is by no means certain;
but till I see all hope of removing the evil by the roots desperate, I
cannot propose to prune its branches.

I returned but three or four days ago, from a two months' trip to
England. I traversed that country much, and own, both town and country
fell short of my expectations. Comparing it with this, I found a much
greater proportion of barrens, a soil, in other parts, not naturally so
good as this, not better cultivated, but better manured, and therefore
more productive. This proceeds from the practice of long leases there,
and short ones here. The laboring people here, are poorer than in
England. They pay about one half their produce in rent; the English, in
general, about a third. The gardening, in that country, is the article
in which it surpasses all the earth. I mean their pleasure gardening.
This, indeed, went far beyond my ideas. The city of London, though
handsomer than Paris, is not so handsome as Philadelphia. Their
architecture is in the most wretched style I ever saw, not meaning to
except America, where it is bad, nor even Virginia, where it is worse
than in any other part of America which I have seen. The mechanical arts
in London are carried to a wonderful perfection. But of these I need
not speak, because, of them my countrymen have unfortunately too many
samples before their eyes. I consider the extravagance which has seized
them, as a more baneful evil than toryism was during the war. It is the
more so, as the example is set by the best and most amiable characters
among us. Would a missionary appear, who would make frugality the basis
of his religious system, and go through the land, preaching it up as the
only road to salvation, I would join his school, though not generally
disposed to seek my religion out of the dictates of my own reason, and
feelings of my own heart. These things have been more deeply impressed
on my mind, by what I have heard and seen in England. That nation hate
us, their ministers hate us, and their King, more than all other men.
They have the impudence to avow this, though they acknowledge our trade
important to them. But they think, we cannot prevent our countrymen from
bringing that into their laps. A conviction of this determines them
to make no terms of commerce with us. They say, they will pocket
our carrying trade as well as their own. Our overtures of commercial
arrangements have been treated with a derision, which shows their firm
persuasion, tha