went off, when they were put into the caravan, shouted and huzzaed, and were very joyous; several of them called out to the keepers who were there in the yard, the first fine Sunday we will have a glorious kangaroo hunt at the Bay-seeming to anticipate a great deal of pleasure." He was asked if those persons were married or single, and his answer was, "by far the greater number of them unmarried. Some of them are anxious that their wives and children should follow them; others care nothing about either wives or children, and are glad to get rid of them."-Bennet, pp. 60,61.

sentence should have been banishment for life.

|

authority, and to establish a regular police, under such a weight of accumulated and accumulating evils. I am as sensible as any man can be, that the difficulty of removing these evils will be very great; at the same time, their number and influence may be greatly lessened, if the abandoned male and female convicts are lodged in barracks, and placed under the eye of the police, and the number of licensed houses is reduced. Till something of this kind is done, all attempts of the magistrate, and the public administration of religion, will be attended with little good. I have the honour to be your excellency's most obedient humble servant, SAMUEL MARSDEN' -Bennet, p, 104.

It is a scandalous injustice in this colony, that persons transported for seven years, have no power of returning when that period is expired. A strong ac- is too distant and expensive; and, in future, will of Thus much for Botany Bay. As a mere colony, it tive man may sometimes work his passage home; but what is an old man or aged female to do? Suppose a wars, which deprive Englishmen so rapidly of their course involve us in many of those just and necessary convict were to be confined in prison for seven years, comforts, and make England scarcely worth living in. and then told he might get out if he could climb over If considered as a place of reform for criminals, its the walls, or break open the locks, what in general distance, expense, and the society to which it dooms would be his chance of liberation? But no lock nor the objects of the experiment, are insuperable objecdoors can be so secure a means of detention as the tions to it. It is in vain to say, that the honest people distance of Botany Bay. This is a downright trick in New South Wales will soon bear a greater propor and fraud in the administration of criminal justice. A tion to the rogues,—and the contamination of bad poor wretch who is banished from his country for This only proves that it seven years, should be furnished with the means of society will be less fatal. returning to his country when these seven years are may be a good place for reform hereafter, not that it expired. If it is intended he should never return, his peopling Botany Bay at all, was, that it would be an is a good one now. One of the principal reasons for The most serious charge against the colony, as a convicts. It turns out, that for the first half century, admirable receptacle, and a school of reform, for our place for transportation, and an experiment in crimi- it will make them worse than they were before, and nal justice, is the extreme profligacy of manners which prevails there, and the total want of reformation that, after that period, they may probably begin to among the convicts. Upon this subject, except in the improve. A marsh, to be sure, may be drained and regular letters, officially varnished and filled with cultivated; but no man who has his choice, would fraudulent beatitudes for the public eye, there is, and select it in the mean time for his dwelling-place. there can be, but one opinion. New South Wales is a Hara's is a bookseller's compilation, done in a useful sink of wickedness, in which the great majority of convicts of both sexes become infinitely more depraved mation on the present state of Botany Bay. and pleasing manner. Mr. Wentworth is full of inforthan at the period of their arrival. How, as Mr. Bennet very justly observes, can it be otherwise? The humanity, the exertions, and the genuine benevolence felon transported to the American plantations, became of Mr. Bennet, are too well known to need our coman insulated rogue among honest men. He lived for years in the family of some industrious planter, withAll persons who have a few guineas in their pocket, out seeing a picklock, or indulging in pleasant dia- are now running away from Mr. Nicholas Vansittart logues on the delicious burglaries of his youth. He to settle in every quarter of the globe. imperceptibly glided into honest habits, and lost not subject of emigration to Botany Bay, Mr. Wentworth observes, 1st, that any respectable person emigrating

only the tact for pockets, but the wish to investigate their contents. But in Botany Bay, the felon, as soon as he gets out of the ship, meets with his ancient trull, with the footpad of his heart, the convict of his affections, the man whose hand he has often met in the same gentleman's pocket-the being whom he would choose from the whole world to take to the road, or to disentangle the locks of Bramah. It is impossible that vice should not become more intense in such society.

Upon the horrid state of morals now prevalent in Botany Bay, we would counsel our readers to cast their eyes upon the account given by Mr. Marsden, in a letter, dated July, 1815, to Governor Macquarrie. It is given at length in the appendix to Mr. Bennet's book. A more horrid picture of the state of any settlement was never penned. It carries with it an air of truth and sincerity, and is free from all enthusiastic

cant.

