was nearly sixty thousand at the close of the seventeenth century; during the next seventy-five years the growth was more rapid, and at the beginning of the Revolution there were perhaps half a million inhabitants in the colony. Massachusetts, settled thirteen years later, at first grew more rapidly than Virginia, and in 1700 had about seventy thousand people. Massachusetts did not keep pace with Virginia during the eighteenth century, partly owing to her small number of slaves; in 1775 she had a population of about three hundred thousand. Pennsylvania, another of the three most important colonies, had in 1775 a population midway between Virginia and Massachusetts. The settlers in the other colonies were less numerous, Maryland, Connecticut, New York, and the two Carolinas having a population averaging each about two hundred thousand, while New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Georgia, and Delaware had each less than one hundred thousand people.

165. Nationality. The thirteen English colonies were composed to a very great extent, of course, of emigrants from England; but other European nations sent many of their sons and daughters to the shores of America, and their influence has been strongly felt in all the settlements. The four colonies of New England had among their numbers very few settlers of other nationalities, and the only foreign influence of importance that they felt was that of the Dutch. In the Southern colonies the English race was dominant, especially in Virginia and Maryland. In the Carolinas there was a large number of French Huguenots, who proved to be a valuable addition to the population. There were also many hardy Germans, a few thrifty Swiss, and some industrious Scotch-Irish. The population of the Middle colonies did not possess so strong an English predominance. The Dutch were the earliest settlers here, and they continued to be numerically strong in these colonies, while in New York they made the majority of all the white settlers, even up to the Revolution. In New Jersey and Delaware there were many representatives of various European nations; while in Pennsylvania the German farmers and the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians outnumbered the Englishmen. The influence of these nationalities was for the most part good, and the English settlers were much aided in all their struggles for liberty by their neighbors and fellow-colonists,

166. Character of the Settlements. The three divisions of the colonies were very unlike in the character of the settlements. In New England the farms were small, and the constant dread of the Indians caused the people to come together in villages. In many cases whole towns were formed at once, and sometimes nearly the whole population of one of these towns moved from one place to another. In the South there were very few towns or villages. Each planter would have access to a river, and thus obtain an easy method of travel, while often separated from his nearest neighbor by miles of

dense woods. The Middle colonies occupied a halfway ground, having more villages than the colonies to the south, and also larger farms than their eastern neighbors. Jamestown and Williamsburg, the capitals of Virginia, were but small villages; St. Mary's and Annapolis hardly larger; while Charleston, the capital of South Carolina, was the only important town in the South. New York, Philadel phia, and Albany were the leading towns of the Middle colonies, while other towns were not more than villages. The towns were

the leading feature of New England civilization, many of them being of considerable historical interest. Salem, Portsmouth, and New Haven were important commercial ports. Providence and Newport controlled Rhode Island; while Philadelphia and Boston were not only the largest towns among the colonies, but were also by far the most influential.

167. Classes. All the colonists had come from countries where there were various classes of society, and all brought with them a

belief in rank and aristocracy, modified by the conditions of each colony. The Southern colonists were very like their English cousins, and the gentry consisted of the great planters who owned large tracts of land and lived at leisure, considering it a disgrace to labor. In New York were the Dutch land-owners, who lived well upon their income, possessing vast estates, which they rented. to tenant farmers. In the other Middle colonies a similar distinction was granted to the owners of great farms, but the class was not so important. In New England

there was a careful recognition of the different classes, though all the people found it necessary to work. The members of the learned professions were the upper class among the Puritans, and they held their position simply by reason of public opinion. The mass of New England's population was of the English middle class, and formed the strength of these colonies in all times of danger. In the Southern colonies the middle class was composed

of rough and illiterate men, who, because of close contact with slavery, considered it beneath them to work. In South Carolina there was no middle class, the lines being sharply drawn between planters and servants.

168. Servants. The highest class of servants in the colonies was the tenants, who paid rent to the land-owner, and also owed him certain obedience and service. Lower than the tenants were the bond-servants, who were to be found in great numbers in Virginia and Pennsylvania. Some of these were boys and girls who were "bound out" until of age; while many others were men and women who bound themselves out for a term of years to pay their passage across the water. These could be bought and sold, and were, during their "time," little better than slaves. Many persons convicted of crime were sold in the colonies for a term of years, to be "convict-servants." Most of the servants through all the colonies were negro slaves. The first to be brought to this country came in 1619, and in 1775 there were nearly half a million negroes. the Northern colonies, where the climate was colder, the white population were willing to work, and negroes were not in so great demand. They were used in New England chiefly as houseservants, while in the Middle colonies they were employed somewhat among the wheat-fields. The heat of the Southern summer was too severe for the white settlers, and negroes were demanded in large numbers to work the great plantations of tobacco, rice, and indigo. Thus the number of slaves south of Pennsylvania was many times that of those in the North. The influence of slavery has always proved harmful, creating a prejudice against labor, and finally the Southern colonies found it almost impossible to free themselves from its chains.

CHAPTER XXIV.

RESOURCES.

169. Plantations. - The first settlers of Virginia came for the purpose of finding gold, or the Northwest Passage, or to trade with the Indians. Little was thought of agriculture until after the "starving time," and even then, for a time, there was but little real farming, as the immigrants were for the most part unused to that form of

A Southern Mansion.

labor. In time the poorer land

owners were com

pelled to sell to the more wealthy, and soon a large portion of the Southern Colonis was owned by comparatively few men.

Tanmu These planters patterned closely after the English

country gentle

On the plantations would be found the great house, the negro quarters, the barns and stables, and the shops, in which were rudely manufactured many of the articles needed on the place. In fact, each plantation became a community by itself. Throughout all the Southern colonies tobacco was the principal crop, but in the Carolinas rice and indigo came to be staple articles. Lumber was shipped from the Carolinas, and cattle were raised to a considerable extent. Other farm produce, as a rule, was grown on each plantation, but only as much as was necessary for the support of the community.

170. Small Farms. Proceeding northward, one would find the plantations growing smaller and more numerous. The great wheat