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diff --git a/24752.txt b/24752.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4721f31 --- /dev/null +++ b/24752.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1023 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Achenwall's Observations on North America, by +Gottfried Achenwall + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Achenwall's Observations on North America + +Author: Gottfried Achenwall + +Translator: J.G. Rosengarten + +Release Date: March 4, 2008 [EBook #24752] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ACHENWALL'S OBSERVATIONS *** + + + + +Produced by Frank van Drogen, Bernd Meyer and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + + + ACHENWALL'S OBSERVATIONS + + ON + + NORTH AMERICA + + 1767 + + + TRANSLATED BY + + J. G. ROSENGARTEN + + + + + _Reprinted from the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, + January, 1903_ + + + + + PHILADELPHIA + 1903 + + + + + + ACHENWALL'S OBSERVATIONS ON NORTH + AMERICA, 1767. + + + [Franklin paid a short visit to Germany in the summer of 1766, and + at Goettingen met a number of the professors of the University. One + of them, Professor Achenwall, published in the "Hanoverian + Magazine," in the volume beginning 1767, p. 258, etc., "Some + Observations on North America and the British Colonies from verbal + information of Dr. Franklin," and this article was reprinted in + Frankfort and Leipsic in 1769. There is a copy of this reprint in + the Loganian Library, from which the following translation was + made. There is a copy of the Magazine in the Astor Library, New + York. It is of interest as showing the impression made by Franklin + on his German auditors, although it is clear that Achenwall did not + report quite correctly.--J. G. R.] + +The most complete work on the British Colonies in North America is the +Summary historical and political by William Douglas, of which the second +improved edition was published in London, 1760, in two 8vo. volumes. +That doctor collected material for many years and was in America, and +gives valuable intelligence, especially of the Colonies he visited, but +his book has no system. Prof. Kalm has much that is good in his travels +in North America, and often cites Franklin, but did not altogether +understand what he said, and Franklin never saw Kalm's book until he +came across a German translation in Hanover. + +The east coast of North America, where the British Colonies lie, is +generally colder than the countries on the same stretch in Europe, nor +has it been observed that owing to the decay of forests and cultivation +the climate is becoming noticeably milder. Almost the whole eastern +coast of North America is sandy, many little islands along the coast are +sand banks, thrown up gradually by the sea. The coast of Florida is +sandy and unfruitful, but the interior is good land. The native Indians +consist of many small nations, each with its own language, quite +different from that of their neighbors. They are all of one figure as if +descended from a common ancestor,--all brown in color, with straight +black hair, eyes all of one color, and all beardless, and they call +Europeans the bearded nation. They live in the wilds, except a few that +have been gathered in villages and are partly civilized. They live on +plants and by hunting, without farms or cattle, chickens, horses etc. + +Before the arrival of Europeans, their important plants were Turkish +corn or maize; a sort of beans; tobacco. Maize and Tobacco are found +only in America, and were brought from the new world to the old. Maize +and Beans they cook and use bear fat in place of butter as dressing, but +no salt. Smoking tobacco is an old custom, especially at their national +gatherings. These three plants they look on as a special gift of heaven. +According to an old tradition, an American found a handsome young woman +sitting on a hill,--who in acknowledging a deep bow, said she came from +above and at the end of a year would come again to the same hill. She +was there again at that time, on her right hand Maize, on her left +Beans, and on her lap Tobacco, and these three she left as a present for +the American. Before Europeans brought them, there were no other grain +or vegetables known than maize and beans, but all like the newcomers +have increased wonderfully. The Spanish historian de Solis is altogether +wrong in saying that Mexico at the time of the invasion, was a populous +and mighty state. The Mexicans were savages, without art or knowledge, +and how could they form a great state? They had neither farming nor +cattle and could not find food for a large population nor had they any +means of transportation. The weapons of the savages in North America are +bows and arrows, and they shoot with the teeth of wild animals. They +recognize some of the principles of natural law and observe them even +with their enemies. They scalp usually only the