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TRAVELS 
 
 THROUGH 
 
 THE NORTHERN PARTS 
 
 UNITED STATES, 
 
 IN 
 THE YEARS 1807 AND 180S. 
 
 BY EDWARD AUGUSTUS KENDALL, ESQ, 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES, 
 VOLUME U. 
 
 I'ri&ted and published by I. Riley. 
 1809, 
 
K^^ 
 
 DISTRICT OF NEW-YORK, ss. 
 
 BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the t.v enty-seveiif h day of Octo< 
 bei- in the thim-fouKh year of the Independence of the United 
 & ates of A nienea, Isaac Riley, of the said district, hath deposit- 
 ed .n tlm ofhce the tuie of a book, the riglit whereof he claims as 
 proprietor, m the words and figures followfng, to wit : 
 
 « A3?]8!)7'nndTs'!,?t^p''f''"'!iIf''*' °f"'^ ^"'t«^ States, in the 
 }ta.s 1807 and 1808, by Edward Augustus Kendall, Esq. in three 
 "volumes. Volume 11.- o j ■» 
 
 In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United 
 
 States, entitled, " An act for the encouragement of learnina:, by se- 
 
 curing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and 
 
 proprietors of such copies, during the times tlierein mentioned •" 
 
 and also to an act, entitled, « An act, supplementary to an act, ek- 
 
 titKd, an act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the 
 
 copies of maps, charts and books, to the authoi4 and pronrie! 
 
 "tors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned, and ex- 
 
 « tend ng the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engi4vine and 
 
 « etching historical and other prints." ^ engi-avmg and 
 
 CHARLES CLINTON, 
 
 Glerk of the District of New-York, 
 
CONTENTS OF VOLUME II. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. p.^e 
 
 Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, 1 
 ^' -lAPTER XXXVI. 
 Rhode Island^ ^c. — Providence, 18 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 Rhode Island, ^c. — Manufactures, 26 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 Massachusetts — Plymouth, 35 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 Massachusetts — Rocks of Sacr/fcey 46 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 Stones of Power, 52 
 
iv eONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XLL Page 
 
 The same, continued, 62 
 
 CHAPTER XLH. 
 The same, continued. 67 
 
 CHAPTER XLHI. 
 The same, continued, 91 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 The same, continued, 109 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 The same, conchided, 117 
 
 CHAPTER XLVL 
 
 Massachusetts — Sandwich — Barnstable 
 
 Chatham, 127 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIL 
 
 Massachusetts — Orleans — Welljleet — 
 
 Provincetowny 142 
 
CONTENTS. V 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII. Page 
 
 Massachusetts — Truro — Eastham^ 156 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 English Language^ 172 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 
 Massachusetts — Plantation of Marshpee^ 177 
 
 CHAPTER LI. 
 
 Massachusetts — Martha^ s Vineyard^ 183 
 
 CHAPTER LIT. 
 
 Massachusetts — Nantucket — Falmouth — But- 
 termilk Bay — Ncw Bedford^ 202 
 
 CHAPTER LIII. 
 
 Massachusetts — Dighton — Taunton, 219 
 CHAPTER LIV. 
 
 Massachusetts — Boston, 235 
 
vx 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 
 CHAPTER LV. 
 
 Page 
 
 The same^ continued^ 
 
 249 
 
 CHAPTER LVI. 
 
 
 The same, continued, 256 
 
 CHAPTER LVn. 
 Massachusetts — Port of Boston, 260 
 
 CHAPTER LVni. 
 Massachusetts — Indian Missions, 264 
 CHAPTER LIX. 
 Massachusetts — Boston — Literature, 303 
 
TRAVELS 
 
 THROUGH 
 
 PART OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. 
 
 A DRIVE of nineteen or twenty miles cai*- 
 ried me through the large town of Gloucester, 
 and into Providence, the capital of the republic 
 of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. 
 The road is level, and the soil light, and 
 even a sand, except for the space of about 
 three miles, in or near the confines of the town 
 of Smithfield. In such situations, yellow and 
 black pine form the principal growth of the 
 forest, and, with adequate manure, maize is cul- 
 tivated with success. 
 
 Soon after I had crossed the Wanaspatucket, a 
 sandy plain presented itself, from a hollow at 
 
 AOL. II. A 
 
2 TJtAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 the extrtmity of which, rise the roofs of the 
 houses, and the spires and upper streets of Pro- 
 vidence. Behind the village is a hill, ornament- 
 ed with a verj^ handsome church, and with the 
 university. There is a suburb on the hither 
 side of th^ Moshasic, a small river, over which 
 a bridge leads into the principal part of the vil- 
 lage. 
 
 The inn most esteemed in Providence is kept 
 by one Amidon, and there I was accordingly ad- 
 vised to go. Arriving about the hour of nine 
 in the forenoon, I asked for breakfast. Mr. 
 Amidon replied by saying, " Breakfast is almost 
 " through ;" and on my pressing the question, 
 he added, that " He did not know how it would 
 " operate." Both these answers were given with 
 a slow utterance and even tone of voice, such as 
 greatly increased what I thought their ridicule. 
 Reduced into English, they meant, first, that 
 breakfast was almost over ; and secondly, that 
 he did not know whether the house could or 
 could not conveniently afford me a breakfast. 
 
 I had already acquired so much acquaintance 
 with this provincial pliraseology, and provincial 
 manner of answering questions, as to be at no 
 loss for the meaning of my host ; and passing 
 into the house, where I found a large table, 
 with the wreck of tlie breakfast that was through. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 3 
 
 I was at length courteously indulged \\'ith a 
 breakfast for myself. 
 
 My wants were equally ill-timed on the morn- 
 ing of my departure. It was about six o'clock 
 when I prepared to leave Mr, Amidon's ; and I 
 confess that I had not promised myself [\v\mt 
 nevertheless is most agreeable to me) to break- 
 fast before setting out. Discovering, however, 
 in the kitchen, while I uas pa}ing Mrs. Amidoi^ 
 her bill, that two or three kettles were already 
 boiling, I became unreasonable enough to ask, 
 whether or not I could have some tea ? but I 
 received for answer the words, " Not at t/its 
 " time of the day 1" 
 
 Providence and its plantations lie on the ^Aest 
 side of Narragansett Bay ; and in the ba}' is 
 Rhode Island, a valuable part of the tenitor)^ of 
 the republic. The bay is small, or ratlier it is 
 a large inlet, in which there are several islands, 
 with intermediate channels. Rhode Island, 
 which its first settlers intended to be called the 
 Isle of Rhodes, is the most considerable of 
 tliese islands ; and the channels which separate 
 it from the main land are in some parts less than 
 a mile in width, and in one, not more than half 
 that distance. In Rhode Island is the harbour 
 of Newport, which supports the ku'ge village of 
 that name. There is no city in the republic ; 
 and the towns are of the description already ex- 
 
4 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 plained. The town of Gloucester is a tract of 
 about a hundred and thirt}^ square miles. 
 
 Bet\Acen Providence and Newport sloops 
 continually pass, with freight and passengers ; 
 but repassed from one to the other by land, 
 except that I crossed the ferry at Bristol. The 
 road runs through the town of Rehoboth, in 
 Massachusetts, and thence again into Providence 
 Plantations, where tlie towns of Warren and 
 Bristol, situate on Bristol Neck, lead to Rhode 
 Island. In both these towns there are populous 
 \ illages of the same names. Warren and Bris- 
 tol have also each a port of entry and a bank ; 
 and in Warren there is a marine insurance 
 office. Warren does much business in ship- 
 building, and is actively engaged in the West 
 India trade. Bristol has a commodious har- 
 bour and rich soil, and raises onions, and 
 other culinaiy vegetables, for exportation : it 
 is also the county-town. In 1790, Warren 
 contained 1122 inhabitants, including twenty- 
 two slaves ; and Bristol 1406 inhabitants, in- 
 cluding sixty-four claves. The whole coun- 
 ty, which comprehends only the additional 
 town of Barrington, at the same time con- 
 tained 3211 inhabitants, including ninety-eight 
 slaves; and, in 1800, it contained 3801 in- 
 habitants, including forty- six slaves ; the in- 
 crease of the first, in ten years, being five hun- 
 
OF THE UXITED STATES e 
 
 dred and ninety, or less than one sixth ; and the 
 decrease of the latter, in the same period, fifty 
 two, or nearly one half. 
 
 Bet\veen the southernmost point of the penin- 
 sula called Bristol Neck, and a northern projec- 
 tion of Rhode Island, is Bristol Feny, of which 
 the width is about three quarters of a mile. 
 On the east side of the peninsula is a moun- 
 tain, (almost the only one in the republic,) called 
 Mount Hope, and INIount Haup. If the deri- 
 vation is really from an Indian name, it is proba- 
 bly Montaiip. A point of kmd on Long Island is 
 called Montaug. The summit of Mount Hope 
 tciTiiinates in a single peak ; and this tlie Indians 
 describe by monad, in which is the first syllable 
 of Montaup: hence Monadnoc, the name of two 
 mountains on the Connecticut ; 7nonad nac, one 
 orti single peak. Mount Hope is celebrated, 
 in die history of New England, for the death 
 of Philip, the chief of the NaiTagansett Indians. 
 
 The land on Rhode Island is high and hilly, co- 
 vered with fine pastures, and possessing, beneath 
 the surface, a variety, if not of mineral treasures, 
 at least of geological rarities. Ascending from 
 the water's edge at the ferry, the road is pre- 
 sently seen to be black with coal ; but this coal 
 is of a stony substance, and I ha\'e not heard of 
 any contiguous, of a valuable qualit}'. It is 
 usually mixed with quartz. 
 
5 IRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 I took the road which leads through the cen- 
 tre of the island, and which is on the highest 
 ground. The lands are for the most part without 
 wood, and the prospect sometimes extends to 
 the arms of the sea, on both sides of the island. 
 Here, other islands diversify the scene, and ren- 
 der it eminently beautiful. The average breadth 
 of the island is about three miles and a half, 
 and its length fifteen. On the heights are some 
 remains of military works. 
 
 In the to-\\ii of Portsmouth, which engrosses 
 all the northern part of the island, the top of a 
 hill, on the tunipike-road, is decorated with a 
 gate or toll-house of brick, of two stories, and 
 part of the rooms of which are supported by an 
 arch that is thrown over the road. Beyond this 
 edifice, which is seen at a considerable dis- 
 tance, is a small public-house, at which I rested 
 during the heat of noon. 
 
 The lands on this island, which are rich 
 and dear, are often divided into much smaller 
 portions than is usual in the United States 
 in general ; but they are then employed in 
 raising culinary vegetables, for the consump- 
 tion of Newi:)ort and more distant places. 
 Fifty, twenty, and even ten acres, ai'c in many 
 instances the extent of a farm, or rather garden- 
 ground. The agricultural wealth of Rhode IsL 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. '^ 
 
 and-is in its sheep, cattle and horses, of the first 
 of which it feeds many thousands. 
 
 The soil, climate and aspect of Rhode 
 Island, have been described as among the finest, 
 most charming, and most captivating in the 
 world ; but in the last particular its pretensions 
 are considered as destroyed, by the loss of its 
 woods, which were cut down by the troops for 
 forage, during the rebellion. Young forests 
 are hoAvever again advancing ; but the progress 
 of population and agriculture will probably 
 forbid the free return of the dryads. That 
 soil, which is one of the other boasts of the 
 island, and that situation, of which the progress 
 of wealth and industry are always increasing 
 the advantages, must render it very unadvisable 
 to cover the lands with a mere growth of wood. 
 
 Passing through Middletown, in which there 
 are some handsome farm-houses, and leaving on 
 the left the residence of a Mr. Eylum, a princi- 
 pal inhabitant of the island, Newport soon disco- 
 vers itself to the west, and the road begins to 
 descend toward the harbour in which it is built. 
 This entrance of the village is handsome, the 
 street being broad, and the houses and churches 
 well built. On the right, on lofty eminences, are 
 some extensive field-works, thrown up on the 
 same occasion with the rest. 
 
3 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 Newport has many streets, of which that next 
 the water, called Front or Water-street, is a mile 
 in length. This is narrow, and the least agreea- 
 ble in appearance of the whole ; but it is the 
 seat of business : it is contiguous to the harbour, 
 and contains the marine-insurance office. The 
 number of houses^ in Newport, is said to be 
 about a thousand, and that of the inhabitants 
 about seven thousand. 
 
 The public buildings are numerous ; but a 
 part of these, tog'ether with most of the dwel- 
 ling-houses, are of wood. The state-house is 
 of brick, and placed in a commanding situation, 
 on the summit of a broad and paved parade, 
 which descends gradually toward the water. At 
 its foot, a long pier projects into the harbour. 
 
 There are ten churches and other places of 
 public worship, comprehending four anabaptist 
 churches, two congregational, one of the church 
 of England, and one Moravian ; one meeting- 
 house for quakers, and a synagogue, for Jews. 
 The synagogue, which has some architectural 
 merit, was designed by Mr. Harrison, an En- 
 glish gentleman, from whose pencil also pro- 
 ceeded the designs for several of the other 
 buildings. Adjoining the synagogue is a 
 school for the education of the children of its 
 members. A building of Grecian architecture 
 contains the public librar}^ 
 1 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 9 
 
 Newport has respectable schools for the youth 
 of both sexes. For boys, there is one in which 
 the languages are taught, under the cai'e of a 
 rector and tutors. The public library is sup- 
 ported by a literary- societ}-. There is an incor- 
 porated association in Newport, called The 
 Marine Society, established in the year 1752, for 
 the relief of the wido^vs and orphans of decayed 
 members. 
 
 The harbour, which can commodiously re- 
 ceive the greatest navy, is defended by an island, 
 called Goat Island, on which is a fort, in good 
 condition, and garrisoned by the United States, 
 called Fort Washington. At the entrance of the 
 harbour, on the south end of an island called 
 Canonicut Island, there is an excellent light- 
 house, erected in 1749. It stands upon 
 ground of which the level is twelve feet above 
 the water ; and the height of the building, mea- 
 sured from its base to the top of the lanthorn, 
 is sixty-nine feet. 
 
 Newport is a town of much notoriety, for which 
 it is partly indebted to its situation, between New 
 York and Boston ; the common mode of travel- 
 ling being that of passing by one of the pack- 
 ets, (of which there are several, with the best ac- 
 commodations,) between New York and Ne\\'- 
 
 VOL II. 3 ' 
 
10 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 port, and thence, for the remainder of the dis- 
 tance, by land. It is also admired for its har- 
 bour, its situation, and its luxurious and abun- 
 dant fish- market ; and the town, along with the 
 island at large, is allowed to possess more than a 
 common share of beautiful women : it has also 
 some wealthy and very respectable inhabitants, 
 among whom is to be distinguished Colonel 
 Gibbs, a gentleman who unites, with other good 
 qualities, an earnest pursuit of literature and 
 knowledge. 
 
 With all its advantages, however, Newport is 
 in the rare situation, in these countries, of conti- 
 nual decline. It suffered much during the re- 
 volution J and since that period, a lucrative, 
 but detestable portion of its trade (the trade in 
 slaves) has been suppressed, by the actof congress 
 prohibiting that pursuit throughout the United 
 States. — A quaker gentleman, in no veiy distant 
 part of the countiy, alluding to the narro^v street 
 already mentioned, and to the fogs which daily 
 rise from the sea, and envelope all the place, as- 
 sured me, that he never saw the streets of New- 
 poit, dark, and dull for want of trade, without 
 fancying that the gloom was the gloom of guilty, 
 deepening over a city of slave-traders. 
 
 This guilt, is washing away ; and the 
 future wealth of NeA\q3ort will be derived 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. H 
 
 throusch less odious channels. Meanwhile, as 
 above intimated, the prospects of that wealth 
 are not the brightest. The produce of Rhode 
 Island artd Providence Plantations is inconsi- 
 derable ; and Providence is a powerful commer- 
 cial rival. Manufactures have therefore been 
 spoken of, in which the rich might invest their 
 capital, and the poor obtain employment; 
 for neither rich nor poor are wanting 
 in tliis place. Manufactures are establish- 
 ed in and near Providence ; but they are 
 such as have the benefit of machinery, as the 
 machinery has of mill- seats. Whether Newport 
 can engage even in this struggle may be doubted ; 
 for she is without these natural advantages. 
 A manufactory^ of duck and cotton was esta- 
 blished here a few years ago ; but its success 
 does not appear to have given it any considera- 
 ble notoriety. 
 
 On the shore J to the eastward of Newport, and 
 in the town of Middletown, is a chasm in the 
 rocks, to which is given the name of Purgatory. 
 The elevation of the rocks, from the surface of 
 the water, is about forty feet, and the greatest 
 breadth of the chasm, about twelve. Its length is 
 perhaps seventy feet. At its mouth, which is 
 open to the sea, when the winds blow, or the tide 
 rises, the waves continually break ; and, as there 
 is no outlet at the opposite extremity, they also 
 
Ii2 
 
 TliAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 continually return. The counter-currents detain 
 within the chasm any floating substance that 
 happens to be received there, driving it by 
 their motion to and fro ; and this phenome- 
 non (certainly a very humble one) has given rise 
 to the name of Purgator}^ But, invention and 
 romance have ventured a little further, in dis- 
 tinguishing this mai'vellous spot ; and a place is 
 shown, on the irregular surface of the rocks 
 above, where the devil killed a squaw, (or In- 
 dian woman,) and, dragging her to the summit, 
 thence threw her into Purgatory. 
 
 To what source we are indebted for this face- 
 tious tradition, it has not happened to me to learn; 
 or which of the two has had the larger share in its 
 putting together, the superstitions of the Indians, 
 or the superstitions of their English successors. 
 The Indians knew nothing, till the English told 
 them, either of purgatoiy, or of the devil ; and 
 why, when the settlers imparted their derision 
 of the one, and their fear of the other, a poor 
 Indian woman should have become the victim of 
 both, it may not be easy to discover. The devil, 
 (that is, Satan,) or the devils, (that is, the other 
 fallen angels,) undoubtedly attended the settlers to 
 New England, and showed them, in their asy- 
 lum, many of the usual devil's tricks ; but 
 whether the tragedy in question took place be- 
 fore or after the arrival of the latter, is not par- 
 
OF THE UNITED STATEi5, J3 
 
 ticularlv related. The period is less doubtful, 
 in an affair equdly certain, but less frightful, 
 which happened, as I think, in Duxbur}-, or 
 some neighbouring town, in the ancient colony 
 of Plymouth. 
 
 There, a solid gentleman, being on his jour- 
 ney homeward, saw, walliing before him, on the 
 highway, a black man, in whose person he disco- 
 vered a neighbour's slave. Thinking to ask 
 some useful question, as whether he could bor- 
 row a yoke of oxen or a plough ; or indulge 
 some rational curiosity, as to whether the family 
 had dojie their corn-planting, or other labour of 
 that sort, he began by calling to the black, say- 
 ing, with proper audibleness, " Timothy !" — 
 in which, as I conjecture, it is important to ob- 
 sei-ve, that he used the slave's baptism.al name. 
 Be this, however, as it may, the name was no 
 sooner pronounced, than tlie pretended slave 
 scampered out of the road, and, leaping upon the 
 rocks, first stood on his head for a minute, and 
 then vanished. The places, where the impostor 
 rested his head and hands, are conspicuous to 
 this day. The finger-marks are not larger than 
 the spokes of a Avaggon-wheel, nor the head- 
 place, than its circumference. 
 
 Not so soon, howcA'er, to escape from Purga- 
 tory, I shall go back to Middletown, and ex- 
 amine more particularly the features and physical 
 
14 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 history of the wonder. The place is a rocky 
 steep, in some parts of considerable elevation. 
 The rock is of a pudding-stone, in which indu- 
 rated clay is the principal ingredient. Chasms 
 and perpendicular fractures are common in all 
 rocks of this description ; and the fractures are 
 not ragged and broken, but have the same 
 smoothness that belongs to the wound of a sharp 
 axe, inflicted on the trunk of a tree. What is 
 more remarkable, the siliceous pebbles, of all 
 sizes, that enter into their composition, break 
 with them, in the same direction, and with the 
 same smoothness. Hence the existence of this 
 chasm ; hence its form ; and hence an appear- 
 ance, more singular than all the rest : for the 
 sides of the chasm, deep, broad and long, as they 
 are, and formed as with the single stroke of a 
 giant's axe, are not of uniform masses, but made 
 up of the faces of divided pebbles, with inter- 
 stices, that are either hollow, or else filled with 
 indurated clay ; the comparison being strict, be- 
 tween this appearance, and that of the end of a 
 pile of logs, of diflerent diameters, all of which 
 should be smoothly cut, and regularly placed. 
 
 But, the same conformation, and the same 
 accidents, belonging to this species of rock, 
 ha^^e given occasion to small chasms, cuts or 
 gashes, not more than twelve feet in length, at ;* 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. J^5 
 
 spot removed from the brink of purgatory, and 
 which are cuts or gashes given by the devil's 
 axe, when he aimed at the squaw's neck, but 
 tlirough her struggling, missed it. The place 
 where the squaw struggled is also plain ; and the 
 history, of this too, is plain. It is a hollow in 
 the upper surface of the rock, of about eight or 
 ten feet diameter ; the depth is only of a few 
 inches, but it is smooth, while the surrounding 
 surface is rugged , and from this hollow, a 
 stripe, of a few feet in breadth, equally smooth, 
 and in like manner hollowed, stretches up the de- 
 clivity of the rocks, and to the veiy edge of Pur- 
 gatory. It was along this stripe, that the devil, 
 having at length cut oif the squaw's head, drag- 
 ged the body to the place from which he threw 
 it into the ^^^ater. The explanation is this : 
 
 The indurated clay, which forms the main 
 substance of the rock, is in most places thickly 
 studded with siliceous pebbles ; but, in some por- 
 tions and veins, it has no pebbles at all. Where 
 there are pebbles, the surface of the rock is ren- 
 dered knubbly and rough by their rounded pro- 
 jections; but, where there are none, it is smooth : 
 moreover, the siliceous pebbles resist, w ith great- 
 er obstinacy than the indurated clay, the action 
 of the Mater which so often runs over these 
 rocks, and especially down the declivity of which 
 we are now speaking ; and hence, not only the 
 
IQ TRAVELS THROUGH PARI 
 
 interstices of indurated clay, which separate the 
 pebbles, are worn away, and the irregularity of 
 that part of the surface increased ; but so much 
 of the rocks as have no pebbles, is continually 
 smoothed, and as it were polished, at the same 
 time, and by the same cause. — Purgatory is so 
 far a conspicuous place, that I found it with 
 facility, though alone, and with but a slight di- 
 rection. 
 
 Upon these rocks, as it is said, or upon others 
 near adjacent, Dean Berkeley, the author of 
 the Minute Philosopher, once proposed to build 
 a commercial town, of the prosperity of which 
 he had high expectations. The dean had provi- 
 ded himself with a small wooden house, on the 
 contiguous beach, where he lived, and whence he 
 commanded a view of the ocean and the rocks, 
 and contemplated, in the pictures formed by his 
 imagination, the future greatness of the place. 
 He had brought with him one Smibert, a de- 
 signer ; and the artist amusing himself one day, 
 by asking the dean some ludicrous question, as 
 to the future importance of the place, " Truly," 
 replied the projector, " you have very little fore- 
 " sight ; for, in fifty years time, every foot of 
 " land, in this place, will be as valuable as the 
 " land in Cheapside." — As the situation was 
 confessedly a little of an exposed one for ship- 
 ping, he designed to cut a road through the 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 X7 
 
 sands to the east of Purgatory, by which, in bad 
 weather, they might come behind the rocks for 
 shelter. 
 
 In the wooden house that he buih for himself, 
 he is said to have composed his Minute Philoso- 
 pher. " His library," says a traveller, who saw 
 it about the year 1760, " is converted into a 
 " dairy." When he left America, he gave the 
 house, together with part of his librar}% to the 
 college at Newhaven ; bestowing the other part 
 of his librarv on Harvard Colles^e in Massachu- 
 setts.* 
 
 On the beach, before I left it, a fog rose 
 from the sea, obscuring all the objects around. 
 Similar fogs invade the streets of Newport, par- 
 ticularly in the evenings, advancing, at sunset, 
 in visible columns. The clothes and the hair, 
 become, not only damp, but wet ; the plaits in 
 linen relax, and all the pride of the laundress 
 disappears : what might seem worse, there is no 
 tissue-paper, nor no curling-tongs, that can save 
 from the mischief the ringlets of the fair ! But 
 the fair are indemnified, as it is said, in the 
 
 * Travels through the Middle Settlements of Nortli 
 America, in tlie years 1759 and 1760, 8cc. By the Rev. 
 Andrew Buraaby,A.M. Sec. Second edition. London, 
 1775. 
 
 VOL. II. C 
 
13 'lliAVELS THROUGH PAIil 
 
 charms of skin and complexion, which these 
 fogs produce at Newport ; and this at least I 
 witnessed, that while a stranger might par- 
 donably have put on a second coat for his pro- 
 tection, the young ladies of Newport Avalked in 
 small parties in the streets, without any out- 
 door covering on their shoulders, and with no 
 covering, save their tresses, on their heads. 
 Their tresses were kept up with ornamented 
 combs, such as are fashionable in Europe, and 
 such as are worn by every girl in the United 
 States, even though, at the same time, she wear 
 meithcr shoes nor stockings. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 Rhode Island^ ^c. — Providence, 
 
 I RETURNED to Providence only in part 
 by the road by which I went. In leaving New- 
 port, I took the road on the west side of the 
 island, on which the lands are lower than on the 
 middle road, and also more sheltered. This 
 road, like the other, leads to Bristol Ferry. 
 
 On the east side of the island, at a ferry, called 
 Rowland's Ferry, a bridge will shortly be com- 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. |9 
 
 pleted, of peculiar, and apparently well-imagined 
 construction, and by which a communication 
 will be established with the town of Tiverton, 
 on the main land. In 1795, a bridge was 
 built, of nine thousand feet in length, thirty- 
 six in breadth, and forty-two piers ; and in the 
 middle was a drawbridge, made to slide, and of 
 such a construction as to be moved by one per- 
 son with ease. This bridge, however, thus 
 thrown over an arm of the sea, was after a few 
 years destroyed by a storm ; but that which is 
 now finishing will bid defiance, as it is thought, 
 to the elements. The plan adopted is, to raise 
 a causey or embankment of stone across the 
 whole channel, with the exception of the draw- 
 bridge. This embankment, which is at least 
 forty feet broad at the top, and much more at 
 the base, is raised to a proportionable height ; 
 and much confidence is placed in its duration 
 from this circumstance, among others, that the 
 course of the sea once arrested, the waves them- 
 selves will afterward tlirow up materials, to in- 
 crease, rather than diminish, the thickness and 
 the strength of the work. No repairs, therefore, 
 as it is calculated, are ever to be wanting to this 
 part of the undertaking ; and the stock invested 
 is consequently supposed to promise to the 
 proprietors the full dividend allowed by law. 
 
20 'HiAATiLS THROUGH PART 
 
 From the village of Warren, I took a road 
 which lies to the eastward of that by which I 
 had come from Providence, and which is there- 
 fore nearer to the shore of Narragansett Bay. 
 Much of it is through woods, in a deep sandy 
 soil. Ten miles brought me to Providence, 
 The whole distance, from Providence to New- 
 port, exceeds thirty. 
 
 Most of the streets in Newport and Provi- 
 dence are paved. Those of the latter lie both 
 on the east and west banks of the Wanaspa- 
 tucket, which, after spreading itself into a broad 
 bason behind the village, where it receives the 
 Moshasic, and afterward joins the Patucket, by a 
 narrow channel. Over this channel is a bridge, 
 formerly called Weybossett bridge, on account 
 of a hill of that name, on the east bank, and to 
 the foot of which it reached. The hill is now 
 levelled, and the common name is the Great 
 bridge. Its length is a hunched and sixty feet, 
 and its width twenty-two. There is a veiy plea- 
 sing ride, round the bason of the Wanaspatucket, 
 in which, after leaving a street which runs to 
 the westward, where a large number of new 
 buildings are now erecting, and beyond which 
 is a small-pox hospital, the road leads through 
 woods and meads, ornamented with water, and 
 having the buildings of the village in the back 
 ground. That part of the village, which is on 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. ^i 
 
 the west of the bridge, is called Westminster. 
 On the eastern side of the river are the older 
 and more populous streets, and all the principal 
 public buildings. 
 
 In the lower or main street is a large anabap- 
 tist church, eighty feet square, with a lofty spire, 
 and a bell cast in the town of Scituate ; and near 
 this church is a large and well-built quaker meet- 
 ing-house. Besides these, there ai'e three con- 
 gregational churches, and one church of the 
 church of England. In the design of one of the 
 congregational churches, built on high ground 
 in the upper street, much attention has been 
 paid to beauty, and the eifect produced is very 
 pleasing. The west end of the cathedral church 
 of Saint Paul, in the city of London, is the model 
 on which it is formed, and from which as much 
 of the pomp of architecture has been imitated, 
 as the small dimensions of the copy may have 
 justified. 
 
 The State-house is a handsome building, 
 seventy feet in length, by forty in breadth. In 
 the chamber of the representatives, as well as 
 that devoted to the courts of justice, is a large 
 galleiy, for the accommodation of strangers; 
 and in the council-room is a picture of General 
 Washington, copied, like the others that I have 
 mentioned, by the original painter. These pic- 
 
22 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 tures, with their frames, have generally cost the 
 governments, by which they have been purcha- 
 sed, from nine to twelve hundred dollars each. 
 In the same room, is a town and country library, 
 supiK)rted by subscription. 
 
 Upon ground still higher than that on which 
 is the church whose architecture I have praised, 
 is Brown University, formerly called Rhode 
 Island College, a plain building, of a brown- 
 coloured brick, three hundred and fifty feet in 
 front, forty-six in depth on each wing, and sixty- 
 six in the centre. The number of chambers 
 for students is forty-eight, and there are ten large 
 public rooms. At the commencement for tlie 
 present year, there were twenty-six graduates. 
 The expenses of education are at least as low at 
 this college, as that of Comiecticut. 
 
 Brown University was founded in the year 
 1764, by the colonial assembly, by the name of 
 the " College or University in the English Co- 
 " lony of Rhode Island and Providence Planta- 
 " tions." It was then planted in Warren, 
 where, in 1769, the first commencement v/as 
 held. In 1770, it was removed to Providence, 
 Avhere the present building was erected, chiefly 
 by the contributions of the inhabitants of the 
 place. At the commencement in 1804, Ni- 
 cholas Brown, Esquire, presented the corpora- 
 tion with the sum of five thousand dollars, as a 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 23 
 
 foundation for a professorship of oratory and 
 belles-lettres ; and a clause in the charter hav- 
 ing provided, that the name of some great bene- 
 factor, when such a one should appear, might be 
 made the name of the college, the college or 
 university is now denominated Brown Univer- 
 sit)% 
 
 From the provisions of the charter of this 
 college fnay be learned the respective strength 
 of religious sects in the republic, and the union 
 in Avhich they Uac together. The number of 
 trustees is fixed at thirty-six ; and of these twen- 
 ty-two must be anabaptists ; five must be qua- 
 kers ; five of the church of England ; and four, 
 congregationalists. The president must be an 
 anabaptist ; but the professors and tutors ma}- 
 be of any other persuasion. 
 
 On the same level with the university are seve- 
 ral handsome private houses, as there also are in 
 the low grounds, lying between the village and the 
 Patucket. Over the Patucket, on the road to 
 Rehoboth, a bridge is at present building ; mean- 
 while, the communication is by a rope-ferry. 
 
 The republic abounds in incorporated banks, 
 and Providence alone has three. Two, in War- 
 ren and Bristol have been mentioned, and there 
 are two in NeA\^ort; there is also one in a town 
 called Westerly, one in Smithfield, and one in 
 Gloucester. In connection with this list, it will be 
 
24 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 proper to remark, that the whole territory is es- 
 timated at thirteen hundred square miles ; that 
 the whole population, in 1800, was 69,122, or 
 less than seventy thousand souls ; that the ton- 
 nage amounts to about twenty- seven thousand 
 tons ; the vessels annually cleared out from all 
 the ports, to about six hundred in number ; and 
 that the exports to foreign countries, in 1804, 
 amounted to 1,735,671 dollars. 
 
 The banks, in Providence, are the Providence 
 Bank, incorporated in 1791, and possessing a 
 capital stock of two hundred and fifty thousand 
 dollars, held in six hundred and t^^enty-five 
 shares, of four hundred dollars each ; the Rliode 
 Island Bank, of which the capital stock is one 
 hundred thousand dollars, in five hundred shares, 
 of two hundred dollars each, with power to in- 
 crease it as far as five hundred thousand dollars ; 
 and the Roger- Williams Bank, of which the 
 capital is dollars, in shares 
 
 of dollars each. The marine insurance 
 
 companies are not less flourishing here, than in 
 the other sea-ports of the United States. To one of 
 them there belongs a capital stock of thirty thou- 
 sand dollars in sliares subscribed for and enjoy- 
 ed under the circumstances that follow. Tliirty 
 proprietors have executed bonds, rendering 
 themselves liable for a thousand dollars each. 
 These bonds, deposited m tlie coffers of the com- 
 1 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES, ^5 
 
 pany are its only stock. In the commencement, 
 a small per-centage was called for, in order to 
 provide an office, and pens and ink; but this 
 has been returned; and though it so happened 
 that some losses accrued, on the risks of the first 
 year, )^et no further payment has ever been asked 
 for, and large dividends, at least equal to those 
 ascribed to the Newhaven insurers, have been 
 divided by stockholders who have at no time 
 advanced any thing more than their responsibility. 
 
 Providence has a coasting and domestic trade 
 with Massachusetts, Connecticut and part of 
 Vermont ; and a foreign trade with the West 
 Indies, Europe and the East Indies, and China, 
 A vessel of nine hundi'ed and fifty tons has been 
 built and fitted out at Providence, for the Asiatic 
 seas. 
 
 In 1800, the town of Providence contained 
 7,614 souls. In 1790, the number was 6,380. 
 
 The streets have a busy and tliriving appeai'- 
 ance, and the group of buildings, viewed in most 
 directions, composes a veiy agi'eeable picture; 
 but their situation, on the low banks of a river, and 
 with an atmosphere confined by the hills on the 
 east, is not very favourable to its health, 
 
 VOL. II. n 
 
CHAPTER XXXVIL 
 
 Rhode Island^ 8fc. — Manufactures. 
 
 MANUFACTURES of various kinds have 
 been long established in Providence, and its 
 neighbourhood; and they are advancing in se- 
 veral other towns. Jeans, fustians, thicksettSj 
 velvets and other falnis are manufactured in Pro- 
 vidence, and exported thence to the southern 
 parts of the United States ; and large quantities 
 of linen and tow-cloth are made in interior towns 
 for exportation. Manufactures in iron are pro- 
 secuted in a variety of branches, and consider- 
 able extent ; and to these are to be added the 
 manufactures of rum and other ardent spirits ; 
 chocolate, paper, wool and cotton-cards, and 
 other articles ; and the manufactures for domes- 
 tic use, such as are common throughout the 
 United States. 
 
 Patucket, a village four miles to the north- 
 east of Providence, and seated on the river whence 
 it derives its name, is dependent wholly on manu- 
 factures. This settlement has grown up on the 
 
TRAVELS THROUGH PART, &e. 27 
 
 banks of a cataract, called Patucket Falls, afford- 
 ing situations for very numerous mills. Here, 
 in 1760, according to the traveller, whom I 
 lately cited, there were tivo or three jnills ; but so 
 long ago as 1796, there were three anchor-forges, 
 one tan- mill, one flower- mill, one slitting-mill, 
 three snuff-mills, one oil-mill, one cotton-manu- 
 factory, three fulling-mills, two machines for 
 cutting nails, and a clothier's works, in which 
 the shearing was performed by water ; and the 
 number and extent of these establishments are 
 now increased. 
 
 Advantage has been taken of the mass of 
 rocks which here crosses the stream, for support- 
 ing a bridge, which is therefore built directly 
 over the cataract. This bridge unites the terri- 
 tories of. Massachusetts and Rhode Island and 
 Providence Plantations, of w^hich the river is 
 here the reciprocal boundar)^ The Falls of the 
 Patucket are highly spoken of, for tlieir natural 
 beauties, but either from the unfavourable weather 
 that prevailed, at the time I passed them, or 
 from that desti^iction of the picturesque, which 
 must necessarily follow from what is above rela- 
 ted ; from one of these causes, or perhaps from 
 both, I received no impressions of this kind. 
 
 The soil, on both sides of Patucket Falls, is 
 sandy; and this description, it will be remarked, 
 has Ipelonged to almost every part of the Provi- 
 
28 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 dence Plantations, through which I happened to 
 pass. It is otherwise, however, not only in some 
 portion of the country that I saw, but in a very 
 large one of that which I did not. Toward the 
 coast, the surface is rocky, and the soil strong, 
 as it is in Connecticut ; and in these districts 
 there are many wealthy farmers, by whom large 
 cattle are fatted, and butter and cheese prepared 
 for exportation. Among the natural forest-trees, 
 are the button-wood or occidental plane, the 
 spruce-fir, and the locust-tree, or pseudo-acacia. 
 I have accidentally applied, in the preceding 
 chapter, the name of Patucket* to a portion of 
 the river which the inhabitants more commonly 
 call the Seekonk, or, after their manner, See- 
 konk River. The mistake, however, is more 
 properly theirs than mine ; for there is no good 
 reason, why the lower part of the Patucket 
 should receive, as it does, the name of a little 
 river, which happens there to become its tri- 
 butary. The occasion appears to be this, that 
 the settlers were first acquainted with the river 
 which they called the Seekonk, and sometimes 
 the Saconnet ; and knew the Patucket only at 
 the place of its confluence with the Seekonk. 
 From an Indian, I learned, tliat Patucket or Pa- 
 tigghet implies a river that falls into another 
 
 * Written also Pautucket, Pawtucket and Pantucket; 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 29 
 
 rive7\ Upon my asking for an explanation of 
 Wanaspatucket^ he first inquired, whether the ri- 
 ver that bore this name did not make a bend, or 
 as it were come round., near its entrance into ano- 
 ther river, and which, as he said, would be ex- 
 pressed by Wouniy Wuni or Wini patigghet. 
 The description is strictly applicable. The Pa- 
 tucket is also called Narragansett River ; and, 
 on its upper part, Blackstone's River. 
 
 The civil and religious institutions of this re- 
 public differ materially from those of Connecti- 
 cut, particularly as to the maintenance of a clergy 
 and public schools ; for neither of which is 
 there any provision by law. In one particular, 
 however, it has pursued a similar conduct — that 
 of retaining its colonial charter, as the basis or 
 constitution of its existing government. This 
 charter, which is of the date of 1653, was granted, 
 like that of Connecticut, by Charles II. The 
 words of the preamble are as follows : 
 
 " CHARLEStheSecond, by the grace of God, 
 " king of England, Scotland, France and Ire- 
 '' land, defender of the faith, &:c. To all to 
 " whom these presents shall come. Greeting. — 
 " Whereas We have been informed, by tht 
 " humble petition of our trusty and well-be- 
 ^' loved subject, John Clarke, on the behalf of 
 
50 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 Benjamin Arnold,* William Brenton,Williarn 
 Coddington, Nicholas Easton, William Boul- 
 ston, Jolm Porter, John Smith, Samuel Gor- 
 ton, John Weekes, Roger Williams, Thomas 
 Olney, Gregory Dexter, John Cogeshall, 
 Joseph Clarke, Randall Holden, John Greene, 
 John Roome, Samuel Wildbore, William 
 Field, James Barker, Richard Tew, Thomas 
 Harris, and William Dyre, and the rest of the 
 purchasers and free inhabitants of our island 
 called Rhode Island, and the rest of the colony 
 of Providence Plantations, in the Narragansett 
 Bay, in New England, in America, That 
 they, pursuing, with peaceable and loyal 
 minds, their sober, serious and religious in- 
 tentions, of godly edifying themselves and 
 one another, in the holy Christian faith and 
 worship, as they were persuaded ; together 
 with the gaining over and conversion of the 
 poor ignorant Indian natives, in those parts of 
 America, to the sincere profession and obe- 
 dience of the same faith and worship, did, not 
 only by the consent and good encouragement 
 of our royal progenitors, transport themselves 
 out of this kingdom of England into America; 
 but also, since their aiTival there, after their 
 
 * In other parts of the charter repeatedly pyinted 
 Benedict Arnold. 
 
OF THt UNITED STATER. 3j 
 
 *' first settlement amongst other our subjects in 
 *' those parts, for the avoiding of discord, and 
 " those many evils which were likely to ensue 
 " upon some of those our subjects not being 
 " able to bear, in these remote parts, their different 
 " apprehensions in religious concernments ; and 
 " in pursuance of the aforesaid ends, did once 
 " again leave their desirable stations and habita- 
 *' tions, and, with excessive labour and travel, 
 *' hazard and charge, did transplant themselves 
 " into the midst of the Indian natives, who, as 
 " we are informed, are the most potent princes 
 " and people of all that countiy ; where, by the 
 *' good Providence of God, from whom the plan- 
 *' tations have taken their name, upon their la- 
 " hour and industry, they have not only been 
 *' preserved to admiration, but have encreased 
 " and prospered, and are seized and possessed, 
 " by purchase and consent of the said natives, 
 " to their full content, of such lands, islands, 
 *' rivers, harbours and roads, as are verj'^ conve- 
 *' nient, both for plantations, and also for building 
 *' of ships, supply of pipe staves, and other mer- 
 " chandize ; and which lie very commodious, in 
 " many respects, for commerce, and to accom- 
 " modate our southern plantations, and may 
 ^' much advance the trade of this our realm, and 
 " greatly enlarge the territories thereof ; they 
 " having, by near neighbourhood to, and friendly 
 
32 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 *' society with, the great body of the Narragaii- 
 *' sett Indians, given them encouragement, of 
 " their own accord, to subject themselves, their 
 " people and lands, unto us ; whereby, as is 
 " hoped, there may, in time, by the blessing of 
 " God upon their endeavours, be laid a sure 
 " foundation of happiness to all America : ^nd 
 " JVhereas, in their humble address, they 
 " have freely declared, That it is much on their 
 " hearts, (if they may be permitted,) to hold 
 " forth a lively experiment, that a most flourish- 
 " ing civil state may stand and best be maintain- 
 " ed, and that among our English subjecis, with 
 " a full liberty in religious concernments ; and 
 " that true piety, rightly grounded upon gospel- 
 " principles, will give the best and greatest se- 
 " curity to sovereignty, and will lay in the 
 ^' hearts of men the strongest obligations to 
 '•' true loyalty : Noxv know ye. That we, being 
 " willing to encourage the hopeful under- 
 " takings of our said loyal and loving subjects, 
 " and to secure them in the free exercise and 
 " enjoyment of all their civil and religious 
 " rights, appertaining to them, as our loving 
 " subjects; and to preserve unto them that liberty, 
 *■' in the true Christian faith and worship of God, 
 " which they have sought with so much travel, 
 i" and with peaceable minds, and loyal subjec- 
 " tion to our royal progenitors and ourselves^ 
 1 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 33 
 
 '* to enjoy : And because some of the people and 
 " inhabitants of the same colony cannot, in their 
 " private opinions, conform to the public exer- 
 " cise of religion, according to the liturgy, forms 
 " and ceremonies of the church of England, or 
 " take or subscribe the oaths and articles made 
 " and established in that behalf ; and for that the 
 " same, by reason of the remote distances of 
 " those places, will, (as we hope,) be no breach 
 " of the unity and uniformity established in this 
 " nation : Have therefore thought fit, and do 
 " hereby publish, grant, ordain and declare, That 
 " our royal will and pleasure is, that no person 
 " within the said colony, at any time hereafter, 
 " shall be any wise molested, punished, disqui- 
 " eted, or called in question, for any differences 
 " in opinion in matters of religion, and do not 
 *' actually disturb the civil peace of our said 
 " colony ; but that all and ever\^ person and 
 " persons may, from time to time, and at all 
 " times hereafter, freely and fully have and en- 
 " joy his and their own judgments and con- 
 " sciences, in matters of religious concernments, 
 " throughout the tract of land hereafter men- 
 " tioned, they behaving themselves peaceably 
 " and quietly, and not using this liberty to li- 
 " centiousness and profaneness, nor to the civil 
 " injury or outward disturbance of others : Any 
 *' law, statute or clause, therein contained, or-to 
 
 VOL. II. E 
 
34 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " be contained, usage or custom of this realm. 
 " to the contrary hereof, in any wise, notwith- 
 " standing. And that they may be in the better 
 " capacity to defend themselves, in their just 
 " rights and hberties, against all the enemies of 
 " the Christian faith, and others in all respects ; 
 " We have further thought fit, and at the hum- 
 " ble petition of the persons aforesaid are gra- 
 " ciously pleased to declare, That they shall have 
 " and enjoy the benefit of our late act of indem- 
 " nity and free pardon, as the rest of our sub- 
 " jects in other our doiiiinions and territories 
 " h..:ve ;* and to create and make them a body 
 " politic or corporate, with the powers and pri- 
 " vileges herein after mentioned. And accord- 
 " ingly our will and pleasure is, and of our es- 
 " pecial grace, certain knowledge, and meer 
 " motion, TFe have ordained, constituted andde- 
 " dared, and by these presents, for us, our 
 " heirs and successors, do ordain, constitute and 
 " declare. That they, the said William Brenton, 
 " William Coddington, Nicholas Easton, Bcne- 
 " diet Arnold, William Boulston, John Porter, 
 " Samuel Gorton, John Smith, John Weekes, 
 " Roger Williams, Thomas Olney, Gregor} 
 " Dexter, John Cogeshall, Joseph Clarke, Ran- 
 
 * On accounl of their acknowldpiment of the usurp- 
 ation of Cromwell. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES- 35 
 
 V dall Holclen, John Greene, John Roome, 
 " WiUiam Dyre, Samuel Wildbore, Richard 
 '' Tew, WilHam Field, Thomas Harris, James 
 
 *' Barker, Rainsborrow, Williams, 
 
 *' and John Nickson, and all such others as now 
 " are, or hereafter shall be, admitted and made 
 " free of the Company and Society of our 
 •' Colony of Providence Plantations, in the Nar- 
 " ragansett Bay, in New England, shall be, 
 " from time to time^ and forever hereafter, a 
 '' body corporate and politic, in fact and name, 
 •' by the name of the Governor afid Company 
 " of the English colony of Rhode Island and 
 " Providence Plantations, in New England, in 
 " America." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVni. 
 
 Massachusetts — Plymouth. 
 
 A BROAD road, of the best quality, leads 
 from Providence to Boston, a distance of some- 
 thing more than forty miles. The country is 
 hilly, well settled and cheerful ; and if the 
 farms, as is uniformly allowed, are not cultiva- 
 ted upon such a system as to obtain the great- 
 est possible advantage from the land, at least 
 'the fences are in the best order, ajiid the farm- 
 
35 TRAVELS THJlOUtrH PART 
 
 houses (which are ahiiost universally of wood, 
 and painted either white or j ellow) are frequent- 
 ly large, well built, and generally well furnish- 
 ed. It was now the middle of Jul}^ ; and the 
 meadows were ornamented with the flowers of 
 the lobelia, of a brilliant scarlet colour. 
 
 Boston, on which ever side it is approached, 
 makes a veiy striking appearance in the land- 
 scape. The ground on which it is built is un- 
 even ; and on one of the hills is the new 
 State-house, an edifice which, by its elevation, 
 and b}'^ the dome that is on its roof, crowns in the 
 happiest manner all the buildings that lie low, and 
 that form the base of the pyramid of which 
 the statehouse is the apex. Boston is seated on 
 a small peninsula, which projects to the north- 
 east ; and the main streets are approached, from 
 Providence, by a very wide one, running on the 
 neck of land, and in part paved, and in part lined 
 with buildings. 
 
 To the south-east of Boston, distant about 
 forty miles, is Plymouth, the oldest of the set- 
 tlements in New England, and hence, in Bos- 
 ton, commonly known by the name of the Old 
 Colony. Still further to the south-east, is a pe- 
 ninsula, of which the northern extremity is call- 
 ed, from the fisheries of its vicinity, Cape Cod. 
 From Boston, I made an excursion into these 
 quarters of the country. My road to Plymouth 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 37 
 
 lay through the towns of Dorchester, Milton, 
 Braintree, Quincy, Weymouth, Hingham, 
 Pembroke, Hanover and Kmgbton. 
 
 Betvveen Boston and Dorchester, or rather 
 between the northern part of Boston, and a tract 
 called South Boston, lately sepai'ated from Dor- 
 chester, is a bridge, stretching across an inlet of 
 the sea, and uniting, on this side, the peninsula 
 with the main. This bridge is of 'vood, forty 
 feet broad, and nearly sixteen hundred feet long, 
 and is laid on trussels, in shallow water. Be- 
 tween Dorchester and Milton is a second bridge, 
 over the small river Neponsit. In Milton the 
 road ascends a hill, deservedly celebrated for the 
 extensive prospect that it affords, in which the 
 Neponsit winding, at its foot, through wide and 
 verdant meadows, at length loses itself in Boston 
 Harbour. The meadows are contrasted b} 
 woody hills. 
 
 At twelve miles from Boston are the Blue 
 Hills, a fine feature in the landscape, and 
 where there is a house of entertainment, re- 
 sorted to by convivial parties. Beyond 
 these is Four-mile River, with a draw- 
 bridge. The two divisions of the bridge are 
 made to lift by means of semicircular wheels ; 
 but this machinery, of which the simplicity re- 
 commends it to the eye, is not found to answer 
 the purpose intended. Below tlie bridge, seve- 
 
38 TRAVELS THROUGH VARY 
 
 ral small vessels were building at this place. The 
 river separates the town of Quincy from that of 
 Weymouth. Below Weymouth is Hingham, 
 through a part of which I passed ; but the village, 
 which is in a rising state, lies four miles out of 
 the road, in Scituate Harbour, Hanover is wa- 
 tered by a river called North River, on the banks 
 of which there is much ship-building. Below 
 Hanover is Pembroke. 
 
