194 On thé Manners and Cuftoms of the United States. [ Sept. t, 
gentleman to whom the houfe originally 
belonged. The Englifhman, thinking to 
pay him a high compliment, toid him he 
mutt beftow grest pains to keep it in {uch 
fine order. I, Sir! (replied the Virgi- 
nian, jeemingly much nettied) ; my Ne- 
groes do! 1" 
_ Paffiag over North Carolina, which has 
emerged very little from its or ginal fiate 
of barbarity, the fame deicription, as has 
been given of Virginia, will feive for 
South Carolina and Georgia; only that 
the Jatter is the leaf rich and populous. 
The Negrocs of the fouthern ftates are 
very numerous, and have been lately. very 
mutinvus. Alihough the importation of 
new flaves is now prohibited throughout 
the United States, yet the Americans have 
no objection to make a traffic of them by 
fitting out veffels for the trade, and dif- 
pofing of their human cargoes in the Span- 
ith fettlements. I remember to have feen 
one of thole veffels at Charlefton (S. C.) 
the whole crew of which (except the maf- 
ter and mate,) were Blacks and Mulat- 
toes | 
Vermont, Kentucky, and Teneflee, are 
new ftates, daily receiving the refufe of 
al] the reft. The inhabitants are almoft 
as unpolifhed as the Indian natives they 
have diipoffeffed. 
From this analytical fketch it muf be 
apparent the Americans can poffefs no 
ether national character than what our 
common anceftors might be fuppofed to 
have had immediately after the fucceeding 
irruptions of the Saxons, Danes, Romans, 
and Normans; and, in all probabitity, 
Sever will, as there is no Jefs a difference 
between the northern and fouthern ftates, 
than betwixt the Hebrides and the Weft 
Indies. There appears at prefent a de- 
cided fuperiority of the northern over 
the fouthern ftates, which, perhaps, the 
a>olitionofflavery in the latter may greatly 
ahminifh. 
The jurifprudence of the United States 
say be divided into the congreffional law, 
and the common or cuftomary law ; the 
former jis afialogous to the Englith ftatute 
Jaw, and may be divided into the law of 
the fupreme eit. and that of the 
ftat.-legiflature : the former runs over all 
the United States ; the latter is binding 
on each particular fia e, unlefs contravened 
by the former. The common, or cufto- 
mary law differs only from the Englith in 
thole points, where the fundamentals of a 
monarchial formof government are repug- 
nant to thofe of a republican one ; 4s, tor 
initance, in the defcent of Jands the right 
gt pvimogeniture is taken away, and all 
the next of kin fhare equally ; but, in 
thofe doétrinal points, wherein the two 
forms may agree, they generally refer to 
the Englifh Report-books. ‘The procefs 
is however very much fimplified ; as debt, 
affault, battery, defamation, and other 
common, periona!, occurrences, are tried 
in a fummary way by juftces of the 
peace, wno alfo perform the marriage- 
ceremony. Thofe who with to be more 
minutely informed of the p-ogrefs of Ame- 
rican jurisprudence, muit be referred to 
the Péports of Bufhrod Wafhing’on, 
Dallas, and Wallace, which are the only 
written tretiles upon that fubject. The 
two Engl fh pro:effion$ of barri‘er and 
attorney are here blended info ove. 
The fcience of the American- medical 
Profeffers has been fo frequently the tub- 
jet of con:troverfy with their bre hren 
on this fide the water, that the beft opi- 
nions of it may be extrafted from the 
treatifes publifhed on both fides: as in 
law, the profeffions of phyfician, apo- 
thecary, and furgeon, are all blended into 
one. 
All religious feéts are tolerated in the 
United States, and a preference given to 
none. The externals of religion are exhi-. 
bited in all its different founds, afpeciss 
and touches, of prayers, fighs, groansy. 
kiffes of love, of peace, otf fiiendfhip, 
dancing, jumping, and tumbling. The 
profeflors of every fect are alike eligible 
to flate offices, as no religious trft is re- 
quired, only the oath to be taken is that 
of allegiance to the United States ; of abs 
juration of all foreign allegiance ; andy in 
the true fpirit of republicanifm, of renun- 
ciation of all titles of nobility. Deifm is 
very prevalent, and, in many places, as 
New York, &c. openly proteflcd.. The 
fpirit of fanaticifm, fo notorious, fome 
time back, in the northern ftates, is to- 
tally obliterated, except foine remains of 
outward fhew in’Conneéticut. There, if 
a perfon is feen travelling on a Sunday, he 
is feized, led to a place of worthip, and 
feated between his guards during di- 
vine fervice, with the eyes of the congre- 
gation upon him, much to his and their 
edification nodoubt. ‘The delinquent, has 
not then undergone the whole of his pu- 
nifhment ; he mu& pay 4os. to his fpiri- 
tual guardians for their trouble before he 
is fuffered to go away on the Monday. 
The pulpit is almoft univerfally made the 
vehicle of political declamation 5 yet it 
is but juftice, however, to fay; there are 
in the clerical function many pious, in- 
telligent, Itberal mind=d men. ‘x 
Arts and f{ciences are low in the United 
States, 
