in citing this fa(ft, when I recoiled: what M. de Chaftellux fays of his figure ; but he had eyes of goodnefs and humanity. Springmill, where I went to fleep, is a hamlet eight miles up the Skuylkill. The beft houfe in it is occupied Mr. L. a Frenchman. It enjoys the moft fublimc profpect that you can imagine. It is fituated on a hill. One the fouth-eaft, the Skuylkill flows at its feet through a magnificent channel between two mountains covered with wood. On the banks you perceive fome fcattering houfes and cul- tivated fields. The foil is here compofed of a great quan- tity of talc, granit, and a yellow gravel ; fome places a very black earth. In the neigh- bourhood are quarries of marble of a middling R finenefs. 250 NEW TRAVELS IN THîT finenefs, of which many chimney-pieces are made. I fhall give you fome details refpe^Ling; this Frenchman's farm ; they will fhew yoii the manner of living among cultivators here, and they may be ufeful to any of our friends who may wifh to eftablilh themfelves in this country. Obfervations on the manner of extending eafe and happinefs among men^ are, in the eyes of the philofopher, as valu- able as thofe v/hich teach the art ofaflaffinat- ing them. The houfe of Mr. L. is very well built in ftone, two ftories high, with five or fix fine chambers in each Itory. From the two gardens, formed like an amphitheatre» you enjoy that fine profpedt above mentioned, Thefe gardens are well cultivated, and con- tain a great quantity of bee-hives, A highway feparates the houfe from the farm. He keeps about twenty horned cattle» and ten or twelve horfes. The fituation of things on this farm, proves how little is to be feared from theft and robbery in this country ; every thing is left open, or inclofed without locks. His farm confifts of two hvnadred and fifty acres ; of which the greater part UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 25I part is in wood ; the reil is in wheat, Indian corn, buck-wheat, and meadow. He fhewed me about an acre of meadow, from which he as aheady taken this year, eight tons of hay : he calculates, that, including the third cutting, this acre will produce him this year ten pounds. His other meadows are lefs manured, and lefs productive. Mr. L. recounted to me fome of his paft misfortunes — I knew them before — He was the vidim of the perfidy of an intendant of Guadaloupe, who, to fupprefs the proofs of his own accomplicity in a clandeftine commerce, tried to deftroy him by imprifonment, by affaffination, and by poifon. Efcaped from thefe perfecutions, Mr. L enjoys fafety at Springmill ! but he does not enjoy happinefs. He is alone ; and what is a farmer without his wife and family ? He pays from five to fix pounds taxes for all his property, confffting of an hun- dred and twenty acres of wood land, eighty acres of arable, twenty-five acres of meadow, three acres of garden, a great houfe, feveral fmall houfes for his fcrvants, his barns, and his cattle. By this fad, you may judge of the exaggerations of the detradors of the R 2 United 252 NEW TRAVELS IN THS United States on the fubjecl of taxes. Com- pare this with what would be paid in France for a Hke property. Mr. L. has aitempted to cultivate the vine : he has planted a vine- yard near his houfe, on the fouth-eaft expofure, and it fuccceds very well. It is a remark to be made at every ftep in America, that vegetation is rapid and ftrong. The peach-tree, for example, grows faft, and produces fruit in great quantities. Within one month after you have cut your wheat, you would not know your field ; it is co- vered with grafs, very high, and very thick. It will" be a long time, however before, the vine can be cultivated to profit in Ame- rica : JirJ}^ becaufe labour is dear, and the vine requires vaft labour* : fecondly, becaufe the wines of Europe will be for a long time cheap in America. Mr. L. furnifhcd me with the proof of this. He gave me fomc very good RoufiUon, which coft him by the * In Orleannois, the whote operation of cultivating the vine, and making the vintage, cofts to the proprietor thirty livres, twenty-five fhillings fterling, an acre. A man cannot perform the labour of more than five acres a-year ; fo that he gets fix pounds five fliillings a-year, and fupports hiin- felf. Compare this with the price of labour in America, and that with the E?'ce of French wines, fmgls UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 253 imgle bottle, only eightpence ; and I know that this fame wine, at firft hand, coft five- pence or fixpence. We ought to regard the birds as a great dif^ couragement to the culture of the vine in America, You often fee immenfe clouds of black-birds, which, fettling on a vineyard, would deftroy it in an inftant. I have already mentioned, that the paftures and fields in America are inclofed with bar- riers of wood, or fences, Thefe, when made of rails fupported by pofts, as above defcribed, are expenfive, efpecially in the neighbour- hood of great towns, where wood is dear. Mr. L. thinks it beft to replace them by ditches fix feet deep, of which he throws the earth upon his meadows, and borders th"e fides with hedges ; and thus renders the paf- fage impraâiicable to the cattle. This is an agricultural operation, which cannot be too much recommended to the Americans. The country here is full of fprings ; we faw fome very fine ones. Mr. L. told us of one which carries a mill night and day, and ferves to water his meadows when occafion re- quires. R 3 I afked 254 NEW TRAVELS IN THE I afked him where he purhafed his meat ? He fays, when a farmer kills beef, mutton, or veal, he advertifes his neighbcurs, who take what they choofe, and he faits the re- mainder. As he is here without his family, he has no fpinning at his houfe ; makes no cheefe, keeps no poultry. Thefe parts of rural economy, which are exercifed by wo- men, are loft to him ; and it is a confider- able lofs. He fows no oats, but feeds his horfes with Indian corn and buck-wheat, ground. I faw his vaft corn-fields covered with pumpkins, which are profitable for cat- tle. He has a joiner's (hop, and a turning- lathe- He makes great quantities of lime on his farm, which fells very well at Philadel- phia. He has obtained leave from the State to ercâ: a ferry on the Skuylkill, which he fays will produce îiim a profit of forty pounds a-year. He is about to build a faw. mill. The lands newly cleared, produce much more than the lands of France. He had bad wheat this year, though it had promifed well : having grown to a prodigious height, the grain was fhrivelled and meagre. He fays, the mildew has diminifhed his crop by more than three hundred bofhels. The çaufe 'M^ UNITED STATE5 OF AMERICA. 2J5 <:aufeof the mildew is fuppofed to be this : — That when the feafon advances, it is fome- times attended by fogs, and very heavy dews : the fan burfting through the fog, evaporates the drops on the ftalk ; and the fudden change from cold and wet, to warm and dry, enfee- bles and withers the plant. The mildew is an evil very general in Pennfylvania. Mr. L. told me, that there was no other remedy but to fow early, that the plant may be more vigorous at the feafon of the mildew. This farm had coil him two thoufand pounds ; and he alTured me that allowing no- thing for fome loffes occafioned by his igno- rance of the country, and of the language on his firft arrival, and for the improvements he had made, his land produces more than the in- tereft of his money. He told me, that the houfe alone had coft more than he paid for the whole : and this is very probable. Per- fons in general who defire to make good bar- gains, ought to purchafe lands aireadv built upon ; for, though the buildings have cofl much, they are counted for little in the fale. Though diftant from fociety, and ftruggling Againft many disadvantages, he affured me that he 256 NEW TRAVELS IN THE he was happy ; and that he Ihould not fail to be completely fo, were he furrounded by his family, which he had left in France. He is attentive to the fubjedt of meteoro- logy ; it is he that furnifhes the météorologie tables publiflied every month in the Colum- bian Magazine : they are certainly the moft exad: that have appeared on this continent. He thinks there is no great difference between the climate here and that of Paris : that here, the cold weather is more dry ; that the fnow and ice remain but a fhort time ; that there never paffes a week without fome fair days ; that there falls more rain here than in France, but that it rarely rains two days fucceffively ; that the heat is fometimes more intenfe, that it provokes more to fweat and to heavinefs ; finally, that the variations are here more fre- quent and more rapid. The following is the refult of the obferva- tions of this Frenchman for four years : The greateft cold in this part of Pennfylvania, is commonly from ten to twelve degrees be- low the freezing point of Reaumur's thermo- meter : the greateft heats are from twen- ty-fix to twenty-eight degrees above : the mean UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 257 the mean term of his obfervations for four years, or the temperature, is nine degrees and lix tenths ; the mean height of the barometer , is twenty-nine inches ten Unes and one tenth, Enghfh meafure ; the prevaiUng wind is north-north-weft. In the year there are fif- teen days of thunder, feventy-fix days of rain, twelve days of fnow, five days of tempeft with ram ; thefe eighty-one days of rain, with thofe of fnow, give thirty-five inches of wa- ter, French meafure. The fky is never ob- fcured three days together. The country is very healthy, and extremely vegetative. Wheat harveft is from the 8th to the 12th of July. No predominant ficknefs has been re- marked during thefe four years. LETTER 258 NEW TRAVELS IN THE LETTER XVIIÎ. yourney of two Frenchnen to the Ohio. Sept. ic, 17 83. 1 HAVE had the good fortune to meet here a Frenchman, who is travelling in this coun- try, not in purfuit of weahh, but to gain in- formation. It is Mr. Saugrain, from Paris : he is an ardent naturalift : fome circumftances firft attached him to the fervice of the King of Spain, who fent him to Spanifh America to make difcoveries in minerais and natural hiftory. After the death of his proteâ:or, Don Galves, he returned to France. In 1787, he formed the projed with Mr. K- guet, who had fome knowledge in botany, to vifit Kentuckey and the Ohio. They arrived at Philadelphia, and paffed immediately to Pittfourg. There the winter overtook them, and the Ohio froze over, which rarely happens. They lodged them- felves a few miles from Pittfburg, in an open houfe, where they fuffered much from the cold. