to8 a farmer. July 24. 



dislike, it is necefsary you fliould be informed that it 

 is a businefs of such a nature as consists of three de- 

 partments, two of which are merely mechanical j for 

 performing the offices of which departments, though ap- 

 prentices are bound for a certain number of years, yet 

 they not only pay no apprentice fee j but even receive 

 wages from their master during the whole currencv of 

 the apprenticefhip. The third department is of a higher 

 nature, and which alone was the department to which my 

 son was bound; as the conditions of the indenture suffi- 

 ciently fliow. As an illustration of the case, supposing a 

 man was to be bound an apprentice as an architect, to a 

 master builder, who along with the practice of archi- 

 tecture, carried on the businefs of building on a large 

 scale ; he, in this case, must have under him both masons 

 and carpenters ; and perhaps bricklayers, and plasterers. 

 Now, it so happened that when my son came home from 

 his apprenticeihip, and I interrogated him as to his busi- 

 nefs J to my utter astoniftiment and vexation, 1 found 

 that he knew nothing at all of that part of the businefs 

 for which he had served his time ; and that instead of 

 learning it he had been employed entirely in the mechani- 

 cal departments, during his whole time : and thus had be- 

 come a mere drudge to save his master the money he 

 must have paid for a labourer all the time, without re- 

 ceiving any benefit from him in the way of his profef- 

 sion properly so called. It was as if, in the fore-cited il- 

 lustration y instead of being taught the businefs of an ar- 

 chitect, he hnd been confined entirely to the businefs of S| 

 mason or a bricklayer. 



This appeared to me such a breach of faith as excited 

 a degree of indignation greater than I can well exprefs. 

 I considered the man who had deliberately committed 

 such an injury to mc, as worse than a robber ) and in t 



