Imatges de pàgina
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Ctizens.

INFORMATION TO INTENDING EMIGRANTS.

Those who desire to understand the state of government in America, would do well to read the constituons of the several States, and the articles of confederaon which bind the whole together for general purposes, under the direction of one assembly, called the Congress. Those constitutions have been printed, by order of ConPress, in America; two editions of them have been printed in London; and a good translation of them in French has lately been published at Paris.

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all the necessary and useful kinds, to supply those of linen and woollen goods for sale, has been several altivators of the earth with houses, and with furniture times attempted in different provinces; but those proand utensils of the grosser sorts, which cannot so well jects have generally failed, goods of equal value being be brought from Europe. Tolerably good workmen in imported cheaper. And when the governments have any of those mechanic arts, are sure to find employ, been solicited to support such schemes by encourageand to be well paid for their work, there being no re- ments in money, or by imposing duties on importation straints preventing strangers from exercising any art of such goods, it has been generally refused, on this tey understand, nor any permission necessary. If principle, that if the country is ripe for the manufacture, hey are poor, they begin first as servants or journey- it may be carried on by private persons to advantage; men; and if they are sober, industrious, and frugal, and, if not, it is folly to think of forcing nature. Great they soon become masters, establish themselves in establishments of manufactures require great numbers business, marry, raise families, and become respectable of poor to do the work for small wages; those poor are to be found in Europe, but will not be found in America, Also, persons of moderate families and capitals, who, till the lands are all taken up and cultivated, and the aving a number of children to provide for, are desi- excess of people who cannot get land want employment. reas of bringing them up to industry, and to secure The manufacture of silk, they say, is natural in France, states to their posterity, have opportunities of doing it as that of cloth in England, because each country proin America which Europe does not afford. There they duces in plenty the first material; but if England will may be taught and practise profitable mechanic arts, have a manufacture of silk as well as that of cloth, and without incurring disgrace on that account; but, on the France of cloth as well as that of silk, these unnatural Contrary, acquiring respect to such abilities. There operations must be supported by mutual prohibitions, all capitals laid out in lands, which daily become more or high duties, on the importation of each other's goods; valuable by the increase of people, afford a solid pro- by which means the workmen are enabled to tax the spect of ample fortunes thereafter for those children. home consumer by greater prices, while the higher The writer of this has known several instances of large wages they receive makes them neither happier nor tracts of land bought on what was then the frontiers of richer, since they only drink more and work less. Pennsylvania, for ten pounds per hundred acres, which, Therefore the governments in America do nothing to after twenty years, when the settlements had been encourage such projects. The people by this means extended far beyond them, sold readily, without any are not imposed on either by the merchant or mechanic: improvement made upon them, for three pounds per if the merchant demands too much profit on imported acre. The acre in America is the same with the Eng- shoes, they buy of the shoemaker; and if he asks too sh acre, or the acre of Normandy. high a price, they take them of the merchant: thus the two professions are checks on each other. The shoemaker, however, has on the whole a considerable profit upon his labour in America, beyond what he had in Europe, as he can add to his price a sum nearly equal to all the expenses of freight and commission, risk or assurance, &c., necessarily charged by the merchant. And the case is the same with the workman in every other mechanic art. Hence it is, that the artizans generally live better and more easily in America than Several of the princes of Europe have of late, from in Europe; and such as are good economists make a an opinion of advantage to arise by producing all com- comfortable provision for age, and for their children. modities and manufactures within their own dominions, Such may, therefore, remove with advantage to America. as to diminish or render useless their importations, In the old long-settled countries of Europe, all arts, adeavoured to entice workmen from other countries, trades, professions, farms, &c., are so full, that it is difby high salaries, privileges, &c. Many persons, pre-ficult for a poor man who has children to place them tending to be skilled in various great manufactures, magining that America must be in want of them, and that the Congress would probably be disposed to imitate the princes above mentioned, have proposed to go over on condition of having their passages paid, lands given, salaries appointed, exclusive privileges for terms of years, &c. Such persons, on reading the articles of confederation, will find that the Congress have no power rmitted to them, or money put into their hands, for sach purposes; and that, if any such encouragement is Even, it must be by the government of some separate tate. This, however, has rarely been done in Amenea; and when it has been done, it has rarely succeeded o as to establish a manufacture, which the country was t yet so ripe for, as to encourage private persons set it up; labour being generally too dear, and bands difficult to be kept together, every one desiring be a master, and the cheapness of land inclining any to leave trades for agriculture. Some indeed Are met with success, and are carried on to advange; but they are generally such as require only a hands, or wherein great part of the work is permed by machines. Goods that are bulky, and of so small a value as not well to bear the expense of freight, ay often be made cheaper in the country than they an be imported; and the manufacture of such goods ll be profitable wherever there is a sufficient demand. The farmers in America produce indeed a good deal of ol and flax, and none is exported-it is all worked up; ut it is in the way of domestic manufacture, for the se of the family. The buying up quantities of wool ad flax, with the design to employ spinners, weavers, e. and form great establishments, producing quantities