dead,--then they cut it +off with a sharp weapon and keep it as a sign of victory. Sometimes the +victim comes to life,--some such are in Pennsylvania, for scalping is +not necessarily mortal. They fight on foot, for they have no horses. The +savages living in western Pennsylvania were called by the French +Iroquois. The English call them the Five Nations or the Confederate +Indians,--they are united and were so long before the English settled. +The Mohawks first united with another nation and others joined later. +Now there are seven altogether so united. They have their regular stated +meetings and their great council considers the general good. The members +are known only by their different languages. They are called subjects of +the King, but they are not subject to British laws, and pay no taxes, +but the Colonists give them a tribute of presents. Their number does not +increase. Those living near the Europeans steadily diminish in numbers +and strength. Their two sexes are of a cold nature,--the mothers live +alone at and after the birth of children and during the years they +suckle them,--often (owing to the absence of soft food) until their +young can eat meat. Small pox and rum have played sad havoc among them. + +The English settlements in North America have grown much more slowly +than those in the West Indies, where they came about 1640, and in twenty +years had flourishing Colonies, such as Barbadoes. In North America the +Colonists came sixty years before, but at the end of the 17th Century +were small in number and in exports. This is due to the rich production +of the Sugar Islands, the absence of Indians, and the contraband trade +with Spain. The North American Colonies have in the 18th Century greatly +increased in population and wealth, far beyond the West India Islands. + +Franklin in a book published in 1751 showed that the native born +foreigners double every 25 years, in addition is the steady emigration, +and some Colonies thus double their population in 18, some in 16, and +some in 14 years. This will go on as long as there is plenty of farm +land, and this increases largely with the acquisition of Canada and +Louisiana. In 1750 there were a million, Douglas in his book estimated +that in 1760 there were 1,051,000, besides blacks and soldiers,--on that +basis in 1775 there will be 2 millions, and at the close of the 18th +Century, 4 millions. To attract foreigners, an Act of Parliament granted +English citizenship to every Protestant after seven years' residence, a +right that in England can only be obtained with great expense and +trouble by a special Act of Parliament. The Certificate of the +Provincial authorities costs only a few shillings and is good through +all England. + +Near the coast and some miles beyond, all the Middle Colonies are +settled, and new improvements are extending deeper in the interior. In +Pennsylvania, where the Penn family own all the land, any one who wants +to improve the land, chooses a piece, pays the landlord for 100 acres 10 +Pound Sterling local money, and binds himself to pay an annual rent of +half a penny for each acre,--he then becomes absolute owner, and the +little ground rent can never be increased. Sometimes the hunter builds a +wooden hut, and the nearest neighbors in the wilderness help cut the +timber, build the log hut, fill the crevices with mud, put on the roof +and put in windows and doors, and in return the owner pays them with a +gallon of brandy, and by a like good service in turn. Then he lays out +his garden and pasture and fields, cuts out the underbrush, tops the big +trees and strips the bark, so that he can sow and reap, the trees die +and hurt neither land nor crops. Many hunters have thus settled the +wilderness,--they are soon followed by poor Scotch or Irish who are +looking for homes,--these they find in this half improved +condition,--they buy from the hunters, get a patent from the +Proprietors, paying the usual charge. The hunter moves off into the +wilderness and goes to work again. The Scotch or Irishman completes the +half finished task, builds a better house of sawed timber, uses the old +log hut for a stable, later builds a house of brick and his timber house +is a good barn. Scotch and Irish often sell to the Germans, of whom from +90 to 100,000 live in Pennsylvania, and prefer to put all their earnings +into land and improvements. The Scotch or Irish are satisfied with a +fair profit, put the capital into another farm, leaving the Germans +owners of the old farms. In Pennsylvania there is no law to prevent +cutting up a farm into very small holdings nor to forbid the purchase of +very large bodies of land. There is no danger from either course, for +there is land enough for rich and poor, and the former prefer the larger +profits from trade to the small return from land. In New England, unlike +Pennsylvania, a good deal of land is let to farmers, for there are many +rich owners of large estates,--this