priety of the feat of the general government being fixed here, ha objection can be urged against it on account of its difeafes." FREDERICK-TOWN. Frederick-town is a fine flourishing inland town, of upwards of three hundred houses, built principally of brick and stone, and mostly on one broad ftreet: it is fituated in a fertile country, about four miles fouth of Catokton mountain, and is a place of confiderable trade it has four places for public worship; one for Presbyterians, two for Dutch Lutherans and Calvinists, and one for Baptists; be fides a public gaol and a brick market-house. HAGARS-TOWN. Hagars-town is but little inferior to Frederick-town, and is fituated in the beautiful and well-cultivated valley of Conegocheague, and carries on a confiderable trade with the western country. ELKTON. Elkton is fituated near the head of Chesapeak bay, on a small river which bears the name of the town. It enjoys great advantages from the carrying-trade between Baltimore and Philadelphia, and the tides ebb and flow up to the town. POPULATION. In 1782 the number of inhabitants in this State, including flaves, was two hundred and fifty-four thousand and fifty. According to the cenfus of 1790 it was as follows: MARY By comparing these two accounts, the increase appears to be fixty. five thousand fix hundred and feventy-eight in eight years, or eight thousand two hundred and fix per annum-reckoning, therefore, only on the fame proportion of increafe, the prefent number of inhabitants in this State cannot be less than three hundred and fifty thoufand. RELIGION AND CHARACTER. The Roman Catholics, who were the first fettlers in Maryland, are the most numerous religious fect. Befides thefe, there are Proteftant Epifcopalians, English, Scotch, and Irish Prefbyterians, German Calvinifts, German Lutherans, Friends, Baptists, Methodists, Menonifts VOL. III. G Menonifts and Nicolites, or new Quakers, who all enjoy liberty of confcience. There are many very refpectable families in Baltimore who live genteelly, are hofpitable to ftrangers, and maintain a friendly and improving intercourfe with each other; but the bulk of the inhabitants, recently collected from almost all quarters of the world, bent on the purfuit of wealth, varying in their habits, their manners, and their religions, have yet their general character to form. The inhabitants, except in the populous towns, live on their plantations, often feveral miles diftant from each other. To an inhabitant of the middle, and especially of the eastern States, which are thickly populated, they appear to live very retired unfocial lives. The effects of this comparative folitude are visible in the countenances, as well as in the manners and drefs of many of the country people. You obferve comparatively little of that cheerful fprightlinefs of look and action, which is the invariable and genuine offspring of social intercourse; nor do you find that attention paid to dress which is common, and which custom has rendered neceffary among people who are liable to receive company almost every day: unaccuftomed, in a great measure, to frequent and friendly visits, they often fuffer too much negligence in their drefs. As the negroes perform all their manual labour, their mafters are left to faunter away life in floth, and too often in ignorance. These observations, however, muft, in juftice, be limited to the people in the country, and to those particularly whofe poverty or parfimony prevents their fpending a part of their time in populous towns, or otherwise mingling with the world; and with these limitations, they will equally apply to all the fouthern States. The inhabitants of the populous towns, and those from the country who have intercourse with them, are, in their manners and cuftoms, genteel and agreeable. That pride which grows on flavery, and is habitual to those who, from their infancy, are taught to believe and feel their fuperiority, is a visible characteristic of the inhabitants of Maryland; but with this characteristic we must not fail to connect that of hospitality to ftrangers, which is equally univerfal and obvious. Many of the wo men poffefs all the amiable, and many of the elegant accomplishments of their fex. The inhabitants are made up of various nations of many different religious fentiments; few general obfervations, therefore, of a characteristical kind will apply: it may be faid, however, with great truth, truth, that they are in general very federal, and friends to good government. They owe little money as a State, and are willing and able to discharge their debts: their credit is very good; and although they have fo great a proportion of flaves, yet a number of influential perfons evinced their humanity and their difpofition to abolish focurfed and difreputable a traffic, by forming themselves into "a fociety for the abolition of negro flavery." What pleasure must it afford these exalted characters, as well as every other friend of humanity, to reflect, that what they undertook as individuals, has been at length fully approved of, and completely accomplished by the federal government, who by an act that will reflect honour upon it to the latest period of time, have fet bounds to the infamous diftinction between men WHOSE ONLY REAL DIFFERENCE IS COLOUR, and who have fecured, without injuftice or injury to any individual, at an early period, the entire abolition of flavery in name and practice. We join the general wish of those whofe object is the general happiness of the human race-that the spirit of philanthropic liberty in the breast of every individual in the Union, may fecond and cherish the efforts of the government in extending the knowledge and enjoyment of the rights of man to an hitherto enslaved world, TRADE AND MANUFACTURES. Furnaces for running iron ore into pigs and hollow ware, and forges to refine pig iron into bars, are numerous, and worked to great extent and profit. This is the only manufacture of importance carried on in the State, except it be that of wheat into flour and curing tobacco. The trade of Maryland is principally carried on from Baltimore, with the other States; with the Weft-Indies, and with fome parts of Europe. To thefe places they fend annually about thirty thousand hogfheads of tobacco, befides large quantities of wheat, flour, pig iron, lumber, and corn; beans, pork, and flax feed in smaller quantities; and receive in return, clothing for themfelves and negroes, and other dry goods, wines, fpirits, fugars, and other West. India commodities. The balance is generally in their favour. The total amount of exports from Baltimore G & Dols. Cts. 2,027,777 64 1,945,899 55 3131,227 55 During During the last mentioned period, the quantity of wheat exported was two hundred five thousand five hundred and feventy-one bufhels; Indian corn, two hundred five thoufand fix hundred and forty-three ditto; buck wheat, four thousand two hundred and eighty-fix ditto; peas, ten thousand fix hundred and nineteen ditto; befides one hundred and fifty-one thoufand four hundred and forty-five barrels of wheat flour; four thousand three hundred and twenty-five ditto, Indian meal; fix thousand feven hundred and fixty-one ditto, bread; and three thousand one hundred and four kegs of crackers. SEMINARIES OF LEARNING, &c. Washington academy, in Somerfet county, was inftituted by law in 1779: it was founded, and is fupported, by voluntary!fubfcriptions and private donations, and is authorized to receive gifts and legacies, and to hold two thousand acres of land. A fupplement to the law, paffed in 1784, increafed the number of trustees from eleven to fifteen. In 1782, a college was inftituted at Charleston, in Kent county, and was honoured with the name of WASHINGTON COLLEGE, after Prefident Washington. It is under the management of twenty-four vifitors or governors, with power to fupply vacancies and hold eftates, whofe yearly value fhall not exceed fix thousand pounds current money. By a law enacted in 1787, a permanent fund was granted to this inftitution of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds a year, currency, out of the monies arifing from marriage licenfes, fines, and forfeitures on the eastern shore. St. John's college was inftituted in 1785, to have alfo twenty-four trustees, with power to keep up the fucceffion by supplying vacancies, and to receive an annual income of nine thousand pounds. A permanent fund is affigned this college, of one thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds a year, out of the monies arifing from marriage licenfes, ordinary licenfes, fines and forfeitures, on the western fhore. This college is at Annapolis, where a building has been prepared for it. Very liberal fubfcriptions have been obtained towards founding and carrying on thefe feminaries. The two colleges conftiture one univerfity, by the name of "the University of Maryland," whereof the governor of the State for the time being is chancellor, and the principal of one of them vice-chancellor, either by feniority or by election, as may hereafter be provided for by rule or by law. The chancellor is empowered to call a meeting of the truftces, |