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of Congress, in America; two editions of them have also been printed in London; and a good translation of them into French, has lately been published at Paris.

Several of the princes of Europe having of late, from an opinion of advantage to arise by producing all commodities and manufactures within their own dominions so as to diminish or render useless their importations, have endeavoured to entice workmen from other countries, by high salaries, privileges, &c. Many persons pretending to be skilled in various great manufactures, imagining that America must be in want of them, and that the congress would probably be disposed to imi tate the princes above mentioned, have proposed to go over, on condition of having their passages paid, lands given, salaries appointed, exclusive privileges for terms of years, &c. Such persons, on reading the articles of confederation, will find that the Congress have no power committed to them, or money put into their hands for such purposes; and that if any encouragement is given, it must be by the government of some particu lar state. This, however, has rarely been done in America; and when it has been done, it has rarely succeeded, so as to establish a manufacture which the coun-try was not yet so ripe for as to encourage private pers sons to set it up; labour being generally too dear there, and hands difficult to be kept together, every one desir ing to be a master, and the cheapness of land inclining many to leave trades for agriculture. Some indeed have met with success, and are carried on to advantage; but they are generally such as require only a few hands, or wherein great part of the work is performed by machines. Goods that are bulky, and of so small value as not well to bear the expence of freight, may often be made cheaper in the country, than they can be imported, and the manufacture of such goods will b profitable wherever there is sufficient demand. The farmers in America produce indeed a good deal of woot and flax; and none is exported, it is all worked up; but it is in the way of domestic manufacture, for the

use of the family. The buying up quantities of wool and flax, with the design to employ spinners, weavers, &c. and form great establishments, producing quantities of linen and woollen goods for sale, has been several times attempted in different provinces; but those projects have generally failed, goods of equal value being imported cheaper. And when the governments have been solicited to support such schemes by encouragements in money, or by imposing duties on importation of such goods, it has been generally refused on this principle, that if the country is ripe for the manui facture, it may be carried on by private persons to advantage; and if not, it is a folly to think of forcing nature. Great establishments of manufacture, require great numbers of poor to do the work for small wages; those poor are to be found in Europe, but will not be found in America, till the lands are all taken up and cultivated, and the excess of people who cannot get land want employment. The manufacture of silk, they say, is natural in France, as that of cloth in England, because each country produces in plenty the first materi. al: but if England will have a manufacture of silk as well as that of cloth, and France of cloth as well as that of silk, these unnatural operations must be supported by mutual prohibitions, or high duties on the importation of each other's goods; by which means the workmen are enabled to tax the home consumer by greater prices, while the higher wages they receive makes them neither happier nor richer, since they only drink more and work less. Therefore the governments of America do nothing to encourage such projects. The people, by this means, are not imposed on, either by the mer chant or mechanic: if the merchant demands too much profit on imported shoes, they buy of the shoe-maker : and if he asks too high a price, they take them of the merchant; thus the two professions are checks on each other. The shoe-maker, however, has, on the whole, a considerable profit upon his labour in America, be yond what he had in Europe, as he can add to his price:

a'sum nearly equal to all the expences of freight and commission, risque or insurance, &c. necessarily charged by the merchant. And it is the same with every other mechanic art. Hence it is, that artisans generally live better and more easily in America than in Europe; and such as are good economists make a comfortable provision for age, and for their children.Such may, therefore, remove with advantage to Ame rica

In the old long settled country of Europe, all arts, trades, professions, farms, &c. are so full, that it is difficult for a poor man who has children to place them where they may gain, or learn to gain, a decent livelihood. The artisans, who fear creating future rivals in business refuse to take apprentices, but upon conditions of money, maintenance, or the like, which the. parents are unable to comply with. Hence the youth are dragged up in ignorance of every gainful art, and obliged to become soldiers, or servants or thieves, for a subsistence. In America, the rapid increase of inhábitants takes away that fear of rivalship, and artisans willingly receive apprentices from the hope of profit by? their labour, during the remainder of the time stipula-“ ted, after they shall be instructed. Hence it is easy

for families to get their children instructed; for the artisans are so desirious of apprentices that many of them will even give money to the parents, to have boys from ten to fifteen years of age bound apprentice to them, till the age of twenty one; and many poor parents have by that means, on their arrival in the country, raised money enough to buy land sufficient to establish themselves, and to subsist the rest of their family by agriculture. These contracts for apprentices are nade Before a magistrate, who regulates the agreement according to reason and justice; and having in view the formation of a future useful citizen, obliges the master to engage by a written indenture, not aly that, during the time of service stipulated, the apprentice shall be duly provided with meat, diink, apparel, washing, and

lodging, and at the expiration with a complete new suit of clothes, but also that he shall be taught to read, write and cast accounts; and that he shall be well instructed in the art or professsion of his master, or some other, by which he may afterwards gain a livelihood, and be able in his turn to raise a family. A copy of this indenture is given to the apprentice or to his friends, and the magistrate keeps a record of it, to which recourse may be had, in case of failure by the master in any point of performance. This desire among the masters to have more hands employed in working for them, induces them to pay the passages of young persons, of both sexes, who, on their arrival, agree to serve them one, two, three or four years those who have already learned a trade, agreeing for a shorter term, in proportion to their skill, and the consequent immediate value of their service; and those who have none, agreeing for a longer term, in consideration of being taught an art their poverty would not permit them to acquire in their own country.

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The almost general mediocrity of fortune that prevails in America, obliging its people to follow some bu siness for subsistence, those vices that arise usually from idleness, are in a great measure prevented. dustry and constant employment are great preservatives of the morals and virtue of a nation. Hence bad examples to youth are more rare in America, which must be a comfortable consideration to parents. To this may be truly added, that serious religion, under its various denominations, is not only tolerated, but respected and practised. Atheism is unknown there; infidelby rare and secret; so that persons may live to a great age in that country without having their piety shocked by meeting with either an atheist or an infidel. And the Divine Being seems to have manifested his approbation of the mutual forbearanne and kindness with which the different sects treat each other, by the remarkable prosperity with which he has been pleased to favour the whole country.

Final Speech of Dr. Franklin in the Federal Convention.*

MR. PRESIDENT,

I confess that I do not entirely ap prove of this constitution at present: but, sir, I am not sure I shall never approve it; for having lived long, I . have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information, or further consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is, therefore, that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others. Most men, indeed, as well as most sects of religion, think themselves in possession of all truth, and that whenever others differ from them, it is so far error. Steel, a protestant, in a dedication, tells the pope, that "the only difference between our two churches, in their opinion of the certainty of their doctrines, is, the Romish church is infallible, and the church of England never in the wrong." But, thro' many private persons think almost as highly of their own infal libility as of that of their sect, few express it so naturally as a certain French lady, who, in a little dispute with her sister, said, I don't know how it happens, sister, but I meet with nobody but myself that is always in the right. Il n'y a que moi qui a toujours raison. In these sentiments, sir, 1 agree to this constitution, with all its faults, if they were such; because I think a general government necessary for us, and there is no form of government, but what may be a blessing, if well administered; and I believe farther, that this is likely to be well administesed for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it,"

* Our reason for ascribing this speech to Dr. Franklin, are, its internal evidence, and its having appeared with his name, during his life-time, uncontradicted, in an Amari. can periodical publication.

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