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merica after an abfence of many months, Although above 300 miles distant from my native place, I fancied myself at home; and the profpect of fo foon vifiting my friends contracted the diftance between Philadelphia and Bofton into a mere (pan,in comparison of the vaft Atlantick, which had feparated me from them but a fhort time before.

My laft informed you that we fhould proceed homewards by the fhorteft Course; but the pleafing accounts which we heard of Bethlehem, greatly excited our curiofity, and to gratify that powerful incentive we were induced to alter our intended rout, and vifit that terrefirial paradife. I fhall not take up your time in complaints of bad roads and worse accommodations, but inform you, that on the afternoon of the fecond day from our fetting out from Philadelphia, as we were paffing folitarily between two overhanging rocks, we fuddenly found our. selves on the banks of a winding river; and the beauty of the profpe&t which immediately prefented itfelf to view, left no room to doubt that we had arrived at the end of our excursion, in fa&t, Bethlehem was fituated on the oppofite fide. The view of this place firikes a traveller very agreably, it is in itself beautiful, and the pleasure arifing from a view of its beauties is not a little heightened, by the reflè¡on, that you have attained to the end of a very difagreeable ride. The town is built in a verdant valley plentifuly watered by the Delaware.

The banks of this fresh water riverafford a moft romantick fpe&acle, as they are covered to the very waters edge with fhrubs of myrtle, and other verdure, which are fuffered to shoot in all their natural luxuriancy. The almoft impenetrable woods on the fur rounding hills, ferve, not only to give an idea of an entire feclufion from a wicked world, but refrain the eye, and fix the attention upon the many beauties brought into one point of view. I believe there are few who reach this fpot, but stop some minutes to regale the fight, that moft delicate of the fenfes.

These reflections occur'd to me while croffing the river; during this short paffagethe ftrifteft Glence was ob

ferved, each feeming abforbed in the contemplation of the furrounding objes. Upon reaching the tavern we could not help congratulating each other upon the full completion of our moft fanguine expectations.

This building is neatnefs itself; it is built wholly of flone; even the partitions between the apartments are of the fame materials; thefe are plaftered, and white washed fo exceedingly white, as make the looking upon them painful to the eyes; the house is divided into a great number of rooms for the accommodation of travellers; we were attended with a chearfulness extremely pleafing, and had each with gratified in fo obliging a manner, as to fully compenfate for the bad entertainment on the road.--After a refreshing night's fleep and a focial breakfaft, our whole party, conduced by one of the minifters of the place, went out to view every thing worthy of notice, of which I now mean to give you an account.

The town contains about 100 houses befides the public edifices, all built of a very rough flone, in the fimpleft manner. The church, the fingle fifter's house, the fingle men's house and the minifter's houfe, are the moft Ariking obje&s. We firft vifited the fingle fifters. At the door of their house we were met by the abbers, who with the trueft politeness, conducted us into every chamber; we were much gratified at the fight of this Temple of Induftry, each chamber, which is large and commodious, is fet apart for fome branch of useful manufa&ures ; in one were five or fix leoms, at which the fifters were weaving linnen of various qualities; in others, numbers were carding wool, fpinning, knitting, and making various parts of wearing ap parel. After juft looking into these rooms we vifited the kitchen and bed room; here their neatnefs is moft particularly obfervable. The kitchen where two young women were preparing dinner for the whole fifterhood, was perfeâly cool, clean and neat ; a uumber of coppers built in brick, ferve to drefs each days provifion, which are either boiled or baked, roaft dishes, I found, they were utter firangers to. The bed room extends over the whole houfe, and in it are

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placed above 100 beds, regularly difpofed in four ranges, two on each fide, fo as to leave a clear walk in the middle; this room has an open window at each end, which ferve as ventilators; a large lamp is fufpended from the centre of the Cieling, with an opening over it to let out its fmoke. Two young women watch here every night; this duty is performed in rotation, fo that each undergoes an equal share of fatigue.

After your curiofity has been gratified by a fight of these appartments, it is their conftant cuftom to lead yon into a room, where a number of women are bufied in embroidery, and other delicate work. Here they fpread before you many neat and curious pieces of nun's work; and fo great is the general admiration of every thing belonging to this enchanting (pot, that few depart without purchafing Tome trife or other, and are perfectly fatisfied at paying double its value.