 The shores of Massachusetts Bay are for the 
 most part rich in more than one variety of gra- 
 nite, and in specimens of porphyry, and other 
 descriptions of stone ; but, below Four- mile Ri- 
 ver, they become in general, low, with a light 
 and sandy soil. Among the exceptions to this ac- 
 count, is the country between Pembroke andPly- 
 moutli, in which there are some high hills. On 
 the Kingston shore, there are several works for the 
 manufacture of salt, by a process soon to be de- 
 scribed. Danbury, which is on the left of the 
 road, is said to have recently made considerable 
 advances in commercial enterprise. I left Bos- 
 ton in the moiTiing of the thirty-first of August, 
 and reached Plymouth in the evening of the same 
 day. 
 
 Plymouth is the most ancient of the towns, 
 but it is far from being the most prosperous. It 
 was settled by the first ad>'enturers in New En- 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 39 
 
 gland, in the yetir 1620 ; but in 1791 it had only 
 three thousand inhabitants, and in 1800, three 
 thousand five hundi'ed, on an area of more than 
 eighty square miles, its length being sixteen 
 miles, and its breadth five. It is, however, a 
 post-town, and a county »town, and possesses a 
 port of entry. 
 
 The soil and surface consist in a continuity of 
 hills or downs of sandy loam, with valleys and 
 hollows that contain small streams, and lakes or 
 pools, in New England ahvays denominated 
 ponds. There are in the town sixty-eight of 
 these ponds that supply fish, and that are conse- 
 quently permanent bodies of water; besides 
 many others, that being filled only in the wtt 
 seasons, and affording grass in the dr}', aie de- 
 nominated grass-holes. The total number of 
 ponds exceeds one hundred. The herbage is 
 scanty, and the timber, which consists in black 
 pine and oak, is of a stunted gi^owlh. In looking 
 into the manuscript records of the colony, I found, 
 among the earliest ordinances, one AA'hich for- 
 bade the exportation of timber ; an unaccounta- 
 ble prohibition, among the settlers in a primitive 
 forest, were it not explained by this part of the 
 natural histor}^ of the place. Amid this sterility, 
 maize is sown with profit, by the powerful aid 
 of fish manure. 
 
40 rilAVELS THROUGH PAIIT 
 
 The un favourableness of their situation, as to 
 the pursuits of agTiculture, was early perceived 
 by the settlers ; but agriculture was in their time 
 less the dependence of the settlement, than the 
 fur-trade and fislieries. The fur-trade is now at 
 an end ; the fisheries are to be prosecuted at a 
 greater distance than formerl}- ; and the harbour, 
 which never had deep water, has grown, and is 
 growing shallower. But a portion of the fishe- 
 ries and commerce nevertheless remain ; and 
 Plymouth, though still in a humble condition, 
 is said to be in an advancing state. In the re- 
 bellion, its shipping was particularly unfortu- 
 nate. 
 
 The cod-fishery is the principal object of at- 
 tention ; in which Plymouth employs from three 
 to four thousand tons of shipping. There is al- 
 so a small coasting trade, and a few vessels en- 
 gaged in transporting the produce of the fishery 
 to Europe. Before the French revolution, the 
 exports of Plymouth did not exceed the amiual 
 value of eight or nine thousand dollars : in 1795, 
 they rose above seventy thousand ; and in 1796, 
 above a hundred and thirty. 
 
 Among the resources of Plymouth are not to 
 be forgotten its mill-seats, at the little falls on its 
 brooks. On these, there are some beginnings of 
 manufactures, particularly a slitting- mill and 
 some other iron- works ; and hopes are held out 
 2 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 4]^ 
 
 of raising the town to importance by turning its 
 capital to these pursuits. 
 
 Those forefathers landed at Plymouth on 
 the twentieth day of December, 1620, the place 
 having first been examined by an exploring par- 
 ty, on the tlii'ee days before. Plymouth Harbour 
 had previously been so named by Captain Smith, 
 the navigator and discoverer ; and the adventu- 
 rers were not unwilling to continue the name, in 
 consequence of the gratitude that they enter- 
 tained towai'd their friends at Plymouth in En- 
 gland, from which port they had commenced their 
 voyage. 
 
 A rock, or mass of stone, on the beach, has 
 been constantly pointed out as a monument of 
 the transaction of the Twentieth of December. 
 Upon this, according to the ti'adition, the main 
 body of the adventurers first stepped, from the 
 boat which landed them from their ship ; and it 
 is hence denominated Forefathers' Rock. A 
 wharf is now built upon the site, and the ground 
 raised, perhaps above the level of the original 
 summit of the rock. In 1774, the upper half, 
 however, was piously broke away, and re- 
 moved into the middle of the village, for pre- 
 servation and distinction sake ; and so far all is 
 well. But the place assigned to this venerated 
 stone, is no other than the end of a ^v&ll, in 
 which, along with vulgar stones, it props up 
 
 VOL. ir. F 
 
42 
 
 TJIAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 an embankment. Another removal is therefore 
 to be desired. 
 
 Meanwhile, the inferior portion, left upon the 
 original spot, and embedded in the soil of the 
 wharf, has been carefully lifted up, and placed 
 upon a higher level, so that a portion is still on 
 the surface. 
 
 The village is seated at the mouth of the 
 Town Brook, on the north bank of which is 
 the chief part of the houses. Of these, which 
 exceed two hundred in number, the greater pro 
 portion are smaller, and less modern in their struc- 
 ture, than is usual in the United States ; and 
 painted, not white, but either a clay-colourj 
 blue -gray or red. 
 
 The public buildings are a church and court- 
 house, both respectable in tlieir appearance ; an 
 alms-house, a county gaol, and a house for a 
 grammar school, kept throughout the year. 
 
 In the winter months, more than twelve small 
 district schools, are kept in the whole of the se 
 veral neighbourhoods or villages that are scat 
 tered along the sixteen miles of sea-coast that 
 composes the town. 
 
 Of these, the nearest to the village of Ply- 
 mouth, is Eel River. At the distance of seven 
 miles is another, called Monument Ponds ; and 
 a third is Hobbs's Hole. By /zo/^ is here meant 
 a covt'A 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 43 
 
 The total taxes of Plymouth, exclusive of 
 state and county- taxes, for this year, ai"e 
 about three thousand dollars, intended to meet 
 the following items of expenditure : 
 
 Schools, 
 
 miB 
 
 
 Alms house. 
 
 600 
 
 
 Overseer of ditto, his salary, 
 
 80 
 
 
 Town Treasurer's ditto, 
 
 50 
 
 
 Assessors' pay, 
 
 100 
 
 
 Collectors' commissions. 
 
 200 
 
 
 Sexton, 
 
 50 
 
 
 Physician for the alms-house. 
 
 16 
 
 67 
 
 Abatements on taxes, 
 
 100 
 
 
 Contingents, 
 
 300 
 
 
 
 S2,371 
 
 67 
 
 Sundry other charges, 
 
 688 
 
 33 
 
 Total, !S3,000 00 
 
 But i^ome assistance in the discharge of 
 the town taxes, is obtained from a source which 
 also contributes to the means of the inhabitants, 
 and particularly of the poorer part. All the 
 brooks, and all the ponds which communicate 
 by the brooks with the sea, are visited annually 
 by shoals of alewives, a species of herring. The 
 fishery thus afforded is placed under the regula- 
 tion of the law ; it is a common property, and 
 pursued under the direction of the selectmen. 
 
44 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 and for the benefit of the town ; first, by allow- 
 ing each inhabitant to purchase a certain quan- 
 tity at a veiy low price ; and secondly, by dis- 
 posing of the remainder at the best market to the 
 profit of the town. 
 
 At the back of the main street is a hill, on 
 which, from an early date, has been the burying- 
 ground ; but I discovered in it no inscription 
 more ancient than 1681. The oldest that I saw 
 were the four foUoA^dng : 
 
 Edward Gray, bom 1629 died 1681 
 
 Thomas Cushman, ruling 
 elder of the church, 1607 - 1691 
 
 Thomas Clarke, 1659 - 1697 
 
 Rev. John Cotton, 1642 - 1699 
 
 Here, and in some neighbouring places, 
 it has been, and still is the practice, to 
 prefix, to the name of a deceased female of some 
 consideration, as the parson's, the deacon's or 
 the doctor's wife, the title of madam. 
 
 In this burying ground, and on the summit of 
 the hill, are the remains of the ditch that sur- 
 rounded a small fortification, consisting in a 
 block house and stockade, erected by the 
 first adventurers. By a gentleman of the 
 town, a neighbouring and contiguous hill was 
 shown me, as the spot on which they first beheld 
 the Indians, who showed themselves from the 
 summit, in hostile array. This account is jn- 
 
OV THE UNITED STATES. 45 
 
 Consistent, however, with written history', and 
 with what, upon consideration, must appear to 
 be the truth. The place, where the Indians first 
 discovered themselves to any part of the adven- 
 turers, and where they behaved hostilely, must 
 have been nearer Barnstable than Plymouth ; the 
 persons that saw them were those that composed 
 the exploring party ; and the time was the eighth 
 of December, twelve days before the landing at 
 Plymouth. Plymouth itself was at this time a 
 solitude, the Indians having been recently swept 
 away, by an epidemic disorder ; the first Indian 
 that was seen in the settlement, v/as one, that 
 on the sixteenth of March following, entered it 
 alone, peaceably and confidentially, and that 
 passing by the houses, walked up to a collection 
 of the people, and suqirised them with a wel- 
 come, expressed in broken English. He told 
 them that the name of the place ^^-as Patuxet, and 
 that he had learned their language of the crews 
 of the fishing vessels that were accustomed to 
 frequent Monhigan. 
 
 Patuxet or Patusiic implies a place at the 
 mouth of a river ; the mouth being considered 
 as its entrance j while the word pathigget consi- 
 ders the mouth as an outlet. In the case of Ply- 
 mouth, the mouth of the river is the mouth of 
 the Town Brook. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 Massachusetts — Rocks of Sacrifice. 
 
 LEAVING the village of Plymouth, and 
 piirsiuiig my journey through the town, I passed 
 the river and village of Eel River, but kept to 
 the right of Monument Ponds, on my way to 
 Sandwich. 
 
 Between Monument Ponds, in the south-east- 
 ern limits of the town of Plymouth, are some 
 lands reserved to a small community of Indians, 
 at present known only by the name of Herring- 
 pond Indians, from a small lake, called the 
 Herring Pond, on the borders of which they 
 live. This lake or pond discharges itself, by a 
 small stream, into the bay, and participates, in 
 the season, by this communication, in the general 
 fishery of herrings. It is some years since the 
 Herring-pond Indians were estimated at a hun- 
 dred and twenty souls. In the year 1698, when 
 the several plantations of Indians in Massachu- 
 setts were visited, in pursuance of instructions 
 given by the commissioners for propagating the 
 gospel, no mention is made, in the return of the 
 visitors, of any Indians, by the name of Her- 
 
TRAVELS THROUGH PART, &e. 47 
 
 ring-pond Indians ; but ten families are said to 
 be resident ^i Kitteaumiit ox Monument Poyids.^ 
 
 The Herring-pond Indians are said to be 
 mixed, that is, to have the children of Europeans 
 and Africans among them ; and this is generally 
 true, of all the Indians in Massachusetts, and 
 in some other parts. On my road, I met several 
 of these Indians, answering this description ; 
 particularly women, half Indian and half negro. 
 They had laid aside the distinguishing dress of 
 Indian women, and in the preservation there is 
 much pertinacitj^ ; and had good clothes, and 
 even good and clean shoes and stockings. 
 
 Travelling slowly by the side of one of these wo- 
 men I entered into conversation with her, and soon 
 discovered, in her willingness to talk, and cheer- 
 fulness of temper, not less than in her looks, 
 that she was almost more negress than Indian ; 
 for the unmixed Indian is what he has often 
 been described, serious and taciturn, and shy of 
 access. My companion descanted on the condi- 
 tion of her nation (for it is thus the Indians 
 idways denominate their communities) in that lan- 
 guage of submission to the evil that is inevitable, 
 and of enjoyment of the good that offers, which 
 appears to me to characterize the negro ; but 
 proclaimed herself an Indian, at the same time, 
 
 * American Annals, Vol. IT. 
 
48 IRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 as to the article of spirituous liquors. Having 
 asked her, whether or not she thought that the 
 Indians were really more disposed to drunken- 
 ness than the whites, or only more easily affected 
 by liquor, she frankly answered, that for her- 
 self, when she wanted to be sober and fit for 
 work, she did not dare to taste any liquor what- 
 ever ; a very small quantity overpowering either 
 her strength or her prudence. 
 
 At seven miles from the village of Plymouth, 
 is Clam-pudding Pond, another of the little 
 lakes, and of which the name is connected with 
 a tradition, that the ancient colonists, in their way 
 to and from the courts, were accustomed to bait 
 on its margin, taking clam-pudding (their travel- 
 ling dish) from their wallets, and using the water 
 as their beverage. 
 
 All the countiy of which we are speaking had 
 anciently a large Indian population; large, at least, 
 for a people who subsist principally on the free 
 gifts of nature. It is a narrow tongue of land, 
 washed on both sides by the sea. Fish and fowl 
 were formerly abundant ; and even the sand, 
 which composes great part of the soil, was of easy 
 tillage, and, with fish manure, not improductive. 
 
 From this original situation of things, it re- 
 
 bults, that many Indian traditions and monuments 
 
 remain, together with even some portion of the 
 
 people. Among the monuments, are six or seven 
 
 1 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 49 
 
 masses of stone, standing in different parts of the 
 woods, on which the Indians, though professing 
 themselves Christians, still make offerings, and 
 to which, for this reason, is given the name of 
 Sacrifice Rocks. 
 
 Two Sacrifice Rocks are on the side of the 
 road leading from Plymouth to Sandwich. One 
 of them may be six feet high, and the other four ; 
 and both are of ten or twelve feet in length : 
 and they differ in nothing, as to their figure, 
 iirom the masses of granite and other rock, which 
 are scattered over the surface of all the adjacent 
 countr}^ All that distinguishes them is the 
 crowns of oak and pine branches which they 
 bear, irregularly heaped, and of Avhich some are 
 fresh, some fading, and some decayed. These 
 branches the Indians place there, from motives 
 which they but obscurely explain, and for doing 
 which their white neighbours therefore generally 
 suppose that they have no reason to give. When 
 questioned, they rarely go further than to sa}", 
 that they do so because they have been taught that 
 it is right to do it, or because their fathers did 
 so before them : if they add any thing to this, it 
 is, that they expect blessings from the observance 
 of the practice, and evils from the neglect. 
 
 But, to whom is this worship offered ? To 
 a manito ; and by manito^ through the reli- 
 gious prejudices of the whites, is usually undei- 
 
 VOL. II. c 
 
50 
 
 IRAVELS THKOUGli PARI 
 
 stood a devil. It was with great pleasure there 
 fore that I heard, from the hps of the aged mis- 
 sionary of Marshpee, in this neighbourhood, 
 the enlarged view which he took of this matter : 
 " One day," said he, " as I was riding past a 
 " Sacrifice Rock, I saw two Indian women 
 ^' dragging a young pine-tree, and setting 
 " about to lay it on the rock. It was so large 
 " and heavy, that the undertaking almost ex- 
 " ceeded their strength : hov^^ever, they perse- 
 " vercd. My approach a little disconcerted 
 " them ; but I only smiled on them as I passed ; 
 " for I considered the act as an acknowledgment 
 " of a providence, and therefore not to be too 
 " hastily rebuked." He illustrated his notion, 
 of toleration in matters of this kirid, by a second 
 anecdote of his practice : " I knew a lady," 
 added he, " who had the most implicit faith in 
 " dreams ; a faith attended by the most ridicu- 
 " lous and inconvenient consequences : I at- 
 '' tempted to sap the foundations of this faith ; 
 " but I found it so indissolubly connected, in her 
 " mind, with a faith in a providence, that I 
 " judged it prudent to desist." 
 
 And my reverend commentator saw the 
 Indian sacrifices as they ought to be seen. 
 They are offered to the overruling providence, 
 wherever it may reside, and by whatever name it 
 may be called. They are offered in humble 
 
OP THE UXITED STATES. 
 
 51 
 
 ■duty, and in humble hope ; in the hope of food, 
 health and peace. Theyare offered in weaknessand 
 in want, insickness and in sorrow^ ; or they are offer- 
 ed ingratitude and joy. Parents offer them for the 
 preservation of their children, and children for 
 the life of their parents. Husbands, wives; sis- 
 ters, brothers ; cousins, friends; all offerthem in re- 
 ciprocal affection ; and offer them to that providence 
 which dispenses sunshine and rain, raiment and 
 food, and in whose strength alone the feebleness 
 of man seeks for a stay and help. It was, perhaps, 
 for a sick child, or for an absent brother or hus- 
 band, that one of the women, assisted by her 
 neighbour, was seen by the good missionary ex- 
 hausting her strength in the toilsome offering.* 
 
 * " An unchristened Tungoose Avent into one of the 
 •'■ churches at Yakutsk, placed himself before the paint- 
 "' in^ of Saint Nicholas, bowed very respectfully, and 
 *' laid down a number of rich skins, consisting of black 
 *•' and red foxes, sables, squirrels, 8cc. which he took 
 '' out of a bag. On being asked why he did so, he 
 " replied, ' My brother, who is christened, was so ill, 
 " ' that we expected his death. He called upon Saint 
 '' ' Nicholas, but would have no sorcerer. I promi- 
 '' ' scd, that if Nicholas would let him live, I would 
 " ' give him what I cau^jht in my first chase. My 
 " ' brother recovered, I obtained these skins, and there 
 " ' they are.' — He then bowed again, and retired." 
 Saue?-'s Account of Billings's Exjiedition^ Chap. IV. 
 By sorcerer, rho ^\•|•iter means a Khcmav or pagan 
 priest. 
 
52 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 A pine branch is a humble gift ; but the value 
 is not in the gift, but in the piety of the hand 
 that brings it. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Stofies of Power. 
 
 WE shall be warranted in identifying the Sa- 
 crifice Rocks of Plymouth with those Stones 
 of Power, so often mentioned by Ossian, and so 
 conspicuous in the history of the North of Eu- 
 rope, and which may be successfully traced 
 through a still wider circuit. 
 
 In North America, they are known at least to 
 all the Algonquin nations, (among which are to 
 be reckoned the Indians of New England,) and 
 to the Six Nations. At a spot, on the banks of 
 the Winnipigon, a large river that discharges it- 
 self into the lake of the same name, there is a 
 circle of stones, ai'tificially laid on a high rock, 
 and which the Indians are accustomed to crown 
 with wreaths of herbage, and with branches ; and 
 for this reason, the caiTying-place that passes it 
 has the Canadian appellation of Le Portage dii 
 Bonnet.*- In Lake Superieur, there is a rock 
 
 * Mackenzie's Voyages. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 5^ 
 
 on which the Indians deposit various offer- 
 ings, such as they are likely to have in their 
 canoes, at the time they pass it.^ On the bor- 
 ders of Lake Michigan, two of the earlier 
 French missionaries found a village, in which a 
 great stone \\'as an object of worship ; they placed 
 their shoulders against it, and tumbled it in- 
 to the lake : the shore was bold at the place, and 
 the stone sunk, and became irrecoverable. In 
 Lake Ontario, there is a rock, not far from the 
 mouth of Black Ri\'er, which a Dutch go- 
 vernor treated with a very coai'se expression of 
 contempt, and was presently afterward lost in a 
 storm. t In Lake Champlain, there is another oi" 
 a sacred description, and which rock is not to be 
 insulted with impimity. I have myself passed this 
 rock, in crossing the lake, between Chazy and 
 Burlington ; and was subsequently informed, 
 by the Indians of Saint- Fran^ais, in Lower Ca- 
 nada, that a certain French missionary, observ- 
 ing the Indians to stand in awe of it, had the 
 precaution to baptize it, giving it the name of 
 Pierre^ [Peter.) 
 
 In Iceland, the first Christian bishop, b\ 
 chaunting a hymn, split one of these sacred 
 .stones ; and having thus rendered it no longer 
 tenantable b}- the spirit, Avas so fortunate as to 
 
 * Henry's Travels. 
 t Coldcn's Histoi'v of. the Five Nations of Canada. 
 
54 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 wean the worshippers from their former faith, 
 and convert them to his own.* 
 
 On the peninsula of Hindostan there is a sa- 
 cred stone, called Jagranaut, and for the wor- 
 ship of which, as being inhabited by Vishnu, 
 the pagoda, which contains it, was built, and 
 is still supported, with sacrifices, and with the 
 ministry of five hundred priests. 
 
 At Mecca there is a sacred stone, on account 
 of which the place was held in sanctity long be- 
 fore the birth of Mohammed ; and it is still 
 kissed and worshipped by every Mohammedan 
 pilgrim. 
 
 There was a sacred stone at Delphi, upon 
 which daily libations of wine were poured, 
 and to which other honours, on festivals, were 
 paid. Pausanias, who preserves the fact, informs 
 us, that this was the stone that Saturn swal- 
 lowed, instead of the infant Jupiter ; but no fa- 
 ble of antiquity is so extravagant, upon the 
 subject of this stone, as that of a modem 
 scholar, Mr. Br) ant, f who would have us 
 believe, that the stone was a stone pillar, set up 
 where there had been previously an altar of Sa- 
 turn, at which altar children 'were customa- 
 rily sacrificed ; and that the pillar was the object 
 
 * Kristni Saga, Chap. II, cited in the Minstrelsy of 
 the Scottish Border, Vol. II. 
 
 t Analysis of Antient Mythology. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. ^^ 
 
 or the altar of that newer and milder worship to 
 which alone (it is to be remembered) the history 
 extends. 
 
 The conjecture that I shall hazard on this 
 stone, if not better founded than the foregoing, 
 will at least be not more rash. I shall place it, 
 along with all other sacred stones, in the list of 
 Stones of Power ; and even venture to express 
 my belief, that this Stone of Power was the 
 primitive seat of the Delphic oracle, and the foun- 
 dation of all that celebrity and wealth and 
 splendour which subsequently attached them- 
 selves to the temple of Apollo. The transi- 
 tion is by no means violent, if we agree with 
 Mr. Bryant, in so far as he contends, that Apollo 
 and Saturn were only different names for the same 
 divinity ; and, if that were thought too much, 
 still the place, chosen for the seat of the temple 
 of Apollo, might be one in previous estimation 
 for the Stone of Saturn. Let all this, however, 
 be regarded as it may, these facts will be still 
 left, that there was at Delphi a sacred stone, on 
 which libations were poured, and to which still 
 other honours were paid : such a stone must 
 have been a Stone of Power. A sacred stone 
 occurs in the history of Jacob's vision. 
 
 " And Jacob went out from Beersheba, 
 " and went toward Haran. And he lighted 
 
56 
 
 TitAMiLS THUOUGli PAKl 
 
 " upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, 
 " because the sun was set ; and he took of the 
 " stones of that place, and put them for his pil- 
 " lows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 
 " And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set 
 " upon the earth, and the top of it reached to 
 -'■ heaven : and behold the angels of God as- 
 " cending and descending on it. And behold 
 " the Lord stood above it, and said, ' I am the 
 '' ' Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the 
 " ' God of Isaac : the land whereon thou liest, 
 " ' to thee will I give it, and to thy seed ; and 
 " ' thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, 
 •' * and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, 
 " ' and to the east, and to the north, and to the 
 " ' south ; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the 
 " ' families of the earth be blessed. And behold 
 " ' I am with thee, and will help thee in all 
 " ' places whither thou goest, and will bring 
 " ' thee again into this land ; for I will not 
 " ' leave thee until I have done that which I have 
 " ' spoken to thee of.' 
 
 " And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he 
 " said, ' Surely the Lord is in this place, and 
 " ' I knew it not !' And he was afraid, and said, 
 " ' How dreadful is this place ! This is none 
 ^' ' other but the House of God, and this is 
 " ' the gate of heaven !' 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 57 
 
 *' And Jacob rose up early in the morning, 
 " and took the stone^ that he had for his pillows, 
 *' and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon 
 " the top of it. And be called the name of that 
 *' place Bethel ; but the name of that city was 
 *' called Luz at the first. 
 
 " And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, ' If God 
 " * will be with me, and Avill help me in this 
 " * way that I go, and will give me bread to 
 " ' eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come 
 " ' again to my father's house in peace, then 
 " ' shall the Lord be my God : and this stone, 
 " ' which I have set up for a pillar, shall be 
 " * God^s House: and of all that thou shalt 
 " * give me, I will surely give the tenth part 
 " ' unto thee.' "* 
 
 In the British islands there are doubtlessly 
 many of these sacred stones, still the objects of 
 some degree of popular superstition. One, in 
 particular, is mentioned, on the confines of Jed 
 Forest, in Northumberlajid, and which is called 
 sometimes the Keeldar Stone, and sometimes the 
 Rocking Stone. Antiquarians call it a ves- 
 tige of the druids, and the vulgar believe that it 
 is inhabited by a spirit. The description given 
 of its appearance, that it is a rough insidated 
 mass of stone, of considerable dimensions, 
 
 * Genesis, Chap, xxviii. ver. 10 — 22 
 
 yet,. II. H 
 
58 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 makes it agree entirely, in these particulars, 
 with the sacred stones in America, and the other 
 parts of the world. Its name, of the Rocking 
 Stone, is applied to it, according to the super- 
 stitious, from the motion occasionally imparted 
 to it by the spirit within ; and it is called the 
 Keeldar Stone, from Keeldar, a Northumbrian 
 chief, who, in scorn of the spirit, rode thrice 
 withershins around it ; that is, in a direction 
 contrary to the course of the sun.* 
 
 Not only the Rocking Stone, but all sacred 
 stones^ and particularly all circles of stones, are 
 usually regarded by antiquarians as of druidic 
 origin. Many circumstances, however, concur 
 to render this doctrine extremely doubtful ; for 
 not only the use of sacred stones, and circles of 
 stones, in the druidic worship, must itself have 
 had some previous foundation ; but it is proba- 
 ble, also, that both the one and the other are of 
 a remoter date than the druids themselves, and 
 of a much wider diffusion. Of the theology of 
 the druids we are very little informed, and 
 
 * See The Cout of Keeldar^ Minstrelsy of the Scottish 
 Border.^ (vol. ii,) an elegant and valuable work, through 
 ^ large proportion of which is exhibited, in colours of 
 becoming humiliation, the wanderings of the human in- 
 tellect, and well adapted to introduce the polite reader 
 to a most interesting branch of antiquities. 
 
Ot THE UNITED STATES. 59 
 
 little more is known of their rites, than that 
 they were celebrated within circles of stones. 
 But, circles of stones always suppose the pre- 
 sence of the sacred stone which they enclo- 
 sed, and on which indeed it appears that the 
 druids offered sacrifices. The sacred stone is 
 called by Ossian a Stone of Power ; and such a 
 stone he constantly ascribes to the Circle of 
 Loda. Thus, in the third book of Fingal, Sni- 
 van is described as a bard that often sung round 
 *' the Circle of Loda, when the Stone of Power 
 " heard his cry, and the battle turned, in the field 
 *' of the valiant." By the Circle of Loda, we 
 are taught to understand a temple of Odin ; 
 but Odin and his worship are said to have come 
 into the north of Europe from the banks of the 
 Sea of Baikal ; a derivation which at once ex- 
 tends the seats of the Stones of PoAver into the 
 heart of Asia. 
 
 But, the scene presented to us, of Snivan, at 
 prayers during the battle, agrees entirely with 
 the ordonnance of those circles of stones which 
 are sometimes supposed to be exclusively 
 druidic. When we heai' the bard singing round 
 the circle of Loda, we see him at the same time 
 in motion round one of those circles of which 
 we have the description, three hundred feet in 
 circumference, fenced in by stones of seven feet 
 in height, and placed at intervals of three feet 
 
gQ TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 and a half, and connected at their summits by 
 transoms. The druidic temples had circles al- 
 so ; but they had them only in common with 
 others.* 
 
 In their theology, and in their acquaintance 
 
 with human learning, the druids were perhaps 
 superior to the priests of Odin ; but in their 
 rites, in their temples, and in their veneration 
 for Stones of Power, there was, between both, 
 as it seems reasonable to believe, an abundant 
 similai'ity. There might be more refinement^ 
 and more complexity, in their system ; but it 
 had its foundation where the worship of Odin 
 had its foundation too. The one was disfi- 
 
 * Besides the Circle of 1/oda, Ossian mentions more 
 than once the Circle of Brumo, which he places in 
 Craca, supposed to be one of the Shetland Isles ; but the 
 worship performed in it was apparently the same with 
 that performed in the Circle ofLoda. On one occasion, the 
 poet gives to the Circle of Brumo the epithet of horrid 
 or horrible^ " where often, they said, the ghosts of the 
 " dead howled round the Stone of their Fear ;" but, im- 
 mediately before, he has placed it m a more usual 
 and agreeable view. Grumal invades Craca, from Co- 
 ua ; and the king of Craca goes out to meet the enemy, 
 directly from the sacred grove, where he had been in 
 the act of worshipping at the Stone of Power, within 
 the circle : " He poured his warriors on sounding 
 *' Craca; and Craca's king met him from his grove: 
 " for then, within the Circle of Brumo, he spoke to the 
 '' Stone of Power." 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 51 
 
 gured, perhaps, by a greater portion of rugged- 
 ness and ignorance, inherent and perpetuated 
 among the companions of Odin, while the 
 other might be softened and ennobled by the 
 researches and the science of Pythagoras ; but 
 both were, at the best, sufficiently barbarous and 
 blind : of both, the priests were dreamers of 
 dreams and ministers of superstition ; and of 
 both, the votaries were of corresponding cha- 
 racter. — We are not to forget, that even on the 
 banks of the Winnipigon, the circle is affected, 
 though it is there a circle of sacred stones.* 
 
 But, Circles of Stones and Stones of Power 
 are to be taken together ; for the one were the 
 altars, and the other were the walls ; and that 
 temples (that is, places of worship) were thus 
 composed, for the celebration of other rites 
 than those of the druids, is established by 
 many more proofs than are to be collected from 
 the poems of Ossian. If, for example, the an- 
 cient histories of Scotland can be believed, 
 the dates are clearly assignable, of the introduc- 
 tion both of Christianitv and druidism into the 
 northern parts of Great Britain ; and, at a period 
 anterior to both, we find great stones set w^for 
 temples^ and tenths or tythes appropriated for 
 offerings. 
 
 "' See Jiassim. 
 
52 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 Lastly, and still further to extend the history 
 of Stones of Power, I shall add, that their attri- 
 bute of power appears equally to belong to some 
 x)f those heaps of stones to which history often 
 attaches a similar character of sanctity. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 The same, continued. 
 
 OSSIAN has left us a very detailed and 
 picturesque account of an interview between his 
 hero, Fingal, and the spirit, god or demon of 
 the Stone of Loda. The reality of the event is 
 not the question. What we want to learn is the 
 conceptions of the times, as to stones of this 
 description, and as to their spirits. The author 
 is even said to have written this part of his 
 poem expressly against the doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity, then lately introduced into his country, 
 by a culdee or missionary ; a circumstance, 
 which, if it be accurately stated, adds greatly 
 to the historical value of the production, and 
 to its claims on close examination.* 
 
 * Ossian's Poems. See Carric-thura, a poem, and the 
 Argument prefixed. 
 
OP THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 63 
 
 Fingal, returning from a warlike expedition, 
 resolved on visiting Cathulla, king of Inistore, 
 at his residence of Carric-thura; and observ^ed, as 
 he approached it, a flame burning on one of its 
 towers, called Sarno's Tower, in signal, as was 
 well understood, of a want of succour. Amid 
 the anxiety thus excited in his mind, the wind 
 drove his vessel into a bay, where he encamped 
 for the night on shore. In the history of his 
 adventure with the spirit, almost every word is 
 deserving of particular attention : 
 
 " Night came do^vn on the sea ; Rotha's bay 
 " received the ship. — A rock bends along the 
 " coast, with all its echoing wood. On the top 
 '• is the Circle of Loda, and the mossy Stone of 
 " Power. A small plain spreads beneath, co- 
 " vered with grass and aged trees, which the 
 " midnight winds, in their wrath, have torn 
 " from the shagg}' rock. The blue course of a 
 " stream is there, and the lonely blast of ocean 
 " pursues the thistle's beard. — The flame of 
 " three oaks arise ; the feast is spread around ; 
 " but the soul of the king is sad, for Carrie- 
 " thura's battling chief. 
 
 " The wan cold moon rose in the east, 
 *' Sleep descended on the youths : their blue 
 " helmets glitter to the beam ; the fading fire 
 " decays. But sleep did not rest on the king. 
 
54 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " He rose in the midst of his arms, to behold the 
 " flame of Sarno's Tower. 
 
 *' The flame was dim and distant ; the moon 
 " hid her red face in the east. A blast came 
 " from the mountain, and bore, on its wings, 
 " the Spirit of Loda. He came to his place in 
 " his terrors, and he shook his dusky spear. 
 " His eyes appear like flames in his dark face, 
 " and his voice is like distant thunder. Tingal 
 " advanced with the spear of his strength, and 
 " raised his voice on high : 
 
 " ' Son of night, retire ! call thy winds, and 
 " ' fly ! Why dost thou come to my presence, 
 " ' with thy shadowy arms ? Do I fear thy 
 " ' gloomy form, dismal Spirit of Loda ? Weak 
 " ' is thy shield of clouds ; feeble is that meteor, 
 *' ' thy sword ; the blast rolls them together, 
 *' ' and thou thyself dost vanish ! Fly from my 
 *' * presence, son of night ! Call thy winds, and 
 '' ' fly' ! 
 
 " ' Dost thou force me from my place,' replied 
 " the hollow voice ? ' The people bend before 
 *' ' me ! I turn the battle, in the field of the 
 " ' valiant ! I look on the nations, and they 
 *' * vanish : my nostrils pour the blast of death ! 
 " ' I come abroad on the winds ; the tempests are 
 " ' before my face : but my dwelling is calm 
 " ' above the clouds ; the fields of my rest are 
 " ' pleasant!' 
 1 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 55 
 
 " * Dwell then in tliy calm fields,' said Fingal, 
 *' ' and let Comlial's son be forgot ! Do m}' steps 
 *^' ' ascend, from my hills, into thy peaceful 
 " ' plains ? Do I meet thee with a spear, on thy 
 " ' cloud. Spirit of dismal Loda ? Why then 
 " ' dost thou frown on Fingal, or shake thine 
 " * aiiy spear ? But thou frouiiest in vain ; I 
 " ' ne\'er fled from mighty men ; and shall the 
 " ' sons of the wind frighten the king of Morven? 
 " ' No ; he knows the ^^'eakness of their arms I' 
 
 " ' Fly to thy land,' replied the form ; ' receive 
 " ' the \\ind and fly ! The blasts arc in the 
 " ' hollow of my hand ; the course of the storm 
 " ' is mine. The kingof Sora is my son; he 
 " ' bends at the Stone of my Power. His battle 
 " ' is around CaiTic-thura, and he V\ill prevail. 
 *' ' Fly to thy land, son of Comhal ; or feel my 
 *'' flaming wrath!' 
 
 " He lifted high his shadowy speai", and bent 
 *■■' forward his terrible height. But the king, 
 '' advancing, drew his sword, the blade of dark- 
 " brown Luno. The gleaming path of the steel 
 '^ winds through the gloomy ghost. The form 
 '"' fell shapeless into air, like a column of smoke, 
 ''' which the staff" of the boy disturbs, as it rises 
 •■' from the half-extinguished furnace. 
 
 " The Spirit of Loda shrieked, as, rolled into 
 " himself, he rose on the wind. Inistore shook 
 " at the sound : the waves heard it on the deep ; 
 
 VOL. II. I 
 
QQ 1 1{A\ELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " they stopped, in their course, with fear : the 
 " companions of Fingal started, at once, and 
 " took their heavy spears. They missed the king : 
 " they rose with rage : all their arms resound. 
 
 " The moon came forth in the east. The king 
 " returned in the gleam of his arms. The joy of 
 " his youths was great : their souls settled, as a 
 " sea from a storm. Ullin raised the song of 
 " gladness. The hills of Inistore rejoiced. The 
 " flame of the oak arose, and the tales of heroes 
 " were told." 
 
 From the foregoing it is evident, that what- 
 ever might be the notions of the more vulgar 
 worshippers, the Stone of Power was never 
 properly considered as the habitation and resi- 
 dence of the god or demon to whom it be- 
 longed, but only as his place of resort, and point 
 of communication, as it were, with the earth. 
 It is thus we have seen Jacob, though persua- 
 ded that the place in which he had dreamed 
 was the house of God, and though proposing 
 to call the stone on which he slept Beth El, or 
 God's House, yet explaining himself to mean, 
 only a place occasionally favoured with the 
 divine presence, and the gate ofheaveiiy or spot 
 at which there was a communication, between 
 tlie earth and the dwelling of the deity. In the 
 language of Fingal we see the most precise dis- 
 tinction taken ; for we find the hero arguing with 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. QJ 
 
 the Spirit of Loda,that in approaching the Circle 
 and the Stone of his Power, he was neverthe- 
 less guilty of no intrusion on his privacy : 
 " Do my steps ascend, from my hills, into thy 
 " peaceful plains ? Do I meet thee, with a spear, 
 " on thy cloud ?" — The god himself, too, pro- 
 claims, that his *' dwelling is calm, above the 
 " clouds." 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 The same, continued. 
 
 IN the chapter last concluded, the true nature 
 of that union, which men have supposed to 
 exist, between the spirits of heaven (to use ano- 
 ther expression of Ossian's) and the Stones of 
 Power, has been ascertained ; and we have seen, 
 that though in a variety of instances, and particu- 
 larly in that of Jagranaut, the god is believed by 
 some to have become incarnate (such is the 
 phrase) in his stone,* yet the sounder doctrine is, 
 that the stone is only favoured \\ith the occa- 
 sional visits of his person, though constantly 
 
 * Jagranaut is worshipped as having been chosen 
 for the tenth avatar or incarnation of Vishnu. 
 
gg TliAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 overshadowed with his divinity : " He came to 
 " his place ^^^ says Ossiaii, '•'' he came to his place 
 " in his terrors." 
 
 But, in what way are we to account for this 
 superstition ? In what way are we to account for 
 the choice, in the whole range of the material 
 world — of stojies — of stones^ for the seats and de- 
 positories of divine power and intelligence ? — 
 It is not, (or so I believe,) in our books, nor in 
 our closets, that we are to pursue such an in- 
 quiry ; but in the forests. — If we desire to com- 
 prehend the history of the primitive world, w^e 
 must survey the circumstances that character- 
 ize it, and especially its sceneiy. If a histo- 
 rian of Rome or Greece may derive assistance 
 from a personal view of those countries, of the 
 remains of their cities and edifices, and of 
 their actual inhabitants, so may the historian of 
 ruder periods, from the view of corresponding 
 countries. It is a serious, though unavoidable 
 defect in our learning, that books, which are 
 indebted to the use of letters for their existence, 
 afford us, not only insufficient, but often erro- 
 neous views, of those countries and ages to 
 which letters were unknown. 
 
 To the savage, in the forest, or on the lake, a 
 rock, an insulated mass of stone, is by no means 
 that uninteresting object which it appears to him 
 that has been educated m cities and academies ; 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 59 
 
 but, on the contrary, it is attended by a variety 
 of circumstances, all in a high degree mys- 
 terious. Of the degree in which it may fill 
 and agitate the mind, I shall witliout hesita- 
 tion offer as remarkable instances, the effects 
 which it may be observed to produce upon 
 the dog, and upon the horse. — To many, these 
 illustrations will savour of ridicule ; but more 
 reflection will convince every one that they are 
 to the purpose. Without oflering a single word 
 in argument, I shall appeal to the thousand tes- 
 timonies that present themselves, not only of 
 the actual sympathy between man and the 
 animals, upon subjects of this nature, but of 
 the attention which men have always paid to the 
 gestures and cries of animals, as indicative of their 
 feelings, and of their fears ; an attention which 
 in those animals that I have named, is entirely 
 reciprocated : for nothing is more easy, than for 
 a man to excite fear, either in the dog or in the 
 horse, by manifesting, in his gestures, the pre- 
 sence of that passion in himself. How often, and 
 in how many forms, men have attributed to 
 animals a perception and a consciousness, equal, 
 and even superior to their own, it were endless 
 to recount. Concerning the fairy-ring, or circle 
 sometimes observed in the grass, and which 
 philosophers attribute to the electric fluid, but 
 
70 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 the vulgar to the daiice of fairies, Shakespear 
 versifies the observation, that 
 
 the superatitious ewe', 
 In reverence, bites it not. 
 
 The dog, then, and the horse, may be men- 
 tioned, in illustration of the effects which a soli- 
 tary and mossy stone is capable of producing 
 upon the human mind ; nor is the condition of man, 
 in respect of the things with which he is unac- 
 quainted, at all different from the condition of 
 these animals : it is by dint of knowledge only, 
 that he becomes their superior. 
 
 No^\^, the deportment of the dog and the 
 horse, in a solitaiy and silent forest, is striking. 
 The horse, accustomed to the bustle of men, is 
 perhaps startled, in the town, or on the road, 
 only by uncommon noises or appearances, and 
 for the rest, pursues his way without any re- 
 markable anxiety. But, let him walk gently 
 through a forest, and you shall perceive that he 
 is filled with endless apprehensions. In the open 
 country he had little to fear ; but in the forest, 
 every tree may hide an enemy. Its silence 
 alarms him, and not tranquillizes ; he turns his 
 ears in disquietude, at every moment, and in 
 every direction ; and is shaken by the falling of 
 a leaf. In these circumstances, if a rock protrude 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES- 71 
 
 its unusual form from among the trees, he yields 
 easily to fear, and at the least makes a circuit to 
 avoid it. 
 
 But, follow the dog, as he ranges among the 
 trees, tracking the fox or deer ; and if such a 
 rock presents, in his path, its giant, dusk}-, mo- 
 tionless and silent bulk, he starts, stops, and 
 gazes. To try its temper, he ventures upon a 
 tremulous bark ; prepared, meanwhile, for flight, 
 should his temerity lead him into danger. If, 
 at this moment, a branch of fern wave slowly 
 at its base, he barks aloud, but retires to a fur- 
 ther distance. Hitherto, the sight of the rock 
 has borne doAvn his faculties, and he is afraid 
 either to go or to stay ; but, if a rotten branch, 
 or an acorn, tumble from an adjacent tree — then, 
 AA'ith sudden terror, he flies hastily from tlie 
 place. 
 
 I am not contending, however, that the dog or 
 the horse sees in these rocks the seats, either of 
 ghosts or gods ; but the first origin of our su- 
 perstitions is in our fears for the body, in the 
 principle of self-preservation ; and of this the 
 man, his dog, and his horse, are all alike and 
 equally susceptible. It is certainly in the dread 
 of beasts of prey that we are to look for the 
 cause of the solicitude of the horse. But the form 
 of a rock is often questionable, and the horse 
 often suspects it to be a crouching animal. That 
 
y2 TRA^'T:LS THROUGH PART 
 
 this is the idea by which he is haunted we may 
 see reason to believe, in observing that the same 
 Iiorse who betrays no fear of an object that is 
 square, or that is angularly formed, will con- 
 stantly take alarm at every one that is rounded 
 or orbicular, and therefore more easily imagined 
 to be the body of an animal. 
 
 Let us now take a savage, or in other words 
 an untutored hunter, herdsman or navigator ; let 
 us picture to ourselves the scene in which he 
 moves ; let us place ourselves in his situation ; 
 let us lay aside all our experience and informa- 
 tion ; let us think and feel, for the moment, 
 through the single medium of our senses ; let 
 our eyes and ears be active, and let us devest 
 ourselves of eveiy mental resource, but in the 
 impressions that these are able to convey. 
 
 Like the dog and the horse, the stag, and the 
 various animals, whose timidity we remark, man 
 is feeble, and almost defenceless. He holds his 
 life, from moment to moment, dependent on the 
 most trivial accident, and the meanest ene- 
 my. On the plain, in the forest, on the wave, 
 destruction threatens every-where. The thun- 
 der rolls over his head, the tiger lurks in his 
 ambush, the winds drive, the billows yawn, the 
 serpent glides along the bank; life, there- 
 fore, is in danger on every side, and seems to 
 1 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 73 
 
 demand, for its protection, extry species of pre- 
 caution. 
 
 Let us now enter the forest, with our senses 
 only for our instiTictors ; with our simple per- 
 ceptions, uncorrected by experience. Obscure- 
 ly, or otherwise, a body of some magnitude pre- 
 sents itself. What is it ? does it breathe ? can 
 it move ? can it speak ? is it asleep ? is it ma- 
 lignant or beneficent ? — How ai-e these things to 
 be ascertained, without approaching it, with- 
 out speaking to it, vvithout touching it, with- 
 out exposing ourselves to experience its kind- 
 ness or its malevolence ? And would there be 
 no danger in the inquiry ? is not life at stake ? 
 How then shall we inform ourseh es, as to any 
 of the particulars ? How shall ^yt ascertain that 
 this body is a senseless, motionless and power- 
 less rock ? 
 
 But, if our fears repress the movements 
 of our curiosity, ver}' far are they from repress- 
 ing those of the imagination. Every ner\'e is 
 stretched. We are all eye and ear. A breeze 
 whispers, and we hear a voice ; or we listen in 
 vain, and the very silence fills us with terror. 
 We retii'e, with the question still on our lips 
 — What is it ? 
 
 But, let it be ascertained that it is a stone; and 
 the mystery, so far from being unravelled, is 
 increased. Being a stone, how came it^there ? 
 
 ^^ o L . 1 1 . K 
 
74 
 
 TRAVFXS THROUGH PARI 
 
 and who fashioned its gray sides, and gave it 
 that form, and so to say, that countenance which 
 it possesses? Above all things, how came it 
 there ? 
 
 Now, this latter question, instead of being 
 one that a savage, upon any physical principles, 
 may solve with ease, is one in the discussion 
 of which almost no two philosophers will 
 agree. That upon lofty hills, in the depths of 
 antique forests, on a soil of sand or clay, and 
 surrounded by vegetable earth, there should be 
 seen large masses of stone, with smooth and 
 rounded surfaces, and of such weight as to be 
 immovable by any human hand, is surely a 
 phenomenon, the explanation of ^vhich may baf- 
 fle all the efforts of the mere powers of ratioci- 
 nation. 
 
 But, where reason succumbs, the imagination 
 triumphs ; and where the one confesses her weak- 
 ness, the other, disencumbered of a rival, sets 
 no limits to her power. The imagination, 
 therefore, supplies that history for w hich the un- 
 derstanding is at a loss. In reality, to say no- 
 thing of the various theories of philosophers, 
 the multitude, it is to be confessed, has every 
 where attributed the extraordinary works of na- 
 ture to supernatural causes. Geologists may dis- 
 pute upon the production of the rocks of Staffa, 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 75 
 
 whether it was by fire or by water ; but the people 
 are convinced that those rocks Mere built by 
 giants. 
 
 The reasoning, too, of the savage is some- 
 what close, upon these subjects, and not 
 alwavs to be answered without dansrer. We 
 suppose that we convict him of the last excess 
 of absurdity, when we demonstrate, not only 
 that he \vorships the creature for the creator, 
 (or, as he would say, the creator in the creature,) 
 but, that in the list of creatures, he chooses pre- 
 cisely the dullest, the most unsightly, or the 
 most unprofitable. The savage, however, though 
 he admits our premises, is far from allowing 
 the justice of that inference which we draw, so 
 much to the disadvantage of his understanding. 
 
 He considers all things as the work of a sove- 
 reign and disposing hand. Of some, he perceives 
 the design, and is well acquainted with the use. 
 Of others, he is at a loss for both ; and it is exactly 
 here that commence the m}'steiy and the -w^or- 
 ship. If all things are the work of a sovereign 
 and disposing hand, then the dullest, the most 
 unsightly and the most unprofitable are of that 
 hand. But, is there no impiet}- in applving 
 these terms to the \\ork of such a hand '? and 
 if there is no impiety, is there no folly ? Is it 
 ceitain that these things are dull, unsightly and 
 unprofitable, because to us they appear such ? 
 Js our wisdom, our penetration, our rules of 
 
-75 TRAVELS THROUGH PARI 
 
 judging, ever}' thing ? and is the divine wisdom 
 nothing ? In the works of the divinit} , is not 
 the presumption fairer, that they are above our 
 comprehension, than that they are beneath it ? 
 In things, of which we see the design, there is 
 no mj'stery ; but, in things, of which \vg do not 
 see the design, there must be a design which 
 we do not see ; and the concealment constitutes 
 the mystery. If there is no relation to the na- 
 tural world, there must be a relation to the 
 supernatural. — If you stop all this abuse of 
 logic, by representing, that though the great 
 scheme of nature is divine, many of the subor- 
 dinate parts proceed from chance, the savage, at 
 such an avowal, more than suspects you for an 
 atheist. 
 
 If, placing a rock in a lake, or other body of 
 water, we bring to our eyes the numerous appear- 
 ances under which such an object is capable of 
 presenting itself, at different intervals of space, at 
 different hours of the day, and in different states 
 of the air and water, as well as in a ^^ider 
 diversity of circumstances, we shall find sub- 
 jects for a thousand pictures, all fitted for pro- 
 ducing effects, more or less po^verful, on the 
 mind. Look at it, for example, from a distance, 
 while yet you are in doubt m hether it may 
 be a rock, a boat, or rather some fearful 
 inhabitant of the deep ! See it l)lack, and half 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 77 
 
 enveloped with mist ; see it lost in the dark 
 horizon, save that the white wa\es incessantly 
 break over it, before the fury of the storm ; see 
 it cheerless under the dropping clouds, and hear 
 thew^ter-fowl that scream around it; see it gilded 
 by the beams of the morning ; see it reddening in 
 the ray of the west; see it calm at noon, enduring 
 the sun in his zenith, while the vapour dances 
 over its surface ; see it reposing, as it were, on 
 the surface of the glassy wave, at evening ; see 
 its colours fade, as the sun disappears, and see 
 its summit silvered by the moon : under a bank, 
 on the nearest shore, you sit and ponder on its 
 fantastic forms, and listen to the gentle ripple 
 that breaks against its sides. 
 
