after the Rate of one Acre over and above every ten Acres they buy, and so for more or less in Proportion; to be paid them out of the Undertaker's Part of every Dividend by their own Factors or Agents: As for Instance, a Purchaser of 100 Acres, if his Ticket of Purchase bears any Number from 1 to 100, shall not, at the Dividends, receive in Proportion to the 100 Acres he bought, but as if they were 110 Acres: by Virtue of the 10 Acres additionally annex'd to his Quota by Virtue of this Article. And so it shall be understood of any different Quantity purchas'd, from five Acres upwards.

A more particular Explanation of the Benefits of this Proposal.

TIS

IS impossible to give a firmer Title, than is hereby made both to the Lands, and their Profits, since the whole Country, with all its Improvements, in all Times to come, is engag'd as a Mortgage, and will be forfeited into the Purchaser's Hands on Non-performance of the Covenants, and as to the Rate of the Purchase, 'tis the cheapest that ever was heard of: For it must be observ'd, that the Forty Shillings per Acre is not a Consideration for the Land only, to be cultivated afterwards at the Charge of the Buyer, but on the contrary, it is the first, and last Expence, not only of the Land, but its perpetual Profit; so that for what is once laid out, a Man has, every Year, brought Home to his Door, by other People's Care and Charge, and without the least Trouble to Himself, but That of receiving the Money, the Produce and Profit of so many Acres of the finest Land in the World, as he thus pays Forty Shillings a piece for; and this is to continue, not only during his own Life, but to Descend for ever to his Heirs, or those, to whom he shall assign his Interest. And, that the Benefits of this Proposal may as well reach those who are willing to spare but a little, as those who shall incline to Subscribe large Sums, we have therefore fix'd the lowest Quantity at five Acres; By which Means People who cannot, or who care not to venture much, may become concern'd for only five Pound down, and five Pound more after the first Dividend of Profit, at Return of the Shipping; and this will we hope be of General Advantage, since the Benefit being made diffusive, will reach Numbers who had else been shut out; And with that View we have permitted it against the Opinions of a few: Since a Man who is able to spare but 10 or 201. and does afterwards sell his Interest for two or three hundred, will much more feel the Benefit than one, who being able to subscribe larger Sums, makes a Profit in Equal Proportion.

And here, tho' we utterly disapprove all swelling, and overrated Computations, it will be some satisfaction to give as rational a Guess, as Things to come admit of, after what proportion Purchasers may calculate their Profit, by the most modest Expectation; for tho' tis impossible exactly to state these Accounts, before they are put to the Trial, yet such Computations as are fairly, and impartially Drawn, are at least so far Useful, as to give some Idea to the Reader, of what he may otherwise perhaps be utterly ignorant in the very Nature and Meaning of.

It will be allow'd without Argument, that Three working Men may be carried over, and maintain'd one whole Year round, for every Hundred Pound in the Stock; And so a purchaser, for every Hundred Pounds, he subscribes, will the first Year be entitled to Half what is gain'd by Three Men's constant Labour the whole Year about. The other Half remaining to the Undertakers, to supply Encrease of People, and the necessary Charges of their Maintenance, and Government.

The Practice of our Colonies all over America, has made it undeniable, that the Labour of a Man, for one Year, no otherway employ'd, will clear, at least, four Acres; It must be observ'd, that we do not suppose him to cultivate the four Acres, but only to cut, and burn down the Trees, which grow there; By this Account such a Purchaser's first Year's Claim will be the Profit of Six Acres (Half Three Mens Labour for That Year) And his Second Year advancing in Proportion, after Allowance for all Kinds of Hazard, there arises a great, and uncommon Advantage. For not to urge that the Designs, we shall employ our Men in, are such, as may be fairly expected to produce far greater Profit, than the overstock'd and beaten Practices, in Use at Present, we will take as our Example, the most common, known Product of South Carolina Herself, and That is Rice; This is, at least, one Crop with another worth Six Pounds per Acre; we will state it, however, but at four Pounds, and out of that allow Deduction of one Pound for Freight Home, and Duty; so the Purchaser receives but Three Pounds neat from each Acre.

