12. An Account of fundry Sums of Money paid by the 13. An Extract of an original Letter from Mr. Secre- tary Logan, containing, among other Things, his Opinion of the Proprietary-Right to the Government of the three Delaware-Counties; and which ferves to account for the Page 103, Line 8, after the Word Year add only; P. 138, L. 4, for one read an; P. 147, L. 15, for whiftles read whittles; P. 253, L. 4, for fet read fat; L. 9 and 10, for September 29 read 1 INTRODUCTION. T O obtain an infinite Variety of Purposes, by a few plain Principles, is the Characteristic of Nature. As the Eye is affected, fo is the Understanding: Objects at distance strike us according to their Dimensions, or the Quantity of Light thrown upon them; near, according to their Novelty or Familiarity; as they are in motion or at reft. 'Tis the fame with Actions. A Battle is all Motion; a Hero all Glare: While fuch Images are before us, we can attend to nothing elfe. Solon and Lycurgus would make no Figure in the fame Scene with the King of Pruffia; and we are at prefent fo loft in the military Scramble on the Continent next us, in which it must be confefs'd we are deeply interefted, that we have fcarce Time to throw a Glance towards America, where we have alfo much at Stake, and where, if any where, our Account must be made up at laft. We love to ftare more than to reflect, and to be indolently amus'd at our Leifure, than to commit the fmalleft Trefpafs on our Patience by winding a painful, tedious Maze, which would pay us in nothing but Knowledge, B But But then, as there are fome Eyes which can find nothing marvellous, but what is marvelloufly. great, fo there are others which are equally dif pofed to marvel at what is marvellously little and who can derive as much Entertainment from their Microscope in examining a Mite, as Dr.in afcertaining the Geography of the Moon, or measuring the Tail of a Comet. Let this ferve as an Excufe for the Author of thefe Sheets, if he needs any, for bestowing them on the Tranfactions of a Colony, till of late hardly mentioned in our Annals; in Point of Establishment one of the laft upon the British Lift, and in point of Rank one of the most fubordinate, as being not only fubject, in common with the reft, to the Crown, but also to the Claims of a Proprietary, who thinks he does them Honour enough in governing them by Deputy; confequently fo much farther remov'd from the Royal Eye; and fo much the more expos'd to the Preffure of felf-interested Inftructions. Confiderable, however, as moft of them for Happiness of Situation, Fertility of Soil, Product of valuable Commodities, Number of Inhabitants, Shipping, Amount of Exportations, Latitude of Rights and Privileges, and every o ther Requifite for the Being and Well-Being of Society, and more confiderable than any of them all for the Celerity of its Growth, unaffifted by any human Help but the Vigour and Virtue of its own excellent Conftitution. A A Father and his Family, the latter united by Intereft and Affection, the former to be rever'd for the Wisdom of his Inftitutions, and the indulgent Ufe of his Authority, was the Form it was at first presented in. Those who were only ambitious of Repofe found it here; and as none return'd with an evil Report of the Land, Numbers follow'd: All partook of the Leven they found: The Community ftill wore the fame equal Face: Nobody afpir'd: Nobody was opprefs'd: Industry was fure of Profit, Knowledge of Efteem, and Virtue of Veneration. An affuming Land-Lord, ftrongly difpofed to convert free Tenants into abject Vaffals, and to reap what he did not fow, countenanc'd and abetted by a few defperate and defigning Dependants, on the one Side; and on the other, all who have Senfe enough to know their Rights, and Spirit enough to defend them, combin'd as one Man against the faid Land-Lord, and his Encroachments, is the Form it has fince affum'd. And, furely, to a Nation born to Liberty like This, bound to leave it unimpair'd as They receiv'd it from their Fathers in Perpetuity to their Heirs, and interested in the Confervation of it in every Appendix of the British Empire, the Particulars of fuch a Contest cannot be wholly indifferent. On the contrary, it is reasonable to think, the. firft Workings of Power against Liberty, and the natural Efforts of unbiaffed Men to fecure them selves against the first Approaches of Oppreffion, must have a captivating Power over every Man of Senfibility and Difcernment amongst us. Liberty, it seems, thrives beft in the Woods. America beft cultivates what Germany brought forth. And were it not for certain ugly Comparisons, hard to be fupprefs'd, the Pleasure arifing from fuch a Refearch would be without Alloy. In the Feuds of Florence recorded by Machiavel, we find more to lament and lefs to praife. Scarce can we believe the first Citizens of the antient Republics had fuch Pretenfions to Confideration, tho' fo highly celebrated in antient Story. And as to ourselves, we need no longer have Recourfe to the late glorious Stand of the French Parliaments to excite our Emulation. It is a known Cuftom among Farmers to change their Corn from Season to Seafon for the Sake of filling the Buthel: And in case the Wisdom of the Age should condefcend to make the like Experiment in another Shape, from hence we' may learn, whither to repair for the proper Species. It is not, however, to be prefum'd, That such as have long been accustomed to confider the Colonies, in general, as only fo many Dependencies on the Council-Board, the Board of Trade, and the Board of Cuftoms; or as a Hot-Bed for Caufes, Jobbs, and other pecuniary Emoluments, and as bound as effectually by Inftructions as by Laws, |