virtues or vices of the Romans, according to their own preconceived theories or prejudices, or profeffional purfuits. Strabo imagined that the fituation of Rome had contributed much to the aggrandizement of the republic: he reafoned like a geographer. Montefquieu difcovers all thefe caufes in the nature of their government: he reafons like a civilian.

Nothing exercises and fatigues the mind more than abftraction; and this act of withdrawing fome part of the idea from the other parts of it, has need of fupporting itself on fenfible circumstances. Hence it is, that the language of argument is, conftantly, on the point of running out into a figurative fiyle; a ftyle, equally vicious and incorrect, of which allegory is the worst abufe. Thus it may be obferved, that the more ignorant and unpolished a nation is, the more its language abounds with metaphors and comparifons. They are the artful expedients of the mind, to elude that exact definition, which fo frequently baffles all her powers. Are the principles of a republic to be unfolded? It is compared to a living being. Are the properties of a juft man to be explained? He is likened to a republic. Thus are we incefiantly turning round, within a circle of errors, where every thing meets with its refemblance, and where nothing is decifive.

The power of fathers is, always, more fevere and abfolute than the power of mothers. A mother may be confidered as the chief moderatrix of paternal defpotifm.

Riches acquired without toil, and divided among a fmall number of perfons, introduce luxury and corruption; or rather, every thing is already corrupted, when luxury appears; for luxury is but an effect, erected into a principle. It comes not, until all order has been already deftroyed; and whether it arife from the inequality of circumftances, or whether it flow from the abufe of affluence, it conftantly maintains a fuppofition, that there are eafy and rapid means of acquiring money, and

that paffions exift, which are equally contrary to decency and honefty.

Monarchy, like nobility, which is the fupport of monarchy, to be refpectable, fhould be ancient. From a fortunate experience of authority, and from a fettled habit of obedience, may arife a kind of conftitution, which, in the end, becomes almost unalterable: because there is a point, beyond which the materials of a republic exift no longer in a monarchy; while the materials of a monarchy exift always ina republic.

A love for their country, popularity, and generofity, were virtues common to the ancients; but true philanthropy, a regard for public welfare, and general order, are fentiments to which the past ages were abfolutely ftrangers. How, indeed, could fuch fentiments have existed among men, accuftomed from their infancy to behold thousands of gladiators, mutually flaughtering one another, and perishing amid even the exclamations of the women? Such exalted feelings as thefe could never have animated a people, who fo frequently faw prifoners of war, chiefs and kings, publicly conducted, in purfuance of a decree, to execution, and completing by their deaths the feftivity of a triumph.

The rife and fall of empires may be ranked among thofe events which, although common, do not cease to be remarkable. Infpiration only could have discovered, that the primitive Romans, a vile and abject people, were deftined to clear the path, which conducted their future race to the sovereignty of the world. If in the days of Julius Cæfar, a Roman augur had pretended, that his birds informed him, that the diftant defcendants of the dictator, and his invincible countrymen, fhould be emafculated, and fing upon a ftage, before the pofterity of the conquered Britons, instead of being reverenced as a prophet, he would have been toned as a mad

man.

An ignorant and flothful people, knowing neither their faculties nor

their wants, may remain in fo annihilating a fituation, as not even to employ in proper ufes, as much time as might be neceffary to establish them in the poffeffion of a peaceful and advantageous life. It may, alfo, happen, that the government, exacting from this people, a certain portion of labour, may accuftom them to activity and induftry; and then, the fovereign, by augmenting the number of days in the year, of hours in the day, which he might exact from the fubject, would augment, in a fimilar proportion, the time which this fubject would employ to his own advantage.

If we defire to know what, in general, is the condition of the inhabitants of the world, we need only inform ourselves, whether the number of cultivated lands be augmented, or

diminished.

A pious fraud is the worst of all falsehoods; because, by poisoning even the very fource of truth, it expofes the molt facred authorities to all thofe doubts which profane writers are fo ready to caft upon them.

To act the part of a hypocrite, is a talk at once fo painful and fo difficult, that nothing but the moft violent effort of patience and artifice can fupport a long and fuccefsful performance of it. Let us always be fearful of giving too much to the mind, by taking too much away from the heart. If we enjoy fome talents, wherewith we deceive others, how many more talents do we not poffefs, which feduce us to impofe upon ourfelves? The willingness with which we are so apt to credit the fuppofed exertions of hypocrify, may, perhaps, arife from not having fufficiently reflected on the nature of the human heart.

Howfoever writers may have been feduced by the livelinefs of the imagination, or the fubtilty of the underftanding, to question whether the sciences were advantageous to mankind, fuch frequently affected doubts can be referred only to the comparifon between humanity in a ftate of

nature, and humanity in a focial fiate. In either cafe, it must be acknowledged, as an eftablished principle, that man cannot, in his focial capacity, be too enlightened. Placed within a phyfical, political, and moral system, a fmall part of one great whole, his duties arife from his relations; and that being will be faid to have reached the height of moral perfection, who fhall have fully comprehended in what manner he ought to co-exift with the reft.