is so too in the Carolinas, and in +other Colonies where owners of 10 or 20 or more thousands of acres bring +settlers at their own expense to improve their land. Kalm mentions +similar cases in New York. + +When an owner of land dies intestate, and there are many children to +inherit the father's farm, it is generally taken by the eldest son, and +the younger children get in money their share of its appraised +value,--the eldest son gets two shares, the other children only one +apiece. The father of a large family takes from the Proprietary a large +tract of land, which on his death can be divided among all his children. +In New England improvement of the land is made in a more regular way +than in Pennsylvania,--whole towns are laid out, and as soon as sixty +families agree to build a church and support a Minister and a +Schoolmaster, the Provincial government gives them the required +privilege, carrying with it the right to elect two deputies to the +Legislature, from the grant of 6 English square miles. Then the town or +village is laid out in a square, with the church in the centre. The land +is divided and each works his own, leaving however the forest in common, +and with the privilege of laying out another village in time. In this +way new settlements grow in New England in regular order and +succession,--every new village touching on an old one, and all steadily +increasing in wealth and numbers. Nothing of this kind is done in +Pennsylvania, where the Proprietor wants only to sell land and as much +as any one wants and wherever he likes. The mistake of this was shown +in the Indian wars. On the border were scattered houses and farms, which +could not help one another, and they were attacked singly, plundered and +destroyed, and the ruined owners with their families took refuge with +the older settlements, which became burthened with their care. + +Blacks are found in Virginia, Maryland and the two Carolinas in large +numbers, but very few in Pennsylvania and further north. In +Pennsylvania, on principle they were prevented coming as much as +possible, partly because there was no such hard work as they were fitted +for in raising tobacco, rice and indigo. In Pennsylvania, every negro +must pay a tax of 10 pounds sterling and this the master who brings him +must pay. These negroes are protected by law in all the Colonies, as +much as free men. A Colonist, even if he is the owner, who kills a +blackman, is instantly sentenced to death,--if he overworks or ill +treats his slave, the latter can complain to the judge. Then in their +own interest the masters are obliged not to give their slaves excessive +tasks or insufficient food, for their death is a loss. The negro slaves +have all the general rights of humanity except freedom and property, +neither of which they possess. + +The free in the Colonies are of two kinds, the one servant and maid, +bound for a half or a whole year, and the term ends by mutual agreement. +The other class consists of poor Scotch, Irish and Germans, who to get +to America come without paying their passage, and the ship captain finds +them a master who pays it and thus secures their service for food and +lodging and clothing, without pay, but only for a term of years, never +for life. Sometimes a father sells the services of his children to a +master, who must teach them some useful trade, farming, carpentering, +cooking. This lasts until majority,--with boys at 21, with girls at 18, +and in some cases for 8 years, but not longer. Then the children are by +law free, and their master is bound to give them the needful articles +for housekeeping, a cow, farming implements, tools etc. In this way all +poor children have the hope of establishing themselves on their majority +in freedom. The poor fathers find their comfort in this expectation, are +relieved of the care of their children in the interval, and know that +they are learning something useful and will start out in life with money +in hand without having to pay anything to the master. The masters in +turn are satisfied with the cheap service. This law has been introduced +to cure the old need of servants and apprentices. + +There is a special class of servants in the Colonies, between peasants +and slaves, those transported from Great Britain for certain crimes for +from 7 to 14 years. It is an exile from Great Britain under penalty of +prison in case of return. Such an offender is sold by the Courts to a +Ship's Captain who takes him to the Colonies and sells him as a slave +for a limited period. That over he is free. Formerly such servants were +welcomed on account of the demand for laborers, but now they are no +longer needed in the populous Colonies, they remain worthless and are +soon sent to prison for fresh offences. + +The constitutions of the British Colonies differ according to the +original grants, 1st Royal, 2nd Proprietary, 3rd Charter Governments, +and the British Parliamentary Statutes call them