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where they may gain, or learn to gain, a decent livelihood. The artizans, who fear creating future rivals in business, refuse to take apprentices, but upon conditions of money, maintenance, or the like, which the parents are unable to comply with. Hence the youth are dragged up in ignorance of every gainful art, and obliged to become soldiers, or servants, or thieves, for a subsistence. In America, the rapid increase of inhabitants takes away that fear of rivalship, and artizans willingly receive apprentices from the hope of profit by their labour, during the remainder of the time stipulated, after they shall be instructed. Hence it is easy for poor families to get their children instructed; for the artizans are so desirous of apprentices, that many of them will even give money to the parents, to have boys from 10 to 15 years of age bound apprentices to them till the age of 21; and many poor parents have, by that means, on their arrival in the country, raised money enough to buy land sufficient to establish themselves, and to subsist the rest of the family by agriculture. These contracts for apprentices are made before a magistrate, who regulates the agreement according to reason and justice; and, having in view the formation of a future useful citizen, obliges the master to engage by a written indenture, not only that, during the time of service stipulated, the apprentice shall be duly provided with meat, drink, apparel, washing, and lodging, and at its expiration with a complete new suit of clothes, but also, that he shall be taught to read, write, and cast accounts; and that he shall be well instructed in the art or profession of his master, or some other, by which he may afterwards gain a livelihood, and be able in his turn to raise a family. A copy of this indenture is given to the

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THOUGHTS ON COMMERCIAL SUBJECTS.

children, will be so distressed by a high price of corn as to need relief; and these should be taken care of by particular benefactions, without restraining the farmer's profit.

apprentice or his friends, and the magistrate keeps a | every district, who, from sickness or a great number of record of it, to which recourse may be had, in case of failure by the master in any point of performance. This desire among the masters to have more hands employed in working for them, induces them to pay the passage of young persons of both sexes, who, on their arrival, agree to serve them one, two, three, or four years; those who have already learned a trade agreeing for a shorter term, in proportion to their skill, and the consequent immediate value of their service; and those who have none, agreeing for a longer term, in consideration of being taught an art their poverty would not permit them to acquire in their own country.

The almost general mediocrity of fortune that prevails in America, obliging its people to follow some business for subsistence, those vices that arise usually ♦ from idleness, are in a great measure prevented. Industry and constant employment are great preservatives of the morals and virtue of a nation. Hence bad examples to youth are more rare in America, which must be a comfortable consideration to parents. To this may be truly added, that serious religion, under its various denominations, is not only tolerated, but respected and practised. Atheism is unknown there; and infidelity rare and secret: so that persons may live to a great age in that country, without having their piety shocked by meeting with either an atheist or infidel. And the Divine Being seems to have manifested his approbation of the mutual forbearance and kindness with which the different sects treat each other, by the remarkable prosperity with which he has been pleased to favour the whole country.

THOUGHTS ON COMMERCIAL SUBJECTS.

OF EMBARGOES UPON CORN, AND OF THE poor.

