scribes the selection of the youths of genius from among the claffes of the poor, we hope to avail the state of those talents which nature has fown as liberally among the poor as the rich, but which perish without use, if not fought for and cultivated.-But of all the views of this law none is more important, none more legitimate, than that of rendering the people the fafe, as they are the ultimate, guardians of their own liberty. For this purpose the reading in the firft ftage, where they will receive their whole education, is propofed, as has been faid, to be chiefly historical. Hiftory by apprifing them of the paft, will enable them to judge of the future; it will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations; it will qualify them as judges of the actions and defigns of men; it will enable them to know ambition under every disguise it may affume; and knowing it, to defeat its views. In every government on earth is fome trace of human weakness, some germ of corruption and degeneracy, which cunning will discover, and wickedness infenfibly open, cultivate, and improve. Every government degenerates when trufted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves therefore are its only fafe depofitories. And to render even them fafe, their minds must be improved to a certain degree. This indeed is not all that is neceffary, though it be effentially neceffary. An amendment of our conftitution must here come in aid of the public education. The influence over government must be shared among all the people. If every individual which composes their mass participates of the ultimate authority, the government will be fafe; because the corrupting the whole mafs will exceed any private resources of wealth: and public ones cannot be provided but by levies on the people. In this cafe every man would have to pay his own price. The government of GreatBritain has been corrupted, because but one man in ten has a right to vote for members of parliament. The fellers of the government therefore get nine-tenths of their price clear. It has been thought that corruption is reftrained by confining the right of fuffrage to a few of the wealthier of the people but it would be more effectually restrained by an extenfion of that right to fuch numbers as would bid defiance to the means of corruption.' The excellent measures for the diffufion of useful knowledge, which the fore-mentioned bill proposes, have not yet been carried into effect. And it will be happy if the great inequality in the circumstances of the citizens -the pride, the independence, and the indolence of one class-and the poverty and depreffion of the other, do not prove infuperable difficulties in the way of their univerfal operation.

Religion.] The first fettlers in this country were emigrants from England, of the English church, just at a point of time when it was flushed with complete victory over the religions of all other perfuafions. Poffeffed, as they became, of the powers of making, adminiftering, and executing the laws, they fhewed equal intolerance in this country with their Presbyterian brethern, who had emigrated to the northern government. The poor Quakers were flying from perfecution in England. They caft their eyes on these new countries as afylums of civil and religious freedom; but they found them free only for the reigning fect. Several acts of the Virginia affembly of 1659, 1662, and 1693. had made it penal in parents to refufe to have their children baptized; had prohibited the unlawful affembling of Quakers; had made it penal for any mafters of a vef

fel

fel to bring a Quaker into the state; had ordered those already here, and fuch as fhould come thereafter, to be imprisoned till they should abjure the country; provided a milder punishment for their first and fecond return, but death for their third; had inhibited all perfons from fuffering their meetings in or near their houses, entertaining them individually, or difpofing of books which supported their tenets. If no capital execution took place here, as did in new- -England, it was not owing to the moderation of the church, or fpirit of the legislature, as may be inferred from the law itself; but to hiftorical circumstances which have not been handed down to us. The Anglicans retained full poffeffion of the country about a century. Other opinions began then to creep in, and the great care of the government to fupport their own church, having begotten an equal degree of indolence in its clergy, two-thirds of the people had become diffenters at the commencement of the prefent revolution. The laws indeed were ftill oppreffive on them, but the fpirit of the one party had fubfided into moderation, and of the other had risen to a degree of determination which commanded respect.'

The prefent denominations of christians in Virginia are, Prefbyterians, who are the most numerous, and inhabit the western parts of the state; Epifcopalians, who are the most antient fettlers, and occupy the eastern and first fettled parts of the ftate. Intermingled with thofe are great numbers of Baptifts and Methodists. The proportional numbers of these several denominations have not been afcertained. The Epifcopalians, or as Mr. Jefferfon calls them, the Angelicans,' have, comparatively, but few minifters among them; and these few, when they preach, which is feldom more than once a week, preach to very thin congregations.The Prefbyterians, in proportion to their numbers, have more ministers, who preach oftener, and to larger audiences. The Baptifts and Methodists are generally fupplied by itinerant preachers, who have large and promifcuous audiences, and preach almost every day, and often feveral times in a day.

The bulk of these religious fects are of the poorer fort of people, and many of them are very ignorant, (as is indeed the cafe with the other denominations) but they are generally a moral, well-meaning set of people. They exhibit much zeal in their worship, which appears to be compofed of the mingled effufions of piety, enthusiasm, and, fuperftition.