Plantations under +Proprietors, under Charters, under his majesty's immediate commission, +Stat. 6 Anne, cap. 30, sec. 2. The 1st class are arranged strictly +according to the British Constitution, with a Governor, who represents +the King, and two legislative branches, 1st the Council, called the +Royal Council, 2nd Representatives of towns or counties, belonging to +one Colony, these two are like the two houses of the British Parliament, +and the Council is called the Upper House, and the body of +representatives of the people the Lower House. In these three branches +are vested the law making powers of the Colony, but subject to the +Crown, hence united they are called the Assembly, although that is +popularly limited to the two Houses and often to the Lower or popular +House. The King appoints the Governor and recalls him at pleasure. The +Council also consists of royal officials dependent on the King as to +terms and nature of appointment, but generally selected from the +principal persons of the Colony, legal, financial and military officers. +Governor and Councillors have fixed salaries and certain fees, the +Governor a large fixed salary, provided in advance by the Colonies, thus +the Governor of Barbadoes has L2000, the Governor of Virginia L1000. The +popular representatives are elected annually and receive a fixed per +diem allowance. They look after the rights and privileges of the people, +just as do the Council and the Governor after those of the Crown. Every +measure approved by the three bodies becomes a law, but only +provisionally, for it must be sent to the King for approval, but if not +vetoed within three years, it is final. This is the usual rule for +Colonial governments, (with some local exceptions) in all the West India +Islands, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, both Carolinas, New Georgia, +New Scotland, New Hampshire, and I believe Quebec, East and West +Florida, and the newly acquired Caribbean Islands, and the English +consider it the best way of securing the rights of the Mother Country, +that is, Great Britain. The 2nd class is that of hereditary +Proprietors, such as those of Pennsylvania and Maryland. In the former +the English family of Penn, in the latter the Irish Lords Baltimore are +the hereditary Proprietors and Governors, as over lords they draw a +certain income from all the Colonists in proportion to their land, and +all improved land is sold at a fixed price. Both tax and price are low, +but the growth of both Colonies has made both families rich. Lord +Baltimore has the right of patron of all churches in Maryland. As +hereditary Proprietors both appoint their Lieutenant Governors, who are +confirmed by the King, and reside in the Provinces. In both Colonies +there are Assemblies,--that in Maryland consists of the Council and the +House of Commons, and subject to the right of the Proprietor, has the +same jurisdiction as that of any other Colony. + +The third kind of government is the Chartered or Free government. This +is nearest a Democracy, and is less dependent on the Crown. This form of +constitution exists in the three Colonies of New England, completely in +Connecticut and Rhode Island,--in Massachusetts with certain +restrictions. The two first named Colonies have the right to elect all +their own officers, including the Governor and Council, and to make all +needful laws without royal approval, nor can the decisions of their +Courts be appealed from. In Rhode Island even the ministers of the +Churches can be removed at the end of a year, so that they hold office +only for one year's salary. + +Massachusetts Bay formerly had these popular rights, but owing to abuses +their former privileges and freedom were repealed by the King's Bench +under Charles the Second, and only partly restored by a new Charter from +William the Third. Since then the King appoints the Governor and the +chief law and treasury and all military officers. The representatives +have the right to elect Councillors, but subject to a negative veto of +the Governor. This election in Massachusetts as well as in Connecticut +and Rhode Island, is made by both Houses, annually, because the members +of the Council hold office only for a year. + +Laws passed by the Assembly must have royal approval, and in cases +involving over L300, there is an appeal to the Privy Council in London. + +The Governor of Massachusetts has no fixed salary, but it is fixed every +year by the Assembly. (Kalm says this is so in New York also.) He must +therefore be popular with the Assembly or the King will replace him by +another likely to be so. This uncertain tenure is unpopular in Europe +because it affects unfavorably the interests of the Colony and makes +that of Great Britain dependent on the Colony. The Colonists answer that +a fixed salary would enable the Governor to live abroad and send only a +Lieutenant Governor as substitute. + +Pennsylvania has its own Constitution. Penn as Proprietor