IN inland high countries, remote from the sea, and whose rivers are small, running from the country, and not to it, as is the case with Switzerland, great distress may arise from a course of bad harvests, if public granaries are not provided and kept well stored. "Anciently, too, before navigation was so general, ships so plenty, and commercial transactions so well established, even maritime countries might be occasionally distressed by bad crops. But such is now the facility of communication between those countries, that an unrestrained commerce can scarce ever fail of procuring a sufficiency for any of them. If, indeed, any government is so imprudent as to lay its hands on imported corn, forbid its exportation, or compel its sale at limited prices, there the people may suffer some famine from merchants avoiding their ports. But wherever commerce is known to be always free, and the merchant absolute master of his commodity, as in Holland, there will always be a reasonable supply.

When an exportation of corn takes place, occasioned by a higher price in some foreign countries, it is common to raise a clamour, on the supposition that we shall thereby produce a domestic famine. Then follows a prohibition, founded on the imaginary distresses of the poor. The poor, to be sure, if in distress, should be relieved; but if the farmer could have a high price for his corn from the foreign demand, must he, by a prohibition of exportation, be compelled to take a low price, not of the poor only, but of every one that eats bread, even the richest? The duty of relieving the poor is incumbent on the rich; but by this operation the whole burden of it is laid on the farmer, who is to relieve the rich at the same time. Of the poor, too, those who are maintained by the parishes have no right to claim this sacrifice of the farmer; as, while they have their allowance, it makes no difference to them whether bread be cheap or dear. Those working poor, who now mind business only five or four days in the week, if bread should be so dear as to oblige them to work the whole six required by the commandment, do not seem to be aggrieved so as to have a right to public redress. There will then remain comparatively only a few families in

Those who fear that exportation may so far drain the country of corn as to starve ourselves, fear what never did, nor never can, happen. They may as well, when they view the tide ebbing towards the sea, fear that all the water will leave the river. The price of corn, like water, will find its own level. The more we export, the dearer it becomes at home; the more is received abroad, the cheaper it becomes there; and as soon as these prices are equal, the exportation stops of course. As the seasons vary in different countries, the calamity of a bad harvest is never universal. If, then, all ports were always open, and all commerce free, every maritime country would generally eat bread at the medium price, or average of all the harvests; which would probably be more equal than we can make by our artificial regulations, and therefore a more steady encouragement to agriculture. The nation would all have bread at this middle price; and that nation, which at any time inhumanely refuses to relieve the distresses of another nation, deserves no compassion when in distress itself.

OF THE EFFECTS OF DEARNESS OF PROVISIONS UPON WORKING,

AND UPON MANUFACTURES.

The common people do not work for pleasure generally, but from necessity. Cheapness of provisions makes them more idle; less work is then done; it is then more in demand proportionally, and of course the price rises. Dearness of provisions obliges the manufacturer to work more days and more hours; thus more work is done than equals the usual demand: of course it becomes cheaper, and the manufactures in conse

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Perhaps, in general, it would be better if government meddled no farther with trade than to protect it, and let it take its course. Most of the statutes, or acts, edicts, or arrests, and placards of parliaments, princes, and states, for regulating, directing, or restraining of trade, have, we think, been either political blunders, or jobs obtained by artful men for private advantage, under pretence of public good. When Colbert assembled some of the wise old merchants of France, and desired their advice and opinion how he could best serve and promote commerce, their answer, after consultation, was in three words only, Laissez nous faire; "Let us alone." It is said by a very solid writer of the same nation, that he is well advanced in the science of politics who knows the full force of that maxim, Pas trop gouverner-"Not to govern too much;" which, perhaps, would be of more use when applied to trade, than in any other public concern.

It were therefore to be wished, that commerce were as free between all the nations of the world as it is between the several counties of England; so would all, by mutual communications, obtain more enjoyments. Those counties do not ruin each other by trade, neither would the nations. No nation was ever ruined by trade, even, seemingly, the most disadvantageous.

Wherever desirable superfluities are imported, industry is excited, and thereby plenty is produced. Were only necessaries permitted to be purchased, men would work no more than necessary for that purpose.

