תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

Penfylvania has confeffedly taken the lead of all her fißer states in manufactural improvements. A fociety for the encouragement of manufactures and the useful arts, was instituted at Philadelphia in the fummer of 1787. Several ingenious, well written pamphlets were published at the time, representing our numerous refources and advantages for promoting manufactures, and pointing out the principles upon which they ought to be established *. These publications had a falutary effect; and have no doubt had their due fhare of influence in cherishing that fpirit of induftry and attention to home manufactures, which of late has greatly pre

vailed in the eastern and middle ftates.

A cotton manufactory has lately been established at Philadelphia, at which are made jeans, fuftians, velvets, velverets and corduroys, equal in goodness to thofe imported, and much cheaper. Cotton enough might be raised in the fouthern ftates, and manufactured in the northern, to clothe all their citizens. A flourishing woolen manufactory has lately been established at Hertford in Connecticut, with a capital of four thoufand dollars, which is increasing. It is computed that in East Jersey, more than eight times the quantity of linen and woollen cloth has been manufactured the prefent year, than in any one year fince the peace. feveral other flates the increase has been equally great.

In

New England, the feat of the fisheries, has the great advantage of being the cheapest and most populous part of America. Its inhabitants are healthy, active and intelligent, and can be frugal; and have produced their share of mechanical inventions. Thefe circumftances render it probable that factories of various kinds, which are now numerous and flourishing, will foon be greatly encreased in this part of the union.

An extravagant and wafteful ufe of foreign manufactures, has been too juft a charge againft the people of America, fince the clofe of the war. They have been fo cheap, fo plenty, and fo easily obtained on credit, that the confumption of them has been abfolutely wanton. To fuch an excess has it been carried, that the importation of the finer kind of coat, veft and sleeve buttons, buckles, broaches, breast pins, and other trinkets into the port of Philadelphia only, is fuppofed to have amounted in a fingle year to ten thousand pounds fterling; which coft the wearers above fixty thoufand dollars. A proportionable quantity of thefe expenfive and fhewy trinkets, it is prefumed, have been imported into the other ftates. Our farmers, in moft parts of the union, to their great honour and advantage, have been long in the excellent œconomical practice of domeftic manufactures of their own ufe. It is chiefly in large towns that this madness for foreign finery rages and deftroys. There, unfortunately, it has been and is ftill epidemical.

Thefe general obfervations on the agriculture, commerce and manufactures of the union at large, are introductory to a more particular account of them in the defcriptions of the several states.

*Two of thefe Pamphlets were written by Tench Coxe, Efq; of Philadel phia. It is wifhed they could be read by every citizen of the United States. To extend the influence of the valuable information, and patriotic fentiments which they contain, I have made a very free use of them in the foregoing obfervations, on the fubjects of which they treat.

Military

H

Military and Marine ftrength.] On thefe two heads, as we have no accurate climate of the number of inhabitants in some of the states, and no official returns of the militia; and as we have in fact no marine Arength, we are left to the field of conjecture and anticipation. The following eftimate may ferve until a better one can be made. Suppose the number of inhabitants in the United States to be three millions, eightythree thousand. Deduct from this five hundred and fixty thousand, the fuppofed number of negroes; the remainder will be two millions, five hundred and twenty-three thoufand, the number of whites. Suppofe one fixth part of these capable of bearing arms, it will be found that the number of fencible men in the United States are four hundred and twenty, thoufand. This, it is conceived, is but a moderate eftimate. In Virginia, according to Mr. Jefferfon's calculation, the number of whites is two hundred and nine-fix thoufand, eight hundred and fifty-two; and the militia forty-nine thoufand nine hundred and seventy-one, which is very nearly one fixth part. In Connecticut there are thirty-nine thousand three hundred and eighty-eight males between fixteen and fifty years of age, who are fuppofed capable of bearing arms; and the whole number of whites is two hundred and two thoufand eight hundred and feventy-feven; the proportion of fighting men therefore is about one in five. In Rhode Iland, Maffachufetts and new Hampshires the proportion is about the fame. In Vermont, Kentucky, the Weftern territory and Georgia, which have been newly fettled by a young and thrifty race of husbandmen from the older ftates, there is, without doubt, a much greater proportion of foldiers. So that in eftimating our military ftrength, we may fafely venture to reckon upon four hundred and twenty thousand men. A great proportion of thefe are well difciplined, veteran foldiers, whofe bravery and expertnefs in war have been tried and honourably approved. And Europe will acknowledge, that no part of the world can bring into the field an army, of equal numbers, more formidable than can be raised in the United States.