draws a +revenue of a half penny sterling local currency for every acre of +improved land, and every purchaser of wild land can buy a hundred acres +for L10 and the usual quit rent. As Proprietor he sends a Deputy, whom +he pays, and appoints all Judges, but ministers are chosen by their own +congregations in every County. The meeting of the Pennsylvania +Legislature consists of only one House, (because there is no Council) +made up of representatives of the various Counties. These are elected +annually October 1, each County holding its own meetings for the +purpose,--every inhabitant worth L50, resident for 12 years, has a +vote,--these meetings elect 8 Deputies to the Assembly,--every elector +is eligible, but mostly well to do citizens are elected. The County +gives its representatives six shillings a day, but the Deputies have to +spend more out of their own pockets. There is no bribery. Every voter +deposits a written ballot, and the persons who have the highest number +are declared elected. The purchase of votes would be very unsafe, as the +voter could always write another name on his ballot. This House with the +Lieutenant Governor is the law making power. The Governor however +depends on the Assembly for his salary, as he has no fixed allowance, +which is voted only from year to year, and if he displeases the +Assembly, it votes him no salary for the next year. The Assembly has +been for six years on bad terms with the Proprietor and has made no +grant for the Governor. The Assembly wants the Proprietor to pay tax on +his property especially towards the extraordinary war expenses. The +decision rests with the King in Council, but if the Assembly appealed, +it would be sent to the King's Bench. The fact that all Judges are +appointed by the Proprietor, makes difficulties, as he is in his own +cases both Judge and Plaintiff. The newer Colonies have institutions +based on Acts of Parliament for New Georgia, New Scotland, &c., but the +older Colonies have Charters from the King, and not from Parliament. +These Colonies claim to be subject to the King, but not to Parliament, +at least not to its arbitrary power, like the newer Colonies, which owe +their existence to Parliament. The latter are called Plantations within +his Majesty's Dominions, the former his Majesty's Plantations. + +The legal institutions of the Colonies are based on those of England, +for these are part of the Englishman's rights. All personal relations +are controlled by Statute Law and Common Law. Roman Law is recognized +only in Courts of Admiralty. The light of trial by a Jury of twelve men +is recognized just as in England. It was one of the grounds of complaint +against the Stamp Act, that questions arising under it were not tried by +Jury, but by courts specially created. + +Most of the Colonists of English descent are Presbyterians. There is not +one Bishop of the Established Church in America, although there are many +parishes belonging to it. These are all under the Bishop of London, and +every one of their clergymen must be examined and ordained in England, +at a cost of at least L40 to L50, but their stay in England helps their +education. As the Bishops have spiritual jurisdiction, there are no +ecclesiastical Courts in the Colonies, and matters pertaining to them +are settled partly by local Courts, partly by the Assemblies. The +spiritual Lords may have proposed to send a Bishop to America, but since +the time of Charles the First, that title has been greatly disliked in +the Colonies. Catholic Churches are found in Pennsylvania as well as in +Maryland, in the former because freedom of religion is universal, in the +latter because the Baltimore family, the Proprietors, were formerly +Catholics,--none are found in the other Colonies. There are Jews in +Pennsylvania and New York,--in the latter there is a Synagogue, in the +former only Schools. Pennsylvania is preeminent for the entire religious +equality or toleration, under which it has increased in population and +wealth. Roman Catholics are however excluded from all offices and from +the Assembly, because they cannot take the usual religious oath and +subscribe under the test act. This oath must be taken here as well as in +England, as well as that against the Pretender. All other Protestant +faiths enable the members to hold office. For education in science there +has long been a high school in Boston, the capital of Massachusetts, and +there is another founded in 1749 in Philadelphia, the capital of +Pennsylvania. Franklin proposed and founded it. The money was raised +partly by subscription, partly by Provincial grants. Most of the +endowment consists of land, not very productive, but of value hereafter. +This University has a President with L250 salary, and four +Professors,--two with L200, two with L150, besides fees for private +instruction. There is no College and therefore no lodging built yet. It +has the right to confer degrees. In 1764 a Medical