"The inquiries in question are numerous and important. They do honor to the sagacity which suggested them, and, if fully answered, would produce a very interesting history of the present condition of the American States. On some of the subjects proposed, I can give your Excellency full and positive intelligence; on others, only general and by no means precise information. On all, however, I shall write with candor.
"Such is the nature of the American governments and confederacy, that the Congress, and all other rulers of the people, are responsible to them for their conduct, and cannot withhold from their constituents a knowledge of their true situation, without subjecting themselves to all the evils, which they experience, who substitute cunning in the place of wisdom. Hence it is, that a knowledge of their affairs is easily attainable by all who will be at the trouble of collecting it, and as it is neither the policy nor inclination of America to draw a veil over any part of their affairs, your Excellency may be persuaded, that every consideration forbids their servants, by a suppression, or misrepresentation of facts, to deceive or mislead those whose amity they so sincerely endeavor to cultivate, as they do that of Spain.
I. THE CIVIL STATE OF NORTH AMERICA.
"Your Excellency has with great propriety arranged the subjects of your inquiry under two heads; the Civil and Military States of North America. The first of these is again branched into several subdivisions, at the head of which, is the
Population of each State.
"The exact number of inhabitants in the United States has not, I believe, been ascertained by an actual census in more than two or three of them. The only computation made by Congress was on the 29th of July, 1775; the manner and occasion of which exclude every suspicion of its exceeding the true number. Congress had emitted bills of credit to a very considerable amount, and were apprised of the necessity of emitting more. Justice demanded that this debt should be apportioned among the States according to their respective abilities; an equitable rule whereby to determine that ability became indispensable. After much consideration, Congress resolved, 'that the proportion, or quota of each Colony, should be determined according to the number of the inhabitants of all ages (including negroes and mulattoes) in each Colony,' but as that could not then be ascertained exactly, they were obliged to judge of, and compute the number from circumstantial evidence. The delegates gave to Congress an account of the population of their respective Colonies, made from the best materials then in their power, and so great was their confidence in each other, that from those accounts that computation was principally formed. Your Excellency will readily perceive, that the delegates were far from being under any temptations to exaggerate the number of their constituents; they were not ignorant, that by such exaggerations they would increase their portion of aids, both of men and money, and that whatever errors they might commit, could not be rectified by an actual numeration during the war. The computation then formed was as follows.
| New Hampshire, | 124,069 | and a half |
| Massachusetts Bay, | 434,244 | |
| Rhode Island, | 71,959 | and a half |
| Connecticut, | 248,139 | |
| New York, | 248,139 | |
| New Jersey, | 161,290 | and a half |
| Pennsylvania, | 372,208 | and a half |
| Delaware, | 37,219 | and a half |
| Maryland, | 310,174 | and a half |
| Virginia, | 496,278 | |
| North Carolina, | 248,139 | |
| South Carolina, | 248,139 | |
| _________ | ||
| 3,000,000 |
Exclusive of the inhabitants of Georgia, who were not at that time represented in Congress, and of whose numbers I have no information that I can confide in.
The Form of Government of each State.
"In the pamphlets I have now the honor of transmitting to your Excellency, viz. No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5, you will find the constitutions of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and South Carolina. The others I have not with me. The great outlines of them all are very similar. By the last accounts from America, it appears that Massachusetts Bay had not as yet agreed upon their constitution, but had it then under consideration.