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regret, that the geography and history of our
colonies is so litile attended to. It is not among the Vulgar only, that we meet with persons Whoare totally unacquainted with the siluation, produce, inhabitanis, their condition, manner Oflise, their trassic and connections. And this is the more inexcusabie, as there arenot Wanting many Usemi Treatises upon these
subjects ; and were the public, or that part of the public Whicli ought to be inquisitive asterproper information, as liable to become a part of the Britim se nate, and empowered by the Britissipeople, the grand fource of poWer, to decide onquestions of the ulmost importance to America; I say, was this part of the public soli cito is after
the inhabitants of North America, and those os the west India istands i They form their ideas ofati, by the manner and appearance of a sew, wholiave no resemblance to them in manners, Wayos life, or fortune. The Britim inhabitants of North America are os two foris; those who live in the northern part of the continent, and tho who inhabit the fouthern. Nova Scotia, NewEngland and iis dependencies, New York, the Jerseys and Pensylvania, belong to the formerdivision: Maryland may be divi ted belween both ; Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia, are
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o 8 Ons derations relathe to the
the other pari. of the late seuthern or northeria acquisitions I say nothing, as they are yet Verylight in the scale of power. The inhabitants of the northern part live like our lower Englisti sermers ; they plough, soW, reap, and vend disi ferent hinds of grain, as the land they occupyand the climate permit -maiZe, Wheat, baries, Oais, peue, and the like rural produce. Theyraise catile, hogs, and other domestic animais,sor use and sale; also hemp, fax, navat stores, but yet in sinali quantities. Their summers arehot, their Winters severe, and their lives are passe l
idown contented --they labOUr as rheir parenis have done, are content With hard fare and me an
land . Fortune, aided by capacity and industrr, ises him above the t et, and he acquires thereputation
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reputation of a considerable mercliant, On a capital that would not Harnissa a chandier's inop in London. He is, however, a most usesul member of society; he imporis ali the Britim manufactu res he can, and vends them amongst his compatriois. The gro er of the produci, sup- posse it wool; the manufactu rers, for there are many; the Englim mercliant, the navigators, the American mercliant; ali are gainers by apoor Wildernesis American, the Consumer. Whata pleasing prospect sor Britain, who will every lay more sensi bly seel the advantages of this Commerce, Unless by-stiali I cali it their Evit Genius they are goaded on, to acceleratetheir own Undoing, by oppressing the Ameri-Cans lSuch is the way of life of the North Americans of the northern district. The inhabitants of the sola theria approach nearer to the west Indians. The land is capable of producing riches of another nature ; tob acco, Whicli has been the pleaia
ing in toxication os many nations, is produced in Maryland and Virginia, chie sty by the labour ofnegroes. Rice is the product of the Carolinas ;a happy succedaneum sor bread ; the proper, themost sultabie support of hot countries: this lihewise is raised, cultivaled, drefcted by the la-
The wisdom of Provide nce is every where conspicuoUs to the attentive observer; and per-haps in nothing more, than in the different de-grees of sertili ty of the different paris of the stobe, most wisely adjusted to the necessities of the
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the respective inhabitanis. In the coider regions, the earili produces iis stores with dissicut ty; strength and labour here are requisite to unlochthe litile treasiare that the earth contains: buttile bracing cold, the whetted appetite, the strongpowers of digestion, derived from cold and penury, render laboUr easy, and the consequences pleastare able. Thus the dreary wastes of Siberia, the mountainous Alps, the bleali Highlands, the Cumbrian hilis, the Yorkiuire Woulds, and welch
A seW acres in Barbadoes, or others of the
crop, in Vatiae superior, perhaps, to one hundred times the extent, either in North America or in
In these hot climates, is the Author of Nature had not dispensed the means of subsistence witha more liberal hand than in the northeria regions, who could have subsisted there ξWere the poste rs of lands in these hot coun- tries obliged to labour sor themselves, we mouidnot see the many instances me do of idienesis and extraVagance: but the nave trade enabies the inhabitants of these Warmer regionS, to Prochare, not only the necessaries and conveniencies of Ιise, hut Vast wealth, at the expence of people, who, born Under a holter lan, are found able tobear labour equat almost to a native of the noriti, in his' own country, and compelled to work by
fore and grievous stripes ; men in ali things like
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ourseives, colour and me circumstances of formexcepted, toria from the tenderest ties of nature
by violence and fraud, to drudge in servitude during the residue of their days, without hope os redemption lThe wealth accruing Dom the Meat of thesepΟor Wretches, who s oner or later may be Permitted to become the dread ut executioners os noW-paced vengeance, has unhappily fixed in themiiads of many here, an idea that the west Indians, and North Americans, are in the like sit ration, in respect to the means of acquiringriches, and possessing them; a mistahe whicli an
