Business with great Ease, and Safety. Exactly in the Centre ef the inmost Square will be a Fort, defended by large Cannon, pointing Every way, and capable of making strong Resistance, in Case some Quarter of the outward Lines shou'd chance to be surpriz'd, by any sudden Accident, which yet with tolerable Care wou'd be impracticable.

The Nature of this Scheme, when weigh'd against the Ignorance, and wildness of the Natives, will shew, that Men thus settled, may at once defend, and cultivate a Territory, with the utmost Satisfaction, and Security, even in the Heart of an Indian Country, Then how much rather in a Place considerably distant from the Savage Settlements.

As the Numbers shall encrease, and they go on to clear more Space of Land, they are to regulate their Settlements with like Regard to Safety, and Improvement: And indeed the Difference, as to Time, and Labour, is not near so great as may be thought, betwixt enclosing Land this Way, and following the dangerous common Method; But what is here already said will serve the End, for which it has been written, which was only to give a general Notion of the Care and Caution we propose to act with.

It will not, however, be amiss, as you have seen the first rude Form of our Azilia in her Infancy, to view her also in the Fulness of her Beauty; And to that End we have affix'd a Plan of one whole District, clear'd, planted, and inhabited; For as the Country thrives, all future Townships will be form'd according to this Plan, and measur'd out as near Each other as the Rivers, Hills, and other natural Impediments will any way admit of.

But least it shou'd be fear'd from the Correctness of this Model, that twill be a Work of too great Difficulty, and require a mighty Length of Time to bring it to perfection, we think it proper to declare, that Purchasers will not be obliged to wait this Form of Settlement, but are entitled to the immediate Profits of peculiar Lands, assign'd them, from the very first Arrival of the Colony; which Lands, being set apart for that Purpose, will be strongly enclos'd, and defended by the Lines, or Entrenchments before mention'd.

Neither wou'd we have it thought a Labour so tedious, as 'tis generally fancy'd, to establish in this manner a Colony, which may become not only an Advantage, but a Glory to the Nation: We have Prospects before us most attractive, and unprecedented, in the three tempting Points Wealth, Safety, and Liberty: Benefits, like these, can never fail of drawing Numbers of Inhabitants from Every Corner: And, Men once got together, 'tis as easy to dispose them regularly, and with due Regard to Order, Beauty, and the Comforts of Society, as to leave them to the Folly of

B

fixing at Random, and destroying their Interest by indulging their Humour; So that we have more than ordinary Cause to expect, that in a very short Time, we shall be able to present the solid Life its self, as now we give the Shadow only, in the following Explanation.

You must suppose a level, dry, and fruitful Tract of Land, in some fine Plain or Valley, containing a just Square of twenty Miles Each Way, or two hundred and fifty six thousand Acres, laid out, and settled, in the Form, presented, in the Cut annex'd.

The District is defended by sufficient Numbers of Men, who, dwelling in the fortified Angles of the Line, will be employ'd in cultivating Lands, which are kept in Hand for the particular advantage of the Margrave; These Lands surround the District just within the Lines, and every where contain in Breadth one Mile exactly.

The Men, thus employ'd, are such, as shall be hir'd in Great Britain or Ireland, well disciplin'd, arm'd, and carried over, on Condition to serve faithfully for such a Term of Years, as they before shall agree to; And, that no Man may be wretched in so happy a Country, at the Expiration of those Peoples Time; besides some other considerable, and unusual Incouragements, all such, among them, who shall marry in the Country, or come married thither, shall have a Right of laying claim to a certain Fee-Farm, or Quantity of Land, ready clear'd, together with a House built upon it, and a stock sufficient to improve, and cultivate it, which they shall enjoy, Rent, and Tax free, during Life, as a Reward for their Services; By which Means two very great Advantages must naturally follow; Poor labouring Men, so secur'd of a fix'd future Settlement, will be thereby induc'd to go thither more willingly; and act, when there, with double Dilligence, and Duty; And when their Time expires, possessing just Land enough to pass their Lives at Ease, and bring their Children up honestly, the Families they leave will prove a constant Seminary of sober Servants, of Both Sexes, for the Gentry of the Colony; whereby they will be under no necessity to use the Dangerous Help of Blackamoors, or Indians; The Lands set apart for this Purpose, are two Miles in Breadth, quite round the District, and lie next within the Margraves own reserv'd Lands abovemention'd.