Character, Manners, and Customs.] Virginia has produced fome of the moft diftinguished and influential man that have been active in effecting the two late grand and important revolutions in America. Her political and military character will rank among the first in the page of hiftory. But it is to be obferved that this character has been obtained for the Virginians by a few eminent men, who have taken the lead in all their public tranfactions, and who, in fhort, govern Virginia; for the great body of the people do not concern themselves with politics-fo that their government, though nominally republican, is, in fact, oligarchal or ariftocratical.

The Virginians pride themselves in inheriting the ancient dominion, and think that this does, or ought to, entitle them to the firft rank in the union. Age is indeed honourable, and ought to be refpected, in proportion to the wisdom which it discovers; but it is often proud and petulant; and, in view of what it has once been, claims a rank and respect which are Cc 2

not

not its due; and this is never more likely to be the cause, than when there is a lack of that wisdom which long experien ce ought to produce. Whether this is the cafe with Virginia,. I will not pre end to determine. It is certain, however, that her northern fifters, though willing to yield to her in point of age, believe, not only that fhe is not fuperior, but that she is far from being equal to fome of them, in point of literary, mechanical, nautical, agricultural, and manufactural improvements. A few fingular instances excepted, the Virginians have made very little progrefs in the arts and sciences. Of their skill in architecture, Mr. Jefferson gives the following account: The private buildings are very rarely conftructed of stone or brick; much the greatest proportion being of fcantling and boards, plastered with lime. It is impoffible to devise things more ugly, uncomfortable, and happily more perishable. There are two or three plans, on one of which, according to its fize, moft of the houses in the ftate are built. The poorest people build huts of logs, laid horizontally in pens, ftopping the interftices with mud. These are warmer in winter, and cooler in fummer, than the more expensive constructions of fcantling and plank. The only public buildings worthy mention are the Capitol, the Palace, the College, and the Hofpital for Lunatics, all of them in Williamsburg. There are no other public buildings but churches and courthouses, in which no attempts are made at elegance. Indeed it would not be easy to execute fuch an attempt, as a workman could scarcely be found here capable of drawing an order. The genius of architecture seems to have shed its maledictions over this land. Buildings are often erected, by individuals, of confiderable expence. To give these symmetry and tafte would not increase their coft. It would only change the arrangement of the materials, the form and combination of the members. This would often coft lefs than the burthen of barbarous ornaments with which thefe buildings are fometimes charged. But the first principles of the art are unknown, and there exifts scarcely a model among us fufficiently chaste to give an idea of them. Architecture being one of the fine arts, and as fuch within the department of a profeffor of the college, according to the new arrangement, perhaps a spark may fall on fome young subjects of natural tafle, kindle up their genius, and produce a reformation in this elegant

and ufeful art.'

A fenfible gentleman * who travelled through the middle fettlements in America, about 30 years ago, has given the Virginians the following character.

The climate and external appearance of the country confpire to make them indolent, cafy, and good-natured; extremely fond of society, and much given to convivial pleafures. In confequence of this, they feldom fhow any spirit of enterprize, or expofe themselves willingly to fatigue. Their authority over their flaves renders them vain and imperious, and entire ftrangers to that elegance of fentiment, which is fo peculiarly characteristic of refined and polished nations. Their ignorance of mankind and of learning, exposes them to many errors and prejudices, efpecially in regard to Indians and Negroes, whom they fcarcely confider as of the human fpecies; fo that it is almost impoffible, in cafes of vio

The Rev. Andrew Burnaby, Vicar of Greenwich.,

lence,

lence, or even murder, committed upon those unhappy people by any of the planters, to have the delinquents brought to juftic. for either the grand jury refuse to find the bill, or the petit jury bring in their verdist, not guilty.

The difplay of a character thus conftituted, will naturally be in acts of extravagance, oftentation, and a difregard of œconomy; it is not extraordinary, therefore, that the Virginians out-run their incomes; and that having involved themseves in difficulties, they are frequently tempted to raise money by bills of exchange, which they know will be returned protested, with 10 per cent. intereft.

The public or political character of the Virginians, correfponds with their private one: They are haughty and jealous of their liberties, impatient of restraint, and can scarcely bear the thought of being controuled by any fuperior power. There are but few of them that have a turn for bufinefs, and even those are by no means adroit at it. I have known them upon a very urgent occafion, vote the relief of a garrifon, without once confidering whether the thing was practicable, when it was most evidently and demonftrably otherwife *. In matters of commerce they are ignorant of the neceffary principles that muft prevail between a colony and the mother country; they think it a hardship not to have an unlimited trade to every part of the world. They confider the duties upon their staple as injurous only to themselves; and it is utterly impoffible to perfuade them that they affect the confumer alfo. Upon the whole, however, to do them juftice, the fame fpirit of generofity prevails here which does in their private character; they never refuse any neceffary supplies for the fupport of government when called upon, and are a generous and loyal people.