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 259 cold. The thermometer of Reaumur de- fcended to 32 degrees, while at Philadelphia it was only at 16. During their ftay here, they made many experiments. Mr. Saugrain weighed feveral kinds of wood in an hydro- ftatic balance which he carried with him. He difcovered, likewife, which fpecies would yield the greateft quantity, and the beft qua- lity of potafh. Many experiments convinced him, that the ftalks of Indian corn yield a greater quantity than wood, in proportion to the quantity of matter. He examined the different mines of the country. He found fome of iron, of lead, of copper, and of fil- ver. He was told of a rich iron-mine be- longing to Mr. Murray ; but he was not fuf- fered to fee it. On the opening of the Spring, they dc- fcended the Ohio, having been joined by ano- ther Frenchman, Mr. Rague, and a Virgi- nian, They landed at Muficinvquam, where they faw General Harmer, and Ibme people who were beginning a fettlement there. At fome diftance below this place, they fell in with a party of favagcs. M. Piguet was killed, and M. Saugrain wounded and taken prifoner; he fortunately made his cfcape, re- joined I 200 NEW TRAVELS IN THE rejoined the Virginian, and found the means of returning to Pittfburg, having ioft his mo- ney and all his effets. He then returned to Philadelphia, where I have met him, on his vray to Europe. He has communicated to me many obfer- vations on the weftern country. The im^- menfe valley wafhed by the Ohio, appears to him the moft fertile that he has ever feen. The flrength and rapidity of vegetation in that country are incredible, the fize of the trees enormous, and their variety infinite. The inhabitants are obliged to exhauft the firft fatnefs of the land in hemp and tobacco, in order to prepare it for the prcdudlion of wheat. The crops of Indian corn are pro- digious ; the cattle acquire an extraordinary fize, and keep fat the whole year in the open fields. The facility of producing grain, rearing cattle, making whifkey, beer, and cyder, with a thoufand other advantages, attradl to this country great numbers of emigrants from other parts of America. A man in that country, fcarcely v/orks two hours in a day, for the fupport of himfelf and family ; he pafles mofl of his time in idlenefs, hunting, or UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 261 or drinking. The women fpin, and make cloaths for their hufbands and families. Mr. Saugrain faw very good woollens and linens made there. They have very little money ; every thing is done by barter. The adtive genius of the Americans is al- ways pufliing them forward. Mr. Saugrain has no doubt but fooner or later the Spani- ards will be forced to quit the Mifliffipi, and that the Americans will pafs it, and eftablifh themfelves in Louifiana, which he has feen, and confiders as one of the finefb countries in the univerfe. Mr. Saugrain came from Pittfburg to Phi- ladelphia in feven days, on horfeback. He could have come in a chaife ; but it would have taken him a longer time. It is a poll road, with good taverns eftablifhed the whole way*. * Mr. Saugrain is fo enchanted with the independent life of the inhabitants of the weftern country, that he returned agaio in the year 1 790, to fettle at Scioto. LETTER 202 NEW TRAVELS IN THE LETTER XIX. Cn the School for the Blacks at PhilaMphia^ and the principal American Authors who have wriîteîî in their favour. HERE exifts, then, a countiy where the Negroes are allowed to have fouls, and to be endowed with underftanding capable of being formed to virtue and ufeful knowledge; where they are not regarded as beafts of burden, in order that we may have the privilege of treat- ing them as fuch. There exifts a country, where the Blacks, by their virtues and their induftry, belye the calumnies which their ty- rants elfewhere lavifh againft them; where no difference is perceived between the me- mory of a black head whofe hair is craped by nature, and that of a white one craped by art. I have had a proof of this to-day. I have feen, heard, and examined thefe black chil- dren. They read well, repeat from memory, and calculate with rapidity. I have (ttn a pidure painted by a young negro, who never had a mailer : it was furprifmgly well done. I faw UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 263 I faw in this fchool, a mulatto, on-^-eighth negro ; it is impofîible to diftinguifh him from a white boy. His eyes difcovered an extraordinary vivacity ; and this is a general charaderiftic of people of that origin. The black girls, befides reading, writing, and the principles of religion, are taught fpin- ning, needle-work, &c. ; and their miftrefles affure me, that they difcover much ingenuity. They have the appearance of decency, atten- tion, and fubmiffion. It is a nurfery of good fervants and virtuous houfe-keepers. How criminal are the planters of the iflands, who form but to debauchery and ignominy, crea- tures fo capable of being faihioned to virtue ! It is to Benezet that humanity owes this ufeful eftablifhment — to that Benezet whom Chaftellux has not blufhed to ridicule, for the fake of gaining the infamous applaufes of the parafites of defpotifm. The life of this extraordinary man merits to be known to fuch men as dare to think, who efteem more the benefaâ:ors of their fellow- creatures, than their opprefTors, fo bafely ido- lized during their life. Anthony 264 NEW TRAVELS IN THE Anthony Benezet was born at St. Quintin, in Picardy, in 171 2. Fanaticifm, under the protedlion of , a bigot king, dlreded by an infamous confefïbr, and an infamous woman, fpread at that time its ravages in France. The parents of Benezet were warm Calvinifts ; they fled to England, and he embraced the dodrines of the Quakers. He went to Ame- rica in 1 731, and eilablifhed himfelf at Phi- ladelphia in commerce, the bufinefs to which he had been educated. But the rigidity of his principles and his tafte not agreeing with the fpirit of commerce, he quitted that bufmefs in 1736, and accepted a place in the academy of that fociety. From that time all his moments were confecrated to public inftruâiion, the re- lief of the poor, and the defence of the un- happy negroes. Benezet polTefTed a univerfal philanthropy, which was not common at that time ; he regarded, as his brothers, all men, of all countries, and of all colours ; hè com- pofed many works, in which he collected all the authorities from Scripture, and from other writings, to difcourage and condemn the flave trade and flavery. His works had much in- fluence in determining the Quakers to eman- cipate their flaves. Tt was not enough to (et. at liberty the unhappy Blacks ; it was neceflary to inftruâ: them — UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 265 them to find them fchoolmaflers. And- where fliould he find men willing to devote themfelves to a tafk which prejudice had ren- dered painful and difgufling ? No obilacle could arreft the zeal of Benezet ; he fet the lirft example himfelf: he confecrated his lit- tle fortune to the foundation of this fchool ; his brethren lent fome affiftance ; and by the help of the donations of the fociety of Lon- don, the fchool for Blacks at Philadelphia en- joys' a revenue of 200I. flerling. He confecrated his fortune and his talents to their inflrudion ; and in 1784, death re- moved him from this holy occupation, to re- ceive his reward. The tears of the Blacks, which watered his tomb, the fighs of his fra- ternity, and of every friend of humanity which attended his departing fpirit, muft be a prize more confoling than the laurels of a conqueror. Benezet carried always in his pocket a copy of his works on the Slavery of the Blacks, which he gave and recommended to every one he met, who had not feen them. It is a method generally followed by the Society of Friends. 7'hey extend the works of utility ; S and 266 NEW TRAVELS IN THE and it is the true way of gaining profe- lytes. This philanthropic quaker was preceded in the fame career, by many others, whom I ought to mention. The celebrated George Eox, founder of this fedt, went from England to Barbadoes in the year 1 67 1 , not to preach againft flavery, but to inftruct the blacks in the knowledge of God, and to engage mafters to treat them with mildnefs. The minds of men were not yet ripe for this reform ; neither were they when Wil- liam Burling, of Long-Ifland, in 1718, pub- lifhed a treatife againft flavery. He was a re- fped:able quaker : he preached, but in vain ; the hour was not yet come. Ought not this circumftance to encourage the friends of the blacks in France ? Sixty years of combat were necefl!ary to conquer the prejudice of avarice in America. One year is fcarcely pafled fmce the foundation of the fociety at Paris ; and fome apoftates already appear, becaufe fuccefs has not crowned their firft endeavours. Burling was followed by Judge Sewal, a prefbyterian of Maflachufetts. He prefented to UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 267 to the General Aflembly, a treatife intitled yofcph fold by his brethren. He difcovers the piireft principles, and completely overturns the hackneyed arguments of the traders, re- rpeding the pretended wars of the African princes. It is often fald againft the writings of the friends of the blacks, that they have not been witnefles of the fufferings which they defcribe. This reproach cannot be made againft Benja- rnin Lay, an Engliftiman, who, brought up in the African trade, afterwards a planter at Barbadoes, abandoned his plantation, on ac- count of the horror infpired by the frightful terrors of flavery endured by the negroes. He retired to Philadelphia, became a quaker, and ceafed not the remainder of his life to preach and write for the abolition of flavery. His principal treatife on this fubje called the Kibernian Society, for the fuccqur of emigrants from Ireland. Thefe focieties inform themfclves, on the arrival of a fiiip, of the fituation of the emigrants, and procure them immediate employ. Here is a company for infurance againft fire. The houles are conftruded of wood and brick, and confequently expofed to the ravages of lire. The infurers are the infured a method wbich prevents the: abufes to which your company at Paris is expofed. In UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 32'5> In the midft of all thefe things which ex- cite my admiration and my tender regard, one trait of injuftice gives me much pain, becaufe it feems to tarnifh the glory of Penn- fylvania. Penn left to his family an immenfe property here. In the laft war his defcend- ants took part with the Englifh government, and retired to England. The legiflature of Pennfylvania pafFed a law, taking from them all their lands and their rents, and voted to give them for the whole, one hundred and fifty thoufand pounds. This fum was to have been paid in paper-money, which fufFered then a confiderable depreciation. 