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CHAPTER XIII.

Mr Owen's Settlement, New Harmony-Mr Timothy Flint's Account of it-Details on the same subject by the Duke of Saxe WeimarFaults found with Mr Owen-His celebrated Address on the 4th July 1826-Effect of the Address-State of the present Society at Harmony - General Twigg – Mr Maclure's Library. Ride from Harmony to Princeton in Indiana-Visit to Mr Phillips' Plantation -Mr Phillips' grounds for dissatisfaction with his Situation-Details upon this subject-Want of well educated Medical Men in the Western part of the United States-Road from Princeton to VincennesVincennes, a French Settlement-Excellent Land in the Neighbourhood-Journey in the Mail-Stage from Vincennes to Louisville-View over the Ohio at Louisville.

May 1830.

HARMONY has lately become so celebrated from its having been the theatre of Mr Owen's experiment on the social system, that I am anxious to detail, though, of course, very briefly, all the particulars respecting the settlement which have come to my knowledge.

Mr Flint's history of the western states, to which I have already so often alluded, contains the following brief account of it.

Mr Flint was, and I suppose still is, the friend of Mı Owen, and was made acquainted by him with his pro

ceedings. His statement, therefore, so far as it goes, may be considered to be authentic.

"Harmony, fifty-four miles below Vincennes, and something more than 100 by water, above the mouth of the Wabash, is the seat of justice for the county of Posey. It is situated on the east bank of the river, sixteen miles from the nearest point of the Ohio, on a wide, rich, and heavily-timbered plateau, or second bottom. It is high, healthy, has a fertile soil, and is in the vicinity of small and rich prairies, and is, on the whole, a pleasant and well-chosen position. It was first settled, in 1814, by a religious sect of Germans, denominated Harmonites. They were emigrants from Germany, and settled first on Beaver Creek in Pennsylvania. They moved in a body, consisting of 800 souls, to this place. Their spiritual and temporal leader was George Rapp, and all the lands and possessions were held in his name. Their society seems to have been a kind of intermediate sect between the Shakers and Moravians. They held their property in common. Their regulations were extremely strict and severe. In their order, industry, neatness, and perfect subordination, they resembled the Shakers. They soon erected from eighty to one hundred large and substantial buildings. Their lands were laid off with the most perfect regularity, and were as right-angled and square as compass could make them. They were wonderfully successful here, as they had been in other places, in converting a wilderness into a garden in a short time. They had even the luxury of a botanic garden and a green-house.

Their great house of assembly, with its wings and appendages, was nearly 100 feet square. Here they lived, and laboured in common, and in profound peace. But from some cause, their eyes were turned from the rich fields and the wide prairies, and the more southern and temperate climate of the Wabash, towards Beaver Creek, the place where they had first settled. While they were under the influence of these yearnings, the leader of a new sect came upon them. This was no other than Robert Owen, of New Lanark, in Scotland, a professed philosopher of a new school, who advocated new principles, and took new views of society. He calls his views upon this subject the social system.' He was opulent, and disposed to make a grand experiment of his principles on the prairies of the Wabash. He purchased the lands and the village of Mr Rapp, at an expence, it is said, of 190,000 dollars. In a short time there were admitted to the new establishment from 700 to 800 persons. They danced altogether one night in every week, and had a concert of music in another. The Sabbath was occupied in the delivery and hearing of philosophical lectures. Two of Mr Owen's sons from Scotland and Mr M'Clure joined him. The society at New Harmony, as the place was called, excited a great deal of interest and remark in every part of the United States. Great numbers of distinguished men, in all the walks of life, wrote to the society, making inquiries respecting its prospects and rules, and expressing a desire, at some future time, to join it. Mr Owen remained at New Harmony but little more than a year,

in which time he made a voyage to Europe. The 4th of July 1826, he promulgated his famous declaration of mental independence.' The society had began to moulder before this time. He has left New Harmony, and the social system' seems to be abandoned."

The Duke of Saxe Weimar, who visited Mr Owen's settlement in April 1826, and spent six days there, has supplied more information respecting the proceedings of the society at the period of its greatest activity, than any other writer. From his travels I extract the following curious facts, not so much respecting the principles, as the actual proceedings of the society when the Duke was on the spot. Mr Owen was at this period himself with the society. He carried the Duke to the building formerly used as the church of Rapp's society, which is now appropriated to joiners and shoemakers' shops, in which the boys were instructed in these mechanical arts. Another large building is situated behind the church, which Mr Owen then intended to convert into a library and a cabinet of natural history. This was accordingly done, and a theatre was also erected in the building.

The society at this period consisted of about 1000 members, associating together at their meals in four boarding-houses, till a general table should be instituted, according to the fundamental constitution of the society.

In the evening Mr Owen conducted the Duke to a concert in the large building before-mentioned, most of the members of the society being present. The con

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cert was surprisingly good. Declamation was interspersed amongst the musical performances. Lord Byron's stanzas to his wife after their separation were extremely well recited. Between the two parts of the concert, the music having played a march, each gentleman gave a lady his arm, and a promenade took place, resembling the polonaise, sometimes in two couples, sometimes in four. The concert closed with a lively cotillion. This general evening amusement took place often.

The Duke seems to have been much annoyed during a large portion of the evening by an elderly French lady, who presided over the department of young mothers, and stuck by him, tormenting him with her philosophical views, and preventing him from enjoying the scene with which he would otherwise have been much amused.

On the second day he saw the boys at military exercise and fencing, and he also visited the shops of the shoemakers, tailors, saddlers, and smiths. The greater part of the young girls, whom he found at home, were employed in plaiting straw hats.

In the evening the Duke accompanied the ladies to a dancing assembly, which was held in the kitchen of one of the boarding-houses; but, finding the unpractised dancers were getting a lesson there, he went home, afraid lest his presence might create some restraint.

On the third day Mr Owen showed the Duke one of the newly built houses, in which the married members of the society were to dwell. Each family to have