'I now appeal to your excellency,' (he says, at the conclusion of his letter,) 'whether, under such circumstances, any man of common feeling, possessed of the least spark of humanity or religion, who stood in the same official relation that I do to these people, as their spiritual pastor and magistrate, could enjoy one happy moment from the beginning to the end of the week?

'I humbly conceive that it is incompatible with the character and wish of the British nation, that her own exiles should be exposed to such privations and dangerous temptations, when she is daily feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, and receiving into her friendly, and I may add pious bosom, the stranger, whether savage or civilized, of every nation under heaven. There are, in the whole, nnder the two principal superintendents, Messrs. Rouse and Oakes, one hundred and eight men, and one hundred and fifty women, and several children; and nearly the whole of them have to find lodgings for themselves when they have performed their government tasks.

I trust that your excellency will be fully persuaded, that it is totally impossible for the magistrate to support his necessary

The three books are all books of merit. Mr. O'.

mendation.

The

Upon the

to that colony, receives as much land gratis, as would
cost him 4001. in the United States; 2dly, he is allow-
ed as many servants as he may require, at one-third
of the wages paid for labour in America; 3dly, him-
self and family are victualled at the expense of gov-
ernment for six months. He calculates that a man,--
wife, and two children, with an allowance of five tons
for themselves and baggage, could emigrate to Botany
Bay for 1007., including every expense, provided a
whole ship could be freighted; and that a single man
These points are
could be taken out thither for 301.
worthy of serious attention to those who are shedding

their country.

Account of the Proceedings of the Society for superseding the Necessity of Climbing Boys. Baldwin, &c. London, 1816. An excellent and well-arranged dinner is a most pleasing occurrence, and a great triumph of civilized life. It is not only the descending morsel, and the enveloping sauce-but the rank, wealth, wit, and beauty which surround the meats-the learned management of light and heat-the silent and rapid services of the attendants-the smiling and sedulous host, proffering guests and relishes-the exotic bottles-the embossed plate-the pleasant remarks-the handsome dressesthe cunning artifices in fruit and farina! The hour of dinner, in short, includes every thing of sensual and intellectual gratification which a great nation glories in producing.

In the midst of all this, who knows that the kitchen chimney caught fire half an hour before dinner!-aud that a poor little wretch, of six or seven years old,

was sent up in the midst of the flames to put it out? | inside of a room? Yes, I have helped to break through into a We would not, previous to reading this evidence, have kitchen chimney in a dining room.—Lords' Minutes, p. 34. formed a conception of the miseries of these poor To the same effect is the evidence of John Daniels wretches, or that there should exist, in a civilized country, a class of human beings destined to such extreme and varied distress. We will give a short epitome of what is developed in the evidence before the two Houses of Parliament.

on fire? Oh yes, it was the general practice for two of us to "You talked of the pargetting to chimneys; are many chim-stop at home on Sunday to be ready in case of a chimney being a-fire.-You say it is general to compel the boys to go up neys pargetted? There used to be more than are now; we used to have to go and sit all a-twist to parge them, according chimneys on fire? Yes, boys get very ill-treated if they do not go up.'-Lords' Minutes, p. 34. to the floors, to keep the smoke from coming out; then I could not strengthen my legs; and that is the reason that many are forced up one once, and, because I could not do it, I was taken 'Were you ever forced up a chimney on fire? Yes, I was cripples, from parging and stopping the holes.'-Lords' Min-home and well hided with a brush by the journeyman.-Have utes, No. 1. p. 17.

They are often stuck fast in a chimney, and, after mon in the trade with other boys? Yes, they are.'—Ibid. p. remaining there many hours, are cut out.

