120 
and the consequences Which he had reason to expect would 
result, &c. and we discovered amongst other things, that Mr. 
Owen must have conceived the rough features of his general 
system from considering forced services or statutory labour; 
for the labour imposed upon persons for which they receive 
no compensation, would apply and operate much more upor* 
them for their lodging, clothing, food, the education and care 
of their children, &c. so that they would consider their labour 
in the light of a corvee. We observed several labourers employed 
in loading bricks upon a cart, and they performed this so tedious 
and disagreeable task, as a statutory labour imposed on them by 
circumstances, and this observation led us to the above reflection. 
I afterwards visited Mr. M‘Clure, and entertained myself for an 
hour with the instructive conversation of this interesting old gen¬ 
tleman. Madam Fretageot, who appears to have considerable 
influence over Mr. McClure, took an animated share in our dis¬ 
course. In the evening there was a ball in the large assembly 
room, at which most of the members were present. It lasted 
only until ten o’clock, in dancing cotillions, and closed with a 
grand promenade, as before described. There was a particular 
place marked off by benches for the children to dance in, in the 
centre of the hall, where they could gambol about without run¬ 
ning between the legs of the grown persons. 
On the 19th of April, a steam-boat came down the Wabash, 
bound for Louisville on the Ohio. It stopt opposite Harmony, 
and sent a boat through the overflow of water to receive passen¬ 
gers. I was at first disposed to embrace the opportunity of leaving 
this place, but as I heard that the boat was none of the best, I 
determined rather to remain and go by land to Mount Vernon, 
to wait for a better steam-boat there. We took a walk to the 
community, No. 3. The work on the house had made but 
little progress; we found but one workman there, and he was 
sleeping quite at his ease. This circumstance recalled the ob¬ 
servation before mentioned, concerning gratis-labour, to my mind. 
We advanced beyond into the woods, commencing behind No. 3 : 
there was still little verdure to be seen. 
. On the succeeding day, I intended to leave New Harmony 
early; but as it was impossible to procure a carriage, I was 
obliged to content myself. I walked to the community No. 2, 
or Macluria, and farther into the woods. They were employed 
in hewing down trees to build log houses. The wood used in 
the brick and frame houses here is of the tulip tree, which is 
abundant, worked easily, and lasts long. After dinner I walked 
with Mr. Owen and Madam Fretageot,, to community No. 3. 
There a new vegetable garden was opened ; farther on they were 
employed in preparing a field in which Indian corn was to be sown. 