Such is the propenfity of the human mind, that, like a leech, it receives its nourishment by adhering only to a particular part. When applying to the reading, the ftudy, and the explanation of books, books foon become all its doctrine, it is wedded to them, it reveres them, and being exclufively taken up with them, it ends by fubftituting the inftrument in the place of the work. He who admires authors too much, finds it difficult to furpass them, and all worship degenerates into fuperftition. Thus erudiion, though engaged in smoothing the path for genius, often retards its birth.

Caprice is to be condemned, when it is the vice of inferiors; 'but it is much more dangerous when it has infected thofe who govern. They mult be careful to arm themfelves against that impatient temper, which frets at trifling attacks. The fermentation of difcourfes and writings is inconvenient, but not alarming. Cromwell did not write North Britons, nor did Jaques Clement (who affaffinated Henry the third of France) write political pamphlets.

All traffic, not founded on a free exchange of commodities, is not commerce, but a tribute; trade can have no object except to procure a nation more fubfiftence, and a greater va riety of confumptions; to fulfill this object, trade ought to be extended, and, of courfe, it cannnot be eftablished on domination, becaufe every domination that is too extenfive must fall, fooner or later, and involve commerce in its ruin.

K.

KR

ENTUCKY is fituated, in its central part, near the latitude of 38° N. and 85° W. longitude. It is bounded on the north by Great Sandycreek; by the Ohio on the N. W. by North-Carolina on the fouth; and by the Cumberland mountain on the E. being upward of 250 miles in length, and 200 in breadth; and is at prefent divided into three counties, Lincoln, Fayette and Jefferfon; of which Fayette and Jefferfon are bounded by the Ohio, and the river Kentucky feparates Fayette on its north fide from the other two. There are at prefent eight towns laid off, and building, and more are propofed.

Louifville, at the Falls of Ohio, and Beardstown, are in Jefferson county; Harrodsburg, Danville, and Boonsburrow, in Lincoln county; Lexington, Lees-town, and Greenville, in Fayette county; the two laft being on Kentucky river. At thefe and many other places, on this and other rivers, Lafpecting-houfes are established for tobacco, which may be cultivated to great advantage, although not altogether the ftaple commodity of the country.

The beautiful river Ohio, which bounds Kentucky in its whole length, is a mile and fometimes lefs in breadth, and is fufficient to carry boats of great burden. Its general courfe is S. 60 degrees weft; and in its course it receives numbers of large and fmall rivers, which pay tribute to its glory. The only difadvantage this fine river has, is a rapid, one mile and a half

I

long, and one mile and a quarte broad, called the Falls of Ohio. this place the river runs over a rocky bottom, and the descent is so gradual that the fall does not probably in the whole exceed twenty feet. In fome places we may observe it to fall a few feet. When the ftream is low, empty boats only can pass and repass this rapid; their lading must be transported by land; but, when high, boats of any burden may país in fafety. Excepting this place, there is not a finer river in the world for navigation by boats.

The next confiderable river is named the Kentucky, it rifes with three heads, from a mountainous part of the country. Its N. branch, which interlocks with Cumberland River, runs half-way in a W. direction, and N. W. the other half, and falls into the Ohio in latitude 38°. 27'. N. It is amazingly crooked for upward of 200 miles in length. Befide thefe, Kentucky has the Licking River, the Red River, the Elkhorn, Dick's River, Green River, Cumberland River, and the Great Kenhaway or New River.

Thefe rivers are navigable for boats almost to their fources, without rapids, for the greatest part of the year. This country is generally level, and abounding with lime-ftene, which ufually lies about fix feet deep, except in hollows, where ftreams run, where we find the rock in the bottom of the channel.

The fprings and ftreams leffen in June, and continue low, hindering navigation,

pavigation, until November, when the autumnal rains foon prepare the rivers for boats, and replenish the whole county with water; but although the ftreams decreafe, yet there is always fufficient for domeftic ufes. There are many fine prings, that never fail; every farmer has a good one at leaft; and excellent wells may eafily be dug.

The country, in fome parts, is nearly level; in others not fo much fo; in others again hilly, but moderately, and in fuch places there is moft water. The levels are not like a carpet, but-interfperfed with fmall rifings and declivities, which form a beautiful profpect. A great part of the foil is amazingly fertile; fome not fo good, and fome poor. The inhabitants diftinguish its quality by firft, fecond, and third rate lands; and scarcely any fuch thing as a marh or fwamp is to be found."

This country is more temperate and healthy than the other fettled parts of America. In fummer it wants the fandy heats which Virginia and Carolina experience, and receives a fine air from its rivers. In winter, which at most only lafts three months, commonly two, and is but feldom fevere, the people are fafe in bad houses; and the beats have a good fupply without fodder. The winter begins about Christmas, and ends about the first of March, at fartheft does not exceed the middle of that month. Snow feldom falls deep or lies long. The W. winds often bring ftorms, and the E. winds clear the fky; but there is no steady rule of weather in that respect, as in the northern ftates. The W. winds are fometimes cold and nitrous. The Ohio running in that direction, and there being mountains on that quarter, the wefterly winds by fweeping along their tops, in the cold regions of the air, and over a long tract of frozen water, collect cold in their course, and convey it over the Kentucky country; but the weather is not fo intenfely fevere as thefe winds bring with them in Pennfyl

vania. The air and feafons depend very much on the winds, as to heat and cold, dryness and moisture.