The women are, upon the whole, rather handsome, though not to be compared with our fair country-women in England. They have but few advantages, and confequently are feldom accomplished; this makes them referved, and unequal to any interefting or refined converfation. They are immoderately fond of dancing, and indeed it is almost the only amufement they partake of: But even in this they discover great want

* The garrifon here alluded to, was that of Fort Loudoun, in the Cherokee country, confifting of a lieutenant, and about fifty men. This unfortunate party being befieged by the Cherokee Indians, and reduced to the last extremity, fent off runners to the governors of Virginia and Carolina, imploring immediate fuccour; adding that it was impoffible for them to hold out above twenty days longer. The affembly of Virginia, commiferating their unhappy fituation, very readily voted a confiderable fum for their relief. With this, troops were to be levied; were to rendezvous upon the frontiers 200 miles diftant from Williamfburg; were afterwards to proceed to the fort 200 miles farther through a wilderness, where there was no road, no magazines, no pofts, either to shelter the fick, or cover a retreat in cafe of any difafter; fo that the unfortunate garrison might as effectually have been fuccoured from the moon. The author taking notice of thefe difficulties to one of the members, he frankly replied, " Faith, it is true: Bnt we have had an opportunity at least of showing our loyalty." In a few days after arrived the melancholy news, that this unfortunate party was entirely cut off.

of

of tafte and elegance, and feldom appear with that gracefulness and eafe which those movements are fo calculated to display. Towards the clofe of an evening, when the company are pretty well tired with countrydances, it is ufual to dance jiggs; a practice originally borrowed, I am informed, from the Negroes. Thefe dances are without any method or regularity: A gentleman and lady stand up, and dance about the room, one of them retiring, the other purfuing, then perhaps meeting, in an irregular fantastical manner. After fome time, another lady gets up, and then the first lady muft fit down, fhe being as they term it, cut out: The fecond lady act the fame part which the firft did, till fomebody cuts The gentlemen perform in the fame manner. The Virginian ladies, excepting their amufements, and now and then a party of pleasure into the woods to partake a barbacue, chiefly spend their time in fewing and taking care of their families: They feldom read, or endeavour to improve their minds; however, they are in general good housewives; and though they have not, I think, quite fo much tenderness and fenfibility as the English ladies, yet they make as good wives, and as good mothers, as any in the world.' This character was drawn from personal obfervation, and, in general, appears, to be just.

her out.

The Virginians,' fays another difcerning traveller, who are rich, are in general fenfible, polite and hofpitable, and of an independent fpirit. The poor are ignorant and abject and all are of an inquifitive turn, and in many other refpects, very much resemble the people in the eastern ftate. They differ from them, however, in their morals; the former being much addicted to gaming, drinking, fwcaring, horse-racing, cockfighting, and moft kinds of diffipation. There is a much greater difparity between the rich and the poor, in Virginia, than in any of the northern ftates.'

< The young men, another traveller obferves, generally speaking, are gamblers, cock-fighters, and horfe-jockies. To hear them converfe, you would imagine that the grand point of all science was properly to fix a gaff, and touch, with dexterity, the tail of a cock while in combat. He who won the last match, the last game, or the laft horse-race, affumes the airs of a hero or German Potentate. The ingenuity of a Locke, or the discoveries of a Newton, are confidered as infinitely inferior to the accomplishments of him, who knows when to fhoulder a blind cock, or ftart a fleet horse.' A fpirit for literary enquiries, if not altogether confined to a few, is, among the body of the people, evidently fubordinate to a spirit of gaming and barbarous sports. At almost every tavern or ordinary, on the public road, there is a billiard-table, a back-gammon table, cards, and other implements for various games. To those public houfes, the gambling gentry in the neighbourhood refort to kill time, which hangs heavily upon them; and at this business they are extremely expert, having been accustomed to it from their earliest youth. The paffion for cock-fighting, a diverfion not only inhumanly barbarous, but infinitely beneath the dignity of a man of fenfe, is fo predominant, that they even advertise their matches in the public news-papers This * A traveller through Virginia obferves, Three or four matches were aávertifed in the public prints at Williamsburg; and I was witness of five in the courfe of my travels from that to Port Royal.'

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