UNITED STATES. 



•creafina; navy, to tlie maintenance of which the fifliing trade 

 is peculiarly important. Trial by jury is to be preferved 

 inviolate. A republican form of government is guaranteed 

 to all the ftates, and hereditary titles and diftinftions are pro- 

 hibited. 



With regard to the religion of the United States, it is fti- 

 pulalei that no law (hall ever be pafled to eilablilh any par- 

 ticular form of religion, or to prevent the free exercife of 

 it : and no rehgious teit (hall be required as a quahfication 

 to any oflice of public trult under the United States. The 

 following- denominations of Chriftians are more or lefs nu- 

 merous ; 11/5;. .Congregationalifts, Prefbyterians, Epifcopa- 

 liaiis, Dutch reformed church, Baptills, Quakers or Friends, 

 Methodifts, Roman Catholics, German Lutherans, German 

 Calvinifts, Moravians, or brethren of the epifcopal church. 

 The Congregationalifts arc faid to be the moft numerous, 

 particularly in New England, and alfo in the middle and 

 fouthern ftates. Next to thefe are the Prefbyterians, who 

 inhabit chiefly the middle and fouthern ftates, and they are 

 united under the fame conftitution. In 1796 thefe were di- 

 vided into five fynods, -viz. thofe of New York, Philadel- 

 phia, Virginia, Carolinas, each of which four meet an- 

 nually : and befides, they have a joint meeting, by their 

 commiffioners, once a year, in general aflembly at Philadel- 

 phia. The Prefbyterian churches are governed by congre- 

 ii-ational, prefbyterial, and fynodical aflemblies ; but thefe 

 aifemblies poffefs no civil jurifdiftion. The Dutch reformed 

 churches maintain the doftrine of the fynod of Dort, held 

 in 1618, and conllitute fix clafTes, which form one fynod, 

 ftyled " the Dutch reformed Synod of New York and New 

 .Terfey." The clafTes confift of minifters and ruling elders ; 

 each clafs delegating two minifters and an elder, to reprefent 

 them in fynod. The number of Proteftant epifcopal 

 churches is not afcertained. There are fome in New Eng- 

 land, but they are moft numerous in the fouthern ftates. 

 The Baptifts are chiefly upon the Calviniftic plan as to doc- 

 trines, and Independents as to church government and difci- 

 pline. The Friends or Quakers went to America about the 

 year 1656 ; the firft fettlers of Pennfylvania being of this 

 defcription. The Methodifts are Arminian and Calviniftic. 

 The Roman Cathohcs are principally fettled in Maryland, 

 where they have a biftiop. The German inhabitants in thefe 

 Hates principally belong to Pennfylvania and New York, 

 and are divided into a variety of fefts, the principal of 

 which are Lutherans, Calvinifts, Moravians, Tunkers, and 

 Mennonites. But the German Lutherans are the moft 

 numerous. The Moravians are difperfed over Pennfylvania, 

 at Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Litiz ; and they have alfo other 

 fettlcments in New .Terfey, North Carolina, Rhode ifland. 

 New York, &c. The Tunkers appeared in 1 7 19, and 

 landing in Philadelphia, difperfed themfelves in various parts 

 of Pennfylvania ; they ai-e General Baptifts, and believe in 

 liniverfal redemption and falvation. Their principal fettle- 

 ment is at Ephrata, called Tunker's-town, in Lancafter 

 county. The Mennonites are chiefly fettled in Pennfyl- 

 vania. The Univerfalifts, who maintain the doftrine of the 

 ultimate falvation of all men, are faid not to be numerous. 

 The Unitarians are an increafing body. The Shakers form 

 a fmall body. There are fome few Jews, and many Deifts. 

 Provifion is made for education and the improvement of the 

 mind throughout the United States. 



Accounts in the United States were formerly kept in 

 pounds, ftiillings, and pence currency, which praftice is 

 llill retained on fome occafions ; but the value of the cur- 

 rency is not the fame in dift"erent ftates. 