sweeps I have seen; he attends very much to his own busi-]
ness; he was as black as any boy he had got, and unfortun-
ately in the course of conversation he told me he had got a
cancer; he was a fine healthy strong looking man; he told me
he dreaded having an operation performed, but his father died
of the same complaint, and his father was sweeper to King
George the Second.'-Lords' Minutes, p. 84.
What is the nature of the particular diseases? The diseases
that we particularly noticed, to which they were subject, were
of a cancerous description. In what part? The scrotum, in
particular, &c. Did you ever hear of cases of that description
that were fatal? No, I do not think them as altogether being
fatal, unless they will not submit to the operation; they have
such a dread of the operation that they will not submit to it,
and if they do not let it be perfectly removed they will be lia-
ble to the return of it. To what cause do you attribute that
disease? I think it begins from a want of care: the scrotum
being in so many folds or crevices, the soot lodges in them and
creates an itching, and I conceive that, by scratching it and
tearing it, the soot gets in and creates the irritability; which
disease we know by the name of the chimney sweeper's cancer,
and is always lectured upon separately as a distinct disease.
Then the committee understands that the physicians who are
entrusted with the care and management of those hospitals
think that disease of such common occurrence, that it is neces-
sary to make it a part of surgical education? Most assuredly;
I remember Mr. Cline and Mr. Cooper were particular on that
subject. Without an operation there is no cure? I conceive
not; I conceive without the operation it is death; for cancers
are of that nature that unless you extirpate them entirely they
will never be cured.'-Commons' Rep. p. 60, 61.

In addition to the life they led as chimney sweepers, is superadded the occupation of nightmen."

(By a Lord.) Is it generally the custom that many masters are likewise nightmen? Yes; I forgot that circumstance, which is very grievous; I have been tied round the middle, and let down several privies, for the purpose of fetching watches, and such things; it is generally made the practice to take the smallest boy, to let him through the hole without taking up the seat, and to paddle about there until he finds it; they do not take a big boy, because it disturbs the seat.-Lords' Minutes, p. 38.

Not the least of their miseries, while their trial endures, is their exposure to cold. It will easily be believed that much money is not expended on the clothes of a poor boy stolen from his parents, or sold by them for a few shillings, and constantly occupied in dirty work. Yet the nature of their occupations renders chimney sweepers peculiarly susceptible of cold. And as chimneys must be swept very early, at four or five o'clock of a winter morning, the poor boys are shiver. ing at the door, and attempting by repeated ringings to rouse the profligate footman; but the more they ing the more the footman does not come.

yes.-Always? I never saw one go out with stockings; I 'Do they not go out in the winter without stockings? Oh, have known masters make their boys pull off their leggins, and cut off the feet, to keep their feet warm when they have chilblains. Are chimney-sweepers' boys particularly subject to chilblains? Yes; I believe it is owing to the weather: they often go out at two or three in the morning, and their shoes are generally very bad.-Do they go out at that hour at Christmas? Yes; a man will have twenty jobs at four, and twenty more at five or six.-Are chimneys generally swept much about Christmas time? Yes; they are in general; it is left to the Christmas week.-Do you suppose it is frequent that, in the Christmas week, boys are out from three o'clock in the morning to nine or ten? Yes, further than that; I have known that a boy has been only in and out again directly all day till five o'clock in the evening.-Do you consider the journeymen and masters treat those boys generally with treated? They do, most horrid and shocking.'-Lords' Migreater cruelty than other apprentices in other trades are nutes, p. 33.

The following is the reluctant evidence of a master. 'At what hour in the morning did your boys go out upon their employment? According to orders.-At any time? To be sure; suppose a nobleman wished to have his chimney done before four or five o'clock in the morning, it was done, or how were the servants to get their things done?-Supposing you had an order to attend at four o'clock in the month of December, you sent your boy? I was generally with him, or had a careful follower with him.-Do you think those early hours

The bed of these poor little wretches is often the beneficial for him? I do ; and I have heard that "early to bed soot they have swept in the day.

'How are the boys generally lodged; where do they sleep at night? Some masters may be better than others, but I know I have slept on the soot that was gathered in the day myself. Where do boys generally sleep? Never on a bed; I never slept on a bed myself while I was apprentice.-Do they sleep in cellars? Yes, very often; I bave slept in the cellar myself on the sacks I took out.-What had you to cover you? The same -Had you any pillow? No further than my breeches and jacket under my head.-How were you clothed? When I was apprentice we had a pair of leather breeches and a small flannel jacket.-Any shoes and stockings? Oh dear no; no stockings. Had you any other clothes for Sunday? Sometimes we had an old bit of a jacket, that we might wash out ourselves, and a shirt.'-Lords' Minutes, p. 40.

and early to rise, is the way to be healthy, wealthy, and wise." -Did they always get in as soon as they knocked? No; it would be pleasant to the profession if they could.-How long did they wait? Till the servants please to rise.-How long might that be? According how heavy they were to sleep.How long was that? It is impossible to say; ten minutes at one house, and twenty at another.-Perhaps half an hour? We cannot see in the dark how the minutes go.-Do you think it nealthy to let them stand there twenty minutes at four o'clock in the morning in the winter time? He has a cloth to wrap himself in like a mantle, and keep himself warm.'Lords' Minutes, pp. 138, 139.

