N. B. The distance in British miles, between two places, is found fquare at the interfection of the lines, drawn both ways, from t537 140 as for example, the diftance from Boston to Williamsburgh 659 766 695 Charleston to Quebec 1396 miles

QUEBEC 626 6692041 837 440

ST. AUGUSTINE, Eaft-Florida 1726 1100 1057 3151922 1286

SAVANNAH, Georgia 220 1506 880 837 535 1702 1066

WILLIAMSBURGH, Virginia 534 754 972 346 303 1069 168 532

Winchester, Virginia 174 708 9288 5 259| 166|1243|

86 445

OF THE

ADVANTAGES

WHICH THE UNITED STATES POSSESS OVER EUROPEAN
COUNTRIES.

IN RESPECT TO GOVERNMENT:

WHILE the governments of most countries in Europe are per

fectly defpotic, and while thofe which are not actually fuch, appear to be verging fast towards it, the government of America is making rapid ftrides toward perfection; it being contrary to all the old governments, in the hands of the people, they have exploded those principles by the operation of which civil and religious disqualifications and oppreffions have been inflicted on mankind, and rejecting MERE TOLERATION, they have, with a small exception, placed upon an equal footing every church fect, and society of religious perfons whatfoever.

Their laws and government have for their bafis the natural and imprescriptible rights of man: liberty, fecurity of person and property, refistance against oppreffion, doing whatever does not injure another, a right to concur, either perfonally or by their representa tives, in the formation of laws, and an equal chance of arriving to places of honour, reward, or employment, according to their virtues or talents. These are the principles of their conftitution; and laws grafted upon these fimple, but fubftantial principles, and a fyftem of legal jurisprudence organized, and acting accordingly, form the effence of their government; and if ever the government fwerves materially from thefe fundamental principles, the compact is diffolved, and things revert again to a co-equal state. By this plain definition of the nature of laws and government, every capacity, and every individual of the community, can judge with precifion of the purity of legislation; this produces the most entire conviction in the minds of all men, of the neceffity there is of acting, in every inftance, according to the code of reafon and truth. Every Oo

VOL. III.

man

man in America is equally concerned in the welfare and profperity of his country and its government; for his own felicity can only be coexistent with it, and to suffer his ambition to run counter to the general weal would be madness in an enlightened commonwealth, as it could only tend to produce his own eternal disgrace and ruin, where the genius of freedom is enthroned in the heart of every citizen.

Europe has long been enslaved by forms and authorities; and while its multifarious laws and cuftoms have ferved to perplex profeffional men, the sophistry employed in expounding them has com pletely bewildered the imaginations of its citizens, and produced an obfcurity of ideas upon the subject of jurisprudence and government, and a depravity of morals which is truly deplorable.

Religion, or what is called an establishment in Europe, has had and continues to have its fhare in rivetting the fetters of ignorance. The elucidation of truth has been retarded by the TYRANNY OF THE CHURCH; for while priefs have been the pedagogues of religion, morals, fentiments, and politics, their INTERESTED VIEWS have caused them to flatter thofe governments whose interest it has been to keep the people ignorant, because it has fecured to them the undifturbed divifion of the fpoils of the great bulk of industrious citizens, while they were offering an indignity to the DEITY as grofs as their fyftem has been unnatural and unjust. What can be a greater prefumption, or a higher pitch of arrogance, than prefuming to arraign or judge of the fentiments of men, the propriety of which is to be determined before a tribunal in Heaven? It is an infult too grofs to merit a comment. It has been fubverfive of all good morals, by affording a veil to cover the hypocrify of the most designing knaves.

In America this evil has ceased to exift, the monster is destroyed, the unnatural alliance of church and state is broken, and the people left to the choice of their own religion, as well as of their own paftors; while they revere the former, will no doubt reward the latter as they merit; they will make a rapid progress in all the focial virtues, while a clafs of men, who, from being privileged, had become the curse of Europe for more than three centuries, will in America, from the lofs of all privileges but those which are the reward of piety and virtue, be the means of extending the knowledge and hap piness of the human race.

In the United States, every man who is taxed has a vote in the appointment of the reprefentatives of the State in which he refides, as well as of the general government. Thus the people have the privilege of objecting to fuch characters for their governors as have not the public approbation; which has the good effect of producing harmony between the government and the people-of obliging men who afpire to the honours of their country to respect the public opinion; and as all the powers of government originate with, fo they revert to the people; the judiciary they have reserved to themselves through the medium of juries. The legislative they intrust to their reprefentatives who are effentially the fame; and the executive emanates from the legiflature, fo that the whole are ultimately refponfible to the people. The executive to the reprefentatives, and the representatives to their conftituents.

A free government has often been compared to a pyramid. This allufion is made with peculiar propriety in the system of government adopted by the United States; it is laid on the broad basis of the people; its powers gradually rife, while they are confined, in proportion as they afcend. When you examine all its parts, they will invariably be found to preferve that effential mark of free government, and without which fuch a government cannot exist—a chain of connection with the people. The advantages refulting from this system, [while they are great, will not be confined to the United States, it will draw from Europe many worthy characters who pant for the enjoyment of freedom. It will induce princes, in order to preferve their subjects, to restore to them a portion of that liberty of which they have for many ages deprived them. It will be fubfervient to the great designs of Providence with regard to this globe, the multiplication of mankind, their improvement in knowledge, and their advancement in happiness.

Nor are the immutable principles on which the American government is built, its only advantage to the people at large; the fame spirit that fixed it on the bafis of liberty has contributed to make the offices of government, posts of honour and not of profit; hence the American government is administered at an expenfe fo exceedingly trifling, that had the affertion been made of the practicableness of it a few years back, it would have obtained no credit. It is a well-known fact, that the general government of America does not amount to within forty thousand pounds per annum of the English penfion lift ; and if the government of the feparate States are added to it, it