Post-Office-In 1789, the number of postoffices in the United States was 75; the amount of postage 38,000 dollars; the miles of post-road 1800. In 1817, the number of post-offices was 3,459; the amount of postage 961,000 dollars; and the extent of post-roads 51,600 miles.

were 68 millions; in 1806-7, they were 138 millions; and in 1815, 133 millions of dollars. The annual value of the imports, on an average of three years ending 1804, was 75,000,000, of which the dominions of Great Britain furnished nearly one half. On an average of three years ending in 1804, America imported from Great Revenue. The revenues of the United States Britain to the amount of about 36 millions, and are derived from the customs; from duties on returned goods to the amount of about 23 mil- distilled spirits, carriages, snuff, refined sugar, lions. Certainly these are countries that have auctions, stamped paper, goods, wares and mersome better employment for their time and chandise manufactured within the United States, energy than cutting each other's throats, and household furniture, gold and silver watches may meet for more profitable purposes.-The and postage of letters; from money arising from American imports from the dominions of Great the sale of public lands and from fees on lettersBritain, before the great American war, amount- patent. The following are the duties paid at ed to about 3 millions sterling; soon after the the custom-house for some of the principal artiwar, to the same. From 1805 to 1811, both in- cles of importation:-7 per cent. on dyeing clusive, the average annual exportation of Great drugs, jewellery and watch-work; 15 per cent. Britain to all parts of the world, in real value, on hempen cloth and on all articles manuwas about 43 millions sterling, of which one-factured from iron, tin, brass and lead-on butfifth, or nearly 9 millions, was sent to America. tons, buckles, china, earthenware and glass, Tonnage and Navigation.-Before the revolu- except window glass; 25 per cent. on cotton tionary war, the American tonnage, whether and woollen goods and cotton twist; 30 per owned by British or American subjects, was cent. on carriages, leather and leather manuabout 127,000 tons; immediately after that war, factures, &c. 108,000. In 1789, it had amounted to 437,733 tons, of which 279,000 was American property. In 1790, the total was 605,825, of which 354,000 was American. In 1816, the tonnage, all American, was 1,300,000. On an average of three years, from 1810 to 1812, both inclusive, the registered tonnage of the British empire was 2,459,000; or little more than double the Ame

rican.

The average annual produce of the customs, between 1801 and 1810, both inclusive, was about twelve millions of dollars. In the year 1814, the customs amounted only to four mil lions; and, in the year 1815, the first year after the war, rose to thirty-seven millions. From 1789 to 1814, the customs have constituted 65 per cent. of the American revenues; loans 26 per cent.; and all other branches 8 to 9 per cent. Lands. All public lands are surveyed before They collect their customs at about 4 per cent.; they are offered for sale, and divided into town--the English expense of collection is 6l. 2s. 6d. ships of six miles square, which are subdivided per cent. into thirty-six sections of one mile square, con- The duty upon spirits is extremely trifling to taining each 640 acres. The following lands the consumer--not a penny per gallon. The are excepted from the sales. One thirty-sixth number of distilleries is about 15,000. The part of the lands, or a section of 640 acres in licenses produce a very inconsiderable sum. each township, is uniformly reserved for the The tax laid upon carriages in 1814, varied support of schools; seven entire townships, con- from fifty dollars to one dollar, according to the taining each 23,000 acres, have been reserved value of the machine. In the year 1801, there in perpetuity for the support of learning: all salt were more than fifteen thousand carriages of difsprings and lead mines are also reserved. The ferent descriptions paying duty. The furnitureMississippi, the Ohio, and all the navigable tax seems to have been a very singular species rivers and waters leading into either, or into the of tax, laid on during the last war. It was an ad river St. Lawrence, remain common highways, valorem duty upon all the furniture in any man's and forever free to all the citizens of the United possession, the value of which exceeded 600 States, without payment of any tax. All the dollars. Furniture cannot be estimated without other public lands, not thus excepted, are offered domiciliary visits, nor domiciliary visits allowed for public sale in quarter sections of 160 acres, without tyranny and vexation. An information at a price not less than two dollars per acre, laid against a new arm-chair, or a clandestine and as much more as they will fetch by public sideboard-a search-warrant, and a conviction auction. It was formerly the duty of the secre consequent upon it-have much more the aptary of the treasury to superintend the sales of pearance of English than American liberty. lands. In 1812, an office, denominated the The license for a watch, too, is purely English. General Land-Office, was instituted. The public A truly free Englishman walks out covered with lands sold prior to the opening of the land-offices, licenses. It is impossible to convict him. He amounted to one million and a half of acres. has paid a guinea for his powdered head-a The aggregate of the sales since the opening of guinea for the coat of arms upon his seals—a the land-offices, N. W. of the river Ohio, to the three guinea license for the gun he carries upon end of September, 1817, amounted to 8,469,644 his shoulder to shoot game: and is so fortified acres; and the purchase-money to 18,000,000 with permits and cfficial sanctions, that the most dollars. The lands sold since the opening of eagle-eyed informer cannot obtain the most trithe land-offices in the Mississippi territory, fling advantage over him. amount to 1,600,000 acres. The stock of unsold land on hand is calculated at 400,000,000 In the year 1817 there were sold above two millions of acres.