 Along with this changeful aspect, we ai'e 
 constantly to keep in mind the adjunct of 
 an extreme degree of uncertainty on the ques- 
 tion, whether the object be animate or inani- 
 mate ; an uncertainty frequently increased by its 
 similitude, in point of configuration, to things 
 known to be animate. This similitude, some- 
 times ver}^ perfect, and sometimes aided b} 
 fancy, is so familiar, that amongst our geogra- 
 phical names, none are more frequent than sucli 
 as have this origin : thus we have rocks called 
 the Saints, and others called tlie Martyrs. 
 
 Nor is it only the forms of the rocks them- 
 selves tliat may work upon the imagination ; for 
 
YS TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 the vapours rising round them in the morning, or 
 descending with the night, may in like manner 
 deceive the spectatcw : "I behold my son, O 
 *' Malvina," exclaims Ossian, " near the mossy 
 " rock of Crona ; but it is the mist of the desart, 
 " tinged with the beam of the west : lovely is 
 " the mist that assumes the form of Oscar !"* 
 How readily the mind abandons itself to such a 
 deception, is described with much simplicity 
 by Comala, on being told that Fingal is killed 
 in battle. " Why hast thou told me, Hidallan, 
 " that my hero fell ? I might have hoped a little 
 " while his return, and have thought I saw him 
 ^' on a distant rock; a tree might have deceived 
 " me with his appearance, and the wind of the 
 " hill been the sound of his horn to my ear."t 
 
 * War of Caros. 
 
 t Comala, a Dramatic Poem. 
 A gigantic example of deception, supposed by Os- 
 sian, in the case of Oscar, presents itself, in the nar- 
 rative subjoined, published no longer ago than the au- 
 tumn of 1806, in the Raleigh Register, a newspaper 
 printed in Raleigh, the seat of government in North 
 Carolina. 
 
 The folio-\ving account of an extraordinary phenome- 
 non, that appeared to a number of people in the 
 county of Rutherford, state of North Carolina, was 
 made the 7th of August, 1806, in presence of David 
 Dickie, Esq. of the county and state aforesaid, Jesse 
 Anderson, and the reverend George Newton, of the 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. ^9 
 
 A cause, however, such as may be supposed 
 to rank among the most efficient, still remains 
 
 county of Buncomb, and Miss Betsy Newton, of the 
 state of Georgia, who unanimously agi'eed, with the 
 consent of the rehiters, that Mr. Neviton should com- 
 municate it to Mr. Gales, editor of the Raleigh Re- 
 gister and State Gazette. 
 
 Patsy Reaves, a Avidow woman, Avho lives neai" the 
 Apalachian Mountain, declared, that on the 31st day of 
 July last, about six o'clock, P. M. her daughter Eliza- 
 beth, about eight years old, was in the cotton field, 
 about ten poles from the dwelling-house, which stands 
 by computation six furlongs from the Chimney Moun- 
 tain ; and that Elizabeth told her brother Morgan, aged 
 eleven years, that there was a man on the mountain. 
 Morgan was incredulous at first ; but the little girl af- 
 firmed it, and said she saw him rolling I'ocks, or pick- 
 ing up sticks ; adding, that she saw a heap of people. 
 Morgan then went to the place where she was, and 
 calling out, said, that he saw a thousand or ten thousand 
 things flying in the air. On which, Polly, daughter of 
 Mrs. Reaves, aged fourteen years, and a negro-woman, 
 ran to the children, and called to Mrs. Reaves, to come 
 and see what a sight yonder was. Mrs. Reaves says, 
 she went about five poles towards them ; and, without 
 any sensible alarm or fright, she tiu-ned toward the 
 Chimney Mountain, and discovered a very numerous 
 crowd of beings, resembling the human species ; but 
 could not discern any particular members of the hu- 
 man body, nor distinction of sexes ; that they were of 
 every size, from the tallest men down to the least in- 
 fants ; that there Avere more of the small than of the 
 full grown ; that they Avere all rlad with brilliant white 
 
grv TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 unnoticed ; and this is, the effect of rocks, as 
 intervening and opposing bodies, in producing 
 
 raiment, but could not describe any form of their rai- 
 ment; that they appeared to rise off the side of a 
 mountain south of said rock, and about as high ; that a 
 considerable part of the mountain's top was visible above 
 this shining host ; that they moved in a northern di- 
 rection, and collected about the Chimney Rock. When 
 all but a few had reached said rock, two seemed to rise 
 together ; and behind them, about two feet, a third 
 rose. These three moved with great haste toward 
 the crowd, and had the nearest resemblance to men, of 
 any before seen. While beholding those three, her 
 eyes were attracted by three more, rising nearly from the 
 same place, and moving swiftly in the same order and 
 direction. After these, several others rose, and weni 
 towards the rock. 
 
 During this view, which all the spectators thought 
 lasted upward of an hour, she sent for Mr. Robert 
 Siercy, who did not come at first: on a second mes- 
 sage, sent about fifteen minutes after the first, Mr. 
 Siercy came; and, being now before us, he gives the 
 following relation, to the substance of wliich Mrs. 
 Reaves agrees. 
 
 Mr. Siercy says, Avhen he was coming, he expected 
 to see nothing extraordinary ; and when come, being- 
 asked if he saw those people on the mountain, he an- 
 swered, no ; but, on looking a second time, he said, he 
 saw more glittering white appearances, of human kind, 
 than ever he had seen of men, at any general review ; 
 that they were of all sizes, from that of men to infants : 
 that they moved in throngs round a large rock not fai- 
 froiTi the Chimney Rock ; they were abwit the height 
 
OF THE UNlf ED STATES. 
 
 81 
 
 eddies and currents of wind. Now, whether 
 we consider these currents, as operating by the 
 mere laws of nature, or as directed by an invi- 
 
 of the Chimney Rock, and moved in a semi-circular 
 course, between him and the rock ; and so passed along 
 in a southern course, between him and the mountain, 
 to the place where Mrs. Reaves said they rose; and that 
 two, of a full size, went before the general crowd, about 
 the space of twenty yards ; and, as they respectively 
 came to this place, they vanished out of sight, leaving 
 a solemn and pleasing impression on the mind, accom- 
 panied with a diminution of bodily strength. 
 
 Whether the above be accountable on philosopliical 
 principles, or whether it be a prelude to the descent 
 of the Holy City, I leave to the impartially curious to 
 judge. 
 
 GEORGE NEWTON, 
 
 P. S. The above subscriber has been informed, that 
 on the same evening, and about the same time in which 
 the above phenomenon appeared, there was seen, by a 
 gentleman of character, who was several miles distant 
 from the place, a bright rainbow, apparently near the 
 sun, then in the Avest, where there was no appearance of 
 either clouds or rain; but a haze in the atmosphere. 
 The public are therefore at liberty to judge, whether the 
 phenomenon had any thing supernatural in it, or whe,- 
 ther it was some unusual exhalation, or moist vapour, 
 from the side of the mountain, which exhibited such an 
 unuSual rainbow. 
 
 G. N. 
 
 vol. II. Is 
 
g2 TRAVELS THItOUGH PxVUT 
 
 sible and offended deity, the physical force, and 
 the consequent danger, are the same. 
 
 This danger is most imminent on the water ; 
 and in all the examples to be met with, where 
 the spirits of rocks seated amid waves have 
 conceived offence, a fatal stoiTn has followed. 
 Such is the expected result on Lake Superieur, 
 should the rock of Naniboju or Mishabu be 
 nearlected or insulted. It was bv a sudden 
 gust of wind that the Dutch governor perished in 
 Lake Ontaiio, shortly after his offending the 
 spirit of the rock ; and similar consequences 
 are menaced, should the rock in Lake Champ- 
 lain be passed by sconiers, bold enough to 
 brave its vengeance. The physical effect of a 
 large rock upon the wind will not be called 
 in question ; a gust may really be produ- 
 ced ; and nothing more than this is necessarj'', 
 for supporting the imagination in the be- 
 lief, that a storm, sweeping over a hundred 
 leagues of ocean, proceeds from the same source. 
 It is also matter of fact, as history in numerous 
 eases sufficiently proves, that the course of 
 events is often such as to appear to testify to the 
 truth of the wildest doctrines. The writer 
 that I have quoted, as to the rock in Lake 
 Superieur, was himself a visitor of that rock ; 
 he saw the sacrifices of the Indians there ; he 
 was informed that without those sacrifices the 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. go 
 
 severest evils were likely to befall such as navi^ 
 gated or fished in the lake ; yet, as may be sup- 
 posed, he neglected the sacrifices ; and tlie 
 event was such as generations might hand 
 down, in proof of the existence, the power, the 
 jealousy and the justice of the gods. He landed 
 at this island, in his passage across the lake. 
 The lake is here nanx)^v ; the vovasre was ex- 
 pected to be a short one ; and, relying on his 
 nets for subsistence, neither himself, nor the four 
 other persons in his canoe, had more than a 
 quart of maize each, on hand. At landing, he 
 set his net. In die night, diere arose a storm, 
 which, for nearly three days, continued so aIo- 
 lent that the net could not be visited. On the 
 evening of the third day, it abated ; the net was 
 tlie first object of solicitude ; but it was gone ! 
 The nearest port was Michipicoten, whence he 
 had come ; but the next morning the wind was 
 ahead, and he had no choice but to continue his 
 voyage to the Sault Sainte- Marie. The same 
 evening, however, the wind veered into the op- 
 posite quarter, and its violence compelled him 
 to remain nine da}'s on the solitaiy and inhospi- 
 table shore on which he had sought a second 
 asylum. The waves broke incessantly on the 
 beach, and it was not practicable to put a canoe 
 into the water. 
 
g^ niAVELS THROUGH VWIV 
 
 \i the beginning of this period of nine days, 
 the part}- had not maize enongh for one ; and 
 this sniiill remainder was consumed on the fnst 
 evening, in the expectation of a happv \ oyagv, 
 in the moniintr. For tlie first and second davs, 
 the writer ^■ainly ranged tlie mountains with his 
 gun : on the third, he was too weak to go man)' 
 yards A\ithotit stopping to R"st ; ho^^e^•er, he 
 shot t\\ o small birds, of the size of larks. In 
 his absence, two of his men seriously resolved 
 on killing and eating a young woman that ^\"as 
 of the part}- ; and nothing preAcnted this act of 
 cannibalism, but his discovery of a lichen, call- 
 ed, by the Canadians, from its edible quality, 
 tripe de roche. On this misemble focxl the 
 party subsisted, till the morning of the tenth 
 day. — It might be added, by an Indian historian, 
 that the tripe de roche is itself a creation of 
 jVIishabu's, produced on a very piulicular occa- 
 sion ; and its discover}' at this time, and under 
 all the circumstances, might be shoA\ n to lun e 
 proceeded, at once in mercy and in reprcwf, 
 from the offended deity. — It is in this manner 
 that history often lends itself to the cause of 
 superstition. 
 
 But, A\e have hitherto limited our review, 
 iilmost exclusively, to the simple phenomenons 
 of nature, and their direct impressions, taking 
 but little notice of tlie combinations eftected in 
 
(mruR USlTFJi hTATPJi. 35 
 
 the mind, or of the inventions and complex ideas 
 that result from them, and particularly of dreams. 
 Dreams, ncAertheless, are important objects m 
 the histor)' of mankind, and have always hiid great 
 influence up<jn their belief of facts ar;d principles. 
 From whatever cause it came originally to be 
 supposed, that stfjnes or rocks were the resort or 
 habitations of gods, it is clear that dreams have 
 serv cd to establish the faith. It is clear that it 
 became a matter of popular belief, that such 
 as knowingly or unknowingly slept in or near 
 sacred places, of whatever descrij)tion, would be 
 visited by the spirits to which they are sacred. 
 Now, dreams, in the same popular belief, are no 
 other than immediate communications with 
 those spirits, whether ghosts or gods ; and hence 
 they are taken for express revelations. 
 
 " Dreams, with them," (the North American. 
 Indians,) sijys a writer who labours hard to 
 make it believed that those people have no reli- 
 gion, *' Dreams, vvitli them, supply all otho 
 " defects, and serve instead of prophecy, inspi- 
 " ration, laws, commands and rules, either for 
 " undertakings in war, peace, trade or hunting : 
 " nay, they are a kind of oracles in their eyes. 
 " You would sa} , to see them at their devotions, 
 " that they were of the sect of the pretended 
 " inspired. The belief they have in their dreams, 
 " imposes upon them a kind of necessity of be- 
 
86 
 
 I RA\TiLS THROUGH PART 
 
 *' liev ing likewise, that they are forewarned, by 
 " a Universal Mind, of what they ought to do 
 " or avoid. Nay, this infatuation prevails upon 
 " them so far, that if they were persuaded in 
 " their dreams to kill a man, or commit any 
 " other enormous crime, they would immediately 
 " do it, with the greatest alacrity, and make 
 *' atonement for it by the means which we shall 
 " hereafter relate. 
 
 " Parents' dreams generally serve for the ob- 
 " servation of their children, and captains' for 
 " those of their village. There are among 
 " them those who pretend to interpret dreams, 
 ^' but which they explain either according to 
 " their fancies, or their pleasure ; and if they 
 " happen to be in the wrong, they are rieverthe- 
 " less not looked upon to be the less skilful for 
 " all that."* 
 
 But, in whatever way the veneration for natu- 
 i-al rocks and masses of stone commenced, the 
 progress of superstition gave it extent beyond 
 these bounds, and made every consecrated stone, 
 or stone set apart even for a human memorial, a 
 seat of dreams and of spirits. In the poenpi of 
 Colna-dona, Ossian gives an account of the set- 
 ting up a stone for a historical monument, an 
 
 * Hennepin's Continuation of a New Discovery, &c. 
 Doue into Ent^flish. London, 1698. Chap. xiii. 
 
OP TIIE UNITED STATES. 37 
 
 act which is no sooner performed, than we find 
 that the stone is attended by its spirits: " Prone, 
 *' from the stormy night, the traveller shall layhim 
 " by thy side ; thy whistling moss shall sound 
 " in his ears ; the years that are past sliall re- 
 " turn. Battles rise before him ; blue-shielded 
 " kings descend to war; the darkened moon 
 " looks from heaven on the troubled field. He 
 *' shall burst with morning from dreams, and 
 *' see the tombs of warriors around. He shall 
 " ask about the stone." 
 
 From stones artificially placed, we may recur 
 to the Heaps of Stones, of which an admission 
 into the general history of Stones of Power has 
 been above proposed. Many of these heaps 
 were raised as historical monuments ; but seme 
 were certainly sacred to the gods ; and all were 
 frequented by spirits, either gods or ghosts. It 
 was a useful practice in the north of Europe, to 
 raise such heaps where a murder had been com- 
 mitted ; but the scene of such an event is finely 
 described by Ossian ; " Ghosts are seen there 
 " at noon ; tlie valley is silent ; and the people 
 *' shun the place of Lamor."* 
 
 But, other heaps were raised for, and consc^- 
 crated to, the gods. In the country of the Six 
 Nations, there are such heaps, upon which evcr\ 
 one that passes throws an additional stone. Tli.- 
 
 * The War of Cams. 
 
88 
 
 "fKAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 reason has been asked for in vain ; or this answer 
 alone obtained, that it is held to be a duty. 
 
 But, the duty universally inculcated, has been 
 that of constant and multiplied offerings, made 
 at the stone or place of the divinity worshipped, 
 either when passed on ordinary avocations, or 
 more especially at the time of any supplica- 
 tion or address. In general, in all cases of 
 vows, libations were to be performed ; but liba- 
 tions are not in all situations practicable, and 
 other practices therefore must be adopted, to 
 satisfy the desires of devotion. In America, 
 and in many other parts of the world, a de- 
 posit of flowers and branches, on these occasions, 
 has taken the place of libations ; and in tracts 
 of country where great stones are not naturally 
 found, the thi'owing of additional stones upon 
 the heap may be regarded as an act of piety, not 
 less acceptable than the pouring of oil or wine. 
 
 Resources of this sort bring us, as I sus- 
 pect by the proper route, to the last item in the 
 list of Stones of Power ; namely, stone idols, 
 fashioned by the hand of the sculptor. 
 
 Mr. Macpherson supposes the Stone of Power, 
 inclosed by the circle of Loda, to be " an image 
 " of one of the Scandinavian deities ;" but in 
 this he is certainly deceived. Images are whollv 
 out of the question. Stones of Power arc 
 representatives of gods, but not representations ; 
 J 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES gp 
 
 UiOLig-h it is highly probable that the one has at 
 times melted into the other. The eyes, nose and 
 mouth, said to be formed on the pyramidal 
 stone of Jagranaut, may be considered as be- 
 longing to the intermediate period ; and advan- 
 ces of this kind are common among the North 
 American Indians. The stone idols of the In- 
 dians, says a real observer, are so destitute of 
 workmanship, as not to be known for what thej- 
 are, unless by those acquainted with their style : 
 " In a tract of sixty miles long, and eighty 
 " wide, I have found, and been informed, of 
 " above a dozen of these stone idols, some of 
 " which I should scarcely have thought of as 
 " fashioned by human art, but for two or tlii'ee 
 " indubitable ones."* 
 
 The suggestion, by Mr. Macpherson, that the 
 Stone of Power was an imagCy is exactly of that 
 species of error against which we are to be on 
 our guard, in all our conceptions of the things 
 that belong to the ruder stages of society. We 
 must wholly release our minds from the associa- 
 tions arising from our acquaintance with the arts, 
 and consider, in their true extent, the materials 
 and die means that are within tlie reach of men 
 
 * MS of the late Dr. Stiles, President of Yale College 
 in Connecticut. 
 
 VOL. II. M 
 
9Q TRAVELS THROUGH PART, &c 
 
 who set up monuments, not with the skill of 
 statuaries or masons, but with naked hands, di- 
 rected only by the affections. Something also 
 might be said, to show that the worship of a 
 misshapen stone is a more primitive and a purer 
 idolatry, than the worship of an image : the 
 one may be the work of a god, but the other is 
 known to be the work of a man. 
 
 The same error, the influence of the same 
 prejudice, has induced Mr. Bryant to make a 
 pillar of the Stone of Saturn. We are told that 
 Jacob also set up the stone on which he slept 
 for a pillar. Nothing is more whimsical than 
 the application of this word pillar^ as we meet 
 with it in different books, comprehending, 
 at the pleasure of the writers, a great variety of 
 objects, the most dissimilar in their appear- 
 ance. If the reader is willing to renounce, for 
 a moment, the whole set of ideas that he may 
 have acquired from Palladio, and see what it is 
 rudely to set up a pillar^ let him turn to the 
 scene lately referred to, in the poem of Colna- 
 dona. 
 
CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 The same^ continued. 
 
 TO call to mind the physical relationship 
 between rocks and winds, is, however, to ad- 
 vance only an intermediate step, in our pursuit 
 of the relationship between rocks and gods. 
 But what remains is of small labour — the task 
 of showing the close union that has subsisted 
 in the human imagination between the gods 
 and winds. 
 
 " A blast came from the moujitain, and bore 
 " on its wings the spirit of Loda." It is in this 
 manner that the spirit is introduced, in the nar- 
 rative above recited ; and it may be observed, 
 that Ossian never presents either a god or a 
 ghost, unaccompanied by some phenomenon of 
 the element of air ; and, that he even denomi- 
 nates the gods indifterently spirits of heaven and 
 sons of the witid.* 
 
 Cuchullin, in the third book of Fingal, re- 
 lates an extravagant legend concerning the 
 prowess of his great progenitor, exhibited in an 
 assault upon one of the sons of the wind : 
 '' Cormar wasthe first of my race. He sported 
 
 * In the New Testament, Satan is called the priiire of 
 the fwiver of the air. 
 
92 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PARI 
 
 " through the storms of the waves. His black 
 " skiff bounded on ocean, and travelled on the 
 " wings of the blast. A spirit once embroiled 
 " the night. Seas swell, and rocks resound. 
 " Winds drive along the clouds. The light- 
 " ning flies on wings of fire. He feared, and 
 " came to land ; — then blushed that he had 
 " feared at all. He rushed again among the 
 " waves, to find the son of the wind. Three 
 " youths guide the bounding bark ; he stood 
 " with ihe sword unsheathed. When the low- 
 " hung vapour passed, he took it by the curl- 
 " ing head, and searched its dark womb with 
 " his steel. The so7i of the wind forsook the 
 " air. The moon and stars returned."— But, 
 a passage immediately preceding discovers to 
 us, that the appellations, o^ spirits of heaven and 
 sons of the wind, are employed for the same, 
 order of beings : " Show thy face from the 
 " cloud, O moon ! light his white sails on the 
 " wave of the niglit ! and if any strong spirit of 
 " heaven sits, on that low -hung cloud, turn his 
 "dark ship from the rock, thou rider of the 
 " storm /" In another place, we see the spirits 
 of heaven presented as governors of the winds : 
 " He rejoiced, like a spirit of heaven, whose 
 " steps come forth on his seas, when he be- 
 " holds them peaceful round, and all the winds 
 *' are laid : but soon he awakes the waves. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 93 
 
 " and rolls them large to some echoing coast."* 
 Fillan is said to be " Like a spirit of heaven, 
 " that descends from the skirt of his blast : the 
 " troubled ocean feels his steps, as he strides 
 " from wave to wave : his path kindles behind 
 " him ; islands shake their heads on the heaving 
 " seas."t In the following, the picture is still 
 more complete : "So rise the green seas round 
 " a spirit that comes down from the squally 
 " wind : the traveller hears the sound afar, and 
 " lifts his head over the rock : he looks on 
 " the troubled bay, and thinks he dimly sees 
 *' the form : the waves sport unwieldy around, 
 " with all their backs of foam."| 
 
 But, are these so7is of the wind, called also 
 the spirits of heaven, the noblest of the gods of 
 Ossian ? — It is evident that they are ; that 
 their control of the winds is but one of the 
 effects of their power ; that they direct the fate 
 of nations ; and that though they present them- 
 selves to men only with the envclopement of 
 gloom and clouds, and storms and terrors, yet 
 they are themselves the glorious inhabitants of 
 peaceful and effulgent skies : in common with the 
 spirit of Loda, their dwelling is calm above the 
 clouds ; the fields of their rest are pleasant. 
 Such is the picture in the third book of Temo- 
 
 * Temora, book iv. t Ibid, book v. 
 \ Ibid, book viii. 
 
94 I'KAVELS THROUGH PAliT 
 
 ra : " They were like two spirits of heaven, 
 " standing each on his gloomy cloud, when 
 " they pour abroad the winds, and lift the roar- 
 " ing seas : the blue-tumbling of waves is be- 
 " fore them, marked with the path of whales : 
 " themselves are calm and bright, and the gale 
 " lifts their locks of mist." Fingal calls the 
 spirit of Loda a son of the ivincl ; yet, in addi- 
 tion to the spirit's own boasts of his power, we 
 are elsewhere told, that " he comes in the roar of 
 " a thousand storms, and scatters battles from 
 " his eyes: he sits on a cloud over Lochlin's 
 " seas ; his might}^ hand is on his sword, and 
 " the winds lift his flaming locks."* 
 
 On the passage, cited from the poem of Car- 
 ric-thura, and containing the history of Fingal's 
 combat with the spirit of Loda, Mr. Macpher- 
 son has a remark, the import of which it appears 
 somewhat difficult to understand. He asserts, 
 " that it lets us into Ossian's notions of a supe- 
 " rior being; and shows that he was not ad- 
 " dieted to the superstition which prevailed 
 *' all the world over, before the introduction 
 " of Christianity ;" but does he mean to say, that 
 Ossian disbelieved in the existence of superior 
 beings^ and that the belief in them was the su- 
 perstition which prevailed ? That Ossian did not 
 believe the spirit of Loda to be a superior be- 
 
 * Death of Cucluillin, a poem". 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 95 
 
 ing, is evident from his storj^ ; as also that he 
 denied the superiority of the sons of the wind in 
 general : " I never fled," says Fingal, " from 
 " mighty ?nen ; and shall the sons of the wind 
 " frighten the king of Morven ?" 
 
 In another place, on the prayer addressed to 
 " any strong spirit of heaven," Mr. Macpherson 
 observes, " This is the only passage in the po- 
 " em that has the appearance of religion. But 
 " Cuchnllin's apostrophe to this spirit is accom- 
 " panied with a doubt ;^ so that it is not easy to 
 " determine whether the hero meant a superior 
 " being, or the ghosts of deceased warriors ?" 
 
 Here, we are involved in a degree of confu- 
 sion, from which it will not be altogether a di- 
 gression to endeavour to extricate ourselves, 
 since it is only by so doing that we can properly 
 understand the history of the sons of the wind, 
 and of their Stones of Power. 
 
 There is often much difficulty in sepai'ating 
 the doctrines of paganism, as to its gods, its de- 
 
 * The doubt expi-cssed in the text, by the condi- 
 tional //, is surely misrepresented by the commentator. 
 The doubt is not as to the existence of the spirits of 
 heaven, but as to the accidental presence of one of 
 these spirits, in the particular cloud to Avhich the poet 
 refers : " And if any strong spirit of heaven sits on 
 " that low-hung cloud, turn his dark ship from the rock. 
 " thou rider of the storm I'' 
 
^Q TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 mons and its ghosts. Many mythologists teach, 
 that the gods are but deified men ; but the demons 
 are plainly spirits of mortal origin; and the ghosts 
 participate in the attributes both of gods and de- 
 mons. Ossian calls all the spirits with which 
 he is acquainted by the common title of sons of 
 the wind. 
 
 What is the origin of the demons, and what is 
 the magnitude of their power, appears from the 
 account of Hesiod : 
 
 WHEN gods alike and mortals rose to birth, 
 A golden race th' immortals formed on earth 
 Of many-languaged men : they lived of old, 
 When Saturn reigned in heaven — an age of gold. 
 
 ***** 
 When on this race the verdant earth had lain, 
 By Jove's high will, they rose, a genii -train : 
 Earth-wandering demons, they their charge began, 
 The ministers of good, and guards of man: 
 Veiled with a mantle of aerial night. 
 O'er earth's wide space they wing their hov'ring flight ; 
 Dispense the fertile treasures of the ground, 
 And bend their all-observant glance around ; 
 To mark the deed unjust, the just approve, 
 Their kingly office delegate from Jove. 
 
 The period assigned by the poet for the rise of 
 this reign of the demons or genii, is the silver 
 age ; an age in the account of which, says Mr. 
 Bryant, we have a just history of the rise of ido- 
 latry — when deified men had first divine honours 
 paid to them. 2 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. g-f 
 
 But, to this theory of the rise of idolatry, that is, 
 of the worship of false gods, there is perhaps little 
 reason that we should yield. The first worship 
 appears to have been a polytheism ; an adoration 
 of a multitude of gods ; of gods properly so 
 called ; not of mortal name nor origin, but sim- 
 ply powers and intelligences, and, as Hesiod cha- 
 racterizes them, dispensing good. 
 
 But, to their unavoidable belief in the provi- 
 dence of the gods, men added another belief, 
 equally primitive and universal ; the belief in the 
 immortality of the soul. Of the immortality of 
 the soul, a corollary is the belief in the apparition 
 of ghosts.* Now, it may be suspected, that 
 from this simple source alone, proceeded the 
 doctrine of demons ; subdivided, as it is, into those 
 of demons, genii, fairies, and perhaps others ; 
 and the doctrine of the gods, properly so called. 
 
 In the verses of Hesiod, we see with how 
 many attributes of divinity the demons are 
 arrayed. The demons, therefore, make a near 
 approach to gods ; and we can easily show 
 that ghosts make a near approach to demons, 
 if not to gods also. 
 
 The demons of Hesiod move, like the ghosts 
 of Ossian, on winds and in mists. The ghost of 
 
 * A corollarij^ says Dr. Johnson, seems to be a con- 
 oliisionj whether following from the premises neeessa'- 
 rily or not. 
 
 ^Oh. II. ^: 
 
gg TKAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 Trenmor, like the spirit of Loda, is described 
 by the epithet of terrible : " Fingal rushed on 
 " in his strength, terrible as the spirit of Tren^ 
 " mor, when, in a M^hirlwind, he comes to Mor- 
 " ven, to seethe children of his pride."* The 
 guardian angels or demons of the Roman 
 church are in a particular manner invoked for 
 their superintendance at the hour of death ; 
 and Ossian's ghosts had the tender office of 
 bearing away the souls of their progeny, 
 when they saw their lives terminating in afflic- 
 tion J " Spirit of departed Conmor," exclaims 
 Sulmalla, " are thy steps on the bosom of 
 " winds? Comest thou at times to other lands, 
 " father of sad Sulmalla ? Thou dost come ; 
 " for I have heard thy voice at night, while yet 
 " I rose on the wave, to streamy Inisfail ! The 
 " ghost of fathers, they say, can seize the 
 " souls of the race, while they behold them 
 " lonely in the midst of wo. Call me, my 
 " father, when the king is low on earth ; for 
 " then I shall be lonely in the midst of wo !"t 
 
 * Fingal, book iii. 
 
 t Temora, book iv. The belief upon which this 
 prayer is founded is common, according to Mr. Mac- 
 pherson, among the vulgar of Scotland, to this day. 
 
 " Are you aware," says a modern writer on the wor- 
 ship of the Guardian Angels, " that this loving mother (the 
 •' Virgin Mary) often sends angels to attend the deaths 
 " of her children ? — The annals of her congregations 
 *' afford testimonies of the fact. A virtuous mem- 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES p9 
 
 Nor was the ministry of ghosts confined to par- 
 ticular persons, or occasions : " O 3'e ghosts of 
 
 " ber of a certain congregation, three days be- 
 " fore his death, saw two angels enter his chamber, 
 " by broad day-light. One, that was his guardian 
 " angel, told him, that he was come in conformity with 
 " his duty; and the other, specially deputed by the Vir- 
 " gin, added, that he brought him the happy news of his 
 " death, which was fixed for three o'clock on the Sa- 
 " turday following ; and at the same time the news of his 
 " predestination to abeatified eternity. The young man 
 " died at the hour assigned, and obtained another son 
 " for his father, according to his express promise before 
 " his death, made on beholding the latter extremely 
 " afflicted at losing an only son, whom he tenderly 
 " loved." " S^avez-vous bien que cette aimable mere en- 
 " voie sQuvent des anges a la mort de ses enfans ? Les 
 " annates de ses congregations en font foi. Un con- 
 " gregayiiste vertiteux; trots Jours avant sa 7nort, x>il 
 " entrer dans sa c/iambre^ deux anges en jdvin jow\ 
 " dont I'unj gut etait son gardien, lui dit qu'il venaU 
 " s'acquitter de son de-voir ; et rautre, envoye par la 
 " Fierge, ajouta qu'il lui afiportait Vheureuse nouvelle de sa 
 " mort, pour les trois heures du Samedi suivant, et celle 
 " de aa predestination a la vie bien heureuse. En effet„ il 
 " mourut an meme temps, et impetrn un autre Jils a son 
 " pere, comme il le lui avait promis expressement avant 
 " que de mourir, le voyant sensiblement afflige de perdrc 
 " unjils unique qu'il aimait avec tendresse." La De- 
 votion Aux S S. Anges Gardiens. " Favours of 
 " this kind," observes the writer, " are of such daily 
 " occurrence from the guardian angels, that I could 
 " recount a large number," — Again : " Miracles of this 
 " kind happen daily, and io hundreds and hundreds of 
 
IQQ THA\ELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " heroes dead, ye riders of the storm of Crom- 
 " la ! receive my people with joy, and bring- 
 " them to your hills !"* 
 
 If, then, we look either to the origin or the 
 ofiice of the demons, we find them only a su- 
 perior order of ghosts, the ghosts of nien of the 
 earlier generations, ghosts of an obscurer histo- 
 ry, and almost elevated into gods. Now, the 
 doctrine of demons is not universal ; and there 
 appears to be no trace of it in Ossian. All his 
 ghosts are modem ghosts ; but their rank, in 
 the scale of divinity, is not for that reason the 
 lower. We find them exercising not only a 
 demon-like influence over sublunai^v aflfairs, 
 but filling the seats of heaven, and distribu- 
 ting rewards and punishments to disembodied 
 spirits. In a magnificent view, which is pre- 
 sented to us by Fingal, of the future reward of 
 virtue, and entrance of the just into paradise, it 
 is from the spirits of his fathers alone that he 
 looks for beatification : " But mine arm," says 
 the hero, " rescued the feeble ; the haughty 
 " found my rage was fire ; never over the fallen 
 " did mine eye rejoice. For this, my fathers 
 " shall meet me, at the gates of their airy halls, 
 " tall, with robes of light, with mildly -kindled 
 '* eyes. But, to the proud in arms, they are 
 
 " persons." — The guardian angels are styled lords, 
 grinces, and princes of the court of God. 
 * Finsfal, book iv. 
 
OB THE UNITED STATES. IQJ 
 
 " darkened moons in heaven, Mhich send the 
 " fire of night red-Avandering over their face."* 
 
 All men, who believe in the manifestations of 
 the spirits of the dead, ascribe to those spirits 
 the jxjssession of power ; and in the poets, who 
 are the true historians of the popular faith, we find 
 the nature of one class of spirits, or ghosts, great- 
 ly confounded with the nature of the other class, 
 or gods. But if ghosts are invested with the 
 powers of gods, then ghosts become objects of 
 worship ; for the question, how, when or by 
 whom, the earth and its fruits were created, are 
 of small interest to the multitude ; but the ques- 
 tions, how, when and through whom the earth 
 will yield its fruits, are those which affect it 
 strongly, and govern all its hopes and fears. If, 
 as the fact seems to be, there be gi^en to the 
 ghosts the moral as well as physical government 
 of the world, and even the destinies of the im- 
 mortal soul, why then, for the multitude, the 
 ghosts are gods. 
 
 But, ghosts being considered as Ave here be- 
 hold them, we shall be at no loss to account for 
 any confusion that may appeal", between the attri- 
 butes properly their own, and those that they are 
 suffered to usurp from gods : we see, that in 
 common with the gods, they manifested them- 
 selves in visions, moved in clouds and on die 
 
 * Teanora, book viii. 
 
JQ2 TRAA'ELS 1 HROUGH PARI' 
 
 winds, and were called, in common too with 
 them, sons of night and of the winds. 
 
 That, amid these theological errors, there was 
 no religion^ will hardly be asserted, after listen- 
 ing to the faith and the hopes of Fingal ; for 
 religion is virtue, practised through fear or 
 through piety, in supposed obedience to the law 
 of heaven, and in expectation of future rewards 
 and punishments. If we were asked, however, 
 in what degree, and upon what points, Fingal ac- 
 knowledged the government of the gods, in the 
 affairs of the earth, the answer might be less 
 easy or less satisfactory. From many pas- 
 sages in the poems of Ossian, it may be thought 
 to appear that there was a large mixture, preva- 
 lent in his age, of credulity on the one hand, and 
 of scepticism on the other. Even ghosts, by 
 some, were treated with little reverence : " Hast 
 " thou inquired where is his cave," says Cu- 
 chullin, " the house of the feeble son of the 
 " wind ? My sword might find that voice, and 
 " force his knowledge from him. And small 
 " is his knowledge, Connal ! for he was here 
 " [alive] to-day : he could not have gone be- 
 " yond our hills ; and who could tell him there 
 " of our death ?" — But Ossian condemns this 
 doctrine : " Ghosts fly on clouds, and ride on 
 " winds," said ConnaVs voice of wisdom : " they 
 " rest together in their caves, and talk of mor- 
 *' tal men." — Yet, on the whole, Ossian unquesv 
 
OlP THE UNITED STATES. ;[Q3 
 
 tionably inculcates, that man has no intercourse 
 on earth with any being of strength superior to 
 his own ; and in this respect we perceive a free- 
 dom from vulgar superstition. Further, he ac- 
 knowledges, in the heaven of the just, no beings 
 of more importance than the ghosts of his fa- 
 thers. Whether or not these doctrines neces- 
 sarily involve atheism, is another question. 
 
 Thus, then, paganism teaches what may be 
 called a psycho-theology, embracing the gods, 
 (styled by the Greeks exclusively the Immor- 
 tals,) and demons or ghosts, the souls of men, 
 exalted. Men, say our mythologists, have been 
 deified ; but it may be worth while to observe, 
 in what manner, and from what causes. Priest- 
 craft is the usual agent to which religious impos- 
 tures are ascribed ; but sufficient attention is not 
 made to the operation of a long lapse of ages, 
 to the absence of letters, to the multiplication 
 and intermixture of traditions, and to the crea- 
 tions of the popular fancy : in general, the priest 
 teaches what the people believe. 
 
 We see that, in every particular, ghosts are 
 likened to gods. Like the gods, they appear 
 in visions, and this in similar situations: " Seven 
 " nights, Fillan laid his head on the tomb, and 
 " saw his father in his dreams."* When Con- 
 nal saw the ghost of Crugal in his sleep, " a 
 " stone^ with its moss, supported his head."! 
 
 * Temora, book iii. t Fingal, book ii. 
 
104 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 When Ossian foretels that spirits will visit the 
 slumbers of the traveller that shall lay him by 
 the side of the stone of Crona, the spirits 
 mentioned are not gods, but blue-shielded 
 kings. Now, might it not happen, that in all 
 these dreams, some venerable ghost became, from 
 time totime, confounded with the person of a god? 
 Might it not happen, for instance, that near the 
 Stone of Power of some god, a dreamer should 
 dream that an antique ghost, a blue-shielded 
 king, known no more than the god, except by 
 name, presented himself to his view, assuming 
 the language of the god, and bearing the linea- 
 ments of the man ? And might not such a story 
 warrant the belief, that this blue-shielded king- 
 was in reality a god ? — It has been said, that the 
 Cabiric Mysteries were instituted, in order to 
 conceal from the people the fraud of worship- 
 ping men for gods ; but such a project had been 
 more contemptible than needless ; there never 
 was a dearth of gods ; and the people 'w^ere the 
 first makers of gods, and they gave the first hint 
 for mysteries. 
 
 As to the entire circle of the splendid, and in 
 many particulars enchanting mythology of clas- 
 sic antiquity, there is assuredly no single clew, 
 by the aid of which its labyrinths may be ex- 
 plored. Some represent it as filled with the 
 events of history, and some as the depositoiy of 
 1 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. ]^Q5 
 
 the depths of science ; but in truth it is probably 
 composed, not only both of history" and science, 
 but both of fable and ignorance, andall the contra- 
 rieties which many ages and countries, many con- 
 ditions of society, and many descriptions of men, 
 have been able to heap together. Some see, in 
 the bull Apis, a king of the Argives who was a pa- 
 tron of the plough, and think the crescent sacred, 
 because it resembles thehoiTis; while others think 
 that the merit of the crescent consists in its resem- 
 blance to the id'k, and make Apis a god only be- 
 cause his horns bear a resemblance to the crescent: 
 a third party see the original sanctity in the bull, 
 as the beast that draws the plough, and alloAV but 
 a secondary claim to the moon, for her resem- 
 blance to his horns : and all may be in the right ; 
 because to a symbol, once received into repute, 
 it was an easy task to appl}' many significa- 
 tions. In like manner, Saturn is called, now a 
 king of Italy, now Chronos, now Noah, and 
 now the father of the gods ; but it may be sus- 
 pected, that in his original godhead, he was no 
 more than wliat the Algonquin Indians call a 
 manito, and worship at a Stone of Power. All 
 the rest is the superaddition of ages. 
 
 For what were these gods, these Immortals, 
 born only of the prim.al parts of nature ?-f^ what 
 vciivc the}- but so7is of the ivindy that is. spirite 
 
 * Hcsiod's Theog:onv 
 VOL. ir. o 
 
106 
 
 rilAVELS THKOUGII PARI 
 
 fiding on the wind, spirits enfolded in mists, and 
 resorting to caves, but bright themselves^ and 
 liaving their abodes calm above the clouds ? 
 
 The progress of arts and luxury, in Greece, 
 imparted by degrees to its gods all the appen- 
 dages of wealth. Then they had their golden 
 couches and their palaces of marble ; but there 
 was a time, when, in the caves of Mount Olym- 
 pus, they could have said no more, than with the 
 spirit of Loda, that the fields of their rest were 
 pleasant. 
 
 The caves of Mount Olympus, in the mean 
 time, were nothing better than the caves and the 
 mounts that Ossian assigns to his ghosts ; caves, 
 however, in which both ghosts and gods have 
 been invoked, and in ^vhich they have imparted 
 their knowledge of the present and the future : 
 " What cave of the hill," says Cormal, to the 
 ghost of Crugal, " is thy lonely house ?" 
 
 If, in dismissing the gods from further consi- 
 deration, we finally demimd the cause of that 
 association w^hich we have observed among men, 
 of their ideas of the divine nature, with their ideas 
 of the winds, we have to seek it only in the resem- 
 blance of the phenomenons of the winds, to some 
 of the phenomenons of animal life ; and pai-ticu- 
 larly the phenomenons of sound and motion, 
 both usually indicating the presence of some 
 living thing. Wherever there is motion, it is 
 iiatural to believe that there is animal life ; and 
 
OP THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 107 
 
 it is experience alowe that can teach iis discrimi- 
 nation. So also, if we hear the voice of a song- 
 ster, we are convinced, upon the single testimo- 
 ny of our ears, that a songster is at hand ; and in 
 like manner, if we believe that we hear the voice 
 of a god, we come to an answerable conclusion. 
 But, the sighs, the whispers and the murmur- 
 ings of the gale are familiar to our speech ; and 
 so are the groans, the screams, the shrieks and 
 howlings of the tempest. Nor is it by the winds 
 alone, that sounds are produced in nature, such 
 as, because they aft'ect the senses in the same 
 manner as sounds proceeding from living things, 
 affect also in the same manner the mind. The 
 sharp and irregular burst of sound, sent forth 
 from a torrent, swelling during a storm, are 
 well described by Ossian, when he says, " The 
 " torrent shrieks from the rock." 
 
 As to the winds, so much do they affect the 
 senses in tlie same manner that the senses are 
 affected by living things, that addresses to them, 
 as living, are common ; addresses, sometimes 
 in reference to their strength and motion, and 
 sometimes in reference to their voice. But their 
 voice is occasionally separated, in the imagination, 
 from their strength and motion ; and while the 
 latter are left them as their own, the former is at- 
 tributed to the spirit that they bear : " Faintly 
 " he raised his voice," says Ossian, of the ghost 
 
■jQO TRAVELS THROUGH PART, &c. 
 
 of Crugal, " like the gale of the reedy Le- 
 go;" and Connal inquires, " Shall we not 
 " hear thee in the storm, in the noise of the 
 " mountain-stream, when the feeble sons of the 
 " wind come forth, and ride on the blast of the 
 " desart ?" An assault of battle is compared to 
 " the thunder of night, when the cloud bursts on 
 " Cona, and a thousand ghosts shriek at once on 
 " the hollow wind."* 
 
 But these voices, so often heard as if 
 uttered in the very ear of those that hear 
 them, yet are poured from no lips that the eye can 
 discover : hence the persons that speak are sup= 
 posed to be viewless and unsubstantial ; hence 
 they are denominated spirits and ghosts ; words 
 implying no more than breath or air ; or at best 
 they have forms that can be but dimly seen, and 
 bodies whose ductile substance yields to every 
 motion of the wind. 
 
 For the rest, one character belongs to all the 
 gods, whether rocking a stone in Jed Forest or 
 Lake Ontaiio, or rocking high Olympus. They 
 had an irritable temper, particular on a subject 
 scarcely worthy, after all, of their divinity — that 
 of the respect paid to their altars : 
 
 Ne'er let the mystic rites of altars move 
 Deriding scorn — ^but dread indignant Jove !t 
 
 * Fingal, Book iii. t Hesiod. 
 
CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 The samCj continued. 
 
 STONES of Power introduced to paganism 
 its sacrifices, its altars, its temples, its omcles, 
 its prophecies, its priesthood, and the provision 
 for the support of its priests. 
 
 While men are scattered, in families or small 
 communities, over large tracts of countr)-^ ; while 
 they subsist only by hunting, by fishing, or by the 
 pasturage of their herds, the altars of the gods 
 must remain in the simplicity of nature; they may 
 make sacks, indeed, for the portable objects of 
 reverence ; but rocks and caves must be left to 
 the injuries of the weather, to the litter of fall- 
 ing leaves, and to the intrusion of everj^ ob- 
 scener beast and reptile. When agricuhure, 
 however, has altered the condition of human life, 
 the seats of the gods are made to share in the 
 works of labour, in the accumulated gifts of 
 wealth, and in the embellishments of the arts. 
 
110 
 
 TKAVELS THROUGH PAliT 
 
 The first thing that is thought requisite is a wall 
 or fence, by which that which is holy may be 
 separated from that which is profane. Hence, 
 the circle of stones was placed round the Stone 
 of Power, if not as a perfect barricade, at least 
 as a line to mark the verge and limits. The 
 progress of luxury added next an outer circle, 
 and by degrees the whole pomp of architec- 
 ture. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Stone of Power lost none of 
 the virtues for which it first obtained venera- 
 tion. While yet the moss whistled on its sides, 
 every way-farer experienced its divinity, and 
 <)pread its reputation, and multiplied the histories 
 of its power. One, wandering in the darkness of a 
 stormy night, was on the point of perishing in 
 the cold and rain, or of plunging into a morass, 
 when, arriving at the stone, he threw upon it, 
 with pious confidence, the last morsel in his 
 wallet, and commenced a holy song. While he 
 sung, peace returned into his breast, and strength 
 into his sinews. When he had finished, an in- 
 stant voice replied to him from the winds ; the 
 clouds dispersed ; the moon irradiated the rock; 
 and, the shadows flying before him, he was lit 
 along the path that wound to his tent, his wife and 
 children. Another, missing his road, and be- 
 wildered at noon day, arrived at length at an un- 
 kno^\Ti. but holy-seeming rock. Fatigued and in 
 
OP THE UNITED STATES. ^^n 
 
 despair, he prostrated himself before it, and ne- 
 glected neither hymn nor offering. Suddenly, a 
 gentle whisper was in all the trees ; a delicious 
 calm was breathed through nature ; his spirits 
 "\vere restored to him ; he discerned plainly the 
 wixy that he was to take, and which had been hid 
 only through the malignity of a spiritual foe ; 
 and though the way was long, and though he 
 had no food to sustain him, yet he resumed his 
 journey rejoicing, and performed it with foot 
 firm and light. A third, exhausted and famish- 
 ed, during an unsuccessful chace, had no sooner 
 made an offering here, than a hind discovered 
 herself in the thicket, and stood motionless to be 
 shot. A fourth, of small faith in the spirit of 
 the rock, yet offering, as he passed, a trivial gift, 
 accompanied with a prayer for a sick family, 
 found, on reaching home, that family restored to 
 health. A fifth, compelled to sleep in the woods, 
 had lain himself near the rock, but at a reveren- 
 tial distance. Before he slept, he commended 
 himself to the spirit in his prayers ; and in his 
 sleep, the spirit visited him, and applauded his 
 piety. 
 
 But, if such happy moments are to be enjoy- 
 ed at short and occasional visits to the Stone of 
 Power ; if such favours are to be obtained by 
 offerings seldom and irregularly made ; if com- 
 munications with the snirit are vouchsafed to an 
 
112 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 accidental passenger ; what might not be expect- 
 ed by him that should spend his life upon a spot 
 so holy ? that should sleep near the Stone of 
 Power, not one night only, but every night ? 
 that should crown it with offerings, and honour it 
 with adoration, not one day only, but every day ? 
 that should live but for it, and for its worship ? 
 Reflections such as these are obvious, and could 
 not but occupy the mind of the devotee. But, 
 men's minds are variously constituted, and va- 
 riously directed ; and while in some these reflec- 
 tions would but occupy the fancy, in others they 
 would penetrate the heart. These latter would for- 
 sake secular pleasures and employments, fixing 
 themselves constantly at the holy places. In some, 
 the enthusiasm that carried them there would cool. 
 No dreams would visit their slumbers ; no forms 
 would bless their eyes atnoon-tideinthe glade, nor 
 no voice would murmur to them from the grove. 
 Such would return to their villages, less doubt- 
 ful, perhaps, of the goodness of the gods, than of 
 their own unworthiness to share in their special fa- 
 vours ; or, possibly, satisfied, that in their parti- 
 cular situation, worldly duties were allotted 
 them, the neglect of which was a crime, for 
 which no devotion to the gods could make, even 
 to those gods, amends. Some, however, would 
 remain,; and these would see visions, would 
 receive revelations, Avould utter oracles, and 
 2 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 113 
 
 would be gifted with prophecy. They would be 
 entrusted, even in the minutest points, with the 
 will of the god ; for, making themselves his faith 
 ful servants, they would be made his favoured con- 
 fidants. They would know the proper times, 
 the proper forms, and the proper objects of sa- 
 crifice ; in short, they would acquire that science 
 of di\dnit3% into which the avocations, the diver- 
 sions, and still more the imperfect holiness of 
 the devoutest worshippers, would forbid them 
 deeply to penetrate. Here, then, are two or- 
 ders of men, the lay-worshipper and the priest. 
 Here, too, is the origin of the cloister, and of 
 the solitary cell. 
 
 But, such persons, so beloved of the gods, 
 and so inestimable among mankind, could not 
 but be willingly provided for, to the extent of 
 their little Vv^ants, by those fortunate communi- 
 ties, of which they were the ornament, the conso- 
 lation, the instructors and the mediators. In- 
 deed, every difficulty of this kind ^vould be 
 removed, simply by the readiness with Avhich 
 the priest might subsist himself upon the food 
 offered in sacrifice. 
 
 Among writers that find pleasure in vulgar to- 
 pics of railing, shrewd guesses are not unfrequent, 
 that the priests of many v/orships feed upon the 
 viands that the peo]:>le offer to the gods. It is 
 very doubtful, meanwhile,whcther the gods were 
 
 VOL. II. P 
 
I 1^, TJtAVELS THROUGH PAUl 
 
 ever believed, or designed, to be the aetual eon- 
 burners of such viands ; and it is certain, that 
 among the means devised by paganism, for fi- 
 nally disposing of the food offered in sacrifice, 
 is that of eating it in sacrifice. Many anecdotes 
 might be adduced, to show the probability, that 
 a devotee would be far from supposing himself 
 defrauded, or die intention of his sacrifice de- 
 feated, if the priest should eat, or should put on, 
 the things which he has offered at the altar. 
 Nay, the original tenths or tithes appear to have 
 been appropriations for sacrifice, and not for the 
 priesthood; thus making it credible, as suggested, 
 that Stones of Power gave occasion, not only to 
 the erection of a priesthood, but to a provision 
 for the support of the priest. The transition is 
 one of the most natural and most inoffensive 
 imaginable. 
 
