500 Information refpeEling Emigration to North America. [Nov. 15 
miles down the river Great Karhaway, 
fill more defert, he arrived within four 
miles of Gallipolis. 
For a defcription of the wretched ftate 
of this unhealthy fettlement, I refer to the 
work itfelf, having, I think, quoted 
enough to prove my pofitions ; and I fhall 
now return to my own obfervations. 
Although a farmer may not command 
money enough to purcha‘e an eftate, he 
may furely raife enough to pay for his 
paflage (only twelve guineas in the fteer- 
age, and found provifions*) ; he will then 
be at liberty to make his choice of lands, 
and will have them with a good title, and 
at the American market price. If he 
thould be aétually unable to pay his paf- 
fage, he muft, of courfe, apply to fome of 
thofe agents, who are every where through- 
out theft iflands, beating up for emigrants, 
‘and he muft make the beft terms he can 
with them. [I thall only repeat what I 
have faid before, that however moderate 
thefe may appear to be, they are really 
exorbitant, and if a proprietor of Ameri- 
can land were to give away nine=tenths of 
them to actual fetlers, the remaining one 
tenth would be a very profitable fpecula- 
tion.t Thefe obfervations may, theiefore 
prove ufeful to him, as he will know his 
own confequence, and drive his bargain 
accordingly. 
We come now to mechanics ; without 
touching upon any fpeculative theories of 
Franklin, Abbé Mably, Briffot, Price, 
and numerous other writers, that manu- 
facturers cannot thrivein the United States, 
at leaft for a long time to come, I fhall 
ftate my obfervation to be, that they do 
not thrive. Scarcely any trades do well 
there but what are termed ufeful, that is, 
fuch as manufaéture articles which, from 
acquired habits, are looked upon as efien- 
tially neceffary; for inftance, a carpenter 
and a black{mith, and thofe only ina 
rough way ; as for mechanics in the orna-- 
mental or fine work, they will never find 
their purpofe anfwered, becaufe the Ame- 
ricans are fond of Englifh goods, which 
are continually pouring in of new patterns, 
fuperior workmanfhip, and in {pite of the 
import-duties, of a lower: price than 
* This is very well for a fingle man, and 
J have even known above twenty decent 
- women, fteerage paflengers, in one fhip. 
If you think it will be worth your rea- 
ders attention, I defign to make this the fub- 
jet of another paper, in which, by laying 
open the whole progrefs and arcana of Ame- 
sican land-jobbing, I will®prove it to a dee 
monftration, 
American-made articles, owing to the 
exceffively high price of labour, An 
Englifh mechanic, when he firft goes to 
the United States, will readily get employ 
and good wages; but all of them com- 
plain that the Americans place natives 
about them to pick the teeth out of their 
heads (i. e. to learn their mode of doing 
things), and when their end is gained, or 
if they cannot gain their end, through the 
mechanic’s demanding, as almoft all of 
them do, a feparate workfhop, they offer 
them fuch wages as they-will not accept, 
or have no further employ for them. For 
this reafon, if they have a little money, 
they almoft in every inftance, leave off 
their bufinefs and take a tavern or a ftore 
(a fhop), as a more certain way of getting 
a living. I have known but one inftance 
of an Englifh mechanic realizing a pro- 
periy folely by his calling, from one end of 
the United States to the other, North and 
South; but I have known more than a 
hundred who have been obliged to turn 
their hand to fomething elfe, or, as moft 
of them do, to every thing they can. If 
a mechanic goes over to the United States 
a complete workman, it is natural and 
obvious that he every day become worfe. 
His employers have no capital, they can- 
not confequently keep any ftock before- 
hand, or what is not befpoke; fo that if 
the journeyman makes large wages for the 
time he works, the time he is out of werk, 
mcre than {wallows it up. He invents 
nothing, becaufe the fafhions come from 
Englard, he muft, therefore, become only 
an imitator, but moft commonly only a 
jobber or mender of Englifh goods. Thus 
he lofes his practice and he is fenfible of 
it. If he fets up for himfeif, he mut 
work by himfelf; and one mechanic’s 
hand, although, with conftant employ, 
they may do fomewhat more than maintain 
him, will not makea fortune. The Ame- 
rican youth, who are men fo foon as they 
are boys, are feldom, 1 believe I may fay 
never, brought up to ferve a regular ap- 
preaticefhip: they are not induftrious, per- 
haps owing to the climate; they are very 
bad workmen in every refpect, except 
three, fhip building, the coarfer kind of 
iron work and mafonry ; and Jaft of all, 
they will expeé from one and a half to three 
dollars aday, for the little and bad work 
they do,anc even then are not to be depend- 
ed onto finifhit intime. Another and the 
ftrongeft realon, perhaps, againft mecha- 
nics thriving in the United States, is the 
total want of emulation.. In England, 
the apprentice ftrives to become a good 
workman, by the time his apprenticefhip 
expires, 