acres.

America has borrowed, between 1791 and 1815, one hundred and seven millions of dol lars, of which forty-nine millions were bor rowed in 1813 and 1814. The internal revenue

and effect of our late naval warfare against the Americans.

in the year 1815 amounted to eight million dollars; the gross revenue of the same year, including the loan, to fifty-one million dollars. "For a long time the majority of the people Army. During the late war with Great Brit of the United States was opposed to an extentain, Congress authorized the raising of 62,000 sive and permanent naval establishment; and men for the armies of the United States, the force authorized by the legislature, until very though the actual number raised never amount- lately, was intended for temporary purposes. A ed to half that force. In February, 1815, the navy was considered to be beyond the financial army of the United States did not amount to means of our country; and it was supposed the more than 32,000 men; in January, 1814, to people would not submit to be taxed for its sup23,000. The recruiting service, as may be port. Our brilliant success in the late war has easily conceived, where the wages of labour changed the public sentiment on this subject: are so high, goes on very slowly in America. many persons who formerly opposed the navy, The military peace establishment was fixed in now consider it as an essential means for our 1815 at 10,000 men. The Americans are fortu- defence. The late transactions on the borders nately exempt from the insanity of garrisoning of the Chesapeake Bay, cannot be forgotten; little rocks and islands all over the world; nor the extent of that immense estuary enabled the would they lavish millions upon the ignoble end enemy to sail triumphant into the interior of of the Spanish Peninsula―the most useless and the United States. For hundreds of miles along extravagant possession with which any Eu- the shores of that great bay, our people were inropean power was ever afflicted. In 1812, any sulted; our towns were ravaged and destroyed; recruit honourably discharged from the service, a considerable population was teased and irriwas allowed three months' pay, and 160 acres tated; depredations were hourly committed by of land. In 1814, every non-commissioned an enemy who could penetrate into the bosom officer, musician and private, who enlisted and of the country, without our being able to molest was afterwards honourably discharged, was al-him whilst he kept on the water. By the time lowed, upon such discharge, 320 acres. The enlistment was for five years, or during the war. The widow, child or parent of any person enlisted, who was killed, or died in the service of the United States, was entitled to receive the same bounty in land.

Every free white male between eighteen and forty-five, is liable to be called out in the militia, which is stated, in official papers, to amount to 748,000 persons.

a sufficient force was collected to check his operations in one situation, his ships had already transported him to another, which was feeble, and offered a booty to him. An army could make no resistance to this mode of warfare; the people were annoyed; and they suf fered in the field only to be satisfied of their inability to check those who had the dominion upon our waters. The inhabitants who were in the immediate vicinity, were not alone affected by the enemy; his operations extended their influence to our great towns on the Atlantic coast; domestic intercourse and internal commerce were interrupted, whilst that with foreign nations was, in some instances, entirely suspended. The treasury documents for 1814, exhibit the phenomenon of the State of Pennsyl vania not being returned in the list of the

Navy. On the 8th of June, 1781, the Americans had only one vessel of war, the Alliance; and that was thought to be too expensive; it was sold! The attacks of the Barbary powers first roused them to form a navy; which, in 1797, amounted to three frigates. In 1814, besides a great increase of frigates, four seventy-fours were ordered to be built. In 1816, in consequence of some brilliant actions of their fri-exporting states. We were not only deprived gates, the naval service had become very popular throughout the United States. One million of dollars was appropriated annually, for eight years to the gradual increase of the navy; nine seventy-fours, and twelve forty-four gun-ships were ordered to be built. Vacant and unappropriated lands belonging to the United States, fit to produce oak and cedar, were to be selected for the use of the navy. The peace establishment of the marine corps was increased, and six navy yards were established. We were surprised to find Dr. Seybert complaining of a want of ship timber in America. "Many persons (he says) believe that our stock of live oak is very considerable; but upon good authority we have been told, in 1801, that supplies of live oak from Georgia will be obtained with great difficulty, and that the larger pieces are very scarce." In treating of naval affairs, Dr. Seybert, with a very different purpose in view, pays the following involuntary tribute to the activity

