And, as to matters of politics and go- TO MORRIS BIRKBECK, ESQ., OF

ENGLISH PRAIRIE, ILLINOIS TER.

RITORY.

North Hempstead, Long Island, 10. Dec. 1818.

vernment. The government is, and must be, arbitrary and despotic. In the colonies the gentlefolks are, the officers of the army, of the navy, and of the GovernMY DEAR SIR, -I have read your two ment; they and their insolent wives little books, namely, the " Notes on a and daughters and sons swarım in all Journey in America," and the "Letters the colonies, like aphi upon the peach- from the Illinois." I opened the books tree that is blasted. There are no gen- and I proceeded in the perusal, with tlemen in private life: the governor and fear and trembling; not because I suphis troop of officers, and the other per- posed it possible for you to put forth an sons in public employ and public pay,look intended imposition on the world; but upon all the rest of the community (if because I had a sincere respect for the community it can be called) with disdain character and talents of the writer; and inexpressible. No tradesman, no farmer because I knew how enchanting and de(if there were a man worthy of the name lusive are the prospects of enthusiastic in the country), dares speak to a mise- minds, when bent on grand territorial rable lieutenant, or ensign, without acquisitions.

pulling off his hat, and standing with My apprehensions were, I am sorry his hat off. He will not punish you to have it to say, but too well founded. upon the spot for the omission; but you Your books, written I am sure, without will be sure to get the punishment be- any intention to deceive and decoy, and fore a month has passed over your head. without any, even the smallest, tincture If any man would give me as a present of base self-interest, are, in my opithe two Canadas, and compel me to live nion, calculated to produce great disapthere under the Colonial Government, I pointment, not to say misery and ruin, would not accept of it. That, indeed, is amongst our own country people (for I not saying much; because I would not will, in spite of your disavowal, still live there under any government; for it claim the honour of having you for a is so hateful, so detestable a thing, that countryman), and great injury to Ameany man of any spirit, would dig, or rica by sending back to Europe acbeg, or do any thing, in England, rather counts of that disappointment, misery,

than submit to it.

and ruin.

To the United States, indeed, a man It is very true, that you decline admay go, and change for the better; but, vising any one to go to the ILLINOIS, if he do not go merely as a working man, and it is also true, that your description it is always a nice question even emi- of the hardships you encountered is very grating to that country. If the emigrant candid; but still there runs throughout go to set about clearing lands, even there the whole of your Notes such an account he is a ruined man, let his fortune be as to the prospect, that is to say the what it may. I can suppose a case, in ultimate effect, that the book is, without

your either wishing or perceiving it, calculated to deceive and decoy. You do indeed describe difficulties and hardships; but, then, you overcome them all with so much ease and gaiety, that you

which to emigrate may be wise; but, then, it must be to a settled country. However, nothing more is necessary on this subject, than the reading of the following two Letters to poor Mr. BIRKBECK, which I take from my "YEAR'S make them disregarded by your English RESIDENCE IN AMERICA," which was first readers, who, sitting by their fire-side, published when those who are now and feeling nothing but the gripe of the twenty, were only six, years old. Here, boroughmongers and the tax-gatherer, in this extract, the reader will see all merely cast a glance at you hardships the process, and all the fatal effects, of and fully participate in all your enthuemigrating to new settlements.

siasm. You do indeed fairly describe the rugged roads, the dirty hovels, the fire in the woods to sleep by, the path

:

:

less ways through the wildernesses, the FLOWER's expression, " transplant dangerous crossings of the rivers; but, weil." Of all such persons, farmers there are the beautiful meadows and transplant worse; and, of all farmers, rich lands at last; there is the fine freehold domain at the end! There are the English farmers are the worst to transgiants and the enchanters to encounter; plant. Of some of the tears, shed in the slashings and the rib-roastings to the Illinois, an account reached me undergo; but then, there is, at last, the several months ago, through an eyelovely languishing damsel to repay the witness of perfect veracity, and a very adventurer. sincere friend of freedom, and of you, The whole of your writings relative and whose information was given me, to your undertaking, address themselves unasked for, and in the presence of sedirectly to English farmers, who have veral Englishmen, every one of whom, property to the amount of two or three as well as myself, most ardently wished thousand pounds, or upwards. Persons you success.

of this description are, not by your ex- It is nothing, my dear sir, to say, as press words, but by the natural ten-you do, in the Preface to the Letters dency of your writings, invited, nay, from the Illinois, that as "little would strongly invited, to emigrate with their " I encourage the emigration of the property to the Illinois Territory. Many "tribe of grumblers, people who are have already acted upon the invitation. "petulant and discontented under the Many others are about to follow them. "every-day evils of life. Life has its I am convinced, that their doing this is petty miseries in all situations and unwise, and greatly injurious, not only "climates, to be mitigated or cured by to them, but to the character of America "the continual efforts of an elastic spias a country to emigrate to, and, as I "rit, or to be borne, if incurable, with have, in the first Part of this work, pro- "cheerful patience. But the peevish mised to give, as far as I am able, a true "emigrant is perpetually comparing the account of America, it is my duty to "comforts he has quitted, but never state the reasons on which this conviction "could enjoy, with the privations of is founded; and, I address the state- his new allotment. He overlooks the ment to you, in order, that, if you find "present good, and broods over the evil it erroneous, you may, in the like public " with habitual perverseness; whilst in manner, show wherein I have commit-" the recollection of the past, he dwells ted error. on the good only. Such people are We are speaking, my dear sir, of Eng- "always bad associates, but they are lish farmers possessing each two or three "an especial nuisance in an infant thousand pounds sterling. And, before " colony." we proceed to inquire, whether such perGive me leave to say, my dear sir, sons ought to emigrate to the west or to that there is too much asperity in this the east, it may not be amiss to inquire language, considering who were the a little, whether they ought to emigrate objects of its censure. Nor do you apat all! Do not start now! For, while pear to me to afford, in this instance, a I am very certain that the emigration very happy illustration of the absence of such persons is not in the end calcu- of that peevishness, which you perceive lated to produce benefit to America, as a in others, and for the yielding to which nation, I greatly doubt of its being, you call them a nuisance; an appellagenerally speaking, of any benefit to the tion much too harsh for the object and emigrants themselves, if we take into for the occasion. If you, with all your view the chances of their speedy relief elasticity of spirit, all your ardour of at home. pursuit, all your compensations of for