 Jacob, when, as above, he performed his liba- 
 tion, and vc^,\ed his vow, vowed to give in sa- 
 crifice tlie tenth of ail that he should derive 
 from his compact 'witli the divinity. A tenth 
 had probably been long fixed, as the reasonable, 
 or perhaps largest, proportion, which a man's 
 offerings ouglit to bear to his gains, and was 
 therefore the customaiy extent of sacrifice. 
 Now, the sacrifice, whether left to perish on a 
 stone in the forest, or to be devoured by wild 
 beasts, or v/hether ]:)urnt at the time ofofiering, 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 115 
 
 could not long, even in the rudest times, be sup- 
 posed to be received in its substance b}^ the 
 gods : the illusion, if it ever existed, must have 
 speedily passed away. But, after the establish- 
 ment of priests, and when even lay anchorets 
 multiplied round the altars, nothing could be more 
 admissible, nothing more congenial with the pi- 
 ous object of the sacrifice, than that these persons 
 should be maintained out of the offerings. The 
 interests of religion recommended this applica- 
 tion of these resources, equally with the other ; 
 and when manners and sentiments, to a certain 
 point, were changed, it ^vas no more than ra- 
 tional to transfer to the priest, that appropriation 
 which the people had been accustomed to make 
 for the god. 
 
 Mr. Br\ ant, after observing that ail fountains 
 were anciently esteemed sacred, but especially 
 such as were of any remarkable quality, and as 
 abounded in exhalations, subjoins, that" it was 
 " a universal notion, that a divine energy pro- 
 " ceeded from the effluvia, and that the persons 
 " who resided in their vicinity were gifted 
 " with a prophetic quality ;" to which it is 
 only necessary to add, that we are to look for the 
 divine energ}^ and gift of prophecy, not so much 
 in the effluvia or exhalations, (though these were 
 sensible testimonies of the divine presence,) as 
 in the \-lcinit^^, both of sacred fountains, and of 
 
j^ j^ TliAVFiLS THROUGH PART, kc. 
 
 all Other sacred places. The gods of paganism 
 have ahvays their local seats, and are to be wor- 
 shipped each in his place. Hence the genim 
 loci of the poet ; for the poet is an offspring of 
 the ancient priest ; the genius that he addresses 
 is the ancient god ; and the wreath that he offers 
 is the ancient sacrifice ; the sacrifice thrown intg 
 the fountain, or laid upon the Stone of Power, 
 or hung among the branches of the embowering 
 ti'ees. 
 
 But, as the poet is the offspring of the priest, 
 tracing his lineage through the branch of bards^ 
 so his Muse is the priest himself, or rather the 
 priestess, the imaginary minister of that wor» 
 ship on Olympus, which the priestess performs 
 on earth. Mr. Bryant perceives the type, both 
 of the Muses and the Syrens, in the priestesses 
 of Apollo or of Noah, or of the Sun. But, to 
 whatever god the worship of those priestesses 
 was given, the form of worship appears to agree 
 with that commonly called druidic ; to that 
 which at one period appears to have been al- 
 most, if not absolutely, universal, and in which 
 a large share of veneration was given to Stones 
 of Power. May not the fable of the Muses 
 have its origin, in a worship really celebrated 
 on Mount Olympus, in honour of the gods or 
 spirits of its height and storms ? 
 
CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 The same, concluded. 
 
 AS, from so rude and simple an original, there 
 may be traced the primitive religion, its iaith, 
 its Avorship, its temples and its priests, so, by ad- 
 vancing a single step, we shall reach the close of 
 all these sacred inquiries, and enter the field of 
 profane literature, orregion where human learning, 
 the offspring and nursling of divine, first leaves the 
 hands of its parent, and ventures on its career 
 alone. We have now in view the history of the 
 Muses, whose ancient chai'acter is sacerdotal. 
 They are priestesses in the courts of heaven, 
 resembling in all particulars the priestesses of 
 earthly temples. 
 
 No account, that we possess of the Muses, is 
 so full, and so attractive, as that which we 
 gain from Hesiod ; and, in the writings of this 
 poet, it appears to be sufficiently discernible, that 
 all the attributes of the Immortal Maids are co- 
 pied from a mundane prototype, that prototype 
 having its birth in the worship of Stones of 
 Power. 
 
jj^g THAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 1. 0.5sian, addressing himself to a ciddee, 
 whom he hears singing at his devotions, in- 
 quires, " Dost thou praise the chiefs of thy land, 
 " or the spirits of the wind?" We have here a 
 compendious view of the subjects, which the 
 bard attributed to sacred minstrelsy, and such 
 a one as strictly agrees with the songs of the 
 Muses, described with more amplification by 
 the Grecian poet: 
 
 JOVE aegis-arm'd they praise, in choral hymns 
 
 Of adoration ; and of Argos named 
 
 Majestic Juno, gliding on her way 
 
 With golden-sandaled feet ; and her whose eyes 
 
 Glitter with azure light, Minerva, born 
 
 From Jove : Apollo, sire of prophecy, 
 
 And Dian, joyous in the sounding shaft; 
 
 Earth-shaker, Neptune ; earth-enclasping god ; 
 
 And Themis, name adorable in heaven ; 
 
 And Venus, lovely with the tremulous lids ; 
 
 And Hebe, who with golden fillet binds 
 
 Her brow; and fair Dione, and the Morn, 
 
 And the great Sun, and the resplendent Moon ; 
 
 Latona and lapetus, and him 
 
 Of mazy counsel, Saturn ; and the Earth ; 
 
 And the vast Ocean ; and the sable Night, 
 
 And all the holy race of deities 
 
 Existing ever.* 
 
 * This, and the several other quotations fiojn Hesiod, are made from 
 the recent translation of Mr. Elton, a perfonnanfc rccommen<led by 
 much elegant versification, and l>y a critical research into the sense of 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. H^ 
 
 * * * They, a voice 
 Immortal uttering, first in song proclaim 
 The race of venerable gods, who rose 
 From the beginning, whom the spacious Heaven 
 And Earth produced ; and all the deities 
 Fi'om them successive sprung, dispensing good. 
 Next also Jove, the sire of gods and men. 
 They praise ; or when they lift the solcnm song, 
 Or when surcease : how excellent he is 
 Above all gods, and in his might supreme. — 
 Now to the race of men, and hardy brood 
 Of giants, flows the sti'ain. 
 
 2. The Muses siinc: their h\'mns with the 
 accompaniment of dances that were performed 
 in circles. The original of this description, 
 which is commonly sought for in the custom of 
 dancing round an altar during sacrifice, may 
 with more particularity be found in the songS 
 and dances of the outer circles of stones, sur- 
 rounding the altar or Stone of Power. 
 
 3. As we find the druids and other priests de- 
 scribed as dwellers in the circles of stones, and 
 in other places sacred to devotion, so the Muses 
 were dwellers on Mount Helicon, and were 
 there employed in acts of constant adoration : 
 
 The IMuses — 
 
 Whose mansion is the mountain vast and holy 
 
 the oiiginal. See Remains of Ilcsicul ilic Ascrtean, ti-nnslated iroiB 
 the Greek into EngUJi Y(;r'x-. &e. IJy Cijavhs Ahi-aham Elton. Lon- 
 don, 1 80l». 
 
J20 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 Of Helicon, where aye with delicate feet, 
 
 Fast by Jove's altar and purpureal fount, 
 
 They tread the measured round : their tender limbs 
 
 Laved in Permessian waters, or the stream 
 
 Of blest Olmius, or pure Hippocrene, 
 
 On the high top of Helicon they wont 
 
 To lead the mazy measure, breathing grace, 
 
 Enkindling love, and glance their quivering feet. 
 
 Thence break they forth tumultuous, and enwrapt 
 
 Wide with dim air, through silence of the night 
 
 Shape their ethereal way, and send abroad 
 
 A voice in stilly darkness beautiful. 
 
 * * * There, on the mount, 
 They dwell in mansions beautified, and shine 
 In the smooth pomp of dance : and them beside 
 The sister Graces hold abode ; and Love 
 Himself is nigh, participant in feast. 
 So through their parted lips a lovely voice 
 The Muses breathe ; they sing the laws that bind 
 The universal heaven ; the manners pure 
 Of deathless gods ; and lovely is their voice : 
 Anon, they toward the Olympian summits bend 
 Their steps, exulting in the charm of voice, 
 And songs of immortality : remote, 
 The dusky earth remurmurs musical 
 The echo of their hymnings ; and beneath 
 Their many-rustling feet a pleasant sound 
 Arises, as tumultuous they pass on, 
 To greet their awful sire. 
 
 " Son of the distant land," says Ossian, 
 ' who dwellest in the secret cell, do I hear the 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 121 
 
 " sounds of thy grove, or is it the voice of the 
 " songs ? The torrent was loud in my ear, but 
 " I heard a tuneful voice : dost thou praise the 
 *' chiefs of thy land, or the spirits of the 
 " wind ?"* 
 
 4. That the songs of the Muses had for theu' 
 subjects identically those that belong to the 
 songs of the temples ; and that the effect of the 
 one upon the minds of the gods, was identically 
 the effect of the other upon the minds of men, is 
 still more distinctly shown us by the poet : 
 
 — — Is there one 
 Whose aching heart some sudden anguish wrings ? 
 But lo ! the bard, the Muse's minister. 
 Awakes the strain: he sings the mighty deeds 
 Of men of yore ; the praise of blessed gods 
 In heaven ; and strait, though stricken to the soul, 
 He shall forget, nor aught of all his griefs 
 Remember. 
 
 So the Muses — 
 
 Who the great spirit of their father Jove 
 Delight in heaven ; and, with symphonious voice 
 Of soft agreement, in their hymns proclaim 
 The present and the future and the past. 
 Flows inexhaustible from every tongue 
 That sweetest voice : the thundercr's palaces 
 
 * Battle of Lora 
 
 VOL. II. O, 
 
122 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PARI' 
 
 Laugh in their melody, while, from the lips 
 Of those fair goddesses, the honeyed sovmds 
 Are scattered far and wide. Olympus rings 
 From every snow-topt summit, and resound 
 The mansions of celestials. — 
 
 * * * Thus in heaven 
 The Olympian Muses charm the mind of Jove. 
 
 5. The ancient priest was at the same time 
 a soothsayer and a prophet ; and soothsaying and 
 prophecy are attributes of the Muses. In reali- 
 ty, the witch and the weird sisters are but odious 
 portraits of the Muses. " We know," say 
 they, according to Hesiod, 
 
 we know to speak 
 
 Full many a fiction false, yet seeming true, 
 Or utter at our will the things of truth ; 
 
 and the inspiration, which Hesiod receives from 
 them, they bestow through the medium of the 
 intoxicating laurel, or no less deleterious bay ; 
 for it was certainly from this quality, that the 
 laurel and the bay came to be considered sa- 
 cred to Apollo, and to those whom the Muses 
 love. The perennial verdure of those trees was 
 a subordinate consideration : 
 
 So said they, daughters of the mighty Jove, 
 All eloquent ; and gave unto my hand. 
 Wondrous ! a verdant rod, a laurel-branch 
 Of bloom unwithering, and a voice imbreathed 
 Divine ; that I might utter forth in song 
 The future and the past. 
 
OF THE UXITED STATES. 
 
 12: 
 
 6. The temples of the druids, hke all the 
 more famous temples of the sun, were colleges 
 of learning and science ; and the priests and 
 priestesses were its professors and teachers ; and 
 hence that distribution of the several branches of 
 study among the Muses, for which, along with 
 their gifts of poetic inspiration, they are now 
 chiefly known. It is not merely for the powers 
 of song, but for rev^elations of knowledge, that 
 the Muses are invoked by Hesiod : 
 
 Daughters of Jove, all-hail 1 but oh inspire 
 
 The lovely song ; the sacred race proclaim 
 
 Of ever-living gods ; who sprang from Earth, 
 
 From the starred Heaven, and from the gloomy Night; 
 
 And whom the salt Deep nourished into life ! 
 
 Declare how first the gods and earth became ; 
 
 The rivers, and the immeasurable sea. 
 
 High-raging in its foam ; the glittering stars ; 
 
 The wide-impending heaven ; and who from these 
 
 Of deities arose, dispensing good : 
 
 Say how their treasures, how their honours each 
 
 AUatted shared : how first they held abode 
 
 On many-caved Olympus : this declare, 
 
 Ye Muses, dwellers of the heavenly mount 
 
 From the beginning ! 
 
 When that system of religion, of which the 
 primitive rites were performed at the mossy 
 Stones of Power, had acquired growth and con- 
 sistency, the functions of the priest were sepa- 
 rated, and parcelled among at least three classes 
 
124 
 
 TItAVKLS THROUGH FAHT 
 
 of persons, severally denominated, in ancient 
 Ganl, hards^ euhages and dniids. Of these, the 
 bards composed the choirs of the temples ; the 
 euhages cultivated what they called natural phi^ 
 losophy ; and the dridds, (^vho probably alone 
 officiated as priests, though attended by the 
 bards and euhages,) were professors of theology 
 and metaphysics.* They, also, were those who 
 
 * Such appsars to be the interpretation of the well- 
 known passage of Ammianus Marcellinus, whose ac- 
 count may be considered as the best extant: " Per 
 " hsec loco (the country of G.vUlj hominibus paulatim 
 " excuitis, viguere studia laudabilium doctrinarum ; 
 " inchoata per bardos et euhages et druldas. Et bardl 
 " quidem fortia virorum iilustrium facta heroicis com- 
 " potia versibus cum dulcibus lyrae modulis ctmtita- 
 " runt. Euhages vero scrutantes seriem et subiimia 
 " naturae pandere conabantur. Inter hos dridds inge- 
 " niis celsiores, ut auctoritas Pythagorx decrevit soda-- 
 " litiis adstricti consortiis, qusestionibus altarum occul- 
 " tar^mque rerum erccti sunt ; et despectantes huma- 
 " na pronuntiarunt animas immoi-taies." Amm. Marccl- 
 linus, 15. cap. 9. — In the above, we see a scholastic sys- 
 tem, adapted to an advanced state of society, and de- 
 signed for the cultivation of the entire range of learn- 
 ing, human and divine. That science, at the date 
 of the institution here described, had made some pro- 
 gress among the people for whom it was established) 
 is evident from the adoption of the third order, or euho' 
 gcs; and the songs of the bards were now doubtlessly 
 intermixed with the subjects ef study cultivated b.y 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 125 
 
 saw visions, who prophesied, and to whom, 
 in general, appertained the diviner functions. 
 All, however, were united in the earlier priest ; 
 and we find them, with the exception of vi- 
 sions, united in the Muses ; and the Muses had 
 no need of visions, because they were god- 
 desses, daughters of Jove, and 
 
 . dwellers of the heavenly mount 
 From the beginning. 
 
 It is this sanctity of the origin, nature and 
 office of the Muses, that authorises those lofty 
 notions of them, so little consistent with the 
 parts that they are often assigned by later wri- 
 ters, liesiod represents wisdom as coming only 
 from Jove, but eloquence, or the wisdom of the 
 tongue, as from the Muses : 
 
 Lo ! in this are monarchs wise. 
 
 That from the seat of justice to the wronged 
 They turn the tide of things, retrieving ills 
 With mild accost of soothing eloquence : 
 Him, when he walks the city-ways, all hail 
 
 these last. History and metaphysics alone were at 
 first regarded : 
 
 the might)' deeds 
 
 Of men of yore ; the praise of blessed gods 
 III heaven. 
 
126 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 With gentlest awe, and as he were a god 
 Propitiate : him the assembled council view 
 Conspicuous in the midst. Lo ! such to man 
 The Muses' gift all-sacred. 
 
 Nor is the influence of the Muses connned to 
 the splendour of public life, but equally power- 
 ful in all that relates to private happiiiess, to the 
 consolations of religion, and the consolations of 
 philosophy : 
 
 They to all ills 
 
 Oblivion yield ; to every troubled thought 
 Rest. 
 
 * * * In unison of soul 
 Attempered soft; whose care is only song ; 
 
 In whose free bosom dv/ells the unsorrowing mind. 
 
 * * * Unutterably blest 
 He whom the Muses love ! a meltivg voice 
 Flows ever from his lip ; and is there oiic 
 Whose aching heart some sudden anguish wrings ? 
 But, lo ! the bard, the Muses' minister, 
 Awakes the strain : he sings the mighty deeds 
 
 Of men of yore ; the praise of blessed gods 
 In heaven ; and strait, though stricken to the soul, 
 He shall forget, nor aught of all his griefs 
 Remember : so the blessing of the Muse « 
 Hath instantaneous turned his woes away ! 
 
 Lastly, the Muses are not, what in the de- 
 cline of the ancient theology, the lighter poets, 
 profaning the names of the gods, and traves*- 
 
OF THE UNITED STATEiS. X27 
 
 tying their history, in some sort compelled 
 them to be, singers of ballads that throw dis- 
 grace upon Olympus and upon themselves ; 
 but it is their proper task to sing 
 
 the manners fiurt 
 
 Of deathless gods ; — and lovely is their voice ! 
 
 CHAPTER XLVl. 
 
 • Massachusetts — Sandwich — Barnstable — 
 Chatham. 
 
 SANDWICH adjoins Plymouth, and is the 
 westernmost to^vn on the peninsula of Cape 
 Cod, as it is also of tlie county of Barnstable. 
 It occupies the whole breadth of the pe- 
 ninsula, A^'hich is here deeply indented on the 
 east, by Buzzard's Bay. Two small streams, 
 one falling into Buzzard's Bay, and one into 
 Barnstable Bay, make the peninsula nearly a per- 
 fect island. A subdivision or second parish of 
 Sandwich lies in Buzzard's Bay, of which the 
 Indian denomination is Pokeset or Poughkeeste. 
 Of the town of Sandwich, which Mas incorporated 
 in 1639, a very particular description, written by 
 Mr. Wendell Davis, is printed in the Historical 
 Collections, a work published in occasional vo- 
 lumes, by the Historical Society of Massachu- 
 
 ii« 
 
223 TRAA ELS THROUGH PART 
 
 setts. A short canal has been proposed to be cut, 
 bv which the navigation of the bay on the west 
 would be united w^ith that of the ba}' on the 
 east. 
 
 The first parish or society of Sandwich lies 
 on the west side of the peninsula, and contains 
 a village of respectable appearance, through 
 which there runs one of the streams just men- 
 tioned. A small proportion of the salt-works of 
 the count}- of Barnstable is in this to\\Ti. 
 
 Below Sandwich is Barnstable, the count}"- 
 to\^Ti. The distance between the t^'o villages 
 is twelve miles. The count}", thus far, is suffi- 
 ciently fertile in its appearance, and is high ; 
 but, as I descended to the village of the latter 
 name, a broad expanse of salt-marshes disco- 
 vered itself, walled in, however, from the ocean, 
 for the most part, by a border of sand-hills. On 
 the level, were innumerable ha^Ticks, of a small 
 size, and appealing, at the distance from vrhich I 
 saw them, like haycocks. 
 
 Barnstable has two societies ; in each of which 
 thereis a village and church. The sea ison the north 
 and on the south. The marshes are on the north, 
 forming the west margin of the harbour, which 
 is about one mile in width, and four in length, 
 and is accounted the second-best on the penin- 
 sula, commonly called the cape ; but a bar pre^ 
 A-ents the entrance of large vessels. lis superior 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. |29 
 
 is that of Provinceto\vn. On the south, 
 Barnstable has die harbours of Lewis's Bay, 
 Hyanis Road or Harbour, and Oyster Bay. 
 The vessels belonging to die tOA\'n are coasters 
 and fishing vessels. Maize, wheat, flax and 
 onions, are sown here, and of the last many 
 thousand bushels are exported ; and, besides 
 the superintendance of some large salt-works, 
 the other occupations of the inhabitants are 
 fishing and navigation : the same indi^'iduals 
 are often both fai^mers and fishermen. Barn- 
 stable is a port of entry. The town is about 
 nine miles long, and ii\e broad ; and the \'iilage 
 is distant about sixty-five miles from Boston. 
 The Indit-U name is Mattacheese or Mattachee- 
 set, 
 
 I breakfasted at a public house near the 
 court-house, Avhich is small, but surrounded by 
 several la'svyers' offices. Only the female pait 
 of the family \\ere in the house, the men of all 
 the neighbourhood being at work in the miushes, 
 making salt hay. The former told me that they 
 were at a second breakfast, having taken a first 
 at three o'clock in the morning, when they made 
 tea for the men, before their going to ^vork. 
 
 From the court-house in Barnstable, to the 
 church in Yarmouth, the road is lined with houses 
 on both sides ; but, at thislatter spot, commences 
 the peculiar scenery of Cape Cod, a soil of white 
 
 VOL. II. R 
 
1 30 TRAVELS THROUGH TART 
 
 sand, generally covered with sward and with fo- 
 rest, while in a state of nature, but naked and 
 drifting before every wind, when once laid bare 
 to the elements : for, if a small opening allow 
 the winds to enter, they speedily tear up whole 
 acres. The plain, around the church, in this part 
 of Yarmouth, exhibits the eft'ects of this vio- 
 lence ; for, with exception of some portions, 
 hourly diminishing in extent, it is one sea of 
 sand. 
 
 But the houses between Barnstable and Yar- 
 mouth, constitute the largest collection on the pe- 
 ninsula, and they are no sooner past, than the road 
 enters a wood, and the sand disappears, except for 
 the exact width of the road. The trees are small ; 
 and in most places of so young a growth as 
 to afford no shade ; but the traveller is at least re- 
 lieved from the drifting sand, and from the ge-. 
 neral glare. One phenomenon presented itself, 
 produced chiefly by the particidar quality 
 of the road. It was the crowds of caterpillars, 
 vainly toiling, in the iiits of the last wheels, to 
 ascend their sides, and pursue their journey 
 through the opposite woods. As they toiled, 
 however, every grain of sand, upon which they 
 successively placed a foot, gave way, and thus 
 they were left always in the hollow. Though the 
 dryness of the sand may in part account for 
 their numbers, yet it was certainly the natiire of 
 the road, that airesting their journey, made 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES, 13 J^ 
 
 them thus conspicuous. Hosts of caterpillars 
 march in all directioijis in New England ; but, 
 on ordinary surfaces, they proceed with ease, ce- 
 lerity and comparative secrecy. 
 
 In some pai-ts, there is water, loam, and 
 woods of a respectable magnitude. In one, with 
 trees of this description in the front ground, 
 I had an extensive prospect of grass-land, ter- 
 minated by a line of houses in North Yarmouth, 
 and a church. 
 
 At noon, I came to Brewster, anew to\Aai, form- 
 ed out of Harwich, in order toadvance, (according 
 to some) the antifederal interest at the elections. 
 Parties run high here, and I heard of griefs on 
 both sides : what appears to be certain is this, 
 that here, as in eveiy other part of the United 
 States, there are persons ahvays able to govern 
 the votes of the poor. Political animosities 
 reach, too, as usual, to the church ; and not only 
 to the church, but to the gra\'^es of the dead : 
 the antifederalists want to enclose the bu- 
 rying ground ; but the federalists are for 
 continuing a free access to the hogs. The merits 
 of the question do not admit of being stated 
 with the brevity in this place required. 
 
 On the fifth of September, I reached the east- 
 ernmost extremity of the peninsula, and the point 
 whence it turns to the north and north-west. 
 This is the seat of the town of Chatham, from a 
 principal inhabitant of which, Mr. Richard Sears, 
 
132 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 and from his lady and family, I received particu- 
 lai- civilities. 
 
 Mr. Sears is the owner of extensive salt-works, 
 a species of manufactory to be met with in all 
 the towns on the peninsula, and in ^\■hich they 
 are encouraged chiefly by their connection with 
 the fisheries, but in part by what shall be ex- 
 plained below — the favourableness of the soil. 
 
 The manufacture, of the process of M^hich 
 the following is the outline, is sea-salt, obtained 
 from sea-water, by evaporation, artificially for- 
 warded. The water, being raised by a pump that 
 is placed a little below high-water mark, is led by 
 troughs into a range of vats or rooms, distinguish- 
 ed by the name of water-rooms. In these, it re- 
 mains foralonger or shorter period, accordingly as 
 the atmosphere happens to be more or less favour- 
 able to evaporation, till at length it arrives at 
 the state that satisfies the judgment of the ma- 
 nufacturer : under the best circumstances, the 
 usual period is three da}s ; but, under others, it 
 is six. From the water-?'oo?ns, it is dra\vn into 
 a second range of vats or rooms, called pickle- 
 rooms^ the strength of the w^Kftx being noAV such 
 as to constitute it a brine or pickle. Here, it 
 deposits a large proportion of lime and other 
 eaithy matter ; and here small cubical crystals 
 of salt, resembling fine grains of sand, begin to 
 form upon the surface. This appearance is the 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 5^33 
 
 signal for a third remove ; and the water is now 
 di'awn into the last range of vats or rooms, called 
 salt-rooms. Here the crystals, conglomerating, 
 continue to form, and compose large and heavy 
 cubes, which sink to tlie bottom or floor of 
 the vat. 
 
 The salt, which is now complete, having ac- 
 cumulated on the floors, it is raked together, 
 taken out of die vats, and deposited in a diy 
 warehouse. The entire period of the process 
 is usually about three weeks. In the spring, 
 the same water, or, as, after leaving the pickle- 
 rooms, it is called, the bittern^ will yield two or 
 three rakings. The bittern, after the sea- salt 
 or muriate of soda is withdrawn, is still im- 
 pregnate with Glauber's salt, and the manufac- 
 ture of this latter article which is effected in the 
 winter, by boiling, is therefore a concomitant 
 of the former. The bittern is of so penetra- 
 ting a quality that no cask will hold it. TJie 
 sea- salt thus obtained, is of a good colour, and 
 said to be superior hi strength, by one-fifth, to 
 the best imported salt. The weight of a bushel 
 is eighty pounds. 
 
 The vats are oblong vessels, Avith upright 
 sides, nine inches deep, and eighteen feet in 
 breadth, by thirty-six feet in length, and stand 
 from two to six feet from the ground, on piles 
 or tumbles. Soft white-pine plank is used for 
 
j3^ TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 the floors, the harder woods injuriously increa- 
 sing the weight of the vat, and being at the same 
 time apt to warp. The height at which the vat 
 is placed from the ground is regulated, in great 
 part, if not entirely, by the quality of the soil 
 beneath ; and it is in this article, as above inti- 
 mated, that the shores of the peninsula are fa- 
 vourable. If the soil is loamy and wet, the 
 vats are placed on lofty piles, to allow of a free 
 circulation of the air between the inner floors 
 und the surface ; for the dampness not only re- 
 tards the process, but injures the wood- work of 
 the vats : but if, on the contrary, it is a deep 
 sieve-like sand, from which no moisture rises, 
 it assists, rather than retards the evaporation, 
 and the vats are consequently but little raised 
 above it. 
 
 In tliis manufacture, the capital invested on 
 the peninsula is said to amount to four hundred 
 thousand dollars ; and the annual return is a 
 hundred thousand bushels of salt, sold at four 
 shillings currency or two-thirds of a dollar, per 
 bushel. 
 
 The relative magnitude of the salt-works, at 
 present established in the several towns of the 
 county of Barnstable, are given as follows ; 
 those, however, of Falmouth and Sandwich 
 p.ot being included in the return. The extent 
 of a salt- work is determined by the superficial 
 
, OF THE UNITED STATES. I35 
 
 feet contained in its vats ; but by a superficial 
 
 foot is understood a space of a foot wide by ten 
 feet in length : 
 
 Sufierjicial Feet, 
 
 Barnstable, 415,582 
 
 Yarmouth, 307,500 
 
 Dennis, 650,800 
 
 Brewster, 623,300 
 
 Harwich, 60,000 
 
 Chatham, 408,360* 
 
 * The following is a list of the several salt-works in 
 Chatham, reckoned by their superficial feet : 
 
 Reuben Ryder, 69,000 
 
 Ezra Crowe 11, 50,000 
 
 Stephen Smith, 19,000 
 
 Salathiel Nickerson, 15,000 
 
 Zenus Ryder & Co. 25,000 
 
 Joseph Young, 10,000 
 
 Edward Kemp, 10,000 
 
 Jonathan Crowell, 18,000 
 
 David Crowell, 13,000 
 
 Jonathan Eldridge, 6,000 
 
 Ensign Nickerson, 20,000 
 
 Leonard Nickerson, 9,350 
 
 Simeon Nickerson, 18,000 
 
 Timothy Loveland, 10,000 
 
 Joseph Doane, 19,000 
 
 Caleb Nickerson, J 8,000 
 
 Benjamin E. Dunbar, 6,000 
 
 Zenus Taylor, 12,000 
 
 Richard Sears & Son, 48,000 
 
 Richard Nickerson', 10,000 
 
 John Ryder, lOjOOO 
 
136 
 
 TllAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 Orleans, 146,500 
 
 Eastham, 152,560 
 
 Wellfleet, 60,050 
 
 Truro, 98,506 
 
 Provincetown, 159,615 
 
 Falmouth, 
 Sandwich, 
 
 Three hundred superficial feet of works are ade- 
 quate to the production of a hundred bushels of salt 
 per annum. The expense of erecting them is 
 estimated at from a dollar to a dollar and a quar- 
 ter per superficial foot ; in which the labour 
 makes one-third, and the plank two-thirds 
 of the whole. The price of labour for attend- 
 ance is from a dollar and four cents to a dollar 
 and a quarter per day, provisions and lodging 
 found ; and this article, which is equal to about 
 a fouith of the salt produced, is usually paid for 
 in salt. 
 
 Exclusively of one hundred thousand bushels, 
 said to be made annually in the county of Barn- 
 stable, fifty thousand are made in its vicinity, 
 including the works near Boston. In King- 
 ston, there are about five thousand feet ; and 
 New Bedford has a lai'ge proportion. 
 
 This extensive manufacture is of much im- 
 portance to the United States, particularly in 
 its relation to the export of fish and other pro- 
 visions. Before the peace of 1783, salt had 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 137 
 
 risen, in these countries, to the price of eight dol- 
 lai's per bushel, and it has reached seven, during 
 the present interdiction of commerce, notwith- 
 standing a large supply, obtained by those who 
 went for it into Canada. It might be supposed, 
 that in these circumstances, every encourage- 
 ment would be given by congress, to the do- 
 mestic production of an article of so much ne- 
 cessity; but this is so far from being the case, that 
 the salt, manufactured as here described, is sub- 
 ject to duties, amounting together to twenty 
 cents, or the fifth part of a dollar, per bushel. 
 The regular profits of the manufacturer ai'e 
 variously stated at from fifteen to thirty- 
 three per centum ; but, under the operation of 
 the acts of congress levying the duties, they are 
 presented, as very small indeed: 
 Salt-works, of the value of 1,000 
 dollars, will produce yearly 250 
 bushels of salt, value, at the 
 usual price of sale, four shil- 
 lings currency, or sixty-six 
 cents and two-thirds, per 
 bushel, S166 67 
 
 Deduct attendance, one fourth, 41 67 
 
 Balance, 125 
 
 VOL. II. s 
 
V ^ g 1 ii A V ELS THROUGH PART 
 
 
 Deduct repairs, 
 
 S50 
 
 Balance, 
 
 75 
 
 Deduct duty on 250 bushels, at 
 
 
 8 cents per bushel, 
 
 20 
 
 Balance, 
 
 55 
 
 Deduct additional duty, at 
 
 
 twelve cents per bushel, 
 
 30 
 
 Total net profit, on a capital 
 
 of 1,000 dollars, 25 
 
 Beside the attendance implied by the fore- 
 going account of this manufacture, it is also re- 
 quisite that the covers or roofs of the rooms 
 and vats should be removed and replaced with a 
 judicious regard to the evaporation. When rain 
 is threatened, the roofs are put on ; but, when 
 this is not the case, the vats, to advance the pro- 
 cess, are left open at night : if a sudden and 
 heavy rain happens at that season, the attendants 
 must hasten to the \vorks, and put on the roofs. 
 There are various modes of constructing the 
 roofs, and the apparatus for moving them, none 
 of which I believe, are allowed to have the per- 
 fection desired. 
 
 In regard to the evaporation of the aqueous 
 parts of the sea-water, and to promote which 
 evaporation, is the main concern of the manu- 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. ^39 
 
 tacturer, several contrivances have been brought 
 into practice, and, among others, that which I have 
 described as existing at the salt-works in the 
 neighbourhood of New London. The first 
 cause of evaporation is heat, and the second is 
 extension of surface. But the sun's heat is in 
 this case the maximum ; and the only problem 
 that remains is how to extend the surface. The 
 ordinary resource is that of spreading the water 
 in broad shallow vats; and, except the moving 
 cylinders, of hempen twine, above referred to, 
 I have been informed of no other variation 
 than one that was once tried in Dorchester, the 
 town adjoining Boston. This consisted in the 
 use of an engine, by which the water was re- 
 peatedly thrown upon an inclined plane of wood, 
 whence it returned into the pump-well. x\n in- 
 creased exposure to the atmosphere necessarily 
 attended this process; but, neither this, nor 
 any other improvement upon the ordinary salt- 
 works, has been found to remunerate, by in- 
 creased profits, an increased expense. 
 
 From the eastern extremity of the to^Mi of 
 Chatham, a naiTow tongue of sand projects to the 
 southward, inlength about eight or ten miles, and 
 terminatinginapoint, called Sandy Point and Cape 
 Malebarre. The latter is the name understood 
 to have been given to it by M. de Champlain, in 
 the year 1605; a name having allusion to a 
 
149 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 bar, on which he narrowly escaped losing his 
 vessel. On this point is a house and other ac- 
 commodations, provided in case of shipwreck, by 
 the Humane Society of Massachusetts. 
 
 That Sandy Point is the Cape Malebarre, (er- 
 roneously spelt Malabar,) of the French, is a 
 settled ti'uth, with the geographers of New En- 
 gland,* except that I find one or tM^o who make it 
 synonymous with Cape Cod.f But, if the French 
 historian, Charlevoix, has not misapprehended 
 M. de Champlairi's narrative, Cape Malebarre 
 can be neither the Sand} Point nor the Cape Cod 
 of the English, but their Cape Ann, which is to 
 the north of Cape Cod, called, by M. de Cham- 
 plain, from its white sands, Cape Blanc ; a posi- 
 tion to be denied, only after disproving the facts 
 stated. 
 
 In the year 1604, the French, under M. de 
 Monts, established themselves, as it is said, on a 
 small island, twenty leagues to the southward of 
 the river De S:iint-Jean or St. John's, and gcive 
 to the island the name of He de Sainte 
 Croix. The situation, however, was found to 
 be unfit for the establishment of a colony ; t nd, 
 early in the spring, M. de Monts re-embarked, in 
 
 * American Universal Geography, 
 t American Gazetteer, article Cape Cod; and the 
 American Annals, 2d edit. vol. ii. p. 124. note. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES 
 
 141 
 
 search of one that might be better. He ran south- 
 erly along the coast, which he found lying east 
 and west for eighty leagues, or from the river De 
 Saint-Jean to the ri^ er Kinibequi or Kennebec. 
 Beyond, or to the southward of the Kennebec, he 
 followed the coast, which here lay north and south, 
 as far as a point of land which M. de Champlain, 
 who, during the winter, had employed himself 
 in exploring the countr}-, had named Male-barre^ 
 because his vessel was nearly lost at the place. — 
 He had even taken possession of it, continues the 
 historian, as well as of Cape Blanc or Cape Cod, 
 which is beyond it, though the English did not 
 suffer themselves to be restrained by this circum- 
 stance from settling upon it, shortly after.* Cape 
 Malebarre is therefore to the northward of Cape 
 Cod or Cape Blanc, and is no other than Cape 
 Ann. Cape Ann and Cape Cod are respectively 
 the north and south points of Massachusetts Bay. 
 
 * " II fin t sa route au stul, rangea la cote, qui court est 
 " et ouest Fcsfiace de quatre-vingt Heues, dcfiuis la riviere 
 " de Saint- Jean, jusqu'au Kliiiberj-id ; puis nord ct sitd, 
 " ju^qu'a line fiointe, que Chamfilain, qui fiendant Vhyver 
 " s'etait occiifie a visiter le fiays, avait nomme Male-barre, 
 " fiarceque sa barque u avait couru risque d'echoiicr. II 
 " en avait me me fir is fiossession au ?i07n du roi, aussi bien 
 " que du Cafi Blanc ou Cufi Codd, qui est au dela ; ce 
 " qui n'a fioint emfieche Ics Anglais de s'y etablir, ficu de 
 " tems a fires. Charlevoix, Ilist. Gen. de la Nouv. 
 " France, iiv. iii. 
 
CHAPTER XLVll. 
 
 Massachusetts — Orleans — JVellJieet — 
 Provincetown. 
 
 THE lands In Chatham are in part of mode- 
 rate elevation, but in part also both low and 
 sand}^ In some of the open spaces, where the 
 wdnd has swept away the turf, it has also carried 
 with it the soil, to the depth of three feet or 
 more, leaving only here and there some diminu- 
 tive banks, of the height of the original surface. 
 The sub-soil, thus discovered, exhibits a thick 
 stratum of shells, lying at about t^vo feet below 
 the tuif. 
 
 A sandy road carried me into the to\vn of Or- 
 leans, through which I was to pass, in my wav 
 to Provincetown, at the end of the peninsula. 
 The landscape is far from unpleasing, being di- 
 versified with hills and woods, and small bodies 
 of water, and (though Orleans has no good har- 
 bour,) with frequent inlets of the sea. Many of 
 the houses are well built; and at one of this 
 descriptiony in the town of Eastham, I breakfast- 
 
TRAVELS THROUGH PART, &c j^^^ 
 
 ed, on SLinday morning, the sixth of September. 
 Behind it was an inlet, on the shore of which 
 were mounted two or three pieces of cannon. — 
 These were part of the guns of a merchant ves- 
 sel, stranded, not many years since, upon the coast; 
 and in my further progress toward the cape, I had 
 occasion to see additional monuments of the same 
 kind, of the shipwrecks frequent on this danger- 
 ous coast. A little further on the road, a group of 
 girls and children, washing clothes in the water, 
 ornamented for a short space the region of deep 
 sands that surrounded them. Further on, I 
 found extensive plains, in part covered with 
 wood, and in part employed as pastures. Both 
 \voods and pastures are here of a very humble 
 quality, except where there is an immediate 
 proximity of water. The timber consists almost 
 exclusively in black pine and oak, generally in- 
 termixed, but sometimes, for large tracts, in 
 separate woods. Where the oak is alone, and 
 where it predominates, there is much under- 
 wood; but where the pine only is found, the 
 ground beneath is nearly bare, sustaining but 
 dwarfish plants, sxichsL^the partridge-berry , some- 
 times called the tea plant and Indian tea, and some 
 other diminutive creepers. It is a flict commonly 
 asserted, in this part of the country, that if a 
 natural gro^a th of pine be removed, a natural 
 growth, not of pine, but of oak, will invariably 
 
tA^ TiiAVELS THKOUGH TART 
 
 follow; and the same of oak, the second growth 
 being always different from the preceding one. 
 The actual condition of the woods appeared to 
 bear testimony to the fact ; and other facts, of alike 
 nature, are elsewhere stated. Some, however, 
 go so far as to say, that the growths will continue 
 to come in alternate order; that the oak \vhich 
 has succeeded pine, will itself be succeeded 
 by pine again ; but, upon this point, fewer speak 
 wich confidence than upon the other. — Eastham 
 has been able to export fifteen hundred bushels of 
 maize in a season. 
 
 Below Eastham is Weilfleet, rich in salt 
 marshes, which feed large numbers of black- 
 cattle and horses ; and rich, too, like all the 
 other towns in the neighbourhood, in fish and in 
 sand-clams, [sabella gramdata.) In Wellfieet, 
 after ascending and descending many sandy ex- 
 cavations, such as form the roads on the sides of 
 the hills, and after leaving behind me many 
 green shady dells, I reached a vast region of 
 sand, in the midst of which is its church or 
 meeting-house. 
 
 At a mile or two before I reached it, I had 
 been joined company by one of the inhabitants, 
 who, with a civility always promptly offered 
 in New England, accommodated me with a 
 seat in his pew. None of the churches btlow 
 Brewster have spires ; a circumstance that gener* 
 
 9 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. J45 
 
 ally bespeaks poverty, in this and all the countrj- 
 that I have passed through ; but spires can be 
 but of new introduction, and the fashion may 
 not yet h-ve reached these districts. Opposite 
 the church is a range of covered stalls, for hor- 
 ses ; a common appendage to the churches in all 
 the towns, imd particularl}- needful here, and in 
 this season, ^^dlere and when the animals are obli- 
 ged to stand in a deep sand, exposed, but for 
 this shelter, to a burning sun. 
 
 In the church, which is of modern carpen- 
 try, two particulars most attracted my notice ; 
 one, a \ iolent and thundering noise, such as 
 threatened the fall of the roof, and of which I did 
 not discover, but on a repetition, the cause. 
 This took place, whenever the congregation, after 
 standing up, sat down ; and resulted from a 
 contrivance in the seats, of abundant ingenuity. 
 As, in standing against the side of a pew, the 
 knees may be vexed by the edge of a project- 
 ing seat, the seats are all composed of two parts, 
 joined together by hinges. Now, when the 
 congregation rises, every member lifts his seat ; 
 and w^hen it prepares to sit down, he puts, or 
 rather throws down the seat ; imd this lhro^\•ing 
 down not being performed ^v•ith all the gentle- 
 ness possible, the effect produced was such as 1 
 liave described. 
 
 vol.. II. T 
 
t^S 1 KAVELS rimO'CUH PART 
 
 The other particular consisted in the appearance 
 of the leader of the choir, who sat in a large gallery, 
 together with some twenty singers ; and who, 
 an-ayed in a printed cotton morning-gown, had 
 placed himself on the top of the partition of the 
 pew, one leg being supported by the front of 
 the gallery, and the other lying along the top 
 of the partition. — In all this, there is no men- 
 tion of the rural beauties, nor of the bonnets ; 
 and yet it is highly proper that the reader 
 should be enabled to fic-urc to himself both 
 beauties and bonnets worthy of praise, even 
 amid the sands of Wellfleet. — But, the service 
 came to an end ; the beauties ascended their 
 pillions ; their horses waded through the sand ; 
 and I went to a short distance to dinner. — There 
 is a harbour adjacent, for fishing vessels. 
 
 As, on this road, which is no thoroughfare, 
 the appearance of a stranger is a little remarka- 
 ble, my travelling acquaintance had abundant 
 employment, both before and after divine ser- 
 vice, in relating, to successive knots of auditors, 
 the most prominent particulars concerning me, 
 either that he had received from myself, or that 
 he had been able to conjecture ; and as these 
 auditors then retired to their respective homes, 
 I soon found myself known, even in the remoter 
 parts of the to'^vn. In one instance, a man 
 took the trouble to halloo to me, informing me 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. ^4" 
 
 ihat I was an Englishman, \v\xh. the ad^/ition of 
 some small opprobrious language tliat has esca- 
 ped my memor}'. The comment of a native of 
 Ne\\'' England would probah^ly be, that there must 
 be a deficiency of schools in the place ; but 
 I mention the circumstance chiefly for its singu- 
 larity. With scarcely another exception, I have 
 found every individual, of whatever domestic 
 party, more forward, in all personal addresses, 
 to flatter, than to insult the English name. 
 
 The country, in Truro, is great part hilly, 
 with a soil of gravelly loam, supporting lofty 
 woods, and hollowed into verdant cUid well wa- 
 tered vales ; but with tracts of sand, near the 
 inlets of the sea, either drifting in the wind, or 
 supporting a thin coat of beach-grass. Several 
 rivulets and pools present themselves, and the 
 \vhole landscape has much in it that is romantic. 
 Night approached, and I passed some houses of 
 respectable appearance; but I had no introduction 
 to any person in Truro, and u'as therefore to seek 
 a lodging at hazard. As is usual, not only iii this 
 but other little-frequented parts, there are no re- 
 gular inns or public houses, but a large propor- 
 tion of the inhabitants lay themselves out to give 
 entertainment. Among those who do not, some 
 few are prevented by their w ealth ; but the greater 
 number by their poverty. It is requisite there- 
 fore, to he directed to a householder of some 
 
148 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 substance. In paying for the accommodation 
 received, your host or hostess commonly declines 
 to name any sum, telling you, that though they 
 entertain people they do not keep tavern; but that 
 you know what you pay eisew^here. 
 
 It was my fortune to be directed this evening 
 to the house of Captain Obadiah Rich, an oblig- 
 ing, industrious, and apparently a thriving mariner, 
 with a young family, a house, of which the di- 
 mensions were increasing, and a good tract of 
 land. In the morning I went from Truro to 
 ProvincetoMai. 
 
 For a short space, the road lay over hills, on 
 which were crops of m.iize, now nearly ready 
 for harvest. The favourite manure is the king 
 or horseshoe-crab, of which there are great num- 
 bers on the coast ; and to each hill, that is to each 
 three plants, there is allotted one crab, devested 
 of its shell. The sand, thus nourished, yields 
 an adequate return for the labours of the 
 husbandman ; the grain filling well, though the 
 plant is of very low stature, and in a great de- 
 gree without its broad and ornamental flag-like 
 leaves. 
 
 At the foot of these hills, I entered a tract of 
 salt-marsh, inclosed at its head by a fence, and 
 open, at the opposite extremity, to Province- 
 town harbour. In all the loM'er part, the road lies 
 along its edge, and is more or less commo- 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. J49 
 
 dious as the tide is higher or lower ; the flood tide 
 driving the traveller into the loose sand, and upon 
 the sand-hills ; while the ebb gives him the 
 use of the lower part of the beach, itself but soft, 
 and thro^ni into transverse ridges of sand, and in- 
 terrupted by rills of fresh water, flowing from the 
 springs in the hills. The length of this salt-mea- 
 dow is about nine miles. 
 
 I had the company of an inhabitant of Pro- 
 vincetown. As we approached the mouth of 
 the inlet, the vertebres of a small species 
 of whale, here called hlack-Jish, became fre- 
 quent on the beach, together with other signs 
 of fisheries, the sole objects of pursuit at Pro- 
 vincetown. Soon after, at the distance of 
 half a mile, on the sandy flat from ^vhich the sea 
 was now fast retiring, we discovered a boy, and, 
 neai' him, what appeared to be a great fish. The 
 solitary condition of the boy, and the smallness of 
 his size, compared with that of the fish, formed a 
 combination sufliiciently remarkable to draw us to 
 the spot; and, on our arrival, we found our fisher- 
 man, of about the age of ten years, astride a 
 porpoise of about ten feet long, in the middle of a 
 sea of blood, collected in the hollow of the sand. 
 Alone, and with a table-knife for his instrument, 
 he wsis cutting the blubber from the ribs of the 
 monster, a task which he performed in a \'ery 
 Workman-like manner. 
 
I^Q TiiAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 Upon our inquiring of him who had killed the 
 porpoise, he replied, that he had killed it himself; 
 and gave us the following account of his ad- 
 venture. His employment, in the morning, had 
 been thiit of attending his mother's cows ; and 
 from the hills onw^hichhe was, he had seen a shoal 
 of porpoises enter the inlet. As the tide was 
 ebbing, and the shore flat, many of them were 
 soon embarrassedby the want of sufficient water to 
 move in ; and he flattered himself, that by leav- 
 ing his cows, and coming down to the beach, he 
 should be able to make a prize. Arrived at the 
 water's edge, or rather going into it as far as he 
 dared, he selected a porpoise, already embarrass- 
 ed b}- the sand, and struggling to gain deep wa- 
 ter. Him he boldly caught, from time to time, by 
 the tail, thereby increasing his difficulties, till, 
 in the end, the water, running fast away, left 
 him upon the sand. The conquest so far ef- 
 fected, the boy had staid by his fish, to frustrate 
 his efibrts to escape, till escape had become quite 
 impossible ; and he had then gone home (a dis- 
 tance of a mile) to fetch a knife. Armed with 
 the knife, he had proceeded to wound and kill 
 the porpoise, a task of some labour and danger ; 
 and, according to the description, he had accom- 
 plished it only by watching for opportunities, 
 and by alternatel}'^ striking and retreating. The 
 fish was now dead ; and my companion suppo- 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. ^5]^ 
 
 seel that it would yield ten gallons of oil, giving 
 the little cowherd, at one dollar per gallon, ten 
 dollars for his exploit. 
 
 Provincetown possesses an excellent harbour, 
 land-locked on the east, west and north ; for the 
 peninsula terminates in a sort of hook, the point of 
 which, called Race Point, looks to the south^vard. 
 It wi[s a station for the British navy in the rebel- 
 lion, greatly to the profit of the few inhabitants 
 then in the harbour ; and a similar benefit is ex- 
 pected inthe town, should the course of events un- 
 fortunatel)^ lead at any future period, to hostilities. 
 The harbour is spacious and deep ; but the town 
 can supply nothing but fish, its own consump- 
 tion in vegetables, and all the produce of the eaith, 
 being supplied by Barnstable and Boston. 
 