of revenue, but our expenditures were very much augmented. It is probable the amount of the expenditures incurred on the borders of the Chesapeake would have been adequate to provide naval means for the defence of those waters: the people might then have remained at home, secure from depredation in the pursuit of their tranquil occupations. The expenses of the government, as well as of individuals, were very much augmented for every species of transportation. Every thing had to be conveyed by land carriage. Our communication with the ocean was cut off. One thousand dollars were paid for the transportation of each of the thirty-two pounder cannon from Washington city to Lake Ontario for the public service. Our roads became almost impassable from the heavy loads which were carried over them. These facts should induce us, in times of tranquillity, to provide for the national defence, and execute such internal improvements as cannot be effected during the agitations of war."-(p. 679.)

Expenditure. The President of the United States receives about 6000l. a year; the VicePresident about 600%; the deputies to Congress

have 8 dollars per day, and 8 dollars for every | table consequences of being too fond of glory;—

20 miles of journey. The first clerk of the TAXES upon every article which enters into the House of Representatives receives about 750 mouth, or covers the back, or is placed under the per annum; the Secretary of State, 12001; the foot-taxes upon every thing which it is pleasant Postmaster-General, 750%; the Chief Justice of to see, hear, feel, smell, or taste-taxes upon the United States, 1000; a Minister Plenipo-warmth, light and locomotion-taxes on every thing tentiary, 22007. per annum. There are, doubt- on earth, and the waters under the earth-on every less, reasons why there should be two noblemen thing that comes from abroad, or is grown at appointed in this country as postmasters-gene- home-taxes on the raw material-taxes on every ral, with enormous salaries, neither of whom fresh value that is added to it by the industry of know a twopenny post letter from a general man-taxes on the sauce which pampers man's one, and where further retrenchments are stated appetite, and the drug that restores him to health to be impossible. This is clearly a case toon the ermine which decorates the judge, and which that impossibility extends. But these are the rope which hangs the criminal-on the poor matters where a prostration of understanding man's salt, and the rich man's spice-on the brass is called for; and good subjects are not to rea- nails of the coffin, and the ribbons of the brideson, but to pay. If, however, we were ever to at bed or board, couchant or levant, we must pay. indulge in the Saxon practice of looking into -The school-boy whips his taxed top-the beardour own affairs, some important documents less youth manages his taxed horse, with a taxed might be derived from these American salaries. bridle, on a taxed road:-and the dying EnglishJonathan, for instance, sees no reason why the man, pouring his medicine, which has paid 7 per first clerk of his House of Commons should cent., into a spoon that has paid 15 per cent.,derive emoluments from his situation to the flings himself back upon his chintz bed, which amount of 60007. or 7000l. per annum; but has paid 22 per cent.,—and expires in the arms Jonathan is vulgar and arithmetical. The total of an apothecary, who has paid a license of a expenditure of the United States varied, between hundred pounds for the privilege of putting him 1799 and 1811, both inclusive, from 11 to 17 to death. His whole property is then immediately millions of dollars. From 1812 to 1814, both taxed from 2 to 10 per cent. Besides the probate, inclusive, and all these years of war with this large fees are demanded for burying him in the country, the expenditure was consecutively, 22, chancel; his virtues are handed down to posterity 29, and 38 millions of dollars. The total ex- on taxed marble; and he is then gathered to his penditure of the United States, for 14 years fathers,-to be taxed no more. In addition to all from 1791 to 1814, was 333 millions of dollars; this, the habit of dealing with large sums will of which, in the three last years of war with make the government avaricious and profuse; this country, from 1812 to 1814, there were ex- and the system itself will infallibly generate pended 100 millions of dollars, of which only the base vermin of spies and informers, and a 35 were supplied by revenue, the rest by loans still more pestilent race of political tools and and government paper. The sum total received retainers of the meanest and most odious by the American treasury from the 3d of March, description;-while the prodigious patronage 1789, to the 31st of March, 1816, is 354 millions which the collecting of this splendid revenue of dollars; of which 107 millions have been will throw into the hands of government, will raised by loan, and 222 millions by the customs invest it with so vast an influence, and hold out and tonnage: so that, exclusive of the revenue such means and temptations to corruption, as derived from loans, 222 parts out of 247 of the all the virtue and public spirit, even of repubAmerican revenue have been derived from fo- licans, will be unable to resist. reign commerce. In the mind of any sensible American, this consideration ought to prevail over the few splendid actions of their half dozen frigates, which must, in a continued war, have been, with all their bravery and activity, swept from the face of the ocean by the superior force and equal bravery of the English. It would be the height of madness in America to run into another naval war with this country, if it could be averted by any other means than a sacrifice of proper dignity and character. They have, comparatively, no land revenue; and, in spite of the Franklin and Guerrière, though lined with cedar and mounted with brass cannon, they must soon be reduced to the same state which has been described by Dr. Seybert, and from which they were so opportunely extricated by the treaty of Ghent. David Porter and Stephen Decatur are very brave men; but they will prove an unspeakable misfortune to their country, if they inflame Jonathan into a love of naval glory, and inspire him with any other love of war than that which is founded upon a determination not to submit to serious insult and injury.

