ble support of himself and a family, who in their turns
might find in the same way the same facility of subsisting in an
independent state of life; that it was not in the nature of things for
men thus circumstanced to bury themselves in the bowels of the earth,
and spend their lives and their labor for the profit of others.

As to the article of hemp, I observed, notwithstanding the
encouragement by bounties given by the Parliament of Britain, aided by
the influence of the King's Governors in the Colonies, we had never
adopted the cultivation of it in any degree worth consideration; that
we had continued to import it through Great Britain in very great
quantities; that scarce any vessel ever came from thence without
bringing more or less of it; that it had never become an article of
exportation, unless possibly in some instances for the purpose of
recovering bounties; that the people were averse to its cultivation,
as it not only required a good soil, which could be more profitably
imployed in raising grain, but impoverished it very fast; that grain
was one of our capital articles; that by means of it we kept up a
profitable commerce with all the West Indies, as well as with some of
the more southern parts of our continent; that further, it would be
the policy of America, whenever circumstances should turn her
attention to manufactures, to begin upon the coarse woollens in
preference to linens of any kind, and to that end to promote the
increase of wool, rather than of flax or hemp; that a system of this
sort coincided perfectly with the cultivation of grain, as it
contributed to fill the country with provisions, to render labor
cheaper, and to afford further supplies for the above foreign markets;
and that our lands instead of being injured, would be much meliorated
by such means.

By arguments of this kind, pursued into their details, and such as are
contained in those reflections, I have endeavored, I hope with some
good effect, to dissipate any apprehensions of the abovementioned
rivalry. This had become an object of consequence to us, as this
rivalry was maintained by both friends and foes, though with very
different views. I will explain myself hereafter upon this point.

Our latest intelligence from America, comes by the way of Iceland, and
in substance is, that the ship of war the Princess Caroline, had
arrived there last from Charleston; that she was at Savannah on the
30th of June; that the garrison had rec