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By a similar defect in the laws, a contract made in A. one state, is not compellable to performance in another; but an exception to this is made, as it should seem, for cal the direct purpose of protecting the system of slavery oral from infringement: for, by the federal, or high law of the land, any person held to labour or service in one d state, and escaping from it, shall be delivered up on the simple claim of the party to whom he or she has been bound. By this law, it also follows that if the slave escapes into a state which has itself prohibited slavery altogether, yet he shall not be protected from the claim of a master residing in a state where slavery is still tolerated.

Congress has power to admit any new state into the Union, but not a new state formed within any other state; nor any state formed by an union of any two states without the consent of the legislatures of such states. Congress guarantees to every state the preservation of a republican form of government, and a protection of each of them against invasion or insurrection. Upon the vote of two-thirds of both houses, congress possesses a power of amending the constitution, or upon application of two-thirds of the legislatures of the states generally. These amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of the several states, or by the same number assembled in one convention; and to this power are annexed some provisional guarantees for securing the suffrage and individual privileges of each state. An oath or affirmation is taken of each member of the congress, but no religious test is imposed on any occasion, or for any office throughout the republic.

The right of speedy trial is awarded to every of fender; and that trial is to be by jury, and in public court. Excessive bail is not to be required, nor excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. In the eye of the law, all parties are equal; all must bear arms, or pay an equivalent, at the call of the Union; and hereditary titles are prohibited.

Such is a brief outline of the fundamental laws of the land in the United States. Of the particular laws of each state it would be tedious, and almost endless to give a detail.

LITERATURE. It seems to be generally admitted, that literature is in no very flourishing condition in the United States; but it is asserted that the stream of knowledge compensates in its width for the shallowness of its depth, and that the learning, like the riches of the country, though differently diffused, and not to be found in accumulated masses, is not less, upon the whole, than that which is found in other empires. The fallacy of this reasoning in a metaphor, is obvious. It may, indeed, be true, abstractedly, that more individuals of the multitude possess in America a little learning and a glimpse of science; but the inferior degree of it alluded to, if multiplied by millions, will but poorly compensate for the depth of a Bacon or a Newton; and present a state of general intellect to the philosophical observer, from which he will augur many evils. On the other hand, the infancy of her empire, the constant importation of English books into the Union, and the more profitable occupations of the great majority of her citizens, may well account for these facts, without any imputation on the capabilities of her people.

The literature of the United States is chiefly concentrated in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. Of the

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public libraries in each of these cities, novels of the vilest N. AMEsort are in great repute; plays and farces are sought RICA. also with avidity; moral essays and history are but little perused; and the classics, metaphysics, political philosophy, &c. continue, generally speaking, in dusty repose upon the shelf. The majority of authors may be but too well denoted by this designation of their readers; and, beyond novel and farce writers, and newspaper politicians, America reckons few men who have signalized themselves in letters. Institutions taking the name of colleges are very Colleges. numerous: there are about fifty in the whole scattered throughout the territory of the United States. These establishments, however, have the name, with but few of the privileges or advantages of those so denominated in Europe. They have neither fellowships, scholarships, nor exhibitions; and the teachers, sometimes dignified by the title of professors, are allowed stipends too scanty, and allotted work too laborious, to execute, or even to carry forward any grand or original literary undertakings. Havard college, in Massachusetts, is the most celebrated, and has thirteen professorships. Yale college, in Connecticut, and Princetown college, in New Jersey, are spoken of as the next in eminence. It is remarkable in these, and other of the American colleges, that the Greek and Latin is generally recited in the Scotch dialect, although the students profess to speak English with the modern English accent, a proceeding which may be accounted for by the influx of Scotch professors into their universities. Princetown has 200, Yale 300, and Havard 400 students. Students at these colleges generally finish their education at eighteen years, an age when our English university matriculations most commonly begin. It is here worthy of remark, that Washington bequeathed stock equal to $25,000 towards establishing a university in the federal city of the Union, a bequest which, with its compound interest, is still unappropriated.