Every wise Jonathan should remember this, when he sees the rabble huzzaing at the heels of the truly respectable Decatur, or inflaming the vanity of that still more popular leader, whose justification has lowered the character of his government with all the civilized nations of the world.

Debt.-America owed 42 million dollars after the Revolutionary war; in 1790, 79 millions; in 1803, 70 millions; and in the beginning of January, 1812, the public debt was diminished to 45 million dollars. After the last war with England, it had risen to 123 millions; and so it stood on the 1st of January, 1816. The total amount carried to the credit of the commissioners of the sinking fund, on the 31st of December, 1816, was about 34 millions of dollars.

Such is the land of Jonathan-and thus has it been governed. In his honest endeavours to better his situation, and in his manly purpose of resisting injury and insult we most cordially sympathize. We hope he will always continue to watch and suspect his government as he now does-remembering that it is the constant tendency of those entrusted with power, to conWe can inform Jonathan what are the inevi- ceive that they enjoy it by their own merits,

selves to our own country, and to the period that has elapsed since they had an independent existence, we would ask, where are their Foxes, their Burkes, their Sheridans, their Windhams, their Horners, their Wilberforces?-where their Arkwrights, their Watts, their Davys ?—their Robertsons, Blairs, Smiths, Stewarts, Paleys, and Malthuses?-their Porsons, Parrs, Burneys, or Bloomfields?-their Scotts, Rogers's, Campbells, Byrons, Moores, or Crabbes?their Siddons's, Kembles, Keans, or O'Neils?— their Wilkies, Lawrences, Chantrys?—or their parallels to the hundred other names that have spread themselves over the world from our little island in the course of the last thirty years, and blest or delighted mankind by their works, inventions or examples? In so far as we know, there is no such parallel to be produced from the whole annals of this selfadulating race. In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book? or goes to an American play? or looks at an American picture or statue? What does the world yet owe to American physicians or surgeons? What new substances have their chemists discovered? or what old ones have they analyzed? What new constellations have been discovered by the telescopes of Americans? What have they done in the mathematics? Who drinks out of American glasses? or eats from American plates? or wears American coats or gowns? or sleeps in American blankets? Finally, under which of the old tyrannical governments of Europe is every sixth man a slave, whom his fellow-creatures may buy and sell and torture?

and for their own use, and not by delegation, | Politics or Political Economy. Confining ourand for the benefit of others. Thus far we are the friends and admirers of Jonathan. But he must not grow vain and ambitious; or allow himself to be dazzled by that galaxy of epithets by which his orators and newspaper scribblers endeavour to persuade their supporters that they are the greatest, the most refined, the most enlightened and most moral people upon earth. The effect of this is unspeakably ludicrous on this side of the Atlantic-and, even on the other, we shall imagine, must be rather humiliating to the reasonable part of the population. The Americans are a brave, industrious and acute people; but they have, hitherto, given no indications of genius, and made no approaches to the heroic, either in their morality or character. They are but a recent offset, indeed, from England; and should make it their chief boast, for many generations to come, that they are sprung from the same race with Bacon and Shakspeare and Newton. Considering their numbers, indeed, and the favourable circumstances in which they have been placed, they have yet done marvellously little to assert the honour of such a descent, or to show that their English blood has been exalted or refined by their republican training and institutions. Their Franklins and Washingtons, and all the other sages and heroes of their Revolution, were born and bred subjects of the King of England, and not among the freest or most valued of his subjects. And since the period of their separation, a far greater proportion of their statesmen and artists and political writers have been foreigners than ever occurred before in the history of any civilized and educated people. During the thirty or forty years of their independence, they have done absolutely nothing for the Sciences, for the Arts, for Literature, or even for the statesman-like studies oflatives.

