The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-01-06 00:00:00

UNITED STATES OF AMEICICA.

A new work has been lately published by Miller,
coutaiiiing " do historical Outline cf lire United
States of America," but chiefly devoted to a le-
crimination upon Great Britain for her malty errors
towards our Atlantic brethren, and the impolicy
which for ages characterized the spirit of her go-
vernment of the American Colonies. The work,
which is compiled by Mr. Robert Walsh, contains
a fund of useful historical information respecting
America,
.though it is somewhat too profurely
mixed up with the idle and unavailing vituperation
of individuals upon her policy and character, which
is merely introduced to justify the author in mak-
ing the, " retort courteous," by recriminations
upon our own character and manners, equally fu-
tile and unnecessary. It is time that this jealous
spirit between the Parent State end " Infant Her-
cules" should subside, and be replaced by mutual
good will and the cultivation of reciprocal interests.
The author is indignant, and. if his own account
be true, with some reason, of Mr. Fearmie account
of the corruption at American electious. He
says—
" Whoever talks of a degree of bribery and cor-
ruption, and undue influence in America. like that
of the neighbourhood of the treasury of Loitilim.
cud the theatres of English suffrage, whether the
shires or boroughs. deals in the most extravagant
hyperbole. Ferron only repeats on this subject,
what he pretends to have heard from two perilous of
his own country, Mr. CoLbett and Mr.
built of whom, bt it remarked. peremptorily ilia.
claim the language which he imputes to them, and
accuse him of an impudent imposture. He might,
perhaps, have read it its some of the wild declama-
tions which are published among us during the
hest of a contested election, and from the exagge-
rating spirit of party reciimination. But nothing
that has ever happened in this country furnishes
the least foundation fur asserting broadly, that votes
and joiners are bought and sold. Throughout the
States. the right of auffrage is exercised, lir general,
with todepentlence and integrity, by freeholders
jealous of their prerogative. strangers to the want
and very idea of a largess, and too proud to submit
to nay dictation. The *kebob* in New Englassel.
for lastauee, are marked by a eariebiesa of decorum,