In Pennfylvania, New Jerfey, Delaware, and Maryland, 

 the ratio of currency to fterling is as 3 to 5 : and therefore 

 10 



l/. fterhng = i/. 13X. 41/. currency ; or lA currency = izj. 

 fterhng. , 



In New Hampfliire, Maffachufetts, Connefticut, Rhode 

 Ifland, and Virginia, the ratio is as 3 to 4 ; and therefore 

 i/. fterling := i/. 6s. Sd. currency; or i/. currency = icx. 

 fterling. 



In New York and North Carolina, the ratio is as 9 to 16 ; 

 and therefore i/. fterling = i/. 15J, 6^d. currency; or i/. 

 currency = lis. ^{/. fterling. 



In South CaroUna and Georgia, the ratio is as 27 to 28 ; 

 and therefore i/. fterling = i/. os. 8^d, currency ; or i/. 

 currency = 191. 3f J. fterhng. 



Hence the exchange between England and the United 

 States is at par, when, for every 100/. fterling, Pennfyl- 

 vania, Maryland, &c. give 166/. 13J. 4//. currency ; New 

 England and Virginia, 133/. 6j-. 8(/. do.; New York and 

 North Carohna, 177/. i^s. 6\d. do.; C orgia and South 

 Carolina, 103/. 14J. o^d. 



Moit of the European coins pafs in the United States, 

 but Spaii'fti dollars are moft common : hence the value of 

 other European monies is conamonly exprefled in dollars, and 

 hundredth parts of u dollar, called cents. 



The dollar is valued in the different ftates according to the 

 currency of each place. Thus in Pennfylvania, Maryland, 

 Delaware, and Jerfey, it pafles for 7J. 6d.; in ^«ew Eng- 

 land and Virginia, for 6j^.; in New York and North Caro- 

 lina, for 8j.; in South Carolina and Georgia, for 4!. 9id. 



An uniform way of keeping accounts has been eftabliftied 

 in the United States (by an aft of Congrefs in 1789) namely, 

 in dollars of lo dimes, 100 cents, or lOOO mills ; and this 

 method is ufed in all public accounts. 



The American government, at the fame time, eftabhftied 

 a mint, and ordered money to be coined, in gold, filver, 

 and copper, according to the following denominations and 

 values ; viz. 



Eagles, each to be of the value of 10 dollars, or units, and 

 to contain 247^;- grains of pure, or 270 grains of ftandard, 

 gold, the ftandard being 22 carats, or J4 fine. Its intrin- 

 fic value in Englifti gold is, therefore, 2/. 3^. 9<d. nearly. 

 Half eagles and qnarter eagles were alfo ordered to be 

 coined in the fame proportion. 



Dollars or units, each to be of the value of a Spanifti 

 milled dollar, and to contain 37 1^^ grains of pure, or 416 

 grains of ftandard, filver, the ftandard being 44|-|- fine, or 

 10 oz. 14 dwts. nearly. Its intrinfic value in Enghfh filver 

 is, therefore, 4r. 7,^d. nearly. Half dollars, quarter dol- 

 lars, dimes, or tenths of dollars, and half dinies, were alfo 

 ordered to be coined in the fame proportion. Hence the pro- 

 portion of gold to filver is as 4160 to 270, or as 1544- '" '• 

 Cents, each to be of the value of the one-hundredth part 

 of a dollar, and to contain 208 grains of copper. Half 

 cents were ordered to be coined in the fame proportion. 

 The remedy of the mint is one part in 144. 

 In the pubhc bank eftabliftied at Philadelphia in 1790, 

 chartered by Congrefs, and empowered to appoint branch- 

 banks in the different ftates, the capital was fixed at ten 

 millions of dollars, and divided into 25,000 fhares, of 400 

 dollars each ; none of the fubfcribers were to hold more than 

 1000 ftiares ; one-fourth of the fubfcription was to be paid 

 in fpe'cie, and three-fourths in public ftock. Thefe ftiares 

 are transferrable, and yield a dividend, payable half yearly, 

 of 7 or 8 per cent, per aim. The conilitution and govern- 

 ment of this bank are nearly on the plan of the bank of 

 England. 



The bank difcounts, at 6 per cent per ann., bills and notes 

 tliat have no more than 6j days to run ; the tlu-ee days of 

 grace are included, and difcount allowed for them. Bills 



or 



