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a sum, which a man with even a small capital could not grudge, in so momentous a concern was that of emigrating. I have, moreover, no hesitation in saying, that the 100% would be well laid out, even should he afterwards determine to emigrate. By going through the country, he would have an opportunity of seeing several States, and could judge which would best suit his ideas of comfort and profit. He would inform himself accurately about the life of the American farmers, and about the value of land as connected with the healthiness of its situation, and of its proximity to a market or a navigable, river. He should also inform himself concerning the methods of cultivation; for it must be considered, that although an English farmer may know very well how to raise wheat and oats, he is perfectly ignorant of the culture of cotton, tobacco, and particularly of Indian corn, which is the grand staple of the Southern and Western States, and of which 500 bushels are raised for every bushel of bushel of any other grain. Indeed most of the small Backwoods farmers do not cultivate anything else. And

If four or five families from the same part of England wish to emigrate, they would do well to send first of all one of their own number, a poor man, but upon whom they could rely. His journey would cost much less than 100%; perhaps only 50%; for,son arriving at the other side the water,

he might travel on foot, and yet go as far in three days as a horseman would in two.

By adopting such a plan the emigrant may become independent of books, which at most are but fallacious guides; every one, in his views of a

strange country, being influenced more or less by his former mode of life.

A poor man would, I think, if willing to work, live more comfortably in the State of New York, or in Pennsylvania, than in the Illinois; but then he could not so easily become an independent landholder.

༔,་

There is one class of people, however, whom I must on no account dissuade from emigration, I mean the poor Irish. Never, in all my travels, have I seen any set of people who are so wretched as these. The poorest Swiss or German peasant, is rich and well off compared to them. Persecuted, and put almost out of the pale of the law, on account of their faith; obliged, when almost starving, to stint themselves in food, in order to support a religion they abhor; living on roots; often not having enough even of these; and probably not tasting bread or meat once a year;-surely such men cannot but find any change advantageous. I verily believe, that the poorer class in Kerry are no better off, and no more civilized, than when Ireland was first conquered by Earl Strongbow. If they could emigrate en masse, they would become superior

beings; and I would strongly advise every one of them, who possesses the means of getting to the sea-side, to work or beg his passage over, and go where he may, so that at all events he may quit his native island-that den of human wretchedness.

Before concluding the subject of emigration, I must say, though with bitter feelings of regret, that it is the intention of the people of the Illinois to constitute themselves a slave-holding State. So powerful is avarice, and so weak is patriotism, that many inhabitants, to whom I spoke upon the subject, acknowledged that it would ultimately be a great curse to the State; but this was indifferent to them, as they intended going away. These wretches think, that if their State can be made a slave state, many of the wealthy southern planters will emigrate to it, and that thus the price of land will be increased. As they wish to sell theirs, many will on that account vote for slavery.

Now the present constitution of Illinois (Art. 6.) says: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall hereafter be introduced into this State, otherwise than for the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted; nor shall any male person arrived at the age of twenty-one years, nor female person arrived at the age of eighteen years, be held to serve any person as a servant, under any indenture hereafter made, unless such person shall enter into such indenture while in a state of perfect freedom, and on condition of a bonâ

fide consideration, received, or to be received, for their service." *

"

The legislature of Illinois meets only once in two years, and by the constitution, if any alteration be required, all that can be done by the legislature, in which the proposition for an alteration is brought forward, is to advise the people to enable the next legislature, to call a convention of the whole State, for the purpose of making the said alteration. In order to give this advice, there must be a majority of two-thirds. I grieve to say, that when I was there this majority had been obtained. As, however, the Convention cannot be called for two years, there is some little hope that the emigrants from the Northern and New England States, who are all strongly opposed to slavery, may increase so as to make head against the proposition. There is also some little chance, that the General Government of the United States will, as it ought, interfere. Neither, however, of these chances appeared to me to be very great.

Those who have been the cause of this convention, are the men who have come from the slave-holding States. On their success in getting the votes of two-thirds of the legislature, the Conventionalists assembled at two or three public dinners, at which they drank, among other toasts,

* Vide that excellent little work "Constitutional Law," published at Washington, which comprises the constitutions of all the States.

"The State of Illinois-give us plenty of negroes, a little industry, and she will distribute her treasures." "A new constitution, purely republican, which may guarantee to the people of Illinois the peaceable enjoyment of all species of property."

What mortified me the most, was to find that many of the English at Albion were in favour of this iniquitous plan. Some few indeed of the more respectable are opposed to it; and Birkbeck and Flowers have even declared, that should it be carried into effect, they will leave the State. It remains to be seen how far they are sincere. There are, on the other hand, certain miscreants, who have fled from their own country, to avoid, as they tell you, the tyranny of tithes and taxes, and who have yet no hesitation in giving their vote for merciless personal slavery, and the consequent entailing of endless misery and degradation, upon tens of thousands of their fellow men. It is the conduct of such unprincipled wretches as these, that gives a handle to the serviles of Europe to declaim against liberty, by showing that there are some men utterly unworthy to enjoy it. It always annoyed me that any person in a free country should uphold slavery; but I felt it doubly mortifying, to discover, that among such wretches, there were Englishmen. Inte ban Aquinas euordsh