OF PROHIBITIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE EXPORTATION OF
GOLD AND SILVER.

Could Spain and Portugal have succeeded in executing their foolish laws for hedging in the cuckoo, as Locke calls it, and have kept at home all the gold and silver, those metals would by this time have been of little more value than so much lead or iron. Their plenty would have lessened their value. We see the folly of these edicts; but are not our own prohibitory and restrictive laws, that are professedly made with intention to bring

ACCOUNT OF THE CUSTOM OF WHITEWASHING.

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a balance in our favour from our trade with foreign | to fill up the remainder of this sheet, and may afford nations to be paid in money, and laws to prevent the you some amusement. necessity of exporting that money, which, if they could be thoroughly executed, would make money as plenty, and of as little value-I say, are not such laws akin to those Spanish edicts-follies of the same family?

OF THE RETURNS FOR FOREIGN ARTICLES.

In fact, the produce of other countries can hardly be obtained, unless by fraud and rapine, without giving the produce of our land or our industry in exchange for them. If we have mines of gold and silver, gold and silver may then be called the produce of our land; if we have not, we can only fairly obtain those metals by giving for them the produce of our land or industry. When we have them, they are then only that produce or industry in another shape; which we may give, if the trade requires it, and our other produce will not suit, in exchange for the produce of some other country that furnishes what we have more occasion for, or more desire. When we have, to an inconvenient degree, parted with our gold and silver, our industry is stimulated afresh to procure more, that by its means we may contrive to procure the same advantages.

When a young couple are about to enter into the matrimonial state, a never-failing article in the marriage-treaty is, that the lady shall have and enjoy the free and unmolested exercise of the rights of whitewashing, with all its ceremonials, privileges, and appurtenances. A young woman would forego the most advantageous connection, and even disappoint the warmest wish of her heart, rather than resign the invaluable right. You would wonder what this privilege of white-washing is: I will endeavour to give you some idea of the ceremony, as I have seen it performed. There is no season of the year in which the lady may not claim her privilege, if she pleases; but the latter end of May is most generally fixed upon for the purpose. The attentive husband may judge by certain prognostics when the storm is nigh at hand. When the lady is unusually fretful, finds faults with the servants, is discontented with the children, and complains much of the filthiness of every thing about her these are signs which ought not to be neglected; yet they are not decisive, as they sometimes come on and go off again, without producing any farther effect. But if, when the husband rises in the morning, he should observe When princes make war by prohibiting commerce, in the yard a wheel-barrow with a quantity of lime in each may hurt himself as much as his enemy. Traders, it, or should see certain buckets with lime dissolved who by their business are promoting the common good in water, there is then no time to be lost; he immeof mankind, as well as farmers and fishermen, who diately locks up the apartment or closet where his palabour for the subsistence of all, should never be inter-pers or private property is kept, and, putting the key rupted or molested in their business, but enjoy the pro- in his pocket, betakes himself to flight; for a husband, tection of all in the time of war, as well as in the time however beloved, becomes a perfect nuisance during of peace. this season of female rage-his authority is superseded, his commission is suspended, and the very scullion who cleans the brasses in the kitchen, becomes of more consideration and importance than he. He has nothing for it but to abdicate, and run from an evil which he can neither prevent nor mollify.

OF RESTRAINTS UPON COMMERCE IN TIME OF WAR.

This policy those we are pleased to call barbarians have, in a great measure, adopted: for the trading subjects of any power with whom the emperor of Morocco may be at war, are not liable to capture, when within sight of his land, going or coming; and have otherwise free liberty to trade and reside in his dominions.

As a maritime power, we presume it is not thought right that Great Britain should grant such freedom, except partially, as in the case of war with France, when tobacco is allowed to be sent thither under the sanction of passports.

EXCHANGES IN TRADE MAY BE GAINFUL TO EACH PARTY.