 The name of the town appears to have been gi- 
 ven it by the ancient government of Massachusetts, 
 which, vv'hile yet provincial, was desirous of 
 establishing a few inhabitants on and about 
 Race Point, for the succour of the shipping, and 
 particularly of vejftels and their crews when in 
 distress. Fifteen years ago, that is, at the be- 
 ginning of the French revolution, there were 
 not more than three houses in the harbour ; 
 but there are now a hundred and eighty, with 
 a small church, and a building containing both 
 a town-school and a freemason's hall. Forty-four 
 sail of fishing vessels, belonging to Province- 
 
152 
 
 TRAVELS THllOUGH PART 
 
 town, were said to be now at sea, fishing in 
 the Straits of Belleisle ; and, about a month after I 
 left the place, the whole number Avas reported 
 to be safely arrived, with caj goes, amounting, in 
 the aggregate, to fifty thousand quintals. The 
 houses are built on the water's edge ; that is, on 
 the outside of the ridge of sand-hills that every- 
 where border the inner side of the peninsula. Here, 
 therefore, there is nothing under the foot but a 
 deep white sand, which is driven by the wind 
 into banks, like snow. Heaps are sometimes 
 driven against the houses ; and it appears that 
 they would be buried under them, but for the 
 contrivance of raising them on piles, and thus 
 allowing a passage for the drift, beneath their 
 floors. Two or three willows are planted ; and it 
 is probable that much benefit might be derived 
 from increasing the number of these trees. 
 Their roots strike deep, attracted by the 
 water below ; and springs are very numerous 
 beneath the sand ; for all that is received from 
 rains or dews, upon the hills, filters immediately 
 to their base. The roots of the willows would 
 give stability to the sand, and their shade and hu- 
 midity would encourage the growth of the her- 
 bage; and if they should injure the taste of the 
 water, this element might be derived from wells 
 at a small distance from the houses. 
 
 3 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 15S 
 
 Behind the border of sand-hills is a continua- 
 tion of the main land of the peninsula, here 
 about a mile and a half in breadth. This is com- 
 posed of small hills, covered with scrubby woodji 
 and shrubs, among which latter is the whortle- 
 berr}'. In the hollows ai'e pools and morasses ; 
 but some houses are scattered round them, whose 
 situation is thought to be at least as healthy as 
 that of the houses on the beach, of which the at- 
 mosphere, in summer, is extremely heated 
 by the reflection of the sand, and on which 
 there is no vegetable corrective. Fjom the hills, 
 the eye has a near prospect of the ocean, on the 
 opposite side of the peninsula ; but, between this 
 and the wood-land, is a broad white margin of 
 sand. On one of the shrubby hills, we found 
 a woman, with her son, employed in looking 
 through a telescope for the fishing vessel of her 
 husband. No vessel had yet arrived, and the 
 whole town was filled with expectation. 
 
 Formerly, the cod-fishery was pursued on the 
 Banks of Newfoundland, as, at a still earlier pe- 
 riod, it was pursued immediately about this cape, 
 for which the abundance of the fish procured its 
 name ; but at present ail the vessels go to the Straits 
 ofBelleisle, which seem to be here called Straits 
 of Labrador. When they went to the Banks of 
 Newfoun.diand, they were accustomed to make 
 three voyages, returning from each respectively 
 
 VOL. II. u 
 
J 54 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 in the months of May, July and October. It is 
 remarkable, that among the grounds of prefer- 
 ence mentioned for the fishery of the Straits, 
 above the fishery of the Banks, the fish of 
 the latter are said to smell ill, and the former 
 otherwise. If this be so, the curing, or as it is 
 called, the making of the fish, must be less offen- 
 sive in this town than in some others engaged 
 in the fisheries. The jlakes or frames on which 
 the fish are dried are here intermixed with the 
 houses, as indeed they are elsewhere; and the 
 effluvia that escapes during the process is ge- 
 nerally of the most unpleasant description. 
 
 The making of the fish is the employment of 
 the women. The fishermen throw out their car- 
 goes upon the beach, and the women spread 
 and turn the fish upon the flakes. The flakes 
 are stands of ten or twelve yards in length, 
 three or four in width, and about two feet high. 
 Branches of trees are spread on them; and the fish, 
 being previously opened, is laid on the branches 
 to lose their moisture. As the phrase of making 
 appears to be borrowed, though with obvious 
 impropriety, from the art of hay-making, 
 so the fish, when made^ is stacked in the same 
 manner as Iw ; each side of fish being laid hori- 
 zontally and neatly, with the tail inward, in a cir- 
 cular pile. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. I55 
 
 The little porpoise-killer is a fair specimen of 
 the children of Provincetown. The boys are 
 commonly taken to sea at the age even of six oi* 
 seven years ; and at ten they are expert fisher- 
 men. At sea, the fishermen live in some mea- 
 sure in a manner peculiar to themselves ; and 
 it is supposed that the hardness of their lives al- 
 most precludes competition in their trade : they 
 take on board but a small quantity of pork, and for 
 the rest depend upon fish. Other fishing voyages 
 are said to be more expensively found ; and 
 so far the Cape- Cod men may have advan- 
 tages ; but, in the privations they endm'e, there 
 are pursuits in which they are equalled. 
 
 The salt meadow, by which I arrived at the 
 village, is of great importance to the inhabitants, 
 as affording pasturage and fodder for their cattle. 
 Horses and cows, that are not accustomed to the 
 taste of salt hay, refuse it ; but such as have been 
 for a short time reduced to eat it, eat it readily, 
 tmd thrive upon it ; and it releases the farmer 
 from the necessity of providing his stock with 
 salt in any other form. As the meadow is scarce- 
 ly susceptible of division into portions by fences, 
 it is held as common property ; each inhabitant 
 being entitled to pasture a certain number of 
 animals, and take away a certain quantity of hay. 
 According to I'.iw, there can be but a certain^ 
 number of animals permitted to graze Mdthin the 
 
j^^g TRAVELS THllOUGH I'ART 
 
 town ; but the lavv is disregarded : the object 
 of the restriction is that of preventing the de- 
 struction of the turf; from which, as I have be- 
 fore described, very serious injury follows, in 
 these sandy and exposed situations. Plants of 
 beach-grass are sometimes set in rows, in the 
 sand, to stop the progress of the ravage, and even 
 reclaim the naked sands ; and, where diey flou- 
 rish, their spreading and matted roots effect tlie 
 purpose. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII. 
 
 Massachusetts — Truro-— Easthani . 
 
 MY journey to Provincetown occasioned 
 some speculation, not only in Wellfleet, but in 
 the towns below ; and I afterward learned, both 
 in Provincetown, and on the road by which I re- 
 turned, that its object had been positively ascer- 
 tained. 
 
 There lay, at this time, in the haibour of Pro- 
 vincetown, a vessel, that for six weeks had filled 
 the country with surmises, and even apprehen- 
 sions. She had come to an anchorage in the har- 
 bour, and there remained, Avithout discovering 
 the smallest disposition to depart. Her captain 
 
Uf THE UNITED STATES. J5Y 
 
 liad taken lodgings on shore ; but it was report- 
 ed that there were passengers on board, who 
 ne\'er disembarked, but for whom provisions 
 wtre daily sent on board. She was said to have 
 no freight, and the passengers were a gentleman 
 and his wife and family. 
 
 These particulars, came at length, however, to 
 be doubted. No very paiticular account could 
 be obtained, concerning the gentleman and his 
 ^vife ; where they v\Tre bom, or how long they 
 liad been married ; and no reason whatever was 
 assigned for their choice of this floating castle, 
 the ship, for their country-house. Then, as to 
 the nullity of freight, contraiy rumours had gain- 
 ed ground, and it was said that the hold was filled 
 with great guns and stimds of ai-ms ; that, in 
 short, she was a British vessel, manned by Bri- 
 tish seamen, and commanded l^y a British officer ; 
 that she had been sent in anticipation of the war 
 that was expected to follow tlie seizure of the de- 
 serters on board the United States' frigate Chesa- 
 peake ; and that her object was to seize upon 
 Provincetown and all its flakes of fish, when the 
 fish should aiTi\e. In the interim, the state of 
 defence of the place was considered with a 
 gloomy eye ; almost every male Avas absent ; 
 and the hills were strengthened but with two 
 swivels, resting tlicir tnmnions only on heaps 
 of sand. 
 
j^o TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 The alarm increasing, despatches had been 
 sent to the collector at Banibtable, and to Bos- 
 ton. The collector had long delayed his visit ; and 
 it was confidently whispered, that it had been said 
 in the ship, that the collector would not be allowed 
 to come on board, and that his boat would be re- 
 ceived with a broadside. Under these circum- 
 stances, the captain's accommodation on shore 
 had become a source of complaint ; but the fami- 
 ly in which he lodged had resisted the popular 
 discontent ; and, declaring that he behaved very 
 well, and that they had no doubt all was right, 
 had permitted him to remain : in consequence, 
 there was another rumour, that a quantity of 
 arms had been secretly carried into the house ; 
 that the doors and windows were barricadoed 
 every night ; and that the collector, and every 
 other officer of government, would be opposed 
 by small arms on shore, not less than by heavy 
 metal in the harbour. 
 
 It was to this dangerous service that I had had 
 the honour of being appointed by the public voice ; 
 for though a circuitous route by land was the 
 least obvious method of arriving at Provincetown, 
 yet neither this nor any other circumstance, (not 
 even the story, at Wellfleet, that I was an En- 
 glishman,) had robbed the people of the hope, that 
 I should bring the British plot to light, or at least 
 perish in the attempt. Happily, there was so 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. j59 
 
 much apparent union in the operations devised 
 against the ship, that I anived on the beach at 
 the very instant when the collector, at length 
 aiTived from Barnstable, put off from the shore, 
 to attempt his visit ; and, whether from this co- 
 incidence or not, he met with no opposition, and 
 was induced to come away in the firm belief 
 that the vessel was an American bottom, and had 
 nothing but what was American on board. 
 
 I had the pleasure of drinking a glass of wine 
 with the captain, a native of New England, who 
 told me that his vessel had been chartered at the 
 southward, by the gentleman on board ; that he 
 had lain at anchor for some time in a cove on 
 the island of Martha's Vineyard, and that he had 
 come into Provinceto^\^l Harbour for better secu- 
 rity from the winds. The gentleman, by whom 
 he was chartered, was a merchant from the 
 southward ; and his motive, for living thus, might 
 be that of temporarily avoiding his creditors. 
 
 In returning up the peninsula, I crossed the 
 salt-meadow lower down than where I first enter- 
 ed it ; and gained the main road at a spot near 
 the light-house, in Truro. The intervening 
 country was in part a light loam ; and, as to its 
 surface, consisted in open downs. 
 
 A heavy rain commencing early in the after- 
 noon, I took shelter in the house of a £u-mer, 
 who is also a miller, and the keeper of the light- 
 
160 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 house ; and did not leave it till the following 
 morning. The light-house is built at a small 
 distance from the edge of an eminence, on 
 the lofty table-land that runs along the penin- 
 sula. This eminence is part of a remarka- 
 ble vein of blue clay or marl, not more than two 
 hundred yards broad, where it terminates abrupt- 
 ly on the beach, and growing nan'ower as it re- 
 cedes inland, where, at the distance of half a mile, 
 it contracts itself to a point : on each side, all 
 the country is a sand. This vein of clay or marl 
 \Vas long regarded as the proper place for a light- 
 house on the coast ; and its solidity, not less 
 than the high level of its surface, recommend it 
 for this purpose : it is not, however, without a 
 serious inconvenience. The impenetrable na- 
 ture of the soil occasions the vapours that 
 strike against it to remain on its surface ; and 
 the springs, on each side, arrested in their 
 course, issue at its feet : hence a thick bank of 
 fog frequently rests on it ; and though this bank 
 is not so lofty as the lanthorn of the light-house, 
 yet, according to the laws of optics, it becomes 
 an intervening object at a short distance (per- 
 haps only twelve miles) from the shore. This 
 light-house is also injured by an ingenious con- 
 trivimce, introduced into its lanthorn. It is of 
 importance to the mariner, that one liglit should 
 be distinguishable from another light ; so as tliat. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 161 
 
 in the manner of a telegraph, the light may ac 
 quaint him, not only with the existence of the 
 coast, but Avith the particular part of the coast. 
 For this purpose, several modes of varying the 
 appearance of lights have been contrived ; and, 
 among others that adopted at the light-house of 
 Truro. This consists in a semi-circular skreen, 
 placed on a circular frame, which being moved 
 by clock-work, performs continual evolutions 
 about the lanthorn, each evolution occupying a 
 certain number of minutes — I believe eight. 
 By this machinery, the light is made alter- 
 nately visible and invisible, and presents va- 
 rious phases, like the moon; and this is the dis- 
 tinctive mark : but the practical result is not so 
 favourable as must have been contemplated, be- 
 fore the plan ^vas admitted into use. We see, 
 that as the skreen is continually turning, the 
 light is full only for a single moment in the 
 course of each evolution ; it is also totally eclipsed 
 but for a single moment ; but, during all the 
 time between, it is no more than an ob- 
 scure and imperfect light, with greater or les^ 
 difficulty distinguished : the cotton and oil in the 
 lanthorn are employed to give the greatest possi- 
 ble light ; and the skreen is at the same time em- 
 ployed to hide it ; and this, while there are cir- 
 cumstances enough, at sea, to obscure the best 
 
 VOJ.. II. X 
 
J 52 IKAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 lights, without any contrivances on shore, to as- 
 sist this misfortune ! A hght that should appear, 
 not steadily, but by incessant flashes, would be 
 useful ; but this cannot be the case with one, the 
 fuUness of which returns so slowly. 
 
 Tmro is said to lie between 41*^ 57' and 42° 
 4' north latitude, and between 70° 13' west lon- 
 gitude.* Its only harbour is a tide-harbour, at the 
 mouth of a valley, called the Great Hollow, 
 which declines toward the sea, and has the In- 
 dian name of Pamet. From the harbour, the ad- 
 jacent county was by the colonists called Pa- 
 met, till, in the year 1700, it was settled, 
 and called Dangerfield. In 1709, it was 
 misde a town, and named as now. In the year 
 1790, it contained one thousand one hundred 
 and ninety -three souls, supported chiefly by the 
 great fisheries, and by the fish of the coast. The 
 men and boys are employed, not merely like 
 those of Provincetown, in the cod-fisher}^, but 
 in the more arduous pursuit of the whale. — In 
 every account of the fisheries, great profits are 
 represented as accruing ; but, if the happiness of 
 the bulk of the people, in all tliis country, de- 
 pends upon the profits of their toil, it is, like their 
 profits, both precarious and little. 
 
 * American Gazetteer. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. J^g3 
 
 One of those visionary writers, of whom we 
 are acquainted with so many, might easily give 
 to Truro and its vicinity the most inviting de- 
 scription. He might say, that the youth and 
 strength of the country are employed, for two- 
 thirds of the year, in obtaining, by hardy and 
 audacious toil, the wealth of seas beyond the 
 line, and even on the further side of Cape 
 Horn ; and while these (in the phrase of a New 
 England writer) are thus cultivating the ocean, 
 their blooming wives and daughters might be 
 exhibited as deriving an easy subsistence from 
 the bounteous hand of nature, that fills every bay 
 and creek with fish : nay, even the decrepitude 
 of age, and the feebleness of infancy, might be 
 drawn as capable of finding, at the conunon 
 table, a daily, luscious, and abundant food. 
 The truth is, that early habits of life, and the 
 lure of voyages occasionally prosperous, in- 
 duce the male population to devote themselves 
 to the fisheries. They begin destitute of every 
 thing, and engage upon shares with the ship- 
 owner and merchant. Before they embark, they 
 must have an outfit of clothes and necessaries, 
 all which the merchant retails at a profit ; and 
 next their wives must have credit gi^'en them at 
 a store^ on the credit of the merchant or holder 
 of a share in the ship, unless such holder be in 
 her neighbourhood, and be himself the keeper of 
 
|g4 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 this store^ or country-shop. Here, they obtain 
 rum, molosses, wares and clothing, all at a high 
 price. Meanwhile, their daily subsistence, and 
 the subsistence of all the family, young and old, 
 depends almost exclusively on fish taken with a 
 line, or on shell-fish, raked out of the sand. In 
 such an employ, in angling for hours from a 
 punt, paddled out from shore, or in raking in 
 the sand of the beach, the weakest, the oldest, 
 and the youngest, may indeed employ them- 
 selves ; and their prey, when they have caught 
 it, they may eat. But, in this pursuit of food 
 passes their hours ; except, when by the light of 
 lamps of fish-oil, they sit down to the wheel or 
 loom. Their persons are frequently squalid; 
 their hair hangs often in dirt over their eyes ; and 
 their dress is marked by poverty. And how 
 can it be otherwise, among a race that depends 
 for its subsistence upon a search after food, di- 
 rected almost by the immediate cravings of the 
 stomach ; and whom a stormy day may deprive 
 of a dinner, or send shivering, when the tide is 
 out, to prowl upon the beach for food ? The 
 land that they possess, and which might be ma- 
 nured both with sea- weed and with fish, is but 
 negligently cultivated ; and indeed nothing, the 
 fish for food excepted, is seriously their care. It is 
 certainly in their power to do better ; but, for 
 the poor and destitute, the temptation is strong 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 165 
 
 to seek food at free cost to-day, and, having 
 found it, to seek it so again to-morrow. The faci- 
 lity encourages the practice, and encourages in- 
 dolence ; and, indolence once become habitual, 
 it is easier to suffer than to labour. Life is pro- 
 tracted and spent amid small expectations, and 
 expectations that ai'e often not smaller than 
 they are vain. 
 
 The whaling- voyage is terminated, and the 
 men and boys return to their cottages. Do they 
 come laden with die profits of the voyage ? Co 
 they come to close a period of privation, and to 
 open one of plenty ? Do they come — to speak of 
 plain life, and of plain facts — do they come to 
 wipe off the debt at the store ^ and at least to begin 
 a new account upon even terms ? Ftir from it ! I 
 was assured by practical men, by dealers or mer- 
 chants, and by farmers \\\\o have spent many years 
 of their lives in these voyages, that it does not 
 happen, oftener than once in ten years, that the 
 shares amount to enous:h to relieve a whiJer 
 from his debts. In all the intermediate period, the 
 close of every voyage leaves him on the books 
 of the ship-owner, whose summons for the next 
 voyage he must obey, or answer for the debt in 
 gaol. While at home, he digs for sand-clams, 
 and warms himself in the smoke of his hovel. 
 For a new voyage, he must have a new outfit, 
 and his wife new credit ; and the result of eve- 
 
166 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 ry voyage is almost certainly an addition to his 
 debts : — he lives, however, and his wife and chil- 
 dren live; and this is all. Nay, we have thrown 
 out of the account all the subtractions from hu- 
 man welfare, incident to misfortune and to folly. 
 No allowance is here made for hurts, for sick- 
 ness, for thoughtless extravagance, nor for in- 
 temperance ; but each of these occasionally adds 
 shade to the picture, and, in its effects on the 
 resources of the fisherman, commonly counter- 
 balances the luck that may reward his perseve- 
 rance, one year in ten. 
 
 As I travelled the road through Eastham, on 
 my journey downward, I left on my right a 
 glittering mansion, white and black, that rose 
 conspicuous over the level champaign by which 
 it was surrounded, and appeared to be the cha- 
 teau of the domain. On making inquiries con- 
 cerning it, I learned that it belonged to Captain 
 Coliings, and that I might be well enter- 
 tained in it on my return. I found, too, that the 
 road, leading from the light-house, passed its 
 door. 
 
 I stopped, therefore, at Captain Collings's, to 
 dine. The house stood by itself, except that a 
 barn, and a small building, the captain's store^ 
 were on the opposite side of the road. The 
 hour was early ; and, as the family was about to 
 dine, I was to dine with it, a practice, in 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 167 
 
 the less populous parts, most congenial with the 
 manners ol the country at large, though into which 
 it has seldom happened to me to fall. I found 
 the table very respectably set, and (though not 
 before I had discovered my host to be a little 
 talkative) sat down to dinner. 
 
 At table, Captain CoUings placed himself by 
 my side, having many questions to ask : — " Did I 
 " think that that bl — dy Admiral Berkeley would 
 " be hanged ? What ! not hanged ?" then he 
 knew the consequence — " the United States 
 " would have Halifax and Canada and the West 
 
 " Indies, and show the Yankee spirit to 
 
 George !" 
 
 As I am never alarmed by the threats, so I am 
 never disturbed by the invectives of the politi- 
 cians of the United States ; nor do I think 
 it necessary to betray much impatience at any 
 tiling that foreign demagogues or partizans may 
 utter, concerning England's policy or En- 
 gland's prince : 
 
 The blood of Douglas will protect itself.* — 
 
 By way, however, of experiment, upon m\ 
 host's power of checking his volubility, and in 
 the weak hope of obtaining some respite from 
 
 * Home's Douglas. 
 
168 
 
 tkavp:ls through part 
 
 his interrogatories, I stopped him, at the end of 
 a few words of this kind, observing, that I was 
 an Enghsh subject, and that if he intended I 
 should eat my dinner, he must not abuse the 
 king. — It was in vain — he did not lose a mo- 
 ment,evenin apologizing: — "Oh! God bless me, 
 *' sir, I did not intend to say a word against the 
 " king ! I have the greatest respect in the world 
 '' for His Majesty ! But, you are an Englishman ! 
 " Well, when you first came into the house, I 
 " took you for an Englishman : you look like 
 " an Englishman ; but you do not speak like 
 " one ; — you speak a great deal too well ! You 
 •' must have been a lono; time in this countrv ? 
 " You must have come over when you were 
 '' quite a child ?" My assurances to the contrary 
 ^ery much perplexed Captain Collings ; he 
 had never known an instance of an Englishman 
 that spoke the language as well as a native of the 
 United States. He pressed me hard to confess 
 that I had acquired what I knew of the beau- 
 tiful in it, at some spot not very distant 
 from Cape Cod. Not succeeding in this, he re- 
 turned to politics, and renewed his assurances of 
 attachment to the king — only. He Avas for liberty 
 and equality — Ought the poor to be starved ? 
 Ought the rich to have every thing ? And it was 
 only these and twenty other equally difficult, 
 questions that he required to have answered — and 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. I59 
 
 that before dinner, or rather instead of dining. 
 There are various styles of argument; but it hap- 
 p< ned, unfortunately for me, that the captain's 
 Was the Socratic — or art of putting questions. 
 Had it consisted simply in postulates, or even 
 in syllogisms, I could at once have dined and 
 listened ; even though, like a philosophical epi- 
 cure, on an occasion somewhat similar, I had 
 found reason to complain, that I could not taste 
 what I was eating ; — but, to have a gentleman at 
 my elbow, resting his knife and fork, and look- 
 ing me in the face, till I should so far disembai'- 
 rass myself of the last mouthful as to be able to 
 answer, Whether or not the poor ought to be 
 starved^ was a situation that constantly divi- 
 ded me, l^etween my regard for his dinner 
 and for my own. 
 
 Dinner over, the captain continued ; I affect- 
 ed to sleep, but he still talked ; and good na- 
 ture required me to wake. The captain's lands 
 afforded the next topics ; and I was taken 
 abroad, to admire the improvements alrea- 
 dy made, and imagine the beauties of those to 
 come ; for the captain is an improver, and a lo. 
 ver of good taste. Then, I was led up stairs, to 
 view the apartments of the house, the new paint- 
 ing, and the wainscoats ; and lastly we ascended 
 the gallery on the roof, carrying with us a 
 telescope. In our way, the captain called niy 
 
 VOL. II. y 
 
j^yQ TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 particular attention to a small bed-chamber, 
 which he described as an exceedingly desirable 
 lodging-room. On the roof, he made me observe 
 all the flat and naked land adjacent, with its hol- 
 lows and tracts of marsh ; and then the blue ocean, 
 by which, to the southward, the whole is 
 bounded : " Now, sir," said he, " if you 
 " know any gentleman of fortune, that has tra- 
 " veiled a great deal, and wishes to enjoy retire- 
 " ment,I should be very glad if you would recom- 
 " mend this spot to him ; you see what a comfort- 
 " able bed-chamber there is below ; and we have 
 " plenty of fishing, andplenty of snipe and plover." 
 — Accordingly, I promised the captain to recom- 
 mend, to gentlemen of fortune and travel. Cape 
 Cod for the seat of their retirement, and by this 
 present writing I shall keep my word : it is but fair, 
 however, as is usual on such occasions, that I 
 should add something on the salubrity of the place, 
 and this I can do in the impartial words of another 
 native : " The cape is a healthy situation, except 
 " for those constitutions which are too deli- 
 " cate for the piercing winds that come from the 
 " sea. The inhabitants in general live as long 
 " as in the other parts of the northern states."* 
 Moreover, such gentlemen will have the conver- 
 sation of the captain, who is a very sociable and 
 good-humoured man, and who, if not a traveller, 
 
 * Massachusetts' Magazine, 1791. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 17| 
 
 is at least a voyager himself, has boldly pursued 
 the whale, through the billows of the Pacific 
 Ocean, and is now enjoying the honourable re- 
 ward of a youth of industry. 
 
 Eastham was settled in the year 1644, by 
 some of the more respectable colonists of Ply- 
 mouth, who were become dissatisfied with the si- 
 tuation of that place. It contains but one parish or 
 societ}^ and has no diversity of religious per- 
 suasion; all the inhabitants attending the pulpit of 
 tlie Reverend Mr. Philander Shaw, the fifth cler- 
 gyman that has been settled in the place. I had 
 the pleasure of seeing this gentleman, but only 
 for a very few minutes ; partly because my stay 
 was short, and partly because, with zealous 
 kindness, he employed himself, almost from the 
 moment of our meeting, in wi'iting letters for me 
 to his friends, a service from which I reaped the 
 most agreeable and valuable benefits. 
 
i.% 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 English Language. 
 
 CAPTAIN Collings is not singular in his 
 opinion, that it belongs to the United States 
 alone, to excel in speaking the English lan- 
 guiige ; and this is only one of the directions 
 in which these too-fortnnate republics have 
 already risen above tlie level of their foantain. 
 They not only speak, but write the English Lan- 
 guage, better than England herself; or so at least 
 it haj been said in print, by a writer of Pennsyl- 
 vania ;—r;nd I once htard it strenuously assert- 
 ed, in a large company, by a gi'eat law offi- 
 cer of Massachusetts, that " America is five 
 " hundred years beforehand with Europe, in 
 " arts, sciences and civilization," — The opi- 
 nion was condemned and ridiculed by the particu- 
 lar company in which it was uttered, composed 
 as that company was, \n\\\ the exception of my- 
 self, of naviv.'s of the United States ; but the au- 
 thor was only unlucky in the circle in which 
 
TRAVELS THROUGH PART, kc, jyg 
 
 he happened to be, and in very many others 
 would have found friends and plaudits. 
 
 " The English Language is undoubtedly 
 " written better in America than in England," 
 says the Pennsylvanian critic that I have alluded 
 to; but, lest it should be supposed (as by 
 some readers it might) that I have taken in 
 earnest that which was said only in jest, I find 
 myself under the necessity of extracting the 
 whole context. It fortunately happens that the 
 whole is sprightly ; and, that for its illustration, 
 I need only subjoin, that it is part of the 
 postscript of a satirical novel, in which much 
 humour is displayed, though chiefly upon local 
 topics. The author begins, as he ends, by de- 
 claring that his book is written with a view to 
 " language only, not in the least regarding the 
 " matter of the work."* 
 
 " The truth is, as I have said, I value this 
 *' book for little but the stile. This I have 
 ♦' formed on the model of Xenophon, and Swift's 
 " Tale of a Tub, and Gulliver's Travels. It is 
 " simple, natural, various, and forcible. I hope 
 " to see it made a school book; a kind of classic 
 " of the English language. 
 
 * Modern Chivalry: containing the Adventures of 
 Captain John Farrago and Teague Oregan, his Servant. 
 ByH. H. Brackenridge, Philadelphia, 1792.— Mr. Brack- 
 enridge is a native of Great Britain, 
 
174 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " In looking over it» I find in the whole work, 
 *' but one word I would alter ; it is near the 
 " beginning ; where I say figure on the stage. 
 ** instead of appear, or make a figure on the stage, 
 " I have carefully avoided the word unfounded 
 '' instead of groundless, a word in vogue, among 
 ^' members of congress especially. The word 
 " commit is good, but being lately introduced, 
 " and too much hackneyed, I have not used it. 
 
 " Language being the vestment of thought, it 
 ** comes within the rules of other dress ; so that 
 " as slovenliness on the one hand, or foppery 
 " on the other, is to be avoided in our attire ; so 
 " also in our speech and writing. Simplicity, 
 " in tlie one and the other, is the greatest 
 " beauty. 
 
 " We do not know at what time the Greek 
 *' language began to be written as it w^as by He- 
 " siod or Homer. But we find it to have con- 
 " tinned with little or no change from that time 
 " to the latest writers among the Byzantine his- 
 " torians, a period of more than 3,000 years. 
 *' The Roman language is considered as impro- 
 " ving from the time of Ennius to the Augustzwe 
 " age. The language of the orators, poets and 
 " historians of that time is the standard. It was 
 " not so much in the use of particuku: words, as 
 " an aifectation in the thought, that Seneca is 
 " censured as corrupting the language of the Ro- 
 
*^ OF THE UNITED STATES. ^75 
 
 mans. But Tacitus, after him, writes in a pure 
 stile; and I have found but one conceit in ex- 
 pression, in his whole history : meaning to give 
 the geography of a country of a certain tiibe 
 of the Germans ; they are, says he, separated 
 from the Sequani by Mount Jura, from the 
 
 by the lake , from the by the 
 
 river , and from the Atabani by mutual 
 
 fear. I do not find so much fault with the 
 stile of Pliny, as the heaviness of his thoughts 
 and expressions. However, the Latin stile of 
 writing retained its propriety and other excel- 
 lencies tolerably well, till the monks got pos- 
 session of it, and brought it down to a jargon 
 that is now exploded ; and we recur to the 
 pure originals of Horace, Virgil, Cicero and 
 Sallust. 
 
 " The French language is comiptlng fast; 
 and not in the use of words, but in the affecta- 
 tion of surprise, in the structure of the sen- 
 tence, or the turn of the expression. Mira- 
 beau was free from this ; but not the Abbe 
 Raynal. To give an example : meaning to 
 say, which he might have done in a simple 
 manner, that about this time the English cast 
 their eyes upon Goa, as a place where. Sec. 
 stating the advantages of such a port ; he be- 
 gins by telling you, that the English had oc-* 
 casion for such a port, vvhich, Sec. cnumcra- 
 
<- 
 
 j^Yg TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 *' ting the advantages ; and after this, with sur* 
 *' prize comes upon you, and tells you, They 
 " wanted Goa. Enfin, says he, that is, In fine, 
 *' they wanted Goa. 
 
 *' The English language is undoubtedly writ- 
 " ten better in America than in England, espe- 
 " cially since the time of that literary dunce, 
 " Samuel Jolinson, who M^as totally destitute of 
 *' taste for the vrai naturelle^ or simplicity of 
 " nature. 
 
 " The language of the Scots writers is chaste, 
 " but the structure of the sentence of the aca- 
 " demic Dr. Robertson, especially offends in 
 " this particular ; his uniformity of period stri- 
 " king the ear with the same pulse, as the coup- 
 " lets of our rhyme, inDryden and Pope. Hume 
 " is before him in this respect, writing as na- 
 " turally as a man speaks ; his stile rising and 
 " falling with the subject, as the movements of 
 " the mind themselves." 
 
 W. 
 
CHAPTER L. 
 
 Massachusetts — Plan tation of Marshpee. 
 
 RETURNING to Barnstable, I found that 
 the sah hay, upon cutting which my friends at 
 the inn had been so industriously emplo)'ed, 
 liad at the end of their labour been floated 
 away by the tide. This is a disaster not very^ 
 unfrequent ; and, to protect the stacks, they are 
 either built upon high ground, or, if in the 
 marshes, upon stadles or piles. 
 
 On the south side of the peninsula, and to the 
 west of Barnstable, is a tract of land belonging 
 to a village of Indians, and called the Plantation 
 of Marshpee. The name is pronounced Mash- 
 pee^ and sometimes so written ; and this is the 
 better orthography of the two. It is properly 
 massa pee or missi pi^ the great pool ; meaning 
 one of the pools or ponds, of which there are se- 
 veral on the plantation, and which are numerous 
 all over the peninsula. This pool is called by 
 the whites Marshpee Pond. The Indian village 
 is the most considerable of those remain- 
 ing in New England. The road leading to it 
 from Barnstable is wood}% hilly and agreeable. 
 
 VOL, n, ' 7. 
 
1 -Tg TRAVELS THROUGH VARl 
 
 I was introduced to the Reverend Mr. Gideon 
 Hawley, the missionary here, whom I found in. 
 firm, and very far advanced in years, but from 
 whom I received a hospitality and welcome the 
 most fervent and gratifying. I remained two 
 nights in his house, and experienced much at- 
 tention, not only from himself, but from his fami- 
 ly also ; and these circumstances have perhaps 
 made the more impression upon me, because I 
 had not reached Boston before I learned that he 
 was dead ! Mr. Hawley devoted a long life to 
 the sole employment of Indian missionary, at 
 first in the country of the Six Nations, and lat- 
 terly on the Plantation of Marshpee. At this 
 place, the mission is in part supported by the So- 
 ciety for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign 
 Parts, in part by a fund in the hands of Harvard 
 College in Massachusetts, and in part by the 
 Massachusetts Missionary Society. 
 
 Mr. Hawley, junior, accompanied me over the 
 plantation, which is of no small extent ; the road, 
 between Barnstable and Falmouth, running nine 
 miles upon Indian lands. Some of the Indians 
 live close to the missionary-house ; but others 
 ai'e far off. The former are on the banks of Marsh- 
 pee and Nantuet Ponds. The whole number of 
 souls on the plantation is about four hundred. 
 
 But, when the inhabitants of this planta- 
 tion are called Indians, the denomination must 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. Ynn 
 
 be qualified ; for a very large proportion are Eu- 
 ropeans and negroes, or at least largely mixed 
 with one or both. It is said that many Hes- 
 sians, from the army of General Burgoyne, mar- 
 ried into this community ; and there are also 
 Englishmen, and descendants of Englishmen, to 
 be found here : and, with respect to negroes, it 
 is represented, that while slavery was supposed to 
 be maintainable by law in Massachusetts, there 
 was a particular temptation for taking Indian 
 wives, the children of Indian women being ac- 
 knowledged to be free. From these and vcuious 
 other causes, of the whole four hundred souls, there 
 is at this day only a verj'^ small number, perhaps not 
 twenty, that are pure Indians. Under these circum- 
 stances, how^ever, and consistently ^vith ^vhat is to 
 be seen elsev/here, the village is more likely to in- 
 crease than to diminish; for, to whatever cause, mo- 
 ral or physical, the decline of the Indians, in their 
 tillages, among the whites, is to be ascribed, the 
 fact is certain, that any mixture, African or Eu- 
 ropean, produces an animal more fitted for the 
 pursuits of civil life, less enslaved to, or less 
 injured by, the use of spirituous liquors, and 
 especially more prolific. 
 
 Of the Indians who reside near the missiona- 
 ry house, the greater part have wooden houses, 
 after the manner of the country ; one family, 
 
180 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 however, still possesses a ivigwa??i, though with 
 some mixture of European architecture. The 
 smoke passes through the middle of the roof ; but 
 the fire-place is of brick : the inside of the wigwam 
 is perfectly neat. The furniture in the houses, 
 here, is generally of the same description with 
 that of the poorer whites. In one of the houses, 
 I saw an aged couple, both of white complexion: 
 the woman had had three Indian husbands, and 
 was now married to a white man. 
 
 Among the wealthier members of the village is 
 one Macgregor, a native of Manchester, in En- 
 gland. This man is in possession of a ver^^ re- 
 spectable farm and orchard, both of which are 
 particularly well attended. His land is close to the 
 sea, and he is employed in ditching and em- 
 banking a tract of marsh, which is at present too 
 much exposed to the tide ; and though he lives 
 in no solitude, and is not without the assistance 
 of as many hands as he finds it convenient to em- 
 ploy, yet his enterprise, his situation, his wig- 
 wam, and the complete state of order observa- 
 ble around it, his straw hat, and general person- 
 al appearance, made me regard him as a second 
 Robinson Crusoe. He informed me that he left 
 Manchester before he was ten years of age, and 
 followed a sailor's life till he was twenty. At 
 that time, which is now twenty- seven years ago, 
 he married his present wife. He has lived on 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 18: 
 
 the plantation ever since, but has no chilcben. 
 From others, I heard, that when he first 
 came into the neighbourhood, he had a stock of 
 clothes, though in other respects destitute ; and 
 that his situation was not so bad, but that he 
 might have married into a respectable white fa- 
 mily, almost as easily as into an Indian. I thought 
 it a little singular, that while almost every one 
 of the Indians had a \\'oodcn house, this En- 
 glishman Avas lodged in a wigwam ; but the 
 wigwam agrees widi the taste of his wife, and 
 his own attention seem-s to be gi^•en exclusi^'ely 
 to his farm and garden. 
 
 The plantation contains a certain number of 
 industiTOus and thriving Indians. One, named 
 EbenezerQueppe, is master of two yoke of oxen, 
 several cows, ahorse, a v.ooden or English house, 
 with barns and other appurtenances. 
 
 The church is at the distance of several miles 
 from Macgregor's, an unpainted wooden build- 
 ing, in a small opening of the wood. On one 
 side of it, and spreading into the Vv-oods, are the 
 graves of the Indian villagers, generally nam.eless 
 and mouldering lieaps. There are, however, 
 two grave- stones, one of which commemorates 
 the virtues of a young woman who ^^■as a ser- 
 vant in Mr. Hawley's family; and the other, 
 those of an unmixed Indian, \\ lio was made 
 a deacon of the church. The deacon died 
 
182 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 in 1771; and in good weather, his widow, an 
 unmixed Indian also, who is now eighty-seven 
 years of age, commonly walks to church, a dis^ 
 tance of between three and four miles. On visits 
 ing her at her dwelling, I found her bent with age, 
 and with some appearance of misery in her 
 person and deportment ; but she has a good 
 house, with a very large parcel of land, well 
 farmed. She long ago adopted an Indian girl 
 for her daughter ; the girl is now married, 
 but still lives in the widow's house, and 
 her husband takes cai^e of the farm. Both 
 in the houses and in the fields, the inhabit- 
 ants that I saw were almost exclusively women 
 and girls ; the men being out fishing, of 
 making salt hay. 
 
 The Indians, on this plantation, as in other 
 parts of New England, ai^e in some particulars 
 under the peculiar protection of the law. They 
 cannot be sued for any debt exceeding the 
 amount of twenty-four shillings currency, un^ 
 less contracted with the consent of their guar- 
 dians : and their lands are in no case answerable. 
 To many of their white neighbours, these 
 provisions are believed to be very offensive; 
 since, but for them, they might, at the cost of a 
 little New England rum, long since have de- 
 prived the objects of them of every acre in the 
 Plantation of Marshpee. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. jgg 
 
 These people are very superstitious, and very 
 fearful of going about in the dark, in which they 
 are constantly apprehensive of being presented 
 with terrifying visions. 
 
 CHAPTER LI. 
 
 Massachusetts — Martha'' s Vineyard. 
 
 FROM Falmouth, which lies to the south- 
 ward of the Plantation of Marshpee, and occu- 
 pies the point of land on the east of Buzzard's 
 Bay, I crossed the arm of the sea, nine miles in 
 width, by which the island of Maltha's Vineyard 
 is separated from the main land of the penin- 
 sula. 
 
 Martha's Vineyard, more anciently called 
 Martin's Vineyard, and by the Indians, Nope 
 and Capawac, is about twenty miles in length, 
 and from four to nine in width, and contains 
 three towns, of which the easternmost is called 
 Edgartown, the middlemost, Tisbuiy, and 
 the western, Chilmark ; and to the west of Chil- 
 mark is Gay Head, a peninsula so called from 
 the bluif-head in which it terminates, and of 
 which the lands are held by another community 
 of Indians. I landed in a cove, called Holmes's 
 
,g^ 'IKAVELS THROLfGH PART 
 
 Hole, at the north side of the island, and in 
 which there is a small village, making part of 
 Tisbury. 
 
 My chief curiosity was directed to Gay Head, 
 remarkable from the beds of ochres, va- 
 riously coloured, that display themselves on 
 its face, and which, when the sun shines upon 
 them, must produce, as seen from the sea, a 
 veiy brilliant effect. From Holmes's Hole, the 
 road leads through shrub oak-woods, for seve- 
 ral miles, to the church of Chilraark, to the 
 west^vard of v^hich the country is generally 
 open. For four miles further, there is a public 
 road, running over hills, on which are scattered 
 masses of rock. From these, there is a descent to 
 Monamsha Creek, a fordable inlet of the sea, on 
 the opposite side of which commences the pe- 
 ninsula, and the Indian lands, five miles 
 in length, and said to contain about tv.o thou- 
 sand four hundred acres. 
 
 All the fences on this side of the island are of 
 uncemented stones, after the manner general in 
 New England. Tisbury and Chilmark meeting- 
 houses are without spires, and in all respects 
 humble in their exterior appearance. To reach 
 Monamsha Creek, I was directed across some 
 inclosed lands, to the south of a hill, called, 
 from a mass of stone on its summit, Sugcu'-loaf 
 Hill, beyond which I found a cottage, in. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. j^g5 
 
 which I procured some bread and milk, the 
 only provisions it contiiined, salt-fish excepted. 
 The owner was aftenvard my guide, in fording 
 the creek below. 
 
 Immediately at the edge of the creek, some 
 Indian wigwams and houses of wood begin to 
 present themselves. Near it is a pond, called 
 Monamsha Pond, and which is valuable to the 
 Indians, on account of the cranberries that 
 cover its marshy borders. These berries the\- 
 gather for sale ; and from them the name given, 
 both to the pond and to the creek appeal's to be 
 derived.* The wigwams and other houses have 
 for the most part an indigent appearance ; but, 
 with respect to some, it is otherwise ; and in 
 two or three instances there are well cultivated 
 farms, and the houses have good barns adjoin- 
 ing. The land is a succession of hills and val- 
 leys, or rather ravines or gullies. 
 
 The light-house, in the house of the keeper 
 of which I lodged this night, is erected on the 
 beds of ochre. The height of the surface, 
 from the level of the sea, is about two hundred 
 feet; and the stratums,bct\\'een the turf above and 
 the beach belo^^-, are as curious and instructive, 
 as the prospect that they present, \vhen ad van - 
 
 * ;MouaiTisha or Miiiamsha: w/«ac, in some of thf^ 
 Algonquin dialects, sipjnifies a bcrrv. 
 
 vol.. IT. A a 
 
186 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 tageously seen, must be singular and beauti- 
 ful. 
 
 " There are evident marks," says a topogra- 
 pher of Gay Head, " of there having been vol- 
 *' canoes formerly on this peninsula. The marks 
 " of four or five craters are plainly to be seen. 
 " The most southerly, and probably the most 
 " ancient, as it is grown over with grass, now 
 " called the Devil's Den, is at least twenty rods 
 "' over at the top, fourteen and a half at the bot- 
 ^ tom, and full one hundred and thirty feet at 
 " the sides, except that which is next the sea, 
 " where it is open. A man, now alive, relates, 
 " that his mother could remember when it was 
 " common to see a light upon Gay Head, in the 
 " night-time. Others say, their ancestors have 
 " told them, that the whalemen used to guide 
 " themselves in the night by the lights that 
 *' were seen upon Gay Head."* To this vol- 
 canic history, though apprized of it before my 
 visit, I saw nothing that induced, or does induce 
 me to give credit. What I saw consists in re- 
 gular stratums of ochres, not indeed horizontal, 
 but regularly inclined, and a surface hollowed 
 in some places into pits and amphitheatres, and 
 crowned, at the level above mentioned, of two 
 hundred feet from the present high- water mark, 
 
 * American Gazetteer. 
 
OB' THE UNITED STATES. ]^3'; 
 
 with a Stratum of sea-sand, oyster-shells and iron- 
 ore, beneath a very thin one of vegetable mould. 
 In advancing to the edge of the precipice, in 
 order to descend, by some gully, to tlie beach, 
 I collected, at spots where the wind had torn up 
 the turf, a number of oyster-shells, some of 
 which are very little altered, some thoroughly 
 impregnated with iron-ore, and some imbedded 
 in indurated bog-ore. The roots of the herbage 
 are only a few inches above the level on which 
 they lie, and beneath them is a coarse red sand, 
 or rather gravel. It was obvious that these were 
 not the signs by which I was to be conducted to 
 the craters and their lava ; and them therefore 
 I left, to look for the latter on the beach. 
 
 Descending first to the depth of a stra- 
 tum of yellow clay, and which may measure 
 fifty feet, I came next to a stratum of white 
 ochre or tobacco-pipe clay, in which is a broad 
 vein, of a brilliant red. Both the white and the 
 red descend to the water's edge, and the disco- 
 loiu*ed waves, at their feet, are here red with the 
 one, and there white with the other. 
 
 The superior stratum is throughout a yellow 
 or dun-coloured clay ; and the white ochre Is 
 only a broader vein than the red, running south 
 from under the light-house for abouthalf u mile, 
 while to the north the inferior stratum is blue. 
 Thus, the combinations of colours, in this fantas- 
 
188 
 
 IRAVELS THllOUGH PART 
 
 tic landscape, are truly the gayest imaginable. 
 White greatly predominates ; but is relieved by 
 broad masses of blue, red and yellow, and even 
 green ; for, not only the sides of the hollows are 
 covered with turf, but large portions of the in- 
 cumbent stratum, with its shrubs and herbage, 
 huve fallen from above, and lie on the sloping- 
 banks below. 
 
 Of these several ochres, it is only the red, of 
 which the substance is uniform and pure, and 
 the colour really bright. The colours of the 
 rest require to be seen at a distance, and in the 
 sunshine ; but the red has no dulness in its hue. 
 Of this, I had the fullest opportunity of making 
 observations; because, though the sun shone for a 
 short time on the evening of my arrival, my 
 longest visit to the beach was amid a conti- 
 nued rain. 
 
 The substance, as well as the colour of the 
 white ochre, is injured by the presence of seve- 
 ral foreign substances ; paiticularly minute frag- 
 ments of quartz, and pyrites and pure sulphur. 
 The substance of the blue is largely intermixed 
 with fragments of blackened wood, by which, in- 
 deed, the colour that distinguishes it appears to be 
 communicated ; and, beneath this stratum, is one 
 as worthy of remark as any other object at Gay 
 Head, namely, a stratum of gray rock, rising no 
 more than five or six feet above the level of the 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 189 
 
 beach, and which consists of the bhie clay, in an 
 indurated or petrified state, interspersed, Uke the 
 clay itself, with blackened wood, unpetrified. I 
 have fragments that I broke from the stratum, 
 and some that I gathered on the beach, Morn 
 into pebbles ; and, in both, the veins of wood 
 are soft, resembling chtu'coal. 
 
 The presence of the fragments of blackened 
 wood, in the native sti-atums of clay and rock, at 
 the depth of two hundred feet bclov/ the sur- 
 face, from the former of which they may be picked 
 by baskets-full, is certainly a circumstance of 
 some curiosity. The fragments are to be found 
 in all conditions, from perfect wood and bark, 
 neither rotten nor much discoloured, to perfect 
 coal, of which the black powder may be rubbed 
 between the fingers. 
 
 Here, then, is a complete reversal of the order 
 of nature. Sands and shells cover the highest 
 summit of these precipices, and the products of 
 the forest are buried at their base. We look in 
 vain for lava ; and, as to the pretended craters of 
 volcanoes, what are they but ordinary concavities 
 in the surface of the soil ? These concavities ai-c 
 precisely of the same class w ith those that I have 
 before had occasion to describe ;* and, like 
 them, they owe their existence to the action ot 
 
 * See Chapter viii. 
 
290 IJiAVELS THJiOUGH PART 
 
 water. From the oyster-shells and iron-ore on 
 the surface, it is natural to infer, that that sur- 
 face was once a part of the bed of the ocean. 
 The ocean scooped out these pits. When the 
 ocean fell to a lower level, the pits became 
 ponds, and the shallower hollows became mo- 
 rasses and bogs. Mounds, which rose between 
 the present edge of the precipice and the ocean, 
 have sunk, and been swallowed up ; as the pre- 
 sent edge is sinking, and being swallowed up 
 also. Vegetables grew, and iron-ore was formed. 
 Thus much for the surface. 
 
 But, if the surface was once the bed of the 
 sea, how has it happened that fragments of wood 
 have been buried, at a depth of at least two hun- 
 dred feet, beneath that surface? Must there 
 have been a period when this lower level was 
 dry land, and a subsequent period when two 
 hundred feet of earth was accumulated upon it, 
 and when seas rolled over it ; and at length a 
 third period, when the sea again subsided ? All 
 this may have been ; but there is an easier so- 
 lution. 
 
 The white ochre is a mere deposit of testa- 
 ceous exuvice. That such exuvicc should 
 have yielded so vast a product, and that they 
 should be thus collected in one spot, is indeed 
 among those mighty works of nature, of which 
 we witness the existence almost without prei- 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 191 
 
 suniing to hope for an explanation ; but, that they 
 ma}- be so collected, and may yield such a pro- 
 duct, we have abundant evidence ; and we know 
 that they are found in the beds of great bodies of 
 Avater. 
 
 This white oclire, this mass of testaceous 
 exuvi^, must therefore have been deposited on 
 the bed of a great body of water, whether the 
 ocean or an inland lake. But, may not vegetable 
 exuvicc have been deposited at the same time ? 
 On the borders of still u'atcrs, are not trees con- 
 tinuall}- letting fall fragments of their branches ? 
 In this situation, do we not see dead leaves 
 and twigs, blackening the border of the strand ? 
 Now, if argillaceous matter accumulate at the 
 same time, these twigs, fragments of wood and 
 leaves, will be buried ; and, being buried, they 
 Aviil be preserved. But, the vegetable matter 
 supplies iron, and the animal matter, sulphur ; 
 hence the native sulphur, the pyrites, the black- 
 ness of the wood, mid the colours of tlie ochres. 
 That the fragments of \vood were accumulated 
 in this manner, and not by any sudden over- 
 tliroAv of a forest, is made probable by the gene- 
 ral diminutiveness of the fragments. In some 
 instances, they are parts of large limbs and trunks; 
 but more frequently they are of small propor- 
 tions. There is also no necessity for atti'ibuting 
 their blackness to fire. 
 
192 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 But, these deposits made, it is still to be ac- 
 counted for, that they now present themselves, 
 not below, but above the level of the sea. For 
 myself, I look to the subsidence of the ocean for 
 the cause, and regard the island on which 
 they are found as a remnant of a tract of land, 
 once stretching to the westward, and which 
 remnant is always, and at this hour, wearing away. 
 There arc others, meanwhile, who will more 
 easily reconcile it to their imagination, that the 
 island has been raised out of the sea, than that 
 the sea has sunk below it ; and, for their engine, 
 they will probably choose a volcano. 
 