We must not forget sore eyes. Soot lodges on their eyelids, produces irritability, which requires friction; and the friction of dirty hands of course increases the

Girls are occasionally employed as chimney sweep-disease. The greater proportion of chimney sweepers are in consequence blear-eyed. The boys are very

ers.

Another circumstance, which has not been mentioned to small, but they are compelled to carry heavy loads of

the committee, is, that there are several little girls employed;

soot.

there are two of the name of Morgan at Windsor, daughters 'Are you at all lame yourself? No: but I am "knappedof the chimney-sweeper who is employed to sweep the chim-kneed" with carrying heavy loads when I was an apprentice. neys of the Castle; another instance at Uxbridge, and at-That was the occasion of it? It was.-In general, are perBrighton, and at Whitechapel, (which was some years ago,) sous employed in your trade either stunted or knock-kneed by and at Hadley near Barnet, and Witham in Essex, and else- carrying heavy loads during their childhood? It is owing to where.-Commons' Report, p. 71. their masters a great deal; and when they climb a great deal it makes them weak.'-Commons' Report, p. 58.

Another peculiar danger to which chimney sweepers are exposed, is the rottenness of the pots at the top In climbing a chimney, the great hold is by the of chimneys; for they must ascend to the very sum-knees and elbows. A young child of six or seven mit, and show their brushes above them, or there is years old, working with knees and elbows against no proof that the work is properly completed. These hard bricks, soon rubs off the skin from these bony chimney-pots, from their exposed situation, are very projections, and is forced to climb high chimney's subject to decay; and when the poor little wretch has with raw and bloody knees and elbows. worked his way up to the top, pot and boy give way together, and are both shivered to atoms. There are many instances of this in the evidence before both Houses. When they outgrow the power of going up a chimney, they are fit for nothing else. The miseries they have suffered lead to nothing. They are not only enormous, but unprofitable: having suffered, in what is called the happiest part of his life, every misery which an human being can suffer, they are then cast out to rob and steal, and given up to the

law.

begin to learn to climb? Yes, they are, and pieces out of 'Are boys' knees and elbows rendered sore when they first them.-Is that almost generally the case? It is; there is not one out of twenty who is not; and they are sure to take the scars to their grave: I have some now. Are they usually compelled to continue climbing while those sores are open? Yes; the way they use to make them hard is that way. learning to climb? Yes; but they consider in the business, Might not this severity be obviated by the use of pads in learning a boy, that he is never thoroughly learned until the boy's knees are hard after being sore; then they consider it necessary to put a pad on, from seeing the boy have bad knees;

the children generally walk stiff-kneed.-Is it usual among the ohimney sweepers to teach their boys to learn by means of pads? No; they learn them with nearly naked knees.-Is it done in one instance in twenty? No, nor one in fifty.'-Lords' Minutes, p. 32.

According to the humanity of the master, the soot remains upon the bodies of the children, unwashed off, for any time from a week to a year.

The life of these poor little wretches is so miserable, that they often lie sulking in the flues unwilling to

come out.

'Did you ever see severity used to boys that were not obstinate and perverse? Yes. Very often? Yes, very often. The boys are rather obstinate; some of them are; some of them will get half-way up the chimney, and will not go any further, and then the journeymen will swear at them to come down, or go on; but the boys are too frightened to come down; they halloo out, we cannot get up, and they are afraid to come down; sometimes they will send for another boy, and drag them down; sometimes get up to the top of the chimney, and throw down water, and drive them down; then, when they get them down, they will begin to drag, or beat, or kick them about the house; then, when they get home, the master will beat them all round the kitchen afterwards, and give them no breakfast, perhaps.'-Lords' Minutes, pp. 9, 10.