7 he firft term' only has been paid. It cannot be denied, that there was a great" injuftice in the eftimation, in the mode t>f payment, and in the delay. The State of Pennfylvania has too much refpedt for pro- perty, and too much attachment to juftice, not to repair its wrongs one day to the fa-" mily of Penn, which fubfifts at prefent only at the expence of the Englifh oation. Y LETTER 330 NEW TRAVELS IN THE LETTER XXVI. Prcgrefs of Cultivation in Pennfylvania. JlxITEIERTO, my friend, we have fpoken only, of farms already- in good culture, and in the neighbourhood of towns. We mufl now penetrate farther, defcend into the midft of the wildernefs, and obferve the man, detached from fociety, with his axe in his hand, felling the venerable oak, that had been refpeâied by the favage, and fupplying its place with the humble fpire of corn. We muft follow this man in his progrefs, obfervx the changes that his cabin undergoes, when it becomes the center of twenty other cabins which rife fucceffively round it. An Ameri- can farmer has communicated to me ihe ■principal traits of the rural picture which I am going to lay before you. The iirft planter*, or * As the tranflator rccollefts to have feen this fanciful de- fcription many times piiblifhed in America, he was lefs anxi" ous in re-tranflating it, to flatter the original author, by re- taining all his ideas, than he was to fave the credit of M. de- Warville, by abridging the piece. Credulity is indeed a lefs fault in a traveller than prejudice; but it ought, hovk^evcr, to be UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 33Î or he who begins a fettlement in the woods, is generally a man who has loft his fortune and his credit in the cultivated part of the ftate. He emigrates in the month of April. His firft work is to build a little cabin for himfelf and family ; the roof is of rough hewn wood, the floor of earth. It is lighted by the door, or fometimes bv a little window with oiled ■I paper. A more wretched building adjoining it gives fhelter to a cow and two miferable horfes. This done, he attacks the trees that furround his cabin. To extirpate them by the, root, would require too much labour. He contents himfelf by cutting them at two or three feet from the ground. The fpace thus cleared is then plowed, and planted with In- dian corn. The foil, being new, requires little culture ; in the month of Oûober it yields a harveft of forty or fifty bu(hels the acre. Even from the month of September, this corn furniflies a plentiful and agreeable nourilhment to his family. Hunting and .fifhing, with a little grain, fwfEce, during the winter, for the fubfiftence of his family ; while the cow and horfes of cur planter feed be correftcd. Accounts like this put one in mind of Dr. Franklin'* romance of Mary Baker, fo religioufly believfd and copied by the Abbé Raynal, in his Hifiory of the Two Indies. y 2 on 332 NEW TRAVELS IN THE on the poor wild grafs, or the buds of treesr During the firft year, he fuffers much from cold and hunger ; but he endures it without repining. Being near the favages, he adopts their manners ; his fatigue is violent, but it is fufpended by long intervals of repofe : his pleafures confift in fifhing and hunting ; he loves fpirituous liquors ; he eats, drinks, and lleeps in the filth of his little cabin. Thus roll away the firft three years of our planter in lazinefs, independence, the varia- tion of pleafure, and of labour. But popu- lation augments in his neighbourhood, and then his troubles begin. His cattle could be- fore run at large ; but now his neighbours force him to retain them wdthin his little farm. Formerly the wild beafts gave fub- fjftence to his family ; they now fly a coun- try which begins to be peopled by men, and confequently by enemies. An increafmg fo- ciety brings regulations, taxes, and the pa- rade of laws; and nothing is fo terrible to our independent planter as all thefe fhackles. He will not confent to facrifice a fmgle na- tural right for all the benefits of government ; he abandons then his little eftabliihment, and goes to feck a fécond retreat in the wilder- ncfs, where he can recommence his labours, and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 333 and prepare a farm for cultivation. Such are the charms of independence, that many men have begun the clearing of farms four times in different parts of this State. It has been remarked, that the preaching of the Gofpel always drives off men of this clafs. And it is not furprifmg if we con- fider how much its precepts are oppofed to the licentioufnefs of their manner of life. But the labour beftowed by the firft planter gives fome value to the farm, which now^ comes to be occupied by a man of the fécond clafs of planters. He begins by adding to his cabin a houfe. A faw-miil in the neigh- bouring fettlement, furnifhes him with boards. His houfe is covered with (hingles, and is two ftories high. He makes a little mea- dow, plants an orchard of two or three hun- dred apple-trees. His ftable is enlarged ; he builds a fpacious barn of wood, and covers it with rye-flraw. Inftead of planting onlv Indian corn, he cultivates wheat and rye ; the laft is deftined to make whifky. But this planter manages ill ; his fields are badly plowed, never manured, and give but fmall crops. His cattle break through his fences, deftroy his crops, and often cut off the hopes of the year. His horfes are ill fed, and fee- Y 3 ble 334 NEW TRAVELS IN THE ble ; his cattle oftepx die with hunger in the Spring ; his houfe and his farm give equal proofs of the want of induftry ; the gLifs of his windows has given place to old hats and rags. This man is fond of company ; he drinks to excefs ; pafTes much of his time in disputing about politics. Thus he contrats debts, and is forced, after fome years, to fell his plantation to a planter of the third and laft clafs. This is ordinarily a man of property, and of a cultivated mind. His firft objcd: is to convert into meadow all his land, on which he can condu^ell confift with the vari- ations of the air, provided that wife precauti- ons were taken. This, as he afTured me, was a part of the difcipline of the Quakers. Thus, according to him, you may mcafure the lon- gevity of the People of Pennfylvania by the fed to which they belong. That of the Qua- kers ought to be placed at the head of this table of longevity ; that of the Moravians next ; the Prefbyterians next, &c. Dodor Rufh, whofe obfervations in this refped are numerous, has told me, that fudden variations caufed more difeafes and deaths than either heat or cold conftantly exceflive» He inftanced the rigorous winter of 1780, the burning fummer of 1782, and the rainy fummer of 1788. There were then few or no UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 345 ©o difeafes j and thofe that happened were occafloned by imprudence, fuch as cold water drank in heat, or fpirituous liquors in cold. Plurifies and inflammatory diforders are much diminifhed within fifty years. The months of May and June are confidered as the moft falubrious, and the valetudinarians are ob- fcrved to be better in Summer and in Winter. LETTER 346 NEW TRAVELS IN THE LETTER XXVIIL Difeafes the mojl common in the United States. Longevity, Among the difeafes of the United States the confumption doubtlefs makes the greateft ravages. It was unknown to the original inhabitants of the country ; it is then the refult of European habits of Ufe tranfported to this new Continent. It is more common in the towns than in the country ; it deftroys more women than men ; it is a languid dif- order, which drags, by flow fteps, its vid:im to the tomb ; each day plunges the dagger deeper in his breaft, and renders more vi- fible the incurable w^ound. Death, without ceafing, ftares him in the face, and throws a funeral flirowd over, the remainder of his days. The world and its pleafures difap- pear ; the ties of friendfhip are the only ones that are ftrengthened and endeared, and which double the bitternefs of his approaching diflb- lution. The confumption, in a word, is a long continued agony, a flow tormenting death. The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 347 ^ The phyfîcians of this country attribute it to clifFerent caufes ; to the exceflive ufe of hot drinks, fuch as tea and coffee ; to the habit of remaining too long in bed, and the ufe of feather-beds, for they know not the ufe of matraffes ; to the cuftom of eating too much meat, and of drinking too much fpirituous liquors. Women are more fubje£t to it than men ; becaufe, independently of the above caufes, they take but little exer- cife, which is the only powerful remedy againft the ftagnation of humours, the great principle of the marafma : they tafte but little the pleafures of walking ; a movement which, varying the fpedacle of nature, gives a re- frefhment to the fenfes, a new fpring to the blood, and a new vigour to the foul. A particular caufe of confumptions amongft the Quaker women is doubtlefs the habit of gravity and immobility which they contrad: in early life, and which they preferve for hours together in their filent meetings. The women of the other fedts are equally attacked by confumptions, but it is attributed to different caufes : they are fond of excefîive dancing ; heated with this, they drink cold water, eat cold unripe fruits, drink boiling tea, go thinly Z 2 clad 34^ NEW TRAVELS IN THE clad in winter, and give no attention to the fudden changes of weather. The Quakers are more reafonable in thefe refpeâis ; but they balance thefe advantages by a fatal ne- gleâ: of exercife. To preferve good health, a female fhould have the gaiety of a woman of fafhion, with the prudence and precaution of a Quaker. A moral or political caufe may likevv^ife aid us in explaining why women are more fubjedt to confumptions than men. It is the want of a will, or a civil exiftence. The fubmiffion to which women are habituated, has the efFeâ of chains, which comprefs the limbs, caufe obftrudions, deaden the vital principle, and impede the circulation. The deprcflion of the mind has a tendency to enfeeble the body. This fubmiffion to fa- thers and hufbands is more remarkable among the Quakers, than among the other icOiS. The time will doubtlefs come, when we fliall be convinced that phyfical health, as well as political happinefs, may be greatly promoted by equality and independence of opinions among all the members of fo- ciety. Confumptions, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 349 Confumptions, however, are not fo nu- merous in America as is generally