108 
increafed by vaft numbers of emigrants, 
particularly from Scotland ; and befides 
the trade they carry on with the States of 
Pennlylvania and New York, they enjoy 
a confiderable traffic with Canada. It 
were almoft needleis here to obferve, that 
no common capital could have carried 
fuch a plan into effect, as, befides the firft 
purchaie of lands, there mutt have been 
Jarge difburfements and very little returns 
for feven years fubfequent to the begin- 
ning of the fettlement; but the fuper- 
intendance was fkilfully managed, and the 
emoluments have been beyond any calcu- 
Jation the mott fanguine expectation could 
have formed. Upon the outlines of this 
plan, the North American Land Com- 
pany (fo many fhares or actions of which 
have been fold in this country) was be- 
gun in 1795, by three private individuals 
of the city of Philadelphia. ‘They con- 
tributed a joint ftock of fix millions of 
acres, which they vefted in truftees, for 
the purpofe of being conveyed to pur- 
chafers, and the monies arifing from the 
fales were to be divided among the holders 
of ihares of the company’s ftock, which 
confifed of 30,000, at 200 dollars each. 
"The lands were to be fettled, improved, 
and fold, for the benefit of the company, 
upon the fame plan as the Pulteney pur- 
chafe, but whether it will prove equally 
fucce(sful, time will bring to light. Thefe 
are the two molt extenfive private at- 
tempts at forming a pew fettlement ; but 
the {peculation in the city of Wafhington 
lots, has been very great and very fuccefs- 
ful. The whole of thefe have, however, 
been long fince engroffed, and are retailed 
at prefent at a higher price, in general, 
than Jand will fetch in London. Having 
thus developed to perfons of capital, and 
inclined to {peculation, the moft fuccefs- 
ful plan that bas been yet adopted, I pro- 
ceed to the fecond clafs, or men of the 
learned profcflions, law, phyfic, and di- 
vinity. 
To a gentleman of the long robe, the 
United States oppofe an almoft infur- 
mountable barrier. He muft have pre- 
vionfly refided in the particular ftate in 
which he means to praétile, long enough 
to become intitled to, and actually take 
up, his citizenfhip ; ard if he fhould find 
it convenient to remove to another ftate, 
he cannot, probably, practife the law 
there until he has refided as long again. 
Befides, the practice of the law is ex- 
tremely circumfcribed, and what litle 
there is of it is wholly engrofled by old 
pra&titioners and young men of refpect- 
able families, who put them into it as-a 
Information refpecting Emig?ation to North America. [Sept. ts 
genteel profeffion, without any expeéta- 
tion of their living wholly by the profits, 
much -lefs of acquiting affluence by it. 
There can, therefore, be very little chance, 
of fuccefs; and, indeed, I know of but 
one Englifhman who has made good his 
footing, and that was more by dint of 
politics, than knowledge of the law. The 
profeflor of the /Bfculapian art has not 
the leat cbftacle to furmount, fave that 
which occurs every where, of getting pa- 
tients to confide in his fkill; and that, if 
he poffeffes a little more than common ad- 
dre{s, he need not defpair of. It is never 
enquired whether be has a diploma from 
Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh, Glaf- 
gow, Leyden, &c. or whether he isa felf- 
dubbed High-German dostor. It is only 
neceflary he fhould be able to maintain 
fomewhat of the refpeétability of a pro- 
feffional appearance. ‘There are many 
very clever profeffional men in the United 
States ; but there are alfo infinitely more 
pretenders. The clerical gentleman is 
equally unreftrained as the doctor of phy- 
fic, and if he cannot obtain an eftablifhed 
place of worfhip, he is fure of a congre- 
gation if he can afford to build one, which 
never fails to turn toa good account. The 
United States are the very hot-bed of res 
ligion. Every Chriftian feet recognized 
in Europe, and feveral fearcely known 
there by name, fpring up and flourifh in 
the fame foil, in perfect unifon with each 
other, and, mirabile didiu/ even with Ju- 
daifm and Deifm. So very tolerant is res 
ligion, when temporalities do not inflame 
its dere of power! It is not the leaft © 
difparagement to a minifter that he deferts 
one fect, if it does not turn fo account, 
and fides with another; nay, if feveral 
times repeated. ‘The people are not oblig- 
ed to pay him, neither is he conftrained 
to preach to them. It muft be however 
obferved, that the miniftry are every 
where treated with becoming refpect, and 
appear to have reafon to be fatished with 
the free-will offerings of their flocks. 
The third clafs, or men of literary ge- 
nius, fhould paufe before they exchange 
Europe for America; as the leading quefz 
tion a man fhould afk himfelf betore he 
crofles the Atlantic is, whether or not he 
can render himfelf ufeful? Mere “ learn- 
ed lore’’ is accounted drofs in the United 
States. But that this opinion may not 
reft upon my own judgment, let us hear 
the words of one of their own writers 
upon the fubje& of the peculiar genius of 
Americen literature. ‘© The American 
(he fays) who knows how to appreciate 
the privileges which he enjoys, and to 
which 