Persons of advanced age, of settled tune in prospect, and all your gratificahabits, of deep-rooted prejudices, of set- tions of fame in possession, cannot with tled acquaintances, of contracted sphere patience hear the wailings of some of of movement, do not, to use Mr. GEORGE your neighbours, into what source are

ESQ., OF DIS TER

818.

sal, with

eld; but

well as they may do in these the same country was the very worst
Hantic states? Why should an project that could have been fallen upon.
glish farmer and his family, who
You took upon yourself the charge of

always been jogging about a snug Moses without being invested with any
nestead, eating regular meals, and
eping in warm rooms, push back to part of his authority; and absolute as
Illinois, and encounter those hard- this was, he found the charge so heavy,
0s, which require all the habitual that he called upon the Lord to share it
egard of comfort of an American with him, or to relieve him from it alto-
k-woodsman to overcome? Why gether. Soon after you went out, a
ould they do this? The undertaking Unitarian priest, upon my asking what
Hardly reconcileable to reason in an you were going to do in that wild coun-
Fantic American farmer who has half try, said, you were going to form a
lozen sons, all brought up to use the community, who would be " content to

the saw, the chisel and the hammer, worship one God." "I hope not," said
om their infancy, and every one of I, "for he will have plagues enough
Chom is ploughman, carpenter, wheel- "without adding a priest to the num-
ight, and butcher, and can work from "ber." But, perhaps, I was wrong:
for AARON was of great assistance to the

m sony-rise to sun set, and sleep, if need be,

Founded. without

boy, and tincture

my opi

t disap

o Ame

pen

misery

ine ad LINOM

ription is very

ghos

ccoun the

ne

4

they to dip for the waters of content. and sion? Why should they suppose that good-humour? they should suffer by a convulsion ?

It is no "every-day evil" that they What have they done to provoke the have to bear. For an English farmer, rage of the blanketteers? Do they and more especially an English farmer's think that their countrymen, all but wife, after crossing the sea and travel- themselves, will be transformed into ling to the Illinois, with the conscious- prowling wolves? This is precisely ness of having expended a third of their what the boroughmongers wish them substance, to purchase, as yet, nothing to believe; and, believing it, they flee but sufferings; for such persons to boil their pot in the gipsy-fashion, to have a mere board to eat on, to drink whisky or pure water, to sit and sleep under a shed far inferior to their English cowpens, to have a mill at twenty miles' distance, an apothecary's shop at a hundred, and a doctor nowhere: these, my dear sir, are not, to such people, "every day evils of life." You, though in your

instead of remaining to assist to keep the people down, as the boroughmongers wish them to do.

Being here, however, they, as you say, think only of the good they have left behind them, and of the bad they find here. This is no fault of theirs: it is the natural course of the human mind: and this you ought to have known. You yourself acknowledge, that England

little "cabin," have your books, you " was never so dear to you as it is now have your name circulating in the "in rocollection; being no longer under world, you have it to be given, by-and- " its base oligarchy, I can think of my by, to a city or a county; and, if you "native country and her noble institufail of brilliant success, you have still "tions, apart from her politics." I may a sufficiency of fortune to secure you ask you, by the way, what noble instia safe retreat. Almost the whole of "tutions" she has, which are not of a your neighbours must be destitute of political nature? Say the oppressions all these sources of comfort, hope, and consolation. As they now are, their change is, and must be, for the worse; and, as to the future, besides those oppressions, and then I go with the uncertainty attendant, every where, you with all my heart; but, so thinking on that which is to come, they ought and so feeling, I cannot say with you in to be excused, if they, at their age, de- your NOTES, that England is to me spair of seeing days as happy as those "matter of history," nor with you, in that they have seen. your LETTERS FROM THE ILLINOIS,

of her tyrants, say that you can think of her and love her renown and her famous political institutions, apart from

It were much better for such people "that where liberty is, there is my not to emigrate at all; for while they country."

are sure to come into a state of some But, leaving this matter for the predegree of suffering, they leave behind sent, if English farmers must emigrate, them the chance of happy days; and, why should they encounter unnecessary in my opinion, a certainty of such days. difficulties Coming from a country I think it next to impossible for any like a garden, why should they not stop man of tolerable information to believe in another somewhat resembling that that the present tyranny of the seat- which they have lived in before? Why owners can last another two years. As should they, at an expense amounting to to what change will take place it will, a large part of what they possess, prowl

two thousand miles at the hazard of their limbs and lives, take women and children through scenes of hardship and distress, not easily described, and that too, to live like gipsies at the end of their journey, for, at least, a year or two, and, as I think I shall show, with

perhaps, be hard to say; but that some great change will come is certain; and it is also certain that the change must be for the better. Indeed, one of the motives for the emigration of many is said to be that they think a convulsion inevitable. Why should such persons as I am speaking of fear a convul- out the smallest chance of their finally