imagined. This name is ignorantly given to many other diforders, which reduce the body to the fame meagre ftate which follows a decay of the lungs. This appearance deceives, and may eafily deceive the attendants of the fick, who give information to thofe who keep the bills of mortality. Another dlfeafe very common here, is the fore- throat ; when putrid, it is mortal. It generally proceeds from exceffive heats, cold drinks, and careleiTnefs in cloathing. When we refledl that Europe was formerly fubjeâ: to thefe epidemical difeafes, and that they have difappeared in proportion to the progrefs of cultivation, we are tempted to be- lieve that they belong to new countries in the infancy of cultivation. The difeafe known in Europe by the name of influenza, is likewife common in America: it made great ravages in 1789. It began in Canada, palled through New- York, and very foon infeâ:edTennfylvania Z 3 and 350 NEW TRAVELS IN THE and the Southern States. Its fymptoms arc laflitude, feeblenefs, chills, heats, and the head-ach. It refpeds no age or fex, and efpecially precipitates to the tomb thofe who were attacked by the confumption. The fever and ague may be ranked in the clafs of thefe cruel epidemics ; but it i» more terrible, as its returns are annual. It not only vifits the marfhy countries and the fe^-coaft, but it is feen even in the healthy region of Albany. It is combated by the Peruvian bark ; but the moft fuccefsful re- medy, is a journey among the mountains, or into the Northern States. This fever, more humane than men, fubjeâs not to its empire the black Haves. This exemption is attributed to a cuftom they preferve with obftinacy, of keeping fires always in their cabins, even in the hotteft feafon. The negroes are accuftomed to confider exceffive heat as a guarantee of health ; and you will fee a negrefs, while Ihe labours in the field, in the ardour of a burning fun, expofe her infant to its fires, rather than lay it under the refrefhing fhade of a tree. This negrefs has not heard of the curious experiments of Dr. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 35 1 Dr. Inginhoufe on the fatal efFeds of fhades and the night air, but you fee that fhe knows their efFedls. Among the maladies common in the United States, muft be reckoned the pleurify and the peripneumony, though they are lefs frequent than formerly. The fmall-pox, which formerly made fuch havock in the United States, is lefs formidable fmce the ge- neral pradice of inoculation. There are many phyficians^at Philadelphia, and you will perhaps aiTign this as the caufe of fo many difeafes. You will be wrong. They are faid to be fkilful ; they are gene- rally ftrangers to quackery. I know fom6 of them who are highly refpeâable, as well for their virtues, as for their knowledge ; fuch as Rufh, Griffiths, Wifneer ; the two laft are Quakers. The greateft part of thefe phyficians are, at the fame time, apothecaries. They con- tinue to unite thefe two fciences, out of re- fpeâ: to the people, who wifh that the man who orders the medicine fliould likewife prepare it. There are, however, other apo- thecaries, 352 NEW TRAVELS IN THE thecaries, of whom the phyficians purcbafe their drugs. The practice of this country is the En- glifh praâ:ice ; that is, they arc much in the ufe of violent remedies. Laxatives are Uttle in ufe. Almoft all the phyficians of this country are formed at the fchool of Edin- burgh, and this is the caufe of their predilec- tion for the Englifh pradice. I know a Dr. Baily of this country, a man of good abilities, but perhaps too in- flammable and too cauftic, who, much irri- tated at the preference given by his country- men to the Englifh practice, was refolved to open a communication between this country and the fchools of France. This refolution did him the more honour, as he was known in politics for 4n Anglican, and a decided royalift. LETTER UNîTED STATES OF AMERICA. 353 LETTER XXIX. Longevity and Calculations on the Probabiliiies of Life in the United States. X OU may think, perhaps after the account that I have given you of the maladies which afflia America, that human life is ihorter here than in Europe. It is a prejudice ; and as it has been accredited by many writers, and by fome even who have travelled in America, it becomes a duty to deftroy it. The Abbe Robin, one of thefe travellers, has declared, that after the age of twenty- five, the American women appear old ; that children die here in greater proportion than in Europe ; that there are very few old peo- ple, &c. &c. M. Paw, I believe, had uttered thefe fables before him. Nothing is more falfe. I have obferved with care the wo- men between thirty and fifty years of age : they have generally a good appearance, good health, 354 ^'^W TRAVELS IN THE health, and are even agreeable. I have feen them of Tifty, with fuch an air of frefhnefs, îhat they would not have be-^n taken by an European for more than forty. I have feen women of fixty and feventy, fparkling with' health. I fpeak here efpecially of the women of Név*'- Hampfhire, Maffachufetts, and Con- nefticut. In Pennfylvania you do not fee the fame tints adorning the interefting vifages of the daughters and wives of the Quakers ; they are generally pale. I have paid attention to their teeth. I have feen of them that are fine ; and where they are otherwife, it is, as in England, more owing to hot drinks than to the climate, Not only the number of aged perfons are more confiderable here than in Europe, as I am going to prove to you, but they pre- ferve generally their faculties, inteiledtual and phyfical, I was told of a minifler at Ipfwich in MalTachufetts, who preached very well at ninety years of age ; another, of the fame age, walked on foot to church on Sunday twenty UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 355 twenty miles. A Mr. Temple died at the age of an hundred in 1765, and left four daughters and four fons of the following ages, 86— 85— 83— 81— 79— 77— 75— 73- But I will not confine myfelf to fuch light obfervations. I will give you fome tables of monality, and of the probabilities of life, in this country. This is the only method of con- veying to you certain information. Tables of longevity may be every where confidered as the touchftone of Governments ; the fcale on which may be meafured their ex- cellencies and their defers, the perfedion or degradation of the human fpecies. The general caufes of longevity are, 1. The falubrity of the atmofphere and of the country. 2. The abundance and goodnefs of the ali- ments. 3. A life regular, active, and happy. We muft, then, confider the exterior cir- cumftances as relative to the occupations of men. ;^^6 NEW TRAVELS IN THE men, to their morals, to their religion, and their government, \Vherever poverty is centered in a few hands, where employment is precarious and dependent; life is not fo long ; it is cut off by grief and care, which abridge more the prin- ciple of life than even want itfelf. Wherever tlie Government is arbitrary, and tyranny de- iccnds in divifions from rank to rank, and tails heavy on the lower claffes, life muft be fncrt among the people, becaufe they arc ilaves ; and a miferable Have, trampled on at every moment, can enjoy neither that eafe, nor that regularity, nor that interior fatisf ac- tion, which fuftains the principles of life. The exceffes and mortifications attending on am- bition, abridge, in an equal degree, the life of the clafs which tyrannizes. On applying thefe moral and political con- fiderations to the United States, you may conclude, that there can be no country where the life of man is of longer duration ; for, to all the advantages of nature, they unite that of a liberty, which has no equal on the Old Continent ; and this liberty, let us not ceafe to repeat it, is the principle of health. '' If UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 357 If any Government fhould, willi to revive the fpeculation of life annuities on fele£ted heads, I fhould advile to fekd them in the North of the United States. It is difficult here to obtain regular tables of births and deaths. There are fome feus who do not baptife their children, and vvhofe regifters are not carefully kept ; others who baptife only their adults. Some of the fick have no phyficians or furgeons, and their attendants who give the information are not cxa£t. The confiant fluctuations occalioned by emigrations and immigrations, flill increafe the difficulty. Yet we may approach near the truth, by taking for examples fuch fea- ports as are more occupied in the coafting trade than in long voyages ; it is for this reafon that I have chofen the towns of Sa- lem and IpAvich in Mafiachufetts. I take thefe tables from the Mem.oirs of the Aca- demy of Bofton — Memoirs little known in Prance. Doâ:or Halley, for the ftandaid of his tables of mortality, chofe Breflaw in Germany, on account of its interior fituation and the re- gular employment of its inhabitants. By the calculations of thefe political arithmeticians, r;ve 2S^ NEW TRAVELS IN THE five perfons in twelve die at Brellaw before the age of five years. At Ipfwich, a village at the NorthviMrd of Bofton, fix only in thirty-three die within that age. At Breflaw, one in thirty attains the age of eighty years ; at Ipfwich, one in eight. This difproportion is enormous ; and this longevity is found in many other parts of MafTachufetts and New Hampfliire. At Woodftock, in Conneâ:icut, one hun- dred and thirteen perfons have died in eleven years ; of thefe twenty-one w^ere fevcnty years old and upwards, and thirteen were eighty and upwards. This gives fomething more than the proportion of an odogenary in nine. Thefe fadts are taken from authentic regifters. The minifter of Andover in New Hamp- fhire, a refpedable and well informed man, has aflured me, that more than one in eight males and females in his neighbourhood, pafs the age of feventy years ; and that this obfer- vation is the refult of long experience in that and the neighbouring pariflies. Comp are A COMPARATIVE TABLE, OF THE PROBABILITIES OF LIFE IN NEW ENGLANt) AND IN EUROPE. To faceup. 359 NEW ENGLAND. ENGLAND. SWEDEN. GIF; M AN Y. I ;oi - 1 AM\ FRAKCr 00 ê is 13 CHESTER. 1 STOCKHOLM, fin the c ■3 c U ' 3 H ? c ^- _ 1 ' 1 < 1 as 'a 2 H. £ •— 3 • c C h 1 s I .S c Z i •— ^ ^ ^ "^ « 3 M pC u o ^ a Ù ^ E "a i 's "6 13 bO > ►3 ^ & >. i £ S £ (2 K t2 i 25 30.07 _,5.^o 37-^9 20.1 31.5. ;.^-^ 5..C. j.-7i 3.S-5fc 21.40 2fc.&C 33-e-'3 35-58 sc.h^ 3'-76 33-27 37.01 30 33.40 33-!^i 54-97 23.6 28.93 2L27 29.25 32-27 32.(6 10.42 23.9S 30.34 32->7 27.80 28.70 30.92 33-96 35 30.70 30.83 31. b9 21,5 26.05 25.68 25-97 29.26 29-43 17. 5& 21.62 27.09 29.03 24.92 25.56 28.36 30-73 40 26.45 28. 