School was added, and +it will no doubt have the power to confer degrees. There is no Law +School yet and it is not likely there will ever be one of Theology. The +University was chartered by the Assembly for the good of the Colony, but +as there are so many religious faiths all enjoying perfect equality, it +is enough if the scholars are taught their religious tenets in their own +schools with those of their own faith, while Theology is excluded. + +Farming, stockraising and fisheries nourish in all the North American +Colonies, and the forests supply all that is needed for fuel and +industry. Grapes are successfully cultivated in North America and wild +grape vines are found in some forests. The cheap wines from Canary +interfere with the production. Silk can be cultivated and mulberry trees +grow as far north as New England. Cod fishing is more valuable than a +silver mine, for it trains up good sailors and helps many industries. +New England, New Scotland and New Foundland are most largely interested +in it. Colonists have the same fishing rights in these waters as +Englishmen. The largest market is Spain and Portugal. These Catholic +countries are large consumers, and the fishermen often bless the Pope. + +The French fisheries since the recent peace have greatly diminished in +extent, but the French take a good deal of the trade, as their own +consumption is supplied by French fishing fleets. The New England +fishermen supply Portugal, Spain and Italy at a cheaper rate than the +French. + +Whale fishing is increasing, and the Island of Nantucket owns hundreds +of ships in this industry. It stretches from the mouth of the St. +Lawrence, on the coast of Greenland, as far south as Florida. Beasts of +prey do little harm,--bears and wolves rarely injure men, and bear meat +is much liked. Deer are plentiful and Buffalo are easily found and can +be tamed and used as in Asia Minor, Persia, Egypt, Ethiopia and the East +Indies as draught animals. Kalm praises the Sugar Maple and took some of +the young trees to Sweden. The sugar can replace that of the West +Indies, although it has not yet done so. The bounty on Pearl and +Potashes has made a large industry,--over a thousand tons are annually +produced. + +Ship building is growing greatly in the North American Colonies. Ships +are all built of oak, some for use at home, others for sale in England. + +Pennsylvania is mainly farming and cattle growing, just as are most of +the German countries. It has little Fishery trade, as it has a small +coast, and it has no products that can be used largely in commerce. + +The growth of the neighboring Colonies is due to their Fisheries, +Tobacco, Rice and Indigo. Pennsylvania flourishes on its farming and +cattle. Horses are raised in some Colonies, but it is better to raise +oxen, which can be used for twelve years and then killed or sold. + +The farmers are industrious and frugal, educate their families, and are +growing rich in land if not in money. + +Manufacturing, wool, flax, iron, steel, and copper, is growing,--field +pieces, rifled guns for hunters, and iron cannon are all made in the +Colonies. England does not interfere with domestic production, but it +prevents exportation, and does not allow hats to be made, lest the +English production, although made of American beaver, should be lessened +in demand in the Colonies. There is little ground for fear of American +competition, as workmen are few there, and farming is always preferred +to trades. Farmers are good fathers, and large families help economical +living. Even if manufacturing increases, it cannot keep pace with the +increase of population and the demand for goods. In 34 years the +population of Pennsylvania increased fourfold at most, but the +importation of English wares increased from L16000 Sterling to +L268000,--that is seventeen times greater. In 1725 the value of such +importations was L16000, in 1757, L268426. Four times the population +uses much more than four times, really seventeen times more goods, +because the population grows more rapidly in wealth than in numbers. +Manufactures must in time be established in the Colonies, because with +their prosperity likely to increase for centuries to come, England and +Ireland cannot supply all the wares needed and the Colonies must provide +them for their future necessities. + +The three largest cities are Boston, New York and Philadelphia. In 1720 +the first was as large as the other two together, but since then they +have grown faster. In New England there are many sea ports, but the only +ports for New York and Pennsylvania are their two capitals, and they are +likely to be the largest cities in America. Philadelphia has more than +3000 houses, and more than 20000 inhabitants. It is regularly laid out +at right angles, and the streets extend every year. + +Virginia has the fewest villages and only one little town, Williamsburg, +its capital. The population is scattered and every family lives