PART III.] MORRIS BIRKBECK, ESQ. 



proceed to inquire, whether such persons ought 

 to emigrate to the West or to the East, it may 

 not be amiss to inquire a little, whether they 

 ought to emigrate at all! Do not start, now! 

 For, while I am very certain that the emigration 

 of such persons is not, in the end, calculated to 

 produce benefit to America, as a nation, 1 

 greatly doubt of its being, generally speaking; 

 of any benefit to the emigrants themselves, if we 

 take into view the chances of their speedy relief 

 at home. 



974. Persons of advanced age, of settled 

 habits, of deep rooted prejudices, of settled ac 

 quaintances, of contracted sphere of movement, 

 do not, to use Mr. GEORGE FLOWER'S expres 

 sion, " transplant well." Of all such persons; 

 Farmers transplant worst ; and, of all Farmers, 

 English Farmers are the worst to transplant. 

 Of some of the tears, shed in the ILLINOIS, an 

 account reached me several months ago, through 

 an eye-witness of perfect veracity, and a very 

 sincere friend of freedom, and of you, and 

 whose information was given me, unasked for, 

 and in the presence of several Englishmen, 

 every one of whom, as well as myself, most ar 

 dently wished you success. 



975. It is nothing, my dear Sir, to say, as you 

 do, in the Preface to the Letters from the Illi 

 nois, that, " as little would I encourage the- 



