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An Appeal in behalf of the Black Troops of our West India

Regiments.

SIR,

To the EDITOR of THE PHILANTHROPIST.

April 10th, 1815.

I HOPE you will permit me from motives of humanity, through your useful Miscellany, to point out, that while so many admirable regulations exist, providing for worn-out and decayed soldiers of the British army, the worn-out and decayed Black Troops of our West India regiments are poor wretches! absolutely without any provision whatever.

It seems matter of deep regret that this evil should have escaped the notice of Parliament and the military authorities. The benevolent intentions of the Commander in Chief are well known; and it were surely inconsistent with the exalted character Great Britain bears amongst the nations of the earth, not to extend her fostering consolation to the wounds and decrepitude of a class of men, who, during the late twenty years arduous struggle, have evinced signal bravery on many occasions in advancing her military and commercial greatness, and who have in that country so frequently bled in her cause.

A WEST INDIA PROPRIETOR.

ERRATA.

Page 201, line 6 from bottom, for may read might.

202, line 10, for Review read Reviewer.

203, last line and word, add Report.

204, line 1, dele chap.

line 8, for Manseng read Mansong.

line 3 from bottom, for Maatyn read Martyn.

205, line 3, for Kachbara read Rachbara; and for Kalra read Kabra.

last line, for Cannasse read Carmasse.

207, line 11, after the word through, add The TIDE current is here very strong. -208, lines 23 and 29, for Thabra read Kabra.

THE PHILANTHROPIST,

No. XX.

Account of a Society at Harmony (Twenty-five Miles from Pittsburg) in Pennsylvania, United States of America. Taken from "Travels in the United States of America, in the Years 1806 and 1807, and 1809, 1810, and 1811. By John Melish."

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I SHALL now introduce by name a fellow-traveller, Dr. Isaac Cleaver, of Philadelphia. This gentleman travelled in the stage with me from Bedford; we lodged together at Pittsburg, and we now agreed to travel together to visit the Harmonist Society. With this view we procured a couple of hacks, very sorry ones indeed, and set out from Pittsburg on Monday the 19th August, at six o'clock in the morning. We crossed the Allegany by a boat it is here about 400 yards broad, and the deepest part of it seven feet; the current is gentle, and the water remarkably pure. On the opposite side of the river there is a narrow bottom of very rich land; after passing which, we ascended pretty steep hills, and by a rough road reached a tavern eight miles from the river. The day was now very hot; but we could only stop a few minutes, and moved on six miles to Dixon's tavern, where we found the landlord completely druirk. The day continuing uncommonly hot, we rested here about half an hour; and after travelling about a mile, we reached the Plains, so called from being a sort of meadow and destitute of trees. Here we weret entirely without shade, and the force of the sun nearly overpowered us. I never recollect to have suffered so much from! the heat; and we got no relief till after travelling four miles, when we reached another tavern at the further end of the Plains, where we found a sober industrious family busily employed in domestic manufactures. The whole country from Pittsburg to this place is rather rough and uncultivated; and land sells at from two to

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three dollars per acre. Beyond this as we continued our jour ney we found the country to improve; and approaching the precincts of the Harmonist Society, we passed some of their wellcultivated farms. Here the road passes over a considerable hill; and on reaching the top we saw at a little distance the town of Harmony, elegantly situated amid flourishing and well-cultivated fields. We reached the town at three o'clock, and proceeded to the tavern, an excellent stone building, where we found good accommodations.-Before I proceed to state our transactions at this place, I shall give an account of the rise and progress of the Harmonist Society. It is chiefly extracted from the Appendix to Cumming's Western Tour, published at Pittsburg; and as we had it revised and corrected by Mr. Frederick Rapp, its authenticity may be relied on.

"The Society had its origin in Wurtemburg in Germany, about the year 1785. The Lutheran religion was then predominant in the country, to which every subject was obliged to submit. Nobody durst venture to contradict the laws given by the Consistory, and no person was left free to believe any system of religion to be true, except what was promulgated by teachers appointed by that body. The fundamental principles which Luther deduced from the doctrines of Jesus Christ and his apostles were almost wholly destroyed; and in place of religion being made a principle to regenerate the mind and regulate the life, it was converted into an engine of power to keep the people in check to the civil government. This decline of the church was seen and felt by George Rapp, who found himself impelled to bear testimony to the fundamental principles of the Christian religion; and he soon got a number of adherents, who formed themselves into a Society. But they were despised and persecuted by the Consistory, who often subjected them to fines and imprisonment because they would not go to the established church. But they persevered; and the persecution they endured increased the members of the Society. Under these circumstances they groaned for deliverance, and wished for a residence in some part of the world where they might enjoy religious toleration, and be permitted to worship God according to the dictates of their consciences, unmolested by man. Some proposals were made to allow them a piece of land in France, and at last in their own country. But the providence of God has ruled the matter in another way. He discovered to the Society, America; as if he had said, 'That is the country where you shall serve me, and where you shall confess my name.' Accordingly the Society determined unanimously to go to America; and Mr. Rapp and

