. 91 



would be the condition of that kingdom ? If it would 

 be more turbulent, less happy, less strong, we may be- 

 lieve that the addition of half a million of foreigners to 

 our present numbers would produce a similar effect 

 here. If they come of themselves, they are entitled to 

 all the rights of citizenship : but I doubt the expedien- 

 cy of inviting them by extraordinary encouragements. 

 I mean not that these doubts should be extended to the 

 importation of useful artificers. The policy of that 

 measure depends on very different considerations. 

 Spare no expense in obtaining them. They will after 

 :a while go to the plough and the hoe ; but, in the mean 

 time, they will teach us something we do not know. It 

 is not so in agriculture. The indifferent state of that 

 among us does not proceed from a want of knowledge 

 merely; it is from our having such quantities of land to 

 waste as we please. In Europe the object is to make 

 the most of tlieir land, labour being abundant; here it 

 is to make the most of our labour, land being abundant. 

 It will be proper to explain how the numbers for the 

 year 1782 have been obtained ; as it was not from a 

 perfect census of the inhabitants. It will at the same 

 time deveiope the proportion between the free inhabi- 

 tants and slaves. The following return of taxable ar- 

 ticles for that year was given in : 



53,289 free males above 21 years of age. 

 211,698 slaves of all ages and sexes. 

 23,766 not distinguished in the returns, but said to 

 be tvtheable slaves. 

 195,4.39 horses."' 

 609,734 cattle. 



5,126 wheels of riding-carriages. 

 191 taverns. 



There were no returns from the eight counties of 

 Lincoln, Jefferson, Fayette, MonongaheHa, Yohogania, 

 Ohio, Northampton and York. To find the number of 

 slaves which should have been returned instead of the 

 23,766 tytheables, we must mention that some observa- 



