privateers and traders have made a confiderable use of fince the war. They cannot receive veffels of great burden; but the greatest part of the trading veffels can go in there. The fame is the cafe with the creeks on the Jersey shore, in the river Delaware.

X. A notice of the commercial productions peculiar to that state, and of those objects which the inhabitants are obliged to draw from Europe and from other parts of the world.

The productions of New-Jerfey, and the fources of its wealth, are grain of every kind as mentioned under question third-horses, cattle, falted beef and pork, and poultry. In times of peace, great quantities of all these are fent to the Weft-Indies, and flax-feed to Europe, shipped however more commonly in Philadelphia or NewYork than any port in New-Jersey. The city of Philadelphia receives a great proportion of its provifions, including vegetables of every kind, from New-Jersey. The foil of that part of New-Jerfey which is oppofite to Philadelphia, is exceedingly proper for gardening, and derives much of its value from its proximity to that city.

The ftate of New-Jerfey is obliged to draw from Europe and otherparts, tea, fugar, wine, fpirits. Before the war they purchafed confiderable quantities of English cloth, both linen and woolen, because cheaper than they could manufacture it in many inftances, and because many tradesmen and others had not the materials of manufacture. All articles of finery they must purchase if they use them-lawns, gauzes, filks and velvet.

XI. The weights, measures, and the currency of hard money-Some details relating to the exchange with Europe.

The weights and measures now used in New-Jersey, are the fame as in England, of every kind-measures of length, folidity, fuperficies, dry and liquid. The most common for grain is the bufhel, which contains eight Winchester gallons, and each gallon two hundred and feventy-two and a quarter folid inches.

The exchange between New-Jersey and Europe, is carried on almoft wholly through Philadelphia and NewYork.

The ftatute currency of money in New-Jerfey is in the fame proportion to fterling as that of Pennfylvania, that is, as five to three. A Spanifh milled dollar is, of NewJerfey proclamation money, feven fhillings and fix pence. There was twenty years ago, a currency or way of reckoning in New-Jerfey, commonly called light money, according to which a dollar was eight fhillings and eight pence, but this feems now to be wholly difufed, or confined only to the north-eastern part of the flate. The other way of reckoning is called proclamation money, which prevails.

XII. The public income and expences.

The public income of New-Jerfey confifls, fo far as is known to me, of taxes annually laid by the affemblies; and is great or fmall, as they fhall think the exigencies of the state require. There is in general a great difpofition to fave the public money; indeed fuch as in many inftances to make inadequate provifion. The falary of the governor was by the act of fupply, October 1775, before the change from a colony to a free ftate, twelve hundred pounds, proclamation money; the judges of the fupreme court, three in number, had each of them one hundred and fifty the fame year; all other expences for clerks, &c. were fmall; and the members of council and affembly had each eight fhillings for every day's attendance. The delegates in congrefs had at first twenty fhillings per day; and during the depreciation of the money, if they made any allowance at the beginning of the year because of its bad ftate then, they never made any amends for the increased depreciation before the year expired.As to this and all fuch matters, they may be seen more fully from the printed laws, which I believe may be purchafed of Ifaac Collins, printer to the state, in Trenton.

XIII. The measures taken with regard to the estates and possessions of the rebels commonly called tories.

They have been all fold off in perpetuum, and are now in poffeffion of the new proprietors; the debts upon them to faithful fubjects, having been first discharged.

XIV. The marine and navigation.

There are no veffels whatever belonging to the state of New-Jerfey. There are privateers who have commiflions, which fail from the ports on the coaft, or on the enemy's lines. There is an admiralty court eftablifhed for the condemnation of prizes.-As to merchant fhips, see the answer to question eighth.

XV. A notice of the mines, and other subterranean riches.

There are fome very valuable iron mines in NewJersey, in Morris and Suffex counties. Some companies in England were concerned in working fome of thefe mines before the war. It was fufpected fome years ago, that there were copper mines in New-Jersey; but no trial hitherto made has fully fucceeded-fome gentlemen loft their fortunes in the attempt.

It is not known whether there are any coal mines or not, as people every where burn wood.

XVI. Some samples of the mines, and of the extraordinary stones; in short, a notice of all that can increase the progress of human knowledge.

Iron ore is so very common, that it cannot be fuppofed to be an object of curiofity. I have heard of and feen fome pieces of black matter, that was faid, when diffolved in water, to be exceedingly good ink. If this or any other curiofity can be obtained by enquiry, they fhall be forwarded. There is very good marl in fome parts of New-Jerfey, to the eastward.There is no limeftone in the parts of New-Jerfey where I have been, but probably there is fome in Suffex.-There are in feveral places of New-Jersey, fugar-maple trees, whence the country people draw fugar for their own ufe, as in the back parts of New-Hampshire and Vermont.

XVII. A description of the Indians established in the states, before the European settlements, and of those who are still remaining. An indication of the Indian monuments discovered in that state.

The Indians, and their manner of life, are described in feveral books, much better than I can do it, who was never among them. And indeed by comparing together all that I have ever heard or read, it appears that the characteristic features of the Indians of North-America, are the fame which have diftinguished favages in all parts of the world, and wherever difcovered-gravity and fullenness of deportment, love of hunting and war-that is to fay, depredation; ferocity to their captives, laziness and averfion to habitual labor, tyranny over the female fex, paffive courage, and, if it may called fo, active cowardice, and ftrong paffions both of lasting gratitude and unextinguishable refentment.

The chief thing that a philofopher can learn from the Indians in New-Jerfey is, that perhaps the most complete experiment has been made here how they would agree with cultivated life. At the time when the Indians fold and confirmed the lands to the fettlers, at their own requeft, a tract of land was purchased for them to live in the heart of the colony, in Burlington county, of three thousand acres and more, which was fecured to them by law. They had a village built, and a house of worship and a minifter, and every poffible encouragement given them to cultivate the land, and carry on trades; yet, after all, they were fo far from increasing in numbers or improving in industry, that at different times several of them went back into the woods, and the remainder dwindled away, fo that there are few of them now left. On the whole it does not appear, that either by our people going among them, or by their being brought among us, that it is poffible to give them a relish of civilized life. There have been fome of them educated at this college, as well as in New-England; but feldom or never did they prove either good or useful.

I

SIR,

HAVE a few thoughts to communicate, firft to yourfelf and after that, if you pleafe to the public, upon the manner of conducting what is now called the independent controverfy, in the newfpapers. There are to be found in the tracts upon one fide of this question, almost without exception, complaints of fome restraints, felt or feared, upon the freedom of the prefs. I fhall be glad to be informed, because I am yet ignorant, what foundation there is for thefe complaints. A pamphlet was published fometime ago, calling itself Common Senfe, which nobody was obliged to read, but those who were willing to pay for it, and that pretty dearly too. It was however read very generally, which I fuppofe must have arisen either from the beauty and elegance of the compofition, or from the truth and importance of the matter contained in it. That it did not arife from the firft of thefe caufes, I fhall take for granted, until I meet with fomebody who is of a different opinion; and when this is added to the circumstance of its being fold in the manner above mentioned, it is plain that the subject matter of Common Sense was propofed to the world under every disadvantage, but that of its own manifest importance and apparent truth or probability.

Things being in this fituation, after time fufficient to have matured any pamphlet of an ordinary size, out comes an answer to Common Sense, under the title of

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