414 
friends, and arrived at a small town 
about twelve miles west of Bedford. 
The principal part of the people in 
this settlement are Quakers. I am 
well acquainted with a family named 
Penrose, well known in England and 
in America: I frequently stay at their 
house two or three days together, and 
they as frequently come to see me. 
There cannot be a more hospitable 
people. Your’s, J. HAwyeEs. 
LETTER I. 
Dear Brother,—Since I wrote to 
you last, my master and friend at 
Bedford wished me to settle in this 
little town, and commence business in 
a new line; for you know I was 
always a bit of a mechanic, and I 
have discovered a process of temper- 
ing steel. The gentleman of whom he 
rents his tan-yard at Bedford, and who 
has land there, has let me have a 
piece of ground, rent-free, for a shop, 
and I have employed two men all the 
summer (1821) in building this and 
erecting the furnace: so that the cash 
T had is all expended, but in such a 
way that I hope will repay me. 
Property, as well as_ provisions, 
continue to decrease. Wheat is now 
only three dollars and a quarter per 
bushel; beef from three to four dollars 
per hundred weight (equal to seven 
farthings per pound): consequently, 
many merchants and others are much 
embarrassed, especially those who 
have borrowed money of the banks to 
speculate with. As most of the banks 
are calling in their money, of course 
they are sacrificing their property, or 
rather they frequently have it seized, 
and sold to a disadvantage. <A few 
weeks ago, sixty acres of good culti- 
vated land was sold for 113 dollars 
(about 28/. 5s, sterling). It is evident 
that these speculators have erred in 
judgment, and placed themselves in a 
worse situation than before. But, 
thongh this is the case of many, I do 
not consider them in a state of want, 
—want, I conceive, implying a scar- 
city of provisions, rather than money : 
the former is unheard of in this coun- 
try, being so easily procured, even by 
the most indolent. It is scarcely ne- 
cessary to name money, that being an 
article which always was scarce in 
this country, compared with England. 
Bat, though there is not so much 
wealth here as in England, it is no 
proof of any poverty; rather the re- 
verse. Imaginary wants there are in 
Letlers on North America. 
[ Dec. 1,. 
every country. I know the times here 
are bad, and rather precarious for a 
stranger; but it is evident they wilf- 
soon alter. The breaking-up of the 
provincial banks has caused a tempo- 
rary distress; but, even now, any in- 
dustrious man can procure a good 
living for himself and family. The 
case is quite different in England. 
Notwithstanding the infamous false- 
hoods which I frequently read in your 
English newspapers of our distress, in 
order to deter people from coming 
here, I have seen some hundreds of 
English families passing through Bed- 
ford on their journey to the Llinois 
settlement. Most of them are from 
Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Notting- 
hamshire ; many of whom I discovered 
to be wealthy, and, in general, there 
are some of the best mechanics in 
England among them, driven away by 
the iron band of-oppression, and lost 
to that country for ever. 
You may bave heard slarittetieis 
accounts from Englishmen who haye 
been here, and who are the most unfit 
persons to describe the: state of. 
country. When 1 lived at Philadel- 
phia, L saw many English arrive, and 
return home when the vessel went 
back, whose stay in America Was not 
above fifteen or twenty days. A’ Der- 
byshire man, who worked with me at 
Bedford, told me that many passen- 
gers landed with him from Englaod: 
that several took to drinking; one 
person, in particular, who brought 
3001. with him, was in a state of intoxi- 
cation every day. So true is the say- 
ing, “‘ that the more money a fool has, 
the greater fool he is.” With half that 
sum, he could have purchased more 
land than he and his family could have 
tilled. lam sorry that America has 
had too many specimens of English 
imprudence. 
Here are no distinctions between 
man and man, as there are in England; 
any one of good information is sure to 
procure friends. The want of pro- 
perty is considered too trifling to be 
admitted as a barrier. I believe your 
ideas of America are worse than none 
at all. Whatdo you think of a thou- 
sand public-houses, or, as we call 
them, taverns, between Philadelphia 
and Pittsburgh, a distance of only 300 
niles. 
Game is abundant; but I have 
nearly lost all relish for the diyersion 
of shooting, except when it comes near 
my house. I have stvod close to the 
door, 