As to marine ftrength we have none. All then that can be faid on this fubject must be by way of anticipation. I mentioned marine ftrength, only that I might have opportunity of introducing the excellent obfervations of Mr. Jefferfon on this head. After having eftimated the pecuniary abilities of Virgini, and finding that it could, without diftrefs, contribute one million of dollars annually towards fupporting a federal army, paying the federal debt, building a federal navy, &c. &c. he proceeds to make an application of these abilities, if, unhappily, we should come hereafter to measure force with any European power.

Such an event,' he obferves, is devoutly to be deprecated. Young as we are, and with fuch a country before us to fill with people and with happiness, we should point in that direction the whole generative force of nature, wafting none of it in efforts of mutual deftruction. It should be our endeavour to cultivate the peace and friendship of every nation, even of that which has injured us moft, when we fhall have carried our point against her. Our intereft will be to throw open the doors of commerce, and to knock off all its fhackles, giving perfect freedom to all perfons for the event of whatever they may choose to bring into our ports, and asking the fame in theirs. Never was fo much false arithmetic employed on any

fubject,

[ocr errors]

fubject, as that which has been employed to perfuade nations that it is their interest to go to war. Were the money which it has cost to gain, at the clofe of a long war, a little town, or a little territory, the right to cut wood here, or to catch fish there, expended in improving what they already poffefs, in making roads, opening rivers, building ports, improving the arts, and finding employment for their idle poor, it would render them much stronger, much wealthier and happier. This I hope will be our wisdom. And, perhaps, to remove as much as poffible the occafions of making war, it might be better for us to abandon the occean altogether, that being the element whereon we fhall be principally expofed to joftle with other nations: to leave to others to bring what we fhall want, and to carry what we can spare. This would make us invulnerable to Europe, by offering none of our property to their prize, and would turn all our citizens to the cultivation of the earth; and, I repeat it again, cultivato.s of the earth are the most virtuous and independent citizens. It might be time enough to feek employment for them at fea, when the land no longer offers it. But the actual habits of our countrymen attach them to commerce. They will exercise it for themselves. Wars then must sometimes

To pro

be our lot; and all the wife can do, will be to avoid that half of them which would be produced by our own follies, and our acts of injuftice; and to make for the other half the best preparations we can. Of what nature should these be? A land army would be ufelefs for offence, and not the best or fafest instrument of defence. For either of these purposes, 'the fea is the field on which we fhould meet an European enemy. On that element it is neceffary we fhould poffefs fome power. To aim at fuch a navy as the greater nations of Europe poffefs, would be a foolish and wicked waste of the energies of our countrymen. It would be to pull ou our own heads that load of military expence, which makes the European la bourer go fupperless to bed, and moiftens his bread with the sweat of hisbrows. It will be enough if we enable ourselves to prevent infults from those na. tions of Europe which are weak on the fea, because circumstances exift, which render even the stronger ones weak as to us. Providence has placed their richest and most defenceless poffeffions at our door; has obliged their moft precious commerce to pafs as it were in review before us. tect this, or to affail us, a small part only of their naval force will ever be rifked across the Atlantic. The dangers to which the elements expose them here are too well known, and the greater dangers to which they wonld be expofed at home, were any general calamity to involve their whole fleet. They can attack us by detachment only; and it will fuffice to make ourselves equal to what they may detach. Even a fmaller force than they may detach will be rendered equal or fuperior by the quicknefs with which any check may be repaired with us, while lofles with them will be irreparable till too late. A fmall naval force then is fuffici ent for us, and a small one is neceffary. What this should be, I will not undertake to say. I will only fay, it fhould by no means be fo great as we are able to make it. Suppofe the million of dollars, or three hundred thoufand pounds, which Virginia could annually fpare without distress. to be applied to the creating a navy. A fingle year's contribution would build, equip, man, and fend to fea a force which fhould carry three huadred guns. The reft of the confederacy, exerting themfelves in the fame pro

portion,

portion would equip in the fame time fifteen hundred guns more. So that one year's contributions would fet up a navy of eighteen hundred guns. The Britifh fhips of the line average feventy-fix guns; their frigates thirtyeight. Eighteen hundred guns then would form a fleet of thirty fhips, eighteen of which might be of the line, and twelve frigates. Allowing eight men, the British average for every gun, their annual expence, including fubfiftence, cloathing, pay, and ordinary repairs, would be about twelve hundred and eighty dollars foe the whole. I ftate this only as one year's poffible exertion, without deciding whether more or less than a year's exertion fhould be thus applied.

Hiflory. In addition to what we have already written of the discovery and fettlement of North-America, we fhall give a brief history of the late war with Great-Britain, with a sketch of the events which preceeded and prepared the way for the revolution. This general view of the hiftory of the United States will ferve as a fuitable introduction to the particular hiftories of the feveral ftates, which will be given in their proper places.

