men in England, who are without fortune, especially those who are affluent, are in no haste to marry poor girls."

Since the humourous occurrence at Newman Street, I have read Colquhoun's "Police of London," and from one of his positions am enabled to draw consequences, too affecting to be contemplated.

There were in 1800, agreeably to the returns, 373,655 males, and 444,474 females in the city of London and Westminster. The excess of females you will find to be 70,819. If this proportionate excess obtained throughout England, this would be the most miserable country on the globe. Of these 444,474 females, Mr. Colquhoun supposes 50,000 to gain all, or part of their subsistence by-prostitution: hence, more than one ninth of all the females in London are whores. If we suppose two ninths of the 444,474 to be within the years of seduction, and one more ninth to be without the years of temptation, we shall find one in six of all those who are within the reach of prostitution, lost to innocence !

War, commerce and emigration, must of necessity render the condition of the sex in England rather severe. Nature has kindly ordered the proportion of males and females as thirteen to twelve: the finest argument in favour of an overruling Providence,

with which I have ever met. The avocations and

accidents to which our sex are peculiarly liable, render this excess necessary, Thus far the economy of nature, which in most countries has dealt unkindly with the fair sex but in England, they have nothing of which to complain but of the perversion of the laws of nature, and of a complicated system of things, the evils of which mostly fall on the weaker

sex.

Adieu.

LETTER X.

LONDON, OCTOBER 30th.

I HAVE lately made a most important discovery, which has displayed one of the great secrets of English rank. You, in the United States, knowing nothing of this, will consider the following authentic history of rank a singular curiosity.

They have confined the several species of man within such definite limits, in this country, that the moment they hear a knocking at their doors, they can tell you whether it be a servant, a postman, a milkman, a half or whole gentleman, a very great gentleman, a knight, or a nobleman.

A servant is bound to lift the knocker once : should he usurp a nobleman's knock he would hazard his situation. A postman knocks twice, very loudly. A milkman knocks once, at the same time, sending forth an artificial noise, not unlike the yell of an American Indian. A mere gentleman usually knocks three times, moderately: a terrible fellow feels authorized to knock thrice, very loudly, generally adding to these, two or three faint knocks, which seem to run into each other: but there is

considerable art in doing this elegantly, therefore it is not always attempted: but it is a valuable accomplishment-A stranger who should venture at an imitation would immediately be taken for an upstart—A knight presumes to give a double knock, that is, six raps, with a few faint ones at the end. I have not yet ascertained the various peculiarities, which distinguish the degrees between the baronet and the nobleman; but this I know, too well, that a nobleman, at any time of night, is allowed to knock so long and loud, that the whole neighbourhood is frequently disturbed; and although fifty people may be deprived of their night's rest, there is no redress at law nor equity. Nor have I learnt how long and loud a prince of the blood presumes to knock, though, doubtless, he might knock an hour or two, by way of distinction.

*

You may hold your sides, if you please, but I assure you I am perfectly serious. These people are so tenacious of this prerogative, that a true blooded Englishman goes near to think it a part of British liberty. Indeed, I am convinced, I could place certain Englishmen in a situation, in which, rather than knock at a door but once, they would fight a duel every day in the week. Good heaven, how would a fine gentleman appear, if obliged to knock but once, at the door of a fashionable lady, to

whose party he had been invited, while, at the same moment, a number of his every-day friends, passing by, might observe the circumstance! I cannot conceive of a more distressing occurrence. The moment he entered the room, the eyes of the whole company would be turned on him; he would believe himself disgraced forever, he would feel himself annihilated, for all his imaginary consequence would have forsaken him, without which, an Englishman feels himself to be nothing.

You may imagine it a very easy matter to pass from the simple rap of the fervant, to that of the nobleman: but let me inform you these little monosyllables stand in the place of Alpine mountains, which neither vinegar* nor valour can pass.

Her

cules and Theseus, those vagabond, but respectable bullies, who governed by personal strength, instead of a standing army, would have hesitated an enterprise against these raps. They have, by prescription, risen nearly to the dignity of Common Law, of which strangers as well as natives are bound to take notice. I was lately placed in a pleasant position through ignorance of this soon after my arrival, I received an invitation to dine with a gentleman, and in my economical way, with the greatest simplicity, I gave one reasonable rap: after a considerable

* Hannibal is said to have employed vinegar in his passage through the Alps.