with a machine, which is an improvement on Mr. Arkwright's; and ftrong, fmooth and excellent yarn is thus made both for warps and stockings. The filling of the cotton goods is fpun with jennies. In these several works five carding machines are employed, and a calender, conftructed after the European manner. Jeans, fuftians, denims, thick fets, velvets, &c. are here manufactured and fent to the fouthern States. Large quantities of linen and tow cloth are made in different parts of this State for exportation. But the moft confiderable manufactures in this State are those of iron, fuch as bar and fheet iron, fteel, nail rods and nails, implements of husbandry, stoves, pots, and other houfhold utenfils, the iron work of shipping, anchors, bells, &c. The other manufactures of this State are rum, corn, fpirits, chocolate, paper, wool and cotton, cards, &c. beside domeftic manufactures for family use, which, in this, in common with the other States, amount to a vast fum, which cannot be ascertained,

RELIGION AND CHARACTER,

The conftitution of this State admits of no religious establishments any farther than depends upon the voluntary choice of individuals, all men profeffing to believe in one Supreme Being, are equally protected by the laws, and no particular fet can claim pre-eminence. This unlimited liberty in religion is one principal cause why there is such a variety of religious fets in Rhode Island. The Baptifts are the most numerous of any denomination in the State; thefe, as well as the other Baptifts in New-England, are chiefly upon the Calvinistic plan as to doctrines, and independents in regard to church government. There are, however, fome who profefs the Arminian tenets, others obferve the Jewish, or Saturday Sabbath, from a perfuafion that it was one of the ten commandments, which they plead are all in their nature moral, and were never abrogated in the New Teftament, and must, at least, be deemed of equal validity for public worship as any day particularly fet apart by Jefus Chrift and his apoftles. Thefe are called Sabbatarian, or Seventh-day Baptifts,

The other religious denominations in Rhode-Ifland are Con gregationalifts, Friends or Quakers, Epifcopalians, Moravians, and Jews. Besides thefe, there are a confiderable number of the people, who are of no particular denomination, makin external profeffion of any religion, nor attending on any of public worship.

The inhabitants pay no taxes for the support of ecclefiaftics of any denomination; and a peculiarity which diftinguishes this State from every other Protestant country in the known world, is, that no contract formed by the minifter with his people, for his falary, is valid in law; fo that minifters are dependent wholly on the integrity of the people for their fupport, fince their falaries are not recoverable. It ought, however, to be observed, that minifters in general are liberally maintained, and none who merit it have much reafon to complain for want of fupport.

Throughout the whole of the late war with Great-Britain, the inhabitants of this State manifefted a patriotic fpirit; their troops behaved gallantly, and they are honoured in having produced the fecond general in the field.*

The character of the people has, however, certainly been marked with many dark fhades, and the State, in many inftances, has exhibited a melancholy proof of those evils which ever follow a reexlation of moral principles. From the year 1710 till within a few years paft, almost a continual fyftem of creating a capital by the negociating of a paper currency has been pursued; the fums thus created were far more than fufficient for the purpoles of commerce, and indeed, in many inftances, were cre ated in oppofition to the wishes of the mercantile intereft, for the purpose of fupplying the State with money, and filling the pockets of a fet of venal wretches, without subjecting them to the neceflity of earning of it by their diligence, fo that the hiftory of the government of this State for seventy years is an hiftory of bafe fpeculation by means of a paper money currency, which was fo contrived, that amongst themselves it came out at about two and a half per cent, interest, and they lent it to the neighbouring colonies at ten per cent, as barefaced a cheat as ever was practifed. The interest of these public iniquitous frauds went, one quarter to the feveral townships to defray their charges, the other three quarters were lodged in the treasury, to defray the charges of government. These measures have deprived the State of great numbers of its worthy and moft refpectable inhabitants; have had a most pernicious influence upon the morals of the people; deprived the widow and the orphan of their juft dues, and occafioned a ruinous flagnation of trade. It is hoped, however, that an effici ent government has effectually abolifhed this iniquitous fyftem, and that the confidence loft by it will be foon recovered by a steady and rigid attachment to an integrity of conduct in

* Central Green.

all their future concerns. This, we have reason to believe, will be the cafe; a change has already taken place much for the better, and the attention now paid to the principles of the rifing generation in the feats of learning and literature, will, no doubt, extend its beneficial influence throughout the State,

LEARNING AND LITERATURE,

The literature of this State is confined principally to the towns of Newport and Providence. There are fome men of learning and abilities fcattered through other towns. The bulk

of the inhabitants in other parts of the State are involved in greater ignorance, perhaps, than in moft other parts of NewEngland.