In transactions of trade it is not to be supposed that, like gaming, what one party gains the other must necessarily lose. The gain to each may be equal. If A has more corn than he can consume, but wants cattle, and B has more cattle, but wants corn, exchange is gain to each: hereby the common stock of comforts in life is increased.

OF PAPER CREDIT.

It is impossible for government to circumscribe or fix the extent of paper credit, which must of course fluctuate. Government may as well pretend to lay down rules for the operations, or the confidence, of every individual in the course of his trade. Any seeming temporary evil arising must naturally work its own

cure.

HUMOROUS ACCOUNT

OF A CUSTOM AMONG THE AMERICANS, ENTITLED WHITE-
WASHING.

My wish is to give you some account of the people
of these new States, but I am far from being qualified
for the purpose, having as yet seen little more than
the cities of New York and Philadelphia. I have dis-
covered but few national singularities among them.
Their customs and manners are nearly the same with
those of England, which they have long been used to
copy; for, previous to the revolution, the Americans
were from their infancy taught to look up to the Eng-
lish as patterns of perfection in all things. I have ob-
served, however, one custom, which, for aught I know,
is peculiar to this country; an account of it will serve

The husband gone, the ceremony begins. The walls
are in a few minutes stripped of their furniture; paint-
ings, prints, and looking-glasses, lie in a huddled heap
about the floors; the curtains are torn from the tes-
ters; the beds crammed into the windows; chairs and
tables, bedsteads and cradles, crowd the yard; and
the garden fence bends beneath the weight of carpets,
blankets, cloth cloaks, old coats, and ragged breeches.
Here may be seen the lumber of the kitchen, forming
a dark and confused mass; for the foreground of the
picture, gridirons and fryingpans, rusty shovels and
broken tongs, spits and pots, and the fractured remains
of rush-bottomed chairs. There a closet has disgorged
its bowels, cracked tumblers, broken wine glasses, phials
of forgotten physic, papers of unknown powders, seeds
and dried herbs, handfuls of old corks, tops of teapots,
and stoppers of departed decanters;-from the rag-
hole in the garret to the rat-hole in the cellar, no place
escapes unrummaged. It would seem as if the day of
general doom was come, and the utensils of the house
were dragged forth to judgment. In this tempest, the
words of Lear naturally present themselves, and might,
with some alteration, be made strictly applicable :-
"Let the great gods,

That keep this dreadful pudder o'er our heads,
Find out their en'mies now. Tremble, thou wretch,
That hast within thee undivulged crimes
Unwhipt of justice!"

"Close pent-up guilt,

Raise your concealing continents, and ask
These dreadful summoners grace!"

This ceremony completed, and the house thoroughly evacuated, the next operation is to smear the walls and ceilings of every room and closet with brushes dipped in a solution of lime, called white-wash-to pour buckets of water over every floor, and scratch all the partitions and wainscots with rough brushes wet with soap-suds, and dipped in stone-cutter's sand. The windows by no means escape the general deluge. A servant scrambles out upon the pent-house, at the risk of her neck; and with a mug in her hand, and a bucket within reach,

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she dashes away innumerable gallons of water against | fancies, and made so ornamental, that the women have the glass panes, to the great annoyance of the passengers in the street.

I have been told that an action at law was once brought against one of these water nymphs, by a person who had a new suit of clothes spoiled by this operation; but, after long argument, it was determined by the whole court that the action would not lie, inasmuch as the defendant was in the exercise of a legal right, and not answerable for the consequences and so the poor gentleman was doubly nonsuited; for he lost not only his suit of clothes, but his suit at law.

