he States is not sufficient
for the increasing population, or rather what the population would have
been had it not migrated every year to the West and South. They set a
higher value upon good connections in these poor States than they do in
others; and if a daughter is to be married, they will ask what family
the suitor is of, and if it bears a good name, they are quite
indifferent as to whether he has a cent or not. It is remarkable, that
if a man has three or four sons in these States, one will be a lawyer,
another a medical man, another a clergyman, and one will remain at home
to take the property; and thus, out of the proceeds of a farm, perhaps
not containing more than fifty acres, all these young men shall be
properly educated, and in turn sent forth to the West and South, where
they gain an honourable independence, and very often are sent to
Congress as senators and representatives. Industry and frugality are
the only entailed estate bequeathed from father to son. Yet this State
alone manufactures to the value of 86,282,616 of dollars in the year.
As a general axiom it may fairly be asserted, that the more sterile the
soil, the more virtuous, industrious, and frugal are the inhabitants;
and it may be added, that such a country sends out more clever and
intelligent men than one that is nominally more blessed by Providence.
The fact is, without frugality and industry the Eastern States could not
exist; they become virtues of necessity, and are the basis of others;
whilst, where there is abundance, vice springs up and idleness takes
deep root.

The population of Massachusetts is by the last returns 701,331 souls. I
rather think the proportion of women to men is very great.

An energetic and enterprising people are naturally anxious for an
investigation into cause and effect, a search into which is, after all,
nothing but curiosity well directed, and the most curious of all men is
the philosopher. Curiosity, therefore, becomes a virtue or a small
vice, according to the use made of it. The Americans are excessively
curious, especially the mob: they cannot bear anything like a secret,--
that's _unconstitutional_. It may be remembered, that the Catholic
Convent near Boston, which had existed many years, was attacked by the
mob and pulled down. I was enquiring into the cause of this outrage in
a country where all forms of religion are tolerated; and an American
gentleman told me, that although other reasons ha