The foil of Kentucky is of a loose, deep black mould, without fand, in the firft rate lands about two or three feet deep, and exceedingly luxuriant in all its productions. In fome places the mould inclines to brown. In fome the wood, as the natural confequence of too rich a foil, is of little value, appearing like dead timber and large fumps in a field lately cleared. Thefe parts are not confiderable. The country in general may be confidered as well-timbered, producing large trees of many kinds, and to be exceeded by no country in variety. Thofe which are peculiar to Kentucky are the fugar-tree, which grows in all parts in great plenty, and furnishes every family with plenty of excellent fugar. The honey-locuit is curiously furrounded with large thorny fpikes bearing broad and long pods in form of peas, has a fweet talle, and makes excellent beer.

The coffee-tree greatly refembles the black oak grows large, and alfo bears a pod, in which is inclosed coffee. The papwa-tree does not grow to a great fize, is a foft wood, bears a fine fruit, much like a cucumber in fhape and fize, and talles fweet. The cucumber-tree is fmall and fof, with remarkable leaves, bears a fruit much refembling that from which it is named. Black mulberry-trees are in abundance. The wild cherry-tree is here frequent, of large fize, and fupplies the inhabitants with boards for all their buildings. Here alfo is the buck-eye, a very foft wood, bearing a remarkable black fruit, and fome other kinds of trees not common elfewhere. Here is great plenty of fine cane, on which the cattle feed, and grow fat. This plant, in general, grows from three to twelve feet high, of a hard fubftance, with joints at eight or ten inches diftance along the ftalk, from which proceed leaves refembling thofe of the willow. There are many cane brakes fo thick and tall

that

that it is difficult to pafs through them. Where no cane grows there is abundance of wild-rye, clover, and buffalo grafs, covering vaft tracts of country, and affording excellent food for cattle. The fields are covered with abundance of wild herbage not common to other countries. The Shawanefe fallad, wild lettuce, and pepper-grafs, and many more, as yet unknown to the inhabitants, but which, no doubt, have excellent virtues. Here are seen the finest crown-imperial in the world, the cardinal flower, fo much extolled for its fcarlet colour; and all the year, excepting the winter months, the plains and valleys are adorned with variety of Rowers of the moft admirable beauty. Here is also found the tulip-bearing laurel-tree, or magnolia, which has an exquifite fmell, and continues to bloffom and feed for feveral months together.

This country is richeft on the higher lands, excluding the fineft low grounds in the fettled parts of the continent. When cultivated it produces in common fifty and fixty bushels per acre; and I have heard it affirmed by credible perfons, that above one hundred bufhels of good corn were produced from an acre in one feafon. The firit rate land is too rich for wheat till it has been reduced by four or five years cultivation.

Colonel Harrod, a gentleman of veracity in Kentucky, has lately experienced the production of fmall grain, and affirms, that he had thirtyfive bushels of wheat, and fifty bushels of rye per acre.

I think, in common, the land will produce about thirty bushels of wheat and rye, upon a moderate computation, per acre; and this is the general opinion of the inhabitants. We may fuppofe that barley and oats will increase abundantly; as yet they have not been fufficiently tried. The foil is very favourable to flax and hemp, turnips, potatoes, and cotton, which

grow in abundance; and the fecond, third, and fourth rate lands are as proper for fmall grain. Thefe accounts of fuch amazing fertility may, to fome, appear incredible, but are certainly true. Every husbandman may have a good garden, or meadow, without water or manure, where he pleafes. The foil, which is not of a thirty nature, is commonly well fupplied with plentiful showers.

Iron ore and lead are found in abundance, but we do not hear of any filver or gold mine as yet difcovered.

The western waters produce plenty of fish and fowl. The fish, common to the waters of the Ohio, are the buffalo-fish, of a large fize, and the cat-fish, fometimes exceeding one hun dred weight. Trout have been taken in Kentucky weighing thirty weight. The mullet, rock, perch, gar-fish, and eel, are here in plenty. Suckers, fun-fifh, and other hook-fith, are abundant; but no fhad, or herrings, We may fuppofe, with a degree of certainty, that there are large fubterraneous aqueducts stored with fish, from whence fine fprings arife in many parts, producing fine hook-fith in variety. On thefe waters, and especially on the Ohio, the geese and ducks are amazingly numerous.

The land fowls are turkeys, which are very frequent, pheasants, and partridges *. The parroquet, is a bird every way refembling a parrot, but much fmaller. The ivory-bill woodcock, of a whitish colour, with a white plume, flies fcreaming exceedingly sharp. It is afferted, that the bill of this bird is pure ivory, a circumftance very fingular in the plumy tribe. The great owl refembles its fpecies in other parts, but is remarkably different in its vociferation, fometimes making a ftrange, furprifing noife, like a man in the most extreme danger and difficulty.

Serpents are not numerous, and are fuch as are to be found in other parts