1505. ] 
true light of the cafe, as the proprietor of 
Jands can do nothing without fettlers, and 
fo many other modes of fubfiltence, befides 
fettling in deferts, offer themfelves to 
every perfon who poflefles the neceflary 
flrength, activity, perieverance, courage, 
and judgment, the balance of the exchange 
of land for- fervices is fufficiently in, fa- 
your of the proprietor, without his mak- 
ing a fettler pay twenty times more than 
tle’ original caft. Every perfon who can 
form a judgment on:the fubject, mult 
agiee with me, that if an Evropean emi- 
grant is allowed a paflage, and prefented 
with one hundred acres to begin with, 
gratis, he will have no more than what he 
well defcrves. If he afterwards wifhes 
for more land, the proprietor will have a 
right tomake the beit bargain he can. 
It, in the rt feven years of a newelta-- 
blifiment, the price of land, be raifed from 
three to fifieen pounds, who reaps the ad- 
vantage ? The proprietor, and not the 
feitler. The former, having the greatett. 
quantity of land, can always,underfell the 
latter, If a€iual fettlement fo quickly 
raifes the price of land, what does it de- 
ferve? A-partof that'land. But if ac- 
tual fettlement elevates the price of land, 
fo high, that an eftablifhed plantation in 
an indifferently fettled. country, and under 
a very poor flate of cultivation—in fhort, 
a mere tarmin embryo, will berated to a: 
purchafer at forty-five years value at the 
deat, wiat will then become of the prin- 
cipal reafon ter purchafng American 
Jends—namely, cheapnefs? It cannot be 
applicable toimproved lands in fettled dil- 
tris, for thofe are dearer than im Eu- 
repe; in faét, thefe® plentations continue 
fo. much in the families which firlt culti- 
vated them, that they are {cancely ever of- 
fered for fale. It mutt, therefore, be 
meant of the forefi-lands, of the quality 
of, wiich Europeans are ignorant, and. be 
come the dupes of their own economy.— 
‘They will give five fillings per acre. for 
American land, becaufe in Europe it is 
confidered as no price, when the Ameri- 
cans themfelves value it at fromy a half- 
penny* to three-pence at the molt, Who 
nay be prefumed to be the belt judges ? 
We find that the fpeculation, in back- 
Jands is totally confined to the fea-ports,, 
and. chiefly. to thofe where the greateft 
number of-emigranis arrive, as Philadel- 
* I have been employed in the transfer of 
thoufands of acres, at the rate of one cent. 
€which is the one-hundredth part of a dollar, . 
ot very little more than one halfpenny) per 
acie. ’ 
Obfervations refpediing Emigration to America. 
SAT 
phia, New, York, Baltimore, &c... Whil& 
an, European, who knows as muchof the 
foil in the moon as of that of the United 
States, purchafes, at a hazard, ten, twen~ 
ty, thirty thoufand acres, the American 
farmer, more timid, more ‘wary, and more 
wile, contents. himlelf with purchafing 
fmall chofen {pots, which he holds as a re~ 
ferve. for-his children, This acquifition, ) 
made when the children are. young, en- 
{ures them, when they arrive at full age, 
a {pot, the value of which the progrefs of 
population will have increafed tenfold. — 
““ A good hufbandman (fays Mr. Belk- 
nap, in his Hiftory of New Hampfhire), 
with the favings of a few years, can pur- 
chafe new land enough to give his eldeft 
fons a fettlement, and affiit them in clear. 
ing a lot and building a hut ; after which 
they foon learn to fupport themfelves,.— 
The homeftead is generally given to the 
youngeft fon, who provides for his pa 
rents, .when age or infirmity iNcapacifates 
them for labour. In the cne cafe, the 
prudent American purchafes, atia {mall 
prices the zeans, witha certainty of ob- 
taining the ezds ; in the other, the adven— 
turous J,urspean pays ten times the value 
for the means, with a view of introducing 
a new fyfter of agriculture, and of en- 
riching himfelf fpeedily ; both of whicia 
being impraSicable, it may be truly (aid 
that his eds are likewife fo. If a ftronger 
proof of the folly of Europeans be want- 
ing, it is this, that the privates of the 
American army, who each received a Jand- 
warrant. for one hundred acres of back- 
lands, although mof of them had been 
born and bred up on the outfkirts of po- 
pulation, have preferred felling their war- 
rants at from’ twelve* to twenty dollars 
each, to fettling upon what are pompoufly 
ftiled their own freeholds. The title of a 
frechold is big with importance in Europe, 
and, for that reafon, Europeans are blind- 
ed. by the word in America. 
In the preceding paper, IT have alluded 
tothe defcriptions of the furveyors of dif- 
triéts, to which, oftentimes, emigrants 
pay an implicit but mifplaced confidence. 
When the Government..of any State has 
granted a,parcel of land to an individual 
or body .6f. aien,-a warrant. iffues to the 
furveyor of the diftri&. to Jay off .the 
quantity, takine care that he, does not in- 
terfere with former grants ; he according. 
ly runs, the lines by the compas, and 
makes the, returns; this is his offczal: 
duty ; but, as the Americans know the 
* T have purchafed many at the price of 
twelve dollars each. 
advantage 