Although the institutions for completing the educa- Education. tion of a classical scholar are poorly appointed, those of a more universal, but minor nature, where the rudiments of education are taught to all the inhabitants, are both numerous and well conducted. Almost every state has schools established for this purpose, and scarcely a native American is to be found who cannot read, write, and keep accounts. Commercial intelligence and the political news of the day are, by this means, diffused over the country in numberless newspapers, of which, and of political reviews, a larger number are printed in the United States than in the British empire. Nor should we omit to mention that, in the sale of all the public lands, a sixteenth section of every township is reserved for the support of schools, and the maintenance of the

poor.

N. AMERICA.

and Moral State.

Architecture boasts some very handsome specimens in the public buildings of Washington, New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. The city hall of New York Political is a superb edifice of white marble, constructed with a mixture of the Ionic and Corinthian orders. Its portico is supported by eight columns, fifteen feet in length, each hewn from a single block; the second story has nineteen windows, marking the number of individual states at the period of its erection.

United Statce.

Morals and

manners.

MORALS AND MANNERS.-The great proportion of the population in the United States being of English origin, the manners, customs, tastes, sentiments, and even prejudices of the English and Americans, are, generally speaking, similar. The old calumny of representing the United States as at first colonized by convicts, mendicants, and vagabonds, can hardly need refutation; though the refuge that is still afforded in America to fraudulent traders from Great Britain calls loudly for some better understanding on this subject between the respective governments. New England was almost wholly peopled by respectable English families, who fled from the civil and religious persecution of their native country; and much of puritanical precision is still preserved in their general demeanour. Many Germans are settled in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, and the number is perpetually augmenting; but the language and manners of the English are rapidly spreading amongst them. French protestants are found at New Rochelle, in some parts of the state of New York, and in Charlestown, South Carolina. Irish catholics are found in Maryland and some parts of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Kentucky; and some Irish protestants are become agriculturists in the interior of the country. Scotchmen are everywhere scattered through the United States; as are considerable numbers of Swedes and Swiss.

The number of negro slaves disgracing this land of liberty is reckoned at 1,700,000, by far the largest part of whom are in the southern states. Brutalized for successive generations, this wretched race seems incapable of suddenly enjoying the advantages of liberty; the free blacks, of whom there are counted 200,000, being said to be the most profligate and immoral of any persons in the country. A gang of these robbers sometime since set fire to whole rows of houses in New York, that they might profit by the consequent confusion. In the winter of 1816-17, a negro was pub licly executed for this crime. African schools have been of late instituted by the quakers, to ameliorate and instruct these ignorant and half-savage tribes: some African churches are said to have arisen in consequence, and some black teachers and preachers, who perform their functions with ability and propriety.

Where the barbarous practice of slavery prevails, its baneful influence is felt not only by those who suffer, but by those who practise it; and hence a very striking difference is found in the manners and morals of the New England states and those of the more southern parts of the Union. The following circumstance furnishes a remarkable illustration of this fact, and of some of the feelings of American legislators toward religion In the state of Louisiana a bill was introhuced to secure the "better observance of the sabbath: to punish unnatural crimes; to prevent the defacing of the church-yards; to oblige the shutting of the public

and

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theatres, stores, &c." The opposers of this bill were N. A violent in their invectives. against the party from whom R it originated; and the orator who principally exerted himself on the occasion, said, in the debate," that such Pulie persecuting intolerance might well suit the New England puritans, who were descended from the bigotted fanatics of Old England, those who were great readers of the U Bible, and, consequently, ignorant, prejudiced, cold. Sta blooded, false, and cruel; but such a measure could never be fastened on the more enlightened, liberal, and philosophic inhabitants of Louisiana, the descendants of Frenchmen." The bill was rejected by an immense majority of the legislature.

The wealthier class of Americans rival, in elegance of manners, the same ranks in Europe; but the far greater proportion of the citizens exhibit a medium of manners and of general appearance that is becoming decidedly characteristic; they are certainly inferior to those distinguished in Europe by the title of gentry, but superior to farmers and mechanics. An inde pendence of feeling is obvious in every thing-in their very manner of walking-and is affected much further than it exists. Well and decently dressed, but with no correct finish of appearance, they are seen passing along the streets of their cities, with their hands in their pockets, neither in haste, nor as if wholly at leisure; somewhat busy, but not eagerly, nor as if actually dependent on business.

