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of course afcribed by Mr Janfon to republican liberty and equaliWe need scarcely remark, that fuch manners arise naturally out of the circumftances peculiar to thofe provinces, extenfive tracts of land, a thin population, and the want of great towns. The only feature in the New Englanders' character which cannot altogether be deduced from thofe circumftances, is the impertinent curiofity, of which fo many pleafing instances have been recorded. But this, like the other peculiarities, has as little connexion with republicanifm as with monarchy.

An English farmer, in the north especially, when asked the price of his grain, will anfwer with modeft diffidence; nay, will often be abashed at the attempt to undervalue the article. In America, the meanett planter muft go through his routine of interrogatories, and perhaps mount his political hobby-horse, before you receive an answer to your queftion. Should you happen to obferve that you can purchase for less than he demands, he will give you the lie, accompanied with a grin and an oath, and tell you to go where you can obtain it cheaper.

With the other fex, whofe curiofity is generally admitted in other countries to be by no means inferior to that of the men, you may naturally expect to fare no better. This I likewife found by manifold experience. One inftance, which occurred during the excurfion defcribed in this chapter, fhall here fuffice. Seeing a pleasant little cottage on the river Connecticut, and understanding that it was to be let, I knocked at the door, which was opened by a woman, of whom I inquired the rent of the house And where are you from?'--was the reply. Pray madam,' I again asked, is this houfe to be let?'- Be you from New York or Bofton?' faid the inquifitive dame. The place was fituated about half-way between those two towns. Impatient at this mode of reply — I'll thank you, Madam,' I repeated, to acquaint me with the price demanded for this little place? Pray what may you be?' rejoined fhe, as if fully determined not to fatisfy my inquiry till I had gratified her curiofity. I was not lefs refolute than herself, and turned my back in difguft.

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Among the females, a stranger may foon discover the pertness of republican principles. Divefted, from that caufe, of the blufhing modefty of the country girls of Europe, they will anfwer a familiar queftion from the other fex with the confidence of a French mademoiselle. I would not, however, be understood to question their chastity, of which they have as large a portion as Europeans; my object is merely to shew the force of habit, and the result of education.

The arrogance of domeftics in this land of republican liberty and equality, is particularly calculated to excite the aftonifhment of ftrangers. To call perfons of this description fervants, or to speak of their master or mistress, is a grievous affront. Having called one day at the house of a gentleman of my acquaintance, on knocking at the door, it was opened by a fervant-maid, whom I had never before seen, as she had not been long in his family. The following is the dialogue, word for word,

which took place on this occafion :- Is your mafter at home?'' I have no mafter.'-' Don't you live here.' I stay here.' And who are you then? Why, I am Mr's help. I'd have you to know, man, that I am no farvant; none but negers are farvants.

• I have frequently heard of an amufement in New England, and particularly in the ftate of Connecticut, called bundling. It is defcribed as being reforted to by lovers. The young couple retire to bed, with their clothes on, and there the lover tells his foft tale. One author fays, that "bundling has not its origin in New England, as fuppofed. It has been practifed time immemorial in Wales, and is alfo a general practice in the Isle of Portland. I was informed that fervant-girls in Connecticut demand liberty to do fo on hiring-they receive their gallants in the night in bed, with their petticoats tied to their ancles. In Holland, too, this is practifed amongst the peasants, who call it queefling.'

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The XI. Chapter contains fome curious, but perfectly wellknown particulars of the degree in which toleration exifts in the United States, and fome anecdotes relating to certain fects which are lefs known, but not worth attending to. We extract the following inftance of toleration with peculiar pleasure.

In all the other ftates, Maryland excepted, the principal merchants and men of property are chiefly of the church of England. The Roman Catholics are the moft moderate and orderly of the other fects. They have handfome churches in New York and Philadelphia. At Baltimore, a metropolitan cathedral is building, on an extenfive scale, under the patronage and protection of Bishop Clegget, a man of good fense and erudition, who governs the Catholic church throughout the United States with much propriety. To provide funds, he prevailed upon the government to grant a lottery, in which the Bishop drew the highest prize, and magnanimoufly appropriated it to the use of the church; affording a brilliant example to the other dignified clergy to 66 go and do likewife.". p. 102.

