Maryland, and Virginia, respecting the fee-simple value, rent, and produce of land in their districts; together with the price of labour, of articles of growth and consumption, and the amount of taxes; inclosing to his British correspondent copies of the several answers.

In a letter dated Hope-Park, Fairfax County, Virginia, Nov. 18, 1791, we have the following account:

I never entertained very high opinions of our system of farming, but what I had is certainly lower than it was. Our farms are, in general, too large to admit of much nicety, and, I believe, it would be unhappy for us to have any great desire to be so, with our black labourers, and the more worthless wretches we employ to overlook them. The manner too, in which our attention has been engrossed by the cultivation of tobacco, and large quantities of Indian corn, has, no doubt, had some share in rendering us slovenly farmers. Having had, hitherto, plenty of fresh land for these articles, we have disregarded every means of improving our opened grounds, either by manure, or laying them down in grasses--but as we begin now to set some store by our woods, and tobacco has declined so much in value, that people are generally exchanging tobacco for wheat, I flatter myself, the face of our country will soon assume an appearance, that will not only do honour to our climate, but ourselvesindeed it has long been evident to me, that our sagacious northern brethren not only considered our climate as superior to their own, but our lands too as capable of being made so, from their constant annual emigrations among us.'

In another letter dated in 1790, we find a list of taxes, which we are told may be relied on :'

From the letters of General Washington, we shall make some interesting extracts, which shew the true state of American husbandry:

An English farmer must entertain a contemptible opinion of our husbandry, or a horrid idea of our lands, when he shall be informed that not more than eight or ten bushels of wheat is the yield of an acre; but this low produce may be ascribed, and principally too, to a cause which I do not find touched by either of the gentlemen, whose letters are sent to you, namely, that the aim of the farmers, in this country' (if they can be called farmers) is, not to make the

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most they can from the land, which is or has been cheap, but the most of the labour, which is dear; the consequence of which has been, much ground has been scratched over, and none cultivated or improved as it ought to have been: whereas a farmer in England, where land is dear, and labour cheap, finds it his interest to improve and cultivate highly, that he may reap large crops from a small quan tity of ground.

That labour in this country is higher than it is in England, I can readily conceive. The ease with which a man can obtain land in fee, beyond the mountains, to which most of that class of people repair, may be assigned as the primary cause of it. But high wages is not the worst evil attending the hire of white men in this country for being accustomed to better fare than, I believe, the labourers of almost any other country, adds considerably to the expence of employing them; whilst blacks, on the contrary, are cheaper, the common food of them (even when well treated) being bread made of Indian corn, butter-milk, fish (pickled herrings) frequently, and meat now and then; with a blanket for bedding."

You seem surprized, and no wonder, to hear that many of our farmers, if they can be so called, cultivate much ground for little profit, because land is cheap, and labour is high; but you will remember, that when I informed you of this fact, I reprobated, at the same time, both the practice and the principle. The history, how ever, of it is this-a piece of land is cut down, and kept under constant cultivation, first in tobacco, and then in Indian corn, (two very exhausting plants,) until it will yield scarcely any thing;-a second piece is cleared, and treated in the same manner; then a third, and so on, until, probably, there is but little more to clear. When this happens, the owner finds himself reduced to the choice of one of three things-either to recover the land which he has ruined, to accomplish which, he has perhaps neither the skill, the industry, nor the means or to retire beyond the mountains-or to substitute quantity for quality, in order to raise something. The latter has been generally adopted, and, with the assistance of horses, he scratches over much ground, and seeds it, to very little purpose, a you may suppose, and have been informed; for I presume an English farmer would bestow more labour on one acre, by deep and fre quent ploughings, besides the dressings he gives to the land, than the other does an five acres. It is but justice, however, to Pennsylvania, to declare, that her husbandry (though not perfect) is much better, and her crops proportionably greater. The practice above mentioned applies more particularly to the Tobacco States, which, happily, are yielding more and more every year to the growth of wheat; and as this prevails the husbandry improves. Instances could be enumerated, and where no extraordinary dressings or management has been used, of land yielding from 30 to 40 bushels of wheat per acre, that has been very much exhausted.

Your mode of calculating the taxes in this country, being unusual with us, I may not accurately understand and as the Virginia method was, if I recollect rightly, detailed in my former accounts, I know not how to give you a more distinct idea of them, than by exhibiting the items of the specific charges on every species of taxable

property,

property, viz. on land, negroes, stock, &e. This, as it respects an estate in Virginia, with which I am very well acquainted, I am enabled to do, and will do. We have a road-tax besides, but it is light, and, in most of the States, paid by a contribution of labour, which rarely exceeds two days in the year, for each male labourer. Dutiable articles is a distinct tax, the quantum of which depends upon the consumption, upon the disposition of the consumer: with the aid, therefore, of the laws (which I sent you) every man can calculate, better than I am able to do for him, the amount of his own expenditures, in this way. An additional duty, or excise, was imposed last session; and thi, being now sent, will, if I am not mistaken, (with what was mentioned in my former communications,). bring every tax, direct and indirect, to your view, to which property, in this country, is subjected, either by the general government, or the Laws of the States of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, to which the observations have been confined.

Beef, and other meats, grain of all sorts, and flour, butter, cheese, and other things, in quantities to make them an object, are always, I conceive, in demand; and are sought after by the purchasers. The sale of lesser articles, at a distance from market-towns, may sometimes stick on hand, but rarely, I believe, forego a sale, if they are worth the transportation.

