To

rial change in the quality of their diet. But are there no inconveniencies to be thrown into the scale against the advantage expected from a multiplication of numbers by the importation of foreigners? It is for the happinefs of thofe united in fociety to harmonize as much as poffible in matters which they muft of neceffity tranfact together. Civil government being the fole objects of forming focieties, its adminiftration must be conducted by common confent. Every species of government has its specific principles. Ours perhaps are more peculiar than thofe of any other in the universe. It is a compofition of the freeft principles of the English conftitution, with others derived from natural right and natural reafon. these nothing can be more opposed than the maxims of abfolute monarchies. Yet, from fuch, we are to expect the greatest number of emigrants. They will bring with them the principles of the governments they leave, imbibed in their early youth; or, if able to throw them off, it will be in exchange for an unbounded licentioufnefs, paffing, as is usual, from one extreme to another. It would be a mericle were they to stop precifely at the point of temperate liberty. Thefe principles, with their language, they will tranfmit to their children. In proportion to their numbers, they will share with us the legislation. They will infufe into it their fpirit, warp and bias its direction, and render it a heterogeneous, incoherent, diftracted mafs.

I may appeal to experience, during the prefent conteft, for a verification of thofe conjectures. But, if they be not certain in event, are they not poffible, are they not probable? Is it not fafer to wait with patience 27 years and three months longer, for the attainment of any degree of population defired, or expected? May not our government be more homageneous, more peaceable, more durable? Suppofe 20 millions of republican Americans thrown all of a fudden into France, what would be the condition of that kingdom? If it would be more torbulent, lefs happy, lefs ftrong, we may believe that the addition of half a million of foreigners to our present numbers would produce a fimilar effect here. If they come of themselves, they are entitled to all the rights of citizenship: But I doubt the expediency of inviting them by extraordinary encouragements. I mean not that these doubts fhould be extended to the importation of ufeful artificers. The policy of that measure depends on very different confiderations. Spare no expence in obtaining them. They will after a while go to the plough and the hoe; but, in the mean time, they will teach us fomething we do not know. It is not fo in agriculture. The indifferent ftate of that among us does not proceed from a want of knowledge merely; it is from our having fuch quantities of land to waste as we pleafe. In Europe the object is to make the most of their land, labour being abundant; here it is to make the most of our labour, land being abundant.

It will be proper to explain how the numbers for the year 1782 have been obtained; and it was not from a perfect cenfus of the inhabitants. It will at the fame time develope the proportion between the free inhabitants and flaves. The following return of taxable articles for that year was given in.

Free

There were no returns from the 8 counties of Lincoln, Jefferfon, Fayette, Monongalia, Yohogania, Ohio, Northampton, and York. To find the number of flaves which would have been returned instead of the 23,766 titheables, we muft mention that fome obfervations on a former cenfus had given reafon to believe that the numbers above and below 16 years of age were equal. The double of this number, therefore, to wit, 47,532, must be added to 211,698, which will give us 259,230 flaves of all ages and fexes. To find the number of free inhabitants, we must repeat the observation, that thofe above and below 16 are nearly equal. But as the number 53,289 omits the males between 16 and 21, we must fupply them from conjecture. On a former experiment it had appeared that about one-third of our militia, that is, of the males between 16 and 50, were unmarried. Knowing how early marriage takes place here, we fhall not be far wrong in fuppofing that the unmarried part of our militia are thofe between 16 and 21. If there be young men who do not marry till after 21, there are as many who marry before that age. But as the men above 50 were not included in the militia, we will fuppofe the unmarried, or those between 16 and 21, to be one-fourth of the whole number above 16, then we have the following calculation:

In these 8 counties in the years 1779 and 1780 were

} 543-438

3,161 militia. Say then,

Free males above the age of 16

Ditto under 16

Free females

Free inhabitants in these 8 counties

12,644

To find the number of flaves, fay, as 284,208 to 259,230, fo is 12,644

to 11,532. Adding the third of these numbers to the firft, and the fourth

to the fecond, we have,

Free

Free inhabitants

Slaves

296,852

270,762

Inhabitants of every age, fex and condition - 567,614

But 296,852, the number of free inhabitants, are to 270,762, the number of flaves nearly as 11 to 10. Under the mild treatment our flaves experience, and their wholefome, though coarse, food, this blot in our country increases as faft, or fafter, than the whites. During the regal government, we had at one time obtained a law, which impofed fuch ,a duty on the importation of flaves, as amounted nearly to a prohibition, when one inconfiderate affembly, placed under a peculiarity of circumftance, repealed the law. This repeal met a joyful fanction from the then fovereign, and no devices, no expedients, which could ever after be attempted by ublequent affemblies, and they feldom met without attempting them, could iucceed in getting the royal affent to a renewal of the duty. In the very firft teffion held under the republican government, the aficmbly pafied a law for the perpetual prohibition of the importation of flaves. This will in fome meafure ftop the increase of this great political and moral evil, while the minds of our citizens may be ripening for a complete emancipa.ion of human nature.'