 That there have been volcanoes on the penin- 
 sula, (a peninsula of oyster-shells, testaceous 
 exuviae and ai'gillaceous stratums!) is a position 
 supported but by contemptible proofs. The 
 pretended craters deserve no notice ; and, as 
 to the light and lights seen in the night-time on 
 Gay Head, by the mothers and ancestors of per- 
 sons now aliAX', it is to be remembered, that the 
 oldest tradition of this kind can go back no fur- 
 ther than the year 1620, since which Gay Head has 
 been daily as well as nightly before the eyes of the 
 colonists. The llo'hts mav have been the fires of 
 English or of Indian fishermen, or of Indian huts ; 
 or they may have proceeded from the combus- 
 tion of pyrites, or of sulphuric vapour. West 
 River Mountain in New Hampshire, has vulgarly 
 2 
 
OF THE UXl TEU SIAIES. 3^93 
 
 the reputation of contiiining an extinguished 
 A'olcano ; but authentic traditions stop short of 
 proving any thing more thiui the occasional oc- 
 currence of superficial combustion. 
 
 Following the beach to the south-eastward, 
 the vein of white ochre presently terminates ; 
 and the soil, though it continues elevated, 
 is composed only of yellow clay. To the 
 north-westward, nearthe stratum of rock, are large 
 rocky fragments, which, extending into the sea, 
 occasion breakers. At the feet of the stratums 
 of ochre, masses of this substance, of the various 
 colours, rolled into the form of rocks, are inter- 
 mixed ; and the sea, sometimes throwing its 
 thickened waves against the ochres, stains the red 
 with white and blue, and the white with blue and 
 red. 
 
 The soil of almost the whole peninsula is rich ; 
 and of the two acres which appeitiiin to the light- 
 house, a small proportion is cultivated by the 
 keeper. One third of the whole peninsula belongs 
 to the Society for Propagating the Gospel 
 among the Indians and others in North- America, 
 by which it is left to the use of the Indians. The 
 Indians, like those of Marshpee, are a mixed 
 race, and two hundred and forty in number, in 
 which the women and children make more than 
 
 VOL. II. B b 
 
194 
 
 lUAVELS TKllOUGH PART 
 
 the due proportion. On the soil, there were not 
 at this time more than fifteen or sixteen men and 
 boys, the rest being at sea, in the fisheries. This 
 is a favourite employ, to which they give them- 
 selves, and to which they are anxiously solicited. 
 Ship-owners come to their cottages, making 
 them offers, and persuading them to accept them ; 
 and so rarely is Gay Head visited for any other 
 purpose, that this was supposed, at the light-house, 
 to be my errand. This business of inviting 
 the Indians is a sort of crimping, in which li- 
 quor, goods and fair \vords are plied, till the In- 
 dmi gets into debt, and gi^'es his consent. Ta- 
 king the history from the mouths of the white 
 people only, it appears that there is often much to 
 be complained of, in the business of the voyage, 
 both in the Indiim and in those with 'whom he 
 connects himself. On the one hand, great ad- 
 vantages are taken of his folly, his credulit}^ and 
 his ignorance ; on the other, he torments the 
 ship or share-owner vv ith his indecision and de- 
 mands, till the moment of the sailing of the ship. 
 First, he agrees to go, and accordingly receives 
 some stipulated part of his outfit ; then he 
 " thinks he won't go ;" and then he is to be coax- 
 ed, and made drunk. Again, he " thinks he 
 " won't go," unless such and such articles 
 are supplied; aiid these articles he often 
 
OP THE UNITED STA TES. 
 
 195 
 
 names at random, and for the sake of inducing a 
 refusal. One Indian was mentioned to me, that 
 thought he would not go, unless five pounds of soap 
 were givenhim ; and another, that thought the same, 
 unless he received seven hats. Now, the share- 
 holder makes a general calculation. He has no ob- 
 jection to gratify any folly, to the extent of a cer- 
 tain advance, by which, especially if he is himself 
 the seller of the goods, he is every v/ay a gainer ; 
 but, further than this, he refuses, of course, to go. 
 I say, the share-holder ; because an individual, 
 taking a certain number of shares, undertakes to 
 find whalemen upon shares, and to them he is re- 
 sponsible. But, if the whaleman dies, and no share 
 falls to his estate, then the share-holder suffers a 
 loss, to the amount of all that he has advanced. 
 The Indians find their fishing- voyages as little 
 for their ultimate benefit, as they are found by 
 those that I have lately mentioned; and their obsti- 
 nate addiction to spiritous liquors makes their 
 case still worse : hence, an Indian, that goes to 
 sea, is ruined, and his family is ruined with him. 
 It is less with the Indians of Gay Head, than 
 with those on the western parts of the island, 
 and elsewhere, that the share-holders, otherwise 
 called fitters-out, are induced to resort rather to 
 fraud tlian force ; for these ladians are neither 
 under the control nor the protection of guai'- 
 dians, and thev arc answerable for the debts 
 
196 
 
 lliAN FXS TUItOUGU PAlll 
 
 that tliey contract. In Tisbiiry, the Indians 
 cannot be sued for any debt exceeding twen- 
 ty-four shillings cuiTency ; and in Edgar- 
 town the sum is limited to twenty shillings. But, 
 this restraint, though eminently proper for the 
 defence of the Indians against the rapacity and 
 arts of those around them, is regarded by the 
 Indians with no inexplicable disgust ; for, as 
 they cannot be sued, so they will not be trust- 
 ed. Hence, the Indians of Gay Head are in 
 continual fear that the}'^ shall be placed under 
 guardians, or that some law will be established, 
 to abridge their liberty. My visit followed short- 
 ly upon one made by the Reverend Mr. Free- 
 man, of Boston, who had then lately made a 
 tour of the islands and neighbouring coast, on 
 a benevolent commission to ascertain the spots 
 proper for placing huts and other accommoda- 
 tions for shipwrecked mariners ; but, the In- 
 dians, as I was informed at the light-house, had 
 been much alarmed by his coming among them ; 
 liad shut themselves up in their houses; and had 
 received his visits with suspicion. They were 
 fearful that he was engaged in some project for 
 giving them guardians ; and I was told that my 
 own journey would add to their uneasiness. 
 
 These Indians are divided into two ecclesias- 
 tical societies., of which one is anabaptist and the 
 other congregational ; and both are taught by 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 197 
 
 Indian preachers, in orders. The anabaptist clcr- 
 g}'man is a large farmer, and was, when young, 
 of great promise ; but he is now given up to 
 drink. The anabaptist church, which is of wood, 
 is buih on the brow of a steep hill ; and be- 
 neath, against the hill, is an apartment of stone, 
 called by no better name than the cellar, in 
 which the keeper of the lighthouse, who is also 
 a farmer and a school-master, keeps an Indian 
 school. The winter season is the only part of 
 the year in ^^'hich it is kept ; and then the school- 
 master has a journey of a mile, over the naked 
 hills, bet^veen his house and the school. Some 
 of his scholars are remarkably apt ; and the rest 
 are not below the ordinary le^el. 
 
 On the Indian lands there are no made roads, 
 and for the most pait only horse-paths. My 
 host, at the lighthouse, was so good as to accom- 
 pany me to the commencement of the road on 
 the south side of the island. His mother, whom, 
 with his wife and children, I found, in his ab- 
 sence, in his solitary mansion at the light-house, 
 is in excellent possession of her faculties, at the 
 age of ninety-three years. We sat by a peat 
 fire ; for this fuel is abundant on the peninsula, 
 and wood is rare. 
 
 Along the top of the neck of land that joins 
 the peninsula to the main body of the island, 
 and to the east of Monamsha Pond, some beau 
 
198 
 
 riil"S').:Ls IHliOUGH PAiir 
 
 tiful view5 present themselves. To the south- 
 east is an island, only resorted to by fishermen, 
 and called No-man's Land ; and from the v/est 
 of Squipnokit Point, a narrow strip of sand 
 projects in nearly a straight line, forming the west- 
 ernmost extremity of the island. Opposite this, 
 to the west of Squipnokit Point, the surface of 
 the island, near the sea, is low, and the road runs 
 upon the beach. Near the point, the lofty preci- 
 picesof yellow clayare now falling into the sea, like 
 the ochres at Gay Head. In more than one place, 
 the soil on ^^"hich the road has lately run is gone. 
 The grass has not yet grown on what remains ; 
 but it is no longer travelled, either because 
 half its width has descended into the waves, or 
 because a gulf, of a quarter of a mile in width, 
 yawns between its disjointed extremities. 
 
 I took this road in order to reach Edgartown, 
 which is in Oldtown Harbour, at the south-west 
 extremity of the island. On my way, a hog, that 
 by some mischance had turned his poke, so that his 
 throat was squeezed into one of the acuter an- 
 gles, came up to my side, carrying his head 
 awry, and vainly shaking his poke, and at the 
 same time foaming at the mouth. As he evi- 
 dently came for assistance, I descended from 
 ray horse to give it him ; but, now, his fears 
 overcame his desire to be relieved, and he 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 199 
 
 avoided me. In the same embarrassment, he 
 proceeded with me for half a mile, running close 
 to the horse's legs when I was on my jonrney, but 
 retreating it I idighted. We came, at length, to 
 a farm-house, where I procured for him more ef- 
 ficient help. 
 
 Oldtown Harbour is much frequented in 
 the winter, when vessels bound to Boston, 
 from the southern ports, are often detained 
 in it for three weeks together. With a fair 
 wind, two hundred sail, including many large ves- 
 sels, sometimes leave it at once. Many pilots live 
 here, but it has very little shipping or trade. 
 The town is inhabited by die families of mariners 
 that sail in the employ of the southern mer- 
 chants. Their families remain in these climates, 
 because the southern are found to be destructive 
 to New England constitutions. Some employ- 
 ment is also given here by the shipping of the 
 neighbouring island of Nantucket ; water being 
 supplied on their outward- bound passage, and the 
 cargoes, at boisterous seasons, unloaded. In calm 
 weather, the ships unload oft Nantucket, without 
 the bar; but, at other times, vessels of less 
 draught are employed at Edgaito^^ii, and the 
 lightened ships follow them to their port. There 
 is but one wharf at Edgartown. The ]wcl:ct, 
 
OQ0 lliAVELS TJiliOUGH PAliT 
 
 that sails betv/een New Bedford and Nantucket, 
 sto})s at this port. 
 
 The harbour is in part formed by the island 
 of Chabaquiddic, on which there are many 
 white inhabitants, and sixty-five Indians. Mar- 
 tha's Vineyard contains four thousand inhabit- 
 ants, of which half are resident within Edgar- 
 town, including Chabaquiddic. By the aid of 
 brooks, two or three water-mills are turned on 
 the island ; but the chief dependence is on 
 wind-mills. 
 
 On the island of Chabaquiddic, there is said 
 to be a rock, which, on every side, drives the 
 needle from the pole. A marvel, that is less 
 easily explained, is mentioned as existing in Ed- 
 gartoMai Harbour; namely, a pond, in the woods, 
 which is always more full in a dry summer, 
 than in a wet one. 
 
 The ancient Indian population of Martha's 
 Vineyard is supposed to have been equal in 
 numbers to the present white one. Among the 
 vestiges dug up, are stone-mortars, for grinding 
 com, and what are called immense deposits of 
 clam-shells, which latter are chiefly found near 
 the village of Edgartown. By the road side, and 
 opposite the cottages of the v/hite inhabitants, 
 corresponding heaps are now to be observed; 
 but those that have dug near Edgartown, 
 4 
 
THE UNITED OF STATES. 201 
 
 are of opinion, that the Indians made pits for their 
 reception. 
 
 Between Edgartown and Hohnes's Hole, to 
 which I returned, in order to recross the sound, 
 the road is for the most part bordered by shrub 
 oak. Sheep and cattle browze in the woods; 
 and of the former the island is said to main- 
 tain fourteen thousand. Martha's Vineyard 
 has long been celebrated for its sheep. In 
 the rebellion, large numbers were taken, and paid 
 for, for the support of tJie king's troops; but it 
 is a common jest in the neighbourhood, that the 
 number paid for exceeded the whole number 
 that the island could have produced. 
 
 Holmes's Hole is a cove to the west of Oldtown 
 Harbour. The houses, which are irregularly built, 
 are about one hundred in number, and there is 
 a small neat church. As at Edgartown, many 
 vessels lie here in winter, and supply it with 
 much business. Among those that keep pub- 
 lic-houses, one is a physician and justice of 
 the peace. 
 
 VOL. II. c c 
 
CHAPTER LII. 
 
 Massachusetts — Nantucket — Falmouth — But- 
 termilk Bay — JVew Bedford. 
 
 I HAD proposed to myself to pass from 
 Martha's Vineyard to Nantucket, an island close 
 adjacent ; but, the risk, that as I was informed, 
 was at this season to be run, of being detained 
 on it by the winds for weeks, diverted me from 
 the undertaking. What is chiefly remarkable, in 
 the history of the island, is this, that being an in- 
 convenient residence, and of no more than fifteen 
 miles in length, by eleven in breadth, it neverthe- 
 less contains a village of a thousand houses, and a 
 population of from six to seven thousand souls. 
 
 The island is wealthy, and its funds are of two 
 descriptions, namely, sheep- pastures and the 
 whale-fishery of the north-west coast of America. 
 The inhabitants are chiefly quakers. WidoM^s 
 are numerous ; but the boys, who are all brought 
 up to the pursuit in which their fathers have pe- 
 rished, support their mothers. The whaling- 
 
TRAVELS THROUGH PART, &c. 203 
 
 voyages are favourable to health, but they are full 
 of danger. While the native male population 
 is thus occupied at sea, the island supports 
 numerous resident artificers and mechanics, who 
 emigrate from the main. Their sons go a wha- 
 ling, and new emigrants supply their place. 
 
 The harbour can be entered only by vessels 
 of light draught, on account of a bar that lies 
 across its mouth. The coast is flat, and the 
 wharfs are therefore run out far into the water. 
 One hundred ships, and at least fifty brigs and 
 schooners, are said to belong to the port. 
 
 Near the wharfs, some rods of ground have 
 been sold at the rate of thirty-two thousand dol- 
 lars per acre ; and a hundred dollars per square 
 rod is no uncommon price. Such is the pros- 
 perity of Nantucket ; and yet, as I have been as- 
 sured, by a wealthy, commercial and intelligent 
 native, so numerous are its incommodities, 
 that it is only matter of surprise to see it still in- 
 habited, and particularly since its whole busi- 
 ness might be equally well conducted at the 
 contiguous and more eligible port of New Bed- 
 ford. 
 
 The history of the whale-fishery of Nan- 
 tucket is of some interest, both in commerce and 
 zoology. 
 
2Q4 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 It began in Nantucket Sound, in open boats. 
 The species of whale taken was not the sperma- 
 ceti, but that which is technically called the 
 bojie-jish^ or fish valued for the article called in 
 commerce whale-bone. When this fisher}^ had 
 continued for some years, the fish gradually be- 
 came scarce, and at length was too seldom seen 
 to reward the fisherman for his toil. Small ves- 
 sels of twenty-eight tons were then employed, in 
 which the prey was sought for, and found, at a 
 little further distance. These vessels, being 
 driven by a gale of wind into deep water, fell in 
 with the spermaceti whale, which ever after be- 
 came the chief object of regard. But this fishe- 
 ry, like the former, came to fail ; and successful 
 adventures were then pushed as far as Davis's 
 Straits and the adjoining seas. Here, too, after 
 some years, the fish ceased to be found, and the 
 voyage was now stretched to the Western 
 Islands or Azores, where, for a certain period, 
 it was prosperous. Failing here, it was resu- 
 med on the coast of Guinea, whence the fish, as 
 from all the former places, in time disappeared. 
 Lost on the eastern shores of the Atlantic, it 
 was once more recovered on the western ; and 
 the coasts of Virginia, Carolina, Florida, the 
 Brazils and Patagonia, were successively the 
 seats of the fishery, and successively exhausted. 
 But, the chase was not relinquished here. Cape 
 
OP THE UNITED STATES. 205 
 
 Horn was doubled, and the whale, still found 
 where followed, and still retiring when he was 
 found, drew his enemy, from voyage to voyage, 
 up the coasts of Chili, Peru and Ciilifornia, to 
 what is called tlie Nor. h- west Coast, which is the 
 present resort. The fishing of the North-west 
 Coast, however, as past experience gives reason 
 to believe, will not be more permanent than 
 the fisheries that have preceded it ; so that the 
 fish, should the trade find adequate encou- 
 ragement, may one day be seen to have 
 been pursued fairly round the world. Mean- 
 while, the voyages to the Pacific Ocean have 
 opened a further object, that of the commerce 
 in peltries at the Canton market, the vessels 
 employed in which, in the course of a voyage 
 of two years, encompass the globe. From Nan. 
 tucket, they depart in ballast. On the North- 
 west Coast, they freight themselves witli peltries, 
 and these they carry to Canton, and exchange for 
 the teas and nankeens of China, and the calicoes 
 and muslins of India, with which they return, at 
 length, by the Cape of Good Hope, to Nantucket. 
 The trade here described is at present in more 
 esteem than the whale-fishery. The voyage round 
 Cape Horn, an undertaking of so much magni- 
 tude in the days of Anson, is of no account 
 with the Nantucket sailor, and the health of 
 the crews is well preserved, because much care 
 
206 THAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 is taken in this reg;ard, and because many oppor- 
 tunities are afforded for arresting the progress 
 of the Scurvy. Fresh fish is the ship's provi- 
 sion, in preference to salted meat. Prodigious 
 supphes of eggs are obtained on the Falkland 
 Islands ; and, on the North-west Coast, frequent 
 communications are had with the shore, whence 
 vegetable and animal food are procured. Such 
 is the account of this commerce, for which I am 
 indebted to the conversation of a gentleman re- 
 sident in New Bedford, but a native and old 
 inhabitant of Nantucket. 
 
 The comparatively total disappearance of the 
 whale, in the Atlantic, is an unquestionable fact; 
 and the naturalist has his choice, between the 
 attributing the phenomenon to the destruction 
 of the animal, or to its flight : he may believe 
 that the whales of the northern latitudes of the 
 east coast of America had perished by the har- 
 poon, before the fishermen thought of stretch- 
 ing to the Western Islands ; or he may be- 
 lieve that they have retired from their pursuers. 
 The numbers, in which they were formerly 
 known as high as Davis's Straits, would perhaps 
 appear to be exaggerated by historians, were they 
 not supported by modern descriptions of the new 
 seats of the fishery. 
 
 The earliest accounts, of the whale-fishery of 
 the English, carry back its history only to the 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 207 
 
 year 1593, when a certain number of ships sail- 
 ed from England for Cape Breton, some for 
 morse-fishing, and some for ^vhale-fishing ; 
 and, though the whale-ships were unsuccessful, 
 yet they found eight hundred lins on the coast, 
 where a Biscay ship had been lost the year be- 
 fore.* By xvhale-jin has always been meant 
 the harb^ from which the whale-bone is reall}^ 
 obtained. The morse or sea-cow affords the 
 same example, of ancient abundance and actual 
 scarcity, with the whale. An account is given 
 of a small bark, by ^Ahich alone, in 1591, fif- 
 teen hundred morses were killed at Ramca.f 
 
 The whale was formerly numerous in the 
 Gulf of Saint- Lawrence, and even in the mouth 
 of the river of the same name ; and, in 1604, the 
 single harbour of Passamaquoddy is described 
 as possessing a whale-fishery sufficient for freight- 
 ing several vessels.^ In 1663, ■when the roval 
 
 * Anderson's History of Commerce. 
 
 t Hackluyt's Voyages, vol. iii. p. 192. ciied in the 
 American Annals, vol. ii. 
 
 X Charl. Hist. Gen. dc la Nouv. Franc, liv. iii. — 
 The Moucouadi and Moucouacadl of the French is the 
 Paasamaquoddij of the English, formerly Avrittcn Maga- 
 gadavic and Macagadava. The same termination, cou- 
 adt, fjuoddi/f gadavic, gadava, is found in Chabagidd- 
 dic, the name of the little island that is on the east ol' 
 Oldtown Harbour. 
 
208 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 charter was granted to the colony of Rhode 
 Island and Providence Plantations, the adjacent 
 whale-fishery was particularly provided for.* 
 Captain David Smith and Captain Gamaliel 
 Collings, of Truro, were the first that actually car- 
 ried the fishery into those regions ; but the enter- 
 prise was recommended to them by Admiral 
 Montagu. Their first voyage, which was a 
 prosperous one, was begun in the year 1774. 
 
 In 1801, a Avriter relates, on the authority of a 
 whaler of Nantucket, diat round the island of 
 Juan Fernandes, " where a harpoon was scarce- 
 " ly ever thrown, the whales swim in shoals ; 
 " and that it is quite a matter of choice which 
 " of the company they [the harpooners] shall 
 " fall upon, "t 
 
 The agricultural or rather pastoral interests of 
 Nantucket are upon a peculiar footing. A small 
 proportion of the land is inclosed, for crops of 
 hay and grain ; but the greater part is common- 
 land. The island was originally divided into 
 
 * See the Charter. 
 
 t American Universal Geography, in which the name 
 of Captain Worth, of Nantucket, is the authority cited. 
 It is added, that the coast of Chili, where no i^ain falls, 
 to interrupt the boiling of the blubber, is, for that rea- 
 son, much more favourable to the profits of the voy- 
 age, than Hudson's Bay or Davis's Straits, and that a 
 cargo, of the value of 6,000/. currency, is sometimes 
 the fruit of a fifteen months' voyage. 
 2 
 
or THE UXITED feTATRS. OQp 
 
 twenty- seven shares; and, M'ith the exception of a 
 very icw private farms, it is still considered ac- 
 cording!}-. Sh-ires, or portions of shiires, called 
 cow''s commons^ entitle the holder to the pastu- 
 rage of a certain number of sheep, or of sheep, 
 oxen, cows, or horses, in proportion ; a cow be- 
 ing considered as equal to eight sheep, and 
 a horse to sixteen : th.e whole number of 
 sheep, to the pasturage of which the island is es- 
 timated to be competent, is nineteen thousand. 
 The arable land, in common, is cultivated upon 
 the same system. All the produce of the island 
 requiring to be carted to the port, and oxen not 
 being used ibr draught, manj," horses are kept. 
 
 The sheep and cattle range the common- 
 lands, on ^vhich there is no fence ; one conse- 
 quence of which is, that two or three thousand 
 sheep are sometimes lost at once, during a 
 winter's storm. This misfortune is the result of 
 an anxiety in the animal to escape from the fury 
 of the winds, without providing for the rising of 
 the tide. When the wind blows off' the land, 
 every sheep in the fiock endeavours to place 
 himself on the lee side, or behind all the rest. 
 The whole flock then advances as far as possi- 
 ble on the beach, and thei'c stands to endure the 
 storm. When the tide rises, and the surf begins 
 to break on the lee side of the flock, the outer 
 sheep are successively M^ashcd away; for the in- 
 VOL. Ji. ft d 
 
210 
 
 Til VA ELS IHRUUGil PAliT 
 
 ner remain immovable, and wait till the waves 
 fall also upon them. 
 
 Six hundred and seventy-fiAC acres of arable 
 land are annually planted by the proprietors in 
 common. One year they are sown with maize, 
 and the next with rye and oats. In maize, they 
 yield an average crop of about twei\'e bushels, 
 making an aggregate of 8,100 bushels ; to which 
 is to be added 4,000 bushels, for the produce of 
 the private forms. In rye and oats, the six hun- 
 dred and seventy-five acres, held in common, 
 yield about 500 bushels of the first, and about 
 8,000 of the second.* 
 
 * See Folger and Macy's Account of Nantucket. 
 
 In 1791, Mr. Jefferson, then secretary of state, pre- 
 sented a Report on the Fisheries of the United States, 
 from which it appears that the number of vessels, then 
 belonging to this island, was 141, of which 132 were large 
 vessels, built for the southern fishery. Mr. Jefferson, 
 was misinformed, however, as to the agricultural re- 
 sources of the island, or, as he figuratively denominates 
 it, the sand-bar. What he adds, in regard to the attach- 
 ment of the inhabitants to their island, is true, not only 
 with respect to foreign countries, but even to the neigh- 
 bouring coasts of Massachusetts : " The people, espe- 
 " cially the females, are fondly attached to the island; 
 " and few wish to emigrate to a more desirable situa- 
 " tion."* The words of the Report are as follows: 
 
 " The American Whale Fishery is principally follow- 
 •' ed by the inhabitants of the island of Nantucket, 
 
 * American Universal Geograpliv. 
 
OF THE UXITEJ) STATES. 
 
 211 
 
 A few Indians, so called, remain upon Nan- 
 tucket ; but, of tiie unmixed race, two or three 
 females compose the entive list. In 1620, as ap- 
 peiu-s from history and tradition, there were not 
 less than five thousand. Beside the depopula- 
 tion by wars, pulmonary consumption is to be 
 reckoned among their se\ erest scourges. This 
 disease, which, after the country-people among 
 the whites, they call a langimhment^ and which 
 is so prevalent in the colonial population of the 
 United States, is equally fatal to die Indians. It is 
 
 " a sand-bur^ of about 15 miles long and 3 broad, ca- 
 
 " pable of maintaining by its agriculture about 20 fami- 
 
 " lies ; but it employed in these fisheries, before the war, 
 
 " between ./?x'e and six thousand men and boys — and, in 
 
 " the only harbour it possesses, it had one hundred and 
 
 " forty vessels, one hundred and thirty two of which 
 
 " were of the large kmd, as being employed in the 
 
 " southern fishery. — In agriculture, then, they have no 
 
 " recources; and if that of their fishery cannot be pur- 
 
 " sued from their own habitations, it is natural they 
 
 " should seek others from which it can be followed, and 
 
 " prefer those, where they will find a sameness of lan- 
 
 " guage, religion, laws, habits and kindred. A foreign 
 
 " emissary has lately been among them for the purpose 
 
 " of renewing the invitations to a change of situation ; 
 
 *' but, attached to their native country, they prefer con- 
 
 " tinning in it, if their continuance there can be made 
 
 " supportable." 
 
 Mr. Jejfcri^on's Report on thf Fi.'.hcric<f, \Otfi Jan. 
 
 1791. 
 
c)i2 TRAVELS THROUGH PARI' 
 
 remarkable, also, that the Indians, like the co- 
 lonists, have always suffered from a decay of 
 their teeth. Mr. Rager Williams, the founder 
 of Providence Plantations, relates, in his MS, 
 that when he first came into the countrv " the 
 " Indians were vastly subject to the tooth-ach; 
 " and that thei stoutest men complained more 
 " of that pain, than their women of the pains of 
 " travail."* 
 
 Falmouth, to which I returned, is a thriving town, 
 with a sea- port to which there belongs fifty or 
 sixty sail of vessels ; chiefly coasters, but in part 
 of three, and even four hundred tons burden. 
 The employ of the larger vessels is found in the 
 southern states, for which they carry cargoes to 
 New York, Boston and Europe. The soil of 
 Falmouth is less light than that lower down the 
 peninsula ; but, still, more proper for the grain 
 than for pasture. Captain Crocker, of this place, 
 has twelve thousand feet of salt-works, the roofs 
 of the vats of which are moved by windlasses; 
 the ropes communicating with more than one 
 nmge or tier of vats. 
 
 * Callender's Historical Discourse, p. 101. — In the 
 comparison drawn by Mr. Williams, there is less force, 
 however, than most readers may imagine ; because it 
 was a part of the Spartan education of the Indians, that 
 women, in the pains of travail, should not copiplain 
 at all 
 
OP THE UNITED STATES. 213 
 
 There ai'e two societies, with their churches, 
 in the town, but only one clergyman, the Reve- 
 rend Mr. Lincohi, who, dividing his time into 
 five parts, gives three-fitths to one societv, and 
 two-fifths to the other ; and the societies con- 
 tribute after the sume rate, to the amount of 
 his salar\ . 
 
 From Falmouth, the readiest communication 
 with the west shore of Buzzard's Bay, isthe ferr\-; 
 but I preferred to drive round the bay, through 
 parts of the towns of Sandwich, Wartham and 
 Rochester. At the head or northern extremity of 
 Buzzard's Bay, is an inner bay, called Buttermilk 
 Bay. 
 
 Thickly wooded hills, and steep declivities, 
 distinguish a great pai't of the road between Fal- 
 mouth and Buttermilk Bay : but, arrived at the 
 bay, the country is more level and open, and com- 
 posed of rocks and sands. Such, in particular, 
 is the description of the soil for seven miles, be- 
 tween Buttermilk Bay and the church of Ware- 
 ham ; but the land southward, on the Agawam, 
 is of a superior quality. The church is at the 
 head of a spacious green, which spreads from 
 the western extremity of a dam. The dam ar- 
 rests tlie course of a stream immediately 
 where it enters the sea ; so that there is fresh 
 water on the north side of the dam, and salt on 
 the south. There are two other rivers in Ware- 
 ham, upon ^vhich ai-e fulling, flower and saw 
 
224 I'JIAVELS THJiOUfiH PART 
 
 mills, forges and carding-machines. Wareham 
 has ten or twelve sail of coasting- vessels. 
 
 In this town, there are four poor persons main- 
 tained, of whom three are aged women, and one 
 a male ideot. They are farmed out, at seventy, 
 eighty or ninety cents per week, accordingly as 
 they are able to make themselves in any degree 
 useful. 
 
 Rochester, which adjoins New Bedford, is a 
 busy place, and rapidly advancing in wealth and 
 population. It occupies, in a direct line, fifteen 
 miles of coast ; and by reason of its numerous 
 inlets, possesses a sea-board of at least thirty 
 miles. Its inland limits comprehend part of a 
 small lake, called Assawampset Pond, besides 
 the entire surfaces of other pools or ponds ; 
 and exclusive, of several brooks, it has 
 two small rivers, the Matteposset or Mata- 
 poiset and the Sippiwan. The Matapoiset 
 fails into a creek or bay, called Matapoiset 
 Hai bour ; but this harbour is of less importance 
 to the town than Rochester Harbour, called 
 after its own name. 
 
 Ships are built in Rochester, for the port of 
 New Bedford, and there is commonly two thou- 
 sand tons upon the stocks. Many vessels also 
 sail out of the port of Rochester, particularly 
 fifty or sixty coasters, and some ships of two 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 215 
 
 hundred and fifty and tliree hundred tons. There 
 are six places of public worship. 
 
 The soil, in that part of the town which is 
 crossed by the road, is rocky, and sandy ; and, 
 though it improves as we approach New 
 Bedford, it is light throughout the district, 
 and unfit for pasture : it produces, however, good 
 crops of maize and rye. 
 
 New Bedford is a town, commercial village, 
 and port of entry, of which the trade is active, 
 and promises to increase. Its situation is on 
 an inlet or ai'm of the sea, in Buzzard's Bay, 
 which inlet, in the town itself, is called the river. 
 The head of the inlet receives a brook or rivulet 
 bearing the Indian name of Acushnet. A bridge, 
 the building of which was commenced after the 
 year 1796, is thrown across the Acushnet, at what 
 is called the head of the river, but which is the 
 mouth of the river, and head of the inlet. At 
 three miles below the bridge, is the A'illage. 
 x\bove, the Acushnet, impeded at t^^o or three 
 places in its coiu'se, spreads itself into diminiUivc 
 lakes. 
 
 The village has two streets that run parallel to 
 the water, and two or three cross streets ; and the 
 number of houses is about three hundred. All 
 the buildings are of wood, but many of them 
 are handsome ; and the whole appearance of the 
 place bespeaks prosperous industiy. Ship-build 
 
2J^Q I RAVELS THROUGH PARI 
 
 ing is a principal employment of the place; 
 and there were at this time seven large vessels on 
 the stocks. A hundred square-rigged vessels 
 belong to the port ; and the ports of Falmouth, 
 Dartmouth and New Bedford, possess together 
 a hundred and fif'y. Vessels of more than three 
 hundred tons cannot conveniently come to the 
 wharfs of New Bedford. Their chief employ 
 is that of carrying freights between New York 
 and Europe; rarely, if ever, fetching freights from 
 the West Indies, but loading with West India 
 produce at New York. The country round New 
 Bedford has nothing to export, and it consumes 
 but few imports. There are some handsome 
 warehouses, built on the wharfs ; but the 
 decline of the little trade in which New Bed- 
 ford was lately engaged, and the entire transfer 
 of its tonnage into the carrying-trade, will pro- 
 bably prevent the building of more. The former 
 trade arose out of the products of the whale-fish- 
 ery ; but the decline of the market for these pro- 
 ducts has reduced the merchants and ship own- 
 ers of New Bedford to abandon the pursuit. 
 
 One or two small salt-works are erecting in 
 New Bedford. A manufactory of sheaves for 
 ships blocks has been established in the village, 
 the machinery of which is turned by sea-water, 
 thrown upon an over- shot wheel. The water is 
 
 raised by sails; but this exi^edient, which is well 
 4 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 217 
 
 adapted for raising water for the salt-works, in- 
 adequate to the service here required. All the 
 water, that it ordinarily raises in forty -eight hours, 
 being expended in four. 
 
 Many of the inhabitants of New Bedford ai*e 
 emigrimtsfrom Nantucket; and the rest are gene- 
 rally from the towns to the east\^■ard. In West- 
 port, which is on the western boundary of Mas- 
 sachusetts, and is sepai'ated from New Bedford 
 only by the town of Dartmouth, a colony has lately 
 been begun, by adventurers from Yarmouth. 
 Their particular inducement is the acquisition of 
 a more convenient harbour than their old one, in 
 which they can load and unload their fish with less 
 handling and consequent damage. 
 
 New Bedford itself ^vas made a town so lately 
 as the year 17h7, though the Acushnet is said 
 to have been discovered in 1602. In 1778, 
 when it had become a nest of privateers, Acush- 
 net could boast of losses to the amount of 
 97,000/. currency, by the hostilities necessarily 
 committed for its destruction. In 1794, when 
 it was engaged in commerce, its exports amount- 
 ed to 82,085 dollars. In the village is a marine- 
 insurance office, and a printing-office, at which 
 is published a weekly newspaper ; and there is a 
 quaker's meeting-house, and a congregational 
 church ; but no settled clergyman. At the 
 He^d of the River is another church ; and it 
 
 VOL. II. E e 
 
2^0 TJtAVELS THROUGH VAUT 
 
 is not long since, and both were regularly 
 served ; but the pulpits are now only occasion- 
 ally filled, and then only by methodist and other 
 travelling preachers. One Smith has here re- 
 cently propagated the doctrine, that there will be 
 no resurrection for the wicked ; and he is much 
 followed. 
 
 From the Head of the River to the mouth of 
 the inlet is a space of seven or eight miles. The 
 town lies on both sides of the inlet, which, op- 
 posite the village of New Bedford, is about a 
 mile in width. The village of New Bedford is 
 on the west shore, and the villages of Fairhaven 
 and Oxford on the east. Fairhaven fronts New 
 Bedford, but Oxford is below. Fairhaven has 
 a church with a spire ; and I saw several large 
 vessels lying at its wharfs. 
 
 Middleborough, a populous town, engaged in 
 the nail manufacture and other works in iron, 
 of the ore of which metal it possesses great 
 quantities, lies between New Bedford, and 
 Taunton, or rather Taunton river, in which di- 
 rection I now proceeded. On a rising ground, 
 by the road side, and on the banks of a large 
 body of water, called Long Pond, is an open- 
 burying- ground, in which, on a rude slab of slate, 
 is rudely cut the following biographical inscrip- 
 tion: 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 219 
 
 " In memory of the Rev. William Nelson. He 
 '' died April lUh, 1806, in his 65th year. 
 
 " In Middleborough i had my birth, 
 
 " At Warren my classical education, 
 
 " At Tiverton I had my ordination, 
 
 " At Norton miy dwelling-place ; 
 
 " Dartmouth an assylum for my health, 
 
 " At Middleborough my exit and grave." 
 
 CHAPTER LIII. 
 
 Massachusetts — Dighton — Tannton. 
 
 AT New Bedford, I was for the second time 
 in the neighbourhood of Narragansett Bay, 
 though on that portion of its shores which be- 
 longs to the territory of Massachusetts. At the 
 distance of a very few miles, I gained the banks 
 of a river, that, like many others in the United 
 States, being without a name, is called Taunton 
 River, from the town past which it flows. It 
 falls into Mount Hope Bay, an inlet of Nar- 
 ragansett Biiy, above Rliode Island ; and is navi- 
 gable, for small vessels, as high as Taunton. 
 
 All the ground in this vicinity, if not classic, 
 is at least historical. The f^ngli.sh colonists in 
 
220 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 the year 1620, found it in the possession of a 
 numerous people, whom they called Narragan- 
 setts, or Narragansett Indians, and of whom there 
 may remain a hundred souls, settled in the neigh- 
 bourhood of some little lakes, in the town of 
 Charlestown, to the westward of the bay. Of 
 the Narragansetts, or at least of their sachem or 
 chief, styled by historians King Philip, we are 
 still reminded at every step, by the traditionary 
 names. All the country is described as part of 
 King Philip's territory. The town of Raynham 
 is said to have been King Philip's hunting- 
 ground ; another tract was King Philip's fowl- 
 ing-ground; a rock on Mount Hope was King 
 Philip's Throne or Chair; and " they show the 
 " spot (Kikemutt Spring in a farm, belonging 
 " to Stephen Paine, Esquire, in Bristol,) where 
 " Philip received the news of the first English- 
 " men that were killed, and wept at the news."* 
 It was a vestige of the Indians, still remain- 
 ing on Taunton River, that I now proposed to 
 visit. It consists in a sculptured rock, known 
 to the inhabitants by the name of the Writing 
 Rock, and which has long excited some portion 
 of antiquarian curiosity ; several drawings having 
 
 * Callencler's Historical Discourse on the Civil and 
 lleligious Affairs of the Colony of Rhode Island, kc. 
 Boston, 1739. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 221 
 
 been in-\de, of which one, by Mr. James Winthrop, 
 is in the libraiy of Harvard College, and has been 
 engraved in the Transactions of the Massachu- 
 setts Academy of Arts and Sciences ; and another, 
 procured in the beginning of the preceding cen- 
 tury, by Dr. Cotton Mather, may be seen in 
 one of the volumes of the Transactions of the 
 Royal Society of London. The rock is on the 
 east side of the river, in Berkeley, a new town, 
 comprehended within the former limits of the 
 town of Dighton, and on a tongue of land that 
 projects to the southward, and is denominated 
 Asonnet Neck. 
 
 Though the Writing Rock is a monument as 
 rude as it is unintellioible, vet it deserves atten- 
 tion, as well for what it really is, as for what 
 various observers have supposed it to be : it is not 
 a monument of the Phoenicians, nor of the Car- 
 thaginians, nor of the lost tribe of Israel, nor of 
 Prince Madoc, nor of Captain Blackbeard, nor 
 of Captain Kyd ; but it is a monument of the 
 sculpture of the ancient inhabitants of America, 
 M-hether Narragansetts or others. 
 
 The rock is an insulated mass of fine-grain- 
 ed gray granite or grunstein, lying northwest and 
 southwest, on the sands of the river, a few- 
 feet above the present low- water mark, but 
 covered at every tide. Its length is eleven feet, 
 and its height fourandk half. Toward the land, its 
 
222 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 form is broken and irregular, but inclining gra- 
 dually outward, from the summit to the base ; 
 toward the water, it presents a regular face, and 
 nearly smooth, forming an inclined plane, of about 
 sixty degrees elevation. Of this face, which is of 
 the length of the rock, and about five feet broad, 
 the whole appears to have been originally filled 
 with sculptures ; but those, immediately at the 
 base, if such there were, are now entirely worn 
 away. A little above, sculptures discover them- 
 selves but faintly ; while those at the summit are 
 very perfect. In what figures the sculptures con- 
 sist will be best learned from the accompanying 
 plate ; but a few words — and they are very few — 
 are to be added, on the style of workmanship. 
 The whole is composed of outlines, hollowed, or 
 cut m intaglio ; and of which the breadth is gene- 
 rally less than an inch, and the depth, where deep- 
 est, does not exceed half an inch. From the ap- 
 pearance of the sculpture, andfrom the hardness of 
 the stone, it is probable that the upper parts have 
 suifered little injury; and yet the edges are here 
 broken, and the whole execution appears barbar- 
 ous. Thedift'erent states of preservation, observable 
 inthe lower figures and the upper, may be attribut- 
 ed to the action of the water, and perhaps to the 
 collision of floating bodies of ice, both of which 
 agents must operate on the lower part of the 
 stone in a greater degreethanon the upper; the 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 22: 
 
 Upper being covered, at every tide, for a much 
 shorter space of time than the lower. The alter- 
 nate action of salt and the atmosphere have produc- 
 ced an equal diversity of colour on the surface of 
 the stone; the upper part being of a deep red or 
 purple colour, and the lower gradually fading 
 toward the base into a pinkish gray. The interi- 
 or substance is gray. 
 
 After viewing the rock and its sculptures, 
 which last are sutliciently conspicuous to attract 
 notice, from the deck of a vessel sailing in the 
 channel of the river, we demand, if not the 
 meaning of the sculptures, at least the histoiy of 
 their formation ; but, upon the second subject, 
 there is very little to be said, and upon the first, 
 absolutely nothing. The only solid history 
 is, that the rock, with its sculptures, was found 
 in its present place, and apparently in its present 
 condition, by the earliest colonists. 
 
 But, in the absence of history, there has been 
 an abundance of conjecture. Two opinions 
 though with some subordinate varieties ; chiefly 
 divide the learned and unlearned ; the unlearned 
 believe that the rock was sculptured b}- the order 
 of a pirate, either Captain Kyd or Captain Black- 
 beard, in orderto mark the site of buried treasure; 
 and tlie shore, for more than a hundred fathom on 
 a side, has been dug, in the hope of a discovery ; 
 the learned are more attached to a Phoenician ori- 
 gin, and suspect that the Writing Rock may be 
 
224 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 a monument of the first navigators that passed 
 the Pillars of Hercules: indeed, they find the 
 Pillars of Hercules among the sculptures. 
 
 According to some, however, one of the first 
 English vessels that navigated these seas passed 
 a winter at the anchorage near this spot ; and 
 the sculptures, as they say, are of the workman- 
 ship of the crew : or an English vessel (as the 
 stor}^ is changed) was stranded here; and the rock 
 was sculptured in memory of the disaster. Both 
 these traditions are attempted to be supported by a 
 third ; namely , that the timbers of a vessel were 
 seen on the shore, in the time of the last genera- 
 tion ; and that an anchor, nearly destroyed by 
 corrosion, was once found near the spot. A 
 Hebrew scholar, in Boston, has made a draw- 
 ing from Mr. Winthrop's drawing, (for the rock 
 he has not seen,) in which he shows that one of 
 the figures is a king ; another, his throne and 
 canopy ; a third a priest ; a fourth an idol, a fifth 
 a foreign ambassador, &c. and, in the inter- 
 vening parts, he points out Hebrew characters, 
 composing Vv ords, which words explain the fi- 
 gures ; as the king — the priest- — the idol. But 
 this gentleman has misemployed his ingenuity, 
 and a single glance at the rock would have rob- 
 bed him of all disposition to support the hypo- 
 thesis. There is not, in reality, the smallest 
 reason to doubt, that these sculptures are of In- 
 2 
 
OP THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 225 
 
 tlian work ; but, upon this point, I shall be able 
 to offer more conclusive arguments in a succeed- 
 ing chapter. It is necessary that 1 should say 
 something here, upon the fidelity of the repre- 
 sentation in the plate. 
 
 It is to be confessed that this drawing of the 
 sculptures on the Writing Rock bears very little 
 similitude to the other drawings that have been 
 made of the same objects ; but it should at the 
 same time be known, that the other drawings 
 (I believe there are only four) are all as un- 
 like each other, as the present is to them. If the 
 plate in the transactions of the Royal Society be 
 consulted, the diminutive figure that it contains, 
 of what Dr. Mather calls two lines^ copied from 
 the Writing Rock, will be found to have scarce- 
 ly the smallest resemblance to what is now be- 
 fore us : that figure is equally unlike the 
 drawings by Professor Sewall and Mr. Win- 
 throp ; and Professor Sewall's drawing is total- 
 ly at variance with Mr. Winthrop's. The va- 
 riations ai-e not confined to minute particulars, 
 or to such as merely depend upon skill in delinea- 
 tion ; but each copy contains prominent figures, 
 such as are not to be found in the other copies. 
 
 Concerning the copyist of Dr. Mather's two 
 lines of the inscription, no particulars are men- 
 tioned. The lines are introduced to the Royal So- 
 
 VOL. II. F f 
 
225 TUAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 ciety as having been procured to be copied by 
 the doctor.* Professor Sewall made his copy 
 by liand, and by his eye ; but Mr. Winthrop 
 had resort to a mechanical expedient, very likely 
 to mislead. This gentleman carried to the rock 
 a quantity of printing-ink ; and, having rubbed 
 this material into what he considered to be 
 sculptures in the rock, he proceeded to take an 
 impression, which, when tiiken, he regarded as 
 2ifac simile. But it must be evident, that the 
 accuracy of the impression eminently depended 
 upon the accuracy with which the ink was ap- 
 plied. Now, the sculptures being in general 
 veiy obscure, nothing could be more easy thtin 
 to apply the ink erroneously. 
 
 The fourth drawing is in the possession of the 
 Honourable Judge Baylies, of Dighton, under 
 whose inspection it was made. In this instance, 
 the supposed sculptures were chalked, and the 
 chalked lines were copied. But this expedient, 
 hke the former, is deceitful in its promises of 
 accuracy : I tried it myself, and found that I 
 falsified the figures at every touch. 
 
 The obscurity of a great part of the sculp- 
 tures, and the consequent difficulty of tracing 
 them by the eye, suggests the adoption of these 
 
 * See Transactions of the Royal Society, 1712. 
 
OP THE UNITED STATES. 227 
 
 contrivances ; but is it probable, that what is ob- 
 scure, when seen at a proper disUmce, and in a 
 proper position of the e}'tr, can be distinctly tra- 
 ced by the finger, when the tracer stands close 
 to ihe rock, and, looking down upon its side, 
 THcaks out a distinct figure, where all was in- 
 distinct before *? 
 
 Another occasion of diversity in the diaw- 
 ings is the style of execution. Professor Seiv- 
 ali's drawing (which I think the most accu- 
 rate of the lour) is performed with a feeble and 
 hesitating hand, and thereiore greatly injures the 
 original, in which the lines are bold and deter- 
 mmed. Mr. Winthrop's impression of the re- 
 itemted d4ubs of his ink, shows only a congeries 
 of disjointed members ; whereas, in the original, 
 the whole is connected and complete. Judge 
 Baylies's drawing, on the other hand, is finished 
 with all the graces of penmanship, and hence 
 enhances the flow and freedom of the design, 
 as well as the neatness of the execution. 
 
 But, since no two of the copies agi'ee, there 
 must be eiror in more than one. That, amid 
 the eiTors of others, I have been myself in all 
 respects accurate, is what I do not venture to 
 assert, nor even venture to believe. I shall state 
 two principles, however, by \vhich I have go- 
 verned myself in making this di*awing, and 
 which have ceitainly been overlooked by my 
 
228 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 predecessors : of these, the first is that of aiming 
 to make the copy neither worse nor better than 
 that of the original ; the other, that of being 
 content to leave obscure and nearly indistinct in 
 the copy, that which is obscure and nearly invi- 
 sible in the original. The upper parts of the 
 sculptures are in general very well defined upon 
 the rock ; but the lower are much otherwise. 
 
 It is in consequence of the fidelity introduced 
 into the copy, that the perpendicular and hori- 
 zontal lines are generally untrue : my precur- 
 sors have set them right ; but this I have carefully 
 avoided. My wish is, not to show what the same 
 design would have been, in the hands of a skilful 
 artist, furnished with proper tools ; but what it 
 really is, in the hands of the artistthatperformedit. 
 
 Among the variations, observable in this draw- 
 ing, from the drawings made before it, the most 
 remarkable is the omission of the figure of a 
 bird, apparently of the crane species, which is 
 very conspicuous in the drawing made under 
 the inspection of Judge Baylies. But, though 
 I had the advimtage of conversing with this 
 gentleman on the subject, and though I visited 
 the rock on six or seven days successively, I 
 was never able to discern this figure. Gentle- 
 men, also, by Avhom I was more than once ac- 
 companied, were equally unable with myself to 
 make the discovery. All, that in my drawing, is 
 
OP THE UNITED STATES. ^29 
 
 seen of the bird, consists of two perpend iciilai' 
 strokes, towaid the centre of the lower piirt of 
 the rock, and which, in Judge Baylies' s draw- 
 ing, form the legs. It is true, nevertheless, that 
 in a pretended tradition concerning the rock, 
 hereafter to be related, there is mention of a 
 bird. 
 
 In accounting for the diversities observed in 
 the copies, a favourite resource is that of suppo- 
 sing that the stone moulders away ; but this 
 theory, which would well enough explain why 
 sculptures, seen in the year 1 700, were not seen 
 in the year 1800, will by no means explain why 
 those, seen in 1800, were not seen in 1700 : it 
 will account for disappearance, but not for va- 
 riation. Professor Sewall's drawing, which is 
 the earliest. Dr. Mather's excepted, contains no 
 figures that I did not see on the rock ; but the 
 two later drawings contain several. 
 
 But, the question of decay in the sculptures 
 affects the question of their antiquity ; and Pro- 
 fessor Sewall's drawing, and even Dr. Mather's, 
 is evidence with me, that no perceptible decay 
 has taken place within the last hundred years : 
 and this evidence, added to that derived from 
 the durable quality of the stone, and from the 
 degree of the decay that is reall}'^ observable, in- 
 duces me to believe that the sculptures are very 
 ancient. 
 
230 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 As to traditions, there is, though but in a 
 few mouths, an Indian tradition, whieh purports, 
 that some ages past, a number of white men ar- 
 rived in the river, in a bird; that the white men 
 took Indians into the bird^ as hostages ; that they 
 took fresh water for their consumption at a 
 neighbouring spring ; that the Indians fell upon 
 and slaughtered the white men at the spring ; 
 that, during the affray, thunder and lightning 
 issued from the bird; that the hostages escaped 
 from the bird ; and that a spring, now called 
 White Spring, and from which there runs a 
 brook, called White Man's Brook, has its 
 name from this event. 
 