These smearings and scratchings, washings and dashings, being duly performed, the next ceremony is to cleanse and replace the distracted furniture. You may have seen a house raising, or a ship-launch, when all the hands within reach are collected together: recollect, if you can, the hurry, bustle, confusion, and noise, of such a scene, and you will have some idea of this cleaning match. The misfortune is, that the sole object is to make things clean-it matters not how many useful, ornamental, or valuable articles are mutilated, or suffer death, under the operation: a mahogany chair and carved frame undergo the same discipline; they are to be made clean at all events, but their preservation is not worthy of attention. For instance, a fine large engraving is laid flat upon the floor-smaller prints are piled upon it—and the superincumbent weight cracks the glasses of the lower tier; but this is of no consequence. A valuable picture is placed leaning against the sharp corner of a table; others are made to lean against that, until the pressure of the whole forces the corner of the table through the canvass of the first. The frame and glass of a fine print are to be cleaned the spirit and oil used on this occasion are suffered to leak through and spoil the engraving; no matter, if the glass is clean, and the frame shine, it is sufficient-the rest is not worthy of consideration. An able arithmetician has made an accurate calculation, founded on long experience, and has discovered, that the losses and destructions incident to two white-washings are equal to one removal, and three removals equal to one fire.

The cleaning frolic over, matters begin to resume their pristine appearance. The storm abates, and all would be well again, but it is impossible that so great a convulsion, in so small a communion, should not produce some farther effects. For two or three weeks after the operation, the family are usually afflicted with sore throats or sore eyes, occasioned by the caustic quality of the lime, or with severe colds, from the exhalations of wet floors or damp walls.

I know a gentleman who is fond of accounting for every thing in a philosophical way. He considers this, which I have called a custom, as a real periodical disease, peculiar to the climate. His train of reasoning is ingenious and whimsical; but I am not at leisure to give you a detail. The result was, that he found the distemper to be incurable; but, after much study, he conceived he had discovered a method to divert the evil he could not subdue. For this purpose he caused a small building, about twelve feet square, to be erected in his garden, and furnished with some ordinary chairs and tables; and a few prints of the cheapest sort were hung against the wall. His hope was, that when the white-washing frenzy seized the females of his family, they might repair to this apartment, and scrub, and smear, and scour, to their heart's content; and so spend the violence of the disease in this out-post, while he enjoyed himself in quiet at head-quarters. But the experiment did not answer his expectation; it was impossible it should, since a principal part of the gratification consists in the lady's having an uncontrolled right to torment her husband at least once a-year, and to turn him out of doors, and take the reins of government into her own hands.

There is a much better contrivance than this of the philosopher's, which is to cover the walls of the house with paper; this is generally done, and though it cannot abolish, it at least shortens the period of female dominion. The paper is decorated with flowers of various

admitted the fashion without perceiving the design. There is also another alleviation of the husband's dis tress; he generally has the privilege of a small room or closet for his books and papers, the key of which he is allowed to keep. This is considered as a privileged place, and stands like the land of Goshen amid the plagues of Egypt. But then he must be extremely cautious, and ever on his guard; for should he inadvertently go abroad and leave the key in his door, the housemaid, who is always on the watch for such an opportunity, immediately enters in triumph with buckets, brooms, and brushes; takes possession of the premises, and forthwith puts all his books and papers to rightsto his utter confusion, and sometimes serious detriment. For instance :

A gentleman was sued by the executors of a tradesman, on a charge found against him in the deceased's books, to the amount of £30. The defendant was strongly impressed with an idea that he had discharged the debt, and taken a receipt; but as the transaction was of long standing, he knew not where to find the receipt. The suit went on in course, and the time approached when judgment would be obtained against him. He then sat seriously down to examine a large bundle of old papers, which he had untied and displayed on a table for that purpose. In the midst of his search, he was suddenly called away on business of importance; he forgot to lock the door of his room. The housemaid, who had been long looking out for such an opportunity, immediately entered with the usual implements, and with great alacrity fell to cleaning the room, and putting things to rights. The first object that struck her was the confused situation of the papers on the table; these were without delay bundled together like so many dirty knives and forks; but in the action a small piece of paper fell unnoticed on the floor, which happened to be the very receipt in question: as it had no very respectable appearance, it was soon after swept out with the common dirt of the room, and carried in a rubbish pan into the yard. The tradesman had neglected to enter the credit in his book; the defendant could find nothing to obviate the charge-and so judgment went against him for the debt and costs. A fortnight after the whole was settled, and the money paid, one of the children found the receipt among the rubbish in the yard.

