702 
was carried on in Porto Bello during 
forty days in the year, when the wealth 
of America was exchanged for the ma- 
nufactures of Europe. No baleof goods, 
says Robertson in deseribing it, 1s-ever 
‘opened, no chest of treasure isexamined ; 
»oth are received on the credit of the per- 
ions to whom they belong, and only one 
astance of fraud is recorded during the 
ong period in which trade was carried 
on with this liberal confidence. All the 
coined silver which was brought from 
Pern ta Porto Bello. in the year 1654 
was adulterated with a fifth part of base 
metal. The Spanish merchants, with 
sentiments suitable to their usual inte- 
erity, sustained the whole loss, and in- 
demnified the foreigners by whom they 
were employed. ‘he fraud was detect- 
ed, and the treasurer of the revenue in 
Peru, the author of it, was publicly 
burnt. Sir George Staunton tells us, 
that the goods of the English East India 
Company, both as to quantity and qua- 
lity, are taken by the Chinese at Canton 
for what’they are declared in the invoice; 
and the bales, with their mark, pass in 
trade without examination throughout 
the empire. 
‘There is something whimsical and lu- 
dicrous enough, to be sure, in putting 
one leg of the compass on a Chinese or 
Porto Bello merchant, and the other on 
the humble head of a Peebleshire farmer ; 
but really according to Mr. Findlater— 
si parva licet componere magnis—the same 
rmciple prevails here. ‘The sheep 
Sona being the most extensive, and re- 
quiring the largest capital, the store- 
masters, as they are called, ‘constitute 
the most opulent class and are the best 
informed: between these farmers and 
their wool-buyers, the system of inter- 
course is so liberal, that the goods are 
often bought without been seen, and 
sold and delivered withour fixing the 
price. The prevailing characters of the 
lower order in this county are sobriety, 
imdustry, and asense of religion ; a spirit 
of independence is kept alrve, which re- 
volts against the idea of subsisting upon 
charity. Mr. F. assures us, that most of 
them contrive by their own industry and 
frugality alone, not merely to feed and 
clothe their children, but to give them 
an education, so far as learning to read; 
RURAL ECONOMY AND GARDENING. 
very frequently they are also taught 
writing and a little arithmetic, though 
more commonly the young people them- 
selves obtain imstruction in these last 
branches from their first earnings of 
wages, by attending night schools in 
winter after their working hours. In 
return for this parental care, children 
are rarely deficient in their filial duties ; 
they support their aged parents accord 
ing to their abilities, and there are not 
wanting instances of day labourers sup-, 
porting aged parents, past their labour, 
without being indebted to any charity 
whatsoever. ‘This corroborates the truth, 
of the remark which President Washing- 
ton made in his address to the senate and. 
house of representatives, at Philadelphia, 
ten years ago, that “ knowledge, while 
it makes us sensible of our rights as men, 
enforces our obligations as members of 
society.” In conformity with this well- 
grounded opinion, that great man re- 
commended in the speech alluded to,*. 
the senate “ to provide by law, as soon 
as conveniently may be, for the establish- 
ment of schools throughout the state, in. 
such a manner that the poor may be. 
taught gratis.’ It is with unaffected, 
concern that we have lately heard ac- 
counts, too well autheuticated, of the. 
declension of parochial schools im Scot- 
land; after long experience has com- 
pletely proved the various moral and po- 
litical advantages resulting from a gene~ 
ral diffusion of knowledge among the. 
lower classes of society, it is to the last, 
degree disgraceful that the channels by 
means of which it used to be distributed 
should be choaked up and the current 
impeded. Mr. Chrisiston, one of the 
masters of the high school of Edinburgh, 
in a pamphlet published about two years, 
agot gives this melancholy statement 5 
he says that the wretched income of some 
established teachers, particularly parish 
schoolmasters, is becoming every day 
worse. Many of them do not earn half 
so much as a journeyman mason. The 
unhappy old men who are in the profes- 
sion must continue in it, as they are too. 
old to learn any other ; but many of 
them, unless the income be rectified, will 
have no successors,: This event has ta- 
ken place already ; there are many pa- 
rish schools vacant, because no man will 
* Tt was a congratulatory address on the suppression of a cabal, delivered in the senate 
house, December 6, 1794: 
t Entitled «* The’General Diffusion of Knowledge one great Cause of the Prosperity of 
North Britain,”. &c, > 
7 