Climate.] In an extenfive country, it will be expected that the climate is not the same in all its parts. It is remarkable that, proceeding on the fame parallel of latitude wentwardly, the climate becomes colder in like manner as when you proceed northwardly. This continues to be the cafe till you attain the fummit of the Allegany, which is the highest land between the ocean and the Miffifippi. From thence, defcending in the fame latitude of the Miffifippi, the change reverses; and, if we may believe travellers, it becomes warmer there than it is in the fame latitude on the fea fide. Their teltimony is ftrengthened by the vegetables and animals which fubit and multiply there naturally, and do not on our fea coaft. Thus catalpas grow fpontaneously on the Miffifippi, as far as the latitude of 37°, and reeds as far as 38°. Parroquets even winter on the Sioto, in the 39th degree of latitude. In the fummer of 1779, when the thermometer was at 90°, at Monticello, and 96° at William burgh, it was 110° et Kafkafkia. Perhaps the mountain, which overhangs this village on the north fide, may, by its reflection, have contributed fomewhat to produce this heat.'

Militia.

Militia.] The following is a state of the militia, taken from returns of 1780 and 1781, except in thofe counties marked with an afterisk, the returns from which are fomewhat older.

• Every able-bodied freeman, between the ages of 16 and 50, is enrolled in the militia. Thofe of every county are formed into companies, and these again into one or more battalions, according to the numbers in the county. They are commanded by colonels, and other subordinate officers, as in the regular service. In every county is a county-lieutenant who commands the whole militia in his county, but ranks only as a colonel in the field. We have no general officers always exifting. These are appointed occafionally, when an invafion or infurrection happens, and their commiffion determines with the occafion. The governor is head of the military as well as civil power. The law requirs every militia-man to provide himself with the arms ufual in the regular fervice. But this injunction was always indifferently complied with, and the arms they had have been fo frequently called for to arm the regulars, that in the lower parts of the country they are entirely difarmed. In the middle country a fourth or fifth part of them may have fuch firelocks, as they had provided to destroy the noxious animals which infect their farms; and on the weftern fide of the Blue Ridge they are generally armed with rifles.'

Civil Divifions.] The counties have already been enumerated. They are 74 in number, of very unequal fize and population. Of these 35 are on the tide waters, or in that parallel; 23 are in the midlands, between the side waters and Blue Ridge of mountains; 8 between the Blue Ridge and Allegany; and 8 weftward of the Allegany.

The ftate, by another divifion, is formed into parishes, many of which are commenfurate with counties: but fometimes a county comprehends more than one parith, and fometimes a parish more than one county. This divifion had relation to the religion of the state, a parfon of the Anglican church, with a fixed falary, having been heretofore eftablished in each parish. The care of the poor was another object of the parochial divifion.

We have no townships. Our country being much interfected with navigable waters, and trade brought generally to our doors, inftead of our being obliged to go in queft of it, has probably been one of the causes why we have no towns of any confequence. Williamsburgh, which, till the year 1780, was the feat of our government, never contained above 1800 inhabitants; and Norfolk, the most populous town we ever had, contained but 6000. Our towns, but more properly our villages, or bamlets,, are as follows:

On James River and its waters, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Suffolk, Smithfield, Willamsburg, Petersburg, Richmond, the feat of our government, Manchester, Charlottefville, New-London.

• On York River and its waters, York, Newcastle, Hanover.

On Rappahannock, Urbanna, Port Royal, Fredericksburg, Falmouth. • On Patemak and its waters, Dumfries, Colchester, Alexandria, Winchefter, Staunton.

There are other places at which, like fome of the foregoing, the laws have faid, there shall be towns; but nature has faid, there fhall not, and they remain unworthy of enumeration. Norfolk will probably be the emporium for all the trade of the Chefapeek bay and its waters; and a canal of 8 or 10 miles will bring to it all that of Albemarle found and its wa ters. Secondary to this place, are the towns at the head of the tide

waters,