There is also another custom peculiar to the city of Philadelphia, and nearly allied to the former; I mean that of washing the pavement before the doors every Saturday evening. I at first took this to be a regulation of the police; but, on farther inquiry, find it is a religious rite, preparatory to the Sabbath; and is, I believe, the only religious rite in which the numerous sectaries of this city perfectly agree. The ceremony begins about sunset, and continues till about ten or eleven at night. It is very difficult for a stranger to walk the streets on those evenings he runs a continual risk of having a bucket of dirty water thrown against his legs; but a Philadelphian born is so much accustomed to the danger, that he avoids it with surprising dexterity. It is from this circumstance that a Philadelphian may be known any where by his gait. The streets of New York are paved with rough stones; these indeed are not washed, but the dirt is so thoroughly swept from before the doors, that the stones stand up sharp and prominent, to the great inconvenience of those who are not accustomed to so rough a path. But habit reconciles every thing. It is diverting enough to see a Philadelphian at New York; he walks the streets with as much most painful caution as if his toes were covered with corns, or his feet lamed with the gout; while a New Yorker, as little approving the plain masonry of Philadelphia, shuffles along the pavement like a parrot on a mahogany table.

It must be acknowledged, that the ablutions I have mentioned are attended with no small inconvenience; but the women would not be induced, from any consideration, to resign their privilege. Notwithstanding this, I can give you the strongest assurances, that the

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WHITE-WASHING-A LADY'S ANSWER.

women of America make the most faithful wives, and the most attentive mothers, in the world; and I am sure you will join me in opinion, that if a married man is made miserable only one week in a whole year, he will have no great cause to complain of the matrimonial bond. I am, &c.

ANSWER TO THE ABOVE.

IN THE CHARACTER OF A LADY, BUT REALLY BY THE SAME WRITER.

SIR, I have lately seen a letter upon the subject of white-washing, in which that necessary duty of a good housewife is treated with unmerited ridicule. I should probably have forgot the foolish thing by this time; but the season coming on which most women think suitable for cleansing their apartments from the smoke and dirt of the winter, I find this saucy author dished up in every family, and his flippant performance quoted wherever a wife attempts to exercise her reasonable prerogative, or execute the duties of her station. Women generally employ their time to better purpose than scribbling. The cares and comforts of a family rest principally upon their shoulders hence it is that there are but few female authors; and the men, knowing how necessary our attentions are to their happiness, take every opportunity of discouraging literary accomplishments in the fair sex. You hear it echoed from every quarter-"My wife cannot make verses, it is true, but she makes an excellent pudding; she can't correct the press, but she can correct her children, and scold her servants, with admirable discretion; she can't unravel the intricacies of political economy and federal government, but she can knit charming stockings." And this they call praising a wife, and doing justice to her character, with much nonsense of the like kind.

I say, women generally employ their time to much better purpose than scribbling, otherwise this facetious writer had not gone so long unanswered. We have ladies who sometimes lay down the needle and take up the pen, I wonder none of them have attempted some reply. For my part, I do not pretend to be an author. I never appeared in print in my life; but I can no longer forbear saying something in answer to such impertinence, circulate how it may. Only, Sir, consider our situation. Men are naturally inattentive to the decencies of life; but why should I be so complaisant? I say, they are naturally filthy creatures. If it were not that their connection with the refined sex polished their manners, and had a happy influence on the general economy of life, these lords of the creation would wallow in filth, and populous cities would infect the atmosphere with their noxious vapours. It is the attention and assiduity of the women that prevent men from degenerating into mere swine. How important, then, are the services we render! and yet for these very services we are made the subject of ridicule and fun. Base ingratitude! Nauseous creatures! Perhaps you may think I am in a passion. No, Sir, I do assure you I never was more composed in my life; and yet it is enough to provoke a saint to see how unreasonably we are treated by the men. Why, now, there's my husband a good enough sort of a man in the main; but I will give you a sample of him. He comes into the parlour the other day, where, to be sure, I was cutting up a piece of linen. "Lord!" says he, "what a flutter here is! I can't bear to see the parlour look like a tailor's shop; besides, I am going to make some important philosophical experiments, and must have sufficient You must know my husband is one of your would-be philosophers. Well, I bundled up my linen as quick as I could, and began to darn a pair of ruffles, which took no room, and could give no offence. I thought, however, I would watch my lord and master's important business. In about half an hour the tables were covered with all manner of trumpery-bottles of water, phials of drugs, pasteboard, paper and cards, glue, paste, and gum-arabic-files, knives, scissors,

room."