America was originally peopled by uncivilized nations, which lived moftly by hunting and fifhing. The Europeans, who firft vifited these fhores, treating the natives as wild beafts of the foreft, which have no property in the woods where they roem, planted the ftandard of their refpective mafters where they firft-landed, and in their names claimed the country by right of difcovery. Prior to any fettlement in North America numerous titles of this kind were acquired by the English, French, Spanish, and Dutch navigators, who came hither for the purposes of fishing and trading with the natives. Slight as fuch titles were, they were afterwards the causes of contention between the European nations. The subjects of different princes often laid claim to the fame tract of country, because both had difcovered the fame river or promontory; or because the extent of their refpective claims was indeterminate.

While the fettlements in this vaft uncultivated country were inconfiderable and scattered, and the trade of it confined to the bartering of a few trinkets for furs, a trade carried on by a few adventurers, the interfering of claims produced no important controverfy among the fettlers, or the nations of Europe. But in proportion to the progrefs of population, and the growth of the American trade, the jealoufies of the nations, which had made early discoveries and fettlements on this coaft, were alarmed; ancient claims were revived, and each power took measures to extend and fecure its own poffeffions at the expence of a rival.

By the treaty of Utrecht in 1713, the English claimed a right of cutting log-wood in the Bay of Campeachy, in South America. In the exercife of this right, the English merchants had frequent opportunities of carrying on a contraband trade with the Spanish fettlements on the continent. To remedy this evil, the Spaniards refolved to annihilate a claim, which,

* As well may the New Zealanders, who have not yet difcovered Europe, fit out a fhip, land on the coast of England or France, and, finding no inhabitants but poor fifbermea and peasants, claim the whole country by right of dif

covery.

though

though often acknowledged, had never been clearly afcertained. To effect this defign, they captured the English veffels, which they found along the Spanish Main, and many of the British fubjects were doomed to work in the mines of Potofi.

Repeated severities of this kind at length (1739) produced a war between England and Spain. Porto Bello was taken from the Spaniards by Admiral Vernon. Commodore Anfon, with a fquadron of fhips, failed to the South Seas, diftreffed the Spanish fettlements on the western fhore of America, and took a Galleon, laden with immenfe riches. But in 1741

a formidable armament, destined to attack Carthagena, under the command of Lord Carthcart, returned unsuccessful, with the lofs of upwards of twelve thousand British foldiers and seamen, and the defeat of the expedition, raifed clamour against the minifter, Sir Robert Walpole, which produced a change in the administration. This change removed the scene of war to Europe, fo that America was not immediately affected by the fubfequent tranfactions; except that Louifburgh, the principle fortrefs of Cape Breton, was taken from the French by General Peperell, affisted by Commodore Warren and a body of New-England troops.

This war was ended in 1784 by the treaty of peace figned at Aix la Chapelle, by which reftitution was made on both fides of all places taken during the war.

Peace, however, was of fhort duration. The French poffeffed Canada, and had made confiderable fettlements in Florida, claiming the country on both fides of the Miffiffippi, by right of difcovery. To fecure and extend their claims, they established a line of forts, on the English poffeffions, from Canada, to Florida. They had fecured the important pafs at Niagara, and erected a fort at the junction of the Allegany and Monongahela rivers, called Fort Du Quefne. They took pains to fecure the friendship and affiftance of the natives, encroachments were made upon the English poffeffions, and mutual injuries fucceeded. The difputes among the fettlers in America, and the meatures taken by the French to command all the trade of the St. Lawrence river on the north, and of the Miffilippi on the fouth, excited a jealoufy in the English nation, which foon broke forth in open war.

In 1756, four expeditions were undertaken in America against the French. One was conducted by General Monckton, who had orders to drive the French from the encroachments on the province of Nova-Scotia This expedition was attended with fuccefs. General Johnson was ordered, with a body of troops, to take poffeffion of Crown Point, but he did. not fucceed. General Shirley commanded an expedition against the fort at Niagara, but loft the feafon by delay. General Braddock marched against fort Du Quefne, but in penetrating through the wilderness, he incautiously fell into an ambuscade and fuffered a total defeat. General Braddock was killed, but a part of his troops were faved by the prudence and bravery of General Washington, at this time a Colonel, who then began to exhibit proofs of those millitary talents, by which he afterwards conducted the armies of America to victory, and his country to independence. The ill fuccess of these expeditions left the English fettlements in America expofed to the depredations of both the French and Indians. But the war now raged in Europe and the Eaft-Indies, and engaged the attention of both nations in thofe quarters.

It

« הקודםהמשך »