Such is the fingle fifter's House; neatnefs and fimplicity are its peculiar characterifticks, and piety and induftry diftinguish its inhabitants; but notwith flanding the pleasure received from this vifit, I cannot fay that I formed a fingle wish to partake of fuch a life; they do not appear happy. To them the luxuriant valley and the romantick river seem to have no -charms; the want of exercise and a continual fedentary occupation has given their countenances a moft death. like palenefs. Their drefs, though perfectly neat, does not at all ferve to adorn their perfons. Their habit is a fhort waistcoat which covers the neck, and a petticoat of white linnen; their hair is carried back from the forehead, covered by a linnen cap of a meft unbecoming form; contrived to fet clofe to the head, to cover the ears, and tye under the chin, their only ornament is a plain ftrip of muflin of about two inches wide, furrounding the head and tyed in a small bow behind; this I call their only ornament, for though the caps of the fingle women are tied on der the chin with a red ribbon, and, thofe of the married women with blue, yet I found this was not intended as an ornament, but merely as a diftinguishing badge.

This particular account of the fingle fifters House has anticipated my obfervations upon that of the fingie men; indeed they are both built upon the fame plan, and in general the fame economy obferved; what is most remarkable in the latter, is the want of that extreme neatnefs fo much admired in the former. This want of neatness in the men's apartments arifes, principally, from a feclufion from the females, and I think proves the advantage, if not the neceffity of a focial intercourse between the fexes. We made but a short vifit to the minifter's houfe, there being nothing about it that merits particular attention, except the garden; which was laid out on the declivity of a fleep hill, but has been made quite level by the induftry and indefatigable perfeverance of the fingle fifters; who, with their own hands, raifed the lower part many feet.

Each of the public buildings has 2 large garden, where nature maintains her place, and fuffers no encroachment from her handmaid art. We attended them at their devotions in the church. This is built with the fame difregard to ornamental architecture as the rest of the town; about twenty paintings, reprefenting the principal paffages of our Saviour's life, are hung upon the walls; but, that it should not appear that they were placed there folely with a view to ornament the building, they are without frames, even of the fimpleft kind. The fervice was in German, and you may fuppofe, not very edifying to me; but the mufic was excellent; this being, if I may be allowed the expreffion, the language of nature, and addreffed to the feelings, is intelligible to every nation. The church is built near the fingle fiter's house, and the paffage between them is inclofed with a very high wali, that the women may go into the church unobferved. The feats for the men are diftinct from thofe of the women, and this attention to keeping the fexes apart from each other is obferved even after death; for even the burying ground is divided into two parts; one for the males, and the other for the females. This repofitory of the dead

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is laid out with the moft exact uniformity, into beds of turf of about feven feet in length. It is the custom upon the death of any member of their fociety, to place the body in a Imall building at the corner of the burying ground, 'till certain marke of putrefaction take place; then the body is interred in one of these beds. The fmalleft infant is allowed the fame fpace with the talleft adult, to avoid breaking in upon their much loved regularity. Perhaps you have no idea of childien in this fociety, or of the diftinction between married and fingle fifters; the keeping the fexes fo entirely feperate you look upon as an infuperable bar to marriage, indeed this is one of their most peculiar cuftoms. Their minifters or priests 1ule over them with an unbounded fway, and their decifions are regarded as infallibly tending to the beft. It is the cuftom for the abbefs to inquire of the women if any of them with to marry; the minifter does the fame with the men. The names of the candidates are placed on two lifts, and the firft of each lift propofed as companions for life; if the parties do not approve of the propofed match, they have a right to diffent; but have no other choice 'till the next is formed. This privilege of refufal is feldom exercifed. So great is their veneration of the commands of their fuperiors,

and fo firm is their reliance upon Providence, that they think the perfons thus pointed out must be, in every refpect, beft fuited to them. I am informed there has never happened an inftance of an unhappy marriage. This muft arfe, in a great mealure from their high fenfe of duty, for we cannot fuppofe, that perfons thus arbitrarily joined can feel any love for each other. As foon as a couple is married, the fociety build them a fmall house, and advance fome money to enable them to maintain a family. Their children pafs the first years of their life with their parents, and are inftructed at the public (chool. At a proper age the girls are admitted among the fingle fifters, and the boys are apprenticed to various trades ; bet, 'till marriage, the greater proportion of the fruits of their induftry is added to the public funds, as provi

fion is made for them in the young men's house.