some others were appointed to go before them, and seek out an eligible situation in that country. The deputies arrived in safety at Philadelphia in the year 1803; and passing into the Western country they fixed on a situation, and wrote to their friends. In the year 104 the whole Society, consisting of 150 or 160 families, embarked in three vessels at Amsterdam. One of these arrived at Baltimore, and the other two at Philadelphia, where Mr. Rapp was waiting to receive them, and from thence they had to take a troublesome overland journey of 320 miles. In November, forty of these families moved to the westward; and notwithstanding the lateness of the season they built nine loghouses, in which they resided during the winter. Next spring fifty more families arrived, which brought the Society to 90 families; and in February 1805, the Society was organized into one body, by a constitution grounded on Acts iv. 32:- "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart, and of one soul. Neither said any of them that aught of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

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Thus constituted, they laid out a town; and in commemoration of their unity of sentiment and brotherly affection they called it Harmony; and from henceforth they continued to labour in brotherly association, and in common. This year they built 46 log-houses, 18 feet by 24; a large barn and a grist-mill, to which a race was dug of nearly three-quarters of a mile in length; 150 acres of ground were cleared for corn-forty for potatoes, and fifteen for a meadow. In 1806 they built an inn partly of stone, 32 feet by 42, and two stories high-a frame barn 100 feet long-an oil-mill-a blue-dyer's shop, and they sunk a tannery;-300 acres of land were cleared for corn, and fifty-eight for meadow. In 1807 they erected a brick store-house, a saw-mill, and a brewery;-400 acres of land were cleared for grain and meadow, and four acres of vines were planted. This year they sold of their produce and manufactures, 600 bushels of grain, and 3000 gallons of whisky. In 1808 they built a meeting-house of brick, 70 feet by 55-a brick dwelling-house, and some other buildings and stables for cattle-a frame-barn SO feet long, and a bridge 220 feet long, over the Conaquenesing Creek. A considerable quantity of ground was cleared, and they sold 2000 bushels of grain, and manufactured 1400 into whisky. In 1809 they built a fulling-mill, which does a great deal of business for the country; a hemp-mill-an oil-mill-a grist-mill-a brick warehouse 46 by 36 feet, having a winecellar completely arched over, and another brick building of the same dimensions. A considerable quantity of land was cleared.

The produce of this year was 6000 bushels of Indian corn, 4500 bushels of wheat; 4500 bushels of rye; 5000 bushels of oats; 10,000 bushels of potatoes; 4000lbs. of flax and hemp; 100 bushels of barley brewed into beer; and 50 gallons of sweet oil, made from the seeds of the white poppy, and equal to the imported olive oil. Of this produce they sold 3000 bushels of corn, 1000. bushels of potatoes, 1000 bushels of wheat, and they distilled 1600 bushels of rye. In 1810, awool-carding machine and twospinning jennies were erected, for the fabrication of broad-cloth from the wool of Merino sheep. A frame-barn was built 100 feet long, and a brick-house built to accommodate 20 weavers' looms in the under story, the second to be destined for a school-room."

The improvements were going on rapidly when we visited them, and every thing wore the appearance of an old established settlement. A great variety of articles of the manufacture of the Society had been sold-besides the produce of the ground—such as shoes, boots, saddles, smith-work, cloth, &c.; and these and other manufactures were rapidly increasing. A more full development of their principles and economy will appear from the objects that came under our view in the course of our visit. On our arrival at the inn, we learned that the inn-keeper was one of the Society, and had been appointed to that station because he could speak the English language fluently. He told us that we could get every information that we could desire. My fellow-traveller inquired whether they had a doctor; and on being answered in the affirmative, he was sent for; and as he couldalso talk the English language, and was moreover very agreeable in his manners, and an excellent botanist, we were happy in the proffer of his services. We had next a visit from Mr. Rapp, his son, and several other members of the Society. The old man's face beamed with intelligence, and he appeared to have a consciousness of having performed a good work: but he could not speak English; and as we could only communicate our sentiments by an interpreter, we had but little conversation with him. Having collected a great variety of information regarding the Society, we took a walk round the town, viewed the Creek on which it is built, and returned to the inn, where we found good attendance and excellent accommodations. At sunrise next

morning we heard the bell ring, and in a quarter of an hour after the people were at their respective employments-all was bustle and activity. The inn-keeper accompanied us to see the Society's shepherds and sheep. We passed Conaquenesing Creek by a wooden bridge, ornamented with flowers, and observed a low meadow on our left, which we were informed had been

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