attentive consideration of the premisses may Per-haps contribUte to remoVe. For as the northern people of America trust totheir own industry, so the foutheria inhabitantsare ricli in proportion to the niamber of flaves they possess. In the former, ali are loW and middling people, the scire support of any COUn- try ; none are great or rich. In the lalter, thereare few middling people; a very feW are Considerable; the rest are below the middie clast in
The condit et of these people, I mean the inhabitants of the solithern distridi, when they ar-rive in England, approaches nearer to me and extraVagance, than the northern inhabitanis; and has added to the generat mistake in this country, that the Americans are rich. The conduct of
the West Indians has persected this idea. Bred
sor the most part at the breast of a negro nave, surrounded in their infancy With a numerous retinue
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i et Confiderations relat e Io the
study the geography and state of our colonies; Would they give themselves the troubie of dissitinguishing their different siluations; it would
that because an opulent West Indi an vies in glare with a nobleman of the sirst distinction, therei rea poor American sarmer is able to bear the same heavy Ioad os laxes, or ought to be placed in thesame scale of ability. In a word, the inhabitants of the west India istands are in generat the reverse of the northern North Americans: Whilst these are poor, laborious, contented With a litile, examples of diligence and frugality, the best riches of a state the West Indians are too osten the reverse. Mucii
indeed is to be allowed sor the different climates. Heat enervates, it creates sensuality, and urgesto contrive every means of gratification. Another
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Another circumstance has likewise contributed not a litile to estabiisti an idea of the riches of North America; whicli is, the known hospitalityos these peopte in generat to ait Britim strangers. Vying with each other who mali afford their
quest the most hospitable entertain ment, theyliave Unsortunately rivetted an opinion in tra- Vellers, that they are ricli, only because they are
duct founded on nobie, generous, Upright Principies, is the glory of man, and invariably procures him e very blessing compatibie with his siluation. A Det os sussicient authenticity will perhaps illustrate this assertion, and at the fame time poliat out the mark we siould aim at in thepresent litteresting siluation of our a Dirs: When the Roman army was Qui up in the Caudine sortis, the wise Samnite, with a thorough sense of this principie, advised his son to permitthe Romans, Without injury, to retreat froin the clanger in Whicli they saw thenaseives irretrievablyinvolve l.
This displeased the hau ghty generat anil his
army; the wise old man then advised the totaldestruction of the Roman army. Nei ther of these alternatives Were pursu ed:
sellistin est and pride presented a middie Way, thatended in the destruction of the nation. The Samnite leader, flushed with the success of his 3 machinations,
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4i Considerations relatave to Memachinations, determined to enjoy the pleas ure os a triumph. He gave the Romans their lives, at the expence of their honour. The insuit Wastoo great for the Roman peopte to forgive; theyVOwed revenge, and hoped, though Vatia ly, toblot out the remembrance of their dis grace and
perfidy, by the extirpation of the Samnite people; Whicli, contrary to justice and humanity, theyeffected. Let us proiit by this tesson ; the cases, Ι OWn, are not parallel, but yet the morai may be of useto Us. Three ways are proposed to extricate
ourselves frona the present perplexities. The fit st,to en rce the stamp adi; the second to suspend, and the third to repeal it. The first seems like the Samnites opinion, todestroy the Roman army totally, then in their Pomer. The Americans, most probably, Willnot give up their claims without bloodstied; and whoever suffers, the king by that loses a subject, and the affections likewise of many more. To suspend the adh, seems to be holding a yokeos di race over them, Whicli, though they may bear at present Without marks of impatience, Will only prompt them to malae the quickerstrides to absolute independeta Cy.
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stended frona freeborta Englis lamen for the most pari; and those Who are of another progeny, have acquired the like sentiments, by proximi tyand acquaintance. They are people of the like passions with ourseives, and look Upon oppressive power th the same spirit os intolerance ; whiletheir generosity and affection to those Who treat
them kindly, is, like the region they inhabit,
vast, and whose limits are hitherio Vnknown. The wisdom os parti ament may neVeriheless, in time, discover such means of persedi and stabie connestion with the colonies, as may secure a justauthori ty over them, and at the fame time preserve inviolable the privileges and immunities, purchased by our brethren in America, at theexpence of cultiVating a Wildernesis for our ad
And indeed, by the prudent poli cy of tho
who planned or granted the severat charters, thetask of securing the dependen ce of the colonies, is rendered much lesse difficult to governinent, than it might have been, had the charters been
unis orna. But by granting distinet privileges
and effabiistiments to the severat provinces, each has acquired an opinion, that iis own is the most persedi, and would not willingly exchange iis condition, or communicate iis peculiari With any Other colony. Thus they are, and must longremain, not only Anconnecteri but in sonae cases opposites, tili the prospect of sonae common dan-ger appears, and serces them to unite in their
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interest, by such means, to be dependent Uponus, they Will be so continually. I f we promote scholarmips sor Americans inour Universities; give posts and benestis in America, to such Americans who have studied here, preserably to others ; is the govern ment permits