 This stoiy believed, the inference is, that the 
 rock, which is doubtlessly a manuinent of some 
 event in Indian history, is a moaument of the 
 adventure of the slaughter of the white men of 
 the bird ; but, upon visiting the spring, which is 
 at the distance of a quarter of a mile from the 
 rock, on the farm of a Mr. Asa Shove, I could 
 hear nothing of the affair : on the contrary, a 
 son of Mr. Shove's related to me, tliat he had 
 always understood the spring and brook to have 
 received their names from the death of a white 
 hunter^ (a colonist,) who, being heated Avith the 
 chace, drank freely at the spring, and died in 
 consequence, upon the spot. In regard to the 
 Spring, one neighbour had told me that it was a 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 231 
 
 hot spring ; and another, that it was remarkable 
 for its intense coldness ; and I found it neither 
 warmer nor colder than springs in general. The 
 spring is to the north-east of the rock, and the 
 brook enters Taunton River a little above the 
 rock. The rock itself is on the farm of a Mr. 
 Deane ; and Asonnet Neck is said to have been a 
 a place of banishment among the Indians. I 
 was informed that another sculptured rock had 
 been seen in the river, at times when the water 
 was particularly low ; but this account, on tra- 
 cing it to its source, appeared to be untrue. The 
 only sculptures on any rock, not on the Writing 
 Rock, consist in two or three figures or characters, 
 having some similitude to the letters X O O, and 
 which are seen on ihe corner oi" a slab of stone, 
 lying within a few yards oi the Writing Rock. 
 The Wriiing Rock is not a solitary instance 
 of a sculptured rock in North America. Seve- 
 ral are spoken of, exclusively of that atu ibuted, 
 in a preceding chapter, to Scaticook, in Connec- 
 ticut ; and besides one or two that are said to 
 be in Tiverton, in Narragansett Ba}'. Of the 
 sculptures on the Tiverton rocks I have seen 
 drawings, from \vhich they appear to consist in 
 rude imitations of \vhole human figures ; but it 
 is the view ot some sculptured rocks on the 
 Connecticut, at the foot of a cataract, called the 
 Great Falls, or Bellow's Fails, and of which n© 
 
232 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 notice has been taken by any traveller before me, 
 that has removed every doubt from my mind, 
 as to the Indian origin of the Writing Rock. 
 On this latter rock I shall add some remarks here- 
 after, when describing the rocks on the Connecti- 
 cut. The sculptures of the latter have less de- 
 sign than those on the Writing Rock, and are 
 comparatively insignificant ; but they illustrate 
 its history. The Writing Rock is by far the 
 most important of the sculptured rocks in New 
 England. 
 
 The banks of Taunton River, contiguous to 
 the Writing Rock, have no small proportion of 
 beauty ; particularly where, below the rock, and 
 on the west side of the river, some rocky hills 
 adorn the landscape. The native rock, even 
 that in the loftiest situations, is pudding- 
 stone ; but the scattered masses are granites. 
 Dighton is a port of entry ; and ships are built 
 both in Dighton and Berkeley. In Dighton, I 
 saw three vessels on the stocks, of which one 
 was of two hundred and eighty tons. The town 
 of Dighton maintains about twenty poor. 
 
 On an eminence that commands the river, is 
 the residence of Major Baylies, a gentleman of 
 the most pleasing and polished manners, and to 
 whom I owe no less for his personal attentions, 
 than for his zealous assistance in all my underta- 
 kings and inquiries concerning the Writing Rock. 
 2 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 233 
 
 I Was so fortunate, also, as to meet, at Dighton, 
 Dr. Prince, a clergyman, of Salem, and inventor 
 of an improA^ed air-pump, known by the name 
 of the American air-pump, and who visited 
 Dighton on the same errand with myself. 
 
 My landlord, in Dighton, was an honest and 
 laborious fai-mer ; an antifederalist in politics, 
 but one that only meant what was right. I 
 was one day amused by a controversy that took 
 place between this worthy man and ?i federal cler- 
 gyman of the neighbourhood. Theantifederalists 
 in politics are all optimists in philosophy ; and 
 ever}'- thing in the United States (federalism ex- 
 cepted) is the best of all possible things : 
 " Every person in the United States," said my 
 landlord, " is happy ; not one in ten thousand 
 " is unhappy." — *' You are all unhappy," re- 
 plied his reverend opponent ; " not one in ten 
 " thousand is happy ; you carry fire-brands in 
 *•'' your bosoms ; you all want to be kings !" 
 
 Taunton, the town eastward of Dighton, con- 
 tains a thriving manufacturing village, at the 
 distance of seven miles from Dighton church. 
 Taunton is a post-town, and the county-town of 
 the county of Bristol, and is distant about thirty- 
 six miles from Boston. Besides its church, 
 court-house and gaol, it has a public building 
 belonging to an academy or grammar-school, 
 founded in 1792. Its manufactures are nail- 
 
 VOL. II. G g 
 
234 TKAVELS THKOUGH PART, &c. 
 
 making and other iron-works. Oyster- shells, 
 from the lower part of the river, are here burnt 
 for their lime, and a dark yellow pigment is ma- 
 nufactured from the red ochre imported from 
 Gay Head. 
 
 In New England, it is common to see solitary 
 grave-stones, in fields, rick-yards and kitchen- 
 gardens ; consecrated burial-grounds being here 
 out of the question, with the prevailing religious 
 sect ; andfamiliesthinkingproperto inter thedead 
 each on their own land : a custom somewhat re- 
 markable, in a country where the lands are not 
 entailed, and where they are therefore daily 
 liable to a transfer into hands that can have little 
 respect for the graves that they may find on 
 them. — In a garden near the river, in the village 
 of Dighton, is a grave-stone, with this inscrip- 
 tion : 
 
 " LV meinory of Miss Polly C. Bragg, who 
 " died October ISth, A. D. 1805, in the 21th 
 " year of her age. 
 
 " THE DYING WORDS OF MISS POLLY C. 
 " BRAGG : 
 
 " Oh how beautiful it shines ! 
 " It happifies this heart of mine, 
 " From my Father's glorious throne, 
 " Sweeter than the honey-comb. 
 
 '' ' Mother,' she cry'd, ' how rich we be !' 
 " Expierd, and left us instantly." 
 
CHAPTER LIV. 
 
 Massachusetts — Boston. 
 
 BOSTON, the capital of Massachusetts, is 
 seated in the bottom of Massachusetts Bay, 
 in forty-two degrees and twenty-three minutes, 
 north latitude, and seventy-one degrees and four 
 minutes, west longitude. The peninsula that it 
 covers projects into an inner bay or harbour, ly- 
 ing between Point Shirley and Point Alderton, 
 and of which the entrance is filled with islands. 
 
 In the village, there is supposed to be an ac- 
 tual population of thirty thousand souls ; but the 
 latest census, that of the year 1801, exhibits only 
 twenty-five thousand.* The number of houses 
 
 * The city of New York, which is also a coun- 
 ty, contains a total population of 83,530 souls, of 
 which number 1,776 are slaves. The total male po- 
 pulation is 40,649 ; the total male free population, 
 39,991 ; and the total number of electors, 12,407. 
 
 The total number of female free persons is 41,763 ; 
 and the total number of female slaves, 1,118. 
 
 The total number of electors, voting as possessed of 
 freeholds of the value of 100/. currency and upward, 
 is 3,010; of those possessed of freeholds of tlic value 
 of 20/. and under 100/. 20; and of those renting tene- 
 ments of the vearly value of 40 shillings, 9,34H. 
 
23(5 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 may be three thousand. In 1790, the actual 
 enumeration amounted to two thousand three 
 hundred and seventy-six. In 1790, it had nine- 
 ty-seven streets, courts, lanes and alleys ; but 
 these have been since increased to a hundred 
 and five. 
 
 Of the general appearance of Boston, in refer- 
 ence to the picturesque, I have already attempt- 
 ed to express myself in terms of some admira- 
 tion. Boston stands on an uneven surface, is adorn- 
 ed with many handsome buildings, is crowned 
 by the dome of its state-house, and has the ac- 
 companiments of wood, water and surrounding 
 
 The number of slaves is less in this year than in 
 1806, by 272 souls: 
 
 Years. Males. Females. Total. 
 
 1806 818 1,230 2,048 
 
 1807 658 1,118 1,776 
 The following table exhibits the population of this 
 
 t'ity, as taken at different periods ; 
 
 1697 4,802 
 
 1756 » 15,000 
 
 1771 21,863 
 
 1786 23,614 
 
 1791 33,131 
 
 1801 60,489 
 
 1805 75,770 
 
 1807 83,530 
 
 See the Census taken by order of the common-couu=- 
 «il of the city of New York, and dated City Inspec- 
 tor's Office, December 1st, 1808. 
 
 * Sinith's History of New York, London, 1757, p. 9f 
 
OP THE UNITED STATES. o^T 
 
 hills. On every- side, it has in its vicinity seve- 
 ral smaller, but well-built villages. 
 
 Such is tlie description of the exterior. Ar- 
 rived within the streets, various features present 
 themselves, of which some support the first im- 
 pression, while others are less fa^'ourable. Un- 
 evenness of surface, though it is the source of a 
 thousand beauties in the distant prospect of a 
 populous place, is productive of some inconve- 
 niences in the place itself, by throwing many 
 houses and sti-eets into unpleasant and inconve- 
 nient situations. An irregularity in the laying 
 out of streets, is no real injury to their 
 beauty ; but man}- of the streets of Boston are 
 both crooked and narrow. In the houses there 
 is much \'ariet}'^, man}- being mean, but many also 
 of a costly, modern, and elegant architecture 
 and finishing : of the latter, several have been 
 erected at an expense of from forty to eighty 
 thousand dollars each. The buildings are very 
 generally of brick ; and all new ones, more than 
 ten feet high, are now, in consequence of seve- 
 ral losses by fire, required by law to be of brick 
 or stone. Of late, the brick, every-where admired 
 in the United States, is of a red colour ; but that 
 seen in the older buildings is brown. The yellow 
 or stone -coloured brick, that is fashionable in En- 
 gland, has not been introduced. Red bricks, of 
 a fine clay, are imported from Philadelphia mto 
 Boston ; and as the humidity, together with the 
 
238 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 frosts, is found to bring on a speedy destruction 
 of their substance, an attempt has been made, 
 with what success remains to be seen, to render 
 them impenetrable, by saturation with molosses. 
 
 State-street, and several others, are handsome 
 streets. State -street leads from the old state -house 
 to the head of Long Wharf, which is a pier of 
 seventeen hundred feet in length, by a hundred 
 and four in breadth, and lined with a range 
 of roomy and solid warehouses of brick. The 
 street and the wharf extend in one straight line. 
 Park-street has a row of houses, of which the 
 back is turned to the buildings nearer the har- 
 bour, while the front overlooks the common, 
 a green surface of forty-five acres, that lies on 
 the side of Beacon Hill, and at the foot of the 
 state-house ; and beyond which an inlet of the 
 sea presents itself, on the west side of the pe- 
 ninsula. The inlet is denominated Charles Ri- 
 ver. Between Common-street and the common, 
 is a handsome mall, well shaded with trees, and 
 six hundred yards in length. 
 
 The State-house stands at the top, and to the 
 left or west, of Park-street, and on the western 
 brow of Beacon Hill. This building, whose archi- 
 tect is Mr. Bulfinch, of Boston, and of which the 
 conier- stone was laid on the fourth day of July, 
 1795, is a hundred and seventy-three feet in 
 front, and sixty -one in depth ; and consists of a 
 basement and principal stories, with an attic story 
 
Of THE UNITED STATES. 239 
 
 in the centre of the front. The basement stor}'- 
 is twenty feet high, and the principal story thirty. 
 The centre, with its attic stor}% twenty feet 
 high, making a total height of seventy feet, is 
 covered with a pediment, above which rises a 
 dome, fifty feet in diameter, and thirty feei high. 
 The dome is ht by a lanthorn, of which the 
 height is probabl)' inchided in the measurement 
 of the dome, giving a totiU height to the edifice 
 of one hundred feet. The level on which the 
 State-house stands is about a hundred feet above 
 the harbour. On the top of the lanthorn is a 
 gilded pine-cone. 
 
 The body of the building is of red brick ; but 
 there are posts hewn out of the red granite of the 
 country, placed for the defence of the surround- 
 ing pavement ; and these, and some other ap- 
 purtenances of the same material, appear to 
 have occasioned a mistaken account, that the 
 state-house of Boston is built of granite.* The 
 
 * M. Volney is made the authority for this descrip- 
 tion, but whether justly or not, the want of immediate 
 access to his work leaves me in doubt. Some va- 
 riation of meaning may be supposed to belong to the 
 passage referred to, as given by the translators in the 
 United States: 
 
 " A granite, red, black and grey, the same of 
 
 « which the state-house of Boston is built." ^ ^'''«' 
 of the Soil and Climate, is^c. By C. F. Volney, IsTc. Phi- 
 ladelphia, 1804. 
 
AAQ TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 basement story is finished in a plain taste on the 
 wings, with square windows. 
 
 In the centre, which is ninety-four feet in 
 breadth, it forms an arcade, above which is a range 
 of columns, supporting the pediment. The out- 
 side walls are of large patent bricks, and adorned 
 with fascias, imposts and key-stones, of white 
 marble. 
 
 The edifice contains, in the basement stoiy, 
 the offices of the treasurer and secretary of the 
 commonwealth, and an apartment allotted to the 
 use of the Massachusetts Academy, disposed on 
 either side of a hall fifty- five feet square and twen- 
 ty high, and of which the ceiling is supported 
 by eight Doric columns. From the hall, which 
 occupies the whole depth of the building, and 
 has entrances, each sixteen feet wide, on the two 
 fronts, a double flight of stairs ascends to the prin- 
 cipal floor, in the centre of which is the chamber 
 of the representatives, fifty-five feet squai^e, with 
 niches, in the four corners, for stoves. Doric co- 
 lumns support a gallery, raised twelve feet above 
 
 " A granite, of a red, black and grey colour, abounds 
 '^ on the right bunk of the river, opposite Quebec, re- 
 " sembling that of the state-house at Boston." A Geolo- 
 gical Account of the United States, ts'c. Philadelphia, 
 1807. 
 
 M. Volney is at least mistaken as to the imputed 
 abundance of granite on the shores opposite Quebec. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. ^41 
 
 the floor. From a Doric entablature, which sur- 
 rounds the whole apartment, sprin;^ ibur flat 
 arches, united above, by a circular cornice, and 
 forming, in the angles, four large pendants to the 
 dome. The pendants are ornamented with em- 
 blems of commerce, agriculture, peace and war ; 
 and the dome is finished, the centre of which is 
 fifty feet from the floor, in compartments of 
 stucco. The seats of the members form an am- 
 phitheatre, in front of the speaker's chair. 
 
 On the north side of the chamber of represen- 
 tatives, is the senate- chamber, also fifty-five feet 
 in length, but only thirty-three in widdi. The 
 height of the apartment is thirty feet ; and the 
 ceiling, which is vaulted, is supported by two 
 skreens of columns, with their entablatures. 
 The whole is in the Ionic order, elegantly finish- 
 ed, and is ornamented with pilasters, and with 
 the arms of Massachusetts and of the United 
 States, placed in corresponding pannels. It con- 
 tains a orallerv, for the accommodation of stran- 
 gers. 
 
 On the same floor, the south wing contains 
 the council-chamber, twenty-seven feet square, 
 and twent}- high, with a fiat ceiling. The walls 
 are finished with Corinthian pilasters, and panncls 
 of stucco, enriched with armorial bearings, with 
 the scales and sword of Justice, the caduccus of 
 Mercury, and the cap of Liberty ; and with 
 
 VOL. II. H h 
 
242 TRAVELS THltOUGH PART 
 
 wreaths of oak and laurel. — Beside these princi- 
 pal apartments, there are about tweniy of smaller 
 dimensions, plainly finished, and designed for 
 committee-rooms. The stair-cases are spacious, 
 and the top of the outer dome is reached by a 
 hundred and seventy- six steps from the floor of 
 the basement stoiy . When I qutJified my praise of 
 the exterior of this building, I had principally in 
 view the proportions of the dome. A nearer ap- 
 proach to the sphere, than to the ellipsis, would 
 impart more majesty ; but the architect, con- 
 fined as to the diameter, has apparently aimed 
 at giving the highest admissible elevation. 
 
 A town-hall, called Faneuii Hall, from Peter 
 Faneuil, Esquire, by whom, in 1740, it was 
 founded, occupies the centre of the market place. 
 It has lately been enlai'ged, at an expense of fif- 
 ty-six thousand doUai's, and is a hundred feet 
 in length, by eighty in width. The basement 
 story is open, and is used as a market-house. On 
 the principal floor is the town-hall, seventy -six 
 feet square and twenty -eight feet high, with a 
 gallery on the sides ; and, adjoining, are offices 
 for the selectmen, board of health, and assessors. 
 The attic story has a hall, in which the military 
 corps assemble to exercise ; and small apart- 
 ments, in which they deposit their arms and 
 equipments. 
 
OP TJIE UNITED STATES. 243 
 
 In Leverett-street, which abuts on Chai'Ies 
 River, is a large and exceedingly commodious 
 almshouse, two hundred and seventy feet in 
 length, seventy feet wide, and three stories 
 high. Within the edifice is a chapel, well 
 fitted up, and all the apartments are spacious 
 and well-aired. At the back, or toward the wa- 
 ter, is a large grass-plat, and the walls likewise 
 inclose a garden, a bath-house, and several 
 other detached buildings. The edifice and ap- 
 purtenances are handsome ; and the whole esta- 
 blishment is in the highest degree creditable to 
 its founders and superintendants. 
 
 The churches, and other edifices of public 
 worship, are twenty -one in number : 
 
 Congregational, 
 
 9 
 
 Church of England, 
 
 3 
 
 Anabaptist, 3 
 
 
 African do. 1 
 
 4 
 
 Methodist, 
 
 2 
 
 Roman Catholic, 
 
 1 
 
 Quaker, 
 
 1 
 
 Universal, 
 
 1 
 
 21 
 
 Of these, one or two congregational churches, 
 and particulai'ly the Old South Church, which 
 is of brick, are respectable for their magnitude; 
 but that called Stone Chapel is the only one that 
 has any pretension to elegance : in general, tlicy 
 
244 
 
 TJIAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 are of wood. The Stone Chapel, which is in 
 tlie form of a Greek temple, is reckoned among 
 the edifices belonging to the church of En- 
 gland ; but its congregation are of the unitarian 
 creed. 
 
 In Franklin Place, apartments are occupied 
 by tlie Boston Social Library, and by the Mas- 
 sachusetts Historical Society. By social is here 
 intended society ; for, by a perversion of language, * 
 the society -librai'ies^ of which some account has 
 been given in a former chapter, are so called. In 
 the Library of the Historical Society are many va- 
 luable books and papers, and some natural cu- 
 riosities, antiq\iities and Indian manufactures, 
 all connected vvidi the object of the Institution, 
 namely, the history of the United States, and 
 particularly of Massachusetts. Boston has no 
 public Museum, or collection of specimens of the 
 works of art and nature ; but it has a Mu- 
 seum, so called, in which wax-work is exhibit- 
 ed for money, and humble concerts are some- 
 times performed ; and where there is a collection 
 of English prints, and of some other objects of 
 curiosity. Repeated fires have injured the pro- 
 prietors, and defeated their efforts for creating 
 a more important establishment. 
 
 * Social is an epithet applicable to what belongs to so- 
 ciety, and not to what belongs to a society or association. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 245 
 
 Federal-street Theatre, which is under the 
 management of Mr. Bernard, an excellent come- 
 dian, from England, is not remarkably small, 
 and has often numerous and genteel audiences. 
 There is a second theatre, for tumblers and rope- 
 daiicers. 
 
 Boston Hai'bour is sufficient for the accommo- 
 dation of any number of vessels, in deep water ; 
 but its mouth is so narrow as scarcely to admit 
 two shi])s abreast. The islands already mention- 
 ed, are said to be forty in number, of which 
 nearly fifteen afford pasturage, the remainder be- 
 ing either small rocks, or banks of sand, slight- 
 ly covered with mould and verdure. Seven are 
 wuthin the town of Boston, and pay taxes ac- 
 cordingly.* Castle Island, one of the larg- 
 est, and which has been ceded to the United 
 States, is distant about a league from the 
 wharfs of Boston, and has on it a strong fort, 
 formerly called Castle William, and now Fort 
 Independence. This fort, which is maintained 
 and gaiTisoned by the United States, is in com- 
 plete repair, and well provided with heavy ord- 
 nance. Ships of war might nevertheless pass it 
 with little injury ; but the harbour is -Jiculde sac, 
 
 * These are Noddle's Island, Hog Island, Long 
 Island, Deer Island, Spectacle Island, Governor's 
 Island and Apple Island. 
 
246^ 
 
 TRAVELS THKOUf^H PART 
 
 out of which they could scarcely escape from an 
 euemy on shore. A light-house, sixty feet high, 
 stands on a small island in the north entrance of 
 the channel. 
 
 Boston has about eighty wharfs and quays. 
 Excluding Long Wharf, India Wharf, with its 
 warehouses, is the most considerable work. 
 India-street, a new street, of which the build- 
 ings are not yet finished, leads to this wharf. 
 The street is intended to be lined with sixty 
 brick warehouses, of which forty will be five 
 stories high. Broad-street, which is conti- 
 guous, contains sixty warehouses, of uniform 
 exterior, four stories high. All these buildings 
 are the property of a company. This street, 
 which was first built upon in 1806, is seventy 
 feet wide ; and Front-street, leading from Beach- 
 street to South Boston bridge, is of the same- 
 width. The Mill-pond, a large surface of water, 
 dammed for the use of mills, is just purchased 
 by the town, and is to be filled up, and built 
 upon. 
 
 The peninsular situation of the village, sepa- 
 rated from the main land, to the north-west and 
 south-east, by shallow arms of the sea, has given 
 occasion for the construction of three bridges of 
 wood, of considerable length. Charles River 
 and West Boston bridges are both on Charles 
 River, or that ai^m of the sea which receives 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 247 
 
 the water of a little river so called. Charles 
 River bridge, which leads from the north pait 
 of Boston to the village of Chariesto^\•n, was 
 opened in 1787. It is fifteen hundred feet long, 
 and forty-two broad, and is supported by seven- 
 ty-tive piers ; a: id it cost fifty thousand dol- 
 lars. West Boston bridge, which leads from 
 West Boston to the village of Cambridge-port, 
 cost seventy-six thousand, scAen hundred dol- 
 lars, stands on one hundred and eighty piers, 
 is forty feet wide, is nearly three thousand five 
 hundred feet long, and abuts, on the Cambridge 
 side, on a causey of three thousand four hun- 
 dred feet. South Boston bridge, which leads 
 from Boston to South Boston and Dorchester, 
 h described above.* 
 
 All these bridges are works of great public 
 utility, and interesting through their magnitude. 
 In their style of building there is little given 
 to ornament ; h)Ut they are ornaments them- 
 selv^es, on account of the indusuy, ingenuity 
 and prosperity which they discover. They are 
 well contrived for the accommodation of pas- 
 sengers, well provided vdth lamps, and as sub- 
 stantial as the nature of their materials will per- 
 mit. Two other bridges are projected, one 
 leading to Charlestown, by the way oi Leverett- 
 
 , * Chap, xxxix. 
 
248 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 Street, and tlie other to South Boston, by the 
 way of South-street. An act incorporating the 
 adventurers in the first has passed the assem- 
 bly. 
 
 On Beacon Hill, the summit of which is 
 higher than that part on which the state-house 
 is built, is a pillar, that rising near the dome, to 
 which it affords a contrast of form, adds greatly 
 to the picture. It was erected to commemorate 
 the revoiut ion, and has several inscriptions ; but 
 it is already almost a ruin. Where the pillar 
 now is, there was formerly a beacon. 
 
 Boston was begun to be built in 1630, and is 
 the third settlement effected in Massachusetts 
 Bay, those of Plymouth and Salem having pre- 
 ceded it. The site is said to have been called 
 Shawmut by the Indians ; and it had for some 
 time the name of Trimountain among the colo^ 
 nists of Charlestown, to whom it presented a 
 prospect of three hills ; but it received its pre- 
 sent name from those who first founded it, in 
 compliment to the Reverend Mr. Cotton, one of 
 the clergy to whom they were principally devo- 
 ted, and who went to the colony from Boston 
 in England. It was early the seat of go- 
 veiTiment in Massachusetts Ba}^ and this dis- 
 tinction it has constantly retained. It lies 
 to the north-east of New- York, distant two 
 hundred and fifty-four miles ; and its distance 
 4 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 249 
 
 from Washington is four hundred and eighty 
 one, in the same direction. 
 
 CHAPTER LV. 
 
 The same, continued, 
 
 BOSTON is the seat of numerous institu- 
 tions, commercial, humane and economical. 
 
 I. The commercial institutions comprise four 
 banks, an office of exchange, and six insurance- 
 offices ; in all, eleven. 
 
 1. The Boston Bank, of which the capital 
 stock is one million ciglit hundred thousand 
 dollars, was incorporated in the yeai" 1803, for 
 nine years. 
 
 2. The Union Bank, of which the capital 
 stock is one million two hundred thousand dol- 
 lars, was incorporated in 1792, for nineteen 
 years. 
 
 3. The Branch Bank, by which name is 
 meant a bank that is a branch or portion of the 
 Bank of the United States, has a capital stock of 
 seven hundi'cd thousand dollars. 
 
 4. The Massachusetts Bank, of which the 
 capital stock is at present four liundrcd thou- 
 sand dollars, was incorporated in the year 1784. 
 
 VOL. II. I i 
 
2^0 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 The act of incorporation, called its charter, al- 
 lows its stock to be increased ; and is to be in 
 force so long as there are proprietors. 
 
 5. The Boston Exchange- Office, incorpora- 
 ted in 1804, for eight years. 
 
 6. The Fire and Marine Insurance Compa- 
 ny, of which the capital stock is seven hundred 
 thousand dollars, incorporated in 1795, to con- 
 tinue till 1815. 
 
 7. The Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of 
 which the capital stock is three hundred thou- 
 sand dollars, incorporated in 1798. 
 
 8. The Boston Marine Insurance Company, 
 of which the capital stock is five hundred thou- 
 sand dollars, incorporated in 1799, for twenty 
 yeai's. 
 
 9. The Suffolk Insurance Company, of which 
 the capital stock is two hundred and twenty-live 
 thousand dollars, incorporated in 1803, for twen- 
 ty years. 
 
 10. The New England Marine Insurance 
 Company, of which the capital stock is three 
 hundred thousand dollars, incorporated in 1803, 
 for twenty years. 
 
 11. The Union Insurance Company, of which 
 the capital is three hundred thousand dollars, 
 incorporated in 1804, for twenty years. 
 
 To this list of companies, incorporated for 
 purposes of profitable adventure, might be added 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 251 
 
 ail almost endless one, of such as have vested 
 their stock in canals, bridges, roads, and other 
 works of public use. 
 
 II. The humane institutions are twelve in 
 number. 
 
 1. The Massachusetts Charitable Society, 
 which was incorporated in 1779, has only in 
 view the relief of decayed members, and of the 
 necessitous widows and orphans of members. 
 The number of members is restricted to one 
 hundred. 
 
 2. The Boston Episcopal Charitable Society 
 was first instituted in 1724, and was incorpora- 
 ted in 1784, for the relief, first, of such as are 
 members of the church of England, and second- 
 ly, of such others as the society shall think fit ; 
 but more especially decayed members and be- 
 nefactors. The number of members, in this, as 
 in the former institution, is restricted to one 
 hundred. 
 
 3. The Massachusetts Congregational So- 
 ciety, instituted for the relief of the widows and 
 children of the deceased congregational clergy^ 
 men. 
 
 4. The Massachusetts Charitable Fire So- 
 ciety, instituted for the two- fold purpose of re- 
 lieving necessitous sufferers by fire, and of en- 
 couraging inventions for the safety of lives and 
 property from fire. 
 
252 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 5. The Society for the aid of Immigrants,* 
 instituted in 1793, for the purpose of relieving 
 the circumstances of necessitous foreign adven- 
 turers in Massachusetts. The meetings of this 
 society have been suspended. 
 
 6. The Boston Medical Dispensary, institu- 
 ted in 1796. 
 
 7. The Humane Society, instituted in 1785, 
 for the resuscitation of drowned persons, and 
 relief of other cases of suspended animation, 
 and for providing huts and necessaries for the 
 use of shipwrecked mariners and others. 
 
 8. The Female Asylum, instituted in 1800, 
 for maintaining and educating orphan and other 
 indigent female children. The managers are 
 sixteen ladies, annually chosen by the members. 
 
 9. The Mechanic Charitable Association, in- 
 stituted for the relief of members and their fa- 
 milies, and for " promoting and regulating the 
 " artsy 
 
 10. The Marine Society. 
 
 11. The Scots' Charitable Society. 
 
 12. The Irish Charitable Society. 
 
 III. There are four societies, for Christian 
 missions, and for the promotion of Christian 
 knoAvledge. 
 
 * Immigrant is perhaps the only neAV word, of which 
 the circumstances of the United States has in any de- 
 gree demanded the addition to the English language. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 253 
 
 1. The Society for Propagating the Gospel 
 amons: the Indians and Others in North Ame- 
 rica, incorporated in 17b 7. This society in- 
 ckides a board of commissioners from the 
 Scotch Society for Promoting Christian know- 
 ledge. 
 
 2. The Massachusetts Missionary Society, 
 instituted in 1799. 
 
 3. The M -issachusetts Baptist Missioniuy So- 
 ciety, instituted in 1802. 
 
 4. The Massachusetts Society for promoting 
 Christian knowledge. 
 
 IV. For public education, there are nine 
 schools, supported, agreeably wilh the ordinary 
 system, by town-taxes, at an annual expense of 
 fourteen thousand dollai's. The number of 
 scholars is about one thousand. 
 
 V. For the advancement of knowledge there 
 are three institutions : 
 
 1. The American Academy of Arts and 
 Sciences, was incorporated in the year 1780. 
 
 2. The Boston Medical Society, incorpora- 
 ted in the year 1781, for the advancement of 
 medical and chirurgical knowledge. 
 
 3. The Society for promoting Agriculture, 
 incorporated in 1792, has large funds for dc- 
 fraying the expense of premiums and boun- 
 ties. 
 
254 
 
 TRAVELS THKOUGH PART 
 
 VI. For the diffusion of knowledge and letters 
 there are also three. 
 
 1. The Boston Library Society. 
 
 2. The Law Library. 
 
 3. The Boston Athenaeum, an institution that 
 has received its incorporation in the present 
 year, and which is professedly established, in 
 part, on the plan of the Atheiiceum in Liverpool, 
 and with a warm though humble emulation of the 
 Royal and London Institutions. It originated in a 
 simple reading-room, opened to subscribers by 
 a societ}?^ of gentlemen, whose engagements in the 
 conduct of a periodical publication, (the Month- 
 ly Anthology,) afforded them some facilities in 
 the collection of books; but in the enlarged plan, 
 it has more multifarious objects. Beside a Read- 
 ing Room, well furnished with newspapers and 
 pamphlets, and other productions of Europe and 
 the United States, it is proposed that the Athe- 
 necum shall comprehend a Library, filled with the 
 great works of learning and science in all lan- 
 guages ; a Museum or cabinet, containing spe- 
 cimens in natural history ; a Repository of Arts, 
 for models of new and useful machines, draw- 
 ings, paintings, engravings, statues and other ob- 
 jects of the fine arts ; a Laboratory, for experi- 
 ments in chemistry ; and an Apparatus for astro- 
 nomy and natural philosophy. An appropriate 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. ^SjS 
 
 building is designed to be erected ; and the actual 
 library consists in twelve hundred volumes. 
 The institution, which principally owes its birth 
 to the literary zeal of Mr. Willium S. Shaw, its 
 present secretary, reckons, in its list of officers 
 and directors, several of the other most respecta- 
 ble names in Boston. The Honourable Theo- 
 philus Parsons, Esq. Chief- Justice of Massachu- 
 setts, is its President ; the Honourable John 
 Davis, Esq. District Judge, its Vice-President ; 
 John Lowell, Esq. Treasurer; and the Rev. Wil- 
 liam Emerson, Rev. John T. Kirkland, D. D. 
 Peter Thacher, Esq. Robert Hallowell Gardiner, 
 Esq. and the Rev. Joseph Buckminster, di- 
 rectors. 
 
CHAPTER LVI. 
 
 The same^ continued. 
 
 I HAVE called Boston a village ; for, though 
 it clearly comes within the definition of a 
 toxvn, yet, having employed this latter term, con- 
 formably with its use in New England, in a very 
 different sense, I am prevented from recurring to 
 it here. The Boston topographers are sometimes 
 less scrupulous ; but I cannot consent to follow 
 them, in confounding, under one denomination, 
 two very different things : *' Boston," say 
 they, " is the largest town in New England." 
 Now, it is certainly the most populous town, 
 but it is far from being the largest. The 
 town of Boston comprehends a peninsula two 
 miles in length, by half a mile, in its broadest 
 path, in width ; to which is to be added a small 
 tract of land, called South Boston, and the 
 lands of some petty islands : but what is this, 
 when compared with the towns of Plymouth and 
 Rochester, and others, of which the length is 
 dxteen miles. In Boston, as in all the other 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 257 
 
 towns in New England, we are to distinguish both 
 ^village and a town. The A'illage has ne\er been 
 erected into a city, the attempts for that purpose 
 failed, through the " democratic spirit of the 
 " people."* 
 
 At the annual town meeting are chosen nine 
 selectmen, to manage the civil and prudential 
 affairs of the town ; a town clerk, a treasurer, 
 twelve overseers of the poor, twenty-four T?/-^- 
 ivards, and the vaiious other officers. T^-elve 
 constables are annually appointed by the select- 
 men. A board of health is annually formed, by 
 the election of one member from each of the 
 twelve wards into which the town is divided. 
 This board regulates the quarantine of vessels ar- 
 riving from sickly climates. The quarantine 
 usually continues from May to October ; and 
 the board has power to establish such rules and 
 regulations as may conduce to the prevention 
 of contagious or epidemic disorders. 
 
 The collection of the to\vn taxes, the amount 
 of which is first agreed to at a regular town 
 meeting, is confided to the treasurer. Two 
 freeholders are chosen in each ward as as- 
 sistant assessors ; and these form a board for the 
 election of three permanent assessors, ^vho art 
 not members of the board. The permanent as- 
 
 * American Gazetteer. 
 VOL. II. s, k 
 
258 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 sessors, aided by the assistants in their respective 
 wards, value and appraise the estates and income 
 of the inhabitants, and assess their respective 
 portions of the tax. Six months, from the date 
 of the tax-hill, is allowed for the payment, with 
 a proportional discount of from 5 to 2 per cent, 
 for eariy payments. The tax for the present year 
 is estimated at 90,000 dollars, and the income of 
 town-land and estates at 10,000. Of these 
 sums, 14,000 is appropriated for schools, 5,000 
 for lamps, 6,500 for watchmen, 18,000 for the 
 support of the poor, 10,000 for repairing streets, 
 and 5,000 for the expenses of the Health 
 Office. 
 
 Boston has twelve companies of infantry di- 
 vided into three sub-legions, not uniformed; 
 and the Ancient and Honourable Artillery, the 
 Independent Cadets, Boston Fusiliers, Boston 
 Light Infantry, Winslow Blue Light Infantry, 
 Washington Light Infantry, Boston Cavalry, 
 and two companies of x\rtilleiy, in complete 
 uniform. 
 
 There are forty-nine physicians and surgeons 
 practising in Boston. Stage-coaches pass daily 
 bet\Aeen Boston and all the neighbouring villa- 
 ges, as well as all the more distant parts of the 
 United States. To and from several of the vil- 
 lages, they go and return twice a day ; but this 
 must be understood of week-days, the only 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 259 
 
 stages that travel on Sundays being those that 
 carry the mails, and which are therefore under 
 the direction of the general post-office, and not 
 of the legislature of Massachusetts. 
 
 The principal manufactures in Boston consist 
 in rum, loaf-sugar, beer, cordage, wool and cot- 
 ton-cards, playing-cards, paper-hangings, hats, 
 window-glass and chocolate. 
 
 The Aqueduct Corporation, instituted in 1795, 
 supplies the village with excellent water, convey- 
 ed by pipes about six miles, from a pond, called 
 Jamaica Pond, to the reservoir on Fort-Hill, and 
 thence distributed through the principal streets. 
 
 Boston has suffered very considerable losses 
 by fire. That of July, 1794, consumed ninety- 
 six houses, and other property to the amount of 
 two hundred and ten thousand dollars. Several 
 parts of the town are still very much exposed 
 to great damage from fire, being crowded ^dth 
 wooden buildings ; but the act of the legislature 
 that prohibits the erection of any building more 
 than ten feet in height, except of brick or stone, 
 is gradually remedying the evil ; and this regu- 
 lation, which a few years since received the se- 
 rious opposition of a great portion of the inha- 
 bitants, is now generally regarded as an essential 
 benefit. 
 
CHAPTER LVII. 
 
 Massachusetts — Port of Boston, 
 
 MASSACHUSETTS is one of the most conv 
 mercial divisions of the United States, and Boston 
 one of the most flourishing ports. In 1784, the en- 
 tries of foreign and coasting vessels were 372, and 
 the clearances 450. In 1794, the entries from 
 foreign ports were 567. In 1795, they amomited 
 to 725 ; and, in 1806, to 938. 
 
 The principal exports, of domestic produce or 
 manufacture, are pot and pearl-ashes, flax- 
 seed, whale-oil, whale-bone, spermaceti, can- 
 dles, fish dried and salted, beef, pork, cheese, 
 butter and other kinds of provisions ; lime, live- 
 stock, home-made rum, cotton and wool-cards, 
 men's and women's shoes, snuff", manufactured to- 
 bacco and household furniture ; boards, plank, 
 oars, oak and pine timber, shingles, staves, head- 
 ing, ship-timber, and other descriptions of lumber. 
 Pot and pearl ashes are carried principally to 
 Great Britain, whence manufactures are taken in 
 return ; masts and provisions, to the East In- 
 dies ; fish, oil, beef, pork, lumber, candles and 
 
TRAVELS THROUGH PART, &c, ogj 
 
 Other articles, to the West Indies ; fish and fish- 
 oil to France, Spain and Portugal ; and biirley, 
 hops, butter, cheese and other provisions, toge- 
 ther wi h hats, saddler}-, and manufactures in 
 general, to the southern states. 
 
 The entire annual exports of Massachusetts 
 are estimated at the original value of nine- 
 teen millions of dollars ; the exports of fish and 
 of agricultural produce being taken at thirteen 
 millions, and the foreign commodities, import- 
 ed and reshipped, at six millions. Her total 
 shipping is said to amount to three hundred and 
 thirty-eight thousand tons, of which eighty- 
 eight thousand is employed in the fisheries and 
 in the coasting trade ; and two hundred and fif- 
 ty thousand in the foreign trade. The value of 
 the tonnage is given at twelve millions of dol- 
 lars. 
 
 The exports of dried fish, which belong al- 
 most exclusively to New England, and princi- 
 pally to Massachusetts, amounted, in this year, 
 to four hundred and seventy-three thousand, 
 nine hundred and twenty-four quintals; and 
 the value of the whole product of the fisheries 
 is said to have amounted to two millions eii?ht 
 hundred thousand dollars. 
 
262 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 The four hundred and seventy-three thousand 
 quintals exported, were disposed of in the seve- 
 ral ports of Europe, and other parts, as follows : 
 
 Quintals. 
 To ports of France, on the Atlan- 
 tic Ocean, 65,697 
 Ditto, in the Mediterranean Sea, 22,557 
 Ports of Spain, on the Atlantic, 43,649 
 Ditto, in the Mediterranean, 35,460 
 Ports of Italy, 18,000 
 All other ports, 288,561 
 
 Total, 473,924 
 
 The annual profits, derived by Massachusetts 
 from her commerce, are estimated at twenty-six 
 millions of dollars. 
 
 Amount paid for fish and other 
 domestic produce, and for 
 manufactures, 813,000,000 
 
 Mercantile profits on export of 
 
 ditto, 9,000,000 
 
 Mercantile profits on reship- 
 ments of foreign commodi- 
 ties, for which six millions 
 of dollars has been paid in 
 the foreign market, 4,000,000 
 
 26,000,000 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 2&5 
 
 Of this sum, the direct distiibution, among 
 the several descriptions of persons interested, is 
 as follows : 
 
 1. Farmers, country dealers, 
 fishermen, and manufactu- 
 rers receive, for domestic 
 produce and domestic ma- 
 nufactures, S 13,000,000 
 
 2. Merchants, marine-insurers, 
 sailors, ship-wrights and 
 other artificers, labourers, 
 and all others whose em- 
 ployment or capital is con- 
 nected with commerce, re- 
 ceive, on the export of do- 
 mestic produce and manu- 
 factures, 9,000,000 
 
 3. Ditto, ditto, on the export of 
 
 foreign commodities, 4,000,000 
 
 826,000,000 
 But, since the merchants, and all other persons 
 connected with commerce, are consumers of do- 
 mestic produce and m.anufactures, therefore the 
 manufacturer, fisherman and farmer, ultimately 
 receive, through the medium of commerce, a 
 large proportion of a gross sum of t\\enty-six 
 millions of dollars. 
 
CHAPTER LVIIL 
 
 Massachusetts — Indian Missions. 
 
 IN the summer of the year 1805, a missiona- 
 ry, from one of the missionary institutions of 
 Massachusetts, requested the Indian agent for 
 the United States, resident at Buffalo Creek, on 
 Lake Erie, to assemble the chiefs and warriors of 
 the Six Nations, and particularly the Senecas, 
 whose lands are in that neighbourhood. A 
 council was accordingly held, and the mission- 
 ary presented himself, to offer the Christian 
 doctrines for its acceptance. 
 
 After the usual preliminary, of shaking hands, 
 the agent addressed himself to the council, in the 
 few words that follow : 
 
 " Brothers of the Six Nations ! I rejoice to 
 " meet you at this time, and thank the Great 
 "'Spirit, that he has preserved you in health, 
 " and given me another opportunity of taking 
 ' '^ you by the hand. 
 
 " Brothers, the person who sits by me, is a 
 " friend, who has come a great distance to hold 
 " a talk with you. He will inform you what his 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. ogr 
 
 " lousiness is, and it is my request that you 
 •' would listen with attention to his words." 
 
 The agent ceasing, the missionary next be- 
 gan to speak : " My Friends, I am thankful 
 " for the opportunity afforded us of uniting to- 
 " gether at this time. I had a great desire to 
 " see you, and inquire into your state and wel- 
 " fare ; for this purpose I have travelled a great 
 *' distance, being sent by your old friends, the 
 •' Boston Missionary Society. You will recol- 
 " lect they formerly sent missionaries among 
 " you, to instruct you in religion, and labour for 
 " your good. Although they have not heard 
 " from you for a long time, yet they have not 
 *' forgotten their brothers the Six Nations, and. 
 " are still anxious to do you good. 
 
 " Brothers, I have not come to get your lands 
 *' or your money, but to enlighten your minds, 
 *' and to instruct you how to worship the Great 
 " Spirit agreeably to his mind and will, and to 
 " preach to you the gospel of his son Jesus 
 " Christ. There is but one religion, and but one 
 " way to serve God ; and if you do not embrace 
 " the right way, you cannot be happy hereafter. 
 *' You have never worshipped the Great Spirit hi 
 " a manner acceptable to him ; but have all 
 " your lives been in great errors and darkness. 
 •^ To endeavour to remove these errors, and 
 
 VOL, II. ^ 1 
 
266 
 
 TUAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " open your eyes, so that you may see clearly, 
 " is my business with you. 
 
 " Brothers, I wish to talk with you as one 
 " friend talks with another ; and if you have any 
 " objections to receive the religion which I 
 " preach, I wish you to state them, and I will 
 " endeavour to satisfy your minds, and remove 
 " the objections. 
 
 " Brothers, I want you to speak your minds 
 " freely ; for I wish to reason with you on the 
 " svibject, and if possible remove all doubts, 
 " if there be any on your minds. The subject is 
 " an important one ; and it is of consequence that 
 " you give it an early attention, while the offer is 
 " made you. Your friends, the Boston Mission- 
 " ary Society, will continue to send you good 
 " and faithful ministers, to instruct and strength- 
 " en you in religion, if you, on your part, are 
 " willing to receive them. 
 
 " Brothers, since I have been in this part of 
 " the country, I have visited some of your small 
 " villages, and talked with your people. They 
 " appear willing to receive instruction ; but, as 
 " they look up to you as their older brothers in 
 " council, they want first to know your opinion 
 " on the subject. 
 
 " You have now heard \\'hat I have to propose 
 " at present. I hope you will take it into consi- 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 267 
 
 " deration, and give me an answer before we 
 " part." 
 
 The Indians heard the missionary with their 
 usual silence in similar cases ; and after a con- 
 sultation of about two hours, a chief, named 
 Suguyuwata,* but called Red Jacket by the 
 white people, stood up, and replied to the mis- 
 sionary : 
 
 " Friend and brother ! It was the will of the 
 Great Spirit that -we should meet together this 
 day. He orders all things, and has given us a 
 line day for our council. He has tiiken his 
 garment from before the sun, and caused it to 
 shine with brightness upon us. Our eyes are 
 opened, that we see clearly ; our ears are un- 
 stopped, that we have been able to hear dis- 
 tinctly the words you have spoken. For all 
 these favours, we thank the Great Spirit, and 
 him only ! 
 
 " Brother, this council-fire was kindled by 
 you ; it was at your request that we came to- 
 srether at this time : we have listened with atten- 
 tion to what you have said. You have request- 
 ed us to speak our minds freely : this gives us 
 great joy ; for we now consider that we stand 
 upright before }ou, and can speak what we 
 think. All have heard your voice, and all speak 
 to you now as one man : our minds are 
 agreed. 
 
 * <'Sa^u-yu-whyt-liah, the Keeper Awake." 
 
2C8 
 
 TiiAVELS TIIliOLGfl TART 
 
 " Brother, you say you want an answer to 
 *' your talk before you leave this place. It is 
 " right you should have one, as you are a great 
 "■ distance from home, and Ave do not wish to 
 " detain you ; but we will first look back a lit- 
 " tie, and tell you what our fathers have told us, 
 " and what wc have heard from the white peo- 
 " pie. 
 
 " Brother, listen to what we say ! " There 
 " was a time when our forefathers own- 
 " ed this great island : their seats extended 
 " from the rising to the setting sun. The Great 
 " Spirit had made this island for the use of the In- 
 " dians ; he had created the buffalo, the deer, 
 " and other animals for food : he had made 
 " the bear and the beaver ; their skins served us 
 " for clothing : he had scattered them over the 
 " country, and taught us how to take them : he 
 *' had caused the earth to produce com for 
 *■' bread : all this he had done for his red chil- 
 '' dren, because he loved them : if we had some 
 " disputes about our hunting ground, they were 
 " generally settled without the shedding of much 
 " blood. But an evil day came upon us ! your 
 " forefathers crossed the great water, and land- 
 " ed on this island. Their numbers were small : 
 " they found friends, and not enemies ; they 
 " told us, they had fled from their own country, 
 " for fear of wicked men, and had come here to 
 
OP THE UNITED STATES. 059 
 
 " enjoy their religion : they asked for a small 
 " seat : we took pity on them ; granted their 
 " request ; and they sat down among us : we 
 " gave them com and meat ; they gave us poison 
 " in return ! 
 
 " The white people had now found our coun- 
 " try. Tidings were carried back, and more 
 " came among us. Yet we did not fear them : 
 *' we took them to be friends : they called us 
 " brothers ; we believed them, and gave them 
 " a larger seat. At length, their numbers had 
 " greatly increased : they wanted more land ; 
 " they wanted our countrj- : our eyes were 
 " opened, and our minds became uneasy. Wars 
 " took place : Indians were hired to fight 
 *' against Indians, and many of our people were 
 " destroyed. They also brought stiong liquor 
 " among us : it was strong and powerful, and it 
 " has slain thousands. 
 
 " Brother, our seats were once large, and 
 " yours were small ! You have now become a 
 " great people, and we have scarcely a place left 
 " on which to spread our blankets ! You haw 
 " got our countiy ; but you are not satisfied : 
 " you want to force your religion upon us!! 
 
 " Brother, continue to listen I You say that 
 " you are sent to instruct us how to worship the 
 " Great Spirit agreeably to his mind ; and that if 
 *' we do not take hold of the religion, which you 
 " white people teach, wc shall be- unliapj^y liere- 
 
270 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " after. You say, that you are right, and that we 
 " are lost. How do we know this to be true ? We 
 " understand that your reHgion is written in a 
 " book. If it was intended for us, as well as you, 
 " why did not the Great Spirit give to us, and 
 " not only to us, but why did he not give to our 
 " forefathers, the knowledge of that book, with 
 " the means of understanding it rightly ? We 
 " only know what you tell us about it; and how 
 " shall we know when to believe, so often being 
 " deceived by the white people ? 
 
 "Brother, you say there is but one way to 
 " worship and serve the Great Spirit. — If there is 
 " but one religion, why do you white people dif- 
 " fer so much about it ? — Why do you not all 
 " agree, as you can all read the book ? 
 
 " Brother, we do not understand these 
 " things. — We are told that your religion was 
 *' given to your forefathers, and has been hand- 
 " ed down from father to son. — We also have a 
 *' religion, given to our forefathers, and handed 
 " down from father to son. We worship in that 
 " way. It teaches us to be thankful for all the 
 " favours we receive ; to love each other, and 
 " to be united. We never quarrel about reli- 
 " gion. 
 
 " Brother, the Great Spirit has made us all, 
 " but he has made a great diiference between 
 " his white children and red. He has given us 
 
OF THE UNTTED STATES. 271 
 
 " different complexions and different customs. 
 " To you he has given the arts. To these he has 
 ** not opened our eyes. We know these things 
 " to be true. — Since, then, he has made so great 
 " a difference between us in other things, why 
 " may we not conclude that he has given us a 
 *' different religion, according to our understand- 
 *' ing? The Great Spirit does right; he knows 
 " what is best for his children ; and we are sa- 
 " tisfied. 
 