Thus, all the Land clear'd, a Man, whose Purchase Money was a Hundred Pounds, for fifty Acres, must receive a Hundred, and fifty Pound per Annum for ever, as the Profit of it; but we are not desirous of laying more weight than the Reader, on the Exactness of such Calculations; A Thousand Accidents, not easily foreseen, will still vary these Events, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the Worse; we leave People's Expectation to be determin'd by their Reason, tho' even Men of Diffidence will we think be asham'd to disallow a Computation so low, as Three Pounds per Acre, from such Land in such a Climate. But it may be objected that we compute on a Supposition of

all the Land clear'd, and improv'd by Cultivation, whereas it may be some Years before the Woods, which over-run it, are Feil'd, and the Earth fit for Sowing; "Tis true, to clear all the Land will require some Time, But while That is doing we make all our Potash beforemention'd, of the waste Wood cut down, to clear the Land, and the Profit from an Acre that way, will be so much greater, than from any yearly Crop, that Purchasers may reasonably expect as large gain the very first Year, from a few Acres only, as afterwards from all their Land, clear'd and cultivated.

A word or two, to explain this Assertion, which may look like a Mystery, and we shall draw to a Conclusion.

When Workmen have nothing to do, but fell Great Trees cross one another, and as soon as dry, set Fire to them, that they may be burnt to Ashes, tis demonstrable beyond all Dispute, that Three Men so employ'd, in Twelve Months constant Work, must cut down more Wood than can grow on Twelve Acres.

If therefore we state it but at twelve Acres, it is a Rate of computing which can admit of no reasonable Contradiction; And to shew how much Potash this will yield, it is plain from Experience and any Reader who doubts, may examine it at his Pleasure for the Charge of a Faggot, That the Weight of any good Wood Ashes amounts to about a Sixteenth of the Wood, they are burnt from; and the Weight of the Potash, which will be produc'd from those Ashes, is from a Sixth, to an Eighth of the Weight of the Ashes; But allowing at large, for loss, waste, and accidents, call the Sixteenth a Twentieth, and the Sixth a Tenth only.

For Quantity of Wood, say there grows on an Acre, so cover'd with huge Timber Trees, but four Hundred Tun; we have often much more (Bark, Timber, and Brushwood) on an Acre in England; It is therefore an unexceptionable Computation for America, where the date of the Woods, instead of Years, must be reckoned by Ages. Then the Wood of an Acre yields two Tun of Potash, and the whole Year's Labour of Three Men employ'd in cutting down, and burning on Twelve Acres, and boiling and managing the Ashes, will produce 24 Tun of Potash, which being a Commodity of Universal Consumption, cannot easily over stock Markets, at least not from far greater Quantities of Wood Land, than we are here talking of.

The general Price of such Potash, being the Richest, and Best, is from Forty to Sixty Pounds Sterling per Tun, but we will reduce it to Twenty, for Arguments Sake, tho' such a Fall is improbable for such a Commodity, (Some of our own English Ashes, which have not a 4th Part good Potash, yielding that Price or more) The 24 Tun will then sell for Four Hundred and Eighty Pounds, If out of this Sum we allow for payment of

Freight, and Custom House Duties, &c. at the most extravagant Reckoning, we may deduct on that Score One Hundred and Eighty pounds, and then out of the remaining Three Hundred, One Hundred and fifty Pounds will be due to the Purchaser in England, as the first Year's clear Profit of his Hundred Pound Venture, and That Profit will be every Year growing greater, and greater.