of the climate; but they who survived were sto't7
dispiiiterf by their lowa. not' with the hard.
ships they were still to endure ; siipportrd by the
vigour which was Men the character of the English-
man, and by the -satisfaction of finding themselves
out of the reach of the spiritual arm, they reduced
this savage country to yield them a tolerable liveli-
hood, and by degrees it comfortable subsistence.
This little establishment was made in the year 1631.
It was in the year 1649, that the colony began to
flourish in such • mintier. that they soon became a
considerable people. By the close of the ensuing
year they had built fork towns, Salem, Dorches-
ter, Charlestown. and Boston, which has since be-
come the capital of New England.
" ' Their exact and sober manners proved a soli-
stitute for is proper subordination, and regular form
of goveriment, which they hail fur some time'
welded, mid the want of which, in such • country,
had otherwise been felt very severely. The people,
by their being generally Ireeholders„ and by their
form of gover 1111 l enc. acquired • very free, bold,
sod republican spirit.
" ' The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the
space of about 70 years, from a beginning of • few
hundreds of refugees and indigent men, has grown
to be • numerous and flourishing people—s people
who, from a !Perfect wilderness., leave brought their
territory toa state of great cultivation, and filled it
with wealthy and populous towns; and who, in
the midst of • fierce and lawless race of men, hive
preserved themselves with unarmed hands and pas-
sive principles, by the risks of moderation and jug-
tice, better than any other people has done by po-
licy and arms.'—Vol. ii. p. 196.
" It is accurately stated by Ramsay*, that the
first settlers of New Englund, in general. had been
educated at the English universities, and were tin.
bued with all the learning of the times: that nut a
few of the early emigrant ministers possessed con-
siderable erudition; mid that uumbers of clergy
men of this description came over nearly together.
its consequence of the parliamentary Act of uni-
formity, passed in 166-2, when upwards of two
thousand Puritan minute.. were, in one day, ejected
from their livings its England d.
" The Massachtisrits plantation may be e.onsi.
dried as the parent of all the other settlements 10
New England. There was en emigration from the
mother country to any part of the continent north-
ward of 31sryland, except to Massachusetts, for
more than fifty years from the birth of this colony.
" Asimog the nue hundred and five adventurers
who sailed from England with Captain Newport,
In 1607, and founded Jamestown, in Virginia, se-
veral officers of high lemily connexions, and of
much personal distinction, are designated by the
historians. The first accession of females to the
Virginia settlement, may be cited by the Virginian
of the present day. without a blush for his lineage.
In order,' says Chalmers, ' to settle the mind. of
the colonists, and to induce them to make Virginia
their place of residence and continuance, it was
proposed to send thither one hundred maids, as
wives:for them: ninety girls, 4 young and uncor-
rupt,' were transported in the begiunieg of the
year 1111i0; and sixty more, ' handsome and re..
contraended for virtuous demeanour,' in the sub-
sequent year.' Robertson is still more particular
in noticing the respectability of these females. The
descent from mothers of this character, is at least
as reputable as from the ' maids of honour' of the
Conrt of Charles 11.—amid the fathers who re-
claimed the wilderness boil built up a free state,
transmitted a blood which might be deemed as
pure and noble. Ns any that runs in the veins of the
progeny of the debauched and venal parasites of
that monarch. We are told by Robertson, that, tu
the time of the Commonwealth. many adherents
to the royal pasty. and among these, some gentle-
men of good feindier, in order to avoid danger and
oppression, to which they were exposed in England,
or in hopes of repairing their rutued fortunes, re-
-sorted to Virginia. Lord Clereildon bears testi-
mony to this fact, in his History of the Itebelliorr.
Out of confidence in Sir William Berkeley, the
Governor of Virginia. who had industriously in-
vited many gentlemen and others thither, as to a
place of security, which he could defend against
any attempt, moil where they might live !plenti-
fully, many persons of condition, sod good officers
tin the war, had trasoported themselves with all the
estate they had been able to prevervet.' Chalmers
may be quoted to n similar purport, and to the ge-
neral character of the early Virgiuiaus. • The in-
s ructions of Charles I. gave large tracts of land to
men of consideration and wealth, who,
roused by religion, or umbition, or caprice, removed
to Virginia, and the population of that colony had
isicreesed to about twenty thousand souls at the
coisourticenittit of the civil wars.'—p. 125.
bring
amvaitgeodurbyin
designtimelysupplies frunn England,
mind action, which auto,
dangers, never fail to exert. They rejected the
whendisplayed leftani to themselves sod
timid counsels of those who advised them to &ban-

• Colabial Civil History, p. US.
t Vol. iii. p. 706.

