VU1 PREFACE . In order to give a general, historical, and descrip¬ tive view of , I have briefly noticed the early settlement, advancement, and the causes that led to the independence, of the old colonies ; and also the constitution, policy, military and naval force, and the public institutions of the United States. I have, at the same time, endeavoured to exhibit impartially the general characteristics of society in that extraor¬ dinary Republic ; in which, although there may be much to condemn, there is assuredly much more to admire : particularly among those who, from their education, superior abilities, and wealth, naturally give a tone to public manners, and, at the same time, openly or silently govern the people. If, in my reflections on the advantages which American negotiators have obtained from the Bri¬ tish government, either in respect to commercial privileges, or the boundaries of territory, my remarks appear.too severe, they must be attributed to the neces¬ sity of showing the impolicy of yielding them, unne¬ cessarily, commercial privileges to the prejudice of British trade, and a greater extent of territory than they have any right to. The descriptive parts of the work are principally from personal observation ; or, when I was prevented from visiting any of the places that I have described, I have had recourse to the best resident authorities ; whose statements and accounts I have carefully ex-