From the nature of their commerce with each other, and the extent of their territory, the merchant, the trader, and the farmer, of the United States must neces sarily be great travellers; not unfrequent are their journies from the country of the Illinois to some of the great sea-ports on the Atlantic, for the purpose of selling their own produce, or, more frequently, of purchasing materials for their future occupation. On these occasions it sometimes happens that they are benighted in a neighbourhood where it is impossible to procure the accommodation of an inn; the traveller is then obliged to "camp out," as it is termed; that is, to lie under a tree in the open air. This is described as by no means unpleasant, and by some it is even preferred to the generality of American inns, which abound in vermin, and where the traveller must consider himself fortunate if he can procure a bed to himself. The process of camping-out consists of first lighting a fire. With this view, a tinder-box, &c. is a neces, sary part of the apparatus of travelling. A blanket or mattress is then spread (if the traveller's equi page permits the carriage of one) on the windward side of the fire, so that the smoke may, low over him, and keep away the musquitoes and other insects from molesting him. Thus prepared, he ties his horse to a tree with a thong of sufficient length to permit the animal to graze; then lying down on his bedding, with his feet to the fire, sleeps undisturbed until morning.

The constant and universal habit of smoking is very annoying to the English traveller in America, From the president of the United States, down to the lowest citizen that can afford a segar, all the Americans smoke, and many chew tobacco. This is practised, too, even on the bench of justice and in the chair of state, in the senate-house, and in the drawing-room.

Bull-baiting, boxing, and cock-fighting, are little

ME known in the United States, Dancing and music are A very common, even among the lowest of the citizens. Early marriages are usual; a custom easily acical counted for from the cheapness of lands, and the faforal cility of procuring a livelihood.

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Although the thirst for, and the pursuit of wealth is universal, yet there are causes which contribute to prevent its accumulation to excess in any one pointamong which a strong propensity to personal extravagance, and the abolition of the English laws of descent in all their operations, occupy no inconsiderable place. There is another feature in the American character, which arises no less from the nature of the political institutions, than from the state of the country, and its various facilities for reaching a comparative independence. As there is no family, or hereditary wealth, so there is no family authority in the United States, Children are equal to their parents, scholars to their masters, clients to their lawyers, clerks to the merchants whose affairs they keep in order, and labourers (for servants and masters there are none) to their employers. It has been said with vivacity, and with much truth, that "the master himself, if he wishes his affairs to prosper, must be the only servant in his own house." All the domestics, and even the children of the household are free; and to work or play, to execute the duties required, or to neglect them, is, comparatively, at every one's option. For such a state of society no precedent is to be found.

The vanity of the American character is also very prominent, and perhaps arises much from the very same causes, That the perfection of valour, wisdom, virtue, liberty and patriotism, is nowhere to be found but in America, is, amongst the Americans themselves, the universal axiom. In the administration of Washington, congress was engaged for three days in a debate on the question, "Whether America was not the most "enlightened nation on earth!"

The lowest rank of the American citizens consist of those who dwell on the borders of the woods, called back-wood men. Their sole occupation is to clear a little ground, on which they raise corn sufficient for their own use, supplying their other wants by their gun. These assimilate, in appearance and manners, very nearly to the native Indians; and so addicted are they to this savage mode of life, that they readily sell their cleared lands, called "improvements," to any who may happen to be a little higher in the scale of human being than themselves. They then remove further into the woods, clearing more ground, and resuming their accustomed method of living. A recent traveller lodged in the hovel of one of these men: it was the third habitation he had built within one year, and he appeared again ready to sell; chimney to his hut there was none; bedsteads, of unhewn logs laid across each other; two chairs, one of which was broken, and a low stool, constituted all its furniture, although the family consisted of himself, a pregnant wife, a boy nearly -grown to manhood, three elder girls, and a numerous infant family. A large iron pot, their guns, and a fiddle, were the whole of their domestic utensils, Birkbeck's Notes on a Journey in America, 8vo.