Industry is no less a chara&eriftic of the men thin of the women. They have established a brewery for ftrong beer, which they fell to a profit, lower down the river; they have a fulling mill, an oil mill, and moft handicraft trades are carried on here. They are exceedingly ingenious, and well verfed in the principles of Mechanicks; the water works are a proof of this. A ftream of water turns a large wheel with great rapidity, which, working four forcing pumps, raifes a body of water into a refervoir more than 100 feet high; from this the water is conveyed, by leaden pipes, into every houfe in the town. Thefe ufeful works were contrived and executed by a German, one of the fociety, and fo fimple is the machinery, that they have continued free from obftru&tion, and without needing repair, upwards of thirty years.

Thus I have given you as accurate and just an account of every thing remarkable in this place, as my fhort acquaintance here will allow; you may depend upon it I have not exagerated in a fingle inftance, but have given you plain truths, with my real fentiments upon them. We expect to be detained here a few days longer; if, during that time, I can collect any particulars of the hiftory of this fettlement, and of their principal tenets, you may depend upon my communicating them to you.

The following obfervations were
written by a gentleman for
bis own infpetion, without
any thought of their meeting
the eye of the public, and are
printed at the request of the
friend, who defired him to
employ his mind upon the fub-
ject.
The author begs that they may
confidered, rather as obferva-
tions upon the question, than
a full answer to it.

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N anfwering this question, man

I kind this quered either in

a general view, or as diftinguished into feveral classes, viz.

The emigrants from Europe to. America, and their pofterity.

The inhabitants of the Old World. The Aboriginal Americans, and The Negroes of Africa. and the advantages, or difadvantages, either COMMERCIAL, POLITICAL Or MORAL, which have arifen to each class, muft be diftin&ly ftated.

To mankind in general, confidered as fubjects of their Creator, and ob. fervers of his works, it may be faid, that the difcovery of America, has produced benefits of a philofophical kind. It has given them more. fublime apprehenfions of the works of God, by leading them the better to underftand the frame and balancing, of the terraqueous globe, by opening to their view, many fpecies of animals and vegetables, with which they were before unacquainted, with the wife and bountiful provifion, which the author of nature has made for their prefervation and defence. It has proved the fource of many learned enquiries, in which the human underftanding has been exercifed and improved. It has also enriched the medical art with divers valuable acquifitions before unknown. In a word, the difcovery of America has much enlarged the field of fcience, and there is yet ample (cope for the fons of science to expatiate in, and make new difcoveries for ages to come.

But let us attend to the abovementioned diftinctions.

The principal view of the EUR CPEAN EMIGRANTS, in coming to America, was to obtain COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES, and they have in a great degree been fuccefsful. In SouthAmerica, the Spaniards and Portuguese have found immenfe mines of gold, silver and diamonds, with which they have greatly en riched themfelves. In the inlands and on fome parts of the Contineat, the English, French and Dutch have railed great fortunes by the cul

ture of fugars, indigo, coffee, &c. and by the exportation of thefe, and various other natural productions, with which these fertile regions abound.

On the Northen Continent, the English Colonifts have derived advantages from the furs and fisheries of thofe immenfe regions, as well as by the culture of corn, rice, tobacco, &c. the breeding of cattle, and the manufacture of iron.

It has been fuppofed that the trade in lumber, has been greatly ferviceable to the Northern Colonies, but excepting that which is cut and drawn in the winter: the lumber trade has been rather a damage, as ti e fpring, which on account of the fwelling of the rivers is the proper time for fawing boards, is alfo the time for inclofing and preparing the fields for feed, the benefit arifing from which, far exceeds that from the exportation of lumber. Since 1775, it has been found by experience that the flopping of the lumber trade, has driven the people to the cultivation of their lands, which has much im proved their fubftance, and rendered the neceffaries of life more plenty. Wherever the lumber trade is followed to the exclufion of the husbandry, the people are more dependent for their living, and more depraved in their morals, than where husbandry is the principal employment.

