But you may perhaps be solicitous to ask, what becomes of that
exuberancy of population which must arise from so much temperance,
from healthiness of climate, and from early marriage? You may justly
conclude that their native island and town can contain but a limited
number. Emigration is both natural and easy to a maritime people,
and that is the very reason why they are always populous,
problematical as it may appear. They yearly go to different parts of
this continent, constantly engaged in sea affairs; as our internal
riches increase, so does our external trade, which consequently
requires more ships and more men: sometimes they have emigrated like
bees, in regular and connected swarms. Some of the Friends (by which
word I always mean the people called Quakers) fond of a
contemplative life, yearly visit the several congregations which
this society has formed throughout the continent. By their means a
sort of correspondence is kept up among them all; they are generally
good preachers, friendly censors, checking vice wherever they find
it predominating; preventing relaxations in any parts of their
ancient customs and worship. They everywhere carry admonition and
useful advice; and by thus travelling they unavoidably gather the
most necessary observations concerning the various situations of
particular districts, their soils, their produce, their distance
from navigable rivers, the price of land, etc. In consequence of
informations of this kind, received at Nantucket in the year 1766, a
considerable number of them purchased a large track of land in the
county of Orange, in North Carolina, situated on the several spring
heads of Deep River, which is the western branch of Cape Fear, or
North-West River. The advantage of being able to convey themselves
by sea, to within forty miles of the spot, the richness of the soil,
etc., made them cheerfully quit an island on which there was no