COMPARATIVE VIEWS OF THE PROGRESS 

 OF POPULATION IN CERTAIN REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES : 



WITH RE^L\RKS....BY WILLIAM DARBY. 



Washington, 1 0th Nov. 1843. 

 John S. Skinker, Esq. 



Dear Sir — The montlily reception of your 

 " LiBR.\RY " affords me the double pleasure of 

 hearing from you by your valuable labors, and 

 of finding by tlieir means that Agriculture is be- 

 coming, in our country, a science. I rejoice 

 still more to see elements collected which, when 

 published in so attractive a form as the Libraiy, 

 must have great effect on the far too prevalent 

 emigration from the Atlantic region of the United 

 States into the interior and Western sections of 

 North America. 



You cannot, as you l;now my sentiments on 

 the subject, but many others may suppose, from 

 my frequent essays on the rapid increase and 

 dispersioH of our population over the continent, 

 that I was an advocate for that course of things. 

 In those essays I have spread before the public 

 data on what neither myself or any one else can 

 control — stated facts as they presented them- 

 selves, as inevitable consequences. 



In advance of the matter enclosed, let me ob- 

 serve that I principally value such works as the 

 " Library " from their tendency to demonstrate 

 false views, which lead so many to sacrifice ad- 

 vantages already within their reach, for specu- 

 lative hopes, distant in space and time — hopes 

 never, by any possibility, realized, except in 

 very rare instances. 



Few persons are aware of the peculiar ad- 

 vantages of the Atliintic slope of North America. 

 If we extend our views into a not very distant 

 futurity, when tlie central part of the Continent 

 will teem with inhabitants, the Atlantic border 

 will stand as the gateway between the great 

 civilized nations of the Eastern and Western 

 Continents. In some very essential respects, 

 such is the case at present. 



As population is the first, the last, and princi- 

 pal consideration on all statistical subjects, I 

 have con.structed the enclosed tabular, to serve 

 as comparative data, as regards tho.se parts of 

 the Athmtic border where tlie facilities of com- 

 mercial and agricultural, as well as manufactur- 

 ing prosperity abound, and yet have remained 

 stationary, or retrograde, whilst other parts, in 

 (729) 



no es.sential respect differing in natural advan- 

 tages, have advanced in wealth and power. 



It must be obvious that in these views I can 

 have no sectional or other partial bias. My de- 

 sire is to show, from actual experience, that 

 lliere must exist either some inherent cause of 

 discontent, or most alluring prospects of gain, to 

 induce the people of the Atlantic border to aban- 

 don their place of birth, and cut asunder so ma- 

 ny ties, so many domestic associations — and that 

 to an extent not only to prevent increase, but to 

 produce a diminution, of physical, intellectual, 

 and moral power. Were we made acquainted 

 with such a fact, founded on official data, in the 

 political history of any monarchical State of Eu- 

 rope, v^'e would at once set it down as a proof of 

 the deteriorating effects of that form of govern- 

 ment. 



In the case for our consideration, now before 

 us, and applied to a region most favored by ev- 

 ery facility to derive benefit from human labor, 

 where Nature itself has scooped many of the 

 fine.st havens of the globe — havens on which 

 cities have already risen, in a comparatively 

 short period, vying with the great marts of Eu- 

 rope and Asia ; such a countrj-, also abounding 

 in means of religious, moral and intellectual 

 culture ; what are the inducements offered by 

 western or central settlements, to compensate 

 for the .sacrifice of so many advantages, already 

 at command, on the Atlantic border ? Land ! 

 more land ! Does any one suppose that the ex- 

 pense of removal and obtaining new residences 

 will not be as great, and the success more pre- 

 carious as to resulting profit, than the same time, 

 means, and labor, applied to the improvement 

 of soil already possessed ? 



On such a subject, yourself and readers will 

 pardon the introduction of a moment's allu.sion 

 to my own experience, and also the confident 

 tone of my remarks. I was removed into the 

 interior when very young, but old enough to 

 remember much consequent hardship felt and 

 witnessed. It is true that many of the difficul- 

 ties to which emigrants of more than half a cen- 

 tury past were exposed are now removed or 

 greatly mitigated ; yet I have no hesitation to 



