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the smallness of population, the facility of detection,great vigilance in the police, and the mildness of ourpunishments. If this be true, the calendar of ourconvicts may appear comparatively larger here,while the number of crimes may be, in part, muchless than in Scotland. But, on this point, I do not possess sufficient information concerning that coun-try, to draw any satisfactory conclusion. Both thereand here, spirituous liquors are, undoubtedly, thegreat corrupters of morals. Alcohol, in all its modi-fications, is the insidious enemy of virtue and happi-ness ; it saps the foundation of all the useful qualitiesthat belong to man, and is the great cause of theincrease of vice and criminality. How is this widespreading mischief to be destroyed? By an entireprohibition of home distillation, and a heavy impostand excise on foreign spirits. But this is impractica-ble here; no legislature would dare to pass such alaw, and no administration could carry it into exe-cution. A partial application of impost and excisehas produced some effect, yet no great, in diminish-ing the consumption in the country. It is painfulto reflect, that it is only in our power to attempt par-tial remedies, and to endeavour to regulate what wecannot prevent. I hope, with the assistance ofothers, to procure the adoption of a plan to prevent the increase of taverns and dram shops in this city, andto lessen the number of those which already exist. I regret that it is not in my power to make an ade-quate return for the large fund of valuable informa-tion which thou hast been so kind as to send me.I can only reiterate my grateful thanks to thee forthy liberal communications, and to assure thee, thatI am, with sentiments of great respect and esteem,thy very obliged friend, THOMAS EDDY. New York, 6th month, 20th, 1804. ESTEEMED FRIEND, I have to thank thee for thy kind favour, of inclos-