When the chimney boy has done sufficient work for the master he must work for the man; and he thus becomes for several hours after his morning's work a perquisite to the journeyman.

the vent between eleven and twelve o'clock, not yet come down On entering the house they found a mason making a hole in the wall. Panel said, what was he doing? I suppose he has taken a lazy fit. The panel called to the boy, "What are you doing? what's keeping you?" The boy anwered that he could not come. The panel worked a long while, sometimes persuading him, sometimes threatening and swearing at the boy to get him down. Panel then said, "I will go to a hardware shop and get a barrel of gunpowder, and blow you and the vent to the devil, if you do not come down." Panel then began to slap at Are the boys generally washed regularly? No, unless the wall-witness then went up a ladder, and spoke to the boy they wash themselves.-Did not your master take care you through a small hole in the wall previously made by the mason were washed? No.-Not once in three months? No, not once-but the boy did not answer. Panel's brother told witness to a year.-Did not he find you soap? No; I can take my oath come down, as the boy's master knew best how to manage on the Bible that he never found me one piece of soap during him. Witness then threw off his jacket, and put a handkerthe time I was apprentice.'-Lords' Minutes, p. 41. chief about his head, and said to the panel, let me go up the chimney to see what's keeping him. The panel made no answer, but pushed witness away from the chimney, and continued bullying the boy. At this time the panel was standing on the grate, so that witness could not go up the chimney; witness then said to panel's brother, there is no use for me here, meaning that panel would not permit him to use his services. He prevented the mason making the hole larger, saying, Stop, and I'll bring him down in five minutes' time. Witness then put on his jacket, and continued an hour in the room, during all which time the panel continued bullying the boy. Panel then desired witness to go to Reid's house to get the loan of his boy Alison. Witness went to Reid's house, and asked Reid to come and speak to panel's brother. Reid asked if panel was there? Witness answered he was; Reid said he would send his boy to the panel, but not to the panel's brother. Witness and Reid went to Albany street; and when they got into the room, panel took his head out of the chimney and asked Reid if he would lend him his boy; Reid agreed; witness then returned to Reid's house for his boy, and Reid called after him, "Fetch down a set of ropes with you." By this time witness had been ten minutes in the room, during which time drel? When witness returned with the boy and the ropes, panel was swearing, and asking what's keeping you, you scounReid took hold of the rope, and having loosed it, gave Alison one end, and directed him to go up the chimney, saying, do not go farther than his feet, and when you get there fasten it to and having fastened the rope, Reid desired him to come down; his foot. Panel said nothing all this time. Alison went up, Reid took the rope and pulled, but did not bring down the boy; the rope broke! Alison was sent up again with the other end of the rope, which was fastened to the boy's foot. the strength of a cat;" he took the rope into his own hands, When Reid was pulling the rope, panel said, "You have not pulling as strong as he could. Having pulled about a quarter of an hour, panel and Reid fastened the rope round a crow bar, which they applied to the wall as a lever, and both pulled with all their strength for about a quarter of an hour longer, when it broke. During this time witness heard the boy cry, and say, "My God Almighty!" Panel said, "If I had you here, I would God Almighty you." Witness thought the cries were in agony. The master of the house brought a new piece of rope, and the panel's brother spliced an eye on it. Reid Do the boys receive little presents of money from people expressed a wish to have it fastened on both thighs, to have often in your trade? Yes, it is in general the custom.-Are greater purchase. Alison was sent up for this purpose, but they allowed to keep that for their own use? Not the came down and said he could not get it fastened. Panel then whole of it,--the journeymen take what they think proper: the wall, he got out a large stone; he then put in his head began to slap at the wall. After striking a long while at They journeymen are entitled to half by the master's orders; and called to Fraser, "Do you hear, you sir?" but got no and whatever a boy may get, if two boys and one journeyman are sent to a large house to sweep a number of chim- answer: he then put in his hands, and threw down deceased's neys, and after they have done, there should be a shilling, time the panel was in a state of perspiration: he sat down He then came down from the ladder. At this or eighteen pence given to the boys, the journeyman has his full half, and the two boys in general have the other, on a stool, and the master of the house gave him a dram. Is it usual or customary for the journeymen to play at chuck Witness did not hear panel make any remarks as to the situafarthing or other games with the boys? Frequently.-Do tion of the boy Fraser. Witness thinks that, from panel's they win the money from the boys? Frequently; the appearance, he knew that the boy was dead."-Commons' Rechildren give their money to the journeymen to screen for port, pp. 136-138. them. What do you mean by screening? Such a thing as sifting the soot. The child is tired, and he says, "Jem, I will give you two-pence if you will sift my share of the soot" there is sometimes twenty or thirty bushels to sift. Do you think the boys retain one quarter of that given them for their own use? No.'-Lords' Minutes, p. 35.