RELIGION-America presents a very singular aspect with regard to religion. She is, in fact, the first country which has tried the great experiment of allowing unlimited freedom of opinion, so that the want of a

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particular form of religion does not disqualify, as the N. AME profession of any mode of faith does not furnish a qua- RICA. lification, for civil office. We know not by what epithet to distinguish this arrangement; it is not toleration, for no parties can be said even to differ from the government, since that government establishes no religion, and, as such, has no creed, or form of worship; perhaps it ought not to be termed indifferentism, since, without implying any feeling with regard to the principles of religion itself, or toward any of its adopted forms, that subject is simply left untouched and unobstructed. It is a fundamental principle of the constitution of the United States, that no law shall ever be passed to establish, or give any political preference whatever to any particular form of religion. In some of the states the congregation of each church contracts to support its minister so long as he continues to perform his duties, and this contract is enforced by law. In those of New England the law enacts that every individual shall subscribe to the support of his minister, although it leaves to his own choice the sect to which he may choose to belong.

The prevailing religious sects are the presbyterians, Sects. the independents, the episcopalians, methodists, and baptists. Pure episcopacy here is exercised with con siderable authority. The bishop is the executive chief over all the clergy of his diocese. The discipline, however, differs somewhat from that which is observed in the church of England. The annual state convention consists of lay delegates as well as clergy, the bishop presiding; and the general convention, which meets triennially, is composed of all the bishops of the Union, who form the upper house, and of lay delegates and clergy from all the different dioceses, who constitute the lower house of convocation. The bishops exercise great authority over the diocesan clergy, and possess very considerable power in regulating and governing the church. The great body of the congre gationalists are to be found in New England, though some of their churches are scattered in the middle and southern states, which are, however, chiefly occupied by the presbyterians. Episcopacy prevails mostly in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina; and is supposed to be gaining ground in some parts of New England. The friends, or quakers, are most numerous in the middle states. The methodists occupy chiefly the interior of the southern states, although they have meeting-houses scattered over the greater part of the Union Wesleyans are chiefly, if not entirely, under a sort of episcopalian government. The baptists abound most in the western states. The unitarians are chiefly confined to the populous cities or towns. The Roman catholics are most numerous in Maryland, and in the large cities on the sea-coast. The Dutch reformed church is principally confined to New York and New Jersey. Jews are found in various parts, but they are not numerous. "In consequence of the entire indifference to religion on the part of the state governments," says Mr. Bristed, "full one-third of our whole population are destitute of all religious ordinances, and a much greater proportion in our southern and western districts." This, it must be confessed, is rather a gloomy statement. Oaths, however, are administered on the Gospels; and, we believe, it is generally re quired, as a sort of test, in certain cases, that the

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N. AME- citizens should avow their belief in the existence of a RICA. Supreme Being, and a future state of rewards and punishments. After the statement of these facts, it is hardly necessary to inform the reader that morality is at a very low ebb; and that the lowest order of the inhabitants are greatly addicted to drunkenness, lying, and the most vulgar and brutal practices and amusements. Latitudinarian notions of religious obligation naturally and almost invariably engender immorality in practice and infidelity in theory.

United States.

History.

Stamp-act.

The late increase of Sunday schools, and of missionary and Bible societies, seem to indicate a meliorating condition of the public mind in the United States with regard to religious affairs. Recently, as these excellent institutions have been introduced, their beneficial effects are already widely spread, and are continually increasing in every direction. The missionary societies are said to pay particular attention to the conversion of the native Indians.

HISTORY. Although the great events of American history will necessarily be inserted in another division of our work, as belonging to the general course of political events, which we propose to exhibit continuously from the earliest period of the history of all nations to our own age, it may be necessary, in order to render intelligible our geographical and statistical statements, to furnish the reader, in this place, with a brief sketch of those extraordinary movements in the political world which led to the recent independence of the Transatlantic possessions of Great Britain.

At the time when the revolt in question occurred, Great Britain was in the very zenith of her glory, having just previously triumphed over the united power of France and Spain, and obtained confirmation of her claim upon North America on this side the Mississippi, with the exception of the island of Orleans, in a definitive treaty of peace concluded, in 1763, at Paris. The expence of the late war had been immensely great, as the exertions which had been made against the hostile nations had been extensive and energetic: the consequence was, that the British parliament, in an evil hour, adventured upon the plan of attempting to tax the colonies. In April 1764, the parent legislature passed two acts, to impose fresh duties on their trade, and to prohibit the issue of paper-money. These excited some discontent; the Americans, and their friends at home, complained of the clause which required the duties to be paid in current coin, and of that which related to the jurisdiction of the admiralty courts; they also pleaded that the prohibition of paper-money left them no circulating medium, as former regulations had deprived them of gold and silver. Their views, however, were disproved by the fact that, within two years from the passing of this act, the course of exchange on bills drawn on England, from being at a discount between thirty and forty per cent. rose to the proper level, and, instead of banishing gold and silver, was, in reality, the efficient means of bringing a circulating medium into the colonies.

