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tainly founded on facts : generally speak- 

 ing, as a body of people, the Americans 

 are bad ; though, like all other communities, 

 there are individually some very good men 

 amongst them : however, they allow their 

 countrymen degenerate daily, — probably 

 since General Washington resigned the 

 presidentship ; — and the conduct of their 

 present president may, from example, be 

 their excuse for growing worse. I have 

 remarked, even in cities and towns in 

 England, that any person of opulence, 

 as a leading man, commonly influences 

 the manners and conduct of the people. I 

 could mention many instances in corrobora- 

 tion of this remark. In the town of Boston, 

 the leading man was old Mr. Fydell, who 

 was as polite and benevolent a man as any 

 country ever produced. After his death, he 

 was succeeded in popularity by a Mr. Pacey, 

 who was very far from being a bad charac- 

 ter ; but of a close, frugal disposition : the 

 manners and conduct of that town imme- 

 diately became the same — what is termed 