It is frequently the perquisite of the journeyman, when the first labour of the day on account of the master is finished, to "call the streets," in search of employment on their own account, with the apprentices, whose labour is thus unreasonably extended, and whose limbs are weakened and distorted by the weights which they have to carry, and by the distance which they have to walk. John Lawless says; "I have known a boy to climb from twenty to thirty chimneys for his master in the morning; he has then been sent out instantly with the journeyman, who has kept him out till three or four o'clock, till he has accumulated from six to eight bushels of soot."'-Lords' Report, p. 24.

The sight of a little chimney sweeper often excites pity and they have small presents made to them at the houses where they sweep. These benevolent alms are disposed of in the following manner:

To this most horrible list of calamities is to be added the dreadful deaths by which chimney sweep ers are often destroyed. Of these we once thought of giving two examples; one from London, the other from our own town of Edinburgh; but we confine our

breeches.

We have been thus particular in stating the case of the chimney sweepers, and in founding it upon the basis of facts, that we may make an answer to those profligate persons who are always ready to fling an air of ridicule upon the labours of humanity, because they are desirous that what they have not virtue to do themselves, should appear to be foolish and romantic when done by others. A still higher degree of depravity than this, is to want every sort of campassion for human misery, when it is accompanied by filth, poverty, and ignorance-to regulate humanity by the income tax, and to deem the bodily wretchedness and James Thomson, chimney sweeper.-One day in the begin- the dirty tears of the poor a fit subject for pleasantry ning of June, witness and panel (that is, the master, the party and contempt. We should have been loath to believe, accused) had been sweeping vents together. o'clock in the afternoon, the panel proposed to go to Albanyisted in these days; but the notice of it is forced upon About four that such deep-seated and disgusting immorality exstreet, where the panel's brother was cleaning a vent, with the assistance of Fraser, whom he had borrowed from the us. Nor must we pass over a set of marvellously weak panel for the occasion. When witness and panel got to the gentlemen, who discover democracy and revolution in house in Albany street, they found Fraser, who had gone up every effort to improve the condition of the lower or

selves to the latter.

ders, and to take off a little of the load of misery from those points where it presses the hardest. Such are the men into whose heart Mrs. Fry has struck the deepest terror; who abhor Mr. Bentham and his penitentiary; Mr. Bennet and his hulks; Sir James Mackintosh and his bloodless assizes; Mr. Tuke and his sweeping machines; and every human being who is great and good enough to sacrifice his quiet to his love for his fellow creatures. Certainly we admit that humanity is sometimes the veil of ambition or of faction; but we have no doubt that there are a great many ex-years. The increase of the slave population in this cellent persons to whom it is misery to see misery, and pleasure to lessen it; and who, by calling the public attention to the worst cases, and by giving birth to judicious legislative enactments for their improvement, have made, and are making, the world somewhat happier than they found it. Upon these principles we join hands with the friends of the chimney sweepers, and most heartily wish for the diminution of their numbers, and the limitation of their trade.

We are thoroughly convinced, there are many respectable master chimney sweepers; though we suspect their numbers have been increased by the alarm which their former tyranny excited, and by the severe laws for their coercion: but even with good masters the trade is miserable-with bad ones it is not to be endured; and the evidence already quoted, shows us how many of that character are to be met with in the occupation of sweeping chimneys.

the years 1790, 1800, and 1810. In the year 1790, the population of America was 3,921,326 persons, of whom 697,697 were slaves. In 1800, the numbers were 5,319,762, of which 896,849 were slaves. In 1810, the numbers were 7,239,903, of whom 1,191,364 were slaves; so that at a rate at which free population has proceeded between 1790 and 1810, it doubles itself, in the United States, in a very little more than 22 years. The slave population, according to its rate of proceed ing in the same time, would be doubled in about 26 statement is owing to the importation of negroes between 1800 and 1808, especially in 1806 and 1807, from the expected prohibition against importation. The number of slaves was also increased by the acquisitions of territory in Louisiana, where they constituted nearly half the population. From 1801 to 1811, the inhabitants of Great Britain acquired an augmentation of 14 per cent; the Americans, within the same period were augmented 36 per cent.