The 116 Squares, Each of which has a House in the Middle, are, Every one a Mile on Each Side, or 640 Acres in a Square, bating only for the High Ways, which divide them; These are the Estates, belonging to the Gentry of the District, who, being so confin'd to an Equality in Land, will be profitably Emulous of out doing Each other in Improvement, since that is the only

way,

left them to grow richer than their Neighbours; And when the Margravate is once become strong enough to form many Districts, the Estates will be all given gratis, together with many other benefits, to honest and qualified Gentlemen in Great Britain, or elsewhere, who having Numerous and well-educated Families, possess but little Fortunes, other than their Industry; and will therefore be chosen to enjoy these Advantages, which they shall pay no Rent, or other Consideration for; and yet the Undertaking will not fail to find its own Account in their Prosperity.

The four great Parks, or rather Forrests, are Each four Miles x Square, that is 16 Miles round each Forrest, in which are propagated Herds of Cattle of all Sorts by themselves, not alone to serve the uses of the District, they belong to, but to store such New Ones, as may from Time to Time be measur'd out, Affluence of People.

on

The Middle hollow Square, which is full of Streets crossing each other, is the City, And the Bank, which runs about it, on the out-side surrounded with Trees, is a large void Space, which will be useful for a thousand Purposes, and, among the rest, as being airy, and affording a fine Prospect of the Town in Drawing near

it.

In the Center of the City stands the Margraves House, which is to be his constant Residence, or the Residence of the Gavernour, and contains all sorts of publick Edifices for Dispatch of Business; and this again is separated from the City by a Space, like that, which, as above, divides the Town from the Country.

Of some Designs in View for making Profit.

0 UR Prospects in this Point, are more entensive than we think

it needful to discover; It were a Shame shou'd we confine the Fruitfulness of such a rich and lovely Country to some single Product, which Example first makes common, and the being common robs of Benefit. Thus Sugar in Barbadoes, Rice in Carolina, and Tobacco in Virginia, take up all the Labours of their People, overstock the Markets, stifle the Demand, and make their Industry their Ruin, merely through a Want of due Reflection on Diversity of other Products, equally adapted to their Soil and Climate.

Coffee, Tea, Figs, Raisins, Currants, Almonds, Olives, Silk, Wine, Cochineal, and great Variety of still more rich Commodities, which we are forc'd to buy at mighty Rates from Countries, lying in the very Latitude of our Plantations: All these we certainly shall Propagate, tho' it may Perhaps be said, that they are yet but distant Views; mean while, we shall confine our first

Endeavours to such easy Benefits, as will (without the smallest. waiting for the Growth of Plants) be offer'd to our Industry, from the spontaneous Wealth, which overruns the Country.

The Reader may assure himself, our Undertakings upon all Occasions, will be the plainest, and most ready Roads to Profit; not form'd from doubtful, and untried Conceits, nor hamper'd by a Train of Difficulties; none are more apt than we to disregard Chimerical, or rash Designs; but 'tis the Business of Men's ✦ Judgment to divide Things plain from Things unlikely.

We cannot think it proper to be too particular upon this Subject, nor will it, we suppose, be expected from us: One Example, however, we will give, because we wou'd present a Proof, that much is practicable there, which has not yet been put in Practice; we shall Pitch on Pot-ash, a Commodity of great Consumption in the Trades of Dying, Glass-making, Soap-boiling and some others; not that this is the only present Prospect which we build on, but as 'tis necessary we shou'd particularize one Benefit, that others may be credible.