When these questions are fairly and favourably answered, their laudatory epithets may be allowed: but till that can be done, we would seriously advise them to keep clear of super

IRELAND.*

[EDINBURGH REVIEW, 1820.]

THESE are all the late publications that treat of Irish interests in general,-and none of them are of first-rate importance. Mr. Gamble's Travels in Ireland are of a very ordinary description -low scenes and low humour making up the principal part of the narrative. There are readers, however, whom it will amuse; and the reading market becomes more and more extensive, and embraces a greater variety of persons every day. Mr. Whitelaw's History of Dublin is a book of great accuracy and research, highly creditable to the industry, good sense and be nevolence of its author. Of the Travels of Mr. Christian Curwen, we hardly know what to say. He is bold and honest in his politics-a great enemy to abuses-vapid in his levity and pleasantry, and infinitely too much inclined to declaim upon common-place topics of morality and benevolence. But, with these drawbacks, the book is not ill written; and may be advantageously read by those who are desirous of information upon the present state of Ireland.

brother of his birthright; by the same process he might force his father, under the name of a liberal provision, to yield up to him a part of his landed property: and, if an eldest son, he might, in the same way, reduce his father's feesimple to a life estate. A papist was disabled from purchasing freehold lands-and even from holding long leases-and any person might take his Catholic neighbour's house by paying 51. for it. If the child of a Catholic father turned Protestant, he was taken away from his father and put into the hands of a Protestant relation. No papist could purchase a freehold, or lease for more than thirty years-or inherit from an intestate Protestant-nor from an intestate Catho lic-nor dwell in Limerick or Galway-nor hold an advowson, nor buy an annuity for life. 50% was given for discovering a popish archbishop -30%. for a popish clergyman-and 10s. for a schoolmaster. No one was allowed to be trustee for Catholics; no Catholic was allowed to take more than two apprentices; no papist to be soSo great and so long has been the misgo-licitor, sheriff, or to serve on grand juries. vernment of that country, that we verily believe the empire would be much stronger if every thing was open sea between England and the Atlantic, and if skates and codfish swam over the fair land of Ulster. Such jobbing, such profligacy-so much direct tyranny and oppression-such an abuse of God's gifts-such a profanation of God's name for the purposes of bigotry and party spirit, cannot be exceeded in the history of civilized Europe, and will long remain a monument of infamy and shame to England. But it will be more useful to suppress the indignation which the very name of Ireland inspires, and to consider impartially those causes which have marred this fair portion of the creation, and kept it wild and savage in the midst of improving Europe.

Horses of papists might be seized for the militia; for which militia papists were to pay double, and to find Protestant substitutes. Papists were prohibited from being present at vestries, or from being high or petty constables; and, when resident in towns, they were compelled to find Protestant watchmen. Barristers and solicitors marrying Catholics, were exposed to the penalties of Catholics. Persons plundered by pri vateers during a war with any popish prince, were reimbursed by a levy on the Catholic inhabitants where they lived. All popish priests celebrating marriages contrary to 12 Geo. I. cap. 3, were to be hanged.

The greater part of these incapacities are removed, though many of a very serious and oppressive nature still remain. But the grand misfortune is, that the spirit which these oppressive laws engendered remains. The Protestant still looks upon the Catholic as a degraded being. The Catholic does not yet consider himself upon an equality with his former tyrant and taskmaster. That religious

The great misfortune of Ireland is, that the mass of the people have been given up for a century to a handful of Protestants, by whom they have been treated as Helots, and subjected to every species of persecution and disgrace. The sufferings of the Catholics have been so loudly chaunted in the very streets, that it is al-hatred which required all the prohibiting vigimost needless to remind our readers that, during the reigns of George I. and George II., the Irish Roman Catholics were disabled from holding any civil or military office, from voting at elections, from admission into corporations, from practising law or physic. A younger brother, by turning Protestant, might deprive his elder

lance of the law for its restraint, has found in the law its strongest support; and the spirit which the law first exasperated and embittered, continues to act long after the original stimulus is withdrawn. The law which prevented Catholics from serving on grand juries is repealed; but Catholics are not called upon grand juries their rank and fortune. The Duke of Bedford in the proportion in which they are entitled, by did all he could to give them the benefit of those laws which are already passed in their favour. But power is seldom entrusted in this country to one of the Duke of Bedford's liberality; and