This chapter on Religious Sects is followed by a great deal of bad biography; but there is fomething pleasant in the franknefs of the confeffion which our author makes of his motive for intro

ducing it. The avidity,' he fays, with which the particulars of the lives of confpicuous characters are in general perufed by the public, has induced me to devote a portion of my work to the fubject of American biography.' This portion, however, contains nothing either new or interefting; and we almost imagine it may prove too much for the avidity above alluded to, infatiable as that is.

During his stay at New York, Mr Janfon collected a number of notes on that city; but, on comparing them with those which he afterwards collected at Philadelphia, he was induced to fupprefs much of them; because the preference of the latter city in beauty, regularity, architecture and improvement, is fo decided; ' alfo, • because

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because the former is more vifited by the English. Accordingly he gives us a description, and, what is much better, a neat plan of Philadelphia. It is better, were there no other difference, from the neceffary omiffion of Mr Janfon's wit, which his description is tinctured with. We must really let our readers tafte a little of this; for it is not fair that they should have none of the bitters, with as many of the fweets as we can gather in the wilderness of weeds now lying fpread before us. Mr Janfon is angry at the Philadelphians for departing in a flight degree from the founder's original, plan. He fays, not only fo, but they have even deviated from the original names of the ftreets. They now call Mulberry, Arch Street. There being no bridge near, I fee nothing waggish in the alteration, if intended for a stroke of wit.

We must give our readers a little more of Mr Janfon, and that for the purpose of fhewing, more ftrikingly than any general defcription can do, what fort of a writer he is; what fort of remarks he makes on men and manners, and how far he is entitled to defcant at length, on every occafion, upon the vulgarity of the North Americans. Mr Parkinfon and Mr Janfon are the authors who indulge the moft in this abufe. We meet with very little of it in the Marquis de Chaftilleux and the Duc de la Rochefoucault-Liancourt. We need not fay who those French travellers were. Mr Parkinson* we formerly introduced to our readers. Now for Mr Janfon.

In November, in each year, there are horfe-races in the capital of America. I happened to arrive juft at this time on horfeback at George Town, which is about two miles from the race-ground. After an early dinner, ferved up fooner on the occafion, a great buftle was created by the preparations for the fport. It had been my intention to pass the remainder of the day at the far-famed city, but, ftimulated by curiofity, I determined to mingle with the fporting group. Having paid for my dinner, and the refreshment for my horfe, I proceeded to the ftable. I had delivered my beaft to a yellow fellow, M'Laughlin, the landlord's head oftler. This name reminds me of an anecdote of Macklin, the English theatrical Neftor. It is faid that his proper name was M'Laugh-, lin, but diffatisfied with the harsh pronunciation, he funk the uncouth letters, and called himself Macklin. Be that as it may, I went for my, horfe, to attend the race, and repeatedly urged my dingy oftler to bring I waited long with great patience at the ftable-door, and faw him lead out a number without discovering mine. I again remonftrated, and foon heard a meffage delivered to him to faddle the horses. of Mr A. Mr B. Mr C. and so on. He now appeared with the horfes according to the recent order, leading them by their bridles. Previous to this, I had faddled my own horfe, feeing the hurry of the time; yet I thought it a compliment due to me that the fervant fhould lead him to I now fpoke in a more angry tone, conceiving myself infulted by neglect. The Indian fourly replied, I muft wait upon the gentlemen,?

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(that is, the fporting fharpers). Then,' quoth I, a gentleman neglected in his proper turn, I find, mult wait upon you.' I was provoked to knock the varlet to the ground. The horfes which he led, ftartled at the fudden impulfe, ran off, and before the oftler recovered, from the effects of the blow, or the horfes were caught, I led out my nag, and leifurely proceeded to the turf.