We repeat here once again, that we wou'd not impose the punctual Exactness of such Calculations, as a Matter of Infallibility; The utmost Men can do in these Cases, is fairly to lay down Probabilities, and That we have done undeniably, notwithstanding the Giant-like size of the Benefit, and we shou'd perhaps far more Suprize, if we varied the Subject, and computed on some other of our Intentions: A man wou'd make but a very indifferent Use of his Caution, who shou'd neglect an uncommon Advantage, without some better Reason against it, than that the Prospect of Profit was too Great to be credited; But be that as it will, Here is Room enough for Profit, let Men reduce it, as they please, nor indeed is Profit, how Great soever, the only Motive to Men of Noble Minds; There is in an Attempt of this Nature, something more to recommend it, to all those, who take a Pleasure in things publick Spirited, and Useful to Posterity.

If then what we have said is not sufficient Encouragement, whatever we can say, will be said to no Purpose, so we only shall add our most earnest Entreaty, that every Reader would narrowly scan both the Facts, and the Reasonings here offer'd, and let it be done with the sharpest Attention, and Severity of his Judgment; for we are justly convinc'd, that They, who examine them most, will most firmly believe them.

THO

POSTSCRIPT.

HO' all, that I think can possibly be expected by a reasonable Reader, has been said in the short Tract foregoing, I find my self advis'd to add a Word, or two by way of Postscript, for Satisfaction of some, who may be apt to object, that tho' the Lands, which are bought, will be more than an Equivalent for the Money Subcrib'd, when those Lands shall be settled, and planted, yet as they are of no such Value in their present Condition, and as the Subscribers should have all possible Security, that the Settlement shall really be made as propos'd, they may therefore expect, that over and above the Assignment of the Lands, the Money they subscribe, shou'd, instead of being paid into my Hands, be deposited in those of Trustees, for the Uses intended.

Tho' I cannot but hope, that such kind of Suspicions will never disturb any Person, to whom I am known, yet I thought but reasonable to State the Objection, and Answer it, for the Sakes of such Readers, who, being equally Strangers to my Per son, and Character, may justly enough, entertain the Distrusts, which are common, and allowable in Matters of Money, and Bargainings.

It will be granted, that it signifies little into whose Hands the Money is paid, if it is but apply'd to the Purpose intended; and as I neither expect, nor Desire the Subscription of any, but such, who, by weighing the Design, are fully convinc'd, that it is well founded, and profitable, so it follows, as a necessary Consequence, that all such must think their Money best placed in his Hands, whose Profit, Honour, and Success must depend upon That of the Undertaking, and who may therefore be naturally suppos'd more careful, and dilligent than others wou'd be, in the Application of the Money, because always most interested in the Effect of that Application.

This Reason is so good, that it might alone be sufficient, if there was not another as considerable, which arises from the following Reflection.

Where Trustees are to act in Matters of Care, Form, or Equity, it must be confess'd, they are not only useful, but necessary; But when they are trusted, as in our Case they would be, with a Deposite of Money, and a Power to see it apply'd to a Purpose, in which they are no otherwise concern'd, than as Adventurers among others, (to say nothing of the Impossibility to chuse such, as would be equally agreeable to all) the Temptations are many, and but too well known, which may make it their Interest to find means of Cavil under plausible Pretences for delaying the Business, and Detainment of the Money, as long as the Managers shall see it convenient for their private Advantages.

A wise Man will therefore very easily discern, and approve of my Reasons for not dividing the Power of the Money, from the Power of the Management, since on this only Rock might be split a more promising Adventure, than was ever undertaken.

If I did not believe, that every Body's Experience can furnish him with Instances enough, in the daily Destructions of well laid Designs, through the idle Disputes, and Disagreements of those. who are carrying them on, it were easy to illustrate the Fact by a thousand Examples.

But, as none, I presume, will deny a known Truth, I will Instance but One, which is the fitter for my Purpose, because it is taken, not only from a Parallel Case, but was acted in the very next Country to that, which is the Scene of our Settlement.

The first Attempts, which were made for the settling an En