At Providence is Rhode-Ifland college. The charter for founding this feminary of learning was granted by the general affembly of the State, by the name of the "Trustees and Fellows of the College or Univerfity, in the English colony of Rhodeifland and Providence Plantations," in 1764, in confequence of the petition of a large number of the most respectable characters in the State. By the charter, the corporation of the college confifts of two separate branches, with diftin&, feparate, and refpective powers. The number of trustees is thirty-fix, of whom twenty-two are Baptifts, five of the denomination of Friends, five Epifcopalians, and four Congregationalists. The fame proportion of the different denominations to continue in perpetuum. The number of fellows (inclufive of the prefident, who is a fellow ex officio) is twelve, of whom eight are Baptifts, the others chofen indifcriminately from any denomination. The concurrence of both branches, by a majority of each, iş neceffary for the validity of an ac, except adjudging and conferring degrees, which exclufively belongs to the fellowship as a learned faculty. The prefident must be a Baptift: profeffors and other officers of inftruction are not limited to any particular denomination. There is annually a general mecting of the corporation on the first Wednesday in September, at which time the public commencement is held. The following extracts from a charge delivered to the graduates on that occafion in 1791, by David Howell, Efq. are introduced here, as they difcover the principles inculcated in this feminary, while they proclaim the benevolent difpofition of their author.

This name to be altered when any generous benefactor arifes, who by his liberal donation fhall entitle himself to the honour of giving the college a

name.

"The pittance of time alloted to a collegiate education, can fuffice only to lay the foundation of learning; the fuperftructure must be reared by the affiduous attention of after years.

"This day enlarges you into the world. Extenfive fields open to your view. You have to explore the fcenes, and to make an election of the character that best pleases you on the great the atre of life.

"Let the rights of man ever be held facred. A moment's reflection will convince you, that others' rights are as inviolable as your own; and a small degree of virtue will lead you to refpect them. He that serves mankind most successfully, and with the beft principles, ferves his Creator moft acceptably. Be cau tious of bandying into parties; they regard neither the abilities nor virtues of men, but only their fubferviency to prefent purposes; they are a fnare to virtue and a mifchief to fociety. With this caution on your mind, you will never revile or speak evil of whole fects, claffes, or focieties of men.

"Forget not this precious motto: "Nihil humanum a ma puto alienum." Confider every one in human shape as your brother; and "Let charity in golden links of love connect you with the brotherhood of man." Let your benevolence be broad as the ocean; your candour brilliant as the fun, and your compaffion and humanity extenfive as the human race."

Thefe fentiments are not confined to Mr. Howell, the charge of Prefident Maxey, in 1793, breathes the same spirit of freedom and philanthropy. What are the advantages fociety may not expect, when principles like thefe are impreffed with all the energetic force of precept and example, on the minds of the rifing generation?

This inflitution was firft founded at Warren, in the county of Briftol, and the first commencement held there in 1769.

In the year 1770, the college was removed to Providence, where a large, elegant building was erected for its accommodation, by the generous donations of individuals, moftly from the town of Providence. It is fituated on a hill to the eaft of the town; and while its elevated fituation renders it delightful, by commanding an extenfive variegated profpect, it furnishes it with a pure, falubrious air. The edifice is of brick, four flories high, one hundred and fifty feet long, and forty-fix wide, with a projection of ten feet each fide. It has an entry lengthwife, with rooms on cach fide. There are forty-eight rooms for the

accommodation of ftudents, and eight larger ones for public uses. The roof is covered with flate.

From December 1776, to June 1782, the college edifice was ufed by the French and American troops for an hospital and barracks, so that the course of education was interrupted during that period. No degrees were conferred from 1776 to 1786. From 1786, the college again became regular, and is now very flourishing, containing upwards of fixty students.

This inftitution is under the inftruction of a prefident, a profeffor of divinity, a profeffor of natural and experimental philofophy, a profeffor of mathematics and aftronomy, a profeffor of natural history, and three tutors. The institution has a library of between two and three thousand volumes, containing a valuable philofophical apparatus. Nearly all the funds of the coleleg are at intereft in the treasury of the State, and amount to almost two thousand pounds.

At Newport there is a flourishing academy, under the direction of a rector and tutors, who teach the learned languages, English grammar, geography, &c.

SOCIETIES AND IMPROVEMENTS.

A marine fociety was established at Newport in 1752, for the purpose of relieving diftreffed widows and orphans of maritime brethren, and fuch of their fociety as may need affif

tance.

The Providence fociety for promoting the abolition of slavery, for the relief of perfons unlawfully held in bondage, and for improving the condition of the African race, commenced in 1789, and was incorporated the year following. It confifts of upwards of one hundred and fifty members, part of whom belong to the State of Massachusetts.

The affembly of this State, in their feffion of May, 1792, paffed an act incorporating three companies, for the purpose of erecting three bridges-one over the upper, and another over the lower ferry of Seekhonk river, and a third over Howland ferry, which would unite Rhode-Ifland with Tiverton on the main; the two former will greatly accommodate the town of Providence the latter must prove highly advantageous to the people of Newport and others on Rhode-Inland. To fuch works of utility and enterprize every good man wifhes fuccefs.