2C 28.74 19.6 23.18 23.C8 22. Ç2 26.37 26.4c 15.61 19.21 23-75 25.21 22.13 22.65 25.49 27.30 45 22.9 25.11 25.80 I7.S 20.78 20.52 2C.20 23.50 Z3;35 13.78 17.17 20.71 ,22.57 19.56 19.65 22.34 23.77 50 19. S6 22.08 22.79 16.0 17-55 17 -99 17.64 2C.t2 20.40 1 1.05 15.12 17.72 19.26 17.07 16.5s 19.41 20.24 55 17-75 18.47 19.22 14.2 14. ty ,5.5fc 15.14 17.52 17-47 10.36 12.89 MjC? 16. 1 c; 14.77 13.68 16.72 i6.8§ 60 14.63 15.20 15.49 12.4 12.56 13.21 12. 36 14.2c 14.86 8.69 10.4'; 12.24 I3.C8 12 30 11.28 14.10 13.86 65 11.31 12.29 12.98 10.5 IC.C5 10.88 10.79 1 1 .04 12.30 7-39 8-39 9.78 10.49 9.86 9.15 1 1.56 T 1.07 70 10.01 9.65> io..^6 8.8 £.12 8.60 8.05 8.£i ÎC.CC 5.81 6.16 7.6c 7.91 7-45 7.48 9.15 8.34 75 8.39 7-63 8.40 7-2 6.44 6.54 7.00 7-M 7.87 4. ce 4-39 5.8c 6.C3 5-51 6.17 6.81 5 79 8» 6.96 6.03 6.87 5-0 5-14 4-75 5-43 5.2c 5-75 4.27 4.47 4.08 5.06 ■î.os 4-73 Jl 3.06 5.02 4.06 ^.Cf â.7C ..Fr ! 1 ri6 1.40 2.^6 4.TR ^.xH 3-45 EXPLANATION. The firft column gives the ages ; the following ones give, by years and decin-al parts of a year, the probabilities of life an-.ong the inhabitants of the different places mentioned. The fécond coliinn regards the Graduates of Harvard College, at Cambridge, near Bofton : Hinghan-, which forms the third, is in Maffachufetts j and Dover, which forms the fourth, is in New hanipflùre. The other coluinns arc taken from the work of Dr. Price. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 359 Compare ihefe fadls to thofe ftated by M, Moheau*. He fays, that in the Ifiand of Oleron, of 14,000 inhabitants, there are but five or fix oâ:ogenaries, and but one for forti»^ two in the lift of deaths in the ille of Rhe, which is reckoned remai-kably healthful The minifter of Andover made to me ain>- ther obfervation, which tends to confirm a. fyftem advanced by an author whofe nam-e I forget — It is, that men of letters enjoy tlie greateft longevity. He told me, that the oldeii men were generally found among the Minif- ters. This fa£t will explain fome of the caufes of longevity ; fuch as regularity of morals, in- formation, independence of fpirit, and eafy circumftances. But you will be better able to judge of the longevity in the United States, by the table of the probabilities of life given to me by the refpedable Dodor Wiglefworth, of the Uni- verfity of Cambridge. It contains a compari- fon of thefe probabilities in New England in England, in Sweden, in Germany, in Holland, and in France. * See Recherches et Confidtrotions fur In Population de Is France y page 192. The 360 NEW TRAVELS IN THE The firft column gives the ages ; the fol- lowing one gives, by years, and decimal parts of a year, the probabilities of life among the inhabitants of the different places mentioned. You will fee in this table, that the probabilities of life in this part of the United States, furpafs thofe of England and Sweden, even thofe of the annuitants whofe lives ferved for the bafis to the tables of Kerfboom ; and that they al- moft equal thofe of the annuitants which ferved as the bafis to the calculations of M. de Par- cieux, for the eftablifhment of life annuities*» The fécond column is appropriated to the graduates of the Univerfity of Cambridge, the nurfery of minifters and ftatefmen for that part of the country. The probabilities in this co- lumn are calculated on the whole lift of gra- duates, received fmce the year 171 1. Hingham, which forms the third column, is at the South-caft of Bofton. The occupa- tions and manners of life in this place, are much the fame as in the reft of Maffachufetts. The probabilities in this column are taken from the lift of deaths, made with great care for fifty years, by Dodtor Gay. * We readily conceive that the probabilities of common life in France and Holland, are much inferior to th'efe tables of an- nuitants. , The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 361 The column for Dover, fituated on the ri- river Pii'cutuay, twelve miles from the fea, in New Hamp(hire, is formed from the lift of deaths kept for ten years, by Doctor Belknap, minilter of that place» The other columns, which regard the coun- tries in Europe, arc taken from the work of Dodtor Price. , This comparative table will fix your ideas on the fubjed: of longevity in the United States. And it is to be hoped that from the care of Dodtor Wiglefworth of the academy of Bofton, and that of the members of the other academies in the feveral States, we may foon have regular and complete tables for the thirteen States. To fatisfy your curiofity more completely, I will now give you a lift of births, mar- riages, and deaths in a particular town ; that you may fee the proportion between the births and deaths, and the ages of the deceafed. I will take Salem, which is con- fidered as a very unhealthful town. It is a fea-poru in the forty-fecond degree of la- titude, five leagues North-eaft of Bofton, fituated between two rivers, on a fiat piece A a of 362 NEW TRAVELS IN THE of land, elevated but twenty feet above the level of the fea at high water : two little hills in the neighbourhood ; foil light, • dry, and fàndy, without marfhes; the inhabitants not fubjed: to epidemical difeafes. They com- plain at prefent of fome nervous and hyfteri- cal diforders, which were formerly unknown to them. Mr. Holyoke fent to the Academy of Bof- ton the two following tables for this toWn of Salem. TABLE for 1781. Deaths, - - ----- i^j; Births, - - - ---- 317 Baptifms, - - - - -- 152 Marriages, -----, 70 Taxable polls ; that is, males above the age of fixteen, and refiding in the town, - ■- 897 Tranfient perfons, - - - - sop AGES of the DECEASED. f n being born, ----- 6 Within the firft month, - - 6 Between one month and one 30 } year, - - - - AGES UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 3^3, AGES of the DECEASED Continued. . Between one and two years, - 20 two and five, - - - 2 five and ten, - - - y ten and fifteen, " - 3 fifteen and twenty - -6 r- twenty and twenty-five, 5 ■ — twenty-five and thirty, y thirty and forty, - - 24 forty and fifty, - - - 10 fifty and fixty, - - - y fixty and feventy - 2 f — '— — feventy and eighty, - y •■ — eighty and ninety - - -6 Ages unknown, - -._-.. 2y TABLE for 1782. Deaths, - ------189 Births, about - - ' ' - 3^$ Baptifins, - - - 158 Marriages, about - - 84 Taxable polls, - - - looo Number of inhabitants, about 9000 Aa2 AGE? 364 NEW TRAVELS IN THE AGES of the DECEASED. In being born, - - - 14 In the firft month, - - n Between one month and one 27 I year, - - - 3 Between one and two years, - 29 two and five, - 28 five and ten, - - 12 ' ten and fifteen - ~ 5 fifteen and twenty, - 2 twenty and twenty-five, 8 twenty-five and thirty, 8 ' thirty and forty - - 9 — forty and fifty, - - 8 fifty and fixty, - 7 fixty and feventy, - 6 feventy and eighty - 6 eighty and ninety, - 2 Ages, unknown - - - g* You will recoiled: that Salem is one of the moft unhealthful towns in America. You do. not find in the above two lifts the propor- * In tlie American journals they give the lifts of deaths. Thé following is one that 1 took at hazard in the American Mufeum for May, 1790 :— Deaths, N. Hampiliire, one at 70 years, Maflachufctts, many at 71— one at 106 — one at 92— one at 87. Conncfticut, one at 98— one at 91. New- York, one at 104. New-Jcrfey, one zt 80. Pennfylvania, one at S4 — fcvcral at 76. tion UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ^6^ tion of great ages that I have mentioned in other places. The year 1781 gives 175 deaths. If you look for the population of Salem by the gene- ral rule of thirty living for one dead, the num- ber of inhabitants would appear to be 5250 — whereas it was 9000. You muft then count for Salem lifty living for one deceafed In London there dies one for twenty-three ; and in the country in England, one in forty ; in Paris, one in thirty ; in the country, one in twenty-four. In 1 78 1, at Salem, the births are as one to twenty-feven of the inhabitants. In com- mon years in France it is as one to twenty- fix. As to marriages, M. Moheau reckons for the country in France one for 121, and for Paris one for 160. In Salem, you muft count for 1 78 1, only one for 128. But this is far from being the proportion for the country in America. We have no exadt ta])le for this purpcfc. We muft wait. I cannot terminate this long article on lon- gevity without giving you the table of births A a 3 and 366 NEW TRAVELS IN THE and deaths in the Lutheran congregation at Philadelphia for fourteen years, from 1 774 to 1788. The proportion is curious. Births. Deaths From 1774 to 1775 379 156 1775 1776 338 175 1776 — 1777 389 124 Î777 1778 298 169 1778- 1779 3^3 178 1779 1780 348 186 1780 — 1 781 320 158 1781 -— 1782 3^3 162 1782 — 1783 398 219 1783 1784 3^9 215 1784 — 1785 426 ^53 1785- 1786 420 ^S7 1786 — 1787 419 150 1787- 1788 425 178 5175 2369 You will obfervc, that .in years of the war the births were lefs" numerous. This is a na- tural reflexion, which ought always to be made by any one who makes calculations on the population of i\m erica. Finally, my friend, to give you a further idea of the rapidity of population in America, take UNITED STATES OV AMERICA. 367 take the tables of Rhode-ïfland and New-Jer- fey, and compare them with the one I gave you on Peimfylvania. Population of Rhode-Ifland Years. Whites. Blacks. 