V irginia 



many of the gentlemen are in possession of immense 

 tracts of land, it is likely to continue so. A spirit 

 of enterprise is by no means the turn of the colony, 

 and therefore few attempts have been made to force 

 a trade; which I think might easily be done, both to 

 the West Indies and the Ohio. They have every 

 thing necessary for such an undertaking; viz. lumber, 

 provisions, grain, and every other commodity, which 

 the other colonies, that subsist and grow rich by 

 these means, make use of for exports; but, instead of 

 this, they have only a trifling communication with 

 the West Indies; and as to the Ohio, they have suf- 

 fered themselves, notwithstanding the superior ad- 

 vantages they might enjoy from having a water 

 carriage almost to the Youghiogheny, to neglect this 

 valuable branch of commerce; while the industrious 

 Pennsylvanians seize every opportunity, and struggle 

 with innumerable difficulties to secure it to them- 

 selves. The Virginians are content if they can but 

 live from day to day; they confine themselves almost 

 entirely to the cultivation of tobacco; and if they have 

 but enough of this to pay their merchants in London, 

 and to provide for their pleasures, they are satisfied, 

 and desire nothing more. Some few, indeed, have 

 been rather more enterprising, and have endeav- 

 oured to improve their estates by raising indigo, and 

 other schemes: but whether it has been owing to the 

 climate, to their inexperience in these matters, or 

 their want of perseverance, I am unable to deter- 



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