58 Of Emigration. Bk. iii. 



return in case of failure, as they cannot expect 

 the offer of the same means to bring them back. 

 We cannot be surprised then, that, except where 

 a spirit of enterprise is added to the uneasiness of 

 poverty, the consideration of these circumstances 

 should frequently 



" Make tbera rather bear the ills they suffer, 

 "Than fly to others which they know not of." 



If a tract of rich land as large as this island 

 were suddenly annexed to it, and sold in small 

 lots, or let out in small farms, the case would be 

 very different, and the melioration of the state 

 of the common people would be sudden and 

 striking ; though the rich would be continually 

 complaining of the high price of labour, the pride 

 of the lower classes, and the difficulty of getting 

 work done. These, I understand, are not unfre- 

 quent complaints among the men of property in 

 America. 



Every resource however from emigration, if 

 used effectually, as this would be, must be of 

 short duration. There is scarcely a state in Eu- 

 rope, except perhaps Hussia, the inhabitants of 

 which do not often endeavour to better their con- 

 dition by removing to other countries. As these 

 states therefore have nearly all rather a redun- 

 dant than deficient population in proportion to 

 their produce, they cannot be supposed to afford 

 any effectual resources of emigration to each 

 other. Let us suppose for a moment, that in this 

 more enlightened part of the globe, the internal 

 economy of each state were so admirably regu- 