The most

Emigration seems to be of very little importance to the United States. In the year 1817, by far the most considerable year of emigration, there arrived in ten of the principal ports of America, from the Old World, 22,000 persons as passengers. The number of emigrants, from 1790 to 1810, is not supposed to have exceeded 6000 per annum. None of the separate States have been retrogade during these three enumerations, though some have been nearly stationary. After all, we must own that it was quite right to remarkable increase is that of New York, which has throw out the bill for prohibiting the sweeping of risen from 340,120 in the year 1790, to 959,049 in the chimneys by boys-because humanity is a modern in-year 1810. The emigration from the Eastern to the vention; and there are many chimneys in old houses, Western States is calculated at 60,000 persons per which cannot possibly be swept in any other manner. annum. In all the American enumerations, the males But the construction of chimneys should be attended uniformly predominate in the proportion of about 100 to in some new building act; and the treatment of to 92. We are better off in Great Britain and Ireland, boys be watched over with the most severe jealousy-where the women were to the men, by the census of the law. Above all, those who have chimneys accessible to machinery, should encourage the use of machines, and not think it beneath their dignity to take a little trouble, in order to do a great deal of good. We should have been very glad to have seconded the views of the Climbing Society, and to have pleaded for the complete abolition of climbing boys, if we could have done so. But such a measure, we are convinced from the evidence, could not be carried into execution without great injury to property, and great increased risk of fire. The lords have investigated the matter with the greatest patience, humanity, and good sense; and they do not venture, in their report, to recommend to the house the abolition of climbing boys.

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AMERICA. (EDINBURGH REVIEW, 1820.) Statistical Annals of the United States of America. By Adam Seybert. 4to. Philadelphia, 1818.

THIS is a book of character and authority; but it is a very large book; and therefore we think we shall do an acceptable service to our readers, by presenting them with a short epitome of its contents, observing the same order which has been chosen by the author. The whole, we conceive, will form a pretty complete picture of America, and teach us how to appreciate that country, either as a powerful enemy or a profitable friend. The first subject with which Mr. Seybert begins, is the population of the United States.

of 1811, as 110 to 100. The density of population in the United States is less than 4 persons to a square mile; that of Holland, in 1803, was 275 to the square mile; that of England and Wales, 169. So that the fifteen provinces which formed the Union in 1810. would contain, if they were as thickly peopled as Holland, 135 millions souls.

The next head is that of Trade and Commerce.-Iu 1790, the Exports of the United States were above 19 millions of dollars; in 1791, above 20 millions; in 1792, 26 millions; in 1793, 33 millions of dollars. Prior to 1795, there was no discrimination, in the American treasury accounts, between the exportation of domestic, and the re-exportation of foreign articles. In 1795, the aggregate value of the merchandise exported was 67 millions of dollars, of which the foreign produce re-exported was 26 millions. In 1800, the total value of exports was 94 millions; in 1805, 101 millions; and in 1808, when they arrived at their maximum, 108 millions dollars. In the year 1809. from the effects of the French and English Orders in Council, the exports fell to 52 millions of dollars; in 1810 to 66 millions; in 1811, to 61 millions. In the first year of the war with England, to 38 millions; in the second to 27; in the year 1814, when peace was made, to 6 millions. So that the exports of the republic, in six years, had tumbled down from 108 to 6 millions of dollars: after the peace, in the years 1815-16-17, the exports rose to 52, 81, 87 millions dollars.

In 1817, the exportation of cotton was d5 millions Population. As representatives and direct taxes pounds. In 1815, the sugar made on the banks of the are apportioned among the different states in propor- Mississippi was 10 millions pounds. In 1792, when tion to their numbers, it is provided for in the Ameri- the wheat trade was at the maximum, a million and a can constitution, that there shall be an actual enumera-half of bushels were exported. The proportions of the tion of the people every ten years. It is the duty of exports to Great Britain, Spain, France, Holland, and the marshals in each state to number the inhabitants Portugal, on an average of ten years ending 1812, are of their respective districts: and a correct copy of the lists, containing the names of the persons returned, must be set up in a public place within each district, before they are transmitted to the secretary of state: -they are then laid before Congress by the President. Under this act three census, or enumerations of the people, have been already laid before Congress-for

The price of a machine is fifteen shillings.

as 27, 16, 13, 12, and 7; the actual value of exports to the dominions of Great Britain, in the three years ending 1804, were consecutively, in millions of dollars, 16, 17, 13.

Imports. In 1791, the imports of the United States were 19 millions; on an average of three consecutive years, ending 1804 inclusive, they were 68 millions; in 1806-7, they were 138 millions; and in 1815, 133 millions of dollars. The annual value of the imports,