 " Brother, we do not wish to destroy your 
 " religion, nor to take it from you: we only want 
 " to enjoy our own. 
 
 " Brotlier, we are told that you have been 
 " preaching to the white people in this place. 
 " These people are our neighbours. Weareac- 
 " quainted with them. We will wait a litde 
 " while, and see what effect your preaching has 
 *' upon them. If we find it does them good, 
 " makes them honest, and less disposed to cheat 
 " Indians, we will then consider again of what 
 " you have said. 
 
 " Brother, you have now heard our answer to 
 " your talk ; and this is all we have to say at 
 " present. — 
 
 " As we are going to part, we will come and 
 " take you by the hand, and we hope that the 
 " Great Spirit will protect you on your journey, 
 " and return you safely to your friends !" 
 
272 
 
 TRAVELS THRO UGH PART 
 
 " As the Indians began to approach the mis- 
 " sionary, he rose hastily from his seat and re- 
 " plied, that he could not take them by the hand ; 
 " that there was no fellowship between the reli- 
 " gion of God and the works of the devil. 
 
 " This being interpreted to die Indians, they 
 " smiled — and retired in a peaceable manner. 
 
 " It being afterwards suggested to the mission- 
 " ary, that bis reply to the Indians was rather in- 
 *' discreet, he observed, that he supposed the ce- 
 " remony of shaking hands would be received by 
 " them as a token that he assented to what they 
 " had said. Being otherwise informed, he said he 
 " was sorry for the expressions."* 
 
 The sentiments here expressed by the Sene- 
 cas, by the mouth of their chief, Saguyuwata, are 
 not new among these people, nor among the In- 
 dians in general. In Connecticut, in the year 
 1657, when the Rev. Mr. Eliot, the translator 
 of the Bible into the language of the Mohea- 
 gans, proposed Christianity to the Podunks, 
 they rejected it with " scorn and resentment ;" 
 and said, " The English had taken away their 
 " lands, and were attempting now to make 
 " them servants."^ — In 1741, Mr. 3er- 
 
 * Monthly Anthology, Vol. vi. Boston, 1809. 
 
 t See Trumbull's History of Connecticut, Book I. 
 ch. xix. — Servant^ in the statute book of Connecticut, 
 and therefore probably in common language, is put 
 4 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES, 273 
 
 geant, of New England, offered to instruct the 
 Shawanese and others, living on the Susque- 
 hannah, in the Christian religion ; but they re- 
 jected his offer with disdain ; and added, " that 
 '' the Senecas had given them their country, 
 " but charged them withal never to receive 
 " Chi'istianity from the English." 
 
 But, it is to the crimes and vices of the co- 
 lonists that we ai'e generally to attribute, both 
 the failure of Indian missions, and the horrors of 
 Indian wars : in particular, we are to attribute 
 them to what are called Indian ti'aders, and to 
 frontier settlers. It is to this effect that nume- 
 rous witnesses express themselves ; and, among 
 others, a Pennsylvanian writer, who, in the 
 year 1759, declared, that " it would be too 
 " shocking to describe the conduct and be- 
 " haviour of the traders, when among the In- 
 " dians, and endless to enumerate the abuses 
 " the Indians had received and borne from 
 " them for a series of years. Suffice it to say, 
 " that several of the tribes were at last weary of 
 " bearing. And, as these traders were the per- 
 " sons who Avere, in some sort, the representa- 
 " tives of the Ensflish amons; the Indians, and 
 
 '&' 
 
 for slave ; a violation of terms for which it would not. 
 perhaps be difficult to assign the motive. 
 VOL. II. M m 
 
274 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " by whom they were to judge of our manners 
 '* and religion, they conceived such invincible 
 *' prejudices against both, particularly against our 
 " holy religion, that when Mr. Sergeant, a gen- 
 " tleman in New England, took a journey, in 
 " 1741, to the Shawanese, and some other tribes, 
 " living on the Susquehannah, and offered to in- 
 " struct them in the Christian religion, they re- 
 " jected his offer with disdain. They reproach- 
 " ed Christianity. They told him the traders 
 " would lie, cheat, and debauch their women, 
 " and even their wives, if their husbands were 
 " not at home. They said further, that the Se- 
 " necas had given them their country, but char- 
 " ged them withal never to receive Christianity 
 " from the English."* — Nor are we left to the 
 assertions of private men alone, but have in 
 addition a solemn document of the same tenor, 
 namely, a message of a governor of Penn- 
 sylvania, addressed to the assembly of the pro- 
 vince, at its session, in 1754 : '* I cannot," 
 says he, " but be apprehensive, that the Indian 
 " trade, as it is now carried on, will involve us 
 " in some fatal quarrel with the Indians. Our 
 " traders, in defiance of the law, carry spi- 
 
 * An Enquiry into the Causes of the Alienation of the 
 Delaware and Shawanese Indians from the British In- 
 terest, Sec. Written in Pennsylvania. London, 1759. 
 Page 56. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES, 275 
 
 '' ritous liquors among them, and take the a4- 
 " vantage of their inordinate appetite for them, to 
 " cheat them of their skins and their wampum, 
 *' which is their money, and often to debauch 
 *' their wives into the bargain. Is it to be won- 
 " deredat, then, if, when they recover from 
 *' their drunken fit, they should take some se- 
 " vere revenges ? — If I am rightly informed, the 
 " like abuses of the traders in New England 
 " were the principal causes of the Indian wars 
 " there."* — Nor does the complaint stop with 
 the governor of Pennsylvania ; the assembly, 
 upon receiving the message, proceed to examine 
 " papers and evidences about Indian affairs," 
 and then " bewail the miserable situation of our 
 " Indian trade, carried on (some few excepted) 
 " by the vilest of our own inhabitants, and con- 
 " victs imported from Great Britain and I:e- 
 " land, by which means the English nation is 
 " unhappily represented among our Indian al- 
 " lies in the most disagreeable manner. These," 
 they continue, " trade without control, eidier 
 " beyond the limits, or, at least, beyond the 
 " power of our laws ; debauching the Indians 
 " and themselves Axith spiritous liquors, which 
 *' they now make, in a great measure, the prin- 
 " cipal article of their trade, in direct violation 
 
 * Il)icl. pa{2;c 55. 
 
27(3 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " of our laws, supplied, as we are informed, 
 " by some of the magistrates who hold a com- 
 " mission under this government, and other in- 
 " habitants of our back counties."* 
 
 In 1753, at a council held at Carlisle, in 
 Pennsylvania, where the Indians were met by 
 commissioners from the government, after de- 
 siring the commissioners to give strict attention 
 to what they were going to say, as being a mat- 
 ter of great moment, tliey proceeded to take 
 notice, " That our Indian traders are too nume- 
 " rous and scattered ; that the French look to 
 " their number at Ohio with envy ; they, there- 
 " fore, desired that the greatest part of them 
 " might be called home, and that three sets on- 
 " ly might remain at the places which they had 
 " appointed for their residence, viz. Log's 
 " Town, the mouth of Canawa, and the mouth 
 *' of the Monongahela, where they would protect 
 " them, and to these places they would go and 
 " buy goods, and no where else." This was 
 what, continues the writer, the Indians had had 
 long in view. They were sensible of their own 
 weakness, and immoderate desire of strong drink, 
 by which they exposed themselves to many abu- 
 ses and inconveniences. They had frequently com- 
 plained to the English government, and desired 
 
 * Ibid. p. 77. Message to the Governor, Feb. 27, 175.4. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 077 
 
 that some measures might be taken to prevent 
 liquors being carried among them in such quan- 
 tities, but nothing was done to purpose : they 
 were told, indeed, they might break the casks, 
 and spill all the liquor that was brought among 
 them, but this they found by experience would 
 not do : the rum-carriers, as they called the tra- 
 ders, found means to elude this. As long, 
 therefore, as these persons were permitted to go 
 into their countrj^, they saw clearly that no reme- 
 dies could be found out, to prevent the evil they 
 complained of. For this reason, in 1736, they 
 desired the traders might be recalled from the 
 Ohio, and confined to some one place on the Sus- 
 quehannah : at the subsequent treaties, they re- 
 newed this request, and now fix upon tlii'ec 
 places for the traders to reside, and request that 
 none but honest and sober men may be suffered 
 to deal with them. Had this been complied 
 with, the English might easily have engrossed 
 the trade, and secured the affections of many of 
 the Indian nations ; whereas, by neglecting this, 
 and suffering a parcel of banditti, under the 
 character of traders, to run up and down, from 
 one Indian town to another, cheating and de- 
 bauching the Indians, wc have given them an 
 ill opinion of our religion and manners, and lost 
 their esteem and friendship. With what earn- 
 estness the Indians desired to have the trade re- 
 
278 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 gulated, may be seen from the speech of the In- 
 dian chief to the commissioners : " Your tra- 
 " ders," says he, " bring scarce any thing but 
 " rum and flower : they bring Uttle powder and 
 *' lead, or other vahiable goods. The rum 
 " ruins us. We beg you would prevent its 
 " coming in such quantities by regulating the 
 " traders. We never understood the trade was 
 " to be for whiskey and flower. We desire it 
 " may be forbidden, and none sold in the In- 
 " dian country ; but, that if the Indians will 
 " have any, they may go among the inhabitants, 
 " and deal with them for it. When these whiskey- 
 " traders come, they bring thirty or forty kegs, 
 " and put them down before us, and make us 
 " drink, and get all the skins that should go to 
 " pay the debts we have contracted for goods 
 " bought of the fair traders ; and by this means 
 " we not only ruin ourselves, but them too. 
 " These wicked whiskey- sellers, when they 
 " have got the Indians in liquor, make them sell 
 " the very clothes from their backs. In short, 
 " if this practice be continued, we must be in- 
 " evitably ruined. We most earnestly, there- 
 " fore, beseech you to remedy it."* 
 
 "No doubt," it is subjoined, " the cri- 
 " tical conjuncture of affairs, the solicitations 
 
 * Ibid, page 76. 
 
OF 1J1(> UNirCl) S'lATKS. ^79 
 
 " and promises of the French, together with the 
 " success that kid hitherto attended their arms, 
 " might induce the Indians to fall upon the En- 
 " glish at this particular time, as being the 
 " most favourable opportunity of taking re- 
 " venge : but still the wrongs and abuses they 
 " had suffered Avere what inflamed their resent- 
 " ment, and, as they say themselves, made the 
 " blow fall the heavier. And, if we examine, 
 " we shall find that the several neighbouring na- 
 " tions, as they have imagined themselves more 
 " or less aggrieved, have shown their resent- 
 " ment by acting more or less vigorously against 
 " us. The several tribes of the Delaw^ares, 
 •' who were deprived of their lands, and driven 
 ** from their homes and settlements in the Forks, 
 '■' and so ignominiously treated and expelled the 
 *' council, and above all the Munseys or Mini- 
 " sink Indians, whose lands were taken from 
 *' them without any shad(3W of justice, now took 
 *' a severe revenge. The Shawanese, Avho had, 
 " with others, complained in vain of the traders, 
 " who saw diemselves deprived firstoftheirhunt- 
 " ing-ground on the Juniata, afterwards of their 
 " whole country by the purchase in 1754, were 
 " not much behind the former in their cruel in- 
 *' cursions. The backwardness of the Senccas 
 " to accommodate the difllrenee, and heal tht 
 '' breach when once made ; or rather the encoii- 
 
280 
 
 1 KAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " ragement and support they gave the Indiaiib 
 " who declared themselves our enemies, may 
 " easily be attributed to their resentment at see- 
 " ing the lands westward of the Kittochtinny 
 " Hills, which they considered as more particu- 
 " larly under their care, unjustly invaded; their 
 " complaints and remonstrances little regarded ; 
 " and, lastly, the great purchase in 1754 made 
 " without their consent and approbation."* — 
 Of another sale or grant, made in 1742, " In 
 " what manner," he tells us, " and by what 
 " means this grant was obtained, is well known 
 " to some who attended the treaty, as well as the 
 " artifices used for near a week, to induce the 
 " Indians to execute the deed."! 
 
 But, among traders and settlers, are not un- 
 frequently to be reckoned the colonial magis- 
 trates and commissioners themselves ; and ac- 
 cordingly we see the Indians cheated and oppress- 
 ed, now by private offenders, and now by public 
 ones. Sometimes whole countries wei-e obtain- 
 ed at the expense of the character and resour- 
 ces of the government; and sometimes pett}- 
 farms, by petty villanies. 
 
 When, at Easton, in 1756, an Indian chief, 
 complaining of grievances, was called upon by 
 the governor to explain what the grievances 
 
 * Ibid. pa§;e 82. f Ibid, page 78. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 281 
 
 were, he replied, " I have not flir to go for an 
 " instance ; this ground that is under me 
 " (stamping with his foot) is mine, and has 
 *' been taken from me by fraud and forger)'." — 
 The governor asked him what he meant by 
 fraud and forgery ; and he replied, " When 
 " one man had formerly liberty to purchase 
 " lands, and he took a deed from the Indians 
 " for it, and then dies, if, after his death, his 
 " children forge a deed like the true one, with 
 " the same Indians' names to it, and thereby 
 '* take lands from the Indians which they never 
 " sold, this is fraud. Also, when one king 
 " has lands beyond the river, and another has 
 " lands on this side, both bounded by rivers, 
 " creeks and springs, which cannot be movedj 
 '' and the proprietaries, greedy to purchase lands, 
 " buy of one king what belongs to the other, 
 " this likewise is fraud.'' — " Have you," said 
 die governor, " been served so?" — " Yes," re- 
 plied Teedyuscung, " I have been served so, in 
 *' this province. All the land extending from 
 " Tohiccon over the gi-eat mountain, as far as 
 " Wyomen, is mine, of which some has been 
 " taken from me by fraud. For, when I agreed 
 " to sell the land to the old proprietary bi/ the 
 " course of the river, the young proprietaries 
 " came, and got it run by a straight course by the 
 
 VOL. II. N n 
 
M2 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " co?7ipass, and by that means took in double the 
 " quantity intended to be sold." 
 
 There were other ways, too, of defrauding the 
 Indians, than by forgery, or by measuring by the 
 compass what was bought by the course of a 
 river. Lands were sometimes to be measured 
 by walks performed against time ; and the walks 
 were fraudulently performed. In 1742, the 
 deputies of the Six Nations " had been at Phila- 
 delphia, and sold the lands on the Susquehan- 
 nah, for which they had received a quantity of 
 goods, and besides a considerable present. At 
 this time considerable complaints were made 
 to them against the Delawares, for giving the 
 province disturbance about lands, which, as 
 was said, the proprietor had purchased from 
 them, and paid for, above fifty-five years ago. 
 On their return home, the deputies, loaded with 
 presents, passed through the Delaware coun- 
 try ; and the next spring some of the Dela- 
 wares came down, and signed the release men- 
 tioned above. As the land granted by this 
 release was to be measured by a day and a 
 half's walk, the proprietor got men noted for 
 walking, had a road prepared and laid out with 
 the compass, and horses provided to carry 
 them over rivers ; by which means they were 
 enabled to travel over a prodigious extent of 
 country. Nor was the extent of the purchase 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 28'^ 
 
 " determined by the journey, which the two 
 " men performed who were first fixed on, but 
 " by that of another, who knowing himself 
 " capable of performing a great journey, had, 
 " in order to ingratiate himself with the pro- 
 " prietor, joined the other two, and travelled 
 " about six miles further than any of them. 
 " And, what is still more, from the end of the 
 " walk, instead of drawing a line by the nearest 
 " course, to the river Delaware, or parallel to 
 " that from which they set out, they run a north- 
 " east course to near the mouth of the Lecha- 
 *' wachsein, and by this means the boundary. 
 *' line was carried many miles beyond the Le- 
 " chay hills, and took in many hundred thousand 
 *' acres more than it ought to have done. The 
 " Indians immediately saw, and complained of 
 « the fraud."* 
 
 In 1 742, also, the deputies of the Five, afterward 
 Six Nations, complained of settlements made 
 upon their lands, and were told by the governor, 
 that " some magistrates were sent expressly to 
 " remove them, and he thought no persons 
 " would presume to stay after that."— Here 
 they interrupted the governor, and said, " These 
 " persons, who were sent do not do their du- 
 " ty ; so far from removing the people, they 
 " made surveys for themselves, and they are in 
 " league with the trespassers : we desire morf* 
 
 , * Ibid, page 70. 
 
rtpA TRA^ ELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " effectual methods may be used, and honestei' 
 " men employed."* — Laws were always in ex- 
 istence against the sale of liquor to the Indians ; 
 but the magistrates were among those that sold it 
 The view that these various extracts are adapt- 
 ed to suggest, as to the origin of the wars, 
 animosities and discontents, between the colo- 
 nists and the Indians, is precisely coincident 
 with that presented by a professed apologist of 
 the United States, who, in resisting the severer 
 imputations of the Abbe Raynal, to the preju- 
 dice of New England, employs language di- 
 rectly to the point : " It frequently happened," 
 says he " that some of our settlers on the 
 " frontiers, become at least as much of sa- 
 **■ vages as the natural inhabitants of the country^ 
 " and retaining at the same time all the knavery 
 " of civilized society, deported themselves in 
 '' a manner the most unjustifiable ; and from this 
 " cause there resulted cruel and inevitable 
 " WcU's." — // est arrive plusieurs Jo'is que quel- 
 qiies-uns cles notrcs^ qui hahitaient sur les fron- 
 tieres^ devenus aussi sauvage pour le moins que 
 les iwturels du pays, et conservant toute la me- 
 chancete des Jiations civilsees, se cojnportaient de 
 la maniere la plus i?idigne, ensorte q''ilresultait de- 
 lii des guerres cruelles et int'vitables.'\ 
 
 * Ibid, page 50. 
 t Rcchcrches Histoviques etPoIidqucs sur Ics Etats- 
 Unis, Sec. Par un Citoyen de Virgiiie. Partie TroisiClmc. 
 A Paris, 1788. 
 
OF TIIE UNITED STATES. 285 
 
 At this time,* there is, in the ncighbcur- 
 hood of Lake Michigan, an Indian, called 
 by his followers the ??ianito, and by the white 
 people the /jrop/zc?, and who is a religious, moral 
 and political teacher, pretending to inspiration. 
 The prophet, among his other tenets and denun- 
 ciations, has expressed himself to the disadvan- 
 tage of the subjects of the United States ; and 
 this circumstance has given occasion for one of 
 the principal ne\\'spapersf to make insinuations 
 against Great Britain, upon a subject of alarm 
 Math which it seems to be judged convenient, 
 once in each month, to disturb and irritate the 
 public mind ; namely, pretended efforts of hers, 
 to excite the Indians to animosities against the 
 United States. The paper alluded to introduces 
 with the following comments a recital of a dis- 
 course or message of the prophet's, delivered 
 at L'Arbre Croche, near the m.outh of Lake 
 Michigan: " In the following curious talk, 
 " we think we perceive a new evidence of 
 " British amity / as well as what wc may expect 
 " from our frieyvh on the frontiers. Americans 
 " alone are considered as objects of hatred b} 
 " the Great Spirit ; and no ardent spirits, for- 
 " sooth, are to be drank by the Indians, except 
 " such as come from Montreal ! It is impossi- 
 
 * In 1807. t TJic National Intelligencer. 
 
286 
 
 TUAVELS THROUGH PARI' 
 
 " ble to view such extravagance as flowing from 
 " the unprejudiced mind of the savage ; it can 
 " only be ascribed to the interested views of 
 " a foreign trading- company, or to the in- 
 " structions or countenance of the government 
 " from which that company emanates." 
 
 Possessed, as the reader now is, of the senti- 
 ments entertained by the Indians, in regard to 
 the colonists, through a period of nearly two 
 hundred years, and possessed as he also is of some 
 clew to the foundation of those sentiments, it will 
 probiibly appear less extravagant to him, than to 
 the writer here quoted, that the Americans ^ that is, 
 the subjects of the United States, should be de- 
 scribed by the prophet as hated of the Great Spirit : 
 he will probably see no impossibility in view- 
 ing such language as flowing from the unpreju- 
 diced mm.^oi the savage; and, moreover, his 
 chief pei-plexity will spring out of the language 
 of the commentator, who, after all that he has 
 seen and heard, or all that he ought to have seen 
 and heard, is really so innocent as to suppose 
 that the savage, left to himself, is unprejudiced 
 against the subjects of the United States ! 
 
 That some prejudices, in this direction, more 
 or less erave, and wSxki more or less foundation, 
 have lona: liaantcd, and do continue to haunt the 
 mind of the savage, is v/hat the pages immedi- 
 citelv preceding will have scarcely failed to satis- 
 
fJF THE LTNITED STATES. 287 
 
 fy US ; and, in turning to the discourse of the 
 prophet, we shall see nodiing more than a new 
 link to the chain of proofs, in no respect differ- 
 ent from those it follow s. The prophet iissumesj 
 -as it niay be proper to observe, to speak in the 
 person of the Great Spirit, as delivering his 
 message ; and, this premised, 1 shall transcribe 
 the words that contain the sentiment principally 
 offensive : 
 
 " My children," he begins, " you are to have 
 " very little intercourse with the whites ; they 
 " are not your fathers, as you style them, but 
 " your brethren : I am your father : when 
 " you call me so you do well : I am the 
 " father of the English, of the French, of the 
 " Spaniards and of the Indians. I created the 
 *' first man, who was the common father of all 
 " these people, as well as of yourselves ; and it 
 " is through him, whom I have awaked from 
 " his long sleep, that I now address you. But 
 " the Americans I did not make : they are not 
 *' my children ; but the children of the evil 
 " spirit : they grew from the scum of the great 
 " water, when it was troubled by an evil spirit, 
 *' and the froth was driven into the woods by a 
 " strong east wind. They are numerous ; but I 
 " \\ditc\\\t\n\ they are unjust ; they have taken away 
 " your lafids, which were not made for them."* 
 
 * Substance of a Talk delivered at Le Maiouitinong, 
 [Manitouanone ? — but the place was L'Arbrc Croche,] 
 
288 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 But, the comment that we have read is re- 
 markable, not only for discovering ignorance 
 upon many topics with which it is very par- 
 donable, even in a government gazette-writer, 
 not to be acquainted, but also for a want of 
 attention to the intrinsic evidence of the text, 
 or else a disposition to mislead the world, by a 
 very disingenuous gloss. The real views and 
 feelings of the prophet are betrayed, even in the 
 first line of the passage above transcribed ; but 
 they are made still more manifest in the subse- 
 
 at the entrance of Lake Michigan, by the Indian chief, 
 Le Maigous, [Naigoos] or the Trout, on the 5th of 
 May, 1807. jVational Intelligencer. — The prophet is 
 represented as not always using language of so 
 much solemnity; that of the Avhite people, in his 
 neighbourhood, sometimes serving his turn. An ar- 
 ticle, in a late Lexington newspaper, (Kentucky,) com- 
 mencing with the observation, that intelligence of con- 
 siderable importance had been received, relates, that 
 nine hundred Indians had assembled at Grenville, on 
 Mud River, in the territory of Ohio. It then adds, 
 " The colonel of that part went to them, for the purpose 
 " of ascertaining their object and numbers. The In- 
 " dians refused to give him any satisfaction on the sub- 
 " ject. He then went to the firofihet, and told him, that 
 " if he did not, he should inform the government of 
 " his country. He (the prophet) replied, ' I care not a 
 <• ' d— n for the government of your country ; I can blow 
 '•' ' you off the earth, like sand from my hand.' '^ 
 5 
 
OF TILE UNITED STATES. 2<^9 
 
 quent parts of the discourse. The prophet's ob- 
 ject is strictly patriotic, and pursued in equal con- 
 tempt of the United States and of Great Britain. 
 It is no other than the rescue of the Indians from 
 universal ruin ; and, had he risen two centuries 
 ago, it is within human probability that he might 
 have succeeded ; but he is too late ; his mission 
 languishes, and it must ultimately fail. His mis- 
 sion, that is, his undertaking, is, as a moralist and 
 divine, to reform the manners of his countrymen, 
 and recall them to their ancient religion ; and as a 
 politician to break through their attachments to 
 the whites, and to wean them from the commerce 
 into which they have entered, and from the 
 European goods to which they are now accus- 
 tomed : — in a word, to make them, as he ex- 
 pressly says, a separate people^ that so they 
 may become a great people. What he calls for 
 therefore is, the ancient faiih and modes of life, 
 the ancient costume and ancient purity of man- 
 ners; and how much he would be entitled to pro- 
 mise himself from his eifoits, were his primary 
 object attainable, may be seen from the testimony 
 of a practical writer, than whom few, upon this 
 subject, can be more entitled to the profoundest 
 deference : " They (the Kinistencaux Indians) 
 " have been called thieves ; but when that 
 " vice can with justice be attributed to them, it 
 " may be traced to their connection with the 
 
 %'OL. IT. o ri 
 
290 
 
 fRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " civilized people who come into their country 
 " to traffic."* 
 
 It is therefore against the white people gene- 
 rally, and not against the subjects of this or that 
 particular power, that the prophet publishes his 
 denunciations and commands : " You must not 
 " dress like the whites," says he, " nor wear hats 
 " like them ; but pluck out your hair, as in an- 
 " cient times, and wear the feather of the eagle 
 " on your heads ; and, when the weather is not 
 " severe, you must go naked, excepting the as- 
 " siafi ;t and, when you are clothed, it must be in 
 " skins, or in leather of your own dressing, "*'% 
 
 But, is it to be supposed that this system, this 
 anti-commercial and prohibitory system, or the 
 prophet inculcating this system, are in unison 
 with the interested views of any foreign trading- 
 company, any trading- company interested in the 
 Indian fur-trade ? The company intended by 
 the gazette-writer is one, or perhaps both of 
 the two companies engaged in the fur-trade in 
 Montreal ; but, so far is the prophet from de- 
 meaning himself according to their interested 
 
 * Mackenzie's Voyages. 
 
 " t A strip of cloth or leather, about a foot wide, and 
 
 " five feet long, whose ends are drawn inwards, and 
 
 " hang behind and before, over a belt tied round the 
 
 " waist for that purpose." Mackenzie's Voyages. 
 
 i National Intelligencer. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 291 
 
 views, that he is actually the object of their un- 
 qualified reproach ; and that one of them, the 
 South West or Michilimackinac Company, attri- 
 butes a part of the difficulties, with which it has 
 had to struggle, to his appearance among the 
 Indians; and that the other has experienced some 
 defalcation of its revenues from the same source. 
 Whatever wrongs or sufferings the South W^est 
 Company may complain of, at the hands of the 
 United States, (and it complains of many,) it has 
 not the smallest inclination to seek a champion in 
 the prophet, nor the smallest feeling of good will, 
 toward either him or his doctrines. W hat he calls 
 making he Indians religious, it calls making 
 tliem lazy ; what he calls withdrawing them 
 from commerce, it calls making them mad ; 
 and what he calls forbidding them to part with 
 sugar and meat and skins that God never made 
 for the white people, it calls teaching them 
 to be dishonest, and to leave their debts unpaid. 
 But, the entire hostility to the white people 
 and their traffic is too conspicuous, throughout 
 tlie whole discourse, not to force itself on our 
 regard. It is the welfare, the morals and the 
 perpetuation of the Indians that occupy all his 
 thoughts : — " My children," he continues, "you 
 *' complain that the animals are few and scatter- 
 '■' ed ! — How should it be otherwise ? You dc- 
 
292 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 '* stroy them yourselves, for their skms only,* 
 " and leave their bodies to rot, or givef the best 
 " pieces to the whites. I am displeased when 
 " I see this, and take them back to the earth,| 
 " that they may not come to you again. You 
 " must kill no more animals than are necessary 
 " to feed and clothe you ; and you are to keep 
 " but one dog ; because, by keeping too many, 
 *' you starve them. — My children, your women 
 " must not live with the traders, unless they are 
 " lawfully married. But I do not like even 
 " this ; because my white and my red children 
 " were thus marked with different colours, that 
 " they might be each a separate people.'''* 
 
 What, however, demonstrates, in the clearest 
 manner, the gi^eatness of the prophet's enterprise, 
 and its total want of connection with any foreign 
 system of policy, commercial or political, is an 
 injunction that follows all the above, and which 
 is communicated in these terms : " You are no 
 *' more to dance the wabajno, nor the poigan or 
 " pipe-dance ; I did not put you on the earth to 
 " dance these dances : but you are to dance naked, 
 " with your bodies painted, and with the pio- 
 " ganu (war-club) in your hands." — A very 
 
 * i. €. for purposes of commerce. 
 
 t i. e. part with in commerce. 
 
 I Or rather, send them back into the earth. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES, ^Q 
 
 o 
 
 liumble share of acquaintance with the histon^ 
 of the Indians of North America, will enable 
 us to discover in these words, that the prophet 
 desires, not only to restrain his followers from 
 the corruptions introduced by the white people, 
 but from those also that have been introduced 
 by foreign, and as he doubtlessly expresses it, 
 idolatrous and heathen Indians. 
 
 The wabajno-dance [wabamo, a mirror) is to be 
 interpreted the tnirror -dance, and may therefore 
 imply commerce, the mirrors used in the dance 
 being obtained from the traders; hwt t\\Q poigan, 
 poagan, pipe or calumet-dance is a dance in- 
 troduced from among Indians of the south, and 
 of veiy late adoption in the north. It appears 
 expressly from Charlevoix, that the calumet, 
 that is, the poagan, was not known in Canada 
 till many years after the colonization of that 
 country by the French ; that is, till after the 
 ti'ade and the wars of the French colonists had 
 led to an intercourse between the nations of the 
 Saint Lawrence and of the Illinois and Mississippi. 
 In relating the particulars of an Indian council, 
 convened in the year 1645 at Trois Rivieres, 
 and at which there were present Algonquins, Hu 
 rons and Iroquois, and after mentioning that 
 the middle of the council-tent was left vacant, 
 to the end that the Indians might freely indulge 
 ii> die gesticulations that accompany their ora-^ 
 
294 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 tory he takes occasion to add this remark, that 
 " among the western nations, it was the usage 
 ^' to plant the grand calumet or a ceremonial pipe 
 " in the midst of such a council ; a usage," he 
 continues, " that is sometimes practised among 
 " those of Canada ; for since, on our account, 
 " all these nations have had an increased in- 
 " tercourse with each other, they have recipro- 
 " cally borrowed several usages, and the JVorth- 
 " e7'?i Ifidians that of the calumet^ which they now- 
 " commonly introduce at their councils."* 
 
 But, the manuscript of a Jesuit missionary has 
 supplied me with some further information on 
 this point. Its contents, while they throw a de- 
 gree of additional light on the general histoiy of 
 the poagan or calumet- dance, supply with 
 more precision the date of its introduction on 
 the Saint- Lawrence, and into New England. The 
 manuscript, \vhich was written at Saint- Francais, 
 in the year 1734, and which I found in the hands 
 of Mr. Joseph Anance, of that village, is enti- 
 tled, Histoire du Calumet et De la Danse. — En 
 \14:'i^parleR. P.Jaques Le Sueur^a S. Franqais 
 de Sales^ Riv. Arsiganteg\ — The error of the 
 date indorsed appears in the body of the manu- 
 script. — The river Arsiganteg' or Alsigunti- 
 ijuoke, is the river commonl}^ called the Saint- 
 
 * Charlevoix, Hist. Gen. liv. vi. (Paris, 1744.) 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 29^ 
 
 Fran^ais. Its Indian name implies a deserted 
 river, or river M^hose banks are left a solitude ; 
 and was given to the Saint- Frangais, because 
 the village on its banks was left a solitude during 
 the hunting-season. 
 
 From this record it appears, that the calumet- 
 dance was attempted, but unsuccessfully, to be 
 introduced about the year 1701. In 1719, a 
 calumet was secretly sent to the village by the 
 Renards, otherwise called Otagiimies, and who 
 live south of Lake Michigan. In the village, it was 
 kept in concealment for an entire year ; but, in 
 1720, the calumet dajice made its appearance. 
 The missionaries uniformly regarded it as a fo- 
 reign and horrible abomination, belonging to the 
 southern and western countries, and not to Ca- 
 nada. 
 
 The calumet or pipe, of which the bowl is- 
 necessarily the principal member, is a sacred 
 vessel, and the calumet-duncc is a sacred 
 rite : c'etait iine vrai culte de la religion, says the 
 missionary ; — and when its proselytes, at Saint - 
 Frangais, were exhorted to refrain from it, they 
 defended it, comparing it with the Procession of 
 the Host : — " On a eutendii dans cette Mission, 
 " des jeunes gens, se disposant a cette danse, 
 " dire a ceux qui les avertissaient de ne le pas 
 ^'- faire, '' Pourquoi voulez-vous nous empccher 
 " '' de faire re qui nous Jaisons? (Pest comnie si 
 
296 
 
 TRA\'ELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " ^ nous faisons uii procession da Saint- Sacre- 
 '' ' inent.'' " 
 
 It is not necessary to inquire, in this place, to 
 what system of rehgion the cahimet and the 
 dance belong. It is enough that we know them 
 to belong to a religion foreign to the Algonquin 
 nations, in order to account for the prophet's re- 
 garding them with disgust, equally with the mis^ 
 sionaries of Saint- Frangais. The prophet is an Al- 
 gonquin, and founds his story, as appears in the 
 discourse before us, upon the religious creed of 
 the Algonquins. He calls himself the first-cre- 
 ated man ; that is, Mishabii, (the Great Hare,) 
 whose former visits to his children are familiar 
 to the old traditions : " I looked round the 
 *' world," says he, "and saw that my red chil- 
 " dren were greatly degenerated ; that they had 
 " become scattered and miserable. When I saw 
 " this, I was grieved on their account, and asked 
 " leave of the Great Spirit to come, and see if I 
 " could reclaim them. If you hearken to my 
 " counsel, and follow my instructions, at the end 
 ''' of four years there will be two days of dark- 
 " ness, during which I shall travel unseen 
 " through the land, and cause the animals, such 
 " as they were formerly, rvhen I created them^ 
 " to come forth out of the earth." But Misha- 
 bu created men and the animals ; and with the 
 system dependent on the name of Mishabu the 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 297 
 
 calumet-dance has no connection. That dance, 
 therefore, is a foreign one among tlie Algon- 
 quins, and its practice is inconsistent with the at- 
 tempt to make them a separate people. 
 
 In the spirit of political jealousy, we might 
 discover, from the prophet's prohibition of the ca- 
 lumet-dance, a still deeper plot than either that of 
 the British cabinet, or of the Canada trading- 
 companies ; for the manuscript expressly has it, 
 that the calumet-dance is in hostility to the 
 French interest in North America ! — " IjC inis- 
 '"'' sionaire pent assurer avec siirete^ que tons ceux 
 " qui sofit le plus declares pour cette danse^ les uns 
 " sont tres-corrompus dans les mceurs, les autres 
 " n^ont point de religion ; et qu'aucun d'eux n'est 
 " attache aux Franqais.'''' — This point, however, 
 is without difficulty explained. The French 
 interest in North America depended upon the 
 success of the missionaries, but the calumet- 
 dance impeded the success of the missionaries, 
 and therefore impeded the French interest. 
 Father Le Sueur, having declared to an In- 
 dian of Saint- Fran^ais, " That this idolati-ous 
 " dance and the Christian religion could not sub- 
 " sist together, but that a choice must be made, 
 " and the one taken and the other left, was coolly 
 " and resolutely answered, ' Since die two things 
 " ' are incompatible, we nuist hold in prefer- 
 " ' ence to the calumet-dance.' " — " Aussi le 
 
 VOL. II. pp 
 
i'98 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 " missiojmire rCa point ete siirpris, lorsqu'au 
 " retoiir cles Abejiakis de Montreal, declarant an 
 " chef de la conjuration, qu-^ la religion chreti- 
 ^^ enne et cette danse idolatrique ne pouvaient sub- 
 " sister ensemble qiCil fallait choisir Vune ou 
 " Pautre, il entendit Ic sauvage lui repondre 
 ^^froidement et rcsohiment ' Puisque ces deux 
 " ' choses sont incompatibles il faut done retenir 
 " ^ prefer ablement la danse du calumet.'' " 
 
 Such then is the prophet ; but let us now look 
 for the true grounds of the favour indulged 
 to the English, in allowing them a common pa- 
 I'entage with the Indians. Why it is refused to the 
 subjects of the United States has I think suffici- 
 ently appeared, not only in the historical facts, the 
 testimonies of whichare here placed in the reader's 
 view, but even in the very midst of the obnoxious 
 expressions; but, why it is allowed to the English, 
 that is, why the English in Canada should be in 
 esteem w'lih the Indians, while the English in the 
 colonies, now the United States, are at the time 
 present, as they have been always in time past, 
 the objects of their detestation, may, at a first 
 view, appear inexplicable. I shall observe in 
 passing, that how gracious soever the prophet is 
 to the English, he is not more so to them, than 
 to the French and to the Spaniards. 
 
OP THE UNITED STATES. O99 
 
 The true grounds are unquestionably to be 
 looked for, first, in the conduct observed toward 
 the Iridians by the British government ; second- 
 ly, in the system of the Indian trade in Canada ; 
 and, thirdly, in local and adventitious circum- 
 stances. 
 
 1. Of the government. With the excep- 
 tion of a very small number of Indians, living 
 among the settlements in Canada, and even 
 to whom the remark that follows is in great 
 measure applicable, the Indians have no spe- 
 cies of connection with the British govern- 
 ment, but as the objects of its favours and gratui- 
 ties. The government purchases none of their 
 lands, and therefore its agents cannot defraud 
 them in the purchase. These considerations 
 had in regard, it would indeed be matter of 
 surprise if the Indians were not friendly to the 
 government ; but it can be no such matter that 
 they are. 
 
 2. Butthe govemmentand itsagentsmay be just, 
 and at same time the subjects oi the government 
 may be otherwise : in particular, as it respects 
 die Indians, they may be unjust in matters of 
 trade. Let us take, therefore, into the account, 
 the Indian trade in Canada. This is conducted 
 by great companies, emplo} ing great capitals, 
 and having permanent seats of trade, and per- 
 manent interests in the trade. Is it presuma- 
 
300 
 
 TRAVELS THROUGH PART* 
 
 ble upon theory, that under such a system, 
 the frauds to which petty traders have so many 
 temptations ai'e likely to be committed? To 
 place this question in only one of the many as- 
 pects under which it is susceptible of examination, 
 let us simply consider the immense difference in 
 the results of fraud or robbery, as committed by 
 the agents or administrators of a permanent esta- 
 blishment, and as committed by a temporary 
 trader, A fraud or robbery may be often com- 
 mitted, and the offender may escape before it is 
 discovered, or, if it is discovered, he may fly ; 
 he may bring away with him his booty, and his 
 achievement is then happily completed. But, 
 what would be the situation of a permanent es- 
 tablishment, in the result of a corresponding 
 practice ? an establishment which annually 
 commits its property, and the lives of a great 
 part of those most interested in it, to the abso- 
 lute disposal of the Indians ; which has large out- 
 standing debts among the Indians; which looks 
 continually forward to increased comiections 
 with them, and in which it would be madness to 
 risk the esteem of those with whom it is already 
 connected ; which, in a word, has no means of 
 supporting itself, no adequate foundations of 
 strength, but in unimpeachable character, in ho- 
 nesty, in veracity, in a punctual observance of 
 the minutest engagements, and even in forbear- 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 301 
 
 ance and bounty ? If this were not at least the 
 general complexion of such an establishment, 
 how could it support itself? And how little re- 
 semblance there is, between such a picture, and 
 the picture of a trade otherwise conducted, we 
 have abundant means of information ! 
 
 3. Lands however, and not furs and peltries, 
 are the objects most frequently mentioned, in all 
 the murmurs of the Indians ; and the question of 
 lands belongs to that third cause of preference of 
 the Ensrlish which I have attributed to local 
 
 o 
 
 and adventitious circumstances. The frontier 
 population of the United States is, what the 
 prophet describes it to be, numerous; the fron- 
 tier population of Canada is nothing. Lake Hu- 
 ron spreads itself between the settlements in Ca- 
 nada and the Indians ; and there is not even a 
 solitary settlement on the Canadian shores of Lake 
 Huron ; there can, therefore, be no collision 
 between the colonists of Canada and the Indians 
 here in contemplation. 
 
 The sum, then, is this, that the Indians 
 have no occasion of complaint against either the 
 Government, the Traders, or the Setders of Ca- 
 nada, while their intercourse with the Govern- 
 ment, Traders and Settlers of the United States, 
 is of a nature, if not to justify, at least to give oc- 
 casion for complaint against all the three. Of all 
 the three, there is the least reason to believe a 
 
3.Q2 IKAVKLS THROUGH PART, &c. 
 
 priori that the government is really in fault ; 
 but, as I have before suggested, it is of small 
 amount, upon this question, that the government 
 is just ; the interest and the character of a na- 
 tion and government may be ruined by the con- 
 duct of worthless traders, and other worthless 
 adventurers. We have seen it made the apology 
 of the colonists, in the earlier periods of their his- 
 tory, that the unjustifiable deportment of frontier 
 settlers, become at least as savage as the natural 
 inhabitants, and retaining all the knavery of civi- 
 lized society, gave the occasion to wars and 
 animosities ; and a similar apology is equal- 
 ly valid, and equally necessary, for their history in 
 the present day. We hear still of Indian mur- 
 ders on the frontiers ; but it is rarely permitted 
 us to learn the occasion, nor in what degree 
 these pretended murders may assume the aspect 
 of just, frank and honourable hostilities. It was 
 never accounted dishonourable in any people 
 to me.et invaders with the sword. 
 
CHAPTER LIX. 
 
 Massachusetts — Boston — Literature. 
 
 BOSTON and its viciniu^ are well entitled 
 to encomium, not only for the love of kno\v- 
 ledge and of letters that pervades a great pro- 
 portion of their inhabitants, but for positive 
 individual attainments. 
 
 In matters of literature and liberal knowledge, 
 a striking difference discovers itself, between 
 the pursuits of Boston and those of Connecti- 
 cut. Of the turn of genius in Connecticut, the 
 poetical extracts contained in a preceding chap- 
 ter afford something like a general view. A 
 spirit of research characterizes Boston ; a spirit 
 of railkr}', Connecticut. Boston disco^-ers less 
 absorption in religious matters, and at the same 
 time a less lively fancy. *^ Connecticut (if my 
 recollection is not deceived) has produced near- 
 ly all the native poets of the United States. 
 
 * The Connecticut Mirror, a newspaper mentioned 
 in a former note, as recently established, bids fair to 
 display a gay and genteel raillery on party-topics, that 
 is generally unknown to the other newspapers of the 
 United States. 
 
304 TUAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 Connecticut boasts of two epics, the Conquest 
 of Canaan and the Cokmnbiad, and a mock epic, 
 MacFingal ; not to mention numerous smaller 
 poems ; but I am unacquainted with the name 
 of a single poet, in all Massachusetts, w^ho, to 
 speak in loose terms, has written a poem of 
 more than a hundred verses. Connecticut, on 
 the other hand, discovers but small regard for 
 subjects of polite research, and almost none for 
 science. Professor Silliman's efforts, at Yale 
 College, are novelties, and accord less with the 
 habits of Connecticut, than with those of Boston. 
 A Philosophical Grammar of the English Lan- 
 guage, and a small Dictionary, have been pub- 
 lished by Mr. Noah Webster, Junior ; and the 
 same writer proposes to himself the arduous 
 task of producing a complete English Dictionaiy. 
 The late Dr. Edwards produced, it is also to be 
 acknowledged, a work of much reputation in 
 metaphysics ; Connecticut has also given birth to 
 two historians of herself;^ but in any other 
 branch of historical research she has been in- 
 active : in the profession of the law, she has 
 men of genius and solid study ; but their 
 solid study is generally professional. In di- 
 vinity, volumes, tracts and single sermons ap- 
 
 * Dr. Samuel Peters, author of a General History 
 of Connecticut, and Dr. Benjamin Trumbull, author 
 of a Complete Histow of Connecticut. 
 4 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 3^5 
 
 pear frequently in Boston ; in Connecticut, very 
 rarely. The same observation is applicable to 
 pamphlets in politics and political econom}\ In 
 Boston, there is an Academy of Arts and Sci- 
 ences, that has done but little ; but, in Connec- 
 ticut, there is an Academy of Arts and Sciences, 
 that appears to have done nothing.* Indeed, 
 in looking over the list of die Connecticut 
 members, some further expkmation may be 
 found ; for, with a vain view to multiplying 
 friends, an assemblage of names is there 
 brought together, of many of which it may 
 be suspected, that their beai'ers had infinite- 
 
 * One of the members has communicated a veiy 
 interesting puper, on the Language of the Moheagan, 
 or as he calls them, Mulihekanew Indians ; and it is 
 much to be wished that he were encouraged, at least 
 by the thanks of his countrymen, to pursue a subject, 
 for the illustration of which, both from the account 
 that he gives us of his long and early acquaintance 
 with a village of these Indians, and the critical know- 
 ledge that he discovers of it, he appears to be emi- 
 nently capable. But this paper has come into the 
 world only as a pamphlet of a single sheet, published, 
 not by, but at the request of the Academy. Sec Ob- 
 scr-vations on the Language of the Muhhekanew Lidians, 
 i^c. By Jonathan Edwards, D. D. Pastor of a Church 
 in J^enohaven, and Member of the Connecticut Society (f 
 Arts and Sciences. /»'c"zy York, 1801. 
 VOL. II. (^q 
 
306 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 ly rather see their kicubrations in tlie hands of 
 the common-hangman, than see them stitched 
 between the same covers with those of their 
 associates. 
 
 Some works of research and labour have 
 appeared in Boston, at the head of which 
 ought to be placed Dr. Holmes's Ameri- 
 can Annals, a book compiled with equal dili- 
 gence and judgment. The mechanical execu- 
 tion of the edition, printed at Cambridge, in 
 Massachusetts, in 1805, is particularly credita- 
 ble to the press from which it issued. Dr. 
 Morse's labours, in the geography and topo- 
 graphy of the United States, are also entitled to 
 much praise. They contain many erroneous 
 statements ; but the author has been obliged to 
 depend upon such accounts as he could pro- 
 cure. Dr. Cutler, in a late edition of the Ame- 
 rican Universal Geography, has supplied a va- 
 luable compendium of the natural history of 
 the United States, correcting several of the mis- 
 takes that have long been persisted in among his 
 fellow-countrymen, by more celebrated names. 
 The Reverend Mr. Harris has published an ac- 
 count of a tour on the Ohio. The Historical Society 
 has published ten small volumes of Collections ; 
 and the Society for Promoting Agriculture has 
 published more than one volume of agricultural 
 researches, in part selected, but in part original. 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. nQn 
 
 Boston has several active promoters of scien- 
 tific inquiries and general knowledge, among 
 whom are the persons that have been mention- 
 ed as tlie founders of the Athenaeum. 
 
 More than one periodical publication is print- 
 ed in Boston, and sustained by original com 
 munications, political, religious and literary.* 
 The most important of these is a magazine and 
 review, entitled The Monthly Anthologj^ or 
 Boston Review, of which the criticism and 
 great part of the remaining contents are origi- 
 nal, and are almost always distinguished by 
 sound opinions and sound taste. The editors 
 sometimes indulge in lighter labours ; but they 
 are chiefly to be distinguished as the cham- 
 pions of genuine learning and rational piety. 
 In conjunction with the editor of another mis- 
 cellany, the Port Folio, printed at Philadelphia, 
 they are to be considered as the courageous 
 supporters of solid principles, in letters, polity 
 and religion, agamst that march of barbarism by 
 which all are threatened to be trampled down. 
 The Monthly Anthology has in one view pe- 
 culiar claim to applause for the magnanimi- 
 ty of its darings. It dares to storm with 
 
 *In the American Register for 1807, Philadelphia, 
 1808, it is said that there are one or two religious pe- 
 riodical publications, printed in Connecticut ; but this 
 appears to be a mistake. 
 
308 TRAVELS THROUGH PART 
 
 equal vigour and equal contempt of danger, the 
 strong holds of ancient bigotry and fanaticism, 
 and of modem presumption and philosophisr 
 It execrates, or it derides, alternately the cant 
 and the pretensions of visionaries old and new. 
 With no less intrepidity, and with respect- 
 ability of talent, another writer of Massa- 
 chusetts has breasted the mid-strength of 
 the torrent of public opinion in the United 
 States, asserting the cause of hereditary rank^ 
 and calling for an executive authority and a 
 senate, that shall be free from dependence on 
 the people. This is Mr. John Adams, lately 
 President of the United States, and who, in the 
 year 1 790, published a series of essays, directed 
 to these ends, entitled Discourses on Davila. Mr. 
 Adams has been uniformly the enemy of Great 
 Britain, whether before or since the revolution 
 in the United States ; but this circumstance has 
 not prevented him from doing justice to her 
 constitution of government, of which, in his 
 postscript to his Discourses on Davila, he pre- 
 sents a concise, but historical and practical view ; 
 in concluding that postscript, he pronounces this 
 conditional prediction, concerning the fortunes of 
 the United States : — " If the people have not 
 " understimding and public virtue enough, and 
 *' will not be persuaded of the necessity, of sup- 
 **' porting an independent executive authority^ 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 3QQ 
 
 ** an independent senate and an independent ju- 
 " diciar}^ power, as well as an independent 
 " house of representatives, all pretensions to a 
 " balance of power are lost, and with them all 
 " hopes of security to our deai'est interests ; all 
 *' hopes of liberty." 
 
 This is a work which ought to be in the 
 hands of everj^ native of the United States, but 
 which, on the contrary, is, I believe, in those of 
 few. For popular use, it is perhaps injured 
 by the basis on which it is constructed, tliat of 
 Italian histor)^ ; but, be this as it may, there is 
 reason to fear that the author has flattered him- 
 self too much, even in die single point, which in 
 the complaint that appears upon his title-page, 
 he supposes to be gained : 
 
 " Truths would you teach, to save a sinking land, 
 " JU read-, none aid you, and few understand I** 
 
 END OF THE SECOND VOLUME. 
 
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