anure, soon bring the
land round, pay for the estate by installments, and live very comfortably.
Some of the best plantations in Pennsylvania were originally left in this
manner. The irish family go two or three hundred miles up the country,
where they can purchase as much land as they please, from sixpence to a
dollar per acre: here they literally _break fresh ground_, and begin
the world again. To some timorous people, their new situation would be
thought dangerous, as they are liable to a visit from the Indians, and
perishing by the scalping knife and tomahawk.--See a former letter on back
settlers.

_Aug. 6th_.--We returned to Philadelphia, not _overloaded_ with _cash_,
but with more than was sufficient for our expenses, which, owing to
several excursions from Lancaster, were not trifling.--Farewel.--Believe
me

Yours very sincerely.

* * * * *

_Philadelphia, 14th August, 1794._

DEAR SIR,

By captain H----, of the Betsy, who will deliver this letter, I have sent
you specimens of the federal coinage.

When that government was formed, a mint was established, and a coinage
issued on a new plan. This was much wanted, as scarcely three of the
states agreed as to the value currency of a dollar. Here it was seven
shillings and sixpence, in South Carolina four shillings and eight pence,
at New York eight shillings, and in the New England states six shillings.
According to the new regulations, all _nominal_ coins are exploded,
and the silver dollar, weighing 17 dwts. 6 grs.[Footnote: This is the
exact weight of the spanish milled dollar, which, as well as the
divisions, are allowed to pass current; they consist of the half, quarter,
eighth, and sixteenth, also the pistreen, or fifth, and the half pistreen,
or tenth.], is fixed as the standard, divided into one hundred decimal
parts; these are of copper, and called cents. All taxes, duties and
imposts, that extend to the _whole Union_, are levied in these coins
_only_. The other federal coins, like the english guineas and crowns,
never appear on the public accounts.

Those of _gold_ are eagles, half eagles, and quarter eagles, value ten,
five, and two and a half, dollars: of _silver_, the half, quarter, tenth,
and twentieth of the standard dollar; or fifty, twenty-five, ten, and five
cents: of _copper_, the half cent, or two hundredth part of a dollar. The
principle on which this coinage is formed is so very simple, that the
proport