on its +own tobacco plantation. The Chesapeake and its affluents reach every +where and the Colonists bring their tobacco by water to the Bay where it +is loaded on sea going vessels. + +New York has great advantages for trading with the native Indians, by +means of the Hudson to Albany, and thence by smaller streams to Oswego +and Lake Ontario, where the great fairs for dealing with the Indians are +held. From Lake Ontario there is water way to Lake Superior. The Indians +bring their skins and hides from the west by water to Oswego, and New +York excludes traders from Pennsylvania. Philadelphia trades with New +Jersey over the Delaware River. Salt is imported in 50 or 60 vessels +from Spanish South America and the Cape Verde Islands and Senegal, where +it is made from saltwater, by drying in the sun. + +The Colonies are greatly restricted in their export trade, yet they have +their own vessels, but they are not allowed to export their products, +especially those needed for ship building, such as masts, ship timber, +iron, copper, hemp, flax, cotton, indigo, tobacco, tar, potash, skins +and furs,--they must all be sent to England and sold there for export in +British ships with British sailors, and where there are English Trading +Companies, as in the East Indies, the Colonies cannot trade directly. In +1765 the trade with the Spanish and French West Indies was forbidden, +but the results were so bad that this restriction was removed. The +Colonies ship food stuffs to the Portuguese Sugar islands, meal, butter, +meat, grain, wood and timber for house building etc., and bring back +Molasses, from which Rum is made. Trade with the Spanish Americas is +contraband, but the Colonists run the risk for the sake of the hard +money it brings. Great Britain in 1766 established two free ports in the +West Indies, one in Jamaica, the other in Dominica, the French have one +in St. Domingo, the Dutch one in St. Eustache, the Danes one in St. +Thomas,--the English want to prevent the contraband trade with Spain, +but have made the restriction that foreigners can receive all goods free +of duty, but must sell only for cash, and not in exchange for other +goods. + +Colonial shipping is important through the trade with the Spanish and +French West Indies, the English Sugar islands, and the fisheries. It +deals with the regions south of Cape Finisterre, with Africa, the Canary +and other islands, and in British ships with Portugal, Cadiz, Malaga, +Marseilles, Leghorn and Naples, and it might deal with Turkey. It +carries the surplus products of the fisheries, grain, flour, timber, +sugar and rice. The trade with Portugal is restricted because all its +wine must be brought by way of England, so only salt as ballast is +brought back. Sugar is the only cargo which the Colonial shipping can +carry and sell through Europe. England reserves the right to import and +reship American products, yet it sells more than three million pounds +and Ireland and Scotland two million pounds sterling of products in +America. Hard money is rare in the Colonies, and is higher in price than +in England. An English shilling is 18 pence colonial, as against 12 +pence in sterling. A Guinea is 34 shillings, on account of its +convenience for exchange for goods. Spanish pieces of eight, worth in +England 4 shillings 8 pence, are worth in the Colonies 7 shillings 6 +pence, and gold pistoles have fallen to 27 shillings, because they are +so often filled with base metal. A credit on London costs 175 p. c., +that is 1 English pound sterling 1-3/4 in Provincial currency, but the +price rises and falls, par is 133-1/3, but it often goes up to 166-2/3 +p. c. During the late war par was as low as 125, because England spent +so much money and so much was brought over by English soldiers,--and it +varies in different Colonies. The Colonies have Paper-bills, Bills of +Credit and Currency, issued by the authority of the Assemblies which +bind themselves to redeem them,--from L5 down to 1 shilling, but they +are not good outside the Province that issues them. It is used to raise +large amounts for pressing needs, as in the French War to pay the +soldiers, arm and clothe and feed them in the field. Sometimes the money +is raised by currency bills which are taken in payment of taxes etc. and +are cancelled on return to the Treasury office. This was copied from the +English Exchequer Bills introduced in the reign of William Third by Act +of Parliament, but the English bills carry interest, and those of the +Colonies do not. Another sort of currency is issued to meet the demand +for money on loan at interest,--the current rate is 6 p. c., but these +loans are made at 5 p. c., and the borrower must pay one tenth of the +principal annually. Thus the Colony can supply the means of helping +farmers to buy cattle, agricultural implements etc. and thus improve the +land. The issues were made too freely in some Colonies, and fell 15 to +20 p. c. and even more in the