1730 — I5»3i2 2,603 1742 — 29,755 4.375 1 76 1 35>939 4.697 1774 — 54.435 — 5.243 ^7^ - 48,538 — New Jerfey, 3.361 1738 •~ 43.388 — 3.98 t 1745 — 5<5>797 -- 4,606 1784 i39>934 10,501 You obferve by thefe tables, that the popu- lation of Rhode-Illand, which had almoft dou- bled in twelve years, from thirty to forty-two, has diminiflied during the war. But with what pleafure do you fee the population in New Jerfey more than tripled in forty years, notwithftanding the obftrudtions occafioned by the fame bloody war ! And with what pleafure do you, who are the defender of the blacks, obferve that their number has more than ^68 NEW TRAVELS IN THE than doubled in the fame fpace of time in New Jerfcy : though the importation of them was prohibited in 1 775, though the war coft the life of a great number of negroes, and though many of them were ftolen by the Engllih and fold in their illands ! From all the fa£ts and all the tables which I have given you, it muft be concluded that the life of man is much longer in the United States of America, than in the moft falubrious countries of Europe. LETTER UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 369 LETTER XXX. The Frifon of Philadelphia^ and Prifuns hi gc^ general, 7\ND Phlladelpliia iikewirehas its prifbn Î I love to believe, that for the firft thirty or forty years, when the Quakers were the ma- gif^rates, or rather, when there was no need of magiftrates, I iove to indulge the belief that there was no prifon. But fince the Englifh, to deliver themfelves from the banditti that infefted their ifland, have praâ:ifed letting them loofe upon the colonies, — -Unce great numbers of foreign adventurers have over- fpread the country, efpecially fmce the lafl war, which has augmented their number, re- duced many to mifery, and habituated others to crimes — it has been neceflary to reftrain them l)y prifons. One fa6l does honour to this State ; which is, that among the prifon- ers of Philadelphia, not one in ten is a native of the country. During my flay in this town, one robbery only haj been committed ; and this was by a French flùlor. Almoft 37^ " NEW TRAVELS IN THE Almoft all the other prifoners are either Irifhmen or Frenchmen. This priibn is a kind of houfe of correc- tion. The prifoners are obliged to work ; and each enjoys the profit of his own labour. Tiiis is the bell: method of ameliorating men ; and it is a method ufed by the Quakers. Thofe who govern the houfe of correâ:ion in New York, on confenting to take charge of criminals condemned by the law, have obtained leave to fubftitute to whips and mutilation their humane method of cor- reâiion ; and they daily fucceed in leading back to induftry and reafon thefe deluded men. One of thefe Quakers was alked, by what means it was poffible to correal men who diihonour human nature, and who will not work ? " We have two powerful inftru- ** mcnts," (replied the Quaker,) " hunger " and hope.*' By the fmall number of Pennfylvanians contained in the prifon of Philadelphia, we may conclude, that, were it not for the Grangers, the government of this town, like that UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 371 that of Nantucket, might have a prifon with open doors, of which honor and repentance are the only keepers. But, after all, what is the ufe of prifons ? Why thofe tombs for living mjen ? the Indians have them not; and they are not the worfc for it. If there exifts a country where it is pofTible, and where it is a duty to change this fyftem, it is America ; it is therefore to the Americans that I addrefs the following ré- flexions : Prifons are fatal to the health, liberty, and morals of men. To preferve health, a man has need of a pure air, frequent exercife, and wholefome food. In a prifon, the air is in- fected, there is no fpace for exercife, and the food is often deteftable. A man is not in heakh, but when he is with beings who love him, and by whom he U beloved. In prifon, he is with ftrangers and with criminals. Tliere can exift no fo- cicty between them ; or, if there does, he muft either be obliged to ilruggle without ceafmg againft the lioirid principles of thefe wicked men, which is a torment to him ; or he adopts their principles and becomes like them. — 372 NEW TRAVELS IN THE them. — A man by living conftantly with fcols, becomes a fool himfelf ; every thing in life is contagion and correfpondence. Ey imprifonment, you fnatch a man from his wife, his children, his friends ; you de- prive him of their fuccour and confolation > you plunge him into grief and mortification ; you cut him off from all thofe connections which render his exiftence of any importance. He is like a plant torn up by the roots and fevered from its nourilhing foil ; and how will you expect it to exift ? The man who has for a long time vegetated in a prifon, who has experienced frequent convulfions of rage and defpair, is no longer the fame being, on quitting this abode, that he was when he entered it. He returns to his family, from whom he has been long fe- queftered ; he no more meets from them, or experiences in himfelf, the fame attachment and the fame tendernefs. In putting a man in prifon, you fubjed: him to the power of the gaoler, of the turn- , key, and of the commiiTary of the prifon. Before thefe men he is obliged to abafe him- felf, to difguife his fenfations, to conftrain his UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 373 his paflions, in order that his mifery may not be increafed. This ftate of humiliation and conftraint is homble to him ; and befides, it renders his mafters imperious, unjuft, vexa- tious, and wicked. To oblige a freeman to ufe fupplication to obtain juftice, is to do him a lafting injury. The tree that is once bent from its natural form never acquires it again. The laws which ordain the habeas corpus are wife and natural. But they do not ordain it i^i all cafes. A prifoner for debt, who can- not obtain furety, muft remain a prifoner. A man accufed of a capital offence, who will be probably acquitted on trial, cannot enjoy the benefit of this law. Thefe are abùfes. Is it not much more fimple to imitate the Indians, to grant every man the privilege of his own houfe for a prifon, though you are obliged to put a fentinel at his door ? and for thofe that have no houfe of their own, efl:ablifh a public houfe, where they can pur- fue their occupations. If fuch regulations are neceffary for any fociety, it is furely for the one which has good 374 NEW TRAVELS IN THE good morals, and wilhes to preferve them : if they are any where practicable, it is among a people where great crimes are rare. RecoU Ie Alexandria. It is fituated on a little river, which difcharges into the Potowmack, and which admits Bateaus of twenty or thirty tons. We could find nothing to drink, but brandy or rum mixed with water. In coun- tries cultivated by flaves, there is no induftry and no domeftic oeconomy. The people know not the advantage of making beer or cider on their farms. George-town terminates the State of Mary- land : it overlooks the Potowmack, has an. agreeable fituation, and a confiderable com- merce. Regulations and imports, inconfide- rately laid on commerce by the State of Vir- ginia, have banifhed to George-town a con- fiderable part of the commerce of Alexan- dria. This UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 427 This place is eight miles below George- town, on the oppofite fide of the Potow- mack. Alexandria has grown from nothing to its prefent fize within thefe forty years. It is not fo confiderable as Baltimore, which it ought to furpafs. It is almoil as irregular and as deftitute of pavements. You fee here a greater parade of luxury ; but it is a mife- rable luxury ; fervants with filk ftockings ia boots, women elegantly dreffed, and their heads adorned with feathers. The inhabitants, at the clofe of the war, imagined that every natural circumftance con- fpired to render it a great commercial town, — the falubrity of the air, the profundity of the river admitting the largeft (hips to anchor near the quay, an immenfe extent of back country, fertile and abounding in provifions. They have therefore built on every fide, commo- dious flore-houfes, and elegant wharfs ; but commerce ' ftill languifhes on account of the reftraints above-mentioned. I haftened to arrive at Mount Vernon, the feat of General Washington, ten miles below Alexandria on the fame river. On this rout E e 2 yoy 428 KEW TRAVELS IN TME you traverfe a coiifiderable wood, and after having pafled over two hills, you difcover a country houfe of an elegant and majeftic fimplicity. It is preceded by grafs plats ; on one fide of the avenue are the ftables, on the other a green-houfe, and houfes for a number of negro mechanics. In a fpacious back yard are turkies, geefe, and other poul- try. This houfe overlooks the Potowmack, enjoys an extenfive profpeâ:, has a vaft and elevated portico on the front next the river, and a convenient diftribution of the apart- ments within. The General came home in the evening, fatigued with having been to lay out a new road in fome part of his plan- tations. You have often heard him compared to Cincinnatus : the comparifon is doubtlefs juft. This celebrated General is nothing more at prefent than a good farmer, con- ftantly occupied in the care of his farm and the improvement cf cultivation. He has lately built a barn, one hundred feet in length and confiderably more in breadth, deftined to receive the productions of his farm, and to flicker his cattle, horfes, alfes, and mules. It is built on a plan fent him by that famous Engliih farmer Arthur Young. But the General has much improved the plan. This building UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 429 building is in brick, it coft but three hundred pounds ; I am fure in France it would have coft three thoufand. He planted this year eleven hundred bulhels of potatoes. All this is new in Virginia, where they know not the ufe of barns, and where they lay up no pro- vifions for their cattle. His three hundred negroes are diftributed in different log houfes in different parts of his plantation, which in this neighbourhood confifts of ten thoufand acres. Colonel Humphreys, that poet of whom I have fpoken, affured me that the General poffeffes, in different parts of the country, more than two hundred thoufand acres. Every thing has an air of fimplicity in his houfe ; his table is good, but not often- tatious ; and no deviation is feen from regu- larity and domeftic œconomy. Mrs. Wafh- ington fuperintends the w^hole, and joins to the qualities of an excellent houfe-wife, the fimple dignity which ought to charac- terize a woman, whofe hufband has âCied the greateft part on the theatre of human affairs ; while fhe poffeffes that amenity, and. manifefts that attention to ftrangers, which render hofpitality fo charming. The fame E e 3 virtues 43^ NEW TRAVELS IN THE virtues arc confpicuous in her interefting niece ; but unhappily fhe appears not to en- joy good health. M. de Ghaftelktx has mingled too much t)f the brilliant in his portrait of General Wafhington. His eye befpeaks great good- • nefs of heart, manly fenfe marks all his anfwers, and he fometimes animates in con- verfation, but he has no charaderiftic fea- tures ; which renders it difficult to feize him. He announces a profound difcretion, and a great diffidence in himfelf ; but at the ■fame time, an unfhaken firmnefs of cha- racter, when once he has made his decifion. His modefty is aftonifliing to a Frenchman ; he fpeaks of the American war, and of his vi(Slorie3, as of things in which he had no diredlion. He fpoke to me of M. de la Fayette with the greateft tendernefs. He regarded him as his child ; and forefiiw, with a joy mixed with inquietude, the part that this pupil was going to a6t in the approaching revolu- tion of France. He could not predicSt, v/ith clearnefs, the event of tliis revolution. If, on the one fide, he acknowledges the ardor and 1 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 43I and enthufiafm of the French chara(Cter, on the other, he faw an aftonifhing veneration for their ancient government, and