iSoo. through the United States of North America. 307 



treading of horfes. Mr Jefferfon hopes that his machine, which 

 has already found fome imitators among his neighbours, will be 

 generally adop»^ed in Virginia. In a country where all the in- 

 habitants poffefs plenty of wood, this qnachine may be made at 

 a very trifling e.^pence." 



The following bears much affinity to the defcriptlon of an 

 old Engiifh townfxiip : 



*' Stockbriflge Is one of the ricbeJl townfiiips in the ftate of 

 Maffachufets. All its land is cultivated, except a very fmall 

 portion, which will foon, in its turn, receive culture like the 

 reft. No timber is here preferved beyond what is requifite for 

 fuel. This townfhip i?, for tlje mofl part, iituite in a valley, but 

 extends alfo upon fome hills of no great elevation. The foil is 

 excellent, and alroofl: all laid down in meadow. The cattle, 

 butter, cheefe, and fuch other produ(n;ions as are not confumed 

 en the fpot, are generally fent to New York. Sometimes the 

 certainty of obtaining a higher price at Bofton, induces the far- 

 mer to give a preference to the latter place •, with which, how- 

 e^'er, the communication is difucult, becaufe of the diftance, and 

 of the mountainous country that is to be traverfed. In fuch calss, 

 all the other articles, except the cattle, are fent down to New 

 York by the North River, which paffes within twenty miles of 

 Stockbridge, and tranfported froiii New York to Bofton by fea.'* 



We fhali now offer one or two remarks upon the prefent 

 ftate of rural economy in the United States. 



A line of diflin^ljon may be drawn betv/Ixt tnofe (lates 

 commonly called Southern and Northern ones. In all tha 

 r.orthern ones, property 13 more divided, the land better cul- 

 tivated, and population generally more extenfive, upon aiv 

 equal fpace of ground. In the fouthern {lates, a great pro- 

 portion of tije inhabitants areflaves, which nectfTaniv renders 

 tlse fyfteni of cultivation materially different. The northern 

 ftates appc'ar to poffefs more of the comforts of life, and ate 

 much farther advanced in agricultural fcience, particularly 

 Connedicut and Maflachufets, than the Ibitthern ftates of 

 Virginia, Maryland, Girolina, and Georgia, where a few 

 individuals may be richer j but the great buk of the people 

 are dependent, ignorant, and uncivilized. In Virginia and 

 Maryland, a change is rapidly taking place in the mode of 

 huft)andry -, for tobacco is yielding to wheat, which afluredly 

 is a beneficial change ; but it lias given us much furprife to 

 obferve, that the crops of that grain are, upon the whole, 

 Very infiguificant, while the expence of cultivation 13 fo great, 



E e 2 Very 