But the measure which was the most repugnant to their feelings consisted in the attempt to raise a revenue in America by the stamp-act, which had been discussed and passed the house of commons in the session of 1764, but was postponed by the minister's uncertainty how far raising a revenue by stamp duties might be convenient in the colonies. On the 22d of March, 1765,

State

however, it received the royal assent, after passing N. AMI through the house of lords with scarcely any opposition: RICA still it was provided that the law should not take effect till the month of November following. This proceeding Politie immediately occasioned the utmost alarm. Upon the and M arrival of the news at Boston, the ships in the harbour hoisted their colours half-mast high, in token of deep mourning, and the bells were muffled and rang a funeral States knell. The act was reprinted, with the figure of a death's head in the title instead of the king's arms, and it was publicly burned with the effigies of its authors and supporters. The press teemed with libels against the king and parliament, and one of the newspapers even bore for its title the figure of a snake cut in thirteen pieces, each of which bore in succession the initial letter of a colony, with the significant motto, "Join or die." Extreme dissatisfaction, in a word, manifested itself throughout every part of the continent, and the colonies having unanimously adopted a resolution to petition for a redress of grievances, and formed associations to prevent the importation and use of British manufactures till the detested act should be repealed, that desirable event accordingly took place on the 18th of March, 1766.

This

It was not the intention of the British parliament, Daty in however, to desist from raising a revenue in the colonies, posedo though it was deemed expedient to change the mode of tea, doing so; and the following year an act was passed, imposing duties on glass, tea, paper, and painters' colours, which had again the effect of rousing a most vehement and powerful opposition, and, in 1770, parliament again retraced their steps, and took off these duties, leaving only threepence a pound on tea. insignificant tax was, however, sufficient to awaken the jealousy and continue the irritation of the colonists, who were not diverted from a consideration of the principle which the imposition asserted, by the trifling nature of the tax itself. Measures, therefore, were adopted among themselves for encouraging their own manufactures and productions, and to retrench foreign superfluities; the importation of tea being in the mean time prohibited. In several of the governments a continual warfare was kept up with the people; assemblies were perpetually called and dissolved: grievances and remonstrances were stated and framed; and an act of parliament was passed, appointing the governors and judges to receive their salaries of the crown, with a view of making them independent of the provincial assemblies, and removeable only at the king's pleasure. These, in connection with a multitude of unwelcome measures, exasperated the public feeling, and paved the way for open revolt. On the 2d of March, a fray took place at Boston, which, though at first only an affair between a private soldier and an inhabitant, not merely became serious in consequence of involving others on both sides in the dispute, but aggravating the dislike already existing against the military, produced another dispute on the 5th, which excited great commotion in the whole town. This again led to a public trial, which furnished occasion for an annual observance of the day during several successive years, in which inflammatory orations were, from time to time, delivered against standing ar mies, the encroachments of tyranny, &c. and in praise of freedom and colonial rights..

The year 1773 is distinguished as the period when 1773 the Americans broke out into what was then considered

te.

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ME. open rebellion. The people were excessively irritated at the vigilance of an armed schooner, which had been placed at Providence, in Rhode Island, to prevent ical smuggling; and about two hundred men having entered foral the vessel by night, unshipped the officers and crew, and burned the schooner. The offer of a reward of 5001. produced ro discovery. About the same time, some private letters, written by the royal officers in Boston to persons in official situations in England, recommending decisive measures against the Americans, were discovered and published. The disappointment experienced by the British government with regard to a revenue to be extracted from tea, induced them to form a plan of introducing it by means of the East India company, which was empowered to export all sorts of tea to any place duty free. Several ships were accordingly freighted, and dispatched to America; and factors in the principal ports were appointed to receive and dispose of their cargoes. The directors were to satisfy the treasury for the duties of the teas thus disposed of in America, and to indemnify themselves by demanding threepence per pound more from the purchasers, than would otherwise have been necessary. The colonists, however, immediately perceived that this was an indirect mode of opposing their resolutions and procuring a taxation, and measures were adopted to prevent the landing of the teas. A person dispatched from Philadelphia proposed to the people of Boston, that if they would engage to prevent the landing of the tea, the former city would adopt a similar measure. A proposal of the same nature was also acquiesced in at New York, and the consignees of the tea were commanded at these places to resign their offices, under threats of corporal punishment. The pilots were ordered to withhold their assistance from the ships, and, upon their arrival, they were remanded to England. One instance of an attempt to land tea being detected, seventeen chests were seized, and thrown into the river. At Charlestown, in South Carolina, the tea was landed, under the direction of the mob, and thrown into a damp cellar to perish.

