250 The Schooners, Boats, and Seamen belonging to the Ifles of Shoals are not included in the above The fish made at the Ifles of Shoals are included in this statement. The success of the fishery in this season has been uncommonly good. Eftimate of Seamen belonging to New-Hampshire in 1791. In foreign trade 500 .50 259 N. B. Some of the Seamen who in fummer are employed in the fishery, are in the winter employed in the coafting bufinefs, or in foreign voyages. CHAP. CHA P. XIV. Effect of the Climate and other 'caules on the buman Conftitution. Remarks on Population. Tables of Births, Deaths and Cafualties. T has been confidently afferted by EuropeIan an writers, and by fome of great reputation, that the elimates of America, under fimilar latitudes to thofe of Europe, are unfriendly to health and longevity; that the general period of human life is from fortyfive to fifty; and thefe pernicious effects are afcribed to putrid exhalations from stagnant waters; to a furface uncleared, uncultivated, and loaded with rank vegetation, which prevents it from feeling the purifying influence of the fun. If fuch remarks were intended to be confined to the low plains in the fouthern States, the propriety of them might not perhaps be difputed; but a diftinction ought to be made between those parts of America and others in far different circumftances. If authors profess to write as philofophers they fhould feek for information from the pureft fources, and not content Robertfon's Hiftory America, Vol. II. p. 17. King's thoughts on Emigration to America, Political Maga zine, 1783. p. 261. content themselves with theorifing on fubjects, which can be determined only by fact and observation; or with forming general conclufions from partial reports. If they write as politicians, their aim may indeed be anfwered by stating facts in a delufive.light; and by representing America as a grave to Europeans, they may throw difcouragement on emigration to this country. It is at the fame time amufing to obferve the inconsistent conclufions of these theorifing philofophers; for' whilst one condemns the air of woodland as deftructive to life and health, another celebrates it as containing nutritive particles, and afferts that men who live in. the woods confume lefs food than those who dwell in open countries.* But notwithstanding the dreams of European philofophers, or the interested views of European politicians, America can best be defcribed. by those who have for a long time refided in it. Those who have not feen it at all, and those who have paffed through it with the rapidity of a traveller, can be very inadequate judges; yet unhappily there are many of both thefe claffes of writers, whofe accounts have gained more credit than they deserve. In that part of America which it falls to my lot to defcribe, an uncleared and uncultivated 'foil' is fo far from being an object of dread, Abbè Raynal. Hiftory Indies. Vol. III. p. 278. that. that there are no people more vigorous and ro buft than those who labour on new plantations; nor in fact have any people better appetites for food. This is true not only of the natives of the country, but of emigrants from Europe. It has been a general obfervation that the firft planters in new townships live to a great age. It is also true that the air of our forest is remarkably pure. The tall and luxuriant growth which an European might call T rank vegetation,' not only indicates strength and fertility of foil; but conduces to abforb noxious vapours; and when the foil is once cleared, if man neglect his duty, nature, with her bountiful hand, produces a second growth ofrank vegetation,' for the fame benevolent purpose. A profufion of effluvia from the refinous trees imparts to the air, a balfamið quality which is extremely favourable to health, and the numerous ftreams of limpid water, fome of which fall with great rapidity from the mountains, caufe currents of fresh air which is in the highest degree falubrious, to those who refide on their banks. To these obfervations it may be added, that the northwest wind is the grand corrector of every noxious quality which can exift in the air of America; and whilst that wind prevails, it diffuses health and imparts vigour to the human frame. There There are, indeed, fome few fituations, even in New-Hampshire, where vapour arising from land overflowed with fresh water, produces bilious and nervous difeafes, and the inhabitants are fubject to an early laffitude and debility; which is often increased by an injudicious ufe of fpirituous liquors for medical purpofes; but by the removal of fuch persons to the purer air of the mountains, and a change to a more temperate regimen, thefe complaints ceafe, and the conftitution is reinvigorated. There have also been fome inftances in the. neighbourhood of Connecticut river, of fwellings in the throat fimilar to the goîtres among the inhabitants of the Alps. Women have chiefly been affected in that way. A removal to the fea fhore, and constant bathing with falt water have contributed to reduce these tumours. A free ufe of falted fifh and vegetable acid, particularly cyder, has also been found beneficial, and by the best and latest information which I have been able to obtain, this diforder is now lefs frequent, and more eafily controled than it was a few years past. From the tables of mortality which I have collected and which are here exhibited, it appears that a very large proportion of people live to old age, and that many of them die of no acute difeafe but by the gradual decay of nature. The death of adult perfons between twenty and |