INFORMATION TO THOSE WHO WOULD MANY perfons in Europe having, directly or by letters, expreffed to the writer of this, who is well acquainted with North-America, their de fire of transporting and establishing themselves in that country; but who appear to him to have formed, through ignorance, miftaken ideas and expectations of what is to be obtained there; he thinks it may be useful, and prevent inconvenient, expenfive, and fruitless removals and voyages of improper persons, if he gives fome clearer and truer notions of that part of the world than appear to have hitherto prevailed. He finds it is imagined by numbers, that the inhabitants of North-America are rich, capable of rewarding, and difpofed to reward, all forts of ingenuity; that they are at the fame time ignorant of all the fciences, and confequently that ftrangers, poffeffing talents in the belleslettres, fine arts, &c. muft be highly esteemed, and fo well paid as to become eafily rich them. felves; that there are alfo abundance of profitable offices to be difpofed of, which the natives are not qualified to fill; and that having few perfons of family among them, ftrangers of birth must be greatly refpected, and of course easily obtain the best of those offices, which will make all their fortunes: that the governments too, to encourage emigrations from Europe, not only pay the expence of perfonal transportation, but give lands gratis to ftrangers, with negroes to work for them, utenfils of hufbandry, and ftocks of cattle. Thefe are all wild imaginations; and those who go to America with expectations founded founded upon them, will furely find themselves disappointed. The truth is, that though there are in that country few people fo miferable as the poor of Europe, there are alfo very few that in Europe would be called rich: it is rather a general happy mediocrity that prevails. There are few great proprietors of the foil, and few tenants; moft people cultivate their own lands, or follow fome handicraft or merchandife; very few rich enough. to live idly upon their rents or incomes, or to pay the high prices given in Europe for painting, ftatues, architecture, and the other works of art that are more curious than ufeful. Hence the natural geniufes that have arifen in America, with fuch talents, have uniformly quitted that country for Europe, where they can be more fuitably rewarded. It is true that letters and mathematical knowledge are in esteem there, but they are at the fame time more common than is apprehended; there being already exifting nine colleges, or univerfities, viz. four in New-England, and one in each of the provinces of New-York, New-Jersey, Pennfylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, all furnished with learned profeffors; befides a number of smaller academies: thefe educate many of their youth in the languages, and those sciences that qualify men for the profeffions of divinity, law, or phyfic. Strangers indeed are by no means excluded from exercising thofe profeffions; and the quick increase of inhabitants every where gives them a chance of employ, which they have in common with the natives. Of civil offices, or employments, there are few; no fuperfluous ones as in Europe; and it is a rule established in fome of the ftates, that no office fhould be fo profitable as to make it defirable. The 36th article of the conftitution of Pennfyl vania runs exprefsly in thefe words: "As every "freeman, to preferve his independence (if he "has not a fufficient eftate), ought to have fome "profeffion, calling, trade, or farm, whereby he may honeftly fubfift, there can be no necef"fity for, nor ufe in, establishing offices of pro"fit; the ufual effects of which are dependence "and fervility, unbecoming freemen, in the "poffeffors and expectants; faction, contention, "corruption and diforder among the people. "Wherefore, whenever an office, through increase of fees or otherwife, becomes fo profita 66 ble as to occafion many to apply for it, the "profits ought to be leffened by the legislature." In These ideas prevailing more or lefs in all the United States, it cannot be worth any man's while, who has a means of living at home, to expatriate himself in hopes of obtaining a profitable civil office in America; and as to military offices, they are at an end with the war, the armies being difbanded. Much less is it adviseable for a perfon to go thither, who has no other quality to recommend him but his birth. Europe it has indeed its value; but it is a commodity that cannot be carried to a worfe market than to that of America, where people do not enquire concerning a ftranger, What is he? but What can he do? If he has any ufeful art he is welcome; and if he exercifes it, and behaves well, he will be refpected by all that know him; but a mere man of quality, who on that account wants to live upon the public by fome office or falary, will be defpifed and difregarded. The hufbandman is in honour there, and even the mechanic, because their employments are useful. The people have a faying, that God Almighty is himfelf a mechanic, the greatest in the universe; and he is refpected and admired more for the variety, variety, ingenuity, and utility of his handiworks, than for the antiquity of his family. They are pleafed with the obfervation of a negro, and frequently mention it, that Boccarorra (meaning the white man) make de black man workee, make de horse workee, make de ox workee, make ebery ting workee; only de hog. He de hog, no workee; he eat, he drink, he walk about, he go to fleep when he please, he libb like a gentleman. According to these opinions of the Americans, one of them would think himself more obliged to a genealogift, who could prove for him that his ancestors and relations for ten generations had been ploughmen, fmiths, carpenters, turners, weavers, tanners, or even fhoemakers, and confequently that they were useful members of fociety; than if he could only prove that they were gentlemen, doing nothing of value, but living idly on the labour of others, mere fruges confumere nati*, and otherwife good for nothing, till by their death their ef tates, like the carcafe of the negro's gentlemanhog, come to be cut up. With regard to encouragements for ftrangers from government, they are really only what are derived from good laws and liberty. Strangers are welcome, because there is room enough for them all, and therefore the old inhabitants are not jealous of them; the laws protect them fufficiently, fo that they have no need of the patronage of great men; and every one will enjoy fecurely the profits of his industry. But if he does not bring a fortune with him, he muft work and be induftrious to live. One or two years refidence give him all the rights of a citizen but the government does not at prefent, whatever it may have done in former times, hire people to become fettlers, by paying their paffages, giving land, negroes, utenfils, ftock, or any other kind of emolument whatfoever. In fhort, America is the land of labour, and by no means what the English call Lubberland, and the French Pays de Cocagne, where the ftreets are faid to be paved with half-peck loaves, the houses tiled with pancakes, and where the fowls fly about ready roafted, crying, Come eat me! Who then are the kind of perfons to whom an emigration to America may be advantageous? And what are the advantages they may reafonably expect? Land being cheap in that country, from the vaft forefts ftill void of inhabitants, and not likely to be occupied in an age to come, infomuch that the propriety of an hundred acres of fertile foil full of wood may be obtained near the frontiers, in many places, for eight or ten guineas, hearty young labouring men, who understand the hufbandry of corn and cattle, which is nearly the fame in that country as in Europe, may easily establish themfelves there. A little A little money faved of the good wages they receive there while they work for others, enables them to buy the land and begin their plantation, in which they are affifted by the good-will of their neighbours, and fome credit. Multitudes of poor people from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Germany, have by this means in a few years become wealthy farmers, who in their own countries, where all the lands are fully occupied, and the wages of labour low, could never have emerged from the mean condition wherein they were born. From the falubrity of the air, the healthiness of the climate, the plenty of good provisions, and ; |