And here it will not be amiss, if we describe what Pot-ash is, and how they make it; since, 'tis likely, some may have attempted it already, in the Forests of America, and miscarried, by depending upon ignorant Undertakers.

It is not very properly indeed call'd Pot-ash, not being any kind of Ashes, but the fix'd, and vegetable Salt of Ashes, which, if mix'd with Water, melts away, and turns to Lye; For this Reason 'tis preferr'd to all other Lixiviate Ashes, Foreign, or Domestick, which, not being perfect Salts, but Ashes of BeanStraw, and other Vegetables, made stronger by the Help of Lye, bear no Proportion, as to Price, with Pot-ash itself, which is, as we said before, the pure Salt without any of the Ashes.

To procure this Salt, in Russia, and the Countries famous for it, they burn great Quantities of Oak, Firr, Birch, and other Woods, cut down, when flourishing, and full of Sap; The Ashes they throw into Boilers, or huge Caldrons full of Water, and extract a thick, sharp Lye by boiling; They let this Lye grow clear by settling, and then draw it off, and throw away the Ashes left at Bottom.

This Lye, so clarified, they boil again, and as the Watry Part evaporates apace, they supply the Waste thro' a small Pipe, from another Vessel of the same Sort of Lye, set higher than the Boiler; At last, by a continued Evaporation, the whole Vessel becomes full of a thick brownish Salt, which being dug out in Lumps, and afterwards calcin'd, compleats the Work, and gives a Colour to the Pot-ash, like a whitish Blue, in which Condition it is barrell'd up, and fit for Merchants.

Nothing can be plainer, or more easy than this Practice in our

intended Settlement; As to the Boilers, which have ever been the great, and terrifying Expence and Encumbrance of this Work, we shall extreamly lessen, and reduce that Charge almost to nothing, by some new Methods, being an experienc'd Invention, wherein we use neither Copper, Lead, Iron, nor other Mineral whatsoever, and (that excepted) there is no Material necessary, but Wood only; For Wood cut down, and burnt upon the Ground, affords the Ashes; The Rivers every where abounding in that Country furnish Water; Ashes, and Water boil'd together, yield the Lye; The Lye evaporated, leaves behind the Salt, and that very Salt calcin'd, becomes the Pot-ash, and it is pack'd, and sent away in Barrels, made and hoop'd there also.

From due Consideration of these Circumstances, it appears, that this must be a rich, and gainful Undertaking in a Country where the greatest Quantities of Timber, and the finest in the World, cost nothing but the Pains of cutting down, and burning, on the Banks of Navigable Rivers; where the enlivening influence of the Sun prepares the Trees much better for this Practice, than in colder Climates, and where stubbing up the Woods, which cover all the Settlement, will give a sure, and double Benefit; for first they yield this valuable Traffick Potash, and afterwards leave clear the Ground, they grow on, for producing yearly Crops of such Commodities, as are most profitable, and fittest for the Country.

Thus, having faintly touch'd the outward Lines, and given some Prospect of our Purpose, we proceed to the Conditions, upon which we will admit of Purchasers.

The PROPOSAL.

OTE that, for the Purchasers Security, and effectually making good their Claims, as well to the Land, which they shall buy, as to all the other Benefits propos'd in the following Articles, The whole Country, and its Improvements in all Times to come, is settled as a Mortgage and made liable in manner, as here under recited, in which such unusual, and equitable Regard has been had, for avoiding all Charge, or Delay, in Respect to the Distance of Countries, and the Difficulties, which might thence be suspected to arise, in obtaining Satisfaction by the ordinary Course of the Laws, that nothing of Form, or Expence will be necessary; but, on the first Breach of Covenant, an Easy and immediate Possession may be taken of the forfeited Province, and for ever maintain'd against all kind of Pleas or Pretences for the use of the Purchasers. And, that perpetual and unobjectionable Testimony may remain, for the more absolute securing the