er.

In the beginning of November, a meeting of the inhabitants of Boston and the neighbouring town was convened, under the tree of liberty, and the consignees were ordered to appear to resign their offices, and to engage, on oath, to return the expected teas to England, which they refused, after two applications to the same purpose. After in vain attempting to seize them, another formal meeting was held, and resolutions adopted at all events to prevent the importation of the tea. The multitudes collected on this occasion were informed that, as it was evident there must be a quarrel with the British government before their rights would be secured, the present was the most eligible period. The repeated refusal of the consignees was resolved to be a daring affront: but another assembly being held ten days afterwards, they were again desired to relinquish their appointments, on pain of being declared enemies to their country, which was again declined. The governor and the consignees now both appealed to the council, which, after some days of deliberation, at length determined on rejecting the petition of the latter, and advising the former to renew his orders to prevent all offences against the law. The day preceding, one of the tea ships had arrived, and was soon followed by two others.

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The entire population of the town was summoned to N. AMEresistance, and it was voted in a large assembly, "that the tea should not be landed, that no duty should be paid, and that it should be sent back in the same bottoms." The owners and shipmasters were commanded, at their peril, to suffer the tea to be landed, or entered at the custom-house. Every precaution was, at the same time, adopted, to circulate instant alarm, if requisite, throughout the country. An armed watch mounted guard at the wharf, with proper centinels, in sight of the king's squadron in the harbour and two regiments of infantry in the castle, and other meetings of the inhabitants were repeatedly held and adjourned; and the people, with the fullest knowledge that they were actually in an open state of revolt, determined to proceed. Another vessel had now arrived, and was wrecked at cape Cod; what cargo remained was conveyed to the castle. The masters of the different vessels were ordered to apply for a clearance, and return home, but they were informed by the collector of the customs that their ships must be first unladen; and they were desired to petition the governor for his mandate to pass the castle, who replied that he could not grant such a pass consistently with the law and with his duty to the king, unless the vessel were properly qualified from the custom-house. When this answer was reported to the public meeting, it was immediately dissolved, and the crowd proceeded to the wharf under Hancock, Adams, and other leaders. A party was seen advancing from the N. side of the town in the disguise of Mohawk Indians, headed by Captain Wood, who boarded the ships, and having opened 342 chests, committed them to the waves.

As soon as the account of this transaction reached Boston Great Britain, the parliament resolved on punishing the port-bill. delinquents, and a bill was passed on the 25th of March, 1774, called the Boston port bill," To discontinue the landing and discharging, lading and shipping of goods, wares and merchandizes, at the town of Boston, or within the harbour," which threw the inhabitants into great consternation. The town resolved that this was an oppressive measure, and called on the colonies to concur in preventing all importations from the mother-country: and most of them determined on concurring with Massachussets in opposing the parliamentary proceedings.

Successive acts of a hostile tendency were now passed Other acts. for the purpose of intimidation, but without success. Of this nature were the act " For the better regulating government in the province of Massachusetts bay;" another for sending any person indicted for murder or other capital offence, committed in aiding the magistrates in exerting the laws, to any other colony or to Great Britain for trial; and the Quebec bill, which extended the bounds of that province, and secured many privileges to the Roman Catholics. The different colonies, however, maintained a correspondence on the subject of the unconstitutional acts of parliament, and at length concurred in holding a congress Congress at Philadelphia, Oct. 26, 1774, to concert measures for at Philathe preservation of their rights. The proceedings were delphia. dispassionate and loyal, but characterized by firmness as well as by unanimity; and this meeting appealed both to the inhabitants of America and Britain; to the former, to persist in defending their constitutional rights;

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