and the encouragement to early marriages, by the certainty of fubfiftence in cultivating the earth, the increase of inhabitants by natural generation is very rapid in America, and becomes ftill more fo by the acceffion of ftrangers; hence there is a continual demand for more artifans of all the neceffary and useful kinds, to fupply those cultivators of the earth with houses, and with furniture and utensils of the groffer forts, which cannot fo well be brought from Europe. Tolerably good workmen in any of thofe mechanic arts, are fure to find employ, and to be well paid for their work, there being no restraints preventing ftrangers from exercifing any art they underftand, nor any permiffion neceffary. If they are poor, they begin firft as fervants or journeymen; and if they are fober, induftrious, and frugal, they foon become mafters, establish themselves in bufinefs, marry, raife families, and become re. spectable citizens.

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

fold

fold readily, without any improvement made upon them for three pounds per acre.

The acre

in America is the fame with the English acre, or the acre of Normandy.

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

Several of the princes of Europe having of late, from an opinion of advantage to arife by producing all commodities and manufactures within their own dominions, fo as to diminish or render ufelefs their importations, have endeavoured to entice workmen from other countries, by high falaries, privileges, &c. Many perfons pretending to be killed in various great manufactures, imagining that America muft be in want of them, and that the Congress would probably be difpofed to imitate the princes above mentioned, have proposed to go over, on condition of having their paffages paid, lands given, falaries appointed, exclufive privileges for terms of years, &c. Such perfons, on reading the articles of confederation, will find that the Congrefs have no power committed to them, or money put into their hands, for fuch purpofes; and that if any fuch encouragement is given, it must be by the government of fome feparate ftate. This, however, has rarely been done in America; and when it has been done; it has rarely fucceeded, fo as to establish a manufacture,

1

facture, which the country was not yet fo ripe for as to encourage private perfons to fet it up; labour being generally too dear there, and hands difficult to be kept together, every one defiring to be a mafter, and the cheapnefs of land inclining many to leave trades for agriculture. Some indeed have met with fuccefs, and are carried on to advantage; but they are generally fuch as require only a few hands, or wherein great part of the work is performed by machines. Goods that are bulky, and of fo fmall value as not well to bear the expence of freight, may often be made cheaper in the country than they can be imported; and the manufacture of fuch goods will be profitable wherever there is a fufficient demand. The farmers in America produce indeed a good deal of wool and flax; and none is exported, it is all worked up; but it is in the way of domestic manufacture, for the use of the family. The buying up quantities of wool and flax, with the defign to employ fpinners, weavers, &c. and form great eftablifhments, producing quantities of linen and woollen goods for fale, has been feveral times attempted in different provinces; but those projects have generally failed, goods of equal value being imported cheaper. And when the governments have been folicited to fupport fuch fchemes by encouragements, in money, or by impofing duties on importation of fuch goods, it has been generally refused, on this principle, that if the country is ripe for the manufacture, it may be carried on by private perfons to advantage; and if not, it is a folly to think of forcing nature. Great establishments of manufacture, require great numbers of poor to do the work for fmall wages; thofe poor are to be found in Europe, but will not be found in America, till the lands are all taken up and cultivated, and the

excefs

excefs of people who cannot get land want employment. The manufacture of filk, they fay, is natural in France, as that of cloth in England, because each country produces in plenty the first material but if England will have a manufacture of filk as well as that of cloth, and France of cloth. as well as that of filk, these unnatural operations must be supported by mutual prohibitions, or high duties on the importation of each other's goods; by which means the workmen are enabled to tax the home confumer by greater prices, while the higher wages they receive make them neither happier nor richer, fince they only drink more and work lefs. Therefore the governments in America do nothing to encourage fuch projects. The people, by this means, are not impofed on either by the merchant or mechanic: if the merchant demands too much profit on imported fhoes, they buy of the fhoemaker; and if he afks too high a price, they take them of the merchant: thus the two profeffions are checks on each other. The fhoemaker, however, has, on the whole, a confiderable profit upon his labour in America, beyond what he had in Europe, as he can add to his price a fum nearly equal to all the expences of freight and commiffion, rifque or insurance, &c. neceffarily charged by the merchant. And the cafe is the fame with the workmen in every other mechanic art. Hence it is, that artifans generally live better and more eafily in America than in Europe; and fuch as are good œconomists make a comfortable provifion for age, and for their children. Such may, therefore, remove with advantage to America.

In the old long-fettled countries of Europe, all arts, trades, profeffions, farms, &c. are fo full, that it is difficult for a poor man who has children to place them where they may gain, or learn to

gain,

gain, a decent livelihood. The artifans, who fear creating future rivals in bufinefs, refuse to take apprentices, but upon conditions of money, maintenance, or the like, which the parents are unable to comply with. Hence the youth are dragged up in ignorance of every gainful art, and obliged to become foldiers, or fervants, or thieves, for a fubfiftence. In America, the rapid increafe of inhabitants takes away that fear of rivalfhip, and artifans willingly receive apprentices from the hope of profit by their labour, during the remainder of the time ftipulated, after they fhalf be inftructed. Hence it is easy for poor families to get their children inftructed; for the artifans are fo defirous of apprentices, that many of them will even give money to the parents, to have boys from ten to fifteen years of age bound apprentices to them, till the age of twenty-one; and many poor parents have, by that means, on their arrival in the country, raifed money enough to buy land fùfficient to eftablish themselves, and to fubfift the reft of their family by agriculture. Thefe contracts for apprentices are made before a magiftrate, who regulates the agreement according to reafon and juftice; and having in view the formation of a future ufeful citizen, obliges the mafter to engage by a written indenture, not only that, during the time of fervice ftipulated, the apprentice fhall be duly provided with meat, drink, apparel, washing, and lodging, and at its expiration with a complete new fuit of clothes, but also that he fhall be taught to read, write, and caft accounts; and that he fhall be well inftructed in the art or profeffion of his mafter, or fome other, by which he may afterwards gain a livelihood, and be able in his turn to raise a family. A copy of this indenture is given to the apprentice or his friends, and the magiftrate keeps a record