a Maryland, we may appeal to the.
same author with equal coildenve.
" ' The first emigration to Maryland, consisting*
of al»tst two hundred gentlemen of considerable'
fortune and rank, with their adherents, who were
composed chiefly of Roman Catholics, sailed heat
England in November. 16311.'
• The Romeo Catholics, oshoppy io their us.
• .sire land, Ind &rime's of a peaceful asyllsit it!
:,Maryland, etuirsiled in eonviderable
Used Baltimore laid the foniarlidnto of his prostispee
upon the brood twig of security to preperly,
offreedoni in religion, Otartairig in olioslate fee dfiy
sere* of land to every emigrant ; establishiag
Christianity agreeably to the old common law, ail
which it is a part, without allowing preveataiuence to
misty particular sect.'—p. 20t1.
'" lo order chiefly to procure the assent of the'
freemen of Maryland to a body of laws which tl:e
proprietary had transmitted. Calvert, the General.
called a new assembly in 1637-8. But, rejecting.
these with a becoming spirit, they prepared a cot..
Iretion of regulations, which demonstrate equally
their good sense and the state of their affairs.'--
p. 211.
" The assembly of Maryland endeavoured,
with a laudable anxiety, to preserve the peace of
the church ; awl, though composed cliiefly of Rei-
man Cadwlics, it adopted that measure, whit!.
could alone prove absolutely successful. The act
which it passed, concerning religion, recited.
' that the enforcement of the conscience had bear
of dangerous consequence in those countries where-
in it had been practised.' And it enacted, Shot nn
person beliecing in Jesus Christ shall be molested in
respect of their religion, or in the free exereis•
thereof, or be compelled to the belief ur exercise of
any other religion, ngsisist their consent; so titst
they he not unfaithful to the proprietary. or cor
spire not against the civil government ; that permit,.
molesting any other in respect of his religious
tenets, shall pay treble damages to the party ag-
grieved, and toentv shillings to the proprietsry.
that those reproaching any with opprobrious tinny.,
of religious distinctions .hall forfeit ten shilling, t.s
the persons injured.'—p. els.
" Maryland derived a part of her population
from the other provinces. The Puritans. perse-
cuted by the established church in Virginia; the
Quakers, oppressed by the synod of Massachusetts:
and the Dutch, expelled from Delawore.sought Sod
found a generous protectioo, and entire freedom of
religious worship, in the Roman Catholic colony.
New York was first settled by the Dutch, at the
time when they had just shaken oft' the yoke of
Spain; when they displayed national energies and
virtues of the highest order, and pueued a more
liberal and enlightened policy, with respect to civil
liberty, religion and trade, thous Noy other people
of Europe. The emigrants front Holland to North
America, brought with them the characteristic in-
dustry and sobriety, the tolerant spirit and sound
economies, of the commercial republics The ori-
ginal population of New Jersey was compood of
Swedes and Flollanderi, and of emigrants from the
northern colonies : that of Petinsyitalltls need. not ter
be celebratei4 by a reference to the parent state.
The commonwealth. which the wise oral humane as.
sociates of Penn, the laborious, frugal. and orderly
Germans, and the intelligent, active, and oesseruns
Irish, formed and brought to beauty and sol (illy, Ili
so short e time. is a monument elliquent enough ill
itself; a creation, upon which no European writer
has looked steadily, without bunting into expres.
sinus of admiration. Eseir the austere loyalty of
Chalmers is relaxed by it, and the followorg em-
phatic testimony extorted front Isis convictione:—

" ' As a supplement to the frame or g►uvernmeut
for Permsylvatita, there was published a body of
laws agreed upon in England by the adre:durers,
which was intended as a great charter. And it does
great honour to their wi,.tl as state-me,,, to their
morals as men, to their spirit 114 colonists. A plan.
bitten reared on such ■ seed.plot, could not fail to
grow up with rapidity, to attlion.et NI maturity,
to attract the notice of the world.'—p. 61.3.

" The numerous laws which were run ted at
the first settlement or Petrusylvatisa, which do so
much honour to its good 161111 be. display the princi-
ples of the people; these legislative regulations
kept them alive long after the original spirit begot'
to droop anal expire. Had Pennsylvania been le►s
blessed by Nature, she must have become flourish-
ing and great, because it was a principle of her
great charter, ' that children should be taught
►ome useful trade, to the end that noire may be
idle, but the poor may work to Cave. and the rich.
if they become poor, may not want.' That eosin-
try must be commercial, which co'mpels faetore
wronging their employers, to make satisfaetion,
and one-third over; which subjects not only 'the
goods but the Writhe of the debtor to the pig-
ment of debts, bec•tu;e it is the credit vont
by all to all, tt►at forma the essence of traffic.
We ought natter...lly to expect internal order
when a fundamental law declares, that every
thiug, which excites the people to rudeness,
cruelty, and irreligion, ►tall be discouragtd
and seve►ely punished:* And ►eligions cootie:wry).
could not disturb her repose, when none. acku.,o.
hedging one God, and living peaceably in society,
could be molested for hid opinions or his practice, or
compelled to f►eyuent and maintain any abibi.ov
whatsoever. To the regulations which• were tops
established as Innthrtneritels, oast chiefly be attn.
bolted the rapid improvement of this colony, the
spirit of diligence, order, and economy. fee•which
the rennsylvanistis have bees at all tines M cele.
brated'.".—p. 643.