1804.] Information refpecting Emigration to North America. 
expires; the workman is anxious to be- 
come the foreman of the works; and the 
foreman is induftrious in hopes to get 
into partnerfhip, or to be able to fet up 
for himfelf. This emulation may be car- 
ried up to the higheft ranks in the ftate; 
the man of little bufine!s wifhes to increafe 
it, he (trives to realize a fortune, that done, 
he looks to refpeftability, and perhaps a 
feat in Parliament. There is none of this 
emulation in the United States, and it can 
be attributed to no other fource, that I 
have been able to difcover, than the nature 
of a republican government, which affecis 
equality and damps emulation. If an 
employer (which is the appellation given 
to matiers) is obliged to pay large wages, 
difproportionate to his gains, he can never 
be very rich himfelf; and the employed are 
generally better off than he is;and as by 
the laws of equality man is man, the fer- 
vant is as reputable as the mafter, and 
having lefs trouble and care, is very little 
folicitous to get higher. I fhall clofe this 
head by obferving that if an Englith 
mechanic happens to continue to work at 
his bufinefs until he dies, he never has a 
fucceffor to him in it, even although he 
has children; it dies with him. 
Now for the Labourer! The iniquity 
of the African flave-trade is fo glaring, 
that being driven out of the ftrong hold of 
- faét, it has fled to fophiftry for thelter. 
The defenders of the prattice affect to 
believe the Africans of a different {pecies, 
a fort of cattle; it will be well for them 
if this fophiftry will avail them before the 
Supreme tribunal. I come now to de- 
{cribe another fort of flave trade, which 
has not even that fhallow plea to defend ic; 
I mean the importation of poor emigrants 
into the United States. A Philadelphia 
{peculator of great wealth and credit firft 
hit upon this expedient, and as it an{wer- 
ed pretty well, he foon had competitors. 
This traffic, as lately, and at this day pur- 
fued, is as follows: agents are maintained 
all over this United Kingdom (befides 
Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerlard, 
Germany, &c.), particularly in the North 
of Scotland and Ireland, whole bufinefs it 
is to go to public houfes, and enter into 
converfation with thofe who fhall give 
fymptoms of difcontent, either on the fcore 
of politics, religion, or their own private 
circuinftances. Thefe agents deal out 
profufely the defcription of which Monfieur 
Volney has given a fpecimen, but more 
highly varnifhed, as their hearers are 
more ignorant or credulous. Moreover, 
if they happen to be bigots, the agents 
301 
tell them that all religions are the fame 
(pretty nearly the truth !) in the United 
States, and that a Roman Catholic is as 
eligible to be prefident as one of any othe? 
or no religion at all, if he can but get 
eleS&ted!! ‘* But how,” fay the hearers, 
are we to get thither without money ?”— 
‘© Nothing eafier,”’ replies the agent ; 
an American veflel will be in fuch a port 
at fuch atime, and if you cannot pay for 
your paflage, you have only to indent 
yourfelf to him for three or five years. 
When you arrive in the United States, 
you will be at liberty to choofe a mafter 
fof yourfelf ; you will be treated as one of 
the family,-for there is no difference be- 
tween matter and fervant there ; and when 
your indentures are out, you may get a 
bit of a freehold for youriglf, &c. The 
veffel arrives—the agent has his victims 
ready, or foon gets them, as one, after he 
is perfuaded himfelf, takes pains to per- 
fuade another; and 3co or 400 of them are 
crammed into a veflel of about 250 or 300 
tons, which is purpofely ftored with old 
fhip’s provifions (chat is, {uch as the Ame- 
rican failors will not touch), and they de- 
part. After the (I need not add dread- 
ful) pafiage, they are fent on fhore to run 
about the town and afk, from door to door, 
who will buy their indentures? Some will 
take only the man, and have nothing to do 
with the wife and children; fone the wife 
and not the hufband and children; fo 
that it very often happens that they are 
feparated, Thofe deluded wretches, thus — 
difgracefully running about the ftreets of 
Philadelphia. I have heard the Pwiladelphi- 
ans term ‘* White Slaves!” and the term 
is quite appropriate. Thofe, who cannot 
get matters in town, are fent into tie coun- 
try. Now, fuppofing all of them to have 
got malters, they are as much in the power 
of their mafters as an African flave is, 
except life and death. They are beaten 
and fent to gaol ad libitum. Innumerable 
have been the initances where the matters, 
when the indentures have been nearly run 
out, have treated their fervants with inten- 
tional cruelty to make them run away, 
and, unable to bear it, they have done fo. 
They are fure to be apprehended, and the 
mildnefs of the American government 
dooms them to ferve the wole time over 
again, although but oze week fhould have 
been wanting to its completion when they 
abfconded. ‘The cruel'y of the matters ts 
not allowed for an excufe. Some matters 
contrive to advance, or pretend they have 
advanced, little trifles to the fervants, who 
are purpofely kept fhort, and cannot earna 
penny 