Sheep thrive very well in the middle States, though they are, not exempt from diseases, and are often injured by dogs; and more so, as you approach the mountains, by wolves. Were we to use horses less, and oxen more, on our farms (as they do in the New England States), we should, unquestionably, find our account in it; yet, strange as it may seem, few are in the practice of the latter; and none push the raising of sheep to the extent they might, and ought. to do. The fact is, we have, in a manner, every thing to learn that respects neat and profitable husbandry:''

To one of the President's letters, are subjoined Observations. on a letter from Mr. Young to his illustrious correspondent, by Mr. Peters, who is said by General W. to be a theorist and a man of humour.' After having invited Mr. Young to come among them, Mr. P. jocosely enforces his request by thus describing the state of American society:

We have no princes, to indulge the grades more immediately beneath them, in their pleasures and their passions, that they may themselves be supported at the expence of the nation, in their schemes of ambition and luxury- no over-grown nobles, to wanton on the hard earnings of an oppressed yconianry! He will find a respectable clergy, chosen by their respective congregations, and reputably sup. ported by the voluntary contributions of their hearers. But these are not ecclesiastical drones! fruges consumere nati :—they do, themselves, the duties required of them! they act not in the affairs of heaven by deputies, whose poverty is truly apostolical; the penu rious stipends allowed them by their grasping superiors, compelling them to be conversant only in the fasts, while their principals revel the feasts, of the church. In a word, he will not see a sable host

of

of superfluous and pampered priests (maintained by numbers who do not hear, or believe in their doctrines), who fatten on the property of the people; and, while they fetter and terrify men's consciences, to mould them to their purposes, eat out their substances, under the sanction of law. These descriptions of characters, in other countries, create and increase taxes; while they render their subordinates less liable to pay them, by enormous rents, made necessary by their dissipation and extravagance, and by their capricious terms of leasing lands, of which they are the principal engrossers. England has, perhaps, less reason to complain, on these accounts, than some other European countries: but, if we had no other statements to rely on than those given by Mr. YoUNG himself, we should know enough to be convinced, that, even there, some of these causes produce misfortunes in sufficient plenty. Not having the least inclination, if it were in my power, to disturb the systems of other nations, and wishing the happiness of mankind in their own way, I do not mention either our positive or negative prosperity, with a view to draw odious or disagreeable comparisons. The world will never agree about forms of government. Let those who think well of grades in society, be happy in the possession of such arrangements. We con sider it fortunate, and feel it beneficial, that we have them not.'

The correspondence concludes with an account of four farms, containing in the whole 3260 acres, which General W. seemed solicitous of letting to European tenants. He, indeed, indirectly insinuates a wish that Mr. Young himself might be tempted across the Atlantic. We shall give the General's own words, in order to shew the delicate manner in which he manages the subject:

I shall now conclude as I began, with a desire, that if you see any impropriety in making these sentiments known to that class of people who might wish to avail themselves of the occasion, that it may not be mentioned. By a law, or by some regulation of your government, artisans, I am well aware, are laid under restraints; and, for this reason, I have studiously avoided any overtures to mechanics, although my occasions called for them. But never having heard that difficulties were thrown in the way of husbandmen by the go. vernment, is one reason for my bringing this matter to your view. A second is, that having yourself expressed sentiments which shewed that you had cast an eye towards this country, and was not inattentive to the welfare of it, I was led to make my intentions known to you, that if you, or your friends, were disposed to avail your. selves of the knowledge, you might take prompt measures for the execution.-And, 3dly, I was sure, if you had lost sight of the object yourself, I could, nevertheless, rely upon such information as you might see fit to give me, and upon such characters, too, as you might be disposed to recommend.'

No intimation is given that any success attended this application; and indeed we are confident that Mr. Young never felt any inclination to exchange Bradfield Hall in Suffolk for

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either Dogue Run or Muddy-Hole farms, which the President proposed to let to him, or any discontented English farmer.

ART. III. Experiments upon the Circulation of the Blood, throughout the Vascular System: On languid Circulation: On the Motion of the Blood, independent of the Action of the Heart: And on the Pulsations of the Arteries. By the Abbé Spallanzani. With Notes, and a Sketch of the Literary Life of the Authors by J. Tourdes, M. D., of the University of Montpellier, and one of the Physicians to the French Army in Italy, &c. Translated into English, and illustrated with additional Notes; by R. Hall,: M. D., &c. 8vo. pp. 430. 95. Boards. Ridgway. 1801.

TH HE name of the industrious author of these experiments, is associated with so many interesting recollections, that, our readers will probably be glad to see a few brief particulars. concerning him, extracted from the memoirs prefixed to this. Volume.

Lazarus Spallanzani was born at Scandiáno, near Reggio," Jan. 12th, 1729; and his father was an advocate. He studied first at Reggio, and afterward at Bologna; where experimental' philosophy was taught by his cousin, a distinguished woman,' Laura Bassa. He displayed early talents, especially in researches concerning Natural History; of which his observations. on the Origin of Fountains, and his dissertation "De lapidibus ab aqua resilientibus," are remarkable proofs. At twenty-six years of age, he was appointed professor of philosophy and belles lettres at Reggio, and he held this situation during six years. At the age of thirty-three, he removed to Modena ; and at this time he published his treatise on the reproduction of animals. In 1770, he was invited to fill the chair of Natural History at Pavia; and here he commenced that brilliant career which has gained for him so high a place among modern philosophers.In this part of the memoirs, Dr. Tourdes has. given a concise and perspicuous view of the author's principal. works. The world was deprived of this eminent man in Feb 1798; when an apoplexy, conjoined with enlargement of the prostate gland, and considerable disease in the bladder, brought him to the grave.

As a particular view of the numerous and interesting experiments here detailed would lead us into a discussion of too great length, we shall present our readers with parts of the summary of them which is given by Dr. Tourdes. It may be necessary to premise, however, that Spallanzani accounts for the diversity between some of his observations and those of REV. AUG. 1802. Haller,

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