The trade of America has been intimately connected with that of Europe. All the productions of America, have brought COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES into the hands of the EUROPEANS. The fisheries, the furs, the fugars, the tobacco, the indigo, the corn of the new world, have filled the European markets; and the gold and filver drawn from the mines of America, have circulated thro' Europe, and rendered thofe precious metals more common and eafy to be procured. In fome inftances herhaps, thefe treasures have been misapplied. Charles 5th. by the affiftance of his American revenue, extinguished the laft gleam of liberty in Caftile. Burgundy fell under the weight of the fame power, in the hands of Philip 2d. The kingdom of Spain has been drained of inhabitants, and its cultivation and manufactures greatly impaired,by means of its connexion with America, but the other maritime

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nations of Europe,have enriched them felves thereby, America has been a market for every fpecies of European manufacture or production, and, by the influence, which the European governments have had over their American Colonies, the advantages of this trade have been made to centre in Europe, fo that tho' the American planter has been growing rich by cultivating and exporting the productions of the new World, the European merchant guarded by the laws of his country, has drawn that additional wealth into his own coffers, which the American might have accumulated, if his commerce had not been under fuch reftrictions.

By means of the American commerce and naval flores, the feets of Europe have been immenfely increased, and the naval fpecies of defence has been fo vaftly improved as even to decide the fuperiority of nations.

The trade on the western side of America, has not proved fu extensively advantageous as on the eaftern. One or two fhips only paffing annually,between the Afian iflands and the new Continent.

With refpect to POLITICAL advantages or difadvantages..-It must be acknowledged that the European emigrants carried the Laws, Customs, Manners and Prejudices of their native countries with them. The Spaniards tranflated Defpotifm and the Inquifition and both they and the French carried their Monaftic Infti tutions into the new World, where Liberty and Population ought to have been the principal objects of their care. The English inhabitants of the Nothern Continent, though fubje& to the charge of tranfperting their European prejudices have enjoyed more freedom by their early and effectual attention to the eRabl fhment of Schools and Seminaries. Literature has been diffufed, prejudices eradicated and exploded; juft ideas of Law, Liberty and Government eft ablished, and a watch ful jealoufy maintained over the encroachments of arbitrary power; and the attempts to enforce it have been nobly, perfeveringly and fuccefsfully repelled. They owe however much of their late fuccefs to the feasonable and well directed in

terpofition of the Arms of France.

The door of Liberty being opened, and the attempts to fhut it defeated, it will be wide enough to receive all who for fucceeding generations may feek an Affylum on thcfe Weftern fhores. The bell part of the American Terra Firma, is yet not only un cultivated, but unappropriated. If it fhould be granted in large tracts, to private perfons it may of them be purchased at fuch eafy rates as will invite emigrants from every part of Europe.

The tranfition from political to MORAL advantages is natural and eafy--Literature and Liberty have a vaft influence in forming men to rational religion and good manners. This influence is felt in the North American States. The miftaken notions of iutolerance are exploded. No perfecuting fwerd is drawn againft Hereticks. No Councils thunder their Anathemas. No Inquifition fearches Hell for torments. No inequality of Sects and Parties is allowed, but the Government favours all equally whofe principles and practice are not deftructive of it. In this refpect the defcendants of the firft Emigrants have improved on the principles of their emigration, and have established more fully,that Liberty which was the profeffed object of their fearch.

The Catholic air of this climate has an infuence even on foreigners. They imbibe the generous fpirit of the country and improve their native principle of philanthropy perhaps, to a much greater degree, than if they had remained in Europe.

But what effe & have these political and moral advantages, or disad. vantages, on the ABORIGINAL AMERICANS?

In the Kingdom of Peru, at the Spanish Invafion, there was as fair an opening for the cultivation and improvement of the benevolent principles of religion, as perhaps ever was offered. How eafy would it have been by gentle infinuation to have transferred the homage of the Peruvians, from the fun to its author ; and to have fhewn them that the reafon and ground of their Philanthropy, needed only to be traced up to a higher fource. But the fanguinary terrors exhibited

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