for thofe monarchs whofe inviolability appeared to him a ftrange idea. After pafTmg three days in the houfe of this celebrated man, who loaded me with kindnefs, and gave me much information re- lative to the late war, and the prefent fitua- tion of the United States, I returned to Alex- andria. LETTER 43- N^EW TR.WELS IN THE LETTER XXXVI. General Obfervat'ion? on Maryland and Virginia, X HE Bay of Chefapcak divides Maryland into two parts, nearly equal. The weilern divifion is the mofl peopled. Numerous bays and navigable rivers render this Hate fmgularly commodious for commerce. It would foon become extremely flourifhing if flavery were banifhed from it, if a more ad- vantageous culture were fubftituted to that of tobacco, and if the fpiritof the Catholic religion had not adulterated the tafte for order, regula- rity, and fe verity of manners, which characte- rize the other fecSts, and which have fo great an influence in civil and political œconomy. The people of this fed: were well attached to the late Revolution. Cotton is cultivated in Maryland, as in Virginia ; but little care is taken to perfed: cither its culture or its manufacture. You fee excellent lands in thefe two fiâtes ; but they UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 433 they have very few good meadows, though thefe might be made in ' abundance. For want of attention and labour, the inhabitants make but Httle hay ; and what they have is not good. They likewife ncgled: the culti- vation of potatoes, carrot^, and turnips for their cattle, of which their neighbours of the north make great ufe. Their cattle are left without fhelter in winter, and nouriflied with the tops of Indian corn. Of confequence many of them die with cold and hunger ; and thofe that furvive the winter, are miferably meagre. They have much perfected in this country the Englidi method of inoculation for the fmall-pox. In the manner pradtifed here, it is very little dangerous. General Waihing- ton aflured me, that he makes it a praftice to have all his negroes inoculated, and that he never loft one in the operation. Whoever inoculates in Virginia, is obHged, by law, to give information to his neighbours within the fpace of two miles. The population augments every where in thefc States, notwithftanding the great emi- gration to the Ohio. The horfes of Virginia are, without contradidion, the lineft in the country ; 434 ^EW TRAVELS IN THE country ; but they bear double the price of thole in the northern States. The pradice of races, borrowed from the Englifh by the Vir- gmians, is fallen into difufe. The places rcr- aowned for this bufmefs are all abandoned ; and it is not a misfortune ; they are places of gambling, drunkennefs, and quarrels. The General informed me, that he could perceive a great reformation in his country- men in this reipe^l ; that they are lefs given to intoxication, that it is no longer fafhiona- ble for a man to force his guefts to drink, and to make it an honor to fend them home drunk ; that you hear no longer the taverns refounding with thofe noify parties formerly fo frequent ; that the feflions of the courts of juflice were no longer the theatres of gamb- ling, inebriation, and blood ; and that the dif- tinction of claiTes begins to difappear. The towns in Virginia are but fmall ; this may be faid even of Richmond with its capitoL This Capitol turns the heads of the Virgini- ans ; they imagine, that from this, like the old Romans, they fliall one day give law to the whole north. There UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 435 There is a glafs manufadory forty miles from Alexandria, which exported laft year to the amount o£»ten thousand pounds in glafs : and notwithftanding the general charaâer of indolence in this State, the famous canal of the Potowmack advances with rapidity. Crimes are more frequent in Virginia than in the northern States. This refults from the un- equal divifion of property, and from flavery. Wherever you find luxury, and efpecially a miferable luxury, there provifions, even of the fii"ft neceffity, will be dean I experienced this in Virginia, At a tavern there I paid a dollar for a fupper, which in Pennfylvania would have coft me two Ihillings, in Connec- ticut one. Porter, wine, and every article, bear an exceffive price here. Yet this dear- nefs is owing in part to other caufes hereaftex to be explained. LETTER 43^ NEW TRAVELS IN THE LETTER XXXVII. The. Tobacco of Virginia^ and the Tobacco Notes, 1 HAVE found, with pleafure, that your ex- cellent article on the tobacco, inferted in our work de la France et des Etats Unïs^ is nearly exad: in all its details. It is true that tobacco requires a ftrong fertile foil, and an uninter- rupted care in the tranfplantin'g, weeding, de-^ fending from infeâ:s, cutting, curing, rolling, and packing. Nothing but à great crop, and the total abnegation of every comfort, to which the negroes are condemned, can compenfate the expences attending this production before it arrives at the market. Thus in proportion as the good lands are exhaufted, and by the pro- pagating of the principles of humanity, lefs Iiard labour is required of the flaves, this cul- ture muft decline. And thus you fee already in Virginia fields enclofed, and meadows fuc- ceed to tobacco. Such is the fyftem of the proprietors UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 437 proprietors who beft underftand their inte- reft ; among whom I place General Wafli- ington, who has lately renounced the culture of this plant. If the Virginians knew our wants, and what articles would be moll profitable to them, they would pay great attention to the culture of cotton ; the confumption of which augments fo prodigioufly in Europe. I will not enlarge here on the fubjed: of tobacco, which many authors have explained ; but I will give you fome ideas on that kind of pa- per-currency called tobacco-money ; the ufe of which proves, that nations need not give themfelves fo much inquietude as they ufually do on the abfence of fpecie. In a free and fertile country, the conftant produce of the land may give a fixed value to any kind of rcprefentative of property. This State has public magazines, where the tobacco is depofited. Infpedors are appointed to take charge of thefe magazines, andjnfpeâ: the quality of the tobacco ; which, if mer- chantable, is received, and tlie proprietor is furnifhed with a note for the quantity by him depofited. This note circulates freely in the vState, 43^ NEW TRAVELS IN TUi State, according to the known value of the tobacco. The price is different, according to the place where it is infpeâ:ed. The follow- ing places are ranked according to the rigi- dity cf the infpediion : Hanover-Court, Pitt- fburg, Richmond, Cabin-Point. When the tobacco is worth fixteen (hillings at Rich- mond, it is worth twenty-one at Hanover- Court. The tobacco travels to one place or the other, according to its quality ; and if it is refufed at all places, it is exported by con- traband to the iflands, or confumed in the country. There are two cuttings in a year of this crop ; the firft only is prefented for in- fpeâiion, the fécond is confumed in the coun- try or fmuggled to the iflands. As Virginia produces about eight thoufand hogfheads, there circulates in the State about eight hundred thoufand pounds in thefe notes ; this is the reafon w^hy the Virginians have not need of a great quantity of circulating fpecie, nor of copper coin. The rapid circu- lation of this tobacco-money fupplies their place. ;, This fcarcity, however, of fmall money fubjcs3:s the people to great inconveniencies, and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 439 and has given rife to a pernicious pradice of cutting pieces of filver coin into halves and quarters ; a fource of many little knaveries. A pcrfon cuts a dollar into thre^ pieces, keeps the middle piece, and paiTes the other two for half dollars. The perfon who re- ceives thefe without weighing, lofes the dif- ference, and the one w^ho takes them by weight, makes a fraudulent profit by giving ihem again at their pretended value ; and io the cheat goes round. But notwithftanding this pitiful refource of cutting the iilver, fociety fuiters a real in- jury for want of a plentiful copper ccAn ; it is calculated, that in the towns the fmall expences of a family are doubled, on account of the impoffibility of finding fmali changes. It iliews a ftriking want of order in the go- vernment, and increafes the mifery of the poor. Though tobacco exhaufts the land to a prodigious degree, the proprietors take no pains to reftore its vigour ; they take what the foil will give, and abandon it when it gives no longer. They like better to clear new lands, than to regenerate the old. Yet thefe abandoned lands would ftill be fertile, if they were properly manured and cuklvatCvL The Virginians take no tobacco in fuliftance, eitlier 440 NEW TRAVELS IN THE either in the nofe or mouth ; fome of them fmoke, but this praâ:ice is not fo general among them as in the Carolinas. The Americans willi for the free commerce of tobacco with France ; and they complain much of the monopoly of the farmers-gene- ral. If this monopoly were removed, and the tobacco fubjeâied only to a fmall duty on importation into France, there is no doubt but that the Americans would make our country the ftore-houfe of thofe immenfe quantities with which they inundate Europe. You know that they are now carried chiefly to England ; where about the tenth part is confumed, and the reft is exported. Eng- land pays the whole in her own merchandize. Judge then of the profit fhe muft draw from this exchange ; then add the commiffion, the money expended in England by a great num- ber of Americans whom tliis commerce leads thither, and the profits of other branches of bufmefs that are the confequence of this. Such are the advantages which it is in the power of France to acquire over England ; but we muft aboliib the fiirms, and content ourl'elves with a fmall duty on the importa- tion UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 44I tion. The high duty paid in England on tobacco, will prevent the Americans from giving the preference to that country. It amounts to fifteen pence fterling on the' pound. Though England confumes little tobacco, {he draws from it a revenue of 600,000 pounds fterling. The ftate of the finances of that ifland, will not admit of her diminifliing this duty in order to rival France. Continue then, my friend, to preach ybur dodtrine. The great confumption of tobacco in all countries, and the prohibitive regulations of almoft all governments, may engage the Americans to continue this culture ; for as they can furnifh it at a low price, as they na- vigate at fmall expenfe, as no people equals them in enterprize and induflry, they may undertake to furnifh the whole earth. Spain, for inftance, will doubtlefs become a market for them. The author of the Nou- veau Voyage en Efpague makes the revenue which the king draws from this article, amount to twenty millions of livres f;;^^ 3 3,3 3 3 f fter- ling.) The greater part of this tobacco is brought from Brafil by the Portuguefe, fold to the king at five pence fterling the pound, F f and 44^ NEW TRAVELS IN THE aad then fold by him at eight fhilllngs and four-pence. At the expiration of the prefent contrad:, fays the fame author, the Ame- ricans will offer a more advantageous one, and it is faid they will have the preference. This high price encourages a confidera- ble contraband in Spain, though interdided by the pains of death. The law ia too rigid to be executed, •• The tobacco of the Mifïiiîippi and the Ohio will, doubtlefs, one day furnifh the greater part of the confumption of Spain as well as of France ; which, if the fyftem of liberty fhould be adopted, will become im- menfe. For it is proved, by thofe who know the fecrets of the farm, that the con- fumption of the latter amounts to more than thirty millions of pounds annually, in-, ftead of fifteen, as we have been commanded to believe. LETTER UNITED STATES Ot AMERICA. 