market. All the Colonies used paper +currency, until in some the English government restricted its issue by +law to a fixed amount. The Mother Country did this to protect its trade +from suffering loss. Pennsylvania restricted and regulated its issues +also. The question has been much disputed as to whether such issues are +advantageous or injurious, but it is still undecided. The taxes in the +Colonies are very light,--in Pennsylvania and Virginia there is a tax +payable in rent at a very low rate to the Proprietor in the former, to +the Crown in the latter Colony, all other taxes are assessed by +authority of the Assembly,--generally a land tax, of 6, 12, 18 pence up +to 2-1/2 shillings on the pound of rent, and incomes of professions and +offices are taxed. There are no taxes on exports and imports or excise. +There is a small light house tax on shipping. The Stamp Tax acts met +universal opposition,--the Colonies claimed the right to deal with their +own finances,--they had accepted all other Acts of Parliament touching +their manufactures and trade, limiting their freedom, but these did not +affect them as much as this direct attack on their purses. The Colonists +would not admit that Parliament had the right to tax them. They claimed +to be English citizens, and that no English community could be taxed +without its own consent, that is through its representatives in the +House of Commons, but the Colonies have none,--such as the Scotch +have,--but only their own Assemblies,--there only can taxes be legally +levied. Their money should be used to pay their own debts, not the +national debt of Great Britain. The last war put a heavy debt on all +the Colonies,--this ought to be first paid. The Colonies maintained at +their own expense, 25000 men against the French, costing each Colony +yearly 20, 30, 50 and more thousands of pounds,--when this debt is paid, +the Crown would have the right to require the Colonial Assemblies to +raise a similar loan. All the Colonies were unanimous on this point, and +for the first time met through their delegates in a Congress called to +object to the Stamp Act, and this they did on the right of English +citizens to petition against any measure they think wrong, and this +right is ensured to any number, whether it be 2, or 100 or 100000. + +There are few fortified places in America. Philadelphia is quite open to +attack, and has only one Battery on the river, to protect the city +against invasion. There are a few forts to protect the settlers from the +Indians. The Provinces have their own militia, maintained at their own +cost,--the King appoints the officers. New England has the largest body +of militia, and the little forts are manned by these troops under the +King's commanders. There are English regiments in North America +garrisoning the large forts,--these are paid by the Crown. The English +like to serve in America, for they are paid in English sterling and are +supplied by the local authorities with provisions. The conquest of +Canada is advantageous alike to the English nation and to the Colonies, +for much of the expense of maintaining troops and forts is no longer +required. England supported 25000 men in the Colonies, and the Colonies +as many more in the last war. The royal rule in America, when in harmony +with the Colonies, is inexpensive in the older Colonies, for the King's +Cabinet rules by a stroke of the pen. The Colonies are well pleased that +France handed New Orleans over to the Spanish. The Indians are sworn +foes of the Spanish, who are neither so intriguing nor so industrious as +the French, and hence England can keep on better terms with the Indians. + +The general agreement of the Colonies as shown in relation to the Stamp +Act, is the more noteworthy, as the Colonies have generally been jealous +of one another. There are many disputes between them as to their +borders, rivers, trade etc. If the Colonies were entirely independent, +they would soon be at war with one another. Only the protection of the +King and his authority prevents open outbreaks. This jealousy increases +with the growth of the Colonies. Pennsylvania gets along best, for it +leaves all trade both import and export open to all other Colonies, only +making such restriction in its own favor as may be needed to meet +restrictions laid on its trade by other Colonies, but all laws of this +kind require the royal approval. + + +[Transcriber's Note: No changes in text or punctuation were made in this etext] + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Achenwall's Observations on North +America, by Gottfried Achenwall + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ACHENWALL'S OBSERVATIONS *** + +***** This file should be named 24752.txt or 24752.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/4/7/5/24752/ + +Produced by Frank van Drogen, Bernd Meyer and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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