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needles, rosin, wax, silk, thread, rags, jags, tags, books, pamphlets, and papers. Lord bless me! I am almost out of breath, and yet I have not enumerated half the articles. Well, to work he went; and although I did not understand the object of his manoeuvres, yet I could sufficiently discover that he did not succeed in any one operation. I was glad of that, I confess, and with good reason too: for, after he had fatigued himself with mischief, like a monkey in a china-shop, and had called the servants to clear every thing away, I took a view of the scene my parlour exhibited. I shall not even attempt a minute description; suffice it to say, that he had overset his ink-stand, and stained my best mahogany table with ink; he had spilt a quantity of vitriol, and burnt a large hole in my carpet; my marble hearth was all over spotted with melted rosin: beside this, he had broken three china cups, four wineglasses, two tumblers, and one of my handsomest decanters. And, after all, as I said before, I perceived that he had not succeeded in any one operation. By the bye, tell your friend, the white-wash scribbler, that this is one means by which our closets become furnished with halves of china bowls, cracked tumblers, broken wine-glasses, tops of tea-pots, and stoppers of departed decanters. I say, I took a view of the dirt and devastation my philosophic husband had occasioned; and there I sat, "like patience on a monument, smiling at grief;" but it worked inwardly. I would almost as soon the melted rosin and vitriol had been in his throat, as on my dear marble hearth, and my beautiful carpet. It is not true that women have no power over their own feelings; for, notwithstanding this provocation, I said nothing, or next to nothing: for I only observed very pleasantly, what a lady of my acquaintance had told me, that the reason why philosophers are called literary men, is because they make a great_litter-not a word more. However, the servant cleared away, and down sat the philosopher. A friend dropt in soon after-" Your servant, Sir; how do you do?" Lord, I am almost fatigued to death! I have been all the morning making philosophical experiments." I was now more hardly put to it to smother a laugh, than I had been just before to contain my rage; my precious went out soon after, and I, as you may suppose, mustered all my forces: brushes, buckets, soap, sand, limeskins, and cocoa-nut shells, with all the powers of housewifery, were immediately employed. I was certainly the best philosopher of the two; for my experiments succeeded, and his did not. All was well again, except my poor carpet-my vitriolised carpet -which still continued a mournful memento of philosophic fury, or rather philosophic folly. The ope ration was scarce over, when in came my experimental philosopher, and told me, with all the indifference in the world, that he had invited six gentlemen to dine with him at three o'clock. It was then past one. I complained of the short notice. "Poh! pol!" said he, "you can get a leg of mutton, and a loin of veal, and a few potatoes, which will do well enough." Heavens, what a chaos must the head of a philosopher be! a leg of mutton, a loin of veal, and potatoes! I was at a loss whether I should laugh or be angry; but there was no time for determining-I had but an hour and a half to do a world of business in. My carpet, which had suffered in the cause of experimental philosophy in the morning, was destined to be most shamefully dishonoured in the afternoon by a deluge of nasty tobacco juice. Gentlemen smokers love cigars better than carpets. Think, Sir, what a woman must endure under such circumstances: and then, after all, to be reproached with her cleanliness, and to have her white-washings, her scourings, and scrubbings, made the subject of ridicule, it is more than patience can put up with. What I have now exhibited is but a small specimen of the injuries we sustain from the boasted superiority of men. But we will not be laughed out of our cleanliness. A woman would rather be called any thing than a slut, as a man would rather be thought a knave than a fool. I had a great deal more to say, but am called away; we are just preparing to whitewash, and of course I have

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