2l8 



A. D. 1791. 



1791, March 25'^ — The houfe of commons gave notice to the Eaft- 

 India company, that on the 31" of March 1794 the capital or debt of 

 ^4,200,000 owing to them by the pubhc, together with all intereft due 

 upon it', fliould be paid off, that parliament might be at liberty, agree- 

 able to the terms of the contradl between the public and the company, 

 which requires three years' notice, to lay the trade to India open. And 

 from feme fubfequent inveftigations it appears to have been really in 

 contemplation to admit the veflels of private individuals to a participa- 

 tion of the commerce of India. 



In confequence of an adl of the legiflature of the United ftates of 

 America, paiTed in March 1790, an enumeration of the whole inhabit- 

 ants was made between Auguft 1790 and April 1791 J and the numbers 

 in each ftate were found to be as follows. 



Free people. 



Vermont contained 



New Hampshire 



^ Maine 



iMassachusets 



Rhode island 



Connecticut 



New York 



New Jersey 



Penns)lvania 



Delaware 



Maryland 



Virginia 



Kentucky 



North Carolina 



South Carolina 



Georgia 



South-west territory 



Total 



besides the North-west territory, the population of wliich, exclusive of 

 the military, was suj^posed to ht- t)nly a few thousands ; whence the 

 whole number of people, of all suits, then in tlie territories of the 

 United states, appears to have been very near four millions. 



Two American writers of diftinguiflied merit and eminence have en- 

 tertained very oppofite opinions refpeding the policy of pufliing for- 

 ward the population of America beyond the natural increafe, by holding 

 out invitations to European emigrants.' Mr. JefFerfon, author of Noles on 

 V'u-ginia, apprehended dangerous confequences from too rapid an influx, 

 and too great a proportion of foreign-born people, many of them bred 

 up under arbitrary governments, and either infecied with their prin- 

 ciples, or, if diigulled with tyranny and oppreflion, apt to run into the 

 extremes of hcentioulnefs, who, in virtue of iheir citizenfhip, muil be 

 admitted to a participation of legiflative authority^ whence there muft 



85,523 



141,027 



96,540 



3/8,787 



235,182 

 318,796 



430,636 



50,207 



216,692 



454,983 



61,247 



^93,179 



53,284 

 32,274 