443 LETTER XXXVIII. The Valley of Shenadore in Virginia. I PROPOSED, my friend, on quitting Alex- andria, to vifit that charming valley, wafh- ed by the Shenadore, of which JefFer- fon and Crevecoeur have given us fo fedu- cing a defcription. From thence I intended to return by the vale of Lancafter, and pay my refpe<3:s to the virtuous Moravians. But the approaching Revolution in France haften- ing my return, I am obliged to content my- felf with giving you fome idea of that coun- try where we have been invited to fix our tabernacles ; and to borrow the obfervations of different travellers, who have this year obferved, with great attention, the lands fituated between the different chains of mountains, which feparate Virginia from the weftern territory. The Valley of Shenadore, w^hich lies be- tween the fouth mountain and the north, or endlefs mountain, is from thirty to forty F f 2 miles 444 NEW TRAVELS IN THE miles wide, chalky bottom, a fertile foil, and a good air. This fituation offers almoft all the advantages of the wcftern country, "without its inccn-veniencies. It is almoft in the centre of the United States, and has nothing to fear from foreign enemies. It lies between two confiderable rivers, which fall inta the Chefapeak ; and though the na- vigation of thefe rivers is interrupted for the prefent, yet there is no doubt, from the progrefs of the works on the Potow- mack, that this inconvenience will foon b-s removed. The price of lands here, as elfewhere, varies according to their quality ; you may purchafe at any price, from one to five gui- neas the acre, land of the fame quality»as in Pennfylvania from four to twenty guineas. The average diftance of thefe lands from commercial towns is as follows : fifty miles from George-town, about fifty miles from Alexandria, eighty or an hundred from Rich- mond and from Baltimore. But this part of the country is ftill more inviting for its fu- ture prolpedts. Of all the rivers that dif- cliarge into the Atlantic, the Potowmack offers UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 445 offers the moft dire£t communication with the rivers of the weft. This circumftancc will make it one day the great channel of intercourfe for almoft all the United States ; and its fituation renders it fecure againft being interrupted by war. But to realize the advantages which the fituation of this country feems to promife, requires a reformation of manners, and the banifhment of luxury, which is more confi- derable here than in Pennfylvania. You muft banifh idleaefs and the love of the chace, which are deeply rooted in the foul of the Virginians ; and, above all things, you muft banifh flavery; which infallibly produces thofe great fcourges of fociety, lazinefs and vice, in one clafs of men, uninduftrious labour and degrading mifery in another. The view of this deforming wound of humanity, will difcourage foreigners of fenfibility from com- ing to this ftate ; while they have not to dread this difgufting fpedtacle in Pennfyl- vania. But it is in a country life in America, that true happinefs is to be found by him who is wile enough to make it coniift in trariCiiiUitv ^6 NEW TRAVELS IN TH? tranquillity of foul, in the enjoyment of bimfelf, and of nature. What is the fa- tiguing agitation of our great cities, com- pared to this delicious calmnefs ? The trees,, lay friend, do not calumniate ; they revile not their benefaâ:ors ; men of the greateft merit cannot always fay this of their fellow- creatures. LETTER UNITED STATES OF AMIRIGA. 447 LETTER XXXIX. yoiirney from Bojîon to Pert/mouth. Oaober, 178S. I Left Bofton the 2d of Odober, after din* ner, with my worthy friend Mr. Bar- ret * ; to whom I cannot pay too fmcere a tribute of praife for his amiable qualities, or of gratitude for the readinefs he has mani- fefted on all occafions in procuring me infor- mation on the objets of my refearch. AVe flept at Salem, fifteen miles from Bofton ; an excellent gravelly road, bordered with woods and meadows. This road paffes the fine bridge of Maiden, which I mentioned before, and the town of Linn remarkable for the manfaâiure of womens' fhoes. It is calculated that more than an hundred thou- fand pairs are annually exported from this town. At Reading, not far from Linn, is a fimilar manufadure of mens* fhoes. * H« is of a refpeélable family in Bofton. He h Intcly named Conful of the United States in France. Salem, ■448 NEW TRAVELS IN THE Salem, like all other towns in America, has a printing prefs and a gazette. I read in this gazette the difcourfe pronounced by M. D'Epreminil, when he was arrefted in full parliament in Pari». What an i^dmirable in- vention is- the prefs ! it brings all nations acquainted with each other, and eledrizes all men by the recital of good adions, which thus become common to all. This difcourfe tran- fported the daughtei's of my hoftefs : D'Epre- minil appeared to them a Brutus *. It was cold, and we had a fire in a Frank- lin flove. Thefe are common here, and thofe chimneys that have ihem not, are built as defcribed by M. de Crevecœur : they rarely fmoke. The miftrefs of the tavern, (Robinfon,) was taking tea with her daughters ; they in- vited us to partake of it with them. — I repeat it, we have nothing like this in France. It is a general remark through all the United States : a tavern-keeper muft be a refpedable man, his daughters are well dreft, and have an air of decency and civility. We had good provifions, good beds, attentive fervants j neither the fervants nor the coachmen afk any money. It is an excellent pradife *, for * Heu f quantum tslatus ab Wo ! this UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 449 this tax with us not only becomes infiip- portable on account of the perl'ecutions which it occafions, but it gives men an air of bafe- nefs, and accuftoms to the fervility of avarice. Salem has a confiderable commerce to the iflandsj^and a great a<^ivity of buflnefs by the cod iifhery. In paffing to Beverly, we crofled another excellent wooden bridge. It is over a creek near a mile wide. The conftrudion of this bridge, and the celerity with which it was built, gives a lively idea of the adivity and induftry of the inhabitants of MafTachufetts. It cofl but three thoufand pounds ; the toll for a horfe and carriage is eight-pence ; the open- ing in the middle for the paiTage of veflels, is of a funpler mechanifm than that of Charles- town. On the road to Beverly, I faw a flou- rifhing manufacture of cotton. At Londonderry, a town chiefly inhabited by Irilh, is a confiderable manufacture of li- lien. We dined at Newberry with Mr. Tracy, who formerly enjoyed a great for- tune, and has fmce been reduced by the fai- lure of different enterprizes, particularly by a contract to furnifh mafts for the marine of France. The mifcarriage of this undertaking, was 45^ NEW TRAVELS IN THE was owing to his having employed agents in procuring the firft cargo who deceived him, and fent a parcel of rcfufe mails that were lit only for fire- wood. Though the manner in which Mr. Tracy had been de- ceived was fufficiently proved ; yet, for the clerks of the marine at Verfailles, whofc in- térêt it was to decry the American timber, this faâ: was fufficient to enable them to caufe it ever after to be rejected. And Mr. Tracy's firft cargo was condemned and fold at Havre for 2501. He lives retired ; and with the confolation of his refpeâiablc wife, fupports his misfortunes with dignity and firmnefs. Newberry would be one of the beft ports in the United States, were it not for a dange- rous bar at the entrance. The bufmefs of lliip-building has much declined here. In the year 1772 ninety velTels were built here» in 1788 only three. This town Hands at the mouth of the fine river Marrimak, abound- ing in fifh of different kinds. Twenty-four miles of fine road brings you from Newberry to Portfmouth, the capital of New-Hamplhire. There is little appear- ance of aclivity in this town, A thin popu- lation, many houfcs in ruins, women and children . UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 45 1 children in rags ; every thing announces cie-^ cHne. Yet there are elegant houfes and ibrae commerce. Portfmouth is on the Pifcatuay, a rapid and deep river which never freezes till four miles above the town. This was for- merly one of the grcateft markets for fhip-tim- bçr. Colonel Wentworth, one of the mofl: intelligent and efteemed citizens, was the agent of the Englifh government and of the Eaft-India Company for that article. This company is now renewing its demands for this timber. Every thing in this town is commerce and fliip-building. Prefident Langdon himfelf is a merchant ; he is extremely well informed in every thing that concerns his country. You may recoi- led:, that at the time of the invafion of Bur- goyne, he was the firft to mount his horfe and lead off his fellow-citizens to fight him. He appears well pcrfuaded, as well as Colo- nel Wentworth, that the fureft road to the profperity of their country, is the adoption of the new federal government. We left Portfmouth on Sunday, and came to dine at Mr. Dalton's, five miles from New- berry, on the Marrimak : this is one of the fined 4^2 NEW TRAVELS IN THE fineft fituadons that can be imagined. It prefents an agreeable profpeâ: of feven leagues. This farm is extremely well arranged ; I faw on it thirty cows, numbers of (lieep,