Here I witnetled a fcene perfectly novel. I have been at the races, of Newmarket, Epfom, York, in fhort I have feen, for aught I know to the contrary, one hundred thousand pounds won and loft in a fingle day, in England. On coming up to an enclofed ground, a quarter of a dollar was demanded for my admiffion. Rather than turn back, though no sportsman, I fubmitted. Four-wheeled carriages paid a dollar, and half that fum was exacted for the moít miferable single horse chaife. Though the day was raw, cold, and threatening to rain or fnow, there were abundance of ladies, decorated as if for a ball. In this year (1803) Congrefs was fummoned very early by Prefident Jefferson, upon the contemplated purchase of Louifiana, and to pafs a bill in order to facilitate his election again, as prefident. Many scores of American legiflators, who are all allowed fix dollars a day, befides their travelling expenfes, went on foot from the capital, above four Englifh miles, to attend the sport. Nay, it is an indifputable fact, that the houses of Congrefs adjourned at a very early hour to indulge the members for this purpose. It rained during the courfe, and thus the law-makers of the country were driven into the booths, and thereby compelled to eat and pay for what was there called a dinner; while their contemplated meal remained untouched at their refpective boarding-houfes. Economy is the order of the day, in the Jefferfonian administration of that country, and the members pretend to avail themselves of it, even in their perfonal expenfes.' p. 208-210.

It is Mr Janson's constant failing, to dwell at the greatest length upon topics neither peculiar to America, nor illustrated with any remarkable degree of happiness by what is to be found there. He devotes a long chapter to the history of various theatrical companies, and the adventures of second-rate English performers, who repaired to America in the way of their profession, besides many scattered notices of the same kind in other parts of his book. In like manner, almost all his drawings are of the least interesting kind; they are chiefly views of public buildings, as if those could be any thing but bad imitations of second-rate structures in the Old World. Such as the prints are, we certainly do not admire them the more for their confused aquatinta execution.

The nefarious practices' of the land-jobbers, occupy much of his attention, and call down all his indignation. There can be no doubt that such impositions as he describes are frequently practised upon the credulity of sanguine persons in England.

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But we do not conceive either that the extent of those frauds is so great, or their criminality so deep as he assumes. Where the staple article of commerce in a country is the uncleared land, extensive speculation in that article will naturally lead to unfair arts; and the eagerness of some persons to buy, will encourage the sellers to take undue advantage of it, and to spread it among others. The chance of such impositions must be greatly augmented, if the purchasers live at a distance from the commodity; and really, if men are so blindly fond of speculating in land, as to buy it without inspection, and, consequently, more or less upon the word of the seller, they have themselves to blame should they now and then be deceived by him.

The art of cooking up' land for the market, is described by Mr Janson as being generally practised; and his statements, we think, prove rather too much"; for he tells us, that a traveller seeing some persons planting a few trees on a rocky soil, and inquiring the purpose of so strange an operation, was immediately informed, that it was in order to cook up the land a little' for the English market. Was the English purchaser to pay half a guinea an acre (the price demanded in this instance) without seeing the land himself, or sending an agent, or employing at least an American friend to look at it? Then he had no reason to complain; and indeed the trees were so much into the bargain; for he would have paid the same price though they had not been planted. But, in all probability, he was to send some one who might inspect the ground,-otherwise, indeed, the cookery could serve no purpose; and then, how comes it to pass that the American land-cook is cunning enough to carry on his trick, and foolish enough all the time to tell the wayfaring people what he is about? Our author's story of the fraud practised by the new administration of the state of Georgia upon the purchasers of its lands, comes to us under circumstances that require us to pause and suspect. He is one of the sufferers by the transaction; and the best of men will often, without knowing it, give the most erroneous statement of his own case. Upon the whole, we have not met with any proof materially detrimental to the general character of the Americans, from the practices of land-jobbers. The tricks of certain traders, even in England, where the extent of commercial dealings has naturally checked such incorrect proceedings, might just as fairly be quoted against our mercantile character. From what has hitherto been substantiated respecting the land-jobbers, and the share taken by some of the governments in their speculations, we are disposed to guess, that the lottery department of our revenue, brings fully as much blame upon our rulers, and is

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